FIC: FFXI: Never Enough Defense

[jecca_mehlota]

Classes are over for the year! (Excluding this Saturday, when my weekend class meets again. But then I'm done until Mexico. So it's all good.) I focused on all the wrong subjects for my A&P final! Yay. NOW I SLEEP FOR A WEEK. Or at least a good twelve hours.

But first! Here is the first of the things I wrote during/for the November prompts I was given! I wrote most everything by hand that month because I am a lunatic, so I've been slowly typing it all up. Aniko wanted this one first, so blame her. (It was her prompt, anyway.)

Title: Never Enough Defense
Author: Jecca Meitahn / twilit_wanderer
Fandom: Final Fantasy XI
Rating: K+
Characters: Onai, Aniko, guest appearances by Hisi Mehlota (Hisime), Ayarei, Ki Harahno (Kihara), Nabiki, and others
Pairing: None, unless Onai/MOAR DEFENSE counts
Wordcount: 6044
Warnings: None
Summary: Something's wrong with Aniko, and Onai thinks he might be the only person who's really worried.
Disclaimer: I don't own FFXI, but I do pay for my account. I do not pay for Aniko's account, but she's checked my portrayal of her characters.
Notes: Prompt provided by Aniko / ineptmagicuser (I'd post the original prompt here, but it was over AIM, so it's kind of fragmented and full of both of us musing on it.)


“Whew!” Aniko breathed out, driving the blade of her great axe into the ground and leaning heavily on the handle. “That was something.” She grinned.

“No kidding.” Hisime grimaced as she crouched to poke at the crawler’s body. “No eggs here,” she added with a sigh a moment later.

Onai looked around nervously. “Are you sure this is a safe spot to be standing around in?”

“Yeah, s’fine,” Aniko assured him. “Worst thing that can happen is we get killed, anyway.”

“Ani!” he yelped as Hisime laughed. “Don’t say those things!”

“I’d be more worried about her getting us lost. She’s the only one with any idea where we are right now,” Hisime said, trailing off to squint at Aniko in mock suspicion.

“You will stay here forever!” Aniko proclaimed, straightening. She hefted her axe into its strap and began to jog away. “There is no escape!”

“Hey!” Hisime shouted, hopping up to follow.

She’d spotted another crawler. Onai stood back and watched as Aniko and Hisime went after it.

“The problem with these guys,” Hisime said as she swung her daggers, “is that the ones with the eggs are all lucky, so they all avoid us! How long is this gonna take?”

Onai nodded, agreeing with the sentiment. The longer they were out here, the more likely something would go wrong and someone would get hurt! Just because this crawler wasn’t presenting much trouble didn’t mean the next one wouldn’t.

With one last swing, Aniko dropped the crawler. “Ugh,” she groaned as she sat down heavily. “Crawler sticky thread all over me.”

“Are you all right?” Onai asked.

“Yeah, just slows me down. I’m fine,” she told him.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m fine,” she insisted.

“You don’t look fine!”

“He’s kinda right, you know. You’ve been off all day,” Hisime said, glancing up from cleaning off her weapons to smirk teasingly. “Out of practice?”

Aniko tossed a clump of moss at her before replying. “I’m just a little tired, I guess.”

“Maybe we should go back to town, then,” Onai suggested. “You can get some rest and come back later?”

Aniko shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m fine, guys, really.”

Hisime stood up. “Maybe that’s not a bad idea, though. We’ve been out here for hours with no luck. I’m getting tired, and I slept in an actual bed last night.” She shot a meaningful look towards Aniko, who only shrugged again.

“Actually, you’re right. I have to meet up with my linkshell in a bit, anyway,” she said after a long pause. “Come on, the exit’s this way.”

“You sure?” Hisime asked, grinning.

“No,” Aniko replied, already taking off.

*~*~*

“Onai! Come!” Aniko grabbed his tunic and tugged him.

“Where are we going?” he asked, prying her off as they walked.

“Ronfaure!” She was nearly hopping in excitement. “You’ve got to see this.”

“See what? It’s not dangerous, is it?”

“It’s a secret,” she said.

“Ani…” He stopped at the base of the stairs leading to the gate out of San d’Oria.

“What?” she asked.

“You’re not going out there like that are you?” Onai gestured at her outfit, consisting only of lightweight slacks and her yukata.

“Yeah. Why? What’s wrong with it?” she asked, confused.

“It’s dangerous out there! There are Orcs!”

She shook her head dismissively. “You and I can handle anything Ronfaure can throw at us. It’s fine Onai. Come on, I want you to see this.”

“At least put something on your feet!” he argued.

Aniko rolled her eyes at him, but obligingly pulled a pair of boots out of her bag and put them on. “Better?”

“Yes,” he said. “So why do we need to go outside?”

“Because if I try it in here I’ll get in trouble.”

The evening air was cool as ever, and Onai frowned, wishing he’d been able to convince Aniko to put on more. Now she was dangerously vulnerable both to attacks from the Beastmen and from exposure to the elements. She could get sick! Someone near the fountain had been complaining about feeling unwell. What if that happened to Aniko, too?

Aniko, focusing intently on channeling some sort of power, was apparently oblivious to his fretting.

What was she doing? Sparks started to pop, and faint crackles of energy began to swirl around her.

“Ani?”

She thrust both arms forward and off to her left the ground and air began to shine. Seconds later, a glowing white orb came bobbing over.

“Look!” she exclaimed. “A Light Spirit!”

“Like an Avatar?” he asked, disbelieving.

“Yup! I made a pact with it.”

Summoning?

“Summoning?”

She glanced at him. “Yeah. Summoning.”

“Is that a good idea?” he asked, uncertain. Summoners were considered heretics, weren’t they?

“I think so, yeah,” she answered, unconcerned. She gestured, and the Light Spirit disappeared, fading back to wherever it had come from. “I’ve been working on it for a while now, actually. I meant to tell you earlier.”

“Summoning is dangerous!” he cried, throwing both arms out. “You’ll get in trouble!” No wonder she’d refused to say anything in town! What would the knights have done?

“No, I won’t. Here, look at this.”

“Summoning is forbidden,” he insisted.

Aniko, channeling energy again, didn’t respond. A moment later, a great, glowing canine came running over to her.

“Look out!” Onai shouted, unable to stop himself even though he knew it was probably just another Avatar. “Is that Fenrir?” he asked only a second later. “You made a pact with Fenrir?”

“Yeah!” Aniko said, commanding the great wolf towards a hapless wild rabbit.

“That-” He gestured uselessly. Was it really a good idea?

Aniko looked at him. “You know there are plenty of others out there who practice summoning these days.”

“It’s forbidden for a reason!”

“Do you even know why it’s forbidden?”

“Well, no, but it’s probably for a good reason!”

“Then why aren’t they making a bigger deal out of it? If they really wanted to stop us, they’d actively do something about it.”

“But what if it isn’t safe?”

The avatar came loping back over and Aniko dismissed it. “It’s safe. Look, it goes away when I tell it to. There aren’t instances of them turning on us once we’ve made a pact with them. If anything, I’m safer with them watching my back.”

Onai bit his lip. He didn’t like it, but it was true that a lot of other adventurers were doing the same, and she did have a point… Still, Fenrir? All he could think of was what had happened to Karaha-Baruha.

“It’s cool,” Aniko told him, grinning again. “Think of all the stuff I’ll be able to do with the Avatars on my side!”

“But-” Onai cut himself off. “Well… I mean. That is really cool! But are you really sure it’s okay?”

“I’m fine. I feel fine,” she told him. “Sure, we had some trouble fighting with them, but-“

“What?! You fought them?”

“Oh, yeah!” she chirped. “How else were we going to convince them to listen to us?”

“You could’ve been killed!”

“Yep,” she agreed. “But I wasn’t! And they won’t turn on me when I call them.”

“How can you know?”

“I just do,” she said, shrugging. “I can’t explain it. And it’s not like I’m summoning the actual Avatar. It’s just an extension of them.”

Onai fiddled with the cuffs on his sleeves. “I guess…” he finally allowed. “Just make sure you always wear enough armor!”

Aniko laughed and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ll make sure I’m properly dressed. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll bring you some!” he promised.

“You really don’t have to,” Aniko protested. “I’ve got it under control.”

“If you’re busy summoning, you won’t be defending yourself! So you have to make sure you have enough defense,” he insisted.

“I never have enough defense, if I ask you,” Aniko said, sticking her tongue out. “I’ll be fine, Onai. I promise.”

He nodded, but inside he vowed to make sure she took her heavy armor with her when she left town.

Aniko laughed and shook her head, as if she knew what he was thinking.

*~*~*

“What, no axe?” Nabiki asked from where she sat polishing her scythe on the steps in Victory Square. Hisime sat next to her, playing with one of her daggers.

Aniko shot a frustrated look at her. “No. You know that.”

“Heh,” Nabiki laughed. “Just checking.”

Wait a minute… “You’re not bringing your axe?” Onai asked. Sure, she had a staff, but great axes were better weapons. She had more experience with an axe, anyway.

“No,” Aniko repeated, shaking her head.

“Why not? What if something goes wrong?”

“That’s what Nabi’s there for.”

“Like anything could go wrong,” the Mithra in question scoffed with a flick of her ears.

“This is Ani we’re talking about,” Hisime pointed out, tilting the blade of her dagger towards where Aniko was standing.

“Don’t do that!” Onai told her.

“Sorry,” she said, not looking apologetic in the least. Her tail twitched mischievously, but she lowered the offending weapon. A second later, she scratched at her scalp with her free hand and asked, “You sure about it, Ani?”

“Sure about what?” Onai asked.

“We’re going hunting in Valkurm,” Hisime answered, flipping her dagger once before sheathing it.

Her answer made no sense, though. The three of them were all perfectly capable of dealing with everything that could be found out in the dunes. Even he knew that. “Why would you need to ask about that?”

Nabiki glanced at Aniko, who bit her lip and seemed about to say something. Hisime, unhesitating, spoke first, however. “We always end up really frustrated when we go out there. Seems like inviting a miserable time, doesn’t it? I’m just making sure they don’t mind.”

Nabiki turned her gaze to Hisime, then finally to Onai, and shrugged and stood, setting her scythe into its grip on her back as she did. “We’re leaving. You coming?”

“To Valkurm? With you?”

“Yeah,” she nodded absently.

“No! It’s dangerous out there.” Onai turned towards Aniko. “You should bring this,” he added, offering a chainmail vest out to her.

“Thanks, but no thanks,” she said, smiling.

“That’s not nearly enough, though!” he protested, pointing at the light armor she had on and pulling out other pieces of gear. “At least take these gloves. Or the boots! It hurts to have something hit your shins.”

Hisime turned to Nabiki and stage whispered, “Don’t you wonder where he keeps it all?” Nabiki chuckled, prompting Onai to scowl at them.

Aniko shook her head but, giving an embarrassed smile, said, “Sure. I’ll take the boots.”

“She really doesn’t need them,” Nabiki said. “If I’m not taking the attacks, one of her summons will be.”

“Just in case!” Onai insisted. “Just because you’re wearing lots of armor doesn’t mean she shouldn’t be.”

“What about Hisi?” Aniko asked. “Her armor’s about the same as mine.”

“She’s better at not getting hurt than you are,” he answered matter-of-factly, sending both Nabiki and Hisime into giggles.

Aniko made a face, but then laughed. “This is true. But yeah, we gotta go now. See you later!” She waved, and the three hurried off towards the chocobo stables.

*~*~*

The areas near the town were all relatively safe. The diligence of the knights and the constant stream of adventurers through the area ensured it. Logically, Onai knew this, even if he still had trouble accepting that some people simply couldn’t bother to properly outfit themselves if they knew they wouldn’t be going through an area that was particularly dangerous. Perceived lack of threat was ne excuse!

Aniko brought her axe down on the giant worm, dropping it in one blow.

She’d been fighting these things nearly as long as she’d been living in San d’Oria, and with her skill level, they shouldn’t be any problem for her.

They shouldn’t be any sort of challenge, and she knew that, so she’d refused to put on the chainmail set he knew she owned.

But she was sweating. Her arms were shaking.

“Ani, let’s just go back to town,” he finally said. “I can come out later and look around.”

“No, it’s okay,” she said reassuringly. “I’ve got plenty of time.”

“But you -!” he started, but couldn’t bring himself to say anything. Instead, he finished, “you’ve got some of your work later today, and you need to get ready, don’t you?”

“Nah,” she answered. “I just need to pick up a few things from my Mog House and I’ll be all set.” She stretched both arms out wide then let them drop to her sides. “I think we need to turn here.”

“But…” Something was wrong! “You look tired,” he finally said.

“I do?” she asked. “I don’t feel tired.”

“But your axe… when you fought the worm, you –”

“Oh, don’t worry about that,” she said, waving a hand. “I’m just really out of practice. Only been working on my summoning lately.”

“You should wear more armor, then,” he told her. “If you’re not fighting as well, then they’ve got more chances to hurt you!”

“No, I’ll be fine,” she protested.

“Ani -”

“Onai, it’s not a problem. Really, I promise, it’s nothing I wasn’t expecting.”

Onai looked away thinking. “And I just remembered that Ki asked me to do this with her, since she’s been sent on the same mission, anyway,” he finally said. It wasn’t entirely true, but it wasn’t a lie, either, and he really didn’t want her out here like this. She didn’t look well!

Aniko looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. “You sure? I mean, we’re already out here…”

“I’m sure!” he said, nodding.

“Back to town it is, then!” she said, almost managing to cover the exhaust as she holstered her great axe. Or maybe he was just imagining it?

Either way, the towering walls of San d’Oria rarely looked as good as they did when he finally caught sight of them again.

*~*~*

“Something’s wrong with Ani,” he told Ayarei when he saw her at the Auction House counter.

“How do you mean?” she asked, putting down gil for something. Food, by the looks of it.

“I mean something’s wrong! She gets tired too fast! I thought she got over her sleeping problems.”

Ayarei placed the goods into her bag and shouldered it. “She’s just overdoing it,” she told him as they started walking. “You know how she gets when she finds a new skill she wants to work with.”

“It’s more than that!” he insisted. “She never forgot how to fight things before!”

“No, but,” she paused to offer him a ginger cookie, which he accepted, “she usually stays in the melee portion of combat, correct? And now she’s working with summoning and spells. It’s just muscular atrophy,” she said before taking a small bite of her own cookie. “When she gets bored of calling up Avatars to fight for her, I’m sure she’ll get back into top shape soon enough.”

“What if she doesn’t get bored of it?”

Ayarei shrugged slightly. “Then I guess she doesn’t. There isn’t much we can do about it.”

Onai stopped walking and looked at her closely. “Aya,” he said slowly, “I keep thinking maybe I’m not being told something.”

She shook her head. “Shouldn’t you be asking her about that? If she hasn’t said something to you, I’m sure it’s only because she’s forgotten to. But I don’t know what all she’s told you.”

“Is it safe?”

“What, summoning?” She handed him another cookie. “She’s having fun, isn’t that what matters?”

“Does that mean it’s not safe?!” he asked loudly, panic laced in his tone.

Ayarei looked up at him wryly. “We’re adventurers, Onai. Of course it’s not safe.”

“I know that!”

She chuckled, then shifted her weight subtly. “I’m sorry to run off on you, but I was about to go out with a group, and they’re all ready to leave. But, Onai, if what Aniko’s doing’s got you so worried, talk to her, alright?”

“Yeah, thanks” he said, nodding. “Be careful!”

“I’ll be sure to,” she smiled, and continued towards the northern portion of town.

*~*~*

“Ani, are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked, knowing she must be sick of hearing it. He was sick of asking it.

“I’m sure,” she repeated. “Really, Onai. I’m not using any of it right now.”

“But why not?” he pressed.

“It’s not practical. What I’ve got on works better for what I need to be doing, and I’m still safe.”

“I don’t like it!” he protested. “Why isn’t this good? It’s stronger, more durable.”

“But I don’t need it,” she told him. “Nothing’s attacking me. They always go for my Avatars, or for someone who’s actually up there hitting them.”

“But what if something happens?”

“Nothing’s going to happen!”

“I don’t want to take the axe. You need your axe! Just in case!” He handed it back to her.

Aniko sighed heavily and stared at it for a minute. “Yeah,” she finally said. “Yeah, you’re probably right. I just wish it didn’t take up so much room.”

Onai nodded, both in satisfaction at seeing her with a real weapon again and in understanding. The staff he carried around got in the way a lot, too. “And you’ll let me know as soon as you need it again because you’re going to go do something dangerous, right?”

“Right,” she said, smiling.

*~*~*

“I sent all the stuff you’d asked me to hold. Did you get it all? Do you have your armor?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m all set,” Aniko nodded absently as she rummaged through her storage. She paused to point towards the fish tank. “It’s this one. You need my help carrying it?”

“Ye- well. No, I think I can get it,” he decided. “You’re sure you have everything you need?”

“Yeah,” she said, turning back to packing. “Thanks for watching them, by the way. I know my Moogle’ll take good care of them, but I think they like more company better.”

“I don’t mind,” Onai told her. He hefted the tank. “Okay, I got it.”

Aniko grinned as she held the door open. “See you in a few weeks, then.”

“Be careful!” he told her as he walked out.

“I will,” she called back.

His Mog House had significantly more room than Aniko’s, so finding a spot to set the tank was easy. He waved his fingers at the little fish – oh, what had she said they were? – before turning around and heading back out to pick up some supplies.

He stopped to check the status of his outgoing parcels on his way back home.

Aniko hadn’t retrieved her Haubergeon.

*~*~*

“I think it is crazy! It is insane,” Kihara stated loudly, thunking her cup down on the table. “I also think I need more tea. Onai, are you going to drink that?”

“What’s crazy?” he asked, nudging the beverage in question towards her.

“Thanks!” she beamed. “Thank you so much! I mean, you can have it if you want. It’s yours, after all, but if you don’t, then thank you!” She paused, hand reaching out for it, and grinned up at him. “You sure you don’t want it?”

“No, it’s okay,” he told her.

“Anyway, Beastmen! I don’t know why they put up with it. I don’t know how, either.”

“Why they put up with what?” Onai had no idea what she was talking about.

“Invasion! Attack!” Kihara drew a circle in the air with one hand. “Coming inside the walls when they know they’re not supposed to do that!”

“Beastmen do a lot of things we think they shouldn’t…”

“At least the Orcs stay out of town! Now. They stay out now. Because we kicked their sorry Orc tails! Orc tails are lame. Have you ever looked at an Orc tail?”

Was he actually supposed to answer that? It was hard to tell with her sometimes. “I try not to look at Orcs at all. I like avoiding them more.”

“Well,” Kihara said, pointing at him, “let me tell you. Orc tails are really, really lame. They aren’t anything at all like Mithra tails, and even Galka tails look nicer. Orcs are just ugly. All over.”

Onai nodded. That was very true. “Orcs are very ugly,” he agreed.

“But I hear Trolls are even worse!” she exclaimed, throwing both arms up. “And they come into town! I never want to go to Al Zhabi if I have to worry about some uglier than an Orc thing coming up to me while I’m in town and stepping on me!”

“They step on people?” Onai asked, stunned.

Kihara shrugged. “I dunno. Probably. That’s what big, ugly things do. Squish!”

Onai shuddered. “That’s gross.”

“Honestly,” Kihara said seriously, “I can understand Mithra, ‘cause we’re cute, and Tarutaru are kinda unavoidable, but who’d want Elvaan or Hume or Galka stuffed up between their toes? Ew.”

“I wouldn’t want Mithra between my toes, either,” Onai said.

“Tarutaru are unavoidable,” Kihara repeated. She leaned forward to rest her chin in her palms and flicked her ears. “I think what gets me the most is that if it weren’t for us, they’d totally lose their whole city! How do you get to that position?”

“I don’t know.” He heard about the Beastmen invasions from Aniko, who sometimes went to assist in the fighting. He didn’t like it. “I wish they could just leave us out of it, though.”

“I know. Hisi said the couple times she was there for attacks, they all seemed really super strong, though, so maybe they’ve got some super secret Beastmen… power giving thing! Or something. They cheat! Maybe that’s why they need help?”

“They’re stronger?” he asked uneasily. “They’re stronger and they still make people fight for them?”

“Well, I guess they don’t make anyone do it,” she allowed, grinning.

Onai sighed and leaned forward to mirror her position, head resting in his palms. They sat in silence for several minutes before he asked, “Have you noticed anything weird going on with Ani?”

“Weird? Like how?” Her left ear flicked twice rapidly and she tilted her head slightly.

“Like, I dunno, she just… She keeps getting hurt.” That wasn’t really the problem, though it was certainly frustrating and worrying.

“She always does that, though. Always,” Kihara said, though she sounded thoughtful. “It is still weird to me that she’s using summoning magic and stuff now, instead of axeing stuff up.” She shifted so she had a free arm and make several chopping motions with her hand. “Yah!”

Onai nodded, frowning.

“Is that it, maybe? She’s always been a warrior as long as I’ve known her. As long as Hisi’s known her, too! Since she came to San d’Oria.”

“Maybe,” he said. “I just don’t like that she’s getting so out of shape. She can’t defend herself! What if something comes up? She doesn’t seem worried by it.”

Kihara shrugged and her ears flicked again. “She’s managed this far pretty good, hasn’t she? Considering everything? I think she has, anyway?”

Onai scratched at his neck. “Maybe I should buy her a shield or some new armor or something.”

Kihara, appearing a bit unsure, merely shrugged again.

*~*~*

“It was just a bad run,” Aniko told him again.

“You’re hurt!” he cried in response. “You’re really hurt!”

“It’ll be fine!” she countered.

“Why didn’t you tell me when you got back that you’d been hurt?”

“Because I didn’t want you to worry!” she told him, though the sentiment was ruined somewhat by the annoyance in her expression.

“You had to go to the clinic!” he continued, fretting over her.

“And they let me out in the same day,” Aniko reminded him.

“But you’ve never been that bad before!”

“It was a really bad run,” she repeated. “The other people there were idiots who couldn’t follow directions.”

“Still…!”

“Onai, I don’t mind. No one died, and I’ll heal up just fine.”

He stood, wringing his hands. What had they even been up against, that she’d been hurt so badly, even through all the armor he’d given to her? Why were they going up against it?

“Do you need anything?” he asked, instead of voicing one of his numerous other questions.

“I’m all set,” she said, looking relieved. “But thanks. I’ll let you know if I change my mind.”

*~*~*

“Onai!” She sounded exasperated and he pulled back, shoulders hunching.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “I just…”

“I know,” she sighed. “And ‘m sorry for yelling.”

“I was scared,” he told her, “when you got hurt hunting… whatever you were after, with your linkshell group. Even through all your armor! And I know you don’t worry about it, and no one else does, but I do. I can’t help it,” he said feebly. “I just don’t want anybody to get hurt.”

“That was weeks ago, and entirely the fault of the others. And none of them will be out with me today,” she reminded him. “Nothing’s gone wrong since then, anyway.”

“But you haven’t done anything since then!”

“Which is why I don’t need that stuff today. I’m just gonna take it easy, okay?”

“You’re still recovering!”

“That’s why I’m going out! This is to help me!” She was annoyed again.

“Right, so if you get hurt, it’ll do more than if you were all healed up and healthy again!”

“That’s not…!” She looked away and bit at her lip. “Onai, I don’t want it.”

“Why?” he asked, not understanding at all why she would say such a thing.

“I just… I don’t, okay?”

“What- But- I don’t understand,” he stammered, still clutching her set of armor.

Aniko looked at him for a long moment.

“I just don’t want you to get hurt again so soon,” he repeated meekly.

She sighed. “I know. You’re right. Here, give me that stuff, okay?”

He handed her the components one at a time while she buckled it on over the lightweight outfit she had on already.

“There,” she said when she finished. “All bundled up and safe, huh?”

“I hope so,” Onai responded, nodding.

“Me, too,” she said. “I’ll see you later, ‘kay?”

He nodded again, and she teleported away.

*~*~*

“Onai, do you have the boarding permit to get on the ferry to Whitegate?”

He startled as Hisime’s voice came over his linkpearl.

“No,” he answered. “Do I need one?”

“You’ll probably want one in a minute, but I don’t have time to get you one,” she said. “I’m sorry. I’m getting on the next boat.”

“Hisi?” Kihara asked, sounding a bit groggy. She must have been asleep. “Hey, what’s up? Did your mission go well?”

“Yeah!” Hisime answered, falsely cheerful. “It went great!”

“Why do I want a boarding pass?” Onai asked, trying to figure out what was going on.

The linkshell was silent for a minute.

“Boarding pass for what?” Kihara asked.

“Hisi asked if I had one for the ferry to Al Zahbi,” Onai told her.

“Well, I don’t. I haven’t got one,” Kihara stated.

“Hisi?” Onai asked again, as she failed to respond.

There was a long silence before Hisime finally answered, sounding reluctant. “Ani’s been hurt bad. They’re bringing her back to Whitegate.”

“They had to go get her?!” He jumped up from where he’d been sitting watching the fire. “What happened? How bad?”

“I don’t know!” Hisime shouted. She paused, then continued, calmer, “I just figured you ought to be told so you could get out there if you could, but you can’t, so I’ll just get you info when I know anything, okay?”

That sounded final, like she was about to swap linkpearls. “Hisi, wait! What about –“

“Boat’s here, Onai, I gotta go. Nabi’s already there, okay? See if you can reach her.”

“Hisime!” he called into the linkpearl, but she didn’t respond again.

“Onai?” Kihara asked after a long pause. “Onai, I’m sure she’ll be okay. Hisi wouldn’t have gone without us if she thought Ani was in a lot a lot of trouble.”

He didn’t – couldn’t - answer, just stood staring at his feet with his hands clenched into fists.

“Onai?” Kihara asked again. “Hey, it’s kinda late, but we could go get something from the tavern, maybe, or… or I could bring something to you?”

“No,” he managed. “No thanks, Ki… You should go back to sleep, if you can.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, voice small.

“Yeah,” he answered. “Yeah, I’ll… I’ll try to talk to Nabiki.” Maybe she’d at least tell him if anyone he knew better was there.

*~*~*

She’d told him it was a total accident. A Lamia had snuck up on her and she didn’t have time to get away. Wasn’t anything she could’ve done. It could’ve happened to anyone unlucky enough and, she’d joked, she was pretty unlucky in that regard.

Onai wasn’t sure he believed that was the whole story, but he also wasn’t sure it wasn’t just worry and stress making him more paranoid than usual.

Kihara was crawling around on the grass nearby. She paused, gave a triumphant cry, and tossed a pebble into the Cheval. “You seen Ani since she got back?” she asked without looking at him.

He shook his head. “I talked to her, but I didn’t go see her.”

“Why not?” She ran her hands through the grass, looking for another suitable rock. She picked up one and peered closely at it, then dropped it back down, unsatisfied. “I’d’ve thought you’d be the first to, and she’ll probably be heading back out soon.”

He shrugged. “I don’t want her to be mad at me.”

Kihara picked up another rock. “Why’d she be mad? It’s not like you did anything. You did nothing!” She tucked the stone into a pocket.

“But that’s it!” he said. “I didn’t do anything, and I should’ve! I failed! I just wanted to make sure she was safe, but she wasn’t! I should’ve made her bring something else, too, like more armor, heavier armor, or a better weapon. Or both!”

Kihara sat up and rocked back onto her heels. “Why would she be wearing heavier armor?” she asked, sounding confused.

“Because it’s safer! It’s what she wore as a warrior, too! She should be -”

“But it’s too heavy!” she exclaimed, tail swishing through the grass. “She can’t wear that anymore, remember? Even the doctor said so this time.”

What?

“What?” he asked.

“What?!” Kihara repeated, appearing completely perplexed.

“She needs to be safe!” Onai said. “Why would she go out without being safe?”

“No, I mean! She should wear armor! Yes! But not the really heavy stuff!”

“Wait, why not?” he asked.

“That’s what got her in trouble this time! Didn’t you hear? She couldn’t run fast enough to get enough distance to summon anything ‘cause she was so weighed down from it!”

“But she wore it all the time before without any trouble! Just because she hasn’t been out fighting on the front line doesn’t mean her ability to wear her armor’s diminished as well!” That had to be right! Why wouldn’t she be able to? … And why would Aniko have lied if what Kihara said was true?

Kihara stared at him, expression slowly shifting from bewilderment to comprehension and shock. She pressed both hands to her mouth. “Oh, gosh,” she muttered.

“What?” he asked.

She shook her head, eyes wide.

“Ki, what is it?” he pressed, getting a bit scared. She’d never acted like this before.

“She didn’t tell you!” she cried. Her voice cracked in distress. “You didn’t know!”

“Didn’t know what?”

“It isn’t your fault, okay? Onai? Don’t blame yourself! You didn’t know!” She shook her head and her ears flattened out. “I thought you knew!”

“Didn’t know what?”

She pulled herself into a ball and covered her head with her arms. “I don’t know! I didn’t say anything!”

“Ki, what are you talking about?” He reached out to shake her shoulder, but she shuffled away awkwardly.

“Nothing! No!” She rocked back and forth for a few seconds, then uncurled. “Onai, you’re gonna be really mad,” she finally said. “But I thought you knew!”

He didn’t say anything, not even able to guess what she was referring to. It was obviously something awful, but what could it be?

“Ani’s probably gonna be mad, too,” she said, almost as an afterthought. “But, but, the… you know, her summoning? Onai, I really thought you knew! Summoning, it, um. It drains the people who use it!”

“… What do you mean?” He knew some could use spells to temporarily absorb others’ health, but that didn’t make sense in context.

“I mean, Ani, she’s not strong like she used to be. She can’t – literally! She can’t! – wear her old armor! It’s too heavy! The Avatars just drain everything all away.” She pulled awkwardly at the hem of her top. “That’s why so many people were confused when she changed. I thought that was why you seemed so upset about it!”

“That can’t be right!” he protested. “No one would summon things if that were true!”

“I’m sorry!” she said again. “That’s part of why it’s forbidden! That’s why they don’t want anyone performing it.”

She looked as miserable as he felt. This wasn’t fair to Kihara, he decided. “I have to go talk to Ani,” he said, standing up.

Kihara only nodded, ears pulled back so far they were nearly flat against her scalp.

*~*~*

Two people he didn’t know, a pair of Hume, were standing with Aniko when he finally found her on the parade grounds near Chateau d’Oraguille. They excused themselves without introductions.

“Hey,” she greeted, waving. “I wondered if you’d turn up before I left.”

Onai shuffled his feet, then burst out, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?”

“About summoning,” he said, and the way her expression turned guilty crushed the hope that Kihara simply had her facts wrong- it certainly wouldn’t have been the first time she’d been completely mistaken.

“You were upset enough already,” she told him. “I didn’t… You would’ve freaked out.”

“I’m freaking out now!” he said. “Why are you doing something that’s so dangerous?”

“It’s what I want to do!”

“But why?”

“Because… Because I like it! Because I have fun. Because I don’t mind that it drains my life energy a little bit, Onai.” She clearly wanted him to understand, but how…?

“How can you not mind something like that? Won’t it kill you?!”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah, probably, eventually. Not for a long time. I’m not worried about it. You shouldn’t be.”

“Someone has to!” He threw both arms up. “And it’s my job to make sure you’re okay! So, yes, I should be!”

“What do you want me to do, then?” she asked, frustrated. “Give it up?”

“You could!” He nodded vehemently.

“And then be miserable because I’m doing something I don’t want to? Onai, I’m not going to stop just because it’s dangerous. You should know better than that by now,” she finished with a laugh.

He looked down and shuffled his feet again.

“Look,” she said, patting him on the arm, “I know you don’t like a lot of the stuff I do, but I don’t go out there trying to get myself killed. Now when I go out on my own, I still have back up. So it’s not so bad, right?”

Onai shrugged.

“It isn’t so bad,” she assured him. “I have lots of other things to worry about first, anyway.”

“… Like whether the Orcs in Ronfaure will leave you alone today or not?” he asked.

“Yes!” she said, grinning. “So don’t freak out about Avatars until I’ve got the Orcs under control, okay?”

“I’ll try,” he agreed reluctantly.

“Great,” she smiled. “Now, I gotta go get some stuff from my Mog House before I head out, but I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, nodding.

“Later!” She waved and moved to walk around him.

“Ani,” he said, reaching out to stop her.

“Yeah?” she asked, looking up at him, confused.

“That bridge leads to the cathedral.”

She looked around, then laughed. “Oh! You’re right. I must’ve gotten turned around somehow.” She pivoted and ran off in the correct direction.

Onai shook his head and laughed weakly. She certainly did have more immediate things to worry about.


- END -