Roots

Hey everyone! I'm in love with this game, so I decided to write to my hearts content! This one turned out to be Mirania X Yurick. I'm not good with getting names together to something people will recognise. Yurania perhaps? I dunno. Well, whatever, I hope you enjoy reading!

Disclaimer: I don't own The Last Story.

Chapter One: Roots of a new beginning part one.

Rain fell down harshly on Lazulis city as dark clouds gathered above. The streets were dark and silent, apart from the sound of the never-ending falling of rain. No children running about, no useless chatter from men and women that had just left work or some bar, no merchants crowding the streets as they tried to sell their goods to passers-by, no guards, no beggars. Not even the always watchful fortune teller was out.

Yet one figure slowly made its way through the streets, never hurrying or even trying to find shelter from the rain that fell down so hard that it hurt.

Mirania kept her head down, not wanting to face the dark clouds above, darkening the world with their ominous presence. Looking from the corner of her eye she glanced behind. Something evil approached, matching the skies above, if not even more sinister than the clouds could ever make themselves look. She knew exactly what it was. It was the exact reason she was headed towards them in such a roundabout way. Wondering why she was so certain they'd help her out she followed her route. It had already been two years since they disbanded after the outsiders had been returned to the sky. Two years of finding a new way to live. Two years that they hadn't been the famous -or infamous- band of mercenaries that took the city by storm, as they rose in rank with each day. From common mercenaries to retainers of court, to -some of them- knights-in-training, and then eventually to being a proper knight. Everyone had been forced to find some way to continue on with their lives, which they all symbolised by finishing Dagran's grave and assembling before it, saying their proper goodbyes.

She turned into another street that would distract her followers before she finally resumed her way, not wanting to bring her friends in danger. It wouldn't be very kind of her for that matter. As she slipped into small street after small street, hoping her memory wasn't failing her for which alleys resulted into dead ends, she progressed slowly through the city.

Finally she arrived at the bar. It was fairly big and expensive looking, seeing who ran the place. Chatter could be heard from the outside as people and Gurak alike drank their sorrows and fears -which were few and insignificant nowadays- away. After having checked that no one saw her, she entered the pub. Once inside she pushed her sticky hair out of her face. She didn't even have time to take a breather or a quick glance around before she heard:

"Mirania! It's been ages!"

Before she could fully register what was going on, she was enveloped in a hug, after which she got pulled further into the pub.

"Hello Syrenne. How are you?" she spoke after the twin sword fighter let go of her.

"Me?" she asked motioning a bit too wide for her to be fully sober. "I've never been better." she said showing her left hand on which a golden ring was shining in full glory.

"I assume you are engaged?" Mirania dared to ask. She had been wrong one time, when she and the others in the group thought she was pregnant. It hadn't been that way regretfully. The group would've liked to see Syrenne's offspring. Even Lowell had been looking forward to it as the group's chatter went more and more into the direction of the possibility that Syrenne was pregnant. In the end, it seemed like she wasn't. She'd just had a period of wanting to eat rather than drink. That period was well known, seeing she was grumpier than usual all the time. Lucky for them she didn't kill them all in the process, though Lowell came pretty close at one point.

"Indeed we are." Mirania heard another known voice behind her.

"Took you long enough." Syrenne started, a playful grin appearing on her face as her fiancé made his way over to them.

"Well, what shall I say, a man has to take one step at a time." he spoke, that same playful smile on his face that they all knew so well.

"Yeah. One at a time in the wrong direction. Five times in a row." Syrenne said, trying to catch him off guard.

"Oh, so you've counted them?"

"You bastard." Syrenne grumbled. It seemed to Mirania that he hadn't los his touch of getting under her skin with but a simple comeback.

"Ah, you hear Mirania? She loves me."

It all felt so normal, yet so nostalgic to hear them bickering like they were. She guessed that, no matter how much their relationship changed, they'd always go around teasing each other. Somehow, it comforted her to know at least these two would never really change.

"So, Mirania. I heard you've been visiting forests around the world, checking up on them?" Lowell asked.

Mirania nodded after which she added: "Yes, I've been going to the forests and after inspecting them, have sent the information I gathered to Zael and Calista."

"So, you've been doing this for a year?" Lowell counted out, for Zael and Calista had -after spending a year planning it all out- taken a year off to travel the world, after which they returned to the castle to take care of things here. Rumour went they were planning another trip.

"So, you haven't lost contact with them, I hear." Syrenne said.

"Not really, no. Don't you see them around?" Mirania asked, looking at the former warrior.

"Sometimes." she replied sounding a bit angry. "Wish they'd come around more often though."

"Well dear, they've got their hands full with, you know, everything." Lowell reasoned.

"We do too!" she retorted, but her expression made clear that she realised well enough she was asking for the impossible.

Mirania knew her feelings in that area. Syrenne was really fond of her friends. So fond that letting go, even just a little, was hard for her. She liked to have her closest friends close to home.

"So…" Lowell changed the topic. "Why did you grace us with a visit?" He winked meaningful at her.

"Is it so obvious I'm not here to chat?" Mirania asked, feeling somewhat guilty, seeing her last visit was three months ago, when they didn't even had properly started up their business.

"Well, normally you wouldn't take all those small streets." Syrenne said, smiling widely as Mirania looked taken aback. A sight one did not get to see very often.

"How did you…?" Mirania faltered.

"Yurick." Lowell replied. "He felt your approach."

Mirania stared at him at which he continued. "I must admit it's pretty cool to be able to sense where your love is the entire time."

Syrenne regarded him rather weird.

"What?" Lowell asked upon noticing this.

"Do you sense me too?" she demanded to know.

"I'm not as powerful as Yurick, my dear Syrenne." he countered, not fully answering her question.

"Whatever." Syrenne concluded after which she turned to her mage friend. "So, what sort of trouble brought you here?"

Mirania, who had regained her composure stood there, arms crossed in front of her chest, frozen. All resolve she had gathered to tell them what happened had flown right out of the window. She couldn't ask them for help, she concluded. She couldn't bring them in danger for her own sake.

Her chest felt like it was aching, the feeling that she was bringing them in danger unbearable. Somehow she just couldn't.

Lowell and Mirania watched her, worrying more with every second that passed in silence, as Mirania's hands fell to her side, soon rising to her chest as she linked them tightly, slowly starting to back away from them, facing the floor as she did so.

"Actually, it might not have been such a good idea to come here after all." she spoke, voice barely above a whisper, but for Lowell and Syrenne -her friends who had known her for so long already- it was louder than any noise the customers could make.

"Whattaya mean by that?" Syrenne exclaimed, anger and worry rising in her chest and mixing in her voice.

"Just that…" she backed off even more, suspecting she was nearly at the door when she bumped into something. It wasn't the cold, hard door though, on the contrary, it was soft and warm, and brought with it a certain intoxicating scent she'd never forget.

Turning around she found herself face to face with Yurick.

"Hello Mirania." he said.

That's it for chapter one! Not entirely sure how fast I'll be able to update, but I promise I'll do my best. I beat the game about a week ago and I must say it's one of the best games out there