Don't Fall, part 21

FIC START!

The next morning, Sakinah woke up nestled in Kain's arms. She didn't remember getting into this position, and she didn't really remember falling asleep there. She noticed that Cuore was all ready awake, fumbling through a book, and the strange woman who had told them of all that was happening lately wasn't in the tent at all. Outside, the rain was gentle. Almost as gentle as Kain's deep breathing against her back.

"Ah, Sakinah," Cuore whispered, "Good morning."

"Good morning," she whispered in reply. "Where's-"

"The stranger?" Cuore finished her sentence, and then simply shrugged. "She was gone before I woke up. Nothing's missing from what I can tell, so I don't think she made off with anything." The teal-haired girl then cracked a grin. "You look satisfied curled up like that with Kain… I'm not sure how, considering you're both still wearing clothes."

"...now that sounds like a line Edge would say," Kain said sleepily. "You spend a lot of time in Eblan?"

"Edge spends more time in Mist than Eblan…" Cuore answered.

"Most certainly due to his affections for Rydia," Kain continued. That ninja had always been a cocky flirt, and hearing this was of no surprise. It was nice to know that in some places in the world, things never changed. He sat up carefully, holding Sakinah to him as he moved. "Good morning." He wasn't sure if Sakinah would have wanted a kiss or not, otherwise he would have given her one. He tried to think of how Cecil and Rosa were every time they shared a tent or slept at an inn, and how affectionate they were. But he didn't know if Sakinah was the type to want affection so often. "I wished to ask that curious woman more information, but if she isn't here, then there isn't much I can do about that."

"Eh, at least she told us what she did last night," Cuore said, putting her book away. "Still, we have a long day hiking through the mountains before we get back on solid ground. I think we'd best prepare for that."

"Aye," Kain agreed. "Come then, let us move. I'll catch supper on the way to the next safe glyph." He picked himself up and extended a hand to Sakinah, who then suddenly wrapped her arms around him. "As nice as this is, we won't get anywhere if we stay like this all morning."

"I just wanted to hug you. I don't mean to get in the way."

"No, it's fine. Just a small reminder, is all." He returned her embrace tightly before they both let go to pack up everything. Kain put all of his battle armor on, pulled his long hair back up to keep it from falling all over the place, and began to fill his travel sack neatly. He had spent so long roaming that he was an expert at packing.

Cuore didn't carry anywhere near as much on her as Kain and Sakinah did, making it seem as if she had just stayed in Fabul and was only intending on crossing the mountain, but going no further than the desert capital of Damcyan. She had a few magical tomes, as she was studying to become a summoner as her adopted mother. The young girl had paler skin than any humans Sakinah had ever seen, but then again, she had lived most of the time she could remember within Troia. Perhaps there were far more kinds of people out in the world she hadn't seen. Not everyone could come from the forested continent as she did, after all.

It took a few hours before they were ready to leave the safety of the glyph, and once they did, the uphill trek began anew. As they fought the monsters they came across, they held a formation much like a triangle. Kain led the group, and both Cuore and Sakinah stayed in the back row. The ladies were both adept in magic, though Cuore had white magic and summon spells, while Sakinah had her boomerang and sky magic. That's what she called it when Cuore asked about it, anyway. Her lightning only came when she called it from the sky, and she was able to move the clouds around when she asked for it. Sakinah had a feeling that this power came from the blessing she received from the Earth Crystal, and the more time she spent using it, the more comfortable it felt to use it. Her accuracy with the boomerang was getting better the more she used it, too.

By the time night fell again, Sakinah was able to calm the winds enough for Kain to stoke a fire to cook his latest catch.

"This power is incredible," Sakinah said, shaking her head in disbelief.

"You have gained a bit of experience in our battles today," Kain said as he seasoned the beast he caught and ran it through with a rod so he might cook it over the fire. "We all become more powerful the more we fight. We learn more about ourselves while under so much pressure from having our lives in danger."

"You must have seen some incredible battles, being as powerful as you are," Cuore said bluntly. "Like Rydia and Edge."

"I have seen and fought against all manner of foe, yes," Kain agreed. "Some of which I pray the Gods never put you two through. I've seen more than enough of that for all of us."

"I don't mind, as long as I'm fighting alongside you," Sakinah said as she looked over at Kain. "I feel more capable than I ever had, being here… with you."

"I would rather not subject you to the nightmares I've seen," Kain returned her loving glance. "Learning to battle monsters for the sake of survival is a necessity in our world, though I had always hoped it wouldn't be. Some of us are more suited to familiar roles, some of us are more suited to looking after fields and tending animals… but because of how our world works, we must pull people from peaceful roles into roles of conflict."

Sakinah frowned upon hearing that. "Is there something you'd rather do?"

"I've been suited for battle since I was born, the military is the only life I've ever known," Kain said. "My father was a dragoon and raised me to essentially take his place upon his death." He rotated the meat over the fire. "I do not remember much about my mother, except she was frail and sickly often."

"I don't have parents," Cuore said. "I was taken in by Rydia."

Sakinah sighed. "The Red Wings killed my parents the day a dark knight stole the crystal from the sacred place in Mysidia. Both of them mages who worshiped the crystal. I was sent to Troia after that."

They shared dinner together and, based on Kain's knowledge, they would reach the grasslands of Fabul by midday tomorrow.