A/N: Hello, everyone! This is a crossover series that serves as as semi-sequel to 'Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney- The High School Turnabout'. I would recommend reading that story first for better context, and maybe Snyderverse Neptunia Snippets #24 & 25 as well. Anyway, hope you enjoy!
The Three Houses of Hyperdimension
A Fire Emblem: Three Houses & Hyperdimension Neptunia Crossover Fan Fiction
by Derald Snyder
On the continent of Gamindustri, in the western section of the nation of Lowee, sits a monastery and military academy that have existed since ancient times, training soldiers in the arts of combat and instructing them in the ways of faith in the nation's CPU... it is known as Garreg Mach, which has produced many famous warriors, such as Wilhelm von Hresvelg, Loog von Blayddid, and more recently Jeralt Reus Eisner, the Blade Breaker.
However, Jeralt left the monastery and academy about two decades ago, after a fire took the life of his lover and newborn son... Only to return in the present day after encountering his old friend Alois Rangeld, bringing with him his apparent second child, Byleth, who had already become quite an accomplished warrior in his own right. As Garreg Mach Military Academy was woefully understaffed at the time, the current bishop of the monastery, Rhea, convinced the headmaster Seteth to hire Byleth as an instructor for the three houses that comprised the student body.
Despite suddenly being thrust into an unfamiliar occupation, Byleth found his feet rather quickly and endeared himself to many of the students of the academy... alas, eight months after his return, Jeralt would be murdered by an assassin posing as a student, throwing the academy into chaos and driving Byleth to pursue revenge, reaching out to the Lowee Guild for help... together they found and cornered the assassin, but before Byleth could interrogate her, she was shot dead by a sniper's bullet.
Realizing that his father's murder was linked to a larger conspiracy, Byleth agreed to further assist the Guild, moving to the capital city of Lowee and taking a job as a substitute history teacher at North High School, to try and draw out this shadowy organization... only to be nearly murdered himself, resulting in an innocent student being accused of attempted murder, her classmate John Smith contacting the former final boss turned lawyer Rei Ryghts to act in said student's defense... Fortunately Byleth recovered, Yuki Nagato was exonerated, and 'those who slither in the dark' lost two of their operatives, one being killed at Rei's hands, and the other being convinced to confess their role in Byleth's stabbing, being taken into custody by the Lowee Guild.
Once he had recovered from his wound, Byleth packed up and went back to Garreg Mach... but to everyone's surprise, he brought with him a sassy young girl with green hair, apparently an orphan he had taken in during his stay in the capital city, who shared her name with Lowee's founding goddess Sothis.
And so our tale opens with young Sothis still adjusting to her new home...
Episode 1: Not The Hair!
It was rare to see Bishop Rhea going any faster than a power-walk when she traveled through the halls and courtyards of Garreg Mach Military Academy, which is why she attracted many a curious glance as she ran after a certain child...
"Will you stop for just a moment? You're blowing things out of proportion!"
"No way! You're not gonna chop my hair off!" So spoke the young teenager known as Sothis, her long thick green twin-tails swishing back and forth as she fled from the older woman, her bare feet slapping against the stone floor, before turning and running through some grass, Rhea gasping for breath as she tried to keep up... Looking about desperately, Sothis soon spotted a tall man with short dark blue-green hair dressed in dark armor, dashing over to him and swiftly hiding herself behind his legs.
"Sothis?!" gasped the man in mild surprise. "What's going on?"
"That crazy bishop wants to shave me bald!" Sothis wailed. "Don't let her get me, Byleth!"
"For heaven's sake..." Rhea gasped as she finally caught up, panting heavily as she hunched over with her hands on her knees. "You've got it... all wrong..."
"What exactly happened?" Byleth asked in a neutral tone of voice, briefly glancing down to make sure Sothis wasn't running off again.
"All I said... was that her hair... was getting a little shaggy," Rhea grunted in reply. Managing to stand straight again, she continued, "You know that she... seems to have problems... tripping over her own feet sometimes. I thought that maybe cutting her hair back a little would reduce her clumsy episodes a little..."
"I don't trip on my hair!" Sothis shot back. "I just have a little trouble walking after getting over that sickness!"
"Well, you didn't seem to have any problem running just now," Byleth observed.
"Exactly! That's why my hair doesn't need to get chopped off!"
"For the last time, I wasn't going to chop it all off," Rhea sighed and shook her head. "I just wanted to cut it to your waist, maybe comb it out a bit..."
"But you're a bishop, not a barber!" Sothis protested. "You'd probably screw it up and make it look worse than before!"
"Sothis, that will be enough," Byleth gently chastised. "I agree with Bishop Rhea on one point- you've blown this way out of proportion. Making a mountain out of a molehill, in other words."
"...Well, I like my hair just the way it is," Sothis griped. "And what I just said still stands!"
"Well then, perhaps we could have someone who does know a thing or two about maintaining personal appearance to fix your hair, maybe just trim a few inches and smooth it out," Byleth suggested.
"...Yes, that sounds like a reasonable compromise," Rhea agreed with a small nod. "Don't you think so, little Sothis?"
"...Okay, fine," Sothis caved. "Just as long as it's not YOU."
"Right," Byleth nodded. "I already have someone in mind; we'll go see if she's got time today for this. If you don't mind?"
"Not at all," Rhea shook her head with a smile. "In that case, I shall head back to the monastery. Good day to you both." With a short bow, she turned and left.
"All right, let's go," Byleth said, taking Sothis by the hand and leading her along. Once he was certain they were out of earshot, he whispered, "Alright, now do you mind telling me the real reason you overreacted?"
"Well, I'd overheard some of the staff and students saying that I didn't seem to act much like a kid my age should," Sothis whispered back. "Like I was an adult in a kid's body, wise beyond my years, that sorta thing. So I figured I had to do something a bit more kid-like, and when that bishop asked to cut my hair, I figured that was a good opportunity..."
"Right..." Byleth sighed. "I highly doubt anyone here suspects who or what you really are, though..." (Namely, a ghost given corporeal form thanks to an alien goddess...) he stated internally.
"Yes, well, the last thing I want is people getting suspicious and giving me increased scrutiny," Sothis responded. "You need to remind me to act more like a kid from now on..."
"And how would you suggest I do that?"
"Maybe just hint that I'm trying too hard to play adult or something," the little girl shrugged. "So who are you taking me to, to trim my hair?"
*Black Eagles House*
"You want me to cut her hair, Professor?" Dorothea Arnault said in mild surprise. "I mean, why me?"
"You care a lot for your appearance, right?" Byleth pointed out.
"Yeah, because she's boy crazy," Sothis snarked, only to yelp as Byleth flicked her shoulder. "What?! Am I wrong?"
"W-well, no..." Dorothea sighed. "What exactly did you want me to do?"
"Just trim a couple of inches so she doesn't trip on her hair," Byleth elaborated, "maybe wash it and smooth it out a little. Nothing too fancy."
"Oh. Well, I think I could manage that," Dorothea said with a smile. "We can do it right now, if you want."
"Okay. Let's get this over with," Sothis said, trying to look reluctant.
"Right, well, I've got papers to grade, so I'll leave her with you..." He turned Sothis to face him, crouching down to look her in the eye. "You behave yourself, all right? No more running and screaming."
"Yes, yes, I promise," Sothis sighed.
*And so...*
"Well, your hair doesn't seem that dirty, so this shouldn't take too long," Dorothea observed as she massaged shampoo into Sothis' hair, the girl sitting on a short chair with her back to the bath being used.
"Good. The sooner we get done with this the better," Sothis sighed.
"You know, I was once an orphan on the streets myself," Dorothea stated.
"You were?" Sothis turned her head slightly, trying not to interrupt the older girl's work. "I thought you were an opera singer or something..."
"I was; this was before that time," Dorothea clarified. "It wasn't easy, believe me, since I lived in a (ahem) prosperous city, there were quite a few nobles who mistreated me just for being a street urchin... some even struck me when I begged for food or money."
"That's awful!" Sothis grunted. "I mean, I was never hurt like that, just hungry a lot of the time..."
"So what did you do?" Dorothea inquired.
"Um..." Sothis' mind raced as she tried to come up with something believable. "Well, um, you know how everyone says I'm wise beyond my years and stuff? I spent a lot of time at the library. Reading books kinda helped to ignore the hunger pangs; some people even took pity and gave me food on occasion."
"Oh, I see, so that's why you seem so smart for your age," Dorothea nodded as she began to rinse Sothis' hair out. "Is that where the professor found you?"
"No, he found me half-dead in an alley," Sothis replied. "I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for him..."
"I see... good thing he found you, then," Dorothea said as she went to grab a few towels. "You know, even when I joined the Mittelfrank Opera Company, I was still objectified by men who came to watch performances; I even had to literally fight off some unwanted advances. You should be grateful you never had to go through that, at least."
"I suppose so," Sothis said as Dorothea began drying her hair. "Is that why you came here, then? To improve your station, so to speak?"
That's part of it," Dorothea nodded. "But also, I wouldn't mind finding someone who love me as a person, who doesn't just lust after my body..."
"Well, the way you dress..." Sothis trailed off.
"Yes, of course I'm trying to be noticed. Have to get my foot in the door, so to speak," Dorothea explained. "Okay, that should do it. Now for the trimming..."
"I know we already said this, but don't cut off too much, please," Sothis half-whined.
"Not too much, I promise," Dorothea chuckled as she took a pair of scissors. "You know, I think you have the potential to be quite beautiful when you grow up, yourself. Maybe even surpass Manuela and Lady Rhea, if you put some effort into it..."
"Maybe," Sothis shrugged. "I don't really care about that right now... I'm still trying to figure out what I'll do with my life, now that I... that I seem to be an actual person, not just some nobody on the streets..."
"Well, you've got plenty of time to figure that out," Dorothea assured her as she began trimming. "But you should try and enjoy your youth while you've got it. Within reason, of course. Maybe try playing with that Cyril sometime..."
"I dunno, he seems too serious for a kid," Sothis grumbled. "And he seems way too devoted to that bishop... I mean, she's not bad, but she seems a little... how do I say it? ...overbearing at times."
"Lady Rhea does seem to have taken a shine to you for some reason," Dorothea nodded. "I'm not sure why, though..."
"I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm named after Lowee's founding goddess. If I didn't know any better, I'd think that she thinks I am said goddess reincarnated or something!"
Dorothea couldn't help but laugh at that. "Oh, I think you're exaggerating a bit there..." She snipped one last bit of hair. "Okay, I think that should do it. Let's get your headwear..." She took Sothis' tiara and handed it to her, then pulled her hair back into her usual twin-tailed style before tying it off. "There! You should look much prettier now."
"Well, let's see," Sothis grunted as she finished adjusting her headwear, before standing up and turning to look at a nearby mirror. "Hmm... well, it's a slight improvement. Better than what that bishop would have done, I'm sure..."
"Well, I'm sure she only wants what's best for you. Just like everyone else at this school," Dorothea said. "Not that I know her that well, mind you, but still."
"Hmph," Sothis grunted as she experimentally pulled a hand through one of her twin-tails. "Well, I guess I'll head back to Byleth and see what he thinks of it."
"Okay, you do that. Just be careful not to trip and fall," Dorothea teased with a wink.
"Well, isn't that what the haircut was for?" Sothis snarked back, before turning on her heel and leaving. But once she was out of sight... "Ow! What's a pebble doing here?! Take that! OW! My toe! My poor toe!"
Dorothea had to put a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles...
*Episode 1: End*
A/N: So, what do you think so far? Let me say now that most of the characters from Three Houses will be pretty much the same as in canon. And if you're asking whether any Neptunia characters will appear, Blanc/White Heart will likely appear in a future episode, and perhaps Rom and Ram as well. Rei Ryghts may appear as well, but that's a ways off yet.
Anyway, don't forget to leave a review!
