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FFVIII: Reborn
Fandom: Final Fantasy VIII
Pairing: None
Warnings: Sap
Rating: G
Summary: Laguna was reborn. For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ff_flashfic.
"We had a book... about a bird! A fire bird... but it got all full of holes when the soldiers..." Ellone trailed off and Laguna felt a familiar twinge -- not from his leg, for once, but one of pity, one of hatred (and he'd never thought he was capable of hatred) for those who'd deprived Ellone of her real parents.
"About a fire bird? Really?" he asked, and it was difficult to be so cheerful, so blithe, but Ellone smiled up at him and it made that little emotional lie okay.
"It was a big big bird that burned up! It was called..." Ellone frowned, trying to remember the name, and Laguna leant down to sweep her up into his arms, putting her on his lap. He sensed Raine watching him, as if watching a big kid playing with a small kid and making sure they were playing nicely. He looked at her and gave her a charming smile, a little put off when she looked away with a blush. Ellone tugged at his shirt, calling his attention back, and he dutifully looked down at her.
"Remember the name now?"
"Yah! It was an... enix... a fenix... a..." she frowned and looked up again. "I forgot."
"A phoenix?" Raine asked from where she was cleaning a table, and Ellone looked up, bright eyed.
"Mm! A phee, phoenix! It set on fire!"
Laguna smiled. He knew all about the phoenix. "Do you remember why it set on fire?" he asked her, and laughed when she screwed her face up in thought. He poked her wrinkled up nose gently and was amused when she went cross eyed to look at his finger.
"No! Do you know?"
"Yes, I do know."
"Tell me!"
"Okay..." he settled her more carefully on his lap, and she moved to lean against him. He wondered for a moment if all children were like this, so sweet, so perfect, but then he forgot about that, focusing on his story. "There is only one of those fire birds at a time. They live a very long time, but if someone hurts them or they get too old, they set on fire!"
He sensed Raine stopping to look at him, but didn't dare look at her, focusing on the little girl on his lap whose face was turned up to look at his. "Why though? Fire is worse than being old and hurt, isn't it?"
He shrugged slightly. "They do it so that from their ashes, a new baby phoenix is born."
"So when they die, they're born again?" Ellone looked enchanted by the idea, and Laguna laughed, nodding.
"Yeah, they're born again."
There was a pause and then she shifted slightly, looking up at him more seriously and grabbing onto his hand. "Uncle 'guna... do you think if I'd set my parents bodies on fire they'd've come back to life, too?"
He blinked a little, not sure what to say but the truth, not sure which way would be worse. "No. Only a phoenix can do that."
"Okay," Ellone said, a little doubtfully, and Laguna heard Raine's footsteps come closer.
"Enough stories, I think. Do you want to help me, Ellone?"
"In a minute," she said, with the air of a princess, as if she knew that Raine didn't need her help right away and that Raine would wait for her. "'guna, me and Raine thought you were dead. Does that mean you're a phoenix?"
Laguna laughed and shook his head, reaching to tickle her a little. "No, remember, I wasn't on fire!"
"Oh!" she said, as if that should've been obvious, and then again in surprise, squirming away from his tickling, "oh!"
Raine leaned down to sweep Ellone up in her arms, holding her tightly. She looked right there, in Raine's arms, Laguna thought, looking up to meet Raine's dark eyes. "We're glad he didn't burn up, aren't we, Ellone?" she said, softly, smiling a little at him, "He wouldn't be half so nice if he was all burnt up and shrivelled."
They laughed. Laguna wanted to hold them both, all of a sudden, Raine and Ellone together, because he wasn't a phoenix, hadn't been reborn into a new life alone. They were with him, they would always be with him now.
Pairing: None
Warnings: Sap
Rating: G
Summary: Laguna was reborn. For
ff_flashfic."We had a book... about a bird! A fire bird... but it got all full of holes when the soldiers..." Ellone trailed off and Laguna felt a familiar twinge -- not from his leg, for once, but one of pity, one of hatred (and he'd never thought he was capable of hatred) for those who'd deprived Ellone of her real parents.
"About a fire bird? Really?" he asked, and it was difficult to be so cheerful, so blithe, but Ellone smiled up at him and it made that little emotional lie okay.
"It was a big big bird that burned up! It was called..." Ellone frowned, trying to remember the name, and Laguna leant down to sweep her up into his arms, putting her on his lap. He sensed Raine watching him, as if watching a big kid playing with a small kid and making sure they were playing nicely. He looked at her and gave her a charming smile, a little put off when she looked away with a blush. Ellone tugged at his shirt, calling his attention back, and he dutifully looked down at her.
"Remember the name now?"
"Yah! It was an... enix... a fenix... a..." she frowned and looked up again. "I forgot."
"A phoenix?" Raine asked from where she was cleaning a table, and Ellone looked up, bright eyed.
"Mm! A phee, phoenix! It set on fire!"
Laguna smiled. He knew all about the phoenix. "Do you remember why it set on fire?" he asked her, and laughed when she screwed her face up in thought. He poked her wrinkled up nose gently and was amused when she went cross eyed to look at his finger.
"No! Do you know?"
"Yes, I do know."
"Tell me!"
"Okay..." he settled her more carefully on his lap, and she moved to lean against him. He wondered for a moment if all children were like this, so sweet, so perfect, but then he forgot about that, focusing on his story. "There is only one of those fire birds at a time. They live a very long time, but if someone hurts them or they get too old, they set on fire!"
He sensed Raine stopping to look at him, but didn't dare look at her, focusing on the little girl on his lap whose face was turned up to look at his. "Why though? Fire is worse than being old and hurt, isn't it?"
He shrugged slightly. "They do it so that from their ashes, a new baby phoenix is born."
"So when they die, they're born again?" Ellone looked enchanted by the idea, and Laguna laughed, nodding.
"Yeah, they're born again."
There was a pause and then she shifted slightly, looking up at him more seriously and grabbing onto his hand. "Uncle 'guna... do you think if I'd set my parents bodies on fire they'd've come back to life, too?"
He blinked a little, not sure what to say but the truth, not sure which way would be worse. "No. Only a phoenix can do that."
"Okay," Ellone said, a little doubtfully, and Laguna heard Raine's footsteps come closer.
"Enough stories, I think. Do you want to help me, Ellone?"
"In a minute," she said, with the air of a princess, as if she knew that Raine didn't need her help right away and that Raine would wait for her. "'guna, me and Raine thought you were dead. Does that mean you're a phoenix?"
Laguna laughed and shook his head, reaching to tickle her a little. "No, remember, I wasn't on fire!"
"Oh!" she said, as if that should've been obvious, and then again in surprise, squirming away from his tickling, "oh!"
Raine leaned down to sweep Ellone up in her arms, holding her tightly. She looked right there, in Raine's arms, Laguna thought, looking up to meet Raine's dark eyes. "We're glad he didn't burn up, aren't we, Ellone?" she said, softly, smiling a little at him, "He wouldn't be half so nice if he was all burnt up and shrivelled."
They laughed. Laguna wanted to hold them both, all of a sudden, Raine and Ellone together, because he wasn't a phoenix, hadn't been reborn into a new life alone. They were with him, they would always be with him now.