It took so long for me to update...it took so many months for me to fill just 15 line to finish the chapter...so sorry.
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the story!
They reached a town between their paths to Nox, it was a huge one. They spent a whole day for traveling also Ike said this would be the last town since they're about to reach Nox. They were many little skirmishes with both Bandit and the Occupation forces.
Ike had become closer to the Dawn Brigade as he traveled together with them. The Dawn Brigade seemed to trust him much more than they first met except Edward, who seemed to trust him completely since that night they met.
He left them at the inn and went to patrol the town. Ike also asked Edward whether he told Micaiah anything yet which Edward replied with no.
"Rest as much as you can…maybe this is the last good rest for us…we don't know what will happen after we go to Nox…our peaceful day maybe over." The boys nodded with the girl's suggestion.
"Umm…Micaiah please give this to Ike. It's a strength drop…I took it back there, in the Manor." The girl nodded before leaving the inn.
"I heard that strength drop have a side effect…should I really give it to Ike?" the silver haired girl thought to herself. Yune left her shoulder on its own for the first time.
It flew straight to the blue haired swordsman, Micaiah wondered how could the bird flew like that since they're supposed to be blinded in the dark.
"Hey, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you suppose to be with Micaiah." The bird chirped as the blue haired swordsman played with it. "You are a weird one…you know that? I've never seen a bird so attaches to people like you." Ike continued to play with the orange furred bird.
Micaiah watched him from afar…amused, he never smiled so gentle like that to anyone else. "Ike!" she called out to him. The man jumped at the voice.
"Don't startle me like that…shouldn't you be getting some sleep?"
"Edward told me to give this to you…a strength drop…" The girl handed a vial, contained with soft-red water.
"That thing is so expensive…how did he manage to get one?" Ike took and inspected the small vial that he just got from the small girl in front of him.
"From the Manor…hey…are you really sure you're going to drink it? I heard that it contains side effect…"
"You will never know unless you try right?"
"Ike! Wait…ah…" It was too late; the man in front of her just let the liquid that was contained insides the vial flowed through from mouth to neck.
"It tastes…so sweet…I wonder…why…it tastes like that." Ike kept the vial into his pocket.
"Feeling anything different?"
"Hmm…I feel so relaxed and full of strength. But it made me feel hot over inside my body…Ugh…" Ike tensed his muscle.
"Hey, are you feeling okay!?" Micaiah asked, worried.
"Yeah…I think it should fade away soon." Ike slowly lied his body down on the grass.
"Is that so?...say Ike…now that we're alone…I have something to talk with you." Micaiah said before sitting down next to Ike.
"What do you want to talk? Is it important?" Ike asked, glaring at her without turning his face around.
"Yep…it's sure important as destroying one country." Ike flinched a little, normally Micaiah wouldn't say those words. "Ike…you're from Crimea…You're that "Ike" right? Ike of the Greil Mercenary."
Ike jumped and quickly sat up right after he heard those words. "Micaiah…Look, I…" Ike reached out his hand to Micaiah before she held it and simply said.
"I only want "Yes" or "No" , Ike." The light mage looked into the swordsman's eyes, giving the swordsman that he had been peered inside by the mage besides him.
"Yes…I am…I am Ike of the Greil Mercenary, who crushed Daein 2 years ago…when did you realize?" Ike asked with his gentle tone.
"I had a feeling…a hunch…I also looked how the way you act things too. Many times you look hesitate when you're around us, or Daein Citizens like you were afraid of something." Micaiah replied.
"Am I really that easy to read?" Ike smiled while his eyes were reflected by the moon's light.
"Well…It's not that easy, really…I would say that you're good at concealing about it but it's just that I'm old enough to know how to judge people, how to read people…that's all. Leonardo was also a keen boy but he hasn't notice you yet." Micaiah replied.
"I see…so what do want to do with me." Ike asked, he also asked Micaiah to stand while he kneeled in front of her.
"Nothing…Ashnard was at fault for the last war. After the war we realized…how happy, how fun it is to be able to support each others. Ashnard's idea that the strong ruled everything is so twisted. So actually, we, the villagers are in your debt. While on the other hand, those who lost the benefits would hate you. Ashnard did really reward his men with everything they want." Micaiah smiled before she sat down on the floor.
"Hmm…really…? I've always thought that I wouldn't be welcomed here forever…" Ike said with a plain face as he lying his head down on the grass with the hands holding his head.
"Well, what you do maybe favor by some and hatred by some, that's normal."
"I guess…that's…true…" Ike's voice slowly faded down as his eye lids began to close. Soon he fell asleep on the green grass on the field.
"…Guess that's one of the side effects of the Strength Drop? The body won't be able to take it unless it takes some rest, huh?"
Micaiah slowly closed her eyes as she gathered her thought before she went to sleep.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooo
A good amount of time had passed since they fell asleep, Yune, who woke up first flew to wake the beorc besides her which started with the man. She just flushed her fur to let the man realized something is rubbing him.
"Hmm…Yu…ne?" The bird jumped around like it was happy that the man remembered its name. The man realized somebody was next to him, when he came to his sense, he gently looked over her before she started to wake up.
"Morning!" Ike said.
"Yeah…" The girl slowly tried to sit up before she looked around. "You're feeling okay?"
"Yep, and my wounds don't feel painful anymore."
"Then, let's go back to the boys."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ooooooooooo
"Where were you two!? We were so worried!" The brown haired boy shouted. They didn't know what to do. They could only trust in Ike to keep Micaiah safe.
"We were staying out too late and the air felt so good so we fell asleep, sorry…to make you worry."
"Well…I think it's no use to say anything to you right? You're so blunt sometimes." Edward commented on the light mage's personality.
"Hey, I'm not like that. I just do what I think it needs to be done at the moment!"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it…" Edward said with eyes rolling over to another way.
"Let's stop it at this and continue our path, so shall we go? It wouldn't do us any good to let Begnion followed again like last time." Leonardo broke the argument of what seemed like brother-sister fighting of sort.
"Hey…what do you think will happen after we…meet with King Ashnard's son?" Ike asked.
"We…probably become one of his forces...I don't know why but I just feel…sad…after I think about it." Micaiah eyes were filled with sadness, somehow her sense made sorrow flown into her.
"Don't worry…we will be happy as long as we go and do everything together right?" Edward smiled brighten up the girl. Micaiah also sneered at Ike which Ike returned with a smile. It freshen her up, she's not alone anymore, it's different from before that she's alone, running inside the huge capitol Nevassa.
"Let's go…this is the last step…of us…our role as the Dawn Brigade." Micaiah said.
"Uh…you too, would you mind if you let me stay alone with Ike for a moment?" The boys nodded and left the house.
"Ike…you don't want anyone to find out that you're that Ike from Greil Mercenary right? Especially the soldiers right?" Ike nodded, he would be in a bad situation if someone were to find out about him, especially those from the military. "Then let me help you. Close your eyes." Micaiah took out a pouch which contained dust; it had the green color. She mixed it with a vial of water on the table.
She used her hands to rub Ike's hair; soon his hair slowly changed its color into the green of young leaves. "Hey, open your eyes. And take a look at the mirror." Ike was surprised after he did as he was told.
"What in the…how did you…" He couldn't speak properly, he never knew a way to change a color of beorc's hair.
"I know that you want to ask about this but let's talk later…oh, also that cape…I'll…keep it for you. It makes you stand out from everyone." Ike nodded and untied his cape and gave it to Micaiah.
"Thanks…that helps me a lot…" Ike smiled with his eyes closed, to Micaiah it was like he seemed to show his gentle side more often to her. Although she had to admit that by Ike with green haired and without cape looked like a totally different person to her.
"Let's go." They walked out of the house to join with the boys
"You two finished already?" The boys hadn't surprised with the change in appearance of Ike, Micaiah had told them about this for some time before.
"Yes, let's continue our journey…to Nox." The group walked in the street of the town, it was rather noisy today. "I wonder what's up with this town today, yesterday it was like a ghost town."
"Let's go…it doesn't concern us...and we can't afford to lose any more time." Everyone agreed with what Leonardo said except Micaiah who insisted that they should go see what's going on." Micaiah took Ike with her and walked into the crowd.
It turned out to be that the occupation force was patrolling the town. They were searching for Micaiah after they heard that the Dawn Brigade had come here last night.
"Uh-oh…this is bad…" Micaiah said.
"That's why I told you we should go…if they are scouts then they must have deployed their forces around here."
"We will be fine…if we don't attract too much atten-" Micaiah turned and clashed into a man wearing red iron armor. "Uh, I'm sorry…" When Micaiah looked up to the man, it was a Begnion insignia. The two of them stood, shocked…before the soldier shouted to call his friend.
"Micaiah!" Ike took the girl onto his arm and escaped from the crowd. "Hey, you two! We have been found, run!" The boys ran after the man.
"How did this happen?" Edward asked.
"Micaiah clashed into one of the soldiers, but it's half my fault that I let my guard down, sorry!"
"Nah, we already get used to it. No Problem!" Edward smiled. "Where should we go?"
"Just outside of the town and we should be able to lose them!" They ran through the street. "Just hide around the shadow of the bushes or something. They won't search for us that thoroughly." Ike said.
"Isn't that a bit risky?" Leonardo raised a question to the solution Ike just suggested.
"Don't worry, considering that they wouldn't expect us to do something so rash and they probably haven't been to war before. They won't notice us." Ike was so sure about it, Leonardo had no choice but to agree with the man since everyone also agreed to it.
After they exited the town's gate, they hid in a bush nearby. The soldiers who pursued them just ran passed them, further away from them.
After a while, the group came out of hiding. "See? I told, these guys probably just join the army due to connections…" Ike said.
"Hmph…" Leonardo just gave a grumpy expression before he turned away.
"He's still doesn't trust me yet, huh?" Ike mumbling to himself.
"Hey, let's continue. I don't want to get into anymore fight." The guys listened to the girl's words and continued their journey.
"Leo, why did you act like that!? It's rude you know?" Edward asked while they were keeping distance between Ike and Micaiah.
"Because I still don't trust him. How could you guys trust him! We barely know anything about him." Leonardo said, moody.
"Micaiah seemed to trust him right? Then isn't that all the matter for us?" Edward said while holding his head with the arms and looking up to the orange sky.
"Hmph…" Leonardo gave a grumpy expression before he caught up with Micaiah and Ike.
"I wonder if I go back to Crimea and show my friends my current hair color, will everyone be surprised?" Ike chuckled.
"You're so carefree and relaxing, Ike. I thought you would be more…strict to yourself and somehow have a standard that you used to measure everything." Micaiah said.
"Really…? Do I really look that type to you?" Ike asked.
"Well, one would expect something from a Hero, you know? Who gonna thought that the Hero that save Tellius was someone who acted base on his feeling." Micaiah said and smiled.
"Jeez…just shut up…"
"Look, you're blushing…now everyone will know that the Hero cannot help himself when he's in front of a girl." Ike blushed even more, it was the truth. He didn't know how to deal with a girl or a woman. He only had few girls that he'd spoken to; Elincia, Mist. Lucia and Nephenee was more like war comrades than friends.
"I'm not blushing…its just hot out here…"
"But the cloud already covers the sun for us, how can you feel hot?" Micaiah giggled as she was having fun teasing Ike.
"Whoa…Micaiah is pretty scary…If I was Ike I would die out of embarrassment." Edward said.
"Hmph…" Leonardo didn't say anything.
"Micaiah, watched out!" Out of a sudden Ike jumped and pushed Micaiah away. When Micaiah got up to see, she saw Ike's leg got scraped by a javelin.
"Ike, are you alright!?"
"Yeah, it's just a scratch. Let's run." Everyone nodded and began to run towards the fortress Nox which could be seen in their sight.
A thunder rumbling could be heard and then lightning stroke down the area in front of them.
"You guys just run. I'll keep them at bay and meet up with you later."
"But-"
"No but, now go!" Micaiah nodded.
The Begnion forces came out of the forest. Ike began to fight with them, he was able to kill several soldiers before he face a Heavy Armor Knight.
When he ran up to him and about to jump, he felt that his leg was numb. "Shit…that one was coated with poison?" The Armor swung his heavy shield, sending Ike flying into the stone, his head directly clashed and bled.
"Ike!" Micaiah tried to run back as fast as she could to help Ike.
"Micaiah, wait!" Edward shouted.
The Armor knight prepared to deliver his finishing blow, he held the axe up high, about to throw towards Ike. But his throat was slit by a axe than was flew down from the sky. Everyone looked up to see a wyvern rider clad in green.
Then a meteor fell down from the sky, crushing and burning some of the Begnion Army.
"What's…going on…? That's not important right now, Ike!" Micaiah ran towards Ike and held him up. "Ike, please be okay!" As Micaiah was about to heal Ike. Another soldier came from behind, meant to strike her.
"Micaiah, look out!" Leonardo quickly released the arrow from his bow with accuracy, penetrating the neck of that soldier.
A wyvern flew down from the sky, and its rider jumped down from it. "Are you guys alright? Our scout report that you were attacked."
"Yeah…we're alright now. Who are you?" Micaiah asked.
"Well, let's go talk somewhere safe. At fort Nox, would be our best choice."
"Do you have a healer with you? Please…take him with you first."
"Well…I think maybe we can all take my wyvern, it's just a short route if we fly from here. So let's go."
Everyone helped carry Ike onto the wyvern. And after they tried their best to sit together, they flied towards Nox.
"Ugh…" Ike tried to get up from the bed. He felt blurred and his head was hurt so badly.
"Ike, you're awake! I thought you would die…" Micaiah ran and held Ike's hand.
"Wh-who…are you…?" Ike said why looking strange at Micaiah.
"What...are you saying, Ike? It's me Micaiah!"
"Micaiah…ouch…my head…who am I…?" Ike said while holding his head.
"Ike…you lost…your memory?"
So did you like it? I'm gonna make Ike into a young boy again! *grinned* Nothing can beat the love of a amnesia boy and a pure girl like micaiah!
I'll try to update soon!