Disclaimer: Breath of Fire is the property of Capcom if I’m not mistaken, and is being used here without permission for non-profit purposes.

 

 

 

Breath of Fire II

 

“Dragon’s Fate”

 

Chapter 1: “Return”

 

By Gray

 

 

One week…It had been seven days since that day…When Ryu Bateson, the strongest warrior in the world, and its savior, had sacrificed himself…for the good of all…

“For the good of who?” A Princess asked herself silently. Nina Windia was not a very aggressive person. She was shy, quiet, demure, and tried to stay in the background most of the time. So what had possessed her to undertake a quest to save the world? Granted, she hadn’t known it would evolve into that, but the fact remained that she had given up a quiet life in the Magic School, to go off on an adventure with people she barely knew…But regardless of why, she had done it, no, they had done it. The small group of outcasts, of lost souls, had saved the world from a fate worse than destruction.

“And this is our thanks?” She whispered quietly to herself in the darkness of her small room in Township. She knew one reason she had gone on that journey. It was he, Ryu, the blue-haired Ranger with the heart of gold who had led them through the most difficult trials imaginable, and always somehow kept them all together. She had originally thought she was going with him out of gratitude, but the Windian Princess knew better…Oh she did have a great deal to be grateful for because of him. Not only had he rescued her sister and herself from servitude under the Joker Gang, but he had also saved her life many times, and even given her the courage to fight to get her parents and rightful role as Princess back. But she knew now that gratitude wasn’t the reason she traveled with him, no, the real reason was something much deeper than that…

“And now he’s gone…” She whimpered. She had been crying for the entire seven days, as had everyone. Well, she and Katt anyway. It was strange seeing the Woren girl cry. She had always seemed so tough and unbeatable during their quest. Other than Ryu, she was their best fighter after all. Now she was in the other room, crying her eyes out just as Nina was. Though Katt was a little louder about it. As for the others…Spar had gone off somewhere on a personal journey of sorts, Jean had returned to Simafort, no doubt to inherit the throne, though she suspected he would goof off as always even as King. Sten had also gone back home, to Highfort, where he was no doubt living with the Princess and Trubo happily. Rand had gone back to Farmtown, saying he wanted to feel closer to his Mother, and was no doubt working the land there as best he could. Bleu, or Deis as Nina knew her to be, had gone back to her little secret home in the dessert, and Bow was staying here in Township, having no real place to go, and no doubt feeling lost without his life-long friend beside him. It angered Nina slightly that the rest of them could go on with their lives just like that, even though the most important member of their group was gone forever. But the more logical part of her understood. Each had to deal with their grief in their own way, and she knew they were all grieving. Even Spar, the emotionless grassman, felt the loss of Ryu.
”Why? Why did you have to leave us Ryu? Why did you have to leave me!” She yelled, before collapsing in tears again.

“Why c-couldn’t any of those damn cowards in D-dologany do it? Why did it have to be you?” He had sacrificed so much already. His childhood, his Mother, his Father, his sister, Ray… and then he had to descend into Hell itself, defeat an unimaginable evil, and after finally getting out of that demonic place known as Infinity, he had to turn around and guard the gates leading into it?

“What was it all for? What was the point!” She yelled, naturally she received no answer.

“Damn you Ladon! Answer me! Was it destiny? Like how those cowards in Dologany said? Was it preordained by some unfeeling, uncaring deity? Who didn’t care that the one to be sacrificed was the most kind, wonderful, brave man in the world!” She slumped, her head bowed. “To hell with destiny! I don’t care about destiny …I…I want Ryu…I care about Ryu…” Nina Windia sobbed herself to sleep yet again.

 

As the moon shone on the land, deep in the town of Gate, something was happening. A dragon slept there, dreaming of a life that seemed so long ago…

“Remember!” A voice cried in its head. It stirred slightly.

“Remember who you are!” The voice said in its head. It trembled, just a bit.

“You are the one!” The voice yelled. Now it twitched a claw slightly.

“Remember! You are the one! You are Ryu Bateson! The Destined Child!” The dragon’s lip curled slightly, its eye trembled a bit.

“They are waiting for you! Your friends! Katt! And Nina!” A tear slipped out of the dragon’s eye.

“REMEMBER! RYU! AWAKEN!” A roar shook the land. The dragon had awakened. It remembered…and in a flash of light that gradually died down, a figure appeared where once there had been a massive white dragon. He had deep blue hair, and was dressed in combat gear, a great sword rested on his back. He was crouched over the ground with his head bowed, tears leaking from his eyes.

“I remember…”

 

“How very odd…I could swear I just felt a tremendous surge of energy emanating from Gate…” The magician Bleu, who was actually the Goddess Deis, blinked in confusion as she sat in her humble abode, sipping tea gracefully.

“Mistress Bleu!” One of her spirit guardians called. Setting the tea down, she stood, or more accurately uncoiled since half her body was that of a snake, and slithered out the door of her room to hear what it was her guardian wanted.

“Mistress! Did you feel that?” It asked. She nodded slowly.

“Yes…Most peculiar…” Her eyes then widened.

“Could it be? Could the evil have awakened once more already? Or was it something else?” She frowned.

“Well, regardless, I suppose I should check it out…” She gathered her gear while mentally going over who she needed to contact.

“Mistress, you are leaving again?” She stopped and turned to her three guardians.

“Sorry guys, you’ll have to hold down the fort without me for a little while, I think another quest has come up. So toodles…” With that said, she left out the door.

“Mistress is certainly eager this time…”

“That’s because she is still in mourning for the Destined One…She wants to get her mind off of it for a while…”

“You have a point…I do hope she remembered to pack everything she needs this time…”

“Indeed…”

 

The sun rose gracefully that day. But for Nina, it was too bright. She wearily opened her eyes, and upon realizing that it was morning, slowly got out of bed, her wings, once a source of sorrow for her, were ruffled, and after getting dressed, she stroked them, making the feathers nice and even.

“I wonder if Katt is up yet…” She thought. The two may have once been rivals for Ryu’s affections, but after his tragic “death”, they had grown close, and were now the best of friends, even if virtually every conversation inevitably led back to the blue-haired youth.

“I wonder what Mother would say if she knew I was in love with a Dragon? Considering that it was because an ancestor of mine marrying one that we no longer can all become great birds, probably quite annoyed…” At the thought of the Great Bird, Nina sighed. She missed her sister so much…

“Why did the two most important people in my life have to be taken away from me in the same way?” She whispered sadly. She was able to see both of them whenever she wanted, but it was obviously not the same…

“It isn’t fair!” She cried angrily, feeling her tears begin once more. She had been yelling and crying a lot lately. She used to be so quiet and demure…

“But I used to be so wrapped up in my own tragic existence that I didn’t even think about anything else…” Of course, she wasn’t the only one who had suffered in her life. All the companions she had traveled with had their own sad pasts. Katt was virtually all alone in the world, especially now that Tiga was dead. Bow was an orphan who barely remembered his parents, Rand had been at odds with his Mother, and when he finally got her back, she died saving him. Sten had been an outcast from his own home, Jean had almost been usurped from his throne, Spar had no emotions, and even though she barely knew her, Nina knew that Bleu also hid some pain beneath a wall of false cheer and immaturity.
”We all have gone through so much…” Nina thought sadly. Yet Ryu, who had suffered just as much if not more than them all, was the one who had helped them all reclaim themselves, face up to their pasts, and solve their mistakes, or at least, come to terms with them.

“I guess I should go and see if perhaps I can find something to do…” Nina had been invited back to Windia of course, but she preferred to live in Township, at least for now. It made her feel closer to Ryu…since it was his town.

“Our town.” She corrected herself. They had built it together. All of them. It was their town.

 

“I had no idea you were such a good cook Nina!” Niro said happily as he watched the Princess cook a beautiful breakfast.

“Oh, well…I lived on my own for a while, so it was either learn or starve.” She shrugged slightly while keeping an eye on the pancakes she was preparing.

“Well, lucky for us.” Niro said. Bow wandered in, sniffing slightly.

“Man, something smells good…” He muttered. Peering around Nina, he noticed her flipping pancakes, and salivated.

“Is there enough for me?” He asked almost pitifully. Nina nodded, smiling faintly.

“Of course Bow, there’s enough for you, Katt, Niro, and even me.”

“What about me?” A red-haired girl asked with a smile, taking a seat nearby at the table.

“Sana! I thought you and the others were out with Granny studying something…” Bow said.

“Yeah well, Granny found whatever it was she was looking for and came rushing back to study it…” Sana shrugged and examined her nails for a moment.

“I swear, that old bat needs to slow down a little…” She said with a groan.

“Hey, what smells good?” Katt had arrived at last. Nina sighed.

“I’ll make more pancakes.”

 

“Okay, this has to be it…” Patty muttered to herself as she stood in front of a large chest in the now abandoned Great Church in Evarai. After the events that led to the ending of the St. Eva religion, Evarai had become a ghost town, and many felt it was haunted, probably because it had once been the headquarters of a religion devoted to the worship of a demon. Patty had lived in Township for a little while; trying to get along with her brother’s friends and mourn the brother she had barely been reunited with. But she knew in her heart that Ryu was still with them. It was sort of like how she had always felt close to her Mother even after she had passed away.

“Damn it, why’d you have to go and do something so selfless Ryu?” She asked out loud. Sighing, she bowed her head slightly.

“I can’t…I can’t be like this…I have to be strong…I have to be Patty, the infamous thief…Not…not Yua…”She clenched her eyes shut, warding off the tears that tried to spill past, and let out a large breath. Opening her eyes, she stepped up the chest and pried it open. The lid opened easier then she had been expecting, and she fell on her behind with a grunt.

“Ouch, that hurts…” She muttered.

“Well, let’s see what today’s haul is…” She peered into the chest, and blinked her eyes.

“EMPTY! What the hell!” She cursed and kicked the chest, making her foot hurt, but easing her anger a bit. She crossed her arms in thought.

“Hmm, there must be something of value still here…” She thought to herself. Spying a staircase nearby, she shrugged and ascended it. Finding herself in yet another non-descript stone area, she searched for anything remotely resembling treasure.

“Geez, isn’t there anything worthwhile here? I thought this place would be primo for loot, but so far, the best I’ve found were those candles in the other room…” She trailed off as she saw a familiar sight for her. Her trained eyes spied a slightly depressed panel in the wall, barely noticeable from the rest. Grinning, she walked over and gingerly pressed it in. A grinding noise was issued forth, and a stone wall beside her slid open.

“Bingo…” She grinned and stepped inside. The hidden room was a lot more elaborate than any of the other rooms she had been in thus far while exploring the church. It had beautiful tapestries adorning the walls, depicting various scenes of nature and whatnot. One in particular, showed an example of all the main races of the world, from humans, to Woren, to Windians, even the Highlanders were there. Oddly enough however, there were no dragons shown at all. Considering every other race was depicted, it struck Patty as odd that a legendary race like the Brood would be missing, but she shrugged and moved on. Finally, she came to an exquisite altar, adorned with candles still lit, and with a beautiful painting in the center of it. The painting was of an absolutely beautiful woman, with lovely golden hair, and skin as smooth as silk. Her eyes were closed, and her arms were clasped as if in prayer, her head tilted to the heavens. Most noticeable of all, were the wings on her back. Unlike Windian wings, which were made up of two solid wings, this woman’s wings were separated into smaller parts, and had smaller feathers. To Patty, the woman looked like some sort of angel, or Goddess…

“What is this?” Patty muttered. She continued to study the painting for several moments, marveling at the skill it must have taken to make it. Finally, she snapped out of it and looked for any valuables in the room.

“Hmm, well, with the exception of the painting, most of this stuff is junk…” She then widened her eyes.

“Of course! The painting! Something that well-made must be worth a fortune!” Nodding to herself, Patty reached up and took down the painting. She stared at it for a few more moments, before tucking under her arm and making her way out of the room. She didn’t notice the candles on the altar suddenly going out even though there was no breeze.

 

“I can’t believe I forgot my toothbrush…” Bleu muttered to herself as she reappeared in front of Township. The Warp spell sure did come in handy.

“I never get used to that…” A deep voice said from beside her. Turning to Rand, she nodded.

“Yeah I know, but did you really have to be in the St. Namanda temple when I went to fetch you? Those stupid monks made me do all sorts of dumb tests just to get in!” She yelled.

“Sorry, sorry…I didn’t exactly know you were coming Bleu…” Rand said with his hands held in front of him. He sighed and crossed his arms, the massive limbs bulging with muscle as he did so.

“Let’s just go in already…I’m starved…” He indicated the entrance with his small head. Bleu nodded, and the two entered the gates.

 

“Bleu! Rand! I don’t believe it!” Niro cried happily, dropping the broom he had been sweeping with and rushing over to them.

“It’s good to see you old man. How are things?” Bleu said with a smile of her own. Rand grunted out a greeting.

“As well as can be expected…” Niro said with a sigh.

“Everybody’s still moping around because of…” He didn’t finish and Bleu knew what or rather who he was talking about.

“Anyway, Patty left for who knows where and the Shamans just got back from some trip they were on…” He motioned them into the house.

“But come, you must both be tired, why not come in and rest for a while…I’ve left your old rooms just the way they were.”

“That would be wonderful Niro, thank you.” Bleu said, slithering inside with Rand ducking his head to get into the doorframe.

“I shoulda made a bigger door when I re-built this place…” Rand muttered.

 

“I can’t tell you how nice it is to see you again Bleu.” Nina said, sipping at the tea she had prepared.

“Yes, well, it’s wonderful to see you all again as well.” Bleu replied, also sipping tea. Nina, Bleu, Rand, Bow, and Katt were seated around a large table, after the initial greetings had been exchanged; Bleu had gotten down to business.

“Tell me, have you felt anything odd recently Nina? A large surge of energy perhaps…?” Bleu asked. Nina blinked confusedly.

“Why no, not really. Why?” She wasn’t sure what Bleu was getting at.

“Hmm, I thought as a powerful mage, you might have picked up on it, but I guess not…” Bleu said almost to herself.

“What exactly is going on Bleu?” Rand asked.

“You came and took me right in the middle of prayer, so what is so important?”

“Oh be quiet, you got to finish your prayers Rand.” She replied, before sighing, setting her cup down, and staring at it for a moment.

“You all know I’m actually a Goddess right? Well, I felt a massive surge of energy last night…energy powerful enough to make me worried….” She took a deep breath.

“It was emanating from…Gate.” Her words were met with gasps of shock.

“No way! That’s impossible!” Katt yelled. Bleu sighed.

“Don’t I wish Katt…But it’s true…” She sighed, and took another sip of tea.

“Well then, let’s go and investigate.” Nina said evenly, her eyes slightly steely. Everyone blinked at her.

“We can’t discount this…Let’s go and see what’s going on.” With that said, she stood up, and headed for the door.

“Are you coming or not?” She asked with a touch of impatience. The others quickly got up and soon the group was outside Township.

“Now to summon Mina…” Nina muttered. Concentrating for a moment, she closed her eyes, and then opened them as a great cry rang out through the air. A large bird colored like the rainbow, swooped down, and waited patiently for the small collection of heroes to board.

“Alright Mina, let’s head for Gate.” Nina said into her transformed sister’s ear. The Great Bird let out another cry, and flapped its mighty wings, before shooting into the air, and towards the solitary town of Gate. The other members of the group could only wonder when the shy soft-spoken Nina had gotten so hard-edged. But then they realized the answer, and felt sadness grip their hearts.

 

“Look old man! It’s priceless! I mean, look at the sheer talent involved in making it! Look at her wings! Or her life-like skin! This is obviously the work of a master!” Patty was trying to sell the painting of the beautiful woman. She had never sold art before, and as such, had no idea of how to go about it. She figured she would just go into the nearest gallery, show it off, get at least a couple thousand zenny if not more, and leave with a much bigger wallet. So, here she was in Hometown, having used a Warp spell to arrive there after exiting Evarai, and now this snooty art collector wasn’t buying her priceless painting! It was enough to make her want to just break the damn thing in half!

“I’m sorry…It is a very nice painting, but I have no idea as to who painted it, and frankly my dear, without a well-known name attached to it, it’s just another good painting. For all I know, your little brother painted it. But look, I’ll give you 200 zenny for it, and maybe I’ll put it in my study or something…” The old man figured he could find some use for the thing. It was a nice painting.

“Grrr! Forget it you old fart!” Patty yelled, stalking out of the gallery, her “priceless” painting under her arm.

“Well, she was certainly rude…and what on earth were those wings she had?”

 

“Damn it!” Patty yelled, startling a few passerby. She sighed and parked herself on a bench. She absently stared at the painting.

“You’re almost more trouble than you’re worth…” She muttered. Sighing again, she decided to try someplace else.

“At least it’s keeping me busy…”

 

“Hey Granny! Can I go and take a bath now? I’m all covered in dirt and dust from that stupid expedition we went on…” Sana was not happy. She had just gotten back from their little trip, and after eating a delicious breakfast of pancakes prepared by her friend Nina, she was looking forward to a nice long soak in the tub. But noooo! Her stupid Grandmother had to have her stand here and hand her various instruments while the old woman examined a stupid plant she had found. All the other sages got to relax, but not her! And here she was still mourning the loss of Ryu, whom she had considered primo boyfriend material, not to mention just a really good guy, and her friend, and she couldn’t even find the time to properly grieve.

“Stupid old bat…” She muttered.

“What was that dear?” Granny asked without taking her eyes off the plant she was observing.

“Uh, nothing…!” Sana quickly answered.

“If you say so dear…” Granny muttered with a slight smile. Sana was her favorite after all…

 

“Whew, so good to finally be here!” Katt said happily as she dismounted from Mina and stretched her arms above her head happily. Rand grunted in agreement as he slid off himself, and rotated his neck to get the kinks out.

“Alright guys…Let’s head into town.” Bleu said. Bow had already gone in, and the others followed him. Inside, they found a peculiar scene. Everyone was gone. The village had never been huge obviously, but the fact that not a single soul was in sight was somewhat disturbing. What was more chilling, was the fact that it looked like the people had vanished into thin air, as various things still remained. Like a steaming pot on a stove, an axe lying beside a stump, or child’s doll discarded upon the ground.

“Very strange…” Bleu muttered. Bow walked up to her with a grimace.

“Not a single person here. I can’t smell anyone, and what’s worse, I still smell lingering traces of people, which means that they were here only a short while ago.” He had a frown on his face, which was rare, as he tended to usually be pretty happy-go-lucky. Nina floated down from above a moment later.

“I don’t see any trace of life. Even the animals are gone.” She looked worried, Bleu noted. Nina swallowed.

“And…Ryu is gone…” She bowed her head. Bleu’s eyes widened.

“What! That’s impossible!”  She quickly turned to Rand and Katt, who were standing near her. Katt was clutching her staff tightly.

“C’mon, let’s go look.” Bleu said. The others nodded and ran towards the back of town, where it had all began…and ended.

 

Author’s Notes: I should have the next chapter out eventually. This is my first BoF fic, so I’m sorry if it’s a little crummy. It’s been years since I played BoF II, so I’m afraid a few details have escaped me, so please forgive any errors in that regard. I’m writing this for a few reasons, but mainly because I feel that BoF 2 is the best of the four games, if not in gameplay, then at least in story. Plus it has the best incarnations of Ryu and Nina! Nina the second is leagues better than her counterparts, and her black wings and tragic past make her far more interesting then the others who are basically your typical RPG Princesses. Anyway, I hope you liked it, and I hope others realize how good BoF 2 is and start writing about it. Thankfully it’s coming to the Game Boy Advance soon, so hopefully it will reach a larger audience (and hopefully they will actually do a good job with the translation this time!). Well that’s all…Please give me feedback.