It just keeps getting better and better...I got twenty-six reviews for just the last chapter! Wow...thanks to everyone who reviewed!

For those who were wondering (probably a lot of you)...The Swanchika is the legendary axe of FE4. I was trying to think of a Fire Emblem-ish name for a town and that just popped into my head. Fitting, don't you think? :)

Ryst: Yes, I suppose you're right about that :/ Oh well, I'll just have to take his interest from there...

Ragnarok-legend: As much as I would hate abusing Nino like Sonia does, it's quite obvious from the game that that would be how Sonia acts. Sucks, but it's true :/

Bloody Mary: Heh, I loved writing the part with Lloyd and Linus. Glad you liked it :)

AmbieChan: Yes well...I think I made Jaffar a little too interested in Nino. But as Ryst said, no turning back now, I guess :/

Sword of Seals: Thanks for your review!

demonesszen: When you say "my fic," are you talking about A Reason for Me? You shouldn't put yourself down like that, I loved that story :)

DotDotDotMan: Err... was the 1337-speak really necessary? I actually tried to read the top part before I saw the rest of it...lol.

Fury: Thanks for your review!

Narastar: Ooh...close! The Swanchika is the legendary weapon of Neir, not Dain. Dain's legendary weapon is the Gungnir. --hands Narastar a cookie--

Firelien: --hands Firelien a cookie for the effort-- You don't need to learn Japanese to play FE4. Just do what I did, and get a translation patch! The best one is available at FESS itself, in FE4's board.

FireEdge: Thanks for your review! And update Stray Arrow! :P

Icy AngelWings (x2): Thanks for your reviews!

The Story Master 125: No cookie for you, you didn't guess it :P And as for other Nino supports, I think they will be going on more "behind the scenes" so to speak. For example, Canas may be teaching Nino how to read, but I won't actually show their conversations.

Inferno-Hero: I think that's the funniest response yet. "A movie with a swan in it..." lol. And I will be adding links to Different and Defiance eventually.

gentleness28: You should use this reviewing technique for the next chapter as well! It ends up addressing everything about the chapter, so that's perfect for me :)

Frombern: Nobody ever remembers Ursula. I don't understand why, she's rather prominent...

SweetMisery430: I will definitely be having a lot of fun with Sonia's death...--evil cackle--

katelynn: Thanks for your review!

Emotion Changing Reviewer (x2): Yes, I do remember you :) Hey, you guessed right about the Swanchika! --hands over a cookie--

Jeanie: It says in Nino's supports with Erk (I think) that Nino learned the chants for the spells by imitating Sonia. The tome apparently is still needed though, because it's supposed to channel the caster's power or something like that.

TheNobody: I'll have to finish this before I consider writing another fic. It's hard for me to work on two stories at once.

Spectral Flame: Thanks for your review! And I wish you luck in whatever fandom you write in.

Caitie: Thanks for your review!

hyliansage: I don't think Jaffar is going to kill Sonia...it'll be someone else.

On with the story...

Chapter Three
Law of the Fang

The assassin walked slowly down the street of the town, pulling his cape about himself to make himself look like just a simple traveler, albeit a shady one at that. The townspeople bustling to and fro around the town square paid him no mind. Few wanted to get in the way of someone with such an obviously dark expression.

Jaffar walked into the town square, sitting down on a bench in front of a large fountain. He had been traveling towards the town for most of the day, and he had no reason to hurry. The traitor Sonia had spoken of had been a highly skilled soldier, and Jaffar would need to be in top form to complete his mission.

He already had a room at one of the local inns; the innkeeper there was a strong supporter of the Black Fang and had given him a room for no charge. Normally, Jaffar would have just retired to his room, having no reason to do anything else. But today had been different.

He had searched among the houses of the town until he had found the meeting place of the Black Fang: an empty house, not standing out in any way from the houses around it. Remembering what Sonia had told him, he had gone inside the house.

She had not been there.

It was to be expected. Jaffar could tell just by looking at Nino that he would travel much faster than she did. Yet for some reason, some wild hope in his mind told him that she just might be there.

Why he was still thinking about Nino was a mystery to the assassin.

His trained mind kept telling him that Nino was a distraction from his assignments. Yet something from simply seeing Nino with her stepbrothers had changed him, whether he liked it or not.

Right now, though, he had a job to do. Leaning back on the bench, he closed his eyes, trying to focus his mind on something else.

Nothing came. His assignment was already completely planned out. Apart from that...he didn't have anything else to think about. Until his encounter with Nino, he never had had any reason to think about anything apart from his assignments.

Jaffar stood up suddenly, frustrated—a feeling he never had. He turned around, trying to focus on the fountain instead. It was an elaborate sculpture, depicting a female angel with wings outstretched. The water poured out of an upturned jug the angel was holding. All in all, the statue was very beautiful.

For the briefest of moments, Jaffar marveled at the irony of his title.

"Never knew you were one to admire art, Jaffar."

Jaffar turned around at the sound of Linus' voice. The warrior stood there, his arms crossed over his chest and an amused smile on his face. It was well-known that this town was one of his favorite hangouts. Jaffar supposed the warrior would be spending some time here before he set out to look for Eliwood.

"Linus," Jaffar acknowledged.

"What are you doing out here?" Linus asked, obviously curious at the fact that the assassin was out in public for once. "You're always somewhere that has to do with your job."

Jaffar did not respond, not because he felt he did not need to, but because he could not think of anything to say. A reply of "nothing" would make Linus very suspicious.

Fortunately, Linus was used to not getting a response out of the assassin. "Figures you give me the silent treatment," he said. "I suppose that means you don't want to come down to the tavern with me? Socializing might do you some good, you know."

Once again, Jaffar did not respond. But then again, now Linus was just being facetious.

Linus shrugged. "Your loss." He turned and began to walk away.

"Wait," Jaffar whispered, just loud enough for Linus to hear.

Linus turned around, an expression of mock surprise on his face. "Am I going crazy, or did you just talk?" He put a hand over his heart to add to the effect.

There was no response from the assassin.

"Hah, I'm just playing around," Linus added, as if Jaffar might have actually cared. "What is it?"

"Have you seen Nino in this town?" Jaffar asked. Almost instantly, he mentally cursed himself for asking such a stupid question.

The question caused Linus to raise an eyebrow. "Uh..." he began, somewhat uneasily. "No. What does it matter to you?"

"She has information on my next assignment," Jaffar replied without missing a beat.

"Oh, all right," Linus said, sounding somewhat relieved. "Knowing her, she'll be here by tomorrow, then." He smiled proudly. "Always responsible, that girl. She's a good lass."

Jaffar did not respond.

"I guess I'll be seeing you around, then," Linus went on. "Good luck with your assignment."

Jaffar waited until Linus was out of sight, then silently, under the cover of his cape, he unsheathed one of his daggers and pressed the edge against his palm, letting it cut into his skin. The assassin figured it was a suitable punishment for letting his thoughts of Nino take over his mind.

He was still interested in learning about Nino, but he knew it had become too much.

He had to find a way to stop thinking about this girl.

-----

There was nothing special about the two-story house aside from the fact that it was built right in front of a lake. Jaffar looked over the house silently as the midday sun shone down on him from the clear sky. He was sure this was the place.

Not bothering to knock, the assassin tried the doorknob. It was locked.

He looked around his vicinity to make sure no other people were watching, then pulled out a lockpick. Most assassins of the Black Fang were not trained in such methods of breaking into a location, but Jaffar was a special case. Within seconds, the door was unlocked. He opened the door and went inside.

The assassin heard some sort of rummaging around above him as he entered the home. Not bothering to even search the ground floor, he located a staircase against the wall and ran up it, making almost no noise as he did so.

The top floor of the house was composed only of a bedroom. A small bed lay against one of the walls; a desk lay against another. There was also a closet on the wall which the assassin had come in from. The door was closed, but the assassin's trained ears picked up the faint sound of breathing behind it.

The assassin was amazed that such a high-ranking former member of the Black Fang would attempt such an amateur ambush. The traitor had apparently seen Jaffar coming from outside his window, and had hid in the closet, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Jaffar knew exactly how to deal with this sort of situation. He stepped a few feet in front of the closet. He moved his head around as though he was searching the room, with his back turned to the closet so that the traitor might think he had the advantage of surprise.

He waited one second, then two, then—

"Die you son of a bitch!"

The closet door burst open as the traitor leapt at Jaffar.

But Jaffar was ready. Without wasting a millisecond, he grabbed one of his daggers and whirled around, plunging it directly into the traitor's chest before he got close.

Unfortunately, something Jaffar had not been expecting happened, as he felt a sharp pain in his side.

Jaffar had expected that the traitor, knowing he did not have much time, would have grabbed a dagger or some other small weapon he could find in order to defend himself. Such weapons had very short reaches, and Jaffar's attack would have stopped his ambusher from connecting.

However, Jaffar realized as he looked down at his newest kill, the traitor had been carrying a sword. A longsword, at that.

The assassin grabbed his side, trying his best to ignore the intense pain shooting throughout his body. The wound was not fatal, but if Jaffar did not find medical assistance soon, he might pass out from loss of blood.

Jaffar paid the injury no mind. He had another assignment to receive and complete, despite his pain.

He ran down the steps, out of the house, and into the streets of the town.

-----

"Sir?! Sir!"

Jaffar paid the townspeople no heed as he ran through the town square, one hand still clutching his wound. His head had begun to feel light, but he just kept running. At the very least, he had to make it to the Black Fang meeting place. The consequences would be dire if he simply fell unconscious in the middle of the street.

One man jumped into his path several feet in front of him. The man held his hands up, urging the assassin to stop.

"Mister, please, you're obviously hurt! Why don't you just—"

"Get out of my way!" Jaffar shouted, pushing the man to the ground. His vision swam as he did so. Not good.

He made his way to the Black Fang meeting place. He leaned against the door as he approached it for support, breathing heavily.

"Hmm! Beautiful weather."

Jaffar's spirits soared as he heard Nino musing to herself inside the house. He quickly opened the door, startling the girl.

"Ah!" she screamed. Realizing who it was, she put one hand on her heart, recovering from the shock. "Don't scare me like that, Jaffar."

The assassin took a deep breath as his vision swam again. He leaned against the wall for support, still clutching his wound.

Nino apparently did not notice his injury. "What's wrong?" she asked, her voice full of concern. "You're never late for anything."

It took all of the assassin's strength to just lift his head. "My last job...took longer than expected," he replied weakly.

"Really?" the girl asked. Her gaze traveled down his body to where his hand lay, and her eyes widened in horror at what she saw. "Jaffar, w-what happened?!" she nearly screamed. "You're covered in blood!"

Jaffar blinked. Everything was becoming hazy. Not wanting to worry the girl, he replied, "It's only a scratch. Pay it no heed..."

His reply only seemed to worry Nino more. "Scratches don't bleed like that!" she screamed hysterically, panicking. She pulled a blue flask from a pouch at her waist, gesturing to his injury. "Please! Let me see the wound!"

Jaffar's vision was quickly dimming. He fell to his knees, no longer possessing the strength to hold himself up anymore. Looking up at Nino's worried face, Jaffar felt fear for the first time in his life.

He was going to die. And this girl, this sweet, innocent girl, was going to have to kill him.

He fell to the ground and blacked out.

-----

It was some time before Jaffar's eyes opened again. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. He looked around, noticing he was on a large bed, still in the Black Fang meeting place. Looking to his side, he saw Nino standing over him. Tears had apparently been streaming down her face for some time, but they stopped when Jaffar awoke.

"You're okay!" she shouted, obviously extremely relieved, as his eyes opened. "Oh, thank Saint Elimine!"

Jaffar blinked a few more times, trying to remember what had happened. His memories of the girl were not quite intact until he stared at her for a few seconds. "You...I know you..." he whispered. His throat felt very dry.

She nodded, her head bobbing up and down enthusiastically. "Yes, yes, we've met many times," she replied. "I don't think I've told you my name, though. I'm Nino!" she announced proudly. Her voice lowered almost inaudibly as she added, "Sonia's daughter."

The assassin was silent for a few more moments as his memories came back to him. He had been injured...he looked down at the wound. It still hurt, but miraculously, it had scarred over already, and the blood had stopped. His trained eyes picked up a very faint blue aura around it.

"I applied some healing elixir to your wound," Nino explained happily. "I had to use all of it, though," she added. "You have to make sure you don't agitate it, or it might start bleeding again."

"Water," Jaffar croaked, his throat feeling tight. He apparently had lost a lot of fluids.

"Oh, of course!" Nino replied. She pulled another flask out of her pouch, this one clear. "Here."

Jaffar took the flask gratefully, draining it quickly. Instantly, the world became clearer. His memories came rushing back to him.

He was supposed to be dead.

"I'm...alive," he said slowly, more to himself than Nino.

"Yes, you are," Nino responded, still cheerful despite what she had just been through. "You're very lucky, you know. You almost didn't make it."

It was true; it had been pure luck that he had made it to where Nino was before he fell unconscious. For saving his life, he was very grateful to the girl.

Yet his trained mind was indignant.

He was supposed to be dead.

"Why did you not kill me?" he asked.

Nino was visibly taken aback. "What?" she exclaimed.

"It is the law of the Fang," Jaffar went on. "'Sacrifice the wounded to salvage the strong.' I was unconscious, outside our safe halls. You were supposed to kill me, then flee. But you didn't...why?"

Nino sniffed, tears welling in her eyes. The fact that Jaffar was angry at being alive hit her hard. "I-I couldn't let a comrade die," she replied. "I j-just couldn't..."

Even as he felt a surge of gratitude for the girl, his trained mind kept raging. "Don't be a fool!" he shouted. At the same moment, he felt another sharp pain in his side, from his wound. He looked down. It was bleeding again.

Nino's eyes widened in horror. "Lie down! Please, don't move!" she cried, apparently still intent on keeping Jaffar alive. Her hands probed his injury, causing the assassin to cry out in pain—a rarity for him.

"Don't...touch it..." he muttered through clenched teeth.

"Oh, what do I do, what do I do?!" Nino mumbled to herself, panicking again. She suddenly ran over to a large pack that was sitting on the ground. She fumbled with it for a moment, then pulled out a long, golden staff with a large sapphire on the tip.

Nino's eyes traveled up and down the golden staff uneasily as she walked back over to the injured assassin. "Oh, why did Mother never teach me how to use these things?!" She took a deep breath, then pointed the wand at Jaffar and cried, "Mend!"

Nothing happened. Jaffar's vision was becoming hazy again.

Nino apparently noticed his dizziness. "Please don't die!" she cried. "You mustn't die!" She turned her eyes back to the staff. "Come on, come on! Mend!" she tried again.

Again, nothing happened.

The girl banged the staff against the floor, her panic quickly getting the better of her as tears started rolling down her face. "Saint Elimine, please let this work!" she cried. She tried one last time. "MEND!"

And this time, a blinding white light shone from the tip of the staff. It immediately covered the assassin, warming him and lessening his pain considerably. When the light disappeared, he looked down at his wound.

It was no longer there. It still hurt somewhat, but there was no sign that he had ever been injured.

Nino fell to her knees. "Thank goodness!" she cried, relieved. Then, quite unexpectedly, she threw her arms around the assassin. "You're still alive! You're still alive!"

Jaffar suddenly felt very awkward. This girl had saved his life twice now, yet his trained mind was still furious at the fact that he was still alive. And now, Nino was hugging him, further adding to his confusion.

For once in his life, Jaffar was unsure of how to act.

Nino let go of the assassin, smiling brightly. "Thank goodness," she remarked again, much more softly this time. "I thought...I thought you were really going to die."

Jaffar did not respond.

Please don't die! You mustn't die!

The words reverberated in his head. He wasn't quite sure how to feel as he realized that this was the first time anyone had ever actually cared for his well-being. To the Black Fang, he might be a highly skilled assassin, but he was a resource, expendable. If he died, someone would replace him.

Yet this girl had saved his life, blatantly disregarding the law of the Fang to save the life of a comrade she barely even knew.

Again, the image of Nino smiling, laughing, played through his mind. This girl was the complete opposite of her mother in every way possible.

"You should get some rest." Nino's cheerful voice brought him back to reality. "Today must have taken a lot out of you."

Today? The assassin looked out the window of the house. The sky was dark; the sun had already set.

It certainly had been a long day.

He looked around the small house and found something rather disconcerting.

"There's only one bed," he remarked flatly. He was already in it, however the bed was rather large.

"That's all right!" Nino replied, still beaming. "I'll just sleep on the floor; I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Jaffar pressed. "This bed is big; I don't mind sharing." He knew that Nino could easily take a question like that in several wrong ways, but he was more concerned whether this girl, his savior, would be comfortable for the night. It was the least he could do to repay her, despite his instincts raging against what she had done for him.

Nino immediately blushed scarlet. "Ah...n-no," she replied awkwardly, "I-It's okay, I don't mind." She seemed rather dazed at such a prospect. She really was innocent. Certainly the opposite of her mother, Jaffar thought, as he recalled Sonia's rather revealing attire.

Thoughts raced through the assassin's head as he lay back on the bed. He was supposed to be dead now, yet this girl had saved him—twice. And, unlike everyone else he had ever known, she actually cared that he was still well.

He heard Nino's breathing slow as she lay on the floor. This girl had defied the law of the Black Fang, and Jaffar knew what he was supposed to do to those people.

Yet perhaps, Jaffar thought as sleep overtook him, he could make an exception for this girl.

--huge AWWWWWWWWW goes up from the crowd--
Well, there you have it. A justification as to why Jaffar would not want to kill Nino. Like it? Hate it? Please let me know.

Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT