Deanna and Natasha Chapter 1: The Invalid, a shining force fanfic

Author's Notes:

What with all the alternate universe fan fiction out there, I want to say right from the start that this is NOT alternate universe. This story is consistent with Shining canon as far as I can see, and all my future fanfics will treat it as canon. Obviously I can't call it Shining canon for more than one reason, but consider it Shining Martin III canon.

If you haven't done so already, I suggest you read my first Shining fic, "The King's Friends", as this novella follows up on characterizations established there. You don't need to read it to understand this book, but it is a fairly quick read. This novella is mainly a look at Deanna and Natasha's growth over the course of SF Gaiden II. Note that this is NOT a novelization! I detest novelizations! That is why I skip over many parts of the game. After all, anyone reading this has probably played the game and knows how the story goes. My intent is to share what wasn't shown in the game, the parts of Deanna and Natasha's story that the developers had to leave out due to video game constraints... or rather, the parts that I think they left out, with my own literary interpretation. :) Naturally, I don't presume to know for sure what the whole story behind Deanna and Natasha is, though I did try to follow the clues in the game.

Constructive criticism is of course appreciated, and praise is actually of good use as well. I have plans for two further Shining Force CD-related short stories, see. The first, "While You Guys Were Out", is a look at how the folk left behind at Castle Cypress managed during the absence of Nick, Mayfair, and Natasha. The second, "The Proposal", is set after the end of SF CD. However, there's no point in my actually writing these stories if no one wants to read them. So if you like this novella and want to see more, let me know; otherwise I'll (probably) move on to Shining the Holy Ark fanfics. And certainly let me know if you think I'm handling any of the characters or world of Shining Force CD wrong(politely!).

Technical Notes: The milleu of this fanfic and all the characters within are property of Sega. This story is set during Shining Force Gaiden II(Book 2 of Shining Force CD).

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Deanna and Natasha

basic plot and original dialogue(as seen in Shining Force Gaiden II and Shining Force CD) -

Hiroyuki Takahashi, Shugo Takahashi, and Hiroshi Kajiyama

additional plot and script - Martin III

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"Home

and where I long to be

is all the world behind a shady mask of green, blue, and gold

Clouds

are all I seem to see

Can I not find you in the misty dawn of green, blue, and gold? ...

Here,

within my coat of blue,

I stand presenting all for you to see and feel, touch and hold...

Remember,

I'm not to be disturbed

If you control your words you'll share my mask of green, blue, and gold "

- Chapter 1: The Invalid -

Deanna was getting a beating again. He could tell by the way the world jerked and jolted around him, as though he were on a ship in the mother of all storms. Fists, knees, and elbows took turns on a collision course with his face, as if it were some obstacle that they couldn't possibly avoid. The pain pounding in his skull was only relieved when a blow to the stomach drove the air from his lungs.

It was a rougher beating than usual. Much rougher; his left side was in such agony that he knew there was a strong chance that one or more of his ribs were broken. Blood flowed freely from his battered nose, while two of his fingers hung hideously out of joint. He knew that his scalp must be glowing red from all the times they'd pulled his hair, and he'd already swallowed at least one broken tooth. Why wouldn't they stop?

But still Deanna continued fighting back, though he knew it only added to their amusement. He swung his fists in blind strikes that invariably hit nothing but air, repeating to himself over and over that he couldn't give up.

"Haw! The high and mighty Sergeant Deanna, brother of General Hindel! A nice fight he's putting up!"

"What's he doing, trying to hug his imaginary friend?"

"Nah. His imaginary boyfriend! You wore your hair just for him, didn't ya, fag?"

"Please... stop..." Deanna pleaded, continuing his useless attack.

"Sorry, Dea old boy, I don't see no white flag. Actually, in your case it's a yellow flag, isn't it?"

"Yeah, you know the rules. You don't go nowhere until you've pissed yourself."

He'd been hoping he would, just to end this. But it wouldn't come.

"We know you can do it."

"He's damn good at it. Ha ha! Good thing, 'cause it's the only use he'll ever get out of his manhood!"

As if to add further to the truth of this statement, Deanna's tormenter suddenly slammed his knee in between Deanna's legs, hard enough to make him vomit.

His mind burned with agony, yet somehow he could still sense them all around him, still hear one of them say, "Oh man. Look what you did. Wrong excrement, pal."

The beating resumed, and it occurred to Deanna that for whatever reason, this time they weren't going to stop.

They were going to kill him.

With the strength of desperation, he burst free of their grasp and fled. They followed, calling out more taunts and jeers after him. Hindel. He had to get to Hindel. Hindel would protect him.

Yes! There his older brother was, right in front of him, tall and powerful as always. Nothing could overcome Hindel. Nothing.

"Hindel! Help me -"

Hindel's fist smashed into his already broken face. "Why can't you stand up for yourself for once, Deanna!?"

Deanna collapsed onto his bottom. "I... I tried..."

Hindel hit him again, harder. "All those countless hours I spent training you, and you have the nerve to come sniveling to me every time someone antagonizes you!"

"I... I'm sorry I failed you..."

"You've done more than fail me!" He hit him again, still harder. Deanna cringed into a ball, but still neither Hindel's blows nor his words would stop. "I'd have it all if I didn't have you to worry about, Deanna! Instead I'm a laughingstock before my fellow generals! Can you imagine what would happen to me if His Majesty ever found out that I have such a sniveling weakling for a brother?"

Each blow brought Deanna closer to death, and all he could do was continue to moan, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

For a moment, Hindel stopped. Then, taking a regretful breath, he said at last, "You disgust me."

The blow that immediately followed exploded Deanna's world into a haze of red.

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"NO!"

With this short cry, Deanna's eyes flashed open, and awareness returned. His breathing was incredibly loud in his ears, and he could feel sweat running all over his face and onto the pillow beneath him.

He immediately realized that he was in an unfamiliar bed. It had been some time since he had slept in a real one; this would be the first he'd been in since leaving for Cypress. Remembering that he was now within Cypress, Deanna realized that his being in a bed could not be a good sign.

"Awake at last."

Deanna started, looking around him for the first time. The woman sitting at his bedside was also unfamiliar.

"Good spirits, you look like a cornered deer." The woman said this with sympathy, as though she was unaware of the humor in Deanna's expression. "That must have been some nightmare."

He said nothing, relaxing his head back onto the pillow. The woman was unfamiliar, but that was to be expected, and at least she was alone. Strange women disturbed him less than strange men in general, and she seemed kind enough. Her large, warm eyes, delicate cheeks, and modest hairstyle spoke of a gentle nature. There was no need to fear her, Deanna decided. Not that he could trust her, of course; she must be of Cypress.

"Where am I?" he said through his parched throat.

"Castle Cypress."

Deanna's heart plummeted with dread. He was cut off from his men, ensnared in the very heart of the enemy forces. If they found out who he was... He impulsively sat up in bed, flight on his mind.

The woman gently but firmly stopped him, and pushed him back onto the bed. Deanna tried to resist, but he found himself strangely weak.

"Ohhhh no you don't," the woman said. "I've healed all of your wounds, but that broken leg of yours needs to set. I'm afraid you're going to be in bed for a few days to come."

"You're a healer?" Deanna croaked out.

"Slow down! You've got me so flustered I'm forgetting my manners. Here," she said, moving to a stand near the head of his bed. Deanna lost sight of her for an instant, then felt her fingers slip into his hair and gently raise his head to a filled cup. "You need water." With infinite tenderness, she poured the cool liquid down his dry throat.

"Thank you."

"Wow. Good spirits, even in my profession I've rarely heard such gratitude." She took the cup away and again moved out of Deanna's sight. He shifted his head and saw her refilling the cup from a pitcher. "I apologize for my rudeness; I think this is the longest I've talked to someone without introducing myself. My name is Mayfair, and yes, I'm a vicar." She lifted his head to give him a second drink. "Well, not so much anymore, I suppose, not since my new appointment. But I'm the best healer in Castle Cypress, and you certainly needed the best, so here I am. If I weren't so sorry about your injuries, I'd actually say I'm glad for the chance to practice my old craft." He finished the cup, and she again set his head down. "Do you want any more?" she asked.

He shook his head. "How bad was I?"

"You don't remember what happened?"

He furrowed his brow in thought a few moments. "No."

She nodded in understanding. "That's not uncommon, at your level of injuries. They found you at the bottom of a cliff. You were lucky enough to have nothing broken beyond the leg, but for the rest of it I wouldn't put much value on your luck." She looked at him in curiosity. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that some of those injuries came from something other than the fall. Do you remember anything at all?"

Deanna hesitated. But the information did nothing to identify him as being from Iom, he decided. "Um. I'm an army sergeant. We might have been in battle."

"With Iom soldiers? Here?" She looked thoughtful. "Well, Nick did tell us to expect invaders. I hope that my guards are up to the challenge. You know, you -" She stopped a moment. An awkward silence passed. Then she said with a light blush, "You know, I haven't even asked you your name."

He knew that he should lie. It probably would do no harm to tell her his name, but it was a gamble with his very life. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to treat Mayfair as an enemy. "It's Deanna. Don't be embarrassed; it's my fault. I keep on distracting you."

"Well, Deanna, I must say I'm impressed that you've reached the rank of sergeant at your age." She pulled a stool up to his bedside and sat down. "We could really use someone with your talent here. Our troops are shorthanded, and to be perfectly frank, we have discipline problems in some of the young men. You see, we've been training squads of people your age and younger here. It's an experiment His Majesty wanted to try. But the only good leader we have in these junior squads is a mage named Natasha, and our delinquent young men won't listen to her. If they had a responsible officer of their own gender to look up to, they might shape up."

"...I'll think about it. I'm not that good of a sergeant, really."

She smiled at him. "It's not about how good you are. It's about how good you can be for your country. For Cypress."

She certainly was convincing; he had to admit that. He almost wished he could sign up with the Cypress army just for her. But her patriotism was foolish when you looked at it objectively. The Cypress troops were going to be completely slaughtered. What good was it to fight for your country when it ended in that?

Mayfair stood up. "Well, Deanna, be sure to give it some thought. I wish I could stay and talk with you more, but I have a hundred and twenty matters demanding my immediate attention. I'll send Dawn in to take care of you. I think you'll find the two of you have a lot in common. Don't be afraid to ask her if you need anything at all." She made her way to the door.

"Will you come see me again?" Deanna asked anxiously, lifting his head to look at her.

Lingering at the doorway, Mayfair smiled. "Not until after you're well again, I should think."

"What is this new profession of yours that keeps you so busy, anyway?"

"You haven't guessed? I'm a general."

Deanna's blood went cold. A general of Cypress! Even new to the position as she was, she must have ordered the torture and killing of dozens of innocent men, woman, and children. How deceiving looks could be!

He let his head fall back to the pillow. Hindel would have berated him for his foolishness. Closing his eyes to rest, Deanna reflected that he would have to be more careful. He couldn't trust anyone here, not even for a second.

"By the way, Deanna," Mayfair said softly, "...who is Hindel?"

His eyes shot back open, burning with fear. "H... Hindel?"

"When you were having your nightmare, you kept on moaning that name over and over. My guess is that Hindel is someone important to you?"

"Hindel... Hindel is some sort of mythological creature. It was chasing me in my nightmare."

"I see. Please excuse my nosiness. It's just that it occurred to me that he might be someone we should notify about your injury." Deanna said nothing. "Dawn will be along before you know it. Get well, Deanna."

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Dawn turned out to be a centaur. Deanna had to hide his reaction from his face; centaurs frightened him. The combination of the iron-hard hooves and thousand-pound body of a horse with the unpredictable mind of a human was a menacing package. She was a particularly cool and powerful-looking one, as well. Short-cut hair framed a face that seemed to have been drawn from a quarry. Deanna wondered what Mayfair could have possibly thought he had in common with this creature.

"Hello there Deanna! I'm Dawn." She scrutinized him. "Well, you're certainly looking a lot better now then you were when I brought you in. General Mayfair really is the best, isn't she?"

"Ah... You're the one who found me?"

"Well, it was me and Natasha. But I was the one with the strength to carry you on my own, so..." She shrugged. "So, are you feeling allright?"

"Fine," he answered shortly.

"It must be a real pain, to have nothing to do but lie in bed for days on end. Don't worry, though, I'm sure you'll be on your feet well before the fighting starts. General Mayfair tells me you're a sergeant?"

"Yes."

Dawn approached his bed, peered at him with curiousity. "You're a shy little thing. I practically have to pry every word from you with a set of fireplace tongs. Don't tell me you're still nervous around females?"

Deanna did not answer. Maybe if he kept silent, she would get the idea and just leave him alone.