Author's Note: I decided to make Ryu and Bow both twenty-one years of age. That would make Ryu eleven when he was separated from Yua and Ganer. Why do I make them older? Because I'm always wary of stories that involve underage drinkers or underage smokers trying to save the world. With their immaturity, they're bound to screw something up royally. But theynever do, because no one wants verisimilitude in their games! Anyway, it doesn't really affect the plot, but it does make any romances between Ryu, Katt, and Nina less...well...underage.I changed canon slightly; in this story, Ryu and Bow are more experienced than the game would indicate. They are accomplished adventurers who have traveled a significant part of the world (mostly the main continent), but they have not yet been fully accepted into the Ranger's Guild by the start of the story. I made Ryu more cerebral than most people think he is because I feel that our favorite laconic blue-haired Dragon would take his job more seriously. Thus, he would dedicate more time to both physical and mental training.
One more thing: Okasan means mother. Oniisan means older brother, but Yua says onii-chan, which is less formal.
Chapter One: Birds, Bugs, and Pigs
Dreaming. Dreaming of innocence. Dreaming of youth. Dreaming of the past.
Giggling.
"Yua! It's time for your nap!"
A flash of blue hair…a memory of soft blue eyes. "Ryu, could you go find your sister? She must be by the mountains, I'll wager."
No, something's wrong. Everything will go away….
"I'm sorry. If I had been stronger, your mother would still be here."
"Don't blame yourself, Papa. Okasan's still with us. I can talk to her whenever I sleep here by the dragon!"
"Can you now, Yua? How very good of her to talk to you. You were always her favorite daughter."
"Hee hee! Papa, you're being silly. I'm okasan's only daughter!"
"Ryu, come on. Let's go back to the town. We'll wash up, have dinner, and talk about your mother."
Okasan…. Someone who went away a long time ago.
"Onii-chan, I'll bet if you sleep by the dragon, you'll see okasan, too."
I did sleep there. All I saw was that eye. The eye that was so frightening, yet so soothing at the same time.
"My name's Bow. What's yours?"
Ryu. Ryu Bateson.
"Whoa! Did you see that thing, Ryu? Let's go check it out!"
No! No, Bow! That's—"THE DESTINED CHILD. YOU MUST BE JOKING! YOU ARE A MERE STRIPLING!"
The eye. That thing had the Eye.
Ryu wiped the sleep from his eyes, banishing the dream. He had been having a lot of them recently. Sun shone through the window, glimmering across the motes of dust in the apartment. It smelled of old laundry, leftover takeout, and wet dog fur. Dog fur. Damn it, Ryu thought, Bow left the water on. He forced himself out of bed and called, "Bow! Bow, for Eva's sake, kill that water pump, would you? Our bill's going to be high enough as it is."
Bow Doggie was a rotund youth who looked just like his namesake. Wiping wet hands on a green tunic, the Grass Runner said, "Thought you'd be asleep for the next month, the way you were snoring."
"I don't snore," Ryu protested, running a hand through his dark blue hair. He yawned. "What time is it?"
"About noon. That was some party last night, huh?"
Ryu tried not to remember. He did not engage in debauchery—to him, it was all carelessness and irresponsibility, laden with trouble. He had better things to do with his time. But Bow wanted to throw a "special twenty-first birthday party" for him and invited everyone from the Ranger's Guild and then some to join in the festivities. Ryu had been forced to consume an ungodly number of drinks out of politeness; everyone kept on tossing one back "for his health."
Hypocrites, he groused silently. This hangover isn't very healthy.
"If this is the tone for the rest of my life, then I think I'll conveniently forget my birthday," Ryu muttered. He stood up and dressed, tugging on loose red trousers and a gray leather jerkin. "Binge parties aside, today's the day we'll get our first assignment as full members of the guild. Or has the drink addled your memory, Bow?"
The Grass Runner smiled merrily. "Not in the slightest. It's about damn time we got some real pay for the work we do, instead of this lousy twenty percent markdown. I never understood why guild law requires apprentices to be paupers."
Ryu, who took the time to learn the ways of the guild market, explained, "It's a matter of nepotism, actually. Most guilds are run by a single family, which is why the Elder is always from the Madison family. We joined the guild as outsiders, without a sponsor. That doesn't take too well with most guilds. The markdown is supposed to weed out people like us."
"Where do you learn this stuff, Ryu?" Bow asked absently as he checked his quiver and crossbow.
Ryu shrugged. "I was curious so I looked in the library for books about guild history. Very enlightening."
"Leave it to you to stick your nose in a book instead of between a pair of soft breasts," Bow muttered.
"I'll leave the pretty girls to you, Bow," Ryu said, buckling on his sword so that the hilt jutted from behind his shoulder. "You know I'm no good with them, anyway. Come on, we mustn't keep the Elder waiting."
"You've got to be kidding me," Bow growled in disbelief. "'Look for a pet?' This is an insult, Elder!"
The balding Elder Madison, leader of the Hometown Ranger's Guild, listened to Bow's tirade with growing impatience. "I match the job with the talent," he said snidely.
A vein popped on Bow's temple. "You must be joking! Elder, you know we can handle better jobs than this! Ryu and I have claimed more goblin ears that John or Vory could at our age. We've escorted a Shell clan nobleman from Corsair to Simafort in record time and against some really nasty monsters. We've even taken on bounties that more experienced rangers wouldn't even touch! And succeeded!"
"Which only demonstrates that you have a penchant for doing reckless things," the Elder replied evenly. "You are skilled, I do not dispute that. But skill does not constitute wisdom. You, Bow, are brash and impatient. Ryu is neither, but he follows your lead, making his judgement questionable at best."
Ryu listened to this criticism with his usual calm. After all, he agreed with the Elder's assessment to the letter, even if it was against him.
The Elder continued, "This job is a lowly one. I intentionally offer it to you because it will teach you to respect even the most menial tasks. Working as a ranger is more than just hiring yourself off as a mercenary or being a bounty hunter. It's also about self-control. Rangers are not heroes, Bow. We don't do anything that stupid. Now shut up and get to work."
Bow looked at the case file on the Elder's desk with contempt. He crossed his arms over his wide chest. "Some stupid fool lost his pet. Bah! What a waste of time."
Then the door opened and in walked in a demure teenaged girl, graceful and slender, with long hair so dark that it was almost blue. A pair of angelic downy wings grew from her back, indicating that she was a Windian. Ryu noted with wry amusement that Bow's mouth was sagging.
"Elder Madison?" the girl said quietly. "Are these the ones who will find my Suzy?"
"Yes, Mina," answered the Elder. "But it seems they do not want—"
"Whoa, whoa!" Bow protested, sliding up in front of the girl named Mina. He bowed to her in a passably courtly way. "Bow's the name. A pleasure to meet you…eh…Mina, right? Don't worry, my buddy Ryu and I will find your Suzy. No problem!"
Mina curtsied. "Thank you, Ranger Bow."
After she left, Bow grabbed Ryu's arm. "She's so cute!" he whistled appreciatively.
"You and pretty girls," Ryu muttered, shaking his head. The Elder also looked amused. "It looks like we'll be taking the job after all, Elder."
The Elder smiled wryly. "I figured you would."
"I never saw anyone that cute before!" Bow exclaimed as he and Ryu walked out of the guild.
"You said that about Kelly, as I recall," Ryu noted. "And Mary, and Tamara, and that new secretary, Silvia."
"Yeah, but that's different."
"No it's not. It just means you go head over heels for anything on two legs with a pretty face."
Suddenly, Ryu had a hard time breathing as Bow put him in a headlock. "What's the big idea?" he wailed. "Bow, let go! Ouch! Stop! No noogies! I said stop!"
"You got to learn to appreciate the opposite sex, Ryu," Bow said, finally releasing his friend. "If it looks like I'm always pining off after anything with breasts, its because I'm picking up your slack. You're so much of a stone statue that sometimes I wonder if you're even really human."
Ryu scratched at his offended scalp. "Maybe I'm not. Who knows? I've just never been really interested in girls. I'm more comfortable around books or when I'm on a job."
"Which is the whole problem!" Bow said. "You've got too much work ethic. You're a workaholic. You never relax or have any fun."
"You have my word that I'll strive to be as base and shallow as you, Bow," Ryu said sarcastically.
The Grass Runner went with it, slapping his friend on the back and saying, "That's the spirit. Soon, we'll have you surrounded by a bevy of beautiful nude women, with buckets of cheap ale on the floor, and tons and tons of junk food for you to feast on."
Ryu looked at the sky. "If we start work now, we should have some idea of where Suzy is by nightfall."
The two rangers spent the rest of the afternoon going through the streets of Hometown, asking around about any pets that might have gone on their lonesome. A pig, of all things, had been spotted trotting merrily southwards and into Mount Fubi.
"A pig?" Bow said incredulously. "Mina's pet is a pig?"
"Different strokes, different folks," Ryu said indifferently. He had other concerns on his mind. "Mount Fubi…we went there to capture that one escaped serial killer a year ago, didn't we? I seem to remember having a hard time against some of its nastier denizens."
"Oh right," Bow groaned. "The harpies. There were a lot of them for some reason. Let's hope we can dodge them this time."
The two made the daylong trek to Mount Fubi, walking straight through the night. Dawn broke when they reached the craggy paths of their destination.
"As long as we move early, the harpies won't spot us," Ryu said.
"How do you know?" Bow asked.
"After our run-in with them last year, I researched the monsters' habits. Seems they like sleeping in. They are most active around noontime to nightfall, but only rarely will they wake up before then."
"Let me guess—you went to the library to learn that."
Ryu's grin was visible even in the pale light of dawn. "Actually, I talked to Vory about it. There was an open bounty on harpy feathers at the time."
The two rangers made their way through the mountains without incident. They came to the other side when they saw the tracks. "Pig tracks," Bow noted. "Looks like we're on the right path. I still can't believe we're tracking a pig."
"Why is this so surprising to you?" Ryu asked.
Bow harrumphed. "Pigs shouldn't be wandering around in monster-infested mountains. They should be roasting over a spit!"
Ryu chuckled. "Better not let Mina hear you say that." His mirth was quickly quelled when he saw a grayish spatter on some nearby rocks. "Uric acid," he said quietly. "Still wet, too. There are harpies here. We must have made too much noise and woken some up."
Bow loaded a crossbow quarrel. "Just our luck," he grumbled.
Sure enough, there came a high-pitched shriek as three winged females—harpies—dropped from their high perches in an all-out attack. "We must look mighty tasty," Bow said, taking aim.
"You do at least," Ryu said, drawing his sword. "You've got more meat on you."
A quarrel sailed through the air and struck a harpy between the eyes, slaying it instantly. "I'm just big boned, damn it!" Bow retorted. He struggled to reload his weapon. "Ryu, get your skinny ass moving! The other two are heading right for you!"
But his friend was already in motion. Ryu swung his broadsword out, down, and up in a circular sweep that shorn the wings off one of the harpies. The second monster raked six talons across his chest, cutting deeply into his leather jerkin, but failing to penetrate his flesh. Ryu retaliated with a stab into the creature's back, severing its spine. The remaining harpy, wingless and beaten, crawled away in fright.
"I wonder if there any bounties left on harpy feathers?" Ryu asked absently.
"That's funny," Bow said. "I don't remember ever seeing these ruins last time we were here."
"That's because we caught the serial killer before he could get this far," Ryu said, looking around alertly. Though there were only a few broken buildings overgrown with plant life, it was clear the ruins had once been a village or city. The only structure left standing was a two-story house, with one story caved in.
"Suzy's tracks stop here," Ryu said, kneeling down and pressing his fingers into the soil. "There are boot tracks. She must have been picked up. And not too long ago; these tracks are still very, very fresh. They lead into the house."
The two rangers walked in and found a wiry old man dressed in rags nursing a beaten black cauldron with a pig in it. The old man let out a startled yelp at their approach and reached for a gnarled staff. "Get back, ye thiefs!" he shouted in a squeaky voice. "Ye won't be gettin' Niro's dinner!"
"I'm afraid we're going to have to," Ryu said calmly. "That pig over there is someone's pet. She'd be very sad if you ate her. Bow?" The Grass Runner was already taking the animal out of the caldron. Suzy squealed and oinked pleasantly, grateful to be saved.
"Ye blaggards!" the old man, Niro, cried. "Takin' an old man's dinner! An' in his own home, too!"
"You live here?" Bow asked incredulously, looking around at the filthy house.
"Aye, lad. Niro's been livin' here since he stopped his wanderin'. It's quiet, lots of animals around to hunt, lots of fish to eat. But seems it has too many younglings bargin' an' makin' a racket an' stealin' my food!"
"We apologize, Mister Niro," Ryu said politely, though he did not mean a word of it. To him, the whole episode seemed ridiculous and he was getting tired of listening to the squealing of an old man. Ryu took a package of dried fruit out of his backpack and tossed it at the old man's feet. "This should make up for your trouble."
Ryu and Bow left with Suzy in their custody. The last thing they heard was Niro shouting, "Fruit? What is Niro? A buzzard? Bah!"
Bow was sulking. When Bow sulked, it was often over a girl. When it was over a girl, Bow would eventually feel better around dinnertime. Ryu decided to make dinner early, just to get things over with. The two rangers had returned Suzy to Mina, who—to Bow's disappointment—was heading back home to Windia the next day. This sent the Grass Runner into a spiraling pit of despair that would last as long as he was hungry.
"Here," Ryu handed him a bowl of mutton stew.
"You'd think a reward of five hundred gold would buy us a decent meal," Bow muttered, chewing the meat.
"Our landlady's the one who really got the reward," Ryu said, spooning broth into his mouth. "She's been heckling us for two months about rent, after all."
"She's a harpy," the Grass Runner said with a hearty laugh. Ryu smiled quietly, glad that his friend had regained his usual humor. "Ah well," said Bow dreamily, leaning into his bed. "No way a cute girl like Mina would ever fall for someone like me, anyway. Can't feel mopey about it forever."
"You said that about Lucy and Melissa and Tina, too," said Ryu.
"Keeping records of my conquests, eh?" Bow said.
"You're not very discreet about the ones you ogle," Ryu replied.
Bow was about to turn off the lights and hit the sack when he gave Ryu a questioning look. "You don't happen to have a record of the color of my underwear, too, would you?"
Ryu turned onto his side and pulled the covers over his shoulders. He answered simply, "Blue."