Categories > Games > Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Green Pastures
3 reviewsPre-game, post Shadow Hearts. Alice and Yuri pass some peaceful days waiting for a train. Warning for complete irreverence for holy scripture.
5Moving
They had to wait three days for that train. Some washout on the mountain pass, and the railroad company had to send people out to fix it or...something. Yuri stopped listening after that. It was spring, the grass was green, the weather was nice, and he had to find some way to pass a few days with a beautiful young woman at his side.
Oh no. What WOULD he do with the time?
They found an inn that wasn't too full. The innkeeper didn't even bat an eye at giving them one room. Well, ok, he DID bat an eye, if you counted him winking at Yuri when Alice's back was turned.
It was a good three days. Alice went around and visited some of the local churches, and Yuri went with her, wandering about the town when he couldn't stand staying hemmed in by stained glass anymore. Alice understood, though, just waving him off when he started to fidget. As he sauntered through the town, looking at nothing in particular, Yuri sometimes had to wonder what the hell he was doing, thinking that he'd stay with Alice. She was who she was and he was who he was, and what the hell kind of life would that be, a girl like her with someone like him? Wasn't it kind of sacriligious? Wasn't it dangerous? Wasn't it just all around a bad idea?
The doubts all disappeared, though, when he found himself returning to the church to find her by the gate, eyes on the road, waiting for him, her smile brighter than the noontime sun.
Alice had a way of making him forget he was a freak. He would have loved her for that alone.
In the evening, they would eat dinner and spend the rest of the night in their room. It'd been a hell of a half a year, so they slept a lot, but not always. It wasn't the first time, but it sort of felt like it. After all, this time they had a proper bed and didn't have to worry about some piece of demon trash busting in on them. Or the old man or Margarete for that matter. This time it wasn't about being afraid they'd die the next day. This time it wasn't about trying to find one pure and clean thing among all the madness and gore. This time it was just about them.
The last afternoon before the train left, Alice packed a picnic basket and they had lunch on a hill by the edge of town, under an oak tree that looked older than the country itself. Alice taught him the English alphabet for awhile, while they munched on fresh-baked bread and sharp cheese. Then, over some of the innkeep's wife's chocolate cake, Yuri taught Alice a few kanji, scratching the characters in the dirt.
Lunch ended with Yuri's head pillowed on his arms, looking up at the branches of the tree swaying in the wind. "Read something to me," he said, and Alice opened up the bible and did: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie in green pastures...."
Her voice rolled over him, white light brighter than any fusion's.
"He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He guideth me in the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake...."
His hand found hers. He knew this part, had heard it somewhere when he was little. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil." He opened his eyes, found hers. "For thou art with me."
She blushed, and shook a finger at him. "The 23rd Psalm isn't about me, Yuri"
"Might as well be." Yuri coughed a bit and looked away. "All that shepherding."
Her hand stroked the side of his face. "Oh yes. And such an unruly sheep you were, too." He stuck his tongue out at her, and she stuck out hers back. "And look at your hair, too, you need to be SHEARED and Yuri Hyuga, is that your HAND?"
"Nope. Don't know what you're talkin' about. Must be a field mouse."
"YURI." She could still do scandalized so well. "We're OUTSIDE."
"There's no one around. Relax. Read that next part."
"Thy rod and thy staff, they...don't LEER, you!" She thwacked him with the bible. "Honestly, you are a veritable LECHER!"
"Ow. Hey, c'mon, you have to admit that that one was just too easy to pass up."
"You are incorrigible!" The words were exasperated, but she was laughing and laughing.
Yuri grinned and pulled her down beside him, burying his face in her hair. It was spring, Alice was laughing, and all was right with the world.
~End
Oh no. What WOULD he do with the time?
They found an inn that wasn't too full. The innkeeper didn't even bat an eye at giving them one room. Well, ok, he DID bat an eye, if you counted him winking at Yuri when Alice's back was turned.
It was a good three days. Alice went around and visited some of the local churches, and Yuri went with her, wandering about the town when he couldn't stand staying hemmed in by stained glass anymore. Alice understood, though, just waving him off when he started to fidget. As he sauntered through the town, looking at nothing in particular, Yuri sometimes had to wonder what the hell he was doing, thinking that he'd stay with Alice. She was who she was and he was who he was, and what the hell kind of life would that be, a girl like her with someone like him? Wasn't it kind of sacriligious? Wasn't it dangerous? Wasn't it just all around a bad idea?
The doubts all disappeared, though, when he found himself returning to the church to find her by the gate, eyes on the road, waiting for him, her smile brighter than the noontime sun.
Alice had a way of making him forget he was a freak. He would have loved her for that alone.
In the evening, they would eat dinner and spend the rest of the night in their room. It'd been a hell of a half a year, so they slept a lot, but not always. It wasn't the first time, but it sort of felt like it. After all, this time they had a proper bed and didn't have to worry about some piece of demon trash busting in on them. Or the old man or Margarete for that matter. This time it wasn't about being afraid they'd die the next day. This time it wasn't about trying to find one pure and clean thing among all the madness and gore. This time it was just about them.
The last afternoon before the train left, Alice packed a picnic basket and they had lunch on a hill by the edge of town, under an oak tree that looked older than the country itself. Alice taught him the English alphabet for awhile, while they munched on fresh-baked bread and sharp cheese. Then, over some of the innkeep's wife's chocolate cake, Yuri taught Alice a few kanji, scratching the characters in the dirt.
Lunch ended with Yuri's head pillowed on his arms, looking up at the branches of the tree swaying in the wind. "Read something to me," he said, and Alice opened up the bible and did: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He maketh me to lie in green pastures...."
Her voice rolled over him, white light brighter than any fusion's.
"He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He guideth me in the paths of righteousness, for his name's sake...."
His hand found hers. He knew this part, had heard it somewhere when he was little. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil." He opened his eyes, found hers. "For thou art with me."
She blushed, and shook a finger at him. "The 23rd Psalm isn't about me, Yuri"
"Might as well be." Yuri coughed a bit and looked away. "All that shepherding."
Her hand stroked the side of his face. "Oh yes. And such an unruly sheep you were, too." He stuck his tongue out at her, and she stuck out hers back. "And look at your hair, too, you need to be SHEARED and Yuri Hyuga, is that your HAND?"
"Nope. Don't know what you're talkin' about. Must be a field mouse."
"YURI." She could still do scandalized so well. "We're OUTSIDE."
"There's no one around. Relax. Read that next part."
"Thy rod and thy staff, they...don't LEER, you!" She thwacked him with the bible. "Honestly, you are a veritable LECHER!"
"Ow. Hey, c'mon, you have to admit that that one was just too easy to pass up."
"You are incorrigible!" The words were exasperated, but she was laughing and laughing.
Yuri grinned and pulled her down beside him, burying his face in her hair. It was spring, Alice was laughing, and all was right with the world.
~End
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