I don't have many reviews for all of my stories, but I am grateful for the people who do review. I'm not much of a writer, and I need positive reinforcement. One thing I must note is that I will switch POVs in this story often, and I'm not sure if it will be as grim as the first chapter all the time. Also, in response to Fire Hippo 's review, I'm abandoning the double-spaced format. I have to give special thanks to IceBlade28 and Fire Hippo for their reviews. I'm glad that someone took the time to give me a review without flaming me (hint, hint).

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem or any of the characters, blah, blah, blah.

Dealers of Life and Death

Chapter 2: (Serra's POV)

--First impressions can often impact whether you become friends or enemies. If you can keep friends, then the first sentence you say to a person can affect your whole life. Despite me acting stupid all the time, I'm incredibly good at reading emotions, even in people that I've never met before.

--This may be one of the reasons that I'm sadly telling this story, instead of enjoying my time with a loved one or at least chatting pleasantly with my friends. My inexistent friends. I loved Erk, for example, but I could tell that he hated me .It seemed like everyone I had previously or currently fought with hated me. Everyone. I pretend that I'm blissfully ignorant of their opinions of me, but in actuality it tears me up inside.

--This is how I felt today as we traveled to Santaruz castle, following the words of some hypocritical bandit that Matthew killed in our last battle, my first. Hector, amid the dust and blood spraying over the battlefield, was wounded, but seemed as if he was actively avoiding me. I had never truly wronged him, but the fact remained that he thought I was worthless. WORTHLESS! Matthew was returning from the midst of battle, followed by a bandit with his sight set on me! Obviously, only Drew had seen him approaching, for as our master tactician's voice rang out in the chaotic din of battle, a sword flashed through the air, cutting down my would-be assailant. I glanced past the sword and into the emerald eyes of its wielder. He had had a panicked expression on his face upon seeing me in danger, but now bore a compassionate expression that seemed to ask, "Are you alright, milady?"

--This show of kindness surprised me, because up until I saw Matthew walking away from the field, the young man had apparently been fighting for the bandits that even now lay dying at our feet. I saw only his radiant, beautiful eyes among the gruesome landscape, and for a moment of my life, one of the few good moments I would have for the rest of the war, I wanted only to forget my sorrow, forget my past, and just stare into his deep eyes for the rest of my life, and the afterlife as well. Unfortunately, his calm, caring expression fell from his face the second that I tried to thank him.

(Guy's POV)

--No no no No No NO NO NOOOOO! Matthew and that oathpaper! I hated him for it! I haven't seen him for months, and seconds after I see him again, I have to quit my job and join a group of misfits who want to find some noble pup's daddy! I could see the surprise and anger in the bandits' eyes as I turned against them, but they didn't care. I was expendable to them. The man that had alerted me to the battle charged toward a girl in a white robe, clearly a cleric, on the side that I had just joined, and a look of panic flashed across my face, but I leaped forward and, in one stroke, my Killing Edge sliced through the villain's chest in a splash of blood. I gave the girl a brief gaze, only to acknowledge her.

--I don't know what when through the cleric's mind as she returned my gaze, but I wish I knew exactly what came out of her mouth. I'd say it was a cross between the cries of a dying animal, singing off-key, and any other generally annoying sound that you could think off.

(3rd Person)

--"Ooooh! Thank you so much for rescuing me!" Serra shrieked, her horrendous voice drawing the attention of every living creature within a quarter-mile of the cleric and her unfortunate savior.

--"Owwww… what on earth did you do that for? Are you trying to burst my eardrums? Gahh!" the swordsman answered, clutching his ears in agony, and then storming away to continue fighting. Serra's first though was to pursue the young man, but she knew it wouldn't make a difference. Tears formed along her eyelids as she unhappily trudged back to her comrades, her staff in her hand and a look of pure sorrow on her face.

(Serra's POV)

--I tried to greet him. I really did. But I was still terrified from the appearance of my late assailant, and my voice had obvious signs of fear and excitement in it. Add that to the shrill, aggravating voice that annoys everyone around me as part of my "valley girl" side, and the result is a painful, shrill shriek, one of the reasons Erk hates me. I stared incredulously as my beloved savior stomped off into the fray, and tears formed in my eyes. His first impression of me almost certainly destroyed any possible hope that, at some naïve time in my life, I ever had of ever being happy.

--As the battle drew to a close, I was ordered to go around healing anyone who was even scratched in battle, including the swordsman. I once again made an attempt to talk to him. This time the results were slightly better, because he had received a deep slash on his sword arm and knew that if he didn't receive medical attention, he might lose the arm. So he was forced to bear my company as I healed his wound.

--"I'm so sorry that I scared you before! I was frightened by that bandit, and my voice sort of cracked…"

--"Just… don't let it happen again. My name's Guy, by the way," replied my agitated rescuer. I could tell that he didn't want to talk to me. Probably because his sword had gained three large cracks during the battle, and from what I've heard from Hector, damaged weapons have a way of ticking people off. However, I think he was just mad at me.

--"I am Serra, of the church of Ostia. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

--"I'm sorry, but I need to go take care of something;" the man hastily answered, "I'm gonna have to talk to you later." I could tell that he was really trying to say, get away from me, you banshee. I've got enough problems with annoying Ostians as it is. Stupid friggin' Matthew. He departed before I could say another word. He quite clearly had been ignoring me. Just like everyone else.

--That night, as I prepared for bed, I reflected over Guy's reactions to my attempts at conversation. Not for the first time in the last week, ears welled up in my eyes as I saw my hopes die, just like every foe slain on the field. It seemed I would never be loved by anyone.

And that's chapter 2. I know Serra is OOC, that 's the point of the story, that is, her showing what's really going on in that cleric's mind. Anyway, please review! And tell me if my chapters are too short. I would like honest critisism.