Hooray! Another fanfic! I just beat Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World and was overjoyed by the obvious pairing between Emil and Richter. I mean, RichterxAster works, but you don't have enough meat to go on, you know? So, i hope you enjoy this. :D
"Swear allegiance to Lloyd the Great right now!" the two boys yelled at the blond boy. The sixteen year old cowered before the two taller, stronger boys at the foot of the statue of Lloyd in the recently rebuilt town of Luin. The blond didn't know what to say, if he swore allegiance, he would be going against all that he believed in but it would save him some grief. If he stood up for his beliefs, then he would be beaten up, just as he was every day by everyone around him. His aunt, his uncle, the mayor, the entire town of Luin abused him in one way or another.
There was a reason the blond hated Lloyd; he massacred the entire city of Palmacosta and killed his parents without reason. How could he forgive and swear allegiance to someone who had hurt him so deeply? His home was gone in a fire, his parents were killed without reason, he was left an orphan. Because of Lloyd, he had to stay with his aunt and uncle, who hated him viciously. His uncle beat him hard with words and fists and his belt, his aunt often sent him to bed without super after not feeding him much, if at all, during the day. She usually had him stay in his room or stay outside where she didn't have to deal with him.
"I… I swear allegiance to Lloyd the Great…" he whispered, looking down at the ground and hoping that would satisfy the bullies.
"What was that? I couldn't hear you," one of them sneered.
"I swear allegiance to Lloyd the Great…" he said louder, squirming back into the cool, marble base of the fountain. He was hoping they'd leave him alone so he could continue life in quiet solitude.
"We want the whole town to hear," they sneered, pulling him to his feet and slapping him across the face.
"You think Lloyd is a hero, but he's not! He destroyed Palmacosta, he's a cold-blooded murder."
"We heard that. So that's how you really feel."
"No… that's not what I meant…"
They pushed him to the ground, getting ready to pummel him.
"Get lost," said an unfamiliar voice, a deeper voice that commanded attention. It was full of anger and confidence. It possessed the tone of one who knew justice. It came from a stranger with long red hair and glasses. He had an almost sexy librarian look about him, but he wasn't frail, he had power under his long trench coat. It was evident in his biceps that seemed to bulge slightly under his sleeves as he crossed his arms, glaring down at the two boys through glasses that picked up the glare of the sun so they couldn't see his vibrant green eyes. He helped the blond up from the ground, looking at him with an almost gentleness, but resumed his angry look when he gazed at the two boys. They took off, not wanting to feel the wrath of this intimidating man.
"You… you are…"
"W-what…?"
The male looked at him intently. "Never mind. You know, you should stand up for yourself."
The blond couldn't say anything, watching the male walk off towards the other side of town, envying the confident swagger the male had that he didn't. He felt bad, having not thanked him for his kindness. He stood, brushing himself off and resolving to find him and thank him for his kindness. He searched the town, looking for the red-head.
In his search he heard a howl, which frightened him, but made him curious as to what was going on. He pushed his curiosity aside, returning to his mission of finding his "hero."
He found the male near the statue of Raine, one of Lloyd the Great's companions who apparently helped the town somehow. He didn't particularly care how, not being a great history student nor being a fan of Lloyd.
He looked up at the male
The red-head cast him a side-long look. "What is it?"
"I… um…" he faltered, looking at the ground and trying to make himself smaller. His shoulders hunched, his hands hid behind his back, his face which was already a slight shade of pink, was quickly becoming red.
"If you have nothing to say, then I've got something to ask you," the male said gruffly.
"Um… okay…" came the timid reply.
"They tell me your name is Emil. Well Emil, have you seen a girl with a red jewel on her forehead?"
"N-no…"
"Are you nervous?"
"Um…" Emil looked at the ground, almost as if he were hoping it would swallow him up.
"Hm… 'Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality.'"
"Huh?" The words caught Emil off-guard.
"Someone with a few screws loose said that a long time ago." The red-head chuckled, almost as if he were remembering someone or something. "When you didn't swear your allegiance to Lloyd, didn't you feel courage welling up inside you? People who run away or too cowardly to stand up for themselves are dogs. Or even worse. Are you a dog or a man, Emil?"
"I'm… um…" He certainly felt like a dog, the way the male described them, but those words he said, the ones about courage, if he could use those…
"… Try your best to be a man, Emil." With that, the red-head left, leaving Emil to ponder over what he just heard.
"Courage is the magic that turns dreams into reality…" he liked the sound of them. As he turned to leave to go back to his home, he heard a howl, a long howl that seemed to be calling to him. He'd heard it a couple times before, but it seemed more urgent every time. It sounded like it was coming from the dry lakebed.
"If I go… Uncle Alba would scold me…" his will faltered, but then he thought of his new mantra about courage and resolved to go.
On the way, he encountered his uncle, who swore at him and told him to go home, then revealed to the guards that there were monsters in the lakebed. He ran off to gather more men to counter the increased monster activity. Once again, Emil's will falterd, but the red-head's words encouraged him.
"I'm not a dog," he almost growled out, running off to the lakebed to find the source of that urgent call.
Unfortunately for poor Emil, as he entered the dry lakebed of Lake Sinoa, he was attacked by a bear. Fear overtook him, and he asked it to not hurt him. But the bear lashed out and scratched him across the chest with its sharp claws. It was a light wound but Emil knew then he'd have to defend himself. He pulled out his sword and began awkwardly attacking. It was apparent he rarely handled a sword, if he even did. He seemed to be too gentle a soul to do so.
He seemed to be making little progress against the bear, but it seemed to be doing plenty to him. It finally knocked a battered Emil to the ground, who pleaded feebly for the bear to not kill him.
"I can't die here…" he whimpered.
Suddenly a pretty girl showed up, knocking the bear over. "You okay?" she asked, helping Emil to his feet.
"U-um… yes…" he murmured, looking at the ground again.
"Come on, speak up, be a man!" she said, turning to look at him. "I'll leave you to the front lines, okay?" She lunged at the now risen bear, Emil too shocked for a moment to do anything but stand there stupidly and stare. He shook off this shock and helped her chase off the bear.
She wiped the sweat off her brow as Emil thanked her. She turned to reply, but simply stared. "Hey, aren't you the boy from Palmacosta…?"
He blinked. "I don't think so…" he whispered.
"But you look just like him," she said, almost pleading with him to say that he was her "hero."
"But, I don't know you…."
"Oh, well, sorry. You'd better get out of here, there are more monsters around." She turned and walked off, almost heavy-hearted.
"Wait!" he shouted suddenly, surprising himself at the volume of his voice.
"Yes, what is it? I'm kind of in a hurry."
"I just… wanted to thank you. My name is Emil."
"I'm Marta. Emil, if things get dangerous, will you save me again?" she approached him and looked up at him, folding her hands and begging with her blue eyes.
"But… you saved me…" he said, looking utterly confused.
She laughed. "That's right you don't remember. Take care, Emil!" As she turned around, her pink bangs flew away from her face, revealing the red jewel in her forehead… He realized that girl may be the one the red-haired man was looking for, so he hurried towards town…
…only to be stopped by his Uncle.
"What the hell are you doing here, you stupid pest!? I thought I told you to go home!"
"I'm sorry…" Emil said feebly.
"Oh, the things I'm going to do to you…" he snarled. "You better pray that I'm nice to you."
Emil gulped, waiting for his uncle and the other guards to pass before hurrying back to town to find the man.
He scoured the town, searching high and low for the male with glasses. He received glares from the other townspeople. He searched the fountain, the supply store, the Inn, even the Church of Martel that he hated so much. The last place he looked was the mayor's house. He feared the mayor, since he could be kind one moment and cruel the next. He was surprised to find the red-haired man speaking with the mayor.
"So, you haven't seen Marta at all…" the male said, disappointment heavy in his voice.
"I'm sorry Richter, but I haven't seen her at all. Oh, hello there, Emil," he said. He seemed to be in a good mood today.
"Hello mayor…" he said softly. "Um, sir," he said, looking directing into Richter's vibrant green eyes. "I saw a girl with a red jewel in her forehead… I thought-" he was cut off, Richter lunging at him and grabbing his shoulders.
"Where did you see her!?" he almost yelled, shaking Emil. The expression on his face was one of hungry wolf, the thought of finding his prey exciting his animal instincts.
"Um… at the lakebed…" he said, fighting the dizzy feeling of being shaken so violently. He thought he heard his neck crack.
"Richter, calm down," the mayor said gently, a little disturbed seeing the look on his face and the way he was handling young Emil.
"Sorry," he mumbled, stepping back. "Mayor, I'd like permission to take Emil with me to the lakebed."
"Of course," he replied, seeing the look of longing on Emil's young face. The male seemed to like Richter, and was looking at him shyly. The mayor thought that maybe, this would be good for Emil, that maybe he'd get out of his shell if he could be around someone so confident.
Emil seemed happy at the prospect. He kind of respected the male who was so opposite of him. He was confident and spoke his mind, was harsh but could be equally as gentle.
Richter smiled very slightly, so slight it was almost impossible to see. He turned and left the building, waiting outside for Emil, who was thinking so deeply that he didn't realize that Richter had left.
"Emil," the mayor said, drawing Emil quickly out of his daydream and sent him hurrying outside.
"I'm sorry, I'm ready to go now…" he murmured, looking at the ground once again.
Richter appeared to glare down at Emil over his glasses. "You apologize too much. If you want to be a dog, of course, I won't stop you."
"I'm sorr- oh." He began apologizing, but stopped himself.
Richter sighed slightly.
"Sorry…" he said, slumping his shoulders, unhappy that he had disappointed the male.
"Stop apologizing." He paused for a moment. "I'm sorry for yelling before," he said, then turned and walked off towards Lake Sinoa.
Emil followed at his side, though walked slightly behind him, feeling unworthy to walk right at his side, but worthy enough to walk close to him.
As they approached the gaping mouth of the cave in the dry lakebed, they encountered Emil's uncle and several guards standing at the entrance. When Alba saw Emil, his face twisted in disgust.
"What are you doing here, you demonic little pest? I thought I told you to go home. I can't believe you. You know, because of you, rumors are going around that town that we're in alliance with the Vanguard. Get home, going to bed without dinner will be the least of your damn worries."
"I have permission from the mayor to bring him with me," Richter said coldly when Emil seemed to collapse inside from the brutal attack on him.
"What do you mean? Emil, you're not going in there."
"Didn't you just call him a 'demonic little pest'?" Richter snarled, glaring at Alba over his glasses, making his already vibrant eyes more so. Alba flinched slightly.
"Get out of the way." Richter said firmly, staring him down.
"No."
"MOVE!" Richter said, rage rendering his face close to demonic.
Alba moved then, Richter's confident stride taking him inside the cave. "Even dogs can think for themselves," Richter said, looking at Emil as he was engulfed in darkness.
"You're going home," Alba said grabbing Emil's arm. Emil heard that howl again, almost encouraging him to… do something. "Come on, you're a man, speak up!" played through Emil's head as he remembered Marta's words. He pulled his arm away from Alba.
"I'm going," he said, making a dash inside to avoid any more confrontations with his uncle.
He rejoined Richter and stayed close to the male's side. The darkness frightened him, and Richter was sort of safe. If he stayed close to Richter, he'd be fine.
"Do you know how to fight?" Richter asked suddenly, stopping abruptly and looking at Emil.
"Um... well… kind of."
"Kind of?"
"Well, I think I've fought twice…"
"You think?" Richter said, apparent that he was somewhat disgusted with him. Emil was used to that tone, but when it came from Richter, it seemed harsher and made him feel more disgusting than normal.
"Oh, well, here's a good monster to train on."
"M-monster!?" Emil yelped, shrinking away from the somewhat cute, round thing.
Richter's tone was gentler now. "Emil, you're responsible for yourself against this monster, but I promise I'll bail you out if it gets too tough. I won't let anything happen to you. After all, I did ask you to come."
For whatever reason this statement made Emil blush, and he was very thankful that it was dark enough in the cave so Richter couldn't see. It made him so happy to know that someone would watch out for him, and Richter… He couldn't believe Richter would protect him. Someone who was almost a complete stranger, someone who seemed to be kind of a loner, someone who shouldn't give a damn about him. Emil wanted to cry, but Richter's words helped give him a little courage to face the monster.
Richter was a good teacher, showing Emil how to hold a sword properly, how to swing so he wouldn't throw himself off-balance. He taught him to use his weapon to block attacks. At one point, fed up with Emil being so incompetent, he his swords away, stood with his chest pressed against Emil's back, and showed him how to swing and move with his own body.
Emil was sent to heaven when Richter did this. He could feel his muscles under his clothes, the warmth that radiated off his body. He longed for those strong arms to embrace him and protect him from everything. But Richter left him as quickly as he had come, returning to the fight with his own two swords. Emil felt almost… empty when he left, sad that Richter wouldn't satisfy his unvoiced desires.
When they won, the continued. Emil, unable to contain his curiosity any longer, finally asked the question burning on his mind. "Richter, why are you looking for Marta?"
Richter stopped, looking at Emil without emotion. "Is it something you need to know in order to live?"
"Um… no, I was just wondering…" he said, feeling as if he'd done something wrong.
"Then I don't feel the need to satisfy your idle curiosity," he said curtly, turning to continue.
"I'm sorry…" Emil sad, feeling truly awful. He had made Richter displeased, the one person who showed any interest in who he was.
"Don't apologize excessively," Richter said over his shoulder, stopping in his tracks. "I'm accused of being short with people and I don't intend to change my ways, but I don't have anything against you."
"Oh. Thank you!" Emil said, feeling a better.
"That's not something you need to thank me for," Richter replied dryly, destroying the joy that Emil had just acquired.
"Oh… sorry." He whispered, feeling awful again.
Richter sighed, continuing down the tunnel.
Emil felt awful, walking along as if in a trance, immersed in his thoughts of disappointing Richter again. Emil was suddenly pressed against the wall, Richter's face very close to his. "Emil, watch where you're going," he said sternly, pointing as a spider fell from the ceiling, having sensed Emil's distracted nature and was prepared for a meal.
Emil felt his face burning, Richter's lips so close to his, his eyes so much, nicer when they were close. He felt as if he could be engulfed in those eyes, and if he could get past that cold shield he'd be immersed in warmth.
"Th-thank you…" he stuttered breathlessly, unable to think coherently with Richter so close.
Richter pulled away and let him stand on his two feet. "Watch where you're going, Emil," he said in the gentle tone again. "Monsters could attack you from anywhere, and if you touch them you'll have to fight them." Emil sighed softly. "Look, Emil, I'm sorry I yelled earlier. I don't want you walking around in a daze anymore, alright? I just don't think you should talk more than you need to. When emotions are put into words, they tend to lose their strength, so saying sorry or thanking someone too much loses its effect."
Emil nodded and smiled, conveying his thanks through it. He hoped it would impress Richter, even a bit. Richter returned it slightly. "Glad to see you being a man," he said, continuing down the tunnel to a door.
They heard something inside. "Was that a monster!?" Emil yelped, shrinking back behind Richter a bit.
"Probably. And it's probably very strong too. I want you to stay out here while I take care of it, alright?" he said, leaving Emil entranced by the gentle intention behind the words.
"O-okay…" he said softly, watching Richter leave through the door.
He suddenly heard a scream, and it sounded like Marta. He debated for a moment, wondering what to do, then went inside to find Richter attacking a helpless Marta.
"Give me Ratatosk's core," he snarled.
"No."
"Then I'll have to destroy you along with it."
Emil was shocked, how could this man attack Marta, and without a word. "Stop! Please stop! Richter, what are you doing!?" he looked so upset and confused.
"I thought I told you to wait outside."
"… Richter… what are you doing?"
"She's trying to awaken Ratatosk, the demon lord. If she succeeds, he will destroy the world."
"That's not true! He's not a demon lord! He's the lord of all monsters!"
Emil hesitated then stepped between them.
"Step aside," Richter snarled.
"…No…" he said softly, looking up at him sadly.
"MOVE!" he yelled, assuming this would scare Emil as it had his uncle. Emil squirmed a bit under his gaze. 'Come on, be a man, speak up!' played through his head in a flash.
"I'm not a dog! That's why I'm going to make my own decisions!" he said, surprising and impressing Richter.
"Emil…" he said, almost proud of Emil's newfound courage.
This warm moment was short-lived as Marta made a dash for the door, thanking Emil as she left. Emil blocks the door from Richter, who wished to pursue his prey.
"Why did you attack her like that? If you just talked things over…" he said, cut off by Richter.
"Don't get in my way." He summoned a talking creature, who called itself Centurion Aqua. Emil was completely shocked.
"Don't get in Master Richter's way," she said cutely, summoning a turtle that knocked Emil away.
Emil felt weak and betrayed, wondering how Richter could have done this to him. He couldn't believe that he was so cruel, remembering the sort of warm words and the one time he touched him, and how he'd been so close. It made his cheeks flush deep red.
He freaked out when a cat-like monster approached him. "You must save Lady Marta!" it said.
"But… I'm too weak…" he protested, scared. "Another talking monster…"
"I am not a monster," it replied, offended. "I am Centurion Tenebrae. And I can make you strong. You would have to become a Knight of Ratatosk."
"A knight for the demon lord!?" he squeaked, remembering and clinging to Richter's words as if they were a lifeline. He wanted to believe that Richter was good inside.
"Lord Ratatosk is not a demon lord. He is the lord of all monsters. Since he was injured recently, monsters have been running amuck, disrupting the mana flow and causing all sorts of problems." Emil looked at him almost in disbelief, but this… creature seemed warmer than Richter, and Emil was also concerned for Marta and Richter.
"Alright, I'll be a knight," he said, and they made a pact. Emil continued deeper into the caves, encountering Richter, who was lying face-down on the ground, wounded.
"Richter!" he cried, rushing over to his side and shaking him slightly
"He's not dead." Tenebrae said matter-of-factly as they heard Marta scream from deeper in the cave.
"We have to tell Aqua," Emil said, freaked out seeing his first real friend face-down on the ground.
"But we must save Lady Marta!" Tenebrae replied, shocked at Emil.
"It'll be fast, but he needs help."
Tenebrae sighed, "If you must. But I hope that Lady Marta does not perish…"
Emil nodded and raced back to Aqua.
"What do you want?" she snarled, seeing Tenebrae and put on edge.
"It's Richter… He's hurt badly…" he panted, pointing to where he was. Aqua was distressed.
"I'll take care of him," she said, rushing off. Emil and Tenebrae were behind her then passed her. Emil looked unhappily over his shoulder as Aqua performed healing artes on his limp body. He prayed that Richter would be alright as he headed for the scream…
