Stolen Hearts (Ni No Kuni Swaine X OC)

Chapter One

Safir watched the guards carefully as they ran past the small alcove he'd slipped into, cloak drawn tightly around himself as he leaned back against the wall. His chest heaved for air, the forced calmness of his breath disagreeing with the pounding of his heartbeat. It was only once the last guard had passed that he allowed himself to breathe properly, lungs expanding and sucking in oxygen greedily. His shoulders remained tensed, muscles poised and ready to start running at any minute again despite their angry protest at the tension.

Brushing back his dark locks he looked down at his hand, smiling in triumph. The bottle was small, barely the size of his palm, the clear glass letting sunlight filter in and light the green liquid within as it swished around inside it's container. A simple paper was stuck on carefully, the handwritten font on the label a faded blue ink in hard to read scrawl. None the less, he knew exactly what it was. Safir waited a moment longer, breath evening as he stepped out of the alcove and into the street. The sun shone brightly overhead, beating down on the citizens of Ding Dong Dell with a pleasant warmth, and Safir was almost tempted to pull back his hood to let the heat seep onto himself. Passing another guard though, he thought better of it.

Letting his gaze pass along the houses he hummed to himself, finally coming to a stop in front of one. It was small, the old green shutters chipping with paint as ivy slowly crept upwards from the ground. Carefully walking up the damp stone steps he gave a soft knock to the door. Moments later, the door hesitantly cracked open, a little girl, no older than ten peaking her head out. Bright red hair was tied up into two little puffs on either side her head, while dark green eyes looked upwards. Upon seeing the adult standing there, she smiled widely. "Safir!" She cheered softly, bolting forward. Safir smiled, reaching down to pat her head gently. "Hello, Mari. I'm glad to see you up," He said with a fond tone. After the child had released his waist, Safir knelt down, holding the bottle up with a grin. Instantly the child's eyes lit up, mouth stretching into a grin as she bounced of the balls of her feet. "You got it!! You actually got it!!" The little girl cheered, throwing her arms in the air with a yell.

Safir chuckled, resting a hand on his hip as he smirked. "Did you doube me, Mari? I'm hurt." He teased, handing the bottle to the child carefully. "Now make sure your mother takes that whole bottle, okay? She'll feel better in no time." Mari nodded enthusatically, giving the brunet one more tight hug around the waist. "Thank you Safir!" She chirped, waving her arm high above her head as the adult made his way down the steps. Safir smiled, waving back and watching as the little girl ducked back inside before making his way back down the street. Peaking out of an ally, he turned his head this way and that, nodding to himself before stepping into the busy street. Keeping his hood up, he side stepped a rather excited pair of children who were eyeing some sweets in a shop window. As he walked past, his eyes locked onto the stuffed doll next to one of the children, and he thought nothing of it. Until the doll moved and spoke. 

"Oi Ollie-boy! Hurry up and pick something before that old clogger comes back will ya!" The 'doll' said, bouncing impatiently.  Safir paused, looking over the object for a moment. "Oi!" The doll yipped, breaking Safir from his trance. "Don't cha know it's rude to stare mun?!" Safir shrugged, rolling his shoulders back as he stared down at the doll boredly. "Sorry. Haven't seen a fairy in many years is all." He replied, tipping his head slightly. HE stepped back, about to continue on his way, when on the children stepped forward. "Wait-! You know what a fairy is?" The boy was young, maybe twelve or thirteen, with ruddy red hair and bright blue eyes. A bag hung loose around his body, and around his hips Safir could see a holster for a wand. His clothes were simple travelers clothing, loose and comfortable. "Course I do," Safir replied, crouching down to the boys height. "Someone I knew was a wizard like you, it isn't uncommon to see fairies and wizards together, is it lamp-nose?" Safir asked, turning his gaze to the fairy. The Fairy bristled at the name, it's eyes narrowing. "Oi you codder! Yer talkin' to the king of fairies!" He roared. Safir snorted, rolling his eyes in amusement. "Do forgive me if that's hard to believe, your highness." 

Just as the fairy opened his mouth to reply, only for another, rather angry, voice to cut him off. "You three! Oh why I outta-" Safir turned his head, eyeing the newcomer carefully. He absently noted the odd mechanical device in a holster around the man's hips. He was tall and lanky, much like Safir himself, and his clothing was tattered at the hems, implying years of use. Dark hair sat atop his head in high curls, and his eyes were dark, with heavy bags beneath. Scruff lined his chin, and with his brows furrowed as they were he almost reminded Safir of an angry dog- a rather poofy one albeit. "Oh, calm down will you? It's not like we went far." The blonde girl, whom had been silent up until this point stepped forward from behind her red haired companion. Safir recognized her clothing of that from someone from Al Mamoon. Bright blue eyes held a fire as small hands perched on the girl's hips, the short purple skirt she wore making a small swishing motion at the movement. "You shouldn't have just bolted off like that in the first place!" Replied the man fericely, lips pressing into a scowl. The girl stepped forward, ready to reply when Safir stood, slipping between the two with ease. 

"Come now," He soothed. "There's no need to cause a scene." He continued, eyeing the two. It was obvious this was a usual occurrence if the boy and fairies' amused yet exasperated reactions were anything to go by.  The two continued to glare at one another, before the blonde huffed. The tension eased from the air. Safir sighed, resting a hand on his hip. "And just who are you." The man asked roughly, eyes narrowed. Safir shrugged, leaning back on his heels with a lazy grin. "Just a passerby, who'll stop troubling you now." He slid past, fingers skimming down for a spit second. He gave a small way to the two children and the fairy, who still looked somewhat cross, before he walked away. He smiled, humming to himself as he looked down at his prize. The gun was simple, a mostly mechanical object made of some sort of metal that'd been painted white to give it some sort of uniformity. There was a grapple at the end, and Safior could feel how heavy the object was. He hummed, eyeing it as he walked. He'd definitely have to do some work on it, no doubt. 

Slipping through the crowded streets, Safir slipped into an ally way, steps silent as he went, counting along the dark bricks until he came to a stop at an old door way, covered in ivy. The building was an old place, with dusty cracked windows and holes in the roof. It was home to Safir though. Running his fingers along the plants, he smiled as his fingers caught on an old rusted door handle. With a bit of effort, Safir wedged it open and slipped in, the old door shutting behind him with a solid thunk. With a relieved sigh, Safir shed the cloak he wore, the light material was well worn and thin in some spots, threadbare, even- but it got the job done. Hanging the well used clothing, Safir padded further into the room. Humming, the man placed his bag and new prize onto a paint chipped cabinet, covered in stains and small parts before he grabbed a small stick from the counter. It was carved, with intricate details along the bottom half.  Making a quick symbol in the air, the few candles over the room lit themselves instantly, flames swaying and dancing as Safir passed. Tying his hair back, he settled down onto the bench and slipped the googles on top of his head down over his eyes. Rolling up his sleeves, Safir unrolled a tightly wound leather pouch, tools glinting in the candle light. 

Picking up his prize, Safir examined the gun closer. Picking up a small flat tool from his pouch he wedged into a small crack in the metal before jerking his hand upwards, the casing popping off with ease. He continued like that, hunched over his work bench as he worked on the small item, lost in the world of his work. By the time he had stopped to take a break, the sun had begun to paint the sky in dusty shades of orange and pink. Straightening himself up, Safir moved his goggles to the top of his head, a satisfied smile on his face. Despite his stiff joints protest, Safir pushed himself up to stand, clipping the casing back onto the gun and securing it with some small screws. Grinning with excitement the brunet threw his satchel over his shoulder and grabbed his cloak, fastening it with one hand as his other fumbled for his wand and extinguished the candles around the room with a simple flick of his wrist before he slid the item into his satchel. With a grunt of effort he pushed the door open, the solid oak giving another dull thud as it creaked shut. 

With another glance down, Safir headed out of the alley, intent on testing out his new toy. 

((A/N: Oh wowie it's been a long time since I've touched this book. Let alone this OC- as all of you can see, lots has changed, both in my writing style and in my personality. None the less, I thank all of you who have stuck around waiting for this update, and I hope you'll continue to stick around for the journey ahead!))