Title: Remembrance
Pairing: Shinon/Rolf
A/N: Holy—when will these Shinon/Rolf-plotless fics end? I would surely never know!
It was almost another three years after Ike had left Tellius, after defeating Ashera. The lands were finally at peace, no more warring states nor any hatred towards laguz kind and beorc. Everyone lived in peace as the countries slowly built their way back up.
There was a zip from the sound of an arrow and a loud thunk as it made the arrow way to its target. Standing only a few footsteps away stood a young brown haired boy, accompanied by much taller and much more neon green haired Rolf. The boy—no, man—look much like his oldest brother, Oscar, except his hair parted differently and a different shade.
The two boys stood tall and still as Rolf reached for yet another arrow, firing it and making its mark. He didn't smile, nor did his look of absolute concentration fade as he turned to his pupil. "Now you try to hit it in the middle. Don't worry, I've taught you well. You should be able to get close to it." His voice was neither gentle nor harsh, but had been a bit deeper than it had been three years back.
The younger boy nodded and nervously gripped his bow, shooting as precisely as he possibly could. The arrow landed a mere centimeter away from Rolf's shot. The boy let out a sign of relief then looked at his teacher, hoping for an approving look.
"Pretty soon…you might even surpass me." Rolf murmured, looking closely at the arrow neatly lodged next to his.
Those were the words that the green haired boy hoped to hear from his own mentor.
"Uncle Shinon?" Rolf tapped lightly on the red haired sniper's door. "Are you there, Uncle Shinon?"
He received a short grunt from the other end. Not knowing whether it was a yes or a no, Rolf slowly opened the door and peered in. "Uncle Shinon…?"
Shinon had been probably been sleeping for a quite a while and Rolf needn't ask why for the strong odor of alcohol said it all. Rolf reminded himself to not speak too loudly, lest Shinon was to get mad at him like how he carelessly barged into the older man's room as a child. Back then, he really couldn't tell if Shinon was drunk or not. Uncle Shinon back then was just Uncle Shinon and nothing more.
"Uh…hi, Shinon—err, no…Master should be better…" The younger man kept his voice low, hoping to get the attention of his master. "I just wanted to um…say hi!"
The red haired man let out a scoff, brushing away the long strands of hair from his face. His hair tie had been thrown carelessly on the floor, but he didn't bother picking it up. "That's all? Nothing more, right?" He grumbled, feeling a sharp pain in his head.
"No, Unkie Shinon!" Rolf cried, forgetting about everything for a moment, "I…I just wanted to ask if you wanted to go watch me shoot targets again, but if you're resting…"
"For the love of the goddesses, Rolf," Shinon groaned, "you're acting like a baby again, you're eighteen. Act your damn age for once." He stretched his almost limp arms, feeling a giant weight against them.
"S-sorry…" The neon green haired boy murmured, looking sadly at the floor and at his shoes. At moments like these with Shinon, he really felt like a 12 year old boy again. He still remembered the first day he met Shinon, who strangely, agreed to teach him how to shoot. Rolf could still smile, remembering when he had his own little secret about him and Shinon, kept hidden from both his brothers. He also remembered the blood, sweat, and tears it took to learn to be just like Shinon.
But he always had a question: was he really like Shinon?
He always did try his best to not be too strict or nice (Shinon wasn't "nice," Rolf could possibly say that Shinon was amazing) to his own students, but as the days passed by, Rolf just had a longing to find Shinon and pretend that nothing bad had ever happened, and to have Shinon teach him new things, old things, or just anything!
"Um, Unkie Shinon…would you go out to with me to shoot targets next time? Tomorrow, maybe?" Rolf pleaded, remembering how he once pleaded Shinon to teach him his next step or just to get a hug from the man. Usually his pleads were ignored, but Shinon did them anyway. He would make an excuse and say that it wasn't from Rolf, and it was because he wanted to. It didn't matter to Rolf, as long as Shinon cared.
There was a long silence between Rolf and Shinon to the point where it got too awkward for the boy to handle. He kept his vision down, looking at the discarded hair band on the floor. How he wanted to pick it up and stuff it in his pocket! It was just so tempting, to see something from Shinon—the Shinon—on the floor and to not pick it up was probably a work against the goddess Ashera herself!
"Fine," Shinon finally said, watching the boy's lips curl up into a grin, "I'll go tomorrow, but you better come early or I'm leaving. Now get out of here so I can sleep, damn it." He muttered a few incoherent words and tossed his dark green tunic on the floor, seeing how it was bothering him when he was trying to turn in his sleep. He did it all before pulling his thin sheets over his head, trying to ignore the food steps of Rolf's boots tapping on the cold floor and the quiet sound of the door closing.
Shinon let out a sigh beneath the covers, all the while thinking, "Kids really do have it easy…"
"You're here on time, I'm surprised." Shinon scoffed, inwardly remembering when Rolf usually cried when he didn't make it on time for the lessons. The boy tried hard though, and he often ignored sleep all together to sit outside Shinon's bedroom door to await their next lesson.
Rolf nodded, having an urge to run over and just give the man a hug, something he usually does when no one is around (Shinon practically drilled the fact that no one should know into Rolf's head). "Y-yes, Uncle—Err…I mean, Master!" He ran a few paces towards the man, hearing the loud crunching of leaves below his dirty old boots.
The sniper only made a small grunt-like sound in reply, lazily pulling out an arrow. "Heh, you better have been practicing, Rolf. I'm not going to expect anything half-assed from you, alright? Or you'll just be wasting my time." He swiftly aimed and let the arrow go, watching it soar almost seamlessly and hit the target in an instant.
Rolf gulped, watching Shinon's stance as he got ready for another arrow. He had always been so excited to see the man in his fighting pose, getting ready to aim and shoot. It was just so fascinating to see Shinon hit and look as if he couldn't care less about what would happen next, Shinon knew he would get it one hundred percent, and he would always be correct.
"Damn it, shooting isn't fun without a moving target."
Shinon's voice broke through Rolf's trance. He looked at the target, seeing another arrow lodged deeply into the center, splitting the first arrow in fourths. The boy only nodded, looking at his teacher admirably. From the red hair, now tied tightly back into its usual ponytail to the strong arms, Rolf wanted to be just like Shinon. He wanted to be as brilliant as Shinon, and take nothing from other people. That was just how amazing the sniper was.
"Rolf, go shoot before I leave."
"Oh! Right! I'll make you proud, Uncle Shinon!" The words just slipped out, slightly making Rolf a bit embarrassed for saying such a thing at his age. Nonetheless, he followed exactly as Shinon had done only a few minutes before and made his shot. His arrow only lodged itself a few millimeters off from Shinon's arrow.
"Rolf, that was terrible. You missed my arrow and you're a teacher? Come on, you've got to surpass me. That'll really make me proud, and as I said, someday, I'd like to point to you and tell everyone that you're my student."
Although it would sound more like a put down to anyone who wasn't Rolf, the boy nodded, still a silly grin on his face, like the ones he would usually give as a child during the Mad King's War. "Yeah! I'll make you proud, Uncle Shinon!" This time, he really couldn't contain himself. He just ran up and practically tackled Shinon in a hug. He exclaimed a muffled, "I love you, Uncle Shinon!"
"Rolf, get off," Shinon ordered, pushing the shorter man away from him, "You're not twelve anymore, and don't say something like that at this age. Geez, you're such an idiot."
Rolf stepped back, a childish pout on his face. "But you've already done so much for me and—"
The sniper sighed, not bothering to look at Rolf's attempt at a puppy dog face. "Rolf, don't even bother finishing that sentence. I've heard it a thousand times. And I'm not doing it for anything I want, you're just lucky to be a kid."
The boy attempted another hug, but Shinon dodged just before Rolf made his move. "B-but Uncle Shinon, I do love you! You're everything I've strived to be!"
"Shut up, Rolf. Just shut up and practice more."
The younger sniper let a smile on his face. "Someday, Uncle Shinon! Someday, I'll be better than you! I'll make you proud, a-and you'll love me for it! I'm sure you will!"
Shinon only scoffed, walking back towards his room. He hadn't used his bow in a quite a while, and it had gathered a bit of dust and grim over the few weeks.
Really, kids had it easy. The red head could still remember the first time he taught the boy how to shoot. How clumsy Rolf was, and how he would cry when he couldn't get it right. Still, he taught the boy, how he had left Rolf only for a little while and saw him blossom into something close to an archer.
Damn, that neon haired brat was an annoyance, but still nonetheless, loveable. Well, almost.