Feather Flight: All
Life is a
An AU Kuja fic, shonen-ai, language
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“We’re getting close now…” Kuja looked forward at the driver’s terse comment, not understanding the context. The shaggy haired blond, whose name had yet to sink in, was gesturing at the other vehicle, some cryptic code of hand waving. Their resident general seemed to understand the message well enough, fishing in his pack abruptly for a pair of binoculars that he trained first on the road ahead, and then on the sky around them.
“What, what’s going on…?” Hating to be out of the loop, the genome reached forward to poke the man sharply. “What the hell are they going on about.”
“Remember that post we past this morning?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s moved every week, every day sometimes. We use them to mark the quarter-mile buffer.”
“Buffer to what?”
“Where the road goes hostile.”
Blinking, he looked over his shoulder and then back to the unremarkable canyon country ahead of them as they exited the mountains. It didn’t look any different then it had an hour ago, or where they had camped for the past several days. “So there are Selwe /here/? Behind the army?”
“Stingers have an effective range of about sixty miles, Mr. Kuja. We’re about that far from the front. Now, there may not be anything exciting between here and the rear guard, but we can’t guarantee it so we mark the roads to remind people… Scouts run them about once a day to make sure that there’s nothing camping out…”
“Lovely.” Kuja snorted. “So what happens if we do run into something nasty…?”
Gerrick looked back at him in annoyance. “My men make use of the extra hardware we’re carrying and hope for a miracle, or another demonstration of what the hell you think you’re going to be doing here.”
The pale courtier smirked. “Of course, general. I /live/ to serve.”
“… I’ll believe that when I see it…” His mutter was almost lost in the sound of the vehicle. The genome let the grumble pass un-remarked on. He cold forgive the soldier a little stress with the end of their little solo-adventure almost done. The last thing he could want was a disaster to fall now, practically in sight of the main army. Looking over at his companion in the back seat, he noted that the young doctor was dozing off. This time it was Anne who was sleepy, not him. She probably had less experience with the wear and tear of travel then he did, and no magic to bolster her energies. They would be in camp by dark. He didn’t see why she couldn’t snooze the rest of the morning away. Someone would wake her for lunch.
Watching the cliffs as he was, he caught the signal at the same time as his driver did, the truck ahead of theirs slamming on the breaks as the escorting troopers scrambled to respond to the threat. Kuja gripped the side of car and his dozing assistant carefully as the vehicle skidded to a halt.
Content to sit still as the army men scrambled around him, he listened for the thrumming he had been told about, picking it out of the air easily now that the engines had stopped. It almost reminded him of the sound of turbines instead of the swarm it was. Coming across the ridge, the iridescent flash of wings was almost pretty, certainly nothing like he’d ever encountered before. He watched the first of the snipers take a shot and have it deflect off the naturally iron-hard armor, knowing their spindly appearance was deceptive.
“Um… Kuja… aren’t you going to… help? Maybe?” Crouched down into her seat, the pretty medic gave him an exasperated look.
“… In a minute… I’ve never seen them before, would be a shame to waste the opportunity.” One of the insects tried to dive-bomb a gunner, causing the man to scramble out of the way.
Annoyed, the mage pulled a little power and shielded the trucks from a repeat attack. The second dive-bomber bounced off the invisible obstacle with startled chirp before the soldiers took advantage of its hesitation to shoot it down. He couldn’t help but appreciate the deadly efficiency with which they moved. They were men who knew their business.
As interesting as it was to watch the aliens hovering in the air, they were in the way of his reaching Laro before sunset. After a week on the road, he found his patience wearing short. He cleared his throat politely. “… right. That was fun. I’d like to try something now if you gentlemen wouldn’t mind?”
Wiping dust from his face, Gerrick just gave him an evil look. “By all means…”
“Perhaps a bit of a reprieve from the heat…” Kuja waited until the majority of the flitting aliens were in a tight group, and targeted as many as he could in the ice-spell building in his fingertips. The shift in temperature could be felt even on the ground, a cool breeze from nowhere carrying tiny flakes of snow as it raced through the canyon.
The tiny flurries dissolved in the hot air. The same couldn’t be said for the larger chunks. Several of the Stingers were completely enveloped in the rapid forming crystals, falling to earth and shattering in cold explosions. The ones not directly hit were still caught by the freezing temperatures, wings and thinner limbs suddenly brittle and snapping, robbing them of purpose. Gerrick and his shoulders moved out of the way as the aliens dropped to earth, moving among the cold-shocked creatures to finish the last of the brutal cleanup work. The genome watched a moment in dispassionate curiosity before returning to the relative civility of the truck.
“How do you feel?”
“Fine, Anne… just fine. You?”
The doctor smoothed her hair and reached for her bag of supplies. “Still… wouldn’t hurt to check…”
“If it makes you happy,” he agreed blandly.
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” grumbled the general as he pulled himself into the truck after the driver. “Before whoever they were reporting back to notices they’re not here anymore.”
“Swarms tend to work on the principle of a hive mind, general.” The mage replied as he allowed an arm to be cuffed and prodded at. “…’They’ probably already know.”
“Well you’re just a fountain of good news then, aren’t you.” Waving the other vehicle ahead, he sat back in his seat with a frown, eyes still watching the sky.
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His driver’s happy whoop pulled his attention away from his map and towards the horizon. The truck’s wild bump and jitter was disorienting, but years of experience had him squinting through the dust following the course of hillside to a destination suddenly in sight. Along the top of the bluff the gray bulk of Laro’s army stood entrenched, satisfyingly large and un mauled. Stretching across the narrow valley, making the slow climb up the exposed slope was the bulk of his own veteran force. Despite the fast march they’d be in high spirits by nightfall, reunions were rare things after all. Scratching his chin, the old general couldn’t remember the last time he had actually laid eyes on his protégé.
// … I wasn’t there when they pulled him off the field… should have been… should have been there for the boy… from the stories, he was about two days away from becoming just so much dog meat when they found him… //
A lifetime it seemed, he has been at war, from the very beginning almost. It was uncanny how that one year could stand out as worse then the others. Maybe it was because they had been closer to victory then ever before, the fall had just felt all the farther because of it. They’d get it back some how. Laro had come back, and together they’d whittle their persistent foe back down to size.
“It seems that Nazer-kai’s army is under attack sir…” Handing binoculars back, over his shoulder, his aide pointed to the skies on the far side of the bluff.
Ibat fumbled the optics a moment, distracted as his truck tore past the rear-most teams of his army. He spared a wave for the unit commander before getting the gear pointed right-way-round and looked through them. A blurry cloud of black specks hovered and swept the air above the army, occasionally stirred into even more erratic patterns by mortar fire and sweeps of laser light. He hissed at the sight of the Stingers, fiddling with the focus until he could magnify the view. Projectiles were flying both ways. Trying to track the flying beast’s movements was dizzying but even at distance he didn’t make the mistake of thinking that all was well with his old student’s army.
“… the bastards are dropping rocks?” Annoyed, he moved to pass the binoculars forward again in time to see the flash of distant explosion. “… shit… not rocks? Where’d they get…” It wasn’t worth asking. His men knew as much as he did at this point, and the air, if it had secrets, wasn’t likely to share them.
Another fan of light erupted from two monstrous looking cannons, clearing a swath of air and giving Laro’s army some breathing room. It had to be like trying to swat gnats. He sympathized with the gunners. “… how much fuel do we have?”
“Half a tank, sir…?” The officer behind the wheel spared him a curious glance. “We should be in camp within the hour, depending on the road.”
“Use the reserve tank and step on the gas, son. I want to be there /now/.” He leaned back and folded his arms across his chest to a startled chorus of ‘yes sir’s.’ So close to where he wanted to be, it was irritating to watch a battle and know damn well that by the time he got there, it’d be over.
His officers seemed to grab the gist of his mood, talking as quietly as they could over the roar of the engine. At top speed even the small bumps in the road threatened to send them all flying. He braced his feet against the floor in defense, eyes studying the land, the sky, and the swarming insects. It wasn’t impossible that they’d notice his arrival and divert some energy to attacking his convoy. Silently he dared them to try.
With a lurching heave, the sturdy jeep pulled itself up the initial slope. Tires skidded and slipped against the bare rock before catching hold and throwing them forward. Ibat nearly had to catch his aide by the head to keep himself from being propelled into the windshield. The younger man got an unintentional fist to the back of his skull instead, brushing off his grunted apology with a weak smile even as he rubbed what would likely be a welt later.
They were all too busy watching the sky to pay much attention to the flurry of activity around them. The general hoped his driver was sane enough to keep his eyes on the road, engrossed in watching massive cannons, all the more impressive close up, he wasn’t sure he’d notice if they hit someone until after the poor soldier was under the tires. Resting on massive treads, the pair of armored guns were positioned on either side of the bluff’s highest point. Men moved around and over the smooth bulk at a frantic pace as the top half pivoted smoothly to sweep the sky again. They were monstrous machines. He couldn’t wait to see what they were capable of.
“… Looks like that lazy idiot boy of mine has been hoarding all the good toys… doesn’t it…” He laughed as their road brought them close to the base of one of the guns. His officers looked up in awe as the long barrel swung overhead.
// I had heard that crazy old woman was up to something back at home… but these… no wonder Laro’s content to sit tight and be harassed… the Stingers can’t be more than a minor annoyance so long as these big fellows run smoothly… //
They drove past a third massive shape, well wrapped under tarps. It hinted that there was a backup in the wings should something go wrong. The old soldier grinned at the sight. Dean Finlay always had been a thorough woman. The truck’s progress necessarily slowed as they got closer to the center of camp, the crowds of troops, even orderly as they were, were /everywhere/ shifting position as fresh men replaced those coming off the hillside ahead. He reached over the side of the vehicle to tap a dusty looking officer.
“Where’s the Kai?”
“Sir?” Blinking in surprise, the young captain did a double take at the sight of his insignia. “Sir! Welcome to camp sir…”
“Yes yes, where’s Nazer-kai…?”
“There’s been an attack at grid 14, sir. Drones. He’s assisting the troops.”
“Personally?!”
“Yes sir. That’s what I’ve heard.”
The general patted the man on the shoulder and signaled them to drive on to the command area. He couldn’t help but huff in irritation.
// Damned man never learns to stand back and /watch/ what the hell is going on… always has to be in the middle… //
It had been what had caused his fall the last time after all. Older, and hopefully wiser, Ibat chewed his lip as they pulled to a halt in front of some of the larger structures. Petty officer spilled out of one of the tents, ready to run and fetch at a moment’s notice. He let the commander at his side snap out all the basic orders, waiting for a lull before he began the ‘grand procession’ to the look out point. The view was admirable, giving him easily several hundred miles of panorama, most of it taken up with armies of some form or another. Men and machines made up most of the rocky hillsides, a thick blanket of proactive mayhem defending the camp on the ground, while the new cannons swept the air. Crawling up the base of the bluffs the polished black carapaces of the Drones were easy to pick out against the bleached sandstone. A large knot of them were being held off to the north, more men moving in that direction to assist their friends in maintaining the hills.
He tapped one of the field officers, a man whose arm was splinted and generously wrapped, to get his attention. “… The Kai?”
“… Huh? Oh!” The soldier sketched a salute with his good hand before offering his spy-glass. Ibat waved it away, nodding at the fight below to remind the man of his question. “He’s on the ridge sir… a bit hard to see… there… a bit behind the first of the bugs…”
Squinting, the grizzled general could make out a slightly taller-than-average fighter wielding an oversized spear with familiar precision. The sight made him smile. “He seems to be doing alright then. How long?”
“They started their accent about an hour ago… they should give up soon… they don’t have much daylight left.”
“The bugs actually fall back before sundown?” He turned, curious to hear the latest behavioral ‘changes.’ If what he had seen during his journey was any hint, Laro’s team had to be dealing with a significantly evolved enemy from normal. The men seemed to be taking it in stride.
The wounded captain nodded seriously, “They’ve started pulling back close to five miles… just far enough that night-work has become a challenge…”
“… clever little things…”
“Damn creepy if you ask me… that and the technology…”
“We saw bombs… what’s that all about…” He pointed down at a small explosion below as an example.
“They’re like grenades as far as we can tell… we’re still waiting for someone to pick up a dud so we can study it… It hasn’t been a priority.” Scratching his chin, the officer grimaced. “… It’s more than that though… the scouts have started seeing energy weapons out on the plains… and other things too… larger Drones and meaner looking ones.”
Ibat raised an eyebrow. “Any sign of a large hover-plate in the area?”
“No sir.” Alarmed the younger man gave him a worried look.
Shrugging, the general made light of his question. His attention was pulled away from the conversation entirely by a sudden shout at his elbow. Another observer, scanning the horizon grabbed blindly for his radio, almost fumbling it as he began shouting coordinates. Several yards away, a more conventional piece of artillery swung about to obey, aiming further down the hillside. Something was pushing against the general tide of retreat, wading amongst the trundling drones with the thin-legged elegance of a heron among the ducks.
At first Ibat couldn’t believe that something that big could have escape the perimeter observers. Then he almost rubbed his eyes in disbelief as the spindly monster all but disappeared before his eyes. The dark shape wavered crazily in the heated air rising off the desert like a mirage. The very scrawniness of it was its secret. Spidery, it picked its way over the slower moving troops.
Alerted by the crackle of radios across the hillside, Laro’s team was making frenetic work of the last of the Drones while others shifted position to try and deal with the new adversary. The older general watched with alarm, knowing that taking down an opponent 26 feet tall on eight legs was not a trivial matter. He hadn’t seen one in years, but he remembered how fast the specialized aliens could move when it suited them. What they couldn’t walk over they could pull down, or puncture with their sharp feet.
// Is there really only one of them… where are the others… //
He signaled the observer to recheck the area, knowing the man was probably already in the process of doing just that. Old habits were coming back as old enemies reemerged. Somebody had gotten several mortars into position, aiming without success for the modest bulk of the insect’s body where it hung in the air. The other soldiers had to contend themselves with going for the heavily armored shafts of the monster’s legs. Maybe someone lucky would get a joint, but otherwise they were simply there to run interference while the artillery reloaded.
Sunset began with an artistic splash of orange across the desert, highlighting the hilltops and making them look like waves in an ocean. It was very pretty, and completely the worst thing as far as visibility went. Appearing wraith-like from the shimmering light, another two spindly horrors emerged to follow the first. The officer with the radio grimly rattled off the new information.
Watching the newcomers, he almost missed the first spider’s sudden demise. Glancing over, he thought for a strange moment that it had spawned another leg before recognizing the spear for what it was. Spitted through the center, the creature fell to earth in a tangle, causing men to scramble out of the way. Only one man had the physical strength, not to mention insanity, to try a stunt like that. He wished the younger general luck in freeing his weapon from the corpse fast enough to take care of the next two.
In the waning light it was impossible to say which of the scrambling bodies was Laro’s. He just had to hope the man wouldn’t do anything too stupid. “… Tell the teams on the south side here to start pulling back, and get the artillery to pick off the one at the back. They should have a clear shot.”
// Laro won’t mind a bit of audience participation… or if he does, he shouldn’t go diving into things and leaving me to my own devices… //
He stuck his hands in his pockets, stretching to alleviate the stiffness of a day being jostled in a truck. Orders were relayed with commendable efficiency. He had the pleasure of hearing the business-like scream of seven-inch shells ripping through the air over the heads of the retreating army. One or two of the slugs seemed to find their target, moving as it was, a third round shattered one of the spindly legs near the top. The severed portion dropped to earth like a felled tree, spraying goo as it went down. Assaults, he randomly recalled, were definitely messy kills.
The remaining insect’s escape route was cut off by the arrival of reinforcements. Ibat turned away from the cleanup, well satisfied with his part in things. Waving for his aides, he stomped back to the command tent to review Laro’s maps. The ‘man of the hour’ would be back soon, likely covered in random slime and ready to collapse. He didn’t want to waste the younger general’s time answering questions that he could just research on his own. They could work out the official sharing of command in the morning.
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Kuja had no idea how the others knew where they were going. The glare of the vehicle’s headlamps did much to illuminate the rocky soil and occasional sickly stalks of grass, but gave little clue that he could see to tell them where they were. For all he knew they were going in circles. Luckily the drivers seemed confident that they were following the ‘road.’
They had lost time on the rough terrain. Dinner had been a hurried event, the officers deciding to push on rather than risk camping on their own so close to the battle lines. The genome was inclined to agree with them, not willing to test his full strength under fire just yet. Too awake from his earlier naps to sleep through the last stage of the trip, he tried not to begrudge his return to the role of ‘pillow’ for the sleeping doctor. Reaching behind the seat to where their precious cargo was stored, he burrowed his fingers past the protective cloth to where the crystal shard lay singing in its cocoon.
//
“You awake back there?”
He glanced forward again at the question. “Of course, but our good doctor is down for the count.”
“Let her sleep. The camp’s just ahead. You can see the sentries there by the outcrop.”
“Why don’t they use fire or something? How can they just stand there in the dark?” Kuja grumbled, annoyed at how the bright headlights effectively blinded him to anything tucked further in the darkness. Gerrick must have known what he was looking for to make out anything in the shadows of the bluffs ahead.
// Actually… there are lights… higher up on the hill… // He raised a hand to block out some of the glare, able to see finally the prickly irregularities along the hilltops that had to be thousands of tents and campfires. His eyes widened as he took on the scale of the temporary military city.
“Light can attract the bugs, so can heat… the sentries don’t need either.” The sour general explained tersely, eyes on the road ahead. “We’d much rather see the bugs before they see us, after all…”
“Fair enough.” Shrugging, the genome let the sarcasm slide. He wasn’t interested in picking fights. Mentally he willed their truck to go faster. So close to his goal, he found he couldn’t feel at ease until he had seen for himself that Laro was still alive and in one piece.
Gerrick looked back at him suddenly, as if reading his mind. “… Have you figured out how you’re going to break the news to him yet?”
“What news in particular?” He grinned sharply, “I rather imagine he’ll notice that I’ve arrived without out me having to spell it out for him.”
“The whole magic thing… As far as I could tell before he left, the Kai ss perfectly content to treat you like you’re made of glass… Forgive me if I just don’t see him taking the news that you want to go toe-to-toe with the Selwe very well.”
“He’ll get over it.” Kuja replied heartlessly. As much as he had thought things over on their journey, he didn’t have any concrete plans. Partly it was because he told himself that he wouldn’t know what tactic to use until he saw for himself the state of the army. Mostly, he was ashamed to admit, it was because he couldn’t seem to get past the first thirty seconds of any plan. Once he got to the point where he actually /saw/ the man again, he would freeze up, emotion overruling logic and leaving him with a silly smile and no plan at all. It was a concern that real life would play out much the same way.
// I’m going to gape like an idiot and he’s going to think I was hit in the head along the way… Won’t /that/ be a great way to start off our reunion… //
There was nothing to be done now but sternly tell himself to stop making such a fuss over one stubborn, illogical, far-too-charming soldier and get on with the smiting. // You’re a mage. // He reminded himself. // Calm, aloof, a reserved fount of wisdom and power… not a swooning virgin, and definitely not someone who is going to make a spectacle of themselves in front of god knows who… Just walk up to him… look him in the eye… and… don’t smile. //
He smiled at the thought.
// Damn it, Kuja! Listen to yourself ! //
The giddy feeling refused to cooperate. He distracted himself with waking up the napping woman and helping her fuss with her bags. As much as he would never dream of telling her, he was beginning to tire of her constant prodding. The sooner she could be hustled off to the medical tent to be with her own kind, the sooner he could get some breathing room again. He appreciated her efforts, but there was a limit to his new found friendly impulses.
Anne’s constant nagging about his physical wellbeing reminded him uncommonly of Mikoto. His not-sister had undoubtedly found something new to prod at, if she was still alive. Maybe Zidane was her new scientific subject. It was too much to hope for that she jab the stupid monkey-boy with needles at any random opportunity.
He schooled his face back to its usual disinterest as they pulled through the encampment. There was a proper way to do things after all, years of reading about heroes and adventures had to be good for something. So far, they were sadly unhelpful when it came to dealing with real life. He didn’t like to admit that maybe he wasn’t cut out for ‘nice’ after all.
// Once a villain… always a villain… even if just a mediocre one…. But hell… given how overly kind and good Laro is most of the time… he /needs/ a little more villainy in his life… //
If everyone else was going to be blinded by hero worship, it was the least he could do to watch the poor man’s back. Reaching forward, he prodded Gerrick rudely. “Where is he.”
“Pushy little thing, aren’t you.”
“I want to see him.”
“We’re going straight to the command area… don’t be so fussy…” the General leaned back and smirked. “I promise to deliver you with full pomp right to his very doorstep… provided that he’s at home, of course.”
Kuja gave his friendly enemy a cool glare. “… You’re enjoying this, aren’t you.”
“More than words can say. Now sit tight and let me find your besotted… god I can’t even finish the sentence. Have I mentioned lately that the pair of you are immoral?” The truck rolled to a stop in front of a pair of rather official looking tents and the officer hopped out to quickly consult with their rapidly gathering audience of junior officers and assistants. Whatever news was being related, it seemed to get his whole attention. The genome huffed in annoyance at being ignored.
“Excuse me.” He reached out and tugged on a nearby cadet.
The boy turned around and jumped in surprise. “You… I know you… you’re the one who…” Kuja smiled brittly, unsure if he was amused or depressed at his unique brand of fame. There had once been a time when people had quivered in fear at the stories told of him. Lately there seemed to be rather more blushing instead. It was a depressing change. He decided to cut the lieutenant off before he got distracted.
“Yes. Quite. Where is Nazer-kai?”
“He’s… I mean… He’s…”
“Right this way, Mr. Kuja…” Gerrick’s voice dripped with sarcasm as he gently coaxed the soldier back into the crowd and opened the door in pretended chivalry. “… It seems you’re just in time. Our beloved general is in camp for the foreseeable future while his injuries are being tended to.”
“Injuries?!”
The young general simply sighed. “… come along, they’ll show the way…” Too anxious to complain about his rudeness, the genome followed quietly.
Compared with the city, the level of technology in the camp was impressive. Around the main tents electric lamps prevailed over torches, and the number of machines and vehicles was greater than he expected. Despite the late hour people were still moving briskly around the roads, repairing and preparing for the next day’s action. Curious, he took it all in, adding it to his plans.
// If the mechanics here are as good as those at the college, that would be useful indeed… //
His thoughts returned to the present as they stepped into a largish tent. Anne was chatting to another young man wearing now-familiar medical robes. She turned to beckon him as her new friend waited. “… He’ll take you in to see the Kai now. I’m going to go set up the… you-know-what somewhere quiet.”
Nodding, he followed his escort. Her comment only reminded him that he still hadn’t decided what to tell Laro. He saved that worry for another time. Nobody else seemed very concerned about ‘the great kai’ being injured, so it couldn’t be that bad. Sighing, he steeled himself and ducked through the canvas partition. His arrival seemed to have come at a lull in conversation. Gerrick turned away from an older soldier to give him a sardonic look. The genome dismissed him with a snort, immediately fixing on his primary interest.
Laro looked altogether stunned, almost forgetting to keep pressure on the wad of bandages he was holding against his shoulder. Dirty, filthy really, but very much alive, he was stripped to the waist as one of the senior doctors prodded at his back. Opening his mouth to say something, the dark-man fumbled it and simply blushed. To his dismay Kuja found his brain to be completely useless as well. If they had been alone, he’d have simply kissed the man and gotten it over with, but pride kept him in place.
The youngest of the three generals sighed in cynical amusement. “Ibat-kai, I have the… honor… to present to you… Mr. Kuja… chief strategist at court. He’s come in order to have real-time data for his brilliant deductions… Nazer-kai, I imagine you’re already /well/ acquainted…” The white haired officer calmly pulled another drag of his cigar while Laro managed to look even more dumbstruck. Gerrick bowed crisply. “Now that he is arrived, my mission is complete. If you general’s don’t mind, I shall retire until the staff meeting in the morning?”
Eyes flickering to read Laro’s condition, the older general nodded, lips hinting at a smile. “Sleep well, general.”
Kuja swore he could hear the young officer snigger under his breath as he made his escape. He suppressed a smirk. Staring at Laro, no matter how tempting, was hardly professional. Instead he made an effort to inspect the room first, and then the other general. Easily in his sixties, Ibat was a rather formidable presence, despite his relaxed air. Sharp eyes studied him through the curls of smoke, occasionally flickering over to the dark man on the bed. Not for the first time, the genome lamented that his lover had a terribly expressive face.
“Well well… beauty and brains… I don’t know whether to congratulate you, or be afraid for you…” The comment only made Laro cringe, muttering something intelligible in replay.
“Did he tell you I’ve known him since he was just a little punk cadet with delusions about being a ‘hero’…?” The officer looked away from his former student to smirk at their new arrival. “… he never listened to me, and now look at him, bloody commander in chief of the army…”
“… Nazer-kai seems a man to go his own way in things… whatever they might be.” Kuja tilted his head, wondering how the older commander would fit into his plans. “… You too have seen your share of military success after all.”
“I’m an unimaginative grunt.” He disagreed. “Good at thinking on my feet and taking opportunities presented, but never had a knack for doing the impossible.”
“… Not crazy like me, you mean?” Finding his voice at last, Laro tried for a smile. Unfortunately the doctor managed to prod something painful at the same time and it degenerated into a hiss.
“Idiot, how many times have I told you… generals aren’t supposed to stick their necks out…”
“… what am I supposed to do, sit on my hands and watch as I send men off to die?”
“You can’t lead your troops effectively if you don’t pull your head out of the fray long enough to look around… take today for instance.” Ibat took a breath, obviously capable of launching into a lecture on the subject, but was stalled by a placating hand. He followed the pointed finger and stared at their guest. There was definite humor in the pale depths of the soldier’s eyes. “Begging your pardon, master-strategist.”
“No no… Don’t mind me, I entirely agree with you. He /is/ an idiot.” Kuja stepped forwards, shooing the medic back as he made his own inspection of the wound. Fingers trailed hesitantly along his partner’s well-muscled arm to hover over his freely bleeding shoulder. Somehow it was easier to keep things professional when he didn’t look the soldier in the eye. “… A few inches to the left and I’d have arrived in time for your funeral, /general/…”
“A doctor as well? Goodness Laro, aren’t you aiming a little above your usual?”
The general cringed, “I was being careful.” to Kuja, and “Will you stop talking about that?” to his mentor.
“… and you’re bleeding like a stick pig…” The genome chose to ignore the teasing about Laro’s former lovers. He couldn’t help but be curious, but there was plenty of time for gossip later. For now he was more worried about the damaged arm. It looked as though the dark man’s shoulder had been neatly impaled by something. They could bind it up, but Laro would be out of action for a while, not to mention in pain. It seemed silly when there was such an easy alternative.
// … well… it would naturally bridge the conversation over to the /other/ reason I’ve come all this way. Probably the only reason he hasn’t yelled at me yet is because we’re in company… //
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“I really was being careful…”
Looking to the doctor for agreement, Laro seemed to know he was trapped. The man could only shrug.
For his part, Ibat was watching the courtesan with avid curiosity and ignored his plight. It was alarming how easily he could accept that the man was suddenly /here/ and not safely tucked miles away in the castle. He shook his head, rejecting the comforting feeling of the pale scholar’s presence in favor of coherent thought. Audience or not, he couldn’t wait for privacy to demand an explanation. “Really, Masa… what are you /doing/ here? I thought I told you to stay put!”
“I came to see you, of course.” The silver-haired man arched an eloquent eyebrow, daring the soldier to scold him. “… Among other things.” He tisked sternly, “What happened to you? You look like someone tried to run you through.”
“Something /did/ run me through…” He agreed mildly, refusing to be distracted by the throbbing in his shoulder. “… It’s not safe here… you should be with the Duke.”
“Strange, he rather thought I should be here…” As dainty as his fingers were, Kuja touched the wounded flesh with little hesitation, inspecting it with a professional sort of detachment. Laro tried not to wince as the injury complained at the intrusion. There was something going on that he didn’t yet understand. A second doctor, this one a rather cute redhead, appeared at the door and exchanged a look with the courtesan that contained an entire conversation.
Eventually his prickly lover sighed, “Well we can’t exactly afford to pull you off the field for a month while this heals, now can we…”
“I’d dearly love to hear another option.” Ibat murmured in agreement.
“I don’t think that long explanations will be necessary.” Kuja replied briskly, spreading his hand over the wound, fingertips just touching the skin around the edges.
His almost sub vocal murmur made the general look up in surprise, but the question stalled on his lips, shocked to silence for a second time that night; this time by the incandescent ripple of light that poured forth from his lover’s fingers. For a moment there was nothing but a warming cocoon of silence and when it drained away, he was left feeling just as grime-covered and hungry as before, but far less tired, and without a sign of bruise or wound anywhere.
“Well well… that’s something I haven’t seen in a long time…” Ibat’s stunned comment broke the last of the spell. Somehow he tore his eyes away from the pale man’s distant expression in order to look past him to where his old teacher sat watching. “…a very long time… How do you feel boy?”
Equally stunned his doctor looked like he was about to have a breakdown, Laro could sympathize with the man. Not knowing entirely what to do either. He watched the pair of medics have a hasty conference which seemed to result in the girl pulling her superior out of the room.
// … So she knew… that Masa… What /was/ that… //
“… I don’t know…” He poked himself in the shoulder, fingers running over where a painful wound had been not a minute before. Everything was as it should be; muscle, skin and bone all in place and intact without any sign that they had been otherwise. It was alarming.
“… pain?” Kuja’s soft question made him pause to think again.
// … magic… Its magic you fool… how the hell can Ibat be taking this so calmly… //
His old friend seemed content to simply watch, or maybe he was lost in memory. It was hard to read the wrinkled features.
“No… no pain…” He stretched a bit, expecting to be sore after the day’s exertions. Nothing, even his shoulders seemed in perfect working order. It was unnatural. It was also rather familiar. He had felt this way once before.
Laro reached up, catching one of the courtesan’s hands in his own. He winced at how grimy he was by comparison and vowed to find a scrub brush and bucket as soon as he stood up. There was something he had to do first.
“… Thank you, Masa.” He smiled, not sure if it was a happy expression or just an awed one. “… I think… that’s the second time you’ve done that… and I never thanked you then… so… Thank you…”
Blue eyes studied him, emotions flickering too fast to read as the delicate man chose his words. “… I’m surprised you remember that… you don’t need to thank me for it. I did it for my own selfish reasons.”
“If an old man might interrupt a moment…?” The older general cleared his throat. “One question, and then I think I’ll let you two… catch up.” Laro couldn’t help but blush again, feeling thirteen all over again. If there were two people in his life he hadn’t wanted to introduce to each other without preparation, it was this particular pair. He had a premonition that it would only get more mortifying, despite Ibat’s seeming approval.
Kuja looked over at him, unfazed in the least by the amused question. “… yes?”
“Are you restricted to the healing arts? Or do you have other talents.”
“… Where I come from, I was never known in particular as a specialist in shamanistic magics.”
“A real mage then. How is it possible?”
“… I believe that I have Laro and yourself to thank for it.” Looking up in surprise, the soldier watched his lover make a vague gesture at the roof. “… The fragments of the towers that you sent back… seemed to have awakened that which was suppressed within me.”
He wasn’t telling the entire truth. Laro knew enough about reading his friend’s posture to see that much immediately.
// Besides, if the towers were all it was… then how… that time on the coast, I know it was him… magic… and that was well before he knew anything about shards. //
Ibat was no fool either, rubbing his chin, still fascinated. “Still… you’d have needed training… where were you from again?” He caught himself before either of them could fumble for an answer. “… ah well… tell me in the morning. These old bones are tired, and if I were you, boy, I’d go find a bath while your guest unpacks.”
Looking down, Laro winced at the reminder of the slime and dust that had hardened into a sort of mud on his skin and clothing; added to that was the now incongruous blood drying on his arm and in his hair. A little cleaning up was definitely in order. He nodded as his mentor slowly exited and gingerly stood as well.
Alone with Masa, he couldn’t help but reach out and catch him by the arm. Not wanting to get him dirty, he hesitated, torn between practicality and some romantic gesture. He settled for a compromise, leaning down to kiss one of the elegant cheeks.
“Idiot.” Anticipating him, even after so long apart, the silver-haired man tilted his face at the last moment so that lips met lips instead.
“… I missed you.”
“I’m glad to hear it. You got my letters?” The murmur was playful, so was the gentle nip of encouragement. Laro replied with a more businesslike pressure, tasting a flavor he had gone without for months.
“Yes, I did. Thank you.” He smiled as hands caught his shoulders, pulling him closer, demanding as ever. Then the lips beneath his stilled and he found himself primly pushed away. Kuja’s expression rather strained. “I’m sorry?”
“… bath, Laro… Now.”
“Come with me?”
“I join you. There’s a few things I need to take care of first.” Kissing him again, the silver-haired man gave him a solid push towards the door. Defeated, Laro moved to obey. Breathing in the cooler night air, he couldn’t help but smile. As much as the cat-man’s arrival could only mean more complications and worry, he could hardly be disappointed at the thought of having him there. Selfish perhaps, but he didn’t care. Still grinning, he set off to find a bucket with determined steps.
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-Lunar