BIRD OF PREY | a reiner braun spinoff

chapter t w o.

Far from home. From everything he knew was the world. In a hell of strangers and even stranger things, he was a warm familiarity, a light in the dark.

The first time Saito saw him, raking the dried blossoms under the Wisteria vines in the courtyard, he had his eyes set on the band with the white star strapped on the boy's arm. He remembered his mother's tales.

His mother's lies .

"The heroes arose from the age of wicked and darkness like a gleaming spark in the night."

And to the lone and lost boy then... that blonde stranger seemed to be a heaven sent. A hero that had come to save him.

But he as he would soon learn.. was no hero. He was just a boy. Like he was.

Yet they weren't the same. Never was or would be. Because while they were both boys, the stranger was something else.

Something vile, they told him. A sinner. An Eldian . The furthest thing from a damned hero.

Saito would learn much later that heroes... only belonged in stories. And that no hero was coming to save him and take him away. Away from this strange land. From his dishonorable existence. And the unfamiliar name the man had pitifully allowed him to bear, Magath...

He learned that there were only soldiers here, in his so-called new home.

Soldiers and war and the bloody stench of death that followed at it's heels.

----

MARLEY CAMP, ALLIED FORCE TERRITORY

Saito awoke with a sudden deep inhale. His eyes were wide open as he stared at the flapping roof of his tent. Sweat poured down from his forehead as he tightly gripped the light sheets in his hands. He panted out painful chunks of air for a moment as he struggled to catch his breath.

Stiffly he lifted himself up, leaning up on his elbows as he attempted to blink his way to full consciousness.

"Another bad dream?"

Saito jerked skittishly before he looked over to his open tent flap at his second, Thomas Gelvar. "Gelvar.." He said as if confirming that he wasn't still in a dream as he rested his head weakly in his hands.

"Well." His comrade sighed as he invited himself in. "Which one was it this time?" Gelvar asked as he watched Saito settled up in a more comfortable sitting. "Was it your mom leaving you at Marley? Your cousins bullying? Or maybe-"

"It wasn't... " Saito snapped, pausing momentarily in defeat. He closed his eyes, feeling exhausted as if he didn't get a wink of sleep. Almost immediately however, he found himself back in the wisteria courtyard at the Military Base back in Liberio-- with a certain blonde boy. He scowled and his eyes flashed open again as he shook his head slowly in attempt to rid his memories away. "It wasn't- a bad dream."

"Ohhhh?" Gelvar cooed lowly as he tilted his head before he grabbed Saito's sheets, yanking it away. "Cap'n you fucking pervert! You had a wet dream didn't you? Who was it! Tell me!"

"Gel- Gelvar! Stop it-" Saito groaned and shivered from the sudden rush of fresh air against his sleepy skin. He struggled to keep claim of his sheets, wounding his legs around them securely "TOM!"

When his second didn't cease his teasing, Saito's tolerance ran out of fuse. "OUT! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

He coldly kicked poor old Gelvar out of his tent before zipping his tent flap back up. Gelvar chuckled as he stood outside the Captain's tent. "Dear sir. You might wanna wipe the little guy quick." He hollered teasingly. "1st Lieutenant Wagnar wants you and I in the War Tent for some emergency council. It seems pretty urgent. I saw your fathe-" Gelvar held his tongue back quickly. He paused and stared at the closed flap of the tent apologetically.