Note To Readers: I still don't own Fire Emblem or any of its characters. My tactician name is Ada, and her affinity is fire. Sorry for the late update since I do have to work on some one-shots (please check them out especially "That Special Rose" and "You Don't Understand Me" if you haven't already), and some stories (IOWTBF my longest story by far and Fire Emblem Road Trip, just a really random story). Also, my newest story with Michelle of the Night called "By My Troth I Love Thee", a story with a mixture of modern situations and medieval dialogue. Thank you for reading all this and enjoy this chapter.
Meelu the Bold: Thank you for helping me. I definitely need help on tenses.
Demonesszen: Thanks for updating "Protecting the Devil". And thanks for the review. Yup, Nino is very lonely and a bunny understands her, so it's all good.
DTN: What a coincidence. I was stuck on that chapter too in Hector's mode. It was so damn hard until I have to go through the defending chapter, the one we get Nino to join our group. I was stuck on that chapter forever or something. It's nice to know that we like the same pairings. Anyways, thanks for your review. Also, pretty artwork. If only I can find a Serra/Erk one... It was hard enough finding an Erk one.
Michelle of the Night: Thanks for your review, and we better continue that story we're doing together before I leave for that 3-day vacation.
Serra19: Thanks for your review as well. I hope this is not going to turn out like my one-shot as well, but maybe, who knows?
SweetMisery430: Thanks for reviewing and updating that "Being Sain" story. Nice ending by the way. Nino hit you with her Elfire book? Shame on her. Maybe my Nino could join up with yours to dominate the world or something.
Cardmaster372: Thanks for your review and your support. When are you going to write a fanfic? I am looking forward to it.
Elven-girl10: Wow, what a coincidence. I am so sad since my Fire Emblem game had been deleted for some reason. All my support conversations gone! And I worked hard on it too. Anyways, thanks for the review.
Nino/Jaffar fan: Thanks a lot for your support plus your double reviews!
I have found that being honest is the best technique I can use. Right up front, tell people that you're trying to accomplish and what you're willing to sacrifice to accomplish it.
-Lee Iacocca
Chapter V: Some Wounds are PermanentJaffar was still unconscious and I was still confused. I wiped my tears away. No more tears, I told myself. He had been unconscious for five whole minutes now and all I could do was cry. My Father was right; I wasn't strong enough to fight. My Mother was right; I would never be more than a helpless child to her. I had no potential at all. But no matter what they say, I would prove them wrong. I could be stronger to fight. I could be better than a helpless child.
After fighting inside myself, I finally tore a piece of my cape and wrapped around Jaffar's injuries. I knew that before I could help anyone, I must first find the Nino inside me. I must find that before I am lost forever. I carefully tied the cloth and it stopped the bleeding for now. I sighed to myself. At least, the worst part was over.
I sat quietly besides him, thinking. He was still breathing to my delight, but his hand was icy cold and his lips were now pale. I nearly jump when I heard him mumbled to himself. "Cold…so…cold…" He was still cold. The fire was on and he was fully covered in a thick blanket, but he was still cold. I looked around for anything to help him like another blanket lying around here. But there was none.
Then, something hit me. I pulled him up into a sitting position before wrapping my own cape around his freezing body to warm him up. Some life came back to his cheeks but not quickly enough. I might lose him. I had no choice but to jump on the bed beside him, wrapping my own arms around his body in a tight embrace. I learned that if situations get as tight as this, I might as well give it my all. I slowly pulled the blanket towards us and wrapped it around our bodies.
His cheeks were now red again and his breathing was more relaxed. Body temperature never fails. I felt him loosening up a bit and enjoy his warmth. Little did he know, most of it was coming from me. He was not the only one enjoying this little time we had together I did as well. I gently placed my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes. There were not times I could relax such as this. One of these special moments I would always remember in my heart like the day I was known about Uhai's death to the first day I went to the Water Temple.
My eyes gone weary and tired and soon enough, I fell asleep on his shoulder. Maybe it was the body temperature that made me snooze. Or maybe it was the fact that I was laying by his comforting side that made me snooze. But no matter the reason was, I was asleep. Not just anywhere, but by his side on his shoulder in this warm bed.
I had a dream, a wonderful dream. At first, I stood up and looked around at my surroundings. I was back at the Black Fang base, but the place had a scent of happiness and brightness around it. I ran down the same corridors I ran through for the past of my few happy years. I finally arrived in the same garden I used to talk with my brothers and my uncles with.
But in that same garden, the image was different. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. I thought I would see myself playing with my brothers or Uncle Jan, but that was not the image I saw. The image I saw was one I would never forget.
My whole family, including my brothers, Father, Mother and Uncle Jan, were having a peaceful talk together by a table. They were not fighting nor were they talking in some secret meeting. It was just a little talk by the table, which every family should do except for mines.
Some people would think I'm foolish to think that this will really happen, but it was. It was happening in front of my eyes. Mother and Father were smiling and speaking to one another. My brothers did not look at my Mother with those glares anymore, but with bright smiles. My Uncle was finally speaking to my Father again. I couldn't contain my happiness inside me anymore as I ran over to join them.
The closer I was to them, the farther they were to me. I keep on running, hoping that the next minute, I would be sitting with them and talking. But that did not seem so easy since they were drifting away from me every time I got closer. "Mother, Father…wait for me!" I kept on running and running in a never-ending road.
Before I know it, I woke up sweating and stretched my poor sore neck as I got off the bed. I was asleep for a while now as I saw the fireplace burning out. I watched the fireplace jumped and turned when I heard some noise from the bed. I turned around to see Jaffar getting up and placing my cape carefully beside him and shaking his head to get away from drowsiness.
"Are you awake?" I asked naively as he didn't answer and was now pulling down the blanket I placed firmly around him. The last words were of a whisper. "Thank goodness…"
Jaffar finished up whatever he was doing and was now staring at me with dark eyes. He was examining me with his eyes until he finally spoken. "You…" I felt myself a few inches in the air to hear his low voice again. "I know you…" He said firmly.
I decided that since he knew me, or at least, he thought he does, I should at least introduce myself to him. "Uh-huh! We've met many times especially that time we walked past each other in the corridors the other day. But I don't think I told you my name, though. I'm Nino! Sonia's daughter." I gave him a friendly smile and offer to shake his hand like what my brothers always do to their companions.
"What are you doing?" He exclaimed angrily at me as I stood confused. Was it something I said? Or was it the handshake?
"Huh?"
"Have you forgotten the law of the Fang?" He asked, as I shook my head quickly. "Sacrifice the wounded to salvage the strong."
I did not recall that line before since I was not an expert on that subject especially when my parents would never let me battle anyways. I knew what he meant when he said sacrifice the wounded and salvage the strong, but is that what it really said in the rules? I could not believe it as I started saying, "That's not…"
Jaffar interrupted me by stepping closer to me, staring at me with deadly eyes. He raised his voice slightly as he spoke. "I was unconscious and alone outside of our safe halls." He pointed at the spot in which he collapsed earlier, but he still kept his eyes on me. "You should have obeyed the law. Killed me and then fled."
He stopped and observed me with his eyes once more as his eyes softened up a bit. He took a deep breath before he spoke in a softer tone. "Yet, you didn't. Why?"
The question shocked me. He must have known that I could never kill a companion especially not a wounded one. His harsh voice was getting to me as my eyes grew watery with tears. "Bu-But…" I struggled to find the right words as I continued, "Letting a comrade die? I couldn't…do that." I could feel the tears leaving my eyes already, but he gave me no pity.
"Don't be a fool!" He cried out loudly again as the tears started flowing off my cheeks. Why was he so hard on me? I don't want to kill my comrades because they were like a family to me. I don't want to be weak in front of anyone anymore, but I could not be strong in front of him either. No one ever called me a fool before and no wonder it hurt so much. I dropped to my knees, sobbing my heart out.
He gave me no such sympathy, and I did not blame him either. He had taken so many lives that maybe he had no heart anymore. But I did not want to believe that, everyone has a heart. No matter how evil you are, you will always have a heart. I wanted to prove this with Jaffar. He might act tough on the outside, but he must be soft on the inside. He was about to walk off without saying no more to me when I noticed the cloth I tied around his injury was just not tight enough as blood were rushing out again.
I jumped to my feet and ran over by his side. "Don't move! Here! Lean on me!" I commanded the assassin, but he did no such thing.
He was losing blood as the paleness reach his cheeks again. He struggled to stand up as he mumbled, "Don't…touch…" He tried to walk one last step before he collapsed on my shoulder. He was breathing heavily as I whispered.
"Please, don't move. So much blood…you're bleeding again." I touched his arm and found the blood spilling. It would not stop and the cloth I used earlier was not tight enough to do so. "What do I do? It won't stop."
Jaffar gave me one last look before he blank out again on my shoulder. "Please…don't die. You mustn't die." I pleaded as I placed him on the bed. I sat beside his side once more thinking. Tying a cloth around his injury was not enough to help his bleeding. I watched the fireplace as I look around the room. I spotted the cabinets as my eyes lighted up.
I ran over to the cabinet where there were filled with potions. I might not know how to read what it says on the label, but I had watched my brothers use some of these potions on either their weapons or on themselves. I looked at all the different colors, thinking which one was under the name of "elixir". I spotted a yellow one and knew that was a vulnerary, but I knew that would not help much.
After much search, I found a dark blue one that I remember Linus calling it an elixir. But I was not too sure and if it was poison, I would never forgive myself for killing Jaffar. I thought quickly of a way to prove this potion an elixir. As if today was my thinking day or something, I thought of another plan.
This plan was terribly risky, but I knew that this was the only way. I pulled out one of Jaffar's killing edges and slit a long cut along my wrist. Blood was filling the injury really quickly as the room smell of blood. I quickly took a drink of the potion as I watched my own injury healing itself. My whole body was filled with strength again. This must be an elixir as I poured some into Jaffar's lips.
His wound quickly mended itself as he slowly opened his eyes at me. He had enough strength to get up by himself. He walked by me without a word and looked outside. The fog was gone and it was beginning to be really warm now. I was by his side, staring at the clear sky and admiring the new sunlight before us. I handed him the piece of paper and his killing edge without a word as he took it quickly.
But before he left, I heard him mumbled quickly. "Thank you." I knew my eyes must be playing tricks on me for the second time today, but I thought for a second there that he was actually smiling. If he could smile, then I could prove that he has a heart.
Another chapter done! I know this was short and you guys can throw tomatoes at me or something but I have to update all the other stories as well. This was short but cute to me. My 3-day vacation is coming as well, so it might take me up to 5 days or more to update the next chapter. Hopefully the next one will be three times as long. I lost my game script and I am now wondering what the next conversation Nino had with Jaffar or Sonia was about. Oh well, I will just have to figure out by memory or something. Anyways next chapter, Sonia finally gave Nino her first mission. Everyone should know what this is though. I couldn't wait when Nino join Lord Eliwood because that's when my chapters are going to be really long. Thank you, R & R. Love you all!