DISCLAIMER: Suikoden 2 and all its elements are properties of KCET. The fanfiction belongs to littlemaiko. Stealing is prohibited.
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~ Silent Little Mermaid 2 ~
Jess rode well. Flik had to give the chamberlain that much. Having conveyed the necessary message, Jess maneuvered the brown-maned steed back and into the dark forest. Of course, compared to ones like Camus and Miklotov, who had practically grown up riding upon war-horses, his techniques were amateur. For the purpose of carrying commands, however, his current skills were more than good enough.
// At least, there's no worry about him falling off that horse. //
Flik turned back immediately to the battle at hand, not being the one to dally over thoughts unrelated to the war at times like this. His sword, Odessa, never betrayed his trust; the sharp edge easily severed into flesh of Highlander soldiers.
"Retreat to the second position!"
Remembering Shu's strategic formation, Flik hollered over his men and lead them back about two hundred steps. By now, the group of mages led by Luc must be reading incantations for an attack. Just as he looked up to the sky, dark clouds formed and brought along pillars of lightening.
"Don't attack yet!! Wait for the second wave!"
Flik cleared his throat to rid whirling dust from his windpipe. The short wait for the second magical attack gave him the time to muse over unimportant things. The way Jess had disappeared into the forest on horseback reminded him of how Odessa used to ride. The young Silverberg woman had been a fine rider, too, but her skills belonged to fenced track rather than the battlefield.
// Another similarity. Not bad at all, I guess. //
The bloody dust storm cleared after countless thunderbolts, prompting for Flik's men to go back to the fight. Highlander soldiers were either dead, injured, or shaken by the spell. If all went well, this battle would be another victory for JSCA.
Just as the blue-clad swordsman ran his gaze across the line of enemy fighters, he noticed a troop of archers getting ready to fire. He cursed under his breath and raised his right hand where the Thunder Rune was engraved. The array of bolts he shot out struck home.
"...Damn!" Flik gritted, seeing that instead of killing the archers, his magic had merely misdirected their attack. Arrows flew up and over his men, diving diagonally into the small-scaled forest.
// The chances are, those things would miss Jess by far. ...But did I think about such chances when I left Odessa for the last time? //
The small voice in the back of his head drove Flik into turning his dark steed. He ordered his mercenaries to keep on fighting, that he would be back in a matter of minutes. By the looks, he knew that the tide of the battle had turned toward JSCA victory; even if he didn't return, there wouldn't be a problem. Just to give his men an edge, he threw another thunder magic to enemy front line before going into the forest.
Bad intuition began gnawing at Flik. As of late, he had developed a fairy accurate sixth sense, just like his bear-like friend. Deaths and such were easy to predict. He only hoped that the one he felt now didn't apply to Jess.
**********
Eyeing the thick white bandage sullenly, Jess touched his neck and winced at the throb of pain that slight pressure induced. He opened his mouth and took in a small breath to voice a simple syllable; when nothing more than a shallow wheeze came out at a price of horrible pain, he clenched his eyes shut and turned away from the sink and the mirror hung above it.
// At least, I am alive. ...I can still work even if I can't speak... //
When a shower of arrows fell upon him in the forest, Jess had dodged it by jumping off of the horse. He had managed to evade all except for one. The misfortune was that the only one that struck home had pierced through his neck. Excruciating pain assaulted him with each breath, and when he came to, he had been brought back to Huan's office at the Camelot.
For the better or for the worse, Flik had found Jess in the forest path. Immediate medical care kept the damage to a minimum, which was the indefinite loss of voice. The arrow had miraculously missed the bone and major blood vessels, just glazing the Adam's apple and windpipe.
// ...Doctor Huan only said indefinite loss. Perhaps, there is a chance for recovery. //
Other than the lack of sharp tongue, Jess suffered no significant injury. Just a few scratches from the deliberate jump off the steed did not hinder him from attending to his duties. He had been ordered by Huan to take time off of the work, but he knew that Shu could not afford him to rest for long. The census which he had been organizing before the battle had to be finished, along with the monthly ledger summary for Hisui.
"..............." Jess attempted to speak at least the greeting and affirmations, but he could not even do that much. No sound came out of his mouth, no matter how much he moved his pale lips. The practice in itself was unpractical. There was too much pain involved. He refused to cry at the misfortune. Much worse had happened before.
// I will be all right. //
Jess checked the time and went to the closet to change into his work clothes. When he took up the dark tie, he reluctantly left it loose about his neck. In his pants pocket, he remembered to carry a small notebook and a pencil for the necessary communication. He hoped that he didn't have to interact with others; essentially, his work only involved papers and pens.
// I will be all right... //
**********
"Don't trouble yourself over what happened to Jess," Shu spoke quietly. He regarded the tall mercenary with a good measure of concern. "Technically speaking, you caused his injury. However, your decision at the moment was not a wrong one."
"I know that, Shu. I won't deny my part in what happened, but neither will I kill myself over the guilt." Flik replied in a somber voice, his vivid blue eyes devoid of any positive glint.
The long-haired strategist leaned back in his chair, judging that further consolation would do no good. After all, he had no personal acquaintance with Flik. He would leave the rest to Viktor, whom he knew would be waiting for Flik at the bar. Just as Shu was about to dismiss the mercenary, a soft knock interrupted him.
"Come in."
Flik looked back over his shoulder a little to see the incoming visitor. Finding the most unexpected young chamberlain, he exclaimed immediately, "Jess!? You shouldn't be walking about!"
No thorny reply was given, but Jess shook his deep-auburn-brown head in denial. He ignored the swordsman and went to Shu's desk, resting a ledger and a manila folder there. Still without a word, he offered the documents to the head strategist using hand gesture.
"Thank you, Jess. Doctor Huan told me that you are under doctor stop. Go back and rest for a while." Shu commanded in a rare soft fashion. Perhaps he felt the guilt similar to Flik's; if he hadn't sent Jess out to carry the message, the accident wouldn't have happened.
Jess shook his head again, opening the manila folder before Shu and pointing at the tallied number on the ledger. It didn't match up with the final total cost on another page.
"Flik, escort Jess back to his room and make sure he stays there. Thank you, Jess. I will look over the figures and find out the cause for the glitch."
More than happy to obey the particular order, Flik beckoned the chamberlain to him. When Jess made no move to leave, he took hold of one slender upper arm and tugged lightly. That earned him a glare of tea-colored gaze.
"No buts, mister chamberlain. You are officially off-duty." Flik pulled harder now upon Jess' arm and forced the lithe body to drag along with his wide strides. He gave Shu a small, appreciative grin as he exited the office.
A small walk down the corridor, Jess began to claw at Flik's right hand holding onto the upper arm. Neatly clipped nails caused nothing more than a mild nick; not at all annoyed, the Blue Thunder kept on advancing toward the destination. When a clenched fist landed a mild blow to the back of his unalarmed head, he winced and halted.
"Stop protesting, Jess. I could just sling you over my shoulder like a stack of hay..."
Jess bit his lower lip and opened his mouth, but no desired retort came out. He grimaced from the pain of the attempt. His throat burned, making his eyes teary. Frantically pushing back the moisture creeping to the back of his eyes, he reached for the notebook and pencil in his pocket and scribbled furiously. The handwriting came out less than satisfactory, but he didn't care as he shoved the paper before Flik's gaze.
"What... 'Let go of my arm, you asshole'?" Reading the message out loud, Flik broke into a fit of laughter. He felt bad doing so, but he just had to. He could imagine sputtered Jess exclaiming the obscenity, lovely tea-colored eyes shaded with an angry flush and smooth, uptight voice producing the most beautiful sharp tongue. Conveniently ignoring the fact that Jess' voice came out as Odessa's in his imaginations, Flik apologized through his laughter.
Jess bit his lips harder as Flik laughed. He grudgingly admitted that his written protest sounded dumb, but to be ridiculed like this was not what he had bargained for. Unable to set up a verbal line of defense against humiliation, he clenched his free right hand into a fist and struck at Flik.
Although he didn't mean to, Flik dodged the blow easily since he saw it coming. He regretted the motion right away, however. When he met the younger man's gaze, he found both light-colored eyes tinted with tears. "Jess..."
Shrugging his arm out of the loosened grip, Jess hid his face with both hands and looked down. He was thankful for the minimized volume of the sobbing sound due to the injury. Only small wheezes of breathing touched his ears as he wept violently. The full weight of what part of his life had been stripped away crushed upon his lithe shoulders.
Unnatural silence that accompanied the furious fit of tears forced Flik to understand at last how hurt Jess was. Along with that realization came a wave of recurring guilt. He hadn't meant to cause any of this, but he did. Almost fearfully, he reached out to the sobbing chamberlain and held the shaking body close. He was met with a vicious struggling, but he held fast.
"I'm sorry. Jess, I'm so sorry about everything."
The squirming didn't stop until Jess tired away and slumped into Flik's chest. The younger man didn't look up once; he couldn't with a tear-streaked face. He'd never felt this pathetic in his life. The emotion inside detached itself from anger and converted into complete misery. What would he do without his voice, his ability to protect himself from others verging into his life and shattering his pride?
"I'm sorry, Jess."
Flik's apology repeated itself, mostly unheard by Jess but lulling him back to the unwilling calm.
NEXT
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~ Silent Little Mermaid 2 ~
Jess rode well. Flik had to give the chamberlain that much. Having conveyed the necessary message, Jess maneuvered the brown-maned steed back and into the dark forest. Of course, compared to ones like Camus and Miklotov, who had practically grown up riding upon war-horses, his techniques were amateur. For the purpose of carrying commands, however, his current skills were more than good enough.
// At least, there's no worry about him falling off that horse. //
Flik turned back immediately to the battle at hand, not being the one to dally over thoughts unrelated to the war at times like this. His sword, Odessa, never betrayed his trust; the sharp edge easily severed into flesh of Highlander soldiers.
"Retreat to the second position!"
Remembering Shu's strategic formation, Flik hollered over his men and lead them back about two hundred steps. By now, the group of mages led by Luc must be reading incantations for an attack. Just as he looked up to the sky, dark clouds formed and brought along pillars of lightening.
"Don't attack yet!! Wait for the second wave!"
Flik cleared his throat to rid whirling dust from his windpipe. The short wait for the second magical attack gave him the time to muse over unimportant things. The way Jess had disappeared into the forest on horseback reminded him of how Odessa used to ride. The young Silverberg woman had been a fine rider, too, but her skills belonged to fenced track rather than the battlefield.
// Another similarity. Not bad at all, I guess. //
The bloody dust storm cleared after countless thunderbolts, prompting for Flik's men to go back to the fight. Highlander soldiers were either dead, injured, or shaken by the spell. If all went well, this battle would be another victory for JSCA.
Just as the blue-clad swordsman ran his gaze across the line of enemy fighters, he noticed a troop of archers getting ready to fire. He cursed under his breath and raised his right hand where the Thunder Rune was engraved. The array of bolts he shot out struck home.
"...Damn!" Flik gritted, seeing that instead of killing the archers, his magic had merely misdirected their attack. Arrows flew up and over his men, diving diagonally into the small-scaled forest.
// The chances are, those things would miss Jess by far. ...But did I think about such chances when I left Odessa for the last time? //
The small voice in the back of his head drove Flik into turning his dark steed. He ordered his mercenaries to keep on fighting, that he would be back in a matter of minutes. By the looks, he knew that the tide of the battle had turned toward JSCA victory; even if he didn't return, there wouldn't be a problem. Just to give his men an edge, he threw another thunder magic to enemy front line before going into the forest.
Bad intuition began gnawing at Flik. As of late, he had developed a fairy accurate sixth sense, just like his bear-like friend. Deaths and such were easy to predict. He only hoped that the one he felt now didn't apply to Jess.
**********
Eyeing the thick white bandage sullenly, Jess touched his neck and winced at the throb of pain that slight pressure induced. He opened his mouth and took in a small breath to voice a simple syllable; when nothing more than a shallow wheeze came out at a price of horrible pain, he clenched his eyes shut and turned away from the sink and the mirror hung above it.
// At least, I am alive. ...I can still work even if I can't speak... //
When a shower of arrows fell upon him in the forest, Jess had dodged it by jumping off of the horse. He had managed to evade all except for one. The misfortune was that the only one that struck home had pierced through his neck. Excruciating pain assaulted him with each breath, and when he came to, he had been brought back to Huan's office at the Camelot.
For the better or for the worse, Flik had found Jess in the forest path. Immediate medical care kept the damage to a minimum, which was the indefinite loss of voice. The arrow had miraculously missed the bone and major blood vessels, just glazing the Adam's apple and windpipe.
// ...Doctor Huan only said indefinite loss. Perhaps, there is a chance for recovery. //
Other than the lack of sharp tongue, Jess suffered no significant injury. Just a few scratches from the deliberate jump off the steed did not hinder him from attending to his duties. He had been ordered by Huan to take time off of the work, but he knew that Shu could not afford him to rest for long. The census which he had been organizing before the battle had to be finished, along with the monthly ledger summary for Hisui.
"..............." Jess attempted to speak at least the greeting and affirmations, but he could not even do that much. No sound came out of his mouth, no matter how much he moved his pale lips. The practice in itself was unpractical. There was too much pain involved. He refused to cry at the misfortune. Much worse had happened before.
// I will be all right. //
Jess checked the time and went to the closet to change into his work clothes. When he took up the dark tie, he reluctantly left it loose about his neck. In his pants pocket, he remembered to carry a small notebook and a pencil for the necessary communication. He hoped that he didn't have to interact with others; essentially, his work only involved papers and pens.
// I will be all right... //
**********
"Don't trouble yourself over what happened to Jess," Shu spoke quietly. He regarded the tall mercenary with a good measure of concern. "Technically speaking, you caused his injury. However, your decision at the moment was not a wrong one."
"I know that, Shu. I won't deny my part in what happened, but neither will I kill myself over the guilt." Flik replied in a somber voice, his vivid blue eyes devoid of any positive glint.
The long-haired strategist leaned back in his chair, judging that further consolation would do no good. After all, he had no personal acquaintance with Flik. He would leave the rest to Viktor, whom he knew would be waiting for Flik at the bar. Just as Shu was about to dismiss the mercenary, a soft knock interrupted him.
"Come in."
Flik looked back over his shoulder a little to see the incoming visitor. Finding the most unexpected young chamberlain, he exclaimed immediately, "Jess!? You shouldn't be walking about!"
No thorny reply was given, but Jess shook his deep-auburn-brown head in denial. He ignored the swordsman and went to Shu's desk, resting a ledger and a manila folder there. Still without a word, he offered the documents to the head strategist using hand gesture.
"Thank you, Jess. Doctor Huan told me that you are under doctor stop. Go back and rest for a while." Shu commanded in a rare soft fashion. Perhaps he felt the guilt similar to Flik's; if he hadn't sent Jess out to carry the message, the accident wouldn't have happened.
Jess shook his head again, opening the manila folder before Shu and pointing at the tallied number on the ledger. It didn't match up with the final total cost on another page.
"Flik, escort Jess back to his room and make sure he stays there. Thank you, Jess. I will look over the figures and find out the cause for the glitch."
More than happy to obey the particular order, Flik beckoned the chamberlain to him. When Jess made no move to leave, he took hold of one slender upper arm and tugged lightly. That earned him a glare of tea-colored gaze.
"No buts, mister chamberlain. You are officially off-duty." Flik pulled harder now upon Jess' arm and forced the lithe body to drag along with his wide strides. He gave Shu a small, appreciative grin as he exited the office.
A small walk down the corridor, Jess began to claw at Flik's right hand holding onto the upper arm. Neatly clipped nails caused nothing more than a mild nick; not at all annoyed, the Blue Thunder kept on advancing toward the destination. When a clenched fist landed a mild blow to the back of his unalarmed head, he winced and halted.
"Stop protesting, Jess. I could just sling you over my shoulder like a stack of hay..."
Jess bit his lower lip and opened his mouth, but no desired retort came out. He grimaced from the pain of the attempt. His throat burned, making his eyes teary. Frantically pushing back the moisture creeping to the back of his eyes, he reached for the notebook and pencil in his pocket and scribbled furiously. The handwriting came out less than satisfactory, but he didn't care as he shoved the paper before Flik's gaze.
"What... 'Let go of my arm, you asshole'?" Reading the message out loud, Flik broke into a fit of laughter. He felt bad doing so, but he just had to. He could imagine sputtered Jess exclaiming the obscenity, lovely tea-colored eyes shaded with an angry flush and smooth, uptight voice producing the most beautiful sharp tongue. Conveniently ignoring the fact that Jess' voice came out as Odessa's in his imaginations, Flik apologized through his laughter.
Jess bit his lips harder as Flik laughed. He grudgingly admitted that his written protest sounded dumb, but to be ridiculed like this was not what he had bargained for. Unable to set up a verbal line of defense against humiliation, he clenched his free right hand into a fist and struck at Flik.
Although he didn't mean to, Flik dodged the blow easily since he saw it coming. He regretted the motion right away, however. When he met the younger man's gaze, he found both light-colored eyes tinted with tears. "Jess..."
Shrugging his arm out of the loosened grip, Jess hid his face with both hands and looked down. He was thankful for the minimized volume of the sobbing sound due to the injury. Only small wheezes of breathing touched his ears as he wept violently. The full weight of what part of his life had been stripped away crushed upon his lithe shoulders.
Unnatural silence that accompanied the furious fit of tears forced Flik to understand at last how hurt Jess was. Along with that realization came a wave of recurring guilt. He hadn't meant to cause any of this, but he did. Almost fearfully, he reached out to the sobbing chamberlain and held the shaking body close. He was met with a vicious struggling, but he held fast.
"I'm sorry. Jess, I'm so sorry about everything."
The squirming didn't stop until Jess tired away and slumped into Flik's chest. The younger man didn't look up once; he couldn't with a tear-streaked face. He'd never felt this pathetic in his life. The emotion inside detached itself from anger and converted into complete misery. What would he do without his voice, his ability to protect himself from others verging into his life and shattering his pride?
"I'm sorry, Jess."
Flik's apology repeated itself, mostly unheard by Jess but lulling him back to the unwilling calm.
NEXT