Hey guys! ^^ I am back! ...Yeah, I know, sorry 'bout the lateness of my update. This was done a couple weeks ago, but nobody would take me to the library, so it just had to sit on my CD-RW rotting... But it's okay, 'cause me and my disc are here now to share chapter 2 with you! Before this chapter begins, however, I have some people to thank. They are (in no particular order): DarkEclipse45 (who has an AMAZING fic called Against The Dark Knight that you all need to read), TheSilverHairedMaiden, FallenFriend, and the reason you're reading this now, the wonderful Lamiror, who encouraged me to post this on the site. The former three reviwed, and as such will be replied to at the end of the chapter. ...Except for DarkEclipse, with whom I have already shared a correspondence... I think I spelled that wrong. But whatevs! Let's get this show on the road! ^^
"Here we are," Karai said brightly, pushing open the door. The child moved slightly, turning to look around. "It's not much, but it's still home," she added, feeling suddenly self-concious of her small house. She glanced at the boy and saw his eyes wide with amazement; the look on his face said clearly that he'd never seen anything so grand. Karai beamed. Not much to some, but as good as a palace to others.
"Mreow."
The burgundy-haired woman rolled her eyes as an enormous yellow and brown-striped cat brushed against her legs. She glared down at him. "Will you mind your own business, Ferocious? I'm too busy for you right now." So saying, she stepped over the cat and headed to the kitchen table, where she deposited her cling-on in a chair. The boy was still gazing around incredulously, hardly paying attention to anything else. However, when Karai moved to the corner of the room and opened a rather squeaky cabinet, his eyes snapped back to her. Karai herself had to bite back a worried whimper. The fear, distrust, and hate in those eyes... He was far too young to know those feelings!
"Are you hungry?" Karai asked kindly, forcing a smile back onto her face. It took enormous effort to keep it there when she saw how the boy's eyes narrowed and the suspicion he regarded her with. What, does he think I'm going to poison him?
She shrugged and reached into the cabinet, pulling out a loaf of bread she'd made the day before and wrapped up. "Suit yourself," she said, purposely making herself sound nonchalant. "Personally, I'm about starved."
As Karai fished some meat, cheese, and berries out of various cabinets, she felt the child's gaze on her back. He was watching her closely, alright...
"M-rrrrr-eow!"
Karai growled. "Ferocious, I told you a minute ago, I'm busy!" she said, glaring down at the animal. He returned her expression perfectly as he let out yet another insistent yowl. "Look, I realize you're hungry, but this is people food, not cat food. Go make yourself useful and catch a mouse or something, lazy." Ferocious narrowed his greenish eyes, but turned and stalked away, tail held high. With a triumphant giggle, Karai went back to preparing her lunch, trying to ignore the feeling of being stared at. She hummed a little tune to herself to help dispel it.
"There we go!" she exclaimed a few moments later. Two tasty-looking sandwiches and a pile of large blueberries sat on a plate before her. Her stomach rumbled, and she could practically hear it scream 'FEED ME!' The eighteen year-old danced back to the table, still humming. Then, with a fanfare-like sound effect and a flourish, she set the plate down. "Ta-da!" she said.
The little boy blinked a few times, caught off guard by her silliness. When he looked at her, Karai could see uncertainty; she'd confused him. Confusion was better than fear, though, so she went along with it, determined to keep up her cheerful act. "So, which one do you want?" she asked him, gesturing to the sandwiches. "The big one or the little one?" A suspicious glance was the boy's reply. Forcing back a sigh, Karai snatched a blueberry off the top of the mound and popped it in her mouth, smiling widely as she smushed the juice out of it.
Two minutes and six berries later, Karai was overjoyed to see the boy reach out one hesitant little hand and grab a berry of his own. He looked at it for a moment, balancing the fruit in the palm of his hand. Apparently he'd never seen anything like it before. Then, taking a deep breath, he put it in his mouth and bit into it. Karai covered her own mouth with her hand, stifling laughter at the disgusted face he made.
"Not a blueberry fan, I see," she commented, grinning. "I'll pick some raspberries tomorrow, and you can try those. They taste alot different."
The boy gave his head a shake and stuck his tongue out, making a noise that sounded extraordinarily like 'blech'. Karai couldn't stop a laugh this time, and the boy glowered at her. Again hesitantly, he reached this time for one of the sandwiches. The blueberry had not made him happy, but it was still food, and had obviously reminded him that he was hungry. He picked up the larger sandwich, which dwarfed both his tiny hands. He paused as he had with the berry, though this time it wasn't so much that he was wary as that he didn't know how he was going to get his mouth around it. Finally, he gave up thinking and stretched his mouth open as wide as it would go, then sank his teeth into it as best he could.
Karai watched in amazement as it dissapeared before her eyes. Upon taking the first bite and discovering that, unlike blueberries, the sandwich was quite edible, the child devoured it in what must have been record time for someone so small. When his sandwich was gone, his eyes flickered covetously to its smaller counterpart still in the plate.
He's still hungry? Karai thought in disbelief. Stars above! I wonder when the last time he had anything to eat was.
"You want half of this one?" she asked, poking the top piece of bread. The boy stared at her, shocked that he was being offered more food. His crimson eyes searched her grayish ones for traces of lies. After a somewhat tense moment, the little boy nodded shyly. Karai smiled at him in what she hoped was a soothing manner and ripped her lunch apart. "Here you go," she said as she held it out to him. He looked at her for a few seconds. Then, slowly, he reached out and took it from her, an unreadable expression on his dirty little face.
The next few moments were ruled by a comfortable silence, broken only by the sounds of Karai and her quiet rescue-ee munching on their sandwich halves. He was taking his time now, Karai noted. Perhaps he'd felt threatened before, as if she might take it away from him? That could have explained why he watched her so intently before accepting what he had now. Trying to see if I meant what I said, Karai mused, looking over the boy curiously.
He was very small, though that meant little; he could have been younger than she thought. Then again, she wasn't quite sure how old to figure him. Most children babbled incessantly once they reached about three. He was older than that for sure, and yet he hadn't said a single word. However, he clearly understood language, as he'd demonstrated when Karai had first picked him up, so he couldn't be deaf, and the wails that had drawn her to him in the first place showed that he was most certainly not mute.
Why doesn't he say anything? Karai wondered, cocking her head to the side. The child was just finishing the last of his half. Maybe she could just ask him.
"So..." she said, and he looked up at her, tensing. Darn it, I scared him again, Karai thought irritatedly. I have to stop doing that. "Would you mind if I asked you couple of questions?"
He blinked, surprised. Slowly, he shook his head and looked at her expectantly. Karai smiled at him again. "How old are you?" she asked. He held up both hands, one with but a single finger outstretched. "Six?" Karai asked, just for verification. He nodded again and put his hands down, folding them neatly in his lap. He made it clear he was waiting for the next question, which simply made Karai more curious. Who IS this kid? Where'd he come from?
"Okay... Well, um... Where are your parents?"
His hands instantly clenched into trembly fists, and a deep, unyielding sadness came into his eyes. Karai cringed visibly. Bad question, bad question! But if they're around here somewhere, they might want him back, so I have to know... Ohhh, I'm sorry, kid, she mentally apologized, half wishing he could read her thoughts.
"Do you know if they're anywhere in town?" she pressed desperately. The boy shook his head, biting a wobbly bottom lip. Hating herself, Karai continued with, "Do you know who they are?" His response was the same, and Karai inexplicably felt a wave of relief wash over her. He must have been an orphan, with no home to go to, no one to love him... which meant Karai had him all to herself. That was a startling thought, but she was far too concerned with trying to calm him back down to be shocked by it just now.
"Um... Do you... can you tell me your name?" she asked meekly. To her great astonishment, the boy sniffed miserably, and his shoulders began to shake. He made the universal sound for 'no', the little noise that sounded like 'uh-uh', and within seconds, he was back to the way she'd found him by the road.
Karai jumped out of her chair, knocking it backwards, and dashed to the boy's side, pulling him into her arms. "Oh no, nononononono, shhh, shhh, don't cry, don't cry," she begged, gently bouncing him up and down. "It's okay, it's okay... Calm down. Oohhhh... Please don't cry!"
A few minutes passed. Gradually, the boy's tears stopped flowing, and his sniffles lessened. He clung weakly to Karai, both arms wrapped around her neck, legs loosely around her mid-section, little face buried in her bosom. Holding onto him with one arm, Karai bent to pick up her chair and sat back down in it, after which she devoted her hands to rubbing the child's back and stroking his hair. Suddenly, a loud THUD! made both of them jump. "What in the-" Karai began, but she was cut off.
"Mrrreoww."
Ferocious sat on his haunches on the table, a huge dead rat clamped in his jaws. Giving her a smug look, he dropped the carcass onto the wood where it bounced a few times, blood flying from multiple lacerations and teeth marks.
Karai swallowed bile, frowning in revulsion. "Augh, Ferocious!" she groaned, standing up quickly. The boy peered over his shoulder at the rat, a similar expression on his face. "That is nasty! Ugh... I've GOT to clean the table." She tapped the child's shoulder, and he turned to look at her. "That means I'll have to put you down, okay?" He closed his eyes briefly, then gave a shaky sigh and nodded. Karai squeezed him before she set him on his feet and turned to face her unwanted task.
"Mreoow?" Ferocious mewled questioningly. Karai gave him an acid look in response and pointed to the rat.
"Get it off the table. NOW."
The cat's face registered shock. Was she bossing him around? Was she bossing him around? Hissing his indignation, Ferocious took a flying leap off the table, leaving the rat where it lay and sending a blueberry-laden plate soaring. The plate crashed to the floor dangerously close to where the boy was sitting. He let out a startled yelp and scooted backwards, away from the shards of white glass that came into being when the plate splintered. Ferocious himself landed on the boy's other side, directly on top of a pile of blueberries, effectively squishing them all. He stepped slowly and deliberately in the juice they had squirted out, saturating his paws in it. Then, casting a glance over his shoulder at Karai, he proceeded to parade across the room, leaving a trail of bluish-purple pawprints on the floor - and on the boy's clothing when he jumped unexpectedly into the child's lap.
Karai's mouth hung open in a silent scream of rage. If I had a broom I'd-! Ooooh, that dumb cat is in for it! she thought savagely. ...But first things first. Karai grabbed a scrap of cloth that was lying around and used it to pick the rat up by its tail. Grimacing, she strode quickly to the window and tossed it out, cloth and all. She drew in a deep, calming breath when the rat's body made muffled 'plumph' in the grass outside. Then, setting her jaw determinedly, Karai fetched herself some water and her scrub brush and set to work on the bloody table, not up to the task of the juicy floor just yet.
During her scrubbing, Karai heard a small, uncertain noise. She glanced down at the boy, who sat uncomfortably on the floor with Ferocious on top of his legs. The look on his face said quite clearly 'What do I do now?' The look on Ferocious's face, meanwhile, said, 'Pet me, slave.' (A/N: Anybody else ever had a cat do that to them...?) Karai suppressed a chuckle. "You can pet him if you want," she told the boy. "But do it at your own risk. He does have claws, and he's not afraid to use them."
He chewed on his lip, debating. Ferocious continued to give him the 'pet me or you die' look, and at last, the child gave in to its power. He reached out apprehensively and ran his hand down the length of Ferocious's fuzzy body, causing the cat to shiver with delight. With a pleased-sounding meow, Ferocious rubbed his head against the boy's torso, purring.
Karai was shocked. Ferocious didn't really like anyone to touch him, and she had rarely heard him purr before. She wondered what could be so different about the boy that he liked... The woman gave herself a little shake and resumed her cleaning. Soon enough, she had finished with the table. She almost felt happy. Then she saw the floor, and her spirits sank like a rock. Sighing, Karai retrieved her broom out of the corner and swept up the fragments of the plate, tossing them out the window with the rat.
Said rat's captor was extremely content, purring away as the little boy scratched his ears and stroked his fur. Karai shook her head when her gaze wandered from them to the floor that they sat on. She gritted her teeth and rolled her sleeves up as she knelt down. No sense in putting it off, she groused mentally. But I'm really going to get that cat someday.
Eight minutes of hard scrubbing saw the blueberries' remains off the floor without a stain, which pleased the burgundy-haired woman. She rocked back on her heels and wiped her forehead with her arm, exhaling thankfully. "Well, that's out of the way," she announced.
The little boy looked over at her from where he sat, waving a hand in the air to get her attention. "What's the matter?" Karai asked, raising an eyebrow. The child pointed hesitantly to the enormous cat on his lap. Ferocious seemed to have fallen asleep. Karai waved her hand, unconcerned. "It's okay," she said. "Just stand up."
The boy looked at her dully, and Karai realized that he couldn't. "...Hold on a second," she said, feeling her face heat up as she crawled across the floor to him. Knowing how irritable her cat could be, she decided not to try waking him gently; instead she simply snatched him up and tossed him to the side, ignoring his hiss of anger as he sprinted to the window and launched himself through it.
"There," Karai said, also choosing to ignore the boy's expression of shock. She put her arms around him and plucked him off the floor, standing up and balancing him on her hip. "Since I'm already cleaning things, how about I get you cleaned up, too?" she asked, casting a quick glance at his filthy - and now sticky - clothes. Without waiting for a response, Karai took off down the hall to the bathing room.
Knock knock knock.
Ike held in a groan as he forced himself to sit up. "W-haaah-t?" he called sleepily, yawning in the direction of his bedroom door.
"I'm coming in, Ike," Mist's voice answered before the door was flung open. The orange-haired valkyrie bounced in, a large basket full of clothes in her arms.
"What are you doing?" Ike asked. Since it was only Mist, he fell backwards onto his pillow and flopped an arm over his eyes, which drew a giggle from his sister.
"It's laundry day," she answered cheerily. She giggled again, more intensely. "Your hair's a mess, Ike," she informed him. "You should fix that."
Ike didn't move. "When I get up, maybe I'll do something about it," he replied, fighting another yawn. Why in the name of all that sensible did Mist have to get up so early to wash clothes? The sun was hardly over the horizon, for heaven's sake!
He started as Mist pulled his arm away from his face and sat down on the edge of his bed, her bright smile replaced by a serious expression. "You need to get up now, Ike," she said, frowning a little.
"Why?"
Mist's frown deepened, and her gaze shifted toward the window. "I don't think Soren feels very good," she responded quietly. "I think... you need to go talk to him. ...He's outside. That's not... normal... for him. Usually, he stays in his room... Ike, I'm kind of worried about him. Especially considering..." She gave her head a tiny shake and looked back at him. "Just... please go talk to him, okay?" she begged.
Ike pushed himself up again and nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I'll do what I can."
A smile found its way back onto his sister's face. "Thank you, Ike," she said, obviously relieved. "I knew you would." She slid off the bed and reached under it; her hand reemerged clutching a pile of clothes that she tossed into her huge basket. Mist went back over to said basket and seized it, then walked out the door with her burden. However, she popped her head back in. "And you really should do something about your hair," she commented, grinning impishly before dissapearing once more.
Ike shook his head at her. She really is still a kid, he thought, feeling a tiny smile tug at the corners of his mouth. It faded when he glanced out his window. Soren...
It was a chilly, misty morning. The grass was soaked with dew, and a fog hung in the air, making it difficult to discern what the shadows hiding in it truly were. As such, Ike didn't realize that the shape huddled on the ground was Soren until he was almost on top of him. Soren, contrary-wise, knew without looking up that Ike was there.
"Good morning, Commander," the archsage greeted, his quiet voice cutting through the fog.
Ike glanced down at Soren. A book - not the Worm tome from last night, thank goodness - was in his hands, though how he could read in this dim light, Ike had no idea.
" 'Morning," Ike answered. He sat down in the moist grass next to his friend. "What are you doing out here so early?"
Soren twitched the book to draw Ike's attention to it. "I saw no reason to waste a candle when there is perfectly good natural light to read by."
"...Soren, you have a window in your room," Ike reminded him, resisting the impulse to shake the other man. "You didn't need to come outside. And anyway, you're wrong. There isn't any natural light this morning. It's all damp and foggy."
Soren was silent for a few seconds. "I was under the impression," he said then, clearly choosing his words with care, "that you and the others encouraged me to come outside rather than staying in my room."
A frustrated growl threatened to rip from Ike's throat. He fought it back, instead saying, "Yes, we usually do, but NOT when it's damp and foggy and cold." He put his hand on Soren's shoulder, unintentionally startling him. "You should come back in," he suggested forcefully. "You didn't wear a cloak, and if I know you, you haven't eaten yet, like you should have."
Ike stood, grabbing Soren's arm and yanking him up with him. "Come on, Soren," he said, and though the magic-user struggled briefly, Ike would brook no argument and drug him along.
The breakfast table was a battleground - no, it was more like a minefield. Boyd and Rolf were at it again, which was easily overlooked, as there was scarcely a time they weren't arguing. Still, their squabble was decidedly NOT helping the mood of the other mercenaries. Gatrie suffered from an inevitable hangover, though he at least made an effort to be cheerful despite it. Soren, who was still somewhat disgruntled by the way Ike had man-handled him to get him inside, sulked at one end of the table, glaring at both his food and his companions. Meanwhile, at the other end of the dining room table, Shinon, afflicted by the same ailment as Gatrie, was being... well, Shinon-y. The marksman's eyes were narrowed; a displeased scowl seemed permanently affixed to his face. He continually shot hateful glares in Soren's direction, which the archsage returned with equal fervor.
Ike jumped when Mist dug her elbow into his ribs, looking away from Soren and Shinon's glares to find hers almost directly in his face. "I thought I ashked you to talk to him," she growled in a whisper, not prounouncing the 's' as a hiss in order to stay quiet.
"I shtarted to," Ike growled back, rubbing at his side. Darn it, but Mist had bony little elbows... "I'll finish the convershation later, okay?"
Mist didn't looked satisfied, but the two of them were forced to fall silent and put on innocent faces as Soren's eyes flickered toward them suspiciously. Mist faked a sudden interest in her breakfast. Ike did the same, except that he actually meant it. Oscar had cooked it, after all.
"-said shut UP, YOU MOSS-HAIRED TWIG!" Boyd roared suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to him.
"Make me!" Rolf shot back, childishly sticking his tongue out. The middle brother seemed quite prepared to obey; his body language screamed that he was less than ten seconds away from pouncing like a cat laguz. However, before he could do so, a single unexpected phrase froze him in place.
"Apologize, Rolf."
All heads swung toward Shinon in astonishment. He affected not to notice, since his eyes were closed as he massaged his (no doubt throbbing) temples with the fingers of the hand he had propped himself up on. "Stop antagonizing your loud-mouth brother," he continued. "It's too early for you two to be shrieking like banshees. Now apologize to Boyd, and then keep your mouth shut unless it's to put food in it."
His words were met with wide-eyed stares and wider gaping mouths, none more so than Ike's own. Had Shinon - Shinon? - just told Rolf to apologize for something he'd said? As Rolf stammered out a 'Sorry, Boyd,' and an 'I'll be quiet, Uncle Shinon,' Ike shook his head in disbelief. So it's okay for you to yell at Soren and say you hate his guts, but Rolf and Boyd can't have a normal sibling argument? he thought, seething. You filthy hypocrite.
The remainder of the morning meal was finished without incident, and the mercenaries were surprisingly quick about starting their respective days, running off almost immediately to train (like Rolf and Boyd, who may simply have been looking for an excuse to fight) or otherwise occupy themselves. Ike, for his part, attempted once more to confront Soren after recieving a rather threatening look from Mist.
The vanguard had to move fast to corner his friend, who seemed determined to vanish before he could be spoken to. As the dark green-haired man hastened to the door, Ike hurried after him. "Soren," he called.
The archsage had just put his hand on the door. He gave a sort of sigh as he turned to face Ike, the book from earlier held tightly in his left hand, while his right remained on the sanded oak wood that was the front door.
"Yes, Ike?" Soren asked emotionlessly. "Is there something I can help you with?"
Ike crossed his arms. "Yeah, actually," he replied, keeping a watch on his friend's expression. "About last night-"
A look of pain shot across Soren's features. "I'drathernotdiscussthat," he said quickly, cramming his words so close together that they were almost undecipherable.
"Well I'm sorry, but we need t-" Ike began. He found himself unable to finish, however, as a purple-haired interruption flew across the room toward him brandishing a sword.
"Commander!" Mia hollered, coming to a stop before him and bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Time for our morning spar!"
With extreme effort, Ike managed not to growl at her. "In a minute, Mia. I'm talking to Soren."
Mia blinked rapidly. "Soren?" she repeated, bewildered. "Where? I don't see him."
Ike whirled around, cursing mentally. In the few seconds his attention had been diverted, Soren had made a silent escape; the door still swung on its hinges from its hasty opening and closing. "Great," Ike grumbled aloud, running a hand through his mess of spiky blue hair.
"...Sorry, Commander," Mia, horribly abashed, said from behind him. "Want me to go find him?"
Sighing, Ike shook his head. "Nah. He'll turn up later," he answered.
"Kind of has to, doesn't he?" Mia mused, and Ike gave her a smile.
"Yeah." He pushed the door open and pointed her out. "Come on; we've got sparring to do."
Voila! Chapter 2! Hope you guys enjoyed! Now for those 2 review replies...
TheSilverHairedMaiden - Well, thank you very much! That was the idea, after all. Intrigue makes people stay and read the next chappie ^^ Hahaha, Mr. GrumpyPants! Perfect nickname... though I prefer to take a leaf out of Soren's book and call him Gnat Brain. Anywho, thanks for the review.
FallenFriend - You don't know the half of it. Just wait... intense barely covers where this is going. And as for the 'wanna read more' comment, there can be no higher praise for a writer, so thank you very much! ^^