Father's House chapter 2

I don't own em.  Squaresoft owns em.  They're just escaping from my imagination and playing around like the lewd things they are drawn as.  It's all Squaresoft's fault. Lightly yaoi-ish but no real dirt here.

Kiros woke up, unwillingly, with Ward trying to put another cold compress on him.  "What?  …Thirsty… what's going on, where did the aliens go…?"

"…" Ward put down the compress and poured him some cool water to drink. He sat down again and took Kiros in his arms, holding him up to drink from the offered glass.

And Kiros needed holding up – he was so weak he could barely move.  His back hurt – it always hurt …just a little… but now it was like he was on fire, not the dull ache that heralded old age peeking at him from where it waited a few years ahead.

 Kiros sipped the water because he had not the strength to gulp it greedily as he wanted.  Just sipping exhausted him.  He looked around… the room was so bright, everything looked washed out.  Ward was signing at him but it was too washed out – he couldn't make out the finer nuances.  "I can't see very well, why is it so bright in here? What's going on?"

Ward leaned over and turned off the one single little bedside lamp and things looked less washed out.  He signed again.  "You've caught the Fever the SeeDs have.  It's spread by blood, I think, and magic accelerates and compounds it.  You caught it in a matter of hours and you're … already different looking."

Kiros had a feeling as if his innards were falling away, into some deep pit in the depths of his soul.  "How different?  I'm not growing feelers or duckbills or anything?"  He said, feeling his face a little frantically. 

Ward made the whispery noise that Kiros associated with him laughing.  He signed "No… I went away to get a shower and when I came back, your ears were pointed.  Your eyes look bigger.  I think there are some other changes, but I can't be sure.  Your teeth look different.  It must be magic, no one can change that fast without it."

Kiros felt a little miffed, his vanity had been showing and he knew it.  "I don't look freakish, do I?"

Another of Ward's hoarse whispery chuckles squeezed out of the man's throat, which just made Kiros mad.  He looked away irritably.  "Fine, be that way."

A big, heavy hand touched Kiros's chin and tipped his head back towards him.  Ward signed, "Don't look away from me… I can't talk to you if you look away."

"Well that's fine with me!  You're just laughing at me anyway."  He sniffled.  "Anyone would think I was Laguna… Laguna!  Is he all right?  Is Squall?  What happened?!"

Ward shrugged.  "They're talking to Laguna now."

In another room:

"Okay.  Now, let me get this straight." Laguna paced around.  "You came into the room, supposedly here to speak to our SeeDs who were infected with the Fever that YOU know something about, and you tried to summon Irvine to you."

"He's in Heat."  The alien man, Rahlk, said impatiently.  "He has no Man."

"And then, when Squall indicated that you should back off, you switched your attention to him and started some kind of charm spell, which didn't' work."

"I invoked my power as a Man and was telling him his proper place."

"Sure.  And then when that didn't work anyway, you did some kind of attack spell that stripped Commander Leonhart's willpower away and were going to try to FUCK HIM IN MY LIVING ROOM?!"

"… It is … ritually acceptable in…" It did sound a little lame, even to Rahlk. 

The Woman took over.  "He challenged Lord Rahlk's right to a d'thala, unwed, unclaimed, no family, and he himself is unwed, unclaimed, and has no family!  Everyone knows that he is an orphan from nowhere, that he is …"

"What does that have to do with guests in my home attacking other guests in my home?  Do you people even have rudimentary ideas about hospitality, or how much damage you did to my reputation?  You, guests in my home, violated every rule of hospitality I can think of.  When you attacked Squall Leonhart, it is as if I invited him here as a part of a trap.  Now, how are we going to fix this?  We aren't.  My reputation is damaged, period."

"Your reputation is irrelevant!  You have been a poor host; I have been treated as if I am some kind of Mortal being instead of …" Being bound to a hard chair had improved neither the Woman's diplomatic skills nor her temper.

"Lady… you want me to show you how mortal you are?"  He smiled at her, and the man with her stiffened as if he were the one being threatened.  "As far as I'm concerned, you're just another lying piece of shit who ruined that meeting.  You attacked Kiros for no reason at all as far as I could tell."

"I am a Woman!"

"Er… so?  I'm Laguna Loire, I'm a man, you're a Woman, whoopdeedoo.  You're a Woman in my house who's causing problems."

Laguna paced faster. "You're an alien bitch who needs to jump on her broomstick and fly back wherever you came from, cuz I ain't buying your line of crap." 

He stopped and bent down slightly to talk directly to the Woman's face. "You're a woman so you can just attack anyone you want to?  Wait, I'm getting distracted from the real point here." 

Laguna straighten up and smiled at them sweetly.  "I want you off my planet.  If you want to continue relations with us, get someone here who - "

"How DARE You!!"  The Woman spit venomously.  "You do not dictate -"

Ka-click. 

She stared at the machine gun pointed once more between her pearly breasts.

"Actually, while I have the machinegun, you should probably not raise your voice to me."  Laguna smiled his most charming smile. "Or say really stupid shit like you've been spouting the last two hours or so about how you're special and we're poo."  He winked at her.  "I really don't like being talked to like I'm poo.  So I'll dictate, you listen, 'kay?"

Lord Rahlk cleared his throat.  "I will have to try to kill you if you shoot at her."

"Oh, that's okay, I'd planned to shoot you first."  Laguna smiled and pointed the machine gun at him instead.  "Those cuffs too tight for you?  I hope so."

Laguna's pleasant expression never changed. "Now, as I was saying.  You two can be returned upright and under your own power or in several small plastic baggies, I don't care which.  If you wish to continue relations with this planet, your people are going to have to send people who are used to actually sucking up a little to the guys who think they rule here unless you want us savages with our lousy manners to just rip your heads off and shit down your necks like the primitives we are." 

He grinned. "Cuz I've seen your ship, I've seen you fight, and I think I can take ya."  Laguna winked at Rahlk, very puckishly.  "I've beaten tougher – trust me." 

Laguna's eyes hardened, though the smile stayed playful.  It was actually a little creepy to the man who'd been thinking what a total Ditz this pretty creature was only 3 hours ago.  Laguna looked in Rahlk's lap and then into his eyes.  "Much tougher.  Send someone who doesn't let his dick ruin diplomatic meetings.  You told me you were going to help us with this Fever, which you implied was your people's fault."

"No.  That's incorrect."  The Woman said stiffly.  He'd never gotten any kind of a name for her.  "We said we knew of the fever your people had and we believed it originated with our own race.  We were interested in tracking the Bloodline with which the SeeDs have been infected."

Laguna's fever bright eyes flickered from face to face, the alien visages surprisingly easy for him to read.  "You never meant to help us.  You don't care that we're infected, you just wanted to see who did it?"

"Who did it is immaterial.  We are interested in which bloodline Squall Leonhart carries.  It could be advantageous to us to …" she stopped suddenly.

"Bloodlines.  Like breeding dogs or chocobos.  You want to see what breed he is.  Which means you're interested in breeding him.  Which explains some of what went on.  You're not here to help us at all.  You're on a roundup to catch some strays."  Laguna said, his smile never wavering, though Rahlk noticed that Laguna's eyes became more and more intense and his smile was more feral than it had been.

 "Well, you tell your people that there's a new breed around.  And if you think we're domesticated little pets you can scoop up, you come on and try.  If this thing makes us obey dominance imperatives, you come here, and you fuckin' try us, you wimpy, treacherous bags of shit.  We'll bend you over like we did Galbadia, Adel, and Ultimecia.  Got it?  I'm used to this shit and I'll be waiting to show you the real law of the jungle whenever you're ready to learn.  Don't bother sending another envoy if you're not going to help us.  Your ships come within range of our sensors and we'll blow you out of the sky if you're not contacting us with very apologetic professional suck ups that know how to apply their lips directly to my proverbial ass.  Do we all read the same page here?"

The man cleared his throat. "There's a very good chance your Leonhart and his people are from a bloodline we thought lost to us.  We are in a position to make offers to get that bloodline back."

"Then you guys should have a lil' meeting about that and start putting on the chap stick so you can kiss my ass enough to make me think I should listen to what you have to say.  I am severely pissed.  And I don't want to seem like a bad host, but get the fuck out of my house."  Laguna gestured to the 2 guards who watched from the door, and they opened it up for him.  "I expect you to be gone before I think about it again or I'll have you both tossed into Odine's lab like he wants and let him vivisect you."  He smiled and bounced on out.

Rahlk cast a glance at the Woman.  "I told you before we came they did not respect the divinity of women here.  They just got over a war casting down three women from power.  The women here either have none or abuse it to the point where they are hated tyrants."

"Shut up.  Call the ship when we're out of their jamming equipment and lets get off of this miserably hot hell hole."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Several hours later:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Laguna came into where Ward was trying to get Kiros to settle down, with little effect.  Kiros was twitchy, bitchy and whiney.  He was hot.  He was cold.  He was thirsty.  He was nauseated. He was hungry.  He was bored.  He was worried. 

Ward was ready to strangle him.

"Hey, Ward, how's the sickee?"  Laguna grinned and leaned over to look at Kiros.  "I just got a report on … Kiros, where's that scar that you had on your chest?  Little pink line, remember?"

Kiros fussed a little with the covers and peered.  "I… don't know."

"Huh.  You've got the ears and teeth already, too?  It's kind of interesting, that SeeD doctor said that some of the scars on the kids vanished entirely, but the tattoo on that martial artist kid and the scar on Squall's face both stayed.  She has a theory that the magic might leave them scars that they find defining."  He looked at Kiros critically.  "Shit, you look younger than me again.  Is that fair?"

"Bah."  Kiros sulked.  "I AM younger than you!"

"But you didn't look it.  Er… I mean…"

Ward made shut up motions.

Kiros threw a glass at Laguna, who to everyone's surprise caught it before it smacked him in the forehead. The water in it splooshed all over him and the floor and ceiling.

Ward signed, "Good catch, Laguna."

Sputtering water off his lips, Laguna nodded. "Thanks.  Anyway, if the paperwork's right, the Fever, while growing new parts like fangs and points for your ears, also heals up scars and stuff, using some kind of 'body image' thing that I don't quite understand so things like piercings might stay, scars that have desirable … huh.  Wonder why Squall still has that one right in the middle of his face…?"

He scratched his damp head as water dripped from his hair, drip drip.  "I guess I'll go find a towel.  Congrats on having a second chance at teenage, Kiros.  You look 17.  Eat something, you're too thin.  Maybe a cupcake or something, I'm hungry." Laguna wandered out again, talking to himself encouragingly about how cupcakes weren't really bad for you.  One of the guards steered the President away from the public areas – they were under quarantine, after all.

Kiros was befuddled, lost between flattered and horked off and just plain sick.  Ward studied him, his faded blue eyes noting the way Kiros's skin had tightened up, the few wrinkles he'd gained in his smooth dark face vanished, several scars were just gone… and … so were the few streaks of silver that had been working their way into Kiros's dark hair. 

That was impossible.  Or this disease was more than just a little magic.  He tugged a dark lock and looked at it. 

"What?"

He signed. "You really are younger.  You look like you did when we first met, almost.  Except you didn't have points on ears or teeth."  He sat next to him on the edge of the bed, his weight rolling Kiros towards him a little.  "Your hands don't have the parrying scars … but your calluses are still there.  How odd."

"I guess I'm the first real adult to catch the disease – the SeeDs are all under 21."  Kiros shivered and Ward leaned over and tucked the blankets around him again.  "I don't really look that much younger, do I?"

Ward nodded and grinned at him, folding his arms across his chest and making a baby rocking motion.

"Oh, you shit, I am not!  Give me a mirror!"

Ward obligingly brought him a hand mirror.  He didn't' see how Kiros could see in this light, but he sure couldn't see with any MORE light.  He watched Kiros stare into the mirror and touch his face – it wasn't a huge dramatic difference for anyone who didn't see that face every day.  But Ward knew – it must be a little bit of a shock to see yourself suddenly youthful, unscarred, the way one only saw one's self in dreams.  And of course, Kiros looked with scowling disapproval at the pointed ears and the sharp canines, trying to determine if they marred or enhanced his beauty.  Ward laughed.

Kiros's eyes darted up at him.  "Are you laughing at me?!"

Ward signed "NoooOoooOooo" while laughing some more.  Kiros's sulk intensified. 

Ward gave him a careful hug.  "You are still beautiful, Kiros.  Stop looking for flaws.  There are none.  The ears and teeth just make you look more exotic."

A half-disbelieving glance at Ward and back at the mirror was given before Kiros answered. "You really think so?  Hyne, I hate being so vain sometimes, but …"

"You are very beautiful.  And you have your youth back.  The little scars that pulled, the back ache you were starting to get when the weather was cold and damp… all of that will be gone, if what Laguna read in the reports is correct."

Kiros didn't want to say anything, but he suspected Ward's words were true.  That nagging backache he'd been getting for years had been horrible for the first hours he'd awakened with the fever and then… it just vanished.  Along with his scars.  He was more than happy about the backache part – he had not let anyone know how bad it had been getting.  He looked up at ward and blinked a few times.  He wasn't as blind as he had been 12 hours ago.  A fitful few hours of sleep seemed to clear up his vision greatly.  And Ward … Ward looked… well… old.  He had suffered a lot of injuries and stress over the years.  "Ward… what am I going to do…?  I look like a kid… I don't…"

Ward hugged him again, very gently, and kept signing one handed.  "You'll take care of Laguna, like you always have.  He has it too.  You guys will be young together.  I don't mind.  I was always the old man, you were always the baby." 

"I was not.  Laguna was always the one toddling around falling off of things and getting into trouble."

"You know what I mean."

Kiros snagged Ward's hand abruptly and pressed it to his cheek.  "I don't want to do this without you."

"…"  Ward sighed and closed his sun-faded blue eyes.  He didn't want poor Kiros to have to go on without him but just the idea that his friend had regained his youth made him happy.  Kiros was so vain… and he would not handle old age well.  Besides, Laguna needed Kiros.  He and Kiros had been Laguna's support after Rain died.  He hated to think of Laguna alone.

"Ward… aren't' you afraid you're going to catch it?"

He disentangled his hand from Kiros's.  "No, it's spread by biting, sexual intercourse, or blood contact, and if Odine is right, it is force incubated by magic.  That's why you caught it as fast as you did; you were under a spell when you came into contact with the blood.  And using a spell to wake you up just made it worse."

"If you caught it, you'd …" Kiros's eyes searched Ward's scarred face, dark eyes with a golden cast to them now, the pupils round in the soft light but Ward knew they were knife slitted in normal light.

"If I catch it, I catch it.  But I'm not worried about it.  I'll be fine.  I just want you to…" he had to pause as Kiros took his hand again and rubbed his face on it.  He smiled a little and wished for a brief moment he could speak out loud again.

crunch

Ward's eyes got very big and round and he made a strangled hissing yell that was about as loud as the sound of a cream puff hitting a carpeted floor.

Kiros licked the blood off Ward's hand and cast a Cura on him.  Ward felt dizzy for a moment, off center.  … Oh… shit…

"…!!!!"

"Now I'm not going to have to be a kid without you."

Ward blinked at the bite and then at Kiros.  "…!!"

"You said you weren't worried about it.  Besides… it removes scars.  It heals old wounds."  Kiros reached up and touched Ward's throat.  "I would dearly love to be able to hear your voice again.  I want you with me… it's not fair that I should get this and you should not… good or bad.  It separates us and I hate that."

Ward blinked down at Kiros and pulled him close in a gentle hug that was still hard enough to leave Kiros breathless, nodding.  He signed "Alright – but if you start smelling like that cowboy kid, I'm not going to be held responsible for what I do to you.  I can't even be in the same room with him. You brought this on yourself."

Kiros flashed his pretty white smile at Ward and snuggled up contentedly.  "Who said I'd mind?"

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Kiroscat and Wardcat added to the mix – how it sorts itself out will be determined later.  Kiros has been out for a very short time - like Zell, he went through the fever incredibly quickly.

This story is about to merge with Found – let's hope, anyway, lol!