Sudden Impulse

By Red Guard

Disclaimer: I do not, did not and probably will not own Suikoden or any of the characters appearing in or associated with it. Konami owns the characters and events appearing in this work.

Author's Notes: Right, now to try my hand at a short and fluffy Suikoden story, I hope I do not do too badly.

Side Story 3 : First Meetings

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The Silver Maiden watched as a nurse tended to the sleeping lady. Satisfied by the patient's condition, the nurse stood and approached the Rune bearer. 'Lady Chris.'

'How is she?'

'She is doing fine. She should be coming round any moment.'

'That is good news.' Chris smiled. 'I am grateful for your assistance.'

'I am just doing my job. Don't bother thanking me.'

'Then, I will leave her in your care. I shall return once my duties are completed.'

'Of course, my lady.' The nurse gave a quick bow and returned to the patient's side.

Chris took a last look at the young lady, then turned and left the infirmary. A young knight stood in the corridor. He looked up, noticed the Silver Maiden stride out and quickly approached her. 'How is she?'

'She is in a stable condition. The medical staff are confident that she will be making a quick recovery.'

His relief was almost palpable. 'Thank the Goddess.'

'You really should see her.'

A shadow descended upon his face. 'I can't. She would never want to see me.'

'How would you know that?' Chris challenged.

'None of them would want to see me.' He looked at his hands. A flicker of anguish crossed his eyes. 'Not after what I did.'

'Borus…' Chris whispered.

'I am sorry. But I have work to do.' He said curtly. 'If you will excuse me.'

'Borus…' Chris sighed as she watched the young knight hurry away from her. 'Why can't you learn to forgive yourself?'

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The warm glow of the sun's rays stirred her from her slumber. Her eyelids opened slowly, and within seconds, she realized that she was in unfamiliar surroundings. Panicking, she jerked upright and immediately regretted it as a coughing fit overwhelmed her. Instantly, she felt two strong hands grip her body and push her back onto the soft mattress.

'Don't strain yourself too much.' A soft voice warned. 'You need to rest.'

'Lady Chris?' She would have recognized that voice anywhere. She turned her head and saw the Zexen Captain sitting by her bedside.

'Are you feeling better?' Chris looked on, her face full of concern.

'Where am I?'

'Brass Castle's infirmary. You were in a horrible condition when we found you. Malnourished, fatigued, delusional and in a state of hysteria.' Chris leaned forwards. 'Yuiri. What happened to you?'

'I do not wish to talk about it.' Yuiri said hoarsely, the memories of the past few weeks were almost too painful to bear. She  turned away from her friend, trying her best not to let Chris see the tears that threatened to flow.

'I understand.' Chris replied gently. 'Rest well. I will be seeing you again.'

Yuiri could only nod in reply. She was already tearing.

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Yuiri watched the days pass by. Somehow, the time spent with the Zexens felt different from the time she spent in the village. Ever since her sister left the village, Yuiri spent her days wallowing in guilt and self-doubt. But now, as she lay on a bed in the middle of a medical ward, she was slowly but surely beginning to enjoy her time in the Castle.

Chris kept to her promise. Every day, she set aside some time to spend with Yuiri. They reminisced about the past, talked about the present and spoke about the future. Lady Chris was not the only one who visited her bedside. Louis the young knight-in-training, Leo the brash warrior, Percival the cultured swordsman, all decided to have a few friendly words with her.

For the first time in a long while, Yuiri felt at home. The aching pain of the past few months was now a mere memory. She no longer ached. She no longer hurt.

Maybe this was what the spirits meant.

Maybe her place in the world was truly away from the village.

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'How does it feel to be back on your feet?'

'I feel great.' Yuiri beamed. 'How much will the treatment cost?'

Chris was aghast. 'I would never demand payment from you.'

'Chris.' Yuiri stated firmly. 'I will never accept charity from anyone. I will repay you.'

'No. You fought by my side in combat. Asking you to pay for such a simple service would be dishonorable.'

'Using our friendship to my advantage is even more dishonorable.'

'You are stubborn.' Chris remarked.

'Call it a strong sense of will.' Yuiri smiled widely, thinking that the argument was won. 'Now, how much?'

'I can't accept your money.'

'I won't accept your charity.'

'Alright, since I can't take your money and you obviously want to pay for services rendered, let's meet halfway.' Chris said. 

'I'm listening.'

'We need a couple of trainers for the new batch of recruits.' Chris grinned, congratulating herself on the amazing solution that she had just come up with. 'Roland is away and we need someone who is well versed in the art of archery. I think you fit the bill quite nicely. It won't be a permanent job. When you feel that it is time for you to leave, just tell me.'

Yuiri considered the proposal. While she did not really like the idea of training young Zexens, she did realize that this compromise would be for the best. And then, there was the strange desire that gnawed at her.

The desire to remain in the castle.

The desire to stay with those that she considered friends.

The desire to bury the unhappiness of the past.

Yuiri knew that no one would understand her. The whole village would shun her. They would call her a traitor. They would ridicule her for her decision to live with the Zexens. But for once, she realized that she didn't care. In that singular moment, Yuiri decided to forget everything that she once held dear.

Somewhere in the back of her mind, she prayed that she would never get to regret the decision she was about to make.

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'Well, here they are Yuiri. Your fellow colleagues.' Chris motioned towards the gathered knights. 'I am sure you know who they are, but I'll just introduce them anyway.'

Yuiri winced as Leo gave her a crushing pat on the back. She smiled as Salome gave her a warm handshake. She blushed slightly as Percival chose to kneel before her and plant his lips on the back of her hand. Then, in the midst of her joy, she stood before the fourth knight… and a cold chill immediately engulfed the room. For in front of her stood the Butcher of Karaya.

'What are you doing here?' Yuiri said, her voice icy cool.

'This is Borus. I don't think that you two actually met during the war.' Chris said in a desperate bid to alleviate the thickening tension.

'I know who Borus is. Everyone in Grassland knows who slaughtered the Karayans.'

Borus winced visibly. His face betrayed the thousands of emotions that he struggled with. 'I am sorry, but I think that our guest would be more comfortable if I were not here. I will take my leave.' He whispered.

Chris nodded silently and watched as the blonde-haired knight hasten out of the room. She turned to Yuiri. 'If you don't wish to work with him…'

'I am surprised that you still allow a man such as him to remain in your service.'

'Borus has recognized his mistake. He has asked for forgiveness and we have given it.'

'You Zexens forgive that easily?'

'You will too if you see the amount of grief that he bears.'

'A Butcher such as him doesn't have it within him to grieve.'

Chris sighed slowly, she never expected Yuiri to react so vehemently towards Borus. She prayed that she would never regret the decision that she made.

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Yuiri stretched lazily as she entered the courtyard. She savored the fresh morning air, and basked in the gentle glow of the morning sun. The weather was perfect for her first training session and she would be lying if she said that she was not looking forward to it.

She approached the assembled group of soldiers and began to address them. 'Greetings. I am Yuiri, and I will be your archery instructor. Before we begin, I would be happy to answer any of your queries. I would like our relationship to start on a happy note.'

A young knight spoke up. 'Excuse me ma'am but why are you wearing a Grasslander outfit?'

Yuiri pondered for a while. She didn't really think about it, but she never seemed to be comfortable in anything except her traditional green dress. Then again, she never actually wore anything except her green dress. 'This is what I usually wear when I go for archery practice.'

A slight murmur rose from the gathered soldiers. 'Does that mean that you are a Grasslander?' A voice rose above the din.

'Of course I am.' Yuiri replied, slightly shocked that they didn't know. 'I am a warrior from the Alma Kinan Clan.'

'How did you get here?'

'Lady Chris asked me to take on the role of a trainer.'

'A Grasslander training the Zexen knights? What a joke!' One of the soldiers grunted.

'What?' Yuiri shot back, hardly believing her ears. 'I am your trainer, whether you like it or not!'

'Go back to your damn huts.' Another one shouted. 'We don't need the likes of you here.'

The ranks of soldiers were beginning to collapse into an unruly mob. Yuiri felt a rush of anger as they continued to taunt her. A young knight stepped out of the crowd and jabbed his index finger towards her. 'Look here, missy. This is a Zexen Castle. I don't know what you did to get yourself here, but you and your damn barbarian kind are not welcome here.'

Just as she was about to strike him in the face, an armored fist smashed into the back of his neck, the impact throwing the knight onto the ground. Yuiri looked up to see who was to thank for the timely intervention and gasped as she recognized the man who stood before her. Apparently, everyone else did, as they quickly fell back into rank and file.

'Lord… Lord Borus.' The felled soldier stammered.

'Is it this how we knights treat a guest? Is this how we knights treat a lady? Is this how you treat those who were appointed to lead you?' Borus growled at the trainees. 'By disrespecting her, you have chosen to ignore the orders given by our Captain. By disrespecting her, you have chosen to dishonor us. By disrespecting her, you mock me.'

'But…' The soldier replied. 'She is a barbarian!'

Borus strode over to the fallen soldier and punched him across the face. 'A barbarian? You are the one who is the barbarian! What civilized man taunts a lady? So what if she comes from across the plains? She demands as much respect as any of us.'

'But Lord Borus.' The soldier mumbled, trying to make up an excuse for his behavior. 'Their skill at arms is inferior to ours. She has no right to be our trainer.'

'Idiot!' Borus yelled. 'She fought side by side with us during the Great War. How dare you insult her? Her skill at archery is second to none, and that is why Lady Chris decided to put her in charge of your training! Are you saying that Lady Chris is a fool?'

'No!' The soldier recoiled at the suggestion. 'I would never do such a thing. But, Lord Borus, why do you defend them? Was it not you who slew hundreds of Grasslanders? Was it not you who…'

'Shut up!' Borus bellowed. He unsheathed his sword and slammed it into the ground beside the soldier's head. 'Never ever speak about that ever again… is that clear? Is that clear?'

'Yes… Lord…' The soldier was quivering with fear, his eyes staring at the shining blade that stood mere inches from his head.

'I can't hear you!' Borus kneeled down beside the stricken soldier and continued to roar at him. 'I can't hear you!'

'Yes… Lord… Borus…'

A small hand fell on Borus' shoulder. He turned around and saw Yuiri kneeling down beside him. 'I can handle it from here.'

An immense feeling of shame washed over him. He let the rage take control of his actions once again. He stood up and quickly sheathed his sword. 'If they cause any more trouble, please inform me.'

'I will.' She said softly.

With that, Borus, the Swordsman of Rage ran out of the courtyard, his guilt threatening to overwhelm him.

Yuiri remembered many things that happened on that day. However, the one thing that she could never manage to forget was the look of utter anguish that she saw on Borus' face.

She remembered Chris telling her something about Borus bearing an indescribable amount of pain. She thought that that would be impossible. She assumed that a cold-blooded killer like him would never feel anything amounting to pain.

But somehow, she believed it now.

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Author's Note: Gah, This is getting way too long. I expected this Side Story episodic thing to be done in 4 chapters… but its kinda obvious that I won't make that. Maybe 5? 6? What do you think?

Well, in my professional opinion, this chapter feels like it lacks something…. But I seriously am unable to find it out. This stinks, I really gotta nab a Suikoden pre-reader.

No Pre-readers were harmed in the making of this piece of fiction. Of course… if you WANT to be harmed in the making of my fanfiction, please drop me an email.

Anyways, please remember to email me at red_aurum@yahoo.com for any suggestions, critiques, reviews and the like. Please don't flame me, I have a fragile ego.