Allergies and a Harp

by Maelstra

10 - What's Going On Now?

"Kain!" Cecil immediately tried to rouse his unconscious friend, to no avail.

"What is he covered with?" Edge wanted to know. He snatched a white feather out of Kain's hair and studied it with a raised eyebrow.

"Um . . . yeah . . . we need to get these feathers off of him!" Cecil desperately tried to brush the white down off, but quickly gave up and turned to Rydia. "Could you use magic to clean him off?"

Rydia also raised an eyebrow, then sighed. "Black magic doesn't exactly work for cleaning . . . but . . . sure. Why not? Stand back, all of you." She started chanting a summon spell.

Rosa's eyes went wide. "Wait! Rydia, you shouldn't –!"

"Get back!" Cecil grabbed his wife as a giant sea serpent materialized in the air above them.

Leviathan roared, and torrents of ocean water gushed out of the sky, drowning the small field.

Twenty minutes later, when they finally found Kain again, he was still unconscious and was now soaking wet, but at least all the feathers appeared to be gone.

Cecil sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose to try to drive off his headache. "Rosa, could you please . . ."

"Of course." Rosa chanted quietly, and golden beams of healing light surrounded the dragoon. He almost immediately started coughing convulsively, and spitting up feathers. Rosa frowned in concern, and continued her healing spells.

After a moment, though still gasping for breath, Kain slowly opened his blue eyes and looked up at the people around him. "Gah . . . wha? Cecil!" He sprang to his feet and coughed again.

"What are you doing here?" Cecil demanded.

"I should be asking you the same thing," Kain returned a bit sulkily.

Edge couldn't resist joining the conversation. "So, what's this I hear? Something about you going after a harp? One with special, unfathomable powers by chance?"

"It's none of your business what I'm doing," Kain snapped. "Including you, Cecil. Don't you have a kingdom to be running?"

"The chancellor can handle things in my absence. Kain, it's been . . . well, months. I just wanted to make sure you're alright."

"I'm fine. Thank you. You can all get back to your normal lives now."

"Kain . . ." Cecil refused to be so abruptly dismissed by his old friend. "Edward explained that you seemed to be on a quest to retrieve this harp. Please . . . if it's so important to you, I want to help you."

"I don't need your help."

Cecil raised an eyebrow. "Edward said that the first clue to the harp's location is located in the Phoenix's Nest."

"So?" Kain tensed but refused to back down.

Cecil just crossed his arms and gave Kain a piercing look for a moment. Finally, Cecil asked, "So, what are you going to do? Just charge back in there again?"

"I think I missed something," Edge whispered to Rydia.

"I think you miss a lot," she returned with a smirk, playfully poking the ninja's shoulder.

"Kain . . . please. You don't even have to tell me what this quest is for, if you don't want to. Just let me help you. I'm your friend." Cecil would not beg, but he was not above trying to guilt-trip Kain into cooperating.

"I don't want your help!" the blond dragoon grunted.

"I know." Cecil shrugged. "But, you know you need it."

Kain turned away and clenched his fists so hard his knuckles went totally white. "Fine. You win, Cecil."

"Where's the Phoenix's Nest?"

"Just a little further up this mountain." Kain turned back around slowly as though suddenly very weary. "I left all my stuff up there, too . . ."

"Okay." Cecil glanced briefly at Cid and the others and gave them a big grin. "Lead the way, Kain."

"Come on, then," the dragoon sighed. Without looking back, he started forward in a quick pace up the hill.