A/N: I'm baaacckk~~~ X3 MISS ME?!?! *dodges thrown objects* awwee… that's so sad, you guys didn't miss me at all… sob…
Well, anywayz, I suddenly had this intense urge to write a fire emblem fanfiction just because I can. No, I have not abandoned my other fics, its just… well yeah, I'm kinda at a loss for ideas and yeah… anyways, on with the JAFFARXNINO FLUFFINESS~~
This story is AU. AU in the sense that Jaffar does NOT leave like said in the game. But otherwise everything else is the same teehee~ Oh yeah… Jaffar might seem OOC but I guess married life does that to you eh? XP
Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem. I wouldn't be able to handle the awesomeness of owning such an epic game series.
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Jaffar grunted in annoyance as he felt his consciousness begin to awaken. Refusing to wake up, he simply buried his face deeper into the soft warmth and sighed, letting his mind drift off once again. That was until he heard giggles and the sound of rustling sheets in the room adjacent to the one he shared with his wife Nino. Finally admitting defeat, the former Black Fang assassin slowly opened his eyes only to be greeted by a mop of messy green hair. Jaffar let a small smile cross his usually stoic features as he watched his wife sleep peacefully. This was his favourite time of day, other than at night when he would get to watch Nino fall asleep, for he could study and memorize every single feature of the young sage's features even though he knew them like the back of his hand. Lifting the arm that was currently draped around his wife's exposed waist, he ran his hand gently through the mass of green hair, the silky strands passing easily through his long fingers. Usually Nino would have woken up by this time but Jaffar did not mind this unusual occurrence, for he was sure after their…activities last night, Nino would probably sleep in until late in the day.
When a loud thump followed by more giggles floated in from the next room, Jaffar forced his body to leave the comfort of his bed. Carefully moving his left arm which was pillowing Nino's head, he gently laid her head on one of the many pillows on their bed. The Angel of Death pulled the sheets up to cover the young sage's bare body as to avoid her from catching a cold. Looking around their small room, Jaffar soon located a pair of trousers that he put on. Deciding against opening the curtains to their room, Jaffar instead opted for sparing his wife one more glance before exiting his bedroom and opening the door to the twin's bedroom.
Jaffar leaned against the doorframe watching as his twin sons wrestled, or at least that's what he though they were doing judging from their movements and giggles, under the sheets of Lugh's bed. Walking over silently, Jaffar paused only a moment before lifting the sheets up revealing a pair of boys identical to each other looking up at him with wide baby blue eyes that were obviously inherited from their mother.
"Daddy!" they cried happily and launched themselves at him simultaneously.
After two years of having similar attacks like this from his sons, Jaffar found it a regular daily routine to be winded by the identical boys at least once per day.
"Why are you two up so early?" Jaffar asked, his voice softer than what he would normally use with any other person.
"We woke up because there was a noise outside," Lugh pulled on one of Jaffar's hands and made a small whining sound as if he was afraid that he might be scolded by his father.
Jaffar's senses immediately became alert. Noise? Could it be that another bounty hunter had come for him again? But the twins had obviously not finished their story as Rei began to tug at Jaffar to get his attention.
"But when we looked outside the window we saw nothing so it was all okay!" Rei grinned happily and flashed the former assassin a smile that he could only describe as a duplication of the one Nino so often gave him whenever she was happy.
"But after that we couldn't go back to sleep so then Rei came over to my bed and tried to teach me how to read…" Lugh continued happily and pointed to the open Thunder tome lying open at the foot of the bed.
"But Lugh didn't get how to read one of the words and then when I tried to help him he jumped on me and then…" Rei drifted off and stared at his brother.
"…and then you started wrestling with each other," Jaffar finished quietly.
"Yeah!" the twin boys grinned happily up at the taller man. Had Jaffar been a different man, he would have let out a small chuckle, however being the person he was Jaffar simply stayed silent and offered his sons a tiny smile before kneeling down on one knee so that he was closer to their eye level.
"Go get changed," he gave them a light push towards the direction of the small dresser at the corner of the room which held all of the twin's regular clothes, "But you must be quiet since your mother is still sleeping."
Getting up from his crouched position, Jaffar quickly made his way to the door while stepping over the stray toys that littered the bedroom floor, "When you two are done you can come down for breakfast."
"Okay Daddy!" Lugh replied cheerfully, although in a much more subdued voice as he watched his father's back retreat out of the room.
Jaffar sighed and stretched his sore limbs, earning a few pop's and cracks. He headed towards the kitchen but stopped midway, instead, he turned back and went to the master bedroom to fetch a shirt and his Killing Edges which he hid under the cloth of this belt. Opening the back door and walking around the premises of the small hut which he called home, the former Black Fang member surveyed the surroundings carefully, taking in every meticulous detail. Stepping towards the side of the home which had the window from the twin's room, Jaffar searched the ground for any sign of disturbance that anyone had been there. Finding none, the lean yet muscular man let out a breath he did not know he was holding. Nevertheless, Jaffar affirmed, he would not let his guard down. Although the twins had not inherited any outward appearance features from him, they certainly did inherit his trait as a light sleeper. Unfortunately the master bedroom was too far from the twin's window for Jaffar to have heard anything, but he trusted his sons and knew that what they had heard was not imagined. It seemed like Jaffar would have to talk with Nino later on in the day, but until then, it seemed like a good precautionary idea to the red haired man to keep his daggers on him for the day.
Entering his home from the back entrance, Jaffar quickly made his way into the kitchen noting with mental relief that the twins had not arrived yet. It would be disastrous if they had played around in the kitchen without any adult supervision. The last time that had happened, they had nearly burned down the entire kitchen when they tried to ignite a fire underneath the stove with a simple Fire spell. Luckily Nino had arrived quick enough to subdue their magic and save their tiny little home from being burnt to ashes. Walking over to said stove, Jaffar kneeled and grabbed a match in the cabinet next to the stone appliance and lighted a small fire. Throwing in a couple of logs to encourage the flames, Jaffar set to making a simple breakfast consisting of eggs for his family. Usually Jaffar did not cook, but Nino had forced him to learn the basics when she had to go to an early doctors appointment only to come home late at night after a day of shopping and find that Jaffar had eaten nothing due to his lack of domestic skills. Jaffar had insisted that it was not necessary since during his days as an assassin, he never really minded going a day or two without food, but he gave in eventually because Nino would be happier and more at ease knowing that Jaffar wouldn't 'starve to death' if she was not home.
Closing his eyes and letting the heat of the stove warm his body, Jaffar stretched out his senses checking once again, to see if there were any suspicious people lurking around his home. Finding none, Jaffar opened his eyes and returned to the task at hand. Once the eggs were cooked, he slid them onto 4 different plates and placed them on the small table located underneath a window towards the farther wall of the kitchen. After putting out the fire and placing the pan in the sink, Jaffar stood there silently, staring into nothingness.
Had there really been someone lurking outside their home? It bothered Jaffar that he had not noticed it. Although the door to the twin's room was closed and it would've been impossible for the sound of footsteps on the grass outside to have reached him, Jaffar still felt as though he needed to protect his family more. Maybe he would go seek out Raven at the local mercenary barrack and spar with him later. It wouldn't hurt to further develop his skills even though he did not use them often anymore. Although his mind continued to wander, he was well aware of the sound of soft footsteps behind him. When the footsteps got closer, he was assailed by the scent of lilacs. Already well aware of the person behind him, Jaffar was not surprised in the least when a pair of slender, pale arms wrapped themselves around his waist.
"Good morning Jaffar," Nino mumbled into his back while giving him a squeeze.
"Nino," Jaffar let the name slip past his lips effortlessly as he turned around and returned the embrace. The white cotton gown that adorned Nino's small frame served only to emphasize the brilliant green shade of her hair, and that in turn, only served to enhance the gentle baby blue of her eyes.
"Where are the twins? Considering you made breakfast already I'm assuming they're awake," Nino looked around the kitchen, searching for identical mops of green hair.
"I left them to the task of changing themselves, but I do not think that they have been successful judging by the amount of time it is taking them," Jaffar replied smoothly.
"Then I guess we should go check up on them," Nino flashed him one of her breathtaking smiles and the assassin could not help but return a tiny one of his own. After all, Nino's happiness was infectious whether you wanted it to affect you or not.
As the couple approached the room of their sons, the rustling of clothes drifted towards them from the doorway that was ajar.
"I'm telling you Lugh, it's THIS way! You're putting it on all wrong!" came a frustrated whisper.
"But we got YOURS on! How come we can't just do the same for my shirt?" Lugh whispered back equally as frustrated.
"It just doesn't go on that way! See look!" a small squeak was followed by a muffled voice and more rustling of clothes.
Nino and Jaffar stood at the doorway, "I'm wondering whether or not I should really push open this door," Nino laughed quietly, "those two seem to get themselves into the weirdest situations possible. You would think that you wouldn't be able to mess up putting your clothes on but I actually don't want to see how they've messed this up."
Jaffar didn't reply, but instead wondered silently to himself whether or not it was a good idea to entrust his sons with the task of dressing themselves. At least they managed to stay quiet, he mused.
Reaching up to push the door open with his hand, Jaffar looked inside only to see Rei trying to push Lugh's head through the sleeve of a shirt. They managed to put their trousers on correctly, Jaffar noted, but Rei's shirt was on backwards and Lugh was no where close to getting his on.
Looking at the situation before her, Nino let loose a peal of laughter before rushing forwards and taking the shirt gently from Rei's hands and putting Lugh's head through the correct hole.
"Mommy!" They greeted happily and hugged her.
"Having trouble with getting dressed now are we?" Nino laughed merrily while fixing Rei's shirt. The sight of her sons blushing from embarrassment merely sent another fit of giggles through the cheery young woman, "Why don't we go eat the breakfast that daddy made for us before it gets cold hmm?"
Forgetting their embarrassment, the twins cheered happily and ran towards the doorway where their father was standing before attaching themselves to his legs.
"Carry us daddy?" Rei asked with pleading eyes.
"Yeah daddy! Carry us please?" Lugh chimed in, taking the pleading up a notch adding in the puppy dog eyes.
Wordlessly, Jaffar kneeled down and effortlessly picked up the two boys and placed them on either of his shoulders. The two laughed merrily while being swung up and once on their perch, they began urging their father towards the kitchen towards their waiting breakfast.
Nino smiled to herself as she watched the scene unfold before her. Though Jaffar had often questioned his abilities as a father, Nino did not doubt him in the least. Jaffar may not have been the most vocal and or cheerful father a person could ask for, but he loved his family dearly and would clearly do anything to protect their happiness. Not to mention it was obvious that the red haired man loved seeing his children happy just as much as he loved seeing his wife smile, and though he would never say it, Nino was certain that playing with his sons would be a pastime that Jaffar would miss when the twins grew older.
Following the laughter towards the kitchen, Nino watched as Jaffar gently lowered Lugh and Rei so that their feet were planted firmly on the ground before letting go.
"Thank you Daddy!" they gave their father one last hug before racing towards their seat and munching on their food.
Jaffar turned to watch his wife slowly join them before taking a seat himself. Breakfast passed without much event, except for Rei choking on his food due to eating it too quickly, but Nino quickly fixed that with a glass of water and a few pats to the back.
"What are you going to do today Jaffar? It's your day off isn't it? Lord Eliwood said that you would be able to have the weekends off if I'm not mistaken…" Nino asked as she looked questioningly at her husband.
Jaffar nodded, "I was hoping I could teach Lugh and Rei some basic self defence work today."
Nino raised an eyebrow. Self defence? That was odd. Why would Jaffar want to teach Lugh and Rei self defense out of the blue? Furthermore, it was clear that they had an aptitude for magic rather than any sort of physical form of fighting. Noting Nino's confusion, Jaffar simply shook his head, silently telling her that they would talk once the twins were elsewhere.
"Really? Daddy's gonna teach us stuff?" Lugh asked with wide eyes, his voice full of excitement. It was rare that their father taught them anything, it was usually their mother who taught them how to cast simple spells.
Jaffar nodded slowly and picked up the now empty plates that were on the table. Nino forced a cheery smile on her face before facing the twins, "Why don't you two go outside and play in the backyard while daddy gets ready?"
Only too happy to oblige, Lugh and Rei scrambled out the back door apparently thinking the quicker they got there, the quicker they would be able to learn. Once they were out of earshot and Nino had closed the door so that it was open enough for them to keep watch on the twins but not be overheard.
"What's wrong Jaffar?" Nino immediately asked, not even bothering to confirm if there was anything wrong to begin with.
"Lugh and Rei said they heard a noise outside their window earlier this morning," Jaffar stated in a serious tone, "I've already checked around the house but it seems that there are no traces of anyone being here."
Nino's eyes widened and her face paled a bit, "Do you think it's another bounty hunter Jaffar? We haven't had any trouble ever since Lord Eliwood helped us move closer to the castle. Lugh and Rei aren't ones to imagine things though, they may not know it but they have senses nearly as sharp as yours and –"
Jaffar cut her off with a hush, "I am already on alert. I have my daggers on me and if need be, I will fight to protect you and our sons. Nino, I believe it would be best if you carried an Elfire tome with you today," he said while reaching up towards one of the high shelves on the wall and plucking a book out of the several lined up against the wall.
"Oh Jaffar… do you think we'll be alright? It's been 2 years since we've had any trouble with bounty hunters… and to have to run with Lugh and Rei? They're old enough to know when something is wrong, we wouldn't be able to just hide it from them!" Nino blabbered, clearly on the verge of tears as she accepted the book from her husband's hands.
Jaffar pulled her close and hugged her with a fierceness she had not felt since their days travelling with Lord Eliwood's army, "It…will be alright, we'll find a way to—" his sentence broke off as his body tensed. Nino tensed too as she felt the same unknown, murderous presence that was in their backyard.
Jaffar immediately burst through the back door and leapt towards his sons. The black figure that was hovering behind them was about to grab them had the assassin not startled it by his movement. Grabbing Lugh and Rei and hugging them protectively to his body, Jaffar immediately rolled to the side as Nino summoned forth a large burst of flame at the figure.
"Daddy? Daddy, what's going on? Daddy?" Lugh asked, fear evident in his voice. His twin was no different and they both looked about confusedly while still held in Jaffar's protective grasp.
Finally settling their sights on the black figure that was currently engulfed in flames, terror began to set in and the twins clung to their father, tears starting to gather in their eyes.
Jaffar looked down at his sons and cursed mentally. He had to get them out of harms way but with the way things were now, no where was safe unless either him or Nino were with them.
"Nino," Jaffar called out as he ran towards his wife. Prying his sons tiny hands away from his shirt, Jaffar could only reassure them quietly that it would be all right even as he unsheathed his daggers and took up a fighting stance that exuded every bit of power as it did years ago when he was still an active assassin.
Nino gently pushed Lugh and Rei so that they were behind her. Never once taking her eyes off of the black figure, she raised her hands, ready to cast another spell if need be.
Suddenly, without warning, the flames that engulfed the figure immediately extinguished with a burst of wind. Without losing a second, Jaffar immediately attacked. Dashing towards his enemy with a speed only the Angel of Death could ever have, Jaffar leapt over the enemy and made an upwards slash to the back of the figure. The figure dodged to the right and unsheathed what seemed to be an iron sword. The two opponents circled each other, Jaffar's face was blank and emotionless while his eyes were cold and calculating, the very sight of it brought back so many memories to the young sage that she had to remind herself several times that she had to remained focused on the enemy for her family's sake.
Jaffar studied his opponent. It was clear that he would have to make the first move. Currently, his best choice of action was to either disarm or break the person's weapon. Without any warning, Jaffar suddenly leapt into the air and brought his right dagger down in a downwards strike. The figure parried easily but the force of the strike had left a chip in his sword. Iron was a cheap and weak metal after all. Ripping his right dagger away from the blade, the figure certainly did not expect a second blow with the left dagger in the exact same spot. The force of the blow shattered the sword in half; Jaffar landed lightly and jumped back, raising his hands in a defensive position.
Lugh and Rei were now silently crying, sniffs and hiccups coming out of them occasionally, but otherwise, they tried to remain as silent as possible as to not distract their father. Jaffar cursed mentally for the second time that day, he had to end this quick somehow, but in order to do that he would have to kill this man, and that meant murdering someone before his sons' eyes.
Unexpectedly, the figure began to laugh, the black cloak and hood that shadowed the person's face trembled with the force of the laughter.
"So… you are the legendary Angel of Death… Nice to see that you have not lost your edge at all," the man's voice was low.
"Who are you?" Jaffar demanded with a cold, emotionless voice.
"Me? Why, I'm no one special… I've simply come before you in the place of my master… you see, my master has great plans to take over this world and I was sent to gather warriors that I thought would be beneficial to his plans. Whom other to ask than the great Angel of Death? The man who was said to have been found as an infant sleeping atop a pile of corpses, the most deadly man on the continent!" the man laughed manically.
"You're wrong! Jaffar has changed," Nino shouted, tears starting to form in her baby blue eyes, "He's different from back then. You know nothing, and Jaffar would certainly never work for the likes of you," she hissed.
"Oh? And who do we have here? You must be Nino… ah yes, I've heard about you. You come from the family of the most powerful sages don't you? Such a pity they died, they would've been beneficial to my master's plan as well… But then again, you could be the next best thing, perhaps –"
"I would never even consider helping a man who dares to harm my family!" Nino seethed, "Go. Away! Elfire!" Nino conjured up a blast much larger than her previous one, proof of her anger and protectiveness of her family.
Engulfed in flames once more, the figure laughed ominously, "very well. But don't think this is the last time you'll see me. After all, your other friends would be helpful as well… and soon, this world will be ruled by Lord Varin! Just you wait, Angel of Death… just you wait." His voice disappeared into the wind and soon there was no trace of him ever being there.
Jaffar did not let down his guard however, he still felt the magic in the area and he knew that though the person had left, he still had another spell to cast. Sure enough, without warning, the broken shards of the sword floated up and hurled themselves towards Nino and the twins. Running with a speed he didn't know he possessed, Jaffar expertly blocked the shards and they fell to the floor harmlessly. With that, the last trace of magic dissipated from the yard.
"Jaffar… what are we gong to do…?" Nino asked tearfully as she hugged her sons close to her body in an effort to comfort their tears.
The assassin stood silent for a moment before turning to face his family, and with a low, frustrated voice he said, "Pack quickly. We leave for Castle Pharae immediately."
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A/N: HOW WAS IT??!! I hope I haven't lost my touch… oh dear. Well, read and review~~ because that always makes my day!