All right, I'm not sure how many of you noticed, since I did it rather quickly, but I edited the end of the previous chapter about a day after I posted it. At first, I portrayed all three of the fighters there as simply uncaring of the events following their battle, but a comment from one of my reviewers changed my mind. The current version is the one containing Raven's apology, which many of you have already read.
Said reviewer also repeatedly apologized for sounding so critical, but this is something that everyone should pay attention to: when it comes to a site such as this, there is no such thing as being too critical! If you see something wrong with my story, please draw my attention to it, and don't be afraid that you might sound too harsh or something like that. I can't improve if you all are too afraid to tell me what I'm doing incorrectly.
Now that that's out of the way...
littlefreeze: Actually, the archer did see Jaffar coming, but he didn't have much time to react :P
Flaming Soul: This chapter should satisfy your desire for more fluff :)
Spectral Flame: The blond haired axe user is Hawkeye. And yes, I know there were a lot of typos, but that was only because QuickEdit decided to go psycho on me when I first loaded it. Those typos were fixed in my edit of the chapter.
Lemurian 04: Thanks for your review!
Dreamer of Riddles: Why do you think Rebecca is too serious? Don't you think she would be serious if one of her best friends was injured?
Ragnarok-legend: You can look up at the top of the page for my response to your review :)
Hamano Ayumi: The last warrior that fought Lloyd was Hawkeye. Bartre doesn't have blond hair! :P
MagicianFairy: Thanks for your review!
Icy AngelWings: Thanks for your review!
FireEdge: I never really thought of Nino as a very strong-willed person when it came to fighting alongside the rest of Eliwood's army. I mean, she's a fourteen-year-old girl! She's going to be afraid. I don't see how anyone could really think of her as strong :P
Nocturna-Fire-Demoness: Thanks for your review!
Poyo: I can play whatever class I want to play as ;P
Hinata2004: As I told FireEdge, Nino is a fourteen-year-old girl, so she's going to be very afraid when she takes part in a battle like this. The arrow also caused her a lot of pain, and I think that any girl her age would be screaming if she was hurt like that.
Oswin the Nino Fan: As Raven says himself in his A support with Rebecca: "I'm human. I smile, I cry." Just because he puts on a harsh expression most of the time doesn't mean he has no compassion. He can care for others; his supports with Rebecca and Priscilla are proof enough of that.
Inferno-Hero: The green-haired swordfighter was Guy. Who else would it be? :P
Dark: Jaffar will be speaking with Matthew and Legault at least one more time before the story is over. We're coming up to the end here...
The Blazing Blade: Thanks for your review!
Ryst: Hey, Jaffar was going to stab the archer again, remember? It's another effect of his love :P
Kakayo: --points upward at response to Oswin the Nino Fan-- Raven can be awkward if I want him to be. :P
Firelien: Harken?! Harken sucks. The third fighter was Hawkeye. Obviously. :P
Sword of Seals: Um...how was Lloyd rejecting to Nino? In the game, he was...but he wasn't dying when Nino talked to him in the game. This is a different situation.
Jeanie: This wasn't my first death scene, remember? I also wrote Ninian's death in one of my earlier stories. But still, thanks for your review!
K-Girl: Thanks for your review!
gentleness28: Well, you got Raven right...but Harken and Sain?! The other two were Guy and Hawkeye. Come on. :P Oh, and I really don't care how long it takes you to finish your picture, as long as I get to see it in the end :)
ShadowedTactician: Thanks for your review! But the blond-haired axeman is Hawkeye, not Bartre. :P
MouZ: The axe-user is Hawkeye. I know that "warrior" is a class name, but I used it in the general sense of the word, not referring to the Fire Emblem class.
Sokuma: Thanks for your review!
We now have the return of the fluff (sort of), here in...
Chapter Sixteen
Special
Jaffar wasn't sure how long they were there in each other's arms, how long Nino was sobbing into his shoulder. If Nino hadn't been so despondent, Jaffar would have reveled in the moment, would have exceptionally liked simply being able to hold the girl. But Nino's sorrow, just as it had so many times in the past, had spread into the assassin.
The times prior to this that they had been in this position, his arms had soothed her, had let her know that everything was going to be all right. But the loss of her stepbrother seemed to have been a devastating blow to the young mage. She seemed utterly inconsolable as she cried, softly asking the air why such misfortune had to befall her in the most pitiful, heartrending voice that Jaffar had ever heard from her.
Jaffar silently wondered the same thing himself. He had deserted the Black Fang, had thrown away his job as an assassin just so he could protect Nino, so that misfortunes like the one she was experiencing now would never happen to her again. Yet despite his best efforts, he had failed to do that.
He was suddenly hit with a sense of inadequacy the likes of which he had never felt before. The events of only the past few hours rushed back into his mind like a brick wall. He had failed to protect Nino from the archer, had failed to stay by her side when he had promised to...and now, he was failing to comfort her. He had thrown away everything he had for this girl, and still he had been unable to help her when she needed it most.
He was astonished that Nino had yet to push him away. Even after all she had been through, even after all the times that he had failed her, she still cared for the assassin, and he knew she did. Her delight from being with him had never wavered. Even now, she accepted what little comfort he could give her, even if he could not console her completely. She clutched him desperately, and Jaffar knew that she had no intention of letting go. She wanted him to be there with her. She should have pushed him away by now, should have left him. Her other friends could provide her more comfort than he could, understood emotions better than he did, yet she continued to stay by his side, continued to delight in his presence.
He should have lost his opportunity to help her by now. But as Nino continued to sob into his shoulder without end, he knew that she was giving him another chance to do just that. And he wasn't about to let it go.
He drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her like a shield against anything that wanted to hurt her. He knew there was nothing he could say to make her feel better, but a shoulder to cry on was the next best thing. And that was something he could give her.
-----
They had to have been there for a quarter of an hour at the very least, but they might have remained for hours on end had Eliwood, Lyn, and Hector not entered the shrine. The three lords had not come to help Nino, since Jaffar noticed they were surprised when they saw the scene before them, but the assassin worried nonetheless that Lyn was once again going to do what she had done in the Water Temple less than a week beforehand.
Surely enough, Lyn's expression became one of sympathy when she noticed that Nino was crying. Just like she had in the Water Temple, she began moving towards the girl, intent on soothing her. Jaffar silently told her with his expression that he didn't want her help, and Lyn noticed, but this time she did not stop walking.
The plainswoman knelt down beside the two of them, and Jaffar felt like he was being violated somehow. Glaring at Lyn hatefully, he pulled the girl away from her with an almost violent motion. She was not going to repeat what she had done after Sonia's death.
Nino went on crying quietly despite the abrupt movement.
Unfortunately, however, Lyn was not deterred. Her expression mournful, she softly called, "Nino..."
The girl recognized the plainswoman's voice, but she did not even look up. "Go away," she sobbed.
Lyn was visibly taken aback by the young mage's rejection, but she quickly composed herself. "Nino, I just want to help..."
"Go away," Nino repeated, her face still buried in Jaffar's shoulder.
Jaffar was not sure why Nino would reject Lyn's aid, but it filled him with a sense of triumph to know that the young mage desired his consolation over the plainswoman's, especially after wondering only minutes before whether he was worthy of helping her at all. Nino's sobs began to quiet somewhat as well after she spoke, further strengthening the assassin's resolve to comfort her. Maybe he really could help her...
Lyn stared at the two of them for another moment before sighing sadly. "I'm...I'm sorry, but...you're going to have to head back to camp," she said softly, awkwardly. "There is...something that the three of us must do here...alone." She gestured at Eliwood and Hector.
Nino lifted her head slowly then, but due to the fact that her head had been on his shoulder, Jaffar couldn't properly see her expression. He could hear her take a few deep, shuddering breaths, and then all was still. Almost lethargically, she rose, disengaging her arms from around Jaffar as she did so. He stood up as well, and was finally able to see her face.
She looked absolutely terrible, and consequently Jaffar felt the same in the pit of his stomach. Her face was red, streaks of tears crossing all over it, and her darkened baby-blue eyes held more, unshed. She was holding them back for the moment, but Jaffar knew they would start flowing again freely if given just the slightest provocation. She was staring into space, looking out the doorway of the shrine at nothing, her mouth a thin line restraining the sobs threatening to burst forth.
"Are you...feeling...any better?" Jaffar asked slowly, haltingly, afraid that he might incite more sorrow in the girl, but still needing to know how she was feeling.
Nino shook her head without looking at him. Her hair was a disheveled mess, but sensing this, she quickly ran her hands through it a few times, smoothing it into something at least somewhat presentable. Then, tentatively, she looked up at the assassin. There was a question in her sparkling eyes, and Jaffar could see that she wanted to ask it, but she could not speak for fear of causing more tears to spill forth. Instead, her gaze dropped to the floor for a moment before rising again to his eyes. Then, slowly, she draped one arm over his shoulder, holding on to Jaffar as though she needed him to physically support herself.
Not minding her gesture one bit, he just as slowly placed his arm around her waist, pushing her forward as gently as he could, willing her to walk, slow though she was.
"W-we...should g-go b-back...t-to the tent..." she whispered, her eyes still downcast, and Jaffar was certain that he was the only one who could hear her, so soft was her voice. "I-I d-don't want...t-to talk...w-with Rebe—Rebecca...o-or anyone."
"...If that's what you want," Jaffar said softly in reply.
And with Nino still holding the assassin for support, the two of them slowly, quietly left the shrine.
-----
The sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky as they went out into the open air; the warm air made the day absolutely wonderful. And Jaffar hated it.
It was the sort of day, he thought, that Nino would especially like. She would be chatting with her friends, or perhaps studying her reading outside, a bright smile on her face. But now, she couldn't take advantage of the sunny day that went so well with her normally sunny personality. Her sorrow had robbed him of the bubbly girl he knew so well, replacing her with one that was almost silent. He couldn't bear it.
The one thing he did take comfort in was that he was able to help her. He didn't care what he had to do, but he would do anything if it would bring back the cheery Nino, the one who filled him with that unexplainable warmth and emotion. Helping her to their tent was part of that, he thought as they slowly stepped down the stairs coming from the shrine. If he could get to their tent, then he could help her further. And that was all that mattered to him.
Everything around him seemed to mock Nino's lack of cheerful energy. The camp, which had been set up again on the flat grass near the Shrine of Seals, was in an upbeat mood after their victory—Jaffar could sense that before he even set foot within fifty feet of the place. He could hear a flute song coming from somewhere in the campsite, and a bit of cheering as the song ended. But the only thing he could think about was the fact that Nino could not take part in any of the cheerfulness going on around them.
It was amazing, he thought, how special Nino seemed to him now that she had temporarily disappeared. The girl beside him looked like Nino, but she was not the Nino he knew and cherished. The real Nino would return; he knew she would. But until that happened, he was left to think, alone, about just how much he missed her.
With the girl still holding onto the assassin, the two of them approached the camp. But there was a problem: the camp had been set up while they were absent, so they did not know which tent was theirs. Yet Jaffar did not want to enter the camp to ask anyone where they would be staying. Nino had explicitly said that she did not want to speak with anyone about what had happened, and the assassin was intent on fulfilling her request, knowing that she would receive all sorts of attention if any of the girls in the camp found out she was crying.
He looked down at the young mage beside him, his arm still around her waist, not as a gesture of affection but rather as a means of support. Her downcast face and tear-filled eyes sent another pang of misery through Jaffar's heart. He dearly hoped the old Nino would return soon...
He noticed the large wagon of the merchant Lyn had called Merlinus, the one who managed the camp and the army's supplies. Perhaps he could ask the merchant in which tent he and Nino would be staying. As the one who managed the campsite, he would be the most likely to know, and he would not attempt to speak with Nino either.
The wagon was placed in the ring of the camp just as though it was another tent, so Jaffar and Nino entered the campsite through the space between the merchant's wagon and the tent beside it. As they did so, Jaffar heard the flute song start up again in the center of the camp. He frowned. Nino should have been enjoying herself with the rest of her friends...
Several soldiers were milling about the center of the camp, but Jaffar paid them no mind. The merchant Merlinus sat on the driver's seat of the wagon, a blue-haired, mustached man of about thirty-five. He was leaning back, his eyes closed, and it looked as though he might be asleep, but Jaffar could see that the merchant was only dozing lightly, not really sleeping. The assassin could also see into the merchant's wagon, where racks of weapons, a few neatly stored spare tents, and several boxes of rations all lay under a hood of white cloth.
"Merlinus," Jaffar called curtly, not caring that he was waking the merchant.
Merlinus's head jerked up suddenly, his eyes snapping open as he frantically searched for the source of the voice as though it might be some sort of threat. Then, noticing Jaffar and Nino, his hand went to his heart in relief. "Oh, don't frighten me like that!" he cried out. Then, calming himself, he went on slowly, "Er...do you need anything?"
"We were not here when the camp was prepared," Jaffar said tersely, indicating the depressed girl beside him. "We need to know which tent is ours."
The merchant studied them. "You are...Jaffar and Nino, correct?" he said after a few moments. After receiving a nod from the assassin, he turned to the circle of tents, trying to remember which one belonged to them. "Well, let's see..." he murmured. "Heath and Priscilla are there, so...ah, that one's yours." He pointed at the tent directly opposite the wagon in the circular campsite.
"Thank you," Jaffar responded. He was about to turn to leave, but he noticed that Merlinus's gaze was fixed upon Nino. The merchant stared at the young mage for a few moments, but she was still looking at the ground and did not notice his gaze.
Jaffar was afraid that the blue-haired man might ask Nino what was the matter, but instead his head rose and his gaze turned to the assassin, a concerned expression on his face. "Is she...all right?" he asked softly, not wanting to offend the girl.
"She will be fine," Jaffar replied flatly, hoping to end the conversation as quickly as possible.
Merlinus's expression clearly showed that he did not believe the assassin. Nevertheless, he replied, "Well...all right then. Good day to you."
Jaffar nodded politely in response before turning to the center of the camp and walking away from the wagon. Nino's arm was still draped over his shoulder, as though she needed another body to direct her walking. The arm that Jaffar had placed around the young mage's waist moved over her shoulder instead, gently bending her neck forward so that her face would not be visible as they walked through the campsite. She did not protest.
The assassin looked about frantically as they slowly went through the camp, making sure to avoid any of Nino's friends that he saw. Most of the girls in the camp, at least the ones that he could see, were engaged in their own conversations, but Jaffar worried nonetheless that one of them might look over and see Nino. He especially kept his eye on Rebecca, who was standing at the edge of the camp, near the tents, speaking with a young brown-haired man that Jaffar could only assume was the one she had called Wil.
The flute song was still going, and Jaffar could see its source now: a pale-green-haired boy who could not have been more than ten or eleven years old, playing a small flute at the center of the camp and surrounded by several soldiers. The assassin had no idea why such a young boy would accompany the army, but the more pressing matter was getting Nino to their tent without grabbing attention. He was lucky; the small crowd of people surrounding the young bard seemed to be interested in the song and not much else.
But it was just at that moment that disaster decided to strike.
"Nino!"
No! It was Rebecca's voice; she was running over to the young mage cheerfully. Jaffar's arm dropped uselessly to his side, his hope of getting Nino undetected to the tent vanishing in an instant. He couldn't run the young mage to their tent, because Rebecca would follow and that would garner even more attention. It would be better to just let the huntress end her conversation with Nino as quickly as possible, to just get it over with.
"Nino, where have you been?" the sniper asked with a bright smile on her face as she approached the girl. "I've been looking all over for you!"
The young mage was silent, her eyes still steadily pointing at the ground.
"Nino?" Rebecca asked, sounding worried. Then came the moment Jaffar had been dreading—the sniper's eyes widened in shock, and she shouted, "Nino, you're crying!"
Her voice was not actually very loud, but to Jaffar it was as though the entire camp's attention had been directed straight to Nino with that shout. He cursed himself—how could he have let his attention slip from Rebecca, the girl who was the one most likely to talk with Nino?
"W-what happened?" the sniper went on, her tone of voice indicating that she thought something horrendous had occurred.
"I...d-don't want to talk about it," Nino mumbled, a few of the tears that she had been struggling so hard to keep at bay leaking forth.
"Nino!" Priscilla's worried voice came now; she had been part of the small crowd surrounding the bard. She stepped towards the young mage, who now looked as though she wanted to sink into the ground. "Oh Saint Elimine, are you all right?"
"I-I said I-I d-don't w-want to talk about it," Nino replied, her voice louder, angrier this time. More tears began to stream down her face.
"Nino..." Rebecca began soothingly, "please, it's all right—"
"I-it's not all right!" Nino suddenly screamed, wrenching her arm away from Jaffar's shoulder where it had rested. "Go away!" A few sobs emanated from her as she angrily began to storm off to the tent she shared with Jaffar, intent on getting away from her friends as quickly as possible.
But Jaffar could only watch hopelessly as the two other girls persisted, following the young mage as she stomped towards the edge of the camp.
"Nino—" Priscilla tried to speak, but she did not even have time to get past her name before Nino screamed again.
"Leave me ALONE!" That got the attention of everyone in the camp. And at that, Nino broke into a sprint, sobbing even harder. Priscilla and Rebecca froze, astounded by the young mage's outburst. Nino took advantage of their hesitation, ducking into her tent and disappearing from sight.
Letting out a miserable sigh, Jaffar slowly followed her. This had gone worse than he could have ever imagined...
But as he passed the two stunned girls, Rebecca spoke up. "Jaffar, what do you think you're doing?" she asked angrily, and he turned to her. "She said she wanted to be alone. You shouldn't bother her."
The assassin turned and resumed walking towards the tent. "She will not mind me," he stated flatly without looking at the sniper, and he knew it was the truth. After all, he thought, he would still be fulfilling Nino's request. She had said she did not want to speak with anyone about what had happened, but the consolation that Jaffar could give her required no words whatsoever.
Rebecca protested further, but Jaffar simply ignored the rest of her pleas.
-----
Nino sat on her bedroll facing away from the front of the tent as Jaffar entered. She sat with her knees hugged to her chest as she sobbed into her legs with desperate abandon, and so great was the sorrow pervading through the tent that Jaffar almost felt as though he would cry himself. The sensation was unfamiliar, but he hated it at once. The old Nino would never have sparked such a painful emotion within him...
"I told you to leave me—" Nino began angrily as she noticed Jaffar's entry, but as she turned around and recognized who she was looking at, the rebuke died on her lips. "—O-oh. H-hello, Jaffar..." she sobbed instead. "I-I'm...I'm sorry f-for r-running away l-like that..."
"It's all right," he stated simply, sitting down next to her. "Are you..." he began hesitantly, "...are you feeling any better?"
She shook her head without looking at him, sniffing. More tears leaked forth as she did so.
"It's all right," he repeated softly. He had half a mind to draw her close again, to allow her to let out her sorrow, but Nino interrupted him.
"N-no it's n-not, Jaffar..." she sobbed. "I...I-I'm so a-afraid..."
"Why?" Jaffar asked as she fell silent.
"I-I've lost...so m-many people..." she whispered, her gaze still on the floor. Then, quite suddenly, she looked up at the assassin, her baby-blue eyes sparkling with worry. "I-I don't want to l-lose a-anyone else, Jaffar. Especially—e-especially you..."
Jaffar wasn't quite sure how to react. She cared for him so much that she worried for him over everyone else. It filled him with a strange warmth to know that, the same warmth that usually came when she smiled. What was this?
"Y-you've done s-so m-much for m-me..." she went on, the worry in her eyes intensifying. "I-if you...g-got hurt o-or..." She left the rest unsaid, but the fear remained in her eyes.
Jaffar wanted to tell the young mage that he would be fine, but he knew that despite his skill, the chance of getting hurt was always there, and it was something he could not control. He knew he had to say something, anything that might soothe her worries, but there was nothing he could think of. "Nino..."
But Nino did not seem to mind. She was fishing through the pouch at her waist, searching for something, drawing it out after a few moments. It was her pendant, the one that Jan had given her back at the Water Temple. Jaffar noticed, though, that she had added something to it: the golden cord now ran through decorations of what seemed to be red and green dried berries that had not been there before.
"What is that?" Jaffar asked, curious.
"Rebe—Rebecca taught me h-how to m-make this," Nino explained, sniffing. Even through all of her tears and worries, even after all she had been through, she managed a tiny smile—something Jaffar immediately noticed. The smile widened slowly as she wiped her tears away with her hand, and it filled the assassin with happiness because he knew the old Nino was returning. "Sh-she said...she said I-I should give it...t-to someone...who's s-special to me." Her face was bright red, but perhaps that was because she had been crying only moments ago. She stared at the pendant for a few more moments before looking up...and handing it to Jaffar.
"I-I want you to h-have it," she said softly, her tiny smile growing wider despite the tearstains still on her face.
The warmth he had missed so much was overwhelming him with its intensity. She had just trusted him with what had to be her most valuable possession, something she had said she would only give to someone she thought was special to her... It was almost too much for Jaffar to bear, even though he delighted in it.
He took the pendant from her hand, staring at it as though it was a priceless keepsake, which, for him, it was. "Why...do you want me to have this?" he asked softly, almost incredulously. It was hard for him to believe that Nino would just give her greatest treasure to him without any reason.
"W-well..." She looked away for a moment, embarrassed, before her gaze returned to his eyes, her smile even wider now. "Y-you're...very special to me, Jaffar..."
Jaffar could barely breathe. He felt as though he might fall into a daze if the warmth coursing through him got any stronger. He couldn't believe the reversal of fortune that had just occurred. Only minutes beforehand he had thought that taking Nino back to her tent had gone worse than he could have ever imagined, and now he felt the best that he ever had in his entire life.
"B-but, Jaffar..." she went on, and now her voice held a more serious tone. "I want...I-I want you to promise me something."
"What is it?" Jaffar asked, not really caring how simple or difficult it might be to keep. He would do anything for this girl.
"I want...I-I need you to promise that you'll be able to return this to me," she said softly, her eyes falling slightly. "I need you to promise that you...won't get hurt. I want you to stay with me... I don't know what I'd do without you, Jaffar, I..." She trailed off.
The assassin closed his hand around the pendant. "Of course...I promise," he replied softly, the warmth still coursing through him making it strangely hard to speak. "I will always be near you..."
Nino smiled serenely at him, her cheeks tinted pink. "Thank you so much, Jaffar..." Then, without warning, she placed her arms around the assassin, hugging him tight, and Jaffar knew that this time her embrace was not a means of support but a gesture of affection. "We'll...we'll always be friends, right?"
Jaffar returned the embrace slowly, almost dumbstruck by the warmth threatening to engulf his mind. "Of...of course," he replied slowly, but sincerely. "You are...you are my best friend, Nino..." he added. She was his only friend, but it was nonetheless the truth, and he meant every word. He was filled with the strangest feeling, however. It was as though he knew there was something else he had forgotten to tell her, something she needed to know, but he could not remember what it was.
She hugged him tighter, letting out a happy sigh. "You're my best friend, too...Jaffar."
They sat there for a few moments, simply enjoying the embrace. And Jaffar knew, as warmth flooded through him, that the old Nino, his Nino, had returned.
Whew! This one took a long while to plan out...what did you guys think? Remember, don't hesitate to point out any problems that catch your eye. I need to know these things if I want to improve! :)
Also, my next update will probably be a little late. My mid-year exams are next week, so...yeah. You get the picture. I might still be able to get up the next chapter in a normal amount of time, but I wouldn't expect it.
All right, well I have to go catch the school bus (one hour snow delays RULE! :D). But until next time...
Please review!!!
-TheOneAndOnlyT