Chris: Well, I'm back with another story. The good thing is that this will be short…Like six chapters max. Okay, shorter than normal. I hope you enjoy it!

Note: Will most likely contain shoujo-ai. Still uncertain at the moment, however.


Chapter 1: Concern

Mia sighed in relief as she stared up at the sunny sky above her. "I would never have thought that I would still be alive…" The purple-haired mercenary stretched and yawned, her muscles aching with strain. The day before, their small group had come under a furious assault by Daein forces. It was only because of their luck and skill, plus the help of unexpected Gallian reinforcements, that pulled them through the fight. Mia drew her sword, which shone brightly in the afternoon sun, and began taking a couple of practice swings in the air.

'Yesterday sure was close…' Mia thought to herself as she finished off a quick three-strike combo into the air. The myrmidon sheathed her sword, her training momentarily banished from her mind. She decided to go see how everyone else was doing. After all, it wasn't just her that could've died; it was all of them.

The first person she encountered was Boyd, who was grumbling angrily to himself as he furiously swung his practice axe through the air. "Practice, practice, practice. That's all they want me to do. Sheesh…You would think that one-hundred swings would be enough, but nooo…Titania wants me to do two-hundred."

"Hey Boyd! You're finally training!" Mist waved to the green-haired fighter, a smirk on her face. "Titania hold your lunch hostage if you didn't practice?"

"Stuff it, Mist." Boyd said as he swung his axe again. He wiped a couple of beads of sweat off of his forehead before continuing. "Go bother your brother or something. I've got some very important things to do."

Mia continued on her away, wisely not getting involved in the situation. It was no secret that Mist enjoyed teasing Boyd for his less than stellar fighting habits. As for the reason why, Mia was uncertain about that and she wasn't about to go stick her nose into somebody else's business. The next person up on her little trip was Oscar, who had taken time off from whatever business he had been doing in order to take up some reading.

"Hey Mia." Oscar looked up at her, with his customary smile and his closed eyes.

"How did you know it was me?" Mia asked, stunned. As far as she knew, she had been pretty silent when she was walking and by all appearances, it seemed as if Oscar's eyes were closed.

"Saw you coming." Oscar's smile grew slightly wider. "Just because you don't see my eyes open now doesn't mean they weren't open earlier." The green-haired cavalier returned to his reading, absentmindedly flipping a page.

"I…see…" Mia replied as she bid Oscar farewell. Another thing about this group that she had to get used to was the fact that most of them had…unique personalities. While it certainly added an interest to her life, it was also slightly strange to see how all these people managed to work together.

And next up was Ilyana, the newest recruit. Mia suppressed a smirk at how she had first met the light-purple haired mage.

---

"We can't back down! Everyone, do your best!" Ike yelled over the din of the thunderstorm, holding his rain-soaked sword in his hand. The blue-haired leader of the mercenaries shouted out a battle cry before swinging his sword down in an overhead chop, severing an enemy's spear in two and consequently ending his life.

"Huff…huff…" Mia panted, holding her sword wearily as she shook raindrops off of her hair, which did no good, as more rain continued to pelt down on them. She was tired, to say the least, as they had been fighting for at least three straight hours with still no victory in sight. She looked around warily and spotting no enemies, she planted her sword blade first into the ground and allowed herself a couple of moments rest. Suddenly, however, she spotted movement to her left and she quickly got into a battle position, only to pause when she saw her attacker was a young girl of about her height.

"Achoo!" The girl sneezed, her light-purple hair hanging limply on her pale skin. She stared at Mia with her eyes, which possessed the same color as her hair. "Ooog…"

"What?" Mia asked, slightly confused. "Are you okay?"

The girl nodded shakily, sneezing again. "Um…"

"Yeah? Is there something wrong? Because you know there's a fight going on. You might be in danger." Mia walked up to the girl, not worried about any sign of attack. "Sheesh, you aren't even dressed for the weather."

"Neither are you…" The girl returned, her voice soft. "Um…Are you the leader of this army?"

"Me? Hah!" Mia let out a laugh. "Of course not. The leader is the blue-haired kid over there." She pointed at where Ike was. "Talk to him if you want to know something."

"Okay." The girl nodded before turning to leave.

"Hey, wait! What's your name?" Mia asked, curious.

"Ilyana…My name is Ilyana." Ilyana replied, looking at Mia somberly.

"My name's Mia, okay? Good luck!"

Ilyana managed a small smile and she nodded. "Same to you."

---

"I'm so hungry…" Ilyana whispered to herself as she walked through the halls of the broken down fort. She placed hand over stomach weakly, feeling as if her stomach had collapsed into a giant hole. The mage felt her stomach rumble with hunger and she rubbed it soothingly, hoping that somehow that would help reduce the pain. The light-purple haired mage was dressed in a couple of Mia's clothes that the myrmidon had been happy to lend her, due to the fact that her regular clothes were thoroughly soaked.

"Oh, Ilyana!" Mia walked up to the younger girl, smiling. "Are you okay?"

Ilyana only nodded, not trusting her mouth to speak, afraid that if she opened her mouth, she'd try to bite off one of Mia's fingers. She was just that hungry and the expression, "I'm so hungry I could eat a horse," wasn't such an exaggeration anymore.

"Oh yeah! Mist made a couple of snacks for us and I thought I'd bring you some. You want them?" Mia opened her pouch and drew out a couple of packets of freshly baked cookies. Ilyana stared at them for a while, feeling saliva start to collect in her mouth. She nodded vigorously and Mia handed some of the cookies to her with a smile.

"Thanks Mia." Ilyana mumbled before tossing a cookie into her mouth and savoring the flavor and satisfying her hunger, at least for a couple of minutes. She quickly ate another one of the cookies and wiped the crumbs off of her chin.

"Wow, you sure can eat a lot…" Mia remarked. She handed the last bag of cookies to Ilyana, who accepted it gratefully. "Well, take care and don't eat too fast. You could get sick." The myrmidon walked off, humming to herself.

Ilyana watched her go for a while before eating another one of the cookies. After consuming five more, her stomach finally ceased in its rumblings and she let out a sigh of relief. It was strange. Even with all she ate, she was still relatively slim. Her mom had told her that it was because of a rapid metabolism. Shrugging, Ilyana walked off, threading a finger through her hair and licking the last bits of cookie off of her lips.

---

"Everyone ready? Let's dig in!" Boyd said as the mercenaries sat around a stone table that held their dinner. He sniffed the air appreciatively. "Mmm…This smells good."

"Cheers!" Mia cried, signaling the beginning of the feast. She reached out for a chicken leg, only to pause as she spotted Ilyana, who had already downed a whole ear of corn and was working her way around the table, starting with Mist's potatoes. The purple-haired mercenary could only watch as Ilyana single-handedly managed to clear off at least one-fourth of the table by herself.

'I guess leftovers are out of the question…' Mia thought wryly as she began munching on her food. She was really amazed at how Ilyana managed to pack everything away, yet she still possessed her dignity and ate politely. "Um…Ilyana?"

"…?" Ilyana turned towards her, chewing on some chicken. She cocked her head to the side, her mouth to full to say anything besides a couple of squeaks.

"Aren't you going to…I don't know…hurt yourself if you eat that much?" Mia asked.

Ilyana chewed for a couple of more seconds before swallowing. "No…At least, not yet." The light-purple haired girl returned to her eating, leaving Mia to wonder how big of an appetite Ilyana possessed.

---

The next day they were back on the road, traveling to Gallia to obtain the help of the laguz king there. Mia, having been raised in a laguz-friendly community, didn't mind the trip, nor did she mind the two laguz that were temporary allies in their fight. As they walked down a side road that led to Gallia, she glanced behind her to make sure he partner, Ilyana, wasn't lagging behind. Just like how Soren accompanied Ike in their fights, they decided it would be smart to have Ilyana accompany Mia, and thus a new partnership was born.

Mia was having second thoughts about the arrangement, however. While she had no doubt about the amount of magical power that Ilyana possessed, it always seemed like Ilyana was a sickly girl. Her skin was pale and she had frequent fainting spells at the oddest of moments. It didn't help that her traveling clothes weren't suited for this type of hiking. The purple miniskirt she wore might attract attention in towns, but out in the wilderness, it just left more of her skin to be exposed to the cold.

Mia had to admit though, that Ilyana had a great pair of legs. And the soft green color of her blouse only served to make her purple hair seem more radiant. Mia banished the thoughts from her mind. They had a mission to do and she wasn't going to let thoughts of that nature interfere with her work.

"Hey Ilyana. Are you feeling okay? You don't look so good…" Mia remarked as she looked back at the mage. It was true. Her hands were hanging limply at her sides and her skin seemed even whiter than normal. Ilyana looked up at Mia and slowly shook her head.

"I'm fine…" Ilyana lied. As a matter of fact, she was extremely, extremely hungry, but she didn't want to impose on Mia that much. She stared at the myrmidon, wondering if her fingers were tasty.

"You sure about that?" Mia paused.

Ilyana's stomach gave off a rumble. She gave up on not trying to impose and walked up to Mia, looking to see if she had any tasty snacks around her. Ilyana licked her lips. Even the thought of food was somehow satisfying her stomach to a small degree. "Do you have any food? I'm hungry…"

"Hungry? Still?" Mia looked on at Ilyana with astonishment. "Well, sure, I have some things I keep around in an emergency."

"Please…Can I have it? I'm so hungry…" Ilyana begged, her sharp nose beginning to pick up on the scent of candied fruits. Mia shrugged and unhooked a small bag from her belt.

"Here you go. You have to make them last though. I don't have that many in there." Mia warned before returning to her position in the front.

Ilyana opened the bag and let out a small squeak of happiness. She pulled out a sugared plum and promptly tossed it into her mouth. Her taste buds and her stomach immediately thanked her as an explosion of flavor resounded through her mouth. The light-purple haired mage strained to catch of glimpse of Mia. She had to thank her for the food. After all, it's not she needed to give her food.

'She's been really nice to me…I should return the favor somehow…' Ilyana thought to herself as she tried to follow Mia's advice and not eat anymore. It was a hopeless battle and she popped another candied fruit into her mouth. 'I really should…'

---

"Of all the things to happen!" Ike cursed as he watched Daein soldiers leap out of their hiding spot and establish a defensive formation that would prevent them from moving forward. The only option left to them was to fight. "Boyd, Titania, Oscar, go down south! Soren, Mia, Ilyana, Rhys and I will loop from the beach down to meet up with you!"

"Brother!"

"Mist, what are you doing here?" Ike whirled on his little sister, his eyes flashing dangerously.

The young brown-haired girl clutched a simple, wooden staff that was topped by a sapphire. She steeled her nerves and looked straight at her older brother. "I'm going to help you fight!"

"No, Mist! Go back to the caravan! I don't want you to be in danger!" Ike pointed back down the road, where Muston and the rest of their convoy were waiting.

"I won't! I'm going to fight with you and so is Rolf!" Mist said, standing her ground.

"What?" Boyd and Oscar shouted. Their youngest brother, a bright-green haired kid holding a bow ran up.

"Yeah. We're tired of waiting!" Rolf cried. "Besides, we can fight!"

"Oh yeah? What can you do, squirt? Get back in the wagon." Boyd said, glaring at Rolf angrily.

"I can fight as well as any of you!" Rolf replied as he notched an arrow in his bow and launched it at a tree around thirty feet away, where it thudded into the tree and stuck there. "See?"

"Where did you learn how to fire a bow?" Oscar asked, frowning. "Neither Boyd nor I have any experience in that matter…"

"Um…Uh…" Rolf searched in his head for an explanation. "I'm a prodigy! Yeah, a child prodigy!"

"I don't believe that for a second." Boyd muttered.

"You're not going to listen to us, are you?" Ike looked down at the two of them. They both nodded vigorously and Ike sighed. "Fine. Mist and Rolf, you go down with the others." He looked up at Titania. "Keep an eye on them, okay?"

"Of course, Ike." The red-haired paladin motioned to the two children. "Don't go wandering off, okay? This isn't a picnic."

"Let's go already. Daein isn't going to wait for a couple of kids to learn how to fight." Soren said, folding his arms across his chest. Rolf replied by sticking his tongue at the black-robed magician. "Only speaking my mind. I still think that you two don't belong anywhere close to the field of battle."

"Hmph, I'll show you." Rolf mumbled under his breath as he got an arrow ready for his bow. "I'm better than you all think…"

---

"Why are there pirates here? I don't think they're here for the fight…" Mia said to herself as she watched a bandanna-wearing pirate walk on the beach away from her. She sharpened her eyesight slightly and saw what he was doing. "Even in the middle of nowhere, scum like that still try to ruin lives!" Mia gripped her sword tighter. She wasn't fond of pirates in the first place and seeing one try to burn down a house didn't exactly raise her opinion of them.

"Ilyana, wait up for me!" Mia said before she dashed after the pirate, her feet slipping slightly on the sandy ground. Ilyana watched her, confused as to what she had to do. After all, Ike had told them to act as a team…

'Ike does hold more power than Mia…' She thought to herself and she decided to trail Mia and take care of any enemies that the myrmidon might have missed. Speaking of which…There was an enemy swordsman who looked like he could take advantage of Mia's distracted state. Ilyana decided to destroy his illusions.

Pulling out a small tome with yellow binding, she flipped to a page and began chanting the words on the page. Holding her fingers together in a cross pattern, she tossed a hand towards the sky and a streak of lightning flew from the sky and crashed onto the unsuspecting myrmidon, eliminating him.

Ilyana smiled slightly at her handiwork. It wasn't something to be proud of, since she had just killed a living being. However, she did it in order to protect her friend, which was a good thing. 'Friend? When did I start considering Mia a friend? …Doesn't matter. I could always use more friends like her.'

Mia, on the other hand, had focused all her energies onto the pirate. Finally catching up to the slower man, she gave a cry of victory and brought her sword down at the pirate's head. However, he had already heard her and was all set with a trick of her own. As Mia came down, the pirate rolled to the side and slashed her on the side with his axe. The purple-haired girl staggered backwards, stunned.

She reflexively put a hand to her side, wincing as she felt her wound. A numbing sensation began sinking through her side and her eyes widened slightly. 'Poison! How could I be so stupid?' She collapsed on one knee, panting.

"Heh heh, girlie. Caught you by surprise, have I?" The pirate tossed his axe over his shoulder, smirking. He raised his axe high over his head, ready to bring it down on the suffering girl. As he did so, another streak of lightning flashed through the sky and collided with the metal blade of his axe, the current traveling down the pirate's body. He let out a hoarse scream before collapsing on the ground, his skin sizzling.

"Il…Ilyana?" Mia panted, struggling to stand up as the numbing sensation continued to run through her body. She turned, spotting the light-purple haired mage running towards her, screaming words that she couldn't hear. Mia let out a small sigh and felt the world slip out of her feet as she sank into unconsciousness.

Chris: Hope you enjoyed it. And yes, this is multi-chaptered. As for the pairings, I'm still uncertain of it. I'm leaning towards making it Mia x Ilyana shoujo-ai, except I've never written stuff of that type before and I'm not certain of the reactions. Still, I feel like writing it and I usually write what I feel like writing.

Eh, oh well. Leave advice and comments if you wish!