Author's note : After a while waiting, here's your next chapter. If many wonder why Raiden may be OOC in this chapter and possibly many other that followed, I think I can answer that. First of all I will try to retain his personalities as much as possible, but at the same time I'll try to make him seems more human.
I don't know if all of you will like this or not, so if you don't, please tell and I'll try to fix it.
-In the forest near Tristain Capital City-
It had been a whole day walking since Raiden and Tifa had left Tarbes with the soldiers. They were with a small band of seven soldiers and a clerk, most of them not full time soldiers as they were only called upon duty when war broke out. Only a part of the full force had a full time job being guards of important positions such as borders and palaces. At least Raiden knew this much from history lessons from here and there with personal experienced told by none other than said soldiers themselves.
They moved fast, in disciplined order, faster than Raiden had expected. There was no commanding officer, and thus comparing in rank, they chose Tifa as the leader since she was a noble, who in turn chose Raiden. Raiden had no problem with it, as he already had experience leading small squad of PMC troopers into battle before.
The horse carriage was supposed to store the luggage, but since there weren't much from Tifa nor Raiden, and thus they were used for Tifa to ride in and some supplies from the soldiers. Raiden walked besides her since he didn't want to weight down the horse, and he needed some movement since it's good for his system anyway.
It was gradually getting darker and by the time it was nightfall, they were near the forest. There was no village nearby nor any kind of settlement around, thus it's Raiden's turn to give order.
"Okay gather up. How many of you are capable of hunting and scavenging ?"
"Sir, we are soldiers, most of us can do that." A soldier stepped forward. "Well except for Sebastian, he is just a clerk."
"Good." Raiden nodded. "Split up to gather food, fire wood and setting up camp. Sebastian, stick around, don't get yourself hurt."
"We got our orders boys, let's get them done." The same soldier shouted to the rest.
There was a nod of agreement from the rest and the soldiers fanned out to do their job. Raiden helped Tifa walked out of the carriage and left her with Sebastian and told him to keep an eye on her while she worked her magic some of the injured soldiers. Despise most of them were healed and deemed fit for duty by water mages, Raiden could still notice minor injury here and there, which were migraine, sprains, muscle sores and such. While these injuries were indeed minor and may seem insignificant to some, but to a veteran like Raiden, he knew that even the smallest injury would be a major hindrance during battle. Not that he would expected a battle any time soon, but no sense not letting the soldiers working in top shape.
And thus he let her there to heal the soldiers as he quickly set up the tents, which was done in a short moment. After that he and Sebastian quickly moved the rest of the soldiers who needed some rest into the tent while Tifa moved to boil the water after the fire was made.
After that three soldiers came back, Franc, Alain and Samantha, with some fishes and vegetables. The other two who had set up the camp, Christophe and Daniel, hurried to pick up the food and proceeded to clean them. Meanwhile, Tifa had boiled up the water and made some herbal tea for the rest of the soldiers, who sat huddling around the fire, and she dealt out the tea in wooden cups for everyone.
After that, Samantha and Tifa made the soup and cooked the veggie while Raiden and Franc started to patrol the perimeter. A whistle through the air signaled the two to get back for the food. They all sat around the camp fire and ate the food, while Raiden didn't really need to eat, he did it to humor Tifa anyway, and to cover his identity. Till now most people just see him as a guy in strange armor and he would just let it be like that for now.
After that they drank some of the tea. Franc brought out his lute and started to play a few simple tones while he sang a folk song. The rest went along and clapped their hands and sing along, while Raiden and Tifa simply watched with an amused look on their faces. After the song was over Franc asked Raiden.
"Sir, can you sing a song for us ?"
"Why do you ask me ?"
"Well, you look like a foreign man and we wanted to know some foreign songs so we can sing later when we get back."
"Well, I know a song a comrade of mine taught me back in the Middle-East. I am not sure if I can sing it well enough though."
"That's okay, we can tolerate." Franc laughed.
"Give me that lute."
Franc handed Raiden the lute and the cyborg started to play a few simple tones to adjust the right frequency. After that, a simple tone was played, followed by some other. Raiden started to sing.
Otzemet eynay lemishma hayeri
(Closing my eyes to the sound of gunfire)
Motzia kol sheaga
(Uttering a roar)
Ach bin rega mitchalefet biy'ush
(In a flash I am switched into despair)
Hakol avur Mi shechay betoch hasiyut
(Everything for the one who lives inside the nightmare)
Mitgaagaat mikol halev
(Missing from the bottom of my heart)
Raiden started to play the lute with a passion, his fingers danced between the strings, the melodies came out fluently, slow, then fast, sad and dark. Once again Raiden started to sing.
Meyachelet leolam sheazlu dim'otav
(Wishing the world that ran out of tears)
Halev kvar met
(The heart is already dead)
Hatikva
(The hope)
Mitgaagaat ad kdey keev
(Missing until it hurts)
Raiden finished the song with a few last notes and sat still for a second. All those around him were silent. A single tear strolled down Tifa's eyes as she stood up and wrapped her arms around him. The soldiers, all of them had a sad look on their faces.
"I…I do not know what to say Raiden." Tifa told him. "While I can't understand the language, the feelings reach me, and the emotions you have while you sing as well. I never understand the heart of human kind, but I understand the pain, Raiden. Let me ease your pain."
Raiden nodded and let Tifa lean against his back. Franc was the first out of the soldiers to spoke to Raiden.
"It was a beautiful song sir Raiden." He said, trying to lighten the moods. "What was that one about ?"
"It is called Love Theme. It is about the love of those on the battlefield, wishing that one day the war would end so they could return to their loved ones." Raiden said.
"Can you teach us how to sing it ?" Sebastian asked.
"Of course. Here…" Raiden gave him the lute. "… you started off with this."
Raiden showed him how to play the note and wrote down the lyrics in French for the soldiers to sing. It was near midnight after they finally managed to sing it properly, and by this time, the fire was almost burnt out. Alain and Daniel offered to stand guard first, but Raiden insisted that he would do it, and let them rest. Since it was direct order from higher officer, they had no choice but to follow.
-Next day-
The camp was pack up quickly at the begin of dawn. Raiden had stayed awake the whole night patrolling the camp. It was fine with him, he didn't need to sleep anyway. They continued to move on without having breakfast, since they were very close to the Academy now.
It was near noon that they arrived. At the gate there was Siesta, Saito, a pink haired girl beside Saito, a red headed tanned girl and a blue haired girl with a staff. They were waiting for him. Siesta had been nice enough to make a banner for him, saying : "Welcome to the Tristain Academy !"
Afterwards, Siesta led the exhausted soldiers to the kitchen where they all can get a warm meal. Raiden took his time to look at his welcome committee. He already knew Siesta, Saito and his summoner, the pink haired one. The red haired girl was tanned, dressed in the normal school uniform with a blouse opened up a few buttons revealing her rather large assets, though nowhere near as large as Tifa's. And then the blue haired girl, who was holding a staff, which was similar to a shepherd staff and a book in her hand. Her figure was almost identical to the pink haired one, although she seemed less talkactive and more reclusive, focusing on her book and only look up if she saw anything interesting. And finally a blond boy who had a large mole in his arms, his cheeks rubbing against it affectionately.
Saito had undergone the most changes, Raiden noted. He was now taller, more muscular, though not by much but definitely more than before. His feature seemed to be enhanced as well as Raiden saw a man before him, no long a boy. The first time he saw him, he looked like a teenager around 16 or 17 by Raiden's estimation. Now he looked he was nearly at the age of 20. The red haired was the first to introduce herself.
"Hello there handsome. I am Kirche von Zerbst, otherwise known as Kirch the Ardent. Nice to be of acquaintance."
"Like wise." Raiden nodded. "I am Raiden. Raiden the Lightning." He said. Based on what he had seen, most people who can use magic had a title, a second name to themselves. As for Raiden, Lightning is his kind of 'power', as well as his name sake, so he figured this should be appropriate.
"You are cute." Kirche commented. "If my passion for Darling doesn't burn me out, I'll be sure to leave some of it left for you." She said and licked her lips sensually. For once Raiden didn't know what to say. He merely shrugged it off and went to the next person. Saito, now dressed in a purple cape, nodded at him.
"Hello Raiden-san." Saito greeted.
"Good to see you. Glad to see the nanytes working fine."
"All thanks to you. It's amazing, I am stronger, faster and definitely more powerful than first, even without the usage of the runes."
"Runes ?" Raiden asked.
"Long story, I'll tell you another time."
"Sure. Though, why the cape ?"
"I've been Knighted." Saito simply grinned.
"Can anyone cast a translate spell ?" Guiche asked Tabitha since he had trouble understanding Japanese. All people stood there and listened to Raiden and Saito talking with each other in an amused fashion. Who would have thought that the man in blue armor can speak the same language as the Knight of Tristain Academy. Raiden, upon noticing this, spoke to the rest.
"My bad, it seems that I have neglected you due to my reminiscence with my fellow countryman. Where were we ?" He spoke with the courtesy he developed the last few months.
"Tabitha." The blue haired girl pointed at her head.
"Nice to meet you."
"And I am Guiche de Gramont, also known as Guiche the Bronze." The blond boy waved his rose around as greeting.
"Nice to meet you." Raiden nodded.
As for Guiche, he didn't like this stranger one bit. He simply stood there because he heard there was a beauty coming to this school. And a beauty she is, he thought as his eyes traveled across Tifa's body. But with this man coming along, Guiche feared for his reputation as the most handsome man at the Academy. Not to mention it would lessen his chances with this beauty. With a voice of respect, sarcasm and arrogant he spoke to Raiden.
"Raiden sir, as it may, I request you to have me at a simple sparring." He spoke.
"Guiche, please not this again." Saito spoke with annoyance.
"I am not asking to duel me, just a simple spar. He looks like one who could hold his own in battle, thus I wish to test my limit. If that is in order with you."
"I don't mind." Raiden said. "Hiraga-kun, you have any non-lethal weapon around ?"
Before Saito could answer Guiche created a sword and tossed it to Raiden, who caught it in mid-air. The sword was a dull one, unsharpened and simple in form. Basically, a training sword. Though he preferred the shape of the katana, this one didn't come too far from his old HQ Blade. Raiden swung it around in different direction to get use on its shape, weight and forming techniques and formation inside his head.
They both stood at the large yard, the Vestri Court, the same place where Guiche faced his first defeat at the hands of Saito. Both combatants stood in the center, while the non-combatants stood on the side. Raiden took his stance while Guiche stood there, his rose simply twirling between his fingers. Raiden stood still to wait until Guiche made the first move. Being excel at his swordsmanship, and his lightning attack, Raiden didn't know how good this boy is, but the fact that he was a mage made him careful. Unlike normal combat, magic was an unknown factor and Raiden needed to study more before he could reach out conclusion how much it could affect him during combat.
Guiche, being young and impulsive, made his first move. A wave of his wand and three golems came forth. However unlike the fight with Saito, he learned his mistake and not spilt time on boasting, he ordered an immediate attack from the golems. He also had them placed near Raiden. The latter was taken by surprise but regained in one single millisecond and moved out on the attack.
The constructions, while fancy looking, lacked much practicality. For instance, there were several places where the opening was more like a neon sight saying "Hit this spot for critical damage." The material, bronze, may be durable, but a simple strike from heavy weapon can dent the material. Not to mention this was not a solid form, but a hollow one as well. Being hollow the Valkyries moved with deadly efficiency, but nowhere near the FROGs, as certainly not as fast as Raiden.
With a few simple hits upon these critical areas, the Valkyries fell apart and finally crumbled to dirt. This all happened so fast that Guiche saw only a single blur from Raiden's hands before his beloved Valkyries fell apart before his eyes. He still couldn't believe that the man before him could defeat three in one single strike, in mere seconds no less. Though, the single strike from Raiden was actually three strikes in critical areas, but it happened so fast that it was perceived as one.
Another wave from Guiche and six more appeared. Silently they went into attack mode and charged at Raiden. To quickly end this, Raiden charged a lightning attack in his left hand and simply swiped it across the six Valkyries. As silently as they came, they fell down lifelessly, their body severed in two, the parts that had been cut melted down.
"I believe that is enough for now." Saito said from the side. "Raiden-san has been traveling for a long while, so we should let him rest."
The others nodded in agreement.
"Then I believe it's my lost." Guiche said.
"No it was a draw. You are still standing."
"I heard you are from the same land as Saito. Is everyone there such amazing swordsmen ?"
"No, but anyone can become one, you will just have to work hard for it."
"Then would you mind giving me advice to improve my combat capability ?"
"Well, you just need to improve the constructions of these armors and it will be more efficient." Raiden said. "If you like, I can help you train."
At the moment Siesta came back with the soldiers, all well fed and packed. They all saluted Raiden, who returned the gesture, before leaving. Finally, Siesta took Raiden and Tifa, together with their meager possessions to one of the tower inside the castle and led them to the highest room. Tifa was exhausted due to the long travel and was panting heavily. Raiden saw this and lifted her up and carried her bridal style up to the room, much to the embarrassment of the girl. Siesta, upon seeing this scene, dreamed of one day having her knight in shining armor, Saito, swept her off her feet and carried her away toward the horizon. But she was snapped back to reality when she heard Raiden calling her name.
"Siesta, can you open the door ? It's locked."
"Ah yes, of course." She said as she opened the door and handed him the key. "Please rest, I'll bring food up here for you."
"If it's not trouble, I'll help you bringing it up."
"No, you are a noble, I can't let you do that. Besides, after your travel you must be tired. Let me serve you this meal. That's the least I can do for your help at protecting my village and saving my life."
"Well, if you insist." Raiden said and walked inside the room. It was not much, but it certainly provided enough to live in comfortably. There was a double bed in the room, a cupboard, a clothes drawer, a table and a couple of chairs and an oil lit lamp. Raiden set Tifa down and soon she fell asleep, exhausted from using her magic yesterday and the long travel, but her arms still clutched Raiden close to her rather large assets. Waiting until she was fully asleep, he moved their belongings into the drawer and walked to the window.
From here he could have a great view over the area. So this is where he would begin a new adventure. Looking back at Tifa, he smiled, a genuine smile, something he rarely did. This would be a good chance for her to socialize. And perhaps this is his chance too, to finally find a place to settle.
Author's note : Woohoo, another chapter. Sorry for the long delay people. The song part is from Love Theme in MGS4. I like it since it fit in nicely. Not much action for this chapter, but there will be since after this is the war with Albion arc, I think. Gotta rewatch the anime. Anyway, please review.