Chapter one: The Break
Three lone figures, one woman and two men, walked through Yaza Plains on a sunny day, working their way towards Budehuc Castle. The woman, the one in the lead, was shorter and younger than the two men, and wore a purple outfit complete with a purple hat with a red feather. Her brown hair reached past her shoulders. One of the men, the one who looked the oldest, had tanned skin with short, white hair. He wore a white and brown suit with brown pants. The other man looked slightly younger, was Caucasian and had a full head of slick, blonde hair. His sideburns of the same colour reached his cheeks. He wore the same outfit as the other man, and was just as tall.
Lilly, Samus and Reed walked through Yaza Plains, fighting off any creatures that tried to attack them. A couple hours ago, Thomas had told Lilly that he wanted to have an important meeting with her, Hugo and Chris. Lilly had spent a couple hours at Brass Castle, but couldn't find anything that satisfied her. She, along with her attendants Reed and Samus, were now on the way back to the castle to have the meeting with Thomas.
Suddenly, the three Tinto warriors heard a rustling in a nearby bush. The trio looked at the bush, heard an insane noise, and saw a rabid rabbit rush from the bush, axe ready to attack. The rabid animal leapt at Samus.
"I've got this one." Samus said as he reached for his sword.
Just as the rabbit looked like it was going to bring his axe down on Samus' head, the tanned swordsman pulled his sword from its holster and, in a lightning quick attack, sliced at the rabid rabbit, killing it instantly.
Looking down at the dead animal, Samus placed his sword back as the three continued their trek through Yaza.
Soon, the trio had arrived at Budehuc Castle. Cecile, the young guard, stood at the entrance. She smiled when she saw the three approaching.
"Greetings, miss Pendragon." Cecile said, bowing to Lilly. "Master Thomas is expecting you."
Cecile turned around and led Lilly, Reed and Samus through Budehuc, towards the main building. They passed the Inn, Piccolo's tent, Martha's booth, Gordon's Item Shop and Guillame's Appraisal Shop. Cecile pushed open the door to the building and walked in. Lilly was about to follow, but she turned around to face her two attendants.
"Reed. Samus." Lilly said. "This meeting I going to will take about an hour. I don't have anything for you to do at the moment, so until the meeting is over, I'm going you both a one hour break."
"Thank you, milady!" Both men exclaimed at the same time, bowing to Lilly.
After Lilly had vanished into the building, wide smiles spread across the faces of Reed and Samus. Samus turned to look at Reed, who had done the same.
"Did I just hear what I think I heard?" Samus asked.
"I believe you did, Samus." Reed replied.
"MILADY HAS GIVEN US A BREAK!" Both men shouted in unison. The gave each other a high five and shouted 'BOO-YAH!', not aware that Edge was sitting aside, watching them. The red-haired man stared at Reed and Samus with an odd glare before shaking his head.
Reed and Samus walked down the stairs that led into the main area of the castle. They both looked around.
"So, what're you going to do with your free hour, Samus?" Reed asked.
Samus looked at the Inn. He looked at the window and saw Geddoe and his team sitting at one of the tables inside. He looked back at Reed. "I might go into the Inn and hang around with Geddoe and his team. I've been wanting to get to know them for a while." He was silent for a second. "How about you?"
Reed scratched his chin. He wasn't exactly sure about what he could do. "I think I might just wander around the castle and see if I can find anyone to talk to."
"Fine with me." Samus said. He turned around and walked towards the Inn.
"Enjoy your break!" Reed called out.
"You too!" Samus replied. "We'll meet back here in an hour!"
Reed agreed as Samus disappeared into the Inn. The blonde man turned around and walked towards the steps that led down towards Juan's training building. He figured that he might as well start down there.
Reed walked down the steps and turned right at the bottom. He walked towards Juan's building, thinking that he might be able to talk with Juan. Reed turned away when he saw Juan's figure lying sprawled out on the grass, sound asleep.
The blonde swordsman decided to try down by the shore. He didn't have much luck there either. Scott's trading shop was busy, as was Maime's restaurant. Reed decided to try the basement of the castle, so he pushed open the door that was built into the cliff.
Reed fared even worse in the basement. He tried to start a conversation with Watari, but the back clad ninja didn't say a word to him. Kidd wasn't in his investigation nook, Wan Fu was unconscious in the storage room, Twaikan was too busy digging in the 'graveyard' to even notice Reed, and Muto had left his storeroom.
Reed left the castle, upset that he was running out of places to go. He had one choice left: The ranch.
Reed walked back to Juan's building, where Juan was still sleeping, continued walked past it. He also passed Peggi's Blacksmith shop, where the lizardman was upgrading Melville's sword. Reed continued walking towards the ranch.
When he arrived at the ranch, it didn't look like there was many people there. In fact, it looked like Kathy was the only one there. The cowgirl stood in front of the stable, stroking a horse's face.
Reed was about to walk over to Kathy when he noticed the field beyond the fence. Reed walked over to the fence and leaned against it. The wide field was such a breathtaking sight, Reed couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. The mountains in the distance looked like they reached the sky. Kathy's horses roamed the field of lush, green grass, enjoying the warm weather. And the fact that the day was bright and sunny with very few clouds in the sky only seemed to make the scene more beautiful.
Reed sighed at the wonderful sight, but suddenly, he heard something behind him.
"REED!!"
Reed jumped forward and shouted in surprise. He spun around and found himself staring at the pudgy face of Kenji.
"Come on, Reed!" Kenji said. "Get your lazy behind into gear! Let's start with jumping jacks!" Kenji started doing the exercise he had mentioned. "Hup, two! Hup, two! Hup, two!"
Reed suddenly found himself doing jumping jacks with Kenji, but froze in mid-jump. He looked at his hands. "What am I doing?" He looked at Kenji, and came up with an idea. "Kenji, you've done so much to keep everyone in shape. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Kenji stopped exercising at scratched his chin. "Well, I'd like to find out how fit I am." He said.
Reed smirked. This was JUST the answer he wanted. "If you want to see how fit you are, why don't you go arm-wrestle Emily?"
Kenji was silent for a few seconds, then perked right up. "You know, that's actually a good idea! Thanks, Reed!" With that, Kenji jogged off.
"I wonder if he realizes I was joking." Reed said. He walked over to Kathy, who had noticed him coming.
"Hey, Reed!" Kathy said, smiling.
"Good day, Kathy." Reed replied with a smile.
"So, what brings you here?" Kathy asked.
"Milady has given Samus and I a break." Reed explained. "I'm just looking for someone to talk to."
"So you came to me?" Kathy asked. "That's so sweet of you!"
Reed blushed. He looked at the horse she was stroking. "Kathy, may I ask why you love this horse so much? I mean, not only are you always seen stroking it or feeding it, but you never put it on the track."
"Oh, Gage is my favourite horse." Kathy replied. "She was my father's horse, and is the only thing I have left of him."
Reed swallowed as he saw a lone tear stream down Kathy's face. He didn't want to ask how Kathy's father died, as he didn't want to make her any more upset.
Kathy immediately perked up. "You wanna pet her?" She asked.
"Well...I don't know." Reed said. "I'm not really good with horses."
"It's alright!" Kathy laughed. "She's friendly!"
Slowly, Reed reached his right hand over to Gage's face. Reed placed his gloved hand on the horse's face and slowly stroked her. Reed was surprised when the horse pressed her head closer to his hand.
"See? Gage likes you!" Kathy stated.
Reed smiled. Gage DID seem to like him. He looked back at Kathy. "Isn't it hard running a ranch like this all by yourself?"
"I'm used to it." Kathy replied. "Besides, it's not the work of responsibility that gets to me."
"Oh? What DOES bother you?" Reed asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kathy was silent. She hung her head. "The loneliness."
Reed jerked to attention. "What?"
"It's just that no one ever talks to me." Kathy replied. "Kenji is usually exercising, Barts is always working on the fields, and all anyone ELSE does is go onto the race track to try and grab the top time away from Percival."
Reed couldn't believe his ears. How could anyone NOT want to talk with Kathy? Reed shook his head. "Don't worry, Kathy. I've still got a half an hour left for my break. I'll stay here and talk with you."
Reed spent the next twenty minutes talking with Kathy. During their long talk, Reed could tell from the look in Kathy's eyes that she was enjoying his company.
After a while, to Reed's dismay, his twenty minutes were up. He looked at Kathy. "I'm sorry Kathy, but my break will be over soon, and I don't want to anger milady." He said.
"Oh, right." Kathy said, remembering Reed's break. "Well, I appreciate you coming here, Reed. It's nice to have someone to talk to for a change."
Reed was silent for a few seconds. "Kathy, I have an idea." He said. "The next time milady gives me a break, I'll come over here and help you out."
Kathy's eyes sparkled. "I'd love that, Reed! Very much!"
Reed bid farewell to Kathy and walked away from the ranch. During his trek back to the Inn to meet with Samus, Reed couldn't seem to get his mind off of Kathy. Her sweet smile, her beautiful eyes. Reed made up his mind right then and there. He was definitely going to get to know Kathy more. He just HAD to. By the time Reed had gotten out of his thoughts, he had passed the Blacksmith, where Peggi was upgrading Augustine's sword.
Reed walked back up the stairs, into the main area of the castle, towards the Inn.
The blonde man pushed open the door to the Inn and walked in. He looked at Sebastian. "Is Samus still here, Sebastian?"
"Oh, yes he's here." Sebastian replied. He pointed into the room where the tables were. "He's in there."
Reed thanked Sebastian and walked into the room. The first thing he noticed was many people, including Samus, Mel, Toppo, Nei, Shabon, Geddoe and his team, standing around a table, where Kenji and Emily were sitting. Samus was standing beside the doorway, and had spotted Reed walk in, standing beside him.
"Reed, get a load of this." Samus said. "Kenji walked in here a while ago and, after Emily finally showed up, he challenged her to a round of arm- wrestling."
Reed raised an eyebrow. "No kidding?"
"Okay." Queen, who was closest to the table Kenji and Emily were sitting at, said. "First one to pin the opponent's arm is the winner." By now, Reed knew that she was the judge. "Ready?" Kenji and Emily nodded. "Okay...GO!"
As soon as Queen said that, Emily slammed Kenji's arm onto the table with such great impact that Kenji flipped from his seat and landed on the floor.
Reed tried his hardest not to laugh. He looked at Samus. "We'd better get going. Our hour is almost up."
Samus nodded as the two men left the Inn.
Quickly, Reed and Samus arrived at the front door to the mansion and stood there, waiting for Lilly to emerge.
Suddenly, as if on cue, Lilly came out the front door. She quickly noticed her attendants. "Ah. Reed. Samus." She said. "Did you two enjoy your break?"
"Yes milady." Samus said, bowing to Lilly.
Reed thought of his break once more. He thought of the ranch, the wonderful scenery, and most importantly, Kathy. Reed smiled.
"Most assuredly, milady."
To be continued...
Author's notes: Okay. I still haven't quite beaten Suikoden 3 yet, so don't tell me if it reveals Kathy's origins. And about the pairing. I've always liked the 'unique' pairings (but not m/m or f/f) (I've paired up Malon from Zelda with Billy Kane from King of Fighters, for cryin' out loud!) and for some strange reason, I can picture Reed and Kathy together. Please read and review!
Three lone figures, one woman and two men, walked through Yaza Plains on a sunny day, working their way towards Budehuc Castle. The woman, the one in the lead, was shorter and younger than the two men, and wore a purple outfit complete with a purple hat with a red feather. Her brown hair reached past her shoulders. One of the men, the one who looked the oldest, had tanned skin with short, white hair. He wore a white and brown suit with brown pants. The other man looked slightly younger, was Caucasian and had a full head of slick, blonde hair. His sideburns of the same colour reached his cheeks. He wore the same outfit as the other man, and was just as tall.
Lilly, Samus and Reed walked through Yaza Plains, fighting off any creatures that tried to attack them. A couple hours ago, Thomas had told Lilly that he wanted to have an important meeting with her, Hugo and Chris. Lilly had spent a couple hours at Brass Castle, but couldn't find anything that satisfied her. She, along with her attendants Reed and Samus, were now on the way back to the castle to have the meeting with Thomas.
Suddenly, the three Tinto warriors heard a rustling in a nearby bush. The trio looked at the bush, heard an insane noise, and saw a rabid rabbit rush from the bush, axe ready to attack. The rabid animal leapt at Samus.
"I've got this one." Samus said as he reached for his sword.
Just as the rabbit looked like it was going to bring his axe down on Samus' head, the tanned swordsman pulled his sword from its holster and, in a lightning quick attack, sliced at the rabid rabbit, killing it instantly.
Looking down at the dead animal, Samus placed his sword back as the three continued their trek through Yaza.
Soon, the trio had arrived at Budehuc Castle. Cecile, the young guard, stood at the entrance. She smiled when she saw the three approaching.
"Greetings, miss Pendragon." Cecile said, bowing to Lilly. "Master Thomas is expecting you."
Cecile turned around and led Lilly, Reed and Samus through Budehuc, towards the main building. They passed the Inn, Piccolo's tent, Martha's booth, Gordon's Item Shop and Guillame's Appraisal Shop. Cecile pushed open the door to the building and walked in. Lilly was about to follow, but she turned around to face her two attendants.
"Reed. Samus." Lilly said. "This meeting I going to will take about an hour. I don't have anything for you to do at the moment, so until the meeting is over, I'm going you both a one hour break."
"Thank you, milady!" Both men exclaimed at the same time, bowing to Lilly.
After Lilly had vanished into the building, wide smiles spread across the faces of Reed and Samus. Samus turned to look at Reed, who had done the same.
"Did I just hear what I think I heard?" Samus asked.
"I believe you did, Samus." Reed replied.
"MILADY HAS GIVEN US A BREAK!" Both men shouted in unison. The gave each other a high five and shouted 'BOO-YAH!', not aware that Edge was sitting aside, watching them. The red-haired man stared at Reed and Samus with an odd glare before shaking his head.
Reed and Samus walked down the stairs that led into the main area of the castle. They both looked around.
"So, what're you going to do with your free hour, Samus?" Reed asked.
Samus looked at the Inn. He looked at the window and saw Geddoe and his team sitting at one of the tables inside. He looked back at Reed. "I might go into the Inn and hang around with Geddoe and his team. I've been wanting to get to know them for a while." He was silent for a second. "How about you?"
Reed scratched his chin. He wasn't exactly sure about what he could do. "I think I might just wander around the castle and see if I can find anyone to talk to."
"Fine with me." Samus said. He turned around and walked towards the Inn.
"Enjoy your break!" Reed called out.
"You too!" Samus replied. "We'll meet back here in an hour!"
Reed agreed as Samus disappeared into the Inn. The blonde man turned around and walked towards the steps that led down towards Juan's training building. He figured that he might as well start down there.
Reed walked down the steps and turned right at the bottom. He walked towards Juan's building, thinking that he might be able to talk with Juan. Reed turned away when he saw Juan's figure lying sprawled out on the grass, sound asleep.
The blonde swordsman decided to try down by the shore. He didn't have much luck there either. Scott's trading shop was busy, as was Maime's restaurant. Reed decided to try the basement of the castle, so he pushed open the door that was built into the cliff.
Reed fared even worse in the basement. He tried to start a conversation with Watari, but the back clad ninja didn't say a word to him. Kidd wasn't in his investigation nook, Wan Fu was unconscious in the storage room, Twaikan was too busy digging in the 'graveyard' to even notice Reed, and Muto had left his storeroom.
Reed left the castle, upset that he was running out of places to go. He had one choice left: The ranch.
Reed walked back to Juan's building, where Juan was still sleeping, continued walked past it. He also passed Peggi's Blacksmith shop, where the lizardman was upgrading Melville's sword. Reed continued walking towards the ranch.
When he arrived at the ranch, it didn't look like there was many people there. In fact, it looked like Kathy was the only one there. The cowgirl stood in front of the stable, stroking a horse's face.
Reed was about to walk over to Kathy when he noticed the field beyond the fence. Reed walked over to the fence and leaned against it. The wide field was such a breathtaking sight, Reed couldn't believe he hadn't noticed it before. The mountains in the distance looked like they reached the sky. Kathy's horses roamed the field of lush, green grass, enjoying the warm weather. And the fact that the day was bright and sunny with very few clouds in the sky only seemed to make the scene more beautiful.
Reed sighed at the wonderful sight, but suddenly, he heard something behind him.
"REED!!"
Reed jumped forward and shouted in surprise. He spun around and found himself staring at the pudgy face of Kenji.
"Come on, Reed!" Kenji said. "Get your lazy behind into gear! Let's start with jumping jacks!" Kenji started doing the exercise he had mentioned. "Hup, two! Hup, two! Hup, two!"
Reed suddenly found himself doing jumping jacks with Kenji, but froze in mid-jump. He looked at his hands. "What am I doing?" He looked at Kenji, and came up with an idea. "Kenji, you've done so much to keep everyone in shape. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Kenji stopped exercising at scratched his chin. "Well, I'd like to find out how fit I am." He said.
Reed smirked. This was JUST the answer he wanted. "If you want to see how fit you are, why don't you go arm-wrestle Emily?"
Kenji was silent for a few seconds, then perked right up. "You know, that's actually a good idea! Thanks, Reed!" With that, Kenji jogged off.
"I wonder if he realizes I was joking." Reed said. He walked over to Kathy, who had noticed him coming.
"Hey, Reed!" Kathy said, smiling.
"Good day, Kathy." Reed replied with a smile.
"So, what brings you here?" Kathy asked.
"Milady has given Samus and I a break." Reed explained. "I'm just looking for someone to talk to."
"So you came to me?" Kathy asked. "That's so sweet of you!"
Reed blushed. He looked at the horse she was stroking. "Kathy, may I ask why you love this horse so much? I mean, not only are you always seen stroking it or feeding it, but you never put it on the track."
"Oh, Gage is my favourite horse." Kathy replied. "She was my father's horse, and is the only thing I have left of him."
Reed swallowed as he saw a lone tear stream down Kathy's face. He didn't want to ask how Kathy's father died, as he didn't want to make her any more upset.
Kathy immediately perked up. "You wanna pet her?" She asked.
"Well...I don't know." Reed said. "I'm not really good with horses."
"It's alright!" Kathy laughed. "She's friendly!"
Slowly, Reed reached his right hand over to Gage's face. Reed placed his gloved hand on the horse's face and slowly stroked her. Reed was surprised when the horse pressed her head closer to his hand.
"See? Gage likes you!" Kathy stated.
Reed smiled. Gage DID seem to like him. He looked back at Kathy. "Isn't it hard running a ranch like this all by yourself?"
"I'm used to it." Kathy replied. "Besides, it's not the work of responsibility that gets to me."
"Oh? What DOES bother you?" Reed asked, raising an eyebrow.
Kathy was silent. She hung her head. "The loneliness."
Reed jerked to attention. "What?"
"It's just that no one ever talks to me." Kathy replied. "Kenji is usually exercising, Barts is always working on the fields, and all anyone ELSE does is go onto the race track to try and grab the top time away from Percival."
Reed couldn't believe his ears. How could anyone NOT want to talk with Kathy? Reed shook his head. "Don't worry, Kathy. I've still got a half an hour left for my break. I'll stay here and talk with you."
Reed spent the next twenty minutes talking with Kathy. During their long talk, Reed could tell from the look in Kathy's eyes that she was enjoying his company.
After a while, to Reed's dismay, his twenty minutes were up. He looked at Kathy. "I'm sorry Kathy, but my break will be over soon, and I don't want to anger milady." He said.
"Oh, right." Kathy said, remembering Reed's break. "Well, I appreciate you coming here, Reed. It's nice to have someone to talk to for a change."
Reed was silent for a few seconds. "Kathy, I have an idea." He said. "The next time milady gives me a break, I'll come over here and help you out."
Kathy's eyes sparkled. "I'd love that, Reed! Very much!"
Reed bid farewell to Kathy and walked away from the ranch. During his trek back to the Inn to meet with Samus, Reed couldn't seem to get his mind off of Kathy. Her sweet smile, her beautiful eyes. Reed made up his mind right then and there. He was definitely going to get to know Kathy more. He just HAD to. By the time Reed had gotten out of his thoughts, he had passed the Blacksmith, where Peggi was upgrading Augustine's sword.
Reed walked back up the stairs, into the main area of the castle, towards the Inn.
The blonde man pushed open the door to the Inn and walked in. He looked at Sebastian. "Is Samus still here, Sebastian?"
"Oh, yes he's here." Sebastian replied. He pointed into the room where the tables were. "He's in there."
Reed thanked Sebastian and walked into the room. The first thing he noticed was many people, including Samus, Mel, Toppo, Nei, Shabon, Geddoe and his team, standing around a table, where Kenji and Emily were sitting. Samus was standing beside the doorway, and had spotted Reed walk in, standing beside him.
"Reed, get a load of this." Samus said. "Kenji walked in here a while ago and, after Emily finally showed up, he challenged her to a round of arm- wrestling."
Reed raised an eyebrow. "No kidding?"
"Okay." Queen, who was closest to the table Kenji and Emily were sitting at, said. "First one to pin the opponent's arm is the winner." By now, Reed knew that she was the judge. "Ready?" Kenji and Emily nodded. "Okay...GO!"
As soon as Queen said that, Emily slammed Kenji's arm onto the table with such great impact that Kenji flipped from his seat and landed on the floor.
Reed tried his hardest not to laugh. He looked at Samus. "We'd better get going. Our hour is almost up."
Samus nodded as the two men left the Inn.
Quickly, Reed and Samus arrived at the front door to the mansion and stood there, waiting for Lilly to emerge.
Suddenly, as if on cue, Lilly came out the front door. She quickly noticed her attendants. "Ah. Reed. Samus." She said. "Did you two enjoy your break?"
"Yes milady." Samus said, bowing to Lilly.
Reed thought of his break once more. He thought of the ranch, the wonderful scenery, and most importantly, Kathy. Reed smiled.
"Most assuredly, milady."
To be continued...
Author's notes: Okay. I still haven't quite beaten Suikoden 3 yet, so don't tell me if it reveals Kathy's origins. And about the pairing. I've always liked the 'unique' pairings (but not m/m or f/f) (I've paired up Malon from Zelda with Billy Kane from King of Fighters, for cryin' out loud!) and for some strange reason, I can picture Reed and Kathy together. Please read and review!
