Work Text:
Great Tree Moon
The wind rattling the windows of the Entrance Hall was more biting than what he was used to, Ryuunosuke decided. Even the winds blowing off the Morva Ocean up the coast of Mikotoba territory didn’t whistle and whine the way the gusts through Garreg Mach did, didn’t snap and chill the same way. The wind blowing through Garreg Mach was like its air - thinner, tauter, ready to snap. Thrumming with dispersed magic. Even with his underdeveloped magical ability Ryuunosuke could tell that - the whole monastery sung with magical resonance, Black and White alike.
Ryuunosuke pulled out his entrance form again and scanned over it - Ryuunosuke Naruhodou, age 19, applying for the Black Eagle House. Sponsored by Lord Yuujin of House Mikotoba to study lancework and riding at the Garreg Mach Officers’ Academy for the next 12 months.
Lost as he was in thoughts, he didn’t even hear the shouts from behind him until they were right behind him and he whirled around to see the face of two old friends.
“Hey! Ryuunosuke! Good to see you’ve made it,” Kazuma said, moving forward to embrace him.
“Are you all right? You look a little dazed,” Susato asked.
Ryuunosuke laughed a little and scratched the back of his head. “I’m fine, thank you. How long have the two of you been here? Have you met our professors yet?”
"We only arrived yesterday,” Susato said. “Our professors haven’t been decided yet - apparently the house leaders are going out to meet one of them since they haven’t arrived yet.”
Kazuma tapped Ryuunosuke on the shoulder. “Have you decided what you’re going to specialize in? I know you were having some trouble deciding.”
“Yeah, I’ve made up my mind,” Ryuunosuke said, nodding. “I’m going to study lances and riding. Might as well be useful while I’m here, right? You’ve already decided what you’re going to do, haven’t you?”
“Ha! Am I so predictable?” Kazuma laughed. “But yes, I’ll be sticking with swordplay. I’ve put my pride in my sword and I don’t plan on stopping now.”
“And what about you, Susato?” Ryuunosuke asked, turning to face her.
“I will be studying archery, thank you. I am rather good at it, after all.”
“And here I thought you’d be brawling,” Kazuma joked. “I was under the impression the Susato Toss was the pinnacle of martial arts.”
Susato’s face reddened slightly. “D-Don’t be ridiculous, Kazuma. You know as well as I do I couldn’t become a brawler even if I wanted to.” She sniffed haughtily.
Ryuunosuke was about to ask another question when a loud crash from behind him interrupted him. The three of them spun around to look, seeing a bizarrely-dressed man carrying a gigantic heap of luggage swing around some students, nearly slamming his pile into a wall as he did.
“Is he… coming towards us?” Ryuunosuke asked, bemused.
The man reached them after another near-disaster, dumping his bags next to him with a thud and straightening up. He wore a brown overcoat and hat, with bizarre goggles on his face with glowing blue lenses.
“A-ha! You’re Lord Mikotoba’s children!” The man cried, wildly gesticulating at Kazuma and Susato. “Good to see you’re finally here!”
Kazuma glanced around them at the staring student crowd, subtly moving his hand to his scabbard as he did. “We are. Who are you and how do you know our father?” he asked, the barest hint of threat hiding in his pleasant tone.
“Who, me? I’m the great Professor Sherlock Holmes!” Holmes cried. “I’m going to be one of your professors here at the Academy!”
Kazuma moved his hand off his scabbard, but kept his eyes locked on Holmes’ face as Holmes spread his arms out and shouted,
“Welcome to Garreg Mach Officers’ Academy!”
Harpstring Moon
Kazuma was just putting his books down at his desk when he heard Professor Holmes’ now-familiar voice ring out from the back of the classroom.
“Wait, students! Don’t get out all your books just yet,” the Professor said. “Today I’ve got something rather different for you to do.” Holmes jogged to the front of the classroom, tapping the bare blackboard with his fist as he did to catch their attention. “I’ve had a horrible realization! I don’t know any of you!” continued Holmes, much to everyone’s confusion.
“But sir, haven’t you been teaching us for a month?” Susato asked from her seat in the front row. “You’ve had one-on-one tutoring sessions with all of us by this point, I think.”
Holmes laughed and clapped his hands. “Very good, Miss von Mikotoba! That is true, I do have a decent grip on your personalities. But that’s only one part of who you all are.” He turned around and started scribbling on the blackboard. “Today your assignment is to write me a story. Tell me who you are! Your past, your goals, your likes, your dislikes, everything!”
The classroom murmured quietly for a minute before quietening down as everyone started to write. Kazuma looked down at his paper, contemplating what to write before he got started.
I am Kazuma Asougi. I am 19 years old. I was taken in by Lord Yuujin von Mikotoba and made his heir when I was very young and I do not remember my birth parents. My Crest is a Major Chevalier, which helps with my swordfighting. I’m close with my younger sister, Susato, and my best friend Ryuunosuke Naruhodou. I enjoy training with my sword alone or with friends, and reading legal treatises. I dislike eating chicken and dishonesty.
I’m Ryuunosuke Naruhodou. I’m nineteen and my parents are merchants in service to the Mikotoba family, so I was sponsored to come here by House Mikotoba. I don’t really specialize in any combat field, but I’ve chosen to study lances and riding. I’ve been friends with the children of House Mikotoba for a few years, so I decided to come to the Officers’ Academy at the same time as they did. I really like reading and creative writing, as well as studying other languages! I can speak rudimentary Brigidian and Almyric, and I can read Albinean. I’m not a fan of infirmaries or monsters.
My name is Susato von Mikotoba. I’m sixteen years old and the only daughter of Lord Yuujin von Mikotoba. When I leave the academy I wish to be a civil servant in order to aid the commonfolk. I have been interested in politics since I was young and I actively follow current events all over Fódlan. I have practiced archery for a few years, but I would not call myself especially talented. I also studied martial arts when I was a child. I did not continue into my teenage years, but I am still a competent hand-to-hand fighter.
Kazuma’s hand was beginning to cramp. He swore under his breath and shook it before bending back over to continue writing, but before he could put quill to paper a hand slapped onto the desk in front of him.
“Gah!” He looked up to see a young girl staring at him. She had pink tied into what looked like a bow with twin tails descending behind her shoulders and the same glasses as Professor Holmes on her forehead. She was wearing what looked like an academy uniform if someone had shrunk it four sizes and added frills to every possible opening. The girl was grinning sunnily at him and looked to be about ten years old.
“Watcha writin’?” she asked, peering down at his paper. Kazuma blinked and looked around to see if anyone was staring - apparently not. Everyone still had their heads down, scribbling furiously.
“Professor Holmes assigned us a writing task to introduce ourselves to him. I’m writing about myself. What’s your name?”
“I’m Iris Watson-Holmes,” the girl said chirpily. “I’m Holmesie’s daughter.”
Kazuma blinked, surprised. “I wasn’t aware Professor Holmes had a child. Do you live here at the monastery?”
“Yup! It’s just me and Holmesie. I’m too young to enrol in the academy, but I’m friends with the orphans the church takes in!”
Kazuma nodded and gestured to his paper. “Well, it was good to meet you, but I need to keep writing.”
Iris nodded and leaned back from the table. “Okay! See you later!” She ran off, giggling as she went and fiddling with her glasses. Kazuma snorted to himself lowly before leaning back over and picking his quill back up
Garland Moon
Susato still wasn’t used to the battlefield. Even after the training missions and skirmishes with the bandits, fighting still made her knees lock and her palms sweat. But all she could do was pick up her bow and keep fighting, if only to stay alive.
Professor Byleth was on the front lines holding a torch for them to follow as she cut down swaths of enemies. It was all Susato could do to follow and not look down at the faces of the dead. Civilians’ faces.
The idea of rebelling against the church had been unimaginable before. Life in Fódlan and service to the Church of Seiros had been so closely tied together in her mind that the idea of one without the other was an impossibility. And yet Lonato had rallied what seemed to be every citizen in his territory to his side on his futile revenge quest. It didn’t make sense. Why would they follow him? What could they hope to achieve?
Susato pulled her bowstring taut and fired off another arrow at an enemy, only looking at them as much as she needed to in order to aim. The class was making fast progress - even just two months was more training than most of the enemies had ever had.
She imagined her father in Lonato’s place, bringing civilians to fight for a hopeless cause. She tried to imagine what she would do in that situation, and couldn’t. The idea was just too foreign. Her responsibilities as a noble demanded she fight in service of a church, but she had no idea if she could bear to bring arms against her father. How Ashe was managing was completely beyond her.
And then there were her aspirations to think on. She wanted to serve the people - to give back what they had given her, but she hadn’t thought about the idea in the context that faced her. What would she do if they didn’t want her help, her ideas?
Susato didn’t know what she would do.
Blue Sea Moon
An entry in the journal of Ryuunosuke Naruhodou.
What in the name of the goddess is wrong with this place?!
First an uprising, and now an assassination attempt!
Just the idea of someone trying to kill the Archbishop is crazy - she’s the Archbishop! She’s probably the most guarded person on the damned continent! Professor Byleth sent us looking for clues as to what the enemy might really be after, and clearly that was some kind of cue for Professor Holmes to go nuts! He’s been running around the monastery with his daughter casting spells none of us have ever heard of, scribbling things down like a madman.
The idea of people in the shadows working to damage the church scares me. What are they after and who might they hurt? This whole thing is insane!
I’m half tempted to ask Professor Manuela if I’ve been put under some kind of hallucinogenic spell, but last time I went to the infirmary I found her on the fl-
WHAM!
“Hey! Watch where you’re going, idiot!”
Ryuunosuke rubbed his throbbing head and sat up from where he’d been sent flying to the ground, groaning. He opened his eyes to see someone he didn’t recognize standing above him looking decidedly pissed. She looked to be around Susato’s age, with short blond hair and Faerghan features. She wasn’t wearing an academy uniform, so she must’ve been one of the church orphans. It was strange though - Ryuunosuke didn’t think the church took in teenagers.
“Pull your head out of your stupid book next time you’re walking around, moron,” the girl continued. “You might not run into someone as fast as me.”
Ryuunosuke picked up his journal from where it had fallen next to him and stood. “I’m sorry,” he apologized.. “I don’t think we’ve met. What’s your name?”
“What do you care?” The girl said, narrowing her eyes. “Planning on tattling like a baby?”
“N-No! I just thought I hadn’t seen you around before. My name’s Ryuunosuke Naruhodou. I’m one of the students at the academy.”
“...You’re weird,” the girl said. “I’m Gina Lestrade. Don’t go forgetting it. I’m the ward of one of the knights. Gregson, if you know the name.”
Gregson - one of the older knights, if Ryuunosuke remembered right. That was strange though; he hadn’t heard Gregson was someone’s guardian.
“I’d best be going now. You wouldn’t want to be seen around me. Ta-ta, Ryuunosuke Naruhodou.” Gina turned and swaggered away, her posture tight and tense.
Ryuunosuke shrugged and started walking again. He’d been on his way to meet up with Kazuma for lunch, and he didn’t want to be late.\
“What do you say we do some training together this Sunday, Ryuunosuke?” Kazuma said through a mouthful of bun. “I’ve got some new stuff I want you to see.”
“Sure! Why don’t we invite Susato too? Then you could get double the feedback!”
Something Ryuunosuke couldn’t read flashed across Kazuma’s face before he returned to the jovial face he usually had when they spent time together and nodded. “Sure, why not. Now come on, Naruhodou, get eating. I can’t have my best friend dying of starvation!”
“Oh, rich words coming from the man who refuses to eat every chicken dinner!’
Verdant Rain Moon
The journey back to the monastery from Conand Tower was quiet. The thing they had killed had terrified more than a few people silent. Ryuunosuke was still quivering and curled in on himself on the back of his horse. Kazuma reached up to take his hand, squeezing in to reassure him. For even ever-optimistic Ryuunosuke to freeze up was… disconcerting.
But that wasn’t what had silenced Kazuma. Hearing the words tossed like barbs between the Gautier brothers had been… disconcerting. Kazuma had always been tangentially aware that Faerghus’ nobles in particular placed great stock in Crests for inheritance, but to see the fruits of Margrave Gautier’s brand of Crest-influnced parenting had sent Kazuma spiralling into self-reflection he wasn’t totally sure he liked the direction of.
His Major Crest hadn’t ever been something Kazuma had thought especially deeply on. He’d had it since birth and it was just… something he had. But now, Kazuma couldn’t stop thinking. What had made Miklan any less worthy than his brother? He was clearly a gifted leader and fighter, and must have been a damn good thief to steal a noble family’s prize possession. But he’d been cast out and forgotten for something completely out of his control, replaced like he was worth nothing.
Lord Mikotoba had never been anything but kind to him, but Kazuma wondered why he was taken in at all. He was a poor foreigner with no connection to Fódlan or qualifications to lead a noble house, but now it was obvious why. House Mikotoba had been formed after the collapse of House Nuvelle, but it had no crest of its own. It would never have true power within the empire. But now, it was obvious why. What better political leverage than a Major Crest-bearing heir? Lord Mikotoba could easily marry him off to the daughter of one of the larger houses and leverage himself into a decadent life without a whit of work.
It would have been so easy to let his thoughts stew into bitterness and anger, but Kazuma couldn’t let that happen. Yuujin and Susato were kind, they were family. He couldn’t believe they would be so deceitful. But the possibility had taken root in his mind, and it would not leave so easily.
Kazuma was jerked out of his thoughts by a pressure around his hand. Ryuunosuke had seemingly recovered a little and was tightening his grip on Kazuma’s hand - looking for reassurance, probably. Kazuma returned the favor and looked up at his friend - him, at least he could trust. Ryuunosuke was a commoner, but more importantly, he was Ryuunosuke. Manipulation and deceit just wasn’t in him.
Kazuma smiled reassuringly at his best friend and tried to ignore the little voice in the back of his head.
Horsebow Moon
Iris Watson-Holmes was annoyed. Holmesie was being weird and overbearing and had confined her to his classroom like she was some kind of baby - ridiculous! But… she supposed she could see where he was coming from. Flayn was her friend, and her involuntary absence was more than slightly disconcerting. Her friend was smart and powerful, so whatever had taken her must have been strong. Stronger than Iris wanted to think about.
Iris looked up at the sound of the classroom door creaking open as someone entered - Susato von Mikotoba, judging by the footfalls. Iris had talked to her a few times while Holmesie was teaching. She was smart and a good writer, so Iris liked her. She hopped off the table she was sitting on and sat down next to Susato, who had been pulling out her books, clearly intending to study.
“Oh! Hello, Miss Watson,” Susato said, a little surprised. “I didn’t know you were in here.”
“Yup! Holmesie told me to stay in here while everyone was still searching for Flayn. Speaking of, why aren’t you out there searching? I thought your brother and friend were looking for clues.”
“Um… well… my brother has been a little distant lately,” Susato replied, sounding a little downtrodden. “I thought it best to stay out of his way if he did not want to see me.”
“That’s weird. You two are pretty close. You look up to him, don’t you?” Iris noted, before abruptly changing tack. “Hey, watcha readin’? Something interesting?”
“I am reading a tactical treatise. I’m trying to understand the maneuver Professor Holmes went over in class, but I don’t think I quite understand…“ Susato looked down and pointed at the book. “If you have a white mage, shouldn’t they always be healing? I don’t understand why the book says the best thing would be to order the mage to kill an enemy if they could.”
“Oh, Holmesie taught me about this one since I’m really good at white magic. He says you should take out the enemy because it’d actually be safer for both the mage and the rest of the army if you do!” Iris chirped, before grinning cunningly. “After all, no need to heal an ally if there’s no-one to attack them.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” Iris nodded and bowed. “Thank you, Miss Watson.”
Iris giggled and slapped her knee. “You’re so funny, Susato! Now, you need to pay me back. Spill! Why’s your brother being weird!”
“I’m… not entirely certain. He only started after the mission last month, so I do not think it is because of the kidnapping.”
“Sounds like he’s being dumb. You should talk to him! Make him stop being weird.”
“Y-yes… I should. Thank you, Iris.”
“No problem! That’s what friends are for, dummy!”
Wyvern Moon
Susato did not like lava, she decided.
The legends about Ailell and the goddess’ wrath must have been true for such a place to exist. It had been almost impossible to aim properly through the heat haze, and fatigue had come all-too-easily.
She opened the door into her room to get some much-needed rest, but stopped short and balled her fists at the sight she saw inside - the Lestrade girl, poking through her things. “Excuse me! What on earth do you think you’re doing?”
Lestrade jerked up and raised her hands in a placating gesture. “Whoa, whoa, slow the fuck down. I’m not here to steal your things, if that’s what’s runnin’ through your head.”
Susato lowered her fists slightly and glared. “Then what are you doing? I can see little other explanation for you being here after hours without my permission, rummaging through my belongings.”
“Jeez, have a little faith,” Lestrade said, relaxing slightly. “You forgot to give one of your assignments to Holmes. He sent me here to retrieve it.”
“O-Oh. My apologies.” Susato uncurled her hands. “Please forgive me for my rudeness.”
"Nah, nah, it’s fine. I was pretty suspicious. But you do seem pretty tense - what’s up with you?”
“...A few stray thoughts after our mission. Nothing you need concern yourself with.”
“C’mon. Can’t be good to bottle up everything. Look, you don’t know me, I don’t know you, no judgement if you need to vent."
Susato considered her offer. It was… tempting. “All right. Sit down.” She gestured to the chair by her desk, before sitting on her bed. “You are aware of the nature of my class’s last mission?”
“What, going to beat up one of Ingrid’s asshole suitors? Yeah, Gregson told me. What’s that got to do with you?”
“I was just putting myself in her place. I am a noble, after all. It’s likely I will never get to marry for love, only for political gain or money. I bear no crest, but I will inherit some sizeable wealth.” Susato sighed and looked down. “Some enterprising man may deign to bribe my father into letting me marry him in exchange for a dowry of some kind.”
“Yeesh. You nobles are nuts. Sounds like crests and money are all that matter to your kind.”
“That… is not entirely wrong. There are some nobles who are so avaricious and blind. Some of them place so much stock in Crests they would stop at nothing to gain one- Oh!” Susato jumped up and made for the door.
“Oi! Where are you going?” Gina said, standing up and starting to follow.
“I believe I have just figured out the reason for my brother’s distance. Thank you for listening, Gina.” Susato turned back from the door to face her. “Perhaps we could have lunch together at some point?”
“Uh… sure. You’re weird, von Mikotoba.”
Susato nodded and left the room. She turned down the hall and jogged to her brother’s door before knocking. Kazuma cracked the door open slightly, looking dishevelled. “Susato? It’s late, why aren’t you in bed?”
“Kazuma, I need to talk to you,” Susato said.
“...Go to bed, Susato.”
“No! I have figured out why you are distancing yourself from me and I want to talk. Open the door.”
“Fine. Don’t wake up everyone in the hall while you’re at it.” Kazuma cracked open the door and Susato walked in, turning to face him once he shut the door.
“I am hurt you could think so little of us,” Susato said, tension in her voice. “That you would be so suspicious of our father.”
“What are you talking about? We haven’t seen Father in months, why would you think I’m suspicious of him?” Kazuma’s face was guarded, like he was keeping something buried tight.
“You think he took you in just because of your crest, don’t you? That’s why you’ve been so distant with me lately,” Susato blinked back tears. “You think every kindness we’ve shown you was false.”
“What?! No! I… will admit I was having some conflict over your father’s adoption of me, but I know you were genuine to me!” Kazuma pulled his voice back down, trying not to yell. “It’s just… What we saw at Conand Tower struck a chord with me. What if I’m nothing more than a tool to him?”
“... I don’t know why Father took you in, Kazuma. But I promise, every bit of love we’ve shown you in our lives has been real. So please, stop pulling away.”
“... All right, Sister.”
Red Wolf Moon
Ryuunosuke would not soon forget the screams of rage and pain he heard in Remire. The image of the crazed villagers ripping each other to shreds was blasted onto the backs of his eyelids, sending him back into the memory every time he blinked.
Still, he figured, he was doing better than Kazuma, who was lying in the infirmary bed in front of him, out cold. He had been hit by a dark mage’s spell in the battle and had been asleep but alive since. His otherwise good health didn’t stop Ryuunosuke from being terrified of losing his best friend, the person most important to him in the world.
Ryuunosuke clasped his hand around Kazuma’s still one and prayed desperately under his breath for his friend’s life. He’d followed Kazuma to the academy and was still following him - he didn’t know what else he would do.
He heard the door behind him creak and a hand lie on his shoulder before Susato’s voice reached his ear. “Ryuunosuke, you need to rest. I’ll watch him for now, go get some sleep.”
“I-I don’t know if I can, Susato,” he said, his voice catching and stuttering. “I feel like if I take my eyes off him he’ll never wake up.”
“Ryuunosuke, please. Kazuma wouldn’t want you to destroy yourself trying to watch over him. You have to rest.”
“... Alright. I’ll go.” Ryuunosuke squeezed Kazuma’s hand then let it go and stood up, briefly hugging Susato before walking out of the infirmary. He walked down the second floor hallway to turn towards the staircase but before he could he heard something from the Archbishop’s audience chamber.
“The other students must not hear of what transpired in Remire. Am I understood, Professors?”
“Yes, Archbishop.”
Ryuunosuke heard footsteps and jerked back, running for the staircase. He raced down, thoughts running a mile a minute.
Why would the Archbishop want to cover up the events of Remire? Surely everyone needed to know what to look out for to protect themselves, he thought. How else were they going to find Solon and his cronies if noone knew what had happened?
More than that, he thought, don’t people deserve the truth?
Ryuunosuke had been a follower of the teachings of Seiros since he was a child - everyone was. To be from Fódlan was to be a follower of the Church; that was the way it always was. But Ryuunosuke wasn’t so sure now. Too much had happened for him to keep blindly believing - if the church was willing to cover this up, what else were they hiding?
If he couldn’t trust the church to be truthful, then what good was it?
What good was an organization that let Kazuma get hurt and then lied about why?
Ethereal Moon
Dancing was not Kazuma’s forte. He’d received some instruction in formal dancing as a child, but it hadn’t exactly stuck in his head. He was more comfortable dancing with a blade then a partner, so the upcoming ball wasn’t a big deal to him, even if he had someone to invite.
Him, dancing with someone at a ball. What a ridiculous idea.
“Hey! Get out of your head and listen, Kazuma!”
He startled and refocused on what was in front of him - lunch with Susato and Iris. Susato smiled guilelessly and gestured to his plate. “Why, Brother, you’ve barely touched your food. What’s on your mind?”
“Just the ball. Nothing to be worried about,” he replied.
Iris snorted. “What about the ball?” she said saccharinely. “Maybe… who you’re gonna ask to be your date?”
“Wha-? Don’t be ridiculous!” Kazuma yelled, blushing. “Who would I invite? I’m not the most popular man in our class.”
Susato stared at him for a moment before saying delicately; “You already know who you’re going to invite, don’t you.”
“Y-You’re crazy.”
“Ooh! Ooh! Can I guess?” Iris smirked evilly. “Does his name start with an R and end with yuuno-”
“Shut it!” Kazuma shouted. “I-I’m leaving!” He picked up his tray and fled to a table on the opposite side of the dining hall, the girls laughing behind him.
Kazuma still hadn’t stopped thinking about what Iris said for three days. Annoyingly, she was right. The only person he could think of as wanting to take to the ball was Ryuunosuke. His cheeks and ears flared red at the very thought.
Something had to be done, he decided. He got up from his bed, which he definitely hadn’t been sulking on, and left his room to go find Ryuunosuke.
It took him a little while, but he eventually found him in the library, poring over an old opera that was played on the stages in Enbarr, his brows furrowed. Kazuma most certainly did not find it adorable.
“R-Ryuunosuke. I need to talk to you.” Kazuma said from behind. Ryuunosuke startled, then looked up into his friend’s face.
“Hello, Kazuma. What do you need?”
“I… wanted to ask you something. Will you- Would you like to-” Kazuma stumbled over his words, before taking a deep breath and continuing. “Do you want to go to the ball with me?”
Ryuunosuke yelped and nearly fell off his chair. Kazuma ducked down and caught him before he could, steadying him and pulling him to stand and face him. Ryuunosuke’s face was beet red, his eyes were wildly jerking around, and he was stammering incoherently. “Ryuunosuke?” Kazuma gently probed.
“A-Are you sure? You’re not kidding, right? It wouldn’t be very funny,” Ryuunosuke gasped out. “You have to be serious.”
“Of course I’m serious, Ryuunosuke. Will you come with me to the ball?”
Ryuunosuke gulped and nodded. Kazuma nodded back and quickly let him go. Ryuunosuke collapsed back in his chair and breathed heavily.
“O-Okay. I’ll, uh, see you then.” Kazuma said, before turning around and definitely-not-fleeing the library.
The night of the ball arrived. Kazuma didn’t have any clothes more formal than his uniform, so he just wore it. He knew Ryuunosuke was in the same boat, so at least they’d match.
He stared out of his room’s window and tried to calm himself down. He was going to the ball. With Ryuunosuke. His best friend who was feeling things he definitely couldn’t call friendship for. It was fine. He’d cope.
He met Ryuunosuke outside of the Reception Hall’s entrance, holding a flower he’d scavenged from the greenhouse.
“This is for you,” he said, holding the flower out. Ryuunosuke silently took it, and then Kazuma’s hand as they walked into the ball.
Balls were extremely tiring, Kazuma decided. He and Ryuunosuke had left a few minutes earlier and were supposed to be walking back to the dorms, but he had an idea. He took Ryuunosuke’s hand and, ignoring his flustered stuttering, dragged them over one of the monastery bridges and up the steps into the Goddess Tower.
They looked out over one of the balconies at the mountains Garreg Mach was built on, feeling the cool mountain air on their faces.
Their hands were still locked together.
Kazuma turned to Ryuunosuke at the same time as Ryuunosuke turned to face him.
"Kazuma, I-!”
Kazuma kissed him.
Guardian Moon
Sherlock Holmes was well acquainted with grief. He’d experienced it himself after John had died and his brother’s passing, and watched Yuujin grieve his wife and Genshin. It was always different, he’d observed. Not just from person to person, but from loss to loss.
Watching Byleth grieve her father now, Sherlock observed a new kind of grief. Rage. Byleth had been almost eerily serene when he had first met her at the start of the school year, but now it was almost impossible to not notice every tiny motion of her body that hinted to the fire burning beneath. She was going to do something reckless, he knew. Whatever it was, he just hoped that her fury would be limited to those who were deserving of it.
But she was not the only one mourning. His new ward was as well - Tobias Gregson had been killed in the same battle as Captain Eisner. He’d decided to take her in once he’d seen her regressing into her old ways - she’d attempted to steal one of Manuela’s many bottles of liquor. Eccentric he may be, even he wasn’t about to let a child drown her sorrows in alcohol.
Of course, part of the problem was that Gina refused to even acknowledge she was grieving. Her paranoia and distrustfulness prevented her from even acknowledging she’d been attached to Gregson, meaning she wasn’t able to process her grief properly. He hoped her burgeoning friendships with Iris and Susato von Mikotoba would help her come to terms, but all he could do at this point was watch.
Iris had been tense around him lately, as though she expected him to tighten her privileges in the face of the death of one of the strongest knights in the history of the monastery. Sherlock was tempted to; but he knew that doing so would only chafe at her. All he could do was keep her safe.
He poured himself into teaching the students, teaching them everything he could to keep them safe. They were getting faster at catching the intentional mistakes he left them, all of them getting sharper and sharper.
he world looked to be getting more and more dangerous. Sherlock couldn’t allow them to enter the world anything less than perfectly prepared.
Pegasus Moon
Edelgard was the Flame Emperor. Susato could scarcely believe it. She had only ever spoken to Edelgard once or twice - though they were both Black Eagles, Edelgard was under Professor Byleth’s tutoring, not Professor Holmes’ - but the idea of the head of the Black Eagle House, the next Emperor of Adrestia working in the shadows to destabilize the Church of Seiros was… insane.
Susato tried to block her thoughts out and focus on the fight, but all that meant was that she could hear Archbishop Rhea’s furious tirade against Edelgard, demanding that they kill her.
Kazuma was beside her, Ryuunosuke with him. The three of them shared a look, communicating without words. When this battle was over, none of them were staying at the monastery.
Lone Moon
Edelgard’s forward base was far too large to have been built in just a few days, Ryuunosuke thought. She had been planning this for a long time. He wondered what else she was hiding.
Something tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Kazuma, looking pensive. “Kazuma? What’s wrong?”
Kazuma took a deep breath. “I-I know why I’m here. Nobility, the Crest system, they’re wrong. I can’t live in a world where they can’t exist. That’s why I’m following Edelgard. Susato says the same thing. But, Ryuunosuke, you don’t have that. You don’t have to be here.”
“...Are you asking me to go home, Kazuma?”
“I can’t protect you in an open war, Ryuunosuke. If you were hurt or, goddess forbid, killed because I wasn’t with you, I couldn’t live with myself. I’m not asking you to leave, I’m asking you whether you’re sure this is what you want.”
“Kazuma, you know me. We’re the same - we can’t live with deceit. I couldn’t stand back and let Rhea keep lying to us, to Fódlan. I’m here because this is the only place in the world I can be.”
Kazuma exhaled shakily and pulled Ryuunosuke into a hug. “Please, be careful. We’ve never been in more danger than we are now.”
Ryuunosuke caught Kazuma’s chin in his fingers and gently kissed him. “I could never leave you behind. Wherever you go, I will be with you, always.”
Kazuma buried his face in Ryuunosuke’s shoulder. “I-I love you, Ryuu.”
“I love you too.”