Note: All Suikoden elements belong to Konami.
Rebirth
Chapter 7: Rationale
by ArchFaith
Ah, Nash. She still cannot see.
The boy's azure eyes slowly blinked open as he brushed an annoying piece of blonde hair out of his face. The voice had spoken to him again; it had been telling him something vague, some strange sentiment about allowing Sierra to 'see'. And to see…what did that mean…? And was it really the child who was speaking to him, or some other superior force?
Yawning, he turned over to throw the hot cotton sheets off his half-naked body. He blinked sleepily, observing the rising sun out of the corners of the small, scratched-in window. Morning already…it had seemed like only a few seconds ago that he had told Sierra of their strange predicament when in fact, hours and hours had passed since.
Somehow she had seemed less inhibited the night before, after she was able to come to terms with the fact that she was carrying their child. It had been more of a shock for her than for him, to be sure…he was a spy, after all, and gathering subtle information was one of his greatest strengths. Still…the fact that he was now going to be father to a child was quite jolting for him. But what of the eight hundred year old vampire who was to become its mother…? Even more so for her, he could imagine…
They had had a long conversation that night; definitely longer than any they had ever had before. After both of them had calmed down, had released themselves from their heated states of mind, they had talked. Many things had crossed their minds; first it had been more argument about this mysterious child, about if the pregnancy was a good thing or bad—they still had not settled that argument. She had been more inhibited than he about that discussion; for she was the one that had to shoulder the burden of delivering it. Still…the shell that had seemingly developed around her was beginning to break. He could feel it; from the stifled emotion in her voice to her sleepy indifference as she allowed him to crawl in next to her the night before.
Just a long talk between friends.
More than friends.
Still half-asleep, he rolled over, expecting to find Sierra's icy silver hair between his roving fingers; but instead, all he was met with was a handful of air. He opened his eyes to glance over at the other side of the bed; nothing. Looking up, he saw the ruby-eyed girl standing near the window, leaning up against the pane with a deep, searching look on her face. She hadn't been there minutes before, though…but he quickly realized that he had been not looking hard enough. She had been standing by the window for quite a long time; silent and unmoving, she had blended in with the shadows when he first turned his sleepy gaze to the rising sun.
It was only when he sat up to give her a questioning glance that she spoke. "I must attempt to find out exactly what this being inside me is," she whispered, keeping her eyes on the empty streets, visible through the white curtains her fingers gingerly pushed aside. "I have read all the legends and stories…historical documents…even fairy tales. But perhaps there is something I have overlooked. Maybe there is an explanation as to why all this is happening."
He cocked his head. "Where could you find the answer?"
She shook her head as she turned her weary face to his. "I do not know. Is there not a…knowledge repository of sorts around here? Even though it is a desolate wasteland, there must be some learned people in these parts…"
"Library, you mean?" he asked, almost chuckling at her very formal use of words. "I think there is one, old girl. We can go, if you want."
"Yes," she replied. "That would be ideal…what a course of action, looking in a book to see what the cause of this entire ordeal might be. But then…what else can I do?" She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. "This is going to be interesting, boy."
Despite the almost gloomy atmosphere that penetrated through the air, he managed a small grin. "Our lives have already been anything but normal." He rapidly swung his legs down over the bed and quickly stood up, stretching the taut muscles of his chest in the growing sunlight. "There's a small library up at the magic tutor's shop, I think…he might have some books that we could find some info in. We'll go as soon as we're ready."
She cursed her lips and scowled. "You are forgetting something."
"Yeah? What?"
She reached down and grasped the ends of the large white shirt that almost hung off her body. "I need adequate clothing, you moron."
"Oh," he answered simply, frowning. "Alright then…I'll go out and buy you some clothes. The market should be opening soon."
Satisfied, she crossed the room, bare feet padding against the cool stone floor. Her old, tattered clothes still lay on the nightstand near the bed; she quickly went to the pile and searched through the dusty blue skirt, quickly locating a small pouch that was tucked inside a side pocket. "Here…I earned some potch on the road while battling those monsters. Take it," she said, holding up the pouch in one slender hand.
He shook his head swiftly. "Save it, old girl. I've got money…you don't need to worry about that."
She frowned, a sour but surprised look forming on her face. "You should not be such a gentleman," she said, her eyes narrowing as she set the small parcel down on the nightstand. "You live on limited means as it is."
He smiled in amusement. "Well, you can worry about paying me back later." Before she could protest he reached out and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hehe," he chuckled. "Thought I might slip one in."
His reward was a sharp slap on the cheek. Wincing, he brought his hand up to the red mark as she placed her hands on her hips. "When I allow you to kiss me, you may do so," she said callously. "But there are times when this sort of behavior is highly inappropriate!"
"Well, that sure is a way to talk to the father of your child, you ugly hag!"
"Hmm, how can you be so sure you are its father? I might have had many lovers after you that I did not care to tell you about…"
"Oh, who would want to have sex with a freakish old brat like you?"
"You, apparently!"
"Hey, it was all I could get," he laughed, grasping her shoulders with both hands. "Listen, I'm gonna get going. We'll go take a look at the magic shop when I come back from the market, alright?"
Scowling, she roughly shoved his hands away from her. "Fine! It is the least you can do for me, you idiotic bastard! A child like you should hardly be thinking of fathering a child…"
He smiled as he located his shirt and slipped it over his head. "And neither should a woman old enough to be my great-grandmother."
The red mark she left on his cheek persisted for the remainder of the morning.
(-)
Early morning gradually faded into a bright, sunny day in the desert city. The palm trees swayed under the hot, heavy breeze, and the faint smell of rue and cinnamon drifted up out of the spice shops and into the already shimmering air. The people of Caleria had emerged from their abodes; strong, hardened merchants with their arguing, weary wives; young, shy maidens with their bright veils flirting with the smiling men; children playing and fighting with their games, causing their parents much grief as they ran in circles around the talking adults.
The door of the small house in the plaza opened, and the silver-haired vampire emerged. Taking a cautious look around, she slowly stepped out of the doorway and onto the cobbled stone street. A flowing light blue dress now graced her slender form; it reached down to her knees and ran in soft pleats, much like her previous ensemble. The straps of the dress tied around her pale neck, and it was belted with a gold cincher at the waist.
She looked herself over, patting her silver hair against her head. Perhaps the boy does have some aesthetic sense in him after all.
Nash appeared after her, in his now-characteristic brown pants and white tunic. "Ready, old girl?" he asked, giving her a gentle smile.
She looked back to him with an annoyed face. "The sooner this is over the better…honestly, I do not even know why I suggested that we go see this rune shop. It probably has only the barest of materials, and quite possibly not even any books on vampires…"
"Well, it's better than sitting around all day, isn't it?" he asked, trying his best to sound cheerful. She seemed so gloomy, so resigned; even though the thought of a child was still rather shocking to their ears, it would be good for her to come to terms with it; he had already attempted to do it, and even though it was a hard task, he had partially conquered the dull shock registering in his system every time he thought about it.
She shrugged. "I suppose." Several of the neighborhood children had stopped their games and were now huddled in a corner by the stone wall, eying the mysterious pale woman who had suddenly appeared in their midst. Noting them, she scowled. It was enough that she was looked upon as a rarity in nearly every village she happened upon—for who, in all the world, had ever seen such a beautiful creature with such white skin and silver hair?—but now, added to the frustrations of dealing with this strange pregnancy, the stares of the curious children was too much for her to handle.
She sighed and turned to her companion. "Let's hurry," she suggested. "These children are being very rude."
He turned his eyes to the small group in the corner and cocked his head. "Aw, they're just kids, Sierra. They probably think you're Harmonian or something…every new person that comes here gets the treatment. I did."
"Well, at least you look more human than I do," she answered.
He scratched his head and gave her a quizzical look. Without another word exchanged between them they slowly started walking in the direction of the market place, side by side; from the eyes of discerning passerby, it seemed that were neither walking together nor walking apart.
At length he decided to speak. "Let me hold your hand, old girl."
She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Whatever for?"
He shrugged. "Because…well, I actually have no idea. I just want to."
She crossed her arms over her chest as they continued on. "Every request has its own twisted logic, boy. If you are thinking of becoming an old, hopeless romantic idiot with me all of a sudden, then forget it. I am quite over these overly emotional feelings."
He frowned and placed his arms over his head, stretching in an almost catlike manner. "Don't overanalyze all of a sudden, now!" he said, with a playful air. "I just wanted to hold your hand. That's all."
The grimace disappeared from her face; unknowingly disarmed, she resumed looking straight ahead. He had his own charm; of course he had to, being a spy and a mercenary. To complete missions, one needed finesse. The ability to lie, seduce, and cheat in order to obtain information. But this charm was quite different; it was very simple and honest, and carried an unassuming air about it.
You are still just the same old Nash.
He brought his hands back to his sides, and they walked on in silence. The market was coming into view now; the wooden stalls stocked with piles of linens, baskets of fresh fruit, and novel items from all over the world packed into small parcels tied with string. The venders were flocking about, clapping their hands and advertising their wares. The blonde boy placed a tanned hand on his companion's shoulder and nodded towards a small, white-washed building standing slightly behind the market, the white paint peeling off the walls in small gashes.
"There's the rune shop," he said, matter-of-factly. "We'll just go in and pretend to buy something."
She nodded. "Alright." With a hint of optimism, she added, "Perhaps they might have something after all."
They crossed the large courtyard and slowly approached the small shop, completely white except for a large sign that read, in large Calerian letters, "RUNES". Sierra unceremoniously flung the door open, leaving Nash to shut it behind them as they entered the small space.
(-)
"Please wait just a minute. I'll be there soon," a deep, female voice called as soon as the door opened.
The shop was unremarkable; the traditional fabric canopy hung in elaborate folds above the counter, and a crystal ball was set firmly in place upon a small, golden pedestal. The shelves placed up against the wall were full of old, dusty books, many of them gathering dust and cobwebs. A few chairs were stacked in a corner of the room. Behind the old counter a showy red curtain was hung from the doorway; presumably the rune mage was busy inside.
The companions barely had a chance to glance around when the red curtain was pushed aside by a slender arm. The rune mage appeared in the doorway, taking short, graceful strides as she entered the room. She was amazingly beautiful, with bright cerulean eyes and long, silvery locks tied in a tight ponytail; she was clad entirely in black, with a low-cut dress and long black gloves.
The habitual pang of recognition suddenly settled in Sierra's stomach as she opened her mouth to greet the familiar face.
"Jeane!"
The mage smiled wickedly, placing a hand on her hip as she brought another hand to her cheek in mock surprise. "Well. Long time no see, Sierra, Nash."
To be continued…
Note: Well, that was a lot easier to write than Chapter 6! An author can only take so much drama, you know…the best Nash/Sierra element for me to write in is when they're arguing, because it's so fun to write exchanges between them! Anyways, yes…here we have another familiar face showing up, the mysterious Jeane. What's she up to this time? You'll have to wait and see…please review and tell me what you thought! I always love hearing it!
Kuroi Neko-kun: Teehee. Don't worry…the end is faaaaar away. Won't be here for some time!
Virtue: Glad you liked the last chapter! I thought it was rough around the edges, but I guess it really was alright…
thundersenshi: I want to glomp Nash too! He is a darling, isn't he!
Krile: Krile, thanks so much for all your advice! Reading your review really helped me calm down a bit about writing my beloved fic, and it really pumped me up and helped me write this next chapter too! Thanks for all your support!
GreatLight432: Whoops…sorry about that! 'Uncle' it is…anyways, the child will be…different. Wait and see!
Next chapter: Jeane knows a lot about runes, right? She's been around forever…so goes Sierra's reasoning. Time for them to sit down and have a nice long talk. Stay tuned!