This idea hit me right before I went to bed a few days ago...

Enjoy!

Contains support charries ;)

It had taken Kain the better part of the day to find his apprentice, and once he found him, he frowned and looked around the storage room at the piles of papers and books. The shelves were emptied, apparently onto the floor, and Kieran was sitting in the middle of mess, lazily thumbing through one of the musty books.

"Hey," he greeted with a lethargic wave.

Kain gave the room another scan, "What…are you doing?"

"Sorting the old magical documents," Kieran answered, looking up, "Remember?"

He made a face, "No…"

"It's penance for that thing last month…?" Kieran explained, trailing off.

Kain sighed, "I can't keep track of all your demerits and punishments,"

Kieran shrugged and went back to reading, "Did you know that we used to drown people we thought were possessed?"

"Did I want to know that?" Kain asked dryly.

His apprentice grinned, looking up again, "So, what's up? I'm guessing you didn't come down here to check on me,"

"No, though maybe I should," Kain commented, raising an eyebrow. "You seem to be working extremely hard."

"I have to learn weird facts to keep up with Cuore somehow," he admitted, closing the book. "Besides, one of these days you people will realize sometimes I purposely get in trouble so I don't have to deal with my delinquent teammates."

Kain just frowned at him.

Kieran pinned him with a look, "Don't give me that look. You're the one that carved your name in the back of the treasure room,"

His frown turned into a glare, "Kieran, shut up."

His apprentice just smirked and set the book he was holding into a pile to his left, "Anyway, why'd you need me?"

Deciding not to waste any more time, or change his mind, he spoke. "Izayoi's birthday is next month," he explained, sighing. "I have no idea what to get her."

Kieran was giving him a disbelieving look, leaned slightly away from him. Just as his mentor was about to comment on the odd look, he frowned and made a comment.

"This conversation just got weird,"

Kain rolled his eyes and Kieran held up his hands, "Sorry, I just…did you just ask me what to get your not-girlfriend for her birthday?"

"Who else am I supposed to ask?" Kain complained. "Sadly, you have the most stable relationship of all the people I could ask on such short notice,"

Kieran's disbelief returned, "Cecil and Rosa,"

"You think this conversation is weird, I'd hate to see that one…"

"Ah, good point…" Kieran conceded with a light snicker before catching himself. Kain sighed again, "Look, I'm not expecting you to be a wealth of great ideas here,"

"Thanks a lot…" his apprentice muttered, crossing his arms.

Kain continued, ignoring his sulk, "But I was thinking next time you send Cuore a letter, you can ask her what her cousin wants."

Kieran shrugged, "Sure, whatever. No promises."

"I have to try, because I'm at a loss."

His apprentice shrugged again, "You can always get her alcohol."

Kain frowned at him and pointed at a stack of papers, "Go back to filing,"

"Aye, aye, Capitan sir,"

He sighed and left before he could waste more time of trying to fix Kieran's attitude. That was a lost cause.

Izayoi hadn't practiced much archery recently, but one snide comment from Tsukinowa made her pick it up again, if only so she could pin him to the wall next time he copied Edge and called her "Izzy".

She paused, however, when she heard her name being called.

Cuore joined her, flicking her teal hair over one shoulder, "I'm sorry to bother you,"

Izayoi shrugged one shoulder, "Don't worry about it. In fact, you could probably give me a few pointers, I'm sure."

Cuore cocked her head to one side, looking puzzled, "I've never practiced archery,"

"But I believe it was you who informed Rosa that it was 'simply basic geometry and spatial reasoning'".

The young woman laughed nervously, "I don't remember that, but it sounds like something I would say,"

Izayoi nodded, "It was when you were little, highly amusing, I assure you."

Cuore smiled, "For you,"

Her cousin shrugged and then eyed the folded papers in her hands. "Don't tell me, another letter?"

Cuore nodded and Izayoi rolled her eyes, "Ugh, can you give me an estimated time of when you two will be out of the puppy love stage? It's sickening. You constantly exchange letters, he sent you dried flowers because the live ones wouldn't make it here in time…you two are way too sweet…"

Cuore seemed to think for a moment before replying, voice tone even and concise as it always was when she was being logical.

"According to my research, this stage of love will continue for another few months. The phase would be accelerated if we were not at such a long distance from each other, however."

Izayoi just stared at her, frowning, "I wasn't asking that as a serious question, Cuore."

"Oh." she murmured, shrugging a moment later. "Regardless, Kieran's current letter has something I wanted to talk to you about."

Izayoi made a face, but nodded all the same, hoping Cuore wasn't about to read some sappy romantic sonnet from the pages. She wasn't sure she could handle that.

Cuore's inflection altered as she read, obviously mimicking the author of the note; "Oh, by the way, Kain wants me to ask you to figure out what Izayoi wants for her birthday. Weird, I know. Could you write back suggestions next letter?"

Cuore glanced up, "I know how much you dislike surprises, so I thought I would simply ask you what I can tell Kieran. That way, you can have an input in your gift."

Izayoi nodded approvingly, "I appreciate that. You really are brilliant, Cuore."

She beamed and Izayoi paused, not sure what to tell her.

"Hmm….can I get back to you on that?"

Rydia had gotten used to people sneaking around or appearing out of seemingly nowhere. She'd lived in Eblan too long not to be used to it.

But she wasn't expecting to open up her door and find Izayoi leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, jumping, "Crystals, Izayoi…"

"I need to ask you something," the other said, cutting her off.

Rydia gave her a funny look, "Okay…"

The dark haired woman hesitated, looking uneasy and surprisingly stressed. Rydia peered closer at her, instantly worried.

Izayoi shoved her way into the room, starting to pace, "Kain wants to buy me a gift,"

Rydia gave her a funny look, "What?"

"For my birthday," she continued, still pacing. "I don't get it."

Rydia crossed her arms, annoyed she was being detained from breakfast. "I'm really confused, sorry. Your birthday is next month, and Kain wants to buy you a gift and this is…confusing to you?"

"Yes!" Izayoi hissed, stopping to look at her. "Why? What does it mean? How did he even find out about my birthday?"

Rydia chuckled, "Izayoi, this isn't a big deal,"

"It is," she insisted, starting to pace once more. "I hate surprises, I hate gifts, I don't like celebrating…"

"Then, tell him you don't want anything." Rydia said, shrugging.

The look Izayoi sent her was scathing. Rydia frowned, feeling slighted.

"Did that ever work with Edge?" the other woman asked her.

The summoner paused to give that some thought. "…No,"

"Exactly."

Rydia finally gave up on the eggs downstairs and shut the door, "So, how did you even hear he was buying you a gift?"

"He apparently asked Kieran to ask Cuore what I wanted and Cuore asked me because she knows I don't like surprises."

Rydia found the tale farfetched, but also knew that Izayoi wasn't a liar. "Oh…"

"So, what should I do?" Izayoi demanded, as if impatient that Rydia hadn't solved her problem yet.

The summoner crossed her arms again, "How should I know? Seventeen years, remember?"

"Great, so how do you keep that level of non-commitment?" Izayoi asked, holding her hands open.

Rydia just stared at her, "Are you…serious? I…don't know…by being completely oblivious and…mildly disinterested." She winced at the last statement, but it was partly true for part of those seventeen years. She frowned, "But, it's just a gift, Izayoi,"

"Oh," the other woman stated ominously, "It's never just a gift, it always means something. It means attachment, it means obligation, it means repayment…"

Rydia bit her lip, "Um…can I get back to you?"

"Fine," the other woman sighed, "But make it quick. Cuore wants to write Kieran back soon, so I need something to tell her…"

Edge wondered if people purposely came up with good ways to waste his money. He was trying to figure out what possible use the current bill in front of him was for. Why in the world did they need to do a survey to assess possible mudslides? Did they even have those?

The door slammed open and Rydia pinned him with a look, "Your cousin is having a meltdown,"

"…Oh," he commented, shrugging. "Bummer…"

The summoner sighed, rolled her eyes, and stomped forward, "No, I'm serious, she's going crazy."

"What about?" he asked, taking it slightly more seriously. Only because he didn't want Rydia to get mad. Izayoi was always stressed in his opinion.

"Apparently, Kain asked Kieran to ask Cuore to find out what to get her for her birthday, and Cuore knows she doesn't like surprises so asked her, but now Izayoi seems to think there's some greater meaning behind the gift and is…well, she's really stressed about it and asking me for advice, and I don't know what to tell her,"

Edge heaved a sigh, cutting her off before she could continue her flustered rant. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, and so is she," Rydia said, smacking her hands on the desk in front of him. "I need help. I don't know what to tell her."

"Tell her to tell him not to get her anything," he said, wondering why they were missing the obvious way out.

Rydia rolled her eyes, "Like that ever worked with you,"

"It's Kain," Edge argued. "I mean…really?"

"Edge,"

"Fine, an airship. Tell him to buy her an airship."

Rydia closed her eyes, sighing, "Not a gift for you, a gift for her,"

"It's a gift for everyone," he retorted, grinning. "I'm missing the big deal here."

The summoner stood up and crossed her arms, "Yes, clearly. She's stressing that the gift means something more than just a birthday present, and you know your cousin hates birthdays anyway, and gifts, and surprises. But there's no way he won't get her nothing, so we need to help."

"Do we?" he asked, leaning forward. "That would mean I give two chocobo feathers if this relationship works out,"

Rydia groaned, rolling her eyes yet again, "Edge, do you want your cousin to be happy?"

"Hey, don't turn me into the bad guy," he complained, holding up his hands. "And I don't even know what I'm getting her, how can I possibly help someone else pick a gift?"

"We need a gift that means nothing…that isn't…" Rydia paused, making a face as she tried to come up with the right word. "…commitment-y…"

Edge stared at her, "Commitment-y?"

"Shut up and help me!"

"Nothing. The gift of nothing is the opposite of commitment-y," he said.

Rydia glared at him.

"Alright, fine," Edge grumbled, grabbing a fresh piece of paper.

He brandished a pen and scribbling a couple of lines before handing it to Rydia. "There, gift done."

She frowned, took it, and read it over.

"A vacation?"

"Yes," Edge said, "A vacation. It we're lucky, she'll actually take it if she thinks it's not me telling her to go,"

Rydia gave him a look over the rim of the paper, "You've never given her or any of them a vacation!"

"I fired them!" he retorted. "They just continue to hang around! I…should have cut them off payroll…then they would have got it…"

Rydia hesitated, "She's going to read into this,"

"Let her!" he sighed, "I think this is great. She can think whatever she wants about it. Bypass her completely, give it to Cuore to give to Kieran who can give it to Kain and there, we're done."

Rydia grinned, "That is pretty clever. It's a nice gift."

Edge frowned, "Yeah, but now I have no idea what I'm supposed to give her…"

Kain stared at the paper Kieran had given him.

"How in the world did this get all the way to Edge?" he asked, annoyed.

Kieran shrugged, "How should I know? Maybe she's really hard to buy for."

"Or maybe…this is some sort of trap," Kain said thoughtfully, narrowing his eyes. "It is Edge,"

He caught his apprentice roll his eyes.

"Look, anyway, she's going to read into this," Kain complained.

"She's going to read into whatever you get her; she's a girl." Kieran pointed out.

His mentor sighed, "Yes, I know, that's why I needed help,"

"And you got it,"

"Did I?"

Kieran groaned, "Kain, just give her the damn gift, or give her nothing if you're worried about this."

"I can't not get her anything," he argued.

Kieran tossed up his hands, "I am done, I did my part. If you want to over complicate things, talk with Ceodore. He's good at that."

Kain glared at his apprentice as he walked away, though he did have a point.

He should really just give her the damn gift.

Oh, Kizzy...