Disclaimer: I own nothing.

A/N: There's a lot of stuff here that's made up and a lot of stuff here that's actually in the game. Footnotes for some of the stuff that needs explaining, but the paragraph where he thinks about Veriti is canon—that's actually how Amiti was born.

There'll be some actual conversation between the two of them in the next update! Enjoy!

IzzyTan - Thanks for the review! It's appreciated. I wasn't sure what the reception would be for these two, but my shipper's mind was already working halfway through the game. *sigh*

FunarialMaiden - Amiti's mother is Veriti. She died shortly after he was born, and was Paithos's sister.

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A Different Kind of Storm

CHAPTER 3

Contest

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Amiti swung Masamune in an arc, the blade cutting through the water shape in front of him. Droplets of water sprayed everywhere as the shape fell to the ground and Amiti quickly swerved, raising his hand and bringing up a second shape of water just behind him that he stabbed through. He pivoted around, streams of water surrounding him like ribbons as he sheathed the Yamatan blade in one swift motion.

The water fell to the ground below, splashing and forming ripples in the shallow pool that Amiti was standing in. The pool had once been one of the odd quirks associated with the Alchemy Well, but Amiti had turned it into his own training room. It was useful, having water at his disposal but having it shallow enough that it didn't hinder his movements. The water was only a few inches deep, and ran the length of a rectangular pool inside this hall.

"How was that?" he asked when he had caught his breath, straightening up and turning towards his observers. Three Mercury Djinn stood at the edges of the pond, having been manipulating the water to serve as fake opponents for him.

"You've improved greatly, Master," said Mellow.

"You still need to work on defending from the left side, though, Amiti," countered Mist.

"Stick with Psynergy, kid," said Claw. [1]

He smiled in response and tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear. It was always a mixed bag when asking for opinions from his three oldest Djinn. They were each trying to be helpful, but all of them had different ideas as to what helpful was.

"I thought it was a big improvement," said a feminine voice from behind him.

Amiti turned. Karis stood in the doorway, one hand on the doorframe. He stared. She was dressed in a gold dress of fine Ayuthayan make, but that wasn't what surprised him. It was the fact that he had seen that dress before, in a wardrobe in one of the palace's empty rooms—the one closest to his own quarters. Karis shifted uncomfortably, noticing his scrutiny.

"My bags got drenched in the lake," she explained. "My clothes are still drying out."

"It's not that," said Amiti, turning towards her fully. It had been two years since he had seen her last, he realized. Since the coronation…

He stopped his mind from going down that road quickly. "You look very nice, Karis. But where did you get that dress?"

Karis frowned. "…One of the maids gave it to me to wear," she said. "An older woman…I think her name was Mali or something like that."

Mali. That would explain it. Amiti sighed inwardly, realizing he would have to have words with the older servant. Honestly, just because she had been his nurse when he was younger…

"…Is something wrong with it?" asked Karis.

Amiti shook his head. "No, I was just thinking," he said. "…It used to belong to my mother."

Karis's eyes widened, and he saw her quickly look down at the dress. "To Veriti?" she asked. "I'm sorry, Amiti. I'll go ask for a change of cloth—."

He raised a hand to stop her. She paused, looking at him. "It's alright," he said. "Keep it. I never even knew her, and besides, I'm glad to have you wear it."

…And the more I hear about her, the less I like, he added silently to himself. It was amazing how soundly shattered someone's worldview could get in the short span of the year he spent traveling with Matthew and company. He had gone in his own mind from the miracle born out of the combination of a princess's Psynergy and the Alchemy she had released to save the village to the bastard child of a manipulative traitor born out of a handful of casual encounters between said traitor and a princess who found him intriguing. If Alex hadn't already been well received by his uncle for starting the Alchemy Well, it was unlikely that Amiti would have ever been considered a prince at all, much less his uncle's heir. As it was, his uncle had covered up the truth by replacing it with that story, and the townspeople had believed it.

He had believed it, until his uncle told him differently.

Karis relaxed slightly, turning to face him. He smiled, glancing at the Sylph Rapier she wore belted to her waist. "Although I don't think that dress has ever been worn with a weapon before."

She frowned, resting her hand on the rapier's hilt. "I felt weird going without it," she admitted.

"I know the feeling," he said, gesturing at his own Masamune. "It's good to see you up. Are you feeling better?"

"Much," said Karis, nodding at him. She met his eyes for a moment before looking away. The tension in the air was almost palpable. Amiti winced inwardly. They had exchanged letters, but he hadn't expected it to be this awkward when they met again. He thought back to the coronation and felt his insides churn at the memory. He was never letting Tyrell and Eoleo [2] talk him into drinking again.

He hadn't expected that the first move to break the ice would come from Karis.

"We never did get to finish our spar," she said.

"I suppose not," said Amiti. "We were rather busy at the time."

The spar had been Tyrell's idea, who had been where almost all of the party's most questionable ideas had come from. It was the Mars Adept that pointed out that he and Karis were twinned in their preferred methods of fighting. Both of them used light blades and were skilled at Psynergy. Both could heal, but were not the party's best healers. Nothing had ever come out of the proposed spar, because they had barely exchanged a few blows before they were interrupted by monsters attacking Eoleo's ship.

"Would you like to finish it?" asked Karis, resting one hand on her sword.

Amiti stared at her. "You're insane," he said.

"I'm not," said Karis. "You're not the only one that's improved."

"You've just woken up," said Amiti. "Karis, I refuse to fight an injured person."

"I can see why," said Karis with a smile. "It'd be very bad for your reputation if you lost."

Amiti looked at her. Karis was serious—that much was obvious. The Wind Adept was logical, but she did have a competitive streak, it just took a while to draw it out of her. He remembered that Karis was a healer as well—any deficiencies in his own healing would have quickly been corrected once she woke up. He sighed in defeat.

"What are the rules?" he asked as she removed her shoes and stepped into the shallow pool, testing the mobility of the dress.

"No Psynergy," she said. "First person to use Psynergy loses."

"Djinn?" he asked.

"We can have them set," said Karis. "But we can't use them."

He nodded, allowing Mellow, Mist, and Claw to set themselves to him. Karis would have a full set of Djinn, so it was only fair that he do the same.

"If anyone draws blood, the fight is over," added Amiti.

"Of course," said Karis in reply.

He drew Masamune, holding it at the ready. Karis did the same, bracing the thin Sylph Rapier in her hands. Amiti raised his hand, and a globe of water rose from the pool, rising high above them. There was a tense moment as they stared at each other, waiting.

The globe burst and the fight was on.

Amiti raised Masamune in defense, countering Karis's attack. She quickly stepped back, thrusting the Sylph Rapier at him. He parried the blow quickly, his eyes wide. She was faster than he remembered, and she had always been incredibly fast. Steel clashed against steel as he retaliated, pushing back against the lightly glowing Sylph Rapier. Physically, he was stronger than her. He just had to overpower her before she could outpace him.

He blocked one of her blows and riposted quickly, changing the tide of the fight. Karis began to step back, going on the defensive as he slashed at her. Water splashed around them, metal ringing on metal as the sounds echoed the chamber. In spite of his earlier reservations, Amiti found himself getting lost in the fight. Karis was a challenge. He would need to find her weakness—a way to defeat her. He just needed an opening.

There. She had left her right side open. He lunged, and realized too late that it had been a trick. Karis spun around, his blade going past her harmlessly as the tip of her sword made its way towards his chest. He stared at her, eyes wide, before disappearing in a splash of water, reappearing about two feet back. He stumbled, the teleporting making him dizzy as he fell back, landing in the water with a splash. [3]

Karis stared at him in concern, sheathing her sword. He raised a hand to his head, shaking it as the world came back into focus.

"Are you alright?" she asked, leaning down to help him up.

"I'm fine," he said, taking a deep breath. "That always makes me dizzy."

He allowed her to help him to his feet, reaching up and brushing away a small scratch on his chest with his hand. It healed almost instantly, leaving a small tear in his clothing and a spot of blood. He smiled, stepping away from her and sheathing Masamune before bowing.

"You win, Karis," he said. "I used Psynergy. You've improved quite a lot since last time."

"You too," said Karis. "It was hard to keep up with you."

"That's a large compliment, coming from you," he said. He glanced at the clock. It was mid afternoon. He had spent his morning showing Ivan around the city, and had just come back from a quick meeting with his court.

"Have you eaten anything yet?" he asked.

"I had a little," said Karis. "They brought me food before I left the infirmary."

"I see…" said Amiti. "Come with me."

"Hmm?" asked Karis, looking at him as he started to walk out.

"I want to show you the palace," said Amiti with a smile. "It occurred to me that you didn't get much of a chance to see it last time."

He walked out of the door, Karis following behind him.

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[1] Mellow, Mist, and Claw – The three Djinn that Amiti brings to the party when he joins.

[2] Eoleo – Briggs's son. Mars Adept that joins the party just after the Grave Eclipse. (Remember that toddler in Champa from the Lost Age? That's him.)

[3] Amiti teleporting – A stretch on my part. He can't actually do this in the game, but considering who his father is…