Chris: Ahem, well, here's a new chapter! I hope you all like it! And guess who the lucky girl is gonna be in this chapter!
Oh, and as a side note, this might not update as fast as usual because I'm getting more involved in my original fiction projects. This note is also known as a shameless promotion for said fics, as I want more people to read them. If you already have, then thank you and…uh…yeah, thanks. Have a point of…uh…happiness. Yeah. One happiness point. Get ten and I'll give you a prize.
RLnaruhina: Glad you like it, and I hope you enter! Cause, you know, there's only one person who has joined at the moment. So saddening.
Eladard Kikur: Well, for your enjoyment, the next chapter! Where Sain doesn't try to marry all the girls…Cause that's just weird. Not even Sain could rig something like that up.
zed21: Sain/Rebecca is in fact a viable pairing and they get an ending together. Sain/Ninian is new. I hope you like it!
Nightmare3: Glad you like it, and hope you enjoy this fic!
Green Paladin: Well, you don't have to wait any longer! At least until you finish this chapter and wait for my lazy ass to update again.
danyelldmd: Naaaah…Sain can choose one. Or else he'd never get married. And that would be bad, cause Sain needs sons to carry on his legacy.
Mullenium Master: Well…Actually, some people have written Raven x Lucius. It's quite a popular yaoi pairing, so I don't bash it cause then I'd get slaughtered by fangirls. Sain x Lucius, however, I will destroy with every fiber of my being. Especially, if it's like…super-real pairing instead of light, not mean it pairing.
Psie: Yep. Kent likes his peace and quiet so he can think of new rules to enforce order in the army. And you will have to wait patiently no longer! At least until you finish the chapter.
LoneWolfLink: Glad you like it and thanks for the compliments.
JSB: Good luck with your fic.
drunkdragon: Nah…It'll be fun writing a chapter for every girl. Or in some cases, two. Or three…
Chapter 2: The Sword Mistress, Part 1
As soon as Sain set off, he was beset by the demons of doubt, uncertainty, and way too many beautiful girls in one spot. The brown-haired cavalier rubbed his chin thoughtfully, thinking of every girl that he had wooed.
'There must be one that stands out from all the rest!' Sain thought to himself. But even as he thought, he couldn't come up with the one girl that fulfilled that category. They all had their strong points and they all had their weak points. Sain groaned to himself miserably and shook his head to clear the thoughts. Then he perked up as an extraordinary idea popped into his head. "Since I love all the girls, it will all depend on the whims of fate to see who I shall marry! So therefore, the first girl I see shall be the one that I am destined to wed!"
Sain clapped his hands resolutely. "My fighting spirit has been ignited! It is the fickle threads of time that bind us together, my love! Now, for the completion of my quest!" The cavalier brushed his hair with his fingers and strolled into the main part of the camp, ready for anything that life would throw at him.
The first girl that Sain saw first, was, unfortunately, Vaida. "Eep…Fate, you truly are a cruel mistress." The brown-haired cavalier tugged at his collar, feeling nervous because so far, Vaida had been quite unreceptive to his advances. In fact, last time she tried to skewer him on her lance and feed him to her wyvern, Umbriel. Even now, Vaida glared at him, is if daring him to throw off one single compliment. 'Perhaps…Ah, I will assume Vaida has crossed the age boundary from girl to woman! Yes, so therefore, my vow is not broken if I do not consent to marry her!' He quickly rushed off before Vaida could attack him again.
The next girl he saw, thankfully, was not currently hunting for his blood (Vaida), not married (Louise), not actually a guy in disguise (Lucius), and not currently pining for someone else (Isadora). The person he feasted his eyes on was Karla, one of the new recruits in the army. The sun's rays seemed to hit her perfectly, accentuating the contrast between her midnight-black hair and her sweet, pale skin. Her plain white robe only enhanced her natural beauty, emphasizing her curves. And that dark blue sash! Seeming to keep the robe together, revealing just enough to tantalize any man's mind! Karla was truly the essence of beauty personified. Sain knew that Fate was at hand when she walked into his view.
Taking his chance, the green-armored cavalier grasped Karla's hand and kissed it daintily. "Oh, what marvelous things the Fates are to give me this chance to talk to you, my lovely flower, on this fine day! It is not only the will of the gods, but the will of my heart that enables me to be with you at this moment, for I am truly blessed!"
Karla's eyes widened with surprise. "Ah…Thank you…Sir Sain. I am sorry if my reaction doesn't suit you…But I am…unused to such compliments." She slowly slid her hand out of Sain's grip, although the cavalier was cheered to see that there was slight blush on her features.
Sain gasped dramatically. "How can such a beautiful creature like you not receive any affections or love? It is a shock to the very core of my soul that you do not know your own true beauty!"
"Ah…I'd better go." Karla muttered as she turned to walk away.
Sain took her hand again. "Is there any other way that I may talk to you, my dove? Alas, if it is my fate to never see you ago, I will toss aside that fate! I will do anything to glimpse your hair, your face, everything of you!"
Karla stared at the strange man in front of her. She was just a newcomer to this army, so not many people greeted her at first. Well, there was that weird thief who asked for her breast size…But he was just an anomaly. The sword mistress smiled gently at the unflappable man in front of her. He was…different, in a very unique way. "Very well…Meet me at mid-afternoon. I'll be waiting at the field. If you don't come, don't expect me to acknowledge your presence anymore." The black-haired woman left Sain, who saluted her.
"Faretheewell, o goddess of the night! I will wait hours, nay, days! Only of you, are my thoughts and feelings directed! To never see you again would be like a punishment worthy of the evilest dictators in the land! I will fulfill your requirement and be with you always!" The brown-haired cavalier dashed off, presumably to find some sort of gift.
Karla chuckled to herself. 'What a strange man…'
---
When Karla arrived at the assigned meeting spot, she saw that Sain was already there, using a small knife to whittle away edges of a small block of wood. The brown-haired cavalier looked up from his activity and smiled broadly. "Ah, the sun rises in my eyes! Only a specter of true beauty could uplift the feelings in my heart!"
"Greetings to you as well, Sir Sain."
Sain scoffed at the mention of the title 'Sir'. "You do not need to call me sir, my beauteous rosebud! For one such as you, so deep within my heart, titles are unnecessary between us!"
"Very well, Sain. Did you bring a sword?" Karla said matter-of-factly.
"Uh…" Sain mumbled, looking confused. "Should I have?"
"Why yes." Karla looked around. "You see…I train my swordsmanship at this time. I was hoping to be able to train against you to strengthen my abilities."
"I…see…" Sain said. This certainly was not what he was expecting. He was a strong fighter, that was certain, but he wasn't sure that he should really fight against her. "May I ask why you train so much, my dear?"
"I'm…" Karla looked at the ground. "I'm searching for someone important…"
'Ah shit…' Sain cursed mentally to himself. 'Probably some old flame…Perhaps Fate isn't that kind…'
"I promised myself that I would find him someday…" Karla whispered, half to herself and half to Sain. "That is why I must get stronger…So I can meet him."
"Very well then!" Sain said confidently. 'Even if I can't be her husband…I can still help her out, right?' He tucked the thing he was whittling into a small pocket and left to retrieve his sword. 'Sigh…Fate, you are a cruel mistress…'
Karla waited patiently for him while he disappeared, humming a soft song to herself. Sain certainly was an interesting person, to say the least. But it was strange…He seemed to be unhappy when she said she was searching for someone. Surely he couldn't have been upset because he had feelings for her, right?
'I only joined a couple of days ago…Right? It honestly couldn't be that. He doesn't think…Oh no…I really couldn't be that. I'm just searching for my brother…He doesn't think…' Karla thought worriedly. She didn't want to hurt Sain's feelings…The cavalier was kind of funny…Handsome too, now that she thought about it. Karla blushed lightly as the thought crossed her mind. She had only truly known him for less than a day, and she was already calling him handsome. It was embarrassing that it was happening to someone like her.
"Okay, I'm back!" Sain said cheerfully, holding a lightweight sword made out of iron. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting!"
"Uh…Sain?" Karla asked uncertainly.
"Yes, what is it?" Sain asked questioningly.
"The person I'm searching for…is my brother." Karla flushed and looked at the ground.
"Oh!" Sain's face brightened and a smile appeared. "Well then…I wish you the best of luck, my gorgeous blossom!" He held the sword up in front of him. "Are you ready? But please, don't go to hard on me. If you do that, I might get too deep into and accidentally mar your lovely skin! And that just won't do!"
Karla smiled slightly. She was happy that Sain was back to his normal self. "Very well. Perhaps we could just train with wooden swords instead?"
"Ah, brilliant idea!" Sain clapped his hands. "I will be right back!" He dashed off once again. The cavalier looked around rapidly. He was certain he had seen some people sparring earlier. Perhaps he could borrow their weapons.
Sain continued searching when he came across Hector and Eliwood sparring with wooden swords. "Ah hah! Success!" He strode over to the two and yoinked the weapons out of their hands. "Thank you very much! I will return them soon, my dear lords!" Sain headed back to Karla, Eliwood and Hector staring at him as if the cavalier was crazy.
"I have returned! I hope that you were not too broken up about my absence, you beautiful midnight goddess!" Sain crowed as he tromped back into the clearing, handing Karla one of the swords.
"Um…I don't think so…" Karla muttered, growing confused by the cavalier's attitude. "Do you really think that you being gone for a couple of moments would have bothered me?"
"Well…No…" Sain was slightly put off by her remark, but he recovered quickly. "But it never hurts to ask!"
"I see…" Karla said skeptically as she hefted the sword in her hand. "Now, let us begin! Prepare yourself!" She charged, swinging down at Sain's shoulder.
"Gah!" Sain quickly brought up his sword to counter and quickly repelled her attack. He returned the blow, only to find out that he was striking at thin air. The brown-haired cavalier quickly turned around to see that Karla was behind him, angling for another strike.
Sain's leaned back to dodge her second strike and swung his sword again, only to miss. Sain grunted to himself as Karla's wooden sword connected with his side. Granted, he had on armor, which absorbed most of the blow, but it still hurt a little. Cursing in his mind, he faced Karla, watching her warily. 'Grr…We have two completely different styles of fighting! Karla, the beautiful rose that she is, concentrates on hitting the enemy and confusing him with her speed. I, on the other hand, have quick, powerful strikes, yet I swing too wildly in order to connect!'
"You fight very well! You prove that even the most beautiful of roses has its thorns!" Sain said.
"Why thank you." Karla returned. "You fight pretty well yourself." She prepared herself for another attack. "Hah!" She swung in a series of complicated strokes, moving too fast for Sain to see. He managed to deflect one and get out of the way of another, but the other strikes struck his armored body and he was knocked back away, panting.
While Karla was recovering from her move, Sain leapt back to the attack, swinging his blade roughly in a semicircle arc. His sword clacked against Karla's, breaking past her guard and earning a slight thwack to the side, which she quickly shrugged off. Sain followed up with another strike, with Karla managed to block, although it strained her muscles greatly to resist Sain's greater strength.
'Suta-Raito!' Karla intoned to herself as she concentrated on the sword she was holding. Closing her eyes, she envisioned Sain in front of her and the five places where she would strike, forming a five-pointed star. 'Left leg!' She swung, sneaking past Sain's guard and hitting it lightly. 'Head!' She struck heavily, but her strike was deflected by Sain's sword and she jumped back before continuing the attack. 'Right leg!' Her sword flicked past the cavalier's defense. 'Left arm!' She attacked again. 'And finally, right arm!' She jumped over Sain, swinging her sword behind her and sending her sword crashing against his right arm.
After she landed, Karla turned to see that Sain was still standing, smiling slightly and rotating his right arm. "What?" Karla looked incredulously at the cavalier. "I thought…"
"Skillful, my beautiful goddess! Very skillful indeed! However, I am familiar with the techniques practiced by the nomads of Sacae, my lord being one of them!" Sain smiled. "Let me return the favor!" He tensed his body, holding the practice sword horizontally in front of him.
'Heavenly Reaper!' Sain said in his mind as he flew into the technique that their old instructor, General Wallace, had taught them. Of course, he also made it mandatory that they learn this technique, so they really had no choice as to whether or not they wanted to learn it. 'Dancing in the shadows…' He swung his sword heavily at Karla's right side, hearing it clack against her sword. 'The angel lies asleep…' Next, he spun around and attacked from the right, feeling slightly frustrated as it clacked against her sword again. 'The darkness awakens thou…' He jumped at attacked from the sky, pushing down on Karla's sword as it rose to block him. 'And thus the angel reaps!' As he landed, he charged her, elbow first. Because of the close proximity of the two, as well as the relative speed of the attack, he succeeded in this last attack, knocking Karla to the ground.
"Huff…" Karla struggled upwards, her muscles burning with exertion. So far, the both of them had suffered hard hits and the battle seemed to be one of attrition and stamina. 'It's just a training session…But I cannot lose! Tsukiakari!' Mustering up her strength, she rushed Sain, spinning in a circle as she did so, achieving an attack that cover a full three-sixty circle as well as attaining remarkable power because of the momentum.
Sain brought his sword to counter, but the moment Karla's blade hit his, the sword was knocked out of his grasp and he felt his right arm wrench in pain. 'Agh, dammit!' He rolled to the side, retrieving his weapon. He watched her finish her move and retaliated as quickly as possible.
'Beautiful Fates!' Sain grinned as he remembered the technique he had developed himself. It wasn't that refined at the moment, but soon, soon it would represent the glory of those beautiful girls that had appeared in his life. He faked left, and then swung his sword at Karla's right, catching her off guard and knocking her to the ground. As she landed, Sain pulled out a small, red rose out of his sword belt and tossed it at her, smiling.
"For you, o beautiful goddess…For even a goddess needs her flower." Sain grinned.
Karla flushed slightly and felt the petals on the rose tenderly. "Oh…Thank you…" She placed it to the side. "I don't want to get it…ruined."
"So…Do you want to stop?" Sain asked, breathing heavily.
"No…There's just one more technique I want to try out." Karla positioned her sword in front of her.
"Very well…Phew, this is a lot tougher than I though!" Sain smiled again and brought his sword up as well.
Karla breathed deeply, focusing herself on the task at hand. 'Hizashi!' She jumped into the air, flipping herself in an astounding array of acrobatics while retaining hold of her sword. Sain watched her, amazed at her skill, and, to himself, glorying at the occasional shots where gravity and momentum worked in his favor and showed him small shots of her underwear.
But he quickly shrugged at aside and brought his sword up for another defense. Karla sprung one last time before bringing her sword down. Sain anticipated the move and deflected the blow. When she landed, Karla charged forward, angling for a quick thrust aimed at Sain's stomach. As she attacked, Sain moved to the side, grabbing the blade of Karla's sword and dragging her into his arms.
Sain smiled and stared at the stunned sword mistress in front of him. "You know…Sometimes too much training is unhealthy for the body. I really wouldn't want that. Would you, my midnight goddess?"
Karla flushed as she tried to find a way to escape Sain's grip. But before she could answer, Sain dived down and kissed her square on the lips.
Chris: Well, there it is! And no, this is not the only chapter. Since there are no Sain/Karla fics out there…This one is gonna be multi-chaptered! So what you have seen is only the first part! There's more Sain/Karla romance coming your way!
Oh, and if you're wondering where I got the names for Karla's attacks…
English - Japanese
Starlight - Suta-Raito
Moonlight - Tsukiakari
Sunlight - Hizashi
Granted, I may be wrong cause I used one of those translate English into Japanese things…But either way, it looks cool and I don't regret using them one bit. I hope you enjoyed it and review please!
And yes, not all the chapters have to do with them sparring. I wouldn't be able to come up with enough techniques for that. So yes, all those are originals, except for Starlight, which is based off the Swordmaster critical and the Astra ability in Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.