Disclaimer: If I owned FFXII, Reks would have lived.

Bloodfire

Stretching southward from the Royal City of Rabanastre, lay the expansive savannah known as the Giza Plains. This is a land of extremes, for the weather in Giza is of the all or nothing variety. Scorching droughts are replaced with torrential rains; the earth near constantly possessed by either famine or flood. As a result, few people live in this mercurial landscape, save a few well-adapted nomads. Even the fauna are, blessedly, sparse, and most of the vegetation is as brown and dry as the deserts that reside further north.

But there is a brief moment in the year when the plains are nothing short of paradise. After the Rains subside, and scant weeks before the sear of summer sets in, the Giza Plains positively erupt with life. Giant Tortoises rumble around feasting on newgreen river grass. Rabbits frolick beneath the red berry bowers of the Dalamscan Acacia trees.

And the most precious prize of all, the Galbana Lily, bursts into bloom. Fetching hundreds of gil on the market, famed for both its beauty and use in apothecaries, many seek out it's illustrious petals.

o.o.o.

"Reks! Reks, wait up!"

Reks pushed sandy blond hair from where it dripped into his eyes. "Catch up, Vaan!" he called back to his little brother. Carefully, he continued to test his way forward along the riverbank. Most of the ground in the plains had turned to mud during the Rains, but the South Bank along the River Giza was particularly treacherous.

"Stay up on the flat of it, okay Vaan!" Reks called back to his brother. He loved Vaan, really he did, but sometimes his little brother didn't think and tended to get in over his head. Reks had realized long ago that it was better to prevent Vaan from getting into trouble rather than pulling him out of whatever mess he got himself into. They usually took a turn for the spectacular. Reks was still confused about that one time with…

"Hey, Reks!" Vaan's voice was way too close.

"Get back up there!" Reks ordered, whirling around to face a face at Vaan. His brother cackled like a baby hyena, but scampered back up the bank. Reks shook his head, and went back to navigating the sludge.

"Do you see any yet?" Vaan called.

Reks rolled his eyes, but smiled at his brother's antics. "Not yet, I'm looking!" He hollered back. Carefully, he stepped off the mud and into the river properly. Carefully, to avoid startling any Ichthon, he started shifting through the tall reeds that choked the waters near the shore. He was looking for the telltale glint of blood red in the weeds…

"Hey, Reks…"

"Not now Vaan!" He pushed more plants aside, ignoring his brother with practiced ease. He shoved more plants aside; his fingers were splattered with bracken.

"But Reks…"

"Vaan, please!" Reks' blue-hazel eyes narrowed in on a sliver of pink. He carefully pulled out his dagger to hack through the reeds faster.

"REKS!"

He whirled at his brother's scream. Somehow, despite the squelching mud and clear weather, an Urstrix had snuck up on Vaan. The dagger flew out of his hand before Reks even registered throwing it. It sunk into the avian's left wing joint, and the fiend let out an angry snarl. Vaan had fallen backwards, and was skittering out of the way. The furious Urstrix hissed menacingly and raised one talon high to slash at the boy.

"Vaan, get up!" Reks hurled himself out of the river, tugging free his broadsword as he ran. "VAAN!" He slashed high aiming for the head. The Urstrix reared back, squawking; Reks only grazed it high on the chest. Still, the avian bellowed in fury, incensed at the attack. Reks felt the blood run out of his face when another load hiss answered the first, only this one came from behind.

"REKS!" Vaan yelled. He barely scrambled away from the second descending Urstrix as it beat its wings at the boy.

The fiend protested the loss of its prey. Reks pivoted on his heel to lunge at the second avian, his sword running through the left of the torso. It caught on the ribs and Reks couldn't pull it free before the first Urstrix took the opportunity to pounce at him from behind. Desperately, Reks dove after his brother, rolling between the two fiends. Coming to his feet, he snatched Vaan by the back of his vest.

"Go! GO!" he bellowed, pushing his brother in front of him. His mind was reeling from the attack. Vaan had barely gotten away. He'd barely gotten away. But now Reks didn't have either of the precious weapons he'd spent so long saving for. Vaan might have a spare utility knife in his boot. If he'd remembered it.

But Reks rather doubted it.

Latching hold of Vaan's hand, Reks pulled them both through the wet grass. The second Urstrix wouldn't be getting up again, thank the gods. And flocking instincts might keep the first fiend distracted for a few minutes, but…

"SCREEEEE!"

Or maybe not.

"RUN!" He pushed his little brother faster, skipping over a bank. The sloshing from their landing roused a lizard, but to Reks' relief the giant amphibian waddled away in a different direction. The Urstrix was unwilling to follow them through the water, but the clever avian quickly made for a rickety bridge less than a hundred meters to the East. Reks and Vaan barely had a moment to gulp in air before the elder was pulling them along again.

Reks raced west, Vaan gasping behind him, and nearly skidded when the path angled into the glade he knew would offer sanctuary. "Here!" And he shoved his little brother through.

Reks felt the shimmer of magick fall around him like a cloak. He stumbled to a halt, his hands on his knees as breath heaved in his chest. Finally, there were safe. As his lungs steadied, Reks allowed himself to relax. He looked up at his brother's gasp of surprise.

"Whoa," Vaan whispered. His eyes dazzled in the blue light of the glade. "Reks, what is that?"

Reks felt his face pull into a tired smile. He's never taken Vaan so far out of the city before, so he couldn't really blame him for being so enamored.

"That, baby brother," he answered, "Is called a Life Cryst." The floating jewel shimmered in the air, magicks rippling around it. Reks could feel muscles pulling back into place and his shoulders fell at the peace of the glade.

"A Life Cryst?" Vaan echoed. Enamored, the boy carefully reached out a hand. A pulse came from the cryst, and Vaan's eyes fluttered shut at the feeling.

"Yeah," Reks murmured. He walked softly over and put his own hand on the great blue gem. "They're very rare. They're like a giant piece of holy magicite. They can cure just about anything, and a right life saver on hunts, let me tell you."

"Like now," Vaan admitted miserably. "Reks, I'm sorry."

"Vaan," Reks started.

"No!" Vaan insisted. "I'm really, really sorry. You told me to keep watch and those bird things just walked right up! I'm~"

"Twelve," Reks cut in. "Vaan, you're twelve. You're gonna make mistakes sometimes, Vaan, it happens."

"But you lost your sword!" Vaan cried.

Reks made a face. "Yeah," he admitted, "That sucks." He gave Vaan a confident smile. "But I'll get another. Losing you would be a lot worse."

"Really?" Vaan asked quietly.

"Really," Reks nodded. "I've still got an old mythril sword at home. Besides! Can you imagine what mom would do if I came home without her precious little baby boy."

Vaan squawked like a chocobo chick at the teasing and batted away Reks' hand when he tried to ruffle Vaan's hair. Reks just swung around and pulled Vaan into a hug.

"I'm glad you're safe," he whispered into his brother's hair.

"Me, too," Vaan whispered back. He clung to Reks' shoulders, shaking. "Me, too."

Author's notes: Greenfire really was meant to be a one shot. However, I love Ivalice and the inspiration kinda hit me hard. Reks didn't have a lit of screen time, but his personality just struck a chord with me. I really liked him.

And if you look in the Giza's South Bank in the Dry, you really can find a broadsword.