Oh, misty eye of the mountain below/Keep careful watch of my brother's soul
Fili opened his eyes groggily. His head hurt, and he rubbed it slightly, but when that made the pain worse, he stopped.
"Oin, he's up!" came a cheerful voice that Fili recognized as Bofur's, who, looking odd without his hat, hurried over to Fili's bedside. "Nice to see you up. We were worried that we had loat you, too."
"Bofur," warned a stern voice-Thorin's. "Too soon."
"He needs to know, Thorin," Balin cut in. Bickering started between what sounded like the majority of the Company. Fili frowned. How many people were in the tent, and where was Kili?
"Kee?" he croaked, and the tent immediately fell silent. Thorin entered Fili's limited line of view, face set in the expression Fili had only seen a handful of times before, when word had been received that one or another of Thorin's old friends had died.
"He...fell in the battle," Thorin said, voice cracking. For all his hard demeanor, he really loved both his nephews, and worried over them. "I'm sorry, Fili."
"How?" Fili demanded, the pain in his head fading away as all his attention focused on what Thorin was telling him.
Thorin shook his head, tears shining in his eyes, and walked away. Balin took his place. "It was after you got that nasty knot on your head," he said. "You were down for the count, we were trying to get you out of the middle of things, and Kili was defending you for all he was worth. He would do anything for you, as you would for him. He ended up surrounded, and he couldn't keep them all off. I'm sorry, Fili."
Fili didn't even know what to do. All his life he had been with his brother-he belonged with his brother. Everything, always, had been Fili and Kili, sometimes FiliandKili, when the speaker was in a rush, like when Dis yelled at them. And now half of that was dead. Dead. Fili couldn't wrap his head around it. What would he do without Kili, without his shadow, without his brother? Who was he, even, without Kili? It didn't seem possible, or right. He would have to learn to get along without his little brother, and he couldn't imagine how.
A new voice broke into Fili's thoughts. "I'm sorry, Fili. I really am." Bilbo was seated on an overturned bucket in the corner of the tent, staying out of all the dwarves' way as they bustled around, looking well except for a nasty-looking purple bruise on his forehead, mostly hidden by his hair. "I saw everything, and...I'm sorry."
Fili could tell that the hobbit wasn't entirely sure what to say, but he appreciated the gesture. He had liked Bilbo well enough from the start, but their not-entirely-willing burglar had grown on him. It had helped that Kili had liked him from the start, and if Kili liked someone, Fili would usually grow to like them as well. Kili was usually a good judge of character.
"Can I see him?" Fili asked quietly, and the entire Company looked at him.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea..." Balin began, but was cut off when Fili scowled angrily.
"I want to see my brother. I need to see my brother." Fili was surprised at how firm his voice was. "I need to see Kili."
Balin deferred to Thorin, who stepped forward. "Let him see his brother."
Dori and Nori pulled back a blanket covering the other cot in the room, and Thorin and Dwalin carefully lifted Fili se he could see. Except for the large dark stain across Kili's chest and stomach, he looked as though he were sleeping, and the knife that had been in Fili's heart and soul since he had heard that Kili was dead twisted a little deeper.
The dark hair of the Durin line, that Kili had and Fili did not, was spread behind Kili's head and shoulders, his eyes were closed, and his sword and bow laid on his chest, as if he were ready to be buried.
"We're waiting until Dis gets here and until you're better to bury him," Thorin said. "We cannot do that without the two of you, his one remaining parent and the brother that was more important to him than his own life." His voice was shaky as he tried not to cry over the dwarf who he had helped raise, who had been practically his son, who had caused him so much trouble over the years as a dwarfling. Fili understood. He was surprised that he was not crying himself over the brother he would never talk to, laugh with, fight alongside, be with again.
Kili sat up. His limbs were oddly heavy, but he managed to get off the cot. Once that was done, he felt so light, as if he could fly. He hopped experimentally, and went far higher than he had expected, and came down slower. It was an odd feeling.
He looked around. No one in the tent seemed to notice that he was up, which was unusual. He was surprised that Oin or Thorin hadn't come rushing over to quickly put him back into bed. He walked closer, and nearly tripped over Bilbo's feet. He apologized quickly, but the hobbit ignored him, odd behavior for the well-mannered burglar. Kili took a closer look at Bilbo, and frowned. Why was he crying? What had happened? Who had died? The last thing that Kili remembered before waking up was protecting Fili as Oin and Balin tried to get him off the- Fili. Please, Mahal, Kili prayed, the first time in years he had done so, let Fili be okay. I tried so hard to keep him safe. Please let it have been enough.
He reached the foot of the other cot in the tent, and breathed a sigh of relief. Fili was propped up on pillows, eyes shining with tears as he clutched one of Thorin's hands. He was looking towards the cot Kili had just gotten off of. Kili followed his line of vision and gasped. He lay on that cot. But how was that even possible? he asked himself. It didn't make any sense. He was clearly standing right there. He couldn't be in two places at once, could he?
The pieces slowly started to fall into place. The tears. His own body lying there. The way no one seemed to notice him. Fili hadn't died, thankfully. But he had.
The realization that he had to be a ghost struck Kili hard. He sat on the foot of Fili's cot, placing his head in his hands. This wasn't right. It couldn't be.
Fili felt a slight weight at the end of the bed, and looked towards the feeling. Kili sat there, looking slightly off somehow, but still there. "Kee?" he whispered, and his brother grinned.
Thoughts? I am hoping to update this semi-regularly...we'll see :P