Disclaimer: I don't own any of the original Shadow Hearts characters including those in the sequel. However the ones that I add well obviously I own. So suing would be a real waste of time.

Note: I have played both games but it was shortly after the second one came out so it's been a while. So if anything that happens in this story doesn't fall into the story line please forgive me and consider this an Alternate Universe piece. This story takes place three years after the end of Shadow Hearts the Covenant.

Yet Another Note: The character ages are most likely wrong but oh well, correct me and I'll think about fixing it.

Reviewer's Responses

kingleby: I didn't think Anastasia was the kind of girl to pay much attention to her dance lessons so I made it that way. lol. Poor Kurando in my opinion. (He's my favorite character other then Karin.)

aegis: I'm SO sorry. Thanks for pointing that out to me! I wasn't sure where Karin was from so I took another guess and made it Russia. If I'm wrong I'll just fix it again. lol.

F-chan1: NO! Alice will never make her way into the story unless I make her an evil evil evil villain! (I REALLY didn't like little miss goody goody Alice. takes calming breathe Sorry, just a slight outburst.)

Fragile Reunion

Chapter 4 Introductions

Karin moved into the center of the room and looked around, "Okay so you've met Yuri and Anastasia, right?" she said scanning the room for faces.

"Yeah." Nika said nodding.

"Okay so let's go and meet…umm…let's start with someone half way normal okay?" she whispered laughing slightly.

"Right." Nika said trying to imagine any of the people in the room being normal.

"Oh there we go Kurando!" Karin grabbed her arm and hauled her over to a table where Kurando could be seen rubbing his swollen feet and trying to smile at the same time. Nika tried hard not to laugh at the young man but could not.

She was giggling softly when they reached the table and he looked up at them and blushed, "My feet are…sore to say the least." he muttered aware of Anastasia's admiring gaze from her seat next to the Emperor and Empress.

Nika laughed and he blushed again, "Kurando I would like you to meet my niece Nika Koenig." she said laying her hand on Nika's shoulder. Kurando stood up wincing slightly as he stood on his injured feet and Nika covered her laugh.

He grinned and bowed to her, "It's good to know my agony is funny to you." he said jokingly.

Nika smiled, "Not the agony just the look on your face while your in agony and trying to hide it." Kurando laughed clearly amused.

"My name is Kurando Inugami. I'm Yuri's cousin." he said pointing to where Yuri was hiding from a very determined Lucia.

Nika nodded, "He's a very nice man." Nika said remembering how he had tried to save her on the train.

"Man?" Kurando asked looking playfully shocked. Karin slapped him in the back of the head and the three of them started laughing.

A tall blonde man sat down at the table nervously, "If I sit here no one will notice me right?" he asked. Nika looked at him like he'd lost his mind but luckily Kurando said what she was going to.

"Joachim, you're almost seven feet tall, as big as a tree and you don't want to be noticed? Lost cause my friend, lost cause." he said sadly. Joachim thumped his head onto the table and groaned.

Again the three of them laughed together and Nika felt something tugging at her heart and she smiled as the long forgotten feeling of happiness began to bloom. Kurando caught her eye and looked away, Nika flushed slightly and when she caught sight of Karin looking from Kurando and back to Nika with a small smile on her face she froze. Nika watched her aunt for a moment and then pulled her away from the table.

"You're playing matchmaker!" she cried quietly.

Karin broke into a smile, "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it! It's just too perfect! Besides Yuri gave me the idea. He mentioned how depressed Kurando had been lately and then you showed up and it was just too much of a coincidence to be ignored!" she said the huge smile on her face made Nika think it would be stuck there for the rest of her life.

"Fine, fine just quit smiling like that!" Nika said taking a step back as her aunt began looking very maniacal.

Karin put her hands over her face and rubbed the look away and then looked back up at Nika, "Sorry not sure where that came from. Anyway, let's get back to the introductions." she said as she grabbed Nika's hand and led her back to the table where Yuri, Joachim and Kurando were all sitting and laughing.

"Okay so Nika, this is Joachim Valentine, and you've already met Yuri and Kurando."

Nika nodded at them and smiled, "Kurando, you have to help me." Yuri said suddenly grinning slyly at Nika.

"With what?" he asked glancing at his cousin suspiciously.

"Well I've asked Nika out now two times and she keeps turning me down. Got any advice?" he asked grinning at the shocked look on Nika's face.

Kurando glanced up at Nika's face which had become flame red, "By the looks of it I would run and hide because our two female companions look very angry with you." he said grinning as Karin and Nika advanced on Yuri who was backing away.

The two girls lunged at him and he dodged and soon they were chasing each other around the room screaming and yelling.

Geppetto came over and sat down, "Not acting like very good adults are they?" he asked with a grin.

Kurando shook his head, "Nope not at all, though we are talking about Yuri here." The three of them shared a laugh, which became much harder laughter when Yuri tripped over a chair and fell to the mercy of the two women.

Celsie: Is everyone else as excited as I am about the new installment to the Shadow Hearts line? I can't wait for Shadow Hearts From the New World to come out in America. (I WISH I WERE IN JAPAN! I'D HAVE IT ALREADY!)