After Dunan

Disclaimer: I do not own Suikoden, Konami does. (Small Sailor Moon reference, don't own that either!) Minor spoilers, maybe. My version of what might happen after the hero decides to rule the new country, instead of finding Nanami and Joei and going on a journey with them.

Clive's Destiny

Clive looked up from cleaning his gun, Storm, while sitting in his room in Harmonia. He had finally gotten rid of Elza and returned to the Howling Voice Guild. They wanted him to be the leader now, and he ran the idea through his head.

"Me? Leader of the Guild?" he thought to himself and sighed. He was sorry that he had shot Elza, even after his appointment as leader, he never really wanted to kill her. It had been two weeks since L'Renouille was infiltrated and destroyed and a new country was forming around the remains of the war. "I can't be a leader...I follow orders, I don't create them..." He almost could have rubbed a hole through Storm the way he was squeezing the rag around the barrel. He sighed again and looked out the window of his room in contemplation. It was the former country of Highland he saw in the horizon, he had been there before many times. "They want me to be leader? No, I can't do this...they're just going to have to find someone else. But if I leave...will they send someone to track me down...?" He shook his head and stood up, unwilling to let that stop him. "I can't think about that. I'll just have to make sure I leave no tracks behind..." He kept Storm in his hand and slipped quietly out the door, still wearing his shadowy cloak. He made sure nobody saw him as he made his way through the hall. Once he was satisfied he wasn't being followed, he slipped out the front door and headed for the nearest shop.

Clive entered the item shop and looked around, keeping his hood over his head to avoid being recognized. Many guild members wore cloaks like his, so the shopkeeper never gave him a second glance. He looked on the "Rare Items" shelf and smiled.

"What luck!" he thought, "They have a pair of Winged Boots here." He cleared his throat and removed his own boots, setting them on the counter.

"I would like to purchase those Winged Boots...and sell these." He said in a small murmur, trying to disguise his voice. Again, the shopkeeper didn't look at him, he was used to these shady Guild members by now and took the boots down off the shelf and exchanged them with the ones on the counter. Clive took the boots and handed the shopkeeper 10,000 Potch. "You never saw me..." The shopkeeper arched his eyebrow and shrugged as the man left his shop. Clive put on the boots and started heading for Kyaro Town, the nearest village. When he arrived there, a familiar flying squirrel showed up and grabbed Storm, carrying the rifle off clumsily.

"Hey! Be careful with that! Bring Storm back!" Clive scowled and chased after the red-caped squirrel. Mukumuku dragged the rifle up to his tree and tried to climb up with it, realizing his arms were too tiny to do such a thing. Clive arrived at the tree and grabbed Storm, aiming the rifle at Mukumuku. He would have fired, but something made him stop. This squirrel didn't look like the ones that attacked people, there was something intelligent in his eyes. He didn't have another moment to think about shooting the squirrel as he heard a familiar voice.

"Clive? Is that you?"

He turned to see a girl climbing over the hillside and making her way over to him. Clive gasped and stared at her, this was impossible.

"Nanami? But...you're dead!" The obvious shock of seeing her alive seemed to make him forget what he was doing and where he was going. Nanami smiled at the gunner and shook her head.

"No, I told Doctor Huan to say that...I wanted Shu to tell Riou when it was time for him to come home...but...it's been two weeks since the war's end, and he still hasn't returned." Nanami sighed and turned away from Clive. The gunner frowned, hearing Nanami's story. He was still on the run from the guild, something he never thought would happen, he couldn't stay here. Clive sighed deeply and turned his head slightly away from Nanami's back.

"What am I going to do? I can't just leave her here...can I?" He thought to himself, wondering if he was yet being followed. Normally, he would have just gone on without a word, but there was something in the girl's voice that kept him right there.

"So Clive...where are you headed?" Nanami turned back to him, her vibrant personality returned, although it was obvious she had shed some tears for her little brother, Riou.

"...Nowhere. I'm just...on a journey."

"Oh, well...do you want to come in for something to eat?"

Clive flushed at the thought of Nanami cooking, he had heard the awful stories of her stew and ice cream.

"Er...no...thanks..." Now more than ever he wanted to flee the scene and not look back, yet there he remained. Nanami sighed regretfully and nodded, it was obvious she had been very lonely.

"Well...stop by again if you're ever back in Kyaro Town..." Nanami started walking back for the old dojo, Clive could hear her sigh heavily. He groaned to himself and did something that surprised even himself. He left Storm propped up to the tree and walked up behind Nanami and stopped her, gently pulling the girl around into his arms.

"I don't know where I'm going...but you're welcome to join me...Nanami..." He was shocked at what he had just done and so was Nanami.

"Clive, I...sure, I'll go with you..." She smiled at him again and he could see that it was much more genuine than her last one. Clive shook his head and let his hood down, he actually smiled for once as he went to retrieve Storm. He took Nanami's arm with his free hand and headed out of town with her.