Title: Born to Fly

Word Count: 659

Characters: Angeal Hewley & Genesis Rhapsodos

"All right, if the Defense form goes like this—" Angeal demonstrated a couple of firm, knowing strokes with his practice sword "—how does it make it that different from the Assault form. They're practically the same but for completely different purposes."

Angeal waited for Genesis to answer. When he didn't, he finally turned to see his friend gazing into the small creek that ran through the forest.

"Gaia to Genesis." Angeal said, "You hear me?" He knocked his fist on Genesis' head.

Genesis smiled wanly at him. He looked tired. He looked like that a lot lately. "'If the pollen refuses to leak from beneath the petals, then thy goal lies in a different heart.'"

"Act Two?"

"Act One." Genesis ran his fingers through his red hair, "I don't know, Angeal. I've been feeling out of it."

"Yeah. I've noticed." Angeal sat down next to Genesis by the creek.

"Do you ever feel like your life was predestined by the Goddess?"

"Ah, no wonder you're out of it. You're thinking about Creation and Gaia and the Goddess again."

"Well, how can I not? It is the world's greatest mystery."

"Never been my thing."

"So, do you think?"

"I don't know how many people even believe in the Goddess anymore."

"Do you?"

"How could I not? You talk about her every day."

Genesis smiled, his hand instinctively touching the pocket where he kept the book.

They were silent for a few moments.

"So," Genesis said, "Do you?"

"I don't know." Angeal said, he had been hoping that Genesis would let the matter drop. He was only fourteen, how was he supposed to know his future? "I think that no matter what, the person always has a choice."
Genesis nodded.

"Okay." Said Angeal, moving to lighter ground. "My turn. Do you think the Defense and the Assault are practically the same form?"

Genesis chuckled as he stood. "Of course they are. Forms are so useless, anyway. When do you actually use one of those forms in the middle of a battle?"

Angeal had used them quite a lot. Genesis always seemed to pull his strategies out of the air. But even then, Genesis would normally beat him, so maybe there was a point to his logic. Genesis believed that memorizing the forms were a waste of time, but he had no problem memorizing each line of Loveless.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I forgot that you've grown a terrifying attraction towards fire."
"Terrifying?" Genesis said, making a ball of flame dance across his knuckles.

"Honestly, I think that magic is cheating in a battle, there's no fairness in it."
"But you've always been stronger with the sword then me. People without physical strength need to make it up with something." Genesis dropped the ball of flame into the stream.

Maybe it was a compliment when he said that Angeal was stronger with the sword. It wasn't that Genesis gave insults to someone, but most of the time he didn't give compliments either. On the other hand, Angeal wasn't quite sure where Genesis had gotten the idea that he wasn't strong with a sword. He was always able to hold his own in a fight, once he even knocked Angeal flat on his back.

No, strength wasn't it. It was the dramatic, it was the attraction, the stimulation. Genesis had a hard time finding that in sword-fighting.

But he found it easily in magic.

"We should probably be heading home." Angeal said, noting the position of the sun through the trees. He stood.

Genesis gathered his sword, which was lying on the ground. He held it with the confidence and assurance of someone who knew how to handle a deadly object.

As they made their way out of the forest, Genesis suddenly stopped and sighed, looking at the sky.

"What?" Angeal said, startled. He scanned the sky.

Out of the blue, Genesis asked, "Angeal, have you ever wished that you could fly?"