7/9/07
The characters herein are the sole property of Square-Enix.
A/N This was written as a response to one of a group of random pairings generated by another writer.
MANY FORMS
The air in the tent was still and the two figures seated in adjacent chairs at the large table were difficult to discern in the dim light.
"I often envy you, old man. You've become what I think I was meant to be ... a walking repository of the history of the world. How did you manage to shape yourself so well?"
The bearded oldster chuckled deeply in his throat. "It was easy for me. I have a good memory and a very strong ability to concentrate. As a result of the latter, I just quite forgot to die. You could learn a lesson from that, youngster."
"Forgot to die? How strange. I'm not likely to fall that deeply into thought." Nooj, for it was he talking to Maechen, murmured almost inaudibly.
"No. I suppose not." The elder reached out and laid a hand no heavier than a dried leaf on the arm of his companion. "I've lately added your deeds to my repertory; they're proving to be crowd-pleasers. The young ones particularly like to hear about your battles and all that. I leave out your suicidal impulses, of course."
Nooj sighed. "Then they're more foolish than I had hoped they would be. I've finally learned there's no real glory in war, no real glory in anything. You chose the right path, Maechen. Knowledge is the only thing worth seeking."
"And what about Death, eh?" The elder asked slyly, poking the other's shoulder.
"It's too late for me to forsake that as well. I've been a Deathseeker too long to abandon that quest."
"You know what's the matter with you, Nooj? You lost your father before he had the chance to do you any good. If you had had the benefit of a strong positive male role model, you might have turned out differently. But I don't think it's too late, not even now."
"Interesting theory but useless. My father - and mother - are long gone, probably on that Plane you decline to visit." The Meyvn shifted in his massive chair.
"Hear me out, lad. I have a proposal. Since I studied your history, I've formed a fondness for you and I'm proposing that I stand in as your father and see what becomes of it. I'll be there for you - to answer questions, to give advice, to hold you when you hurt. In short, I'll love you in a way you have never known love."
Nooj laughed, a harsh bitter sound which seemed to tear his throat. "Love? You actually think I can love after all I've borne? You must be losing that vaunted concentration. I'm the metal man, the one who long ago cast aside emotion. I've walked alone from my childhood and need nothing and no one." He stared haughtily at his senior.
"Ah, my dear son, there you show your weakness. In the midst of your courage and discipline, you fear to allow humanity to surface. There are many forms of love and I am offering you the most rare and valuable. I will give you unconditional love, the one that never fails, that endures in spite of your scorn and dismissal. I will always be there when you need something - even something you don't know you need and cannot identify. I will help you live and guide you in your studies so that you may reach that destination you were meant for. I offer you your real desire."
The younger man sat silently, his mind in a turmoil. Maechen was one of the wisest on Spira. He had surmounted obstacles no other man had conquered. Could he be right? Was there an escape route on the road to Nothingness? After so long on the one path, Nooj found it nearly unthinkable that he should change and so reorder his life. He looked closely at the old man by his side. There radiated from that shrunken, unsent body so much compassion, so much - yes - love that it seemed to fill the atmosphere and make gentle the air.
Maechen held out his frail arms and, almost as if he had been placed under an enchantment, Nooj let himself be embraced. "Father."
2