{Fan Fics} Letter Writing and Practice

[breyzyyin.livejournal.com]

Username: Yin (of breyzyyin)
Class: White Mage
Title: Letter Writing
Summary: A gift exchange piece for the Holy Swords Gift Exchange for yunie_sigh, who requested a story centering around Larsa and Penelo (it's a Larsa, Penelo, and Vaan friendship fic). Penelo and Larsa have a conversation together around writing letters.
Characters/Pairings: Larsa, Penelo. Vaan and Drace are also pretty prominent, and a few other characters are also mentioned.
Word count: 1,394
Rating/warnings: G. Spoilers for Final Fantasy XII.

----Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XII or any of the characters from that game. They are the rightful property of Square-Enix.----

----Note: I hope this is okay! I tried writing Larsa a bit differently than I'm usually used to writing him when it comes to fics, so I apologize if he is written strangely because of that. The story focuses on his thoughts on finally being able to interact and be friends with younger people somewhat closer to his own age, so I tried just writing him from that perspective throughout the fic. Hopefully it's all right! :D----

The fire crackled, sending a small shower of sparks cascading into the night sky with a puff of gray smoke. He inhaled the scent: the combination of wood burning with the fresh scents of the wilderness that surrounded them.

Several feet away, Basch and Fran stood stoic night duty. The others were sound asleep or at least lying quietly with their own thoughts--though he knew the routine would be altered soon enough when it came time to switch night sentries.

It would be...Vaan and himself next, he believed. He would not be treated differently because of his status, and a part of the young boy, the side of him that craved acceptance, was thrilled at the prospect. Besides, he rather liked Vaan: the jovial teenager had always been friendly and open with Larsa, and the twelve-year-old appreciated that greatly. He had no doubt that the hours would be pretty entertaining despite the seriousness behind the reasoning for the sentry roles.

"...Can't sleep?"

The quiet voice came from just above his shoulder and the boy started. The older blond girl was bent over him with a friendly smile on her face, hands resting on her knees as she regarded him inquisitively.

"Um...no." he muttered, face growing red in embarrassment at having been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t heard her approach.

The parchment on his knees felt heavy all of a sudden as he turned his attention on it to cover his reaction, "Just thinking. I had some thoughts I wanted to get down."

"...I see."

Penelo sat down a few steps away from Larsa. For a long while, she gazed at the campfire with a thoughtful expression of her own. A small smile still curved the corner of her lips.

Larsa watch her out of the corner of his eye for a few seconds, his heartbeat finally returning to something akin to normal.

...He'd never really interacted with girls even remotely close to his own age before: Drace, his caring but often times quite strict tutor, being the most prevalent female figure in his life. Before he had met Vaan and Penelo, in fact, he had never interacted with youths in a friendly setting whatsoever.

He wondered if that was the reason why he sometimes found his eyes lingering on Penelo for a bit longer than with others at times--why his stomach felt a bit more fluttery in her presence. It was important to be polite and chivalrous with women, he'd learned as he had grown up...and Penelo’s easygoing and encouraging nature had made it easy enough for him to feel more comfortable and accepted in the party than he'd dared hoped when he had first approached Lady Ashe.

Even in the muddled smoke-filled air, she still looked beautiful to him: her cross-legged sitting position belying a natural grace.

...His first thought was of wanting to discuss these feelings with Drace. He could almost imagine the arched eyebrow and wry smile on the older woman's face as she heard her young charge describe in what would most likely be flowing, eloquent language what was a deeply-rooted crush on a friend.

But he knew she would appreciate that, for the isolated and often very mature Larsa, it was a new and refreshing experience. A wonderful, innocent feeling that he wanted to keep in mind for as long as he could.

"What are you writing?" Penelo finally asked, motioning with a graceful turn of her head the parchment, quill, and ink pot in Larsa's presence.

The boy smiled nervously, glad that their closeness to the campfire masked the instinctive blush that had formed in connection to his previous thoughts and the sound of her voice.

"Oh, this? Just some observations of the terrain. I like to write some thoughts down--so that I can show my tutor and father later."

"Oh?" Penelo moved closer, and a little tingle went through the boy's body at her warmth by his shoulder. She glanced at the words on the parchment. It really was nothing personal or private: just notes on odd landmarks and the like.

"...Your father likes reading this sort of thing?" For some reason, it almost felt too beneath a man as powerful as Emperor Gramis.

Larsa nodded, "Very much so. He's the one who encouraged me to start doing it in the first place."

Though the emperor was a busy and stoic man, ever since Larsa was a small boy he would devote time to listening to reports and observations that Larsa had written down. Whispered rumors said it was due to a sense of guilt about Larsa's older brothers, and while Larsa suspected there was some truth to that (his father always seemed so somber and heavy of heart, after all), he cherished that time still and the slight smile as the older man asked Larsa questions in a tone of even discussion.

"...That's great. So it's like you’re writing a letter you'll discuss later."

The boy nodded, having never thought of it that way before but supposing it was an apt comparison.

"...I talk to my parents sometimes too--when I don't think anyone is paying attention." the girl smiled warmly at the memory, "And my brothers. And Reks too."

"..."

With the smile staying on her face she turned to face him, "I suppose that probably sounds silly though, huh? It's not like they can say anything back."

"Not at all." Larsa was surprised at how emphatic his voice sounded, "I think it's good to keep those you care about close to you...even if they're gone."

Her smile brightened at that even more, "Thank you, Larsa. You're very kind."

She sat back down to stare at the fire again, and Larsa stared at the parchment...any thought of what he'd been about to write lost from his head with the pounding suddenly in his ears. His mouth was slightly open as if whatever he'd been about to say was lost too, and it took a bit of effort to close it.

"...Definitely a crush, Lord Larsa." he could all but hear the gentle humor in Drace's voice. His first cursh--and on one of his friends too.

"You know," he heard Penelo saying close by, "I've always wanted to write letters to someone. My brothers taught me how, but none of my friends in Dalmasca really get it: 'We can just see each other any time practically. What's the point?' ...But it seems like it would be really nice. I would love to have had some letters to hold onto from my parents or my brothers."

Regaining control of his mouth, Larsa was surprised by how even his voice managed to sound, "Well, perhaps we could have a correspondence then?"

"..." Now it was her turn to regard him silently.

The words tumbled out of him, "I'd love to keep in touch with you and Vaan after things are through...when I'm back in Archades." he was speaking earnestly, as the realization that they'd be separating after all of this just seeped into his mind. Truthfully, he'd known it all along--but the prospect seemed more real now, more sad now that he'd found friends, "I would love to read letters from you."

"...Letters from Archades?" her eyes lit up excitedly at the prospect, and the older girl seemed genuinely touched by his desire to maintain their newfound friendship, "That would be lovely! Thank you so much, Larsa!"

She wrapped her arms around the boy quickly in a warm embrace, and he shyly returned it...the small flutter in his stomach growing larger at the contact.

"...You're welcome!" he couldn't help but return the grin she gave him.

"Hey, it's about time for you and Vaan to get ready for guard duty." she said, her voice quickly lowering to a playful conspiratorial tone, "He's a pretty heavy sleeper, so why don't I help you wake him up?"

He nodded, a smile still on his face, "That would be most appreciated, Penelo."

...The shouting match that resulted from Penelo's efforts ended up waking the other sleepers with quite a few grumbles going around, but Larsa couldn't help but laugh amicably along with Penelo and later on Vaan once he was conscious enough to appreciate the good mood the other two were in--the youth feeling surprisingly happy and content: a pleasant feeling that lasted throughout the rest of the night.


*****

Username: Yin (of breyzyyin)
Class: White Mage
Title: Practice
Summary: A gift exchange piece for the Holy Swords Gift Exchange for lumati, who requested a Snow x Serah fic. Babysitting Dajh for a little while cause Snow and Serah to arrive at a pretty big decision.
Characters/Pairings: Serah, Snow, Dajh, and Sazh. Lightning, Chocobo Chick, and "Snow" from FFXIII-2 are also mentioned. Pairing is Snow x Serah.
Word count: 2,679
Rating/warnings: G. Spoilers for Final Fantasy XIII and allusions to FFXIII-2 (nothing I'd really call spoilers for that one though!).

----Legal Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIII, FFXIII-2, or any of the characters from those games. They are the rightful property of Square-Enix.----

----Note: I hope this is okay! Writing pure romance fics has never really been my strongest suit...so I apologize in advance for this fic being the pure, undiluted sugary fluff that it is! XD This is also the longest FFXIII fic I've ever written, so I hope I did all right in that regard too (I keep worrying I wrote it badly and made everyone OOC because of that, I'm very sorry if that is the case!). I allude to certain events and plot points in FFXIII-2 as well, but in such a way that it really doesn't constitute as spoiling that game...I think this whole fic could just be chalked up as an "alternate time paradox" because of that, so I hope that take isn't off-putting to anyone! ♥----

The water lapped at the shore in a constant, rhythmic motion. If she closed her eyes, she could picture the white foam from the clear water receding from the sand and then pushing forward again. She had come here so many times that she'd lost count. And before New Bodhum, another beach had served as a calming, meditative force in her life.

She looked up tentatively at the sight of Cocoon looming in the air, held aloft by a giant pillar of crystal: a sense of...what, she couldn't quite tell, forming in her chest.

The larger hand that gripped hers squeezed slightly, and she looked up into concerned blue eyes. The expression seemed somewhat out of place on Snow Villiers' usually cheerful face...and she smiled reassuringly to show him that she was okay.

"Look, they're here already!" he pointed to the edge of the dock.

A dark-skinned man in a green pilot's suit gave a small wave in their direction. By his side was a small boy in overalls, his complete and utter attention focused on the water underneath the wooden planks. The child was leaning forward with his hands on his knees, smiling brightly. A tiny yellow form flitted about his sneakers.

"Look, Chocobo! A fish!" he pointed to the water, and the baby bird flitted its wings and gave a loud "Kweh!" as if in excited agreement at the find.

"...I really appreciate you two doing this." Sazh Katzroy said after the initial greetings had been done. His expression was serious, and he glanced down at his son guiltily, "This scouting expedition might be dangerous this time around given the area, so..."

Snow grinned and clasped Sazh's shoulder affably, "Say no more, Sazh! We'll keep Dajh preoccupied, safe, and sound until you come back."

Sazh gave him a wry smile, "When you say that, I can't help but worry a little." his eyes were twinkling though, and it was obvious he was simply joking with the younger man. He turned to Serah, his smile friendly and warm as he told her conspiratorially, "Keep an eye out on both of them for me, okay? You'll have your hands full."

"Of course." she couldn't help but giggle at his joke.

"...She always does with me around." Snow grinned.

***

It only took a few more minutes for Sazh to say goodbye to his son. Not really looking forward to the prospect of separating from him, but knowing that the mission was important and would only take about two days if handled correctly, Sazh seemed to want to get it over with pretty quickly. Plus, the less time he prolonged the goodbye...the less hard it would be to depart.

Serah and Snow waited a respectful distance away as the two hugged and Sazh muttered something to his son in a low voice. Dajh smiled brightly and nodded his head at whatever his father had told him.

The two came over afterwards, hand in hand. Chocobo Chick followed at Dajh's feet like a puppy might.

"...I guess I'll be going then." Sazh said, "I owe you two for doing this...it's good to know he'll be in safe hands."

Snow waved his hand dismissively, "It's no problem at all." he glanced over at Serah and grinned as they exchanged smiles, "Besides, it will be good practice for us."

Sazh smiled, "Thinking of that already?"

"Maybe." Serah said shyly, exchanging another look with Snow, "But not for a little while."

"Be good for them, Dajh." Sazh turned to his son, preparing to leave, "You might have to help Serah look after this big one over here."

"'Might?' I don't know...I'm a pretty big handful even for her!" Snow laughed, and Sazh shook his head with a good-natured smile still on his lips. Snow's self-deprecating sense of humor helped to lighten the serious mood of his leaving, and he was grateful for that. He gave Dajh's small shoulder one last squeeze.

"I'll be fine, Daddy!" Dajh smiled up at him, "Come back safe!"

***

They watched Sazh leave and things were silent for a lengthy moment. It was Serah who broke the silence, bending down to be more at Dajh's eye-level, "So, Dajh, are you ready to see our house? We have a nice room set up for you."

"...And for him too?" Chocobo Chick flitted to his shoulder the second Sazh had left, as if sensing perhaps that he was needed close by without the boy saying anything.

She smiled, "Of course! There's even a little bed for him right next yours on the dresser."

"He'll sleep like a prince." Snow chimed in confidently. It had actually been him who had made the tiny pet bed since none of the stores evidently made them for Chocobos--he'd been rather pleased with his handiwork once everything was said and done.

"Okay!" Dajh seemed excited at the idea.

"Let's go." Serah reached out her hand, and the boy gripped it with his smaller one. The two smiled at one another in secret understanding and memories: the last time they'd met (also the first time, truthfully), when they had been restored...the young woman had gripped his hand protectively in hers when they'd trekked to meet the others after the final battle was finished.

Snow picked up Dajh's duffle bag containing his clothes and other items, and the little group set off.

***

Dajh was a good kid: surprisingly mature and responsible despite his innate childlike qualities. He was curious about the small plate of cat food and water by the door, and it wasn't long before they were telling the story of the surprisingly plump alley cat that Snow and Serah had taken to feeding because, despite being skittish of people, it seemed oddly domesticated.

"Perhaps it got lost when people started to migrate from Cocoon." Snow had suggested when they first saw it and it gazed at them with curious yellow eyes.

Once Dajh had been assured that the cat would be too scared of Chocobo Chick to eat him, he didn't seem worried at the prospect of seeing the other animal...stating that it would be nice to be able to pet the kitty if he could later on.

He did some problems from a workbook Sazh had left with him, both adults trying to help him...though with varying degrees of success given the amount of frowning Snow did at some of the math equations. Snow did end up reading from an adventure book to the small boy--recognizing the title from his own days as a youth in Bodhum. Serah couldn't help but smile and laugh along with Dajh at the many differing voices Snow used during his grand performance.

"What? A hero needs to play each role with enthusiasm!" Snow grinned and puffed out his chest for dramatic effect, causing his captive audience to burst into outright laughter.

That evening after dinner, which all three helped to clean up, things were pretty calm. Dajh colored a bit and invited the two of them to do their pages in his coloring book, which they did while smiling at one another over the child's head. Then they put him to bed when it became apparent that Dajh's eyelids were starting to droop down at regular intervals.

Serah went up to check on the boy a few hours later. He was tucked into bed and sleeping soundly, Chocobo Chick doing the same in the "luxurious" padded wooden box Snow had built for him: he had even painted it and everything--a gift for Dajh to take with him when he left.

She paused in the doorway with the light from the hallway silhouetting her frame and casting shadows into the darkened room. Her breath caught in her throat as she had an odd sense of déjà vu at the scene playing out before her.

When their parents had died, Lightning worked late hours and trained constantly. She always took care of Serah, but their interactions were often brief and hurried.

...But when Serah had gone to bed, she'd sometimes wake up to find a shadowy figure in the doorway of her bedroom. Lightning, decked out in her sweat-and-dirt-covered clothes from training, always took a few seconds to check in on her little sister.

She had known without it ever having been said that, if she had shown she was awake and wanted to talk about something at that time, her sister would have sat on the edge of her bed like she had when their parents were still alive and she would have listened to her. The thought had given her so much comfort, a sense of warmth and safety that remained in her heart constantly.

But Serah had also known how hard Lightning was working for the two of them, how tired she probably was despite her never once voicing it...and so she remained always silent and faked sleep. After a few seconds, Lightning would leave the doorway and move off to her own room for a few much-needed hours of sleep before she awoke for more training in the early morning light.

A soft smile played on her lips at the memory, wondering briefly how often Sazh did the same thing when he checked up on his son before she turned away from Dajh's room.

Snow was staring at her from the stairway, a look of concern in his eyes when he saw the odd nostalgic expression on her face, "...You okay?"

Serah nodded, her smile brightening to help reassure him. Snow seemed unconvinced, but he didn't want to push her into saying something yet if she didn't want to.

She bounded down the steps lightly and noticed the water bowl in his hand, "Did he come out this time?"

He smiled, a determined glint in his eyes, "Close enough to pet for two seconds this time. I think he's warming up to us."

She laughed, gripping his arm to guide him to the couch as she wanted to sit for a few minutes and he always seemed to make the best pillow, "My hero...the cat trainer!" she joked.

"Nah, you can't train cats. They go where they please and do what they please." he kissed her quickly on the lips when they were comfortable with their seating arrangements, "I'm just hoping we'll earn his trust is all."

"Oh? You want a pet that badly?" Serah settled her head on his shoulder, "How come?"

"I feel bad for him, more or less." Snow looked down at Serah and grinned rather boyishly. He always looked like a much younger kid whenever he did that, despite his large frame, "Plus...it'll be good practice."

She slapped him playfully in response to that, and his grin widened even more.

"Showcases how responsible and caring I am too." he joked.

Serah laughed, and the two kissed again before settling down for the night.

***

The next day went by just as peaceably. Though it was apparent that Dajh missed his father, he always smiled and tried his hardest to enjoy himself and, through Serah and Snow's combined efforts, it was pretty easy for him to do so. The two kept him busy exploring New Bodhum and playing games most of the day.

After dinner, Serah went out to do a few errands...saving the one she was looking forward to for last.

She'd somehow decided to pick up archery. She wasn't entirely sure what had piqued her interest in the long-range weapon: they'd offered classes at her old school, but she had left there before she could apply for them...yet, suddenly, it had become a skill she had felt compelled to acquire.

She had tried explaining it to Snow, and the young man had jokingly suggested that perhaps it was because of something she had happened in a previous life (or several of them, even!)...though she had stared at him skeptically, unsure of why that particular strain of humor was lost on her.

Snow had encouraged her to pursue her interest though, thinking it a good idea should something ever happen in the surprisingly sleepy little New Bochum: he was a lot more serious and practical in his thinking than most people gave him credit for, especially now. Pretty much every day, she would go to the archery range set up on the outskirts of the town and practice until her arms began to ache somewhat. She was hitting the center of the targets more and more now...she almost wanted to show Snow and Team NORA just how good her aim was getting soon.

And her sister too, if she could. Serah frowned, wondering how to get into contact with someone who constantly left her communicator off without even realizing it.

***

By the time she got back to the house, it was well into the night. She closed the door quietly and turned to face the living room.

The sight that greeted her there caused a smile to spread across her face.

Snow was spread out on the couch with the adventure storybook resting on his side...cradled next to him in the crook of his arm was Dajh, snoozing peacefully.

The blond smiled sheepishly at her from his spot on the couch, "I was going to put him to bed, but..."

"You tuckered him out with your storytelling, right?"

Snow nodded, his expression graver than it needed to be for the circumstances...causing the two to start smiling at the same exact time only a moment later.

"The cat's back." Serah said conversationally, putting her bow away, "He came out to get petted before darting off. You might be able to get him inside eventually."

"You think so?" he seemed thrilled at the idea. He had always wanted them to get a pet: as a boy he'd always wanted one. A house didn't seem like a home without one, in his mind.

"We could name him Snow considering how enthusiastic you are at the idea." Serah joked, though strangely enough the name felt oddly fitting once she'd spoken it out loud.

He grinned back at her, "Couldn't pick a finer name if you wanted to." he joked, "...Though it might get a little confusing later on."

"Not if we refer to you by numbers. He'd be 'Snow 1' and you could be 'Snow 2.'"

"...Cats always do get preferential treatment."

She sat on the other side of Dajh and smiled after their teasing was done with, "Having a pet would be nice. Dajh would love it the next time he comes over." she said, regarding the little boy warmly, "It was actually really fun having him here."

"He's a good kid. Takes a lot after his father." Snow looked thoughtful, and unconsciously his free hand fell over hers in a soft touch, "I wonder how our kids will turn out."

"...Probably like Lightning." Serah joked some more, causing him to stifle his laugh with a snort to keep from waking Dajh.

"Probably!" he finally managed to get out, his face going completely red from the effort of suppressing his normally very jovial laughter.

The two looked at each other and shared a tender smile, their fingers curving together as they squeezed one another's hand at the exact same time.

"...Practice?" Serah asked, unable to keep herself from blushing slightly at the question.

"Practice." Snow agreed, his face still quite red despite the laughter having dissipated from his body several moments ago.

The two remained sitting there for a long while, not sure how to move Dajh without waking him. Chocobo Chick flitted through their line of vision, and the cat that was probably theirs now, and would probably forever have the name "Snow" as an inside joke, peered its head through the window.

A very content feeling seemed to be floating in the air around them.

The prospect didn't seem that frightening or joke-worthy to either of them anymore, and that was something both of them were quietly glad for. It was a big revelation...leading to a very pleasant moment now that the thought was out there in the open between them.