Our Past, Our Present, Our Future
An Undying Flame
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Author’s Notes
I don’t own the characters of Breath of Fire 3. They belong
respectfully to their creators and ECT.
Plagiarism is bad so don’t do it. Simply put.
This fan fiction is a request made to me by a reader whose name
shall not be revealed. Personally, I was quite interested when I began writing
this because of the pairing between 2 characters. I’ve never seen any fan
fictions about the following pairing so it’ll be interesting if I’m the first
to actually start. By the way it’s M/M. So people who are offended should turn
back now. Like I said it was a request and I won’t hesitate to do them since it
can only enhance my writing skills.
You have been warned.
As forotheother Original Breath of Fire fiction I’m still
working on it. And I do apologize to people who have waited for me to update.
The reason I haven’t been updating on that particular story is because I was
working on this one. So once again I’m sorry for any inconveniences I’ve caused
and I promise I’ll get right to working on the next chapter for
Breath of Fire: Another Side, Another
Story
Thanks much!
Our Past, Our Present, Our Future.
Chapter 1. An Undying flame
The fire radiated
soothing warmth and the crackles it gave off were frequent. The nosinosity of
the flame shone and illuminated the dark and cool night. The light revealed
shadows calmly sitting and chatting amongst themselves. A moving shadow
revealed a young girl with golden colored hair and blue cerulean eyes. She
smiled and laughed softly as she watched a little robotic machine parading back
and forth. Nearby, a woman wearing blue traveling clothes tinkered with a
screwdriver on some mechanical remains. She stopped and removed her spectacles
and frowned. Wiping her brow, she glanced back down at the parts that lay
unfinished on the ground and sighed. Putting the glasses on once more,
A frigid gust of wind
blew and put an abrupt end to the blazing flames. The two ladies looked up and
began groping around for some flint and wood. No sooner then they began however
the smoldering pile suddenly revived itself. The blaze grew and the invi
li
light shimmered once more. Standing close to the flame was a burly and large
creature. It looked ancient yet very intimidating and powerful. Its body was
decorated with trinkets of sorts and prayer beads. It seemed to be a great and
pious beast, one who revered the gods.
A sudden rustle
from some shrubs startled the active group. The cerulean eyed girl stood
turning toward the origin of the noise. The other two followed suit as well.
The women with glasses picked up her large arm cannon and prepared to fire.
“Hold on a minute,
it’s just me.” A voice called out. A figure stepped from the shrubs carrying a
fairly large bag with him. The bright fire accentuated his golden skin and soft
fur. He wore dark orange pants with ann man matching vest, exposing his
well-defined and muscular chest and part of his abdomen. Practically his whole
body was covered with short golden fur in addition to his face, which also had
brown stripes. Reflections of the glowing fire danced in his Topaz eyes as he
slowly made his way toward the campfire.
The other three
let their guard down and sighed. The women with glasses gave him a stern look
as her hands came to hips. “And just where have you been Rei? We were getting
worried with you being gone for nearly the whole day.”
Rei dropped the
large canvas bag and slumped down against a log, nonchalantly stretching his
legs and arms while ignoring the question from the woman. His muted response
irritated her and her long white ears twitched in impatience.
pressed on with a clear tone of frustration in her voice. The
“Does it really matter? Besides I’m more than capable of taking care of myself
unlike someone I know.” He indicated with his brown eyes to his large discarded
knives near the bag. By now, the women could think nothing else but thoughts of
bloody murder as she prepared to strangle her obnoxious victim. However, the
lovely and cheerful cerulean eyed girl intervened just in time.
“
teasing you, aren’t you Rei?” she asked innocently and winked. The
lightning movements, he produced something from the bag and without warning
threw the object at Momo. It hit her squarely in the
face and she screamed.
“
Nina couldn’t help
but giggle as she quickly assisted Momo in the task.
Once pulled off, Nina examined the object and nearly screamed herself. The
slimy object fell from her hands and she began jumping up and down. There lying
in the dust was a small dead squid. Momo’s face
turned pale and her hand went to her mouth.
“I see you’ve been
fishing Rei. That’s good; we’ll have dinner tonight then.” The quiet Holy Beast
commented as he stared pensively into the fire. Rei grinned and nodded, his
eyes darting mischievously back at the still angry Momo.
“That’s right
Garr, and we won’t have to worry about wasting any cause I brought plenty of
fish and squids too.” He replied, emphasizing the word squid to provoke her
further.
“Oh shut up Rei!
You’re so childish and immature. Argh I can’t get
this awful smell off of me. Come on Nina; let’s go wash up at the nearby
spring!” Momo shouted as she grabbed her discarded Ammo
gun and a small bag of spare clothing. Nina nodded as well and quickly followed
her.
At this point
Garr had fished out some dinner and began preparing. “I shall get dinner started.
In the mean time, why don’t you go wake up Ryu? He’s
inside the tent sleeping.” He grd sed several sticks and began prodding the
fish. Upon hearing Ryu’s name Rei hesitated for
moment before complying. “Alright...”
He stood and
slowly began walking toward the tent. Sooner than he expected, he arrived at
the opening. Cautiously, he drew back the flaps and stepped inside. Upon
entering, a smile slowly crept to his lips. There before him lay the sleeping
form of a young man. Spiky blue hair jutted out in odds and ends with a few
loose strands covering an eye. The man’s face was innocent looking yet it held
a sign of maturity. Rei knelt down next to Ryu’s head
as he watched the youth’s muscular chest rise up and down steadily. He carefully
brushed away the stray tendrils and sighed. The face before was no longer the
same child as once before. It had been a long time, too long in fact. 10 years
had passed since Rei has last seen his close friend and ‘adopted brother’.
Visions of the past flooded Rei’s mind as he stared down at the boy he once
knew.
********
Silently, he
watched his prey intently. His eyes were fierce and menacing.
was about to wind up on a silver platter; munched on a small green apple.
‘Just a little
closer…a little closer…’ The beating of his heart quickened as did his breaths.
The thought of all that blood and meat tempted him to no end and he continued
waiting. ‘That’s it. Almost there...’ CLANG! A loud metallic ring echoed
throughout the forest. The Wild Boar immediateled led in fear for its life. Rei
stood from his position in the bushes and growled angrily. He had almost captured
dinner until something scared it off. Curiosity however, tugged on the
the sound emanated from. Up ahead, a group of wild wolves were busily
surrounding an unseen thing.
“Great…a pack of them.”
Rei muttere no no one in particular. He noticed a metal cage nearby, damaged
and ajar. ‘Well that explains a lot.’ He thought. Tired of waiting and still
frustrated from a lost meal Rei leapt forward and slashed a pair of the beasts.
Seeing their fallen comrades, the rest of the pack proceeded to rip Rei to
shreds. The lithe warrior quickly dispatched the rest of them, moving swiftly
and slashing left and right. With all the beasts now dead, Rei finally looked
upon what they were after. A mixture of surprise and silence rushed through
him. It was a boy…a small child. Rei carefully examined the child; short sky
blue hair and a fairly slim tone were apparent. Besides that, the boy was
completely nude. Rei felt a flush reaching his face but quickly regained his
composure. He knelt down and gently tapped the boys face, but received no
response. Rei decided to check for any injuries.
“Nope nothing at
all. The little guy’s perfectly fine.” He muttered as he lifted the boy’s head.
Rei’s hand brushed against the boy’s smooth and warm face. Strangely, it felt
nice to Rei. Quickly snapping back to reality Rei tried once more to awaken the
boy.
“Hey kid, are you
ok?” Rei asked. There was no response once more except for the boy’s steady
breathing. “Sleeping huh? I suppose I can’t leave you out here alone then.” Rei
thought for a moment and an idea formulated in his mind. “Know what? I’m
answer. Rei chuckled as he lifted the boy over his shoulder.
“Guess you’re not
in the talking mood.” Another chuckle escaped from his throat. Rei slowly began
his trek home carrying this boy and no dinner.
Back at the
house, another small boy waited impatiently for his late friend. His lavender
hair cascaded down to his back and he had piercing crimson eyes with a semi
pale face.
‘Where is he
already? It’s getting late.’ The boy thought. A loud creak indicated the door
being open. ‘He’s home.’ The boy walked to the door to greet his friend. “Hey
wha what took you so long.?” The boy began but stopped as he noticed what Rei
was carrying. “Is that dinner?”
Rei sighed. “Not
exactly Teepo. Quick, help me get this little guy
into your bed.” Rei said as he began heading toward the stairs.
As
at his soul. ‘Who is that boy? I feel…like I know him from somewhere.’
had said. “Wait a minute? Why my bed!?”
And that was how
and he grew to be fast friends and they all got along fine. Adventure and
pilfering food was always a big part of their lives. Rei was especially
surprised by Ryu's bravery during battles. He proved
to be a worthy ally yet fighting was something he hesitated to do at any cost.
The boy’s innocent and naïve outlook on the world made Rei truly wonder where
he had come from. Rei often wondered why Ryu was kept
in that cage in the first place. Did the boy have any family or friends searching
for him? Whatever the reason, Rei vowed to look after Ryu.
He simply could not let such a pure person like the boy to be harmed in any way
of form. Rei felt obliged to protect both him and Teepo
like an elder brother. Together, they would live happily and undisturbed….
*********
Rei continued
looking down at his young friend, well…not so young anymore. He looked almost
angelic while lying there fast asleep. Rei started caressing his cheek on
impulse but then suddenly paused.
child anymore. He was mature and could now fight on his own. He didn’t need Rei
to protect him anymore and with that fact Rei felt a sort of sorrow in his
heart. Never, had he ever felt so…sad and empty.
‘I let him down
once before that day when those two assassins came. I couldn’t help him or
back and finish what I could not do. Ryu doesn’t need
me any more; it’s as simple as that.’ Rei surmised. He stood and decided headed
for the tent opening but stopped and turned back to look at his sleeping
friend. Part of him wanted to run now and never come back, while the other
wanted him to stay…stay and be here close to Ryu.
What about Ryu? Part of his inner conscience
reached out. ‘I can’t, I failed to protect Ryu when
he needed me. Besides Ryu doesn’t need me, he’s all
grown up now.’ Rei argued with himself.
need's you now more than ever.
As if triggered by
this comment Ryu began whimpering. His body tossed
and turned from side to side despairingly. Whispers flowed from his mouth
incoherently as random words became audible.
“Help…please” He
whispered as his struggling became more and more frantic.
‘What’s happening?
Is he having a nightmare’ Rei tried to move but was somehow spelld byd by what
was happening. His body was locked firmly to the ground while all he could see
was Ryu whispering for help.
‘What are you doing
to him? Stop this!’ Rei reconnected with his mind. This is not my or your doing. It is the subconscious part of
not see it? He’s suffering and needs you. You say differently but it is
apparent now isn’t it?
flowing from Ryu’s now pale face.
“Somebody…help me.
Where is everyone?” The whispers grew to louder and desperate pleadings.
understand, not even himself. Rise up from your own selfish despair and step
into reality. Now is the time for you to
be here for him, to help and protect him, to lov... The
last part was cut off by a loud cry from Ryu
“Rei! Please help
me!”
Rei broke free
from his trance and rushed to Ryu’s side. He took a
hold of Ryu and slowly began cradling him.
be okay Ryu. Everything will be all right. I’m here
for you.” Rei whispered as he rocked held him close and tight.
more. The tears didn’t stop though and all Rei could do was reassure him. Rei
never really liked physical contact of any sort. He didn’t like touching others
and he disliked being touched. But Ryu had been an
exception to that rule, ever since he was small.
‘It’s just like
before…’ Rei remembered.
The rain cascaded
down in rivers from the dark sky. The thunder boomed endlessly and the night
winds howled. Lightning flashed through the sky and shattered a few trees
mercilessly. The malicious music of the night awoke a sleeping child. Fear
radiated from his eyes as he cried and covered his ears. Another boom of
thunder caused the child to run out of the room.
Rei sat by the fireplace and blew into his hands. He wrapped a blanket
around himself and placed his hands near the flames. The loud thunder certainly
didn’t help with getting any sleep and so he decided to stay up. Suddenly an
unmelodic wave of crying alerted his sensitive ears and Rei turned to see a
teary-faced, blue-haired boy running down the stairs.
“Ryu, what’s the matter? Rei asked as
he stood from his chair and caught the smaller boy in a hug.
wipe away forming tears from Ryu’s face.
“Bad dream huh?”
The small boy
nodded as he hugged Rei tighter. The Woren smiled and
took a hold of Ryu’s hand.
“Come on; let’s get
you back into bed.” He walked with the boy and helped him back into the small
bed. An open window creaked as it swayed back and forth. It was shut with a
soft click and Rei turned to leave the room.
“Big brother Rei?”
A meek voice called out. Rei looked back and sighed. He sat next to
“Okay
sleep.” Rei said. Ryu nodded and close his eyes and
in few moments was fast asleep. Rei smiled at the sleeping angel and suddenly
was overcome by a wave of fatigue. He yawned and lay next to the boy, wrapping
his arm around the back of him.
“Good night
***********
“Everything’s all right Ryu…” Rei whispered.
He held the younger man tighter and closed his eyes, praying for everything to
truly be alright. Soon the struggling ceased altogether and Ryu’s
body relaxed. Eyes fluttered open, revealing reflections of a perfect lake.
“R..Rei?” A voice broke the silence.
The Woren’s
eyes snapped open and he loosened his grip on Ryu. He
pushed him back just far enough so that their eyes met.
more.
“I was having…”
“A nightmare? Yes I
hold and looked down in shame.
“I’m sorry
continued staring at his Woren friend.
“Sorry? For what
Rei?”
Just as he started to
explain himself the sound of cloth rustling alerted the two. Both turned to see
the mighty Garr entering the tent.
“What’s going on? I
thought I heard yelling.”
“It’s nothing at
all, we’re fine…” Rei hastily replied. He stood and treaded toward the exit of
the tent.
“Rei wait!”
Again his inner self reached out to him. Still
thinking about leaving? Even after all that? ‘…….’
“I need some air,
that’s all.” With that said the lithe Woren stepped
out into the cool night. The air felt wonderful and the stars glittered
brightly. Outside, he nearly fell over the sleeping onion creature. The loud
movement awakened the bulb and it squeaked as it looked up at piercing and
intimidating eyes.
“
“Err…sorry
step on ya.” Rei commented as he stalked toward the
campfire. He sat on the cold log and gazed pensively into the fire.
that you care for him. Maybe even more than you think… ‘Say what? Don’t get
me wrong now. Ryu is like a brother to me, nothing
more and nothing less.’ Not the way I see
it. Think carefully now Rei. Growing up you did treat him with extra care
didn’t you? Even more than Teepo. You were clearly
attached to him whether you realize it or not.
you to decide. Instead of trying to use that brash head of yours look deeper,
into your heart and soul…
back to reality. He yowled in pain and glared at the fire as he rubbed his
singed tail, as if trying to intimidate the flickering essence. The whole
fiasco ended in less than a minute and Rei found himself staring into the
burning light once more. Countless thoughtshed hed through his head as he went
over the night’s events. Unfortunately, frustration spread and contaminated his
thoughts and he growled and fell back against the cool grass. Laying there he calmed
down and closed his eyes. His thoughts were foggy and unclear however, one last
thought remained pure in his mind and he couldn’t help but softly smile.
“Don’t this just
beat all.” he muttered.
Author’s Notes
1)
there will be future chapters for this fiction as well.
2)
do realize that the characters may seem a bit OOC but hey that sometimes
happens with Romance fictions.
3)
to those who read and please don’t forget to review and tell me what you think.
4)
the person who requested this, I hope you like how it’s going so far.