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Breaking Alphinaud	By : DarkRockman Category: Final Fantasy XIV > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 3705 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy XIV or any characters therein. I am making no money from this.

Chapter List
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Warning: E-Sumi Yan/Alisaie goes from implied to openly displayed in this chapter. Another warning for taking some artistic liberty regarding a certain aspect of E-Sumi's biology.

Brother E-Sumi Yan was not a stranger to moogles at odd times of the day. He was accustomed to letters from this particular sender. It was the letter’s contents that had him rubbing his face.
He wished there was a tree nearby to scratch his horns against. That would ease some of the stress. He settled for rubbing one with the palm of his hand.
“You never ask for anything small, do you?” he murmured fondly. He reread the letter, admiring the neat curve of Alisaie’s handwriting.
“‘Dearest E-Sumi, it is with great regret that I must cancel our plans tomorrow night. There are issues within my family that must needs be addressed with the utmost haste. Please accept my deepest apologies.
“‘I cannot explain the reasons for this request, but please hear it until its end. Is there anything within the arts of conjury that might heal wounds of the mind? Someone I love is suffering, and I will do anything to ease it. I am at the Waking Sands if anything urgent must needs be brought to my attention.
“‘Again, I am sorry for this abrupt cancelation.
“‘With love, Alisaie.’”
A tree sounded very good right now. E-Sumi folded the letter and placed it into the space between his outer leather robe and the white undershirt he wore. There was nothing pressing to do at this moment. No adventurers sought to join the ranks of conjurers he commanded, and the Elementals of the Twelveswood were appeased.
Less than a bell later, he had his horns buried in a very pliant tree. He bobbed his head to get every ilm of bone against the deliciously rough bark. As he eased this particular quirk of his unusual biology, his mind rolled Alisaie’s request around.
It was obvious that she was worried for Alphinaud. The people she loved were very few. There was only one person she would upend her entire life for – and E-Sumi was sad that he wasn’t it. What wound of the mind had Alphinaud suffered to merit a plea for help?
There were many different wounds, E-Sumi thought. He finally got the itch out of his horns and turned to lean his back against the tree instead. “Thank you for your bounty,” he murmured to the elementals.
He stared up at the blue sky. Different wounds required different remedies. Without more information, he could not suggest a reliable cure. What would work for a traumatic wound would have no effect on an illness from within.
If it was as urgent as Alisaie implied, a diagnosis through letters would take too much time. He couldn’t help the smile that crept across his lips. It was time, he decided, to visit Alisaie. She always came to him, after all. It was only fair to repay her in kind.
There were only a few things he needed to take care of. It was only a bell later that he prepared his teleportation spell. His traveling bag was heavy with various ingredients from the Twelveswood. No matter Alphinaud’s malady, he was equipped to heal the Elezen.
Vesper Bay didn’t have an Aetheryte. The closest one he was attuned to was in Ul’dah. It would take a day to ride to Horizon on chocoback, then another few bells to get to Vesper Bay.
The spell finished, he closed his eyes and committed his body to the aether.

“I apologize for my outburst yesterday,” Alphinaud said humbly. This was directed to Minfilia, the Hyur leader of the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. She wore her long hair pinned up at the back of her head, a pink blouse, and a leather garment that gave the appearance of a skirt. Under this she wore more practical trousers. They were in her office in the Waking Sands.
“Y’shtola gave me enough of an explanation to make any apologies unneeded,” Minfilia assured warmly. “She did not betray your confidence with the details. All I was told was that you suffered a trauma that spurred your outburst.”
“I must thank Y’shtola for her discretion,” Alphinaud mused. “Given this, I must ask to take a few days for myself. I do not wish to cause further disruption to the Scions’ operations.”
“You have already done so much for us,” Minfilia said warmly. “Take as long as you need. You are, of course, welcome to stay here. This is as much your home as ours.”
“Thank you,” Alphinaud returned. He ducked his head. “Alisaie and I will be going out today. She feels that I need time away.”
“You need not report your actions to me. Enjoy your time out.” Minfilia smiled at him before turning to the multitude of papers on her desk.
When he stepped foot into Vesper Bay, he had a realization. “I do not believe I have left the Waking Sand in weeks,” he told Alisaie.
She bumped his shoulder with hers playfully. “This day out will serve you well, then. Unless Thancred follows us, there will be no chance of encountering him and triggering another attack.”
Alphinaud suspected that was the main reason she asked him to leave the Sands for a day. It wasn’t a bad thought. Already, the tension was bleeding from his shoulders. Knowing he wouldn’t encounter Thancred was a blessing.
“So!” Alisaie said brightly as the strolled past the docks. “You have been here far longer than I. What is there to do in this town to occupy a day?”
All thoughts of Thancred and his assault discarded, Alphinaud turned his focus towards entertaining Alisaie. He walked her around the small merchant district. They took their meals at stalls around the main plaza. When the sun headed for the horizon, they stopped at the docks and watched the sun sink past the walls surrounding the town.
“Alpinaud,” Alisaie said as the last rays of gold vanished, “do you want to stay here? We have had our disagreements, it is true. However, if remaining near Thancred will cause you distress, perhaps it would be best to distance yourself for a time.”
It was a sound idea. Alphinaud was already thinking of heading to Mor Dhona. There were things that that needed to be done, and the Waking Sands was far from the best venue. He watched the moon rise as he considered his options.
“If I were to leave,” he said after a moment, “I believe that my situation will not improve. I cannot simply run from this irrational fear, sister. I must face it and master it, lest my worth to the Scions is lessened.”
Alisaie sighed. “You are right, as ever.” She tapped her chin. “Did it not occur to you that, in avoiding Thancred, you were in fact running?”
That was a realization he was trying to avoid. Alphinaud didn’t look at his sister as that sank in. “Of course,” he admitted. “But how am I do to anything else? When I see Thancred, I can’t avoid my fear. I start to panic and I can’t breathe.”
Alisaie sighed. “It is evident that you cannot control your reaction. My apologies.” She put a comforting hand on Alphinaud’s arm. “It will take time. Avoiding Thancred is not an option, unless you plan to leave the Scions entirely.”
That was the crux of this situation. Alphinaud could not leave the Scions, not with his conscience intact. It would be a disservice to his grandfather’s memory. Yet, he could not do his duties if any moment he would succumb to a panic attack.
“I shall wait,” he decided. “Only time will heal this wound. The Scions will not begrudge me this.”
Alisaie’s arm went around his shoulder and squeezed gently. “I will stay as long you need.”
“I cannot ask that of you,” Alphinaud said sternly. He brushed her arm aside and, for a moment, he was his old self again. “What obligations did you put off to rush to my side? I do not begrudge your aid, but I cannot rob you of any more time.” Stupid, he thought. He was so damned stupid. Alisaie had a live of her own. How had he inconvenienced her? There was no way to know, not without her own admission, but the guilt robbed him of today’s peace.
He didn’t expect the slap to the back of his head. It wasn’t hard enough to make stars explode in front of his eyes, but it smarted. He rubbed the tender part of his head and stared at Alisaie. She bore an entirely uncharacteristic scowl, and it was aimed at him.
“It is my time to spend as I please,” she said plainly. “I will not leave my only family when I am needed. You would do as much for me.”
Anxiety be damned, he decided as he hugged his sister. So long as Alisaie stood by him, they could defeat the Garleans on their own. No force would stand against the two of them.
As they walked back through the Waking Sands towards Alphinaud’s room, she glanced at him. “You would do the same for me?” she asked casually.
He brushed his hand against hers. Any that did not know them better might think it a romantic gesture. She accepted it as a gesture of his brotherly love. “Of course,” he said with conviction. “The Scions, or Eorzea, would be in ruins before I let any harm come to you.”
He thought he caught a glimpse of pale hair out of the corner of his eye and shivered. His next step pressed him against Alisaie’s side, and she gripped his hand in hers.
“Even,” he whispered when his breathing returned to normal, “the harm that came from inside your own mind.”
That night, Alisaie did not even ask. She ran her hands through his hair as he drifted off to sleep.
He awoke before her. He stared at the bare wall of his room, then down at his sister’s sleeping face. Even now, her hand curled around his of its own accord. “Still trying to protect me?” he murmured.
She shifted but didn’t wake.
Alphinaud sighed and gently shook his hand free. No matter his sister’s assertion, things could not continue on like this. He dressed in his usual outfit, but the sight of his grimoire caused him to pause.
Of course. Why hadn’t he thought of it? Alisaie’s grimoire was stored neatly next to his, her white bright against his black. There was no reason to go anywhere unaccompanied, even if it went against a few social rules.
Running in a panic from a friend surely was a greater social faux-pas than his plan. He pulled out his grimoire and flipped to the right page. He hadn’t needed this spell in years – he was a capable arcanist, but he was best off the front lines. It took him only a moment to skim the passages and recall the proper method.
Carbuncle glowed more brightly than he remembered. The small creature barely came up to his knees, appearing to be made of softly glowing crystal. It had a patch of red on its squirrel-like head, but the rest of its round body and stubby legs were gold. Its four tails twitched as it looked around for danger.
“Hello,” he greeted softly. He crouched down to he could scratch Carbuncle’s head. “It’s been a long time.”
It rubbed its head against his hand and chirped inquiringly.
“There is no immediate danger,” he assured it. He glanced at his sleeping sister, then back to Carbuncle. “There is no need to severely harm anyone.”
Carbuncle looked disappointed.
“If I do become frightened, please only guard me. Do not attack unless you are first. Understand?”
Carbuncle nodded. It turned from him and planted its tiny paws on the ground. It was a magical creature, born and sustained from the aether the gave this world life. So long as Alphinaud commanded, it would watch over him without need for food or sleep.
Alphinaud stroked along its back. “Thank you,” he told it. He settled his grimoire into its place at his back. “Come along,” he said softly. Alisaie still slept in his bed, and that was convenient. He had to see how this would work without his other safety net at hand.
It was time to attempt to return to his normal duties.

Alisaie was going to take her brother someplace nice and private before beating some sense into him, she thought darkly. Awakening with no note to indicate where he’d gone, and knowing his current condition, was enough to drive her stress level up. She walked through the Waking Sands in search of Alphinaud.
She tried not to look like she was going to murder him when she found him. She really wasn’t. He might end up a bit bruised, but it was for his own good.
Her search was brought up short by the sight of a familiar face. “Brother E-Sumi!” she said in surprise. “What brings you here?”
Her – boyfriend? Lover? – smiled in that way of his he had. His face rarely ever bore an expression, but Alisaie had long since learned to read him. His smile was a twinkle in his pale white eyes, a certain tilt to his white-topped head. The only time he ever showed emotion was when he was truly angry – or when Alisaie rubbed the horns on the top of his head just right. “Your note was thoughtful,” he answered. “However, it was lacking in any details. It was prudent to come see the patient in person, if the situation is as dire as it was implied.”
E-Sumi rarely made house calls. Alisaie smiled at him. “It is wonderful to see you too,” she said. He wasn’t comfortable with displaying affection, so she masked her first instinct to kiss him. When she walked close, however, he did brush his fingers against hers. It was easily mistaken for an accident, as with the same motion he patted his traveling bag. He wore the same attire as normal – a black leather robe with more chains and belts than any garment would need. His conjurer’s staff was belted to his back.
“I have everything with me to make whatever medicine is required,” he informed her. “All that is required is for me to interview the patient.”
“I’m sure you’ve guessed his identity,” she said wryly. That’s right. She was going to beat some sense into Alphinaud. “I can’t rightly tell you his location right now. When I awoke this morning he was already gone. By all accounts, he’s resumed his normal work. No one seems to know where.”
E-Sumi nodded. “We must needs find him. If this wound of the mind is great enough to warrant your presence at his side, his behavior may be erratic.”
“He has been clingy,” Alisaie admitted. “He has not required this much reassurance since our childhood.”
“That is worrying. Let us be off.”
They eventually found Alphinaud in an unused storage closet. They only knew he was there by the glow of his Carbuncle through the bottom of the door. It didn’t bother them when they entered.
Alphinaud raised his head to look at them. His clothes were covered in dust from the floor and walls, but otherwise he only looked weary. He was curled up against the wall with his arms wrapped around his legs – not an uncommon position for him, not as of late.
“It didn’t work,” he sighed. “I encountered Thancred again. Carbuncle helped, he kept us apart, but I succumbed to the panic again.”
Alisaie knelt by her brother and wrapped protective arms around him. She couldn’t stay mad at him. He was trying his best. He always tried to stand strong, even when he was by her side. If she had to guess, he was desperate for some autonomy again.
E-Sumi shut the door. “This is as private as any place, even if the cleanliness isn’t optimal,” he noted. Alphinaud flinched when he settled to the floor next to the Elezen, drawing closer to Alisaie. Carbuncle was suddenly between the conjurer and its caller, growling menacingly.
“I am not here to hurt Alphinaud,” E-Sumi tried to assure it. His voice had only two normal intonations – a monotone and an angry growl. Alisaie smirked, thinking of a voice he had that only she heard. It was part of those things that her brother did not need to know.
The monotone did not impress Carbuncle. Alisaie rubbed her brother’s shoulder. “You are safe now,” she told Alphinaud. “Please call him off. E-Sumi is here to help.”
“E-Sumi Yan?” Alphinaud asked. He jerked upright and waved Carbuncle away. “Forgive me. I should have stood when you entered the room.”
“I am here in no official capacity,” E-Sumi said. “I am here as your healer. Alisaie sent me a letter telling me that you suffer a wound of the mind. Based on my prelimary observations, I would diagnose you with anxiety and advise a few days of rest.” He pulled a notebook from his bag and a quill from his pocket. “However, were it only that, Alisaie would not still be here.”
Alphinaud nodded. “You are correct. I have rested the last few days and it has done nothing for my condition.”
“I require details. What caused this affliction, and what continues to trigger it?” E-Sumi’s last preparation was to open a bottle of ink and place it in a spot their movements had cleared of dust.
Alphinaud clutched Alisaie closer. His hands trembled, and he nearly choked when he swallowed hard. After a few moments, moments where Alisaie could feel his fright through the arms she had wrapped around his chest, he began to describe what happened.
Alisaie caught tears in her own eyes when his brother finished. His heartbeat thumped under her fingers, and the hands that gripped her arms were nearly painful. She let him turn to bury his face in her shoulder until his sobs stopped.
“Can you help?” she asked her love. “Please. It hurts my heart to see Alphinaud like this.”
E-Sumi chewed the end of his quill as he studied his notebook. It had gained plenty of black ink as Alphinaud’s story continued. “Post-Traumatic Stress,” he said at length. “This is the underlying cause of your symptoms. It is a common reaction across many races to the ordeal you faced. That your abuse came from a coworker makes this trickier.”
“It wasn’t really Thancred,” Alisaie corrected. “It was a demon that wore his face.”
“To Alphinaud, they are one and the same. There is no cure for this condition. There are only ways to manage it.” E-Sumi closed his notebook and nodded. “It is fortunate that I came here. Not many healers know this condition, and even fewer know how to treat it. I will have a remedy within a few bells.”
“Will Alphinaud be able to stand Thancred’s presence?” Alisaie asked.
“With time, yes. Alphinaud should be able to resume his duties as a Scion with no limitations.” E-Sumi glanced around and shook his head. “This is no place to brew potions. Take Alphinaud to get something to eat, then meet me at the local inn.”
“I’m sure that the Scions would let you board here,” Alisaie objected.
E-Sumi’s voice didn’t change, but there was a suspicious sparkle in his eye. “I would not trouble their hospitality for a personal visit.”
Oh. Alisaie smiled back.
“I do not wish to be privy to any details,” Alphinaud warned.
His sister couldn’t help her snicker. She clutched him close. “You first,” she assured him. “Our personal matters can wait until then.” She slid her eyes over to E-Sumi. “I’m sorry.”
“Of course. Perhaps the details can wait until after nightfall.”
Alphinaud’s normally pale cheeks were bright pink. “I am going to drop dead of embarrassment,” he declared. “I do not need to have those thoughts about my sister.”
Alisaie patted his cheek. “It’s normal, brother dear. Now come on. We’ve been here many bells, and I’m starving.”
Carbuncle, forgotten until now, put its paws up on Alphinaud’s leg. “Forgive me for calling you without reason,” its caller said. “I will send you back to the aether.”
It nodded, looking a bit mournful as it vanished.
Alisaie led Alphinaud back to his room. “I know that whatever led to you hiding, it was most likely public. You stay here and rest. I’ll bring you food,” she assured her brother. “I doubt Thancred will bother you here.”
He looked so tired. The strain of the situation was plain on his face. There were wrinkles around his eyes that a man his age shouldn’t have. “Okay,” he said without protest. “I shall await your return. I will read my grimoire to pass the time.”
Bells later, when Alphinaud had settled into a fitful nap, Alisaie sought out the local inn. She was directed to E-Sumi’s room and was ushered inside without fanfare.
“I have Alphinaud’s remedy brewed,” the conjurer said without preamble. “It will help his anxiety.” He pressed the bottle into Alisaie’s hands. “If he should feel himself growing agitated, please direct him to take one swallow of this, no more. Additionally, it should not be imbibed any more often than every four bells.”
The green liquid sloshed as Alisaie peered at it. “It will calm his fear?” she asked.
“It will not vanish entirely. However, it should be manageable.” E-Sumi hesitated. “I do not brew this potion often. It has serious side effects when misused, addiction among them. If I fear that your brother is abusing it, I will be forced to revoke it.”
“I will warn him.” Alisaie pocketed the potion. “I will get it to him immediately.” When she turned to the door, though, she paused. “E-Sumi, is there really no cure?”
The man shook his head. “Those with a strong will cure themselves. It requires the strength to face the source of the fear without running. Alphinaud has proven to not have that strength, not on his own. That he still tries is admirable.” He hesitated, then wrapped his arms around Alisaie. She leaned into his embrace gratefully. These last few days she’d been strong for Alphinaud. It was nice to have some support of her own.
“If he uses the potion, you said it will calm his fear. If he can confront Thancred without flight, and if Thancred shows that he will cause no harm,” Alisaie mused, “perhaps Alphinaud will cure himself. Is that your plan?”
E-Sumi was very careful not to harm her as he pressed his face into her spine. His horns pricked her shoulder but drew no blood. “I hate seeing you worry,” he mumbled.
She turned and pressed a kiss to the tip of his horn. It was silky smooth. She traced a finger along its length and enjoyed his shiver. “I’ll be back after I deliver this,” she promised. His leather robe gave no hint at what she knew was now underneath it.
With the potion in Alphinaud’s hands, and E-Sumi’s warning passed along, she made good on her promise. Only E-Sumi’s conjury allowed her to walk straight the next morning.
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Breaking Alphinaud