chapter 5 breaking down barriers
The golden deer classroom
She was heading towards her class. She made sure to learn who each of the students' teachers were before she chose. The teacher in particular seemed interesting to her Kakashi Hatake, a teacher with a different fighting style. If she could learn from him, she could learn how to fight in a way that's unfamiliar to the Ashen Demon . "Such interesting people that we will be going to school with in this academy" remarked Arval. "It's so frustrating; he is so close, but we are nowhere near a match for him right now." she said in frustration. "Patience is good; in good time, you have to train and get stronger before we can even consider taking him on. You are not strong enough." She didn't need to be told that if she told anyone that she had someone inside of her, they would consider her crazy. 6 months ago, she almost was killed until Arval saved her life at the last minute. She and her having power she never knew she had, but still wasn't enough. Even now, she doesn't know how she can beat him and for what she saw from the likes of Sasuke Uchiha, he was even stronger than she was, and she didn't need to fight him to know.
She knew Hinata would be stronger than her if it weren't for her confidence issues. Naruto was someone that was underestimated by everyone; she felt weak and inadequate. She couldn't even dream of defeating her foe if she didn't have the ability to be one of the people who were weaker than him. She didn't get a chance to indulge in her thoughts when she entered the classroom and met all of the students from the Golden Deer. "Well, well. I'm a little disappointed that Byleth isn't here, but that mercenary who saved us the other day—she's quite a looker, isn't she?" asked Claude, smiling at Naruto.
"I hate to break it to both of you, but I'm a lesbian. Don't even try that shit with me." She said irritated.
"Don't worry about it. I'm not even interested anyway." Naruto said, not taking offense to what she had said.
"So you're that transfer student from another country, aren't you, Naruto Uzumaki?" She asked to confirm what she suspected was true.
"Yeah, but I'm not the only one on my right. There's Shikamaru. We've been friends for a long time. Kinda serious at times, but once you get to know him, he can be pretty chill. And this is his friend, Choji. Don't call him fat, and you'll be cool. And this is Ino." After he had introduced the transfer students from Konoha, she thought the name sounded strange.
"Oh, and don't forget to introduce yourself." Claude encouraged the other golden deers to present themselves.
She has met all the golden deers. She chose her class the day before. She is familiar with most of them.
"I wonder how strong you are. I can't wait to test my muscles against yours," said Raphael, excited to have another strong opponent. "It's nice to meet you, Shez," Ignatz said politely.
"Hopefully she'll be a good training partner, even though I'm a little disappointed that Byleth isn't in our class. It would have been nice to have the son of Jeralt in our class. Oh well, it's not like I can't still train with him outside of class."
Leonie said, Just hearing the name Byleth makes her blood boil, but she have to keep calm. No one in this class has experienced what I have with him, so it's best to stay on friendly terms."
She hopes she can at least be a good sparring partner."
"An interesting person we got here. I'm glad it's another girl. This class has been a little overloaded with men." said Lysithea, the white-haired girl she met the previous day.Shez thought the girl was extremely cute she liked her she turned away not wanting her to notice her attraction to her.
"Hopefully, she's not as insufferable as that ruffian we have from Konoha." said Lorenz in a condescending manner, something about him rubbing her the wrong way. She didn't like him; she instantly disliked him.
"Man, I wish you weren't so serious! I mean, another girl in our class; it'd be nice to talk about something like clothing or whatever, but I don't think that's something you're interested in. Oh well, Ino and Hinata are there to fill that void. A shame she's not in this class either."
Shez asked her curiously, "I guess you can say that, but it's more Marianne who's friends with her than I am. Though I've hung out with her from time to time when we're between classes, along with Mercedes and Dorothea."
Hinata what she had heard was popular with a lot of the boys and girls in Garreg Mach having a crush on her, even lesbians. They were hoping against hope that she was a lesbian too. "I don't know why she has so many admirers. I'm kind of jealous in a way." She wanted to know what drove so many people to Hinata.
"She isn't the only one who has admirers. Dorothea, from what I've heard in my interactions with Black Eagle students, has many admirers." Shez could see why Dorothea was an attractive woman and Hinata was as well, even though neither one of them were really her type."Are you okay, Marianne? You look depressed." asked Hilda, concerned about her friend.
"I'm sorry, but I was hoping he'll be here." Marianne said quietly. "She knew who she was referring to without asking." The girl blushed deeply. Shez rolled her eyes; of course she would have a crush on the Ashen Demon. It was also typical. "Don't be so downhearted. You can still transfer or request to be on his team on assignment. It's not all doom and gloom." Naruto encouraged. She didn't know why, but something about him made her feel inspired, and she didn't like it. "I don't know. Would he really bother with someone like me?" Marianne asked.
"It wouldn't be so bad, but I don't even know what class he chose." Marianne said with a discouraged expression. "Well, we'll know by lunchtime at least." remarked Naruto. "Okay." Marianne said quietly.
"Yeah, as you can see, the golden deer are kind of a bunch of misfits in a way, but a good kind of misfit if you know what I mean." said Claude relaxedly.
"It should be interesting." She remarked, wondering how the mock battle coming would turn out. There wasn't much time to prepare for it.
"Okay, class, you've been acquainted with our new student long enough; you know the drill. All of you introduce yourselves like you did before. We do this every time we get a new student." said Kakashi, clearly bored.
"I am Kakashi Hatake, my likes are reading and my dream, which is quite frankly none of your business," she liked him getting straight to the point she hated long introductions but unfortunately they weren't even close to being done.
"I'm Lorenz Hellmann from Gloucester. My likes are poetry, art, and worthy women. What I dislike are coffee, injustice, and people who disgrace their noble status. She thought he was interesting far more than what she first saw on the surface; however, he did still come off as being a condescending ass.
"I'm Raphael Kirsten. My likes are training and eating good food, but I dislike studying."
"She thought on the surface he seemed to be a simple-minded person, but she could see there was much more to him than meets the eye."
"I am Ignatz Victor, and I like painting. I dislike fighting." She wondered why someone like him would be in a place like this. There must be a reason, which she'll probably learn later.
"I'm Lysithea von Ordelia. My likes are sweets and studying to improve myself. My dislikes are people who treat me like I'm a child. She could relate to this. When she first became a mercenary at age 12, she was treated like that.
"I'm Leonie Pinelli. My likes are training and being around my friends. My dislikes are arrogant people and people who don't appreciate what they have."
Shez is more convinced she made the right choice choosing this class. The more she hears these students speak, the more she's looking forward to hearing the ones from Konoha. What they have to say.
"I'm Hilda Valentine Goneril. My hobbies are making beautiful things and designing clothes. My dislikes are doing unnecessary hard work. She seems to be the type of person who can talk others into doing what she doesn't want to do. She seems very persuasive."
"I am Marianne von Edmund; my likes are not very interesting. She didn't say much, but she definitely has issues with her confidence and she didn't particularly like speaking much.
Now she wondered what the house leader would say; she had a feeling he wouldn't reveal much.
"I'm Claude von Riegan. What can I say that everyone else doesn't already know? I love poetry and I love pulling pranks with my partner in crime, Naruto. Everyone laughed. As for my dislikes, I rather not divulge that. Actually, I rather that people not know me for my dislikes." She knew Claude was hiding something. There was a lot that he was hiding. She had a feeling in her gut that Claude was the most interesting Lord to her of the three. And she was most interested in learning what he had hidden underneath the surface.
Now she saw the transfer students from Konoha, the first one to speak being Shikamaru.
"What a drag this is; I might as well get this over with and do this for the third time."
For what she could tell, he was clearly bored, but she could tell like with Claude there was a lot more to him on the surface than what he gave out. "I'm Shikamaru Nara; I'm not really interested in doing anything; I just want to relax and stare at the sky all day; and have an easy life. I dislike doing unnecessary work."
He sat back, lazy; that's what she thought, but she knew there was a lot more to him on the surface than that.
She saw Choji get up and do his own introduction. "I'm Choji Akimichi, well my likes are eating barbecue food and my dislikes are being called fat. Pretty simple, she thought; she wondered what the girl Ino was going to say.
"I'm Ino Yamanaka. I like flowers and dressing up to attract men. My dislikes are ungrateful people." Shez was intrigued by this girl, but she didn't think Ino would be the type to swing both ways.
Now the last of them, the blonde-haired boy Naruto Uzumaki, the one she fought alongside with a few days ago. Just who was he? "I am Naruto Uzumaki. As you all know, my favorite food is ramen. Unfortunately, it isn't served here. What I love to do is prepare ramen. I don't like having to wait to prepare the ramen. I like hanging out with my friends and I dislike liars. My goal is to be the Hokage." He definitely was the one she would probably feel the most comfortable with. Her instincts were correct, but something about him. "You notice it too? Yeah, he has something inside of him that I don't know what it is. I'd be cautious around him." Arval advised.
All the students were looking at her; she felt like she was being put on the spot. "It's your turn," said Kakashi, crossing his arms and waiting for her to tell about herself.
"I'm Shez. I don't really have much to say. My hobbies are training to refine my skills, and I believe integrity is more important than money. My dislikes are dishonest people."
After she was done, Kakashi motioned for her to sit. "Since our new student isn't caught up with our lessons, I expect all of you to get her up to speed in a few days. We're going to have a mock battle. Don't forget to be prepared; you don't want to repeat what happened with the Bell Test. Do you?"
Kakashi said, from what she could tell through his mask, was a smile. She didn't like the sound of that.
"That was hell. I never want to do that again. That was insufferable." Lorenz said, horrified by the memory of the Bell Test.
"You only complain because you fell for the most obvious trick in the book" Lysithea said irritated by his complaining about what for her from Shez was an easy test."you have no idea how brutal Kakashi sensei's Bell test would have been if you were doing it like it was in konoha could have dropped you from Garreg Mach's program permanently compared to my team you people have it easy"Naruto said irritated by Lorenz Complaining."part of me wishes it was so we would have to deal with this condescending prick all the time" said Leonie."cut the chatter it's time to to start our lesson and for those of you who are here help our new friend begin her up to speed if you don't you know the consequences."she was helped by the students to fill in what she was being taught she was learning the history of the founding of a country called Konoha in a land called the land of fire she would have to ask her classmates what is the purpose of this program when the chance presents itself.
The Blue Lions classroom
Sasuke would be lying if he weren't disappointed that Byleth wasn't in their class. He was definitely a talented swordsman and would have been a great person to spar with. Though he did know that he could still spar with others outside of the Blue Lion, such as Petra. He didn't really exchange many words with her because she wasn't interested. He knew Professor Manuela would show up soon and the class would officially begin. He saw his friends that he had made in the Blue Lions: Felix and Annette. They greeted him, along with Mercedes. "Sasuke, so you finally talked to Mercie?" Annette was really happy that you talked to her. "He noticed Mercedes was blushing when that was mentioned. 'Oh, and that me and Sasuke Kun were just talking about our respective religions and respective lands.' She said, blushing deeply. Why was she doing that? Sasuke wondered.
"Well, it's about damn time. I was really getting sick of seeing your pathetic face every time Mercedes showed up." Felix said irritably, though in his own strange way, he was happy that Sasuke finally had the courage to talk to her.
"Did you hear about the new professor of the Black Eagles?" Ingrid asked the new professor. "Apparently, Byleth Eisner, who is going around the monastery yesterday, was talking to all the students and the leaders in order to find a class to choose and what do you know? He chose the house with some of the most beautiful ladies of the entire monastery. I'm actually jealous because I'm not in the same house as Hinata Hyuga and Dorothea Arnault." Sylvain, with his usual antics when it comes to women, said.
"Oh, you and your skirt-chasing don't you ever stop?" Ingrid said irritated with her childhood friend. "It's part of my charm; it's not like you have any room to talk, considering how you and Naruto spend your time. surprise you're not boyfriend and girlfriend." Ingrid was blushing deeply at the very mention of Naruto. It was not a secret in the Blue Line that she had a crush on him. "Doesn't Hinata have a thing for Naruto?" asked Ashe. "It's been obvious even in Konoha; it's not even a secret. It's too bad that dope couldn't even notice it."
"I think it's more than a crush. I think she's in love with Naruto."
Mercedes pointed out that she had spoken to Hinata at multiple occasions, Sasuke is not surprised that she had figured that out. Considering their friends after all and how often they hang out with each other between classes with her friend Annette.
"I don't want to be competition for Hinata. Naruto is a friend."
Ingrid said calmly. "Why not speak you to Hina? I spoken to her many times she's my friend she would be completely understanding." mercedes advised. Sasuke was watching first-hand why Mercedes is popular with a lot of the people here.
"I just don't know. I mean, I really like Naruto. I mean, damn it, I just don't want to get in her way."
Ingrid said sadly. "I'm sure you two could talk it out. Hinata is a kind person and understanding."
Dimitri, who had walked in on the conversation, said, "Ingrid, I'm sure you two could talk it out. Hinata is a kind person and understanding."
"I'll do just that, I mean she did manage to become Marianne's friend after all, despite multiple attempts of resistance."
Sasuke knows about the blue-haired girl who talks to animals. She rarely talks and when she does, she usually keeps her conversations short. Sasuke couldn't help but see similarities between her and Hinata.
"Here's another rumor, though I've been hearing it now, don't spread this around." Said Annette.
"Who would that be?" Asked Felix irritated. "No, I can't confirm this myself, but I've been hearing a rumor. I think the black Eagles new professor has an admirer if you get my meaning."
Sasuke knew exactly what Annette was talking about the new professor has someone who has a crush on him he didn't know who it was but he did suspect who it was I didn't matter to him It was not in his concern considering what goes on outside blue Lions classroom was not his concern .
"To change the subject, I do have a question. What is that book you're holding?"
Asked Dimitri, almost forgetting he promised he would read the book of "The Sage of Six Paths". He saw Mercedes' eyes light up. She was excited at the prospect of him reading the book out loud to her.
"What exactly is 'The Sage of Six Paths'?" Dedue asked, generally curious. Sasuke explained to the entire class what "The Sage of Six Paths" was; they were all interested, even Felix, who doesn't really take an interest in such things.
"Looks like our entire class is interested in this Sasuke Kun" said Mercedes, smiling happily that Sasuke was being more open with his classmates. He didn't know why he felt more comfortable doing it when it came to Mercedes. She had that effect on him."well at some point we're going to have to learn about the Sage of Six Paths especially if we're going to go to Konoha" Dimitri remarked. Sasuke was disappointed; he really did want to talk to Mercedes about it one-on-one, but it looked like that wasn't going to happen. Sasuke could tell that Mercedes was also disappointed. "You know this day is almost too good to be true. All we need is for Sakura to ruin it." Sylvain said jokingly.
It was as if the universe itself hated everyone when the band she showed up with her screeching voice that would kill the drums of anyone who heard it. He wasn't in the same vicinity as the banshee.
"I've been hearing rumors of Sasuke-kun seeing someone. Is this true?"
Sasuke rolled his eyes in annoyance; of all the people he didn't want to hear it from, it had to be her.
"Sasuke can see whoever he wants; you don't own him."
Felix said irritated that she was even there.
"There's no need for us to argue about this, Sakura. I'm just friends with Sasuke-kun; nothing more."
Mercedes said, trying to diffuse the situation.
"Sasuke is your friend ridiculous he would never takes an interest in someone like you." Sakura said rudely
"I suggest you apologize, Sakura that was completely uncalled for ."Dimitri said
"or what what are you going to do? you're not my prince you don't get to tell me what to do."
Sakura said disrespectfully someone needed to put her in her place. Sasuke would not tolerate this banshee's treatment of his friends.
Sasuke got up and spoke with a deadly calm.
"I will not let you treat Dimitri or Mercedes with such blatant disrespect. Do I make myself clear, you stupid banshee?"
Sakura recoiled at Sasuke's angry face.
"I'm sorry, Sasuke", Sakura said, dropping the horrific thing she had distanced herself from the group as far as possible. Good, Sasuke thought.
"Wow, I hope I never get on your bad side", Sylvain nervously said. "It's okay, Sasuke-kun. I know you were angry earlier. I appreciate you speaking on my behalf." either Sasuke was being delusional or Mercedes was blushing fiercely
Felix wasn't imagining things, and neither was Annette.
"Am I imagining things, or does Mercedes really like Sasuke?"
Annette whispered in Felix's ear. Felix didn't care one way or the other, but he was happy for his friends at least; it was genuine between them. He and Annette wouldn't interfere with their relationship; they would let it go on its own course.
"I think they look really cute together if you ask me."
Annette said to her boyfriend.
"Whatever," he said, faking that he actually agreed with her. Nobody expected the serious Felix to ever take an interest in Annette of all people. He had heard her sing, and that's how they clicked.
"Wow, I never expected Mercedes." And "before he could say anything more, Ingrid elbowed Sylvain to make him be quiet." Ow was that really necessary, Ingrid?" The redhead complained, "you know you don't know when to be quiet sometimes." She said irritated that she had to explain her reasoning. "Would you say the same thing if it was you and Naruto in their place?" She had nothing to say to him; he just wished she would just reveal her feelings and be done with it. It was as irritating with Ingrid as it was with Sasuke. "Why are we whispering?" asked Ashe. "You know damn well why we're whispering."
"Why are you guys whispering?" asked Dimitri. Everyone stopped, and Sasuke turned around, along with Mercedes, wondering what was going on. "Oh, it's nothing. We're just talking about what we're going to study today." Annette lied. Felix hoped it was convincing, but they buy it, which relieved him. "Class is about to start soon. I suggest we get to our seats." Dedue suggested, as if on cue, professor Manuela appeared.
"All right everyone, it's time for us to start our lessons for the day. Turn to the chapter on the founding of the monastery."
Sakura is livid about what has just happened. She was completely humiliated by Sasuke. Out of all the people, who is this stupid blonde-haired freak? She hated the way he looked at her and the way she looked at him. The way she was laughing and the way he was speaking—he had never done that with anyone. It made her blood boil.
"What the hell are you doing? Are you just going to sit there and let that bitch steal our man? Sasuke Kun would never take interest in such trash like that Mercedes woman. We will make him ours." Sakura's inner self said to reassure herself that Sasuke was playing hard to get. There is nothing that would convince her otherwise. She kept telling herself that in her own delusional state, desiring him and believing he was trying to play hard to get so she'll fight for him.
" I'm struggling with this question can you help me please?" asked Ashe
"I have better things to do with my time than waste it on idiots like you. Stop bugging me." she said rudely.
"That's completely uncalled for. I'm just asking for assistance, and you have been rude to me. And everyone here. Never mind, I'll ask Sasuke. Because at least he is willing to help." Ashe excused himself to get help from Sasuke. Why would he waste his time with such trash?
Seeing the way Sasuke was intermingling with the Blue Lions made her blood boil. It wouldn't be as bad if that woman wasn't there, smiling as Sasuke was talking to her; it made her sick. She would not lose to her—she refuses to lose to anybody who dares to consider taking her man from her.
She didn't notice that her hand was bleeding because she was clenching so hard on the pencil that she broke it. It didn't matter; she would not lose this pain, which was minor compared to the injury of her pride.
Sasuke, who was usually seated next to Felix, Annette, and Mercedes, began reading along with the history book. During the part where free discussion was allowed, Sasuke and Mercedes chose to be study partners, while Felix and Annette stayed together. They loved this arrangement because it gave them more time to be alone together.
"At the rate things are going, Sasuke will probably end up being Mercedes' boyfriend." He observed how they talked to each other, laughing together. Felix p noticed something else about Mercedes: she smiled in a way she never did around others.
Despite the age gap between them, it didn't hinder their friendship, and Annette and Mercedes became friends. Though Felix noticed something dark in Sasuke's eyes, something like Dimitri. He didn't know why, but he sensed that Sasuke had experienced a great tragedy in his past. Could this be the reason why Dimitri and Sasuke could relate? He had no time to ponder over it; he had to concentrate on his studies. Annette noticed that Felix had something on his mind. "I've never seen Mercedes as happy as she is now, nor have I ever seen Sasuke as content. They seem to fit together perfectly." He didn't want to hear it. "I know you don't want to hear it, Felix, but Mercedes has liked Sasuke for quite some time. I mean, is it any coincidence how they're able to connect so well? Both of their feelings are genuine, and both of them are mutual." He knew where she was coming from.
"Isn't it too early to be talking about such things when they've only been speaking for a day?" Felix asked her rhetorically.
"Well, I've read something about the red threads of fate. It's something that's an integral part of the culture where he's from. You know, when two people meet for the first time or their past a certain age if a red thread connect them, they're meant to be together." He thought the idea was ridiculous, didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Annette, can we please focus on our work?" Felix asked uncomfortably.
"Okay, I'll drop it for now." Annette conceded.
They focused on their work, but Felix couldn't help but wonder if the red threads applied to them. He dismissed the thought as soon as it entered his mind; it was ridiculous, not something he wanted to even consider.
Mercedes noticed that something was on Sasuke's mind. "Sasuke, do you have something on your mind?"Mercedes asked him."yeah I was just wondering the founding of the monastery there's so much that doesn't add up I look up so much references to one date to another and a lot of it doesn't match up I don't know which one is real and which one is fake."she understood his confusion
."A lot had been lost in that era so some dates don't exactly match up because the history of that era difficult to come by due to a lot of the books and libraries being burned in the wars that happened"she explained to Sasuke knowing that he would not be something he would know because he doesn't live in this land."That makes sense actually I mean there's some things in my home continent that are inconsistent things get lost in war"she thought that was tragic and she knew he did too she didn't know why. "The sage of six paths existed at the time same the king of liberation was waging War so much of our histories line up. Is it possible that the goddess and the sage of six paths both existed?"Mercedes asked Sasuke.
"It's not possible for the sage of six paths not exist. Many of the Jutsu's exist because of him. There's a lot of historical records that prove that he existed, though some of the stuff may be exaggerated. I believe he existed. If he existed and there's no reason to believe the goddess Sothis did not exist either, they both did the question is did they both ever meet at any point?"
That was a question that Mercedes had been thinking about ever since the mention of the sage of six paths."
"So many unanswered questions from a thousand years ago, so much history, a lot of it gone."
They were both in deep thought.
"You're much more open-minded than I thought, Sasuke Kun. You don't show it openly, but I think you're a kind person even if you pretend you're not."
Sasuke turned away, blushing at the very comment.
I don't know if I'd go that far; if anyone's kind, it's Hinata or Naruto. I don't fit that description."
Mercedes disagreed.
"I think there's different kinds of kindness, Sasuke. You care for your friends even if you have a different way of showing it."
Class was almost over.
"We should continue this conversation in private, out of the earshot of our classmates", Sasuke said, knowing what she was thinking.
"Of course", they said nothing as the class ended and lunch began.
Byleth was on his way to his first day as the professor of the Black Eagles; he was confident in this choice. He had no idea how he was going to teach. He studied the subject that he was going to teach. He was going to teach the class that the Sage of Six Paths was a subject that he had no knowledge about. Then there was the other matter: the girl he met yesterday, the light blue-haired girl he couldn't get her out of his mind. Something about her drove him to her. "Someone has developed a crush, but I don't know if that's really appropriate for a teacher to do such a thing with one of his potential students." Byleth turned around, wondering where the voice came from. "Have you forgotten about me?" asked Sothis, irritated that he forgot about her. "I'm sorry. You just scared the shit out of me." he confessed. She laughed as if she found that funny.
"The very idea of you having a crush is just funny. I'm like, 'I'm not going to lie,' and Marianne girl of all people, she's quite something. She reminds me a lot of that blonde-haired kid and that dark-blue haired girl." He knew immediately she was referring to Naruto and Hinata. "Yeah, I picked up on that very quickly. Those two definitely really like each other, though they haven't admitted it yet." He heard a laugh again, as if he missed something. "First off, that girl Hinata is in love with Naruto and Naruto is in love with her too, but he is too ignorant to realize it. I know the signs; I've seen it more times than I can count." This made him uncomfortable; someone who is inside of him knowing as much about himself as she does.
"I do know this though: Naruto has a spirit inside of him, too. Just like you do. In time, we will likely meet this spirit."
He wondered what she was talking about. He noticed Naruto had something inside of him, whether he was aware of it or not, remained to be seen. But the person that really concerned him was the purple-haired girl. She had an intense hatred for him, and he didn't know why. What did he do?"Keep an eye on that one. She gives me a very bad feeling. I don't think it's the girl herself, but something inside of her makes me feel uneasy. Be on your guard when you're around her." Sothis advised. He was close to the entrance of his classroom. This is where he would be for the next year or so. He took a deep breath.
The Black Eagles classroom
Edelgard was nervous; she hoped her gambit would pay off. Byleth was not someone she wanted as a potential enemy in the future, she heard from Jeritza about the whereabouts of Monica. Her location would be revealed soon. She knew it was only a matter of time. She knew it would be a big risk saving Monica, but she felt it would be worth it in the long run. She didn't want to lose her; she had lost too much already. It would be the practical thing to do to write her off already, but she couldn't do that. If there was even a small chance she wanted to take it, but she couldn't take action unless she knew for sure that all the cards were in her favor and she had plausible deniability from those she was allied with.
Her fellow classmates were waiting for their new classmate, but they didn't know it would be a professor who would show up somehow. "You know I'm really nervous," remarked Bernadetta.
"I highly doubt our new classmate will be scary. I think he'll be a handsome man," said Dorothea.
"You say that about everyone," remarked Petra.
"I don't think we're getting a classmate; I think we're getting a new professor," remarked Shino. Edelgard knew he was one of the most perceptive of the students in Konoha.
"Yeah right, Shino! We're really going to get a new professor. Get real." said Kiba.
"Then where is our supposedly new classmate, what happened to our professor? He obviously got dismissed, and a new professor will come at any time. In fact, I would argue we met him yesterday." As if on cue, she saw Byleth enter the classroom. She was relieved that he had chosen her class.
"Wait, he's our new professor?" asked Hinata, surprised that someone not much older than they are is the professor of their class. "He doesn't look that much older than I am." remarked Caspar. "Interesting turn of events" said Hubert. "Oh, I don't care as long as I can nap" Linhardt said lazily.
"Well, he doesn't seem very scary," Bernadetta said as she hid behind Hinata, as if relying on her to protect her.
"Don't worry, Bernadetta-chan, he won't hurt you," Hinata said reassuringly.
"I can't picture him doing anything," Dorothea said with her usual smile when she saw an attractive person. "I must say you're handsome."
"I must say it most be interesting to spar with you," Petra said, struggling to get the words right because of her difficulty with the language of Fodlan.
"I'm certainly looking forward to seeing how he teaches us," remarked Ferdinand.
"Such an interesting turn of events, I wonder how good you are at teaching Byleth sensei," said Shino. "You should call him 'professor' because we're not in Konoha." Kiba said annoyed. "It means the same thing; it makes no difference." He said rolling his eyes. "This class could be a handful; I know, but I have faith that you can train all of us to be stronger and be the best that we can be. Thank you for choosing the Black Eagles; Professor Byleth." Edelgard said thankful that he chose her class.
"I have no experience teaching, so my teaching methods may be unorthodox and may not what you're used to. Know that I will do everything in my power to bring out all of your potential. I will hold you all to a high standard because I believe all of you can be better than you are."
He looked at Hinata and Bernadetta, Edelgard had a strong feeling that things would change with him as the professor. Students who were struggling with their grades would do better.
"So how are you going to teach us? You've only just met us all, and yet here we are, in this very room. There's no way you have read the curriculum. How are you going to properly teach us?"
Kiba said irritated with their new professor.
"You have volunteered; I will do a demonstration." Everyone was shocked;"We're going to go in the training grounds; we will start there."
Everyone followed him to the training grounds, which luckily was an empty one at the moment. Edelgard wondered what he was going to do.
"I want you to attack me with everything you have. Attack me as if you're trying to kill me." Everyone looked shocked at what he was saying. "You're going to regret it." Kiba said with overblown confidence. It was a foregone conclusion that he was going to lose and he was going to be humiliated. He was going to point out every single opening and weakness that he was exposing in his fighting style. In the strange fighting style that she wasn't familiar with, he saw him attack him. The new professor calmly blocked every single attack, which only frustrated him more; he didn't even do anything, and before anyone knew it, it was over.
"Your first mistake was underestimating me. Do you know what your second was?" he asked, scolding him.
"I don't know," Kiba said.
"I won't bore you with the details of every mistake, but your second one was attacking me without a plan. If this were a real battle, you would have been instantly killed. This is not a joke, and I know you've had prior training. You leave a lot of openings; an amateur mistake for someone of your skills. What you need to work on are your defense and" Everyone was waiting for him to say the third thing.
"You will learn to respect me." Edelgard was smiling; this was the kind of person who commands respect and earns it.
"I'm sorry, professor Byleth, I will take everything you said to heart." He got up from the ground and went to the others. "Next up is Hinata Hyuga." Hinata looked startled.
He was asking her to spar with him. She was put on the spot, but she couldn't back down. She took a deep breath and entered the training area."You can do it, Hinaa!" cheered Dorothea."Do your best!" cheered Bernadetta; she heard others cheering for her as well, especially her teammates from Team 8."Your biggest issue is your confidence," Byleth reminded her. She couldn't disgrace herself not in front of everyone, especially not in front of her friends and Edelgard, who were Black Eagles. She got into her stance.
"Attack me with everything you've got. Don't hold back." Byleth said.
He attacked her first; she defended, blocking his blow, which shocked everyone, including the new professor.
She knocked him back and everyone was shocked; she never showed off her gentle fist like that before. He attacked her again, and she blocked again. People were shocked at how she was able to hold him back.
"Where was this confidence a few days ago?" He asked her curiously. She didn't take the bait; instead, she jumped back and got into her stance to activate her clan's signature technique.
She charged at him with lightning speed "1.8 trigram 64 palms"Hinata said. The stance of her clan signature technique was a sight to behold everyone was surprised at the Elegance of the technique she had never used it against anyone outside of konoha.
The new professor was having a difficult time keeping up with her. She was hitting him almost every single blow, and he looked surprised and shocked at how strong she was and how strong the technique was. She knocked him back.
"That's enough," Byleth said, signaling the end of the lesson.
Everyone looked impressed, including the new professor.
"Now that's more like it. You are more than strong enough to deal with any average bandit. Kill your fear and work on your confidence. And no one will be able to beat you, not even me." The professor smiled. She didn't win this sparring match, but she gained his respect. She saw Edelgard smile. "I never saw the gentle fist; it's quite impressive." Remarked Hubert, who found it interesting. "Wow! What a style! I would love to spar with you sometime." Remarked Caspar. "Oh, this is too much trouble. I'm just going to take a nap." Linhardt said, clearly bored with the whole affair.
"Bernadetta, you're up next." She looked scared. Hinata placed her hand on her shoulder. "You can do it, Bernadetta-chan." She said encouragingly. The reclusive girl reluctantly went towards the arena. "You are clearly talented with a bow. I've seen how you fight in a sparring match; you are fast and you could strike precisely. You are far stronger than you know. All you have to do is hit me once." He was approaching each of them differently. She couldn't see her expression. Bernadetta aimed her bow at Byleth and fired without hesitation. Her arrow hit its mark.
"I think you went a little overboard, Bernie."
Dorothea said, obviously happy that she had succeeded.
"Very good! See, I have proven with Hinata and Bernadetta that both of them are talented young women. It's not their skills that are the problem; it's their confidence. Both of you should work on that, and there is nothing in this world that can stop you." She was blushing at his praise, and Dorothea gave her a pat on the shoulder.
"Oh, my Hinaa and Bernie! Our professor is such a gentleman! I wonder who the mysterious girl that has a crush on him?" Dorothea asked curiously.
"I'm going to have everyone spar eventually spar with each other, but first everyone show me what you can do." Hinata witnessed him testing everyone. She was surprised at how patient he was. He was so kind that the kind of feedback he gave; he wasn't harsh nor did he sugarcoat the truth about what each person needed to work on. Perhaps with his help she can finally be worthy of Naruto. Just maybe.
"Oh, I'm tired," remarked Bernadette. "I agree." said Hinata. "Oh, her new handsome professor certainly knows how to work us out! Hey, Edie, aren't you tired?" Edelgard looks like she was in deep thought. "He's certainly something, though he's definitely not going to do it indefinitely; it's just for today and the day after that the mock battle isn't too far away." She thought about the mock battle with Dorothea. She was looking forward to it in order to test her skills. "I won't lose even to Naruto-kun." Said Hinata with resolve. "I have no intention of losing either. The Black Eagles will win; I know it." Edelgard said with confidence that she didn't feel yesterday. This new professor is something, though unfortunately, he's not my type. The other girls looked at her, wondering what she meant.
"Aren't you attracted to both men and women?" asked Edelgard.
"Oh, yes! There's two people here I would definitely say are my type—actually, there's a third person though that would make things a little awkward." This caused Hinata to open her eyes like she wanted to know more.
"Oh, Hinata, you are so cute when you have that face." She enjoyed seeing Hinata blush. Dorothea thought it was adorable. She had everything that she found attractive in a woman: perfect waist, big breasts, her body being curvy in the right places, definitely attractive in her book. Then she thinks about the other girl, Ingrid. The same thing with her though; her skin was lighter than Dorothea's, and her breast were not as big as hers. They still were the size that she found attractive.
"Yeah, there's nothing wrong with liking attractive women, is there?"
Dorothea said playfully, pretending to be hurt.
"I don't know; I just find the idea strange to me."
Hinata admitted.
"Oh, come on, Hinata! Be honest with me; don't you find any women attractive?"
She was blushing; she knew a bisexual when she saw one, and Hinata was clearly bisexual.
"I don't know; I mean, the closest ones I can think of would be ..."
She was excited to hear this.
"Can you please not talk about this right now, Dorothea?"
Bernadetta said, not feeling comfortable with the subject.
"I have to agree", Edelgard said, clearly tired of the subject.
"So are you two going to hang out with Marianne on lunch?" asked Edelgard.
"Actually, that's what we're going to do; oh shit, lunches almost here! We better get out of here." said Dorothea, who got up quickly. The rest of the Black Eagles left; Edelgard went with them. I didn't think there was any harm, and the more friends, the better, Dorothea thought.
Cafeteria
Naruto was exhausted from a long boring classroom session with Kakashi. He thought everyone's reintroduction was excessive but that's how Kakashi did things. He noticed Sakura was silent. He didn't want to hear anything from that annoying banshee today. He noticed Ingrid wasn't eating.
"Are you all right, Ingrid Chan?"
Naruto asked, "Naruto, how do you feel about Hinata?"
Ingrid asked him genuinely wanting to know.
"she's an important person to me"
Naruto answered genuinely.
"I see"
Ingrid looked upset.
"Ingrid I don't want this to ruin our friendship please"
Naruto said trying to prevent her from leaving.
"Just be honest with me damn it"
Ingrid said annoyed.
"I like Hinata. I really like her but I like you too."
Naruto didn't realize what he said; Ingrid was blushing. How is he going to get himself out of this one? He truly liked Ingrid. She was fun to talk to; she was easy to get along with and like Hinata, he could be completely himself; he didn't have to be someone that he wasn't.
"I see if you like me then how can you like her too that doesn't make any sense how can you possibly like two girls?" Ingrid said calmly from her outburst earlier. "She's kind and sweet; she cares greatly for others. She doesn't judge anyone, hell she doesn't wish bad things to happen even to her worst enemies. That's the kind of person she is; she's amazing, everything I'm not" Ingrid looked at him with understanding.
"I would like to get to know her; she sounds like an amazing person" She didn't say it with jealousy but with understanding. "You know you and Sasuke are a lot more alike than you want to admit" Ingrid pointed out something that Naruto did not want to admit.
"How so?" Naruto asked her.
"Both of you are not good at talking to your respective girls that you're interested in, yet have other people have to talk you into it. What's holding you back?"
Naruto sighed. "I told you I like you, Ingrid. I really do, and I don't want to choose between you and Hinata." This irritated her even more.
Being irritated was an understatement. Why couldn't Naruto get it through his thick skull?"Naruto, you have to be committed to someone." Ingrid said patiently.
Naruto wasn't budging. "I believe in being committed. I mean, in other cultures, people have multiple partners; I don't see anything wrong with it." She had heard of that too, but the idea of sharing someone like a partner with somebody else was something she had difficulty accepting. It would have to be someone she generally cares about—to consider it.
"Naruto, you're a good guy; you really are, but you can't do this to me and Hinata. It isn't fair to either one of us."
Naruto knew she was right. "I know that's why I can't choose. If I choose, I'll end up hurting you or her in the end. There has to be a way where I can make both of you happy."
Ingrid knew Naruto wasn't called the "knucklehead ninja" for nothing. He set off to do something he would do it and nobody would talk him out of it.
"What if we don't want to share you?" Ingrid asked him.
"Then I will respect your decision," Naruto said as if the matter were already settled.
"If I agree to talk to Hinata, will you do the same thing?" she asked him genuinely, wanting him to at least try.
"You talk to Hinata first, and I'll do it afterwards," Naruto suggested.
"Her talking to Hinata was something she didn't expect; now she was nervous. She had never spoken to her once she knew she was popular with the female and male population of the monastery.
"Well, I guess I'll get going. Hinata is here."
Ingrid said she saw Hinata go to the table where Marianne was sitting.
"It'll work out. Believe it."
Naruto reassured her. She had no idea what she was getting herself into.
Marianne was eating alone when she saw the girls from the Black Eagles' house sitting next to her; she recognized all but one of them. "You mind if we sit here?" asked Dorothea. "I don't mind," Marianne said, focusing on her food. "So how was class?" asked Hinata. "It was fine. I'm just disappointed." She really wanted Byleth to be her classmate. She truly did. She felt stronger when he was around. He understood her in ways others didn't. He was able to talk to animals and understand them. Nobody else could do what she did. Something drew him to her.
"I just wish Byleth was in my class."Marianne said quietly.
"Are you talking about the new professor?"asked Edelgard"wait what new professor?"Marianne asked panicking" Professor Byleth, he taught our class today interesting lessons he taught us I will say"remarked Dorothea."you mean he's teaching your class?"she said barely able to get the words out her cheeks were pink which was not unnoticed by everyone on the table."yes he's in our class he's a good teacher kind and considerate" Bernadetta said with a confidence that she doesn't normally see she couldn't believe it the shy and reclusive girl was more confident in herself and he was only in their class for a day."it must be nice"she said quietly. Hinata picked up on what she was feeling."when we have a chance I'll speak to you alone later after school"Hinata whispered in her ear. Marianne the way she was saying it was almost as if she was talking from experience."you're always welcome to transfer"Edelgard pointed out."me but what could I possibly"she couldn't finish what he really take his time to teach someone as pathetic as her?
"I think you can do it Marianne"Bernadetta looked at her pleadingly as if she wanted her to transfer. She thought about it if she were in the Black eagles it would be easier to be around her friends; the only friend she has in the golden deer was Hilda. She didn't really fit in."but the mock battle hasn't started yet"Marianne pointed out there's no way she can be prepared in the matter of the day."so" Edelgard said as if the matter was already settled. She took a look at her peers from the golden deer one last look she would never go to that class again Hilda is a good friend and Naruto she knows is a good person but she needs to be a place where she truly belongs she doesn't know why but she feels like the goddess wants her in the Black Eagles. Edelgard offered her her hand."welcome to the Black eagles Marianne well you're not officially one yet but you can come to our class after school our professor will be there filling out some paperwork go then and he will complete the papers and you should be in our class by tomorrow"something about Edelgard drove her to her she did not know the decision she would make with alter her fate and the fate of many others in the future.
"So you're leaving then?" asked Hilda. Marianne looked away guiltily.
"I'm sorry, you're a great friend, Hilda. You are; I can't think of a better friend, but I don't belong here." This made Hilda sad; she truly wanted her to belong, but for her own happiness, she had to let her go.
"I hope he makes you happy, Marianne." Marianne turned away, hiding her blush.
"You will always be my friend; I hope you know that." Marianne hugged her fiercely; they were always close. Hilda thought they would always be together, but it was not meant to be.
"Don't be a stranger", Hilda said to Marianne.
" Thank you for being my friend, Hilda".
Hilda wanted to cry if only she knew how she truly felt about her.
"I understand if he does anything to hurt you; nothing in the monastery will stop me from killing him."
She was serious; nobody that ever hurt Marianne would ever be forgiven, no matter who they are.
"I don't think he's anything like that." The two girls stood there until Marianne turned her back.
This will be the last time Marianne would be a Golden Deer. Next time she talks to her, she will be a member of the Black Eagles.
"So she left."
Hilda was caught off guard; it was Shez who she didn't know how she did it.
"What do you want?" Hilda asked her.
"Nothing really. You haven't told her."
Hilda was getting angry at this girl putting her nose where it didn't belong.
"How I feel is none of your business." She said angrily.
"Touchy, aren't you?" She couldn't let her lose control; she couldn't have that.
"Whatever it's worth, it isn't like you can't talk to her. The only difference is you won't see each other as much. There's nothing to stop you from seeing each other during lunchtime or after school." This girl didn't understand; this was beyond some minor inconvenience. She had been friends with Marianne since they were children.
"You wouldn't understand, and even if you did, it wouldn't be worth my time trying to explain it." She left Hilda alone. Ever since that mercenary showed up, things had changed. What else would change with him present? The world was changing too fast for Hilda's liking; she didn't know why, but she had a feeling something big was going to happen--whether it was a year from now or two--either way, nothing would ever be the same again, and those mercenaries were the start of it.
you know you should cheer up it's not like you to have a sad face"Claude pointed out."oh Claude only you can say that and make me smile"she said warmly."hey I don't like it when you are sad Hilda it makes me depressed for crying out loud"she appreciated Claude he always knew when to smile."come the rest of the golden deer are wondering where we all are"Claude said he took her by the hand she was sad that Marianne left but she knew she was likely in a better place now she has more friends outside of her.
She knows Hinata would likely be able to help her better than she could, along with Berendata and Dorothea. Things are changing quickly; too quickly for Hilda's liking. She wishes she could go back to the simpler days when it was just her and Marianne, but those days are gone and they're never coming back. The one thing she can do for her friend is support her and her happiness, whatever and whoever brings it to her.
Despite how much it hurts, Hilda would be happy if Marianne were happy and after all, wasn't Marianne's happiness the most important thing?
Though if that Professor broke her heart, there's no force on the planet that would stop her from enacting repubution to the professor if he ever did anything hurt her friend..
Marianne was nervous but excited; she took a deep breath and opened the door to the Black Eagle's hall.
Byleth was working on paperwork, and from what she could tell, he was reading a stack of books. The curriculum she supposed. When she finally got close, he stopped and looked at her. "I didn't expect you to come here so soon," Byleth said in disbelief that she was right where she was.
"Truth be told, I was disappointed that you weren't teaching the Golden Deer. Then my friends, the ones I've made in the Black Eagles, told me I could transfer, and I would like to transfer. Would that be all right?" She was beyond nervous. "I would love for you to be part of my class. I was hoping you would come here." He said with a shade of red on his face.
"Truth be told, it's lonely being able to talk to animals and understand them, but not having anyone else knowing how to do it until now."
He looked at her as if he were looking deep into her soul.
"I know; I feel the same."
Nothing was said; the room was silent.
"I wish to transfer."
She said, gathering up her courage.
"You don't have to ask. I've already signed the paperwork; all you have to do is sign your signature and it's done."
She looked at the paper that would finalize her transfer without hesitation; she signed her signature, ending her association with the Golden Deer.
"Welcome to the Black Eagle's Marianne"
The sun was setting, she knew she had to return to her room soon, but she didn't want to leave just yet.
"Would it be alright? If I may"
She couldn't seem to find the words.
"If we go to the stables, of course"
He said, almost as if he could read her mind.
Byleth went to the stables with Marianne to tend to their horses. Sora was happy that Marianne was in his class and asked him a question. "I don't know what you mean?" The horse continued to press on her question. "I don't know something about her draws me to her." He cannot explain his feelings towards the light-blue-haired girl that was also talking to her own horse. There was a beauty about her that wasn't like anything he had seen. There were other women that he had met in his life, but they were different from her; he would research this feeling later.
"What you're feeling is completely natural, so don't try to rationalize it in time. You'll know what it is." Sothis advised him. It was hard to understand any of this. "Looks like our horses are happy that we've connected." Marianne said, smiling a smile that lit up her face for him. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. "Yeah." The two looked at the night sky. If anyone saw them together, they might ask awkward questions. "I'll see you tomorrow, Byleth." Marianne said as she left. He watched her go. He didn't know why he had this feeling. He ignored it for now, like Sothis said, he would find out in time.
Sasuke was enjoying the meal that Mercedes cooked for him though they weren't alone like he would have wanted he was with his friends Felix and Annette yeah he would consider them friends he felt relaxed around them even if he didn't show it. "Mercie this food is amazing"Annette said enjoying the meal that her friend made."thanks Ann"Sasuke and Read. Between the lines that these two are close they've been friends for a good amount of time."what do you think Sasuke Kun?"Mercedes asked him. Sasuke didn't know what to say. He enjoyed the food, he actually didn't show it but he was actually really happy right now. He had not felt this way since before his clan's demise."it reminds me of my mother's cooking"Sasuke blurted out which caused Felix to look at him strangely along with Sylvain."your mother must be quite a cook" Sylvain Remarked.
"I forget what it tastes like it's been so long that I almost forgot what her voice even sounded like or what she looked like"
Sasuke was never this open with anyone, but considering the company he keeps, he feels more comfortable. Dimitri looked at him sadly. "I'm sorry." Sasuke replied quickly, not wanting Dimitri to feel sorry for him. "It's okay. I just can't help but say that things have changed in the past two months." Everyone in the room was quiet.
Dimitri was happy that he was opening up more. Mercedes had an impact on him far more than he realized.
"I'm glad we've helped Sasuke. We're all friends here in the Blue Lions. We all stick together; that's what we do."
Dimitri said, wanting to make his point.
"I've heard criticism of the church, but I just don't see it. For the first time, I feel at peace that I haven't felt in over ten years. It scares me in a way."
Sasuke was never this open before. He was around people he trust. "There's much you don't know about your majesty, Sasuke. I hope one day you can be a good friend to him."
Dedue said to him. He still couldn't bring himself to call Dimitri a friend. "why don't you call Dimitri your friend?"Sasuke asked finding it odd."It's complicated."Dedue answered
"I'll make a deal with you, Dedue. If you're willing to open up about your past, I'll open up about mine." This was something Dimitri didn't expect.
"Talking about my past is painful," Dedue said to Sasuke, not wanting to bring it up.
"So is mine." Dimitri was concerned about the tension in the room but found that his concern was unfounded.
"Very well. When I'm ready, I'll reveal about my past as long as you're willing to live up to your end of the bargain, but not today."
Dedue agreed Sasuke nodded in agreement. After everyone was done eating, Sasuke picked up the dishes and helped Mercedes wash them. Dimitri couldn't help but notice in the corner of his eye, Sasuke and her talking no, his imagination is running wild. It's impossible they've just started talking. He couldn't put his finger on it; he'd ask his friend Hinata about it later whenever they have time.
After they were done washing the dishes Mercedes decided to sit down Sasuke across from her"I'm sorry Sasuke Kun I didn't mean to have remind you of such painful memories"Sasuke didn't allow her to finish."it's okay Mercie I mean it I did enjoy what you made and I meant that as a compliment I'm sorry I just don't have much experience. I've had a difficult time making friends ever since"she put her index finger on Sasuke's mouth."you don't have to tell me right now I don't want you to go through such pain tell me when you're ready"there was silence."you keep amazing me Mercie I feel like I can be myself and be comfortable. I don't have to be someone I'm not. I won't lie to you I didn't join the Blue Lions because I wanted to make friends with anyone I wanted to be stronger"she understood that part she appreciated his honesty and she didn't judge him for it there was others that joined the Blue Lions for the same reason.
"I didn't expect you to say positive things about the church of Seiros, not many of the transfer students have good things to say about the church. She didn't like it how negative they looked at the church. She understood the criticisms, but she felt most of them weren't fair. They helped her when she was homeless and didn't have a place to go."
"I know no institution is perfect, but compare to Konoha, the Church of Seiros are saints. I've read about the history of what I know so far. I don't know nearly the amount of barbarism committed by the church compared to Konoha and the five nations. They can learn from the knights of Seiros's example."
"Not even the inhabitants of Fodlan look at the good that the church does compared to Sasuke. It was refreshing in a way."
"I'm pretty sure Lady Rhea would appreciate what you're saying."
Sasuke said nothing to that.
"I'll escort you to your room."
Sasuke offered her his hand. She took it as they walked to her room. She felt his hand; it was warm. When they got near her room, she reluctantly let go.
"I'll see you tomorrow,"
Mercedes said to Sasuke.
"Good night."
She went to her room and closed the door. She took a deep breath that she didn't know she was holding. She felt her heart beating rapidly; she had felt drawn to Sasuke the moment she laid her eyes on him. What was this feeling she was having? She didn't know who to talk to; she laid down and stared at the ceiling. She decided to sleep on it for now and focus on the mock battle. She fell asleep thinking about Sasuke Uchiha.
Rhea saw Sasuke walking away from Mercedes' room. She overheard everything in their conversation. She misjudged Sasuke; he could be a powerful ally in the future, or a powerful enemy. She wanted him as an ally, but how? She walked into her quarters, thinking that having Sasuke be loyal to the church would be essential. The last Uchiha he is part of one of the most powerful bloodlines on the planet. The Sharingan she couldn't allow to fall into the hands of the Agarthans, who would use it for death and destruction. She didn't entirely trust Konoha, due to the existence of the Root organization. Her old friend from Konoha, while she respects him a lot, happened under his watch, such as the destruction of the Uchiha clan.
She never hated the clan, though she was wary of them considering their history, she almost felt like destiny led Sasuke Uchiha to choose the Blue Lions' house; it was something she wasn't pleased with at first. Then she saw his change in the past few months, how the Blue Lions have gradually changed Sasuke. She wanted to have him as a knight of Seiros. She heard footsteps and saw Catherine, just the woman she was waiting for.
"Catherine, I have a task for you." The blonde-haired woman, a loyal knight, bowed respectfully.
"What is it that you wish for me, Lady Rhea?"
She knew this course of action could potentially change the balance of power. She didn't like doing this, but she had to do what she had to do for the sake of the people of Fodlan.
"I wish for you to train Sasuke Uchiha. Give him all the training he requires."
She gasped. "You mean that transfer student? I don't understand."
She knew this would happen. She explained patiently.
After she explained, she nodded in agreement. "I will do what you ask, my lady, but will he really want to be trained by me?" Catherine asked her. "Sasuke will not say no; he wants to get stronger, so he'll take any kind of training that's offered to him. I think you would be a good fit to train him." She absorbed everything she said. "I will do it as soon as possible." She dismissed Catherine as she left the room. In time, she could see Sasuke asking Rhea for even more training. Rhea can offer him the kind of training that he would desire. She knows his desire for revenge was what was motivating him; she would help him in whatever way she can to a point. She would not let Sasuke become a pawn of Konoha. She feels in her heart that he would be better served with the Church of Seiros, where he would have purpose beyond revenge. If he should have children, they would be protected.
The last Uchiha would become a Knight of Seiros; she knew that it was a certainty, given the way things were going between Sasuke and the girl in the Blue Lions.
Ingrid didn't know how to approach Hinata. She wanted to do it at lunch, but she wanted to do it when she was alone. She went to her dorm and knocked gently. She heard someone get up and then saw it was Hinata. She was surprised to see her."Ingrid San, what are you doing at this hour?"Hinata asked her politely.
"I wanted us to talk if that's not too much trouble."Hinata closed the door and she heard her put on her shoes. She got out of her door."Sure, where to?"she asked Ingrid. "To the stables. I mean, I have to help my Pegasus. She gets really cranky when I don't groom her, and I figured since I'm doing that, we could both talk while I'm doing it. I hope I'm not inconveniencing you, lady Hinata."Hinata shook her head."You're not doing anything wrong, Ingrid San. Please, you don't need to be so formal with me. Just call me Hinata."
They got to the stables her Pegasus was happy to see her."there girl I brought a guest if you don't mind"Hinata looked at her Pegasus in amazement."she's beautiful. I've never seen a pegasus up close before,"Hinata said amazed."thank you the thing about Pegasus and their riders they are our partners for life what happens to one affects the other"she knew this wasn't common knowledge to those who weren't from Fodlan."what's your name?"Hinata asked her."Her name is Grian"Hinata couldn't help but marvel at the name."such a fitting name for such a beautiful Pegasus"Ingrid was impressed that Hinata had knowledge about the meaning of the name."I got a question what does your name mean?"Ingrid asked her. "My name means Sun"Ingrid felt like it was a coincidence or maybe it wasn't both her Pegasus and Hinata were both represented the Sun."wow whoever named you that must have thought very highly of you and loved you very much"she saw Hinata smile sadly.
"My mother was very adamant about naming me after the Sun. Everyone thought it wasn't a fitting name for me at the time. Especially my father, he was disgusted that a failure like me was named after the Sun"this caught Ingrid off guard. How can anyone say that Hinata was a failure? She was smart, her grades are almost perfect when it came to her fighting ability, she was almost unmatched. How was she a failure? "I find that hard to believe that you're a failure"Hinata pet her Pegasus she liked Hinata she felt comfortable. She never felt comfortable; it was said those with a pure heart were able to be understood by Pegasus even if they're not their Rider."you're everything I'm not Ingrid I could see why Naruto likes you"that was the topic she was dreading she was hoping she wouldn't have to deal with it so soon Hinata seemed to be such a nice person.
"Yes, he's amazing. There's nobody that has inspired me as much as him compared to him. I'm nothing."
It all made sense to Ingrid now why Hinata wouldn't approach Naruto. She didn't feel worthy. The truth was, Ingrid didn't either she felt more conflicted which she sees in those eyes she was in love with Naruto.
"You're far more deserving of him than I am." Hinata said insecurely.
Things were silent between them. Whatever was said next would determine if they would have friendly or unfriendly relations.
"I like you, Ingrid san. I really do. I hope we can be friends."
Hearing those words caused her to be conflicted. It was much easier disliking someone when she never spoke to them. She couldn't bring herself, though, to dislike Hinata. Talking to her, she was like an angel—nobody could be friends with Mercedes unless they were a good person, and Hinata was that person.
She couldn't help it; she understood why Dorothea liked her as well, but seeing her up close, she was beautiful. It was difficult for her not to admire her. She had seen her before and always known she was beautiful, but seeing her up close did her no justice. There was only one other woman who could compare to Hinata, and she dare not think about her due to how their relationship ended.
She had to respond quickly so as not to send Hinata the wrong message.
"I like you too, Hinata, and I would like to be your friend as well."
She felt her cheeks turn red. Hinata also felt the same way. What was this feeling? She didn't care to fight it at the moment.
"Good luck tomorrow, Ingrid San! Don't hold back!" Ingrid smiled. Hinata respected her so much that she wouldn't hold back.
"I won't either," said the two girls. They headed back to their dorms. Ingrid was satisfied. She was glad she had listened to Naruto's suggestion. She was glad she had heard Mercedes' suggestion. She didn't know that this would change her relationship with all of her friends.
This latest revision I made did not require too many changes. I mostly focused on grammar and changed the wording here and there. This won't be the last revision, but this will be the last one for now.