A/N: This is my first FE7 fic, so I would appreciate any advice/criticisms. I was tired of Sain being insulted or ignored in the game and most fics, so I decided to write this. The setting is post-game, when Sain becomes a mercenary. Please R&R.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the story.

Changes

Chapter 1

Sain had been traveling for a couple months now. He had been wandering, restoring peace along his travels. Being a mercenary wasn't all that bad; he got money for helping people, and it turns out that saving people's lives is a good way to meet girls. Although they were all beautiful, he didn't allow himself to get too close to any of them, for he knew he would be moving on to other villages soon enough, and it would be a shame for anyone, but especially he, a former knight, to mar such a beautiful face with tears. So Sain moved on, helping all that he met.

Eventually, his travels brought him to Ilia.

"Just my luck, arriving during the worst blizzard in recent memory." Sain grumbled. "Guess I'd better find some shelter; I doubt even bandits would be out in this horrid weather."

As Sain trudged through knee-high snow that was getting higher by the moment, he noticed a splotch of color in the endless field of white. "Hmm… What could that be? I had better go check it out." As he approached the area, he sped up when he realized that the color was someone's outfit. When he arrived, he picked up the young lady and nearly tripped over a large white mound, which promptly stood up and made a feeble attempt to bite him. "Ahh. This pretty little thing is a Pegasus knight. Well, I'd better find some shelter quick, or we'll both freeze to death. I can't let such a stunning beauty die here; that would be unforgivable."

Sain rode through the mountains, searching for any sort of shelter while leading the Pegasus and holding its rider to keep her form falling off his horse. Just when he was beginning to believe that maybe the world would have to go on without these two inhabitants, he spotted a cave in the mountainside. Urging his horse forward, he dismounted in front of the small cave entrance.

"Well, this will have to do, Romeo. It's small, but it's all I can find. It looks like you and the Pegasus will have to lie down at the entrance; there isn't much room in the cave." Sain laid the girl, who seemed familiar in some way, up against his horse and made a fire with the kindling he carried around and some branches in the cave. Once making sure the fire would last the night, Sain checked on the girl's condition. "Wow, she's cold, this can't be good for her health. I hope she won't mind me lying here to warm her up." Sain said as he wrapped his arms around the young lady. Something tugged at his mind about the petite body in his arms, but he drifted off to sleep before he could think too much about it.

EEEEEK!

A shriek woke Sain from a wonderful dream about being in a warm place without snow. Sain thought something seemed familiar about the shriek, but before he could determine what it was, he was roughly pushed off the ground and a blue blur started frantically trying to find a hiding place in the tiny cave.

"Are you alright, my lady?" Sain inquired, still trying to get his bearings after his, ah, wakeup call.

"W-who a-are you and w-why are we in a cave t-together.?" The woman asked, trying to hide under the wing of her Pegasus.

"Florina?" Sain questioned, finally realizing why she had seemed familiar.

"S-sain? Wait a minute, why are you here? Where is here?" Florina asked, flustered.

"Whoa. Calm down. I'm became a mercenary after Ostia took over Caelin. We are in a cave that is probably snowed-in. Okay, that's my story; now tell me why you were out in that blizzard.

"Well, uh, you see, I was uh…" Florina started.

"Yeah?" Sain prompted.

"I don't remember." Florina finished sheepishly.

"Hmm… You weren't drunk, were you? That could make you forget anything that happened." Sain suggested.

"Sain!" Florina yelled, appalled that he would even think that.

"Hey, I was just thinking out loud. It was probably the cold that made you forget what brought you out last night." Sain said, hoping to calm her down.

"That's probably it. Wait a minute; you spent the night with me! You better not have done anything! If you did—"

"How could you say such things? I would never do anything" Florina glared at him. "to an unconscious woman." Sain finished. "Now if you had been awake…"

"Sain!" Florina yelled.

"I was just kidding. I would never take advantage of a vision of beauty like you." Sain defended himself.

"Well, um…Hey I'm cold." Florina changed the subject quickly.

"You're welcome to use my warmth." Sain said, holding his arms out.

"Sain!" Florina yelled.

"I know, I know. I'll get the fire going again." Sain said, moving toward the glowing embers.

Noticing the embers for the first time, Florina took out some kindling and handed it to Sain. "So you made a fire last night?"

"Yeah, I couldn't have you freezing to death after I went through all that trouble of rescuing you and bringing you here, could I?"

"Yeah about that, I never properly thanked you, so… thanks" Florina said nervously.

"Don't worry about it; you would have done the same for me." Sain responded.

"Yeah, but you probably wouldn't have attacked your rescuer." Florina said.

"You can make up for that by letting me hold you." Sain said hopefully.

"Sain!" Florina was getting used to saying this.

"Kidding! Sheesh, you don't have to take everything so seriously. How about you sit by our steeds, and I'll sit over here." Sain suggested, walking over to the side of the fire away from the cave mouth.

Florina noticed that the back of the cave was awfully low; sitting over there couldn't be comfortable.

"Sain?"

"Hmm?" Sain answered.

"You can sit over here if you want to." Florina invited, pointing to a spot about three feet away from her.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Sain asked, already scooting out of his cramped position.

"Just don't try anything, or I send you to the back again." Florina answered, getting more comfortable with Sain.

"Oh please, my lady, anything but that." Sain kidded.

"Y-you can call me Florina. I mean it's not like we're strangers." Florina said, blushing.

"Okay. Say, Florina, how long do these snowstorms usually last?" Sain questioned.

"Oh! Well…um usually no longer than a day or two." Florina responded, having forgotten for a moment the reason she was in a cave with a man.

"I wonder if it's quit yet. Romeo! Is it still snowing?" The horse nickered in affirmation.

"Well, I guess we're stuck here for a t least a little while longer." Sain noted.

Florina barely paid attention to Sain's comment, for she was currently fighting a battle within herself. 'It wouldn't hurt to sit next to him. Yeah, but he's a MAN. It would warm you up. But he's a MAN. You should be nicer to him. After all, he did save you. But he's a—' Florina decided to listen to the side that did more than repeat one sentence. She got up and, before she could lose her nerve, quickly sat down next to Sain.

"Huh?" Sain said, surprised that Florina would want to sit next to him.

"Oh. Sorry." Florina said, starting to stand.

"Don't apologize; I was just surprised. Now sit down; I don't bite. Well, not unless you like that sort of thing." Sain finished, grinning.

"Sain." Florina chided as she sat down. 'Maybe he's not that bad.' She thought as she settled in to wait out the storm.

Sain put his arm around her shoulders. When she stiffened, he began to draw back. "Sorry" He started.

"Don't apologize; I was just surprised." Florina said, putting a hand on his to keep it there and leaning her head against his shoulder.

'Wow. Florina has certainly changed since the end of the war.' Sain thought as Florina drifted off to sleep in his arm.

A/N: It started a little slow, but hopefully it will speed up as it progresses. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Please review.