~ I Want to See Your Teeth, Girl ~
The Archfiend of Wind bears a small, superficial resemblance to Kain's first love. Sure, they both have blonde hair and dress in armor that is little more than a glorified bikini. But that is where the resemblance ends.
His feelings for the sweet, frail White Mage - which would never be reciprocated - were what allowed the shadows to take over his heart, and make him into Golbez's puppet.
Even if she looks mostly human, Barbariccia is a monster. She is a whirlwind of claws and teeth, magic and raw strength. She takes an interest in him, for some reason - perhaps because he is a Dragoon, perhaps simply because she is bored.
They spar - hand-to-hand, no magic, she without her tornado shield, and he without the use of his spear.
He suspects that she could beat him easily even without using magic, for she is an Elemental Archfiend, one of the strongest monsters in the world. But that isn't what these sessions are about, and she seems content to spend an hour or so repeatedly throwing him to the ground and snagging his skin with her claws and fangs, leaving only small scratches that aren't worth wasting a potion to heal.
She obviously tempers her strength to draw these encounters out, but he doesn't mind. He likes being close to Barbarricia. She carries with her a scent that reminds him of the sky, up where the air is thin and the clouds are within reach of his hand.
And if their sparring sessions, with increasing frequency, end with her curled up on his chest like a cat, content with her victory, and him burying his face in the wild masses of her hair to breathe in her scent and idly wonder when he'll ever have the opportunity to casually swipe his hand through a cloud again, so what...
~end~