It's been a while since I've played suiko3; If anybody notices any glaring OOCness or has some suggestions for my writing in general, feel free to critique. I do not, of course, own Suikoden, nor am I trying to make any money off of this.

For Fenix and Kuzu

(Untitled) by Eike

The inn was as nondescript as any other; it had a small tavern, bare walls, several practically empty rooms with only the beds and nightstands in them. The Destroyers had taken to staying in such inns, simply because their quiet atmospheres lent themselves better than the over-crowded ones of the "better" inns did. Plotting, and thinking in general, was more easily handled in the relative solitude these inns provided.

They stopped there not because they were truly tired; teleporting taxed Sarah only a little and work had not been accomplished. They stopped there only because they had nothing better to do; they stopped there because it was night. And although all of them suspected that sleep would escape them, they each decided they would attempt it, for the other's sake.

It just so happened that this particular inn was desperate for clientele, and their small group was convinced that they needed not two rooms, but four. It suited them all just fine, as they could hardly stand the thought of relaxing around the others. So it came to be that they all stepped through a different nondescript door, to wallow in their different forms of misery and self-pity.

Sarah's own thoughts consisted of Luc. It was rare, nowadays, that she would think of anything else -- there simply was nothing else to think of. She had once, briefly, entertained the thought of running away from all this. The idea appealed to her only if Luc were running with her, and she knew that would never happen. Luc was driven by past cruelties and injustices upon him, and would not find inner peace until this project was finished. If she - and the rest of the world - perished in the process, so be it. Anything for Master Luc.

She had to stop herself here. If she thought any further in that direction, she was sure she'd end up crying. It really was best to just go to sleep. She set her wand aside and quickly changed out of her dress. Grassland summers were a lot hotter than she was used to, and her light nightgown was a nice relief from her formal wear.

Just as she lay down on the bed, she heard a tapping on her door. "Who is it?" she called out unsurely.

"It's me."

Sarah sat upright and scrambled to reach the door. She paused shortly to collect herself, and then opened the door. Luc stood on the other side, looking somewhat annoyed.

"Sarah, can you teleport into Yuber's room and tell him to come out, I need to discuss some things with him," he asked, gritting his teeth around Yuber's name.

Sarah was disappointed. Sarah was also eager to do anything for Luc, and nodded quickly. "Yes, of course." She ran to get her wand, then hesitated. "If I may ask, why?"

A disgusted sigh followed. "Yuber has locked the door, and has decided to answer neither my knocks nor my verbal requests. The matter cannot be postponed until tomorrow."

Sarah nodded again, gripping the staff tighter. "I shall do my best. Shall I attempt to force him out, should he not comply immediately?"

The idea was laughable, of course. Sarah could no more force Yuber than Albert could lift heavy weaponry.

Luc shrugged noncommittally, "See what you can do. If he still refuses, I'll go myself."

The sorceress bowed slightly and took a step backwards. The spell easily slipped off her lips, having been practiced tirelessly in the past months. A slight shift in the air informed her that she had reached her new destination.

Upon opening her eyes, she found something quite unexpected: Yuber sat on the bed, shirtless, his hair loose, a brush lying to the side. It took her a minute to realize that he was not, in fact, scratching his hands -- he was filing his nails. She stood there quietly observing the scene, still battling her initial shock.

"Well? What do you want?" the demon demanded, not once looking up.

Sarah shook herself out of her stupor and said curtly, "Master Luc wishes to speak to you."

"Tell our dear Master Luc that I'm busy."

She looked around the room now, noting that the twin swords were carefully placed against the nightstand, still within easy reach of the bed. A small washbasin had been brought in and now stood on the small table, the water tinted a slight red. The towel had taken more damage -- what must have once been white was now brown. A few lighter flecks still peeked through, but all in all, the cloth was ruined.

Sarah turned her gaze back to Yuber. He continued to file at his nails, going agonizingly slow. He must be doing it on purpose!

"Busy? With what, filing your nails?" The retort sounded silly even in her own ears, but she refused to take it back.

Yuber stopped to look up at her. "Yes, actually."

Sarah let an unbelieving snort escape her lips. "I hardly believe that a being such as yourself would concern itself with something as trivial as grooming."

Before she knew what had happened, Yuber was standing in front of her. One hand was placed on her cheek, and the other on the small of her back. She was effectively immobilized.

"You would be surprised, my dear, how... handy... well filed nails can be. For example," he said, pushing a nail into her skin, "they make good weapons." The finger was trailed down along the side of her face until it reached her neck. Sarah cringed slightly, feeling blood trickle along the path.

"That's nice. Master Luc wishes to speak to you, though," she repeated, hoping that her voice didn't crack. The situation was... unfavorable.

Yuber grinned then, the kind of grin she despised seeing on his face -- the one he wore before a kill.

"Are you uncomfortable, Sarah?" His blood-covered finger traced a trail down her neck, then drew a collar around it before withdrawing. She immediately used the opportunity to bring her staff up in a defensive stance, hoping to push him away, or at least widen the distance between their bodies.

The amusement in his eyes didn't vanish, as she had hoped it would. Instead, the flame seemed to have been fed.

"Sarah, Sarah, you don't really have much of a chance here. Suppose I take your hands, like so..." Yuber grabbed her thin wrists in one hand, causing her to drop her staff. "You can't even user your magic now. And when I decide to do this..." He leaned down, bringing his head to her neck. She shuddered when she felt his tongue flick out and lick at the ring of blood he had left there.

"... You're completely helpless. And now, should I decide to throw you onto the bed," he proceeded to do so, "and start ripping off that gown of yours... What would you do?"

Sarah glared up at him, trying to be as defiant as possible. The fact that she was terrified, couldn't even speak out of fear for him, could not be revealed. This demon thrived on fear, reveled in the pain and suffering he could cause. She would not provoke him.

Yuber's hands pushed down on her shoulders, forcing her to sink deeper onto the bed. He leaned in, biting softly along her ear. "I can smell your fear, dear Sarah. You can't hide it from me."

No, no. He didn't know. He was bluffing. She would... she would...

"Master Luc said to do what I can. As I am having no success in convincing you to go see him, I shall leave now and report to him."

Her reply was met with laughter. The weight on her shoulders eased as Yuber sat up to indulge in the activity. If he hadn't been straddling her hips, she could have left now!

"Oh, that's priceless. Little Sarah, doing everything for her most beloved Luc. So much that she doesn't even care that she's about to be raped."

Her breath hitched. Her previous thoughts to stay calm fled her mind, replaced by mind-numbing panic. She wanted out of here, now. She hated the blond demon, who looked more human than Luc ever did. Yuber, who groomed himself like any man, who brushed his long hair and filed his nails and washed the blood from his hands. Yuber, who was using his nails to leave small cuts on her skin and Yuber who was slicing her dress open.

"Stop. Stop. Stop!" she demanded. The tears were forming in her eyes, and her body started to struggle of its own accord. Her hands were immediately pushed over her head, held in place by Yuber's. His other hand found its way to her breasts, pushing away the fabric that still covered them.

"Stop? But my dear, just consider. After I do this, I shall go speak to Luc. Surely you'd be willing to whore yourself out for him? Is he not the one you love the most?"

He was too strong; she couldn't pull her hands free. Kicking didn't help much either, as he sat over her hips. She didn't want this, there had to be a way to escape.

"Well? Won't you complacently let me use you, just as Luc uses you? Albert uses you too, of course, but he's using all of us."

A single word sprang to mind. Before she could reconsider, think about the consequences, it burst from her mouth: "NO!"

Her hands were released, and the weight lifted from her hips. She opened her eyes to see Yuber smirking down at her, the remains of her gown in his hand.

"So, it seems you wouldn't do _anything_ for Luc, as you claim."

She tried to shake her head, but could hardly find the strength to move. "That's not it," she managed to whisper.

She was forcefully pulled to her feet, the gown thrust at her.

"Now go!"

Sarah took a moment to orient herself, then took small steps towards the door.

"Too slow." She was shoved, causing her to stumble and land in front of it. She felt like retching. Not here, not now, she told herself. Instead, she grabbed the doorknob and used it to lever herself. She considered covering herself with the gown, but modesty was not an important issue. Turn the doorknob, step outside...

"Oh, and please tell Master Luc to not bother me again tonight, should he hold anything in this world dear."

The door slammed shut behind her, the sudden rush of air nearly unbalancing her. She glanced down the hall to see both Luc and Albert staring at her.

Sarah slipped down and began to cry.