[KH] Fire and Moonlight: Enemies (theme 12)

Fire & Moonlight, a Kingdom Hearts fanwork:  Drabble challenge by Wishing-Fire, written by Raberba girl
12. Enemies

Summary:  Fortunately for Saïx, they have no idea that he is one of their natural enemies.

Saïx may have been dubbed cold and heartless by the other villagers, but he still considered himself a decent human being.  Decent people did not respond to being rescued from drowning by killing their rescuers.  Decent people did not harm said rescuers in any way, or ignore their Puppy Eyes when cooking supper.

Saïx glared at the hatchling over the ridge of crackling flames.  "Just because you saved my life doesn't mean I have to feed you."

"Hungry," the male said.

Saïx winced.  He could not get used to the uncomfortable sensation of someone else's voice invading his mind.  "I don't care."

"Food, please," the female added.

"No."

They hunched lower, their tails wrapping uncertainly around their scaly bodies.

"Where is your dam?" he asked gruffly.  Having an adult dragon around would be very, very bad, but neither did he relish the thought of being responsible for two needy creatures his conscience would not allow him to dispose of.

"Dead."

Saïx blinked.  "What?"

"Mama's dead."

"...Who takes care of you, then?"  They were too young; surely they were not capable of fending for themselves yet, were they?  The very fact that they had saved him, a human, meant that they lacked at least one essential self-preservation skill.

"Papa does."

"I miss Papa."

"Me, too."

"Roxas, when is Papa coming back?"

"I don't know, Xion.  Maybe he's dead, too."

The female lifted her head and began to keen, a sound so piercingly lovely and so filled with grief that it seemed to strike Saïx to the heart.  When he realized he had tears on his face, he snatched the roasting meat out of the fire, flung it at the hatchlings' feet, and stormed away.  He had no obligation to them.  He wanted nothing to do with them.  They had given, and he had given back; it was finished, right?

It was too dark to travel far.  It was also cold.  Saïx gave up and managed to find a place to sleep, and did not complain when the hatchlings found him again and curled up beside him, their body heat like a shield against the night's chill.

Morning dawned far too early, and with a roar.  Saïx was jolted awake, confronted with the awful sight of a full-grown scarlet dragon towering over him, smoke billowing out between its fangs, its emerald eyes aflame with rage.

"Papa!"  The ecstatic hatchlings leaped to their feet.  "You're back!"

"Papa, look at the funny animal we found!"

"He's tiny, but he's full grown, and he talks."

"We named him Luna Diviner.  Isn't he cute?"

A firestorm descended.  Saïx thought it was the end, but though he felt crushed and unbearably hot, it was somehow not as agonizing as he expected.

After what felt like a long time, the flames ceased.  Saïx was still alive.  He opened his eyes in amazement.  Then the hatchlings uncurled their wings from around his body, and he realized with a shock that they had shielded him from certain death.

"Papa!"

"Are you stupid?!  He has no scales, he's flammable!"

"You nearly killed him, Papa!"

Then came the adult dragon's voice, feeling like it would split Saïx's mind in two.  "GET AWAY FROM THE HUMAN."

The hatchlings stared at each other, then at Saïx.  "What human?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You're not saying that Luna Diviner is a human, are you?"

"He can't be!  He's nice!"

The hatchlings stared at Saïx in horror.

He stared back.  And found himself saying in response to their betrayed expressions, "You and I are enemies."

They backed away from him.  Then they lifted their heads and keened.

Their song of grief filled the air, and after a long time, their sire moved.  He lowered his head until he was uncomfortably close, and Saïx knew the dragon was reading his scent, sifting through the layers and discerning what there was to find there.  "YOU WISH TO DESTROY MY CHILDREN."

"Not anymore," Saïx said truthfully.

"HMMM."  The dragon paused.  "SHALL I LET YOU LIVE?"

"Your children did."

"THEY DIDN'T KNOW BETTER."

"Will you take a bribe?"

"...MAYBE."

They regarded each other warily.

"I SCENT NO TREASURE ON YOU."

"I have none.  I offer my service."  Saïx paused.  "For seven weeks."

"NO.  YOU'RE MINE FOR SEVEN YEARS."

"What happened to a year and a day?" Saïx sputtered, horrified even though he had expected something like this.  "What of the life and family I'm leaving behind?"

"YOU HAVE NO FAMILY, OTHERWISE THEIR SCENT WOULD BE ON YOU.  YOU STINK OF DISCONTENT AND LONELINESS.  YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE."

"...."  So true.  Still.  Forced to live among dangerous wild beasts, among the hated dragons, as their servant for seven years?

"SEVEN MOON-TURNS," the dragon offered.

It was as good as he was going to get.  "Done."

The dragon bared its teeth in what appeared to be a wide, evil smirk.  "AS IF YOU HAVE A CHOICE."

Saïx glared.

"COME, LUNA DIVINER."

"My name is Saïx."

"THAT'S A HATCHLING NAME, FOOL."

"What's your name, then?" Saïx asked sourly.

The grin softened a little.  "I AM FLURRY OF DANCING FLAMES."

"Can't say it's a pleasure."

"LIKEWISE."

Having watched this exchange with great interest, the hatchlings now ventured close again, their noses twitching curiously.  "So we can keep him?" the male asked.

'Roxas,' Saïx thought.  'I can't continue to disregard their names.'

"FOR A LITTLE WHILE, YES."

"Yay!"  The female - Xion - romped over and fluttered up to perch heavily on Saïx's back, her tail wrapping around his waist for extra security.  "I'm glad, Luna Diviner."

"...I'll do my best," he said gloomily.

It was not nearly as bad as he expected.  He did not mind that it was much more than seven months before Saïx the Luna Diviner was seen in the human realm again.

Author's Notes:  This wasn't supposed to be my first Kingdom Hearts dragon fic, dang it!  It was supposed to be a different plot bunny I came up with months ago.  Oh well.

Complete:  12/101