Been awhile, no :(
Okay, I'm going to be honest with you guys here: the idea for this fic hit me at literally 3 AM. I do like the idea, but I'm a bit skeptical of the believability of this story. Please let me know what you think of it in your reviews, okay? Anyway, the concept of a "reunion" between Jaffar and Nino was one that several people asked me to write—and a story that I really wanted to write—after Two Angels and Away From The Sun, but until recently I could not think of a way to write such a story and still make it a substantial length. Thank goodness for sudden inspiration.
This fic takes place a long time after Two Angels, which is one of the reasons I'm so skeptical about it. The reason for this, however, is because quite simply, Jaffar and Nino could not have found each other any time before the beginning of FE6 and still comply with the facts given in that game: namely, that they never returned to the orphanage where they left Rei and Lugh before it was burned down. As a result, this fic takes place shortly before FE6 begins.
So read on, enjoy, and please review :)
"Nino!" the emerald-haired woman exclaimed happily, laughing and drawing her old friend into a tight hug. "Goodness, it's been ages since I last saw you!"
The shorter, bright-green-haired woman returned the embrace, chuckling. "It's good to see you too, Rebecca," she responded.
"Come in, come in!" Rebecca beckoned brightly, gesturing into her home as she stepped inside. It had been several months since the sage had last visited, but the interior of her friend's house still looked exactly the same, the setting autumn sun sending golden strips of light through the windows and onto the furniture and wooden floor. Rebecca herself never seemed to change substantially; though she was taller than she had been when they first met, and she had long since abandoned her favorite bandana and pigtails in favor of simply letting her long hair down, she still had a surprisingly youthful face for a woman of her age. The pale brown shirt and long skirt that she wore were not the huntress's garb she had once adored, but combined with her youthful appearance, it brought a smile to Nino's face to see that her dear friend still looked strikingly similar at thirty-four to the way she had looked at fifteen.
"You have to stay for dinner; I haven't spoken with you in so long," Rebecca added after Nino had hung her violet traveler's mantle on one of the hooks beside the door. At these words, however, the shorter woman abruptly froze. Was it a good idea to stay for that long? She loved seeing the emerald-haired woman, but she knew that if she remained too long in her friend's presence, she would end up leaving in a horrid mood. There was a place she wanted to visit, as well, and for all she knew, he might be in the city at this very moment... She clutched her dark-blue shirt apprehensively.
"Oh, I couldn't impose—"
Rebecca actually laughed at that. "Nonsense! You're never an imposition, Nino!" she declared brightly. Placing a hand on the younger woman's shoulder, she added with a smile, "I would think that after being away for so long, you'd want to stay and chat for awhile!"
Nino couldn't help but smile slightly at her friend's exuberance, but her baby-blue eyes would not remain staring at Rebecca's forest-green ones. Of course it would be nice to stay, but she knew how her visit would end if she did so. Still, she figured as her gaze returned to her friend's face, she really hadn't seen Rebecca in a very long time...
She flashed an embarrassed grin and replied, "I'm sorry, you're right." Pulling off a long, navy-blue glove, she added jokingly, "You'll have to forgive me; I'm a bit tired from traveling all day and I must not be thinking straight."
"Well, that's perfectly understandable," Rebecca responded, chuckling. At the same moment, a tall, brown-haired man entered the room. Nino recognized him immediately as her friend's husband, Wil, and determinedly tried not to wince as a small, painful pang passed through her heart. A fountain of jealousy had just erupted within her—Rebecca was so fortunate to have a husband that remained by her side, not like him—but she had no right to intrude upon her dear friend's happiness.
"Someone here, 'Becca?" Wil asked as he entered, then his eyes moved to the sage, and he smiled. "Well if it isn't Nino! What has it been, six months?"
"More like seven," the bright-green-haired woman responded, giving her best attempt at a smile as she leaned the Mend staff that doubled for her as a walking stick against the wall. "I'm so sorry I can't visit more often, but I've been, well..." Her eyes suddenly fell to the floor—this could potentially be disastrous. "You know..."
Rebecca and Wil both looked at each other, their expressions troubled; it was clear that neither wanted to bring him up within two minutes of the sage stepping into their home. Finally, after an awkward silence, Rebecca said softly, "There's no need to apologize, Nino. What you've been doing is far more important than visiting us." She smiled slightly. "That's why it's always so great when you do have the chance to come and visit."
"Thanks, Rebecca." Nino smiled faintly as well: that had been a narrow save there. Any lengthy conversation about him—as she knew from experience—never ended well, and it was the main reason why she was so hesitant about staying. But for now, at least, the subject had been avoided. More to get her mind off him than anything, Nino asked, "So is Wolt here?"
Rebecca sighed and gave an exasperated smile, though she too was obviously relieved that the conversation had been steered away from that volatile subject. Nino followed her as she made her way towards the kitchen, explaining, "No, he's up at the castle, as always. You know how he and Lord Roy are, just inseparable." She laughed. "You'd swear they were brothers! My son will be asking if he can just go and live at the castle any day now, I'm sure of it."
Nino merely smiled, preferring to simply listen rather than speak as her friend went on describing all that her family had been up to in the past few months, all the while putting the finishing touches on a chicken dinner she had been preparing for herself and Wil. The sage was well-accustomed to this ritual; since her entire life was devoted to wandering about the continent, searching for him...there was not much she could talk about when it came to her own experiences. Still, while she did not speak much, by no means was she not listening. She was delighted to hear what her dear friend had to say; the happiness she derived from hearing that the older woman was doing well provided some temporary relief from the terrible loneliness that consumed her when she was traveling.
She sometimes wondered why she even visited Rebecca at all, because the older woman's good fortune and opinions about the sage's wanderings never failed to leave her in a horrible, jealous depression. She loved the emerald-haired woman dearly, though, and when she was feeling a bit better she often felt that the joy from seeing and talking to her old friend made up for the sadness she felt when she was leaving.
Though she did not like to admit it, Nino knew that she would never even come close to Rebecca's ability of retaining her youthful appearance. Twelve years without him had robbed her of the cheery expression she had once worn almost all the time, and constant wandering had taken its toll on her body. The only features that remained of her old, happier self were the colors of her eyes and hair, in addition to the dark blue headband that she simply could not bring herself to get rid of. If not for those, an ordinary person might not have recognized her after so many years.
She preferred not to dwell on such depressing things when she was with Rebecca, though. Instead, she listened avidly as her friend talked about the archery contest her son had recently participated in, and followed her as she brought the completed meal into the house's small dining room. Rebecca called her husband, and the three of them sat down at the wooden table to eat.
"Mm, Rebecca, this is delicious," Nino declared, helping herself to some chicken. Her friend had always been an excellent cook.
"Thanks, Nino," Rebecca replied, beaming. But after that, they both lapsed into silence, only interrupted by the clinks of utensils.
Nino certainly enjoyed the meal, but as the silence at the table continued, she couldn't help but feel a growing uneasiness within her. She knew that it was only a matter of time before Rebecca asked the question that always spiraled downward into an argument about him. She knew it was coming, but she still hoped that for once, she might be able to leave her friend's house in a good mood.
But sure enough, after a few minutes of eating in silence, Rebecca looked up with a smile. "Nino," she said, "you must be exhausted after traveling all day. Maybe you should stay with us tonight?"
Nino felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she shook her head, her expression apologetic. "I'm sorry, Rebecca," she replied, "but you know I can't..."
The older woman's smile faded a little, but she still pressed on, "Oh, Nino, one night isn't going to kill you—"
The sage sighed sadly, holding her face with one hand while she held up the other in exasperation. She had been through this conversation before, and she wanted to stop it before it got out of hand. "Rebecca, please, let's not discuss this," she interrupted. "I don't want another argument..."
Unfortunately, however, Rebecca had always been a rather stubborn woman. "Nino," she pleaded, looking determined but at the same time as though she did not want to say this to her friend, "I know you want to keep searching, but really...what are the chances of him being here?"
That was it; she had spoken the magic words, and Nino instantly knew that she was not going to be leaving without a fight. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Wil getting up from the table and leaving the room silently, obviously already having realized what was about to come.
The sage took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, trying to control the sudden anger that had sprouted within her. She had known for a long time that Rebecca would never understand her feelings about him, but she had no choice now but to try and convince her friend that what she was doing was right. "The chances are irrelevant," she declared softly, as though what she was stating was an unchangeable fact. She stared at the older woman, her gaze intense. "I have to find him, Rebecca. You know that. I can't rest until I do."
Rebecca's expression was now desperate; she clearly did not want to hurt her friend with her words, but she seemed to feel that her opinion had to be said. "I know, Nino! But I—I can't stand seeing you torture yourself like this!" She closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Do you think I can be happy for you when I know you've been missing out on a wonderful life—your life—because you've been looking for him all this time?"
The anger in Nino's stomach intensified sharply. She had known this was coming the moment the conversation had started, yet still Rebecca's words cut into her—how dare she suggest that looking for him was a bad idea! She didn't understand! "And do you think I can be happy living without him, Rebecca?" she countered savagely, her anger suddenly taking control. "Why do you think I've been looking for him all this time? I love him, I can't be happy without him! You should understand—you feel the same way about Wil, I know you do! Wouldn't you go looking for him if he disappeared?"
"Yes, Nino! I would!" she replied desperately. "But after awhile, if I couldn't find him, I'd—I'd have to accept that maybe—maybe I would never find him!"
"Are you suggesting I'll never find Jaffar?" Nino demanded, her eyes widening in sudden fury. "Are you suggesting that I just...give up?"
"No!" Rebecca shouted, looking terrified at her friend's fierce expression. "I mean, yes! Nino, this journey is turning you into a different person! You never snapped at me like this when we first met!"
"That's because I was happy then!" Nino nearly screamed. A small part of her brain reckoned that the older woman had a point, but her passionate anger was blocking it out. "Back then, Jaffar was still with me! I've changed, I know—but that's because he left! Not because I'm looking for him!"
"B-but Nino...what if he doesn't want to be found?" Rebecca pleaded, her voice cracking. "I mean...h-how long have you been looking for him?"
"Twelve years," Nino muttered furiously. It almost sounded as though she was proud of how long she had been wandering.
"You see?" Rebecca gasped, her eyes now shining with desperate tears. "Y-you've spent the last twelve years of your life just looking for him, when—when f-for all you know, he might not want you to find him, or—o-or he might even be d—"
"Don't say it!" Nino yelled, rising from her chair. "He is not dead, he's alive, and it doesn't matter whether or not he wants me to find him, I'm going to whether he likes it or not!" She pointed a shaking finger at her friend, who was now nearly cowering in her seat, fear and pain at having provoked such a passionate reaction from her friend etched into every part of her expression. "You don't understand how I feel, Rebecca! You never will, so stop acting like you know better than me and just let me leave!"
Rebecca suddenly buried her face in her hands at Nino's last retort, and the sage was left standing there stupidly, an arm that had been thrown outward in a violent gesture suddenly freezing in midair. There was one moment of complete and total silence, and as the fury suddenly drained out of her, Nino desperately hoped that this sudden, uncharacteristic sign of sadness did not mean what she thought it meant, that very soon, Rebecca's head would rise again, and she would come right back with another reason for Nino to end her journey...
But what broke the silence was a sound that sent a wave of self-revulsion through the sage's body: a sob. Rebecca was crying.
Nino had endured many arguments with her dear friend about this same subject over the years, but never once had she provoked a reaction from Rebecca such as this. She hadn't wanted to hurt Rebecca; she had just wanted to prove her point...and yet, somehow, this had happened! She felt like she was going to be sick.
But she doesn't understand, snarled a particularly vindictive part of her brain. I have to find him...no matter how many stupid reasons she gives me to stop. She doesn't understand. She doesn't understand. She—
"I-I'm s-sorry, Nino..." Rebecca suddenly sobbed through her hands, breaking the sage out of her thoughts. Slowly, she gestured at the door. "Y-you're right, I-I d-don't understand h-how you f-feel...I-I'll let y-you go..."
There was a long pause as Nino simply stared at her friend, at a loss for words. The vindictive part of her brain roared in triumph, but even as she quickly shut the voice out, she had to grudgingly admit that it was right, in a way: She couldn't stop looking for him. Not for anything.
After several painful moments, she softly, sadly responded, "I'm sorry, Rebecca." Her eyes fell to the floor. "I...I didn't mean to snap at you like this...but you have to understand..."
"I-I understand perfectly!" Rebecca wailed, cutting the sage off, and another sudden pang of misery washed over Nino's heart. She again waved a hand at the door, more vigorously this time. "J-just go on, go keep looking for him!"
"Rebecca..." Nino murmured sadly, but she knew she had already damaged the situation beyond repair; nothing she could say or do would make Rebecca feel better. So with a heavy sigh, she softly declared, "...I'll be back, Rebecca. Just..." She paused. "Just remember, this...isn't your fault. Please."
And slowly, she walked to the door and gathered up her possessions. Rebecca's sobs continued echoing through the small house as Nino, still utterly miserable, silently opened the door and left.
She had known that this would happen, she thought dejectedly to herself as she walked down the street towards the other place she needed to go. Why had she even decided to visit Rebecca in the first place? It was foolish to come; she had known that her visit would only end in an argument...
She sighed. She was in a horrible mood, and yet she knew the other place she had to visit would make her feel even worse. Still, no matter how miserable it might make her feel, she wanted to visit this place, so with another sigh, she went on walking towards where she knew it stood...
-----
"I-I just feel...t-terrible..." Rebecca sobbed a few minutes later in the house's living room as Wil soothingly cradled her in his arms. It always pained her to have to argue with Nino every time she visited, but this...never before had the sage's outburst been this ferocious. "A-all I want to do i-is help her—" she clutched Wil even more despairingly as the image of her friend's furious face leapt into her mind, "—b-but...I-I've never seen her s-so angry...oh, Wil..."
"Shh..." her husband soothed, rubbing her back consolingly as he always did when she was feeling saddened. "It's all right...I'm here."
But every part of Rebecca's mind was screaming that it was not all right. Nino didn't deserve this wandering, she had always been such a nice person...she deserved to be able to settle down and live a happy life in a quiet, cozy village... It hurt Rebecca to see Nino like this, killing herself with her endless journeying...but it hurt even worse when her friend was angry at her. There just didn't seem to be a solution...
"W-what am I supposed to do, Wil?" she implored, tears still leaking slowly from her forest-green eyes. "She probably hates me n-now..."
"No, she doesn't," Wil responded consolingly, smiling a little. "I was listening—" he chuckled nervously, "—it was kind of hard not to hear you two, you know...but she said that this wasn't your fault. She's probably just...very frustrated, that's all."
"O-of course she's frustrated," Rebecca muttered, looking away bitterly from her husband. "She's been wandering for twelve years..." Tearfully, her gaze returned to Wil. "W-why doesn't she just listen to me a-and settle down? She d-doesn't have to do this to herself..."
Wil stared back at his wife silently, still rubbing her back soothingly. Then, with a sigh, he replied sadly, "To be honest, Rebecca...I know you're worried about her, but I really don't think she can do that."
"W-what?" Rebecca blinked; she had been expecting words of comfort from Wil, not the harsh truth she was so desperately trying not to admit to herself. "W-...why not?" she asked slowly, in a very small voice.
He looked away, seeming as though he did not want to tell her this, but after a moment he explained, "I...heard Nino say that you can't understand how she feels. And I think she's...well, I think she's right, 'Becca."
Rebecca stared at her husband for a moment, at a complete loss for words. Wil, on the other hand, seemed to realize what he was saying at the look on his wife's face, and looking away guiltily, he added, "That's...probably not what you wanted to hear..."
"No," Rebecca admitted, still rather shocked that her husband would be this frank when she was feeling so depressed. "But...i-is that r-really what you think, Wil?" Part of her knew that he was right, had known it all along, but she did not want to admit it, did not want to force herself into letting Nino continue to suffer. There had to be some way she could help her...
Wil now seemed to be regretting what he had just said. "Well..." he said softly, uneasily, "I don't know... I don't understand how she feels, either."
Rebecca could not think of anything to say to this, so she merely looked away, wiping her eyes. Then, slowly, she snuggled closer to Wil, letting his warmth soothe her because nothing else seemed to be helping. He began to stroke her hair, perhaps for the same reason.
She could see the sun setting outside through the window. Trying to get her mind off her friend, she watched it silently, but the image of Nino's rage-filled expression kept appearing before her eyes. Why did she have to do this to herself...?
"Do you think she'll ever find him, Wil?" she suddenly asked, softly.
"I don't know," he responded just as softly, still stroking her hair. "But I don't think she'll stop looking until she does."
Rebecca took a deep, shuddering breath, and slowly let it out. Maybe... Maybe Wil was right, maybe Nino never would stop looking... Maybe she should have just let her friend go...
There was no way she could persuade Nino to end her wandering. She knew that, had known it for some time, but it was just so painful to see her friend searching for a man that might not even be alive anymore... Still...Wil was right. Nino would never stop looking until she found Jaffar. She should just accept it, and encourage her friend to keep searching, even if it was fruitless... Nino would be happier if she did...
"I hope she finds him, then," she remarked quietly, more to herself than Wil.
Wil seemed to hear her, though. Smiling, he gave her hair an affectionate ruffle and kissed her on the forehead. "I think she'd be happy to hear you say that, 'Becca."
Rebecca smiled sadly, looking up at her husband. "I think she would, too."
And then, as if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Rebecca and Wil both sat up, looking at each other—who would be knocking at this time of day? Unless...
"I'll get it," Wil said, standing up.
"No," Rebecca stopped him, standing up as well. "I think...it might be Nino again." After such an outburst, she would probably want to apologize...and who else would it be, anyway?
Wil stared at her. "It might just be Wolt coming back from the castle, you know," he said matter-of-factly.
"Wolt wouldn't knock, you know that," Rebecca replied, unable to suppress a grin, and she started toward the door without another word. If it was Nino at the door—and she was all but certain it was—she could tell her what she had just told Wil, that she had finally accepted her constant wandering. She smiled...she could just imagine the look on her friend's face; it would be as though all of their arguments had never happened...
But when she opened the door, her hopes were dashed instantly. It was not Nino who had knocked—but it was not her son, either. Standing before her was a tall, dark-skinned man whose hair was the color of dried blood. He wore black clothes and a beige traveler's mantle, and he looked somewhat familiar...
Her eyes widened as she stared at the man, whose expression had suddenly become one of mild surprise, as though he had not expected her to answer the door.
No...it couldn't possibly be...?
"Who are you?" she asked breathlessly, forgetting for the moment that she was probably being very rude.
Her suspicions were confirmed the moment the man spoke his name. She did not think much after that, though, because the moment she knew for sure at whom she was looking, she fainted.
-----
It had been a spur-of-the-moment decision, one made more out of sheer desperation than anything, and he still could not understand what had driven him to do it. He had known from the moment that he had stepped foot in the Pheraen city that the chances the two snipers still lived there were minute, and that the chances they knew anything about Nino's whereabouts were smaller still. But, he had reasoned, he was near the city, and any chance of learning where she had gone was better than no chance at all...
He had been, then, immensely surprised at the fact that Rebecca had answered the door, but he had also been surprised by how quickly he had recognized the emerald-haired woman. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had last seen her; the days, months and years had blended together into an unrecognizable blur long ago. Her face, however, still looked almost exactly the way he remembered it, even after so long.
A wild surge of hope had filled him when she had answered the door, but he had quickly calmed himself, remembering how unlikely it was that Rebecca knew anything about Nino's wanderings at all... In any case, it would be rather difficult to ask her anything while she was unconscious.
He felt rather foolish standing in the doorway with the emerald-haired woman's body lying, unmoving, at his feet, and he began to wonder if coming here was really worth it. It would be, of course, if he was able to find out where Nino was, but the chances of getting information that precise, let alone any information at all, were extremely slim, and he knew it.
The beacon of hope that so suddenly consumed him just a few moments earlier seemed to thin out and die as he thought more and more about the reality of the situation. Nino and Rebecca had been very close friends when he had still lived with her in this very village, of course. She had still sent many letters to the emerald-haired woman after being forced to move away, and had received just as many in return. But how long had it been since then? All he knew was that Nino had left to search for him, and her movement about the continent would have made correspondence with her friend nearly impossible. How would Rebecca possibly know where Nino was...?
An all-too-familiar feeling of hopelessness slowly began to fill him, one that he had felt more than too many times during his wandering. Why had he even come? There was no reason for him to be here. He had just let himself get carried away by his hope, just like he had done so many times before...
He couldn't just leave now, though, not with Rebecca lying unconscious on the floor before him. He briefly considered calling for her husband, but that proved to be unnecessary a moment later, as a man that must have been Wil came walking out of the adjacent room, apparently confused by the lack of conversation at the doorway.
"'Becca?" he called as he entered, and then he stopped short. Shock and anger exploded on Wil's face as he looked down at his unconscious wife, but any exclamation he had been about to utter died on his lips as he noticed who was standing over her. Jaffar merely stared silently as the brown-haired man's fury drained from his expression.
Wil looked down at Rebecca again for several moments, his face very white, slowly seeming to realize what had happened and why. Finally, after a long silence, he looked back up and breathed, "Elimine... Jaffar? Is that...you?"
The former assassin's reply was a nod. His face was expressionless, but the bitter feeling of hopelessness was still churning inside him. He felt terrible...
As Wil seemed unable to speak, he added after a few moments, gesturing down at the floor where Rebecca still lay, "I think your wife was surprised to see me."
"Well I don't blame her!" the brown-haired man gasped, gazing about wildly as though expecting someone to pop out of nowhere and explain that what he was seeing was a joke. Then, with a sudden look of realization, his eyes locked with the former assassin's. "Jaffar!" he exclaimed, and suddenly, inexplicably, he was laughing, his face breaking into a broad grin. "Elimine, I don't believe this!"
Jaffar, however, could not understand what was happening, and Wil's laughter was only serving to intensify the bitterness inside him. Only the slightest hint of anger made it into his voice when he spoke, though. "Wil," he muttered, "what are you talking about?"
"Nino!" was Wil's reply. "She was just here!"
Jaffar's misery seemed to vanish on the spot.
-----
Tears streamed freely down her face, but Nino made no effort to stop them as she gazed up at the small, empty house in the middle of the deserted street. She knew that the moment she left this place, she would feel thoroughly miserable, and she had already had enough misery for one day. But despite the terrible loneliness she knew would soon come, a broad smile lit up her expression as the memories of the place filled her mind. For a few, shining minutes, she could be whole again, almost as though he was standing right by her side, holding her in his arms. For a few, shining minutes, she could still be living in this old house with Jaffar.
The years she had spent with Jaffar had been the happiest time of her life, and it was the memories of that blissful time that kept her going, sustaining her when all hope seemed lost. The house before which she now stood was a veritable mine of those memories, memories that could purge all the misery and loneliness from her body. Even if it was only for a little while...for once she could forget the fact that Jaffar had left her.
She was not angry at Jaffar for leaving her alone. She had been devastated by his departure, but she was not angry. She never had been and she never could be, for he had not left her out of spite or malice, but out of the pure love she knew he still had for her, wherever he was. He had left because he had believed she would be safer that way, away from the man whose death was sought by every bounty hunter on the continent. And she knew that he had not wanted to leave her, but had done so because he had believed it was a necessity, because while she was in danger he could not live with himself. She could not be angry with a man whom she loved so deeply and who loved her just as deeply in return, who would gladly give his life to see her alive and well. She could only be sad, and lonely.
He was still out there, looking for her. Somehow she knew that was the truth, knew that at some point Jaffar had to have realized the error of his ways and had attempted to return to her. Just as she could not live contentedly without him by her side, she knew he could not live contentedly without her. He was out there, somewhere, wandering about the continent just as she was, waiting for that day when their paths would cross.
Rebecca didn't understand that. Nino knew that her friend was only trying to help by asking her to stop her searching, but there was something about her love for Jaffar that went above and beyond everyday relationships, something that could only be comprehended by those who had felt it once before. Her dear friend's intentions were good, but she could not understand Nino's devotion to finding her husband. The sage knew that there was nothing the older woman could say that would persuade her to end her journey.
Even as she thought that, though, a dark cloud seemed to cover her mind, tarnishing the radiant memories of her life with Jaffar. She had not meant to explode at her friend as she had, had not meant to cause such a reaction from the one person she could still really talk to. But the frustration of years searching for the man she loved had long since taken its toll on her, and she was no longer able to keep a tight rein on her emotions like she had once been able to do as a child. She could only apologize for her behavior the next time she visited her friend, and hope that the incident would be forgotten...
She pushed those thoughts away, however, because this was the one time when she could feel like Jaffar was still with her, and she did not want to have it ruined by something she would surely be thinking about for a long time afterward. Clearing her mind, she walked into the house and let the memories overwhelm her...
-----
The first thought that entered Jaffar's mind as soon as it seemed to start functioning again was that Wil could not possibly have just said what he thought he had.
The situation seemed just as unexpected to Wil, but he at least seemed able to speak. "Well what are you waiting for?" His voice seemed to be coming from a great distance away, sounding delighted. "You're looking for her, aren't you?"
Stunned beyond belief, Jaffar nodded slowly.
"That's what I thought! Jaffar, she's been looking for you!" Wil was laughing again now as he bent down on one knee towards his wife, trying to rouse her. "If you hurry, you can probably catch up with her!"
But Jaffar was rooted to the spot, dazed, feeling almost as though he was in a dream. He had always known without a doubt that he would eventually find Nino, but their reunion had always felt just out of reach, lying at some point far in the future. The prospect of meeting with her within the hour was one that was utterly unexpected, almost unbelievable. Wil definitely didn't look like he was joking, however... Could she really be here? Could he really find her?
"Don't just stand there, Jaffar!" Wil's voice, louder this time, though still happy, brought the former assassin to his senses. Pointing wildly out the window at the darkening sky, the brown-haired man added, "If you wait too long you won't be able to find her in the dark!"
And slowly, very slowly, Wil's words began to sink in. Just as slowly, a small smile of disbelief began to form on his face, a smile that had not graced his expression for what felt like far too long.
A sudden rush of hope filled him, warming the body that had been numbed by years of loneliness. He had let himself get carried away by his hope before, but that didn't matter now, because Wil's words were the truth, he knew they were...
She was here.
He was suddenly seized with an intense urge to dash out the door into the darkening street, to search every road and inn in the area to find where she had gone. But a more rational part of his brain told him that she could be anywhere in city, and he had to know to where she had departed, or he might not find her...
"Tell me where she went," Jaffar said softly, still feeling rather dazed.
"Well...I'm not sure," Wil responded sheepishly.
The hope within Jaffar dimmed slightly, though it was still very much there. So what if he didn't know where Nino had gone? the more impulsive part of his brain demanded. He could still find her! She still had to be nearby!
At the same time, Rebecca's eyelids fluttered and opened, and both men immediately turned to look at her as she let out a small groan. Seeming rather confused, she sat up slowly, looking around. Her expression was questioning as her eyes locked with Wil's, but when her gaze turned sluggishly to Jaffar, she let out a gasp and her eyes widened to a frightening size. "Jaffar!" she breathed. "It really is you!"
The former assassin nodded curtly. He was relieved that Rebecca had awakened, but finding out where Nino had gone was far, far more important than the sniper's well-being. He dearly hoped the emerald-haired woman would know...
"Goodness!" Rebecca gasped, standing up slowly. "Jaffar, Nino was just—"
"I know," Jaffar interrupted, still brimming with hope. "Where did she go?"
The sniper shook her head slightly, still shocked. "I don't know!" she replied. "But she's probably still in the city; she can't have gone far!"
To Jaffar, however, knowing Nino's exact location suddenly didn't seem to matter anymore. She was in the city, and he could find her...he would find her, wherever she was. He would make sure of it. He couldn't pass up this chance under any circumstances.
The powerful urge to dash outside overwhelmed him again, but this time, there was no reason for him to resist it.
"Thank you," he said softly to Wil and Rebecca. And with that, he was gone.
"Let us know if you find her!" Wil called from the doorway. But Jaffar couldn't hear him; thoughts of the green-haired sage had consumed every one of his senses...except for his vision. He made sure to keep that clear as he dashed through the streets, looking up and down alleyways as he passed them by. She had to be somewhere... But even as he ran through several streets with no sign of her, his hope did not diminish; in fact, a broad smile began to form on his face.
She was here...he could be whole again. He would be whole again.
-----
She could already feel the terrible loneliness setting in, could already sense the misery threatening to consume her. Every part of her brain wanted her to linger in the empty house just a little bit longer, wanted to have just a few more moments of complete serenity, but she knew that she could not stay. No matter how painful it might be, she had to tear herself free from the blissful memories of the past and continue her searching. So to help herself leave, as she stepped out of the past and into the bleak and harsh present, Nino filled her mind with thoughts of the future.
Fantasies of finally finding and being reunited with Jaffar came to the green-haired sage every day, but no matter how often they appeared, they never failed to imbue her with an intense determination to see them fulfilled. Even now, as she saw in her mind's eye a smiling image of herself running towards her husband, she could feel her energy, so drained by the argument with Rebecca, renewing itself in her breast.
"I'll find you, Jaffar," she whispered to the air as she smiled through her loneliness. Already she could see it, their blissful reunion and future together, shining radiantly in her mind. Her smile widened as she turned and gazed up at the house from which she had just exited—when she found Jaffar, they could live here, in the house where they had lived so many years ago, and they would return to Rei and Lugh—
But at the thought of her twin sons, the fantasies vanished, and once again Nino was left alone in the cold, cruel present. Rei and Lugh...she had left them all alone, just as Jaffar had left her. It had been the hardest decision she had ever had to make, and even now feelings of regret still swirled within her. She constantly had to remind herself that she had not left them forever, that she would one day return to them as she would one day return to Jaffar, in order to keep herself from running back to their side. But even though it kept her going, it never made her feel any better.
Their faces replaced her fantasies, Lugh's bright smile and Rei's always-sullen expression filling her vision. How she longed to see them again... She wondered if they were still with the kind bishop Lucius; they were fifteen years old now, almost adults... She wondered if they still remembered her, and her promise to them...
She stopped walking as the all-too-familiar feelings of despair overtook her. What was she doing? Rebecca was probably right...for all she knew, Jaffar was dead...or worse, he didn't want her to find him, didn't love her anymore... And she had wasted the last twelve years of her life for nothing... Nothing...
But even as she thought that, a hardened expression of determination filled her features, and she delivered to herself the mental equivalent of a slap to the face. What was she thinking? She knew, had always known since the moment she had started looking for him, that Jaffar was out there somewhere, and that she would find him, no matter how many months or years it took. She knew that she and Jaffar would one day return to Rei and Lugh, that one day they would once again be a family. And she knew, beyond any doubt...that Jaffar still loved her. Even if she spent her entire life searching, even if, by some cruel twist of fate, she never found him...she would still love him, and he would still love her. It was a fact, a fundamental truth that could not be broken. And she knew it.
Her hope renewed, she thought again of what it might be like when she finally was reunited with him... She thought, as she had so many times before, of that day in the rain so many years ago, when Jaffar had revealed his feelings to her... Yes... It would probably be something like that day...
-----
How many streets and inns had he searched so far? The number seemed immense, and yet Jaffar's hope was still as bright as it had been the moment Wil had told him Nino was in the city. Something inside him told him that she still had to be somewhere, that she had not left the city yet, and he was going to find her. Even if he had to search the entire city ten times over...he would find her and they would be reunited. She couldn't slip away from him, not when she was so close...
The fantasies were already filling his vision, no matter how hard he tried to keep them away, no matter how hard he told himself that he had to keep his vision clear. He could already see himself, could already see her...they were running towards each other in the middle of the street, smiling, laughing, embracing each other tightly. He had dreamed about moments like it often before, but this time...he knew that the dreams were going to come true.
It was getting dark by the time he reached a familiar street, one that he had last seen a very long time ago, and he stopped for a moment as nostalgia overtook him. His eyes locked through the growing darkness on the house he and Nino had lived in so long ago, and he smiled, the memories of their time together in the very same house flooding his mind.
Then, very slowly, his eyes traveled downwards, towards the figure that stood in front of the house, and instantly he felt as though he had received a huge electric shock. For a few moments he could only stare ahead silently, his brain refusing to believe what he saw before him, but there could be no doubt...
It was her.
Only the back of her head was visible, but...it was her, he knew it was! He would have recognized that shade of green anywhere!
-----
One of the worst memories of Nino's life—aside from any memories involving Jaffar's departure—was that of nearly having been taken advantage of by a bounty hunter that had come for Jaffar when they had still lived together. Since that day, she had become somewhat paranoid, especially at night, constantly bringing a means of defending herself every time she went outside. She was thankful for this protection, as it had saved her from many an assailant during her wanderings. This protection was not the dagger or sword a normal traveler might bring along to protect him or herself, though; instead, it was a tome of Elfire. It was always by her side, ready to be used in an instant.
So when Nino felt the grip on her shoulder, her reaction was instantaneous.
"Don't even think about it!" she screamed as she was snapped out of her fantasy, her blissful expression giving way to scathing rage. The tome was in her hand and the memorized incantation was completed within a second, and she wrenched herself out of her attacker's grip, her hand outstretched. The blazing fireball erupted from her hand with a boom, speeding towards its target. The spell was not powerful enough to kill—no matter how vile those who attacked her might be, they did not deserve death—but she still could not help but feel a grim satisfaction as the fireball left her hand.
Her assailant's reflexes, however, were much quicker than anyone else on which Nino had used the spell. Seeming to have sensed the spell coming before she had even cast it, he was out of the fireball's path in an instant, rolling to the side.
But when he looked up at her from one knee, Nino's rage became utter confusion, as the man's expression was not one of anger, or lust, or anything else she had experienced from men like him. The expression on the man's face as he gazed up at her was one of the saddest and most pitiful things she had ever seen, as though she was looking at a man who was being forced to watch his life's dream be crushed before his eyes.
It was then that she realized exactly at whom she was looking.
And when she did, it felt as though all the air had suddenly been crushed from her lungs.
Her eyes widening to a frighteningly large size, she opened her mouth in an attempt to utter a shocked oath, but no sound would come out. She couldn't speak, couldn't move, couldn't even breathe. She could only stare at the man—no, Jaffar—in pure and utter shock, every part of her refusing to believe what she was seeing. It couldn't be him, just couldn't be...
But why couldn't it? asked a small, ecstatic part of her brain, one that seemed to grow rapidly the longer she stared at the man before her. She had been looking for him for so long, and now, finally, here he was...before her...
Slowly, very slowly, she took a step towards him, still too shocked to smile or speak, and as she did so, Jaffar's pitiful expression seemed to melt away. Numbly, she stretched out her arm, extending her hand to help him up. He took it, his dark, calloused hand seeming to fit perfectly in her pale, smooth one, and stood up, now smiling faintly.
"Jaffar," she gasped softly as she gazed up at his face, still not fully believing that he was really there, in front of her. Was it really him...?
He simply replied, just as softly, "Nino." The smile that graced his expression as he said her name was small, almost shy, like that of a young boy greeting a pretty girl for the first time.
"I... I..." She was trying to say something in reply, but she seemed to have forgotten what she was about to say the moment she had opened her mouth. Everything about the moment just seemed so strange, so unbelievable... She had had dreams about this very moment, fantasies about just how their meeting would occur so many times before...but this was so unlike them...
He simply continued to smile at her, still holding her hand in his. Then, so slowly she almost didn't notice the movement, his other hand moved up and rested on her cheek. Without really knowing why, she immediately blushed scarlet, but Jaffar didn't seem to mind this at all.
"It's you," he whispered. His smile widened.
"J-Jaffar..." Still the only thing she could say was his name. Finally, however, a burning question burst out of her, one that she had been wondering about for the last twelve years: "W-where have you been?"
He just kept smiling at her and replied, "Looking for you."
And at those words, everything finally seemed to sink in. At those words, she knew that it really was Jaffar standing before her, that her wanderings were finally at an end.
The dreamlike trance that had been upon her suddenly broke, and without thinking, she flung her arms around his waist, pressing his body to hers tightly, as though he might disappear and leave her again if she let go. "It's you..." she whispered faintly, tears of happiness, of relief, of love rapidly welling in her eyes and spilling over. "I-it's r-really you..."
And for the first time in more than twelve years, it was not a fantasy-Jaffar that returned her embrace, but the man she loved, the real person.
"I should have stayed with you," she heard him whisper as he stroked her hair. "I'm sorry, Nino, so sorry..."
But she didn't care about that anymore, not at all... All that mattered now was that she had found him, and she was finally with him, finally whole again...
-----
Some time later, after night had fully fallen, an expectant Rebecca heard another knock on her door. Nearly jumping up from her seat in excitement, she rushed to the door and opened it, smiling broadly.
It was Jaffar again. This time Nino was with him, and to Rebecca's delight, on her friend's face was the happiest smile the emerald-haired woman had seen from her in twelve years.
-----
Later that night, as Jaffar lay with Nino on the bed in the guest room of Rebecca and Wil's house, he still felt as though he was dreaming.
Nino had fallen asleep in his arms, and the feeling of her slow, steady breathing against his body was a constant reminder that she was really there, that he had really found her. Even with his arms wrapped around her slender figure, though, he still had a hard time believing that she had really returned to him, kept wondering if he would wake up any moment now and find out that it had all been a dream.
But the reality was that he and Nino were together again, and the feeling that had sprouted within him at their reunion was the most wonderful sensation he had ever felt, more blissful than even that day in the rain so many years ago, when Nino had first told him that she loved him. He found himself smiling broadly at the ceiling as he stroked her bright-green hair absently, simply reveling in the dreamlike moment. He had dreamed of moments like this since the moment he had started searching for her, had had fantasies about what his life would be like once he was finally reunited with the woman he loved...but this moment, this wonderful moment was not like those dreams.
It was better.
Yeah, horribly cliché ending there, but...I like it. I like this whole story. What do you guys think? As always, don't hesitate to point out any problems you see. I can't improve as a writer if you don't.
I have a bit of...well, unfortunate news for you all, though. As many of you know, I will soon be heading off to college, and even now I can tell you that it is seriously going to cut into my writing time, so I'm just letting you know...you might not be seeing an update from me for some time. That being said, however, it does not mean that I won't be visiting this site anymore. I have been and always will be a fanfiction reader, even if I can't return the favor and write as often as I would like. So while I may not have a new story anytime soon, you can still expect to see me reading and reviewing the stories in the Fire Emblem section as well as others. I will still be writing, but just not as quickly as before. I'm not going to just disappear, though!
So until next time...
Please review!
-TheOneAndOnlyT