This chapter contains another reference to a fire emblem game. For those who have played Awakening, you'll know what I'm talking about.
Chapter 14 Mysterious encounter
Everyone was shaken up from the battle. Neji was fortunate and grateful that his sensei bored him with his training methods. Despite Guy having the most ridiculous kind of training methods, they were effective, especially when it came to mental discipline. Neji was able to maintain his focus despite falling under Genjutsu. The other students, with some exceptions, didn't fare as well as the Konoha transfers.
Though, for some reason, the professor of the Black Eagles was unaffected, as if he had an ability that made him immune. Neji would have to investigate this later. He was worried about his cousin; even though he knew Naruto and the friends that were with him would keep her safe, he still would not be reassured until he saw that Hinata came back unharmed. He was looking around for any signs of injury from any of his peers. Hilda was helping bandage any wounds that her friends may have received during the battle.
He couldn't help but admire her strength. She was stronger than she appeared on the surface. Despite not liking to work hard, Hilda, when her mind was set, could get things done quickly and efficiently. It perplexed Neji how someone with her talents could be so lazy. It didn't make any sense. Hinata would hate being friends with people like that, but she was friends with Hilda. There was more to her than meets the eye.
"Oh, can you help me for a bit, Neji?" Hilda asked, faking struggling to lift an object that would be considered too heavy for most people of her stature. But she was far stronger than she appeared. Despite being shorter than him, she could more than handle the crate that was in front of them.
"You don't seem to be struggling to me," said Neji. She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
"Oh, come on, you're not going to let my delicate hands get blisters by lifting this, are you? I'm tired," Hilda complained. Neji wanted to roll his eyes.
"Pretty please," she said pleadingly. Why did she have to do that? Damn it, Neji thought. No wonder she was able to get men to do what she wanted—and women. He was grateful Hinata did not use any charm; if she did, she'd be able to do it with ease, better than Hilda could.
He lifted the crate and put it where it would mostly be needed.
"Thank you, Neji. I must say, you're not what I expected when I saw you for the first time. I expected a mean man from the Hyuga clan, but you're nothing like that—in fact, the exact opposite," Hilda said as she smiled seductively. Damn it, Neji thought. He would be lying if he didn't find her cute and attractive. She was older than him by five months. The pigtails? He wouldn't be surprised if she had her hair in that style because it looked cute. No, he couldn't let her think that he found her attractive because that would be awkward.
"You should be careful about staring Neji." Hilda winked his face was pink how did he get himself in this situation?
"I'm not going to lie I find you cute Neji I like your hair there aren't many men I have seen that let their hair grow as long as you have why do you have it so long?"Hilda asked as they continue to do their work.
He didn't know how to answer this question it has been a tradition in his clan for generations but that's not the reason his hair is as long as it is for him it represented something else.
"It's a tradition in my clan for men and women to have long hair it's a sign of our status as the elite of Konoha in our culture we believe the link of our hair represents our status in society that those with short hair rank low in station."Neji said he heard Hilda scoff like what he said was the most ridiculous thing she ever heard.
"That's the most ridiculous explanation I've ever heard there's those with short hair that are some of the most powerful people in the world don't take this the wrong way, Neji but your clan sounds like a bunch of self-important elites that have no idea how the real world works." Hilda said bluntly Neji couldn't help but agree. He would like to believe things had changed in his clan since Naruto publicly defeated him but they haven't in a lot of ways they doubled down and Hinata suffered as a result he felt completely powerless even after he let go of his hatred for her he still felt responsible like a failure he couldn't properly protect her not with the damn seal on his forehead as long as he had that he couldn't protect her he was at the mercy of his clan.
"I do not take offense Hilda San but it's how things have always been with my clan I can't change that neither can Hinata Sama." Neji said not wanting to really elaborate further because of how much he hates thinking about the hopelessness of his situation.
"I can understand why Hinata does not like talking about her clan. The more I hear about it, Neji, the more I think that it's a miracle that you and Hinata are who you are. I haven't heard good things about your clan from my parents. Almost everyone that has gone to school with members of your clan has had nothing but bad experiences," Hilda said, thinking about when her brother went to the academy and how much he despised dealing with the Hyuga. She shivered when she thought about how, if Itachi had joined the Golden Deer that year, her brother would have been killed. She was grateful for small favors.
"Your brother, Holst, I've heard much about him. He was the strongest person of that year, minus Itachi, and only lost to the Eagle and the Lion because of Itachi and Shisui Uchiha. If I ever had a chance, I would love to fight your brother," Neji said with admiration. It wasn't a surprise; her brother had a lot of admirers who wanted to test themselves against him to see how strong they were. Neji was intriguing, she had to admit. She thought he was handsome, and once she got past what was on the surface, he even had a sense of humor.
"Do you think we'll find them?" Hilda asked, referring to Hinata and the others.
"With Hitomi's help, we will. I believe we're getting close. We're about to get out of the forest and down to the mountain range that will get us down. It will take us another few days, but we'll find them, or they'll find us," Neji answered.
"As much as I would like to continue this, we should focus on our task at hand, Hilda-san," said Neji as he left her alone. As much as she didn't want to, she got back to work.
Byleth was shaken up; Marianne couldn't help but see that in his eyes. Even if he had the others fooled into thinking everything was all right, it wasn't. She knew him better than anyone, other than his father. She wanted to go to him and find out what was wrong, but she couldn't. The relationship had to be hidden; nobody could know. It frustrated her. Why couldn't they be open? There was nothing for them to be ashamed of, yet that was the price they had to pay in order to be together. Her adopted father may not have power over her right now, but she would not have this freedom forever. He would force her to marry someone. She didn't know if she had the courage to stand up to him. Thankfully, he didn't know that she wasn't a virgin at the time—he would have been enraged because of it, making it more difficult to arrange marriages.
Her parents—her mother supported her when she revealed what happened on her six-month trip with him. She believed her father would have supported her as well, but her parents weren't here. The pain in his eyes: she couldn't do anything about it because of where they were.
"Are you alright, Marianne?" asked Bernadetta, who noticed something was off. She had to maintain her composure; she couldn't let anyone know that something was amiss. She would have to wait until everyone was asleep to go to his side. She would take a chance because the pain in his eyes couldn't be put off.
"I'm fine, Bernadetta. It's just the battle that happened a few hours ago. I'm still shaken up," Marianne said, shivering at the thought of Orochimaru. She had never felt such evil in her life. The bloodlust—she had killed for the first time in self-defense, and she did not feel good about it. The amount of Shinobi that assaulted everyone was hard to keep track of; bodies were still being counted. She didn't even think about the number of people she had killed—it wasn't many; she could only count on one hand. She felt she had changed, and she didn't like it. It was as if she had become something else.
"No, you're not. No one could be okay after killing someone for the first time. I'm scared more than ever. Am I any different from a hired killer?" Bernadetta said, shaking. She was as frightened as Marianne was. Marianne couldn't blame her because it was true. Once you kill for the first time, you're never the same. It does something to your soul. Part of her felt tainted now. Could she really be worthy of Byleth now that her soul was tainted with blood?
She heard footsteps and looked. It was Edelgard and Dimitri, who looked shaken up over what had happened, especially Dimitri. Marianne didn't know him, but she could tell it took its toll on him.
"To think that we fought Orochimaru and lived. That's an accomplishment that we can all say we have," Edelgard said, trying to maintain her composure for the sake of morale. A house leader couldn't look weak in front of anyone; they had to set an example. Marianne knew this. She was hiding how she truly felt. She was far better at hiding her emotions than Dimitri was. Dimitri was easier to read.
"This barbarism. Is this really the kind of battles those in Ninji engage in? The way the Shinobi world is, is brutal. I hope to God they don't ever bring their ways here," Dimitri said, looking haunted by the violence that had happened a few hours ago.
"It's unfortunate, but this is how things are where I'm from," she heard Neji walk towards Dimitri, with Hilda by his side. She was relieved that she was all right. Hilda was trying to keep her composure; she was shaken up by the battle like everyone else.
"That may be how things are, but that doesn't make it okay, Neji. Gentle souls like Hinata go on these kinds of battles daily. It's a miracle Hinata still maintains her gentle heart. Many like her succumb to the barbarism of the Shinobi world. I don't want that ever to be imposed here," Edelgard said, despising the very idea of the Shinobi system. She must have seen Konoha itself for her to have this outlook. None of the other inhabitants in the monastery, with the exception of Dimitri, Edelgard, and Mercedes, have seen Konoha and what the Shinobi world is like.
"I understand what you feel. I would not want the Shinobi system to ever be imposed anywhere; the brutality should not be anywhere but home," Neji said, not necessarily agreeing with Edelgard but not disagreeing with her either.
"It should not exist even in your continent. It has destroyed people's lives and taken their souls, tainted them with blood. I have studied the history of the five nations; all of them are soaked with blood. There hasn't been one decade where a war has not happened. Things may not be great here, but in the thousand years that the empire has existed, there has not been nearly the amount of bloodshed compared to Konoha, not even in its 100 years of existence. That doesn't even get to the heart of what is wrong with the culture itself, but that's a conversation that would take far too long considering where we're at," said Edelgard with confidence that she was right. Marianne did not know what it was like to be in the continent of Ninji, nor did she want to know, considering how much Hinata hates talking about what goes on there.
"According to Hitomi, we should be able to find them tomorrow," said Marianne. She heard the Pegasus speak to her just now as it flew over the group; she did not join in the battle.
"What do you mean we'll find them by tomorrow? We've been traveling for almost two days in this forest?" asked Edelgard. Dimitri had a similar look of disbelief. She did not know how to answer that question.
"A Pegasus has a special bond with their Rider; they can sense when they're nearby. Apparently, they are close—at least by a day. We should be able to run into them, or are they running to us?" said Marianne, looking ahead.
"Either way, we should get some sleep—all of us. We don't know if we'll be attacked again by another person, like Orochimaru, tomorrow. Anything could happen in the forest. We're far away from the academy, enough where if someone wanted us all dead, they would be able to do it, and it would take months for anyone to find out what happened. We need to be on our guard," said Neji.
"I'm tired," said Hilda as she yawned.
Marianne would be lying if she didn't feel exhausted; she was struggling to keep her eyes open, the adrenaline long leaving her.
"I hope we find them tomorrow. I don't want to be out in this forest; it's scary," said Bernadetta, looking left and right for any potential threats.
"I don't blame you; this place creeps me out as well," said Hilda, taking Marianne by the hand.
"Hilda, that's hardly necessary," Marianne said as she was being dragged to their tent.
"I know what you're thinking: you're going to expose yourself and him. Wait until you get back, where it will be safer," Hilda said with a low whisper as they entered their tent. Marianne couldn't help but be grateful; even if Hilda doesn't necessarily approve of her relationship with Byleth, she's at least supportive.
She sat down as Hilda prepared their blanket, which they would both share. She remembered how often, when they were children, Marianne slept over at Hilda's, how often they slept in the same bed. She always felt safe in her arms; that had never changed. Even now, the only other person that made her feel safe was Byleth. Then she froze at that moment. No, she couldn't have those same feelings, but then again, Hilda was precious to her, too, though she had never said it.
"I miss the sleepovers we once had. I know we're no longer kids, but those times I remember fondly," Hilda said, thinking about what they used to do when they were children. Hilda was one of the few people who wasn't afraid of her and did not judge her. Even if Hilda portrayed herself on the surface as a self-serving person, she's far from it; she's kind. Only those who read what is on the surface would see only one side of her. Marianne sees what's beneath.
"I miss them too, Hilda," Marianne replied.
"We could do them again, you know. It's not like anyone can stop us in the officer's academy," Hilda said.
"They may get the wrong idea," Marianne said, thinking about how everyone assumes things that are not actually happening— that two girls can't simply sleep together as friends and not as lovers. Where did that thought come from? She thought of Hilda doing things to her that a lover would do, and what perplexed her was that she wasn't bothered by the idea at all. Despite being with Byleth, she wouldn't mind Hilda. No, she disregarded that thought immediately; she was a friend. Talking her into a three-way relationship was not something she felt she could do anyway.
"Who cares what they think? It doesn't stop you from going to your boyfriend's quarters at night, despite him being our professor," Hilda said, which caused Marianne to turn away, her face turning a deep shade of red as she thought about the things they do regularly, from snuggling to making love. They had barely been separated from each other ever since the reunion.
"You're right; it's just rumors. They spread quickly, and I don't want you being part of them," Marianne said.
"Who cares about those idiots in the monastery? Think, let them say what they want. If they say anything to my face about you in a negative light, I'll knock their teeth out, and I'm not joking."Hilda said Marion could believe it. She had seen her enough times beating up bullies that harassed Marianne that she wouldn't put it past her, nor would she want to stop her either.
"I appreciate that, but I don't wouldn't want you to get in trouble. Please don't interact with violence on my behalf."Marianne said as she lay down with Hilda next to her. They both looked at the ceiling after Hilda covered them both with the blanket.
"I won't unless it's absolutely necessary. I know you don't like violence," said Hilda as she leaned her head on Marianne's chest. It felt strange. It was a few years ago when Hilda was taller than her, but things have reversed since then, where Marianne is the taller one between the two. Before she could say anything, Hilda was asleep.
Now she couldn't go to her boyfriend even if she wanted to despite not approving completely of their relationship. She was trying to protect them both. What did she do to deserve such a friend? She closed her eyes and fell asleep dreamlessly.
December 25th 120 years before the Red canyon massacre
Sothis was walking in the forest near her home. It made her sad to think the world that she was born into was changing. Even in her long life, humanity had been settling rapidly over the past 100 years; the forests were shrinking. The planet was once covered in them, and now, what she saw in front of her, even if it was far away from where she was currently at, were deserts that did not exist centuries before. These were starting to form as a result of rapid growth. The Nabatean's natural habitat was shrinking, and it wouldn't be long before this place, the Red Canyon, would be their refuge.
It wasn't popular with her people to relocate everyone, but it was the only way to keep her people safe. It was her duty to protect them, as she was considered "the beginning," that's what her mother called her, though the world at large knew her as "the immaculate one."
But another concern she had was Kaguya Otsutsuki, who was attempting to create a chakra tree. She clenched her fist in anger; her people had once had a home similar to the planet they currently inhabit until the Otsutsuki clan used a chakra tree to drain the planet of life. Sothis wasn't born when her predecessor, her mother, led her people away from their home world into the current planet they inhabit. She had no memories or connection to the home world of the Nabateans; it was a planet that had long since been forgotten.
The Otsutsuki tracked them down and now wanted to finish what they started by eliminating the rest of her people. She would lead an assault if she could, but she didn't have the power or the resources she would need. She would need allies in order to target the threat that endangered everyone, making alliances with one of her people's greatest enemies: the Agarthans. A civilization that the Nabateans had reluctantly coexisted with for almost a millennium was their best chance to avoid catastrophe. The current leader, Epimenides, may be the only chance her people have for coexistence with them and humanity after the battle with the Otsutsuki clan was over.
It wasn't a question of if, but when Kaguya would make her move; cults of her were already existing all throughout the world. It would only be a matter of time before she was approached by Hagoromo, Kaguya's son. Despite her apprehension with anyone who had the blood of the people that had wiped out her homeworld—one that she doesn't remember—he was scared of what his mother was capable of, and disregarding his warnings would be foolish. Her people did not have a home; this canyon that they now lived in was all that was left of what once was millions—now numbered in the tens of thousands. Most of the inhabitants had no memories of what the homeworld was like; most of them were born on this planet, just like Sothis was. The main reason she ordered her people to retreat to this one place was because, despite them being born on this planet, the humans that inhabited it had been there long before they were. This was one place the humans did not even dare go to due to their superstitions.
She heard footsteps behind her. She didn't need to turn around to know it was Kurama, her people's protector. It had been 60 years since their last battle, but for Sothis, it felt a lot longer.
"You are concerned about what that woman is planning; I could smell it," said Kurama as he walked next to her. They both looked at the sunset in the northeast. Even though she was on another continent, alone with her clan, it still didn't shake the fear that she felt.
"She's going to bring this world to ruin; the people on this planet will suffer the same fate the people on our planets suffered from. She's evil, and so is everyone from her clan," Sothis said with an emotion she rarely shows: hatred. The Otsutsuki have turned what was once a thriving civilization that numbered in the millions to a civilization that only numbers in the tens of thousands. It would take thousands of years, if ever, for her people to completely recover.
"That's what they do: they go from planet to planet, destroying all life just for their great pursuit of godhood. It's amazing how much like the humans they are," Kurama said with contempt as he looked at the nearest human settlement.
"Humans are not all evil, Kurama, any more than our people. There are evil members of my race; evil exists in us all, but so does good. It's not fair to judge the indigenous of this planet as being evil when I've seen them capable of doing good too." She and Kurama have debated this for 60 years, and they have never been able to agree on this one thing about humans. They agree on a lot of other subjects, but when it comes to humanity, Kurama will not move; he despises them as if it were something personal.
"For every good the humans do, they do a lot more evil. This beautiful planet that we inhabit—look around you! What was once lush forests is being turned into deserts. That never happened on my homeworld. We maintained our forests; we took care of our planet and did not act like a bunch of parasites like the humans do. They don't even respect each other; they're greedy, power-hungry creatures that the universe would be better off without," Kurama said with bitterness.
"I know you have suffered pain from them; I have too. But that doesn't mean they're all evil," Sothis said gently, knowing how dangerous this topic was.
"I will never forgive them, Sothis. No matter how much you want me to, I cannot. I lost my son and my mate. There's barely anyone left of my people. I'm the last of my clan; my brothers and sisters still have plans that exist, but I do not. The survivors of our homeworld, of my clan—if I die, my clan dies with me. The humans took what little of my people existed and…" He didn't say anymore. She couldn't; she could not possibly understand what it's like to lose their own child. She knows what it's like losing a mate; her mate had died centuries ago at the hands of humans. She understands too well what it's like to hate.
"You don't have to forgive them, but you could try to at least give them a chance to grow up. We were no different than them once," Sothis said, thinking about the lessons her mother instilled into her. How much different would her outlook have been had it not been for her mother and her mate, the father of her child? She looks where Seiros is, who will likely be her future daughter-in-law. They were laughing together; they had been friends for almost their entire lives. The kind of love she does not see often is the love that Seiros has with the girl who is the daughter of a long-dead friend from Sothis's time, before she became the queen of her people.
"I do not understand how you could feel that way about humanity when they killed your mate, the father of your child. I just don't get it," Kurama said, not understanding.
"If I don't forgive, I will just continue the cycle of hatred. The world already has enough hate; it doesn't need anymore," Sothis answered.
"You are stronger than I am; I could never be like you," Kurama said as he leaned towards her.
"I'm not strong, Kurama. Without the people I love, I would be as weak as everyone else." Sothis said it was undeniable that she had grown fond of him in the past 60 years of their friendship. Despite the hardships they had gone through in the past 60 years, it was difficult for her not to want something more.
"If only there were more like you, the world would be better," Kurama said. As he was about to press his lips on hers, she heard a voice behind her, which caused them both to pull away. Damn it, she thought.
She turned around. It was Hagoromo. She knew this was serious. He knew better than to trespass on her people's Homeland.
"You better have a good reason for coming here. You know how I feel about those with the blood of Otsutsuki tainting this land with their foul blood." Sothis said darkly. It was rare for her to show anger or hatred, but when it came to the race that wiped hers down to the tens of thousand,s, it was hard not to see them as monsters, just like how Kurama considers humanity.
"I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't important. Sothis Sama, my mother she, plans on making her move. If she isn't stopped quickly, this world will be another victim of my people. She and my brethren have to be stopped. My sons and I are gathering an army. We need you and Agarthans to unite in order to stop them; not another world should suffer your fate." Hagoromo looked at her and Kurama, knowing that their people had suffered as a result of the Otsutsuki's endless pursuit of power.
"How much time do we have?" Asked Sothis with alarm in her voice.
"Not much time I'll do what I can along with my sons to buy you as much time as you need but don't take too long Kurama stay with her my mother's followers will try to kill her before an alliance with the Agarthan's can happen." the sage of six paths as soon as he appeared he disappeared out of all the times preparing her people for war was not something she wanted to do but it was urgent the clan that wiped out her people they had to be stopped she would fight for her homeworld even if the one that her ancestors were born into no longer existed she wasn't going to allow this world to suffer its fate.
"Come with me, Kurama. We're going to meet with the leader of the Agarthans." Sothis set it as a command. Despite the moment from earlier, she had to keep herself under control. Whatever feeling she may have for Kurama, she would have to figure it out later because her people's survival was at stake.
Sothis opened her eyes for the second time in the day. She saw memories that she did not remember and feelings that she felt she had forgotten: the nine-tailed fox, Kurama. Who was he? What did he feel like? Someone important. Why did she suddenly feel a longing to see him again, despite never having met him? Her memories were fragmented; she remembered 60 years after she first met him—memories of her debating him about the ethics of humanity, what is good and evil, and a race that brought her revulsion just from hearing their name, along with a woman she wanted to forget.
When she had first awakened a few weeks ago, it was as if she were a newborn. Her state, her physical form, was that of a child, yet she wasn't a child. She knew this, and the flashbacks she saw of her life revealed that she was an adult woman—taller than most human women—yet considered beautiful by those who laid eyes on her. She examined her appearance; it had changed. She no longer looked like the 12-year-old girl she had been when she first awakened a few weeks ago. It wasn't by much; she had aged by 5 years and now appeared 17. Taller, but not quite the woman she recalled being in her memories. Her memories still felt fragmented: a mother—that's what she was once. In her reflection, she saw multiple versions of herself: the 12-year-old girl she resembled when she first awakened and the current form of a 17-year-old girl—though not quite at her full height yet, but close.
She could change her appearance at any time. She snapped her fingers and transformed back to the form she was more familiar with. It felt strange knowing that this form she had was not what she truly looked like.
Once more, she changed back to the 17-year-old human woman form. Still, it wasn't quite who she was. She looked at the woman she could be—elegant, benevolent, beautiful. "The Beginning," that's what her mother had named her. She was able to alter this form even in death. Yes, her physical body was gone. Whenever she was around Kurama, she often changed to her more childish form. She had never really had a childhood, something she could recall, but she felt this with certainty. Could this be the reason she appeared in this state, wanting to experience the childhood she never had? It didn't make any sense; she didn't even feel like a child. It was superficial. She could change her appearance to that of a child, but it still wouldn't change the fact that she was not one. She didn't even have the words to describe what she was.
She had no idea why. It was as if she had been in a deep slumber and had only just woken up from a long sleep. For some reason, when she looked at Byleth, he felt familiar, even though it was impossible. He was struggling to sleep due to his actions killing animals at the hands of that sick human named Orochimaru, who used animals and transmitted them to humans in order to fight her host. Every kill hurt him. She wished she could hug him until everything would be all right, but that was not possible in this state. It wasn't even a physical body that she had; she could move around with him, and nobody would see her, but she did not possess a physical form.
Her body was destroyed—she knew this. Yet, why was she still in the physical realm? Those were questions she wanted answers to, and it all stemmed from her fragmented memories. She did not want to fade away, nor did she want to take someone else's body so she could live in the physical world again. She was somewhat familiar with the art of spirits moving from one body to another. It was a lost art among her people that had long since faded from memory, along with their homeworld that no one from her generation could name because it had been so long. Yet, in her ancestral memory, she remembered the ability.
It was a practice that had been outlawed because it was considered an abomination to take someone's body against their will; then, it goes against life itself that all life dies. All life has to eventually move on. She didn't like this feeling she felt like she had stolen this man's chance to live a normal life. It was starting to make sense of his difficulty in feeling emotions. She had something to do with it, and there was no other explanation, but then again, maybe not the puzzle. There was so much she did not know.
She would have to keep this thought to herself for now. He had enough to deal with right now, and she did not want to burden him with her problems.Sothis continued to watch over him for the rest of the night and remembered to change back to her form that he was the most familiar with. For now, she would put aside her feelings and focus on getting his students back safely to the academy.
Mercedes opened her eyes. She felt two pairs of arms around her, and then she looked and saw Sasuke's sleeping form; then she realized the position they were both in and blushed a deep red. She couldn't believe they both gave in to their desires. She had no regrets. She wanted nothing more than to stay in this position with him. She didn't want to move. She felt at peace despite the situation. She never thought she would have her first time in a cave of all places, though it wasn't any cave. It was something ancient. She would like to look around if there wasn't a chance that the enemy could find them again.
"Sasuke Kun, we should get up. We wouldn't want our friends to see us in this position, would we?"Mercedes said. Sasuke opened his eyes. Despite the situation they were both in, he smiled.
"They can wait a little bit longer," Sasuke said as she felt his lips on hers. It didn't feel wrong doing what they were doing. It was hard to believe that she had made love to a man she once saw like a little brother, but that had changed since she laid eyes on him again when they first met; her feelings had evolved, and her love changed from that of a little brother too something deeper I love that only those who experienced a kind of Love she has for him can understand.
"Do we have to keep it under wraps?" asked Mercedes, not knowing if she wanted to hide what they meant to each other. She wasn't ashamed. She wanted to be open.
"Only if you want to. Are you sure you want to be with someone like me?"Sasuke asked as he massaged her collar.
"I'm not ashamed of what we did together," Mercedes said as she reluctantly moved away, having to get dressed knowing their friends would appear at any time; it didn't take long before she got fully dressed again. She was reluctant to leave. She wanted to be alone with her lover, even if it was a little bit longer.
"I'm not either; I can never be." She felt him clasp his hand on hers. They were going to leave together like this; the whole world would know.
"I wanted to do what we did last night since I was 12," Sasuke confessed, turning red as they were getting closer to the entrance.
"I wanted to do what we did last night since I first laid my eyes on you the day we met each other again," Mercedes confessed. This shocked Sasuke; it felt good too—not to hide it anymore.
"I did not think you desired such a thing with someone like me," Sasuke said. She did not want this to end.
"My feelings have been a mess for the past three months. I don't want to go back to the way things were," Mercedes said. She didn't ever want to go back.
"I honestly don't deserve you," Sasuke said. It felt like an eternity as they took a few more steps.
"You deserve all the happiness in the world," she replied. When they walked out, they said nothing. Their friends were getting ready to move out, looking at them and noticing that they were holding hands. She was not going to deny what they did, nor was she going to confirm it. What she and Sasuke did was between them and the goddess.
"Well, that's quite a time for you two to get together, not that I'm complaining," Naruto said with his boyish grin.
Hinata said nothing; she had a smile of approval, knowing what they both did.
"Well, if we weren't in this predicament, we would have a celebration," said Dorothea, who was happy for the couple.
"We should get going. The sooner we get out of here, the better," Ingrid said with urgency. Mercedes couldn't help but agree; she had enough of this place and wanted to head home. They were going back the way they came, where she and Sasuke were the day before. They walked for hours; she did not let go of Sasuke's hand the entire time they were walking. She was not ashamed of their relationship.
"I'm looking forward to putting this all behind us," said Hinata as they continued to walk. They were at the entrance of the forest. There was a good chance they would run into their classmates here, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was a sinister presence. She hoped it was nothing, but it felt dark—evil even.
Sasuke let go of her hand and grabbed tightly onto his sword, Ingrid doing the same, along with Naruto, who got out his weapon of choice. Hinata prepared for a fighting stance, but then what surprised Mercedes was a girl who looked scared. She appeared to be around the age of 14, with long dark blue hair and sky blue eyes, and whiskers on her cheeks. She held tightly to a lance that barely accommodated her size. She was shorter than the others in the group, around 155 cm. She wore clothing that resembled those of the Pegasus Knights in Faerghus. The lance looked rusted, as if it had seen many battles. Mercedes felt sad; nobody this young should be fighting in a war, but there was no more choice. The girl looked like she was in survival mode, aiming her lance at the group.
Thinking quickly, Mercedes stepped in front of the group and approached the girl carefully.
"We're not going to hurt you. We're lost, like you," Mercedes said, moving slowly and showing that she was unarmed.
"How do I know this is not another one of your tricks?" the girl asked, frightened.
"We're not going to hurt you," said Ingrid as she put her weapon on the ground. Everyone reluctantly put away their weapons in order not to scare the teenage girl, and she reluctantly put her weapon away.
"I'm sorry. I've been fighting those monsters for so long; I thought you were one of them," said the girl.
"What monsters?" asked Hinata. She couldn't explain it; something about this girl was familiar—her face, her eyes—they resembled… no it was just a coincidence she disregarded as soon as it entered her mind.
"Where's your family?" asked Dorothea, checking if the girl was okay, if she had any injuries.
"I got separated from my older siblings. I don't know where they are. What's the month, day, and year?" asked the girl. Hinata was perplexed by such a question. Why would anyone ask the year? That was strange.
"I'm sorry, I'm disoriented. I don't remember what year it is right now," said the girl. Something about the way she responded was suspicious, but he knew it wasn't worth pushing. It's possible she's just scared; short-term memory loss can happen in extreme situations of stress. Perhaps the girl had been running for her life from something.
"It's May 10th, 1180," Ingrid answered. The girl looked at her like she was looking at somebody she had known before, that had long since passed. That was ridiculous, Hinata thought; they had never met this girl before.
"Oh," the girl said with sadness. This confused Hinata. Why was she sad when that date was brought up? Then, the girl's expression changed quickly.
"I know how to get out of here. We should not stay here for too long," the girl said. Before she could move, a creature appeared. The girl looked terrified; she had no idea what she was looking at. It looked like some abomination—a grotesque creature with human limbs sticking everywhere. It had claws that looked inhuman. It was something that seemed straight out of hell; blood was dripping on the ground.
"Die," said the creature as it went straight at the girl. Thinking quickly, Sasuke blocked what would have been a killing blow to the girl with his sword and pushed the creature back. But then they saw more.
"I can't believe they followed me," the girl said as she took out her lance. There was no way she could do anything with that thing.
"That mother of yours can't save you this time, girl. You will die," said the same creature in an inhuman voice. The creature went straight at the girl. Hinata activated her Byakugan and quickly activated her lion fist, like it was two days before. It was white instead of blue. She had no idea what was going on. Then, that same symbol, the symbol of a line, appeared on her right hand.
She went straight at the creature. It tried to pierce Hinata using its claws. Hinata didn't give it a chance as she hit the creature hard at the chest. It blew up instantly. It screamed as its dying screams faded, but it wasn't the end. There were more. There were others with greenish pale skin, with blood dripping on the ground like acid.
"What the hell are these abominations?" Naruto asked as he created shadow clones to combat them. She had no idea. They terrified her. They were like creatures that did that were out of this world. The second among them, she tried to strike with her lion fist, but it did nothing.
"That creature is immune to Taijitsu," said the girl as she went behind the creature. She didn't even know how she was that fast and pierced its heart. What surprised Hinata was the same symbol appearing. It blew to pieces along with the lance. Another one of the creatures was about to strike at her before a ball of fire engulfed the creature. Hinata looked it was a boy with short red hair. He wore a black robe and had red eyes. He wore an axe at the back. An axe mage. He not a thought.
"Stay back! These creatures are too much for you," he said as he launched a meteor at the creatures in front of them, incinerating them. He aimed again at the other creatures around them, destroying them like they were nothing. She couldn't believe it; whoever this boy was, he was powerful.
"Alex Kun," said the girl as she happily hugged him. Hinata couldn't help but look at the boy; he looked around the age of 12. Who was he?
"What the hell were you thinking? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" the boy said scoldingly.
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to cause you any trouble," the girl replied.
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Sasuke asked with suspicion. In their line of work, even children at this age were dangerous, but they couldn't be from Konoha or any one of the five nations; they looked like they were native to Fodlan.
"We're no one; we're just travelers, and I found one of my friends that I got separated with," said the girl.
"Wait, you're not leaving already?" asked Mercedes.
"No; we will accompany you until you find your companions," Alex answered.
"Is there any name we could call you by, girl?" asked Ingrid.
"Hima," the girl answered.
"What are you doing in this place, Hima?" Naruto asked.
"We got lost; it's as simple as that," said Alex, stepping in and not letting Hima elaborate.
"We should get going before more enemies show up," said Sasuke as he went ahead.
"So you know where our search party is?" asked Dorothea as they walked.
"Yes, if they're searching for you. If you just follow the road we're walking in the forest, you should run into them by tomorrow—or tonight, if they're determined to find you before the day is over," answered Alex.
"You talk as if you know what's going to happen," said Sasuke with suspicion.
"I know because it's common sense. There are barely any options except this road that we're walking on; any other way would take too long to get to the monastery," the boy answered. Despite being 12, he was acting like someone much older.
"That makes sense," said Naruto.
They continued to walk for hours. Not much was said between the group. Hinata couldn't help but feel that the two kids traveling with them were somehow familiar, and she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
Shez was looking for her classmate Naruto. She was with a small group of people from her class, one of whom was Claude, along with her former classmate Lysithea and their professor, Hanneman. She did not feel comfortable traveling with this few people in a place like this—trees as far as the eye could see. It was dark, and it was hard to tell if it was daytime or nighttime due to the leaves covering the sunlight. She couldn't help but hold tightly to her sword on her right arm.
The genjutsu that she had experienced shook her up in ways that she couldn't tell anyone, reliving the moments of the death of her mother and her brother, Dante, and being reminded of what she hadn't been able to do. To think how easily she fell into a genjutsu—she was unprepared, arrogant. She thought: what if she encounters another enemy that could place her under such a spell? She felt completely defenseless. Had it not been for Lysithea, she would have been dead before she even realized what was happening. Their hateful words played over and over again in her mind: she felt pathetic, weak, useless.
Without Arval's power, she would have been dead. She couldn't do anything without him. She wanted to get stronger. What good did it do for her to have all this power that she could unleash with the help of Arval when she couldn't activate it at will? When she couldn't even beat Sasuke Uchiha, who was far weaker than Byleth? She was so far behind; if she couldn't even defeat anyone below him, then there was no hope of ever surpassing him—no hope of ever avenging her friends who were killed by him.
"Damn, they certainly have to make things difficult for us, don't they? Out of all the times this had to happen, well, at least we don't have to do a test today," said Claude, looking at the bright side of the situation—something that Shez could not do.
"I'm completely useless. Out of everyone here, I was the most unprepared for a genjutsu attack. How can I possibly be useful if we encounter shinobi that could use genjutsu?" she asked her house leader.
"Users of genjutsu take advantage of the fact that most shinobi don't see value in training against it because there aren't that many genjutsu users," replied Claude.
"I can help train you; it isn't too much trouble. I can give you some pointers," Lysithea offered. Out of all the people that offered, it had to be her. She couldn't show her nervousness.
"You would be wise to take up on her offer. It would be foolish to disregard a chance to have an advantage; a defense against Genjutsu would be useful. You never know when you may encounter another user of Genjutsu," Arval advised. He had a point, Shez thought.
"Thank you, Lysithea. I'll take your offer into consideration, but our first priority is finding our classmates and heading back home," Shez replied.
"I'm not doing it for free; you'll have to offer me something in return," Lysithea said with a devious smile. Great, Shez thought, what price did she want her to pay?
"Okay, what is your price?" Shez asked, hoping it was something reasonable.
"Nothing too crazy. If you could make me a sweet that I like, I'll consider doing it for free; otherwise, you'll have to pay me 20,000 gold," Lysithea said, which caused Shez to sweat drop. She has to make a sweet that she likes? Great, that's another thing she'll have to do when she comes back. Mercedes or Hinata would likely be the best chance to teach her how to make sweets. Anything to give her an advantage, she told herself, regardless of how ridiculous it was—baking a sweet? What kind of childish nonsense is this? she thought.
"Very well, I agree. If I make a sweet you like, you will live up to your end of the bargain, deal?" asked Shez, believing that what she was offering was reasonable.
"I'm warning you, I have high standards for sweets," Lysithea warned. It was as if it was a challenge, and there was no challenge she thought wasn't worth trying, especially if it meant giving her another edge in the future against any opponent she might encounter from the continent of Ninji. It would be stupid for her not to acquire this knowledge.
Before the conversation could continue, their professor motioned for them to stop. She placed her hands on her swords and was about to draw them when she heard a voice. "Please, I'm not here to harm anyone," the girl stepped forward. What surprised Shez was the girl's age; she looked no older than 13, possibly 14. It was hard to tell. She had long hair that went down to her back, tied into pigtails. She had red hair, whiskers on her cheeks, and green eyes. She wore a long red dress that was torn on the left and right side. If it weren't for Shez's ability to spot the way the girl's face looked, she would think she looked older. She was taller than most girls her age, around 5 feet 6 inches, which amazed Shez considering her age.
"How did you get lost in these woods, young lady?" asked Hanneman, who looked like a concerned man looking after a daughter.
"I was separated from my family. I was with my little sister. Have you seen a girl with long blue hair and blue eyes?" asked the redhead girl.
"We haven't. We're searching for our friends. Maybe if you stick with us, we may find yours," Claude suggested.
"How did you get lost, Miss?" asked Hanneman as he inspected the girl for any injuries. She looked like she had cuts on her hands and a scar on the left side of her neck.
"We were running away from monsters. We were trying to..." There was a hesitation, and Shez spotted it immediately. Some weird monster. She took out her swords and got in front of the girl.
"We shall eliminate those with the blood of an Uchiha," said an abomination that looked like it was put together by parts of many different creatures. It looked like a badly decomposed corpse. There wasn't just one; there were 10 of them.
"Oh no, this abomination followed me," the girl said as she took out her tome. A mage, she thought.
"You will die just like your mother," the creature said as it lunged at the redhead girl, who cast a spell that disintegrated the creature in an instant. It was a wind spell; it cut the creature into many pieces, so many pieces that there was nothing left.
"You won't kill me, you abominations. You forget who I am," the girl said as she formed a sphere of energy on her right hand. What amazed her was when she used the spell to change the nature of the energy sphere, mixing fire with wind and shooting it like a bullet.
"Fire style: Fire tornado," the girl said as she destroyed all of the abominations in front of them. She destroyed them as if they were nothing. How could someone so young be so powerful? But that was not the only thing that caught her eye. It was only a glimpse, but she saw her eyes—the same eyes she had heard about from her mother. She couldn't be another Uchiha; it was impossible. Their clan is on the verge of extinction; there are very few members. Yet, this redhead girl possesses one?
Everyone was surprised. The girl looked at them as if it were nothing. The last of the creatures grabbed the girl's leg and spoke with an inhuman voice.
"You can't change fate. It's written in stone. Your efforts will be in vain, you pathetic vermin." The red-haired girl put away her tome and got to her knees, lightning engulfing her right hand.
"This is for my twin sister, you bastard," the red-headed girl said, putting the lightning blade through the creature's heart, causing it to explode. She was covered in the abomination's guts. The look on her face—it looked familiar. She looked like someone. No, it couldn't be. She disregarded that thought; it was preposterous. The girl is 14, yet her resemblance to one of the students in the officers was uncannily similar—not just one of them, but two.
"Okay, that was weird. Are we going to encounter more of these things in this place?" asked Claude, tightening his grip on his bow.
"I don't know. I didn't expect them to follow me here," the girl replied, uncertainty evident in her voice.
"That girl is withholding information. I would be careful with that one," Arval advised.
"She's not a threat to us. I know she could do anything at any time if she wanted to, but she hasn't," Shez disagreed with Arval.
"Surely you can see the resemblance this girl has to two people we know. Her facial features, her eyes—she's almost a splitting image of..." Before Arval could finish, they heard eight footsteps.
Everyone got into their positions before Claude fired his bow. Just then, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hey, what are you doing, Claude? We're your friends" said Naruto. She felt relieved that they had finally found them, but what perplexed her was that there were two others with him: a boy with short red hair and a girl with long blue hair and blue eyes.
"Natalie-chan," said the blue-haired girl as she hugged her tightly. The red-haired girl wrapped her arms around her little sister—that's who she was; she was able to read that in their body language.
"Big sis, I thought they got you, just like..." She was about to cry until Natalie soothed her with her right hand.
Dorothea looked not only like she saw a ghost; she looked a lot like her mother, and even a lot like her. It was almost like looking in a mirror.
"Well, that's a good thing you found your sister," said Mercedes, who did not piece it together. Then, when she looked at Hima, she realized she looked like both Naruto and Hinata from her hair and her face. No, it was probably a coincidence, but still, the resemblance was hard to ignore.
"I'm glad we were able to find you, Natalie. What happened to Alexandria?" he asked.
"I don't know where our cousin is," Natalie replied.
"Wait, cousin? You're telling me Alex is your cousin, Hima?" asked Ingrid.
"I didn't think it was important at the time. I'm sorry; I just wanted to get out of this place," Hima answered.
"Can we not have this conversation right now? Let's get the hell out of here; this place is creeping me out," said Lysithea, who was scared of the dark forest that they were in.
"What happened? You all look shaken up," asked Naruto, concerned.
"Let's just say we encountered a missing Nin and leave it at that for now. Everyone will be happy that you're all okay. How are you able to walk despite falling off a cliff?" asked Shez, who thought it was strange how they were virtually unharmed.
"Let's just say it's a story that sounds far-fetched," Naruto answered.
"Whatever your reason is, Naruto, this incident will not go unpunished. I will discuss your punishment when we return, and I better hear a good reason why you did something so reckless and stupid," said Hanneman, who was disappointed that Naruto acted so recklessly.
"Please don't blame Naruto; it's my fault. He was only trying to make sure I didn't get myself killed. I owe him my life; please, he did nothing wrong," Ingrid said, stepping forward to deflect blame to herself.
"Like I said to Naruto, you will all explain why you did what you did. Depending on your answer, it will determine how severe your punishment will be," Naruto's professor said as he went ahead.
"It's all my fault this has happened. I don't want you being expelled because of me," Ingrid said as they walked side by side.
"Even if we are, I would have made the same choice, my Ingrid. The thought of what that man would have done to you if we had not come makes me not concerned about the outcome. I don't think things will get that bad," Dorothea said with confidence. She wished she was as confident as Dorothea sounded.
"I hope you're right," Ingrid said.
She felt Ingrid's left hand clasp her right. No matter what, she would stick by Ingrid, and nobody would tell her otherwise. She did not notice the strangers they met had long since left the group. They wouldn't find out until they got back to camp, and by then, the focus would be getting them home, not looking for stragglers.
Who are the three mysterious characters? Well, one of them is obvious, and I will reveal the others in due time. Again, expect references to multiple fire emblem games in this story, not just three houses.
