Title: Us Against The World
Summary: They met as outcasts, isolated and shunned by the rest of society.
A/N: So I kinda sorta have an obsession with Fire Emblem right now... :D and as of recently, I actually don't think I can write anything more than 500 words long..
The first time Micaiah met Sothe, they had sneaked into an abandoned alleyway. He was taking shelter from the soldiers that were pursuing him, and she was a restless wanderer, going from city to city and telling fortunes for a living. She had met a myriad of different people on her travels, some more eccentric than others, but none was as strange as this young boy standing in front of her.
He looked anxious and on edge, his eyes darting from side to side as if he expected someone to come storming into the alley any moment. Even then, Micaiah already knew most of what there was to know about him by his appearance and his restive demeanor. What he was wearing looked more like rags than clothes, and she spied a knife in a sheath at his belt.
Micaiah thought to herself that he would have already left if she hadn't offered him a safe place to hide. "What's your name?" she asked the boy gently, holding out her hand so he wouldn't think her an enemy. But he still looked distrustful, like she was hiding something. Micaiah didn't blame him; with her long, concealing cloak, she did look suspicious. She took off her hood, revealing her lustrous silver hair that gleamed in the evening sun.
"Sothe," he said at last, tentatively taking her hand. She squeezed his smaller palm in hers and smiled kindly at him.
"I'm Micaiah. It's nice to meet you," she said, hoping her words didn't sound empty. She hadn't had a close relationship with anyone for ages since she had become an outcast, and she had long forgotten what it was like to interact with another human being.
"Yeah." He still looked uneasy, but more comfortable than before. Now it was evening, the sun sinking down behind the buildings and spreading a soft golden glow across the land. The busy streets filled with merchants selling their goods had dispersed somewhat, and now the city was mostly empty. Micaiah spotted lit lamps through the windows, and envied the people living inside. They had a family, a warm refuge, a luxurious home. She couldn't remember what it felt like to live in a house anymore.
When she looked over at Sothe, who was evidently exhausted from the day, he had already sank into sleep. He was leaning against an empty crate and snoring softly, and to her surprise a rush of anger blazed through her. The world had rejected this young boy, abandoned him and left him to eke out a living on his own, stealing just enough food to survive on and sleeping in alleyways like this one at night.
It's just you and me against the world, Sothe, she thought.
Micaiah felt a tinge of affection for him. Already, she loved him like he was her own brother. The sensation was warm and sweet, like honey, as much as it was unfamiliar to her, and she thought that maybe she could belong somewhere, to someone, for once.