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: You thought I was kidding. Haha. Oh, no. This is happening.
Warnings: You don't remember the list of warnings I gave before? Fine. Here. Cursing, potential OOC, OC x Canon, stupid fluffy romance, sex, angst, self-insert author avatar, shitty storytelling.
FIC START!
Chapter Forty-four
Canti hadn't ever felt like this before. With her blue staff in hand, she ran around every corner as haphazardly as she always did. She'd been excited. She'd been overwhelmingly excited. But she had never actually been given an official assignment in one of the Realms of Fantasy before! Everyone else she knew had gone into the paintings within the Halls of Memories. This time, it was her turn. She always wondered when Dr. Mog would finally give her a chance to prove herself. This meant that she'd been officially promoted to being a keeper, and not just in-training. Sure, she'd been a little behind on her studies, but even Dr. Mog acknowledged that it wasn't all her fault. She didn't come here understanding the language everyone else was speaking. But that didn't matter now. She'd come far enough to actually be of use! Those days of screaming in her father's tongue at teachers were long gone, far behind her now.
Canti jumped clear over a set of desks in the hall with ease, completely going over the student that was taking a make-up test there, and continuing down the hall without a single obstacle in her way.
"Canti!" came a scolding voice. "Where do you think you're going in such a hurry, young lady?! How many times have you been told about running in the halls?!"
She turned to see that the voice came from a boy who was a head taller than her, with a mess of shaggy brown hair. His skin was as sunkissed as the legendary Minwu's, and he had a dancer's blade hanging from his hip. Canti put her hands on her hips as she declared, "I'm the same as you now, and I've seen you run through halls before!"
"Those are only during emergencies, fire drills, and the like…" he said, shaking his head. "…what's gotten into you?"
Canti pointed at her lapel, where she had pinned a badge that Dr. Mog gave her just a few moments ago. "I have an assignment," she said proudly, flashing that smile she always did when she knew that she was in the right about something. "I'm going to the realms."
"...you've been given an assignment?" he asked.
She nodded, pointing again, this time much more obviously at the badge. "I'm a keeper now."
"Well, then! We'll have to celebrate, won't we?" the voice from the boy had changed somehow. It was no longer that deep voice, but the pitch had changed drastically. Canti had been staring right at him, because it was her intention to show off at every chance she got, but she blinked, and suddenly there wasn't a boy standing there at all. It was a short, somewhat-heavy set girl with teal colored hair with a huge hammer strapped to her back. "I'm so glad to hear that you've finally gotten that promotion, Canti. You've been working hard."
"You bet I have, Crystal," Canti said, striking a pose. She was going to soak up all of that praise while it was still being given out. She'd had her fair share of scoldings, but no, not this time. "I'm going to succeed at this and hopefully be given even more important work. I won't be useless! Not anymore!"
"In all the years I've known you," Crystal said, "I've never once thought you were useless."
"...yes you have! Getting onto my case about my manners and my study habits and-"
Crystal sighed. "It's not because I thought that you're useless, Canti. It's because I knew you were capable of far more than you were actually achieving. And you standing here with that badge proves to me that I was more than right." She reached into the pocket of her school robes, pulling out a shiny metal thing. "But, just in case. I need you to take this with you."
Canti received it, looking at it as it sat there glowing in her hands. "This is a shard of mythril," she was amazed by it, as she'd never actually held mythril before. It had all sorts of magical properties, from what she'd read.
"It is. As you go through the realms, you'll find more of this… but going without it is more than dangerous," the young blacksmith said gently. She was pleading with her long-time friend that she had grown to see as family. It would have done nothing but devastate her to see Canti hurt after only her first mission in the Realms. "If, for whatever reason, you believe you're on the brink of death, use its magic and save yourself. Don't die needlessly. Please."
Canti placed the shard of mythril in her satchel. "Don't worry about me. I can handle myself."
"You're very skilled at white magic, and I've always acknowledged your ability," Crystal said. Her smile was genuine, conveying a sense of confidence, but not a sense of overblown ego like Canti's showoff smile. "Also, if you don't mind me saying so… that jump you made over the desk earlier was impressive. With that kind of agility, wouldn't you be suited to study the path of the dragoon?"
"Maybe. Dragoons are badass!" And, according to the history of the realms, were never ever once useless. Dragoons were powerful, and they got to wear amazingly awesome armor that made them look like dragons. Canti could imagine herself finally being recognized instead of put down by all of her classmates if she had studied that line of work. But there was no way she could betray the magic that saved her life after that unfortunate accident when she fell into the Second Realm. She needed to know white magic so she could save others, as that's what the mystical seer Minwu had told her when she was in his care.
"...watch your language!"
"What other adjective would best describe such a nimble, noble warrior?" Canti asked. "Their armor is nothing short of badass-" she stopped to heavily enunciate the word she was being scolded for using simply to see how far the punishment would go "-as is their fighting skills."
"There are far more…" Crystal just laughed at that. Now Canti was just goading her on at this point. She knew that tone of voice. She knew that devilish trickster smile. "All right. Get on with your mission. When you come back after having given a job well done, I'll have some cake ready for you."
Canti's eyes went all sparkly upon hearing that. She loved a lot of things in this academy, but there wasn't much she loved more than cake. It wasn't something she got to eat every day, as the desserts were rotated in the cafeteria. Some days there were pies, some days there were pastries, some days there were cookies, but none of them were as beloved to Canti as a two-layer chocolate cake. "Now I have to come back alive!"
"Are you saying you didn't have to before…?"
"Don't worry! I'll be totally fine!" Canti rushed off again, using her natural agility to avoid all who came at her and all who wanted to move around her. Since when was she so fast? "I'm getting that caaaaaaaaake!" She threw her entire weight into her movement, causing her to use gravity to her advantage. Canti landed on her feet every time as she ran around the academy before she came to the gigantic golden-framed doors that held the Paintings that led throughout the time stream. She pulled out the paper front her purse just to make sure of where she was going. "Realm Four. Make sure Cecil and Rydia are alive after Titan's attack to be able to continue their quest," she read it out loud. That was going to be super simple!
Canti approached the painting that led to Mist. It showed the BombRing, which some translated as Carnelian Signet, exploding to devour the entire town. She frowned. Was she not going to help anyone else other than the two known survivors of that tragedy? She put her hand up to it and whispered some magical words. The badge on her lapel glowed as if to activate the painting's powers. In front of the painting now swirled a portal, and she put her hand up to it. The energies sort of tickled her skin, but after she stuck her hand far enough in, the portal did the rest of the work, taking her right off of her feet and sucking her through with its powers.
…
Einar looked over at Leviathan, who had been silent for the longest time. He wasn't sure what to make of the changes he was forcing on those memories. He worried about the overall effects of not forcing her to face her despair, but the eidolon wasn't having any of that backtalk. Any time he tried to voice how bad he thought this could be, Leviathan promptly told his assistant to kindly shut the hell up and let him do what he needed to do. It was painstaking work, going through each of those memories with people he wanted to no longer exist within the workings of Cantirena's mind and covering them up with someone that was fine to plant there. According to Crystal's file, she didn't even attend the same academy as Canti. But that didn't stop Leviathan from completely planting the young half-dwarf in Ramuh's care and completely voiding her path with Ifrit's academy. He watched the water spirit type madly and watch the events play out on the mini-visor that hovered over his eye like half a pair of glasses. Some of those memories, he was putting Hikari in, when according to the file on hand, Hikari didn't come to that school until years after Canti had all ready been enrolled! Einar believed that the master was being incredibly sloppy for doing this. What could he say, though?
"Sir, may I be excused for a break?" Einar asked, trying to avoid being annoying, but he couldn't help but bounce his right knee repeatedly as his nerves were completely shot.
It took a few moments for Leviathan to respond. "Ah, yes, my boy. Go right ahead." Anything to get him to stop fidgeting and staring at every little change he was making. Of course it was going to look sloppy, because Leviathan didn't have the time to explain everything he was doing right now. With one or two memories being changed, yes, it did seem like people were out of place, but he was going through everything with a fine toothed comb, and nothing would escape these changes. He wasn't going to mess this up, there was too much at stake.
"Do you want me to bring you something to eat, sir?"
"That would be splendid. Thank you."
…
When Canti's eyes opened again, they were terribly out of focus. She was being carried, at least, that's what she could make out from what she felt going on around her. She tried to remember where she had been, and what she was doing. Her first assignment as a keeper was to go into the Fourth Realm and make sure that Cecil and Rydia were able to continue their journey after the destruction of Mist. She didn't have any team mates when she went in, but she did meet a dragoon that was traveling with Cecil before the BombRing exploded. He was hurt, so she took care of him with her magic, and when monsters were surrounding her, he helped her fight them off. She managed to place a magic glyph in the spot where Cecil and Rydia were before all of that, so she knew she at least accomplished her mission, but… why did everything hurt so much?
"...Sir Kain Highwind?!" came a voice Canti recognized. She was still out of it, and her stomach ached like crazy. "W-what are you doing here?!"
"This young one saved my life. I intend to return the favor," Kain's voice seemed to be the nearest to her, so she believed he was the one carrying her. "I do not know this place. Please help me help her."
Wait. Kain Highwind… was… carrying her?!
Canti's eyes blinked a few times. She tried to bring her vision into focus, and eventually it happened. The helmet in the shape of a dragon hovered over her face. Long blonde hair fell from it, and the only human part of the face she could see was his purple lips and his chin. "…huh?"
"Do not try to speak. I've brought you back to your home so that someone can take care of your wounds," Kain said very gently. "Something in your pocket caused a magical doorway to open. At least, that's how I understand what happened."
The mythril she'd been given led her back home? That means she'd been KO'd somehow! Oh, no! That meant she was going to be in huge trouble, especially since an honored hero of the realm she was assigned to also made it back here. Oh, he should have just let her die… there was not going to be any leniency on this one.
"Canti!" there was a boy's voice nearby. Full of concern, worry, and more than likely, disappointment. "I can't believe you! Didn't you read the history? Sir Kain survives all of that and is recovered by Golbez. You threw that entire realm's history off course!"
Canti grunted. "I was sent on a mission where I had to make sure two people out of literally thousands survive," she said angrily. She couldn't see the boy, but she was ready to give him a piece of her mind regardless. The whole mission had pissed her off. She wanted to do more, to help more, and when the dragoon she met had been wounded, she did her best to take care of him, because that's what a good white mage was supposed to do. "I was sent on a mission where I couldn't save any of those innocent villagers!"
"Those villagers have to die." As the boy's voice continued, things about it were changing. The pitch went way off. The tone was changing. Eventually, it wasn't even the same voice at all. "It's a major event in the history of that realm, for the development of both Cecil and Rydia, and even Sir Kain, who has to endure all of what Golbez puts him through to make him a better person to help save the realm seventeen years later. We are not here to save everyone, we're here to uphold history as it was meant to be."
"I don't care!" Canti said, forcing herself to sit up despite the pain she was in. "Hikari, I've had enough of your damn scolding! Go away!" Was that her name? Yeah, she was sure that was who was speaking. That voice was unmistakably her classmate Hikari.
Hikari stomped out in a fit of tears. She only cared about her classmate's well-being. She knew Canti had a bad habit of not taking care of herself, or always being aware of the situation at hand. What's worse is, by doing this, she feared that the whole Fourth Realm could be put into danger. Taking one of the legendary heroes from the realms into the place beyond the flow of time could create an opening for the evil shadow to pass through, which was the entire reason why the keepers existed in the first place…
Kain placed her onto a surface that was much harder than being held in his arms. "I don't understand a lot of what I've heard here. I just know that I'm glad you saved my life," he said, still looking down at her. "A healer will come for you very soon."
"I can heal myself…"
"I will not allow it. You wouldn't be able to take care of the wounds you bear in your state," Kain said, shaking his head. "Do us all a favor and put your pride aside. Be silent and rest. We will talk more after you are healed."
Do us all a favor and put your pride aside, Sir Dragoon! Canti heard the echo of her own words to him.
"Huh. That's exactly… what I told you…" Canti wanted to laugh, but she was in far too much pain to actually laugh about that.
"Do not think I am devoid of humor."
She did as she was told, silently lying flat and waiting for a healer to come to the infirmary and take a look at her wounds. Whatever they were. Canti couldn't remember what they were or where they came from. Kain did stay there with her until the healer came, as the wounds were in a place that wouldn't be appropriate for him to see. He waited outside the room.
Canti was up on her feet, plus another solid verbal thrashing from the nurse that had been healing all of her clumsy mistakes since she came to live at the academy. All that nonsense about being aware of what was going on around her, and not chasing after the thrill of danger, and augh. She had it up to over her head with that. She did her job. Sure, she brought along a companion totally by mistake, but she did what she was told to do. Of course, she had a feeling that Dr. Mog was going to chide her hide for his on top of everything else.
When Canti walked out of the room in the infirmary, both Kain and Dr. Mog were standing there, ready to talk to her about something. It looked important. She expected the good doctor to jump her case as everyone else had today, but he was actually smiling.
"You've done well, kupo."
"I have?" she was instantly bewildered.
"Normally, it isn't accepted for keepers to bring heroes back here, but bringing Sir Kain here now means we don't have to track him down later, kupo." Dr. Mog said. "I wasn't planning on putting you on this team, but as of now, I have no choice. Canti, kupopo, I need you to help gather up the memories of the heroes. We will need every hero to bolster our strength to defeat the threat that comes towards us now." He fluttered his little bat wings to lift himself off the ground as any other moogle was known to do. "Kupoooo."
"I humbly accept this task, Dr. Mog!" Canti said.
"You will be forming teams with other heroes from different realms. You will be given different missions and assignments as time goes along, kupo," Dr. Mog said, turning to fly away. "Report to my office tomorrow morning. You have the rest of the day off, kupopo."
Kain looked at the young woman that had saved his life, noticing that she was no longer carrying her wooden staff, but the spear he'd given her during the fight to defend herself with. "…you can keep the spear I gave you," he said. "That staff wasn't doing you much good when we were fighting."
"I don't know anything about fighting with a spear," she confessed.
"If you'd like, I can teach you."
"Sir Kain Highwind, I would be honored to learn from you! Teach me, teach me!" Canti said, instantly throwing her weight on him into a hug that proved she was much physically stronger than she let on. "Actually, if I'm going to form a team with heroes, would you… would you be interested in joining my team?"
Kain only sighed at that. Maybe she was too excitable for him to deal with? However, she did save his life, and based on what he heard that moogle wearing the same uniform Canti was wearing say, she helped him out in a bigger way that he was giving her credit for. She seemed like the type that needed someone to look after her, as she would throw herself into things without being aware of anything around her. "I will join your team, yes."
"I'm so glad!" Canti said, letting him go. "Let me show you around the academy! It's a huge place!"
"Very well…"
