If you haven't gotten Soren's A support. I suggest you stop reading NOW. I am not going to get ranted at for spoiling a game for someone… This includes you, Master of Murder; knowing you you'd wonder what this was about and read it and have a lot of the game spoiled for you. I even put it in bold so it'd catch your eye.

I just came up with this off the top of my head. I'm just stating my opinion on Soren's case. Being 'forbidden' and all. Why exactly I'm so sensitive about this subject, I'll never freaking know. It just freaking makes me want to kill someone! O-o I really need to get away from 'Tales of' games and FE9… too much discrimination for me. And before we begin I have a few things to say:

1) The next chapter of "Boredom with a Capital B" (Kingdom Hearts) is almost done; to anyone who's wondering why this is up here first. I just need to find the rest of it… where the hell did I put that book? (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just ignore me)

2) If you do know what I'm talking about and are still wondering why it's taking so long to write. There are two obvious reasons. 1. I have a very, very, very bad habit of procrastinating things and 2. I suck xD end of story. ((Grau: Oh you suck alright)) shut up.

How are you a Sin?

Branded.

That's what I am. That's what I'll always be.

A filthy branded with a very, very naïve friend.

Said naïve friend, has a very big heart.

Sometimes I still cannot believe he still wants me around even after I told him I was a Branded. Is it really that simple to accept someone like me?

Sometimes, I wonder if the world will ever change and that there will be a place for a misfit like me. One that Stefan didn't invite me to and requires me to leave Crimea.

Perhaps--

"Soren? HEEEEELLLLLLOOOOOO?"

Great. Interrupt me in the middle of my thoughts won't you, Boyd?

"Is anyone home in the messed up mind of Soren?"

"Yes, but then again, no one is home even when you're paying attention, is there Boyd?" There were a couple of laughs from the other side of the room. "What was it you wanted?"

"It's your turn to get food in town. Ike wanted me to tell you." Boyd said matter-of-factly.

"Well, why couldn't he tell me himself?"

"He did… You were spacing out… You've just been sitting here staring at your tome for about ten minutes."

"Oh I see." I watched as Boyd's face obtained an ear to ear grin. "So he told you to tell me because you're annoying, right?"

"NO! He thought you were asleep, the door was locked, and Aimee's been after him for about an hour and a half!" Aimee. Typical. How she managed to make Ike run away was beyond me. I guess I'd have t save him.

"So you're in my room how?"

"I had to get Sothe to pick the lock because I couldn't find Volke and had no money on me anyways…" Ah, the proverbial broke with a death wish. Some times I really wish that Volke would scare him half to death… or at least a little further than that. Boyd never really did take his threats to stab Boyd in the neck if he didn't stop bothering him. I nearly grinned at the thought of Boyd screaming like a girl and running to Titania for protection. "Dammit, Soren! You know I hate it when people don't pay attention to what I'm saying! It makes me looks stupid!"

I turned and walked out of my wooden room and called back "You didn't need to have someone ignore you to look stupid, you already do."

"What's that supposed to mean!" I heard the Axe-wielder fume.

And a roar of laughter came from the two children who were standing outside my doorway. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" The two children looked at each other and ran off.

I idly walked out side with my Elfire in hand as saw a flash of blue run behind me. "SOREN! Stop her! She's after me again!" I turned to see who it was and found Ike using me as a human shield.

"Who?"

"AIMEE!" Ike screeched, "She won't leave me alone! She thinks I'm playing with her! She's driving me mad!" He was visibly twitching. An hour of dodging the common shopkeeper would do that to him.

"Well, go hide in someone's room where she wouldn't expect you to be."

"That's just it! I've hid in every room here! Father took off all the locks on the doors ever since Boyd locked himself in his room for three days when we were kids, remember?" How could I forget? I had to burn the door off to get him out and he nearly tackled me once he could get by. The only door that was left with a lock was mine because I never let anyone in there. And at that moment Ike suddenly remembered too. "Can I hide in your room?"

I suppressed a scoff. He could face danger left and right but he couldn't seem to keep a shopkeeper away. As if on cue, Rhys wandered over. "Ike, I asked Aimee to leave you alone for a while. I told her she needed to recheck the stock in items. Seeing as I just restocked it today, it should take her a good while."

Ike's face instantly got a grin. "Thanks, Rhys! I owe you one!"

I stepped away from Ike. "I best be getting the food you wanted. I'll be back in an hour or two."

Ike nodded. "Thanks Soren. I'll see you later." Turning on my heel I walked the short distance to the nearest town with around 2400 gold in my pocket. More than enough to get the food and perhaps another Tome. As I neared the center of town, I noticed a child walking alone; dressed in slightly raggy, gray clothing. What caught my eye was the look of hatred he shot most people who told him to get lost.

It reminded me of something…

It reminded me…

Of myself…

I stopped and my thoughts slowly moved back to a memory I had.

A memory of when I was a child much like that.

- - - - - - - - - -

Walking barefoot through the dense forest I reached a small village of Laguz. Each and every one of them shot me a look of disgust, hatred, and anger. Why, I had no idea, but I had a feeling it was because I simply existed. I was smart for a child my age. Even though I couldn't talk, I could read and write and understand three different languages and identify emotions very, very well.

According to the sage who had taught me much of the magic and educational skills involving reading and writing, I was one of the most cursed abominations he had ever heard or seen. That was one of the last things he ever said to me, not much like I cared. Even though it was a better life than I had ever had with the woman who had raised me for four years, I still had been treated like a disposable piece of garbage. He had died only a year after finding out that I was really a 'Branded' a cursed being of Laguz and Beorc blood, any little praise or kindness quickly disappeared, and I was lucky if I got food once every week.

When the sage died, I stayed until there wasn't anything to eat anymore, then set out on a journey to find nothing. There was nothing here for me.

After wandering for months I somehow ended up in Gallia. And, to no surprise, everyone gave me a look that clearly said they wish I would die on the spot. It didn't affect me anymore; I had learned that I was going to get that look regardless of if I was doing anything or not.

Continuing on, I soon noticed that there were people who resembled me here; that is, people who lacked tails and cat ears and a set of fangs. There were four of them. One very tall with brown hair and a scar on the left side of his head, a pretty woman with blue hair, who was carrying a small baby female girl who had the same hair color as her father. The there was a small blue haired boy with a happy, childish grin on his face who couldn't be much older than I was. Obviously, I wasn't the only one to notice the other, because the blue haired boy suddenly appeared next to me that grin still plastered to his face. "Hi! What's your name?"

Oh, no… Why couldn't he have asked a yes or no question!

- - - - - - - - - -

"You little filthy cretin! You're scaring off my customers, get lost!"

I was snapped back from my memory by the sound of a blow. The child I had seen apparently had gotten into trouble by standing around an orange stand. Perhaps he was thinking of stealing an orange, he looked incredibly skinny anyways. Standing up, the child gave him a blank stare and padded away. The void look on his face reminded me of myself even more. I'd think I was looking at myself if the boy didn't have dark purple hair instead of black.

"Sorry about that, Sir, would you like to buy something?" The look on the filthy, foul smelling man's face changed to a friendly smile- one that needed a good brushing- as if he didn't just punch a child for no reason.

"I was, but I don't buy something from someone who is abusive to a child, no matter what he was going to do," I replied curtly. Turning to leave, I added "And the one scaring off your customers is you. Take a bath and brush your teeth for Ashera's sake." The man's face turned red as I walked off into another direction.

After buying many assorted fruits, a few dozen vegetables, and some more herbs for Rhys, I stopped by a bakery for some flour and a couple dozen loaves of bread. That child was there again. And there was a bruise forming on his cheek. I glanced at him for a moment before entering and buying the needed food. I'd definitely need that extra money for a cart rental. When I came back out, nearly dropping the food I was already carrying, the child was still there. I was about to say something when a black haired girl ran up and knelt next to him. "Hey, what's the matter?"

The child said nothing but looked up at the girl. Her eyes widened. "Geez! Who did that to you! I doubt you did anything to deserve it besides get a little food! What it that jerk who owns the orange stand? He really needs to brush his teeth and when I go to buy oranges he always says I'm scaring off his customers." The child's eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow. Soren smiled inwardly. It was like seeing himself meeting Ike all over again.

- - - - - - - - - -

When I didn't respond to the blue haired boy who was trying to converse with me he got a confused look on his face and raised an eyebrow. "Hello? Can't you talk?" At least this time it was a question I could answer. I shook my head a little. "Huh? Didn't anyone ever teach you how to talk?" Why would they? It's not like anyone had ever needed me to talk to them. All I was ever asked was something I could either answer with a yes or no. I shook my head again "Well then your parents must not care for you that mu--" He stopped when he saw the look on my face change. "You… don't have any parents do you?"

I shook my head once more and he ran off. Leaving me alone. The one person who actually talked nicely to me was gone. Likely he realized why I was alone. Turning away to wander to another town, I walked down the rest of the road before I was tackled to the ground and an "EEP" was forced out of me. Whatever had landed on me knocked the wind clear out of me and scared me half to death. I attempted to get out from underneath whatever it was, afraid they'd attempt to take whatever I had and beat on me when they find that I had nothing.

"IKE! Get off of him! You don't just tackle someone when they don't expect it!" Instantly what had been on me was removed. I expected it o be a pet dog or something. A lot of people in towns I visited before had had dogs that would jump on me. The people didn't do anything to get them off of me before. Who names a dog Ike anyways? It didn't seem like a name for a dog. A few seconds later I was scooped off the ground and back on my feet. I saw that I hadn't been tackled by a dog, but the boy who had talked to me before. He stood there grinning next to who I assumed was his father. The fact that the boy, who's name I now assumed was Ike, was still interested in being around me for a reason other than to beat me up was beyond me. But what I did know, was that his the difference in his father's height and mine was intimidating just as well as the fact that he had an sword (1) strapped on his back.

"See, Father! I told you there was another boy like me here!" Ike jumped up and down, pointing to me. I watched as his did; he had quite a lot of energy in that little body… Then again maybe that's because he'd something to eat this morning. When my thoughts went back to food, my stomach growled and sent a pain that likely said 'Nice of you to remember me, idiot, NOW EAT SOMETHING!' I hadn't eaten something for a week and a half now. They looked at me with a mix of amusement and sympathy. "Hey, you hungry? I am! Father, can I bring him with me back home and get something to eat?"

My head shot up. He wanted to get me something to eat? No surprise there, but his father would probably notice the mark on my forehead and a) explain to him that I was a filthy half-blooded creature and I'd never see kindness again from the boy and they would leave or b) kill me with that sword. "Ike, do you even know his name? I haven't heard you say it once." Name?.. I think the Sage called me Soren for most of the time I lived with him… that was up until He found out the truth about me…

"He can't talk. I can teach him, though!"

"Well then He probably can't answer any questions you ask him. So don't talk his ear off, alright?" with that the man smiled and motioned for Ike to follow him.

Ike grinned and nodded his head "Okay! Thank you, Father!"

My eyes widened and many questions like 'Wait… what? What just happened? Why's he smiling? Didn't his father just tell him I'm the wrong type of person to become friends with?' I then noticed he had grabbed my wrist and was dragging me over to a small wooden house at the very edge of town. Ike opened the door and dragged me inside. "Hey, Ike, who's your friend?" The same woman from before greeted him with a smile.

"I dunno. He can't talk so I'm gonna teach him!"

The lady seemed a bit surprised, "But Ike, sweetie, doesn't he have a home to go to?"

Ike shook his head. "Nope. According to him he doesn't have any parents. And whose parents would dress them in ratty clothing! He doesn't even have any shoes!"

Great now he was picking on me. I closed my eyes and sighed and suddenly felt someone dragging me again. I opened my eyes and Ike was dragging me up the stairs. "First thing we should do I get you some better clothes! I'll give you some of mine!" the blue haired child dug through his drawers and pulled out a gray tunic with blue trim and a pair of black pants. "These don't fit me anymore, but they'll probably fit you fine! I'll go get us some snacks while you change."

"EEEEK! H-half-breed!"

'K-kill it! Kill it!"

Once again I was snapped from my thoughts by someone screaming. I turned to see if it was the girl, but both she and the other boy were looking at the true reason of the scream.

A young hawk laguz, too young to even fly, was running from a mob of people who were armed with anything they could find to inflict damage. I'm getting tired of this, so very tired of this. Discrimination caused the war I fought in, lives were lost, and they still never learned. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the small girl step in front of the laguz, shielding him from the mob.

"That's enough! There is no reason for you to be chasing this boy down the street. Did you not learn from the war? Or are you going to repeat history like so many before you?"

"He… He's a half-breed! He's an abomination! He should be destroyed!"

"Like you're so high and mighty. What right do you have to call him inferior when you're the inferior one, yourself? Without that knife in your hands you'd be terrified of him!" I turned to see the girl next to me. The boy she was talking to standing behind her. "He's a damn kid! And so what if he's a laguz? If you were a laguz and he was a beorc and you were the one being hunted down, would that make it alright? No because then you'd be the one in trouble, huh?"

The purple haired boy added his opinion too. His voice was almost so devoid of emotion it was like he "Do you realize how much easier it would be if beorc and laguz lived happily? I don't think that you'd be able to stomach it even if you did. And when you see a remnant of what happens when a beorc and a laguz get along and go even further than that. You treat them like they've been harassing you and beating and bullying you children… I get beaten all the time just because I…" he sighed and didn't finish. I guessed he was a Branded much like myself. Poor thing.

Seeing as how they weren't being affected and some of them took another step forward, I decided to step in. "You know, it's sad when mere children realize the simpler way to live in harmony than adults. You really didn't learn from the war did you? Princess Elincia would be extremely disappointed to see that this is what became of General Ike's hard work."

They gave me a blank look that dripped of 'what the hell are you talking about?'

"So, in other words," I quickly said exactly what I needed to get the point across. "Pretend he doesn't have wings, and pretend the other boy isn't only half beorc, or I'll tell my Commander, and he'll tell Princess Crimea, and she'll do something about this so that there are no misunderstands." They paled and all hurried back to what they were doing. With that, I picked up groceries, and turned on my heel to find transportation back to our base. I walked for about five minutes before a small and grabbed my cloak and I realized that All three children where following me.

"Umm… can I help you?"

The purple haired child looked up at me. "Umm…" Oh, he's hungry. I handed him one of the loaves of bread and he smiled.

I looked back at the other two. The girl smiled and the hawk gave me a slight wave, "How did I just become the 'follow-around parent' of three children all of different races?"

The Hawk shrugged "Not like I can fly all the way to Phoneicis… And… it's not like I even want to go there; they're all mean and I don't have any parents. It's kinda why I left… though everyone here sucks as well."

"Then aren't you Falke? That laguz they were trying to track down for a week?"

"That's me; always in trouble. And what might I ask is your name?"

"Fiducia. Hey Purp'. What about you?" She turned to the violet haired boy. His head snapped up from the bread he was eating.

"M-me? I-I'm Vis."

The bag of fruit nearly fell out of my hand when I yelled and I barely caught it. "Argh! Why do they wait until we have absolutely no food to send someone shopping? Why do I have to go anyways? I'm a freaking Sage! A Tactician! Not a burly Paladin!"

"Sir, do you need help?" Asked Vis.

"My name is Soren, not Sir, and no I don't." Famous last words. I almost immediately tripped and dropped the same bag. Falke caught it thankfully.

"Oh really?"(3) He grinned. My eye twitched.

"Fiducia, please tell me you have a family. Please!" I was pleading as I handed her one of the bags of bread. The hawk took the herbs I had bought.

"Yeah… I live with my daddy and my little brother, Aiuto. Daddy always told me to look out for anyone who needed help or was being picked on because if they're alive then Ashera wanted them to be. I could live with these two."

Ike said things a lot like that when we were kids.

I felt another flashback coming…

"Ha ha! Those look good on you!" Ike laughed. I on the other hand, thought I looked incredibly stupid in clothing that was nearly nagging off of me. Ike's mother said she would have to adjust them for me later. Thought to pass the time, Ike had started a game of 'Is-the-first-letter-a…" and went all the way to l before I grabbed a piece of paper and a stick o assorted colored wax sticks off of the desk and wrote out in big red letters

"'S O R E N? Your name's Soren?" He seemed a tad surprised that I could write and not talk. I nodded and he grinned. "Well then we'll start there!"

- - - - - - - - - -

"So? You can stay with me and daddy! We'll be great friends!"

The word 'friends' snapped me out of my thoughts. It really was like a trip down memory lane. As I neared a cart I took back the bags from the children. Then it happened. Fiducia noticed the mark on my forehead. "That's a really pretty mark. It suits you."

I froze, not really understanding what she said. I saw that Vis was a bit unnerved as well. I bent down to her level. "What?"

"It's pretty! It matches your eyes!" She smiled and before I knew it she had reached out and rubbed at it. I barely managed to stop myself from hitting her hand away. Falke looked at it with interest and when I looked over to Vis, who had been messing with the hair that fell over his forehead, he immediately pulled his hand away from his ace as quickly as he could.

"Something wrong, Vis?"

A hand shot back to his forehead. "N-n-nope! E-everything's fine!"

I set the bags down on the cart, then bent down to meet him eye to eye. So the others wouldn't hear me, I whispered "You have this on your forehead too, don't you? And it scares you doesn't it. Knowing that if anyone knows what it is, you'll be treated badly. Isn't that right?" Why was I playing the comforting parent, now? Maybe it was because he reminded me of myself.

He nodded ever so slightly.

"Stay with them. I have a friend just like them. They won't betray you. And if you ever feel like you need to leave. Look for a swordsman with green hair Named Stefan. He'll take care of you. Tell him, Soren sent you."

"He won't need to! We'll look out for him! Right, Fidu?" Falke had hearing just like Janaff.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Of course! I won't abandon someone!" She grabbed Falke by the wrist with one hand and Vis by the other. 'Come on! I'll have you meet Daddy!"

"Bye, Mister Soren." Falke called back. Vis waved a silent goodbye.

I waved back a bit before turning and handing the man next to the cart a few coins and walking down the road back home.

- - - - - - - - - -

"S…en."

"Close! Say that middle part like this!" he said it slowly to show me they way to move my mouth. "Sssoooorrrrreeeeenn."

"S.. So.." I took a deep breath. "Ssoo..reen… Soren. Soren!" I finally managed to say it.

Ike beamed, "You did it, Soren! See? Now let's try my name. The first part is like this. Iiiii."

"Ee… Aaa… Iii…" I fumbled around with a couple of sounds before I got the right one.

"Ke."

"Ce…ke… Ke!" I got it easier this time.

'Awesome Soren! Now try them all in one!"

"Sooren… IIke… Soren. Ike."

Ike was overly excited at the fact that he taught me how to say my name and his own. "That's Perfect Soren! You'll be able to talk in no time! Okay… now let's try…"

- - - - - - - - - -

As I entered the outer walls of the Greil mercenaries base, I smiled slightly at the thought of my friend. Picking up the bags the man had taken off the cart, I put the bags inside and walked back to my room. Though before I got there I walked past Shinnon, who looked at me like I had an extra head. "Got a problem?"

" What are you plotting? You don't have that dull look in your eye like you usually do."

I decided to answer smartly. "Your demise."

"You're bluffing!"

I regained my "I bluff as little as you refuse a drink."

Shinnon visibly thought of the last time he declined a drink of alcohol and walked quickly past me. I could have sworn I heard him say "I need to find my quiver and bows…"

"Hey! Soren you're back!" I turned around to see Ike's grinning face. That face soon turned to one of confusion. "Hey Soren? Are happy? That's rare. Then again, it's good for a change. You can't be a grump all the time!"

"I just met a few kids, that's all, Ike"

Branded.

That's all I am, that's all people will ever see me as.

But with Ike around, I guess I could deal with it.

Okay, that last part about Shinnon I had to put in. cause he's always harassing poor Sor :Hugs Soren:.

O-O that be a long one shot if I may say! I kinda don't like the ending to it that much and I'm pretty sure Soren wouldn't stand up for anyone but… seeing as that's what Ike would have wanted I could see that… Pfft. This piece of crap from the bowels of my mind turned into 11 pages long xD longer than any essay I'll ever do!

Side Notes:

(1) This is before Ike's mother died. Maybe a half a year. Thus Griel still uses swords.

(2) Ya RLY, Falke xD

Oh, and Vis is Violet in latin, Falke is Hawk in German, and Fiducia is one of the words for Trust in Italian (Aiuto is also Help in Latin, so Fiducia and Aiuto are Trust and Help. xD Vis'll be fine for whoever wondered)

Oh, and here are some cookies for those who read this. Thanks!

Ah well, I digress, Press the little lavender button and send me a review.