Rebirth of a Holy Dragoon

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. OCs belong to various friends. I think you know the drill by now.

Notes: What? I'm writing this for me. I think that's crystal clear by now.

Warnings: All the stuff I've listed for the last 33 chapters and then some. You haven't figured them out, then you probably aren't paying attention. Why are you here again?

FIC START!

Chapter Thirty-Four

After Canti had packed up all her things from the library, she headed over to the Music Building and made her way to choir. It wasn't that far off from the main Garden building, but she did wonder why all of the music classes didn't take place within the main building until she walked past a door where a few students still learning the trombone made a very unpleasant noise with it. Of course. Other classes could easily be interrupted with those sorts of noises going on just across the hall, or sharing a wall. She could just imagine studious little ones all trying to take a test and those still learning instruments or singing incredibly off-key being a massive distraction. As much as she liked music, and being musical, that would be so annoying, she'd want to run them through with her spear!

She was greeted by her much older friend, Mateus, at the door. The bell signifying the start of class hadn't rang yet, so it looked like he was going to take advantage of the very few minutes of free time he had to work with.

"There you are," he said as he followed her to her spot within the choir stands. She put her backpack and spear down in front of her place as all the other students had been doing before she straightened out her uniform skirt. "I'd been waiting for you."

"Is there a particular reason why?" Canti asked.

"Because…" he replied, "…I'd wanted to give you a personal congratulations upon being accepted by the Wind Crystal at the Ceremony this weekend."

"Didn't you do that at the ceremony? I mean, you were the one who got me the biggest cake that had ever been made in Dagurreo, right?" she asked, crossing her arms.

Mateus nodded, flicking back his beautiful golden hair. As his bangs flowed back away from his face, Canti noticed that something was in the middle of his forehead. It looked like an amethyst, though that didn't make any sense. How could there have been a shining stone stuck on someone's forehead? It matched the color of his eyes and the purple rose that was on the letter he sent, too. "I only get the best for those I care about," he said proudly. "Though you could tell me more about what all has happened between you and your dear cousin…"

"We didn't do anything in the library," she said. "I went to go look through a chapter of my Mysidian textbook, and take some notes so I could ask Minwu about what had me stumped, and… Kain just watched me. I can't imagine it was very fun."

"No, I can't imagine it was, either," Mateus crossed his arms. It only felt as if Kain was doing all he could to stand in his way. If Kain was always going to be at her side, there was no way he could make his way to being close to her. "Even if you are beautiful, it wouldn't be fun to watch you read."

"Beautiful?" Canti asked, shaking her head. "My cousin's more beautiful than I am."

"Kain is also a lovely specimen," he agreed.

"Is that why he hates you?"

"Kain hates me because he once attended a summer program alongside me, and-"

The bell ran to signal class had begun, and all of the students were sent to their places in the stands. They were all led through the ritual exercises as they were every class. Canti stood among the sopranos, and she had a natural ability for singing. It was something she'd always liked to do, though she never really took it seriously. She wasn't even sure if it was something she really wanted to study and chase further than just doing it for fun. Canti was told to study singing and to become a better singer due to the testing that everyone was made to take. What use could there have been to this? She wasn't going to be a performer. She wanted to be a pilot. That's what she decided. Regardless of what the tests would make her out to be, that's what she wanted. Even as they were led through their scales and the standard hymns praising Cosmos, she couldn't let that thought go. She made a decision about her future.

"Next week," the Professor Starlet said, calling to everyone. "You will be given an assignment. Your first task in becoming proper Bards."

Bards? Canti asked. She blinked in confusion. There had to be some mistake. She was training to be a dragoon. To follow in Papa Cid's footsteps. She wanted to stand up and ask why. There were mages and warriors and thieves scattered about the room. There were very few in the room actually carrying lutes.

"Is that true? We're all training to be Bards?" someone else said behind her. It was another soprano that she'd seen in passing a few times, but she had a rod. Clearly training in a school of magic. "But… it doesn't make much sense to me."

"Not all of you will make the music your main focus in battle, but everything we train at here in Garden is to be used for battle in one way or another, Garnet," Starlet said. "We all are in training to defend against the enemy. All of us. The darkness on the other side of the barrier that protects us will one day come through, and we all must be prepared for the battle."

"Music for use in battle?" a warrior asked. "I highly doubt that."

"You may not think it possible," one of the students that carried a lute spoke up, filled with passion. "There are songs to heal and boost your allies, as well as songs to strike fear into the hearts of enemies."

"The way to strike fear into the hearts of an enemy is not through song…" some guy in ninja garb said on the other side of the room.

"You're absolutely wrong," Starlet said forcefully. She snapped her fingers at one of the students carrying a lute. "One of you get up here and show Mr. Geraldine how it's done."

"You think I'm going to be scared by a song?" the same ninja asked. "You're not that bright."

The bard that spoke up earlier came to stand in the center where all of the students around the room could see him. He strummed a few chords and, while he had an expression on his face like he didn't want to do it, started with some very low notes. As he played, a dark circle swarmed about his feet. Canti heard many others around her react with a gasp, but she didn't. She was fascinated by the darkness he was able to manifest just by playing a few notes in the right sequence. What would happen if he started to actually sing? At this point, he was just calling up the energy. He hadn't put it to use yet? But then the bard looked straight at the cocky ninja sitting with the bassists, and he said a few words in a language she didn't know. It headed straight at the ninja and seized him, leaving the young man unable to focus or breathe. He'd been left in a state of absolute fear!

"Thank you very much, Edward," Starlet said. "Let this all be a lesson to you. It is possible for us all to use our voices to influence others around us, either in good ways or bad ways." She noticed that the ninja wasn't able to snap himself out of his fearful state and had a few moogles carry him off to the infirmary so they could deal with it. "As you all have the ability to sing, you will learn how to weaponize that voice. We do not let any talents that could help us survive go to waste. No ability untrained."

Canti sank back against her spot in the stands, just waiting for the class to finish. She wasn't in a state like that ninja before, but she was scared to think of just what her voice would be used for in the future if she'd have to learn how to do that. She looked down at her belongings underneath the next student down's seat. Bards had some incredible potential, and she was able to become one, apparently. But she still wanted nothing more than follow in her father's footsteps to become a dragoon and a pilot. It wouldn't be a bad thing to have back up powers just in case she couldn't fight with her spear. Especially if she planned to go beyond the barrier one day.

…

Leviathan sat at one of his huge control panels, flipping through old paper files, and comparing them to the current information in the digital files. He'd all ready done a lot of editing, however there was something he noticed was much different. According to the readings retrieved from the previous night's scanning, it was discovered that the relationship values were turning out much differently than they were in the world outside. He did a double-take upon noticing how little affection there was between Canti and Minwu, when he was most certain those two were destined for each other. There used to be a very deep and pure love between them, one that could have stood against any and all evil. He pushed up his aquamarine framed glasses and flicked a few dead scales out of his hair. How could this be? What was so different about the events around them this time? He didn't like this one bit, given the fact that he needed Canti to have the power of love backing her up in the fight against the Ardent. That was one of the things she was being rebooted for!

"Well, I don't believe it has to be Minwu," he murmured to himself, though he was unsure of it. "As long as she knows love, she'll be able to fight…"

Leviathan kept comparing relationship values. Balthier had become an enemy!? What?! Vanille didn't even know her yet?! How?! Giving humans free will after rebooting their minds was an awful mistake. This was supposed to be her party! All of these people loved her and would fight by her side through any and everything. The only thing going the way it was supposed to was Cid's role, and even then, he had his doubts. Leviathan gave a long sigh, reaching to take a drink of his coffee. At… the very least, Kain was doing his job of remaining close to her, but he had a feeling that this was going to explode within the world he'd built for them all to help Canti have her rebirth. They'd be denied. Oh, why the hell did he make Kain her cousin?! He felt the weight of the whole multiverse on his shoulders. He was going to have to find a way to step in if it came to that. Canti's mind was fragile. It was still being rebuilt even while in this massive program. If he ended it now, she'd be damn near comatose, similar to how she was before she applied for release of the Keeper program.

He was in such despair that he couldn't bring himself to look through Hikari's files once he put Canti's away. How did he fuck up on hers, he didn't even want to know.