This version of the chapter has a lot of new scenes, mostly involving Shez. I even extended sequences in the Blue Lions portion with Byleth because I felt it was too short.
I wouldn't necessarily call this a new chapter in this version like the last one because most of the scenes I added were just to add more to the characters, especially Shez. I felt like in the earlier chapters, Shez barely felt like a character.
Anyway, on with the chapter.
chapter 4 choosing a house
Jeralt did not think he would ever return to this place when he walked around the halls. He couldn't help but be reminded of Siri every place that he looked was a spot that they walked together, talked together, and had their first time. He could recall all of these things.
It was a painful reminder of the amount of time that had passed since her passing. Another painful reminder is the daughter he lost, who was stillborn. The gravestone of his wife and his stillborn daughter, Sonia, was looking at. He didn't think about that tragic day for many years. He wishes he could forget it. What should have been the happiest moment of his life turned out to be a tragedy. He had not revealed to his son why he left the monastery 20 years ago.
The look he saw in his son's face when Rhea offered him a chance to be a teacher was something he did not expect to see. Excitement as much as he hated this, the mercenary life was not the life he wanted for his child. He wished to have a life for his son where he could just be normal, with friends, so he could just be anybody but a mercenary.
He felt like a failure as a father and as a captain of the knight of Seiros. He was full of regrets. He looked at the gravestone of his wife, the woman he loved. He would have given anything to see her once again. He told her how much she meant to him. If there was one thing he was glad about, it was that Byleth inherited his mother's love for animals and her appreciation for nature. He never wanted the mercenary life for his only surviving child, but there was no choice. There was nothing he was good at except being a soldier. When he was once a knight of Faerghus, which felt like a different lifetime ago in his youth, he was considered the greatest captain the kingdom had ever had. Though those who knew him in his youth are long dead, his friends, his parents, his father's namesake, Byleth. Despite naming his son after his own father, he had nothing in common with him. He didn't know why he named him after his own father. Jeralt. When he thinks about the life he had before he met Rhea, he is reminded of how old he truly is.
Those who look at him would think that would think he is in his late 40s to early 50s though it would actually be the case that he is much older than he had known. He was in his mid-20s when he met Rhea. He was a brash youth who sought glory.
When the archbishop was about to be killed, he shielded her with his own body.
What he thinks about that day,
The boy that he was died.
He disregards the memory,
Not wanting to think about those years where he had lost everything and everyone that he had loved.
His parents, brothers, and sisters, aunts, and uncles, along with nieces and nephews that he no longer keeps track of due to how painful it is to see and outlive everyone.
He kept everyone at arm's length due to not wanting to deal with the pain and hardship of losing loved ones.
The first person who truly brought out
the man he was before
He saw everyone he loved die was Siri Nobody can bring that part of him out again, not even his son.
He hopes the gods won't be so cruel as to have him outlive even his own son.
He put Siri's favorite flower on her gravestone along with his daughters and turned his back.
He had work to do and he knew the Archbishop would not have him stand in the monastery for long.
He walked past a bunch of potential students, including his son, and saw the transfer students from a few days ago.
They resembled other people that he had once known Naruto Usamaki in particular looked like his parents his mother and his Father It was with the assistance of Siri that he opened up.He had taught them everything he knew about how to fight and how to properly defend themselves He was not only their friend but their teacher Here 20 years later was their son Who was walking with his friends to his class.
There was another person that caught his eye. The Raven-haired boy, Sasuke Uchiha, was by Dimitri's side. They were talking about something that he couldn't quite make out from a distance, but he could tell that they were friends, even if Sasuke, from what he had gathered when he was traveling with him, was denying it.
The last of the transfer students he saw was Hinata Hyuga. He had seen too many students over the years with those eyes. What made the girl special was that she was considered the Heir of a clan. However, he didn't know completely because he didn't have the dossier on him. His son was studying her alone with the other students as he was walking around.
"I wish you luck. I hope you're a better teacher than I was." he said, thinking about when he was teaching the previous generation. The parents of the children that are currently in the monastery.
Before he went to the stables for his first mission in 20 years, he noticed a light-haired girl tending a horse. She was speaking to him soothingly. He could see flashes of Siri in his mind when he saw the girl. He decided to eavesdrop out of curiosity as he tended his horse.
"There's a huge commotion about potentially new students joining any of the houses. I don't know Dote. I just feel like I wouldn't be an interesting person to talk to."
"It would be Nice If there were somebody else that could understand you like I can to understand animals like I can.That way I wouldn't feel so aloneI feel like a freak."The blue-haired girl said as she continued to help her horse by feeding him and grooming him.
He could feel for this girl And he couldn't help but feel like she would be a good fit for his son a kindred spirit This girl is a lot like Siri but also different in many ways. Siri wasn't afraid to speak her mind the animals naturally loved her just like the blue-haired girl and his son. He was wondering if this girl could help his son with his loneliness if she could he would be eternally grateful.
For now his main task was tending his horse and preparing himself for his first mission, which would take place after the mock battle. He was a legend. Too many people regret what he did in his youth. He would rather just live an ordinary life. Where he can simply look out at the sky and be greeted by his children or grandchildren. But he knew that fantasy would never come to pass. He was not suited to be a father. The only thing he was suited to be was a soldier, and not what he was going to do. If there was one thing he could do for his son, it would be to pass on the lesson on who not to be as a man.
Byleth had no idea who to choose. All three of the leaders had promise, as did the students from Konoha. He looked over their skills, strengths, and weaknesses.
There were multiple students who had his eye, and he would like to teach them, no matter what house they would choose.
Ingrid Brandl had read in depth about her skills. She was highly skilled as a pegasus Rider and extremely skilled with a lance.
She was fast and patient in timed strikes.
She is someone who definitely wants to bring out her full potential.
The underrating of her skills is ridiculous in his eyes.
He would like to see her in action first before completely committing to training her.
There was another one that he had an interest in, though she was in the Golden Deer, a white-haired girl with purple eyes. She was the prodigy of her house. Lysithea von Ordelia was great academically in terms of her grades and she was extremely skilled in magic.
He was surprised she was even in the monastery at all, considering how much better she was in terms of her performance and the other students. She was way ahead in many ways, though she was struggling in other areas he could help her work on if he were to ever teach her.
Then there was this other girl, Marianne von Edmund. She never said much and she never did much in class. There was barely anything about her skills other than her ability to use water magic, which was something that was extremely rare. There were other things she was able to do, as well, that he was able to read in his dossier. She had extremely powerful healing abilities that were untapped. Other than what he had read, there was barely anything to go on. He'd have to talk to her himself.
There was also a student from Konoha named Sasuke Uchiha. He was definitely one of the most gifted students in the monastery. From what he had read in his dossier from Konoha, he was the top student the year he graduated from the academy. There were skills he had no idea about due to him not being familiar with the fighting styles in the five nations. However, if he studied the scrolls in his room, he could probably learn what they were in no time.
There was Naruto Uzumaki. He read through his dossier and couldn't help but feel like those who dismiss him highly underestimate what he could do. He saw what he was capable of doing even in small chunks. Creating duplications of himself, a technique that he never knew existed until he saw him in action, the brief amount of time he did when he saved the girl named Hinata and Edelgard.
Hinata Hyuga read everything but he couldn't find anything on her in her dossier. Her grades were near perfect. The fighting skills he had read about from people who observed her were second to none. He saw those himself when he briefly saw her in the morning. How quickly he saw her dispatch her sparring partners. She was quite skilled, her biggest weakness being her lack of confidence in herself. He had read about that in her dossier and Konoha. He thought she had more promise than anybody gave her credit for, including herself.
There were other students in other classes, but there were so many that he couldn't read them all on the spot. So, he would have to go through one class at a time to meet them in person and see for himself what they were capable of. To him, that was far more effective at assessing someone's abilities than reading it on a piece of paper.
He got up from his desk and headed to the first house leader he would interview.
Shez was offered a chance to be a student of the monastery by the Archbishop herself. It was not something that was offered often, especially to those of her background. The kind of training and education she would be able to get would be something her mother would like her to have.
She was never formally educated; her education comes from her mother, who was from a noble background. Everything she knows is that she can speak the language. The accent she speaks comes from her.
She had not thought about her mother for almost 7 years.
Her mother was murdered. The murderer's identity was someone she couldn't identify. The only thing she could remember was the outfit they wore: black robes and a mask that resembled something straight out of The Phantom of the Opera. It was on that day that her brother died. She had lost everything that day. It was from that day forward that she decided she would never be helpless again and would track down the person who murdered her family.
But she hasn't had any luck in the past 7 years. Every turned up cold. The official story she tells is that her mother passed away. Because no one would believe the matter that her mother died. What class would she join, though, was another question.
There were three options: the Black Eagles, the Golden Deer, and the Blue Lions. Each of them offered something unique that could help her on her quest to defeat Byleth. More importantly, she wanted to know which house would give her the best training and which teacher would provide that training.
The Black Eagles was the class she had the least interest in joining. The professor in question was a craven coward and fled right after the house leaders, along with the transfer students that were with them, returned. Though it would go against who she is, even if she has no intention of following, she would at least like to hear them out first. She could help but look in wonder at the stone, which was at least a thousand years old yet looked ageless. What materials were used to make such a place in the first place?
She thinks about this, which was probably a castle in a fortress at one point and times past during an ancient war. The original use was not to be a school for youths seeking an education or a place where the central authority of the church was located. It wouldn't be the first in history where the original purpose of a castle was repurposed for something else in a different era.
She went to the Black Eagles training and saw Hinata Hyuga in the dueling ring with the house leader Edelgard Unlike her counterpart, he noted she didn't have a weapon on her. She was in her fighting stance from a style she wasn't familiar with. Everyone was watching intensely. The two combatants said nothing. Edelgard made the first move. With her ash, she tried to strike at Hinata's shoulder but she dodged with ease and hit her with her palm, knocking her back.
Edelgard turned around and got into a defensive position and tried to keep as much distance from her and Hinata as possible. She was surprised at how skilled Hinata was. Not only was she fast, she was very precise with her techniques. She was calm as she waited for Edelgard to attack her. She was in a defensive position, normally in these positions, those with the most strength in their upper arms would have the advantage, but Hinata wasn't weak by any means. She was fast and she was strong. She was graceful in her movements. It was almost as if Shez was watching a play and Hinata was a dancer in that said play. Edelgard was not a pushover at all. She was calm and calculated and waited for any mistake Hinata would make. It was too close to call who would win. They were pretty close in terms of skill and strength.
Though the fight turned out as Shez expected, Hinata fumbled and Edelgard knocked her down. One of the spectators who she didn't recognize appeared to be a person who didn't get much sunlight; his hair was black, as she had heard, and he was called Hubert.
"You did so well until the end, Lady Hinata. Is this what we can expect from you?" asked Hubert.
"Hey, lay off," Kiba said coming to his friend's defense.
"The girl is extremely talented, yet this performance of hers is disgraceful."Hubert continued.
"You don't need to be an asshole to Hinaa Hubie" Dorothea said angrily at Hubert's treatment of her.
"It's fine, Dorothea San, Hubert San is only saying what everyone else is afraid to say." Hinata said, ashamed of her poor performance.
"Your performance was not the problem. You were doing well until the end of the match. It's your confidence that's a problem." Shez interjected, making her presence known.
"I'm sorry, but who are you?" asked Dorothea.
"My name is Shez And I'm looking for a house to join I was observing What was going on in the match just now I think hinata you're not giving yourself enough credit i saw how you did against your house leader Edelgard. Yet at the end of your bout the confidence that you had vanished right as you're about to win What happened?" Shez asked, wanting to know why someone of such skill could have such low confidence in themselves. It perplexed her.
"You wouldn't understand," Hinata replied with a guarded tone in her voice.
"Are you here to talk to me?" Edelgard asked.
"Yes, I am. I want a reason to join your house." She waited for Edelgard to respond.
"I asked this question to almost everyone who joins my house. So I'll make it straight to the point. How do you feel about the current state of the world? About those who dominate people with crust? About those who don't? How do you feel about a system that enables incompetent leaders who only have the position of power because they possess a crust? How do you feel about a system that makes it difficult, if not impossible, for those without crust to live a fulfilling life because of barriers that get in their way? Don't you think people should be able to rise on their own merit and not have it be based on if they were born in a pacific class or a crest?" Edelgard asked her, as if she had rehearsed this because of how many times she may have said this.
She doesn't disagree with anything she has said but there were other issues that are far more pressing to people like her than those who have crest. So she decided to ask Edelgard a question. "I don't think you're wrong and how you assess the world, but how do you propose to fix the problem? There are those who struggle to put food on the table. How's that going to change if you replace one system with another that doesn't address the problems the current system has? I wasn't born with a crest. What concerns me is putting food on the table and trying not to starve. In your proposed ideal world, what are mercenaries supposed to do for a living? I make my entire living because of the limited opportunities of those without crest. How are you going to make the world better? Unless it makes mercenaries obsolete and provides us with an alternative that makes it so we don't have to be mercenaries?" she was wondering how Edelgard would respond to her question.
"I don't think you're wrong about what you say. I don't climb. I have all the answers. Perhaps with you or other people, I can find other solutions to add on to what I would like to do to fix the world. I would tell you more, but that would take too long. If you wish to learn more about what I stand for, you'll have to choose my class. I think you are a talented woman who would be a good fit in this class. If you find that the other houses are not for you, you're welcome to join this class. Shez."
Edelgard said in a sincere tone that she truly believes what she says. Shez is reluctant to trust charismatic leaders. Her mother warned her against such figures, saying that they are some of the most dangerous individuals who could potentially do a lot of harm to the world if they were ever given a position of power. She didn't know if she could trust someone like Edelgard. It's not that she thinks she's a bad person; it's just that she's wary of anyone who could be in a position of power in the future, such as an emperor or a king, who, more often than not, based on history, turn out to be despots.
She couldn't choose Edelgard because of the likelihood of someone like that becoming a Despot. It was too much of a risk if whoever would have happened. She didn't want to be part of any circle with someone like that. She looks at Hinata, the poor girl's confidence. She needs a good teacher to bring out the strong fighter that she could potentially become. But she was also someone that was dangerous potentially.
She could not choose this class, but it was pretty mature. If she could choose an alternative that wasn't the kind of figures her mother warned her against, she would choose them in a heartbeat.
Naruto was in the Blue lion's sparring arena once again. There was nothing that said those from other houses couldn't visit other people's sparring rings. But Naruto did so in order to hang out with Ingrid and Sasuke. Since Ingrid wasn't in his class or Sasuke, he spent time with them in between classes. Plus he enjoyed training with them. Everyone was watching as Naruto and Sasuke were getting into their usual positions. Even though Sasuke usually won most of the time, ever since they transferred to Garreg Mach, things were not as one-sided anymore. When Naruto did win, it was still very close.
Everyone in the blue lions was watching it in interest. This was the first time they saw Naruto and Sasuke spar with each other. The sparring arena was silent for a few moments before Sasuke made the first move. Sasuke was about to do an upper kick to Naruto's face. Naruto dodged to the left. Sasuke tried to hit him on the right side. Naruto used his hands in his feet to flip past Sasuke's blow.
They couldn't go all out due to where they were, but that didn't matter to Naruto. That's not the point of this exercise. Naruto was clashing along with Sasuke using their wooden short swords, which were used in place of kunai. Naruto was smiling and looking forward to it.
Sakura, of course, had to watch the stupid banshee.
Then he noticed Sasuke was distracted. Unlike Sakura, Mercedes was watching him. The Banshee Mercedes didn't loudly cheer for Sasuke. She was cheering for him in silence, not wanting to be rude or mean to one of Hinata's friends. Naruto hadn't spoken to her at this point, but from what he had heard from others, he liked her. "So when are you going to talk to your crush?" Naruto joked.
"Focus on the damn fight." Sasuke said embarrassed of Naruto's question, "it can't be that bad, Sasuke just talked to her." Naruto said, not aware of the lack of self-awareness. "How about you take your own advice and talk to Hinata-san instead of lecturing me on what I should be doing?" Sasuke replied back.
Naruto had no rebuke.
Their bout was about to reach its conclusion. Sasuke punched Naruto at the stomach while Naruto kicked Sasuke at his abdomen. Everyone gasped, wondering if Sasuke was okay. He said nothing as he got into his final attack position. Naruto got into his. He allowed Sasuke to strike at him as Leone had taught him as a way to defeat an opponent that is stronger than him. Sasuke was so sure that he won that he was unaware when Naruto knocked him down with a chop on his back.
Dimitri signaled for the match to be over and declared Naruto the winner.
"You won this time. I will admit. You have gotten better." Sasuke said. Naruto grabbed his hand and helped him up. People didn't understand why they insulted each other yet were friends. It was their way of showing their affection. Naruto noticed Mercedes turning away, blushing. Naruto didn't mind this development. She was beautiful, kind to others, and always treated those around her with compassion and respect. He could understand why Hinata was her friend.
Though Naruto would never say it out loud, he found her beautiful, but it was a different kind of beauty than the way he looked at Hinata and Ingrid. It was the kind of beauty he saw in a kind and gentle soul, someone he wouldn't mind calling a friend. Then he noticed someone was approaching.
He went to Dimitri because he had the least interest in him, not because he had anything against him but rather, because of his first impression of him. However, he was hoping to change his mind. He looked extensively in Dimitri's dossier, where he found that his skills with a lance were second to none. He was a natural leader from what he had read about but his teachers and peers say about his leadership skills , he was also good at leading his men. He had a kind look on his face and he suspected that he was an honest person, someone he wouldn't mind teaching. However, he would like to hear about him before making a decision and hoping that his previous assumption about him was incorrect.
"So you came to see me first, what questions do you have?" Dimitri asked him. Politely he was trying really hard to make a good impression what he can gather. "I was wondering if you could tell me a bit about yourself? What you feel comfortable sharing, I mean." He truly wanted to know if it was his instinct that was right.
"Well, you know I'm the next in line to be King. I doubt that's what you're asking, what. I value more than anything is honor and integrity. I can't trust someone who is dishonest or has no regard for taking lives. I strongly dislike senseless violence and those using violence to impose their view of the world on to the weak without regard for what that would do to the people. I believe that those who believe in the ends justify the means will justify anything . Regardless how horrific it may be For me I don't care what a Despot intentions are It's the results of their intentions that matter." Dimitri argued passionately about his strong belief in these views. He couldn't help but agree with Dimitri.
"I agree. Intentions don't really need anything if they don't give the results that are going to benefit others. Violence I don't think it should ever be used unless it's a last resort. Self-defense is the only reasonable form of violence." Byleth replied, agreeing with him.
"But you were a mercenary until recently. How could you believe the way you do and be a mercenary?" Dimitri asked him perplexed by his outlook, despite his life as a mercenary, he hated violence. He would have chosen any kind of life if he had the choice.
" Despite my reputation, I do not enjoy violence nor do I like what I do. If I had a choice, I would choose any other kind of life. I would rather use my talents for something other than taking a life." Byleth reply in agreement.
"It's refreshing to hear that you feel the same way about individuals not caring about what they do or the things they do that endanger the innocent or don't care about the collateral damage they may cause to civilians on their jobs. I can't trust anyone who doesn't think like you do. If you choose my house, we will have a lot to discuss, but even if you don't, I would love to call you a friend." Dimitri offered his hand as a token of friendship and respect. He shook his hand firmly, indicating that he was definitely someone with integrity.
He liked what he heard from the house leader, and he was heavily considering Dimitri, but he had to hear out the other students first.
He was seen by Naruto and Ingrid, the girl he had read about and her dossier entered the arena. She looked like she had a smile on her face as she enjoyed this. She and Naruto must do this regularly. Naruto was also smiling. "I look forward to doing this every week, Ingrid-chan. Show me how much stronger you've gotten this week."
"I will not hold back, Naruto." Ingrid replied.
She took her weapon of choice, a Lance, though a wooden equivalent of her weapon of choice.
Naruto got into his fighting stance. Naruto didn't hold back like he promised. He used shadow duplications, unlike his sparring with Sasuke, which was far more aggressive. This was not because he wanted to dominate her and show her he was superior; it was as a former respect due to the culture of Faerghus and how opponents in the dueling ring do not hold back when they're sparring.
Clone after clone went to attack Ingrid along with the real Naruto. She calmly knocked the first clone down. The second clone tried to attack her from behind, but she kicked him and knocked him against the wall, causing him to poof. The third and fourth clones tried to attack her using an attack that he didn't even recognize. While the third was about to knock her in the air, she calmly stepped out of the way and knocked three of the clones down.
Such a waste of talent he thought this girl was far more talented than anyone could see. Naruto was the same way, though. I'd like Naruto to ingrid. Ingrid didn't have a teacher to bring her full potential out. Manuela wasn't a bad professor; she was far from it, but she didn't have what it meant to bring out Ingrid's full talents. She was more skilled at teaching Mages how to bring out their potential than at teaching swordsmen or those who wield lances.
One thing Ingrid had that a lot of the students didn't have in the monastery was patience and skill, which is a rare combination. It was rare when anyone had both and not just one or the other. Though he knew how this story would end, Naruto the real one was trying to use her own strategy against her, but Naruto was not as good at using it as she was when she was trying to exploit an opening. It didn't come instead; she exploited his and not him down.
Dimitri signaled for the end of the match to clear Ingrid the victor
Naruto smiled despite his loss.
" Wow, Ingrid, you really got strong. I thought I was going to win that time." Naruto said with a smile. Ingrid did the same. It was obvious she had a crush on him. Probably anyone could figure that out if they paid attention.
But that's not what interested him. What interested him was her still adapting.
She would make a great student. Indeed, he would teach her. No matter what class he taught, he was determined to do that.
Talent like that was not something he wanted to see squandered.
"It's not shocking that you lost. You have Kakashi sensei as your professor, but you still can't win. You should give up while you're ahead." The way Sakura said it made Ingrid irritated with Sakura. "At least Naruto is training. What the hell are you doing besides being a cheerleader for Sasuke?" Ingrid defended her friend. "There's nothing special about you. I could beat you with my hands tied behind my back." Sakura challenged.
"You shouldn't challenge anyone unless you can back it up; otherwise, it's nothing more than baseless boasting." Byleth said, scolding her. "I didn't ask for your input." Sakura said rudely, "Yeah, Sakura. If you're actually going to challenge me, you better actually back up what you have to say with something other than empty words." Ingrid said, irritated by Sakura's ignorant comment. "Don't need to prove myself to you." Sakura said arrogantly. he could tell that her peers were on the verge of losing their patience with her she is not someone he wants to deal with if he ever had to deal with her he would not allow her to disrespect her classmates.
"How typical Sakura challenging someone only to back out knowing you can't win", a blonde-haired girl named Ino who was accompanied by a silver-haired girl named Lysithea who looked like they were from the Golden Deer. "Shut up I'll prove it right now that I can beat this dumb bimbo's ass" Sakura said insultingly.
"I take that as a challenge." said Ingrid. Everyone was looking at Sakura. She was put on the spot. If she would back out now, it would look even worse on her.
"Fine, I'll prove to everyone just how much better I am than you, Sasuke-kun. We'll have to acknowledge me." Sakura said in her delusion. Byleth saw the two comments enter the arena. Ingrid got into her usual stance. Sakura got into hers.
Sakura did not use any weapons. She used a unarmed fighting style. He read about it before she started walking around the monastery. It was called Taijutsu, a close-range combat art that used chakra to power up their techniques, depending on the jitsu.
Dimitri signaled for the battle to begin with a hand motion. Sakura charged at Ingrid, who dodged her blows like it was nothing. Sakura was trying to prove her dominance to her opponent by trying to overwhelm Ingrid with overwhelming strength.
But strength that was untrained and undisciplined was completely useless when that same strength could be used against you. Ingrid did not try to fight back; she was waiting for her opponent to tire herself out.
"Is that all you're going to do?" Sakura said, frustration mounting. Ingrid did not respond; instead, she struck Sakura at the side, almost knocking her down.
Sakura recovered and tried to charge straight at her Ingrid duct, hitting Sakura again at her lower left leg. She almost collapsed on the ground due to how painful it was.
In frustration, she charged, attacking wildly. As Ingrid calmly dodged every blow, she was about to strike at Ingrid's left side. When Ingrid moved as fluidly as she was made of water, she hit Sakura hard on her back.
She still wouldn't back down. She tried to hit her again, and as usual, Ingrid dodged. It was as if he was watching a fight between an adult and a child. The conclusion was obvious: Ingrid was going to win, and soccer would be completely humiliated.
Sakura was knocked down and Ingrid aimed the tip of the Lance at Sakura's throat. There was a satisfied look on everyone's face when they heard Ingrid was announced the winner.
Ingrid offered Sakura her hand, but Sakura pushed it away. "You should think of this as a learning experience; there is no shame in admitting that you have room for improvement." Byleth said to Sakura, trying to give her feedback despite his personal feelings towards her.
"I didn't ask for your input." Sakura said rudely.
"Seriously, he gave you constructive feedback, and you're going to respond with rudeness?" Ingrid said irritated with Sakura's lack of respect.
"This girl is as useless as everyone says, perhaps she would be good for a meeting shield in battle." Lysithea smiled as she insulted her from what he gathered; this was something she had done a lot. "Useless says the girl" before she could finish Annette looked at her with pure annoyance. "One more word, Sakura, and I'll make it so you won't be able to go to class for a week because of how awful your hair will look. Do I make myself clear?"Sakura gulped at Annette's threat. She stormed off embarrassed.
For what he got there from the personalities of the Blue Lions and two of the golden deer students, they were intriguing, but four of them in particular caught his eye: Ingrid, Annette, Naruto, and Lysithea. From what he had researched about them, they all showed promise. He saw the raven-haired boy get up and he looked at him. He was Sasuke Uchiha.
"So you want to check out all of our houses?" Sasuke asked curiously.
"I'm just looking to see which house would be for me. I must say the Blue Lions has interesting people so far. I was wondering if you would like to spar." Byleth asked
"I would gladly love to spar." Sasuke said. He stepped forward into the dueling ring and they offered him a wooden sword, just like Sasuke had. He could see in this boy's eyes just how determined he was.
"I want to see what the legendary Ashen Demon is made of." He didn't have much of an idea about the boy's skills, but he knew not to underestimate him.
Byleth got a wooden sword from Sasuke and they got into a fighting stance. He let Sasuke make the first move. He was fast, he definitely had skill but he saw a lot of openings in his opponent's weaknesses that could easily be exploited by more experienced swordsman. He wanted to at least gauge his skill set before he ended the battle. their blades clashed Sasuke was clearly fighting in a style that Byleth was not familiar with. He was fast and his strikes If This were a real battle involving real swords, Sasuke would be an opponent that could easily kill him if he would let his guard down.
Sasuke was fast; he appeared right behind him and was about to strike behind him. He blocked what would have been a blow that would have ended the match, not Sasuke back. Sasuke didn't relent in his attacks; he was so fast that it was like seeing multiple Sasuke's at the same time. If there was one thing Sasuke had over Byleth was speed; he was faster than him, but speed was not everything in a battle. He waited patiently before striking a blow that would end the match.
He blocked every blow despite the battle being under a minute. It was very intense. Sasuke was giving it his all. He was working extremely hard to make himself worthy as a sparring partner. He knew if this fight dragged on, he would struggle against Sasuke. He couldn't have the image of one of his potential students stronger than his teacher. Impressions were everything. He stopped holding back. He increased his speed, which came to the point where Sasuke was being overwhelmed.
Every opening that Sasuke left, he exploited. He struck at Sasuke's left and right side and his back. Before he knew it, it was over. Despite the dual lasting for only 90 seconds, it was an intense battle. Sasuke was definitely talented. Perhaps he was one of the most talented students in the monastery. He was intriguing as a sparring partner. He wouldn't mind having him.
Dimitri singled out Byleth as the winner.
"Not bad, but you leave too many openings that could be exploited easily. You need to practice more." Byleth showed every one of his moves that left him open, which shocked all the students and how easy he was able to replicate Sasuke's fighting style."You live up to your reputation. It'd be a shame if you didn't join our class. I would benefit greatly from your training." said Sasuke, impressed with his skills.
He bid farewell to the blue Lions students he had other people he had to meet the next person on his list was Claude.
She saw Byleth talk to the Blue Lion students. She saw Naruto spar with Sasuke Uchiha. He was extremely skilled. He was far better than even she was. He was giving Byleth Eisner a better fight. There was another person she would have to overcome if she was ever going to have a chance. Sasuke was not only stronger than her, even with her powers that she did not know exist until 6 months ago, he was more skilled as a swordsman.
'That one is someone who has a lot of skill with a blade. I'd be careful with him. Something about those eyes makes me uncomfortable." Arval said she heard about the legendary Sharingan from her mother when she was young. It was a great power that terrified those who saw it. It was a sight of death. Very few people saw the Sharingan and lived.
Sasuke looked at her curiously, forgetting that she was standing there watching everything the whole time.
"So, you're that mercenary, Shez?" Sasuke asked her.
"Yes" she wondered why he was asking her such an obvious question when she introduced herself a few days ago.
"I'm curious, why don't you have a last name?" Sasuke asked out of curiosity.
"It's none of your business" she replied.
"An orphan I see" Sasuke said apologetically, not realizing his insensitivity to her being an orphan.
"I don't want your pity or are you feeling sorry for me" Shez said angrily. If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was people pitying her.
"I meant no disrespect, Shez San": Sasuke said, trying and failing to be apologetic.
"Are you going to apologize to me all day? Where's Dimitri anyway?" Shez asked.
As if she could summon him, Dimitri approached her. "I take it you are looking for a house to join?" Dimitri asked her in a polite manner.
"Yes, I was wondering if you could offer me a reason to choose your house over the others." She asked, turning down Edelgard because she didn't offer what she wanted. She wondered if Dimitri would be any different.
"Well, I like to know what your values are, Shez?" Dimitri asked her.
"I'm not going to get too much into detail, but let's just say my values are integrity and honor over profit." Shez said, surprising the prince.
"That's a little strange coming from a mercenary. Usually, they don't care about anything but the bottom line. If you don't mind me asking, why does a mercenary like you believe in such values?"
Dimitri asked her genuinely, wanting to know.
"I think it's important even for a mercenary to have integrity because if I don't honor my agreements and I don't have integrity and that's my reputation, then someone is less inclined to hire me, and I will have little employment opportunities. That's not the only reason, though; the second reason is personal." Shez said, thinking of her mother and the morals she was raised with.
"There's nothing wrong with having the values you have. It's refreshing. Most mercenaries don't care. There are those who do have morals, though I find it questionable most of the time. There is a mercenary currently employed by the church who thinks a lot like you do. I think you two would get along." Dimitri said.
"I'd like to meet this person you are honest Dimitri. I've observed how you talk to your fellow classmates. If I ever choose you as my house leader, it would be an honor to be your fellow classmate." Shez said complimentary and generally meant how she felt.
"even if you don't choose my class, I would like to get to know you better. Shez" Dimitri said
"I would like to get to the next class. I need to talk to Claude before I make my decision." Shez bid Dimitri farewell along with the rest of the Blue lions and left.
she wasn't sure about the Blue Lions, but she would choose them over the Black Eagles for sure. The next class would make her decision final. Whether she would choose the Blue Lions or the Golden Deer would heavily depend on Naruto and Claude.
Byleth approached Claude; he wanted to ask some questions in order to gauge if you were going to teach the Golden Deer. "So you come to join our class, so what questions do you have? What secrets do you want to unravel? Oh wait I'm sorry you're going to have to join my class for me to reveal that." He said with his trademark smile. "I would just like to know what you're all about and what your goals are."
He asked him if he wanted to know what Claude's agenda was.
"I guess I can tell you a little bit. I wish one day to help break down the barriers between lands so that people all over the world can get along and be able to see each other's past cultural differences."
He was interested and intrigued, but he felt like I hadn't told him enough. As much as he would like to, Dimitri give him any more information than Claude, who seemed more guarded than he appeared.
"If you would like to talk to the other golden deer and they can tell you what this house is about, don't rush. Take your time."
Claude spoke in an inviting manner.
Byleth wasn't sure what to think of Claude at first. He seemed like a charming person, but there was something hidden beneath the surface. He wasn't sure if he could trust him, but he knew that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. From what he had read in her file, he was impressed with Lysithea's skills. However, that was all he knew about her. He had seen the other students in the Golden Deer class, but none of them stood out to him. Except for Naruto and Shikamaru. He couldn't find a girl who is named Marianne anywhere, but of all the students he talked to, he was only interested in one of them because of her raw talent.
He looked at a girl with orange hair who was training fiercely with a spear from what he read in her dossier; her name was Leonie. He was impressed by her ability. There was nothing about her that he read that was particularly interesting and seeing her in action was far more informative than anything he read. Who wrote these dossiers?
He wondered. "So you're looking around to see which house to join?" asked Leonie.
"I'm impressed by your skill, but you leave a lot of openings in your technique. Let me show you what you do that leaves openings." Byleth showed her his technique. She was impressed by his skill. " You remind me of someone? You wouldn't be part of Jeralt's mercenary band, wouldn't you?" she asked him curiously.
"Yes, he's my father." He answered, like it was the most simple thing to answer. The girl looked shocked. "He never said anything about having a kid." She said, not believing him. "Jeralt is my father." He insisted. "What kind of person doesn't call his own father 'dad' but by his name?" She said, feeling offended. "I'm telling the truth." He said, on the verge of losing his patience. "Relax, kid." Said his father, who chimed in. "Is he really your son?" She asked him. "Yeah. I didn't quite tell anyone I had a kid." His father admitted. "Oh, I'm sorry." She said, apologetically. "It's okay; no hard feelings." Byleth let the matter drop; he didn't think it was a big deal.
"Oh, so you're the mercenary who's considering joining our class? I guess you already know my name; it's Naruto Uzumaki. I'm going to be the Hokage someday, believe it!" He smiled in a manner that was extremely friendly. "I saw your sparring with Ingrid earlier. You have a lot of holes in your technique. I can give you some pointers on how to improve." There was more to Naruto than met the eye.
"I doubt you can teach me chakra control or anything to improve my techniques in the fighting style that I'm already using" he had no idea what this chakra was. If he studies it, he was pretty sure he could give some pointers. "I can still help you even though you leave too many openings when you fight. You should focus on improving your defense like this" he demonstrated when he told Naruto to attack him.
He quickly disarmed him, which surprised everyone. "Wow! So, just focus on my taijutsu and improve my defensive techniques. Thanks, Byleth! I think I'm going to really like you, even if you're not part of my class." There's something about Naruto; he sensed that one day he would be someone important. He didn't know why.
He looked at the other members of The Golden Deer in the dossier, talking with them. It was difficult for him not to choose the Golden Deer House, even though they didn't seem like much at first glance. They all had potential, damn it! One student stood out to him the most, but he couldn't find her anywhere.
"If you're looking for Marianne, she's not here; she's in the stables." He turned around and saw a pink-haired girl with pigtails, who was accompanied by a blonde-haired girl. "And you must be Hilda, right? And you must be Ino?" Some of these names from foreign lands were strange to him. They smiled politely. "Yeah, it's quite a shame if you didn't join our class. You're pretty handsome." Said the blonde girl. "You say that about every guy you see." Hilda said playfully.
"It's not my fault so many guys are in this school I mean damn it's almost not fair now Dimitri what a hunk of a man he is"Hilda rolled her eyes."thank you for telling me I'd like to meet her" He think the two girls and left them where they were.
He walked to the stables where Sora would be. Why would she be at this location of all places? He was wondering what she looked like. He only read the dossier, which gave a description, but nothing else.
He walked for minutes thinking about what to say until he saw the light blue-haired girl named Marianne talking to her horse.
He felt his heart beating rapidly. He couldn't believe what he was seeing and hearing. It was difficult for him to make out her face, but her voice was something he couldn't imagine.
He liked the sound of her voice. It was soft.
He wanted to know what her face looked like in the tone of her voice. She sounded sad and lonely.
He felt like a fool. Why was he just standing there?
He had to get the words out. It was a struggle to form any coherent words from his mouth. This was nothing like other women he had seen before. They did not have this effect on him. The girl didn't notice he was there.
Marianne heard of a new person who was looking into joining any of the three houses she didn't want to be near anyone she didn't want to curse them with her misfortune. She noticed a new horse in the stables, he was conversing with Dote to, smiling that her friend had someone else to talk to besides her. "Why am I not with the others? I don't want to burden them." She said to her friend. "She really wishes she could make friends. Hinata offered her friendship. She is afraid what if by being her friend she curses her?
"You think I should be with my classmates too?"she asked it the horse that was conversing with Dote."I don't know it's just so much easier talking to animals than people."she heard footsteps and saw a blue haired man who looked at her with fascination.
The first thing she noticed about him was his eyes. She didn't need to hear him speak to know there was loneliness there and also longing. His face was kind, but lonely, and he was struggling to speak.
"I agree animals are simpler creatures to talk to, they're not judgmental and they listen without judgment. Sora listens to me regardless of what I'm saying when I'm feeling sad. I never knew there was another soul that understood animals like me. It feels lonely to be honest; I thought I was the only one."
The way he said it, it was with melancholy; she felt her heart beating rapidly.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to intrude." Marianne interjected quickly.
"You didn't intrude; just; I didn't expect to ever find someone else that could understand animals like I can. I feel less lonely knowing that now." This was the longest she's ever spoken to anyone besides Hinata and Hilda.
"Oh, how rude of me! My name is Byleth Eisner . I was hoping to meet all the students of the Golden Deer before I moved on to the Black Eagles."
He already met all the students. Marianne felt she couldn't describe it. Her cheeks were red; something about him drew him to her. She disregarded that thought immediately, no, the idea is absurd.
"If it isn't too much trouble, what is your name, my lady? He asked politely as he could. She knew he wasn't used to conversing with people so much like her. "Marianne," she heard him say her name over and over again.
"I won't forget a name such as yours. I hope we get to be in the same class." He said awkwardly.
"I hope so too Byleth"Marianne said hopefully he turned his back Marianne if she was able to see would know that his cheeks were red just like hers. She didn't think she would ever find someone that would be like her in terms of understanding animals and be able to talk to them she looked at the sky and could help but think would it be such a bad thing to want a friend? She hopes he chooses her class She didn't know what was coming over her Nobody had that effect on her before Well there was one Person But she dares not Mentioned Her name out loud due to her not wanting to ruin her friendship with Hilda.
She was right after Byleth left. She couldn't help but find Claude at the most intriguing of the house leaders. It had nothing to do with him being from her home country, though it did play a part in why she was leaning towards Claude. Technically, Claude was probably the most guarded of the three. But on the other hand, she couldn't ignore the professor of the Golden Deer, who has a huge reputation even among the mercenaries in Fodlan.
Kakashi Hatake was legendary one of the greatest Shinobi alive and possibly one of the few people that can rival Byleth in terms of skill and ability in combat.
It wasn't Claude that she was choosing if she were to choose the golden deer. She observed the other students as well and found them intriguing in a way, but there was one particular student that caught her eye more than any of them. She had white hair and violet eyes. She was familiar with the girl's family by reputation.
She had no idea what to say to her. Her cheeks were turning pink just looking at her. What was wrong with her? She thought. She's acting like a schoolgirl despite the fact that she's 17. This wasn't unnoticed by the girl in question, who looked at her with annoyance.
"I would appreciate it if you didn't stare." Lysithea said, not appreciating someone staring at her. She never liked anyone doing it, especially boys. Or those who look at her like she's some sort of freak because of her hair.
"I'm sorry I" The purple-haired girl said, embarrassed, or was she a woman? It was hard to tell; some girls looked older than they were. "I'm just browsing around to see which class would be right for me." The purple-haired girl replied.
"While you certainly don't help your case when you're staring at me." Lysithea replied, trying to hide her embarrassment. She couldn't lie to herself; she found the purple-haired girl extremely attractive. She never was public about her attraction to girls or women in general; it's just never came up. She never showed an interest in anyone due to her having no time for such things; she thought it was just a distraction.
"Well, if we're going to be classmates, I would at least like to know your name." said the purple-haired girl.
"I'd be willing to give you my name if you're willing to do the same." Lysithea replied
"Fair enough, my name is Shez." The girl introduced herself.
"Lysithea" she responded.
There was a silence between them.
"I hope we could be friendly with each other, whether I choose the golden deer or not, Lysithea said in a friendly manner."
"As long as you don't treat me like a child, there will be no problems ." Lysithea turned her face away, trying to hide her blush.
The two girls said nothing, it was awkward. The awkwardness ended when Claude intervened.
" So you looked at all the other houses and went to me last, though I'm a little disappointed you didn't go to me first instead of our prodigy friend here." Claude said, faking being hurt. "I find you to be an interesting person, Claude. I just feel like it would be kind of redundant after you talked to the other mercenary." Shez admitted.
"I think that's nonsense. There's nothing wrong. It's not like we're going to ask the same questions to each other, are we?" Claude asked her.
He was really curious about this girl, he knew for sure that she was from Leicester, based on her accent, but everything else about her was a mystery. She had no last name. Those who usually didn't have a last name were either orphans who didn't know who their parents were or bastards, perhaps she was both. It didn't matter to him.
"Before you get hasty and decide a class might I ask you a question," Claude asked Shez curiously.
"Ask away," she said, not really interested.
"How would you feel about breaking down the barriers between nations and living in harmony regardless of where you were born?" Claude asked. This was the most he was willing to reveal to anyone unless he truly trusts them.
"A world where people can live in harmony regardless of where they're from sounds like a childish fantasy." She said, not in disrespect but in admiration for his goal.
" Any and all forms of social change Will look childish at the time it's being enacted But change is inevitable The current world that exists now is dying The Crest system especially How long will such a system last at the current pace? Less and less people are being born with crest.something new has to be proposed And I would like to help make that change happen even if it's in a small way I was wondering if you would be one of the people that would help me make that happen" Claude hoped this would convince her to at least consider the golden deer.
If he couldn't get Byleth Eisner to join his class, then the purple-haired mercenary Shez would do instead. He believes that Naruto and Shez, together, could help him achieve his goals. "I'll think about it. I have a lot on my mind. I'll keep what you've said in mind when I make my decision later today." Shez turned her back on him and left.
"You certainly did a lot better with him than you did with Byleth. I hope you succeeded. It'd be a shame if someone of her skill were in the other houses." Lysithea said, skeptical if Claude was successful in convincing her.
" Will know tomorrow one way or another," Claude replied. He had a strong feeling she had joined the Golden Deer. He was able to see in her eyes whether she believed it or not. She had already made her decision; she just didn't know it yet.
Byleth was going to the last house he was likely to teach the Black Eagles; he looked at all the students, each showing promise. In fact, all the students of every house showed promise. It was difficult to decide. He conversed with each student individually, just as he did with the other houses, just to make sure no stone was left unturned. All the students in the class also showed promise, like the others. He didn't want to repeat himself and he had difficulty choosing who would make or break it for him. The class leader and the representative from Konoha would be crucial.
He saw a girl with long dark blue hair he met her alongside the other Lords she was speaking to a brown haired girl who was Dorothea alongside a purple haired girl named Bernadetta he decided to listen on the conversation rather than speak to them that way it would be a way for him to get to know them without asking them.
"It's quite a shame that Naruto isn't in our class; he's quite a handsome man."
Dorothea said, knowing that it would make Hinata's cheeks turn pink.
"Please don't tease me about this, Dorothea-san." Hinata asked respectfully, hoping to stop.
"I'm sorry; I just can't help pointing it out. You're so cute when you blush, Hinaa!"
Hinata didn't know why she had this effect on her.
"I don't think you should be teasing her about something like that," Bernadetta said to her, knowing her discomfort.
"It's okay, Bernadetta. I don't think Dorothea means anything by it. I just…" Hinata wanted to go to Naruto, but Marianne told her a few months ago that Naruto found her cute and beautiful. However, she didn't have the courage to go to Naruto and tell him how she felt.
"Dorothea, there are some boundaries you need to learn not to cross, and Hinata's feelings towards Naruto are one of them." Part of her was grateful that Edelgard stepped in to prevent this conversation from progressing further."Oh, come on! I wouldn't do anything malicious to our dear Hinaa." Edelgard rolled her eyes.
"Either I'm imagining things or someone is watching us." Bernadetta said, looking at the man who had saved her and her friends a few days ago.
"Are you here to look at which class to join?" asked Edelgard.
"Yes, I was hoping to at least speak with everyone from each class before leaving. I've spoken to the other members from Konoha and the Black Eagles, but you four are the last ones I haven't yet spoken to." The kind of presence Hinata saw in the mercenary named Byleth she couldn't put her finger on; there was something otherworldly about him.
"Be free to ask any of us any questions; we can answer as well as our abilities allow." Said Dorothea, looking interested.
"Well, I was just wondering which class would be the best for me. I've spoken to the other leaders and the representatives from Konoha, and it's hard for me to decide which class I want to be part of. I figured Hinata and Edelgard could help me."
"Well he doesn't seem to be scary. I don't know if I'll be helpful. I'm sorry Hinata" Bernadetta apologized, feeling useless.
"Don't worry about it. You can still be helpful. You could speak your mind." Hinata encouraged.
"You have a pure heart, Hinata. I can see that you care greatly for others, but you're not too confident about yourself. That's a shame. From what I've seen, how you're able to dispatch your sparring partners here, you are quite skilled. Your confidence is your biggest hindrance." Byleth pointed out, seeing something that Hinata didn't feel comfortable with. He saw right through her, even more so than Edelgard. She felt like he knew her better than she knew herself at times. It felt strange to her.
"Thank you, Byleth San," Hinata said, genuinely meaning it. Then she noticed he was looking at Edelgard. She felt so insignificant compared to her that she wanted to excuse herself; she along with Dorothea and Bernadetta left, leaving the two of them alone.
Edelgard didn't know why, but she knew she had to make a good impression. Byleth could be a powerful ally or enemy if she isn't careful. She had to choose her words carefully; everything she said could potentially have dire consequences. If she wasn't successful, she knew he wasn't there to be a student; he was going to be one of the new professors. She suspected this out of all of the potential people, and she knew he was the best option for her goals. She couldn't afford to fail.
"I take it you have spoken to the other leaders of the other houses?" Edelgard asked Byleth.
"Yes, but I have a difficult time choosing which house is truly for me. I was hoping you could help me." This was a good sign. If he wasn't sure then that means she had a chance.
"What is it that you would like to know?" She asked him.
"What is it that you stand for? What are your values? I feel like I can't choose any house unless the values that I have match with the leader of each house. I want someone that will respect everyone regardless of ability. I need someone that can recognize and tell me when I'm doing something that's wrong or tell me something I need to hear. I need a leader and a student that is not afraid to question their teacher."
Edelgard was happy that she didn't have to lie; she could get this man to teach her house without being dishonest. She'd done a lot of things that people would consider dishonorable. At least she could be honest with this man."I agree I can see where you're coming from and I think people should be able to rise above their station to due their own hard work. I don't believe anyone should have their lives dictated based on what they're born with, where they were born, or what class they were born into. That's what I believe. If you believe it, I believe I think you would fit well here, Byleth. I hope. I've met your expectations." She was finished. She hoped she was successful at convincing him. Everything depended on this moment. He looked like he was in deep thought.
"Thank you, Edelgard. I'll take everything you said to heart when I make my decision."
He walked away from her; she didn't know if what she did was enough. She wouldn't find out until tomorrow - one way or the other. Something told her her fate would forever change, whatever choice is made today by Byleth. She didn't know why she had that strong feeling, but she did, and she didn't like it. She hated that fate wasn't in her control. No, she wouldn't think that way. She would take control of her fate, regardless of what his choice is.
She noticed Hubert was right behind her. "You heard everything?" asked Edelgard. "I heard everything, Lady Edelgard Byleth could be a powerful enemy; you know that I don't need to tell you." She knew exactly what he was implying. "Do not be hasty; we don't make a move until we know for sure." Hubert said something that Edelgard was hoping to learn something about. "Monica we know where she's located; we can save her, though it would be a huge risk." She understood completely what he was talking about her alliance with those in the shadows; it could be completely undone if they weren't careful; she didn't want to be in alliance with them but she couldn't break their alliance too soon, otherwise things could end badly. "Keep me posted about Monica; one way or another, we're going to make a move soon." Edelgard ordered; Hubert left her alone to her thoughts; she hoped her gamble paid off.
Hinata was walking around with her friends; she felt so inadequate compared to Edelgard, even Dorothea seemed to be better than she was, and everything.
"Come on, cheer up, Hinata! That man gave you praise—you deserve it! You don't give yourself enough credit." Dorothea pointed out they were near The Stables. Hinata felt at peace here; Marianne was here, and she knew Hinata wanted to talk to her to try to be her friend, but Hinata didn't want to overstep.
"We shouldn't be here; we should respect Marianne San's space." Hinata said to Dorothea, shaking her head in disagreement. "That poor girl deserves a friend. You and Bernadetta are alike. You too can help each other. I know you're from different classes, but Hilda could only do so much ." Dorothea said, caring about Hinata's Marianne's well-being.
"Thank you, I just don't want to" Hinata didn't finish.
" Dorothea is right she could use a friend I mean you've been there for me since you joined our class Marianne can use a friend too you're kind Hinata you're not scary like a lot of the students are here you make me feel safe and comfortable" Bernadetta compliment meant a lot to Hinata they've been friends for only a few months they didn't talk about personal things really they just focus on school and just focused on doing things that normal girls in the monastery do. She hung out with Dorothea as well along with some of the other girls in other classes but the one she was able to connect to the most with was Marianne and Bernadetta they were so much like her in a different point in her life but in some ways they're different too.
"Thank you, Bernadetta! It means a lot. I just don't feel like I" She wasn't allowed to say anymore. Bernadetta gently pushed Hinata."Just talk to her. It can't be that hard." She knew they were both in on this . She took a deep breath. She was going to try again.
Marianne was thinking about the man who had come earlier. Something about him made her uneasy. He was the first person to truly understand her in a way that not even Hilda could. She doesn't know if he'll choose the class she's in, but part of her really wants to be in his class, even if he doesn't choose the Golden Deer. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around. It was Hinata, who she had driven her away months ago because of her fear of her Crest. She noticed there were two others behind her.
"It's been a while, Marianne San." said Hinata.
"Yeah, it has." There was an awkward silence.
"I don't want to overstep. I don't want to force the issue. I will respect it if you don't want to, but I would really like to be your friend. If you still don't want to after this, I'll keep my distance out of respect." She was sincere; Marianne didn't think she deserved such a friend. Hinata is way too kind.
"I want to be your friend too, it's just that I'm scared. I feel like if I'm your friend, I'll curse you and everyone around you." Hinata put her hands on hers.
"Nothing you do will cause me any misfortune, Marianne San. You're scared; I know what that's like. I was there once. I was afraid of making friends. I know what it's like to have this anxiety to want to hide. I know what that's like. I won't ask you to change who you are. That's not what I want. I just want to be your friend, and I will respect your decision if you want me to keep my distance."
Marianne wanted to cry. This girl was way too kind. She can see why Naruto likes her. She was everything she's not: beautiful, pure-hearted, honest.
"I would like that too, Hinata." The two girls stood there, and then she heard Dote.
"You're telling me I should go for it?" She asked her friend. The horse answered.
"I don't know how you do that, Marianne-san. I can't understand animals like you do. You're too hard on yourself. You have a pure heart, only someone who understands animals like you do could be someone who's truly pure. If anything, you're everything I'm not."
She didn't agree with Hinata, but she didn't want to argue with her. She was tired of being alone; she just wanted a friend. Hilda is her best friend, but she doesn't understand her in ways Hinata does.
"Me and Bernadetta are planning on having lunch with Dorothea. Would you like to join us?" Hinata asked her. A day ago, she would have said no, but the man she met today has changed things for her. She's still afraid of causing misfortune to others, but she's afraid of being alone even more. "If it's not too much trouble, yes." She took Hinata's hand and left, and for the first time, she smiled.
Annette was getting annoyed with Sasuke, he was always looking at Mercedes, eyeing her almost every day, yet he wouldn't do anything; it had to stop. Her boyfriend, Felix, was getting irritated as well, along with Sylvain; even Dimitri was at his wit's end. "Sasuke, how long are you going to put this off?" asked Dimitri, now getting annoyed.
"You're acting just like Naruto! I mean, God! Just talk to her." said Felix irritated with Sasuke having cold feet.
"We have a work assignment we have to do. I can't just go around asking for a casual conversation."
Sasuke said, trying to come up with another excuse like he did yesterday and the day before that and the day before that.
"If I'm going to be honest with you, Sasuke, you're acting like a shy boy reluctant to talk to a pretty girl. Come on; it can't be that difficult." Sylvain said to his classmate.
"Sasuke, I've known Mercie for years; just talk to her. What are you afraid of?" She asked her friend. He took a deep breath; it was difficult for him to be open. She could tell whatever happened in his past made it difficult for him to connect with others. The fact that he was even willing to be around her and her boyfriend at all, along with her other friends, was a miracle.
"I don't know the first thing about talking to a girl", Sasuke admitted embarrassedly. The guys at the table laughed at such ridiculousness.
"Oh, come on, Sasuke! Grow some balls and just talk to her. Have a simple conversation about whatever. Stop getting cold feet; you're starting to remind me of Naruto, and it's pissing me off." said Felix, who had seen Naruto's reaction towards Hinata too many times to count and even Ingrid.
Rather than rebuking anything they said, Sasuke left the table and headed to the cathedral where Mercedes was headed.
"That might have been a little harsh," said Dimitri, not really sure if that was the right approach.
"Someone had to say it; it was driving me crazy, seeing him mope and basically simp for Mercedes. With any luck tomorrow, they'll be on speaking terms, and who knows? Maybe Sasuke and Mercedes will start dating in a few months. I mean, someone has to lighten up the emo kid from Konoha." remarked Sylvain.
Annette looks where Sasuke is headed and wishes her friend good luck. She resumes her chat with her friends before she studies for the night. She will know one way or another if Sasuke truly talked to Mercedes or if he caught cold feet like he has been doing for the past few months since seeing him. She will know one way or another if Sasuke truly did talk to Mercedes or if he caught cold feet like he has been doing for the past few months since laying eyes on him.
Sasuke was at the cathedral he couldn't help but admire it even though he had never been to anything resembling a church before he couldn't help but admire the architecture. The monastery was over a thousand years old. The stone that it was made out of was ancient but it almost looked as good as it was when it was first built. He looked at Mercedes, from the blue lions she was praying to the goddess but he never asked about her faith. Why did she pray to a god? She got up from her position and she looked at Sasuke and smiled at him warmly.
He did not know what to say damn it. Why was it so hard to say something? "Hey Sasuke, how's your day been so far?"Mercedes asked him why was it was so hard just to say something."I saw you sit in a kneeling position as you prayed. What's the purpose in that?"Sasuke asked her finally able to talk even if it's a question about her faith.
"Oh you are a foreigner from a different land and customs. I can explain it to you with no problem. In the religion of the Church we do it as a way of kneeling in a way of submission for the goddess to listen to our prayers. There's also other ways to."she put her two hands together and put her palms near her nose. "That's another way of praying. There's other ways of doing it too but I prefer doing it when I'm alone"Mercedes explained. "
There's so much I don't know about this place, the monastery I know next to nothing about the deity Sothis, who is she and why is she so important?"Sasuke asked her he truly did want to know he was not religious. He hadn't been religious since Itachi murdered his clan though he didn't think she needed to know that.
"She came down from the sky one day and saved all of mankind from the darkness that engulfed the land. She led mankind to the first golden age where there were many years of peace. If you believe in her and you pray, she will listen to you and answer your prayers, though not in the way that you would expect." Mercedes answered.
"How do you know she will listen?" Sasuke asked her. "You just have to believe if you pray to her and believe in her, she will listen to you. I know you're not religious, Sasuke. I won't force my religion on you, but I would like to learn more about where you come from. What is the religion of the Uchiha clan?" The woman looked curious; she wanted to learn about his clan's religion. What was the point he thought he was the last of them. "My clan didn't really have a religion because the religion Konoha has is a religion that many nations where I'm from believe in." The woman looked at him wide-eyed.
"I never heard of such a religion, who is the sage of six paths?"
Mercedes asked excitedly. "It would take a long time to explain that I'm not as knowledgeable about it as Hinata San. The only thing I do know is he brought peace and prosperity to the land I'm from, at least that's what the legend says."
She looked like she wanted to know more. "There's so much more I'd like to learn Sasuke, but to be honest, I'd rather learn it from you."
She was close to him. Sasuke noticed when he saw her up close; it was different. He felt like he was in the presence of a goddess. "I do have a book about him, but I'd have to translate it. It's not in the language here."
Sasuke admitted he didn't know why he still had it. Wasn't nostalgia enough? To remind himself of his clan? He didn't know when he pushed those thoughts aside for the time being.
"I would love that Sasuke, could you answer another one of my questions?" the woman asked him curiously. "Sure, go ahead." Sasuke wondered what kind of question she would ask. "Can you explain to me the honorifics where you're from?" Mercedes asked him. "Sure, that's no problem." Sasuke went into detail about what each of the honorifics meant. He noticed that Mercedes was looking even more wide-eyed. "I see. I really like them. Do you mind if I call you Sasuke-kun?" the girl asked him. She truly did want to call him by an honorific. "Sure, go ahead. If it's okay with you, I can call you Mercie." Sasuke turned away, embarrassed. He didn't realize that Mercedes was also blushing.
"I'm hungry. Would you mind continuing this conversation at dinner?" asked Mercedes. Sasuke walked out of the cathedral with her, and they continued their conversation. Sasuke enjoyed listening to her talk about the religions that existed on the continent where he was. He felt like there was a huge world out there, and for now, he forgot his mission of vengeance. He felt peaceful when he was around Mercedes; he didn't deny that he liked her. He felt calm when he was around her. He wouldn't tell Naruto how he felt if he did, he knew he would never hear the end of it.
He was in front of the archbishop, a decision had to be made: what class was he going to teach? Every student of every class had potential, but he couldn't teach them all. There was one girl he truly wanted in his class. Regardless of which class he chose, she couldn't transfer if that's her wish." The archbishop was looking at him, waiting for his decision on which class he was going to teach. He had to be careful; he had to tread carefully. He didn't know why, but he felt like his choice would have ramifications. He ignored it for now; he couldn't be swayed by one girl."
Dimitri was an honest man, and he had a deep darkness inside him. The students who were with him were talented in every way. Sasuke Uchiha was possibly one of the most talented students in Garreg Mach. In fact, the Blue Lions had some of the most talented students of any house, but he wasn't picking a house just because of that.
Then there was Claude. He didn't know what to think of him; it was difficult to read him. He wasn't someone who revealed much; he wasn't necessarily the most honest. On the other hand, Naruto was someone who was completely honest and told people how he felt. Many people underestimated him, and that would be their downfall. But he didn't think he was needed to teach Naruto. He had learned many things from his mentors, including Kakashi, Jiraiya, and many others.
Edelgard much of what she said resonated with him. About having people rise above their station on their own merit and hard work, and not have it predetermined based on societal norms. Then there was Hinata. She was talented, possibly one of the most talented women in Garreg Mach. Her biggest obstacle was her lack of confidence. Then there was the other students as well. He spoke to all of them, unlike most of the professors who only paid attention to the students that had talent.
It was a difficult decision. He wanted to choose all of them, but he could only choose one. Then he thought about what he strongly believed in his convictions. He had to go with his gut; he had to go with what he believed was right.
"Have you made a decision?" asked Rhea.
"Yes, I have." Byleth made his decision; there would be no turning back.
"The house I'm going to teach is."
Shaz watched Byleth talk to everyone, the students she talked to them as well but not very much, but she was interested in it. She heard his decision and walked out of the cathedral. She was not going to be weak; she knew the class that would likely benefit the most from his teaching. She saw Kakashi's teaching methods. He could help make her strong with his teaching methods. She felt she would be able to defeat the Ashen Demon.
"So you've made your choice, Shaz", asked Rhea.
"Yes, I have. I will choose the Golden deer." She was confident in her decision; she would not lose. She would get stronger and she will win. She will never be helpless before the Ashen Demon ever again.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, Rhea?" Seteth asked, concerned about Byleth and Shez."I am positive of my judgment, Seteth." Rhea said confidently with her choice of allowing Byleth as the professor of the Black Eagles."I understand, but that other one, Shez, concerns me." She understood his reservations; she has a lot of features that resemble those of the Agarthans, her mysterious powers also are a concern."I will have that one watched and monitored." Rhea said, she is dangerous, potentially."Seteth asked another question."You're telling me she is potentially more dangerous than Naruto Uzumaki, someone who literally carries"She interrupted him because she didn't want him to bring up the name of the nine-tailed fox."Don't mention his name in these halls; it's dangerous." He was taken back by her outburst.
"I mean, Naruto so far hasn't shown any sign of doing any harm to anyone. He's friendly to all his classmates and is liked by the house leaders, which is more than we can say about Sasuke Uchiha."
She had her reservations about Sasuke due to the history of the Uchiha clan and Madara Uchiha."What about the Hinata girl?" Asked Rhea. "Well, without diving into her privacy, I found something that's common knowledge in Konoha: It took months to find it, but from a conversation, whatever was heard, Hinata Hyuga is in love with Naruto Uzumaki." This didn't surprise her in the slightest; she noticed the signs immediately as soon as she walked into the monastery."I think all three of them could be our greatest enemy or our greatest friend." Seteth said matter-of-factly.
"I have a strong feeling Naruto Uzumaki is going to be an important person someday. His determination, his ability to change people for the better, she had heard about it from her old friend. She was disappointed when he didn't choose the Blue Lions. Dimitri could have used someone like Naruto; thinking about the past is useless; she had to focus on the present. "Have you found anyone connected to the Root organization?" Asked Rhea."No, they are difficult to find. Jiraiya informed us as such; we likely have an operative here, but we don't know their identity." Seteth answered. "There is another thing we need to discuss." She looked at her colleague. He looked serious.
"There are rumors of a rebellion and the leader that's inciting such a rebellion his voice is getting stronger his support is getting stronger we have to put down the rebellion soon or it could lead into a war."she did not want to deal with such a rebellion but she knew what he was talking about."will deal with it after the mock battle"she dismissed Seteth. Things were a lot more complicated than she originally thought first the son of Siri returns then a mysterious mercenary named Shez. She has a feeling something sinister is at work and she can't put her finger on why she has that feeling. For now she puts that aside for now in order to focus on the present she hopes it's only her imagination but she has never been wrong on her feelings when things are about to go wrong.
Any revisions I do from here on out will not be as much as the past few chapters due to the amount of stuff I wanted to have in there originally but couldn't figure out how to put it in.
Originally, this chapter was going to be about Byleth and Shez. There was so much I wanted to happen, and I felt like I stumbled when I wrote the original.
I didn't alter Sasuke and Mercedes' first scene of them talking together because I felt like it was perfect as it was. Those who don't know I actually wrote it before I wrote this chapter to see how their interactions would work before I decided to go with the ship that I have the most enjoyment writing.
I didn't change much of Byleth and Marianne's first meeting either, as I thought for the most part it was fine as it was.
The next chapter will have some edits because there are some things I want to add, and not to mention in chapter 6 there are some plot holes I would like to remove.
The new chapters are still a priority, but I'm doing this for my own sake.
As usual, read and review.