~~~Part 1~~~
Amarant was sitting on the long beach of Everlang Island, watching the waves of the great ocean and thinking. He'd been doing a lot of that lately - ever since Zidane had rescued him from Ipsen's Castle. Thinking about the past, and where it had led him. Of the future, and why the hell he was spending it tailing after the little monkey who seemed determined to get the lot of them killed for something that Amarant, at the very least, had no reason to get involved in. He could understand Vivi and the fool Princess. That meant that Steiner had a reason to get involved as well - but what about the others?
Most of them weren't particularly fond of Quina, thought of the obese creature as a bottomless pit of a stomach with enough tongue to strip the bark from a tree. But s/he was useful in a fight, so they kept it around. But why would Quina stay with them? Eiko - the child had a crush on Zidane, that much Amarant was fairly sure of, so it made sense that she would want to stick around. Besides, she was getting friendly with the princess - the mysterious connection between the two of them had become more and more apparent since the destruction of Alexandria. Then there was Freya....
Amarant turned his head and brushed back his shaggy red hair, looking over at the Burmecian dragon knight where she was sitting on a rocky outcropping, watching for fish large enough to serve as a meal. She was the one that really confused him. True, she seemed to be a friend of Zidane's of some years, but she'd been on her own for most of those years, never helping the little monkey with any of his other jobs. As Amarant understood things, she hadn't even set out to help him with anything this time. Zidane had decided to help her out, return to Burmecia with her to fight off Alexandria's armies. But after the battle was over, and her homeland destroyed, she decided to follow him. The survivors were eager to count her among their number, but she still wouldn't settle down to help them rebuild. She was going to stay with Zidane until the end - and probably get herself killed in the process.
The thing that confused him most about her, though, was that he actually cared about whether or not she lived through this. Of the seven people he was traveling with, she was the only one who seemed to care about his past - but not really want to push him about it. Zidane seemed to care, but he wouldn't take no for an answer either. But in Treno, during the tournament, Amarant had actually found himself half-wishing that Freya had pushed a little more than she did. His thoughts were interrupted by a curse as she pulled her spear out of the water, having missed her prey again. With a chuckle, he stood up and strolled over to where she was fishing.
"So, you found something that'd work for a meal?"
"Yes," she said with a frustrated sigh. "You know, it's days like this that I wish some of the monsters up here were actually edible."
"Unless you'd like to take lessons from Quina, I don't think you're going to find any that are. So, what did you find?" She pointed her spear at a group of tuna.
"And you can't hit one of them," Amarant said, raising an eyebrow beneath the flaming red mane that gave him his name.
"If you can do any better, I'd like to see it." Amarant smiled and adjusted his claws.
"As you wish." With that, he dove into the water, disappearing from sight beneath the foam his entry churned up. A few moments later, he popped up several feet away from where he had landed, and swam back to the shore using only one arm. With a grunt, he swung his other arm up and sent one of the tuna flying through the air. Freya watched in shock as it landed next to her, followed quickly by the soaked warrior. Two ragged wounds marked the places where he'd impaled it on his claws.
"Dinner," he said simply, before starting back towards the Hildegaard III. Freya shook her head as he walked away, and started cleaning the massive fish, still amazed that he'd been able to throw it that far....
A few minutes later, just outside the airship, Amarant leaned up next to the landing platforms. He'd just changed and wrung out his hair, and was waiting for Zidane to come down. As expected, the much younger thief came trotting down the ramp as soon as he heard that something fresh was available for dinner. As much as Quina was the glutton of the group, everybody on the ship preferred fresh food to trail rations. Except for Steiner, of course, but that was hardly the most unusual thing about the old knight.
"So there you are, Zidane," Amarant said from the base of the ramp. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to get out here. Sweet-talking the princess again?"
"Very funny, Amarant," Zidane said, his monkey's tail twitching back and forth behind him. Amarant unfolded his arms and took a few steps away from the ship, looking out over the land.
"Don't suppose you'd be interested in a little sparring," he asked casually. Zidane looked at him appraisingly.
"Just sparring? Not that rematch you were looking for, or anything like that?"
"Just sparring. What happened at Madain Sari, while unusual, was settled in Ipsen's Castle. By the way, I don't think I've really thanked you for saving my neck back there."
"You're right, you haven't. Don't worry about it - I'd have done it for any of the others, too. Heck, just about anybody. So," Zidane said, kicking the ground absent-mindedly. "You're looking for a sparring partner, are you? Why not ask one of the others?"
"You're the only one who's a challenge," Amarant shrugged. "The only other one of you who might be a challenge is that fool knight, and I don't know that I could trust him to keep it non-lethal with those huge swords of his."
"Oh, please," Zidane said with a laugh. "You could handle Rusty if he got too rough, I know that much."
"I know it too. I just don't know if he could handle my handling it." Zidane sighed and shook his head.
"You know, Amarant, you really need to lighten up. Okay, we'll get some sparring in while Quina cooks the fish you caught. Freya brought it up a few minutes ago." Amarant nodded quietly, and walked out to a clearing a little further from the ship. Zidane sighed and followed him, checking to be sure he had his daggers - after all, there was no way of telling just what Amarant considered sparring....
***
Later, back on the ship, Princess Garnet - or Dagger, as she preferred to be called since the 'kidnapping' that had started all of this - ran to find Freya in the engine room.
"Freya, Amarant and Zidane are fighting again!"
"What? Show me," Freya said, grabbing her spear. She had thought that Amarant was over his defeat at Madain Sari - but there was no telling with either of those fools. She ran after Dagger, her foot-claws clicking on the wooden deck as the princess led her to the deck. When they were up top, Freya looked around for the two fighters, spotting them on the grassy plains surrounding the airship. She laughed and nodded after a moment.
"Relax, Dagger. They're not fighting; they're just practicing. Granted, it'd probably be smarter if they weren't using real weapons, but I can see that Zidane only has his daggers from his Tantalus days, and it looks like Amarant's using his bare hands, so I think they're safe."
"It looks serious," Dagger said, frowning. "I'm sorry I disturbed you for this."
"Don't worry, Dagger," Freya said, putting a hand on the shorter princess' shoulder. "You're not trained as a warrior, after all. It's hardly fair to expect you to recognize when two people are just sparring, especially when they're using live steel." Freya watched the two spar, narrowly dodging each other's attacks, Zidane moving with a fluid grace, Amarant with the staccato, precise movements that allowed him to channel his inner strength for incredible results. The two seemed to be fairly well matched, until Amarant made the mistake of charging Zidane. The smaller thief ducked to the side, his tail grabbing Amarant's leg as he ran by. Amarant hit the ground hard, and rolled to his back just in time to realize that the tip of Zidane's knife was by his throat.
"Give up," Zidane asked with a grin. Amarant chuckled and nodded carefully. Zidane sheathed his knives, and helped the huge fighter to his feet.
"That's the third time you've gotten the best of me," Amarant said, shaking his head ruefully.
"Third? I count two."
"Long story. You'd better go get your food before Quina eats it." Zidane chuckled and started back onto the airship. Amarant just sat down in the grass and went back to looking at the ocean, pulling a packet of trail rations out of his pocket. It might have been crushed a little in the fight, but it'd still be edible. Hell, if it hadn't been, Amarant might have thanked whatever providence gave him an excuse to eat with the others....
~~~===~~~
That night, Amarant was still sitting up, while the crew and passengers who weren't up for the first watch were putting out the lights in the ship. The night had always been when Amarant had been the most comfortable - he'd spent all his life in Treno, though, so that made sense. Whatever forces had caused the city's rapid decay had also caused nearly eternal night to fall upon the 'City of Nobles.' And that long night had drawn thieves, who had drawn people willing to watch the places the thieves were trying to rob. Amarant had walked both sides of the law in his day, and other sides that most people didn't think existed. So, while he was perfectly comfortable out here, he wasn't really expecting anybody else to leave the admittedly more comfortable surroundings of the airship. So when he saw a slender white figure jump off the deck and move quickly towards the beach, he didn't think he had any real choice but to follow.
It was easy enough to follow his quarry across the plains of Everlang Island - its white stuck out like a sore thumb against the sea of green. What was harder was following it across the sands of the beaches, but Amarant quickly found a set of tracks to follow. When he noticed them, he realized who his quarry was - the footprints were like a giant mouse's. He was following Freya - but why would she be out here this late? As he followed her silently, he watched her slip up between a group of rocks that he hadn't noticed earlier. A tide pool, maybe?
Amarant slipped up closer, making as little sound as possible. The back of her head slipped up over the rocks as she stretched out, and he heard her moan softly. For once in his life, Amarant's cheeks became nearly the same color as his hair as he silently turned and moved away, leaving Freya to her privacy....
~~~===~~~
The next morning, Zidane found Amarant practicing alone outside the ship.
"Hey, Amarant," he shouted, waving to the lone warrior. Amarant turned and strolled over once his kata was finished.
"What," he asked simply, though it was more a statement than a question.
"I was wondering if there was something wrong yesterday. Didn't think you'd fall for that trick so easily."
"I was thinking about something."
"Oh, now that's a bad habit we'll have to break you of," Zidane said, grinning. There was silence for a moment before Zidane shrugged and looked out towards the forest further to the south.
"Well, I figure I'll be taking Vivi, Eiko, and Dagger out for some more training today. The three of them are getting to be pretty good - I think Vivi's about ready to use that Meteor spell of his without using that fancy staff we helped Choco find." Amarant nodded silently, remembering the collection of weapons that they'd found with the chocobo's help. For weeks since Ipsen's Castle, the lot of them had been practicing all over the world, occasionally taking breaks to search for treasure with the chocobo they had been training. On the one hand, it was delaying their mission, their goal to find Kuja and bring the warmonger to his knees.
But, on the other hand, Amarant had learned techniques that he hadn't even known existed until a few weeks ago. Besides, it gave him a fair amount of time to himself, not all of which was spent training on his own. For the first time he could remember, Amarant was actually taking time to relax, let his guard down. A little.
"Just be sure you bring them all back in one piece," the taller warrior said carelessly, in the same tone he always used.
"You know, you're worrying about Eiko a lot - isn't she a little young for you," Zidane asked, chuckling as he nudged Amarant's ribs with his elbow. Amarant just growled. Zidane shrugged and started back onto the ship. A few minutes later, he and his three 'students' left to hunt the giant beasts the islands seemed to breed - dangerous, but worth the risk for the experience to be gained fighting them. Amarant went back to his practice, trying to take his mind off of what he'd seen and heard the night before....
~~~===~~~
Freya was sitting in the engine room of the Hildegaard III, sharpening her lance, when Quina came trotting down cheerfully, carrying the key to a large lockbox she had brought down here from Lindblum. Lately, the massive Qu had been experimenting with ways to use the steam engine as a cooking surface, driving the engineers on the ship half-mad in the process, but never doing any serious harm. As Freya watched, Quina opened the box, revealing more different types of food than the dragon knight could ever remember seeing in one place before, all being kept cold on a massive block of ice that seemed to defy nature by being so close to the blazing hot steam engine. Quina turned and looked at Freya.
"You want something?"
"Uhm, no thanks, Quina."
"Okay," s/he said with a shrug. "Is too bad, leftovers best." S/he pulled a massive haunch of meat out of the box, and lugged it over to the steam engine, setting it on the red-hot iron shell. Almost immediately, the room was filled with the smell of cooking meat, steam from the rapidly melting ice, and the hiss of a hot frying pan that somebody had just dropped water into. A few minutes later, Quina pulled the meat back and carried it over to a convenient spot to sit, relatively near Freya. The steam cleared quickly, and the dull spot on the engine's surface rapidly glowed red hot again.
"Is self-cleaning," Quina said with a self-satisfied nod as s/he watched the grease from the meat burn off, the smoke quickly clearing through the door at the top of the stairs as the crew grumbled loud enough to be heard over the sound of the slow-running engine. Freya couldn't help but chuckle at the show that happened almost daily.
"You sure you no want some? Is good food - dragon drumstick best part." Freya shook her head.
"No, thank you. I'm not really hungry." Quina shrugged and started eating. Freya sighed and continued to hone the edge of her lance to a razor-sharp edge. When Quina had finished the 'drumstick,' s/he looked at Freya curiously.
"What wrong, Freya?" Freya looked at Quina, surprised.
"What makes you think there's something wrong?"
"You make sharp-sticky so sharp you almost cut rock. Zidane say that as bad as not making sharp-sticky sharp at all." The expression on Quina's face was almost worried, one that Freya couldn't remember seeing before. She looked down and saw that, indeed, she had almost worn through her whetstone. Grinning sheepishly, she shrugged and put the lance and stone off to the side.
"You're right, I guess I was thinking about something else."
"So what you think about?" Freya chuckled and shook her head. Who would have thought that Quina would be the one she'd wind up talking to about this - but she wanted to talk to somebody, and the only other person she *could* talk to on the ship today was Steiner - and there was no way she was going to let him hear about this.
"Quina, when you want something, but you're not sure how to get it, what do you do?" The corner of Quina's giant mouth quirked up, almost in a frustrated frown.
"What you have to think about? If you want something, ask. If nobody say no, or nobody there to ask, then take."
"It's not that easy, Quina."
"Why not? Look at me! I do what I want. You have problem? It your problem, not mine." It was a good thing that Freya had begun to understand Quina's unusual way of talking, or she might have taken offense at that last statement. But she thought she knew what s/he meant. Besides, what would the harm be in, as Quina put it, asking?
Beyond the fact that she was still supposed to be betrothed to Sir Fratley? But no, he didn't even remember her name, let alone who she was, or who he was to her.
"Maybe you're right about that, after all."
"I right," Quina said, smiling and nodding. "After all, Master Quale teach me, and Master Quan teach him. Master Quale know everything about art of gourmand, except tasting things he not taste before. And Master Quan know that, too. So they right, and that mean I right too."
"I'm not even going to pretend I understood what that all meant. Thanks, Quina. I'll see you later."
"Okay. Freya?"
"Yeah?"
"If you not back for lunch, can I have?" Freya smiled and laughed.
"Sure thing, Quina. And enjoy it - I'll get something for myself later if I have to."
"No worry - if you get back too late, I cook tasty munchies for you myself. It only polite, after all." Laughing, Freya walked up the stairs and out of the ship. Maybe she had been a little hasty in judging Quina....
~~~===~~~
Amarant had just finished his morning exercises, and was lying down under the airship for a rest, when Freya found him. She sat down next to him as he propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at her, brushing his hair back to reveal his face.
"Hello, Amarant," she said, looking at him as she leaned back next to him.
"Hi," he said simply, looking back to the sky, trying not to think about how close she was to him. She'd been distracting him for days now, but he had to admit - she was a pleasant distraction. Every movement revealed her grace and power, more like a lioness than a mouse. Lean muscle rippling beneath her soft fur, a deceptively soft and vulnerable appearance - a warrior goddess, in a guise that you naturally wanted to protect. He chuckled slightly at the thought. As if she needed his protection.
"Something funny?"
"Not really - just thinking about how I've changed since meeting the rest of you lunatics." Freya chuckled at that, and nodded.
"We might be lunatics, but I don't think anybody sane would be able to do what has to be done. Wouldn't have the balls to pull it off," she smirked, before sighing slightly.
"I noticed something about our little gang the other day, Amarant - not sure if you have or not."
"What?"
"Everybody on this ship has somebody. Everybody except for you and me, that is. Zidane and Dagger, Vivi and Eiko, Steiner's pining after Beatrix, Quina has her master to go back to, even the crew all have somebody to come back to. I wonder if it's right to drag them along into this. Zidane wouldn't let anybody go without him, but is it fair to drag them into it when they have some reason to keep going?" Amarant shrugged slightly, fighting against his gut reaction.
"Don't you have the other Burmecians and your boyfriend," he asked, his casual voice not betraying the sinking feeling that the last part gave him. She snorted slightly as she watched a bird fly overhead.
"Oh, yes, the last remnants of my people scattered across the Mist Continent, and a former fiancé who literally doesn't have the slightest idea who I am. That's a great thing to have to come home to."
"Better than nothing," he said quietly. "I've got a half-dozen unmarked graves, where the people who raised me for the pits are buried. That's family to me, that's my people. I don't think anybody'd really give a shit if I was never seen again, with the possible exception of the bounty hunter's who'd be heartbroken if they never managed to collect because I went off on some damn fool's crusade."
"I'd care," Freya said, slightly above a whisper. He looked over at her again, not entirely sure he'd heard the words properly.
"What?"
"I said I'd care," she said, slightly louder, though she didn't move from her position next to him. He looked at her face, trying to read her expression even as he struggled to maintain his indifferent one. She was serious, from the way she looked. And it looked like she was hurting, to judge by the tears he saw forming in her eyes.
"Crying for me before I'm even gone?"
"Crying for what I've lost," she said softly. "In order to care enough to cry for you when you do go." He chuckled with disbelief as he leaned back.
"Well," he said, shaking his head, "aren't we screwed up?" Now it was her turn to wonder if he was serious.
"What do you mean, screwed up?"
"I mean that you're apparently thinking of me as more than just a comrade- in-arms, and I'm thinking of you the same way, and it's eating us both up trying to admit to it," he said, regretting his words almost as soon as they came out of his mouth, but unable to stop them for the first time in his life.
"Apparently there's a lot neither of us knows about the other," she said, looking up at the sky.
"You tried to find out," he said. "First time ever I wanted somebody to push it when I clammed up. Maybe because you didn't," he mused.
"Wasn't my place to push," she said. "Want to talk about it now?"
"Already told you the highlights," he chuckled slightly. "After I got out of pit fighting, I took up odd jobs - guard work, smash jobs, that sort of thing. About the only thing I wouldn't do is assassination work - didn't keep me from becoming Treno's Most Wanted within a year of losing my job when that kid got passed me."
"So that's what your problem with Zidane is? He cost you a job," she asked, slightly incredulous.
"I've won every fight I remember, except for the times I've taken Zidane on. That sort of thing sticks in your mind. Gaia knows little enough else does, with me."
"I can't imagine not remembering my life," she said. "I'd rather be dead than forgotten, let alone forget myself."
"You've had a life worth remembering - people who loved you, a duty that meant something more than a paycheck and sleeping somewhere besides a gutter - most of my life isn't worth the trouble to pay attention. Until a few months ago."
"When all this started?"
"Yeah. Got my ass kicked by Zidane in Madain Sari, and watched my life get more screwed up every day."
"Well, I'm sorry that you've lost your idyllic existence as a wanted bounty hunter," she said dryly.
"I'm not," he said seriously. "I used to be, but not any more. Spent all my life going from one fight to the next - always looking for the next big challenge. Now, now I'm thinking that maybe there's something more."
"There is," she said, nodding her head as she reached a slender hand up to brush her wispy white hair out of her eyes. "Family, friends...there's more to life than fighting."
"I haven't really had family or friends before all this. Closest I ever came was Lani - the two of us worked together for a year or two before we split up in Madain Sari."
"What about love?" He licked his lips, fighting between his trained response to clam up, and his desire to let her know how he felt in no uncertain terms.
"What do you think," he asked, his voice not quite as perfectly steady as usual.
"I think you've been fighting it long enough that you wouldn't know it if it came up and bit you in the ass," she said simply. He didn't bother to deny her words - why should he? She was right, after all.
"And me," she continued, "me, I've been wasting my life looking for it."
"Not wasted time, to listen to Zidane prattle on about it," Amarant said carelessly.
"Zidane's also going to have to change the way he acts rather drastically, if he's going to keep that love," Freya said with a slight chuckle. "Going to have to stop looking to the next warm bed, start looking towards coming back to the same one every night. For a long time, at that, unless he moves on again."
"He have a habit of doing that?"
"He had one," Freya nodded. "But honestly, I think he's changing. He's still a cocky little bastard, but he's a much more mature cocky little bastard than the last time I saw him," she smirked.
"And what about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Whatever you said earlier, you're still in love with Fratley," Amarant said simply.
"You're right," she said, after a moment's hesitation. "I'm in love with who he was - I don't know if that means anything now, though."
"Which still leaves us both pretty screwed up," he murmured with a sigh. They were quiet for a few moments, laying back and watching the world around them. Eventually, the dragon knight couldn't take the near silence any longer - she had to ask, while she still had the guts to do so.
"Amarant?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you...." Ask, Freya, and don't bother with worrying. That's what you meant to do when you came down here in the first place. "Are you...in love with somebody?"
"Besides you?" A long moment passed as she tried to decide what to do next. Suddenly, she rolled over on top of him, the soft fur of her muzzle against his face as her slender tongue penetrated his mouth. He was startled for a moment, but put his arms around her and held her close as he returned the kiss.
"Are you sure you want to do this," he asked quietly, when they parted.
"Yes,' she nodded. "But let's take it to my quarters, hmm? I don't think I want to give Zidane that sort of material if he comes back early," she smirked. Amarant chuckled and nodded. She rolled off of him, and got onto her knees before he arched his back and seemed to spring to his feet almost effortlessly.
"Care for a hand up," he said with a soft smile.
"Thank you," she said, with a smile of her own. "After you, Amarant," she chuckled.
"Call me Red," he smiled as he started onto the ship, the white-furred Burmecian close behind him..
Amarant was sitting on the long beach of Everlang Island, watching the waves of the great ocean and thinking. He'd been doing a lot of that lately - ever since Zidane had rescued him from Ipsen's Castle. Thinking about the past, and where it had led him. Of the future, and why the hell he was spending it tailing after the little monkey who seemed determined to get the lot of them killed for something that Amarant, at the very least, had no reason to get involved in. He could understand Vivi and the fool Princess. That meant that Steiner had a reason to get involved as well - but what about the others?
Most of them weren't particularly fond of Quina, thought of the obese creature as a bottomless pit of a stomach with enough tongue to strip the bark from a tree. But s/he was useful in a fight, so they kept it around. But why would Quina stay with them? Eiko - the child had a crush on Zidane, that much Amarant was fairly sure of, so it made sense that she would want to stick around. Besides, she was getting friendly with the princess - the mysterious connection between the two of them had become more and more apparent since the destruction of Alexandria. Then there was Freya....
Amarant turned his head and brushed back his shaggy red hair, looking over at the Burmecian dragon knight where she was sitting on a rocky outcropping, watching for fish large enough to serve as a meal. She was the one that really confused him. True, she seemed to be a friend of Zidane's of some years, but she'd been on her own for most of those years, never helping the little monkey with any of his other jobs. As Amarant understood things, she hadn't even set out to help him with anything this time. Zidane had decided to help her out, return to Burmecia with her to fight off Alexandria's armies. But after the battle was over, and her homeland destroyed, she decided to follow him. The survivors were eager to count her among their number, but she still wouldn't settle down to help them rebuild. She was going to stay with Zidane until the end - and probably get herself killed in the process.
The thing that confused him most about her, though, was that he actually cared about whether or not she lived through this. Of the seven people he was traveling with, she was the only one who seemed to care about his past - but not really want to push him about it. Zidane seemed to care, but he wouldn't take no for an answer either. But in Treno, during the tournament, Amarant had actually found himself half-wishing that Freya had pushed a little more than she did. His thoughts were interrupted by a curse as she pulled her spear out of the water, having missed her prey again. With a chuckle, he stood up and strolled over to where she was fishing.
"So, you found something that'd work for a meal?"
"Yes," she said with a frustrated sigh. "You know, it's days like this that I wish some of the monsters up here were actually edible."
"Unless you'd like to take lessons from Quina, I don't think you're going to find any that are. So, what did you find?" She pointed her spear at a group of tuna.
"And you can't hit one of them," Amarant said, raising an eyebrow beneath the flaming red mane that gave him his name.
"If you can do any better, I'd like to see it." Amarant smiled and adjusted his claws.
"As you wish." With that, he dove into the water, disappearing from sight beneath the foam his entry churned up. A few moments later, he popped up several feet away from where he had landed, and swam back to the shore using only one arm. With a grunt, he swung his other arm up and sent one of the tuna flying through the air. Freya watched in shock as it landed next to her, followed quickly by the soaked warrior. Two ragged wounds marked the places where he'd impaled it on his claws.
"Dinner," he said simply, before starting back towards the Hildegaard III. Freya shook her head as he walked away, and started cleaning the massive fish, still amazed that he'd been able to throw it that far....
A few minutes later, just outside the airship, Amarant leaned up next to the landing platforms. He'd just changed and wrung out his hair, and was waiting for Zidane to come down. As expected, the much younger thief came trotting down the ramp as soon as he heard that something fresh was available for dinner. As much as Quina was the glutton of the group, everybody on the ship preferred fresh food to trail rations. Except for Steiner, of course, but that was hardly the most unusual thing about the old knight.
"So there you are, Zidane," Amarant said from the base of the ramp. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to get out here. Sweet-talking the princess again?"
"Very funny, Amarant," Zidane said, his monkey's tail twitching back and forth behind him. Amarant unfolded his arms and took a few steps away from the ship, looking out over the land.
"Don't suppose you'd be interested in a little sparring," he asked casually. Zidane looked at him appraisingly.
"Just sparring? Not that rematch you were looking for, or anything like that?"
"Just sparring. What happened at Madain Sari, while unusual, was settled in Ipsen's Castle. By the way, I don't think I've really thanked you for saving my neck back there."
"You're right, you haven't. Don't worry about it - I'd have done it for any of the others, too. Heck, just about anybody. So," Zidane said, kicking the ground absent-mindedly. "You're looking for a sparring partner, are you? Why not ask one of the others?"
"You're the only one who's a challenge," Amarant shrugged. "The only other one of you who might be a challenge is that fool knight, and I don't know that I could trust him to keep it non-lethal with those huge swords of his."
"Oh, please," Zidane said with a laugh. "You could handle Rusty if he got too rough, I know that much."
"I know it too. I just don't know if he could handle my handling it." Zidane sighed and shook his head.
"You know, Amarant, you really need to lighten up. Okay, we'll get some sparring in while Quina cooks the fish you caught. Freya brought it up a few minutes ago." Amarant nodded quietly, and walked out to a clearing a little further from the ship. Zidane sighed and followed him, checking to be sure he had his daggers - after all, there was no way of telling just what Amarant considered sparring....
***
Later, back on the ship, Princess Garnet - or Dagger, as she preferred to be called since the 'kidnapping' that had started all of this - ran to find Freya in the engine room.
"Freya, Amarant and Zidane are fighting again!"
"What? Show me," Freya said, grabbing her spear. She had thought that Amarant was over his defeat at Madain Sari - but there was no telling with either of those fools. She ran after Dagger, her foot-claws clicking on the wooden deck as the princess led her to the deck. When they were up top, Freya looked around for the two fighters, spotting them on the grassy plains surrounding the airship. She laughed and nodded after a moment.
"Relax, Dagger. They're not fighting; they're just practicing. Granted, it'd probably be smarter if they weren't using real weapons, but I can see that Zidane only has his daggers from his Tantalus days, and it looks like Amarant's using his bare hands, so I think they're safe."
"It looks serious," Dagger said, frowning. "I'm sorry I disturbed you for this."
"Don't worry, Dagger," Freya said, putting a hand on the shorter princess' shoulder. "You're not trained as a warrior, after all. It's hardly fair to expect you to recognize when two people are just sparring, especially when they're using live steel." Freya watched the two spar, narrowly dodging each other's attacks, Zidane moving with a fluid grace, Amarant with the staccato, precise movements that allowed him to channel his inner strength for incredible results. The two seemed to be fairly well matched, until Amarant made the mistake of charging Zidane. The smaller thief ducked to the side, his tail grabbing Amarant's leg as he ran by. Amarant hit the ground hard, and rolled to his back just in time to realize that the tip of Zidane's knife was by his throat.
"Give up," Zidane asked with a grin. Amarant chuckled and nodded carefully. Zidane sheathed his knives, and helped the huge fighter to his feet.
"That's the third time you've gotten the best of me," Amarant said, shaking his head ruefully.
"Third? I count two."
"Long story. You'd better go get your food before Quina eats it." Zidane chuckled and started back onto the airship. Amarant just sat down in the grass and went back to looking at the ocean, pulling a packet of trail rations out of his pocket. It might have been crushed a little in the fight, but it'd still be edible. Hell, if it hadn't been, Amarant might have thanked whatever providence gave him an excuse to eat with the others....
~~~===~~~
That night, Amarant was still sitting up, while the crew and passengers who weren't up for the first watch were putting out the lights in the ship. The night had always been when Amarant had been the most comfortable - he'd spent all his life in Treno, though, so that made sense. Whatever forces had caused the city's rapid decay had also caused nearly eternal night to fall upon the 'City of Nobles.' And that long night had drawn thieves, who had drawn people willing to watch the places the thieves were trying to rob. Amarant had walked both sides of the law in his day, and other sides that most people didn't think existed. So, while he was perfectly comfortable out here, he wasn't really expecting anybody else to leave the admittedly more comfortable surroundings of the airship. So when he saw a slender white figure jump off the deck and move quickly towards the beach, he didn't think he had any real choice but to follow.
It was easy enough to follow his quarry across the plains of Everlang Island - its white stuck out like a sore thumb against the sea of green. What was harder was following it across the sands of the beaches, but Amarant quickly found a set of tracks to follow. When he noticed them, he realized who his quarry was - the footprints were like a giant mouse's. He was following Freya - but why would she be out here this late? As he followed her silently, he watched her slip up between a group of rocks that he hadn't noticed earlier. A tide pool, maybe?
Amarant slipped up closer, making as little sound as possible. The back of her head slipped up over the rocks as she stretched out, and he heard her moan softly. For once in his life, Amarant's cheeks became nearly the same color as his hair as he silently turned and moved away, leaving Freya to her privacy....
~~~===~~~
The next morning, Zidane found Amarant practicing alone outside the ship.
"Hey, Amarant," he shouted, waving to the lone warrior. Amarant turned and strolled over once his kata was finished.
"What," he asked simply, though it was more a statement than a question.
"I was wondering if there was something wrong yesterday. Didn't think you'd fall for that trick so easily."
"I was thinking about something."
"Oh, now that's a bad habit we'll have to break you of," Zidane said, grinning. There was silence for a moment before Zidane shrugged and looked out towards the forest further to the south.
"Well, I figure I'll be taking Vivi, Eiko, and Dagger out for some more training today. The three of them are getting to be pretty good - I think Vivi's about ready to use that Meteor spell of his without using that fancy staff we helped Choco find." Amarant nodded silently, remembering the collection of weapons that they'd found with the chocobo's help. For weeks since Ipsen's Castle, the lot of them had been practicing all over the world, occasionally taking breaks to search for treasure with the chocobo they had been training. On the one hand, it was delaying their mission, their goal to find Kuja and bring the warmonger to his knees.
But, on the other hand, Amarant had learned techniques that he hadn't even known existed until a few weeks ago. Besides, it gave him a fair amount of time to himself, not all of which was spent training on his own. For the first time he could remember, Amarant was actually taking time to relax, let his guard down. A little.
"Just be sure you bring them all back in one piece," the taller warrior said carelessly, in the same tone he always used.
"You know, you're worrying about Eiko a lot - isn't she a little young for you," Zidane asked, chuckling as he nudged Amarant's ribs with his elbow. Amarant just growled. Zidane shrugged and started back onto the ship. A few minutes later, he and his three 'students' left to hunt the giant beasts the islands seemed to breed - dangerous, but worth the risk for the experience to be gained fighting them. Amarant went back to his practice, trying to take his mind off of what he'd seen and heard the night before....
~~~===~~~
Freya was sitting in the engine room of the Hildegaard III, sharpening her lance, when Quina came trotting down cheerfully, carrying the key to a large lockbox she had brought down here from Lindblum. Lately, the massive Qu had been experimenting with ways to use the steam engine as a cooking surface, driving the engineers on the ship half-mad in the process, but never doing any serious harm. As Freya watched, Quina opened the box, revealing more different types of food than the dragon knight could ever remember seeing in one place before, all being kept cold on a massive block of ice that seemed to defy nature by being so close to the blazing hot steam engine. Quina turned and looked at Freya.
"You want something?"
"Uhm, no thanks, Quina."
"Okay," s/he said with a shrug. "Is too bad, leftovers best." S/he pulled a massive haunch of meat out of the box, and lugged it over to the steam engine, setting it on the red-hot iron shell. Almost immediately, the room was filled with the smell of cooking meat, steam from the rapidly melting ice, and the hiss of a hot frying pan that somebody had just dropped water into. A few minutes later, Quina pulled the meat back and carried it over to a convenient spot to sit, relatively near Freya. The steam cleared quickly, and the dull spot on the engine's surface rapidly glowed red hot again.
"Is self-cleaning," Quina said with a self-satisfied nod as s/he watched the grease from the meat burn off, the smoke quickly clearing through the door at the top of the stairs as the crew grumbled loud enough to be heard over the sound of the slow-running engine. Freya couldn't help but chuckle at the show that happened almost daily.
"You sure you no want some? Is good food - dragon drumstick best part." Freya shook her head.
"No, thank you. I'm not really hungry." Quina shrugged and started eating. Freya sighed and continued to hone the edge of her lance to a razor-sharp edge. When Quina had finished the 'drumstick,' s/he looked at Freya curiously.
"What wrong, Freya?" Freya looked at Quina, surprised.
"What makes you think there's something wrong?"
"You make sharp-sticky so sharp you almost cut rock. Zidane say that as bad as not making sharp-sticky sharp at all." The expression on Quina's face was almost worried, one that Freya couldn't remember seeing before. She looked down and saw that, indeed, she had almost worn through her whetstone. Grinning sheepishly, she shrugged and put the lance and stone off to the side.
"You're right, I guess I was thinking about something else."
"So what you think about?" Freya chuckled and shook her head. Who would have thought that Quina would be the one she'd wind up talking to about this - but she wanted to talk to somebody, and the only other person she *could* talk to on the ship today was Steiner - and there was no way she was going to let him hear about this.
"Quina, when you want something, but you're not sure how to get it, what do you do?" The corner of Quina's giant mouth quirked up, almost in a frustrated frown.
"What you have to think about? If you want something, ask. If nobody say no, or nobody there to ask, then take."
"It's not that easy, Quina."
"Why not? Look at me! I do what I want. You have problem? It your problem, not mine." It was a good thing that Freya had begun to understand Quina's unusual way of talking, or she might have taken offense at that last statement. But she thought she knew what s/he meant. Besides, what would the harm be in, as Quina put it, asking?
Beyond the fact that she was still supposed to be betrothed to Sir Fratley? But no, he didn't even remember her name, let alone who she was, or who he was to her.
"Maybe you're right about that, after all."
"I right," Quina said, smiling and nodding. "After all, Master Quale teach me, and Master Quan teach him. Master Quale know everything about art of gourmand, except tasting things he not taste before. And Master Quan know that, too. So they right, and that mean I right too."
"I'm not even going to pretend I understood what that all meant. Thanks, Quina. I'll see you later."
"Okay. Freya?"
"Yeah?"
"If you not back for lunch, can I have?" Freya smiled and laughed.
"Sure thing, Quina. And enjoy it - I'll get something for myself later if I have to."
"No worry - if you get back too late, I cook tasty munchies for you myself. It only polite, after all." Laughing, Freya walked up the stairs and out of the ship. Maybe she had been a little hasty in judging Quina....
~~~===~~~
Amarant had just finished his morning exercises, and was lying down under the airship for a rest, when Freya found him. She sat down next to him as he propped himself up on his elbows and looked over at her, brushing his hair back to reveal his face.
"Hello, Amarant," she said, looking at him as she leaned back next to him.
"Hi," he said simply, looking back to the sky, trying not to think about how close she was to him. She'd been distracting him for days now, but he had to admit - she was a pleasant distraction. Every movement revealed her grace and power, more like a lioness than a mouse. Lean muscle rippling beneath her soft fur, a deceptively soft and vulnerable appearance - a warrior goddess, in a guise that you naturally wanted to protect. He chuckled slightly at the thought. As if she needed his protection.
"Something funny?"
"Not really - just thinking about how I've changed since meeting the rest of you lunatics." Freya chuckled at that, and nodded.
"We might be lunatics, but I don't think anybody sane would be able to do what has to be done. Wouldn't have the balls to pull it off," she smirked, before sighing slightly.
"I noticed something about our little gang the other day, Amarant - not sure if you have or not."
"What?"
"Everybody on this ship has somebody. Everybody except for you and me, that is. Zidane and Dagger, Vivi and Eiko, Steiner's pining after Beatrix, Quina has her master to go back to, even the crew all have somebody to come back to. I wonder if it's right to drag them along into this. Zidane wouldn't let anybody go without him, but is it fair to drag them into it when they have some reason to keep going?" Amarant shrugged slightly, fighting against his gut reaction.
"Don't you have the other Burmecians and your boyfriend," he asked, his casual voice not betraying the sinking feeling that the last part gave him. She snorted slightly as she watched a bird fly overhead.
"Oh, yes, the last remnants of my people scattered across the Mist Continent, and a former fiancé who literally doesn't have the slightest idea who I am. That's a great thing to have to come home to."
"Better than nothing," he said quietly. "I've got a half-dozen unmarked graves, where the people who raised me for the pits are buried. That's family to me, that's my people. I don't think anybody'd really give a shit if I was never seen again, with the possible exception of the bounty hunter's who'd be heartbroken if they never managed to collect because I went off on some damn fool's crusade."
"I'd care," Freya said, slightly above a whisper. He looked over at her again, not entirely sure he'd heard the words properly.
"What?"
"I said I'd care," she said, slightly louder, though she didn't move from her position next to him. He looked at her face, trying to read her expression even as he struggled to maintain his indifferent one. She was serious, from the way she looked. And it looked like she was hurting, to judge by the tears he saw forming in her eyes.
"Crying for me before I'm even gone?"
"Crying for what I've lost," she said softly. "In order to care enough to cry for you when you do go." He chuckled with disbelief as he leaned back.
"Well," he said, shaking his head, "aren't we screwed up?" Now it was her turn to wonder if he was serious.
"What do you mean, screwed up?"
"I mean that you're apparently thinking of me as more than just a comrade- in-arms, and I'm thinking of you the same way, and it's eating us both up trying to admit to it," he said, regretting his words almost as soon as they came out of his mouth, but unable to stop them for the first time in his life.
"Apparently there's a lot neither of us knows about the other," she said, looking up at the sky.
"You tried to find out," he said. "First time ever I wanted somebody to push it when I clammed up. Maybe because you didn't," he mused.
"Wasn't my place to push," she said. "Want to talk about it now?"
"Already told you the highlights," he chuckled slightly. "After I got out of pit fighting, I took up odd jobs - guard work, smash jobs, that sort of thing. About the only thing I wouldn't do is assassination work - didn't keep me from becoming Treno's Most Wanted within a year of losing my job when that kid got passed me."
"So that's what your problem with Zidane is? He cost you a job," she asked, slightly incredulous.
"I've won every fight I remember, except for the times I've taken Zidane on. That sort of thing sticks in your mind. Gaia knows little enough else does, with me."
"I can't imagine not remembering my life," she said. "I'd rather be dead than forgotten, let alone forget myself."
"You've had a life worth remembering - people who loved you, a duty that meant something more than a paycheck and sleeping somewhere besides a gutter - most of my life isn't worth the trouble to pay attention. Until a few months ago."
"When all this started?"
"Yeah. Got my ass kicked by Zidane in Madain Sari, and watched my life get more screwed up every day."
"Well, I'm sorry that you've lost your idyllic existence as a wanted bounty hunter," she said dryly.
"I'm not," he said seriously. "I used to be, but not any more. Spent all my life going from one fight to the next - always looking for the next big challenge. Now, now I'm thinking that maybe there's something more."
"There is," she said, nodding her head as she reached a slender hand up to brush her wispy white hair out of her eyes. "Family, friends...there's more to life than fighting."
"I haven't really had family or friends before all this. Closest I ever came was Lani - the two of us worked together for a year or two before we split up in Madain Sari."
"What about love?" He licked his lips, fighting between his trained response to clam up, and his desire to let her know how he felt in no uncertain terms.
"What do you think," he asked, his voice not quite as perfectly steady as usual.
"I think you've been fighting it long enough that you wouldn't know it if it came up and bit you in the ass," she said simply. He didn't bother to deny her words - why should he? She was right, after all.
"And me," she continued, "me, I've been wasting my life looking for it."
"Not wasted time, to listen to Zidane prattle on about it," Amarant said carelessly.
"Zidane's also going to have to change the way he acts rather drastically, if he's going to keep that love," Freya said with a slight chuckle. "Going to have to stop looking to the next warm bed, start looking towards coming back to the same one every night. For a long time, at that, unless he moves on again."
"He have a habit of doing that?"
"He had one," Freya nodded. "But honestly, I think he's changing. He's still a cocky little bastard, but he's a much more mature cocky little bastard than the last time I saw him," she smirked.
"And what about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Whatever you said earlier, you're still in love with Fratley," Amarant said simply.
"You're right," she said, after a moment's hesitation. "I'm in love with who he was - I don't know if that means anything now, though."
"Which still leaves us both pretty screwed up," he murmured with a sigh. They were quiet for a few moments, laying back and watching the world around them. Eventually, the dragon knight couldn't take the near silence any longer - she had to ask, while she still had the guts to do so.
"Amarant?"
"Hmm?"
"Are you...." Ask, Freya, and don't bother with worrying. That's what you meant to do when you came down here in the first place. "Are you...in love with somebody?"
"Besides you?" A long moment passed as she tried to decide what to do next. Suddenly, she rolled over on top of him, the soft fur of her muzzle against his face as her slender tongue penetrated his mouth. He was startled for a moment, but put his arms around her and held her close as he returned the kiss.
"Are you sure you want to do this," he asked quietly, when they parted.
"Yes,' she nodded. "But let's take it to my quarters, hmm? I don't think I want to give Zidane that sort of material if he comes back early," she smirked. Amarant chuckled and nodded. She rolled off of him, and got onto her knees before he arched his back and seemed to spring to his feet almost effortlessly.
"Care for a hand up," he said with a soft smile.
"Thank you," she said, with a smile of her own. "After you, Amarant," she chuckled.
"Call me Red," he smiled as he started onto the ship, the white-furred Burmecian close behind him..