Breath of Fire Half My Heart

A/N: Hey people! How you all doing? I decided to take a quick break from my usual LH fanfic to create this one. I absolutely love Breath of Fire, and my favorite so far is the fourth one. Unfortunately, I haven't actually completed the entire game yet, so if there are some discrepancies, please don't kill me. Okay? Hope you like this. Please Review! 

Disclaimer: I do not own Breath of Fire IV. Well, technically I do. I do own the game, that's why I'm writing this fic. But I don't own the franchise. So don't sue me or I won't buy any more of your products. _(sticks out tongue)_ Neh! 

**Half My Heart **

By Yamiga'sLight 

The battle is over. Fou-Lu is defeated and his plans of destroying the world are finished. I no longer have to merge with him to complete the prophecy of our summoning. I am free to go. But since, I have not merged, I am not complete. There is a piece missing inside of me, only half my soul, half my heart. I still cannot control these transformations of mine sometimes, and it scares me. It scares me that I hold so much power and I cannot control it. I am still afraid I'll just unleash it all and hurt my friends. 

Ah, my friends. They have filled up a little of the gap in my heart. Through them I learned to have fun, to feel joy, sadness, pain... and love. Each and every one of them seemed nothing more than some random person I just happened to meet along the way. But I learned that were just as intertwined with my fate as I was with theirs. 

Cray, chief of the Worrens. Brave, proud, strong, the perfect image of a knight in shining armor. He has been a dear friend to me ever since I met him, even though he did not trust me at first when we had found out I was an Endless, a god, from the abbess of Chek. But still, he stood beside me and helped me through my troubled times. He's been looking for his best childhood friend, and I believe the woman he loves, Elina, the older princess of Wyndia. I feel sad for him when he had to kill her when that blasted Yuna turned her to an Endless and bound her to the Imperial Headquarters. Poor Cray... 

Then there's Ershin. Ershin, the walking armor with the goddess Deis trapped within its confines. We met Ershin working in a hexed town. Ershin is funny, laughing at the most inappropriate times. Even though it makes no sense when she does, her laughter still manages to compel us from the mouth of sadness. And Deis, lovely Deis... She's only a half-Endless, like me. Something happened in her summoning and she was trapped within Ershin. I think I may have had something to do with that. But still, Deis is a flirt and childlike. I still remember when we leaped into her dreams how she surrounded by half-naked beefcakes, and she yelled at us for interrupting her fun. Deis does have a heart of gold though. She gave up her freedom to save Ershin when its power supply was stopped. 

Scias, the mercenary grassrunner. I really don't know what to say about him. He's just quiet, and when he does talk, he stutters all the time. We had all though he had betrayed us when he disappeared and the Ludian Master showed up to capture me. But Scias proved us wrong when he showed up and helped us battle against the Ludian Master's minions. I'll never forget how Scias threw down the bag of money he was paid to disclose information about our whereabouts and when he said his reason for helping us was, "Because he wanted to." He is not only an excellent swordsman, but also a terrific friend. 

Next came Ursula, one of the captains of the Fou Empire. Brave and stubborn to a fault. She was always the one with a plan, automatically knowing what to do. We met her when trying to find the fugitives of Chek. She captured us and brought us to the abandoned village where we found for the last time that heartless bastard, Rasso. He tortured those poor people mercilessly, and I saw how even Ursula, a member of the same army, was horrified at his methods. She might seem tough, but I know deep down she's a person with a kind, if not slightly strange, heart. She's always seemed so fearless... until I found out that she was terrified of sea lice and she nearly blew my head off with that gun of her. We still haven't let her live that down. 

And finally... Nina, the younger Wydian princess. She went along with Cray to find her sister also. Beautiful, brave, kind, sweet, stubborn, persistent... an angel on earth. She is the most wonderful person I have ever met in the small time I have spent here in this world. She is so lovely, it makes me feel like some cliché song is just going to break out whenever I see her. 

How did I meet her? She found me naked in a crater, totally oblivious to everything and not even knowing my own self, nothing but my name. Ryu. No last name, no first, just... Ryu. 

I followed her, not knowing why. Just something told me that I should. Her story about her sister had an effect on me. Maybe it was sympathy, maybe it was pity, maybe I just felt sorry. I know all of those things are pretty much the same, but bear with me, please? All I knew was that I had to follow her. Ironically enough, it ended up her following me. But anyway, when we first met, it was obvious she was embarrassed at my naked state. But after I got some clothes on, things went a lot smoother. 

I thought she would be scared, finding some random naked boy in a crater that some dragon had just flown out of. But she wasn't... at least I hoped she wasn't. She actually treated me civilly, giving me the prized weapon of the King's Sword so that I could protect myself. I was touched by her kindness and trust. It was amazing I would meet such nice people when I first came into the world. 

There was just something about her, something I just couldn't place. A feeling, a gut sensation, an intuition. It was like nothing I had ever felt before. Of course, I never had felt anything before because I had just been summoned into existence. But still, I could tell she was special, and I don't know why, but I was instantly attracted to her, both by her beauty, and by her charm. Maybe that was the reason I jumped after her without a second thought when she fell off that cliff on our way to the nearest town. Funny that she didn't even need my help considering she had wings and my long plummet to the ground was in vain. Still, she seemed rather touched with my concern, and things between us ran even smoother. 

But that didn't last long when we first met Captain Rasso in the town of Sarai. That bastard was interrogating some poor merchant and then blasted him down with a magic attack when he wouldn't give him the wanted information. Nina intervened to object, and when Rasso figured out who she was he actually tried to capture her! That worthless piece of slime tried to capture the princess of a kingdom for no reason! After a quick battle, I unfortunately broke the King's Sword on that bastard's face and then escaped with Nina to get back to her sandflier's crashsite. 

On the way, we met Ershin, who seemed rather attracted to me. Of course, that was because of Deis, the endless trapped inside it. She knew I was an endless, just like her... or more specifically, a half-endless. We finally made it back to the crashsite and met up with Cray. There we all had a dream because of the mysterious Dragon Eye that I held, and our great journey finally began. We met many people, saw many things and made many friends. And now that's it's finally over, I feel miserable. 

Why do I feel miserable? One small thing. One stupid, insane and horrible thing that I should have never done if I ever wanted to keep my happiness. How could one thing make me feel so depressed? It's easy. It was the one of the easiest things I could of avoided, and yet... at the same time, one of the hardest things I could never stop. I had to fall for her. The one person I could not have, I had to fall in love with. 

I, Ryu of the Endless, am totally, completely and utterly in love with Nina of the Fai Tribe and princess of Wyndia. 

Why am I in love with her? A many good number of things. She's beautiful, kind-hearted, brave, ready to overcome any obstacle before her. Sure, she is a sort of a crybaby, and she can be as selfish and stubborn as a five-year old, but she is still a wonderful person. 

I suppose I fell in love with her when I first met her. Love at first sight, huh? Unfortunately for me, because I had never had feelings at all in my life (considering I was just put into existence,) I never knew why I had a strange reaction, like butterflies, in my stomach whenever I saw her, or why whenever she grabbed my hand or something else, it felt like my skin had just been electrified. It was in no way a _bad_ feeling, but it was just so powerful, I had no idea how to comprehend it. 

The moment I realized what my feelings were becoming was after I found out I was an Endless. I was the last one to wake up in the abbess's house, and made my way out to find the others. There I walked in on a conversation between Cray and Nina. Cray was talking about how they were getting way over their heads by involving themselves with a God, and that they should be more careful around me. In other words, leave me as soon as possible. But Nina... she stood up for me. In fact, she had actually said she wanted me to come back and live with them after they had found her sister. That's when I decided to walk in on them. They seemed surprised and automatically tried to cover up. I went along with them, but I still heard everything they said... Especially what Nina had said. 

From then on, my feelings for her ran deeper and deeper, but it wasn't until shortly afterward that I was absolutely sure of what I felt for her. It was when I obtained my Kaiser form and had gone berserk. I killed Rasso, and so many of the other Imperial forces before Nina had clung to me, begging for me to stop. I still remember that day. 

It was like a monster had woken from deep inside of me. I was filled with rage, anger, loathing. I wanted nothing more than to destroy everything and everyone around me. I wanted to spread pain, death, destruction, and suffering all around me. And I did so, in the form of a killer dragon with a breath attack that was like the revenge of an archangel. 

But before I could destroy everything in my path, a felt a weight settle on my arm and try to pull me down. My eyes focused on a crying Nina, who was simply broken, begging me to stop. Her hot, wet tears soaked through my light tunic, and I felt her trembling like a leaf. But I didn't care, I simply raised an arm. The Kaiser dragon turned around to do my bidding, and I was about to swing it down to destroy this insect that tried to defy me. 

But then she raised her eyes, and I saw the raw pain and sadness contained within them. Those eyes... those eyes burned themselves onto my very soul. They were so sad, filled with such pity. Pity... directed at me. And something else, something else I could not place, but that look made me slowly lower my arm and let my soul find peace. I fell down onto her before falling into a dreamless sleep. 

I woke up later in the middle of the night. Everyone else was asleep and I sat up to find Nina curled up by my side. I saw that she was still gently crying, and whimpering softly in her sleep. Seeing that she had given me a blanket without regard to her own comfort, I took it off and placed it on her. When I did, my hand brushed her face, and she instantly nuzzled into it. Her whimpering stopped, and she sighed in contentment. It was at that exact moment that I realized that I had fallen in love with her. 

After then, I was like a lovesick puppy. It was easy enough for me to hide my new found feelings for the lovely princess from the others, but when they were all asleep, I would just watch her from hours on end, her petite figure rising and falling with every breath she took. She was just so amazingly beautiful, I couldn't believe it. I let myself slip every once in a while, saying something I shouldn't have or done something that showed I didn't see Nina as just a friend. But luckily (or maybe unluckily) she never found out, and I still only watched her from nearby, someone that was close, but one that I would never reach. 

Then came the point in time that proved that my affections would never be returned. We were trapped on the Tidal Flats when the tide came in unexpected. Nina wanted to come along with me when I decided to go and try catch some fish. I happily agreed. Maybe I would be able to confess my feelings to her now that we were alone. But when we got there, my heart jumped into my throat, and I just couldn't say what I wanted. So all I did was fish, and listen to Nina's stories. It was then that my world almost fell apart. 

Nina said that she loved Cray. Not as big brother, not as a good friend, but that she _loved_ him. I was so surprised that I yanked back hard on my rod, broke the line and flew backwards onto my back. My heart broke. Nina looked at me with concern, but I waved it off and went back to fishing before she looked at me too closely. She never saw the tears that were threatening to escape from my eyes. 

Looking back now, I curse myself for ever believing that someone like Nina could ever love someone like me. No, more like _something_. I wasn't even a human, just some abysmal monster. No, not even that. If I was a monster, I could at least fit with the other monsters. I was halfway between the two worlds, not completely human, not completely a monster. 

Besides, she had Cray. Cray was perfect. A gentleman, well... maybe not so much as that, but he did treat Nina very well. He was also handsome, brave, strong. Well, I've said all of this before so I don't have to repeat myself, now will I? Anyway, Cray might of loved Nina's sister, Elina, but Cray had a very big heart, and I knew he could love Nina just as much as he loved Elina. And he could also care for Nina very well considering that he was a chief of the Worren tribe. 

And me... I could do nothing for Nina. I was completely worthless. I had nothing to my name. All I did have were the clothes on my back... that I had received from Nina. How could I give her anything when it was all hers to begin with? Besides, I wasn't even human, just some demi-god with my other half now probably on his way to oblivion. I could do nothing for her, give anything that she could probably not obtain otherwise. After all, she was the next heir to the throne. So how could she ever love me back? 

The answer was she couldn't, and I would just have to live with that for the rest of my eternal life. Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Since I'm an Endless, I'm also immortal. That means that I could never be with her anyway. She would grow old and die while I remained young forever... or at least until I was killed by something other than natural causes. 

Not only that, but there was another problem. Nina... was terrified of me. After the Kaiser incident, she never looked at me in the same way. I could see the fear in her eyes every time I ever changed into any one of my dragon forms. I guess she would be. I must have looked like I had lost some of humanity whenever I transformed into that horrible hybrid. I mean, how could you ever love what you feared? 

Unrequited love. 

Funny I would never even learn what the term meant until it was applied to me. Learning is a tough experience. I definitely did not want to see how the world worked in this fashion. I wished I had never met Nina if it had meant that this kind of pain would come from it. But then again... I wouldn't trade the feelings I get from her voice, beauty and touch for the world. 

I sighed. Well, thinking about all of this wasn't going to help me at all. It would only get me more depressed. I looked outside my room's window down at the courtyard below. After our battle with Fou-Lu, Nina's father had invited us to say at his castle until we had all recovered. I was given one of the end rooms that overlooked the inner courtyard. Looking down at it, I was amazed at how beautiful it was. Sure, I had traveled the world and had seen many wonderful sights, but there was still nothing like the peaceful aura of a castle garden. 

It was around midnight and I was still awake. I couldn't fall asleep because, well... I didn't _want_ to fall asleep. I had been having nightmares. Horrible, terrifying nightmares that had been plaguing ever since I went berserk in my Kaiser form. I know I might have looked like I was sleeping like a baby, but in reality my soul was being tortured in a world that none of the others could ever reach and help me. 

My nightmare was that I kept on relieving when I had lost my humanity to my Endless half. The point where I had slaughtered so many of the Imperial forces, and almost... my friends. More and more of the event played within my dreams each night, until I reached the point in time when Nina threw herself on me. And then everything was horrifically wrong. 

This time, I didn't stop. I didn't relent after I saw Nina's eyes. The part that held anything that gave me pity, compassion, the things that made me human, were kept numb in my mind. All I saw was another worthless piece of trash that was keeping me from rising to my ultimate place in power. I slashed my hand down, and the Kaiser dragon cleaved Nina into pieces. 

I saw the shocked expression on her face and the despairing look in her eyes. I saw how her body was ripped into shreds, and I felt her blood splatter on my face. My tongue flicked out and I tasted the saltiness of Nina's blood caked on my lips. It tasted... good. My head looked at the bloody remains of Nina's body and then it switched back up to look at the Kaiser dragon's face. I saw myself reflected in its eyes, my body bathed in my beloved's blood. 

That was the part when I woke up, my body drenched in sweat, and tears streaming continuously down my face. After that dream, or rather nightmare... I haven't had a single wink since. I was just too afraid, afraid that it would only happen again. That I would have to kill the first one I had ever loved over... and over... and over again. 

I moved my head when I heard a low rumbling. What was... ? I then shook my head and chuckled. Oh, never mind, it was only Scias. He did always have a problem with loud snoring. It was funny, for someone who could barely talk properly, he certainly did snore like a broken jackhammer. 

Scias, Ursula, Ershin, Deis, Cray... and Nina. What would happen to us all when this was all over? Ershin and Deis would probably go on a quest to try to find Deis an actual body. Once that was done, I knew that Deis wouldn't leave Ershin behind. She had become rather attached to the walking suit of armor. Scias would most likely disappear. It was just like him, he was just a wanderer. But I knew that we would meet him somehow and sometime. Ursula was going back to the empire. I heard she was promoted to a high position in the army after our defeat of Fou-Lu. That was good, she deserved it. Cray was going back to be chief of the Worrens. He had a lot of making up to do for his excursion with us. And he still had to mourn over Elina's death. Nina had to learn to take over her sister's place as the heir to the throne now that she was the only princess. I knew she would do an excellent job. And then eventually... her and Cray would fall in love... 

And as for me... I would leave to try and find something that would fill in this hole in my heart. I had to, if I ever wanted to also to try and erase this new pain I felt in my soul. The fact that the one I loved would never, ever return my feelings for her. 

My thoughts were interrupted when a knock came from my door. Hmm? Who would be up at this hour? "Yes?" I called back. "Who is it?" The door cracked open the tiniest bit, and someone's voice floated in. 

"Ryu?" 

I froze. No, it couldn't be. The object of my desires. The one thing I wanted more than anything else, but also the one thing I could never have. Why was she here? Why did she have to unknowingly torture me with herself? Why? Gulping back the lump in my throat, I said, "Oh... hey, Nina. What are you doing up?" 

Nina opened the door the rest of the way and stepped inside. My heart skipped a beat. She was so beautiful. Her usual pinned-up hair was let down, her golden tresses falling down to below her shoulders. She had a nightgown on that showed a good amount of her creamy skin, but was still covering enough to show she had some modesty. I just couldn't describe her any other way. She was just simply... beautiful. 

"Umm... " She looked down and nervously twisted a lock of her silky hair with her finger. "I just couldn't fall asleep. I was wondering... Could I talk with you for a bit?" She then rushed ahead as if something was embarrassing her. "If it's okay with you that is." 

I shrugged. She wanted to talk with me?! Why?! Why did she have to?! Sure this would usually be heaven to me, but now... now this was nothing but eternal torment. "S-sure," I stuttered slightly. Argh! I stuttered! This was already taking a turn for the worst. 

Nina smiled softly and made her way towards me. I sat up and moved over so that she could sit on the end of my bed. She did so and smiled again at me. My heart skipped a couple more beats. God, did this woman know the effects she had on me? "Thank you." 

"You're welcome." We remained in an awkward silence until I spoke up again. "So um... what... do you want to talk about?" 

Nina looked up at me quickly and then back down. She blushed and then giggled slightly. "Actually, I have no idea. I just felt like talking to you... " Her voice trailed off and she blushed horribly before turning away from me and covering her face. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that." 

My heart broke a little. She didn't even want to talk too much with me. How's that coming from the woman you love? I sighed and flopped backwards onto the bed. "Yeah... " I muttered dejectedly. Nina looked at me with concern. 

"Ryu? Are you alright?" 

"Yeah," I smiled sadly. "I'm okay." 

Nina turned around and crawled over to me until she was right next to my side. There, she lied down and curled up next to me. I gulped nervously. Why was she doing this? She moved closer, almost touching me, and sighed. I gulped again. She looked almost... happy. "Ryu?" 

"Yes, Nina?" 

"What are you going to do after this?" 

I sighed. "Leave," I said simply. That's right, I had to leave. I had to get away from the torment that would haunt me, and the happiness that would forever elude me whenever I looked upon Nina's lovely face. 

Nina pushed herself up quickly on her arms and looked at me frantically. "What?!" She whispered tearfully. I saw the corner of her eyes begin to gain water, and she leaned over me. I blushed at how close she was. "But... but... but you can't leave!" She blubbered. "You can't leave, Ryu!" 

"Nina!" I sat up quickly and gripped her shoulders. "What's wrong?!" Why did she look so sad? It was just me. Me... the one who secretly loved her from the sidelines. "Why are you crying? It's okay!" 

"Ryu!" Nina cried out before propelling herself into my arms, knocking me backwards. She landed on top of me and cried into my chest. "Ryu... " She sobbed quietly. "You can't leave... You can't leave here... or me... " 

I was shocked. She didn't want me to leave? But... but she had Cray. Why would she ever want me to be near her? "Nina? Are... are you okay?" I hesitantly raised a hand and placed it on her head. "What's wrong?" 

"Ryu... " Nina pulled herself up my body until her face was square was mine. I blushed even harder as I felt her warm, soft body press against mine. Why was she doing this? Did she even know she was doing this? The effect she had on me... God! This was just pure torture! "Ryu... " I looked at Nina's face in panic. Her eyes had a look in them, a look I had seen so many times before, but one I could never truly comprehend. And now, the look was even stronger. "Ryu, I don't want you to leave." 

"Nina?" Something was happening to me. It was the feeling I usually got whenever Nina looked at me and smiled or said something sweet to me or held my hand in a friendly gesture. But this... this was a thousand times more powerful than any of those things. I felt like I was burning up, freezing, being electrified... all at once. "Why can't I leave?" 

"Because... " Nina stopped and looked down before collapsing onto me and pulling me into a hug. "Because you just can't, Ryu. You just can't leave here. I just don't want you too." 

"But, Nina... " I put my hands to her face and lifted it up. My hands felt like fire at the feel of her skin, but I kept them where they were. "I have to go. You know I could never stay here." 

"Why Ryu?" 

Why? Because I couldn't stand to be near her. Because being near her ripped my heart to shreds when I knew I could never be with her. When I knew I couldn't hold her in my arms, to feel the softness of her lips against mine, to have her love me just as much as I loved her. That was why. But I could never say that. Nina didn't have to know of the worthless hybrid that loved her from the shadows. Watching her as she lived life to the full extent of her happiness. She deserved far, far better than me. 

"Because... " What could I possibly say? I couldn't say what I thought. It would make me sound like I hated her. Which I definitely did not. Something popped into my mind at that exact moment, and I rejoiced at my own intelligence. "Because... what about my transformations? I still can't keep control of them sometimes, and what if hurt you or anyone else? I just couldn't live with myself if I ever did." 

"Ryu... " Nina lowered her head until we bumped noses. I gulped at her proximity and shuddered as I felt her warm breath grace across my face. "Ryu, I don't care about that. I fell... " She stopped and blushed. What? She fell what? Why did she seem so embarrassed? "Never mind... " She murmured. "It's just that... I _know_ that you would never do that, Ryu. Never." 

"But... Nina... What about when I went berserk? I killed so many people. I almost... " I shuddered at the memory from my dreams. That was way too close to what could have happened. "I almost hurt you." 

"I know you could never hurt me, Ryu. You've protected me for as long as we met. Even when you went berserk, you still kept your humanity and stopped. And after what Fou-Lu said about us 'foolish mortals,' you still defied him and refused to merge with him to so-call purify the world." 

"But... but you don't need me anymore, you have Cray." That's right, she had Cray. The one that could love her, the one that could protect her. She had no use for me, and I would just disappear just as mysteriously as I appeared into it. Like I would in the next couple of days after I recovered enough. Like how all of us would just separate just like that. Unconsciously, small tears came to my eyes as I gazed upon the forbidden desire hanging over me. 

"But I don't want Cray, Ryu. I want... " She trailed off again and looked down at my chest. Again, I was shocked. She didn't want to be with Cray? But... but she told me... she told that she loved him! Why wouldn't... why wouldn't she want to be with him? 

"But Nina... Cray is one of your best and oldest friends. And you even said that you loved him when we were fishing." My heart chipped a little more as I said these words. I wanted to be with her so badly. But, as I have said numerous times before, that was just one dream that would never come true for me. "So why wouldn't you want to be with him?" 

"Ryu... I don't _love_ Cray, not in that way. I love him like an older brother. I could never feel that way about him. It would just be too awkward. Besides, he was just too in love with my sister to be with anyone else, and I knew that for a long time. And also... I love... somebody else." 

My heart shattered even more. So she wasn't in love with Cray. That was just _great_. Now she was in love with some other guy, one that I probably didn't even know. But still, if he made Nina happy, than I would just stay to the side... like I had been doing for a long time. "He... he must be a very special guy for you to love." I managed to say through the tearing of my soul. 

Nina blushed and looked down happily. "Yes, he is. He's strong, handsome, brave and has the kindest soul that I've ever met." Damn... like I could ever compete with someone like that. 

"I'm sure he's very happy to have someone like you to love him so much." 

She looked me straight in the eyes and I was saddened by the look of pain I saw within her eyes. "The thing is... he doesn't know." 

I tilted my head. "What?" 

She looked down sheepishly. "I haven't told him yet." 

"Why not? I'm sure a man would be ecstatic to have someone like you say those three simple words to him." Oh great, now I was giving advice to the woman I loved on how to capture another man's heart. How pathetic am I? 

"Because I'm not sure that he loves me back. He's such a wonderful person, how could he ever love someone like me?" 

"Nina... " I cupped her chin and lifted her face to look her in the eyes. "You are a beautiful, sweet, caring and extremely kind woman. Any man, and I mean _any_ man would be happy to have you. If this guy doesn't want you, he must be crazy." And now I'm baring my soul to her without her even knowing. This just couldn't get even worse. 

"Ryu... " Nina smiled happily. "You know what? You're right. I'm going to tell him. Ryu, I love you!" 

I smiled back. Well, at least Nina would be happy. "That's nice, Nina. Now why don't you go and tell him?" 

Nina looked at me in confusion. "But Ryu, I already did." 

Now it was my turn to be confused. "No you didn't, Nina. You just said, 'Ryu, I love you.' You didn't say it to who you loved." 

"Ryu... " She leaned closer until our breath mingled with each other's. What the heck was she doing now? And why was she getting closer to me when she loved someone else? Unless... unless she... My eyes widened in shock as Nina giggled. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked upon me happily. "That's right, Ryu. I love... I love you." 

"Nina... " 

Could it... could it be true? Did Nina, the beautiful princess of Wyndia actually love a monster like me? I looked into her eyes for an answer. All I saw was warmth and that same strange emotion I saw every time we looked into each other's eyes. It was then I finally realized what that emotion was. It was love. Nina had been looking at me with love in her eyes for as long as I have loved her. I had found my answer. Nina... did love me. 

"Nina, I... I love you, too. So much. More than you could ever know." 

"Oh, Ryu... " I quieted her by putting a finger on her lips. Nina looked down on me and smiled tenderly. That one smile that I wanted so much to be directed at me was finally being directed at me. It was all I ever wanted from her. I smiled one more time before replacing the finger I had on her lips with my own. 

It was like a bunch of fireworks had gone off in my mouth and someone had dumped molten lava into my stomach. It was a feeling I had never experienced before and I liked it, it was the most wonderful feeling in this world... or in any other for that matter. 

Nina responded eagerly, pressing her lips as hard as she could against mine. I crushed her to my body, making sure to avoid bending any of her pure white, delicate feathers that were her wings. Nina encircled her arms around my neck and pulled me as close to her as she could. One of my hands moved up to tangle itself in her silken hair. It felt so good to just run my rough, callused hands throughout her soft hair. It was so smooth, so soothing... 

My other hand moved up and gently caressed the tip of one of her wings. Nina moaned softly into my mouth and I smiled inwardly at my discovery. So it seemed that the people of the Fai tribe were sensitive about their wings. I would have to remember that for next time. I thought about it... Would there even be a next time? 

Regretfully, the moment that we both wished could last forever eventually had to end. We slowly broke off from each other, but not before I stole one last butterfly kiss from her. She giggled and planted her forehead against mine. I smiled back and nuzzled my nose against hers. She seemed to have liked this because she nuzzled my nose back. This continued on for a few minutes before we both collapsed into giggles and laughter at the obscurity of the situation. 

"You know," I laughed. "I never expected for any of this to ever happen." Oh, how true was that? 

"Well, I'm glad that it did." Nina said back. "I'm so very glad that it happened, Ryu." She kissed me again, lightly on the cheek, before snuggling into me. I tightened my grip on her and stroked at where her wings sprouted from her back. Nina moaned again, louder this time, and I stopped. I didn't want to go too far when we had just confessed our love for each other. She settled back down and dug her head into the crook of my throat. I was so happy too. So happy, that my dreams had finally come true. 

"Nina?" 

"Yes?" She lifted her head and looked at me curiously. 

I looked back. "Why did you fall in love with me?" I had to know. I had to know how someone like her fell in love with someone like me. What did I ever do to deserve her love? What? 

"Ryu... " She sighed and lowered her head down to mine again. "I really don't know. All I know is that I do. There's just something about you, something that I just can't help but love. You're kind, brave and you help anyone that is in need of help. But maybe... maybe this can explain it better... " She lowered her lips and kissed me again. This one was even sweeter and more tender than the first one, if that was even possible. 

She kissed me, as gently as she could, and I could feel the love and passion she was trying to pass on to me through our soft liplock. I kissed her back, just as tenderly. Running a hand through her hair, I began to caress the tips of her wings again. Nina moaned softly into me, and that only encouraged me to keep up my ministrations. I then began to tweak the tips. Nina moaned a little more before letting go of my lips. She leaned back up and looked at me. 

"Did that explain it better?" I kissed her and tweaked her wingtip again. I kissed her again... and again. I couldn't get enough of her sweet taste. Nina moaned and bit her bottom lip. "I guess it does." 

I smirked. It was so nice that I could touch her like this now, to know that my actions were appreciated... and reciprocated. I lowered her head down until we bumped noses again. "I love you so much." 

"Why?" 

"Same as you. Just because I do." I said this all before, and explaining it to her would take forever. Because of course, I loved everything about her. Her face, her voice, her touch, her bravery, her kindness... everything. I loved all of it. I then suddenly got an idea. Nudging her slightly, she took my hint and we rolled over so that I was the one on top. Supporting my weight on my elbows, I gently brushed my fingers across her lovely face. Nina's eyes closed and she sighed. I smiled. "You are so beautiful." 

She opened her eyes and looked at me. "Really?" I smiled and nodded. She smiled back and leaned back up towards me. I gladly responded and kissed her. Each kiss was a soft one, barely brushing our lips against each other. And that made it all the more passionate. To my pleasure, Nina took the initiative when she parted her lips slightly, giving me permission to delve into her honeyed recesses. I did so... hungrily almost, and Nina replied back with just as much raw emotion. 

My hands unconsciously began to roam her body. They slid down her graceful neck, past her ample bosom to land on her slender waist. Then they made the same trip back up, and repeated themselves until I was rubbing my hands up and down her sides. Nina, meanwhile, had entangled her hands in my hair, and was rubbing her fingers through my locks. Eventually we stopped, and I leaned back up to look at the beauty beneath me. 

She stared back up at me, love and warmth radiating from her eyes. I gulped as I saw the tiny hint of lust hidden within those deep brown orbs, knowing that it was only helping to fuel my own building desires for her. She was just so tempting in that silk negligee of hers. She looked like a Christmas present, one that I just wanted to unwrap... No! I couldn't think like that, not about my Nina. 

My Nina. It felt so good to finally be able to say that. _My_ Nina. Yes... and I would make sure that she never got away from me again. But not beyond the extent of her wishes of course. But in any case, I had to do something before these unlocked desires took the best of me. 

"Nina... " I whispered, a little more huskily than I would have liked. "I think you should go back to your room now." 

Nina looked back at me. "But Ryu, I... " She trailed off and blushed. What was she embarrassed about? I moved a hand up to cup her cheek. She stared at me, and I smiled and nodded for her to continue. "I want to spend the night with you... Please?" She gave me a perfect imitation of a puppy dog look, and her chocolate eyes only helped to strengthen her case. 

I gulped. She wanted... she wanted to sleep here? With me? "Are... are you sure?" I murmured. She nodded, smiling as sweetly as she could. I sighed. Well, I couldn't very well deny her, now could I? I mean... I wanted to do this just as much as she did. I nodded, and Nina's face burst into a beaming smile. I slowly moved off of her, and then lifted the covers up so that we could both go in. 

Nina snuggled up next to me, and I lowered the sheets back down, covering us both up. Nina then moved closer to me, resting her head on my chest as if it were a pillow. Her leg jumped over the top of my legs and the other moved in between mine too. My right arm snaked its way around her waist to pull her closer and my left hand caught Nina's and interlaced with it gently. Her free arm moved below and around my neck to hold me to her. She sighed in contentment, and then snuggled closer a little more. 

Once we were all nice and comfortable, Nina kissed me tenderly on my throat. She settled back down on my chest and murmured something into me. "I love you, Ryu." 

I smiled. "I love you too, Nina." She made a happy noise and minutes later, fell asleep. Listening to her soft noises, I kissed her hair, breathing in her scent. She was so soft, so warm. I never thought that this day would come, that I would be able to hold her in my arms like this. She was like an angel on earth to me, _my_ angel. She even had the beautiful white wings to go along with her peaceful disposition. 

My hands moved from her waist to stroke her back. Nina sighed my name happily in her sleep. "Ryu... " I smiled gently. So, she even dreamed of me. This couldn't get even better. But it did. She shifted her body, and before I could even react, she ended up lying on top of me, her face buried in my neck. I blushed at the contact. Her lips were lightly planted on me, her breasts firmly pressing into my chest. I heard her sigh my name again. 

I sighed back and looked at the ceiling. It looked like I wouldn't need to leave after all. But then I noticed something. Something was missing, but I just couldn't place it. What could it... ? I realized what it was. It wasn't what I was missing, but what I had gained. 

I no longer felt as if part of myself was missing. I no longer felt like I only had half my heart, half my soul. I felt complete. For the very first time since I hand found myself upon this plane of existence, I felt whole. And the entire reason was this tiny bundle of love sleeping on top of me. The missing piece of my heart was beside me all along... inside of Nina. Soothed by this revelation, I fell asleep to the melodious sounds of Nina's breathings. 

And I didn't have any more nightmares. No more... only sweet dreams of my beloved... and my new life. 

***The End*** 

A/N: Well people, what do ya think? I thought this would be a good time to look into Ryu's soul because he isn't given much a personality in the game given he never talks. But since he does actually talk in this fic... and I'm just rambling now, oh well... Anyway, if I get enough good reviews for this fic, I'll make a sequel to it from Nina's pov. But if I don't... well, I'm still working on my Love Hina fic, dontcha know. So... Please Review! And remember... no flames! 


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Breath of Fire, Angst, Romance