Siblings are a lovable pain [Zidane/Mikoto]

[Deleted]

It was an odd sight to be sure, a terrible and gluttonous beast that roared a vicious cry out as it stood before him. A full grown beast that towered forth snarling and drooling, it was clear that the beast sought to devour the being before it. Wounds coated its body and blades stuck firm and true in said wounds. The beast desired revenge for the cause of these wounds, but even so there was only a response from the one that caused them. A small tsk sound escaped his lips, but it was odd, it was as if that tsk sound that escaped his lips was something he did not control. It wasn’t just that scoff; his entire body had lost control. He could not move a single finger, yet he could still feel, he could feel the gust of breath that passed by him from the beasts mouth, and he could feel a strange weight from the garments he wore.

“…let us end this…”

The voice that escaped his lips, they were much more different than his own, deeper and quite similar, but at the same time it was different, more serious. The body moved immediately leaping upwards into the air as he felt a smirk grow upon his face, his lips moved and said something, but he could not hear just what it was. The weight of the clothing he wore proved to hardly hold him back as a palm was sent forward. With a brilliance of the death of a star, the beast was truly destroyed, fading away along with the brilliance of final attack. The brilliance of such an attack was blinding, that sheer light grew and grew until enveloped all and nothing else could be seen...



Eyelids began to twitch ever so slightly and slowly begun to open up as bright light shone into his eyes. Covering his eyes to shade them from the gleam of the sun, Yukine slowly rose to his feet glancing around the area. It was silent, but it seemed there was activity outside the residence he rested in. Rising to his feet the young child begun to walk, feeling a bit strange. What he saw a mere moment ago, was it a dream? It surely had to of been one, that was what Yukine believed. That dream was still vivid in his mind, feeling light now that he could control his own body. He thought about it, and recalled what he felt the other day. Asura, the wayward soul that visited him that day, was that a dream as well?

“Asura…”

Yukine called out the name quietly hoping for a response, but either way there was no response what so ever. He could not prove that it was a dream or not, but either way he would eventually see. If Asura surely was inside him then the soul would eventually make himself known to the young genome. To be honest Yukine had hoped that he would have been able to of felt at least something, but after accepting Asura’s soul he felt nothing except a tad bit of fatigue. More and more this made him doubt the meeting was real, but either way, if having a soul only made one feel fatigue then maybe it really wasn’t a great idea to take one and it just seemed like a waste.

With his self-inquiries at an end and having brushed aside the idea of Asura and that dream quite easily, Yukine walked outside of the house he rested in and glanced around the outdoors area. It was as he had expected, it seemed that quite the day had already gone by and most of the villagers had already gone about most their day. Judging by what he saw it seemed as though it was around noon. For someone like Yukine it was far too odd for him as he was one who would wake up quite early, much earlier than most of the others. He liked gazing up as the sun rose up, giving him the view that the day was to start and that time moved on, unlike those days spend in the frozen timed world of Terra. He walked off through the village, giving a nod to the friendly black mages that gave him a greeting and stopped near to the exit of the village. Yukine would always ponder about leaving this village that was hidden and cloaked in the deep forest. He wished to explore further and see more, but could he survive alone? Powerful beasts roamed the land and thinking about that only made him think about the beast he saw in his dream. Calmly the child stared out at the path, unaware that his once blue eyes had become a crimson red color ever since the silent soul had entered his body.

[Deleted]

Jovial Prince of Thieves One of the younger Genomes had woken up, at least that was how it was chosen to be explained to him. The young boy was one of the Genomes that had come with them from Terra. There had been no knew Genomes born since they arrived back. It was no mystery how they were made. Afterall each new Genome had help create and tend to their own while on Terra. He recalled seeing all the tubes and machinery. Mikoto had said it was to prevent mental stagnation, the equivalent of not getting bored out of one’s mind. The process was well understood by the others, but Gaia's technology was not up to snuff. Zidane had gone back to the ruins on many occasions searching for clues he may have perhaps missed in the past. The only pieces of Terran technology that remained were in the Terran locales scattered across Gaia, and the only running tech was the Invincible. He always worried about them. They got along well enough with the Black Mages. And he was glad Mikoto was keeping up with naming them because he wasn’t sure that all of them being named after numbers was a -- Genome thing. It suited the Black Mages well enough, but maybe that was insensitive? They all should have names. What better than being named by someone taking care of you? He was pretty sure some of the Genomes were bouncing around with numbers anyway. They were all happy, or at least seemed to be to him, to have an identifying presence. It was like being alive. But they were not quite alive, according to Garland and Mikoto. They did not have souls yet, but Zidane doubted you needed a soul to be alive, even if they needed one to start living. Zidane still wasn't sure how it all worked. The boy had gotten a soul, but whose? Many of the souls that had been forced into Gaia, from Terra were completely part of Gaia’s cycle now, or gone. Was it possible that the souls were still cycling maybe? He thought that the Genomes could only house Terran souls, but if those souls became part of Gaia, then wouldn’t that make them Gaian souls? He was never one for the details. It was too complicated for him anyway. Soul or not soul: he saw this change as a good thing! The others were learning fast in their new home and they needed a boost in morale, so did he. Zidane wasn't going to be around forever. He was not sure how long Terrans lived or how old Genomes were made to live for. He knew one day he'd be lying by Vivi and heading off to continue his adventures with the little guy. The world had to change before that though. He had to live out there, so that when his brothers and sisters came out here they were ready for what Kuja was not, for what he still barely hadn’t a handle on. Maybe Mikoto would be better than them, just like Garland said. The world wasn’t ready yet, but maybe if they took the little guy around he could be one more mentor for his siblings. Zidane didn’t want to pressure them so he always kept his upbeat attitude concerning the outside world. He never informed them of any trouble or problems that still permeated the surface. Racial tensions from the last war left the nations struggling to unite their people after such tragedy had ensued. They were still kids and Zidane felt kids should be happy and have fun, because life was hard and they needed to know how to smile before they learned to frown. Mikoto had named the newly woken Genom, her first role as big sister. Zidane couldn't have been more proud, and embarrassing. He was so loud about his boasting, how Mikoto took such good care of everyone and how boys would soon be knocking each other over to get to such a smart girl! He had made his way to the village as soon as he could. Mail was pretty slow this month. He hoped that Mognet wasn't having trouble again. That would be a whole other set of problems he was not quite equipped to handle with his other responsibilities as the rogue hero! Well he liked to portray himself as such to the ladies. The rogue had landed just outside the woods. Invincible had been landed as far out behind the cliffs as he could. With more Airship traffic to Conde Petie he couldn’t risk bringing attention to the Forest. It was riddled with ravenous fiends and dangerous Mist monsters that still clung to the remnant trappings of fog in the dense woods. He took it upon himself to call Choco for a lift. The bandit always made sure to carry a bunch of Gysahl Greens with him, for just such emergencies! It took him an hour or two to crawl through the familiar paths, even on the ratite’s back. When he arrived at the Village's entrance the rogue would dismount his pal. With a grin Zidane patted Choco’s side, brushing his gloved fingers through the golden feathers. The bird let out an excited warble, as if to announce his presence, or call the attention of others. Spreading his powerful wings he gave a quick flap, hopping from the ground for a moment. The bird’s brown eyes focused on the path ahead, which caught Zidane’s attention. The older Genome was focused on removing a small knapsack from the bird’s back. Turning his head the thief spotted a figure standing at the end of the path. He pulled his hand over his eyes, catching shade from what bit of sun trickled down from the breaks in the canopy above. It was already noon and Zidane found his mouth watering over the thought of having some Conde Petie Pumpkin Stew. Though it was too sweet for his taste, he would manage to drown out that sweetness with just enough Pickled Gysahl Juice. He boots crunched along the dusty path. A rattling march of pattering steps raced from the Village. A high, shrilly warrrrk escaped the tiny beak of a very familiar hatchling, who wasn’t so small anymore. The cries of the older, well-traveled Chocobo, called forth the young Village Chocobo: Bobby Corwen. The little guy was growing up as awkward as any youth in the village. Racing passed Zidane with a blast of molting feathers and a near kick to his head, the rouge barely ducked the jumping bird who went straight for Choco. The pair would happily greet each other and Zidane would spring to standing once more. His hand came up to his head to make sure he wasn’t given an uncomfortably close shave by those deadly talons. He hoisted the knapsack over his shoulder; it was a gift he was hoping the kid would enjoy. "Yukine?" It was strange calling him by that name. Until recently the thief called him 'little guy'. "You okay?" The kid seemed to be staring into space.

►TAGS: @mikoto, @asura~!

►NOTES: They grow up too fast...

►SKILLS USED: N/A

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO

[Deleted]

Everything felt normal as usual, the outside world that was beyond the village seeming as silent and unmoving as usual. Sure there was nothing special as he stared out, but at the same time Yukine just continued to stare out, no matter how boring it may have seemed to others. What he wanted was to see what was beyond, but he could not do such a thing. His body was weak, frail. He did not have enough knowledge about life itself, for him he was practically a little hatchling. Even so it still did not discourage himself from imagining. He knew his limits and he would stick to them.

What seemed to be an empty, silent scenery was proven to be something different in quite the quick moment. It was fast and Yukine didn’t even really have time to react. A loud cry of a chocobo called out and Yukine’s eyes widened a bit as the chocobo darted past him in a great hurry. The sheer moment had truly caught him off guard and left him a bit bewildered, but the very moment he heard his name called out, Yukine’s eyes darted over towards the very familiar voice that called out to him. “Zidane!” Yukine said quite surprised to see the elder genome before he immediately ran over towards him as fast as his little body could take him.

Stopping before the quite short adult, Yukine closed his eyes and shook his head “Im fine” Yukine said before opening his eyes once more and stared back over at his brother “what bring you here? Did you find anything interesting? How long are you going to be here?” Yukine asked quite curious about the reason his brother showed up into the village, his tail wagging a bit behind him in contrast to the calm expression upon his face.

Zidane was far different from the many residence of this village in his eyes. Though the Black Mages were wise, the thief was wise in his own way. His brother knew of the world and saw it much differently from others. He lived a carefree life that most people saw differently. He was rouge, following the rules set by himself, but at the same time held a kindness as well. The sheer thought that he was made to be the angel of darkness was quite absurd. A being made for destruction only do the opposite and save all life, it was interesting for Yukine, but all that paled in comparison for one thing, one thing that truly made him cherish both himself and his sister Mikoto. They treated him as somebody, they treated him as a person and they cared for him.

[Deleted]

Jovial Prince of Thieves Zidane reached up to brush is hand through the boy's hair. Zidane's smile matched the outward display of his tail. The fifth limb hung low to the ground, the tip twitching in amusement. The rogue first assessed the boy's well being. He wondered how well everyone was growing in their new home, but the thief also worked if Yukine was being teased or bullied now that he was a little different. He leaned forward, to better match his height with Yukine's. A grin drew upon his features when he accepted that the other Genome, and with the influence of the kind-hearted Black Mages, they were no like Tantalus. They were all newly put on this world; free and innocent children who had no obligations. "Hey," he wasn't to sure how to go about it. "I heard you finally got a name, so I wanted to celebrate your birthday." He laughed lightly. "Well I guess naming day..." Setting the sack down Zidane knelt beside it. Zidane rest his hands on his knees. His tail rest against the ground, relaxed. He looked up at the boy. From down here, looking up at the young Genome, he could really begin to see how much he was growing. He could see that Yukine had emotion behind his eyes that had not been there before. His lips would pull back, revealing that devilish grin reserved for troublemakers like him. Reaching up to rub at his nose he pulled a cloth from the sack, holding it out to the young Genome. "Since you're older now, I thought I could take you out there, teach you a few things." Zidane offered his brother the simple cloak. The rouge remembered that, from a young age, he couldn't just sit around. With the knowledge he had not he wondered if it was the nature of Genome to learn about their world. Though he considered that a possibility, it seemed strange. They all had thrown personalities buried beneath those stoic expressions. Maybe they just needed to learn to smile, or be given a reason to. Though Mikoto wasn't good at smiling, neither was Kuja. But the two siblings were pretty good at scowling and pouting. Maybe it was a mage thing? "Since Mikoto seems to have shied closer to Kuja in the magic department, I figured I should teach you how to use a weapon." A curious mind strayed from home. Zidane suffered from wanderlust, but more so out of fascination for the world rather than boredom. The world was a big place and there for you to explore. Baku never tried to stop him from wandering off, but always made sure he knew how to defend himself. Yukine was small, one of the smaller Genomes. He was likely one of the last few to be ma-- born before Terra was destroyed. The little guy reminded the rogue a lot of himself. "If you promise not to tell Mikoto I took you to far from the village I'll let you ride Bobby Corwen." It was still awkward saying the bird's whole name, but that was what Mr. 33 named him. Of course Zidane was worried about his younger sister. She was pretty fiercely protective of her younger siblings and probably wouldn't think twice about knocking Zidane on his ass for causing grief. The younger ratite looked up to his fellow 'bo, an inspiration and a free spirit that matched Zidane's. Though Chocobo were naturally born role, Choco had a golden coloration that made him unique. Bobby Corwen was sporting a smaller saddle, but Choco seemed to without both sale and reins. Putting his hands to his his he pushed to stand. "Whaddya say?" He motioned his gloved hand and walked toward Chico before mounting the bird with the ease of a trained Chocobo Knight. "Let's warm up your spirit!" Of course all of this seemed a bad idea. Adventures involving Zidane never stemmed from peaceful wanderings. They were more hectic scrambles to outpace the nest of hornets he's stirred.

►TAGS: @asura~!

►NOTES: What could go wrong?

►SKILLS USED: n/a

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO

[Deleted]

He liked that Zidane had come to visit but he was quite surprised and did not really expect that the reason his older brother had arrived was merely because of him. His name was something special, something he really liked having and was glad to have been given. He could not tell if such a name was an odd one or if it was humorous, thoughtful or insulting. Never the less, Yukine loved his name and even if it was a negative one, he would treasure it as it was what his sister had given him.

Yukine found such a name a great deal to him, but he assumed such a feeling would not have carried on to others as it wasn’t their own name, however nonetheless Zidane was here to celebrate his naming. It was odd to say the least, why would Zidane care to come and visit him for such an occasion. Did the older boy come because of obligation? Did he find some enjoyment in such an event? Yukine could only add it towards the huge list of questions he had in his mind. His thoughts would have continued to think more about such a topic; however his attention was quickly caught by the sudden sight of Zidane pulling out what seemed to be a cloth.

Interested in what Zidane had to say, he was interested to find that his older brother desired to teach him things. He wasn’t exactly sure what Zidane had in mind, but Yukine liked learning many things and he could say he was actually looking forward to what Zidane had to teach him. His eyes widened slightly as he noticed the cloth that Zidane held out was for him. Slowly he reached out and took grasp of the cloak, holding it before him as he stared down at it and watched a bit in amazement in his new gift.

His gaze continued to stare at the cloak, but the very moment he heard word about being taught in the art of weaponry, his eyes immediately looked back up at Zidane, his attention dead center on Zidane. He couldn’t say that he was skilled with using magic and he couldn’t help that he had a feel for weapons. However despite this it was odd, he felt a strange feeling after hearing about being trained in weapons, an invigorating feeling deep within.

When asked to keep it a secret Yukine placed on the cloak given to him and immediately nodded “I promise I will not tell” Yukine said softly. Of course he wasn’t quite sure about this as he did not really like the idea of keeping a secret from Mikoto and did not like the idea of even being caught, but this was something he desired to do and wished. He turned to face the younger chocobo named Bobby Corwen and crossed his arms. Of course Chocobos were to be ridden, however he had never done so before and he was unsure how to do so. He attempted to climb up the saddle, struggling due to the lack of experience, however in time the stoic boy managed to sit upon the chocobo. Looking to his brother he gave his brother a nod to say he was ready.

[Deleted]

Jovial Prince of Thieves Zidane was glad to see his brother so receptive to the idea of practicing. To be honest plan B involved tossing him on Choco and riding off before Mikoto got an inkling for his troublemaking. He reached out his gloved hand to roughly rub the top of the boy's head. He hadn't expected the little guy to emote as much as he did. Though his face did not show, his eyes and the way his body leaned was sign enough for the thief that the little guy had changed. It seemed getting a Soul was a huge deal for them, more than anyone would be capable of understanding. Though all the Genomes were learning and growing bit by bit in their new world, Zidane had worried that they would remain as they are. Was it really living, trapped here behind trees in the deepest section of woods? Was always playing it safe enough to prepare them for that world? Though it was their culture, in a way, Zidane was not always going to be there to protect them. Mikoto would not be able to handle such a responsibility on her own. She would need all the help she could get. Leaving them locked up like fragile, porcelain dolls was counter-intuitive of setting the free from that cycle of pain which tormented Kuja and turned Gaia into a stage for war. The rogue was responsible for them as well. He was a Genome too and that meant they stuck together, because they were family. The thief grinned when Yukine put on the cloak and swore to uphold the secret he nodded. "Good, because she'll catch a fit." He was no fool! At least not completely. The thief moved over to Bobby Corwen and grabbed the young Chocobo's reins. The Mages did a good job strapping the smaller ratite up, but the younger mount wasn't quite used to being ridden. When Yukine climbed on Bobby Corwen flustered at the strange weight. Zidane was sure that the 'bo took a while getting used to the saddle. Tugging the leather strap the thief reached up to roughly pat the juvenile's beak. Soon enough that natural chisel would be able to break through solid rock and those talons would find ability to climb sheer mountains. Tossing the reins over Bobby Corwen's head when the ratite calmed. "Just make sure you hold these tight. Twisting them this way and that will turn Bobby Corwen." He directed before walking toward Choco. Zidane had a much different method with Choco. The gold-feathered Chocobo had neither a saddle nor reins. Placing his hands on the chocobo's side the bird lowered himself in a bow. Zidane pulled himself onto the 'bo with little effort, the two working in sync with one another. Pressing his knees so that they were tucked under the strong, feathery wings Zidane would sit with the skill becoming of a professional Chocobo Knight. He would shift his weight in a subtle manner that turned the bird and rider toward the woods. T was as if the pair were one being. Zidane gripped the thicker bunch of feathers at Choco's shoulder and looked back to Yukine. "Let's go!" Zidane patted Chico's back, the excitable bird hopping for joy. Choco jumped up and down with his strong legs, wings practically kicking up a storm as debris was tossed about. Bobby Corwen tried to mimic the older 'bo's wing flapping, the excitement getting around. Zidane took off in cantor. Yukine likely had no experience riding a Chocobo, let alone at the speeds Zidane and Choco recklessly charged around in. The woods were always a dangerous place, but on a Chocobo the smaller dangers could be out run and the bird's superior senses kept them from running clear into a predator's ambush. Loose twigs were snapped under heavy talon steps as the paths became less and less clear. The trodden soil marked oaths in many directions, fooling any that sought to find the hidden haven of mages. None, who sought to do them harm, had no means of finding that place where not even the owls were. Zidane looked back to make sure Yukine and Bobby Corwen were doing well. The woods were full of obstacles and a new order and mount were more a dance to each other than the lurking fiends. Zidane pointed it the horizon, the forest thinning out. "Over there, in that clearing!" He called. He pushed forward so that Choco could reach the clearing in a few more hops. Technically they were still in the forest so did not leave the woods. Playing on technicalities typically annoyed girls, but hey were only ever mad he was right by fraud. Hopping off Choco Zidane reached behind his back with his left hand while his right unhooked his baldes' holster clip. The small, metal chain on his holster kept the weapons from sliding out no matter the rogue's precarious predicament. He skillfully slid two blades from the holster while his left tossed out a black blade. His right hand took hold of the hilt of one of the Mage Mashers, using the vibrant, red blade he tossed the second hand blade up and caught it in his freed left. He turned the left blade so it faces down and the right weapon similarly. "Pick it up." He held a relaxed position as he patiently waited for his younger sibling. The old off-hand weapon was pretty dull, but it still had its uses. A thick, black hilt with leaf gold painted into the ornate carvings drawn into the formerly ebony metal, were exceptionally attracting, but it was quite heavy as a result if being used for off hand, balance. Though the weight was a considerable handicap if a dual wielder could not handle himself.

►TAGS: @asura~!

►NOTES: Opening the path to a new life.

►SKILLS USED: N/A

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO

[Deleted]

Closing one eye as his head was pressed by the palm of his older brother; Yukine looked up at the older genome as he seemed quite happy that Yukine would keep his secret. Of anybody in this village the one to fear was Mikoto. The Black Mages were just too peaceful to really be anything to fear of and the rest of the genomes were practically dolls that went about their days. Mikoto was the most emotional of them and this was saying much in comparison to the rest of them. For Zidane to even fear being caught by her told him enough about how scary his older sister was to others.

And so the two were off finally leaving the village and heading off to a place that Yukine had no idea of. Of course he was unsure about this and was wondering whether Mikoto would be able to find out about this and how he would keep it a secret, but even so he trusted his older brother and followed him upon Bobby Corwen. The young chocobo was fast and it was quite difficult for the young genome to really control, but luckily for him Bobby Corwen seemed to know what he was doing. By watching the elder chocobo run forward it seemed the younger chocobo mimicked its elder, running and following it without much direction coming from his rider. Yukine was truly not used to such travel and once they managed to at the very least move to the clearing he was at the very least glad that they were finally there. He was quite curious about what it was that Zidane had in mind for them in this clearing, but Yukine figured that such a question was to be answered once they arrived at their destination.

With the reigns that were on Bobby Corwen held tight in his hands, Yukine pulled them tightly once they finally reached their destination, causing the young chocobo to come to a halt. With them finally at a stop, Yukine hopped off the chocobo and immediately held on the side of the chocobo, his legs shaking due to the travel and lack of experience on a chocobo. Slowly he staggered forward with shaky legs until finally the feeling in his legs began to return to normal. As he continued to walk to meet up with his older brother his eyes widened slightly as he was told to take the blade offered to him.

Almost as if in a trance he stared upon the weapon and walked up to it, taking the blade in his hand and attempted to lift it up, only for him to stagger a bit due to the sudden weight of the blade. In his hand the blade was lowered due to the weight, but Yukine took a step backward and attempted to raise the blade once more. Raising it, he began to swing the blade, slashing the air as he begun to adjust to the weight of the weapon. For some odd reason the more he swung the more familiar it felt. Holding the blade tightly his eyes stared up at Zidane as ready as his little being could be.

[Deleted]

Jovial Prince of Thieves The older Genome grinned. “It’s not gunna be easy, but I want ya to know it’s cause I care.” He assured. “The world out there isn’t soft, it isn’t full of people who will stop and talk with you about how the brook flows…” They were all just sheltered, they didn’t know any better. Learning to fight was learning to survive and Zidane did not want to see any of them in that sort of pain. The pain of loss, though inescapable, the pain of being unable to do anything… Zidane had a lot of painful memories of when Baku trained him. It was one of the hardest experiences in his young life. The man never held back when it came to combat training, probably strongly aware of the cruelty of the world. The realer the pain the harder one worked at avoiding it. Though the rogue was sure Baku would never seriously injure them, it still took weeks to walk off limps or heal thier bruises after a good beating. Zidane was also stubborn and taking a loss was not something he could easily accept. Though he had the humility to know when he was beat, he mostly berated himself for treating the fights like a game. Even when on stage the troupe used real weapons, their props made of heavy combat grade steel and iron. When they were thrown back, they were really thrown back. When they bled, they really bled; it was punishment for not hitting their marks. Over time these dances on stage became steps in real combat. Avoiding the heavy blade of a halberd during a scene of the Magic Carpet, or hitting the wall just right so instead of busting your shoulder for the third time that week, you would hit your mark as safety line would ruin the reality of the scene! Even now his life on stage was apparent with the way he moved through the world. His head was held high and his body shifted constantly as riding the clouds gave him perfect balance. His tail was curled up, the limb twitching as he lowered his center of gravity. The blades were almost weightless between his gloved fingers, the cloth doing nothing to deter his sense of touch. Though the thief looked to simply be standing, he was in a constant ballet with his weight and his enemy’s. When Yukine got the handle of the dagger’s weight the rouge flipped his blades so they faced backwards; it was the best for his stance, the way he fought. “Are you ready?” Everyone had to find their own stance, their own way. Lowering his head Zidane charged Yukine. He would never dare to use the blade against Yukine. He was much too small, too fragile, so Zidane had to wake him up and let him taste reality. Though his time on this world was barely that of a newly born child, his body was already old enough to have since experienced pain, happiness, loss, and love. This was to be the action that struck Yukine into reality. His boots kicked debris and dust behind him, his body seeming as if it would fall at any moment with how low he was to the ground, but his tail and natural agility compensated for any measure of awkwardness that the environment could push against the terrain. His fist pulled back and instead of striking Yukine with his main blade he would slash his off hand blade against Yuki’s weapon and use his mainhand to punch into the boy’s stomach. He put everything into that punch so he could tell his brother the truth. In that punch was his feelings, his strength and the understanding of the reality of the world. Nothing would ever prepare Yukine for the future, but Zidane wasn’t going to let him back out. “You gotta fight back Yukine, because behind you -- everyone is depending on you.” Back there, in the forest. It was Mikoto, and the Genomes and the Black Mages. There they had no fighting, no anger, no hatred, but they couldn’t be safe forever. Mikoto likely wouldn’t approve of the roughhousing, but this was best. He knows how it is to be the smallest, to feel like you couldn’t go anywhere and couldn’t hold yourself up! Zidane wasn’t done though… after he let out a punch he would slide his left leg back and reach out his left arm to shove against Yukine to attempt and knock him down. Zidane wasn't going to pull punches, he couldn’t afford to be easy. Baku respected him enough to put out plenty of his strength, Zidane would respect Yukine as well! The Chocobos sat back and watched. There was nothing they could do, save watch. Choco warbled out, flapping his wings excitedly. Zidane wasn't being aggressive, so there was no malice coming from the older Genome when he pushed out his attacks. There was care and love though, the same fist Baku slammed into his face several times when he was growing up.

►TAGS: @asura~!

►NOTES: The fist raised in protection is more accurate than a fist raised in fear!

►SKILLS USED: Rumble Rush

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE; EDITED BY OUREX DRACO

[Deleted]

It was finally time, time for something that Yukine desired. He would finally get to experience life, a life different from the secluded life he lived with the genomes and black mages. He did not loath such a life, perhaps maybe such a life was something that Yukine should have stuck too, but his curiosity was overflowing, he needed to expel it. Perhaps maybe after this experience he would return home, satisfied with what he experienced, but Yukine did not believe this would happen. His being would still desire to seek it further and he doubted Zidane would merely allow him to retire back to the village so easily.

With the blade in his hand, Yukine gripped it tightly as he stared over at Zidane. Could he really fight Zidane? Fight his own older brother? He did not wish to hurt him or any of the other genomes or black mages…no…Yukine would be foolish to think like so. For a boy that had only held a blade once, it was foolish to think that he could so much as even touch one with so much skill and experience of the world. Zidane and his friends had done amazing feats and travelled far and wide. Gaia and even Terra was probably no longer foreign to them. They were able to stand against Garland’s will and even stand against Kuja, who had ended Terra with the power he obtained from the Invincible.

For him to be taught by Zidane truly was something that held immeasurable value. He was ready, that is what he told himself. Holding the blade forward, Yukine nodded to Zidane to tell he was ready and instantly Zidane moved. Yukine’s eyes immediately widened upon noticing his brother’s movement. The young thief was fast like a speeding bullet and just watching him blitz towards him made him freeze. In a mere instant his brother was right before him and Yukine immediately did all he could. He attempted to move the blade towards him but Zidane had effortlessly managed to push away his blade. His eyes widened as Zidane’s fist made contact with his stomach. Yukine’s mouth opened as a breath escaped his mouth, this was truly the first time the boy had ever felt true pain. His body shook from the blow and though he did not feel sorrow or sadness, his eyes began to water up from the blow.

It hurt, this was true pain, but this single punch showed him how to live. It made him feel alive and it showed him much. The fist that Zidane used against him, he learned the reality of the world that his brother had learned from all the years of experience. Yet even so, he wanted to close his eyes right now, he wanted to sleep. The blow had taken so much energy from him, but…

Endure…

Hear something call out to him and just hearing that immediately caused his eyes to widen. Yukine closed his mouth and clenched his teeth. He listened to his brother speak about those who depended on him, those behind him. Those behind him, he understood what that meant and only realized that this could only refer to his siblings and the black mages. They depended on him, he didn’t want them to be hurt, and he wanted to protect them. If he went to sleep now, he wouldn’t be able to do so. His eyes widened once more as the blow to his leg caused the boy to fall to the ground. On his back he stared upwards.

Stand!

The voice again, it immediately made him roll to the side, quickly getting back on his feet. Quickly Yukine raised his sword and swung it at Zidane. He couldn’t go easy on Zidane, he need to prove himself. If his blade was to be blocked or dodged then he would continue to swing.