A/N: Another day another update. I had the time to write, and it's easier to write this than work on my other fanfics, so this it is. The day stuff may be sketchy, but just assume it happens after midnight. Comments, criticisms, suggestions are welcome.

As before, FFIV is still owned by Square Enxi, and I still own nothing.


Day 2

Wind whipped about him, buffeting him with its might, and making conversation near impossible when added to the sound of propeller blades. Sailors bustled about the deck of the ship, undaunted by the altitude or the wind, just as Kain was. A glance over the side of the vessel revealed the ground far below, a world in miniature. Another glance behind would reveal two other airships flanking theirs as they cut through the sky.

Kain stood stoically as he mentally resigned himself to what was to come. This dream again. Though he knew that it was a dream, he was as unable to control it now as he had been the first time it came to him. He was as helpless to witness what happened as he had been when the events were taking place. The sole blessing was that Kain could not feel the crushing malaise that had afflicted him at the time.

Rising before them was Fabul Castle, just as he remembered it. Around him the Red Wings prepared for combat, and Golbez made his own secretive plans. Kain could not turn away as bombs rained down on Fabul and monsters overwhelmed the defenders. With the castles defenders having withdrawn inside, Kain was free to jump off the deck of the hovering airship and land solidly on the castles ramparts. With the knowledge that Golbez was watching and would not tolerate resistance, he made his way inside as well. Unmolested by the monsters that rushed around, destroying without concern, he walked through towards the crystal room. As he walked, he passed the various battle signs. Rubble from the Red Wing's bombs, slain soldiers and monsters, and other sights he wished he could forget.

Past the abandoned throne room, he made his way into the less gaudy, more pristine crystal room. Entering, he was immediately confronted by Cecil, some prince who he later met as Edward, and one of Fabuls monks, who he later learned to b Yang. They all bore the wounds from the battle they must have been through, but they were ready for battle, and Edward and Yang would have attacked him had Cecil not intervened. It was enough to placate them when they saw Cecil happy to see Kain alive and well. Too bad it wasn't the Kain he knew, the one from before this all started.

He didn't have to wait long, the fight quickly starting as Kain lashed out on the offensive against Cecil while declaring his new loyalties at the same time. It was no contest from the beginning, Kain possessing greater speed and reach, while Cecil was held back by a mistaken desire to not hurt his friend. It was a dance for Kain, one where he knew all the moves, the beginning, middle, and end. And the end came swiftly, Cecil thrown to the ground with lance wounds, his face clouded with confusion and sadness, while Kain's visage wore a sneer upon it. He automatically hefted his lance for the killing blow as he mentally waited for the inevitable transition, perhaps to their confrontation above Baron, or some meeting with the captive Rosa in the Tower of Zot.

But it did not come. Not yet. Golbez's voice rang out in the stunned silent room, calling for him to finish the job, while Kain remembered that the pressure on his mind had become almost unbearable, Golbez's urging to kill the then Dark Knight. As Kain remembered, he resisted the push, and knew that had the struggle gone on for longer, it could have damaged his mind.

Only Kain felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as a strange feeling ran through him. A rage he didn't remember began welling up inside him, a hatred of Cecil, all his good fortune, the love he had, and everything he was that Kain could not be. Before he knew what was happening, his past self almost grimaced and stabbed downward with his lance, punching through armor, ripping through flesh, and poking the floor as it went through Cecil's heart. Kain wanted to react in horror, wanted to back away, to turn on Golbez and kill him for making him do this, but he had just as little control as before. Instead, he stoically stood there, lance in hand, as his friend bled out on the floor, killed by his own weakness.

Golbez laughed, a dark and almost grating sound as Edward and Yang rushed over to where Cecil laid, kneeling down and attempting to apply Hi-potions and elixirs to the wound, but Kain knew it would be useless. "Very good Kain. Such a loyal servant," said the dark lord as he walked forward to claim Fabul's crystal

Kain wanted with all his heart to take his lance and try to spear Golbez, even if it was his last act,but he would not move, could not get his body to obey him. As Golbez turned to make his way out, with Kain flanking, an anguished cry rang out from the entrance to the Crystal room.

"Cecil," cried Rosa as she ran into the room and joined Edward and Yang, her white robes stained with the red of blood. She frantically chanted spells one after the other, using Cure, Life, and not stopping until her Mana ran out in her desperate efforts to save Cecil, but despite this, Cecil did not stir. As she collapsed, weeping over her fallen love, Kain felt his heart break at the sight.

Golbez smirked behind the imposing helmet he wore. "Ah, so that's the woman who preoccupied your thoughts so much before entering my service. Quite a prize indeed. Go ahead. Claim the fruits of your labour." With an inaudible gasp, Golbez removed the pressure from Kain's mind, letting him think and act without the dark lords influence.

He immediately dashed over to where Cecil laid, dropping to one knee and letting the lance clatter from his grip on the floor. Edward and Yang stiffened, ready for a fight, but Kain couldn't stop staring at Cecil's pale face. "I'm sorry. I wanted to stop. But his control. It was too strong..."

Rosa gasped. "Kain. It was...you," she said, half question and half accusation.

Kain shifted his gaze to her. "No. It wasn't me. Please you have to..."

"That's not what I'm seeing," came a cold voice filled with barely constrained fury. Looking over his shoulder, Kain saw Rydia, her hair raised up as energy crackled along it in her anger. "Rosa Move," she commanded. With a sad look at him, Rosa stood up and stepped to Rydia's side, along with Edward and Yang.

Kain resigned himself, and could only welcome the thunder as it came. And the blazing fire. And then nothing.

He awoke with a gasp, snapping upright in tangled sheets as he sucked in air. Calming his rapidly beating heart, he realized that he was still in the inn.

"It was just a dream, he said tp himself, as if it was some consolation. Swinging to sit on the edge of the bed, he rubbed his temple with the palms of his hands. "It's still dark outside," he said with san inaudible groan. He couldn't go back to sleep with the dream on his mind, and forced himself to get up and walk around, hoping it would drive those thoughts from his head. It seemed to work as his mind turned to the murder. "Hm. The weapon was obviously a lance from looking at the wounds. Maybe a weapons vendor," he mused to himself before laying back down and closing his eyes, willing himself to sleep.


Waking up in the daylight hours, Kain forced himself out of bed from his less than peaceful sleep It wasn't the first time that this had happened, though the dream was new, and disturbing.

His attention was quickly drawn to the one item in his room that hadn't been there before. Sitting in the corner was a lance, apparently made of some kind of white material, perhaps ivory. It caught the gaze, as if radiating some kind of light, which was not diminished by the red liquid dripping down it.

"This lance...It wasn't here last night," he muttered in confusion. How had it gotten in here without him being awoken, and why was it covered in...blood? Was it the murder weapon? But the blood was fresh. That couldn't be it.

After suiting up in his blue dragoons armor, he carefully picked up the mysterious weapon and made his way outside the inn. The Captain would definitely want to see this, even if it turned out to be nothing.

He made his way towards the training room, though he didn't get very far before realizing that yet another crowd had gathered near the weapons shop. Cecil emerged from the crowd to greet him as he walked up to it, sparing a glance at the odd lance, but focusing on the more important issue.

"Kain. There's been another attack."

"What," asked Kain, though the presence of the crowd had already indicated as such. Pushing through the crowd, he emerged to see the weapons vendor lying dead outside his shop. He stepped up to the body and knelt by it.

"Hm...This wound...It was definitely done with a lance. This was done by someone accustomed to using this weapon," Kain concluded. He looked at the soldier nearby. "The weapons vendor was an important witness. This wasn't a random attack." The soldier nodded in agreement as Kain though. It had to be a dragoon. But that was very unlikely as well. With the ascendancy of the Red Wings, the number of Dragoons had declined, and Cagnazzo, posing ads the King, had succeeded in diluting their strength by sending them off to the various corners of the Kingdom on missions. He could think of only five dragoons in the region right now, including him. And then there was the motive...

Leaving that behind for now, he stood up and handed the lance over to the nearby soldier. "Thank you Sir Kain. This should help us greatly," said the soldier as he took the weapon.

That done, Kain turned about to find Cecil and Rosa standing nearby. "Kain, you need to be careful. You've been attacked before," said Cecil with genuine concern in his voice. "You too Rosa."

"I will. But don't forget to watch after yourself Cecil," replied Rosa.

Cecil nodded and shifted to face Kain. "Something about that lance you had bothers me. I should stay in the inn tonight as well."

"Alright," replied Kain with a shrug.

"Good night Rosa," said Cecil, stepping forward to give her a kiss on the check while Kain averted his gaze. Kain didn't mind going to get some rest, what with his less than perfect sleep earlier, and he quietly followed Cecil to the inn while Rosa headed for her house.

The two stayed in the same room together, Cecil sleeping on the floor while Kain had the bed, despite the dragoon offering to switch spots. With a nearly inaudible sigh in the darkness, soft enough that the sleeping Cecil couldn't hear, Kain muttered to himself. "I hope nothing happens tonight."

That statement not entirely reassuring, he closed his eyes and tried to rest. Hopefully he would not be disturbed by dreams like last night while Cecil was in the same room, or else that would be a tad difficult to explain. Kain felt himself subconsciously envying the Paladin, who never seemed to be haunted in his sleep.

The night moved on, and all was quiet.