FIC START!
Surrounded by monsters and backed up into the corner against the stairs that led up the tower they had just descended, Kain and Sakinah stood firm in their position.
"The massster requiressss the girl," the biggest of the pack proclaimed. "The one that cariessss the ssssscent of the crysssstal."
All of the other monsters whooped and hollered upon hearing that and charged at Kain again. There were no flaws in his form as his spear killed many a monster underling in the span of mere minutes. Blood splattered all over his armor and the floor in front of him, but he never once allowed any of the monster taint upon Sakinah who stood behind him.
"The only way to end this onslaught is to take out the boss," Kain said finally. "It seems to be spawning more of them in the shadows."
"Then go. You can take him." Sakinah said, trying to feign bravery.
"I am not leaving you. They want you specifically," Kain replied. "I told you that I would protect you as long as I can. I wasn't lying to you, Sakinah."
"There has to be something we can do," she said quietly, not able to take her eyes off the monsters that charged at Kain trying to get to her. "We can't wait until you tire out. You cannot last forever."
"No, you're right." Kain agreed. "I don't see any opening..."
As Kain let his line of vision shift to look for a place he might be able to jump to, a claw came surging out from a place he could not see from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, Sakinah jumped out in front of him, taking the blow with her left shoulder. She yelped in pain, falling back against Kain for a split second.
"Sakinah!"
"I'm not going to die from this," she grumbled. "But you have taken enough hits for me."
"Get behind me before another strikes you!"
Sakinah felt her heart race, and without realizing what she had done, called the very static electricity from the air between her palms. The prickling sensation stung just a bit before she decided to shoot it out of both hands at the same time. "No," she declared. "I must fight with you... because..." Another bolt of lightning formed between her hands and she shot it off, too. "...because I love you, Kain."
"Sssshe fightssss?" the boss monster asked. "The Massssster sssssayssss sssshe cannot fight. No matter. Now it's my turn!" It stomped over its very own underlings before standing before Kain and Sakinah with six foot claws extended right at them.
"Sakinah," Kain said. "I have an idea."
"Listening."
"Band with me."
She nodded in agreement, and once they were both on equal footing, Kain placed his hand on Sakinah's. She used the bolt of electricity on the blade of his spear, and he jumped with every bit of strength he could muster right into the head of the monster. It twitched a few times before flopping over onto its stomach.
"A single hit?" Sakinah asked in disbelief.
Kain nodded. "The stronger a relationship grows, the stronger their band attacks can become, too. We should practice in the future."
"Yeah. We should. I feel stronger all ready!"
Kain wrapped his arms around Sakinah and lifted her up into the air to celebrate their victory. "As you should!" he exclaimed before squeezing her and putting her back on her feet. "I'm proud of you."
"I don't even know how it happened. I just couldn't let you get hurt anymore. So something in my body sparked and... it just snapped. When it happened, I understood. Like. Magic."
"That's what it was," Kain said. "That is magic. Using your feelings and the energy around you is exactly what magic is. You said you were Mysidian born. That is proof. If you wish it, I will see you to Mysidia. You can further study what you've discovered there." He noticed that all the little monsters faded away as the boss monster's corpse vanished. "It is on the way to where I planned to take you anyway."
"You mean... the place where you found your answers, right?"
"The place where both my best friend and I found the truth about ourselves is where I plan to take you to help you find your answers, Sakinah." He put his hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "But now that I know you can fight, we don't have to wait to head to Mt. Hobs. Edward has no excuse to hold us further."
"Actually, I do," Edward said as he and Harley came in from the crystal room behind the throne. "That reason being the first time any mage uses magic, it drains them physically. I imagine that Sakinah may be a tad dizzy right now." He smiled widely. "You did impress, however."
"You saw it?" Sakinah asked.
"Oh yes we did," Harley said, clapping. "Your display of affection was something special, Lady Sakinah. Rushing in to protect the one you love can be the strongest motivator, especially in battle." She snapped her fingers. "To dinner then?"
Sakinah nodded, suddenly caught on by that onset of dizziness that Edward mentioned. She slipped forward before Kain could catch her and slumped right onto her face. "Ooooh," she groaned. "If I could make it there... what is this sensation?"
"To use magic, you use mental energy," Kain said, reaching down to help her up. "And when you deplete it, you'll lose your balance. You have to know how to balance your casting with conventional weapons, but... you'll learn it over time. No rush. For your first battle, you did well."
Edward smiled. "So when you're back to being yourself, we'll have you go to the armory to find a weapon. Until then, you just rest."
"That reminds me," Harley said. "Exactly how did you get out? I locked you in there, hoping you'd work out some of the issues between you two."
"And by work out issues, you wanted us to share a bed," Kain retorted as he decided to just carry Sakinah to the dining hall instead of helping her walk.
"That is the best way to work out issues," Edward laughed. "Isn't it, Harley?"
Harley only blushed. "How could you say that? Sire..."
"Yes, my lovely secretary?"
"These matters should not be discussed openly..."
"Your blush is cute."
