Well, here we are...the last chapter. And since this is the last chapter, you know what's coming up...
Spectral Flame: Thanks for your review!
fire-emblem-girl: Thanks for your review!
Kein: Thanks for your review!
Ryst: I also think Matthew and Jaffar's final support was supposed to be more of a private meeting, and in the scene I wrote, I tried to portray Matthew as wanting to keep it that way. If you look back at it, you'll notice that Jaffar is the one who really made the scene "public" by knocking Matthew out of the tent.
Nocturna-Fire-Demoness: That was Matthew and Jaffar's A support, though Matthew didn't really go insane in the game. Then again, you can't really discern his emotions in the game, so...
Hamano Ayumi: Well, here's the resolution to that cliffhanger, OK? You can calm down... :P
Inferno-Hero: No, you didn't flame me! I was just referring to the joke you made about being overly critical. That would be a flame. :P
Dracobolt: How was Matthew out of character? I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong.
K-GForever: Thanks for your review!
Flaming Soul: Thanks for your review!
hyliansage: I want to respond to your review, but it'd probably end up being about half a page long, sorry. XD Thanks for your review!
Firelien: The problem for the "crowd" in the last chapter was not with whether or not they liked Jaffar. Instead, as I wrote, they were concerned for their own safety if they were to intervene. I don't know about you, but I certainly wouldn't get in the way of someone with a knife that looks crazy...
Duderly Bob: Thanks for your review!
icy angelwings: Thanks for your review!
The Blazing Blade: Why do you think Legault is too cocky? Remember, I can't fix someone's character if you don't tell me what's wrong with it.
lzn64: Thanks for your review!
FireEdge: You know AIM is free, right? Why not get it :(
Lao Who Mai: Uh... -backs away- Thanks for your review...
Jeanie: Thanks for your review!
Kakayo: Well, don't worry. There's plenty more stuff happening in this chapter...
timmycheese: Haha, if you really want to go back to the beginning, you should go look at the start of Defiance. I've come such a long way since then -sniff-
Oswin the Nino Fan: Matthew doesn't deserve to die, not after all he's been through...but he certainly shouldn't have tried to take his anger out on Jaffar. :) Thanks for your review!
gentleness28: You've got great timing on the picture, you know. Only the epilogue remains after this chapter, and it'd be cool if you finished it at the same time the story ended. :)
angel white: Hello there, Sapphire. :) Thanks for your review!
Sokuma: Thanks for your review!
urda: Thanks for your review!
Ragnarok-legend: Well, it's going to be undone now. Thanks for your review!
Destiny'sPromise: Thanks for your review!
And now, the moment(s) that you've all been waiting for...
Chapter Eighteen
Smile
Jaffar couldn't breathe, much less speak. Did Legault's words mean what he thought they meant? He was paralyzed with shock, not just because of the thief's answer but also because of the fact that he had gotten that answer so quickly. Legault had not told him anything despite the assassin's persistence the first time they had met, and yet now the thief was speaking freely with almost no effort on Jaffar's part.
But the assassin's thoughts quickly turned to what Legault had actually said, and what it meant. Had the entire army really been so certain that he loved Nino? He wondered how he could have been so oblivious. Had he been so focused on the young mage herself that he never listened to the conversations going on around him?
Jaffar quickly dropped that train of thought, though, as he realized what else the thief had just told him. Did Legault really mean...
Noticing Jaffar's shocked expression, Legault's grin grew wider, and he began chuckling again. "Is it really that much of a surprise to you?" he asked, genuinely curious. "I was expecting you to tell her that you loved her days ago, Angel of Death. Everyone was, really. Especially the girls; they couldn't stop talking about you two."
Jaffar might have been surprised by the thief's report of the rumors about him and Nino if it weren't for Legault's confirmation to his suspicion.
He loved Nino. And not only Legault, but every soldier in the battalion besides him had known it for days. There were so many emotions rushing through him that he didn't know what to feel. He was angry, because this secret had been kept from him for so long, and because he had been unable to recognize it himself, yet he was also content because he now knew the answer to the question that had plagued him for days on end. He was confused, wondering why Legault had not given him this answer in the first place, but he was also pleased with the thief for finally providing it, even if it had taken several days.
But above all, more than anything, he felt an overwhelming happiness and warmth surge through him when he realized the implications of his feelings. No longer would he have to worry about what might happen after his travels with the army were over. He could stay with Nino forever, protecting her from anything and everything while she continued to provide him with that warmth and emotion that had remade him and created his feelings for her in the first place. And it would never end...
His mind abruptly showed him all those times when he had seen other romantic couples, all those times he had wondered whether he wanted to be like them. And for the first time, he realized that he did. He thought of that time he had seen Eliwood and Ninian holding each other close in front of the campfire...and then imagined himself and Nino in that position instead. The mere thought of sharing a moment like that with her sent a tingle of happiness down his spine. Simply sitting there, holding her in his arms, letting her warmth flow into him, acting just like all those other couples he had seen... Why had he never recognized this emotion before? The more he thought about his love for Nino, the more incredulous he became that it had taken him this long to understand his feelings. That disbelief, however, was quickly washed away by pure delight. He loved Nino...
And Legault quickly noticed the change in Jaffar's demeanor. "It looks," he said, still chuckling, his grin growing into a smile, "like I just told you something you really wanted to hear."
He could not have been more correct, and Jaffar wanted to reply, to agree with the thief, but found himself too dazed by the warmth consuming his body to speak. Instead, he nodded slowly, but his eyes were not focused on the Hurricane, or anything else for that matter. It was as though he was in a dream, as though everything around him had disappeared, leaving only himself and the love for the young mage he felt inside him—the only things that mattered to him at that moment.
And Legault laughed. "I'll take that as a yes," he said cheerily, but Jaffar barely heard him.
He simply sat there, reveling in the emotions he had felt so many times in his experiences with Nino but had only recognized at this moment. Once again, he found himself wondering why it had taken so long for him to admit to himself that he loved the girl. When he looked back on them, the signs seemed so obvious; why had he been so uncertain and indecisive? It would have saved him a great deal of trouble if he had just been able to tell himself yes, he did love Nino, and be done with it.
But all of that wondering, all of the "should haves" whirling through Jaffar's mind disappeared instantly as he heard something behind him. It was a voice, the sweet, melodious voice he had grown to know and cherish.
"Hi, Jaffar!"
She walked by the assassin towards the tent she shared with him, looking over her shoulder at him as she walked and waving, smiling radiantly. Jaffar's breath left him abruptly, and he could do nothing more than stare back dumbly, watching Nino, feeling almost as though he were in a dream. Had she always been so beautiful? Why had he never noticed that before?
Suddenly, he held his hand to his forehead, looking at the ground in utter amazement. Where had that thought come from? He had never thought of any girl as beautiful before; he had, after all, never cared about such things. He was astounded; he had never thought that love could have such a profound effect on his thoughts.
Then again, he supposed, love had been altering his thoughts from the very moment that he had met her.
It was not a bad thing. He might have begun to think about the girl in a different way, but she was still Nino, and he still loved her. And now all that remained for the assassin to do was to tell the young mage how he felt about her. After that, he could stay with her for the rest of his life...
He looked again at Legault, about to thank him for finally ending his confusion, for giving him this opportunity to remain by Nino's side forever. He found the thief grinning back at him so widely that his teeth showed.
"Go tell her," he said simply. And Jaffar knew exactly what he meant.
"Thank you," the assassin responded as he stood up, still dazed slightly by all of the realizations and recognitions that had taken place only within the past few minutes. He was about to leave, was about to rush off to his tent so he could tell Nino his feelings, but Legault stopped him.
"Oh, Jaffar?" The assassin noticed that that was the first time the thief had called him by his name and not his title.
He turned back to the thief. "What is it?" he asked, almost as though he was in a trance. The dreamy shock still had not worn off.
Legault was no longer grinning, his expression somber. "About...the last time we spoke," he said slowly. "I must apologize. I was too stubborn to realize...Nino really has changed you." He turned his head away, staring off into space, sighing wistfully, reminiscing. "You have no idea how lucky you are to have met her when you did." Jaffar was about to ask the thief what he meant when he abruptly went on, looking back up at the assassin and grinning again, albeit faintly. "But surely you don't want to hear about that." His grin grew wider. "Go to her, Jaffar. I'm sure she'll be delighted to hear what you have to say."
It was all the encouragement Jaffar needed. Turning, he dashed back to his tent.
-
Nino was lying on her bedroll, reading quietly with one leg propped up on the other as Jaffar entered their tent. She looked up from her book as he came in, smiling serenely once she recognized who it was. Jaffar felt his breath catch in his throat as the familiar warmth filled him, more intensely than ever before, because he knew he would never have to worry about missing it ever again.
I love you. Three little words. That was all he had to say, and he would be with her forever.
"Nino," he said breathlessly. "There is something I must tell you."
"Really?" she asked in response, smiling expectantly. "What is it?"
He opened his mouth to speak, but as he did so, a terrifying possibility entered his mind, one that he had not anticipated before. He should have asked Legault about it, but he had been too caught up in his own realizations to remember it, and the possibility remained: what if Nino didn't love him?
He had been so focused on the prospect of staying by the girl's side for the rest of his life that he had neglected to realize such a relationship depended not on the feelings of one person but those of both of the people involved. He loved Nino, was absolutely certain of it now, but if she didn't feel the same way, then his feelings meant nothing.
He remembered how he had told Nino they would always be friends, and he chillingly realized that he would have to break that promise. Obviously, if Nino did love him, then she would understand. He wasn't worried about that. But if it turned out that perhaps her feelings for him were not that strong, then she would push him away, would not want to remain friends with him anymore. Not if he had broken his promise to her.
I love you. Three little words. That was all he had to say, and he could destroy the bond he shared with her.
"Jaffar?" Nino's voice broke him out of his thoughts, the voice of the girl he loved. Her eyebrows were arched in confusion; her eyes sparkled with concern at his silence. "Are you...all right?" she asked slowly, carefully.
"...I'm fine," he replied after a moment, just as slowly. Guilt ripped through his insides as he spoke; he hated having to lie to the young mage. But he needed to be absolutely sure before he told her his feelings. He dearly wanted to tell her, but he felt it would be better to remain simply friends with her than to potentially lose the bond they shared. "It's nothing," he went on, shaking his head. "Never mind."
Nino blinked, clearly confused. "Well...if you say so..." she replied slowly, though her expression indicated she did not believe him. She returned to her book, no longer smiling as she usually was when reading.
Jaffar lay down on his bedroll silently, cursing himself for not thinking before. He had continually wondered whether the young mage loved him; why had he forgotten that doubt just a moment ago? He could have lost her had he not remembered it, and that was a prospect too terrible to even think about.
He looked over at Nino again, who did not notice as she was focused on the magic tome she was reading. Again the desire burned within him; he needed to tell the girl that he loved her. He could have said it at that very moment if he had the courage, but he was too afraid of being rejected, too afraid of losing her.
I love you. Three little words. That was all he had to say; it would be over in less than a second. But was it worth the risk? No, he needed to be sure of her feelings, just as he had previously needed to be sure of his own. Perhaps he could ask Legault about that...
Of course, he could ask Legault about it. He had forgotten to do so before, but he could always speak with the thief again the next day. Then, if it turned out Nino really did love him, then he could tell her what he wanted to. If she didn't, well...he didn't know how he would react. It would hurt, but...it would be better to keep his feelings secret and remain friends with her if that were the case.
Yet part of his mind didn't want to wait to speak with Legault, wanted to tell her at that very moment. He could do it. All he would have to do was say those three little words and it would be over. But then again, another part of his mind argued, he had already waited over a week just to figure out his own love, so what harm was there in waiting one more day? As long as he was able to tell her in the end, it wouldn't matter.
He lay on his bedroll for some time, silently thinking, wondering whether to just get it over with and tell Nino his feelings or to wait. He never remembered falling asleep, but he had to have done so at some point, because that night, he had a very strange dream.
-
The grassy plain stretched endlessly in all directions; the rain fell quietly from the darkened heavens. Jaffar blinked, confused. When had he gotten here?
The raindrops fell into his hair, but he could not feel them. He held out a hand, attempting to catch a drop. He could see the rain hitting his arm, but it left no tangible sensation. It was as though he had become completely numb. What was going on?
The biggest surprise, however, came when he looked down.
Nino was there. The girl's arms were wrapped around his waist; her little body was pressed tightly against his. How could he not have noticed her? To his horror, though, he found he could not feel Nino's arms either. Her warmth should have been filling him; he should have been delighted at her embrace. Yet he could not feel a thing.
He simply stood there, confused beyond belief. What had happened to him?
He tried to return Nino's embrace, but before he could even move his arms, Nino spoke.
"I love you, Jaffar..." she whispered.
The assassin's breath caught in his throat. Had he heard correctly? It was exactly what he had wanted to hear from her...yet even now, there was no warmth flowing through him, no happy reaction to what she had just said. There was...nothing. No emotion whatsoever, except his continual confusion. Why?
The young mage looked up at him, smiling brightly, expectantly. She was waiting for him to reply. And even though he could not feel her, even though there was no warmth flowing through him, he still knew what she wanted him to say.
"I love you, Nino," he replied softly. At least, he attempted to reply. His mouth moved, but no sound came from him. He tried again; still nothing. Eyes widening in panic, he looked down at the girl still embracing him. Her expression had not changed; she was still smiling expectantly, still waiting for him to say something.
But what could he do? He tried to say the words again and again, but his voice never came. And Nino continued to stare innocently at him, as though he had done nothing at all, as though she could not see the effort with which he was trying to speak. She simply kept smiling expectantly at him, still waiting for the words she was clearly longing to hear.
But as Jaffar's silence grew longer and longer—despite his efforts against it—Nino's expression began to change. Her smile faded slowly; she appeared to realize that she was not going to get a response, or at least not the response she wanted to hear. The happy sparkle in her eyes disappeared, to be replaced by helplessness and then, after a time, tears. "No..." she whispered despairingly, trying her hardest not to cry. Her arms, which had been wrapped around the assassin, dropped slowly to her side. "Jaffar...you..."
Jaffar tried again to speak, tried to soothe her, but still he could not say a word. Realizing this, he instead tried to calm her physically, tried to place a hand on her shoulder, but as he moved to do so, she angrily wrenched herself away.
"No!" she screamed, her tears bursting forth. Then, quite suddenly, her voice dropped to a despondent whisper. "I thought you loved me, Jaffar..."
And then, turning, she dashed away from him into the endless plain, sobbing all the while.
"Nino!" he tried to call, but still, nothing. But he couldn't let her leave him, not like this, not when he still had to tell her his feelings...
He knew he could run faster than the girl, and he was about to do just that when he found that he could not move his legs. What had happened to him? He couldn't feel, couldn't speak, couldn't walk...what had made him this way?
Unable to do anything to stop her, he could only stand there, staring helplessly as the girl he loved ran away from him, through the rain, further and further away...
-
Gasping, Jaffar shot straight up in his bedroll, breathing heavily. He looked around himself hurriedly, disoriented. Had it all been a dream?
Slowly, as though he was afraid the young mage actually might not be there, he looked to his side at the bedroll next to him. The lantern was still burning despite the hour of night, and in its light he could see Nino sleeping soundly. One of her magic tomes lay open on her chest, rising and falling slowly with her breathing.
Jaffar could feel nothing but an overwhelming sense of relief flooding through him, and it was further intensified by the fact that he could feel his emotions once again. He had thought that he had lost her, but he had only been dreaming. She was still there with him, and he still had the chance to tell her that he loved her.
Nino looked so peaceful, sleeping there, and he could not help but feel a rush of emotion and warmth coursing through him as he looked at the girl. Slowly, as though he needed to make sure that she was actually real, he reached out a hand, touching her sleeping form gently. And he could feel her; she was really there. She mumbled something that sounded startlingly like his name at his touch before rolling away from him, her book falling onto the floor of the tent. The relief filled him again; he could hardly believe that she was still there.
But, he wondered as he lay back on his bedroll, had his dream perhaps meant something? If it had, he couldn't think of what its meaning could be. After all, he could feel, he could speak, and he could move. Why would those abilities ever leave him? It didn't make sense.
He fell asleep again wondering about it, but this time he slept dreamlessly.
-
The next morning, Jaffar woke to the sound of a heavy rain falling onto the roof of the tent. Nino had already awoken, and it appeared she had not wasted a moment before returning to her book, reading enthusiastically. She looked up at the assassin as he rose, smiling warmly, yet her expression seemed slightly subdued, somehow.
"Good morning," she greeted him softly. He nodded in acknowledgement, a reply he had become accustomed to in his travels with her.
After that, the two of them lapsed into silence, the rain making the only sound in the tent. Jaffar lay back on his bedroll, listening to the rain, wondering what the army would be doing because of the weather. Nino returned to her reading, but out of the corner of his eye Jaffar could frequently see she kept turning her head towards him, as though she wanted to tell him something, before snapping her eyes back towards her book. She tried to make it look like she was reading, but it was obvious to Jaffar that she was distracted.
Finally, though, she seemed to work up the courage to speak with him. "Jaffar?" she asked softly.
He sat up, turning to her. "What is it?" he asked in response.
The young mage looked at the floor, trying to think of the best way to phrase her question. After a moment, she looked up, her expression almost accusing. "Jaffar," she said, "what was the matter last night?"
Jaffar felt a sting of fear. Had she been wondering about what he had wanted to tell her the previous evening? To make sure, he asked slowly, "What...do you mean?"
Nino's gaze returned to the floor. "Well...you said you had something to tell me, but then all of a sudden you just...stopped." She looked back up at him, but this time her expression was one of concern. "Is...something wrong, Jaffar?"
Jaffar was afraid to speak. What could he say? Part of him still burned to tell the young mage that he loved her, but he was still afraid, terrified of maybe being rejected. Fortunately for him, though, at that moment, there was a convenient interruption.
The front flap of the tent opened slightly, and the two of them could see Mark standing there in the rain, a heavy cloak wrapped about his body to keep himself dry. "Just thought you two might want to know," he said quickly, clearly wanting to say what he needed to and to get out of the rain as fast as possible. "We aren't going anywhere today. The weather's too bad for us to really make any progress, and on top of that we don't want anyone getting sick. Merlinus will be by in a minute with some food for today, all right?"
Nino nodded, smiling slightly. "Thank you," she replied politely, and Mark quickly left. As soon as the tactician was gone, however, she quickly turned back to Jaffar, her baby-blue eyes again sparkling with worry. "Did something...bad happen to you last night, Jaffar?" she asked slowly, clearly not wanting to offend the assassin in any way.
"No," Jaffar lied, preferring not to let the girl know about his confrontation with Matthew. It didn't have anything to do with what he wanted to tell her, anyway.
"Well, what was the matter, then?" Nino pressed, hurt at the fact that the assassin was attempting to keep secrets from her. "You can tell me anything, Jaffar," she said soothingly, trying to persuade him to speak.
"It was nothing," Jaffar lied again, still afraid to tell her what he wanted despite the encouragement she had just given him. At the same moment, though, he thought of a way to end the conversation. It was something that he was going to do in any case, but it now provided him with a means of postponing having to tell Nino what she wanted to know. "I have to go speak with Legault," he said quickly, moving towards the entrance of the tent.
Nino blinked, both confused and hurt at the fact that Jaffar was pushing her away. "But...it's raining," she protested. "You heard what Mark said; he doesn't want anyone falling ill..."
"It's urgent," he explained simply, before dashing out of the tent without another word. Nino only stared silently, sadly after him.
-
Jaffar ran through the rain, not caring about getting wet or about Mark yelling after him to get back in his tent. If he didn't speak with Legault now, then Nino would force the assassin's feelings out of him before he wanted them to be known, and he couldn't have that. He had briefly considered the fact that Canas would be in the tent as well, but had quickly decided that that was not a bad thing. After all, Nino had spent a great deal of time with the shaman, so he might know a few things about the young mage's feelings.
He threw open the flap as he reached Legault and Canas's tent, quickly surveying the inside. The thief lay on his bedroll, apparently attempting to get back to sleep but failing. The shaman, unsurprisingly, had his nose buried in a book, speedily devouring the knowledge it contained.
Both of them, however, looked up as the assassin opened the front of the tent, Legault muttering a few choice words under his breath at having his slumber disrupted. When the thief realized who it was, however, his annoyance quickly turned into a grin. "Oh, it's you, Jaffar," he said cheerily, sitting up. "So...did you tell her?"
Jaffar shook his head, his expression neutral. "No," he replied simply.
Legault blinked a few times, confused. "Well, why not?" he asked, cocking his head slightly. "You seemed eager enough when we spoke last night..."
"Er, if I may interrupt..." Canas suddenly interjected before Jaffar could reply, clearly confused by Jaffar and Legault's conversation. "I'm terribly sorry if I'm being nosy, but what exactly are you two speaking about?"
Legault turned to the shaman, chuckling, his grin growing into an amused smile. "Our friend here is lovesick," he explained. "And apparently I've become Mister Romantic Advice overnight," he added, laughing.
"Is that so?" Canas asked, smiling slightly. He looked over at the assassin, who had now walked in and sat down, closing the tent to keep out the rain. "If I may ask, who would happen to be the object of your affections?"
"You have to ask, Canas?" Legault jokingly admonished the shaman, laughing again. "Think about it for a second."
Canas did as he was told, then smiled suddenly. "Ah, of course," he said. "It's that lovely young girl Nino, is it not?" When Legault did not decide to reply to the shaman's question, Jaffar gave a short nod.
"So as I was saying, Jaffar," Legault asked after the assassin had nodded, leaning back against the wall of the tent, "why exactly would you not want to tell Nino how you felt about her?"
Jaffar took a deep breath as part of his mind wondered the same thing. "There was...something I was still unsure of," he replied slowly. "Something that I forgot to ask you."
Legault cocked his head, intrigued. "Oh? What might that be?"
"Does Nino love me?"
In response to the assassin's question, Legault and Canas looked at each other, smiling knowingly. Then, as he looked back at Jaffar, the thief gave a snort of disbelief, shaking his head. "Honestly, Jaffar," he remarked playfully, "for all of the training we went through to improve our sight, you certainly seem blind sometimes."
"What do you mean?" Jaffar asked, slightly annoyed. He had begun to dislike the thief's roundabout way of speaking.
"I'm saying it should have been obvious to you, Jaffar," Legault replied, grinning. "It was obvious to us, at least. The girl adores you."
Jaffar wasn't quite sure how to react. Nino loved him? Warmth and happiness flooded him as he realized what it meant. Now—and this time he was sure of it—he would be able to stay with the young mage for the rest of his life. Now he could tell her his own feelings without fear...
"Indeed," Canas added. "She told Legault and myself that many times, in fact. She's been wanting to tell you so for days now, you know."
"Why would she not tell me?" Jaffar asked, again finding it hard to speak due to the warmth coursing through him.
"Why do you think, Jaffar?" Legault asked in response. "She was afraid you wouldn't feel the same way. Needless to say, when I told her that you wouldn't understand a feeling such as love, that didn't exactly help things."
"It seems Legault's suspicions were incorrect, however," Canas added, smiling. "I must say, it seems rather incredible to know that the Angel of Death has fallen in love."
"Yep," Legault agreed.
"From the stories I read about you," Canas went on, "I thought—and please excuse me for my ignorance—that you would be unable to feel emotion, much less love. But Nino spoke so highly of you, I wondered how those stories could possibly be true." He smiled again. "From what she told me, it seemed as though the Angel of Death was instead a guardian angel."
"Yep," Legault agreed again. "So, Jaffar," he went on, "I think that was what you wanted to hear, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Jaffar replied breathlessly, too excited by the prospect of telling Nino he loved her to be able to speak properly.
"Well, then, go tell her," the thief replied. "Oh, and Jaffar?" he called as the assassin began to stand up. "This time, make sure you actually do it, okay?" he asked, grinning. "Love is the best feeling you can ever experience. Don't pass up the chance you've been given."
Jaffar nodded. "I won't," he replied.
-
Jaffar ran back to the tent he shared with Nino more confident than he had ever been before. Yet even though he now knew, was certain that Nino loved him, a different doubt began to take hold of him as he approached the tent: what if something went wrong? He had never done anything like this before; what would happen if he said something he wasn't supposed to, if he wasn't able to tell her what he wanted?
Then again, he supposed, he could deal with that if it happened. For now, all that mattered was telling Nino that he loved her.
Nino was sitting on her bedroll, staring at the floor sadly. She looked up as Jaffar entered, but her gaze quickly returned to the ground. She looked like she was going to cry.
And any enthusiasm Jaffar had felt disappeared instantly, to be replaced by concern for the young mage. "Nino..." he said softly, soothingly.
She looked up, regarding the assassin for a moment, then spoke. "Why won't you talk to me, Jaffar?" she asked, her voice a despairing whisper. "I just want to know what happened..."
"I...I'm sorry," Jaffar apologized, feeling miserable at his earlier attempts to push the girl away. Slowly, he walked over to his bedroll, sitting down, not caring that he was making it wet from the rain. "I was...afraid..."
"Afraid?" Nino asked, wiping her eyes, taking comfort in the fact that Jaffar was speaking to her now. "Afraid of what?"
"Afraid of how you would react," Jaffar explained somberly. "It was...about my promise to you. I said that I would always...be your friend."
Nervousness was taking hold of him, and more than ever he was fearful that he might say something wrong. Even what he was about to tell her, that he could not keep his promise to remain friends with her, could go drastically awry if he could not explain his reasons immediately afterwards. He would have to be quick.
Nino cocked her head at him, eyebrows arching sadly as though she knew what Jaffar was going to say had to be horrible. "W-...what about that promise?" she asked slowly, as though afraid of the answer she might receive.
The assassin closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for what he had to say. "Nino..." he said softly. "Something has changed. I can no longer keep that promise."
Nino's reaction was instantaneous, too quick for Jaffar to react. She blanched almost immediately, her breath beginning to come in gasps. The edges of her eyes began to sparkle with tears. "W-what?" she whispered in response, refusing to believe what she had heard. "B-but...you promised..."
"Nino," Jaffar responded quickly, before she could start crying. "Please, relax; it's not what you—"
"No!" she suddenly shouted. "You promised, Jaffar!" Tears began streaming down her face as she jumped up. "A-am I just a bother to you? You just want to be rid of me, don't you!"
"Nino!" Jaffar said, panicking, trying to calm her down. This wasn't what was supposed to happen! He had to calm her down now! "Listen to me—"
"How could you, Jaffar?" she whispered despairingly, paying him no heed. She took a step backwards, then screamed, "I hate you!"
Time seemed to freeze at that moment; the words cut into his very soul. He couldn't move, couldn't breathe, couldn't speak. He was only able to stare helplessly straight ahead, unable to believe what he had just heard. It was just as he had feared. He had said something wrong, and now, instead of Nino knowing his feelings, she hated him...
He barely registered Nino running out of the tent, sobbing as she dashed into the rain. And then, with a jolt, his dream came back to him. It was the same thing: Nino running into the rain, while he remained rooted to the spot, unable to believe what was happening...
Quickly, he jumped up. This was no dream. He could feel, he could move, and he could speak. And he was not going to let Nino get away this time. Not until she knew everything...
-
Racing out of the tent, not caring that the rain was soaking through his clothes, Jaffar caught sight of Nino at the opposite end of the campsite. At first, he thought she was going to run into Legault's tent, but she passed it without breaking stride, running out of the circle of tents. Clearly, she did not want to speak with anyone. She just wanted to get as far away from Jaffar as possible.
But Jaffar was not going to allow that, not as long as she remained ignorant of his love for her. He dashed after the girl, catching up to her quickly, finally getting close enough to reach out and touch her once they were several hundred feet away from the campsite. A wave of despair rushed through him as Nino's sobs reached his ears, but he quickly comforted himself with the fact that those would be ending soon if everything went as he wanted it to.
He lunged for the girl, catching her around the waist, but she was still running and their combined weight sent both of them crashing to the ground, covering their clothes with the dirt and mud the rain had created.
Nino struggled in the assassin's grip, managing to turn herself over as she looked up at her assailant. Jaffar was hit with a vicious blow to his insides as he saw the tears, the pain and hatred in the girl's baby-blue eyes, and it was made even worse by the fact that he knew all of it was directed at him. But no. He had to fix what he had done. He didn't care how she was feeling, he had to tell her...
"Let go of me, Jaffar!" she screamed as she struggled in his arms. "I—"
"I love you," he whispered.
And then, for a few moments, all that could be heard was the sound of the rain falling.
Nino's sobs stopped instantly. Her eyes widening to the point where it looked like they would pop out of her head, she stared at the assassin silently, her mouth open wide in shock.
"W-what...d-did you say?" she whispered faintly after a few moments.
He stood up slowly, allowing her to do the same, before he repeated the same three little words. "I love you."
Her shock still had not worn off, and she stared up at Jaffar with the same astounded expression. "Jaffar..." she whispered, "d-do y-you...really?"
He nodded slowly. "That is why I cannot keep my promise..." he replied. Silently, he hoped, prayed that Nino was taking this the way he wanted her to.
She continued to stare up at him silently, still unable to speak. Then, finally, she let out an explosive breath. "Oh..." she whispered to herself, shaking her head, tears springing forth anew. Then, quite suddenly, she flung her arms around the assassin, sobbing into his chest, clutching him desperately. "Oh...Jaffar..." she whispered. "I-I'm...so s-sorry. S-so...sorry..."
"W-what...do you mean?" Jaffar asked slowly, returning the embrace, but his mind was filled with terrifying possibilities. Was she apologizing...because she did not feel the same way as he did?
"I-I'm such a-an idiot," she admonished herself, still sobbing into the assassin's chest. Then, quite suddenly, she looked up at Jaffar's face, sniffling. "I-I didn't know y-you...oh, Jaffar..."
Jaffar could only return the embrace silently. What did she mean? "Nino..."
She sniffed again, wiping her eyes, trying to stop her tears. "I'm...I-I'm so sorry, Jaffar..." she whispered. "I di—I didn't mean to s-snap at you l-like that...I had no i-idea..."
"Nino, what do you mean?" he insisted. Why was she reacting this way?
The girl wiped her eyes again. "Jaffar..." she whispered, gazing into the assassin's eyes intently. "D-do you r-really...love..."
"I do," he responded resolutely, holding the girl closer, hoping she felt the same way. "I love you, Nino."
And then, the young mage smiled. It was small at first, but it quickly grew ecstatically, and she began to cry again, but this time they were tears of happiness. "Oh, Jaffar..." she whispered, before burying her head in the assassin's chest once again. "I...I love you, too..."
Jaffar didn't know what to do, didn't know how to react. He wanted to laugh, he wanted to cry, he wanted to scream with joy. He did none of those things, but he did something he had never done before.
For the first time in his life, Jaffar, the assassin, the Angel of Death, smiled.
"I thought you were going to leave me..." Nino whispered in a thick voice, as if the mere thought made her sad.
"No," he responded, his voice barely above a whisper. "I could never leave you, Nino." He pulled her closer, marveling at the fact that she held him tighter in return, that she actually loved him. "When this battle has ended...we should...live together," he suggested. More than anything, he wanted to make sure that he would be able to stay with her.
"Yes..." she whispered without a second's hesitation. "Jaffar...don't ever leave me..."
"Never," he vowed. "I could never leave you, Nino..." he repeated.
"Jaffar..." Nino whispered, raising her head from his chest. She stared directly into his eyes. "Please...promise me, Jaffar," she said, as if her entire life depended on it. "You have to promise that you'll never leave. You have to."
"On my honor," he promised. But that was not enough, his honor was not good enough. Not for her. He needed to swear his oath over something that would never, could never fail her. And the answer came to him quickly; it was something that she could depend on with her life, because she herself had helped create it: "On my heart."
And as Nino smiled again, as he smiled again in return, as he drew her little body to his once again, as the rain continued falling on them, Jaffar felt truly at peace.
Legault had not lied. This truly was the most wonderful feeling anyone could ever experience...
(12:54 AM) Whew! Finally finished it...and just in time for Valentine's Day, too :D I hope the length of the chapter makes up for its lateness...
So...how was it? Was it good? Was everyone in character? I really like the way this turned out. Hope you do too...
As always, there will be an epilogue following this chapter, so don't think I'm done yet! But until then...
Please review!
-TheOneAndOnlyT