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 5 : Curiosity Overboard
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'Even now, after months of service to my people, he is still wallowing in self-loathing. I thought that by now he would have found some shred of self-worth, but I was wrong. I wonder what it would take for him to forgive himself.'
'Stop trying to speak about Borus in the third person.' Yuiri interrupted Hugo harshly. 'And with all due respect, do not think that I believe that half-baked story. That Butcher has no conscience, no morals and definitely no sense of guilt. Now, what were you two really talking about?'
Hugo flashed a pitiful smile at the Alma Kinan woman. 'I did not lie. I asked Lord Borus to aid the village in our search for some iron ore. Our smiths have recently ran out of raw materials for our blades and we…'
'I don't believe it. How can the Chief of Karaya be protecting the one that laid waste to his very own village?' Yuiri accused.
'Yuiri.' Hugo stared at her intently. 'Like you, I do not deny his sins and I do not condone them. But unlike you, I have seen the true Lord Borus. And it saddens me greatly to see such a great man reducing himself to a mere slave in order to pay for a deed which he had already done so ten times over.'
'So you are saying that the lives of your people cost so little?' She stomped up to him eyes blazing.
'No. But we Grasslanders have never condoned vengeance. As the Karayan Chief,' Hugo swallowed visibly, 'and as a friend of someone who died on that fateful day, I have given the Zexens forgiveness. It is sad that Lord Borus is unable to accept that.'
'The whole of Grassland knows what the Butcher is! He's a bloodthirsty monster! I have no idea why you defend him so!' Yuiri lashed out once again.
'What do you want me to do? Whip him? Kill him?' Hugo asked in reply. 'The man is giving himself more hell than anyone else can ever do.'
'I don't believe you.'
'Then I suggest that you see for yourself. I never knew that the Alma Kinan were so blind, refusing to see anything that they don't understand. ' With that, Hugo whirled around and began the long journey back to his village, ignoring any further comments made by the Alma Kinan warrior.
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She knew that she should not be doing this. She had a lesson to conduct and it was obvious that she had to attend. However, she had something more important on her mind. She knew that Borus was going to be venturing into Vinay del Zexay later in the day, and according to Chief Hugo, he would perform his tasks during this time.
Hugo's words still reverberated in her head. Was she the one in the wrong? Was Borus haunted his own deeds? Was he truly trying to earn forgiveness from himself? Had she been blinded by her irrational hatred? The questions had dominated her mind ever since she parted company with Chief Hugo.
Now was the best chance for her to have those questions answered and if that meant that she had to skip one or two lessons, then so be it. She knew that she was being selfish, but she had to see everything with her own eyes.
And after all, it would be easy for Lady Chris to find a replacement trainer even though it would be on such a short notice. Maybe it would have been better to tell Chris that she would be unable to make it.
The thought died as Yuiri saw Borus ride out of the castle gates. Her decision made, she leapt onto her own horse and began the long ride towards the city.
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'Lord Borus.'
'Yes?'
'It seems like you got yourself an admirer.'
Borus let out a heavy sigh as he watched as the sun began to dye the evening sky a vivid crimson. 'I know. You have something to do with this don't you?'
Hugo raised his brows. 'No, I don't. She is following you around because she wants to, not because someone told her to.'
'Every single time I leave the castle by myself, I find her on my tail.' Borus stared at his companion pointedly. 'You are the only other person that knows my schedule. What do you have to say about that?'
'I know nothing about that.' Hugo replied quickly.
'You are obviously goading her into this.' Borus glared at the Karyan Chief. 'The next time you see her, which should not be too long after this, tell her that continuously skipping her lessons without a good excuse is not proper. If she continues, Lady Chris may have to act against her.'
'I still don't know why you are telling me this. I told you that I don't have anything to do with her.'
Borus ignored Hugo as he carried on. 'And while you are at it, tell her to wear something other than that green Alma Kinan dress when she decides to tail me again. It really sticks out like a sore thumb in the city.'
'I have no idea what you are talking about.' Hugo grinned. 'What Alma Kinan? The only one I have talked to in the past month was Yumi and she is still in the village. Plus, there is no reason for her to bother you.'
'Whatever.' Borus raised his hands in exasperation.
'Much better.'
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Yuiri regretted her choice of a hiding place. While the large tree did shield her from their vision, she was also unable to hear a word of their conversation. She sighed as she realized that she had to use extreme measures to figure out where Borus would be going this time.
This would be the fifth time that she would be following him out on one of his errands. It surprised her greatly that Chief Hugo spoke the truth. Borus really did go out of his way to accomplish his tasks, and more often than not, paid an inordinate amount of money in the process. It stunned her to think that the Butcher of Karaya had decided to repent for all his past sins.
She remembered her initial suspicion. At first, she thought that Borus had seen her, and was attempting to throw her off his trail. And with that belief, she trailed Borus again, and again, and again. The more she followed, the more she recognized that she was the one at fault. Whatever his reasons, whatever his motives, Borus, the Butcher of Karaya, was helping the village prosper. And that realization stunned her to no end.
But now, she was at a loss. What was she supposed to do now? Run up to him and apologize for doubting him? Go to Karaya and tell the true nature of their mysterious benefactor? Tell Lady Chris that one her knights was doing odd jobs behind her back? Questions begot questions, and soon Yuiri found herself confused and frustrated.
The sound of a light cough behind her smashed her reverie. Yuiri whirled herself around and found herself face to face with Chief Hugo. 'So, Yuiri. What are we doing here today?' Hugo smiled at her warmly.
'Aren't you…' Yuiri stammered, her cheeks flushing slightly.
'The meeting ended quite a while ago.'
'Well…' She had never felt so embarrassed before in her life.
Hugo walked up to the tree and cast a look in the distance. 'I don't think you managed to catch much of the conversation Lord Borus and I had.'
'I…' She tried to think of an appropriate excuse, but came up short.
'Well, I guess I should fill you in.'
'What?' She gasped.
'On one condition.' He turned towards her.
She continued staring at him, shocked speechless.
'The next time you follow Borus around; please wear something other than that.' He pointed at her Alma Kinan dress.
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'Borus, glad you could make it.' Salome greeted the blonde-haired knight as he entered the room.
'I will never miss any of these meetings if I can help it.' Borus took his place beside Percival. 'So, what matter is so important that we knights must meet at such short notice.'
'It is about Yuiri.' Chris said softly.
'What about her?' He asked, a feeling of dread settling over him.
'She hasn't been too punctual with her lessons as of late.' Chris frowned. 'If a student was late, he would be dealt with harshly. So, we cannot act as if we condone Yuiri's recent actions.'
Leo nodded sadly. 'We have decided to ask her to resign from her post. The men are already speaking ill of her misbehavior, we cannot allow this to continue.'
'What?' Borus barely managed to keep his voice down. 'You know how seriously she takes this job. You know how dedicated she is. She would break down if she were asked to leave. Besides, I am sure she has a valid reason for doing so. We know how attached she is to nature, maybe she left to meditate.'
'We know.' Chris sighed deeply. 'But we have little choice in the matter.'
The others didn't know the reason for Yuiri's actions, but Borus did. And he knew that it was because of him. It was his fault for not approaching her earlier. It was his fault for not bothering to tell the others that Yuiri would be coming with him. And it would be his fault if anything happened to Yuiri because of her punishment. Why do his actions always cause others pain? He did not want her to hurt because of him. He didn't know if he would be able to take it.
'This is not right.' Borus said slowly. 'We should at least give her a warning.'
Chris nodded. 'We know, but we feel a warning would be too light a punishment for her. She is an instructor after all. Think of the impression that we would give the young ones.'
'No.' Borus stated firmly. 'I agree that we must set a good example. But, compassion and forgiveness are virtues, are they not? We must show that we are able to give someone a second chance, no matter how heinous the crime. Everyone deserves that. I should know…'
He could not bring himself to finish the sentence, but everyone in the room knew what he meant. Chris looked around and saw each of her friends nodding slightly. With that, she leaned forward and took Borus' hand in hers. 'We understand. Yuiri will get her warning. But this will be the only one.'
Borus could only manage to smile his thanks.
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Yuiri stared disdainfully at the pieces of clothing that she had in her hand. While the common Zexen may enjoy wearing them, she certainly wouldn't. But she had little choice in the matter, and with a weary sigh, she began changing.
Chris had already warned her about her inexplicable absence, and Yuiri had apologized profusely. It pained her to think that she would be cast out. After searching for so long, after so many trials and tribulations, she had finally found a place where she could call home. And now, her newfound family was threatening to abandon her.
It was not that she blamed them. She understood their reasons perfectly. She knew that was being incredibly irresponsible, and if she were in their position, she would have probably given a harsher sentence. But for some reason, she had to know whether Borus had repented. Something pushed her on; an insatiable curiosity compelled her to move forward.
Yuiri let out a shuddery breath. She swore to herself that this would be the last time she would be doing this. She would tail Borus one more time, and if all went well, she would be satisfied. She would walk up to him, swallow her pride, apologize for her actions, and try her best to befriend him. Then, everything would return to normal. She knew that she was being slightly naïve, but she hoped for the best.
She stretched and was pleased to see that the clothes managed to fit her quite well. Maybe she would wear this again, if the opportunity presented itself. Bracing herself for the long journey that was to follow, Yuiri reached out and opened the door…
And came face-to-face with the frowning visage of the Silver Maiden.
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Author's Note : Another one in the bag. Damn, I thought this would be ending… doesn't look like it. Stories like this tend to take on a life of their own eh?
Oh, and about Yuiri wearing that Alma Kinan green thing on her adventures in the city. On one hand, it doesn't make a lot of sense, since Yuiri is a mature warrior, [probably] skilled at hunting in the woods and therefore [probably] knowledgeable in the art of camouflage. However, we must remember that she has never really roamed in a city before, is very impulsive, has an irrational hatred of all clothes not Alma Kinan, and probably was not thinking straight due to the many revelations given by Hugo.
Yeah, I put a lot of thought into it didn't I? Heh…
Thanks to GreatLight432 and Renfro Calhoun for pre-reading my work. Their hard work makes this piece a million times better.
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.