Parallel Hearts

By Any Unborn Child

One could say that the mage and the warrior were as different as they could be.

Fai was optimistic, sensitive, and swift; all smiles, never a harsh word spoken. In the tough times that he had faced with his companions, he proved to be quite nurturing, to those who would accept it, anyway. He never fought hard for his own life, but for the lives of his friends (and perhaps, one in particular) he fought valiantly, rapidly, and with nobility. He was supposedly a prince, after all.

It seemed as if his head was always in the clouds, when in reality his feet are both firmly planted on the ground in front of him. He tended to make light of really tough situations, but the gears were already turning in his head on what to do next.

He never really stayed within the confines of his own mind for long though. In his mind, there was something that he wanted to avoid with all of his willpower. Something that he has been trying to forget for some time.

He was cloud-like, in that way. Just an idea about him was set, and when he was just in someone or something's grasp, he is suddenly further away then before.

Kurogane was gruff, serious, and powerful. He charged into combat and came out the one on top. He fought for everything that he ever had, and he was determined to win no matter what challenges he was thrown. He had people to protect. He wanted to fight back for what he had lost, and somehow get it back.

He preferred not to be smothered. He was never really smothered by affection and gifts as a child. His mother, dear to his heart as she was, was not really the smothering type – she proved to be very regal, and being regal meant not smothering your children. His father had a country to run – smothering didn't really come naturally to him.

He was not used to caring so much about one person, or a few, as much as he did. Even though he didn't really show emotion as if his life depended on it, he still wanted to get his point across without overdoing it, like a certain magician he knew and (reluctantly) traveled with.

But there was one thing that the warrior and the magician had in common, whether they liked it or not.

They were more alike than they cared to admit.

They both really had no family to speak of.

They were traveling for their own goals and aspirations.

They wanted to be anywhere but where they were in their lives, but accepted their fates anyhow.

They fought for what they believed in, and they fought for the ones that they cared about.

They fought for the ones that they loved.

They both had tried to control each other, whether they used emotion tactics, or physical ones.

They both saw through people. As well as one another. There was not much that they could pull on each other, nor would they back down. It was as if they were on the same wavelength, the same train of thought that otherwise would have stopped at the next station over.

They were both stuck with each other, and they both knew it.

Their parallel hearts had gotten them into their own predicaments. Their parallel hearts would have to be used again, but this time…they would need each other.

They would face the world together.

Fin