Lilac and Emerald

Disclaimer : I do not own Fire Emblem.

A/N

Alright, time for my long-standing fanfic. I did this fic because I'm a Raigh/Sophia trash (heh heh) and my general bias for Tsundere/Dandere troupe and angst/love filled story. I believed Raigh and Sophia's character give the best output for my favorite troupe. That and the fandom needs more Raigh/Sophia, so why not?

Anyhow, I'll use 'Raigh' for Rei/Ray in this, since official translation came.

This is will be collection of oneshot, it may be connected to each other, or it may be not. And it has no consistent chronology.

A Place to Call Home

Rating : K+

Genre : Romance, with some Humor in the End.

Pairings ; Raigh x Sophia.

Word Count : 3000+

"Now, dear children." A gentle voice asked the group of children in the living room of the orphanage. "What is 'home' to you?"

A boy at the edge of the room looked at the gathering group of children not to far from him. He disliked it whenever Father Lucius gave one of his 'group sermons'. All of the children loved it. Not him though. He never did. Group gatherings is not his preferred pastime. He'd rather read books or magic tomes.

But that question intrigued him. What is home? The quick definition would be a place where you stay permanently. But this is Father Lucius we were talking about. There's got to be some kind of hidden-and-deep meaning behind it.

"A place to stay!" One of the youngest in their orphanage, John, confidently answered.

"That is partially correct, John. But there is another meaning of that word. Anyone knows?" The Father smiled as he looked on the group of children before him. Not for long, one of the children raised his hand.

"Home is the place where you are surrounded by people who care about you. It's a place where you can feel a sense of belonging and a purpose" A boy with green hair and cheerful emerald eyes answered.

"Correct, Lugh!" The Father smiled satisfyingly.

"That is home, everyone. It's a place where you feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Like for example, this house. We are all a family and we loved each other, we cared for each other. That is what home is all about. Understand?"

The kids affirmed in unison, earning a chuckle from the boy.

"Home, huh...?" The distant boy pondered the words for several minutes. He barely knew his parents. All of the memories of them are blurred and the only thing to remember is the locket that his twin brother Lugh has when their parents suddenly left many years ago.

That was his home. But that didn't exist anymore.

He thought that this orphanage was close to what they called 'home', but is it true? There was a part of him that felt that he didn't belong here, even though Father Lucius had been nothing but kind and patient to him.

But is this place really what you called home?

"...Raigh...?" The soft voice beside him snapped him from his thoughts. Raigh turned to see a long-lilac haired druid sat beside him, holding a magical scroll. That is right. It's one of their 'study sessions'. It had become their habit for quite a long time to study ancient books together. He hated to admit it, but she was far more knowledgeable than him in dark magic, or any kind of magic lore. It is understandable since she lived far longer than anyone else. Of course, he never had the pride to ask her for help. Usually it was her who ended up helping him.

"...Raigh...is something the matter...?" Sophia asked with concern. It was very unusual for him to daydream like that. She was very concerned about him nowadays. She could sense him tensed every now and then. It's as if he was going through an inner struggle.

"It's nothing." He said plainly as he went back to read the book he was reading before. He looked at the girl beside him, who was still looking at him concernedly. The war had ended, battles were won, the Dark Dragon has been saved by the army. He should be at least relieved or so, but why did he felt so perplexed? He had never felt like this before the war ends, and yet, now he somehow couldn't concentrate like he always would.

And why he remembered that old sermon?

Is it because the place he considered close to a home is gone? Sure he planned to travel the world to hone his magic skills, but after that then, what? Would he go back to the orphanage after he gathered the little ones? To live at that place with Lugh and Chad like before?

No. That was not what he wanted.

That was what he intended at first, but he never truly considered that place to be home. He cared for everyone, even the little ones, but...save for Lugh and Father Lucius, he never considered them his true family.

Yet, what is strange is, Raigh felt that he already found that place to call home, and it is not the orphanage. He thought that it was, but he was sure now, that it is not. It's not where he wanted to belong. But he knows where he wanted to go.

And time is running out. The war is over. That means that we will all go to our separate ways from now on. That means...yes. She would go back to her village.

But they went so much through together in this war. Would it just...vanish like the morning mist, leaving nothing but memory? Would the place he now considered home will be just an illusion that this terrible war created?

No. He won't let it happen. He had to tell her. He had found the place to call home, and he will not lose that. Not without a fight.

With that, Raigh stood up.

"Sophia." Raigh called her name. "Come with me to the outskirts. I need to talk, just the two of us." He demanded.

"Eh?" Sophia was quite surprised at Raigh's request. Sure, they sometimes went out the camp, but it is mainly Sophia who wanted to see the 'outside world' and Raigh insisted on coming to made sure that she 'didn't get lost' or 'ambushed by brigands', usually accompanied by Raigh's snarky comments. But this time, he was the one that wanted to talk.

Sophia sensed a strong will beneath his words. She knew that it would be important.

"Alright...where should we go...?" Sophia asked.

"Just follow me." He said firmly.

They both stood and walked towards the outskirts of the camp. They were camped in the heights of Bern, following the war's end, to march towards the capital for Guinevere's coronation, since Zephiel has died. The two Druids walked in silence, neither of them seemed want to start a conversation.

And yet, Sophia's mind is full of things she wanted to question him. A lot of things had been bugging her until now. Maybe it was the same thing he wanted to talk about? She had grown fond of Raigh during this war. Learning spells, studying magic lore, fighting together, protecting each other, sharing weights of their hearts with each other, and many others.

But the war is over. Could they still be together?

She had wanted to ask him for some time now, but she found herself cannot. Maybe she feared that he wanted to leave her. Or maybe she just denied that their time together is limited.

Just when she thought she finally found a person she could gave her heart for.

Just when she thought she could feel right at home whenever she was with him.

Would they put everything they had gone through to waste now?

"We're here." Raigh's rather gruff voice snapped Sophia out of her thoughts. They walked a bit further to the end of the hill to find a steep cliff facing the center of the Kingdom of Bern.

Sophia widened her eyes at the surrounding panorama. The sight is breathtaking, the hill overlooked a steep cliff that showed the works of nature; mountains, hills, lakes, rivers in which the water flowed into the sea, and at the center of the scenery is the Bern capital and castle, where they previously fought King Zephiel.

"It is...beautiful..."Sophia could not resist commenting on such majestic sight. She grew up in the desert, enclosed in a hidden village for all her life. This was the first time she saw how beautiful the outside world can be. She had been to places before, but no one could compare to the sight of this scenery.

"This is my dream." Raigh stated. "The war is over. I want to start my journey in this land, then all of Elibe. I wanted to study the lores of magic, to delve into the depths of Elder magic, to gain power so I could protect everyone I cherished, and to learn the secret of the Archsage's powers." He declared.

"Yes...that is Raigh's dream...is it not?"

Sophia felt a part of her sank because of his words. That is right. They will go on their separate ways from now on. Which means it's probable that she would never see him again. She had to go back to Arcadia and Raigh will travel the continent to learn the lore of magic. She knew it all along.

But that is life. That is expected. There was a time to meet, and there was a time to say goodbye. She would never convince him to abandon his dream for her. It was selfish. She knew how important that was for Raigh.

But, she hoped, just a small glint of hope in her heart that he would come with her back home, to Arcadia.

"How about you?" He asked as he turned to face her.

"Eh?"

"What do you want to do, now that the war's over?" He repeated his question

Sophia's heart skipped a beat with that question. How could he ask that in the same time she was thinking about him? Maybe she should ask him to stay with her in Arcadia? No. She thought. She shouldn't. She knew how kind Raigh is. He would chase his dream half-heartedly if she asked that.

"I think...i will go back to Arcadia...with Miss Igrene and Fae..."

Raigh sighed upon hearing her answer. "Stupid. You didn't answer my question. I'm not asking WHAT will you do. I am asking what you WANT to do. There is a difference, a big one. Geez, is being an airhead a requirement to be the priestess of Nabata?" He added cynically.

What does she want? That's right. What does she want to do? Does she want to just go back to village and live the rest of her long life peacefully? Or maybe, she wanted something else? Is Arcadia...really the place that she wanted to be?

"...I..." She faltered. "I...don't know...Raigh...i never thought...of it. I always thought that would...go back to Arcadia, but...i don't know, if it's what I really wanted..."

"What do you really want then?" He pushed.

"I..." She couldn't help but to think about him. She wanted to be with him. Just want to stay close to him, no matter what. But she did not have the courage to say it.

"Look, instead of returning to Arcadia, could you..." He swallowed whole before continuing his sentence. "Could you not...just come with me, in my journey?"

Sophia's eyes widened. Did she hear that right? Did Raigh just asked her to come with him?

A light blush appeared on Raigh's face.

"Look, I don't have any place to return to, alright? The place that was close to home to me was gone because of Bern. I don't plan to return there if it rebuilt either. The place I longed for is not in that orphanage. Lugh and Chad may want to return there permanently, but I know I don't want to."

"Raigh..." Sophia spoke his name. She could sense, little by little, the ice that encased that warm heart of his melted. What did he meant by that?

"But I found a 'home', a place to belong. That is the place I want." He swallowed again. He had to summon every last of his willpower to fight his sense of embarrassment. He couldn't look bad in front of her

"And that...is you. The place I want to be is with you." He declared to her. Amazingly, the blush on his cheeks didn't deepen its color by even a bit.

Sophia gasped a little in shock. Suddenly, a surge of emotion, the one that she held and kept inside her heart flew abundantly into her mind. Without her knowing, tears began to flow on her cheeks.

It was his heart that made it so. This is the first time that Raigh is fully honest to her about his feelings. The fondness he gave to her, the heart he gave her, the warmth of his gentle heart was fully manifested at his last words. There was no coldness, no thick ice surrounding his heart. She sensed a protective and passionate flame which she felt, had surrounded her.

"He-Hey!" Raigh panicked as his hand touched her shoulder while his other hand hastily wiped off the tears on her face. "Wh-Why are you crying? Dammit. So you didn't want it after all, huh?" He remarked disappointedly.

"Look, I didn't mean to separate you from your home. If you don't want to, it's alright. I'll come from time to time to see you there." He said as he tried to calm the Nabatan Prophetess down. He was never good at things like this, Elimine knew.

"No...No...It's...nothing like that." Sophia shook her head as she wiped the rest of her tears. What Raigh saw next was her face smiling despite the still falling tears. "I'm just...very happy...Raigh telling me that. Being honest with your own self...it must take a lot of courage..." She sobbed as her smile widened. Why? Why did she felt this way? She never felt this kind of feelings before.

She reached his hand that was on her shoulder and she held it firmly between them. If she had doubts before, it was gone now. He had shown her his courage, she had to do the same.

She wanted to come with him. He is where she wanted to be, He is the place that she called home.

Now Raigh really could feel his cheeks reddening deeply. His so-called willpower really didn't last that long.

"Wh-What's with this hand?" He said as he felt the softness and warmth of her hand that brushed through his fingers.

"...I too...wanted to stay with Raigh...i feel the same way...you are my home...I wanted to go with you...to stay by your side...As you achieve your dream...i want to be there with you...Because, the reason you wanted to chase your dreams...is for my sake. I...wanted to come with you on your journey."

Sophia said as her tear stopped overflowing, smiling widely at him.

Raigh was forced to look away as the blush on his cheeks deepened considerably. Suddenly her smiling face became a very force that the boy could not stand. "I never said that! I said i just wanted to learn the lore of magic!"

Sophia giggled a little. He reverted back to his old self. But she knew he wanted to study the Elder magic and the secrets of age of the Archsage Athos for her. He wanted to protect her, he wanted to stay for eternity with her. He wanted her to not be sad anymore. He knew the weight, the darkness of her heart. And he wanted to get rid of that.

That is reason enough for her to come with him.

"A-Anyway." Raigh decided to change the subject, because apparently this one is bad for his heart. "I'll go talk with the village elder for you. I know they wouldn't let you go that easily."

"Please...don't worry about that...I will convince the elder and the others..." She assured him. Right now, she didn't want him to be worried about tomorrow's problem. She wanted to cherish this moment with him.

At that moment, Raigh realized that her hand is still connected with his.

"Can we let go of that?" His eyes motioned to their still-locking hands.

Sophia's cheeks also produced a faint shade of red as she shook her head. "Please...Let's stay like this for a moment." She said as she sat on the grassy soil and Raigh followed her. "Let's...enjoy this moment...this beautiful scenery..." Sophia said as she tightened her grip on Raigh's hand.

"Hmph, Fine." He said. Deep blush still haven't gone away from his face. "Just...don't think that I like it or anything..." He looked away, thinking that the scenery will be a good distraction from her smiling face.

"I hope no one is looking at us..." Raigh muttered to himself.

"Raigh..."

"What is it?"

She looked on his face with a smile. Her lilac eyes met with his emerald one.

"Thank You..."

Raigh turned away from her as he put on a smile for a mere second, which Sophia noticed.

"Same here...Sophia..."

And they sat there for a while, enjoying the majestic scenery of the Kingdom of Bern, with both hands and hearts still connected to each other.

They finally found the place to call home.

FIN.

Extra Scene

"Damn. That was one heck of a drama!" A boyish voice not far from Raigh and Sophia's sitting spot was heard. It came from one of the two boys that hid behind a bush.

"I'm so happy...that my little brother(*) could finally have his own happiness!" Lugh said a bit loudly as he wiped off tears of joy from his eyes.

The other boy, Chad, quickly covered his mouth, shushing him. "Shhh! They'll hear you!"

"But I couldn't believe that cold jerk Raigh could be that gentle to a girl. He must've really fallen head over heels for her. It was worth tailing those two secretly. I can use it to blackmail him." Chad said quietly as he put on a mischievous smirk.

"Come on, Chad, that is mean. We're not going to tell anyone! Not even Raigh!"

Chad eyed Lugh skeptically. "You're the one that ended up telling the camp whenever they did something like this." He remarked.

Yes, it was thanks to Lugh that the camp was full of unwanted gossip of their relationship. It was common to hear 'romantic rumors' here and there at the camp, but Lugh was always the one guilty on spreading the rumor in his naïve, cheerful attitude that led the dwellers of the camp to thought that they will eventually end up together.

It was because of pure luck that Raigh and Sophia are not into rumors. Otherwise, they would've known that their relationship is pretty much a 'common knowledge' to everyone.

"But I learned from my mistake! I will not do it again! Promise!" Lugh protested back.

And the day after that, everyone knew Raigh was having a moment with Sophia near the cliff.

A/N :

(*) : In the Japanese version, Raigh called Lugh 'aniki', which means big brother.

Phew! I'm done with this fluff. I tried my best to potray the characters to be as consistent as possible. I felt a bit difficult to make Raigh's consistent though, since he is a tsundere, I suppose I played on his 'tsun' and 'dere' side a bit so I could give more character to him.

And torturing tsunderes is fun. Fufufufufu.

Ah yes, the extra scene is just for the light humor. So I might have crossed the line of 'common sense' in that one.

Anyway, Rate and Reviews are always welcome.

And be sure to ship Raigh x Sophia.

EDIT : I FIXED THE GRAMMAR AND SOME STRUCTURE TO THE STORY, BUT THE STORY IS STILL THE SAME. THANKS TO THE REVIEWER 'G' FOR POINTING OUT MY GRAMMAR MISTAKES.