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 7 : Tentative Steps
************************************************************************
'You don't need to escort me any further.' Yuiri smiled at her companion. 'My room is just around the corner.'
'If that is what you wish.'
She sighed in exasperation. 'Borus, I can take care of myself. You don't have to do everything for me.'
'Alright.' The young knight relented. 'Before we part, I wish to thank you for being my escort.'
'You dragged me into it.' Yuiri replied quickly.
'Yes.' He cast his gaze downwards. 'I also wish to apologize for that.'
'I thought that we cleared that up already. You did me a great favor. You do not need to apologize for that.'
'I also wish to apologize for my deplorable behavior last night.' Borus said shamefully. 'I should never have taken advantage of you. If you wish to tell the Captain about my conduct, I will not.'
'I forgive you.' Yuiri interrupted.
'What?' He asked, not quite believing his ears.
'You have my forgivness.' She repeated quickly. 'Now, do you have anything else to say? I wish to retire for the night.'
'I don't.' Borus lowered his head once more. 'I do not know what I have done to gain your forgiveness, but I thank you nonetheless.'
'Good night to you too.' Yuiri gave him a quick nod, and turned around.
'Good night, Lady Yuiri.' He said.
'Borus.' She called out, still striding away from the knight.
'Yes?'
'I don't mind doing that again.'
Borus shook himself out of his shock several minutes later, though he was still wondering whether his hearing had failed him.
And in her room, Yuiri was sitting on her bed, praying that in the darkness of the corridor, Borus had been unable to see the blush that had stained her cheeks.
************************************************************************
'Chief Hugo.' A tired voice called out.
The young Karayan chief smiled boyishly as he watched the sun begin to rise. 'I thought that you would have no trouble waking up.'
'Of course I did! Why in the world did you want us to meet at such an ungodly hour?'
'It was you who agreed to the time.'
'What? We had a say in this?'
'Yes. You did.' Hugo nodded. 'Didn't he tell you?'
'No.' Yuiri said darkly as she turned towards her companion. 'I suppose that you have a ready explanation for this.'
'You never told me that you had trouble rising in the morning.' Borus began to defend himself. 'If I had known, I would have asked Chief Hugo to accommodate.'
'I don't believe it!' Yuiri threw her hands up in frustration as she continued to glare at the knight. 'Have you ever seen me up and about in the morning?'
'Well, now that you mention it. not really.' Borus took several steps back.
'Do you know how cranky I get when I don't get enough sleep?'
'I think I can make a pretty good guess.'
Hugo chuckled as he watched the scene. It surprised him immensely when he first saw them together. Although he did not really know the reasons, nor was he really interested in them, it seemed that Borus and Yuiri had formed some sort of relationship. He did not know how Borus was able to get over his unending grief and he did not know how Yuiri found it within herself to forgive someone that she had previously held so much spite for.
He remembered the first few times that he had seen them together. Borus kept trying apologizing to her, and she kept trying to tell him to stop. Seeing them grow closer together was incredibly heartening. Borus never looked more at ease with himself, and Yuiri never looked happier with her life.
It was almost time to allow Borus to end his pact with the tribe. And it was almost time to allow Borus to finally put his demons to rest. Hugo just hoped that Yuiri would be there to give him the support that he so sorely needed.
************************************************************************
'Yuiri?' Chris knocked rapped her knuckles on the wooden door. 'Yuiri?'
'Yes, Lady Chris?' The door creaked open. 'What do you want?'
'Yuiri?' Chris stared at the lady that stood before her. 'Is that you?'
'Of course it's me.' Yuiri planted her hands on her hips. 'Who else did you expect to be in my room?'
Chris blinked. For some reason, Yuiri had decided to forgo her usual braided look and wear her hair straight down. That, coupled with her choice to wear a green blouse and a matching skirt, and her delicate use of cosmetics, convinced Chris that Yuiri had been given a brain transplant.
'Chris?' The lady who claimed to be Yuiri waved at the Silver Maiden. 'Are you alright?'
'What happened to you?' Chris gasped in astonishment. 'Where is Yuiri?'
'Ah.' Yuiri smiled in realization. 'This wasn't really my idea, but Borus wanted me to look my best for today's trip to the city.'
'Look your best?' Chris echoed in disbelief. 'Aren't you supposed to be escorting Borus while he runs errands? Since when did you need to look like that for such a simple task?'
'Well.' Yuiri looked around nervously, trying her best to think of an excuse.
'What does Borus do in the city anyway?' Chris peered at Yuiri curiously. 'He hasn't really told me anything, and neither have you.'
'Well.' Yuiri decided to change the subject. 'Why were you looking for me?'
'Oh. That's right.' Chris thought for a moment. 'Borus wanted to know when you were going to be ready. He has been waiting for quite a while.'
'I'm late!' Yuiri's sudden exclamation stunned Chris for a second. And that second was enough for her to step out of her room, slam her door shut, and begin running towards the courtyard. And once again, Chris found herself standing by herself in the middle of the corridor, wondering what had just happened.
************************************************************************
'You did not need to do this.'
'I thought that we agreed on this.'
'Still, you did not need to go through all this trouble for me.' Yuiri set her glass down and smiled.
'You have done much for me.' He said sincerely. 'And that is a debt that I would gladly pay.'
'Do you know,' Yuiri leaned forward, her eyes glinting with mischief, 'that the only reason I agreed to this was to get you to stop harping about you and your debts of honor?'
'Of course.' Borus returned the gaze. 'And I knew that you would never accept an ordinary form of repayment.'
'So, you got me with the most expensive meal in town.'
'It was Percival who suggested the idea.' Borus shrugged. 'He seemed to think that you would enjoy a dinner.'
'Oh?'
'Don't tell him about it though.' He warned. 'I'll never hear the end of it if you do.'
'Sounds like Percival to me.' Yuiri chuckled.
'You really should wear your hair down more often.' Borus remarked as he sipped the liquor from his glass. 'You look lovely.'
'Why, thank you.' Yuiri stammered as her cheeks reddened.
Borus could not stop grinning to himself. Knowing Yuiri's abhorrence to what she saw as charity, he was pleasantly surprised when she accepted his offer to take her out for a good dinner. But then again, he was surprised by many things as he gradually got to know her as a person.
It was strange, but for the past few weeks, the incredible burden on his soul began to ease. Somehow, he found someone, a Grasslander no less, who seemed to be able to accept him as a person. She had given him a measure of forgiveness, though he had no idea what he had done to deserve it.
Now, his sleep was as peaceful as he could remember it, and a smile came to his face more readily than before. He was certain that all of this was a direct result of Yuiri's friendship, and he was truly thankful for it. In his mind, the meal that he had just eaten with her was just a token of his appreciation. She deserved everything that he was able to give her and more.
He just hoped that she would never see his cursed fury. And even if she did, and she rejected him because of it, he would treasure the time that he had spent with her. After all, he knew that his heart was that of a monster. Eventually she would see that. Eventually, she would want to leave him.
But, he did not care. He had decided that he would live in the present. The future was too bleak to think about.
************************************************************************
'Thank you for the meal.' She said as they walked side by side.
'You don't need to thank me.' He smiled at her. 'It was my duty.'
'You never stop thinking about it, do you?' She joked.
'I did.' Borus' voice fell into a whisper. 'Once.'
'I'm sorry.'
'Don't bother.' He quickly cut in.
'But.'
'The night is beautiful isn't it?' Borus continued on, obviously ignoring her repeated attempts to apologize.
'Yeah, it is.' Yuiri agreed as she decided to let the matter rest. She looked up at the night sky and marveled at the brilliance of the full moon. She sighed wistfully as the cool night breeze caressed her face.
She thanked the spirits for the joy that she coursed through her veins the last few weeks. She had never forgotten the agony that consumed her during her last few days in the village, and she had never forgotten the advice that the spirits had given her. She never would have guessed that she would feel so at home in a Zexen city.
But the more she thought about it, the more it worried her. She had decided to follow her own path through life, but doubt still lingered in the depths of her mind. Was she truly giving up all that she had cherished? Was she truly forgoing the tradition that she was brought up upon?
She knew that these doubts would not be so pervasive if she were not walking beside Lord Borus. Everyone knew that he slaughtered dozens during the Great War. It was common knowledge. No one questioned it. But, if that was the case, why could she not see the monster that was supposed to lurk within him?
The time that she spent with him was easily the best time of her life, and she was sure that he played a major part in that. She had tried to hate him, she had wanted to hate him, but when she held him in her embrace, she realized that she could never do it. He was tortured as she was. His agony eclipsed hers. How could one hate a soul so pained?
The closer she got to him, the more she realized how good a man he was. Even though she detested being treated like royalty, he persisted in attempting to repay what he called his overwhelming debt. His quiet attempts at salvaging his tarnished honor were both endearing and heart- breaking at the same time. Perhaps he saw her as his gateway to salvation. It was surprising, but she didn't mind being seen in such a light.
But the misgivings still lingered. What would the others think of her now? What would the Great Aunt think? What would her sister think? Would they reject her and treat as an outcast? Would they call her a heathen for having such a close relationship with a murderer?
She hoped that she would never have to find out, for she already had an idea what the answers would be.
************************************************************************
'Lord Borus!' The tavernkeeper bellowed joyfully as the couple strode through the entrance. 'Welcome back, your room is ready.'
'Thank you.' Borus nodded his thanks.
'Oh? Who is this?' The tavernkeeper's smile widened. 'It can't be. Lady Yuiri?'
Yuiri smiled in reply.
'Likewise, your room is also in fine form. And I must say, you look exceptionally beautiful today. Lord Borus is a lucky man.'
'It isn't like that!' She gasped in mock anger. 'Don't spread rumors about us.'
'Of course it isn't.' The tavenkeeper winked suggestively.
Yuiri sighed audibly as she began to follow Borus up the stairs. Suddenly, she felt someone give her dress a quick tug. She turned around, and to her extreme horror, she saw a pair of Alma Kinan warriors, clad in the traditional garb, staring back at her with expressions of shock on their faces.
'Yuiri?' One of them began to ask. 'Is that you?'
Yuiri found herself speechless.
'What are you doing here? Wearing that?' The warrior's voice trembled slightly. 'And what are you doing with him?'
************************************************************************
Author's Note :
Building up to the fantastic conclusion of this side-story!
Sorry about the cliffhanger, but that was the best way to end this chapter. stop looking at me like that! It was an artistic choice!
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.
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 7 : Tentative Steps
************************************************************************
'You don't need to escort me any further.' Yuiri smiled at her companion. 'My room is just around the corner.'
'If that is what you wish.'
She sighed in exasperation. 'Borus, I can take care of myself. You don't have to do everything for me.'
'Alright.' The young knight relented. 'Before we part, I wish to thank you for being my escort.'
'You dragged me into it.' Yuiri replied quickly.
'Yes.' He cast his gaze downwards. 'I also wish to apologize for that.'
'I thought that we cleared that up already. You did me a great favor. You do not need to apologize for that.'
'I also wish to apologize for my deplorable behavior last night.' Borus said shamefully. 'I should never have taken advantage of you. If you wish to tell the Captain about my conduct, I will not.'
'I forgive you.' Yuiri interrupted.
'What?' He asked, not quite believing his ears.
'You have my forgivness.' She repeated quickly. 'Now, do you have anything else to say? I wish to retire for the night.'
'I don't.' Borus lowered his head once more. 'I do not know what I have done to gain your forgiveness, but I thank you nonetheless.'
'Good night to you too.' Yuiri gave him a quick nod, and turned around.
'Good night, Lady Yuiri.' He said.
'Borus.' She called out, still striding away from the knight.
'Yes?'
'I don't mind doing that again.'
Borus shook himself out of his shock several minutes later, though he was still wondering whether his hearing had failed him.
And in her room, Yuiri was sitting on her bed, praying that in the darkness of the corridor, Borus had been unable to see the blush that had stained her cheeks.
************************************************************************
'Chief Hugo.' A tired voice called out.
The young Karayan chief smiled boyishly as he watched the sun begin to rise. 'I thought that you would have no trouble waking up.'
'Of course I did! Why in the world did you want us to meet at such an ungodly hour?'
'It was you who agreed to the time.'
'What? We had a say in this?'
'Yes. You did.' Hugo nodded. 'Didn't he tell you?'
'No.' Yuiri said darkly as she turned towards her companion. 'I suppose that you have a ready explanation for this.'
'You never told me that you had trouble rising in the morning.' Borus began to defend himself. 'If I had known, I would have asked Chief Hugo to accommodate.'
'I don't believe it!' Yuiri threw her hands up in frustration as she continued to glare at the knight. 'Have you ever seen me up and about in the morning?'
'Well, now that you mention it. not really.' Borus took several steps back.
'Do you know how cranky I get when I don't get enough sleep?'
'I think I can make a pretty good guess.'
Hugo chuckled as he watched the scene. It surprised him immensely when he first saw them together. Although he did not really know the reasons, nor was he really interested in them, it seemed that Borus and Yuiri had formed some sort of relationship. He did not know how Borus was able to get over his unending grief and he did not know how Yuiri found it within herself to forgive someone that she had previously held so much spite for.
He remembered the first few times that he had seen them together. Borus kept trying apologizing to her, and she kept trying to tell him to stop. Seeing them grow closer together was incredibly heartening. Borus never looked more at ease with himself, and Yuiri never looked happier with her life.
It was almost time to allow Borus to end his pact with the tribe. And it was almost time to allow Borus to finally put his demons to rest. Hugo just hoped that Yuiri would be there to give him the support that he so sorely needed.
************************************************************************
'Yuiri?' Chris knocked rapped her knuckles on the wooden door. 'Yuiri?'
'Yes, Lady Chris?' The door creaked open. 'What do you want?'
'Yuiri?' Chris stared at the lady that stood before her. 'Is that you?'
'Of course it's me.' Yuiri planted her hands on her hips. 'Who else did you expect to be in my room?'
Chris blinked. For some reason, Yuiri had decided to forgo her usual braided look and wear her hair straight down. That, coupled with her choice to wear a green blouse and a matching skirt, and her delicate use of cosmetics, convinced Chris that Yuiri had been given a brain transplant.
'Chris?' The lady who claimed to be Yuiri waved at the Silver Maiden. 'Are you alright?'
'What happened to you?' Chris gasped in astonishment. 'Where is Yuiri?'
'Ah.' Yuiri smiled in realization. 'This wasn't really my idea, but Borus wanted me to look my best for today's trip to the city.'
'Look your best?' Chris echoed in disbelief. 'Aren't you supposed to be escorting Borus while he runs errands? Since when did you need to look like that for such a simple task?'
'Well.' Yuiri looked around nervously, trying her best to think of an excuse.
'What does Borus do in the city anyway?' Chris peered at Yuiri curiously. 'He hasn't really told me anything, and neither have you.'
'Well.' Yuiri decided to change the subject. 'Why were you looking for me?'
'Oh. That's right.' Chris thought for a moment. 'Borus wanted to know when you were going to be ready. He has been waiting for quite a while.'
'I'm late!' Yuiri's sudden exclamation stunned Chris for a second. And that second was enough for her to step out of her room, slam her door shut, and begin running towards the courtyard. And once again, Chris found herself standing by herself in the middle of the corridor, wondering what had just happened.
************************************************************************
'You did not need to do this.'
'I thought that we agreed on this.'
'Still, you did not need to go through all this trouble for me.' Yuiri set her glass down and smiled.
'You have done much for me.' He said sincerely. 'And that is a debt that I would gladly pay.'
'Do you know,' Yuiri leaned forward, her eyes glinting with mischief, 'that the only reason I agreed to this was to get you to stop harping about you and your debts of honor?'
'Of course.' Borus returned the gaze. 'And I knew that you would never accept an ordinary form of repayment.'
'So, you got me with the most expensive meal in town.'
'It was Percival who suggested the idea.' Borus shrugged. 'He seemed to think that you would enjoy a dinner.'
'Oh?'
'Don't tell him about it though.' He warned. 'I'll never hear the end of it if you do.'
'Sounds like Percival to me.' Yuiri chuckled.
'You really should wear your hair down more often.' Borus remarked as he sipped the liquor from his glass. 'You look lovely.'
'Why, thank you.' Yuiri stammered as her cheeks reddened.
Borus could not stop grinning to himself. Knowing Yuiri's abhorrence to what she saw as charity, he was pleasantly surprised when she accepted his offer to take her out for a good dinner. But then again, he was surprised by many things as he gradually got to know her as a person.
It was strange, but for the past few weeks, the incredible burden on his soul began to ease. Somehow, he found someone, a Grasslander no less, who seemed to be able to accept him as a person. She had given him a measure of forgiveness, though he had no idea what he had done to deserve it.
Now, his sleep was as peaceful as he could remember it, and a smile came to his face more readily than before. He was certain that all of this was a direct result of Yuiri's friendship, and he was truly thankful for it. In his mind, the meal that he had just eaten with her was just a token of his appreciation. She deserved everything that he was able to give her and more.
He just hoped that she would never see his cursed fury. And even if she did, and she rejected him because of it, he would treasure the time that he had spent with her. After all, he knew that his heart was that of a monster. Eventually she would see that. Eventually, she would want to leave him.
But, he did not care. He had decided that he would live in the present. The future was too bleak to think about.
************************************************************************
'Thank you for the meal.' She said as they walked side by side.
'You don't need to thank me.' He smiled at her. 'It was my duty.'
'You never stop thinking about it, do you?' She joked.
'I did.' Borus' voice fell into a whisper. 'Once.'
'I'm sorry.'
'Don't bother.' He quickly cut in.
'But.'
'The night is beautiful isn't it?' Borus continued on, obviously ignoring her repeated attempts to apologize.
'Yeah, it is.' Yuiri agreed as she decided to let the matter rest. She looked up at the night sky and marveled at the brilliance of the full moon. She sighed wistfully as the cool night breeze caressed her face.
She thanked the spirits for the joy that she coursed through her veins the last few weeks. She had never forgotten the agony that consumed her during her last few days in the village, and she had never forgotten the advice that the spirits had given her. She never would have guessed that she would feel so at home in a Zexen city.
But the more she thought about it, the more it worried her. She had decided to follow her own path through life, but doubt still lingered in the depths of her mind. Was she truly giving up all that she had cherished? Was she truly forgoing the tradition that she was brought up upon?
She knew that these doubts would not be so pervasive if she were not walking beside Lord Borus. Everyone knew that he slaughtered dozens during the Great War. It was common knowledge. No one questioned it. But, if that was the case, why could she not see the monster that was supposed to lurk within him?
The time that she spent with him was easily the best time of her life, and she was sure that he played a major part in that. She had tried to hate him, she had wanted to hate him, but when she held him in her embrace, she realized that she could never do it. He was tortured as she was. His agony eclipsed hers. How could one hate a soul so pained?
The closer she got to him, the more she realized how good a man he was. Even though she detested being treated like royalty, he persisted in attempting to repay what he called his overwhelming debt. His quiet attempts at salvaging his tarnished honor were both endearing and heart- breaking at the same time. Perhaps he saw her as his gateway to salvation. It was surprising, but she didn't mind being seen in such a light.
But the misgivings still lingered. What would the others think of her now? What would the Great Aunt think? What would her sister think? Would they reject her and treat as an outcast? Would they call her a heathen for having such a close relationship with a murderer?
She hoped that she would never have to find out, for she already had an idea what the answers would be.
************************************************************************
'Lord Borus!' The tavernkeeper bellowed joyfully as the couple strode through the entrance. 'Welcome back, your room is ready.'
'Thank you.' Borus nodded his thanks.
'Oh? Who is this?' The tavernkeeper's smile widened. 'It can't be. Lady Yuiri?'
Yuiri smiled in reply.
'Likewise, your room is also in fine form. And I must say, you look exceptionally beautiful today. Lord Borus is a lucky man.'
'It isn't like that!' She gasped in mock anger. 'Don't spread rumors about us.'
'Of course it isn't.' The tavenkeeper winked suggestively.
Yuiri sighed audibly as she began to follow Borus up the stairs. Suddenly, she felt someone give her dress a quick tug. She turned around, and to her extreme horror, she saw a pair of Alma Kinan warriors, clad in the traditional garb, staring back at her with expressions of shock on their faces.
'Yuiri?' One of them began to ask. 'Is that you?'
Yuiri found herself speechless.
'What are you doing here? Wearing that?' The warrior's voice trembled slightly. 'And what are you doing with him?'
************************************************************************
Author's Note :
Building up to the fantastic conclusion of this side-story!
Sorry about the cliffhanger, but that was the best way to end this chapter. stop looking at me like that! It was an artistic choice!
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.