Chapter 03 – Protecting Riyute Village
Capital Town to Riyute Village, Melromarc, Raphtalia's World
26 Cypi – 03 Zinat, Wintertime - Springtime
Over the next month, Eiku spent all his free time when not working, wandering the city feeling the soulbond fluctuate through different levels of warmth. Mostly the changes were so small it was difficult to determine in which direction he should go. Other times the difference in warmth was greater and it was obvious that his soulmate had left the city altogether and travelled further away. Eiku had to sleep, and he had to report for his duties as a knight and training. Thus, he was not always able to constantly search. Sometimes when he was locked in an inescapable commitment somewhere in the city, the bond would feel close by. During such events, it was incredibly frustrating that he was not free to search out the source.
Despite the setback, he did make some progress. He was able to determine that three of the heroes – Sword, Spear, and Bow – were not his soulmate. Occasionally he was sent out with some other knights to aid one of the heroes with an endeavour. Other times, he would come upon one of them in the market. Thus, he had been easily able to determine that the warmth he felt did not come from one of them.
The Shield Hero was more elusive. Whenever Eiku heard that the Shield Hero had been spotted, Eiku would quickly head towards the Hero's last known location as soon as his commitments permitted. By keeping an ear out for rumours and paying attention to the strength of the soulbond, he began to notice a correlation between the Shield Hero's sightings and the degree of warmth in the bond. He still searched the city for a possible infant, but steadily, the signs of the Shield Hero being his soulmate grew more and more likely. Still, Eiku was determined not to let the flower of hope bloom too early.
As Cypi ended and the month of Kepar progressed and transitioned into the month of Zinat, Eiku's free time gradually decreased. The entire kingdom was preparing for the next Wave. Even with the Four Holy Heroes, Melromarc's Knight Captain, Ishida, was determined to be prepared. As a result, Eiku's unit commander, Sazama, drilled the entire unit relentlessly. Sazama made sure that all of his knights and mages got enough rest. Still, Eiku would wake in the morning sore from training the day before. He began to wish that the Wave would come sooner so he could get a few days of rest in the form of easier workdays for a time. Until the cycle repeated itself, that is.
Finally, the day of the second Catastrophe Wave arrived on the third of Zinat. All of the knights that the city could spare were standing in parade formation upon the parade grounds near the palace. Somewhere in the city, his soulmate was once again in attendance. For the last week, until a day and a half ago, the bond had been cooler as his soulmate roamed away from the city. Then the day before yesterday, the bond had steadily grown warmer and by late afternoon its warmth had settled. The next day Eiku had heard that the Shield Hero was once again back in the city. Apparently, he had gone to the Three Heroes church and taken a look at the Dragon Hourglass.
As Eiku stood waiting with the city's other knights, he examined the feeling of warmth from the bond. The budding flower of hope was getting harder to prevent from blooming. The coincidences between the bond's warmth and the Shield Hero's proximity were too many to ignore. Still, he forced the feeling of hope not to grow any further. Not until he was certain.
"All right, men!" Captain Ishida called out from the front of the parade ground. His voice easily carried in the silent, tense, and anticipated atmosphere to the entire company. "The Wave is going to start soon. The Heroes are going to get sent ahead. As we do not know where the Wave will take place, we are to wait here and head out as soon as they send word or signal for aid. Do not let your guard down and be prepared to fight!"
"Yes, Sir," they all called out. Off to the side, the mages were getting the same talk. They weren't directly under the military commander's command. They had their own hierarchy. They assisted the knights with their patrols and often trained with the knights to learn how to fight effectively alongside non-mages. Only during big events, like the Waves, did the military commander's orders take priority. Somewhere in the group of mages, was Kazane. Eiku hoped all of his friends made it back from this attack safely.
Minutes passed and then the church bell tolled loudly in the distance, indicating the start of the Wave. In that instant, Eiku's soul bond grew noticeably cooler – although it was still warm – as if his soulmate had suddenly been teleported somewhere several candle marks distance away. All of the assembled knights and mages waited in tense anticipation as the long minutes stretched on. After a quarter of a candlemark, a horn sounded from the watchtowers around the battlements. Ishida's voice rang out from the front. "Move out!"
As one, the knights and mages set forth at a brisk pace. More horns and shouts reached them as they headed through the city towards the city gates. From the information passed on this way, they were able to determine the Wave had hit near Riyute Village. Eiku felt his blood chill and his thoughts immediately went to his mother. The thought of losing her so soon after his father made him tremble and he had to force himself to clear his mind and think of nothing but keeping up with the gruelling pace the commander set.
Normally the distance from Capital Town to Riyute Village took several hours to travel by foot. The company of knights and the group of mages reached the outskirts of the village in one hour. Eiku was sweating from everywhere, his armour felt like it weighed a hundred more pounds, and his feet throbbed in pain. As they grew closer to the village, not only did the bond grow warmer, but so did the sounds of fighting and the moans and screeches of monsters. A large pillar of fire suddenly stretched towards the sky and dark smoke billowed into the air.
"There are monsters in town. Mages, fire on my command," Captain Ishida ordered from the front.
Eiku spoke up before his brain-to-mouth filter could prevent him from challenging his superior. "You can't do that! You'll destroy the buildings! What about all of the people still fighting in there?"
"Who said that?" Captain Ishida asked, his voice deadly and cold.
The knights Eiku did not know well stepped aside until Eiku was standing revealed to the commander. Eiku had never liked Ishida. There was something in his small, brown eyes that had always made Eiku nervous whenever he had seen the man. Eiku looked across the distance at the man who was taller, broader, and stronger than himself. His eyes were just as cold as Eiku remembered. His strong cleft chin, brown hair, and mustache were also the same as Eiku remembered. Despite the hard march he hardly looked winded.
"I did," Eiku bravely said even though he was trembling inside. 'What was I thinking?'
Ishida stalked towards Eiku and stopped in front of him. "What makes you think you can question an order from your superiors, boy?"
Eiku firmed his stance and forced himself to look Ishida in the eyes. He refused to show the man any fear. "It is the duty of every citizen to speak up against cruelty. Attacking civilians and destroying a village is not honourable. Further, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere!" Then as an afterthought, "Sir."
Ishida looked surprised that Eiku had answered back instead of groveling and apologizing. Worse though, Eiku could see in the man's cruel expression that he either did not agree with anything Eiku had said. That or he was too stupid to understand the meaning.
"Insolence. Is this what you are teaching your men these days, Sazama?" Ishida asked of Eiku's unit commander without taking his beady eyes off Eiku. He did not have to raise his voice to be heard. Even with the sounds of battle in the distance. Around them, the other knights and mages watched on silently with wide eyes.
Eiku's eyes darted to Commander Sazama. He was standing in front of the company in the space created by the soldiers who still had not moved to get back into formation. Eiku had always liked Commander Sazama. Unlike Ishida, Sazama had a sense of honour. He had a scar that slashed across his nose that served to highlight his honest blue eyes and brown hair. He was as different from Ishida as night and day.
"Ah, the willfulness of youth," Sazama called back in answer, not moving from his spot. "He will be properly disciplined when this Wave is over." Eiku wondered if that were true. Sazama was not known for disciplining those in his unit unfairly.
From behind Eiku, Obito suddenly spoke up. "Please, Knight-Captain. This village is our home." Behind Ishida, Sazama winced at hearing another one of his unit challenge Ishida.
Ishida's eyes looked past Eiku and no doubt immediately found Obito from the way his eyes narrowed. "Your unit is full of disobedience, Sazama. I trust they will be properly dealt with." It was not a question. He looked back to Eiku. He leaned in close and smirked cruelly. "Watch closely as your village burns." He turned and made his way back to the front of the company. "Fall in!" he thundered. Immediately, the knights hastened to obey. Then Ishida called out to the mages once more. "Fire!"
Eiku looked over and his eyes met Kazane's horrified green ones. Beside her stood a mage shorter than Kazane with dark purple hair and black eyes. His expression was just as horrified as he looked back at Eiku. Reki was another kid from Riyute Village. He was a year younger than Eiku and while they had been friends growing up, and still were, they weren't close like Eiku was with Kazane and Obito.
The rest of the mages had finished casting and orange streaks of fire burst from all of them – except for Kazane and Reki – and gathered in the sky above the village. "Move out!" Ishida ordered. The company of knights began to run in formation towards the village, the mages right behind as above them all, the ball of energy exploded outward and rained fire down upon the village.
Eiku forced his eyes to stay focused forward and did his best to ignore the needless devastation the attack had wrought upon his village. They met no resistance as they passed the village's log wall and ran past burning buildings to the village square. With an order from Ishida, three-fourths of the company fanned out and began to cut down the monsters that had evaded the mage's initial attack.
Eiku and half of his unit gathered together and moved to provide support where they could. Even as Eiku drew his sword and engaged in combat with a large hornet, he could feel the warmth of the soulbond pulsing warmer than it ever had before. The feeling was rapidly getting to the point of distraction. Quickly, Eiku dispatched the hornet and brought his sword up to protect against a strike from a zombie that had come from his left. As he parried its next strike, Eiku heard Captain Ishida's sneering voice speak up from behind him.
"I see you survived the fire attack. You're one sturdy kid, Hero of the Shield."
A second later there were quick footsteps and then a crash, like two blades meeting. "Why did you attack, knowing Master was here? Were you trying to kill him? Depending on your answer I will have your head," a female's voice demanded.
Eiku ducked another swing from the zombie while the conversation continued behind him.
"How dare you raise your blade to me, you dammed demi-human," Ishida said, his voice dripping with contempt.
Eiku sliced his sword across the zombie's neck, almost severing it. The zombie fell at his feet and its helmet fell off and rolled away.
"That's not an answer. I'm still waiting. Give me one good reason to kill you," the female once again spoke.
Eiku looked around and seeing no immediate threat, turned around and looked upon the scene for the first time. A female raccoon-looking, demi-human in light leather armour was currently crossing blades with Captain Ishida while Commander Sazama and one-fourth of the company stood behind and to the sides of them. It was the man with dark black hair wearing a green cloak lined in white fur that captured most of Eiku's attention. He could not help but stare at the man. Feelings of déjà vu danced through his mind as he struggled to remember where he had seen the man before. Inside his chest, the warmth of the bond pulsed along with Eiku's heartbeat and he ached to step forward and get closer to the man Captain Ishida had called the Shield Hero.
Eiku had not realized he had tuned out the argument between the demi-human and Ishida until the Shield Hero spoke and sound came rushing back. "Raphtalia, stand down."
Ishida smirked. "That's right. Listen to your master, Pet."
Raphtalia growled and drew her blade back only to swing it again towards Ishida's neck. If not for Sazama's quick reflexes that allowed him to block the blade for Ishida in time, Ishida would have met his untimely end.
"Raphtalia!" The Shield Hero shouted at her while Sazama ordered her to, "Back. Off."
Raphtalia did not move for another couple of seconds before she swiftly jumped back but kept her sword up and at the ready. "What kind of knight endangers the people he's meant to defend," Raphtalia demanded.
'One without honour,' Eiku mentally answered her.
Ishida scoffed and the look on his face made Eiku tense. He could only describe it as 'lecherous'. "Seems like you are fine, so what's the problem?" Beside Ishida, Sazama's eyelid twitched at the comment while the rest of his face remained focused on the Shield Hero and his companion.
At a sound from behind, Eiku spun back around and his eyes widened as he saw a fresh hoard of monsters quickly approaching his location from around the buildings. He raised his sword in preparation as he faced down the oncoming monsters. Beside him, the others in his unit did the same.
"In that case," The Shield Hero said in a voice that sounded deceptively smooth, bringing to mind thoughts of silk and caramel. "You won't mind if we just sit back and let you get eaten by monsters. I'm sure you'll be just 'fine'."
The monsters in front of Eiku reached him and he lunged to take out the closest monster quickly and then twisted to the side, feinted, and took out another. Behind him, Ishida called out in a high-pitched voice, "Don't panic! Get in formation!"
There was a mighty crash and Eiku parried the stinger of a hornet and glanced back to see that the Shield Hero had blocked the strike of a massive, tall monster with rotting flesh, wearing spiked iron armour. He stood over Ishida who had fallen to the ground, obviously having just saved the commander's life from a blow that had been intended for him. The Shield Hero's arms barely trembled as he pushed back against the monster's huge, black axe.
Eiku's mouth went inexplicably dry and his heart stuttered in his chest. He tore his eyes away from the scene to focus on his own battle. Beside him, his companions were swiftly dispatching their own opponents. In short order the area was cleared of threats, leaving Eiku the opportunity to turn around and watch the Shield Hero in action.
The raccoon girl ran up the large arm of the beast and with a leap, her sword came down and cleaved the massive creature in two with one strike. Behind the Shield Hero, a zombie took a swing for Ishida and without hesitation, the Shield Hero blocked the attack with a glowing green, ethereal shield. Raphtalia landed lightly on her feet, sword at the ready. Beside her, the Shield Hero straightened, freed from the monster's weight, and faced the oncoming hoard of monsters. "Listen, we'll buy you time. Use it to get into formation."
Ishida got himself up from the ground. His face was thunderous as he yelled at the Hero's back, "You trash! How dare you give us orders, criminal scum?"
Raphtalia darted forward and took out another massive, rotting monster while the Shield Hero proceeded to take another blow that had, yet again, been meant for someone else. Nearby, Sazama was looking at the hero as if he was seeing him for the first time.
The Shield Hero pushed another monster away with his shield and Raphtalia darted in to take it down, her long brown hair flowing outwards like a wave behind her. "I have a great idea," the Shield Hero said, turning around to look at Ishida with contempt. Behind him, the fires around the village backlit his slight figure and made him look imposing – like a force of vengeance. His bright green eyes fixed on Ishida, their depths holding nothing but hatred as he looked at the man. "How about my companion and I just take off and leave you here alone to handle this mess?"
Behind him, Raphtalia had not paused. She darted everywhere, a literal force of vengeance. Monsters fell beneath her blade within seconds and she was already off to engage another foe before the current one had fallen to the ground. The Shield Hero did not move or look away from Ishida's face. Yet he still managed to provide constant backup to his companion as well as the knights and mages fighting in the area.
Ishida glared at the Shield Hero for several seconds and then smirked and called out, "Let the Shield handle this. We are heading to where the Three Heroes are!"
Eiku was not at all surprised at the captain's show of pettiness. Captain Ishida immediately turned and stalked away from the village square. Most of the knights and mages were quick to follow him. Others, like Eiku, and all of the people he knew to be from Riyute Village, stayed behind. Eiku looked to Sazama who had yet to leave. The man's blue eyes were closed and when he opened them, he looked determined, as if he had overcome an internal conflict. He raised his sword above his head and called out in a firm, strong voice. "Support the Shield Hero! Phalanx formation!"
All around the village square, the remaining knights and mages responded quickly to the firm order, relieved by the show of leadership. They regrouped in a circle in the middle of the village square and when Sazama shouted, "Charge!" they all immediately spread out to engage the enemy with renewed vigour.
For another half hour, Eiku's blood sang with adrenaline as he fought alongside his shield brothers and mages, and the Shield Hero and Raphtalia. Through it all, the soulbond urged him to close the distance between the Shield Hero and himself, but the impulse was relatively easy to ignore due to the pressing danger the monsters posed. When the red sky with purple, lime green, and blue swirls finally returned to its normal pale blue, he had only a brief minute of respite to clean his weapon, wipe his brow, and finally catch his breath, before Sazama started issuing orders to help the town.
All the mages that had an affinity with water were charged with putting out the fires around the village. Some of the knights were tasked with gathering the bodies of the monsters together for the mages with fire affinity to set alight. The rest of the knights were tasked with making sure the village and surrounding area were clear of any leftover monsters and zombies. The knights evenly spread out in all locations away from the village and Eiku ended up heading south towards the more forested area.
It was harder to leave than he expected. The incomplete soulbond continued to push him to close the distance between himself and Shield Hero. His soul ached for the bond's completion and each step he took, took greater effort than the one before as the distance between the two of them grew. Eiku could not help but smile for the first time that day at the thought of what the bond was yelling at him.
The Shield Hero was his soulmate.
Despite the impossibility of it, his new soulmate had not been an infant at all. Rather, it seemed Kazane had been right. Eiku had had a soulmate all along; he had just been on another world. He let the flower of hope's delicate petals slowly unfold as the flower finally bloomed. His smile grew and he felt lighter than he had in weeks now that he was not fighting to get his hopes up.
He could not believe his luck. What had he done to deserve such a brave, selfless man as the Shield Hero? Despite how much he obviously despised Captain Ishida, he had still saved the man's life twice. If there had been any doubt at all in his mind about the Shield Hero's innocence and the rumours surrounding him, they had effectively evaporated. A man that was willing to throw himself into the path of danger for another man who clearly hated him in turn, could not have done any of the evil things the Crown claimed. Such an evil man would have been entirely too selfish and cowardly.
Eiku reached the forest and entered them without hesitation. Growing up in Riyute, he used to spend some of his free time exploring the woods. He had never gone far because it was easy to get lost beneath the tall trees, but he knew his way fair enough. He encountered another giant hornet, which he quickly dispatched, but no other monsters in the shadowed wood. He turned and made his way back to the edge of the forest, his steps growing easier now that he was heading back towards his soulmate's location. At the forest's edge, he came across a rotting zombie. It, too, was quickly taken care of and he stepped out of the shadowed wood and back into the brightness of the day. On the way back towards Riyute, he encountered one last zombie which had been just as easily taken care of as the other two foes. His sword swished through the air, cutting the zombie down without hesitation. Eiku was not yet strong enough to cleanly cut a zombie in two but he could still get the job done.
Eiku reached the village and quickly made his way towards the village square, allowing the warmth of the bond to lead the way. As he walked, he looked around at the devastation the Wave's attack had caused and which the mages' fire had made even worse. 'Watch closely as your village burns,' Captain Ishida's words echoed in his mind. The village had burned all right. It was going to take months to repair all of the damage and they would be lucky if they got restitution funds from the Crown to cover the costs.
The attack and subsequent cleanup had taken hours. Overhead, the sky was beginning to yellow and turn pink as the sun slowly sank to the horizon. All around, Eiku could see exhausted town folk creating small shrines to honour and mourn their dead. His heart clenched. He hoped his mother had not been among their number.
He reached the village square and immediately spotted Commander Sazama. He was off to the side talking to the Shield Hero. Eiku noticed that the hero's body posture was wary and tense in the commander's presence and his expression was closed off. Eiku was too far away to hear what they were saying but whatever Commander Sazama said next caused some of the stiffness to leave the Shield Hero's shoulders and he nodded to the commander, his expression slightly more open.
Eiku looked away from them to scan the square and spotted small clusters of knights and mages who had made it back from their assigned tasks and were now standing around, awaiting their next orders. Eiku walked over to one such cluster composed entirely of individuals he had grown up within Riyute. Kazane and Obito stood close together with Reki a little off to the side. He had removed his mage hat and was clutching it in one hand. Both his short purple hair and Kazane's sangria red hair were covered in soot and ash.
Ryuu was also with them. Ryuu was shorter than Kazane and Obito, but taller than Reki and Eiku. He had dark blue eyes, and despite his young age, dark grey hair. Ryuu's hair colour had been easily accepted by the village growing up. Then Ryuu had moved to Capital Town and the other young knights had picked on him for his 'old man hair'. Like with the other three, Eiku had been friends with Ryuu as kids, even though they were not incredibly close. Even after Eiku had stood with Ryuu against the bullies and gotten the bullying to eventually stop, the two of them had not grown closer. Of the five of them, Ryuu's face still retained the most baby fat from his youth.
The four of them looked over when they noticed Eiku's approach and they all smiled tiredly at him in greeting and Ryuu gave him a small wave. Obito's and Ryuu's armour had blood splattered on it. Kazane's arm was bandaged and there was blood seeping through. The rest of them looked uninjured. All of their faces and gear were covered in soot from the fires around the village. Eiku suspected that he did not look much better himself.
Ever the most outgoing of the group, Kazane was the first to greet him with a cheery hug. "Eiku!"
Eiku returned it, careful not to aggravate her injured arm. "Kazane. How is the arm?" he asked, letting her go and stepping back.
"Oh, it hurt like heck at first," she cheerfully answered. "It feels much better now though. Reki cast some healing magic on it."
Reki flushed slightly. Out of all of them, Reki had always been the shyest. "It wasn't much. I'm still working on improving my healing magic."
Kazane waved that aside. "It was plenty, Reki. We are all still improving. Even my wind magic still has a way to go." Eiku had seen some of Kazane's magic. She was already considered fairly powerful for her age.
"Were you hurt?" Obito asked.
Eiku shook his head. "I'm fine. Besides that, thank you for trying to help out back there with Captain Ishida, Obito."
Obito's face darkened. "That man is vile."
"What did he say to you at the end?" Ryuu asked.
"He told me to watch closely as my village burned," Eiku answered.
"To think that the Shield Hero saved someone like that," Obito said.
Kazane brightened excitedly at the mention of the Shield Hero. "Did you all see him? Wasn't he amazing?"
Reki nodded, just as excited. "He was! Did you all see his companion? She is so strong!"
"After hearing all those terrible rumours, I was amazed at how selfless and brave he was," Ryuu said.
"That's because he is completely innocent," Kazane said airily. "What evil person jumps in front of an axe for someone he doesn't know? Captain Ishida certainly wouldn't."
Obito scowled. "I hate that man. I'm so glad I report to Commander Sazama."
"Ohhh!" Kazane suddenly said, turning her full attention on Eiku. "Did you get a feel for him?"
Eiku immediately knew what Kazane was asking about. His cheeks flushed awkwardly and his eyes darted to Ryuu and Reki. Talking about his soulmate with Obito and Kazane was completely different from talking about him with Ryuu and Reki. Eiku was not close friends with them.
"What are you talking about?" Ryuu asked, looking between Kazane and Eiku.
Obito nudged Kazane, immediately catching on to Eiku's hesitation. "You can't just ask about something like that," he chastised.
Kazane did not answer either of them and instead continued to look meaningfully at Eiku. Eiku swallowed and glanced again at Ryuu and Reki before he looked back at Kazane and nodded. He could not help smiling and he ducked his head and felt his cheeks heat up.
"By the Shield!" Kazane squealed. "I told you it was possible. Ahhh! I am so happy for you!" She immediately enclosed him in another firm hug. She likely would have spun him around if she had been able to lift him and the extra eighty pounds of armour.
Beside her, Obito looked surprised by Eiku's revelation, his eyes wide. "Seriously?" he asked, incredulously.
Kazane let Eiku go and he nodded at Obito, his brown eyes shining with joy.
Obito immediately grinned. "I'm happy for you."
"Umm… Could one of you fill us in?" Ryuu asked. He and Reki were both looking at the three of them, confused.
Kazane bounced on her toes in excited happiness for Eiku. Eiku looked at both her and Obito whom both looked back at him in silent support. Neither of them would tell Ryuu or Reki anything. Eiku looked to Ryuu and Reki. If he told them that it was a personal matter, Eiku knew they would both completely respect that and would not press. Did Eiku want to keep it a secret from them though? Perhaps now would be a good opportunity to get to know his two friends better. There was more than enough room for two more close friends in his life.
Also picking up on Eiku's hesitation, Reki spoke up, his voice soft and understanding. "If you don't feel comfortable about telling us then we will respect that," he said, confirming what Eiku had already suspected. Ryuu nodded in agreement.
Eiku was glad of their support and the four of them waited quietly for Eiku to make a decision, no pressure either way. Finally, Eiku nodded to himself and looked around the area to make sure they would not be overheard. Then he turned his blindingly bright smile on the four of his friends. The happiness in his voice was easy to hear as he quietly announced, "I found my soulmate!"
Reki's eyes widened and he looked around at the area too before stepping closer and keeping his voice down just in case. "What do you mean? I thought you didn't have one."
'That's right!' Eiku suddenly remembered. He had told both Reki and Ryuu years ago about his lack of soulbond when he turned ten. He had been crying and his four friends had comforted him, rubbed his back, and gave him hugs. Suddenly the decision to tell both of them about what was going on rang as the right one.
"I suddenly got a bond one morning about a month ago," he told them, softly. "Over the last month, I have managed to eliminate three possible candidates, while keeping in mind a fourth. From the way the bond felt and the fourth candidate's activities, I was able to determine that it was mostly that person and not a newborn baby as I had first thought." Reki and Ryuu's faces both looked startled as if they had just realized that yes, a sudden bond would most likely come from an infant.
"Fifteen years apart," Ryuu said, his eyes wide.
Eiku nodded. "I was fully prepared to keep the bond platonic," he confirmed. "I stubbornly refused not to get my hopes up, even as the evidence stacked higher and higher in the fourth candidate's favour."
Reki and Ryuu's eyes suddenly widened as they both came to the same conclusion. "The Shield Hero?" Reki quietly asked softly for clarification.
Eiku nodded, his eyes sparkling with happiness. The five of them looked over at the Shield Hero. He was done talking with Commander Sazama and was now standing with Raphtalia, quietly watching the villagers. Eiku felt the bond pulse in warmth and longing to be near him.
"Wow," Ryuu said in awe. "Lucky."
Eiku blushed again and cupped his cheeks in embarrassment. He had never blushed this much before. Not even when he had had a crush on Kazane.
His four friends looked away from the Shield Hero and back to Eiku. "What are you going to do about it?" Ryuu asked.
"I'll tell you what you are going to do," Kazane said. "You are going to march right up to him and introduce yourself."
"I can't do that!" Eiku protested a bit too loudly. His eyes immediately darted around to make sure none of the others in the area had heard. He shook his head and insisted more quietly, "I can't just walk up to him!"
"Why not?" Kazane asked.
"Come on, Kazane. Look at him." Eiku discreetly gestured to the Shield Hero who, for some reason, was still standing quietly away from all of the others. "He is amazing! He's handsome, brave, and strong. Seriously, did you see the way he held off that massive monster? He's everything I'm not. That kind of awesomeness would never be interested in someone as plain as me."
She blinked at him. "Seriously?"
Obito rolled his eyes. "Come on, Eiku. You are being so clichéd right now," he said, completely unimpressed.
"Are you fishing for compliments?" Ryuu asked, raising one eyebrow as he looked at Eiku.
"Here, I'll list some for you," Kazane ticked them off on her fingers. "You are amazing. Fantastic, really. Kind, brave, hardworking, completely selfless. You are honest and have a great sense of humour. You can dance! Your smile is beyond cute and adorable. Oh, and you have a fine ass."
Eiku gaped at her. Obito snorted on a laugh and Reki choked on nothing and started to cough. Ryuu laughed.
"You've looked at my butt?"
Kazane rolled her eyes. "Please, everyone has looked at it."
"They have not!" Eiku denied, slightly horrified.
Obito grinned. "They really have."
"Ugh, all right, this right here? This is clichéd," Eiku said.
"What's clichéd?"
Eiku jumped and whirled around. Commander Sazama had approached their group without any of them noticing. "Hello, sir. Umm… how long have you been… standing there?" Eiku asked nervously.
"Relax, Knight Takara. I don't make a habit of listening in on conversations." He looked them over. "You five are from this village if I remember correctly."
"Yes, sir," Ryuu answered.
Commander Sazama nodded. "I want you all to introduce yourselves to the Shield Hero and his companion and then you can go and check on your families. Report back here when you hear my horn blow. That'll be the signal that it is time to set out."
"Thank you, sir," Obito answered for them. Commander Sazama turned and made his way over to the next group.
Eiku looked at his friends with wide eyes. "What am I going to say?"
"Keep it simple," Reki told him. "Your name, for starters. Then wait for him to say something."
"We'll help you," Kazane said and took Eiku's arm and began to lead him to where the Shield Hero was standing with Raphtalia. The others followed close behind.
The longing from the soulbond suddenly flared up, urging him to walk faster. He stumbled briefly and Kazane caught him and sent him a concerned glance. "I'm all right," he reassured her. Once he had steadied himself, he had to focus on not hurrying to close the distance and thereby leaving his friends behind. The warmth of the bond continued to intensify as the distance between himself and the Shield Hero decreased. By the time he stopped before the Shield Hero, it felt like he had a small fire living in his chest.
The man's gaze had originally been looking elsewhere. As soon as Eiku's group had crossed half the distance, the Shield Hero turned his head and fixed his gaze on them as they approached. Eiku's own eyes were fixed on the Shield Hero and, even if his life deepened on it, he could not have looked away. The man looked so familiar in his chain armour and green cloak lined with white fur.
They stopped five feet away and Eiku drank in the sight of the Shield Hero, his eyes examining every detail. The man looked tense, his stunning green eyes were wary as he examined the five of them in turn. Eiku wondered what the shade of green was called and determined that it was his new favourite colour. The hero's hair was a colour of black that made Eiku think of dark-coloured birds. The spiked locks fell gently about the Shield Hero's face and across his forehead and fluttered gently in the slight evening breeze like fluffy feathers. The black locks were streaked with blood and grime and just like Eiku's group, the Shield Hero's face was streaked with soot. At the risk of sounding completely clichéd:
He was the most handsome man Eiku had ever seen.
Eiku found himself suddenly tongue-tied. Fortunately, Kazane did not have the same problem. "Holy Shield Hero," she began to say, "we –"
"I'm going to stop you right there," the Shield Hero interrupted. His deep voice caused butterflies to dance in Eiku's stomach. "I am no one's hero. Nor am I holy."
"What would you prefer to be called then," Kazane asked, without hesitation.
"You first," he answered and his green eyes narrowed slightly.
"All right," Kazane said. Eiku did not have to look at her to see her pleased smile. He could hear it in her voice. "I'll introduce everyone. My name is Kazane." She then indicated each of her friends as she said their names. "These are my friends, Obito, Ryuu, and Reki." The Shield Hero's eyes meet each of theirs when they were introduced and they each nodded to him in greeting.
"And this," Kazane said, pushing Eiku forward slightly so the Shield Hero's attention was completely upon him, "is Eiku Takara."
As Eiku's name was said, the Shield Hero looked him in the eyes just as he had done with the others. As their eyes met for the first time, Eiku felt the small fire of the bond instantly flare brightly in his chest and turn into a supernova of heat. It immediately radiated outwards from his chest and filled his entire body. He gasped at the feeling of extreme joy which followed promptly after, bringing tears of ecstasy and wonder to his wide eyes as he stared back at the Shield Hero's face. The bond snapped into place and just as quickly as it had started, the heat dimmed until it was a pulsing, comforting warmth with the joy entwined through it.
Eiku smiled at the Shield Hero, letting the delight he felt upon finally meeting his soulmate shine through clearly. "Hello," he said, feeling a bit shy. The man's eyes were still looking intently at him. "You are amazing."
The hero did not reply. He simply looked at Eiku and his expression never changed. His eyes were still wary and his posture was still tight. The hero had not reacted at all to the formation of the bond. His handsome face had never even twitched.
Eiku swallowed as his blood ran cold. There had never been a case before of someone having half a bond. It, like having a bond with someone more than ten years younger or not having a bond at all, simply did not happen. 'What is wrong?' he silently wondered, feeling a slight panic set in. 'Did he feel the bond? Is it there?' Eiku had been moved by the meeting but it certainly did not appear as if the Shield Hero felt the same way.
Eiku somehow managed to step back when the Shield Hero did not reply. He felt numb all over and all he wanted to do was cry in his mother's arms. Still, he forced himself to keep looking at the man before him, wanting to memorize every detail just in case they never meet again.
The Shield Hero looked away from Eiku to look at Eiku's group as a whole. He looked almost impassive and cold, if not for the wariness that still had not gone away. 'He's keeping us a distance,' Eiku suddenly realized. 'He doesn't trust us.' Eiku was not deaf to the rumours that had continued to circulate the city. Of course someone that was constantly treated poorly would expect any new person he or she met to treat them the same way. Having a bond with a stranger would not be enough to counteract that right away.
"You may call me, Iwatani," The Shield Hero told them, his voice firm.
Eiku swallowed and felt his resolve strengthen and merge with the warmth and joy of the bond. He did not know what was happening between the Shield Hero and himself but he was not going to leave on a poor note. He was going to leave a great impression and let the hero know that he had those that fully supported him! Reciprocated bond or no, just as he had told his mother just over a month ago, Eiku was going to be whomever the Shield Hero needed him to be.
"It is a great honour to meet you, Sir Iwatani," Eiku said, his voice steady and full of conviction. He gave the Shield Hero one of his gentle smiles. The one he reserved for his mother and close friends for it contained a bit of the love he felt for the recipient. After all, how could he not help but already start to love his brave but wounded soulmate? "Know that you have our full support and that we believe in you." Eiku bowed and saw out of the corner of his eye that his friends did the same. "Please feel free to call on us should you ever need aid or support. No matter how trivial."
He straightened and turned to Raphtalia. During the entire exchange, she had stood silently behind and to the side of the Shield Hero, simply watching them with her gentle, pretty crimson red eyes. In his eagerness to meet his soulmate, he had failed to acknowledge her. His mother had taught him better manners than that. He refused to treat her the same way many people, Captain Ishida included, treated demi-humans in Melromarc.
"Miss Raphtalia," he said, "you are amazing, strong, and brave. You fought admirably and you stood up for Iwatani with strong compassion and conviction." Her eyes widened in stunned surprise as he spoke. "Please continue to look after and protect him. He is honourable and very fortunate to have someone such as yourself fighting with him at his side." He bowed to her and again his friends bowed with him. "Please also know that you may call upon any of us should you ever need."
He straightened and looked at them both. He immediately noticed that the Shield Hero looked just as surprised as Raphtalia. Perhaps even more so. He was looking at Eiku as if he were a puzzle that needed solving. "Thank you for saving our home village." He gave them both a final nod and smile in parting, then turned and strode away. His friends smoothly turned and followed him. As he walked away, he could feel the Shield Hero's gaze on the back of his head until they left the square, rounded a building, and left the hero's sight.
As soon as they rounded the corner, Eiku felt as if his strings had been cut. He slumped against the wall of the nearest building and slid to the ground. He looked up at his friends and saw them looking at him in surprised admiration.
"You were amazing, Eiku," Kazane praised.
Ryuu shook his head in wonder. "Way to leave an impression."
Reki lowered himself to the ground to sit next to Eiku and looked at him in concern. "What happened back there? I could tell something was wrong."
Eiku sighed and let his head fall back against the wall. "I think the bond may be one-sided."
"Impossible," Obito immediately said. "There is no such thing as a half bond."
Eiku looked up at him. Despite the situation, his resolve held and he did not start to feel bleak or depressed. "No one had ever not had a soulbond before either. What's one more impossible thing?" He smiled at his friends before they could start to feel sad or pity for him. "It's all right." He placed on hand on his chest and smiled happily. "I have a bond now. I have a soulmate! I wished and wished but never expected to ever get one. It does not matter if he does not return the bond in full. I will completely support and be there for him as much as he will allow because that is the true essence of being a fantastic soulmate. I will be what he needs me to be and if the bond is never completed then as long as he is happy, I will be too."
"What about your own happiness?" Reki insisted.
Eiku turned shinning brown eyes on him. "I am happy."
He really was. Even if the bond was one-sided, it was still a soulbond and Eiku was going to cherish it to the full extent no matter what. Either his friends could all see how happy he was, or they all decided to believe him for they nodded. Obito, Ryuu and Kazane lowered themselves to join Eiku and Reki on the ground.
"I have a theory," Kazane said, her expression thoughtful as she absently twirled a lock of her sangria red hair with one finger. "The Shield Hero definitely works at keeping himself at a distance. What if he has pushed his emotions back so as to better cope with the disdain and hate he likely gets from others due to the terrible accusations? Perhaps all he needs is time. And a friend."
Ryuu shook his head. "Everything I have heard about soulbonds indicates that the feelings from such a connection are too strong to be ignored."
Eiku nodded. "I could not have ignored the feeling. There was an explosion of extreme warmth at first. It was nearly overwhelming."
Kazane sighed and looked down. Eiku reached out and touched her knee. "I will keep an open mind. You were right to do so last time. It is possible you are now too. Maybe all the Shield Hero – Iwatani – needs is time."
Kazane squeezed his hand and looked back up at him. "Keep us updated?"
Eiku nodded reassuringly. "Of course."
BREAK
Eiku was relieved when he approached his mother's house and saw that it had suffered minimal damage. He was less relieved when he entered the house and his mother was nowhere to be found. Enough time had passed since the Wave ended for all those who had evacuated safely to have come back. He stamped down firmly on the panic that threatened to rise up. 'Don't jump to conclusions,' he told himself. 'Where would she have gone?'
Eiku left the house and walked down the road to the closest neighbour. Their house had also suffered damage from the Waves. The Nagais were a family of five and none of them answered when he knocked on the door. Eiku frowned and turned away from the door. He stared out at the darkened village that was lit only with the light of the half-moon and the stars above. He knew his mother had friends in the village. Who was she closest to? He stared up at the moon and mentally examined everyone he could remember in the village. Thirty seconds later he recalled the name of a family his mother talked about most. The small family of four lived closer to the village square. Eiku stepped off the Nagai's stoop and quickly headed back towards the village center.
The closer he got to the village center, the greater the damage was to the buildings. Likely in part due to the mage's fire spell being concentrated to hit the village square. It was well and truly dark and even with the light given off by the lanterns lining the path, Eiku had to walk carefully so as not to trip. He wondered if Commander Sazama really intended to leave for Capital Town that night.
He found the Morino's house with only a little difficulty due to the darkness, and not visiting often enough to have a more solid idea of where it was. He walked up the path and knocked on the front door. It opened several seconds later and a middle-aged man with dark brown hair and exhausted, red-rimmed green eyes opened the door. Mr. Morino was someone Eiku had only met infrequently. Riyute village may be small but that did not mean that everyone was close to everyone else.
"Good evening, Mr. Morino," Eiku greeted. "I'm Eiku. Is my mom, Hina Takara, here?"
"Ah, yes, Eiku," Mr. Morino looked him over, taking in his grubby appearance and blood-streaked armour. "She is in the den with the rest of the family. Please come in." Mr. Morino moved to the side and allowed Eiku room to step through into the door and into the hall. "Just straight ahead, lad." Mr. Morino closed the door softly while Eiku stepped forward down the hallway and entered a sitting room at the end. There were several people crowded into the room. They all looked exhausted and many had obviously been crying. Some of them still were.
Some of them looked over when they saw Eiku enter and one of them recognized him for she called out, "Hina! Your boy's here." The crowd parted a bit and Eiku's mom appeared. She looked much the same as the others. Her honey-coloured eyes were red-rimmed from crying and there were tear tracks on her cheeks. Her wavy, light brown hair had patches of soot in the stands and her navy blue dress' white apron was torn.
She crossed the crowded room and gathered Eiku into a hug. Along with her natural vanilla and earthen smell, she smelled faintly of smoke. She kissed the top of his dark blond hair. "Were you with the group of knights protecting the village?"
"Yes. We stayed to provide support for the Shield Hero."
Hina stepped back and cupped Eiku's cheeks for a second before letting him go completely in order to look him over. "It looks as if you are uninjured."
Eiku smiled reassuringly at her. "I am." Eiku looked around and took in the number of people watching the pair of them. "Is there somewhere we can talk in private?"
"Of course. Let's step into the kitchen."
Eiku followed his mother to the kitchen and found it unoccupied. He led the way to the far side of the room, furthest from the door, and then turned to Hina. "How many people died?" he quietly asked. "I assume that's why everyone looks so upset."
Hina nodded, her eyes mournful. "Of those here, the Morinos lost their eldest son. Mr. Shoji lost his wife. The Yanagis lost their grandfather and their two youngest kids. Many more in the village lost loved ones. However, it could have been a lot worse." She smiled and tears glittered in the corners of her eyes. "I hear the Shield Hero and his companion are to thank for making sure most of the villagers, and indeed the village itself, survived the attack."
Eiku felt a stab of sorrow at the thought of all those that died. Many of them he had known since childhood. He pushed the sorrow aside to deal with later and nodded vigorously as his chest burned with pride. "He was amazing, Mom. They both were. I wish I could stay to comfort those that have lost loved ones, but Commander Sazama will be calling us back soon. He gave us time to check on our families but that was some time ago."
"Surely you aren't going to be returning to the capital at night," Hina said, eyes wide. "I'm sure I speak for the entire village when I say we can arrange to have all of you stay with people in town."
Eiku shrugged one shoulder. "I do not know. If we leave now, it will be close to midnight by the time we get back."
"If you do have to leave tonight, I will make sure to pass your condolences along to the townspeople."
"Thank you, I appreciate that." Eiku looked to the doorway and strained his hearing to find out if there was anyone close by. It sounded like everyone was still in the den. He looked back to his mom and smiled brightly at her. Despite the grimness of the house's atmosphere and the knowledge that some people did not survive the Wave, he could not help but feel excited to tell his mother his good news. He spoke quietly so as not to be overheard should they suddenly have company. "I know who my soulmate is."
Hina gasped. "Already? I hope you waited at least a week before introducing yourself to the parents."
Eiku's smile stretched into a grin and he bounced excitedly on his feet twice. "My soulmate isn't an infant."
Hina looked confused. "What? How –"
From outside the sound of a horn suddenly sounded twice, the sound muffled by the walls of the house. Eiku sighed and shook his head. He reached out and took his mother's hands and squeezed them. "I wish I had more time to lead into it, but I don't. My soulmate is the Shield Hero and he is amazing, Mom! Strong, honourable, courageous, and so incredibly handsome." Eiku felt his cheeks heat but did not care. "His eyes are so vibrantly green! His black hair flutters like feathers about his face. And his voice is deep and smooth – I could listen to it for hours! You should have seen him fight. He was everywhere at once, protecting anyone he could reach. We didn't lose a single person thanks to him." His brown eyes and wide grin shone with the light of several suns as the happiness he felt washed through him. It merged with the joy he could feel in the bond, making both the joy and the warmth of the bond pulse stronger.
His mother squeezed his hands briefly and then reached out to cup one of his cheeks. "I am overjoyed for you, Honey. You are going to have to bring him by one day soon."
"That may be a while. He did not recognize the bond. Further, he seems to be wary of everyone."
Hina did not ask Eiku to elaborate. She smiled gently at him with eyes that radiated her love for him. "Then prove that you can be trusted. Be patient and gentle with him. Always keep in mind that it is those closest to us that have the power to hurt us the most. As long as you are caring, understanding, and supportive, you will win him over in time."
Outside, the commander's horn sounded again. "I need to make your young man's hat bigger. Now, you need to get going. Thank you for checking on me."
Eiku laughed and kissed her cheek. "I love you."
Hina kissed his forehead. "I love you too. Stay safe."
His mother walked him to the door and Eiku hugged her before stepping out once more into the darkened village. He traversed the remaining short distance to the village square to find his commander and most of the knights and mages milling about in a single, large group. The lanterns in the village square cast shadows upon their faces, making them look drawn and tired. Eiku covered a yawn with one hand as he crossed to the group and smoothly positioned himself next to Reki.
Reki looked over at Eiku and nodded in greeting. "Did you get to see your mom?"
Eiku nodded. "Yes. How did your visit go?"
"Good. It was wonderful to see everyone despite the circumstances."
Their conversation froze after that, both of them too tired to keep a conversation going. After a few minutes, Eiku yawned again and looked around the square. Another straggler was making his way over to the group. Eiku turned back to Reki. "We should arrange to spend more time together."
"Agreed. Maybe the next time you and Kazane meet up, I can join?" Reki replied, his voice hopeful.
Eiku smiled. "Yes. I would like that."
From the front of the group, Commander Sazama's voice cut through the low murmur of conversation. "Attention, everyone." All conversation had already died when he started speaking. An owl hooted far off in the distance. "Despite the late hour, will be heading back to Capital Town tonight. Those of you that have early morning duties will not report in until the afternoon. Your duties will be covered by others that either stayed behind in Capital or by those that left early with Captain Ishida." Eiku silently wondered how Commander Sazama was going to arrange that with the Captain. "The road back will not be lit brightly so our mages are to light the way for us. As a final note, thank you all for staying to defend this village. It is the duty of those with the power to protect the weak to do so. You all showed fine bravery and skill today and should be proud of yourselves. Now move out!"
Eiku fell in with the rest of the knights and mages as they headed back towards the capital. The day had certainly been eventful. He yawned again. Exhausting by eventful.
Inside his chest, the bond radiated warmth and joy and Eiku felt hopeful that in time, everything would be all right.
~*~End of Chapter 03~*~
"Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." – Martin Luther King Jr.