Suikoden Fan Fiction ❯ Love's Just a Form of Insanity ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Silverone 
Gossip and a dancing Lily...
Anime/Manga: Suikoden Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.22.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 323 | Status: Completed
Gossip and a dancing Lily...
Anime/Manga: Suikoden Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 06.22.2004 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.2K | Visits: 323 | Status: Completed
Rating: PG-13 (just in case.)
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.
________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5
Watari had quickly developed the opinion that dancing was silly. It obviously served no purpose other than to have two bodies pressed closely to one another. Granted, he had no special feelings about being pressed up against Lily Pendragon’s body. Which confirmed any doubts he had left about his sexuality as he knew that she was a fine, young woman with all the proper curves and any normal man would have a more ‘intense’ reaction to the situation.
“Watari, you’re supposed to be leading!” He looked down at her realizing he had been zoning out again. She shook her head and sighed. “Fine, I’ll lead!” She adjusted the position of her hands and began to move again but was forced to stop when Watari stumbled. “When someone leads, you are supposed to follow.” She looked at him venomously.
“…” He looked at her blankly, still not clear on leading as it applied to dancing.
“Honestly, you should be honored that I would even consider allowing you this privilege. Start acting like you know how to dance!”
/This privilege…There is no honor in this. I’m being bossed around by some tomboy. Who happens to be the daughter of Gustav, leader of Tinto. One of the city-states responsible for subjugating Highland./
“Don’t tell me you’ve really never danced before? Well, I suppose this way, we’ll both be getting something out of it. Come on.” She once again placed her arms around him, one around his shoulders, the other on the small of his back. “Now listen. When I move, you move with me. Just let my hands guide you.” He did as she said, finding it a little easier this time. But, at the same time he was annoyed that it had been something so easy.
/How is it that I keep on humiliating myself?/
It was as if someone had cursed him to be a fool.
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
Rico sighed as she sat at a lone table at Mamie’s restaurant, stirring around a piece of peach cobbler. She didn’t know what to make of Fred’s behavior this morning. She had been waiting up last night, hoping to hear the great tale of how he clobbered his latest opponent. But instead she had fallen asleep and this morning had been surprised at his temper.
/I wonder what happened? It must have been bad for him to be sulking like that./
Fred was generally a cheerful person, but could also behave like a spoiled brat on occasion. And while he did snap at her quite a bit, Rico usually took it in stride. After all, he had it rough, trying to rebuild the glory of the knighthood from scratch.
Still, he never got that mad after a fight, win or lose. Had something gone wrong? She looked down at her cobbler, which had gotten cold. “Would you like some of mine?” Came a congenial voice. She turned around to see Percival behind her.
“Oh, Sir Percival, th-that’s quite alright! Really, you don’t need to bother yourself!” Rico blushed, embarrassed to receive such an offer from him. She wasn’t in love with Sir Percival, but like most young women around the castle, found him to be very attractive and charming.
“Well, can I at least sit down?” He smiled at her, causing Rico to get even more flushed. She nodded her head quickly, watching as Percival sat down. They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Percival spoke up. “I must admit, Miss Rico, that my intentions aren’t entirely pure.” Seeing the girl’s shocked look, he quickly reassured her. “I don’t mean any harm. I am just curious about Sir Fred. He is apparently having romantic problems and I was wondering who it might be.”
Rico dropped her fork, amazement on her face. Amazement because Percival was getting her started on one of her favorite subjects. “Well, why do you ask?” She’d play it cool for now and see who he no doubt thought it was.
“Well, I had a conversation with him not to long ago and apparently a certain person has confessed their love to him. He wasn’t forthcoming with their identity though. I was sure you would have some notion as to who it was.” He smiled at Rico, piling on the charm.
/What? Someone confessed their love to Sir Fred and he didn’t tell me!?/
“Oh, well…it’s hard to say really…” Mentally, the squire started compiling a list of those whom it could be. Though, if anyone could have looked in on her list, they would have considered half of these ‘so-called prospects’ idle fantasies.
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
Fred had been laid up for a few hours at this time and had been pondering what he was supposed to do in this situation. He knew there were rules for properly rejecting someone, it’s just that he had never been taught those rules. He had always just assumed that it would be the same as rejecting a pushy merchant. In retrospect, that had been foolish thinking on his part. More foolish than his usual conclusions.
/Another man of all things…One who could easily kill me without a second thought./
He really had no opposition towards two people of the same gender conducting a relationship. As long as it was within the bounds of decency and both parities were honest with one another, he really didn’t care. It was just that he had no interest in relationships at this time in his life. Sure, one day he would no doubt find a lady to wed have children with. The line needed an heir after all…
/That’s it! That’s my excuse!/
Surely that excuse wouldn’t get him killed! And it would hopefully spare the ninja’s feelings. Granted, the knight didn’t realize that he was being naïve once again, but…that was beside the point. His mind was made up and nothing was going to stop him. Tomorrow, he speak with Watari and hope there were no hard feelings.
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
“And there is that one woman who does the laundry…I know she’s had her eye on him for a long time…” Rico had been on a roll for an hour and while Percival had been enjoying the conversation, he needed to steer it back in the proper direction.
“Well, I was wondering…” Oh, how was he supposed to say this and still be tactful? “Is it possible that he is not interested in women?” Rico blinked for a few minutes then looked thoughtful.
“Well, he never has wanted a relationship. He’s the kind of man who is married to his work. Even though it is expected that he is to marry one day, he seems against the whole idea.” Still not quite the answer Percival was looking for, but he could work with it.
“Is there any reason he would deny himself a woman’s company?” The girl’s confused look prompted Percival to go further. “Is it possible that the reason he isn’t interested in women, is because he is not attracted to them?”
“But, he…Why are you asking this if you yourself said he got a confession of love from a woman?” Here came the really hard part and morally, he wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing. But, all the same, his curiosity wouldn’t let him be either.
“I never said it was from a woman. I just said someone confessed to him. And based on his behavior, I have every reason to believe that the confession was from a man.”
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
“I must say, I’m surprised that you have improved so quickly. That is quite admirable.” Lily had a satisfied look on her face. As much as he hated to admit it, Watari was glad that he had gone along with one of her whims. Dancing, now that he had a taste of it, was a lot like fighting. There was a method to it and not just anyone could do it. Well, at least not well. Sure, he wasn’t going to be going to any dances soon, but that was beside the point. He had ended up not looking terrible foolish in front of this girl, which was a plus considering all the humiliation he had already endured this week.
“I think we should quit for today. I still need to get some paperwork sent out now or else this will be all for nothing. Make sure you come here tomorrow at the same time.”
/What? There’s going to be a next time?/
He was about to demand an explanation, only to find that Lily was already gone. He should have ran after her and said no or at the very least asked why. But, asking ‘why’ went against everything he had been taught as a ninja. Though, considering everything else he had thrown away…honor, pride and allegiance, loyalty would only be one more thing…
As he exited the room, his thoughts were interrupted by a certain dog.
/Oh, crap./
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
“What would make you think a man would..?” Rico was looking at Percival as if he was touched in the head.
“Well, it is possible. And there was something he said that has lead me towards this conclusion. Do you have any idea? He said it was someone he wasn’t terribly familiar with.”
“Well, I would say Sir Futch…he’s from Dunan like us, but you said he wasn’t familiar with that person. Not Sir Franz either then. Or, Sir Nash…Sir Borus?” They both shook looked thoughtful for a moment and shook their heads. “Definitely not. Certainly not you, or else you wouldn’t be asking….Hmm…well, in any case, that explains why he was so cranky this morning.”
“Well, in either case…do you think he has any inclinations towards his own kind?” Percival was no longer smiling, and was looking Rico square in the eye.
“Well…no. I seriously doubt it. Sure I have no proof, but then again…” She found herself faltering. She had to defend Fred, but she really didn’t know how to do it. And the idea that he might be interested in men, while shocking, explained certain things she had noticed. Little things, that she as his closest companion had always wondered about.
“I am not trying to make any trouble for him. I am just concerned. I respect him very much and merely want to help him. But, maybe I’ve said too much.”
“No. You’ve done nothing wrong Sir Percival. He would never have told me in a million years. I swear that man’s pride…” She mumbled something to herself, now sounding frustrated. “I’ll have to get to the bottom of this…”
“Well, in any case…I must be leaving now, as duty calls. You will tell me if you find out anything, won’t you?” Seeing Rico nod, Percival walked off, feeling satisfied.
It was meddling on his part and highly improper, but it was a part of his nature. Originally part of the peasant community, he had inherited the tendency towards gossip, especially when it concerned the romantic endeavors of others. And this situation promised to be as interesting as Lady Chris’s troubles. Not that he didn’t want it to all work out for the best, but he just couldn’t help but dig for those juicy, little tidbits.
/Borus is right. I am a scoundrel./
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
To Be Continued…
Sorry, we don’t get to find out what Lily is up to yet. But, it will be fun. As for Percival/Lily, who knows? I originally had the plot going a different route and neither Percy or Lily figured into the story at all. But, now…
As for a past for Watari, I am going to come up with it in little bits. He’s a hard character to figure out. We have all these tantalizing tidbits on him, but nothing concrete. The mystery of the ninja, eh?
Thanks to all my reviews…it means a lot to me.
Genres: Romance/Humor/Angst.
Pairing: Watari/Fred, initially one sided.
Warnings: Yaoi. OOCness. Odd, odd pairing.
________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 5
Watari had quickly developed the opinion that dancing was silly. It obviously served no purpose other than to have two bodies pressed closely to one another. Granted, he had no special feelings about being pressed up against Lily Pendragon’s body. Which confirmed any doubts he had left about his sexuality as he knew that she was a fine, young woman with all the proper curves and any normal man would have a more ‘intense’ reaction to the situation.
“Watari, you’re supposed to be leading!” He looked down at her realizing he had been zoning out again. She shook her head and sighed. “Fine, I’ll lead!” She adjusted the position of her hands and began to move again but was forced to stop when Watari stumbled. “When someone leads, you are supposed to follow.” She looked at him venomously.
“…” He looked at her blankly, still not clear on leading as it applied to dancing.
“Honestly, you should be honored that I would even consider allowing you this privilege. Start acting like you know how to dance!”
/This privilege…There is no honor in this. I’m being bossed around by some tomboy. Who happens to be the daughter of Gustav, leader of Tinto. One of the city-states responsible for subjugating Highland./
“Don’t tell me you’ve really never danced before? Well, I suppose this way, we’ll both be getting something out of it. Come on.” She once again placed her arms around him, one around his shoulders, the other on the small of his back. “Now listen. When I move, you move with me. Just let my hands guide you.” He did as she said, finding it a little easier this time. But, at the same time he was annoyed that it had been something so easy.
/How is it that I keep on humiliating myself?/
It was as if someone had cursed him to be a fool.
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
Rico sighed as she sat at a lone table at Mamie’s restaurant, stirring around a piece of peach cobbler. She didn’t know what to make of Fred’s behavior this morning. She had been waiting up last night, hoping to hear the great tale of how he clobbered his latest opponent. But instead she had fallen asleep and this morning had been surprised at his temper.
/I wonder what happened? It must have been bad for him to be sulking like that./
Fred was generally a cheerful person, but could also behave like a spoiled brat on occasion. And while he did snap at her quite a bit, Rico usually took it in stride. After all, he had it rough, trying to rebuild the glory of the knighthood from scratch.
Still, he never got that mad after a fight, win or lose. Had something gone wrong? She looked down at her cobbler, which had gotten cold. “Would you like some of mine?” Came a congenial voice. She turned around to see Percival behind her.
“Oh, Sir Percival, th-that’s quite alright! Really, you don’t need to bother yourself!” Rico blushed, embarrassed to receive such an offer from him. She wasn’t in love with Sir Percival, but like most young women around the castle, found him to be very attractive and charming.
“Well, can I at least sit down?” He smiled at her, causing Rico to get even more flushed. She nodded her head quickly, watching as Percival sat down. They ate in silence for a few minutes, until Percival spoke up. “I must admit, Miss Rico, that my intentions aren’t entirely pure.” Seeing the girl’s shocked look, he quickly reassured her. “I don’t mean any harm. I am just curious about Sir Fred. He is apparently having romantic problems and I was wondering who it might be.”
Rico dropped her fork, amazement on her face. Amazement because Percival was getting her started on one of her favorite subjects. “Well, why do you ask?” She’d play it cool for now and see who he no doubt thought it was.
“Well, I had a conversation with him not to long ago and apparently a certain person has confessed their love to him. He wasn’t forthcoming with their identity though. I was sure you would have some notion as to who it was.” He smiled at Rico, piling on the charm.
/What? Someone confessed their love to Sir Fred and he didn’t tell me!?/
“Oh, well…it’s hard to say really…” Mentally, the squire started compiling a list of those whom it could be. Though, if anyone could have looked in on her list, they would have considered half of these ‘so-called prospects’ idle fantasies.
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
Fred had been laid up for a few hours at this time and had been pondering what he was supposed to do in this situation. He knew there were rules for properly rejecting someone, it’s just that he had never been taught those rules. He had always just assumed that it would be the same as rejecting a pushy merchant. In retrospect, that had been foolish thinking on his part. More foolish than his usual conclusions.
/Another man of all things…One who could easily kill me without a second thought./
He really had no opposition towards two people of the same gender conducting a relationship. As long as it was within the bounds of decency and both parities were honest with one another, he really didn’t care. It was just that he had no interest in relationships at this time in his life. Sure, one day he would no doubt find a lady to wed have children with. The line needed an heir after all…
/That’s it! That’s my excuse!/
Surely that excuse wouldn’t get him killed! And it would hopefully spare the ninja’s feelings. Granted, the knight didn’t realize that he was being naïve once again, but…that was beside the point. His mind was made up and nothing was going to stop him. Tomorrow, he speak with Watari and hope there were no hard feelings.
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
“And there is that one woman who does the laundry…I know she’s had her eye on him for a long time…” Rico had been on a roll for an hour and while Percival had been enjoying the conversation, he needed to steer it back in the proper direction.
“Well, I was wondering…” Oh, how was he supposed to say this and still be tactful? “Is it possible that he is not interested in women?” Rico blinked for a few minutes then looked thoughtful.
“Well, he never has wanted a relationship. He’s the kind of man who is married to his work. Even though it is expected that he is to marry one day, he seems against the whole idea.” Still not quite the answer Percival was looking for, but he could work with it.
“Is there any reason he would deny himself a woman’s company?” The girl’s confused look prompted Percival to go further. “Is it possible that the reason he isn’t interested in women, is because he is not attracted to them?”
“But, he…Why are you asking this if you yourself said he got a confession of love from a woman?” Here came the really hard part and morally, he wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing. But, all the same, his curiosity wouldn’t let him be either.
“I never said it was from a woman. I just said someone confessed to him. And based on his behavior, I have every reason to believe that the confession was from a man.”
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
“I must say, I’m surprised that you have improved so quickly. That is quite admirable.” Lily had a satisfied look on her face. As much as he hated to admit it, Watari was glad that he had gone along with one of her whims. Dancing, now that he had a taste of it, was a lot like fighting. There was a method to it and not just anyone could do it. Well, at least not well. Sure, he wasn’t going to be going to any dances soon, but that was beside the point. He had ended up not looking terrible foolish in front of this girl, which was a plus considering all the humiliation he had already endured this week.
“I think we should quit for today. I still need to get some paperwork sent out now or else this will be all for nothing. Make sure you come here tomorrow at the same time.”
/What? There’s going to be a next time?/
He was about to demand an explanation, only to find that Lily was already gone. He should have ran after her and said no or at the very least asked why. But, asking ‘why’ went against everything he had been taught as a ninja. Though, considering everything else he had thrown away…honor, pride and allegiance, loyalty would only be one more thing…
As he exited the room, his thoughts were interrupted by a certain dog.
/Oh, crap./
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
“What would make you think a man would..?” Rico was looking at Percival as if he was touched in the head.
“Well, it is possible. And there was something he said that has lead me towards this conclusion. Do you have any idea? He said it was someone he wasn’t terribly familiar with.”
“Well, I would say Sir Futch…he’s from Dunan like us, but you said he wasn’t familiar with that person. Not Sir Franz either then. Or, Sir Nash…Sir Borus?” They both shook looked thoughtful for a moment and shook their heads. “Definitely not. Certainly not you, or else you wouldn’t be asking….Hmm…well, in any case, that explains why he was so cranky this morning.”
“Well, in either case…do you think he has any inclinations towards his own kind?” Percival was no longer smiling, and was looking Rico square in the eye.
“Well…no. I seriously doubt it. Sure I have no proof, but then again…” She found herself faltering. She had to defend Fred, but she really didn’t know how to do it. And the idea that he might be interested in men, while shocking, explained certain things she had noticed. Little things, that she as his closest companion had always wondered about.
“I am not trying to make any trouble for him. I am just concerned. I respect him very much and merely want to help him. But, maybe I’ve said too much.”
“No. You’ve done nothing wrong Sir Percival. He would never have told me in a million years. I swear that man’s pride…” She mumbled something to herself, now sounding frustrated. “I’ll have to get to the bottom of this…”
“Well, in any case…I must be leaving now, as duty calls. You will tell me if you find out anything, won’t you?” Seeing Rico nod, Percival walked off, feeling satisfied.
It was meddling on his part and highly improper, but it was a part of his nature. Originally part of the peasant community, he had inherited the tendency towards gossip, especially when it concerned the romantic endeavors of others. And this situation promised to be as interesting as Lady Chris’s troubles. Not that he didn’t want it to all work out for the best, but he just couldn’t help but dig for those juicy, little tidbits.
/Borus is right. I am a scoundrel./
________________________________________________________________________ _____________
To Be Continued…
Sorry, we don’t get to find out what Lily is up to yet. But, it will be fun. As for Percival/Lily, who knows? I originally had the plot going a different route and neither Percy or Lily figured into the story at all. But, now…
As for a past for Watari, I am going to come up with it in little bits. He’s a hard character to figure out. We have all these tantalizing tidbits on him, but nothing concrete. The mystery of the ninja, eh?
Thanks to all my reviews…it means a lot to me.