A/N: This is a fic for Lee as per her request for a Xenogears fic involving Citan and Bart. Less-than-three! This is part of the Fanfiction for Charity Drive to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Thank you for your support!
The Nature of the Friendship
"Are you sure these Ethos guys will fix him?" Bartholomew Fatima asked as he walked through the halls of the Ethos Headquarters. Every step he took seemed to ring in the halls, and no matter how quietly he spoke, his voice still seemed to carry.
"I am certain the Etones are to be trusted," Citan Uzuki replied, folding his hands behind his back. He walked along at a casual stroll, his footsteps hardly making a sound as he looked at the occasional painting that adorned the walls behind the main chamber of the practice hall. "At least, they have healed many before. They do seem to be the most skilled at the healing arts in the world."
"I dunno." Bart stopped in the hallway, looking interested in a large, bright painting on the wall of a mysterious gear fighting against an army of Reapers. "Something about them seems fishy. Are they gonna ask us a favor in return?"
Citan chuckled in the way that he did at most things the Young Master said. "It is usually the policy of the Ethos to find repayment in some way."
"Ugh," Bart replied. "Oh well. For Fei, it's worth it."
Citan unclasped his hands and studied the painting a little bit more closely. He smoothly lifted his glasses up the bridge of his nose, glancing down through the lenses. "You and Fei have grown close, Young Master."
"Yeah," Bart replied simply.
"But after that argument you had aboard the Thames," Citan continued absently. He shook his head.
"Well, you know, people argue sometimes."
Citan turned his glance that had once been on the painting toward Bart, studying his responses. "It was good to see you two reconcile."
Bart shifted his feet, staring at the ground. "Well, it was pretty dumb to shoot at that ship. Uh… I could've killed him."
"But you did not," Citan responded.
"Yeah, and good thing too." Bart shook his head, sending his braid flopping over his shoulder. "I have a feeling that something real bad would happen if Fei bit the dust."
"Yes," Citan replied ambivalently. "It is certainly a good thing you two have retained your friendship."
"However weird it might be?" Bart asked. When Citan raised his eyebrows questioningly, Bart continued, "Well, with me shooting him down and us almost killing each other in those underground caves, and," he paused, "you know, other things."
"Other things, Young Master?"
Bart looked just a bit off-balanced at the question. "Well, anyway, I hope he gets better soon, and without too much of a cost from these Ethos guys."
Citan smiled. Bart's topic change was certainly just as much of an answer as a verbal affirmation. Since it was his duty to watch over Fei, observing Fei's behavior toward Bart was a necessity. The strange friendship the two men shared had raised not only Citan's eyebrows, but Sigurd's as well.
xxxxxxxx
I think the Young Master has taken a liking to your friend, Hyuga.
It is certainly good to see them getting along. I had hoped Fei could relate to the Young Master, and they both do seem to need companionship in these difficult days.
Companionship…? Certainly you can see it, can't you?
What are you saying?
Back before we stormed Bledavik, before all that in the desert, they spent a lot of time together.
Yes, friends do that, Sigurd. They—
That's not what I mean. The Young Master was with Fei all night one night. I was searching for him in the morning, and found him…
xxxxxxxx
Since Sigurd had mentioned finding Bart stumbling, obviously without rest, out of Fei's room that morning, Citan had been watching the two of them carefully. He had been meaning to get this moment alone with Bart since he observed the argument between the two young men aboard the Thames, but the situation hadn't presented itself until just now. Unfortunately, Fei had to be injured for it to happen, but Citan had full faith that he would recover.
"Do you think we can trust that Billy kid?" Bart asked as they entered one of the many rooms in the hallways near the infirmary.
"He seems to have the best intentions," Citan replied, then noted the Ethos priest in the room with them.
"Hey, you," the priest said, hearing that the other two mention Billy. "Ask Billy if his dad holds a grudge against the Ethos or not." He took a step closer to the two visitors, saying under his breath, "I heard his father bombed the Ethos supply dump."
Citan tapped his lips with his forefinger. Something didn't seem right about Jessie's rash course of action, and he was certain that he would get a biased answer at best out of Billy.
"Why does Jessie attack the Ethos buildings?" the priest continued. "I heard he once was an amazing Etone…"
Clearly seeing that the subject was a difficult one for many of the members of the Ethos, Citan replied with some ambiguous words intended to comfort the priest before hurrying away with Bart. The problem bothered him as well. What had happened to Jessie? Something had clearly gone wrong, and Citan hadn't anticipated meeting him along the way here… and most certainly not appealing to his son for help.
Everything was becoming so complicated. If anyone knew Citan and his ways of operating, it was Jessie. That made Citan nervous.
"Maybe we have to worry more about Billy's dad than Billy himself," Bart mused as they neared the main hall.
Citan was more inclined to trust Jessie than the Ethos, by far. Even if the Ethos was powerful, they were still too powerful and controlled by Solaris. Citan didn't exactly know to what extent Solaris was involved with the Ethos, but he certainly knew that the two were related. However, revealing this to the Young Master would only provoke undue action. "Perhaps," he chose to respond. He paused for a moment, just outside the door to the main hall.
"Citan," Bart said, his voice remarkably quiet. "Do you think Fei and Elly are…?"
Citan, as he did often, raised his eyebrows. "Do I think they are what, Young Master?"
"You know, uh," Bart stumbled, looking away as he absentmindedly fixed his braid. "Um, err, close. Like that."
"If you are asking if I believe them to be lovers, I do not think you have anything to worry about." Citan smiled at the relief that crossed over Bart's face. "I believe Fei would have already asked me some questions regarding the matter, and since I have not heard from him, it strikes me that perhaps Elly feels about him the same way you do."
The relief faded, and Bart's face went pale.
Citan offered a reassuring smile. "…perhaps."
Bart folded his arms nervously, his emotions easily readable on his features. "Let's see how he's doing," he said finally, changing the subject again rather quickly. "Maybe the doctors have a better idea of his condition now."
"It is likely," Citan replied, satisfied that he had his answer about the nature of the friendship between Fei and the Young Master. "Let us return to the infirmary."