Confessions

by ShayWhat

Yeaaaah. So apparently I write crap fanfiction when replaying games or stuck and can't freaking get the secret mission with Yeager. (Though, when I do finally get that you can be well assured that Raven's getting a celebratory "I shot that jerk in the heart with my ARROWS" one shot.

In the meantime: Raven and backstory. Because he has the most developed character back story. Just callin' it like I see it. ^.^ Not Biased. NOT AT ALL.

Italics will always be Raven's thoughts. ALWAYS. .

Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own the characters. I do have a nifty cute key ring though. Also, if for whatever reason you haven't finished playing this game at least once, SPOILERS AHOY!

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"The word in Halure is that there's someone important staying at the Mayor's house. Perhaps we should go find out what's going on."

Raven hovered over Karol, watching as the young child, man, slept. Yuri paused with his hand on the door and glanced back.

"...old man?"

"Someone's gotta stay and watch over the kid, right?" was the only response he got. Nodding Yuri walked out of the room the group was sharing. After the door closed behind Yuri, Raven let out a barely audible sigh. These last few days had been...well...rough. Somehow, through it all, he was still alive.

Not for a lack of trying, he thought ruefully. After his betrayal, and the inevitable fight with the kids, he had purposely left himself wide open to Yuri's sword. The ex-Knight's blade found its mark and, under normal circumstances, would've been the death of Raven. Unfortunately the sword hadn't even scratched the blastia he had in place of a heart. That's when his dirty little secret came out.

Chance to die number two came when Alexei decided to bury the long-suffering Captain and the kids at the bottom of Baction. He had sat there in his familiar pose, head ben in defeat and acceptance of his fate. And then Yuri had to go and bring the death of the Don up. Everyone had looked up to the boss of Altosk but Raven looked upon him as what he had wanted to be. When he was supposed to be spying on the guilds as Raven he was learning for the Don and, occasionally, enjoying the life he had been dealt. As often as he denied it, and really…he was really good at hiding his true intentions, he had a deep desire to make Yeager pay for the death he had instigated.

Chance to die number three came after the tired Captain was able to blast an entrance open for the kids to escape through, at the risk of the delicate structure of the ancient Shrine. He had bought them time by catching the collapsing roof. It was being bent beneath the weight of a collapsing Shrine that he decided that, just maybe; this living thing wouldn't be so bad. He could help the kids fix things. Help save Estelle. Take care of Yeager and, ultimately, Alexei. Focusing what energy he had left at his disposal he cast the spell Stop Flow; effectively freezing everything in place. As quickly, and deliberately, as he could he made his way towards the exit he had created. No sooner than his feet cleared the opening than the effects of the spell expired and left him choking on the dust and detritus of the ruins.

His most recent chance to die had been half-hearted at best and more of a chance to let Yuri and company settle their accounts with him. He knew they were angry. Hell, he couldn't really blame them. He tossed his wakizashi at the young man in offering. If they felt he should die he wouldn't fight it. In return he had been punched four separate times and informed that he didn't have permission to die. He had been pretty happy with the outcome, all things considered.

This brought him back to the current situation with Karol. Back at Baction the kid had been trying to tell him something very important. Something that, if he hadn't been trying to get himself killed, he would've been pleased to hear. Confused, yes. But pleased. But Raven, Schwann, had stomped on Karol's words. It wasn't until much later, as they were in the Ice Drifts, that Raven even remembered the words that the kid had tried to tell him. Karol had been trying to take on that monstrosity by himself; in an attempt to save his friends and had almost died from exhaustion in the process. Now all Raven wanted, right this moment, was for the kid to get better so that they could have that talk.

Preferably with fewer weapons involved.

"Hey kid…Karol? I just wanted to let you know that I feel th' same. And if you'd get better I'd like to talk to you."

Raven had never been a family man. His own family had long ago disowned him.

But he swore upon all the things he found to care about that if they all survived this that Karol would be able to count on him as a friend…and surrogate father if need be.