Chris: See, this is for Meelu the Bold's fanfiction contest, a contest that I forgot about until recently. As such, here is my entry, which is short, relatively rushed, and probably not the best thing I could have come up with. Still, I think it worked out and it carries the point out pretty well, so we'll see where this goes, huh? Read on!

Disclaimer: Don't own Fire Emblem.

I Wish

"Get out of here, you laguz scum! The apostle might tolerate you, but I sure as hell don't!"

A young, cat-eared boy was tossed out onto the streets, crashing chest-first onto the dusty road. Blood flecked out of his lips as a heavy, booted foot fell on top of his back, knocking him back on the ground. Small tears sprang out of his eyes as he tried to escape. "Please…I didn't do anything wrong…"

"You were born! That's bad enough! Pah, you animals make me sick!" The heavy-set man clapped his hands together briefly, wiping off a thin layer of dirt. He spit on top of the boy's brown hair, glaring at him with a build-up of hundreds of years of prejudice. With one last stomp on the laguz's thin body, he stomped back into his tavern, muttering curses under his breath.

The boy choked back a sob as he slowly pushed himself up, his back blazing with pain. Sniffling, he ran a hand over his bright-blue eyes, trying to wipe away the tears so that no one would be able to see him cry. It was to no avail, however, and the young boy had to duck to avoid a rock that was suddenly thrown at his head. Catcalls and jeers erupted from all around him and he scampered away on all fours, just trying to escape from the torment and punishment.

'It's not my choice to be born this way…Why did I have to be a laguz?' He thought to himself as he finally escaped from his tormentors. Risking a quick look behind him, he ran away from the city, his brown-furred tail and ears reminding that nobody would accept him as another person. To them, he was just another beast, fit only for sport or for slaughter.

After a couple of more moments of harried running, he finally reached his destination, a small cave near the outskirts of the city. He scrambled into the tiny hole, curling into the fetal position in order to fit inside and conserve heat. He sniffed again, wondering why he continued to live this pitiful existence. There really was no point in living like this. The only thing that kept him going was that he was afraid to die.

"Hmph, you're back here again?"

A harsh voice broke through his thoughts and the young laguz looked up, afraid. His fear lessened when he found out the speaker was a fellow laguz, but only slightly. The speaker was a member of the cat tribe, with a pair of fuzzy, purple ears that adorned his head. One of ears was cut off at the tip and his tail was covered with numerous scratches. His left eye was permanently closed, with a large, jagged scar as enough evidence to show what had happened. He was frowning, his arms folded across his chest.

The boy cringed into an ever tighter ball, trying to ignore the newcomer. "Please leave me alone…"

"Every day you go to the city. Every day you return here. What's wrong with you, kid?"

"Lemme alone…" He mumbled under his breath, shutting his eyes tightly.

"Look, I'm just trying to help, okay?" The cat laguz knelt down and patted him on the head. A sort-of smile appeared on his face, although it seemed as if he didn't have much experience with smiling. "My name is Takat. What's yours?"

"…"

"Okay, but if you don't tell me, I'm going to have to refer to you as the 'childish, stupid kid laguz who doesn't even know what the hell he's doing'." Takat smirked, pushing the young kid good-naturedly on the side.

"…Hugo…My name is Hugo." The young laguz replied, finally looking up at Takat. An uneasy smile crept on his face and he uncurled slightly. "Um…"

"Come on, get outta there. I've got a better place to stay." Takat paused, looking unsure. "Well, it's not better, but it's bigger. Besides, you need to get out of those rags you're wearing."

"You're not going to hurt me, are you?" Hugo crawled out of his hole, eying Takat warily. If Takat decided that it would be better to just put him out of his misery, there was nothing he could do about it. Still, Hugo felt he could trust the older laguz, although trust only went so far.

"Of course not. I'm not a weak-minded beorc. Now come on, kid." Takat pulled Hugo upwards, frowning at Hugo's thin frame and the dirty, torn rags that covered his body. Still, there was something about Hugo's young, blue eyes that made him seem to have a spirit greater than the King of Beasts himself. Shaking his head, Takat took Hugo's hand and half-led, half-carried the young boy over to his house.

He motioned to the house, which was nothing more than a ramshackle placement of wooden boards that would probably topple with the slightest breeze. It was less than stunning, but somehow, the shack managed to withstand the passage of time and it served its purpose as a place of shelter. Takat carefully pushed open the crooked wooden door, wincing as a large creak pierced his ears.

"In through here. Don't give me anything about how crappy my house is. I already know that." Takat motioned Hugo inside. The younger cat laguz looked around with an unreadable expression on his face, one that combined amazement and disgust. He nervously stepped inside, letting out a little squeak of surprise as he stepped on a pile of dirty, rotting pieces of cloth.

"Um…" Hugo whispered, clamping his nose down with a couple of his fingers. "Can we go outside?"

"Sure, kid, why not?" Takat smiled briefly.

---

The two of them sat on a grassy hill, watching the sun as it slowly sank beneath the trees in the distance. Hugo had his arms folded across his knees, his small tail waving contentedly against the soft grass. Takat took a glace at the kid, frowning as he did so. Finally, he stood up and brushed off the grass on his beige shorts, leaving little streaks of green. Hugo looked up at the disturbance, his young face full of innocence and curiosity. It bothered Takat for some reason.

"Kid, why do you keep going back to the city? They'll never change." Takat said, looking down at Hugo.

"I don't know…The city was where I was born. I can't help but go back and hope things will be different." Hugo said, partly to himself. "Is it too much to ask to be accepted?"

"…" Takat frowned, wondering why those words seemed so familiar to him. "Yes, it is too much to ask. These aren't our times, kid. We can't just go up to a beorc and ask that they treat us well."

"…Maybe…" Hugo looked downcast for a moment. "Still, someday, do you think we can live with beorcs? Together? Without any prejudice against us and without any violence? Will we be able to live in peace with them?"

"Heh…" Takat chuckled to himself. Now he knew why the kid seemed so familiar. Hugo was just like him when he was a young laguz, hoping to find some acceptance in the cruel world. He decided to give the kid the same answer that had been handed down to him by the very hands of the people he wanted to live with. Takat pointed at his mangled ear and then at his missing eye. "I wish, Hugo. I wish."

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Chris: Well? What'd you think? Opinions, suggestions, whatever, just drop me a review! Good luck to everyone else who entered!