A/N: Welcome, readers (or just reader, since I know only one person other than myself would read this again anyway… But who cares!), to Affliction! After one whole year of wondering what to do with this fic, I decided that I would revise the first chapter to make it look much better than the last one! The first one looked like crap… But this time, I got the urge to write after reading an amazing novelization of Tierkreis! That and I LOVE THIS SELF-MADE PAIRING! XD

Okay. There are three parts here, separated by breaks (that doesn't include A/N, of course) and the second part will be some kind of flashback… Or whatever.

LET'S GET ON WITH THE FIC!

Disclaimer: I don't own Suikoden Tierkreis.

"So… That's just about everything."

Nemne sat alone on the bench on her side of the dining table. Though she sat alone on her side, it didn't mean that there was no one sitting on the other. However, that side also had the same number of current occupants sitting on it, which was one person, as well. It was not she liked sitting by herself, of course not; she thought of keeping her distance from the mess he would make (and is making) as he ate his meal. That wasn't the only thing she thought about when she sat in front of him, either. She had a feeling that someone, particularly a nosy gossiper in a maid's outfit, would eventually take notice and mistake her sitting next to him as something else, which will eventually lead into castle rumors with everyone whispering her name and his, along with said gossiper relentlessly teasing the Porpos about it soon after should it happen again. Another was that if they both sat on the same side, someone might find it that they seemed to be lonely, sitting and eating near the terrace (which was quite far from where everyone else was). Some would feel bad and probably two or more people would approach them; what's more, they were people she wasn't comfortable talking to or being around with, though they all lived under the same roof. It would completely ruin the time she shared with him.

Then again, it would also be inevitable, for sooner or later, the others who sat with the two of them would arrive soon, and their moment together would eventually draw into a close. Yet, she kept the words of their leader in mind, and hoped that they came much later, or they took long enough that she had already been satisfied with the time the she spent with him.

She looked at the person who ate in front of her while he listened to her speaking earlier. He was from the same tribe as she was—a Porpos. The both of them were "formidable warriors", as their Commander Nimni once described when they first arrived in the castle. His skin was dark gray, and orange spots and patches trailed from the fin on his head down to his back, tail, and legs. His clothing was simple—a sleeveless, thin, green vest and he wore a teal sash that held the green robes he wore over his red shorts, along with a circlet around the fin on his head. On his wrists were a pair of red wristbands, and around his neck was a necklace with bones that were well-carved into rings. He had sauce all over his face and lips, and his eyelids were closed… Or seemed to be. She could never tell, really.

"Zzzz," Nomno snored after swallowing the food he was chewing in his mouth. From that, Nemne knew that he was paying attention.

"I don't really know why, but I'm starting to like this guy a lot. I mean, although I know who he is and all… He still feels a lot distant to me."

As she spoke, she saw him take a bite from the raparo he ate. Without realizing it, she picked up a random vegetable from her salad with her fork, brought it to her mouth, and ate it. She didn't even notice the aftertaste the salad dressing left on her taste buds as she brought the fork back down to the plate of mixed vegetables. She wasn't exactly hungry that morning, but she might collapse later on if she didn't eat anything at all; she didn't want anyone to worry about her. No one worrying meant that no one would ask her what was wrong… And certainly no desperados who would go so far as to invade her privacy and private life if they felt that her "I'm alright" excuse didn't convince them enough.

"I'm not sure if he knows what I'm like either, though. I know there are times we talk but… Sometimes I'm not sure if he understands me at all."

She unconsciously began to play with the vegetables with her fork. After a moment, she looked down at her plate to choose whatever she would eat next rather than doing it randomly. She then decided to eat the lettuce that was on top of the salad at the moment, and she ate it with a crunching sound. Luckily, Nomno didn't mind nor did he seem to notice she was playing with her food—he was too busy eating his raparo to even care.

"But if I say I know a lot about him… He'll probably say I'm a stalker."

Nomno paused. He put down the piece of raparo he was about to eat, then gave her an odd look, which she noticed herself. It wasn't long before she realized what he was trying to say. With a gulp, she said nervously, "B-But, it's not like I AM stalking him… I was just saying that we'd get along better if I knew what he liked beforehand!" She then lowered her voice to avoid attention from the few people who ate at the tables away from theirs. "…And in a way I would be like stalking him… But I'm not."

After a moment he resumed eating, and she let out a sigh of relief. Before she decided to speak to him any further, she let him eat his meal for a while, and she lowered her gaze to her plate of salad in front of her.

This morning was certainly different from other mornings, she knew, and began recalling the events of what happened earlier that day. She could even say it was strange. It was already strange since the time she had woken up that day: seven in the morning, which was much earlier than usual. In fact, it was three hours earlier than the usual time she woke up everyday. The first thing on her mind? Feelings, though not strong, but slowly and surely budding inside her heart. She tried to sleep again, but the feeling would not leave her. After a while, she gave in to her insomnia, and she was wide awake on her bed, her black eyes staring at the ceiling as she lay flat on her back. She felt these feelings for some time now, and that was the first time it ever prevented her from returning to her slumber.

It was then she decided that since she was awake and these feelings continued to bother her, she would try to walk it off instead... Or at least try to make some sense as to why she was feeling them, especially towards a certain gray Porpos. She could also use the exercise, and since she knew that majority of the castle's residents were still asleep in bed, the castle grounds would be peaceful, and she doubted that anyone would even notice her taking an early morning stroll. It was perfect, and nothing would distract her from her thoughts.

She changed into her casual pink clothing, and was careful to not awaken her roommate—Naineneis' priestess and town leader, Neira—as she closed the door and left. She walked down the hall and down the stairs to the lobby; if she took the lift, that would've made a lot of noise, even rudely waking some of the people who slept in the rooms next to the lift. At the lobby, she was relieved that Moana wasn't there, since she knew that girl would at once ask her what she was doing up so early. And she knew that whatever she replied with, whether it was, "I felt like waking up early", "Somehow I couldn't sleep", or even the usual excuse of, "Oh, nothing… Nothing at all" wasn't enough to convince her either. Nemne knew Moana was someone just about everyone in the castle approached, even the Company's leader. She also knew she had a knack for telling the leader to check up on certain people whenever she suspected that something was wrong with them. And whenever she did, no doubt their leader would do something about it, no questions asked.

She frowned at the number of people who would eventually find out about what she was feeling if their leader tried to involve himself with her problems. Just too many. Some would even tease her about it, much to her dismay. She didn't want anyone else knowing about this problem, and that went for the Company's leader as well. He may be willing to give a helping hand to those who need it, but this was something personal.

It wasn't long before she had gone towards the lake after passing through the empty tavern and dining hall. The lake was serene as the rising sun shone upon its calm waters. The morning breeze was cool and refreshing; it relaxed the Porpos girl. It was also very quiet—the perfect place to organize her confused thoughts.

She was about to walk towards the lakeshore when she had heard the noise of blunt items falling over. Reflexively, she turned her head to the origin of the noise, and widened her eyes in dread as she caught sight of the farmer Yadima, who had bent down to pick up the fallen farming tools he used. Of course… As a farmer, he was supposed to wake up early since he had crops to tend to and other farming-related work. Fortunately, his back faced her as he picked them up, and, in the span of a second, she turned away and took off towards the lakeshore, hoping that she would get away in time before he saw her. She did, and, after a few more seconds of running, she stopped to catch her breath, placing a hand on a nearby tree and leaning on it for support.

Thank goodness he didn't see me… She thought as she panted nervously. When her breathing returned to its normal pace, she turned her head to her left, seeing the calm lake before her. It brought her peace of mind and she was glad that the castle was situated next to a lake. It reminded her of the ocean and her home of Naineneis. It also made her think up of a good song to sing that day should someone ever talk to her about the lake later.

She sat down next to the tree she was leaning on and gazed out into the distance. She then thought about her feelings, the ones that kept her from sleeping a few more hours, and thought about whom she was having these feelings for. It was her fellow Porpos warrior, the always-sleeping-except-when-he-was-hungry Nomno. She didn't realize that she liked him until the day after they joined the Company in their attack on Lazdaa Fortress. He had returned to sleep after that, and when the Company's leader came to talk to her about it after several weeks and even after a few months, she had never felt so giddy when she told him that he did that all the time, and that he'd only wake up when there was food to be served for him. After that, she began to have these thoughts and began daydreaming about how cute he looked when he slept… Or something like that. Lady Neira, who was with her when she was doing it one time, had noticed that she stared off into space and looked red at the same time. When she pointed it out to Nemne, the pink Porpos blushed profusely after realizing she was caught. Thankfully, Lady Neira wasn't like Anya or Moana, and the Naineneis priestess at once believed her when the Porpos girl said that she was doing a form of "training" she learned from someone before and she didn't want to be disturbed. She gladly complied with her request, and whenever Nemne had done it in their room, Lady Neira merely left her to her whim as she prayed to the sea god Ninulneda. Hopefully the sea god wouldn't tell Neira that she was lying… That is, if there really IS a sea god. (Not that she didn't believe there was…)

Her thoughts shifted to the gray Porpos again. The thought caused her to blush. She had to know, though—what it was about him that captivated her?

One by one, the questions started popping in her mind:

Was it because he just looked nice when he slept? Was it because of his looks? …No, that wouldn't be it. These feelings had a better reason for being there than just that. That was a stupid reason to like anyone. No one should judge a book by its cover, after all.

Was it the way he fought? Did she like his fighting style and his mastery of the spear? Did she like seeing him fight in battle? …No, that wasn't it either. She could care less about that. Why would she want to even think about it when she was already good with throwing a boomerang?

Was it the way he ate then? You must be kidding; Nemne was a neat person. She kept herself tidy whenever possible. And the way Nomno ate—you'd best expect a few bits of food flying everywhere—your face and clothes most especially should you end up sitting next to him.

Was it how he got infuriated whenever someone would be so stupid enough as to hit him while he slept? It certainly wasn't that one; she didn't like seeing him angry. In fact, in all the time she had known him, those were the only times he ever got angry. She had never seen him get angry at someone for any reason other than waking him from his sleep…

Then what?

Why did she like him anyway?

Was he really that attractive?

All he ever does is sleep and eat… And fight whenever it was necessary. But why did she have to like him? Why not the Commander or even Lady Neira's adviser Namna? They would have made more sense, and she would be able to understand them whenever they spoke. They were also smarter, too, and more responsible. They didn't lie down sleeping for weeks on end, and they ate lots of food because they deserved to, especially after working hard for so long. (Does watching over the Priestess count as hard work anyway?)

As for Nomno, he only spoke with snores, he always seemed clueless that's going on around him, his table manners were unbearable; heck, he even sleeps while he stands! And what's more, you could never tell whether he was awake or asleep because his eyelids were closed all the time! (Makes you wonder how he's able to see things when he's walking too…)

So why? Why did she have these feelings anyway? And why for him? Why not somebody else?

"…Frankly, I don't really know," She heard herself say as she leaned herself against the tree behind her. It wasn't like her to be this way, to be so broody about her feelings. She was usually chipper and cheery; the most positive and optimistic among the Porpos-kin in the castle. She sang songs of happiness and lifted people's moods, even though it did quite embarrass her fellow tribesmen at some point. She didn't sit around and allow herself to think negatively, she sang for people to keep their spirits alive. Even before battle, she would sing a song of empowerment, bolstering her allies' strengths. And whenever she was happy, she would sing her words in front of everyone.

But now, even singing her words isn't helping at all…

"It's just… You just like him, as friend. That's all." She told herself quietly, and tried to think of something else. For some reason, whenever she did, it eventually led back into her thoughts regarding the gray Porpos.

Everything suddenly became silent to her; even the sound of the waves on the nearby lake became unheard, along with the chirping of birds on the trees. She drowned herself in her thoughts as she continued to ask herself what it was she liked about him… And why.

She remained that way for a while, even closing her eyes to try and rest. It was too early to be even thinking about this, and what's more she found it quite tiring to think about. Tiring… Perhaps this may get her back to sleep after all… Though she doubted it if she were to return to bed with that on her mind.

The voices of Dromon and his crew were what eventually snapped her back to reality. She looked up into the sky and realized that she had dozed off, as the sun was now visible in the sky and that she could hear the noise of the usual castle activities. She felt a light rumble in her stomach, and decided to have something to eat, even though her meal would be light as she wasn't at all hungry. Getting up, she took one last glance at the lake, before walking back to the castle's dining hall.

She eventually came out of her reverie as she looked up to see Nomno in front of her. He was picking out the meat from the raparo bones clean and ate them. She sweatdropped as she watched how he ate them… It was really messy. That was the only way she could have said it if she were to explain it plainly. She began to wonder if he had ever heard of table manners, but seeing how content he was eating, she couldn't help but smile at her fellow tribesman.

Speaking of the sleep-loving Porpos, when she had first arrived she had already found him asleep there, even admitting to have half-expected that he was sleeping on the long seat. But when the pink Porpos returned with a tray of meals (along with a knightly Meruvis, who volunteered to help her after seeing how much of a hard time she had carrying it as she went up the stairs), Nomno sat up at once as though he was in a trance, faced the table, and began eating. It was just like him, and she sang that he eat up, which he did, just before she could even finish singing.

She looked around, letting her eyes stray to wherever she found interesting. The Dining Hall was lively as it always was during breakfast, especially downstairs, where people were lined up as they took turns in ordering their meals, some more impatient than others, unfortunately. It wasn't usually that way before—members of the Company went back and forth from the kitchen counter to ask or demand Wustum to cook something for them. But since it would be too hard for him to do a lot of dishes at the same time and that the crowd was always demanding him to hurry it up, he just made the people to form a line instead. That way, he wouldn't have to worry too much about having to cook like the day to launch their assault on Cynas was tomorrow. Besides, he works at the kitchen alone since he always claimed it as his "fortress" and that nobody but him should be in it and should cook in it. There was one point that her friend, Sisuca, asked if he wanted some help with the dishes, but he said it was alright and he could handle them himself.

Her eyes eventually came to peer towards Nomno's plate. There was a raparo, marinated with sauce and roasted over an open flame. Pepper was sprinkled on it, making it a tad bit spicy, she guessed. For a side dish were some vegetables, grown most likely in Citro Village or at the farm where Yadima worked. The enticing scent of her friend's meal eventually came into contact with her sense of smell, and somehow she felt herself drooling for some reason. Everyone knew Wustum made his meals with style, even if it was something as simple as breakfast.

It must be good if Nomno likes it a lot, She thought. I wonder if…

Nomno, who was watching her the entire time, noticed that her eyes were set upon his plate, and, after tearing a piece off, he handed it to her, though she only saw it when his hand was already over her plate.

"Zzzz," He snored. He was obviously telling her to take it. She blinked at his sudden gesture, before holding her hands up in defense, saying, "No, no, Nomno… I'm sorry." She gently pushed the sauce-covered hand that held the piece of raparo away. "I guess I was just too hungry and I saw your plate… I forgot it was your meal. And besides, Nomno… I have a meal of my own." She pointed at her plate with her fork. He looked down at it; only the top part had been eaten since the dressing was gone, but it was mostly uneaten. He wasn't convinced.

"Zzzz!" He snored insistently. She doubted that he was doing that because he couldn't finish his meal. Nomno, leaving leftovers? Now that was something he'd never do. He always remembered to clean the plate free of food before he had gone back to sleep.

It wasn't long before she gave in to his insistence and accepted the raparo he offered her. He placed it on her plate, and with her fork, she picked it. Oil dripped a bit and falling onto the vegetables of her salad, and, after taking a quick glance from Nomno—who watched with an anticipating smile on his face—, she ate the raparo. She licked her lips, chewed it a bit, before she swallowed it down. It had an interestingly flavorful aftertaste that was left on her taste buds after she had eaten it, and she wanted some more.

But she remembered—Nomno was still eating his meal and he only gave me a part of it because he wanted her to have a taste. To be honest, that actually was the very first time she had ever eaten a raparo in her life. Living a life in a place such as Naineneis, she most of the time would end up eating fish instead of meat everyday. Eating fish was a part of a Porpos' diet, since her people always have lived in the sea, or near the sea, or just in that giant shell of a town where everybody is, whichever anyone in Naineneis preferred to live in.

"This is really good," Nemne remarked. "No wonder you like eating it, huh?" He beamed her with a smile, openly expressing his delight. At this, Nemne couldn't help but giggle at the way he smiled. His smile faded and he tilted his head to the side, a curious look on his face.

"Zzzz?" Upon hearing this, she stopped, and looked at his face. Shaking her head, she spoke, "No, nothing's wrong, Nomno." She hoped that he didn't think that she was making fun of him or anything. "I'm just glad you're happy with it."

For a moment, he gave her a look that made her feel like he didn't believe what she was saying. Her doubts were cleared, however, as he nodded in return, his smile returning. She sighed in relief and the both of them continued eating their meals.

They both shared silence after their little misunderstanding, which was fortunately, resolved soon after. During that time, Nemne had eaten some more out of her meal and Nomno returned to picking some of the raparo's bones clean. After a while though, she paused from her meal, and once again, for the nth time that day, another question regarding Nomno came to mind…

Why did she tell her problem to him?

Her problem, which involved her feelings towards him… She spoke about it to him earlier, calling him "this guy" or "that person" to hide it. She did not approach anyone else; she went to him, and only him.

Why?

She could have said that to someone else who had a willing ear to lend her, someone who had more experience, or someone who was good in keeping secrets. Heck, she could've even told Lady Neira herself; they were both roommates, both girls, and Lady Neira was probably involved romantically with someone once in her life, too. But no, she didn't go to them and talked to them about it; she went to the very person whom she had these feelings for.

Why?

Was she trying to make her distress known to him? Was she trying to make it so obvious that he was the one she had these feelings for? Was she trying to tell him that, "You're the guy I like; c'mon, figure it out already"? Was she also quite frustrated at him for not getting it sooner, for being so clueless and as slow as he always was? Did she do this just so he would become a little more like the Commander or Namna, whose behaviors were much unlike his?

…

…

…No.

That was wrong.

It wasn't just wrong; that would be insensitive of her. She winced as she felt a pang of guilt at her stomach for thinking that way about him, and she lost her appetite as she unconsciously dropped her fork next to her plate. She pulled her hand away and limply brought it down to her side as she bowed her head down and stared at the salad again.

She refused to believe those previous explanations that were conjured in her mind. She knew those accusations were false, and none of it were to properly explain the reason for her actions. To behave like that… It was unlike her to be that way… It was not her to be so shallow and selfish.

She knew of what exactly prompted her to approach him instead of anyone else.

Nomno, he… Nomno was, to her, like a confidant of sorts. Though he never said any words… Though all he replied to her were his snores… It was his presence, his willingness to listen to her, and the fact that he was always the person she approached whenever she wanted to talk about something or whenever she had a problem… It was enough. She also had to admit—she was closer to him than she was with the other Porpos-kin Starbearers, and she grew fond of his company more than the others. And as for the non-Porpos-kin in the Company… Majority were people she never really knew, or she didn't know that they were actually members of the Company. There was Sisuca of course, but the way she behaved made her seem untrustworthy.

Perhaps it was because he was more laid back… And the most lazy among the other five Porpos-kin Starbearers. He was also easy to talk to, and he had a lot of spare time in his hands, though it was mostly devoted to sleeping. Nimni was always busy training, so she barely had time to tell him anything. Lady Neira was also busy with matters like her meetings with the other prominent members of the Company regarding certain some of their plans against the Order, and she also had to devote her time to worshiping and praying to Ninulneda. Namna was a very serious fellow, and that she felt slightly uncomfortable if she were to speak with him. And lastly, Numnu was just a kid, and would anyone really think that a kid like that would be able to understand or even care about someone in love? Heck, he'd probably just bug her about it or pull some kind of sick prank on her…

Closer to him… At once a blush caused her white cheeks to turn light pink. We… We're not t-that close… She thought to herself, trying to fight away the blush. She may have not told anyone about it other than Nomno himself, but a part of her was already the one teasing her about it…

How ironic.

"Zzzz?" He asked as he put down the bone he picked clean on his plate. He noticed that she had been quiet for a while, and that she looked like she had no more interest in eating whatever remained of her salad. Looking up, Nemne saw that perhaps he wanted it instead, as her appetite had quickly faded after earlier. Glancing back and forth from the plate and the Porpos in front of her, she asked, "Do you want this?"

"Zzzz!" He replied without hesitation while she pushed the plate over to him, and was careful to have put away the fork before giving her meal to her friend. Knowing Nomno, why would he need a damn fork, anyway? He immediately took a handful of vegetables and shoved them down his mouth. From that, she knew he was completely thankful she gave him her salad, though she wished he'd eat in a less… Brusque manner. The pink Porpos merely sweatdropped at the sight. But she knew he was happy, and she smiled at her companion.

"You're welcome~" She sang happily, as she always did when she felt cheery. Seeing him this way was enough reason for her to do so (despite the mess). Standing up, she proceeded to leave, but as she did, Nomno paused mid-chew of a vegetable and looked as though he was about to ask where she was going.

She sang again, "I've eaten my fill~ So I'll take off like there's a drill~" As soon as she sung the last word, she trotted down the stairs. As the distance between her and him grew, and as the loud noise made in the dining hall died down as she entered the quiet tavern, her cheerful expression faded, leaving what felt like an empty void in her soul.

Looking down at the stone floor, a voice in her mind spoke, You're not even sure if he even likes you at all…

A/N: The revised Chapter 1! I can't help but feel so good after writing this! XD First person POV was never my kind of thing… So I made it third person instead, just the way I love it!

I feel like the Nemne there is totally different from the Nemne in the game… It's not like her at all. But that's how things work when you have feelings for people, I guess. How should I know, I've never been in a relationship before, so I can't really understand. I did try to think of how I would feel if I were in her shoes, though… If I was ever someone who liked getting herself into relationships, which I'm not.

As for Nomno's habits… I think I went and overdid his lack of table manners. XD

I revised a few errors after I reread it, and I just got irritated at those. Why didn't I see those when I reread the story last time anyway?

What do you guys think? R&R if you have the time! (unless you reviewed already… Too bad, but I understand)

Thanks for reading! -Zip