Title: Word of the Day v. FFIV
Author: Garnet Eyes
Archived: fanfiction .net, livejournal .com
Last Updated: 03 Feb 2011
Summary: 14 September 1999 edition.
Rating: K+
Characters/Pairings: Kain
Author Notes: autodidact, noun;
1. One who is self-taught.
Disclaimers: Final Fantasy IV is owned by Square-Enix and I in no way, shape, or form profit off of my writing. This is simply for my own pleasure, and may at any time be removed and/or modified as I see fit.

...

His father died when Kain was very young, having never shown his son the skills that made the Highwind name stand out among the royal guard. The blonde had been taught by others well enough, but none of them knew what his father had known; the skills of his clan were as good as dead and buried in Richard Highwind's empty grave. Kain was not, however, of any type of nature that would admit defeat so easily. He'd seen his father in action and had vague – extremely vague – recollection of that. He knew all of the general skills of the dragoon as had been taught to him. It was entirely unacceptable to have the Highwind name fade due to some kind of laziness or apathy on his part. So he had no instructors to make him stand out amongst his peers; he would simply have to devise his own means. It would be tricky, and he had no way of knowing if he was redeveloping his clan's skills or creating a brand new set, but his was a name that would be remembered no matter what struggles he needed to overcome.