Agency

"What do you want Mr. Hero?"

Shiro laid awake listening to the sounds of giant night life tromping through the woods around them turning the question over in his head, someone else once asked him that.....

"What do you want Shiro?" Takahashi Saori asked. She had been Shiro's crush and best friend since middle school and now on the last day of high school they sat together on a shaded bench just off the athletics field. Saori knew Shiro better than even the parents whose dreams filled all of Shiro's waking moments, maybe especially better.
The topic of conversation, maybe their last their last conversation ever, was plans for the future. A dicey subject and they both knew that, Shiro's parents expected a high level executive track and offspring within a decade of today, or sooner. Saori had an offer on hold for a university in Soul and enough clout to get a second offer. All Shiro needed to do was say the words.
The words that would change everything, send life on a new course spiraling into the unknown.
Shiro does not say the words, in their place "I want to go into the JOCV travel a little and help people." (Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers)
That is not what Shiro truly wants, at least not without Saori.

The wind stirs a nearby chain-link fence and Shiro could swear it is the chains binding her to family are the ones that rattle so.
Shiro knows what happens next, it is inevitable, the culmination of choices made by others long ago. So Shiro does the only thing she can and attempts to fix Saori's image permanently into memory. The way her ink black hair crosses her cheek like the gentle strokes of a calligraphy brush, the brown eyes that mirror the longing and sorrow in Shiro's heart, the uniform that has been forever as much a part of them as they each other.

Saori sighs, rising to her feet, gently she brushes Shiro's bangs aside to plant a lonely kiss on the forehead beneath. "Good bye Nakahara Shiro, I wish you the happiness you can find."

Shiro ponders the memory and everything that has happened in this new world. He thinks of Lily, branded the defiler by her own father, of Commander Wildingmonte and the one sided vendetta, of the nation that would use a church to hide a spy.
Maybe Ezma was twisting facts, but her story fit the best with what Shiro had seen of this word so far.
Perhaps that is why he had not gone to Korea with Saori back then, because only being a world away could he shake the expectation to live the lives his parents missed because of him.
"Ezma' he said into the growing light 'Lets go to Championhold."

An unknown amount of time later

Ezma had to admit to herself, as they hiked through the deep wood, she was growing fond of the little troupe. Lily had been just about as helpless as any city folk could be expected, but once she settled her feelings about going from a healer to a necromancer, she threw herself into learning the tasks of surviving in this wild with the abandon of someone keeping terrible thoughts away with work. Shiro had some bare bones bush craft but the growing confidence in himself was the most impressive thing. Especially since it manifested as an aptitude for combat that had saved their hides several times when the monstrously sized wildlife had noticed them and took offense at their presences.

The only mar was Ezma herself. She had wanted to believe that what she was feeling was maternal in nature, but she as they grew mile by mile she was wise enough to know it for what it was: she was falling in love with Lily.
Naturally given her age Ezma had dallied with several men and women in her time on the road, and there was a blacksmith of her own clan who was the last one to invoke these feelings in her, but he had died in an avalanche several winters ago.

With Lily, well there were plenty of reasons not to feel attracted to her:

Firstly: She was royalty of the Holy Kingdom, any other princess and Ezma would have scooped her up like a dragon in the tales, with all the baggage that their religion brought.

Secondly: There was at least a decade of life between the two of them and many would see that as Ezma preying on Lily at worst and at best stealing the best part of her life as a partner doomed to die first.

Third and most important was that Lily could only see Shiro. 

The hooded eyes, the stolen glances, the tongue tied acceptance of praise, all the symptoms Ezma was working to keep hidden were plain for all to see on Lily.
Not that Shiro even seemed to notice, typical of a man. So the bashful smiles that were so cute went unnoticed, the growth of skills and talent unsung, and the reluctant practice with the new magics at her disposal unappreciated.
So Ezma composed wistful songs of the fair beauty, and wondered if any of them would live long enough to express their feelings for the other.

****

The party camped that night in the hollow between tree roots with the sound of running water nearby. Shiro offered to go scout out the water source, since last time they had met one a frog the size of a bus had mistaken them for flies, and with pots and magically manifest weapons was off. Ezma made the fire and started working on a soup for dinner while Lily set the bedrolls out.

Lily had a plan, she had learned to be meek and mild around the affections of boys at the royal court. Since there any token of affection could become an avenue of political attack. Out here though she was no one and Shiro was no one, and even if she did return to the capital without the the healing gifts from the Saint she was little more than a barbarian. So she would make her intentions clear like one. "I think I saw some berries as we came in.' she called to Ezma 'I think I am going to see if I can find them again." Ezma nods and starts mending something that had gotten caught on a thorn earlier. Leaving camp in the direction she had indicated before looping back around in the direction Shiro had went.

With little trouble navigating, due to being able to follow the sound of the water, Lily covertly approached where Shiro sat with feet hanging in the water.

She could not imagine a more perfect moment to confess her feelings!