Author's Note:
If you enjoyed the chapter, why not write a review and leave a follow? *wink, *wink, *nudge2x* I also take requests for ships, or pairs, or whatever wacky idea you scrubs might want to see being written. Anyways! Enjoy the chapter! :)
Sweet promises tend to break...
Tender wishes often leads to a heart ache...
Empty promises tend to be fragile...
We desire for hope all the while, often knowing that this dying light was already quite futile...
The time we spent will forever be but a hollowed memory...
Those raged filled eyes flutter like a butterfly, unforgivingly...
The pain I caused will forever leave an icy scar...
Even I don't know, If I can still mend you're broken heart...
But right now I'm here, still yearning for you're touch...
Unfulfilled memories, burnt away by an unending grudge.
Shout at me, Yell at me, Berate me for all the foolish things I've done...
You're bittersweet tears graze my skin like a weeping sun...
In the end, those shattered oaths amounted to nothing...
But, if you could just give this pathetic husband of yours one last opportunity-
I know, that this throbbing feeling we both share... can bloom into its old melody~
-An ode to my beloved Queen
...
...
...
"It's harder to be honest, than to forgive."
...
...
...
In a dimly lit bar, one could hear the dissonant noises of people talking... Paired with the boisterous laughter of it's many patrons... It seemed like nothing could disturb it's quaint and soothing ambience. It had a warm light that overtook everything under it's lively tutelage.
And bearing amidst it-
...Was a drunk and sulking saber. The aura he was emitting was a stark contrast to the light-hearted atmosphere that this bar exuded... It was sad, empty and dreadful, like a melancholy tune... So much so that it started to bother the other servants that shared the same pub table as him...
"Another shot... pwease.. *Hick!*"
Sliding off the empty bottle towards the bartender, the saber kept his gaze low while he saw his pathetic reflection on the mahogany table's surface like an unperturbed mirror... And it honestly made him laugh, pathetically, because who would've thought?
That the once renowned dragon slayer, a famed hero, and the one who bore the blood of the legendary dragon fafnir...
...would be reduced to such a small and shambled form. His usual stoic expression was now replaced with a desperately sad one, and not to mention drunk. The gentle air of confidence that he always exuded was now a thing of the past. The only thing you could feel from him was an uneasy aura of dread, and perhaps something more, something that was deeply rooted with sadness.
"I swear Siegfried, that's you're fifteenth shot today..."
The archer over the counter-top only relented at his request. Moriarty knew that the customer was always right. Heck, that was a law that he always abided despite his knack for always disobeying rules, but as a server, it was also his job to step in when the client is out of line... And that should've been the case-
But what this saber had done was already on the borderline of being irresponsible... Servant or not.
Honestly, young people these days... Can't they find any other ways to cure their depression other than passing out drunk?
Well, he wasn't really in any position to say that, considering that his job was to serve said "young" people the aforementioned "drinks"... But still, wasn't Siegfried taking it too far? Moriarty could have never expected that this man could down even a single shot of gin, let alone fifteen. This kind of behavior was really unbefitting of him, it just didn't sit right with the criminal mastermind that the once legendary dragon slayer had been reduced to such a pitiable state. Honestly, what could have possibly tipped him off?
...What in all of Shinjuku could have possibly made Siegfried this sad?
Sighing at the solemn sight, the senile archer inevitably decided to just muse with the man's selfish requests. Moriarty told himself, that he may be a criminal mastermind, but truth be told, the archer was still a human at heart. He of all people knew what depression looked like... And the saber's fallen expression was an eerie reminder of that morbid feeling. So in the end-
Moriarty told himself for what seemed like the umpteenth time-
That this would be the last one, his last glass- No he swore it would be.
Moriarty then shook a pre-made bottle in his meticulously callous hands, which was filled with the lightest mixture of gin, before sliding a small glass of it back to the sulking dragon-slayer. Moriarty then watched on with pity as he saw how lifelessly the man downed it in one single go. Honestly, could this day get any more interesting?
"So that's where you were..."
And as if that question was seemingly answered on cue- From out of nowhere, Siegfried and Moriarty suddenly heard two distinct voices brewing behind them like an unapologetic cup of coffee, both of which, belonged to two certain men that the dragon slayer did not want too see or hear from right now. The pair then hurried over to the saber's side, but not before exchanging sorry looks towards the bartender, as if they were already apologizing in silence if their friend had been acting up.
After they found their seat beside Siegfried, both their eyes then narrowed in concern at the rather depressing sight that was in front of them. Between the mountain of empty glasses of liquor, and their friend's crestfallen state, practically anyone could tell that this man had been drowning his sorrows through excessive drinking.
He wasn't usually like this. He wasn't this irresponsible... And yet here he was now-
Having his sixteenth shot of gin for tonight.
"You know, drinking won't really help you with you're current situation right?"
The other saber at Siegfried's right side, which was another renowned dragon-slayer named Sigurd, only let out a heavy sigh at the miserable sight before him. Yet, it wasn't like he could blame the latter too much, as a matter of fact- A part of Sigurd understood his fellow dragon-slayer's pain... No, he knew it all too well. Another huge part of Sigurd wanted to help him with his situation, but he couldn't really do that at all when Siegfried was just running away from his problems, and in the worst way imaginable. He couldn't help a man that was so unwilling to be honest with his problems, and with himself most importantly.
"...Of course I know that..."
Well at least he was self-aware, Sigurd inwardly felt relief over that fact alone.
If the wry smile on Siegfried's face didn't already show it, then let it be known that he himself knew that his current situation wasn't really going to solve anything in the long run. Drinking was more of a temporary fix for his aching heart, rather than a permanent one. One could only sigh and regret so much before you'd eventually go sick of you're pitiable attitude. Siegfried knew that he was being a coward, and yet he chose to take on that scarred silhouette if it meant spending another minute more in an unsobered world.
And he used to call himself a "hero"...Hah, what a joke, and a really bitter one at that. Just like how gin is after you taste you're own tears flowing from your eyes and into your dried up mouth.
"Then why did you run off earlier? You know that going to a bar instead of facing her isn't the way to go about things right? Like Sigurd said, how is drinking all you're problems away ever going to solve anything?"
The ruler seated at his left, Amakusa Shirou, still kept protesting at his friend's irresponsible behavior. He may have been a bit harsh with his words, but the priest still didn't really understand his behavior in all honesty. Whether or not it had to do with the fact that he was a priest and didn't really condone drinking too much, or it could've been that Amakusa knew that whining around in a bar all night wouldn't really do his situation any good, or maybe the ruler was just concerned for his friend's mental health.
Siegfried knew that the two of them were just looking out for him and meant well, he wasn't so dense as to not know that.
Yet, despite knowing all that, that didn't stop Siegfried from jolting out of his seat in pure, pure frustration, as if he had finally reached his boiling point. He wasn't upset because of his friends, but rather, he was upset at himself for fully knowing that all of their words were right, and the fact that he wasn't doing anything about it.
So in a desperate attempt to defend his cowardly self, the once legendary dragon slayer suddenly went on an anguished rant that was anything but sober.
"Because I don't know what I'm supposed to *Hick!* do anymore! Anything I do just isn't good enough for her! ... No it's- *Hick!* I'm just *Hick!*Not good enough... Everytime I reach out a hand to her... She just *Hick!* slaps it away like it's nothing. Tell me! Does she hate me that much?!"
It also didn't help that Siegfried may have one or too many drinks for tonight.
"Woah! Woah there! Why d-don't we just calm down and put the bottle away-"
Sigurd, in a desperate attempt to calm him down and make him start acting rational again, tried to pry away the bottle of gin that had magically appeared in Siegfried's hands. Even Amakusa and Moriarty, who were still taken aback from his sudden outburst, suddenly went in for him from both the stool and across the pub-table in an attempt to hold the drunk saber down, but they should've known better than to stop a drunkard's rants instead of leaving him be.
There was absolutely nothing that they could do in the face of a broken-hearted man who had way too many drinks for a school-night, well not like he was in school but you get my point. In the end, it was all for naught as Siegfried broke free from the three of them like a lion that had escaped it's cage... And it didn't take long before that said lion went on a depressing rant again.
Albeit this time, you could feel the steady lingering of pain that was hidden behind his hiccups and words-
"... Of course she would hate me... I'm a good for nothing husband who tried to save others before her! In the end... All that I did was abandon her! She should've been... *Hick!*... my... I'm a good for nothing *Hick!* ... husband... I don't even know If I still have the right to call myself th-" Was all Siegfried said before he passed out head-first on the pub table's surface.
"Geez... what are we gonna do with him now?"
Amakusa could only scratch the growing irritation on his forehead's temple with a resigned sigh. Great, just great. He's even knocked out cold now... And here he thought that servants were supposed to be somewhat resistant to poison. It didn't fair well for either of them that this particular one just happened to have a weakness for liquor.
But then again, how many bottles had this man drank before they even got here?
Neither Sigurd or Amakusa wanted to know, but that didn't take away from the obvious fact that they now had a passed out saber at the both of their hands.
"I don't know... One thing's for sure though, we can't let anyone see him in this state."
Sigurd on the other hand, was huffing his chest out like an exhausted father. He knew that the guy was probably going through a lot on is own right now... But still, this kind of behavior was quite unbefitting for a dragon slayer. And Sigurd should know, considering that he was technically one.
"...Isn't that too late already though?"
Sigurd blinked once, then twice, then thrice.
Ah right. They were in a bar. With a lot of people inside of it.
The ruler just smiled awkwardly amidst the awkward tension that had just suddenly built up inside the room. Not like he could really do anything else but just stay silent amidst it all, considering that practically every servant in the bar had their eyes on them. Well at the very least, he supposed this is what they got after that long and loud rant, but why did they have to suffer the tense consequences? Why were they stuck with this awkward atmosphere?! They were sure as hell not responsible for it! The least that Siegfried could've done was wake up and apologize for his actions!
And yet here he was, snoring peacefully like a newborn baby.
Sometimes they just wanted to slap him straight up in the face, but try as they might- They couldn't do that to their friend who had finally gotten some shut eye after a long and stressful day, call that a silver lining they supposed. Siegfried should thank the two of them later for having such wonderful and considerate friends.
And in all honesty, their friend's sudden outburst was quite unexpected.
But deep down, both Amakusa and Sigurd had somewhat understood his pain. They actually pitied the man for his unfortunate circumstances. I mean, who would know what to do in a situation like his? When you suddenly find yourself apologizing to the very same person that you had sworn to love and protect, but instead you'd betrayed, and in turn- Starting an age old conflict because of you're own selfishness? Who could ever blame him for not having the guts to apologize to his own wife for causing her such a great deal of unimaginable pain? No one in the world could ever have that much lack of shame, which just goes to show that not even Sigurd and Amakusa would've been able to do anything if they were in his shoes-
But amidst both of their inner-contemplations, the senile archer over the bar suddenly slid the both of them a glass of wine.
"I don't mean to pry, but could you perhaps explain to me what had happened to this fella over here?" With a curious gaze, Moriarty put his hand over the pub table's counter-top, all while stroking his glamorous moustache as he eyed a certain passed out saber. Truth be told, he really didn't care too much about the dragon-slayer's wellbeing, he was more interested about the story in of itself. To put it short, the archer just couldn't resist the chance to pounce on some juicy gossip... And perhaps, if needed-
Then maybe he can bring his own insights into the matter, but that wasn't really his priority right now.
"I don't know if it's right to discuss something so personal... especially with you."
The ruler however, merely arched a brow of suspicion towards the old man, obviously hesitant on whether or not he should actually spill the story.
"Then I guess I'll just have to take those drinks as you're payment"
Noticing that the latter had just taken a small sip from his glass of wine, the very same glass of wine that was so graciously offered to them by the archer. Moriarty then decided to press on further with a cynical gleam in his villainous eyes, as if he was already threatening the pair to snitch or get hitched.
'This old man...'
Amakusa started gripping his drink with an irritated force, to the point that it had even threatened to break, meanwhile Sigurd could only sigh at the absurdity of it all. They don't call him a criminal mastermind for nothing after all, so they might as well just tell him or else they'd be here all night... and besides-
Neither two of them had brought their wallets so they were already quite screwed to begin with.
"Alright, Alright we'll tell you"
Amidst the tense standoff between the two, Sigurd simply decided that he had to act as the angel's advocate in an attempt to diffuse whatever hostility that was already brewing between the honest ruler and the rather sly bartender. They already had a lot of stuff going on in their hands right now, both literally and figuratively, so if they can get out of this joint faster- Then that would be the best case scenario- Wait.
Damn, now that Sigurd thought about it... Did this old man realize that fact as well? Did he know that the both of them were empty handed since the start?, way before they did?
Well, if so...
'Then this guy is seriously bad news' Sigurd couldn't help but shiver with nervous terror at the thought.
"Ehem."
Moriarty suddenly coughed from underneath his hand, intentionally he might add, as if to bring Sigurd out from his thoughts and back into reality. The reality being that Moriarty was growing a bit more impatient with each passing second that he didn't receive his "down-payment".
"R-Right..."
And so, with a deep sigh, Sigurd took one last look at his dazed friend before retelling the events that had happened earlier in the day.
"...Well you see~"
...
...
...
~xxx Earlier xxx~
...
...
...
In a narrow and unknown corner, away from the usual crowd of this particular establishment. We could see a group of people, or rather, a group of servants hiding in plain sight. One might ask, why were their four heads hiding in the most non-conspicuous way possible? Why were they whispering amongst themselves as if they were trying to hide something? Because they didn't wanted to be spotted by their target before the "operation" had even begun, that's why.But still, one could only find so many places to hide in until they eventually ran out of options-
And it was even harder since there weren't that many great hiding spots in a coffee shop.
"... I'm not so sure about this..."
A certain saber in the group whispered softly towards the others, while voicing out his clear anxiety over this entire "operation". Siegfried was still very unsure about this whole thing, and what's even worse is that he himself couldn't come to terms with the events that were going to unfold next. Frankly, it was quite embarrassing... No, it was downright petrifying.
'Why are they're so many people?! It's a Tuesday! Shouldn't all of you be doing something else?!" The dragon-slayer thought negatively while his grip on a certain item in his hands tightened..."
To the point that the dragon-slayer's mind was beginning to lose it.
"It'll be fine! I promise! This time, you have the power of love on you're side!"
Fortunately for Siegfried, his friends were there to cheer him up and give him the confidence that he was very much lacking. How lucky, he thought with a hint of sarcasm. Although, one in particular was noticeably more peppy than the rest... And who could ever blame her?- I mean, him! The pink-haired rider couldn't help it, after all, these type of things were what Astolfo lived and died for, excitement!
It was either that or he had been watching too many rom-com shows as of late, and upon hearing about what kind of sticky situation that his friend was in... Well, he just couldn't help herse- I mean himself, from being a mediator of this whole schtick.
Either that, or Astolfo wasn't going to pass up on being a real-time viewer of a live action soap opera.
"... You said that last time too..."
The anxious saber however, had much more dreary ideas about this whole ordeal. Siegfried began second guessing himself as his anxiety began shooting through the roof. His poor soul even began to mutter a bunch of incoherent words, words that were just a tad bit too to explicit for this fluffy one-shot. Siegried even began to consider the thought of just straight-up running away, believe his cowardly heart when he said he did.
But just as he took a single step backwards, a hand suddenly reached out to him, pulling him back towards their small, little group.
"Don't worry too much about it Siegfried, This time for sure!, I know she'll finally give you a chance!"
Great. They won't even let me run away this time.
Indeed, neither of them wanted to let Siegfried go, lest they wanted to have another manhunt on their hands. Thankfully enough, the one who pulled him back just happened to be the most optimistic out of the bunch, she also had a charismatic face that was hard to say no to. The bright blonde ruler had always been viewing life in such a positive light, to the point that just her smile was enough in sparking encouragement into the eyes of her beholder, and Siegfried was no exception.
To put it simply, Jeanne was a walking ball of energy, for both better and worse cases.
And this time, it was definitely for the better. Siegfried could practically feel that his doubts were beginning to steadily fade away, as if Jeanne's words were all the assurance that he needed. Still, that short-lived flame was nothing but a fleeting visage... It didn't take long for Siegfried's anxiety to come back and haunt him again.
"... I'm still not so sure about this, last time I tried to talk to her... it didn't really end well-" Siegfried muttered dryly, No, he muttered painfully. As if he was recalling a bitter memory from the recent past.
"Don't dwell too much on it Siegfried, besides, she's bound to notice all the effort you've been putting.."
A certain swordsman in the group, who was quiet throughout this entire time, suddenly cut him off, in a quick attempt to dispel the remaining fear that had bottled up in the doubtful dragon-slayer's heart. The asssassin had always been a man full of insights. His usual quietness always seemed to have an elegant, and profound, air around it. This had always been the man that was known as Sasaki Kojiro... A silent warrior with a wise disposition.
Yet, with all that said...
Sasaki was never the romantic type, much more since he never had any first-hand experience regarding the matters of the heart. So he wasn't really confident that his earlier advice would have done Siegfried any good. Sasaki didn't know what it was like to love, much more know the face of it. The assassin didn't have time for any romantic relationships in his past life, instead, he spent his very being in honing one single blade, to refine his skills to near perfection.
So at best, the only thing he can do was give his friend some comfort... A comfort that was cunningly disguised as an "advice". Looking back, even he could have at least tried this whole "love" thing, maybe just once. He could have probably been a hit with the ladies since he wasn't too shabby looking.
Dang... Now that Sasaki thought about it, did he really just waste his whole life not knowing what "love" is? The swordsman thought bitterly, while his usual stoic face was soon replaced with a shattered one, much to the confusion of everyone.
"Kojiro's right! If she sees how sincere you are about this! I just know that she'll give you a chance!"
Nevertheless, Astolfo pressed on, completely ignoring the assasin's blatant sulking.
"You really think so?"
Siegfried whispered silently in response, a response that was more of a hopeful question if anything else. A tiny glimmer of hope soon glinted in the dragon-slayer's eyes as he stared at the box of chocolates that he had been nervously holding onto all this time. If there truly was a silver-lining to this entire ordeal, then it would have to be his friends and this box of his sweets in his hands right now.
He truly was lucky to have such good companions... Friends that he could rely on at times like these. Which just goes to show that maybe, just maybe- That lonely figure of his from the past didn't have to stay oh so lonely anymore.
"I know so! Since when have I ever been wrong?~" Astolfo replied with a chirp as she-, I mean he-, began elbowing the dragon-slayer's waist in a friendly tease that was lightly reassuring.
"Well there was that one ti-"
For the most part at the very least.
"Don't answer that."
...Maybe this was a bad idea afterall, Siegfried regretted. Well either way, it was too late to back off now...
And so, with one last glance at his friends... The dragon slayer set off for his most dangerous mission yet, a mission so perilous that his previous feats could only pale in comparison.
Saving people?, how small. Slaying a dragon?, how little. Stopping a war? How laughably pathetic in comparison.
This task was far more greater than anything he's ever faced... It was so dangerous in fact that it made a Holy Grail War look like child's play.
... And now, here he was- Moving towards his destiny, towards his inevitable fate with a nervous smile across his beading face.
The dragon-slayer could only stride on with bravery towards a certain table amidst the coffee shop's large crowd. He donned his only weapon, -his box of sweets-, like it was the only sword that was left in his arsenal.
It was now or never...
It was now time to fulfill his duty... To complete his unfinished symphony, his final mission-
To make amends with his moody wife.
The all-too familiar scent of freshly brewed coffee beans, the ever-addicting aroma of a well-made latte, and the soothing cold air that enveloped her figure like pristine mist. Not to mention, the soothing ambience of an arrayed crowd, the dissonant noises of people chatting about their daily lives, and the pleasant sound of violin music playing in the near distance, accompanied by Mozart's elegant piano music...
And most of all-
A great window seat that had a clear view of Chaldea City during the morning.
All these things combined made a certain goth wiggle in a warm delight. These were the kind of simple things that had always made her morning... Not to mention, that she had a freshly brought book in her hand. It's plastic packaging hasn't even been touched yet, not a scratch or any sort of flipped pages in sight. The berserker made a quick mental note to thank Medusa later for taking such great care of her books... That's one of the few reasons why the goth frequently shops at the rider's quaint bookstore.
With an innocent smile, the berserker decided to look outside the shop's clouded window with a fragile look in her teal eyes. There, she saw herself, wearing a modest velvet dress that enunciated her body's elegant nature... And if she said so herself, the outfit that she wore today looked rather... cute. It was a great call to wear a scarf today too, it blended well along with her dress today. She really had to thank her friends for picking out her wardrobe ever since she came here, especially Brynhildr.
That woman really had a knack for casual fashion.
And ever since she came here, Brynhildr and the others were nothing but helpful towards her. They made sure that she felt like she actually fitted in for once, it really felt as if she had finally belonged for once... And ever since she arrived at Chaldea, life from that point on became more... enjoyable. In all honesty, all of "this" still felt like a dream to her something so lucid that even until now, she refused to believe it whole-heartedly.
Kriemhild refused to believe that this happiness of hers was actually a reality.
Her sharp gaze then landed at her foggy reflection, most notably her puffy face... And by God, did she overdo it with the makeup. Well, in her own opinion at least, she definitely did go overkill today. Her lipstick was so thick that it actually started to gleam like crimson glass. Not to mention, she may have overdone it a tad-bit with the powder today. She practically looked like a living play-doll.
Well whatever, there was nothing wrong with a girl who looked just a but cuter than normal, Kriemhild mused as she bopped her head up and down.
With a deep sigh, Kriemhild made another mental note to herself. She would have to ask her friends again for some advice on make-up later. Beauty never really was her forte, despite the compliments that she often received from the others over how "good" she looked. Was she just a natural? Probably, probably not. Yet, that didn't take away from the fact that she still found bliss in making herself look pretty from time to time.
That reminds her, she was going this far in making herself look more- How did Guinevere put it?... Ah yes, "Totes adorbs".
And yet... why?! Why wasn't he still taking notice of her?! Everytime they're eyes would meet, that man would always run off like he was in a hurry! Did she look that disturbing to warrant that kind of behavior?! ... Or, did he simply hate her that much that he couldn't even look her in the eye properly anymore?
Just the mere thought f it was enough to put a dour on Kriemhild's jovial mood.
A-And not to mention! Why was his face always red whenever he ran off to who knows where?! That kind of expression... It was of disgust wasn't it?! Those quivering eyes of his refused to meet with hers! He was looking down on her wasn't he?! Kriemhild could already imagine his face going-
"Ho? Did you really think that make-up is enough to make you look "pretty"?~ How cute~"
Gyah! Please! Anything but that!, Kriemhild internally yelled like an embarrassed gecko from the inside, before her face began to contort into a more annoyed expression.
That was the case wasn't it? She just wasn't that cute was she?, The goth's rage began to pile up just from the thought of it... And although on the exterior, she appeared calm and collected, her feelings were anything but! Her inner turmoil had gotten so bad that it even made Kriemhild plop her head onto the table's surface, in a rather loud manner if anything. The coffee shaked from the impact, sending waves of whispers towards her direction. Yet, she didn't care about any of that at all. Her mind had already wandered off into an infuriating cycle about that man.
Why was her husband such a hard person to read, much more figure out? Was it even right of her to call him as such, as her husband? They haven't had a proper conversation ever since she had been summoned here in Chaldea, and this place was supposed to be the land where dreams and souls come together?
How painfully ironic.
With another deep sigh, the berserker finally decided to look back down at her piping coffee, back towards reality. Despite her inner turmoil, that wasn't going to stop her from enjoying her day-off from the Salon. In fact, she practically relented against it. Kriemhild decided- No, concluded! That she wouldn't let her annoying husband ruin her day!
That was until Kriemhild soon realized that her latte's cream had been dissolved into nothing but puffs of sugar. She really had to stop her habit of slamming her head onto any nearby surface, for both her and the latte's sake.
"Just great! Now the art is ruined!"
Kriemhild's once bright teal eyes had now been reduced to a mere shimmer. Her face was a mask that was filled to the brim with annoyance, so much so that even a vein began popping. She began sulking like a child who had just broken her new toy, however, it also didn't take long before she began madly cursing out her situation. The impact from earlier must have ruined the latte's fragile composition... And it was so beautiful too. She even regretted the idea of taking a sip of it, in fear of ruining Carmilla's cute artwork.
'Damn it all!, now my morning's ruined!"
Kriemhild then sighed for the third time, albeit in a much more pissed off manner. The goth's posture soon straightened up as she began to sit more regally. Gone was her earlier despair, it was now suddenly replaced with the all too familiar image of a stone-cold empress that was out to kill.
"Tch."
Only for that very expression to crumble into a puffy rant when she abruptly realized who was the "cause" of all her misfortune.
"That man! It's all his fault! If I hadn't been thinking about him too much, then I wouldn't get this riled up! Wait- No!, I wasn't thinking about him! Why would I?! I don't even like him! Wait, it's not like I hate hi- Get yourself together would you! ! !"
It was also a good thing that those words were all just in her head, lest she wanted to bother the other customers with her rather complicated marriage.
'Ah whatever!'
Kriemhild eventually ended her inner ramblings with a whisper and an angry pout. Annoyed, she was undoubtedly annoyed. This was the sole emotion that kept coursing through her veins as she violently shook her head with both denial and exhasperation, almost like a toddler that was saying no to her veggies, much to the confusion of everyone else in the café.
Although, after a few minutes of... whatever this was.
'Don't think about him. Don't think about him. Don't think about him. Don't think about him. Don't think about him. Don't think about him. Don't think about him.'
Kriemhild eventually calmed down when she took a very, very deep breath for herself. Again, much to the confusion of the other customers near her. Thankfully enough, the berserker had finally resolved herself with a puff of her bosom, along with a fiery gaze that was enough to even scorch Karna himself.
She wouldn't let this man ruin her morning! Just thinking of him is enough to make her embarra- angry! Just the mere thought of him is enough to make her angry again! So she promised herself that she would no longer be thinking about him for the rest of the day! She could do that much right... right?
Kriemhild bit her tongue in exhaustion.
Honestly...
Just thinking about him for any longer won't do her heart any good. She could practically feel the palpitations surging through her chest. In retrospect, that might just have been because of all the caffeine she had been taking as of late, but nevertheless-! She made an oath to herself, that in under any circumstance, she absolutely mustn't think of him! No she refuses to even acknowledge his presence!
The goth then nodded to herself with much pride, while her enclosed eyes twitched in clear victory, at the small price of both her pride and a ruined latte... Not to mention, the uneasy whispers of the other customers around her who must have thought that she was acting like a weird lunatic with all those head-bops from earlier.
Truly, Kriemhild had won the war... with herself (?)
Yep. She had really lost her marbles.
'I swear If I ever see that man again! I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!'
But unbeknownst to the petulant goth however, little did she realize that the said "man" had already come up to her table when she hadn't noticed it. Most likely because of the obvious fact that her eyes were closed. Was it to avoid the embarrassing reality around her, or was it because of the fact that Kriemhild didn't want to see the perturbed faces of the customers that she had bothered?
Well either-way, she would much rather stay in her own little world than accept the reality around her.
"Hey...c-can we talk?..."
The newly arrived figure then began to strike up a conversation despite his nervousness, but from his perspective, it seemed like the goth was disinterested in him... Not even bothering to bat him an eye when he had finally worked up the courage to talk to her, she didn't even spare him a glance, not even once. Did she really hate him that much? Was his existance that much of a bother to her? That it got to the point where she wouldn't even make eye contact with him?
No, that wasn't the case...
In fact, it was the complete opposite! ! !
ない！ ！ ！
To the Kriemhild at least, she thinks that the man's voice is nothing but a figment of her imagination, just an illusion that was made for the sole purpose of taunting her! Nothing more than an infuriating hallucination that was so uncannily close to the real thing, maybe because it was, that she truly think that she had lost her own marbles! Great, just great, now she was beginning to hear things that weren't there!
Fine then! If her mind was going to play tricks on her! Then she'd play her own game.
'Fine, this was just the perfect opportunity!' The berserker thought loudly. Kriemhild needed something to take out her anger on... And if that "something" just happened to be a 'trick', even if that voice was just an amalgamation of all her frustrations, and even if that voice was just a hollowed out imitation compared to the real thing!... Then so be it.
~'Hmph! Talk?! How funny! This is the first time you ever wanted to "talk!" I thought you didn't want to "talk!" to me! What's the point of a conversation if you're just going to leave me again?! Mhm?!'~
Kriemhild then began to dish out blow by blow insults to that disembodied voice, in her own head of course. She may have lost a lot of things in her life, but she wasn't going to be humiliated by her own mind!
"...I know I haven't been the best... husb-... partner, but-"
If it was a mental war that her brain wanted, then oh~ believe her when she said that it was on. Period.
~'But nothing! What do you expect from me huh?! Did you really think that what you did back then was acceptable?!"~
And with each word that had left her mind, with each "mental" swing that she took at that supposed hallucination of hers.
"No It wasn't... It really wasn't... But, still-"
She couldn't help but think-
~'Hah?! There shouldn't be a "still"! What kind of "husband" leaves her wife without any notice? For what purpose?! To save lives?! Don't make me laugh... you didn't "save" anyone!'~
That maybe this deranged conversation with herself wasn't really with... herself (?)
This was bad, this was getting really bad. Now that "disembodied voice" started to become less and less convincing, and she found herself growing weaker by the minute. Why was it starting to actually sound like the real thing? With each passing second, that mirage was sounding more and more like... him, like her husband. She really had to give props to her mind though, for making up such a believable voice, even if it was just an imitation. Honestly, she must've been that annoyed for her to be hearing such things.
"... I know that... I know that... That's why! That's why I want to apolo-"
And speaking of 'annoyed', it was at this moment that a vein had popped on Kriemhild's forehead.
~'Heh~ For what?! For leaving me alone?! For leaving you're son alone?! For leaving you're family alone?! Did you really think a simple apology will cut it? No it won't you pale... you dull- colored eggplant!'~
Damn it...
"... e-eggplant?"
Damn it...
~'Yes that's right you eggplant! What was going through you're head when you left us alone!... when you left me alone. Do you have any idea how much I suffered when you were gone?! Hm?! Well did you?!'~
Damn it all.
"...No... and I probably never will... but please atleast hear me out-"
Why was she getting so worked up over a simple hallucination?
~'But nothing! Nothing will ever change! I hate you!"
The goth's face in this point in time was plainly unreadable. Her eyes were still shut-off from reality, but a slight quiver had graced her eyelids, as if her own brows were threatening to leave her vision slightly ajar.
~'I hate you!'~
She just kept cursing-
~'I hate you! !'~
And cursing...
~'I hate you! ! !'~
And cursing...
~'I mi-... h-hate you!...'~
And cursing.
This was just getting ridiculous. Even if this was just an "illusion", it still shouldn't be this convincing, it shouldn't feel this convincing, it shouldn't feel this real. It was almost as if he was right in front of her. Gone was her earlier annoyance, gone was her earlier resentment, and gone was her earlier infuriation. All of it was now replaced with an unsettling feeling of anxiety... A certain bottomless fear for the unknown, a kind of fear that was too scared to believe if this moment was "real" or not.
... A few seconds passed after that "mental" outburst. The woman was so frustrated that it wouldn't even surprise her if some of those words had already left her lips.
And unbeknownst to her, those words had actually left her lips... since the very beginning even.
"...I see... then... I won't bother you anymore..."
... Wait... wait... wait. Kriemhild repeated, even if that voice was just a figment of her imagination. Then why did it respond like that? Those words had caught her off-guard... That voice, it felt way too real to be an illusion of sorts. It sounded way too apologetic to be fake, way too weak to be just a mere hallucination, and too hurt for it to be a lie.
In fact, it felt so real that in that moment, in that instance, Kriemhild's quivering eyelids jolted open... And once she did open her eyes- What she saw shocked her to no degree, to the point that even her eyeballs rolled over in horror. So much so that it made her delicate jaw drop in a horrified surprise.
What she found thereafter was the certain figure of an all-too familiar dragon slayer. The very same figure of her "once" beloved husband... And he was standing right in front her, just from over the table's vacant chair.
She saw everything, his sharp gaze, that luscious silver hair, and that all too familiar roughness in his steadfast face. That very same face that she had came to miss for all these years... But there was something quite different about him this time.
His face was bright red, and that usual edge in his eyes was now gone... It had all disappeared without a trace of it left. Instead, it was now puffed up, almost like a dried-out fountain, almost as if tears had fallen and he had been crying. No, that wasn't quite right... Those faint watery trails, just from mere looks alone, even she could tell... That those tears were fresh.
And something panged deeply inside her heart when she soon realized something... That this man, this person... has never once showed any signs of emotion during they're time together. Well, ones that weren't this heavy at the very least. He usually had such a calm and stoic demeanor.
But now... now-
It was different, He was different. Just from his eyes alone... She could tell... that he's changed... And she of all people should know, considering the fact that she was his wife.
But hold on... there was something other than his tears that bothered her... In the first place, why was he crying in the first pla-
As if a bull had just hit her head, it was at that moment... that she realized a teeny-tiny fact.
The goth tilted her head ever so slightly, and upon further notice... she could see the flushed and embarrassed faces of everyone in the coffee-shop, even the waiters seemingly dropped their trays, and their jaws, at the messy scene that had just unfolded.
And that's when it hit her... Kriemhild blinked once, then twice, then thrice.
Had she been saying those things out loud?! No... No... No... No... No, No, No! She did, didn't she?!
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhHHH!~!~!~!"
Kriemhild internally yelled, only this time- it was actually in her head.
But that still did not dismiss the cold and unbridled fact, that she had caused a scene... A very, very big one at that.
Slowly, Hesitantly even... The doll-like woman began to look-up... Only for Kriemhild to meet the gaze of her "ex", so she says, lover. The berserker's face had turned riper than a tomato, her cheeks were as red as mars itself, while her wiggly ears could only let out hot steam, due to the sheer embarrassment of everyone's dumbstruck gazes.
She wanted to apologize quickly, believe her, she did. Even on some exterior level, even if those words held some actual truth in them, even if what she blurted out were her actual feelings. It was still uncalled for... especially that last part. In all honesty, she never truly hated the man. Heck, she might actually still- In her own words, -not, not like him-, but due to their pain filled past... She just couldn't come to terms with her feelings for him... No that wasn't quite right, she just couldn't understand her own feelings.
It was just so hard to move on for the better.
This, this was her inner turmoil... But in all truth, somewhere deep down, her heart yearned for him again, just like it always had. A faint glimmer of light in her scarred heart still held on to the futile ideal that was known as "forgiveness".
... Kriemhild wanted nothing more than to return to the past, to a time where the both of them were carelessly smiling in bliss, under the weight of each other's arms.
Her lips began to part... To start off, she had to apologize or saying those "crude", -embarrassing-, words from earlier.
But for some weird reason... for some particularly strange and odd reason-
An entirely different word had left her lips... A word that was completely different from her earlier turmoil, almost as if that word originated from the other side of a flipped coin. Something so ridiculous that it even made future Kriemhild question if she was sane when she had said it.
Even though her face was beet-red from embarrassment, a rather disturbing look of kinkiness began stretching from all the corners of her lips, as if her face had formed into a blushing mask of warped desire.
"H-How cute..."
かわいい
Love truly is weird.
... While Kriemhild was having an existential crisis earlier, the other side of her mind had actually wandered off to a completely different subject.
And that other side of hers just happened to be extremely childish and blissful. To put it simply, her airhead brain was actually thinking of a completely different matter than the one at hand.
What might that matter be, that very same matter that made Kriemhild forget about her current predicament?... Well, just see for yourself-
~'...Is... Is he wearing a suit?! What the hell! that's unfwair! That's really cute! A-And is he wearing glasses!~ That's awdorable!... W-Wait! No way~! No way~ No way! Gyah~ DID HE TIE UP HIS HAIR?! AHHHHH~ STOP~ This is unhealthy for my heart!~ That ponytail is too hot~... And... d-don't tell me... Are those chocolates for me?~ How cute~... Look it's even in the shape of a heart!~ Awww~!'~
Yes, these were her honest thoughts...
~'M-MARRY MEEEEE! ! !... Wait, we're already married aren't we?! C-Can- CAN I JUST POUNCE ON HIM RIGHT NOW THEN?!'~
Or should I say, deep down, this is what the goth was actually thinking back then... And even until now, her mind was still strolling in wonderland, while her "actual" thoughts showed no signs of stopping. As if her once mechanical brain had suddenly been turned to mush upon the sight of how, dare I say~ "hot", her husband actually is.
~'Mhmmm... that neck of his looks really tasty right now-'~
To put it in really simple words, Kriemhild was a real pervert for her husband. To the point that she just couldn't control it, she really could never suppress her inner urges when it came down to him.
Yet, on the latter side of it all-
The dragon-slayer's eyes only widened in pure, pure shock... No that was quite an understatement, he was straight up perplexed, flabbergasted, even bamboozled.
...Did she- Did she just... call him cute?! What the hell was up with that?! Right after she repeatedly told him that she hated him and wanted nothing to do with him ever again?! What was this woman on?! WHAT WAS SHE COOKING?!
'Wait... Wait.. Wait...'
Siegfried took a slight moment to recompose himself, all while ignoring the murmurs and whispers from the unnerving crowd around him. She just called him "cute"... from out of the blue no less- Just when they had ended a really heavy and serious bout.
'Wait... No... It couldn't be-'
Then- As if a nirvana had just hit him, Siegfried then "realized" it all like if he had finally attained all the secrets to the universe.
'She called me cute... that's uncharacteristic, even for her... I thought she hated me...Unless... Unless-'
The saber began to deduce dramatically, his heart began thumping as if he was finally opening the red curtains to a very big, big revelation.
'She-... She was looking down on me wasn't she?!'
Wrong.
'She resented me so much that she found my pathetic attempt at an apology funny! didn't she?!'
Wrong again.
'She was glaring at me like I was a poor mutt out in the rain wasn't she?!'
Wrong. She was just having weird fantasies over you.
'She found me so appalling that she thought I was a waste of her time didn't she?! No wonder she's looking at me with disgust! ! She was just showing me pity, wasn't she?!'
Wrong. She's just a really big pervert, apparently.
'So that's it! She thought that I was such a waste of her time that she wouldn't even look me in the eye! She even kept her eyes close throughout the whole conversation just to prove her point... Wasn't she?!'
Wrong. She didn't even realize that you were there to begin with.
'How the hell would you know?!'
Because I'm literally the narrator.
'No... No! She definitely was looking down on me! I could already imagine the intent behind her face again!'
"Oh? so you thought a bunch of chocolates and a sorry apology would make me forgive you?~ How cute~"
"完全な妄想! ! !"
She definitely meant that didn't she?!
I'm not even gonna bother with this one.
Siegfried couldn't believe it... No, he refused to believe it! So much so that it made him want to run away from the sheer shame that he wad feeling inside. He should have known his place! He shouldn't have even come here in the first place! From now on, he's never going to appear before her sight ever again!
The trembling saber took a step back... then another one... then another one... until it got to the point where his figure began shaking in fear.
Why was he in fear you might ask?
"I-I'm sorry if you find me th-that appalling! I'll never bother you again! I p-promise! Just please don't hurt me!"
...It was because of the very woman in front of him. Kriemhild's eyes began to shine in a sadistic red gleam, -from his own perspective at least-, and if it wasn't for the fact that this girl used to be his wife. Then he would've mistaken her for a serial killer! Okay, maybe he was exaggerating, just a tiny bit... But those eyes, those red crimson eyes that was gazing at his very soul as if she wanted to devour him whole-
"C-Come here... l-let me get a taste of you..."
Those weren't eyes of forgiveness. To Siegfried, those eyes belonged to someone who wanted to harm him in more ways than one! In fact, that could very well happen! Considering that she hated him with a dying passion, apparently!... And pair that with her already high Madness Enhancement... The thought alone made Siegfried want to hide forever in a corner.
"I-I'm sorry! ! !"
And in a moment's time, the saber began to book it! No, that was an understatement, he began running as if his life depended on it! Siegfried was practically sprinting towards the cafe's exit in a quaking fear. In fear of what might happen if he had stayed any longer!
"Eh?"
His action however, left a confused, -and pouting -, Kriemhild on her table... She began to stand up from her seat, leaving her book untouched and her latte half-full, in hopes of catching her deranged, ̶-̶a̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶d̶o̶r̶a̶b̶l̶e̶-̶, husband. Kriemhild profusely added to her already torn self.
"W-Wait! S-Siegfried! You left these chocolates!"
And in a matter of mere seconds-
The strange pair of lovers began running throughout the streets of Chaldea City like a bunch of lunatics. With Siegfried, the once legendary dragon-slayer, profusely cursing out an omniscient narrator-
'Hey Narrator! ! ! Help me out here! Why the hell is she chasing me?!'
I don't know bud. Maybe she just wants to give you a kiss. Kuku-
While a hungry Kriemhild was chasing her strangely distressed husband, with a box of chocolates that was waving aimlessly on her right hand, like if she were a desperate suitor that was trying way too hard to win the princess's favor. The princess being Siegfried in this particular scenario.
"C-Come back here!... I'm not done with you yet~!"
And while all of this weird nonsense was happening-
A certain group of servants from a near distance sighed with great despair.
"Today's battle: Both of them lose..."
The pink haired rider from amongst them sighed in a complete, and utterly disappointed resignation. Jeanne just kept fiddling with her hands, as if she was completely clueless as to what to do in this nonsensical situation.
"What's with the voice?"
The ever so stoic Sasaki only blinked in an odd bewilderment though, was it just him? Or did the rider's voice considerably drop by a few decibels just now?
...
...
...
They would never know.
Ain't no way that was a Kaguya-Sama reference-
Who the hell invited you here anyway?
Fin.
Omake:
"So Uh... Who's gonna get them?"
After the trio was left in the dust by both Siegfried and Kriemhild's trail. The blonde ruler amidst the two of them began to ask with a mechanical tone of voice, as if it was taking all the brain-cells that she could possibly ever muster to even begin processing what had just happened. The task didn't prove to be possible though, not after watching that hot mess unfold-
Then suddenly, from seemingly out of nowhere, two pairs of hands abruptly touched their shoulders, which even brought Jeanne back to reality from how cold their touch was.
"I'll go get Siegfried, Bryhildr can you get her?"
A certain saber pulled up his glasses in order to re-assure them, while the lancer beside him just began bopping her head up and down repeatedly, as if she was innocently telling her husband to leave it to her.
"When did you two get here?"
The group of three asked in almost perfect unison, while the pair of newlyweds behind them could only answer in an an almost blatant honesty.
"Ever since the beginning."
Author's footnote:
A few people have asked me If I am the author of a Hero's Symphony, to that I say yes... sort of. I am not the main writer of a Hero's Symphony, it was my friend. I only ever helped with a few of the chapters, especially the text effects, that was all me. His account apparently got locked away because his laptop got destroyed in an accident and he had lost his email address in the process cause' it was his only sign in. He did intend on republishing it again, however, he only really was able to salvage the first few chapters from a few of his drafts and was really devastated by it, along with a few other stories that were written in his phone (e.g: this chapter). In all truth, he did plan on establishing it all again, but with everything against his odds and a few issues irl that came up, he said that he was gonna put the idea on hold for now. I asked for his permission, to borrow a few parts of the story for my own, and he agreed to it. He eventually did recover his account, but weirdly enough, he kind of lost the motivation to continue... It was a big shame really. Only time will tell if he'll eventually come back, but for now, I suppose he just wants to get some things straightened out, and we should respect his decision.