The Rebirth of a Dragoon
Based on: Final Fantasy Record Keeper
Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy. The OCs featured in this fic belong to various friends. Note that while the characters belong to friends, I am the one writing the fic itself. Thank you to Tibby-san and MajoHikari for continued support of this little story.
Notes: You don't like this, don't read it. I'm not writing it for you. Also, name change!
Warnings: Eventually all this stuff on this list: Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, incest, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar
FIC START!
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The next time Canti opened her eyes, she was in a very extravagant looking bed. One bigger than most of her bedroom. It sure was comfy, but waking up in a place she was unfamiliar with only made her more anxious than she was normally. She noticed that she wasn't wearing that gown she'd been forced to wear for her ceremony, but some silken pajamas that she'd never seen before. It took her a few minutes to realize that she'd fallen asleep on Kain's shoulder last night, and when it was time to go home, everyone realized it would just be easier for her to sleep over. Sunday mornings her Papa Cid always had off work, so she figured he'd be somewhere around here, too. She looked around to see if she could find the clothes she had when she came to the Highwind Manor yesterday morning, but they weren't there. Canti didn't want to walk out in these pajamas that didn't even belong to her. She didn't even know who they belonged to, anyway. Wait. She didn't have any brothers or sisters, and she only had one cousin her age that she was aware of…
…she slept in Kain's pajamas?!
…
Kain was usually up at sunrise, but he didn't want to be rude to the guests who were staying over. Especially his cousin. His Uncle Cid had told him that weekends were times of rest in their house, and that she would sleep in past what he would be used to. So there he was, clad in his training gear, ready to go teach Canti how to finally use the Jump technique, but he didn't want to leave his room. He thought about her, just lying in one of the guest best, wrapped in the blankets and sheets… he wondered what her breathing sounded like when she was dreaming deeply. And then, he turned to look in the mirror on his wall and looked at his own blushing cheeks. Canti was adopted as his cousin, and as of yesterday, finally made into a part of the Highwind family. Accepted by the magic of the family treasure and everything. And here he was, blushing at the fact that he had the deepest of crushes on her. He couldn't help himself. And there was the fact that he even gave his mother a set of his own pajamas for her to sleep in, since they were about the same size on top of that.
…I wonder what the law is here in Dagurreo regarding marrying one's cousin? He thought, beginning to pace in his room. I imagine that marrying her would cost me the rank of Grand Dragoon, but she is adopted, and…
Suddenly, there was a knock at his door. He walked over to open it, and he found his cousin standing there in his own pajamas.
"Good morning, Canti," he said. "Are you feeling all right?"
"I feel okay, I'm just lost! This house is bigger than Garden!" she replied with a frustrated look. "And my clothes from yesterday aren't in my room, so I'm walking around in this. I don't even walk around my own house in my nightgown."
"Oh, right. Mother said she would have them cleaned for you. Besides, you'll have training clothes to change into after breakfast," Kain said, walking out into the hall. "Follow me."
Canti followed Kain down to the dining room where there were piles upon piles of pancakes all over the place with every sort of topping one could want on pancakes right there waiting for them. "…that's, uhh… that's a lot of pancakes!" she blinked at them, wondering who in the world would need that many pancakes.
"Eat as many as you like," Kain said with a great big smile. "Our cooks know that pancakes are my favorite food! And if we run out, they'll just make us more!"
"There's more pancakes in here than there is just normal food in my fridge…" Canti said. "Seems excessive. You don't need more than a few on your plate, do you?"
"How do you like yours? With chocolate chips? Nutella? Peanut butter? Fruit preserves?" Kain asked excitedly. He was ready to put her a plate together on his own.
Canti didn't want to seem rude, but she grunted at him, "…I like them how Papa Cid makes them in the shape of bunnies." She took a plate and a stack of three, sat down, and prepared them quietly.
Kain took the seat next to her, making himself a plate. Clearly she didn't want to talk about pancakes no matter how excited he was over them, so he decided to change the subject. "Are you ready to learn to Jump?" he asked.
"I am," she answered before beginning to cut her pancakes up very neatly. They were very fluffy pancakes. Better than the ones Papa Cid made at home, even if she would have liked them in the shape of little bunnies.
Kain frowned. She simply didn't want to talk while eating. That was fine. He was used to eating in silence, too. But he did want to spend a much time talking with her as possible. He wanted to know everything he could about her. The one thing he learned this morning is that she simply wasn't much of a talker when food was on her plate. "I wonder where Uncle Cid and Father are…"
"Actually, your mother and father, as well as Cid, were summoned," a maid said from the kitchen. "I was told to prepare your favorite breakfast as they would not be dining with us this morning."
Canti cocked her head to the side. "Summoned?" she asked. "Who summoned them?"
"There came a letter before sunrise," the maid continued. "Though I've no idea who sent the letter."
"Any idea as to when they'll be home?" Kain asked.
"Not at all. We've been asked to keep Miss Cantirena here until Cid returns," she said, coming to collect whatever wasn't being used. A few dishes, eating utensils, and other things were taken back into the kitchen. "You two are not to leave the manor."
"So much for the lesson plans," Canti said worriedly. "Who could have called our parents like that?"
"I only know a few people with more power in Dagurreo than my father," Kain said between bites. "Leviathan and a few choice Senators. There's a lot of unrest became of the enemy on the outside of the border, and a lot more inability to decide how we're supposed to go about preparing for it."
"You're talking about the shadows out there," Canti said. She'd managed to clean her plate. "The shadow that devours absolutely everything."
"Minwu told me that you sense them as he does, and that's one reason why you're always so anxious," Kain said. His plate was clean by then, too. He stretched his arms upward. "It doesn't have a name, from what he explained to me. Not even in his mother tongue, that Mysidian you study."
"I still don't understand it," Canti muttered. She started to gather up the dishes that she used, which made Kain just shake his head in confusion. She cleaned up her area and handed her dishes to the maid, offering to wash them if the lady needed any help. Of course the maid wasn't going to allow a guest to wash her own dishes, lest she be fired, so Canti was told just to wait for her father to come and collect her.
"You will. Enough study, and all of us can do amazing things," Kain said, looking up at her with a big, bright warm smile. "I can't wait until you're both fluent and speaking in your own little secret language to keep others from understanding you."
Canti sighed. "I hope Papa's not in trouble."
"No. Our parents don't get in trouble. Warriors of the Water are upstanding men and women who act out of integrity and honor," Kain insisted. "Come on, let's go find your training gear. Just sitting around is going to get boring for the both of us." He motioned for her to follow him once again, and they set off on a trek to find the new set of training gear. Wherever it could have been…
…
Leviathan sat at his desk in his office, going through some paperwork that had been sent to him from higher up the chain of command. He keyed in a few things in his touchscreen as he flipped through the pages, making sure what was on the paper matched what was on the screen. He heard a buzz from one of the mechanisms built into his desk, and he pressed a button.
"Yes?" he asked almost dismissively.
"The ones you called for have arrived," came the voice of good ol' Betsy, who'd been his secretary since the dinosaurs called this plot of land their own. At least, based on the wrinkles in her face, he expected paleotologists to discover that there were T-rexaur's footprints buried in there somewhere.
"Very well," he replied, "Send them in."
The door opened after a few moments. Richard and Cid came in only to sit down in front of the desk, waiting for Leviathan to lead the conversation.
"Ahh, it's my favorite pair of Highwinds," the water spirit said, putting his file down on his desk, "Except for your children, of course."
"Sir?" Richard asked. "What exactly did you call us here for?"
"Yesterday was the day of Cantirena's ceremony," Leviathan said. "I would hear a report of it."
"I've never reported to you about any of the Highwind ceremonies of the past," Richard said, damn near insulted by such a request. "Why exactly do you wish to hear of this one?"
"Leviathan is the one who gave her to me," Cid said. "He's the highest authority when it comes to her well being. You cannot withhold any information from Leviathan about her case. So don't get defensive."
"Exactly," Leviathan agreed with a nod. "Please. Once you are done, it will be my turn to share."
Cid and Richard recounted every detail they knew from the day before, based on what they'd seen. They didn't know everything, but Leviathan was able to fill in details mentally and get a good theory as to what happened. It was a grand occasion that celebrated Canti's acceptance by the Wind Crystal, except for when after accepting the magic it made her pass out for a while. And that was a scary situation, considering it had never happened to anyone else in the family at the time. Once that was done, Cid added a bit based on what Kain had told him - a Bunansa had broken in to make off with the crystal, spewing lies about their family rivalries to Canti so she'd doubt her placement.
"Always something," Leviathan said, "Cantirena can't have anything without something trying to get in the way of it. Poor girl. Well, at least it wasn't the brutal murder of her birth parents…"
"...her birth parents… were murdered?!" Cid asked, horrified.
"...what? Did I say that out loud?" Leviathan asked. "I didn't mean to let that slip, but since you know, yes. Her birth parents were murdered… brutally."
"How?"
"The shadow that engulfs all on the outside," he answered. "You've never seen anyone with naturally blue hair inside our wall, have you? Of course not. Canti is from beyond our walls. Brought here to keep her safe." Leviathan sighed, hating himself for letting that bit of information out. "You must never tell anyone of this, either of you! The dear is unstable as it is, as she can sense the evil's approach. Telling her of this fate will destroy her ability to function."
Cid sank back into his chair. He could only imagine good people who were as strange as she is trying to protect her from the enemy that they'd been training to take on their entire lives. The mother and father were only killed by the attack, and did not take the child as she was hidden away or something of the like. His mind ran through all sorts of incredibly horrifying scenarios of how they could have died at the hands of the shadow that lurks beyond. Of course, she'd be able to sense the approach of the force that took the lives of her parents. That explained the nightmares she'd had, and while she cried for him, she never was able to be rescued by him. He wiped his eyes. "That's… that's terrible," he said.
"Cid, she's your daughter now. This is the only life she knows. I wish for it to remain that way," Leviathan said sternly. "Now… there is something I would like to tell the both of you that doesn't involve Cantirena's true identity which involves both of your children..."
…
Canti and Kain couldn't find that thing anywhere. They both even wondered if it even existed at all. They managed to find Canti's clothes from the day before, so she went into a room alone to change into them while Kain waited for her outside. He listened to the shuffling of her clothing, knowing when she was changing. He heard her breathing and even humming to herself as she changed. And he smiled as he thought about her as she was to grow up.
When she came back out, she found him staring off into space. It wasn't something Kain did very often. "Hey, are you all right?" she asked.
"I'm perfect," Kain said, taking a moment to look directly into her eyes. "You feel better now that you have your clothes?" Cosmos herself couldn't have had nicer eyes, he thought to himself.
"Much better!"
"Great. I have no clue where the training gear is, and we've searched every room in the house… I'm tired of looking for them," Kain said with a shrug. "While we can't leave the manor gates, you can come out with me to the garden, if you'd like."
"You have a garden! I forgot about that! I saw it when Papa Cid brought me here," she said. "But I didn't get a good look at it."
"Well, let me show it to you. We have a lovely fountain in the very center. You'll love it!"
"Sounds fun!"
…
Leviathan crossed his arms. "Because of what I've seen when I've scanned them, I'm highly certain that these two will want more of a relationship than what they have at the moment. There's more data to analyze, and they might grow out of it as they get older… I know for a fact there's other boys who are sweet on Canti. From what I know about her, she can't help it, she's going to draw attention."
"They're cousins. They're family!" Richard said. "What you're suggesting is utterly ridiculous! Especially now when the crystal has accepted her… we cannot have two of the same name together without causing all sorts of risks!"
Cid wasn't sure of what to make of that, but he wasn't as disgusted by the idea as his brother was. It wasn't really incest if they weren't related by blood, was it? He wasn't raised that way, and it sounded weird. But so did the fact that his adopted daughter was saved after her parents were murdered on the other side of the wall. "…way I see it is we encourage Canti to be true to herself, and if as she gets to the age where she wants to share her life with someone else, we simply do not interfere," he said. "You say there's a chance she'll want to be with someone else as much as she'll want to be with Kain. Right now, they're kids. The love they experience isn't the kind of love we'd need to worry about."
"You'd let your own nephew-"
"If she were my daughter, of my flesh and blood, then of course I wouldn't. But if the one she finds solace in just happens to be my nephew, then I'll approve if that's what she needs to be happy," Cid said, looking defiantly at his brother. "And if you were to ostracize me from the family over this, that would make an even better case for them when they're older, don't you think?!"
Leviathan put his hands up to stop them from rambling at each other. "There is nothing set in stone about the lives we lead here within our barrier, cut off from everything else that's out there, including the enemy. Canti may fall in love with Kain, or she may fall in love with any other number of suitors. I was just issuing you a fair warning before they hit that glorious age of puberty and knowing just how close those two are."
"Thank you for the warning," Richard grunted as he stood up to leave. "I've heard quite enough!"
Cid just rolled his eyes. "Knowing our luck, Canti'll fall in love with that Palamecian boy. I'd much rather her be with someone I know wouldn't hurt her."
"Well, since your brother is so intent on leaving, I'll send you on your way," Leviathan said, practically shooing them out of his office so he could get back to running that paperwork he oh-so-wanted to get done. "Goodbye…" he waved his hand to shut the door magically and to keep his last few words out of anyone else's earshot. "…little mortals. Heavenly Mother, what do you do to me?!"
…
Canti and Kain were walking through the pruned bushes of the garden behind Highwind Manor. Everything on this estate was grander than it would have been under any other circumstances. She giggled and talked with him through whatever came up in conversation, and he couldn't help but just be elated the entire time. They didn't get time like this, ever. Most of the time it was at school or something was going on, but here, it was just a nice walk and a nice chat. They enjoyed each other's company.
"Canti," Kain said after they'd been walking a while, "That's our fountain."
It was a large statue of a dragon, posed over the stone pool, with water coming out of it's mouth to land back in the water. This dragon looked familiar, and the more Canti stared at it, the more she wondered where she had seen this dragon before. She walked up close to the pool to get a good look at all the details in the statue.
"I come out here every day and I make a promise to it. That I'll be worthy to succeed my father when the time comes," Kain said very proudly.
"This statue… it looks like the dragon on Papa Cid's uniform."
"That's because it is. This dragon is the patron spirit of the Warriors of the Water," he said. "A water dragon, coiled to protect all it holds dear. It is as strong as it is loyal and honorable, which I fully intend on being when I grow up!"
"Kain…"
"What about you? What are you going to do when you grow up?"
She looked at the statue more before turning to look at Kain. "I want to fly," she declared. "I want to be a pilot, like my Papa was."
"A pilot?"
"Yes! That must be the reason why the tests are having me learn a language from beyond our barrier," Canti said. "I have to go to the land where they speak Mysidian and talk with those people about something very important. I don't know what it is yet. But that has to be the reason why."
"That's a pretty cool dream, all things considered," Kain said. "Do you wanna make the promise with me in front of the dragon statue?"
"Yeah!"
So Kain showed Canti how he did it. Standing straight and tall, with one hand over his heart. "I promise, Great Water Dragon, that I will be worthy of ascending to the position of Grand Dragoon when it falls to me!"
And right beside him, Canti stood in the same position, with one hand over her heart. "I promise, Great Water Dragon, that I will be strong enough to fly through the barrier!"
Soon after that, the maids had come looking for them, as their parents had come home. Canti and Kain walked prouder together than they ever had, having shared in that tiny little tradition no one else knew about.
