Disclaimer: Don't own, don'cha know?
AN: Here's a story that came to be thanks to two skit ideas from Artryru and Hikaru Irving. I figured that if I combined the ideas and presented them as a oneshot, I could do them better justice than I ever could in skit format. So, thanks for the ideas guys! (Thanks also to Blackmoon who helped me come up with a much better title for this than the one I had before. I thought "Like the Chair" was just a tad too grim...)
"Genis?"
Raine was a strong woman. Forced to grow up too fast, to survive through abandonment, a lifetime of cruelty thanks to her blood, and still manage to care for her dear little brother; she was no stranger to adversity and disaster.
"Genis!"
She had volunteered to accompany the Chosen on the dangerous Journey of Regeneration. She had slain monsters, destroyed Desians, traveled the world in search of seals, and climbed to the very top of the Tower of Salvation where she and her companions defied the forces of heaven. Raine was a brave woman.
"Genis, speak to me!"
And she had never been more afraid.
"Wake up, Genis! You can't die! You can't!"
-x-
Everything hurt. Everything. Genis didn't know how long he had been unconscious, but it felt like someone had come along while he was out and jammed needles into every available inch of his body, right down to the bone. His skin burned and his muscles tingled, twinging uncomfortably whenever he tried to move, like he was laying on a bed of pins. To make matters worse, he couldn't remember how he ended up that way. He could, however, hear voices- People moving around him.
"His pulse is normal, breathing normal..."
"He's fine now, Raine. You can stop worrying."
"Yes, his condition is stabilized. The danger is past."
Genis knew those voices. It was Raine, Regal, and Kratos! They must have all been working to heal him, but why? He couldn't have been injured badly enough that all three of them were needed... Could he? Opening his eyes slightly he could see he was laying inside the roomy canvas tent that they usually reserved for really cold or rainy nights, or when they needed a field hospital. He could have sworn he heard Raine though, where was she? He turned his head to gaze blearily up at his sister.
"Sis? What happened...?"
Genis had never seen anyone move so fast in his life. One second Raine was sitting back from the bedroll where he lay, trying to calm down, and in the same second she was giving him a bone-crushing hug.
"Genis, I'm so glad you're awake... Don't you ever worry me like that again!" The last part she yelled, shaking Genis as if her goal was to rattle his head right off his shoulders, until Kratos stepped in.
"You, of all people, should know that's no way to treat a patient, Raine. Especially not one who's very likely still hypersensitive from an electric shock." As Kratos lectured Raine, Regal slipped out from the tent. He was probably going to inform the others that Genis had regained consciousness, but the little half-elf didn't pay much attention to it. He had other things on his mind. Deep, important thoughts like "OW!" Thanks to Raine's rough treatment his body ached even worse than before and his lungs felt like they were on fire, but at least he knew his sister loved him... It took three First Aids and many more apologies before he was ready to ask his question again.
"Raine, what happened to me? How'd I get so messed up?" Raine's expression went stern again, it was the 'strict professor' look she always used when addressing particularly poor students, and Lloyd.
"You forgot one of the most basic lessons I taught you about magic." Genis gulped. He did what now? "Do you remember what you did in our last battle?"
Genis nodded. Of course he remembered. They ran into another band of thieves on the road and had to fight them off. He, Lloyd, Kratos, and Raine ran into the fray and...
-x-
"Come on, Genis. Let's finish this fast!" Lloyd grinned back at him before dashing forward to meet the two Evil Warriors coming their way.
"All right, Lloyd. I've got your back!" If his friend wanted to end the battle quickly, then that's what they would do. Wielding his kendama expertly, Genis began calling forth and gathering the mana he would need for his first devastating spell. "Form a torrential vortex to engulf the evil creatures, Tidal Wave!"
A huge wall of water swept across the battlefield, turning the packed-dirt road into a swirling maelstrom and buffeting their enemies nearly senseless, but it wasn't enough. The Evil Warrior that Lloyd neglected was still advancing. There was no time to wait for the Tidal Wave's water to recede, action had to be taken! Falling back into his conjuring stance, Genis flipped his kendama and called up mana once more, only this time he gathered more. Much more. At least twice as much. The next spell would be one of his most powerful.
"I call upon thee in the land of the dead-" A shining circle of purple mana and mystic runes appeared on the ground beneath the Evil Warrior's feet. "-to unleash thy fury of thunder, Indignation!"
Brilliant energy spiraled up from the edges of the circle, finally meeting at the apex of the spell and unleashing a massive bolt of lightning that...
-x-
"Ah! I-? No way, I couldn't have been that dumb!" Genis' eyes went as wide as Colette's chakrams.
"But you were." Raine shook her head, as if she couldn't believe it either.
"You flooded the battlefield, then called down a lightning strike while standing in ankle-deep water and electrocuted yourself and Lloyd." Kratos was clearly irritated. "If Raine's mana hadn't protected her, or if I had been just slightly closer to you, all four of us would have been caught by the surge. It is only dumb luck that we are still alive."
Genis hung his head dejectedly. He was supposed to be that smart one, the kid who got perfect grades and thought everything through, but he really messed up this time. Electrocuted... And by his own spell no less! How embarrassing. Lloyd would never let him live it- Oh no. The horrible thought finally clicked into Genis' brain.
"Lloyd! Where's Lloyd? You said he got shocked too, is he okay?"
"Lloyd is fine. He woke up before you and seems to be doing well. He hasn't fully recovered, but you'll be able to see him soon. Regal is no doubt bringing him and the others here as we speak."
Thank goodness... Genis relaxed, leaning back on the bundle of blankets and packs Raine propped up behind him, resting for as long as he could before the tent flaps flew open and a horde of friends swarmed in.
"'Enith! 'Oor o'ay!" Lloyd yelled as he ran to Genis' side, followed closely by Colette. The half-elf could tell his friend had been worried about him and was happy to see him, but was a little perturbed to find he couldn't understand a word that came out of the boy's mouth.
"Hi, Lloyd. Um... What're you saying? Is there something wrong with your mouth?"
"Oh..." Lloyd laughed and scratched at the back of his head, a familiar gesture, usually seen when Raine asked him a question in class. (All the times when she didn't bean him in the noggin with chalk.) "'Eth behuz meh tug eth-" He stopped, then reached for Colette's hand.
"'C-A-N Y-O-U E-X-P-L-A-I-N?' Oh! Okay." Colette smiles, ever cheerful. "Lloyd's tongue is still numb from the shock, that's why he's been slurring his words. Raine says it should stop soon and the only thing we can do is wait for it to wear off. But until then he'll be talking through me!"
"Oh, I get it." He got it all right. Genis got it and had to work hard to keep from laughing. Hard. "So, what were you saying earlier, Lloyd?" He watched as Lloyd scribbled some characters into Colette's palm.
"He says he was just saying hi and that he was happy you're okay." Lloyd reached over and grabbed her hand again. "Oh, and 'D-O-N'-T D-O T-H-A-T A-G-A-I-N!'" Genis laughed.
"Don't worry Lloyd, I learned my lesson. Water and lightning magic don't mix."
AN: Lloyd's slurred speech? That's my best rendition of how it sounded when I held my tongue and said his lines aloud. I'm very happy I was alone at the time.