Fireflies
Chibi Black Mage Ailen
A/N: Well, since I have to start from scratch on my interactive fic's second chapter, I'm using this as a temporary filler. Contains a coupling no one's used before, at least not one I've seen. If I've missed it, then I'm not as much a Kain fan as I believe myself to be.
Kain Highwind, legendary Dragoon of the Crystal Wars, and Baron's Captain of the Guard, laid in the field just outside Baron, watching the stars with silent amusement. They burn for millenia on end. Hard to see how something so beautiful can transform into something so deadly. Of course, he already knew that it was true from his experiences with Valvalis, the Fiend of Wind.
He shivered as a buried lust and horror were unleashed. He hated the spell she'd put him under, how every time he thought of her his hidden desires-and greatest fears-would come out. With a sigh and a huge mental effort, the thoughts of the Tower of Zot faded, and he was free let his mind run rampant.
A chain of fireflies circled overhead, tearing his attention from the stars to the small flying insects. He admired their grace, the swaying movement, the way the wind carried them any which way, and yet they managed to move in time to the beats of the wind.
He began to wish that he had that ability, but thinking of one wish brought back the memories of other wishes, and he winced in pain. He'd never forgotten that he was the second-rater, lower in most people's eyes. How Cecil had found it in his heart to make Kain the Captain of the Guard, he'd never know. And thinking of Cecil brought a new thorn through his heart. He remembered Rosa, how she'd cried for him in the tower, how she'd turned away when he offered his help, how she'd glared at him with an intense hatred that tore his heart asunder. Didn't she realize that he loved her more than Cecil did? Only as he looked back, he never had really loved her. It was more out of a need to strike back at Cecil, for being the oldest, being the most favored by the King. He'd wanted to have what Cecil wanted most so he could flaunt it, and hurt Cecil as much as Cecil had hurt him. A fresh spark of jealousy and anger at the aforementioned jealousy flew through his mind. He coveted Rosa, that much was true. But whereas Cecil had coveted her for herself, he had coveted her for being the key to making fresh wounds in Cecil's heart. And in that moment, he realized true despair. Maybe there was no one who actually cared, just people who pitied him. Sure, women would offer him dances at the celebrations every now and then, but all he saw in their eyes was a passion, not for a true relationship, but for a one-night stand. And while it would help relieve him of some of the pressure he faced, he knew that such a thing would only inspire him to do it more and more often. And to have multiple affairs with women he knew nothing about seemed even more morally wrong than kidnapping Rosa in the first place, despite the fact that he'd been under Golbez's influence at the time being.
He had no idea what he needed, but he knew what he wanted. He wanted not to be thought of as someone who received the pity of the king, but someone worthy of the title bestowed upon him. He didn't know how he'd do it, but he'd do it.
"Thinking about something, my friend?" Kain's head snapped up, blond strands flying all over as his eyes leveled with Cecil's own, and then his gaze fell back to the skies. "You know me far too well, my...friend." He'd almost said King, or Lord, but knew that Cecil would have told him to say friend. So despite how unusual it sounded-to him at least-he would say it, if not just to make Cecil happy. "Kain...I think I told you once before how I became a paladin. I had to fight the dark side of myself. Obviously, if you're in need of answers, why not head to Mount Ordeals? Face the dark side of yourself, and find your answer. Maybe you'll find more than just your answer." Kain's eyes clouded with indecision for less than a second, before he nodded. "Very well then."
The next day, he was completely set, having donned his old armor from the Crystal Wars, and his lance. At dawn, he set out, knowing he couldn't bear seeing Cecil and Rosa wishing him good luck and good health on his quest. Not that he minded the gesture, just that he couldn't bear to spar with himself any more than he had. So as his foot hit the ground and kicked off hard and he shot off into the air, a few hundred feet up, he knew that he'd never return to Baron until he'd found his answer.
As he took on an ersatz flight toward Mount Ordeals, Kain took the time he was airborne to think of some of the recent events. Knowledge had floated toward Baron about Edge and Rydia getting married, although until she heard it from either one of them, Rosa would refuse to believe it. He smirked. Rosa would never believe anything she considered incriminating about her 'younger sister' unless she was actually told by the aforementioned person. And yet almost as quick as the thought of Rosa came up, it faded. Now was not a time to deal with his inner conflicts. There would be plenty of time if he faced the same events as Cecil had.
About an hour-and three jumps-later, he landed gently on the highest platform of Mount Ordeals, were the crystal room was supposed to be. Finding the structure with no entrance, he braced himself before walking right between the runestones that made a sort of path. Almost instantly he was sucked from where he was standing into the room, and he looked straight ahead into the mirror of himself. Cautiously he ventured forth, reaching out and yelping in surprise when his hand passed right through it. But he continued onward. It was the time of truth.
He passed through the crystal fully, now in the mirror world, where a devilish looking Kain had a loose arm around someone who looked exactly like Rosa. And Kain cringed. This wasn't possible...was it? He growled and clenched his lance tightly, while the other Kain merely smirked. Releasing the woman he held, he moved toward Kain while the woman backed away. "Who are you?" Kain demanded angrily, trying to blink away the unshed tears pooling in his eyes. "I am the you that you long to become, the respected one, the one who has the slut Cecil used to have, the better man in everything. Become me, Kain. Realize your true potential, take what you so desperately desire!" But before Kain could even respond another being shimmered into existence, wearing almost the same armor both Kain and the dark one were wearing. In less than a second Kain had recognized her and was kneeling before her, his head bowed. "M'lady Reis." She motioned for Kain to arise, giving him a smile that brought him out of whatever stupor he had been in. As the dragoon stood, he glanced at Reis occasionally while watching the other one. "What brings you here, Reis?" Her smile faltered for a second before resuming its place, and her emerald eyes narrowed. "I was being called by someone I could not ignore. And now that I am here, I will give you the power needed to overcome this obstacle. What more I can do I do not know."
True to her word, the female Dragoon began to glow a heavenly white, then opened her hands and a small beam lanced from her hand and into Kain's body. He tensed visibly, and then relaxed. As he calmed down, he realized that a stronger sense of justice and unclouded judgement had come forth. He smiled widely, now knowing who his true target was. Not the dark Dragoon. But...the woman. As Reis gave a nod and a smile, he launched forward, twisting around the other dragoon's attack, and his spear pierced the woman's neck. As she glared at him, she began to fade, as did the Dragoon. A moment later, it was just him and Reis standing in the room, the spell wearing off as he dropped to his knees in exhaustion. And yet he felt the urge to stand back up. As he did he noticed the reason why. Reis was approaching him slowly, but elegantly. "Perhaps the spirits do not agree with my feelings, but..." As she reached him, she cupped his face in her hands and leaned in for a kiss. "If they do not let me be with the one I love, I have no reason for being anyway.
A/N: Whoah. That was much shorter than I would have thought, but I suppose I'm not that good at writing pure romance. Oh well, I gave it a shot, now all I need is for you people to tell me how you think. Good? Bad? I need to be shot immediately? Sources want to know!
Chibi Black Mage Ailen