Notes: slash, alternate universe - canon divergence, angst, violence, torture, sadism, mind controlled character, major character death, Golbez is a warning in and of himself.

Golbez was frustrated; Kain could tell by the way the man clad in black armor paced about silently, completely ignoring the dragoon's presence in the room. Kain watched his current lord mutely from his place against the unpainted wall. He did not dare attempt to speak up independently while Golbez was quietly seething, lest he be punished out of spite. One could only imagine what true horrors someone like Golbez was capable of when provoked to a point of no return.

The clinking of metal armor settled into a steady rhythm, the path his master was marching being repeated over and over again on the wooden floor. The walk was balanced and soft, but underneath the calm façade was a dangerous man livid about his most recent shortcoming.

They had succeeded in claiming Troia's Earth Crystal from Cecil, in accordance to the agreement made shortly after the Enterprise rose from Baron, but what took place at the Tower of Zot left Golbez unnerved for a time, for reasons Kain was unaware of. He had seemingly recovered now and was clearly peeved at Cecil's constant interference in his plan. However slightly helpful he may have been at times, Cecil would eventually have to be disposed of if they were to continue carrying out Golbez's master plot.

Efficacy was needed from the dragoon in order to please his commander. Failure was not a suitable alternative for what they had in mind for the world.

Kain knew that Golbez's present anger was partially his fault, though his lord never indicated it to be true. If he had killed Cecil like he intended to do back in Fabul, things wouldn't have gone in this direction at all. They would have had practically no resistance with the dark knight turned paladin out of the way, but alas, it wasn't meant to be.

His right fist clenched up at his side. Remembering his unpleasant failure at his attempted and otherwise blatant act of malice left a bad taste in his mouth that badly needed to be washed out, particularly with the death of the one he once called friend. Kain had to defeat Cecil no matter what, to show that he was indeed the superior one, to prove that he was the strongest.

Kain could make out the sounds of engines running in the lower levels of airship they were currently on, an airship previously belonging to the Red Wings of Baron. Baron was a far off memory to him now, like being carried off by the wind they now rode on so easily. The relationships he had formed, his command over the Dragoons, the way his life previously was—all of it held little weight in his thoughts anymore.

Not even the sturdy wooden wall against his back—a physical symbol of Cid's superb craftsmanship—made him reminisce on who he once was or where he came from at this point. All that mattered to him now was properly serving Golbez, and if that meant casting aside everything he once held dear, then so be it. If everything went as planned, they would probably not survive long enough for him to even want forgiveness.

His former companions had no doubt felt as though they had been betrayed, and though he was conscious of the things around him, his will was not necessarily his to control as it should have been. Golbez had a very deep-seated hold over his mentality, as well as his actions if need be. He had followed his master's orders up to now with not a moment's hesitation so there was no reason to physically force him to do anything via mind control.

The dragoon could only imagine what it would feel like to have absolutely no control over his own body, to be unable to direct himself accordingly.

"Kain."

Kain flinched at little at being spoken to suddenly. It had been hours since Golbez had said a single word to him, and he was honestly surprised by the sudden verbal recognition. But, always being the ever-vigilant servant, he was to reply accordingly when addressed by that deep sinister voice, one that would accept nothing less than his total obedience and reverence.

"Yes, my lord?"

"I have a task for you."

.:.

The night sky shown through the window in Cecil's bedchamber, the two full moons lighting up the small space and the paladin sitting quietly on his bed. He needed his rest for their upcoming venture, but as it were, he found himself unable to sleep for the time being. Tomorrow, they would leave Baron Castle and begin their search for Golbez, though they had not a single clue of the man's whereabouts, and the quest would certainly be most difficult for them. But now was not the time to start losing hope when all seemed lost. Their world was still at great risk, and Kain still needed to be saved from the clutches of someone so wicked and sinister.

While it was true that Kain had betrayed them, Cecil was more than willing to forgive if they could manage to just free the dragoon.

Suddenly feeling a presence in the room, Cecil stood up, holy blade at the ready. Clear blue eyes scanned the area near the enterance, finding not a trace of anyone else being in his bedroom. Walking forward with cautious steps, he continued to hunt for the one that had invaded his space. A small sound echoed behind him, and he turned his head to find Kain standing up straight, spear in hand and motionless.

"Kain, what are you—"

The blunted end of the spear came down hard at the back of Cecil's neck, effectively knocking him out. The white knight fell to the wooden floor with a loud thud, sword having dropped out of his hand before he descended.

Cecil looked extremely pathetic, his unmoving form subconsciously curled up into a self-defensive ball, belying how powerful he truly was. Kain continued to look down quietly at his former best friend, nothing resembling any type of emotion crossing onto his face from behind his helmet. Hidden blue eyes narrowed slightly as they continued to stare at the unconscious white knight. Having previously fought with him in the past, gazing down at Cecil seemingly defeated now brought a spark loathing into his being.

Though he disliked using such underhanded tactics in order to take Cecil down, it was all he had at his immediate disposal. Nevertheless, seeing this man—who he had tried so hard to overcome before—in such a state of weakness made him feel beyond disgusted. Cecil was a strong individual, and although he had yet to know exactly why his master wished him to discreetly capture the paladin, he felt as though he had not truly won in their rivalry. Choosing to not think on it any more, Kain picked the limp body and placed Cecil over his shoulder, ready to leave the castle and inform Golbez of his success.

The weight of the form on his shoulder felt like nothing compared to the burden he had been carrying around for far too long. This time around, Cecil was going to pay dearly no matter what.

.:.

"I have accomplished what you requested of me, my lord," Kain said, bowing slightly as he did so.

Golbez appeared like a menacing king in his throne-like chair, an eerily quiet stillness passing between them. The man's form virtually screamed power and strength—the very things that Kain had struggled so hard to attain, and were so easily possessed by his commander, like it was as simple as breathing. Golbez was truly a force to be reckoned with for anyone who would dare confront him.

The epitome of evil sat before him, and he could only be subservient to the sinful man.

Their airship was sky bound once more, and Cecil was being detained in another room as they were speaking. Kain was still very much curious as to what his master had in mind for the paladin. They were originally supposed to leave for the Underworld immediately, but Golbez had delayed the endeavor for the time being. And his reasoning behind the abrupt postponement clearly concerned Cecil in some manner.

"Very good, Kain," Golbez replied in a monotone fashion.

"Might I ask the reasoning behind this capture?"

Golbez seemed to think for a moment before answering, "In order for us to accomplish our goal of seizing the Crystals, our obstacles most be taken care of. Is that not so?"

Kain nodded in agreement. "Yes, my lord."

"And, at the moment, Cecil is the very obstacle that stands in our way. He must be dealt with now if we are to proceed with our plans."

Kain had a feeling about where Golbez's explanation was going, and he had no reason to argue against simply murdering their hindrance. But what the forebodingly ominous man said next was not exactly what he had been expecting.

"I leave him in your charge, Kain. You are to break him."

Kain remained immobile. "Break him, my lord?"

The command was rather broad to say the least, though not one he could not carry out if it meant he could face Cecil in combat at any given time. He just had to prove that he was in fact stronger than the paladin, his pride as a dragoon depended on his victory. But truthfully, defeating his former friend under these terms was not a very appealing outcome. Nevertheless, once the order was given, Kain would carry it out to the very last detail.

"As in torture."

Kain's eyes widened just barely behind his helmet. "Torture? But wouldn't merely slaying him now resolve our problems?"

"In due time. But he should be punished for challenging me. Do you not agree?"

Kain nodded once more. "I understand."

The dragoon turned to leave, hand already grasping the doorknob, but not before Golbez gave one final command to his dedicated slave.

"Leave him without hope, Kain."

.:.

Kain didn't understand what was going on anymore. He was starting to feel almost reluctant about going into Cecil's cell just to deliver more physical torture. It was his assigned task, and he couldn't go back on it now.

And what made it even worse was that Cecil wasn't becoming weaker or breaking at all. At first, he had cried out when pain had been inflicted upon him, the echoing screams now trapped in Kain's head, repeating themselves over and over again. But, as time went on, he barely made a sound, his eyes defiant and calm. Only when he was surprised did a noise slip from his mouth. Cecil had strained greatly to make it seem like he wasn't hurting in some way, and Kain had seen this clearly. The paladin's bare skin held the scars of his torture, cuts, slashes, stab wounds, and burns littering the flesh. The paleness of his body looked nothing like it once did when this had all begun.

Mostly everything was visible, Cecil being left in nothing but a flimsy cloth around his waist. Nonetheless, he was still as intact as ever, the subject of his injuries and slightly thinned figure aside.

But that was not the problem. Kain was faltering in his allotted duty, and that alone was enough to make him irate.

Cecil had caused an impact within him again, this one being far worse than the others, were his master to ever find out. Kain didn't comprehend why this was happening to him, something like what he was feeling not being an emotion he'd ever thought he would feel for Cecil.

Bitterness flooded him once again, and he went for the containment cell housing his former best friend. He very much felt like blowing off some steam.

.:.

A fist collided with the side of Cecil's face once more, pushing his bound body back slightly. The chains dug painfully into his wrists, the metal item connecting to the ceiling above and suspending him several inches from the ground. Still being without his protective armor, the chill of the room was seeping into his skin and collecting in his bones. The treatment he was receiving now was more akin to a beating than torture, the sudden change in tactics very unnerving to Cecil.

"What manner of craft makes you even more superior?"

Kain had been asking questions like that for nearly an hour now, resentment and antagonism leaking into every uttered word. He questioned and stated things that were unrelated to their current situation, but were more along the lines of angry accusations and demands. Cecil, however, was unable to answer any of it, partly because he had been gagged and the other half being that he was aware of how to respond.

It almost seemed like Kain was venting out his anger on him instead of just making him suffer. The method had changed, but the pain was no different.

Kain ceased his aggression, fisted hands clenched tightly at his sides and breath slightly ragged. The dragoon stared at the other man with narrowed eyes, feeling extremely tired all of a sudden. He could have kept up his thrashing if he wanted to, being in perfect physical shape, but his mental state wouldn't allow it anymore. The weight that had been accumulating in his chest pushed down even harder, and he couldn't handle the pressure anymore.

Head downcast, Kain uttered, "I can't abide you… You render me a weak and pitiful creature…"

His words came out forlorn and pained, and he felt ashamed at his own fragility. Kain was a strong man, trained heavily in the ways of the dragoon and emotionally sound with himself. And yet, this one man made him feel like he could never hope to be up to par, that he could never aspire to be as glorious and pure. He would forever reach up only to fall further down into his dark hole, jealousy and hopeless want being his only company in the fissure that was gradually becoming smaller and smaller with each passing day.

"How could you bring this upon me?" Kain demanded, pushing Cecil against the brick wall and holding him at arm's length, his fingers gripping powerfully into pastel shoulders.

A muffled noise of pain sounded behind the cloth keeping Cecil from speaking, but he was otherwise unfazed by the rough handling. What had him bewildered was Kain's sudden change of behavior. He rarely spoke whenever he was carrying out whatever Golbez had commanded him to do, but now his words weren't making any sort of sense. Cecil's body was throbbing and aching from the past few days of physical anguish, but the pain diminished somewhat as he focused on what Kain was trying to tell him.

Fingers clinched tighter into the flesh, blunt fingernails cutting open the skin and making it bleed. Kain wanted Cecil to feel pain for what he had done. He had to make him pay with his blood, with his body, with everything the white knight possessed. It was what he desired, what he thought would be perfect retaliation for making him suffer so much. He despised this man with everything he had and more, envious thoughts and clouded disgust being his only ways of release beforehand.

At least, that was what he wanted before. Now his plans looked so distorted that his mind could no longer comprehend them or even understand why they had originated in the first place. Kain hated himself for what he was turning into and what Cecil was making him feel. The physical torture he had been inflicting on Cecil no longer felt satisfying. It left him feeling pained and twisted up on the inside. He didn't want to do this to his friend anymore, but he couldn't stop it because of the punishment Golbez would surely bestow upon him.

Conflicting forces were working against him, and he felt helplessly trapped in the middle, unable to choose between them, the decision being made for him before he even had the chance to think.

"…I hate you… How dare you mock me…?"

Hot tears slipped from blue eyes clenched shut, trailing down a face twisted in emotional agony hidden mostly by a helmet resembling a dragon's head. Kain couldn't stop himself from crying before the tears were already coming out for Cecil to glimpse at in surprise. All this pent up frustration at being unable to best Cecil, at holding in his envy tightly within himself, at allowing himself to become so desperately attracted to the very person he wanted to rise up over—it was all coming out for the paladin to see with his own eyes what kind of damage he had unknowingly caused his friend, every bit of pain Kain had suffered through symbolized by tears steadily running down his face.

Taking one hand off of Cecil, Kain removed his helmet, letting the metal item slip through his fingers and hit the stone floor. In that moment, his eyes were stormy and hurt, watery with unshed tears of despair. Cecil found it almost unbearable to look, but he could not turn away, Kain's hand holding his head in place at the chin and cheek, making him gaze at them in all their misery. He willed his eyes to look away, but he was utterly trapped, absolutely spellbound by what he saw in the eyes of his former comrade.

Sadness. Suffering. Pain. Desperation. Longing. Love. All of it was there in an overwhelming concentration, ebbing throughout the blue irises in waves—just like an oceanic whirlpool, pulling everything inside and swirling together in violent harmony. He was drowning in the eyes of his friend.

"This is the crime you've fashioned against me, Cecil…"

His fingers turned inward, taking hold of the cloth and pulling it down enough to come off Cecil's mouth. Kain stepped closer to the paladin, the space between their bodies quickly dissipating.

"Does pushing me aside give you pleasure?"

"Kain…"

"Do you benefit from causing me to suffer?"

"I… Kain, I didn't know—"

The hand gripped tighter on his face, Kain raising him up slightly so they were no longer at eyelevel. However, he had only been lifted up a little so he could still stare into the other's eyes, which were becoming dark with swirling anger and revulsion. It had appeared that Kain was starting to become more passive as he continued to question, but it was obvious that he didn't like the answer supplied.

But since he hadn't let Cecil finish his reply, the paladin still had much more to say. There were many things that he had previously been too afraid to divulge. He wanted to apologize for how much he had pushed Kain without being aware of it. He wanted to say that they could still fix this situation and escape Golbez's evil rule, hopefully putting it behind them forever. He wanted to confess his innermost feelings for the dragoon, ones he had kept hidden away from view and had almost forgotten in the more recent events of his life. The decision to keep silent about what he felt was a regretful one now that they were both caught up in this battle of wills.

Cecil didn't want their relationship to be this way. A cycle of pain that they had induced upon each other when they both wanted something more beautiful and meaningful—there was no worth in such a horrible bond.

"Of course not. How could I ever assume you would grasp something like that?"

Kain quieted for a moment, closing the eyes that had stopped shedding their anguished tears. Upon reopening them and stepping closer still, he said, "But I will no longer allow you to lay siege to me in that way."

Cecil could only stare back with vaguely bemused eyes as he was lowered back down to his original position, cold hands clasping the sides of his face. Despite the obvious chill the appendages possessed, the contact was almost gentle and caring, as if the Kain he had come to be acquainted with in the past few days was no longer existing, that the real Kain was finally coming back to him, if only a small amount communicated through touch.

"I will be the one to dominate you."

Throwing caution to the wind, Kain leaned in close, pressing his lips to Cecil's, eyes closed and unaware of how the other's orbs had become halfway shut, hazy nervousness showing in the appealing color. In this situation, his captor could very well do as he pleased with him, and being placed into such submission was frightening. But something in the other's touch said that he was completely through with causing him pain, conveying that he no longer wished to make him suffer. Kain nipped his lips carefully over the other set, repeating the act several times before pulling back. Their eyes met briefly, and Kain saw a glimmer of acceptance in the clear irises, showing how his advances were accepted.

In the next moment, it was like some primal beast from times long passed had been unleashed from inside Kain's body. His lips crashed down onto the other pair with passionate force, surprisingly meeting no resistence, but only an eagerness that reflected his own fervor. The seal of their mouths was rough and almost animalistic in nature, lips meshed together and muffled noises barely having room for escape. Kain slipped his tongue into the partially open mouth of Cecil, his fingers clutching deeper into Cecil's cheeks as their wet appendages collided. Contented sighs left Cecil's lips occasionally, the small exhales of hot air entering Kain's mouth. His precious oxygen was being breathed in by the one he had longed to have for as long as he could remember. All sense of reality was lost as they continued to plunder each other, unspoken words of ardor passing through their heated actions. Mouths backed away in order to disconnect, but their tongues stayed intertwined for a moment, not quite willing to separate from the other.

Cecil kept his eyes closed as he panted faintly, pleasant sensations slowly running over his skin. Kain's hands removed themselves from the man before him almost reluctantly, but he stayed close by, watching his friend's head drop forward slightly, still trying to regain his normal pattern of breathing. Cecil was clearly affected by that kiss, how—or even why—Kain was not aware of, but there was no doubt whatsoever that they both highly enjoyed it.

"Kain," Cecil began in a breathless voice, raising his head to look at the other while he spoke. "Are you…?"

Kain stepped forward once more, ready to silence Cecil's inquiry with another kiss. Whatever he was feeling was unexplainable, and whether or not he had actually returned to his senses was unclear to him. All there was to know was that he wanted Cecil in a most desperate way. Anger was still prevalent within, but yearning overweighed all the negative emotions he felt inside. And this momentary reprieve was more than welcome as his lips edged closer, almost touching Cecil's once more.

Suddenly, a shrill sound entered Kain's head, one he could not identify. But regardless, it was a loud kind of piercing noise that shot right through his head and ears, resulting in him falling to the ground and holding his head in extreme pain. The sound became even more deafening by the second, the sheer strength of it causing Kain to shake violently, practically on the verge of crying out were it not for his pride preventing him to do so.

"What is it, Kain? What ails you?" Cecil asked with concern in his tone.

The paladin's voice rang in his ears just as loudly, adding on to the pain he already felt splitting into his head. Every sound was intensified to an almost unbearable degree, higher and sharper than anything that had ever graced his ears. It felt like his head was on the brink of exploding into a thousand pieces.

"Silence!" Kain shouted at his stunned friend, continuing to tremble fiercely.

Unable to stand being prostrated this way in front of Cecil, the dragoon picked up his helmet with shivering fingers and staggered out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind him. He was not going to permit himself to be in a weak position in Cecil's presence, not ever. The pain shot through his limbs with every step he took, the sound of himself walking echoing in his ears until he finally stopped, slumped against a hard wall.

But, just as suddenly as it had begun, the earsplitting noises ceased, leaving Kain with shaky breaths and sweating skin. Never before he had experienced something like that, but for some reason he felt an extreme disapproval that was not his own. It felt otherworldly and extremely dark, like he was being plunged into a deep precipice with no hope of salvation. The sensation of overpowering evil, however, was frighteningly familiar, coiling around and squeezing the very life from his frame.

"Golbez…"

Edit 11/25/2013; Minor formatting edits and removal of ANs.