Note: Slight changes due to Deis.

Disclaimer: Suikoden and its characters belong to their respected companies (Konami and such) and no money was made in the production of this Fanfiction.

GENSO SUIKODEN: Atonement

By: Chii Motosuwa

Chapter Thirteen: A Concealed Intention

Sarasa sat silently in the tavern by the bar where Leona was serving a few of the soldiers who were not in duty. She eyed the corner which leads to the stairway to the inn. Akia had locked herself in her room since yesterday when Sarasa finally had the chance to speak with Riou. It was worrying her. Akia had never acted in that manner before. Sarasa left the room after she finished speaking with Riou that day and found Akia missing from outside. She later found her guardian standing in the courtyard with a medium sized brown bird perched on her shoulder as she read a letter she was holding in her hands. Sarasa also took note that the bird looked familiar.

She then called out to the older woman who immediately turned to her, then folded the letter and tucked it into one of her jacket's pockets.

"Thank you…" Akia muttered to the bird and it swiftly flew away.

"Ms. Akia…?" the young female called to her again reluctantly as she approached.

"Have you finished your business…?"

Sarasa stopped a few steps in front of the raven haired bishop as she heard the tone of her voice. Worry overwhelmed her as she sensed the frailty of the older woman's state. She looked weary and exhausted. The changes were so obvious and noticeable. There was definitely something wrong.

"Ms. Akia…" She reached out to touch Akia's face but she flinched away from her immediately.

"I'm fine." The older girl said sounding a bit irritated. "I just haven't slept that much…"

"… Ms. Akia… what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She replied in almost a whisper. "I'm just tired… I need to rest… That's all I need…"

Sarasa snapped out of her trance when the owner of the inn ran down the stairs looking quite upset.

"Leona!" The woman shouted as she ran to the bar.

Sarasa slowly stood up as she heard the rest of the woman's words, feeling fear bearing down on her.

"I-It's that girl! I heard a noise, and I knocked, but she won't answer! The door is locked and I can't get in! I think something is wrong!"

---

"And what do you call this?" Hisoka took out a random object from the basket Leon's servant, whose name was Ellen, was carrying.

"Orange." Akia answered as she looked at it intently.

The servant laughed lightly as she watched Hisoka and Akia interact with each other. Hisoka came with Akia and Ellen most of the time when the servant went out for groceries for her family. This was a chance for Akia to break away from her training at the barracks and far away from Leon's constant lecturing. Akia did not seem to mind. She was enthusiastic about learning and studying, but in Hisoka's opinion, she was still a child and needed to be entertained. Not to mention be exposed to fresh air and sunlight. She was pretty pale to begin with, and anymore isolation from the sun would probably worsen her state. Today was different though. Not only did Deis decide to join them, but Leon as well. It was not rare for the ageless bishop to adhere himself to peasant work. He was after all famous among the 2nd and 3rd class citizens for a reason.

Hisoka grabbed another fruit, this time from the basket he was carrying for Ellen, and showed it to the young girl.

"And this?"

"…Um… An apple…?" she replied with doubt.

"Is it?" Hisoka cocked an eyebrow.

Akia looked at Leon pleadingly for a sign that her answer was correct. Leon smiled at her in response. With that, Akia nodded with great confidence.

"Lord Leon, that isn't fair. It's my turn to teach her now." Hisoka frowned making the bishop chuckle.

"Yes. Yes. I do believe this is your time with her." Leon replied as Akia wrapped her tiny hand around his.

"Honestly Hisoka, you're teaching her like how you'd teach a dog." Deis shook his head.

"I am not." The younger soldier snapped back.

Akia then tugged on Leon's sleeve and pointed at something in one of the stands to the left. They all turned to where the young girl was pointing and saw a stand selling melons.

"What is it?" Leon asked in a hushed tone.

"Bastard." She said bluntly, silencing Hisoka and the two adults.

"A-Aki!" Hisoka shouted flushed slightly and looked at her in astonishment.

"Oh my…" Ellen mouthed making Leon turn to her questioningly as Deis fell into a fit of laughter. "Oh… It's just, Master Yuuhi swore in young Mistress Akia's presence yesterday when he was helping in the kitchen."

"And?"

"Well, as the young Mistress watched us, Master Yuuhi cut himself as he was slicing a... melon."

"Oh yeah…" Hisoka murmured as he slowly remembered.

"That's very tactful, Hi-chan." Deis chuckled and quickly dodged as his friend swung at him.

Leon raised an eyebrow at Hisoka.

"I assume this have something to do with your occasional swearing, my dear apprentice." Leon said making Hisoka flinch.

If it was one thing Leon was picky about, it was language. He said that he had heard enough of such barbaric language from the soldiers when in duty or when in the meetings, he didn't need to hear it everywhere else.

"I'm sorry." Hisoka muttered.

Leon smiled gently at the young man's meekness and honesty. It was such a waste to have such a boy in the military. He would have done better as a scholar.

"No matter…" Leon said in a pleased tone as he watched Akia look about the stand curiously ahead of them. "We'll just have to teach her that melons are not called bastards…"

Ellen and Deis resumed laughing as Hisoka flushed again from the bishop's remark. The look on Leon's face changed suddenly from one that was amused to one of seriousness. Hisoka followed his stare back to Akia who was not standing alone anymore. A young boy, someone familiar to the young soldier was now standing beside her.

"Someone you know...?" Deis asked Hisoka as they watched Leon approach the boy.

"Luc." Leon called making the young boy glance at him.

"Hello…" the boy greeted quietly.

"Are you here for errands?" Leon asked.

Luc was then distracted as Hisoka moved forward, taking Akia by the wrist and dragging her back to where Deis and Ellen stood. The boy smirked, and then turned back to the bishop.

"Lord Golan asked me to fetch you." He replied dryly. "But you weren't in your residence. One of your servants said you left with the girl and her babysitter… along with a 'Miss Ellen'."

Hisoka twitched at Luc's remark.

"… I see." Leon sensed the tension building up between the two boys and raised a brow. "Tell him I'll head for the temple as soon as I'm done here."

"I'm afraid I cannot do that." Luc intervened. "I was clearly told to tell you that you must leave now. I believe it has something to do with that man, Mihkta was it?"

The bishop fell silent for a moment, and then turned to the rest of them.

"I'm heading for the Circle temple… Hisoka, take Akia back to the manor right after you help Ellen with the rest of her shopping. And you are to stay there until I get back. Do you understand?"

"Y-Yes… Of course." Hisoka replied, slightly bewildered by Leon's change of mood. "B-But what's goin—"

"Just stay there until I get back." Leon snapped. "Deis, you will come with me." and left them without another word.

"Yes sir." The soldier responded quickly.

He then glanced at Hisoka and shrugged, following the bishop towards the road to the temple. The younger soldier suddenly turned to the pair of eyes looking at him.

"What are you staring at you little f—"

"Ah-ah." Luc shook his finger at him as grinned mildly. "Watch your language. She might just learn a new word from you."

Hisoka growled at the boy as he chuckled and turned to follow Leon and Deis back to the temple.

---

Hisoka escorted Ellen back to her home first then made his way to the main house with Akia. Solana was a familiar name to him. He remembered hearing about it of reading about someone with that name in the past. He just was not sure what it was about. He glanced at Akia. She had been quiet since Leon had left them.

"Hisoka…" Akia called in her quiet voice.

"Hm?"

"When you are in a war… are you… afraid…?"

"I used to be." He replied. "Not anymore though."

"Why not…?"

"Because back then… I guess I had a lot to loose."

"Like what?" she asked curiously.

"Like… my mother, my home... those kinds of things." Hisoka said casually.

"And your father?"

Hisoka stopped suddenly as the child's words had suddenly hit something he had buried deeply in him.

"… What's with all these questions all of a sudden?" Hisoka laughed, trying to hide the slight irritation he was feeling at the moment.

He didn't like this. Being bombarded by questions he did not wish to discuss with anyone.

"You still have a fath—"

"Stop it!" he shouted suddenly making the girl flinch.

There were signs of fear in her eyes and it was obvious why. He's never raised his voice to her before not for anything like this. But she's never asked such questions before. So…why now? Why ask such questions that were not important now? Akia lowered her head and pulled her hand away from Hisoka's.

"I'm… sorry… I didn't mean to…"

"Hisoka will regret it…" she muttered, "If he doesn't tell…"

"W-What…?"

"Hisoka will regret it… because he has something to loose…"

"What are you talking about?" Hisoka asked feeling slightly unnerved by the child's words.

Her words were getting deeper. They were hurting him.

"He's so close…"

He didn't say anything. How could she know something he's never even mentioned to anyone since he came to Harmonia? There was no way she could know.

"Hisoka's father is close… but he won't tell…"

He stared at her in disbelief. She raised her head and looked at him straight in the eyes. Her odd coloured eyes shimmered in the afternoon sun's light, piercing deeply in to him. Fear… He was scared. No one should know about him. No one should know about the truth… about why he was here… why he came to Harmonia. No one should know. And what did she mean by that? Loose him? How? Why?

"The war is coming. Yet Hisoka won't tell." Akia repeated in her mono-toned voice, showing no clear emotion to him. "He'll loose him. And he'll regret it."

He stood there silently, unsure of her words. But before he knew it, the peaceful times they had spent in Crystal Valley came to a halt and were soon replaced by the sounds of marching and clashing of swords. In a matter of weeks, Lorrianne would attack the north-western borders, and the War of Chaos would begin once more.

(to be continued...)