Steady Combat
By Snare-chan
Pairings: Implied Firion/Tidus
Ratings: T
Category(ies): Adventure
Warning(s): Violence
Status: One-shot, complete
Summary: One sparring session, gone terribly, horribly wrong.
Notes: This was originally intended as part of a challenge for something else entirely, but it somehow turned into this. Yeah, I don't know, either.
Disclaimer: I dun own Dissidia; wish I did like everyone else. They should put Dissidia in stock, then I'd buy it all!
Tight quarters weren't Tidus' specialty. He preferred expansive areas that allowed him to explore, get in close and then leap away at a moment's notice, or have a lot of playing room to take advantage of. This place – Pandaemonium – with its high walls and congested layout, didn't give him a lot of opportunity to excel.
Creeping along one wall, back against a column, he peeked around to see if his target was available in the open, and surprisingly, he spotted the top of a sword hinting past an alley situated to his top left. Garnering a firmer grip on his sword and wetting his lips in anticipation, he moved in for the attack, swinging wide and-
Hitting thin air.
A string had been attached to the weapon he'd spotted, and once Tidus had given away his location, it was used to summon Firion's sword back to him. He'd loaded a bow with an arrow in wait, and he let it fly while Tidus was stunned. The projectile pierced the structure past his ear, nicking a few of his hairs as Tidus back-flipped across three floating platforms. As he landed on the opposite side, he tossed one of his blitzballs in Firion's direction, though it was deflected by another one of the man's arrows and threatened to pop at the treatment.
"I can't believe you used such a trick!" Tidus yelled across.
"At least I'm not the one who fell for it," Firion said, laughing.
He ran along the walls, leaping across the gap between them, and charged with his daggers drawn. Tidus skirted off, out of the range of his two weapons, and for a short time they fought in the form of tag. Firion lagged behind the quick and agile Tidus, who was able to keep out of the way of all the man's various weapons, bow and arrows aside. The effort to load and fire them was too much of a hassle in this case, however, so he continued in his attempts to cut Tidus off.
"Hey, Firion! What's the point of lugging all those around if you can't hit someone with them?"
"Come a little closer and I'll show you!"
"No way; I'm not falling for that!"
Firion tossed his axe, attached to the cord he kept on his person. It was effortlessly deflected, but there did arise a problem. On its return, the rope had coiled around Tidus' leg, and he didn't notice until there was a forceful tug. He looked down, and realization was too slow in coming – he was hooked and bodily flung towards Firion. There was no stopping the collision, and they met hard. Tidus rammed into the other's middle, both getting winded, and they collapsed in a heap.
Firion groaned as Tidus' weight settled over his sore abdomen, causing the other man to twitch and come to. When Tidus tried to roll off him, the cord revealed itself to be encircling them, trapping the two warriors together.
"Ah, Tidus, if you could…?"
"Yeah, let me-"
Stretching the cable with both hands, Tidus had it out at arm's length, creating an opening and allowing him to sit up.
"I got it, I got it- Ah! I don't got it!"
The rope snapped back into place, causing his arms to practically crisscross, and he lost his balance. Tidus collapsed face down, and as his chest met Firion's, the wind was knocked out of them for a second time. For a split second, Firion thought Tidus may have gotten hurt, because he seemed to be making a distressed noise against his shoulder. As it gained volume, he realized that Tidus wasn't crying, but laughing.
"This sparring session couldn't have ended worse," he said against the other man's cheek, to which Firion stuttered some response. "Good thing no one's here to see us now!"
"Well, well, well…"
Firion and Tidus shifted their heads to attention (though for Firion, he was seeing things upside down). Kuja was floating a ways off and giving a mock applause.
"Bravo! You've both made utter fools of yourselves. Encore, encore!"
"What's your business here?" Firion demanded, trying to come off as authoritative. With Tidus attached to his person and making demands from his back, his attempt wasn't very intimidating.
"I have some business to attend elsewhere, concerning another one of your merry troupe of plebeians, but I just couldn't resist watching the domestic tragedy you two volunteered to put on for me."
"Whatever! The only tragedy here is your face!"
"Oh, I disagree."
The glowing orbs that Kuja was renowned for appeared around him in a halo, and he calmly dismissed four of them. Tidus yelped at the sight of their incoming, trying to pull back, but the cord holding him captive prevented such action. Firion grabbed him by the upper arms and wrenched them both to the side, rolling out of the chaotic path and avoiding two of the energy orbs. When they stopped against a wall, Tidus shoved them apart long enough to avoid the third, and the fourth struck the ground where Firion had sat before they were yanked back together.
"Oof! Can't you just cut this thing?" Tidus asked, a second wave of attacks starting.
"It's enchanted to be impervious to-" Firion paused, needing to duck to avoid an attack aimed for his head, "-physical damage and magic."
"What? Seriously?!"
They dove haphazardly behind a column, energy orbs chipping away at its edges as they tried to come up with a plan. It mostly came down to their frantic attempts to dislodge themselves; there was a lot of cursing, twisting and protesting. When they were making headway, the structure guarding them broke into five separate sections, one of the crumbling pieces threatening to land smack dab on top of them. They ran in opposite directions, the string getting caught under the stone slab and keeping them in place.
Kuja was toying with them and prolonged the opportunity presented to him. Flicking his wrist to send a couple more orbs their way, his chuckles grated on Tidus' nerves more than anything. With an awkward kick directed at the broken remains of the pillar, he sent it flying to intercept, and on contact the orbs exploded prematurely. He didn't have time to celebrate, because with the cord loose, he was drawn back to Firion.
"Tidus, get behind!" Firion instructed, having thought up an idea.
Tidus didn't ask questions, getting as far as he could under his own willpower, and then grabbed onto something to keep from being dragged to Firion. In the meantime, while avoiding attacks in the process, Firion untangled himself a bit more and moved to the left. The purpose of this action became clear as the string grew taught, and with a controlled flick of the rope, Tidus' leg was set free and he was able to pull the rest off him. The cord was still drawn taught – wrapped between two columns that hadn't been destroyed just yet – and using the webbed platform it created, Tidus was able to slingshot himself to Kuja's position.
His sword materialized in his hands just in time for him to get a hit in, though Kuja twirled out of the way of most of it. The edge of his blade connected with something, but neither knew what until Kuja glanced down, noticing a thin line of red starting to ebb through the fabric of one sleeve. Agitated, he wrenched it up, taking stock of a slash that was long, but no wider than a paper cut. The blood that slowly spread across his skin left a smear on his clothes and two fingers.
"That…was a very critical mistake," Kuja informed him, delivering a look that had Tidus taking a hesitant step in the opposite direction. The magician was grinning, but it wasn't a happy, sane smile – Kuja gave the impression that he was going to make him regret the day his drunkard of a father had ever decided to conceive.
White orbs appeared, ten at first, and then twenty, and thirty…forty…fifty… The mass of them started to consume the small space, and were nearly blinding in their combined intensity. Firion and Tidus wordlessly decided to make a tactical retreat. They dove for cover, and Kuja's magic exploded, the orbs spreading out in wild directions, enveloping whatever they touched.
Even if there was a chance that their paths could be predicted, the sheer number made it impossible to avoid them entirely. Firion tried to swipe them aside with the extension put on by his lance, but eventually he had no choice but to resort to his shield. He kneeled, using the environment to cover what sides he couldn't guard, and had to wait it out.
Tidus wasn't as fortunate, managing to keep one step ahead of the competition for a short time. When his luck ran out, it started small, a single orb colliding with his back, but it sent him careening into another, which struck him directly in the chest. Soon, he was knocked clean out of the air, though not before taking a beating, and he landed on the ground with a solid, heavy sound.
"Tidus!" Firion cried, wanting to go to his aid, but he was pinned down.
Gritting his teeth against the barrage, he was forced to endure it until an opening presented itself, and without hesitation, he took it. Tapping into his own magic reserves, he created sizable fireballs and delivered two in rapid succession. The first was dodged, but the second came into contact with a couple of the orbs hovering close to Kuja, and he was caught in their combined blast.
Rushing over to Tidus, he allowed himself a moment to analyze his condition, noting that he was at least still breathing, and then got into a defensive stance in front of him. Kuja was prepared take him out next, and all nine of Firion's weapons gave off a red glow, quivering and preparing to strike at once, but a newcomer interrupted them before they could even begin.
"Humph."
It wasn't even a word, much less said very loudly, but everyone caught it. Kuja in particular looked more murderous than he had a second ago. His magic was extinguished with the added theatrics of mini-fireworks, and dismissing Firion like he wasn't even there, he turned to sneer up at Ultimecia. She had her arms crossed over her front and a cold expression in place, like she was witnessing the most disgusting sight imaginable.
"Ultimecia, what a surprise to find you gracing us with your presence! Come to take the stage, have you?"
"I have better matters to attend to than participating in a farce such as this. Didn't you, as well?"
Kuja's eyes narrowed, and with an agitated flip of his hair, he said, "Why, don't sound so put out, my dear. This is merely a rehearsal!"
Ultimecia snorted, and before their very eyes, she was up near the ceiling and then suddenly by Kuja, passing by him in such a way as to portray she was not unsettled by him in the slightest. Her back to him, she didn't deign to give Tidus and Firion a glance, deeming them unworthy of her attention.
"So you claim. How much you need to practice is no concern to me, but remember, you're on a deadline."
"And what is that supposed to insinuate?!" Kuja demanded, but Ultimecia had vanished again in the blink of an eye, leaving the three men to their own devices.
He transferred his angry glare to Firion and Tidus instead, the latter having recovered enough to start pushing himself up. Firion had retained his defensive stance throughout Kuja and Ultimecia's entire conversation, but he tensed with Kuja's returned attentions. Tidus held up his arms, as if to say 'don't give us that look, the witch insulted you this time, not us!'
"I'm surrounded by amateurs," Kuja said maliciously. "Bigger productions are demanding my attention, but mark my words, you two will be the second act!"
He, too, disappeared, but neither warrior of light let their guard drop until they were sure that they were alone. After an allotted time had passed, Tidus let out a heavy sigh and collapsed against the nearest wall, letting his chin hang into his chest.
"Me and my big mouth," he said. "I think I double jinxed it back there."
"What do you mean?" Firion asked, putting his weapons into their proper places, then kneeling to begin tending to his traveling companion. There were several scorch marks marring his skin and attire where Kuja's attacks had connected.
"Ow! Hey, quit it!" Tidus protested as Firion touched a particularly sensitive wound, and swatted his hand away. It didn't prevent him from continuing the task, though, and Tidus resigned himself to it. "I mean, now I think we've had the worst training session, ever, and then that drama queen had to show up."
"I would hardly consider that your doing," Firion reasoned.
Frowning, he came to the conclusion that he would have use a potion. He didn't consider it a waste, though, wanting to see his friend return to top condition, but as he reached for it, Tidus looped an arm around his neck and tugged him forward. With him in a kneeling position, it was an easy task of pulling him close, and his forehead connected with the other's shoulder. Firion's face turned a shade that rivaled the red rose he could be seen carrying from time to time, and thankfully it wasn't noticeable.
"Don't even think about it!" Tidus said. "Just give me a minute, ya know? I can walk this off, easy."
"Um, Tidus-"
"What? You don't think I can't?"
"No. You are strong, stronger than some would say," Firion conceded.
The admission caught Tidus off guard, and it was a while before he could finally respond.
"Yeah, well… Yeah! Of course I am. See, these don't even hurt-" Tidus said, and winced somewhat when he moved too soon. "Not too much, I mean. When I get my bearings, we can catch up to the others and tell them about the cat fight we witnessed."
"Alright…"
He wasn't allowed to sit up until he agreed, and even then Tidus' arm remained across his shoulders. Firion didn't move far, taking a seat directly beside him, and leaned against the wall also. Despite his weariness, he kept watch, allowing Tidus the time he needed to get back on his feet.
-Fin-