Disclaimer: I do not own FFIV or any related aspects, which belong to their respective owners. No money made.

Summary: Kain adheres to the laws of gravity. Cecil resents this.

Rating: K+

Warnings: Shounen-ai, mild spoilers.

[FFIV] 9.8 Meters Per Second Squared [Kain/Cecil]

I jump and I fall.

He has a hurt look in his eyes. I can't see it, as his entire head is shielded by armor, but I know he has a hurt look in his eyes.

And I fall.

Cecil. Beautiful Cecil.

All the crystals on the planet couldn't compare.

And I wonder why I am doing this.

But the voice overpowers my moment of uncertainty. It throbs and burns and I grip my spear.

And I jump.

I don't want to attack him but I do, and the voice urges me on and whispers and screams and I swing the weapon at him and I am scared.

And I fall.

I am so scared.

He looks so vulnerable and confused and maybe, maybe more scared than I am. I'm still guessing, but I know I'm right.

We've known each other that long.

And he slashes at me anyway.

The impact is mostly absorbed by my armor, but the blow hits me harder than anything I've ever felt.

And I jump.

And I'm in the air again, aiming for him as I descend, wishing both to miss him entirely and kill him in that one blow. He looks up at me and I stare down at him.

And I fall.

Cecil.

He jumps and he falls.

His helmet covers his eyes and only his eyes. His mouth is fully visible. I look there.

And he jumps.

Kain. My friend. My trusted friend.

He has a mix between a cruel smile and a grimace plastered on his lips.

And I wonder why he is doing this.

I fight out of self-preservation, not because I wish to harm him. I have never wished to harm him.

I try to comprehend this situation, try to see through his eyes. I shout at him, plead for answers and receive none. I swing the weapon at him and I am scared.

And he falls.

I am so scared.

He seems so willing to attack me. I do not want to believe this. I do not want to believe that this man, the childhood companion I have always trusted, is attacking me so readily.

We've known each other so long.

And we fight this battle anyway.

The blows that rain onto me from above are more painful than anything I've endured thus far and I wonder, momentarily, if I'll ever recover.

And he jumps.

He's in the air again, aiming for me as he descends. I know the attack will hit me. I know he will not miss. I do not brace myself. I stare upwards at him as he looks down at me.

And he falls.

Kain.

[A/N] 9.8 m/s^2 is the acceleration of gravity on Earth. Rounded to the nearest tenth.

This is short, yes, and my goal was to write out the emotions between Kain and Cecil during that first battle... because when I was playing the DS version of the game, I saw a lot of drama there. It was... interesting.

I based this fanfiction on Kain's "jump" attack command because I noticed that that's the only move he uses against Cecil during that battle, despite having a regular "attack" attack command. I think there is some symbolic meaning for this but I don't have nay solid theories as to what. Anyway, that is the whole reason for the title of this fic.

This is dedicated to Darkening-Wings~ She said there wasn't enough Kain/Cecil on the 'net. I totally agree.

Thank you very much for reading.