{Fan Fic} An Ancient's Home

[breyzyyin.livejournal.com]

Username: Yin (of breyzyyin)
Class: White Mage
Fandom: Final Fantasy III
Title: An Ancient's Home
Summary: A story focusing on the relationship between Desch and Salina: starting with before the events of FFIII, continuing throughout the course of the game's plot...and concluding with an epilogue of sorts about what the two are up to after FFIII's ending. I have no idea why I keep writing FFIII fics, but this plot bunny just wouldn't go away! XD
Characters/Pairings: Told from Salina's point of view, though Desch is obviously a very central character in the fic as well. :D Pairing is Desch x Salina. Jolina and Refia also play pretty important roles in the story, and the other three Warriors of Light make appearances too (Xande and Cloud of Darkness are also mentioned--though only briefly towards the end).
Word count: 4,658
Rating/warnings: G. Spoilers for FFIII.

----Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy III or any of the game's characters, they are the rightful property of Square-Enix.----

The young woman fidgeted nervously in her chair, gripping her hands tightly in a worried knot over her stomach. The figure resting on the bed before her stirred slightly, a groan suffusing his features momentarily in the throes of sleep. For a second, she thought he'd wake up finally...but he remained steadfastly rooted in slumber. She bit her lip, watching a thin bead of sweat fall from his forehead to the pillow.

...Maybe her mother and the other villagers in Canaan were right, and she was mad.

Anyone with half an ounce of common sense in their brain wouldn't bring home a complete stranger like this. Who knows why he’d been in the condition she had found him in the first place?

"He's probably a ruffian!" some of the town gossips were whispering when they thought she and her mother were out of earshot, "That would explain the sword he has with him too!"

She glanced at the sheathed sword resting at the side of the bed, frowning somewhat.

But what else was she to do, really? The healer of the village lived in a tiny hut of a house: there were hardly any travelers to the place (and those that did travel there usually had enough money to rest at the inn) so he usually made house-calls whenever someone needed medical care.

Even her mother, despite Jolina's vocalization of countless worries about having an unknown man in their home, did not lack the conscience to turn him away once she saw her desperate and frail daughter trying to drag the man's limp and feverish body back to town on her own.

The healer had come quickly after Jolina went to fetch him, though he was positive the young blue-haired swordsman would recover fully with time. The healer had been unable to determine what was causing him to be unconscious, however...as there seemed to be no physical reason behind it.

"A most curious case." He'd commented to the two of them as he had turned to leave after that first examination.

While curious and concerned for his new mysterious charge, the healer had been equally concerned that Salina had overstrained herself in her efforts to get back to Canaan--prescribing her plenty of rest, saying that staying close to her house-guest to help with his recovery would do her body wonders.

...That had always been the way of things for her, though. Jolina had been widowed only months before she was to give birth to Salina. The stress and pain her mother had endured at that time, combined with myriad complications that arose during the pregnancy itself and the actual birth had made Salina's first few moments in the world extremely difficult for all parties concerned. Most of the village believed it to be a miracle that she had survived at all...and Jolina certainly thought so, as her well-intentioned over-protectiveness could be stifling at times.

All throughout her young life, Salina was constantly falling sick...falling feverish or feeling chilled for no reason, or suffering from a constant stream of head and stomach ailments. Her energy levels tended to drain quite quickly and she’d have to remain in bed for days with an exhaustion that seemed to seep into her very bones.

Prolonged physical exertion often seemed to be a key trigger of at least some of her more potent sick spells. As a result, even as a small child she hadn't been allowed too much time outside.

As a teenager, she'd finally managed to convince the healer and Jolina that on pleasant days a small walk outside of Canaan would be all right for her as she was getting far too stir-crazy under lock and key within the village boundaries. The small feeling of liberty she felt on those excursions gave her a sense of calm and sanctuary that she relished wholeheartedly.

It was on her last walk, when she was feeling quite good after having been stuck in bed for two days due to another bout of debilitating illness, that she decided to be a bit more daring and to go even further than she'd ever gone before: walking alone with her thoughts and enjoying the sites of nature around her as Canaan became a tiny speck behind her.

...She'd come across him laying face down in the dirt shortly afterwards, his sword on the ground by his hand. He had been unresponsive when she’d tried waking him, and Salina was too terrified to leave him in the open like that considering the monsters in the area: easy enough to avoid when awake and alert, but an unconscious person would be far too easy a target.

Panicked, she'd dragged the young man close enough back to Canaan where some of the other villagers were able to take over in bringing him to her and her mother's house. She still had the blisters on her palms and fingers from the effort, and she remembered faintly collapsing into a chair when it was offered and not getting up for hours as she watched the healer examine both herself and the newcomer--Jolina fretting nearby.

That had been well over two weeks ago, and the stranger had yet to so much as open his eyes. Every once in awhile he made a face in his sleep and muttered something unintelligible...as if he was having a nightmare.

As it often did, her mind wandered to the questions about his identity and how he'd gotten into that condition in the first place. She hoped he would wake up soon: a lot of those questions could probably be answered then.

Plus...him not having woken yet was making her rather nervous. She had a partial understanding of how her mother perhaps felt whenever she became sick now. And it wasn't a particularly pleasant feeling at all, that kind of worry.

Sighing, and knowing that her sitting there and fretting wasn’t doing any good, the girl stood up. Maybe she should get started on dinner while Jolina was out--she knew that the older woman liked eating it earlier in the evening.

"...You talk too much."

She whirled around quickly at that, half-expecting the hoarse voice she'd just heard to be a figment of her imagination. She was surprised to see the young man staring at her with tired, albeit very clear and rather purple eyes. There was an almost amused glint in them.

"...Excuse me?" she blinked in confusion, not sure what he meant by his earlier statement. Had he been dreaming?

"Your voice makes it hard to sleep or think. You should tone it down some." There was a wry note to his comment.

It took her a few more seconds to realize that he was attempting to make a joke--as she hadn’t spoken out loud for quite some time today. The humor quickly spread to the amused smile he had growing on his face as she stared at him in bewilderment.

"Sorry, bad joke...I don't suppose I could trouble you for some water though?"

*****

Despite his having finally woken up...answers, it seemed, were not going to be very forthcoming.

"You don't remember anything then?" she asked, perplexed, "About who you are or how you got here?"

The young man (only a year or so older than her by appearances) frowned and shook his head. In his hand was another glass of water--his twelfth in two hours' time.

"...Only how to use that." He gestured to the sword at his bedside, "Even just looking at it brings back those memories. Maybe I practiced with it so much that it became an ingrained habitual behavior?"

"Ruffian!" the gossips would hiss if they heard that. Salina chose to ignore that thought.

"Oh! And a name too: Desch. I guess it's probably mine."

"...I guess so." She was surprised at how nonchalant he sounded about the whole thing--she imagined that she would be panicking if she realized that she had no memories and had woken up in a strange place.

Still, as he sat there in bed pondering things, she saw a small darkening glint in his eyes...was he just trying to cover up his worry?

She was about to open her mouth to say something encouraging to him when he turned to look at her again, his expression bright and cheerful once more.

"So, I'm Desch…I think." He grinned and Salina was taken aback momentarily when he shamelessly winked at her, "And what do I have the honor of calling you?"

*****

...It turned out Desch was a cheerful person with a good sense of humor. He was also something of a flirt: everyday he went out of his way to compliment Salina, her mother, or any of the other females he encountered around Canaan.

Soon, pretty much everyone had warmed up to his friendly mannerisms...Jolina was even finding herself enjoying having someone else in the house with herself and her daughter. She even seemed glad when she found out that Desch didn't mind helping out with errands from time-to-time as payment for the two women giving him a place to recover.

He remained surprisingly close to Salina even after he recovered though, which caught her a bit by surprise. Truthfully, that was the one thing Jolina seemed to be a bit nervous about...as she suspected that Desch would perhaps one day leave when he felt up to it and she was worried for her daughter when that time came.

Apparently, Salina's offer to let him stay at the house until he regained his memories--as well as her ability to convince her mother to allow it, touched him somewhat as a generous and kind gesture. Learning the actual story of how she had dragged him to town had also endeared Salina to him, evidently: he'd often joke about her being his "beautiful rescuer" when they were together.

While his joking and teasing had at first made the young woman somewhat uncomfortable as she'd never really had that kind of attention placed on her before, Salina found herself slowly growing accustomed to it. In a way, Desch's presence put her oddly at ease. It was even a rather long time before she got sick again.

Not wanting to worry anyone and knowing that the chills and subsequent fever she was experiencing were rather mild at best compared to some of her previous experiences, Salina tried to get past it without saying anything.

Surprisingly, Desch ended up figuring it out before anyone else--even her mother, who seemed to have a sixth sense for when Salina was starting to feel ill.

After she came back in from picking vegetables in the garden for Jolina, she had to sit down and rest. Her head was swimming and she felt incredibly dizzy.

She closed her eyes and put her hand on her head, hoping that if her mother saw the sweat on her brow she would just think it was the warmer weather outside. She didn't want another lecture about how she'd been overexerting herself.

"...What's wrong?"

She looked up, startled to see Desch looking down at her with a trouble look on his face.

"Oh...it—it's nothing." She let her hand drop quickly and gave a weak, embarrassed smile.

Desch was frowning, unconvinced by her stammering, "Are you sick, Salina?" he asked, his voice sounding surprisingly serious in comparison to his usual joking tone.

She shook her head, but winced as the motion made her feel somewhat lightheaded.

The swordsman's hand was resting on her forehead before she was able to react. The frown on his handsome features deepened.

"You're burning up!"

The redness forming on her cheeks now was not just due to her fever though. She was somewhat thankful and a little disappointed at the same time when he finally removed his hand, and she was able to turn away in order to avoid his gaze.

"...It's not so bad. I've had much worse sickness bouts before. I don't think this one will get any worse."

"So it's true then, what those old ladies were talking about before?" without even elaborating on who he meant, Salina knew that Desch was referring to the town gossips, "That you've gotten sick ever since you were a baby?"

She nodded, feeling ashamed now. For some reason, admitting to the very capable and physically fit Desch her weakness was something she had always been dreading.

The young man regarded her silently for a few moments, and then he let out a low whistle of appreciation...sitting down on the chair across from her.

"You're strong, Salina." He said earnestly, a genuine tone of respect in his voice.

She blinked in surprise at this, forgetting her embarrassment entirely as she stared at him stupidly in open shock at his words, "...What?"

"I couldn't imagine going through sicknesses constantly on and off like that. I was stir-crazy when the healer wouldn't let me leave the house right away after I woke up! And you deal with it without complaining. I think that's impressive." Desch looked thoughtful.

"..." Salina was unsure of what to say to that--it certainly wasn't the way most people reacted to her getting sick. Oddly enough, she felt her heart starting to thump louder in her chest.

"Is the fever getting worse?" Desch reached over again and lightly touched her forehead once more, "Your face just got really flushed."

"I--I'm fine." She managed to stammer out quickly, finding a suddenly very thorough fascination with the wooden table her basket of vegetables was resting on, "I probably...just stayed out longer than I should have."

Desch nodded his head in understanding, "Well, while it is impressive that you want to keep active even when you aren't feeling well...it's probably best not to push yourself too much. I know your mother worries about that a lot too." He flashed her a quick smile, his usual cheerful energy returning, "I'll tell you what though: if you're not feeling great but still want to do things...just tell me, okay? I can help pick vegetables with the best of them--and it will give us both a bit of company!"

Salina smiled and nodded her agreement to his suggestion shyly, silently hoping that Desch wouldn't make a comment again on her rapidly reddening cheeks.

*****

The days, weeks, and months that followed were relatively peaceful and pleasant ones for everyone living in Canaan. There were only a few occasions when Salina felt somewhat ill, thought it was slight enough for the most part that only Desch, who was surprisingly good at observing things in general, seemed to notice.

True to his word, he didn't breach the subject with her...only staying around the house more often on those days and offering to help her if she planned on doing something that seemed physically exerting.

Truthfully, those times were rather nice in a way. It was more of a thoughtful concern on his part--and it didn't make her feel self-conscious as when others in the village sometimes treated her as a weak and helpless infant. If she assured Desch that she was fine doing something on her own, he relented quickly enough...an understanding look in his eyes: as a swordsman, she imagined that he understood the importance of wanting to prove your own ability in some way.

The two ended up becoming rather close, though neither of them was sure of when that started to happen. They were often in one another's company, talking and laughing about one thing or another. Jolina noticed this before either young person seemed to do so, though she chose to say nothing--however, a worried look would pass over her features when she didn't think Salina was paying attention to her.

It was within Desch's first month of being at the village that they were holding hands and sitting side-by-side as they talked into the night...it just seemed like a natural progression for them in a way. Many of the other residents of Canaan noticed it around this time, but they only shook their heads and smiled with a remark about "young love" under their breaths.

Salina had never been in a relationship before, and had always imagined it to be something magical (at least, that's how all of the stories that she'd read involving the subject somehow painted it)--so she was surprised to realize how the feeling had crept up on her as it did. But the nervousness and elation she felt in Desch's presence was like nothing she'd experienced before. She was afraid to vocalize it to him though, not sure of how he thought about her: after all, to him it could just be a good friendship and nothing more.

And besides...a part of her already suspected and dreaded that this contentment wasn't going to last forever.

The other villagers weren't around him long enough to see it, but every so often...if they were talking alone or he thought no one was watching him, a troubled expression clouded over Desch's eyes. He would gaze up at the sky and the mountains in the distance with a look of longing, gripping his sword hilt tightly.

Salina had a feeling she knew what he contemplated then.

...His memories still hadn't returned. Not having even a small inkling as to who he was or what he was supposed to do was driving Desch mad with unanswered questions.

She had no doubt that he would probably try to seek out those answers, but the idea worried her and she found herself unable to broach the subject to him. Whenever Desch noticed her nervous gaze in his direction, the troubled look on his face vanished and he'd smile cheerfully again...giving her hand an assuring squeeze in his own.

It didn't alleviate her worry, even though she knew Desch was more than capable of defending himself.

*****

It truthfully came as no shock to her when he left Canaan suddenly without a word on his path of self-discovery...though she had not planned on getting a horrible bout of fever that left her bedridden shortly afterwards either.

Maybe her mother's suspicions were correct, and the lapse into sickness, the worst she'd had in months, was brought on at least partially by anxiousness. Jolina had no problem vocalizing that thought out loud whenever someone came within earshot--her mother's anger only causing the young woman further stress. The rumor spread quickly throughout Canaan and to anyone who visited the village.

Desch certainly seemed to think he hadn't helped matters any when he did return later in the company of the four Warriors of Light: fabled heroes chosen by the Crystals who were destined to save the world according to legend. They'd visited Canaan earlier and had sought after Desch for the Mini spell he'd taken with him when he had left, with Salina being surprised to note how friendly and young the group looked in comparison to the images she'd had in her head of the four Warriors being older and serious-minded fighters--they'd even shown some sympathy to her as well, a fact that both embarrassed and touched her deeply.

With a slightly guilty look on his face, he'd gripped her hand tightly and apologized for leaving so abruptly as he had...but that it was still something he felt he had to do. He even faced Jolina's wrath head-on as well as he greatly respected the woman and felt it was the right thing do after all she'd done for him, and his earnestness in that regard granted him a reprieve in Salina's mother's eyes...her expression softening somewhat as she told Desch that, for both his and Salina's own good, he had better come home safe and sound as soon as possible.

Salina ended up surprising herself at that time by openly admitting that she already knew that Desch would still want to continue to figure out his destiny, something she hadn’t admitted out loud to even herself before. Then she surprised herself even more by getting up the nerve to voice out loud a rather selfish request, another thing she'd been terrified to do earlier: asking him to come back to the village once he had finally figured things out.

...The young man had surprised her in turn by promising that he would, giving her hand one last squeeze before exiting the house he’d spent his recovery in without ever looking back.

*****

That particular bout of illness had been a nastily persistent one. Salina stayed mostly in bed for days on end...her body feeling exhausted and tired beyond belief even though she barely did much of anything. Sometimes she was sweaty with fever, and other times she was shivering with chills. At one point she couldn't even keep anything beyond broth from coming back up when she tried to eat.

Stuck inside with nothing else to do, her mind constantly drifted to one thing over and over again: she worried about Desch a lot, much more than she probably should have given his considerable skill with a blade and his proficiency with magic.

Was he doing all right? Had he found a clue about his past, maybe even regained his memories?

...Was he truly ever coming back?

Throughout her sickness, she tossed and turned troubling thoughts like those in her head on a daily basis...the nervous pit in her stomach feeling like it had turned to lead.

She hated being this weak, this helpless.

*****

When the Warriors of Light came later on to visit and Desch was no longer in their company, the dread she'd been feeling intensified a hundredfold.

"...Where's Desch? Is he not with you?" There were somber looks on all of their faces in response to her questions, and the fear built up even more, "Is he...?"

The female Warrior of Light, a red-haired young woman named Refia, bit her lip momentarily and looked away as if to cover up tears. She had been the Warrior who had been the most encouraging and sympathetic to Salina when they had met before, surprisingly supportive of someone she'd only just met...causing Salina to often think that it would be nice to get to know her better as there weren't too many girls in Canaan who were close to her own age.

When Refia turned back to face Salina once more, the smile on her face contrasted greatly with the unshed tears in her brown eyes, "He'll come back...Desch said he would. So, don't worry!"

Refia gripped both of Salina's hands in her own and smiled even larger than before in way of encouragement. Despite the uncertainty of her body language, particularly in her still rather watery-looking eyes, the Warrior of Light's tone was very determined.

Despite her own doubts, Salina realized that Refia wanted to believe her own words...and she wanted to convey that hope to Salina as well. It would be much later before the young woman found out what really happened and how miraculous Desch’s later return truly was.

Forcing her own weak smile in response, Salina squeezed Refia's steady hands in a mimicry of the reassuring way that Desch had often done to her own at times in appreciation of Refia's efforts to keep her spirits up.

...If the Warrior of Light was able to try and have hope still, then Salina would try to do so as well.

*****

The grass was green and soft beneath her feet as she stood in the open meadow, looking at the quaint and sturdily built buildings that comprised the small village they were standing near.

Behind them was the massive airship they'd traveled in, The Invincible. Once they'd mentioned to Refia their plans, the girl had eagerly made arrangements for them to ride in the airship across the entirety of the Floating Continent.

After all of the help that Desch had provided her and the other Warriors of Light in the final battles with Xande and the Cloud of Darkness, as well as what he had done in the Tower of Owen in order to stabilize the Floating Continent earlier...Refia said that it was a rather small request in comparison--and that she was truthfully just glad that the two of them were going together anyways.

It had honestly surprised Salina herself that Desch had asked her to come along with him: though it probably had something to do with her having come outside of her home in Canaan to see him when he finally returned after those last fights.

Despite her fever and the fact that her body still felt incredibly weak since she hadn't moved around at all beforehand, the young woman had felt an overwhelming urge to go and find Desch.

After having been cooped up and mulling over worried thoughts for days on end, she had suddenly decided at that exact moment to do something about it instead: if he wasn't going to be coming to her, then she would try and go to him. The notion had given her a sense of peace and resolve that she had never really felt before.

To say that Desch was surprised to see her among those who came to greet the Warriors of Light and their allies was an understatement. But then, a touched look and fond smile suffused his features...only to turn momentarily to fear when she snapped at him for joking about going on another adventure again so soon. He would later joke that, clearly, her friendship with Refia was having an effect on her.

Perhaps it was because of that that he had asked her to accompany him here when he finally felt comfortable with broaching the subject with her after spending a few quiet days in Canaan again. Her mother had been rather nervous at the prospect, but was happy to see her daughter having recovered so fully--and seeming to trust now that Desch would watch out for Salina well enough since he did indeed come back as he said he would. Not to mention, having Refia and the other Warriors of Light onboard the Invinicible was also a big benefit of the planned excursion in her eyes, Jolina gave her blessing when the two of them asked for her permission to go on the trip.

"So...what do you think?" Desch, standing nervously next to her, asked. He motioned to the village nearby expectantly.

"It's lovely." She breathed in the air, still excited at the notion that she had traveled so far from home for the first time--the idea of traveling all this way wouldn’t have even crossed her mind months ago, "This is your hometown, right?"

He nodded, an excited look on his face, "The Village of the Ancients. I haven't been here since I was a little kid though."

Salina smiled slightly, it was great to see this side of Desch: the confident, easygoing swordsman was acting very much like an eager child. It made him seem even more endearing somehow.

Without really thinking on it, she reached out and grasped his hand in her own...giving his a small, reassuring squeeze, "Are you nervous?"

The Ancient turned to look at her, the glint in his purple eyes matching perfectly the thoughtful smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"...Not with you here." He answered cheerfully, his hand returning her squeeze in a firm grip, "I'm glad you came, Salina...truly."

Both of them were blushing now, and it almost seemed as if this was the first time they'd truly met.

In a way, perhaps it was: they had learned a lot about one another recently...as if the two people standing side-by-side with one another now were not the same people they were when they had met in Canaan all that while ago. They were similar, but different--truer to their real selves than they had been before everything had happened.

"I'm glad I came too." Salina heard herself saying, her smile growing even larger in response to Desch's own.