Author Notes: Well, here it is. What many people have no doubt been waiting for. I really stuggled with this because I was wondering if I revealed too little or too much and whatever. Bla bla bla. All I know is that I put out what I thought was appropriate, even though it got a little more intense than how the two men usually are. I spellchecked this, but my grammar check is useless, so if there's any booboos, let me know and I'll fix. I hope no one is disappointed in this since it's more dramatic than a show of political smarts, IMO. Anyway, enjoy!

Isaaru couldn't describe how he felt. His stomach hurt, but only slightly. His skin tingled, but only just enough to notice. He wasn't sick, not physically anyway. As he lay next to his brother, Isaaru could only conclude that it was malaise, a vague feeling of bodily discomfort at the beginning of an illness.

"Are you okay, Isaaru?" Maroda asked, putting his hand on Isaaru's arm.

"I wish I could say that I am, but I'm not," he replied through a sigh. "I'm not physically ill, I just feel ill period."

"It's Baralai, isn't it?"

Baralai. Isaaru groaned, "Why did you have to mention his name?"

"Because I know he's the problem. I mean, the problem that you have with him."

Isaaru snuggled against the pillow. He moved some of his red hair from his face. "Okay, it is Baralai. Just a little awhile go, he was less than a foot away from me. I know he wants to see me as soon as he can. He's itching for it."

"Do you really think he'll meet you right away? I'd want to rest if I were him." Maroda rolled on his back. "Just take a day or three off."

"Hmph. Baralai is not like that." Isaaru remained on his side, but he propped himself up on his elbow, his red hair falling across the side of his angular face. "To be truthful though, it's hard to say what he will do. I know that he will either call a meeting with the Council or just meet me. Possibly both, but not neither."

"What do you think he's doing now?"

After that question, Isaaru also rolled on his back. "Having a threesome with Gippal and Zetu." He rolled his eyes.

Maroda laughed. "I barely know Baralai, and I don't think he'd do something like that."

"No, of course not," Isaaru said before sighing. "I do know, that they're probably discussing things, and I know that it would eventually be about me."

"I guess that's only natural," Maroda mused. "Do you think Baralai will tell the Al Bhed everything?"

"I honestly don't know," Isaaru replied, despite thinking a short while ago that Baralai would. "They're best friends." He sighed again. "Baralai has been guilty of harboring secrets before. It's how he defeated Trema, so maybe he'll conceal some things from his 'friend'."

"Would he really do that to a friend?"

"Who knows? But, knowing Baralai, there's no way he'd tell Gippal about his 'proposals' to me."

"If they're 'best friends with benefits', maybe Baralai would keep that a secret," Maroda shrugged. "I just don't know him well enough to be sure."

Isaaru frowned. "Best friends with benefits?"

"Yea. That's when two people are friends first, but they have sex. Like "bosom buddies" or "sex buddies."

"What a dangerously foolish thing to do," Isaaru scoffed. "Such things are complicated. You can't just be friends and do things like that. There's a lot of emotion involved. Their bodies speak to each other and such physical intimacy can create attachment that can go well beyond friends or even strangers. Believe me, if that Gippal knows, he will not be pleased, even if they are simply best friends."

"Even if Baralai keeps it a secret, there's no way he can hide it forever," Maroda said.

"No, of course not," Isaaru replied as he played with a lock of hair that fell past his shoulders. "The Al Bhed will find out one way or the other. If Baralai wants to contain the damage that will result, then he will tell the Al Bhed himself. If he wants a friendship to end, then he will keep it a secret until Gippal does find out."

"Do you care?"

"To be honest, I do. I don't know the Al Bhed, but from what I've seen of him, he seems to have an ego." Isaaru said, but then he shrugged. "I wish I knew everything, but I don't. It's just hard to say what could happen, Maroda. All I know is that the Al Bhed looked up at me and he seemed very confident, easygoing, like the sort of person who knows that everything will be okay. That's just a distant impression though. That said, I don't like to see someone who has nothing to do with my trouble with Baralai get hurt, even if he is a stranger to me."

"I can understand that," Maroda put his hands behind his head. "It seems Gippal's always been caught in the middle though, don't you think?"

"I know it," Isaaru replied, nodding. "First it's the Youth League against New Yevon, and now it's Baralai against me."

"Except this time, Gippal will choose a side, and I'm pretty sure it won't be yours."

Isaaru sighed, "Which means I could be double-teamed. Agh." Isaaru put his arm over his eyes. "It makes my stomach knot just thinking of it, but it's Baralai that's causing it."

"You let him get to you-" Maroda began.

"What do you expect me to do? After what I've said to him? What I've done? Baralai is not the most forgiving person in the world."

"Neither are you," Maroda chuckled.

"Oh, that's rich, Maroda," Isaaru moved his arm to glare at his younger brother. "I've managed to forgive you for hindering my efforts of being an only child."

"And that took you, what? A decade?"

Isaaru laughed. He couldn't help it and he didn't want to. "I thought it took eighteen years."

"So, it's true then!" Maroda grinned. "Memory is the first to go when you get older!"

Isaaru sat up and propped himself against the pillows and headboard. He smiled. "Could be why Trema wanted to erase the past."

"Yea, he forgot it all!"

The two brothers shared a laugh. Isaaru felt pleasantly surprised that the mention of Trema's name would bring about humor, but he supposed it was better than seething over it. He'd been doing that for two years, but it was mainly Baralai he seethed over. He could have been ninety years old and he would have never been able to forget that.

"It's nice I could laugh about Trema now," Isaaru said. "Do you still want to know what Trema did to me as soon as he took my office?"

Maroda sat up. "Yes, of course I do."

"He threw me in prison."

Maroda could have picked up his jaw from his lap. "He did what?"

"He threw me in prison." Isaaru shook his head. Before Maroda could ask why, Isaaru continued. "He saw me as a threat. He clearly did. I told him that I was always loyal and that I have served Yevon faithfully. Guess what he told me?"

"Only when it suited you?" Maroda asked with a snicker he couldn't control.

Isaaru didn't mind. He understood, and even smiled. "Yes. I suppose that could be said of me." He shrugged. "Very well. Belief in The Rule of Law does not mean mindless. What really upset me was when Trema told me that what got me in trouble was 'my face behind the mask'." He grit teeth just thinking about it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Maroda asked, frowning.

"I guess it means that I'm not as good at hiding myself as I thought," Isaaru replied. He looked towards the curtains and watched the wind pick them up. They looked like ghosts to him. "I guess it shouldn't matter. After all, it came from a man who wanted to make everything and everyone 'pastless'." Isaaru shook his head. "What hurt was that it was in front of Baralai, who visited me while I was imprisoned."

"Not to gloat?"

"No, of course not. He just wanted to make sure that I was careful, that's all. He didn't want my emotions getting the best of me." Isaaru wanted to roll his eyes, but he decided not to. "You know the rest. At least for the most part."

"I wish I could have stayed with you, but I couldn't. You know that." Maroda lowered his head.

"I understand perfectly," Isaaru ran his fingers through his younger brother's black hair. "One such as you? One who believed in change as swift as a storm would want little to do those who are more resistant to change? I don't blame you for leaving. At least you had somewhere to go."

"The Youth League," Maroda nodded. "It's too bad we had to fight so much," A dawning appeared to overcome Maroda's features. "I've seen Baralai fight. He's good, he's really good."

"I know," Isaaru replied, remembering his own training and how it had pushed aside in favor of Sorcery and Summoning. "It kind of makes me regret putting my physical fighting behind magic." Isaaru shook his head. "I made my choice." He stood up and walked over to his robes, but he didn't put them on.

"I think he'd still kick your ass though," Maroda said while stretching.

"Oh, I'm sure he would. He's gifted like you and Pacce are."

"Not quite," Maroda smirked. "I've beaten him."

"You have?" Isaaru gasped. He remembered Maroda's prowess as a Guardian and as a Fighter for the Youth League. He remembered Baralai too. What he didn't remember was the two of the fighting. Isaaru figured that he must have missed it. Hardly the end of the world.

"Yea, I have," Maroda replies. "He was tough as nails, but I managed to beat him." He smiled. "Felt great."

"I don't doubt that," Isaaru grinned, really wishing that he could have seen that fight. "At least I have my magic. Baralai isn't good at that."

"Figures," Maroda nodded. "Neither am I."

The mention of magic reminded Isaaru of what remained behind in Zanarkand, and he groaned. "I should go back to Zanarkand soon."

Maroda got up from bed and stood beside Isaaru, "Did you forget something?"

Isaaru nodded, "Yes, I did. It could wait, but not forever."

"What is it?"

A sudden knock interrupted both men, and Isaaru felt relief, but only for a second. He knew right away who it was.

Baralai.

Before either brother could answer, the door slowly swung open and the Praetor stepped in the room. He shut the door with a quiet thud and leaned against it. He wasn't smiling.

Neither brother could move. Isaaru managed to hide the fact that he felt like vomiting. Maroda, however, did not fare so well. He looked ready to lose his eyes, but he was otherwise silent. Pushing himself up, Baralai walked slowly towards the two of them. He looked at Maroda.

"Leave us, please," he said, his voice perfectly soft, polite yet capable of cutting through anyone with dictation and demand.

It's been a long time since I've heard your voice close to me. Isaaru never took his blue eyes off of Baralai. Maroda looked at Isaaru, wondering what to do. He obviously hesitated and Isaaru could find no fault in that. But, the time had come and he knew that he had to face Baralai alone.

"Leave us," Isaaru repeated. Only then, did Maroda obey. He looked at Baralai once before exiting the room. With him gone, Isaaru could have fainted, but he didn't. He refused to. He felt himself tense as two years worth of anger and resentment came flooding back, but he wouldn't show that either. Baralai also showed nothing as he continued to move forward at a slow, leisurely pace. Isaaru moved to the side and once Baralai was close enough, he began to circle around him, his eyes scanning the young Praetor, noting everything. Baralai also circled around, his eyes doing precisely the same thing.

Had Isaaru felt more cordial, he would have commented on how flat out beautiful Baralai looked. Then again, Baralai was always beautiful and sometimes that made Isaaru seethe with a different kind of rage. Sure, it was petty, but Isaaru felt it and he couldn't help it. Thankfully, it was a small part of the many things he felt about Baralai. The silk green tunic suited him well and the silver buckled belt clasped to his waist was a perfect addition. His black pants were not baggy, but not too tight either as they flattered his finely toned body. His knee high boots were the same as what Isaaru currently wore, only Isaaru's did not have buckles.

Plus, Isaaru wore primarily white. His shirt was white, his pants were white, and his belt was white. Only his boots were black. He currently wore no jewelry, and Baralai noted it all. It must have taken ten minutes for the two men to stop gawking at what they wore, and it took even longer than that for Isaaru to finally come out swinging.

"One year ago, you told me that you should have let Auron kill me."

At first, the Praetor did not respond. He blinked, he raised his eyebrows, but he was still quiet. Isaaru was also quiet. He waited for Baralai to say something and he was willing to wait forever if he had to. Finally, Baralai glared before taking a deep breath. When he spoke, his tone was as quiet as air.

"Two years ago, you told me that I was poison. One year ago, you told me to go back to my 'wicked life'. What did you think I would do? I was tempted to strike you. Perhaps I should have."

"Your words were poison."

"They were sincere."

"Were those words sincere when you regretted saving my life?" Isaaru inquired, his voice every bit as quiet.

"I don't regret saving you."

"The last words you said to me showed otherwise."

Baralai full lips parted. "I was angry, you know that. Or have you forgotten what you said to me?"

"I haven't forgotten," Isaaru replied, his voice as quiet as Baralai's. "Have you forgotten that was a reason for my harsh words?"

"You didn't have a good reason, Isaaru," Baralai snapped. His dark eyes narrowed as he began to slowly walk around the former Summoner. "You resented me. I climbed higher in the ranks faster than you ever could. I gained the power that you had a taste of, but couldn't keep. You couldn't stand it, could you?"

Isaaru did not allow Baralai to get behind him. He too circled around the younger man. Both were slow, but sure as their eyes mirrored each other.

"What I could not stand was you thinking you ruled when you did not!" Isaaru said in almost hiss. "Did you think you could dictate to me and expect me to smile and nod? Did you think I would bow to you and obey the way I obeyed Old Yevon?" Isaaru raised his voice, but only slightly. "Did you think this? Did you even dare hope that I would become your servant?"

Baralai stopped, his black boots a contradiction to the light carpet. "I had hoped that you would be my husband."

"Your servant!"

"My husband! Goodness, Isaaru! Were you so insanely jealous of the power I gained over you that it blinded you? You resented me so much that you couldn't see beyond yourself and you wanted! What? You think I'd step aside for you!? I want Yevon to be truly new, and you would have never done that!"

"Because Yevon forbid I actually care about the organization!" Isaaru shot back.

Baralai moved back a step, his eyes wide before he glared. "What are you implying, Isaaru? Hmm? That I don't care?"

"You're smarter than that," Isaaru replied. "You should know the answer."

"Well, you're wrong. I care a great deal about Bevelle and about New Yevon! You know that!"

"I don't believe you," Isaaru whispered. "Can you tell me why I should? I watched you politely insist that you belong in the Elite Guard. That was true, I could not dispute that, but what I could dispute was your polite instance that you somehow deserved to be elevated above all others, including me. It's power you sought, but not just that. Information too. You used this place and you used others to get what it was that you wanted. It's worked with everyone, but it has not worked with me!"

"We both sought power, Isaaru," Baralai took a step forward. "Really, do you think you're so innocent? Who are you to ever judge me?"

"How about someone who's actually caring of something more than just yourself and your friends? At least I don't ever consider my own supporters sheep. At least my supporters can stand on their own!"

"Ah, yes, you're supporters, Isaaru!" Baralai exclaimed with brightening eyes. "I've heard what they said about me. How wonderful you are, how much better you are than I am, but I they all forget that they're in the minority. No matter how sizeable they may be, they are in still in the minority and you will never change that!"

"You stole people from me, Baralai!" Isaaru replied, trying not to grit his teeth. "You stole people who could have been my followers! You curried favor with people that were once on my side! I could dismiss them as weak, naive or stupid, but it's not quality that matters here, it's quantity! You took that from me! I could have been the Praetor! I should have been, but you--" Isaaru shut his mouth because if he said anything more, he might have exploded.

"You weren't entitled to those people, Isaaru! You weren't entitled to anything, not even my position!"

"Neither were you!" Isaaru spat.

Baralai held his arms out to his sides, his voice as gentle as a breeze. "But, I won them. I won it all, and it just kills you, doesn't it?"

"You don't deserve it! Even you know that."

"Perhaps I don't," Baralai answered with a shrug. "But, I'm still the Praetor. No amount of loyalty from your followers will take that away. So, you might as well work with me. If New Yevon is to stand a chance on Spira, then we need to be united under my banner and no other."

Isaaru could have just burst into flames. "You still think you're entitled to me! It's bad enough that you thought that in the past, but it's worse now! Haven't you learned how I reacted to you? Did you think that everything would just suddenly be okay?" He was loud, he knew he was, but the Bevellian walls did not have ears at this level.

"No, Isaaru," Baralai said, shaking his head. "I never thought that. You're right in that regard. I did think I was entitled to you. I thought I could just win everyone with confidence, determination and civility, but it's obvious that I couldn't. I had you once. I had you has an ally, but while I know that you wanted to gain back leadership of Bevelle, I couldn't let you do that. I needed to be the one because I know I am the one who should be. I'm the only one who can make Yevon truly new."

If Baralai thought that this would somehow placate Isaaru, he was sorely mistaken. Hands curling into fists, Isaaru replied. "I'm supposed to just accept this? I'm supposed to suddenly come under your banner because you want me to? My followers won't do that, not anymore. I know they've learned from their mistakes." Isaaru ignored Baralai's gasp of indignance. "They will not ever follow anyone but me, and should I leave, many of them will simply drop their support, which would be embarrassing to you. Some would leave, which would be worse in the eyes of Spira! If you try to kill me, you'd be torn to shreds-"

"I have no intention of hurting you, Isaaru," Baralai interrupted, his voice soft, but his eyes hard. "I wish you'd quit thinking that, but you're not going anywhere. You won't leave, Isaaru, not willingly. I made a terrible mistake when I talked Trema into forcing you out. I won't make that mistake again."

"No, you'd just hope that you find a way to put me under your thumb with your sweet little tongue! You cannot stand there with a straight face and expect me to just bow to you without question!"

Finally, Baralai snapped. Taking a step forward, he shouted. "I know you'd rather be Praetor, but you're not! What would you have me do? What is it that you expect!? Would you rather I step down!? That's not going to happen and you know it! How could I accept you in power? You think I'm horrible? You think I'm so wicked? You would have been a heavy-handed tyrant!"

Isaaru bristled at that statement. He could sworn that smoke was coming out of his ears. Before he could say anything, Baralai continued, his voice shrill with frustration and rage.

"You're far worse than I am! The only difference between you and Old Yevon is that you're slightly less disgusting!"

"How dare you!" Isaaru managed to interrupt. "How dare you say that to me!"

"I know what you did to my guards!" Baralai held his fists to his sides. "You threatened to SET THEM ON FIRE for doing their jobs!"

"I was protecting my brother. Did you think I'd stand aside and let them harm him?"

Baralai took a few deep breaths before replying in a lower voice, "All you did was prove what I think of you in power. You have no finesse, you'd rather hold to the past rather than think of the future! You accuse me of being selfish? It's odd coming from you. You have little regard for the beliefs of others. You don't know when to compromise, and you're not a tolerant person. You're just not. How can you can you consider yourself more worthy of being Praetor?"

There was truth in those words, Isaaru knew that as he lowered his head, not in submission, but in pondering. Baralai took advantage of this by taking a step closer.

"You're afraid. I know you are," he said, his voice soft like it usually was. "You think you're the only one who's ever felt betrayed?"

Isaaru snapped up, his blue eyes fixed in a glare. As he remembered how he felt while he was working with Baralai, his muscles tensed. "Do not speak to me of betrayal. How dare you speak to me of betrayal! You betrayed me when you swore that you would work with me!"

"You betrayed me when you saw fit to tear me into ribbons--TWICE! You betrayed your own beliefs by becoming a tour guide in Zanarkand!"

This time, Isaaru laughed. "Oh, that is unbelievably pathetic! I never said I would be your husband, you know that. You promised me your support, and I should have known early on that it came with the condition that I serve you when I should have been the one leading. I should have been the one who replaced Trema once he was out of the way." Before Baralai could even open his mouth, Isaaru continued. "As for Zanarkand, don't you dare even think for a moment that was betrayal. I was there to preserve it, anyone with half a brain would know that, and you would know that Zanarkand was the safest place for me. Besides, you allowed it, remember?"

"Yes, I remember," Baralai answered, the tone of his voice now mild. "I also remember that I never ever told you that I'd help you become leader."

About a minute later, Isaaru responded. "You did the second time around. When you were gone, you helped me. I served well enough while you were away. I don't blame you for being a bit apprehensive now."

"I was in the Farplane, Isaaru. Everyone should know that. Lady Yuna said so herself. She helped me, and so did my friends."

"Ah, yes that," Isaaru folded his arms around his chest. "Tell me, Baralai, did you steal that gun and try to rule the world before your friends knocked some sense into you?"

If Baralai's jaw weren't screwed on, it would have fallen at his feet. When he finally set his jaw, he glared into Isaaru's eyes. "I did not leave of my own free will. I was possessed by a pyrefly ghost named Shuyin and taken to the Farplane. You should recognize him, you saw him in the Awesome Sphere. " Baralai smiled when Isaaru gasped. "You know, the very sphere you took."

Isaaru's first instinct was to laugh in his face. Pyrefly ghost? Sure. But, he knew better than that. He knew the existence of such things. He remembered seeing it when the Den of Woe was sealed, and he remembered the young man in the Awesome Sphere. They matched. He didn't want to believe it possible, but he had no choice. His immediate thought was Baralai knowing about his taking the sphere. He sighed, turning away from Baralai's brown eyes.

"It's no surprise that you knew I did it. How long did you know?" Isaaru asked.

"When it first went missing," Baralai replied, his slender hands smoothing out his silk shirt. "I suspected you, but I said nothing. You did it for vindictive reasons, did you not?"

"Yes, I did," Isaaru admitted. "But, you have it back. Lady Yuna gave it back to New Yevon."

"Yes, she did." Baralai nodded. "You caused a lot of chaos. Unlike myself, you did it of your own volition. Do you expect to lead New Yevon acting like that?" A short-browed stare silenced Isaaru. "I would have never done something like that. Unlike you, I'd put the stability of New Yevon and of Spira first."

"You dare threaten me? Don't expect me to be impressed."

"I'm not threatening you. I can't prove you did it, and we do have the Sphere back. I just know that someone like you should not be the sole ruler of anything. Your actions have proven that." Baralai finally backed away. "I wish things could be easier between us, but I suppose I was foolish for thinking that."

"I can't just set aside how I feel," Isaaru sighed. "They run too deeply and strongly."

"I can sense that." Baralai nodded. "I truly can." He brushed past Isaaru. "I know that you're feeling many things and it probably confuses you."

Refusing to allow Baralai behind him, Isaaru tried to turn, but he stumbled forward, right into Baralai arms. He quickly moved away from the Praetor and bunched his white shirt in his hands. Isaaru could still feel the warmth of Baralai's body.

"Just leave me alone," he said, and Baralai backed away, turning away to walk towards the door.

Looking over his shoulder, Baralai said. "I'll be convening the Council tomorrow morning. I expect you to be there as my right hand man." He slipped out of the room as quietly as he came in.

Left alone, Isaaru could barely even breathe. So much was said in so little time, he thought that everything was spinning around him. Sitting on the bed, Isaaru breathed out slowly.

"Just as I thought," he said to no one. "He will go to the Healers soon. When he does, he will expect me to be there; to show me what he had gone through in hopes of gaining my sympathy. Only it won't be a calculated move. If what I think of pyrefly possession is true, then...then I..." He fell silent and fell back against the soft mattress, his red hair spreading like blood across the white sheets.

"Baralai, I..."

He closed his eyes, no longer able to even think, much less do anything else.