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Camaraderie	By : Xel Category: Final Fantasy X > General Views: 624 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy X, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Camaraderie
- 1
A/N: I had far too much fun writing this one. You could
think of this as a sequel to my first Leblanc/Logos fic, �Testimonial�, or not.
It could work either way, so you don�t have to read it first or anything. (But
you should anyway. :P) Puh-leez review; it makes me so happy. <3 FFX-2 is not mine, blah blah blah.
---

Camaraderie

Logos tried not to grumble at the
sting that shot through his abdomen with every consecutive step. It wouldn�t do
to complain in front of the boss; he was a man, after all, despite having
nearly been� emasculated by that damned Ochu two kilometers back. What
the bleeding hell had an Ochu been doing on the Highroad, anyhow? A
stray from Mushroom Rock, perhaps. Whether or not it was the truth, it made him
feel better to be able to trace its origins in a logical manner, as it had been
the culprit in forcing them to walk in the first place. Really, didn�t hover
operators come equipped with a proper sense of adventure in this day and age?
And now, festering excruciatingly
underneath his coat was a sizable lash in his side that sent a nigh-paralyzing
shock of pain through his body every three minutes or so. And oh, what luck!
There were no antidotes in sight. The boss had generously passed him potion
upon potion to stave off the poison�s effects ever since he�d found himself
afflicted, but it was hardly a substitute, and now they were running out of
potions. She finally let out a little frustrated noise and pushed on ahead, and
Ormi looked back and forth between them in a tragic, indecisive manner before
tentatively speeding up to walk between them.
�Ya feelin� okay, Logos?�
�Oh, absolutely�� he paused,
muscles momentarily locking up around his rejoinder and barring its escape,
then continued, albeit a bit breathier than before. �Absolutely wonderful.
Splendid, Ormi. No, magnificent. I can honestly say that I have never
before felt this good in my entire life.�
For a second, Ormi�s expression
brightened like he genuinely believed Logos. Then the full effect of his tone
sunk in and he sagged a bit, toeing at the dirt as he shuffled along. �Ya don�t
gotta say it like that��
�Quiet, boys,� Leblanc interjected,
thrusting a hand out behind her to halt them in their tracks. �I think I hear a
hover.�
She was eager to get to the Youth
League Headquarters in the wake of the three factions� speech in Luca, which
she�d been sure to attend in hopes of talking to Nooj once again. The only
problem was that he�d left before she could even bat an eyelash once it was
over. The solution? Follow him back to Mushroom Rock. Logos was less than
thrilled, but it was on the way back to Guadosalam in any case. Being poisoned
left him feeling a little less than accommodating, though. Not that he�d ever
dare object to the boss�s decision.
She crossed
to the side of the road and sat on a renegade piece of scrap metal. Logos�s
vision was not yet fuzzy to the point that he couldn�t see the narrow triangle
of her inner thigh flashing from his strategic vantage point directly in front
of her. It sent a pleasant warm sensation spreading honey-like through his
body. Almost a gentle numbness, that.
On second
thought, he mused as he wobbled on his feet, it was probably just the poison.
�Honestly,� she groused, watching
him waver, �whose brilliant idea was it to not stock up on supplies
before we came out here?�
�Boss��
�And I think we�ll be paying a
little visit to that agency down the road! We�re going to let them know that
they need to get hover operators with a little spine.�
�O-oh� Boss��
�And is it getting cloudier
all of a sudden? There�ll be hell to pay if I get rained on! Logos, give me
your coat!�
�� Boss, I-I�m blacking out.�
He sagged even lower from his
position on his knees before her, right arm stealing down to wrap around his
torso in a futile act of instinct. Oh, Fayth, it felt like a Thundaga
spell had localized itself underneath his ribcage and was firing away millions
of tiny pinpricks of electricity into his entrails�!
��oh.�
�Hey, steady there!�
But Ormi�s heavy arm colliding
none-too-gently with his gut in his effort to keep him up was not what
he wanted to feel at that particular moment, and he fully intended to rebuke
him with �Watch where you put your hands, you clod!�
Instead it came out as something
akin to �Aa-agh!� and he thought he maybe tasted blood somewhere in the back of
his throat. At last he abandoned his pride and slumped over the proffered
support in a way that he thought still held a modicum of dignity.
�Boss! We need to get to that travel agency soon!�
�Ugh, just perfect. Well, get him
on your back, dammit! We��
Logos fantasized a look of veiled
concern on his boss�s face, and the thought of it was enough to make him try,
at least, to look up at her.
�Ah, how nice for the hover
to come our way,� she continued, obviously disguising her relief through a thin
veneer of irritation.
�Or�! ��ut him do��hem over.�
First he was moving, then he
wasn�t. Now he lay in what he thought was the grass, but the pleasant, warm
softness under his cheek denoted otherwise. And in the midst of all this was an
intoxicating, all too familiar scent�
�He-hey, wha��
And the rest was silence.
---
�Ormi! Quit standing there
slack-jawed and put him down so you can wave them over,� Leblanc instructed. It
was just one snag after another, wasn�t it? That she was the least bit stressed
out was an understatement. Nervous as she was, she did not need an
incapacitated Logos, an additional hover charge, and the impending rain
to deal with as well.
She was beginning to consider
bypassing Mushroom Rock altogether, beginning to second-guess the whole thing,
and she didn�t like that one bit. She never second-guessed herself. But at the
same time, something had changed since Vegnagun. Even if she wasn�t sure
what that something was. But for the first time, Nooj felt genuinely far away
from her.
No. That wasn�t it. It was the
other�
Suddenly Logos�s head was in her
lap and Ormi retreated empty-handed to the middle of the Highroad.
�He-hey, what do you think you�re
doing?!�
Ormi gave her a completely innocent
look. �Wavin� over the hover, like you said.�
She rolled her eyes and decided it
was totally not worth pursuing. That was when the first fat drop splattered
right against the back of her neck and slid coldly down past her collar. She
hissed, bristling much like an angry cat.
�Ormi!�
�It�s comin�, Boss!�
Logos stirred under the rain. His
eyes squinted open (barely less than usual), took in the dark pink fabric less
than a centimeter from his nose, and he smiled wanly.
�Boss,� he ground out, tone tragic,
subtly inclining his face against her thigh, �this could be the end.�
Leblanc�s hand twitched for her fan
before she could stop herself. �You�re damn lucky you�re poisoned.�
---
�Madam, if you would kindly lower
your voice��
�Do you know who you�re
speaking to, love? I am the great Leblanc! And as of right now, I am the great,
wet, displeased Leblanc, and my subordinate here could be dead
right now because you people don�t have your act together!�
�Really, Boss. All this for me? You
didn�t have to.�
�That�s enough out of you! Quiet
down and recuperate!�
Ormi watched the scene unfold over
a nice bowl of fruit. The boss was fuming, that Rin guy was holding his ground,
and Logos was sitting back against the wall looking a little too pleased for a
guy who was recovering from an Ochu wound.
��And now you�re telling me that
you don�t have room for us?�
Rin shook his head, frowning a
little. He looked slightly put out. �I did not say this. Simply that the only
available room is a bit small for your party. If this does not bother
you,� he said, eyebrow raised, �you are welcome to stay there.�
Leblanc huffed, the fatigue of the
day beginning to get to her. Her clothes were soaked, her hair looked awful,
and all she wanted now was a hot bath and a soft bed.
�It�s better than nothing,� she
conceded, fishing a pouch of gil out from� well, Ormi didn�t know where, and
tossing it onto the desk nearby.
And with that she straightened,
fanned herself a couple times, and sauntered off into the back. It looked like
Logos was feeling better, because he rose in one fluid motion and followed on
her heels. Ormi cast one more longing look to the giant peach in the middle of
the bowl before snatching it and trailing along after, but he stopped in his
tracks upon seeing both Logos and the boss blocking the doorway to their room.
The boss looked really annoyed. Logos looked like he was thinking really hard
about something.
�What�s goin� on, guys?�
Leblanc glowered. �There are only
two beds.�
---
This was looking to be a problem.
Well, a problem in that general sort of way that opens up opportunities to
manipulate in one�s favor. A problem that Logos was rather happy about provided
he could, ahem, tweak the outcome slightly.
�Oh, Ormi,� he began, ever
nonchalant, �you look a tad fatigued. Perhaps you should� rest a bit.�
The power of suggestion never
failed with Ormi. He looked up from the unusually large peach pit that he
studied so thoughtfully�
�And gave him a completely blank
look, followed by a confused frown.
�Umm� Nah, I feel fine. I�m
not tired or nothin�. But hey, thanks for askin�, buddy.� He seemed genuinely
pleased at Logos�s concern.
Logos blinked repeatedly. That
wasn�t how it was supposed to go at all.
�Are you entirely positive
about that? I-I must say, these beds are superbly comfortable. Much
better than what one might expect from such a rudimentary establishment as
this.�
A pause.
�Yes, thoroughly impressive.�
Ormi gave him a stare that he
didn�t approve of in the slightest.
�You� sure you�s feelin� okay,
Logos? Maybe you�s the one who needs the rest, y�know?�
Logos�s jaw nearly dropped. Ormi�
was Ormi onto him? Surely not. It couldn�t be. And yet�
�Just humor me and try it,� he
snapped.
�All right, all right,� Ormi
replied, dignity slightly rankled. �Ya don�t hafta tell me twice��
So Logos watched, pleased, as
Ormi�s considerable bulk came crashing down on the next bed. The man stretched
languidly� or his own version of languidly, at least� and reclined back,
folding his hands behind his head. Oh, yes. That was a brilliant save. He
thought he�d lost his only chance a moment ago. That left only the final phase.
�Ya know, you�re right! This ain�t
half bad! Mmmm, I could stay here all night.�
�Well, what�s stopping you?�
Lifting his head in the crook of
his elbow, Ormi looked positively scandalized. �I couldn�t do that! You�s still
recoverin� from your poison! And the boss goes without sayin�. Nah, I�ll take
the floor tonight.�
Dear, foolish Ormi. But it pleased
Logos to know that he didn�t suspect a thing. It almost made him feel a little
guilty, taking advantage of his na�vet� so. Almost.
��Sides, the boss is gonna be done
with her bath real soon, and you can bet she�s gonna wanna fall into bed pretty
quick. That�s the way she always is.�
On second thought, not at all.
�Oh, for Yevon�s sake, Ormi. I�m
perfectly fine! Just stay there and I�ll take care of the boss.� And
how! �You look positively exhausted.�
�Nnn� No, Logos, I just can�t!�
�Sleep, damn you!�
�N-no!�
�Do it!�
�Logos!�
�Do it.�
Then Logos suddenly remembered the
Dream Powder.
---
This was a tough situation. Not the
one outside. That she could deal with. The one in her head? �Not so much. She
imagined it wouldn�t be as difficult if only she knew where to start, but when
you didn�t even know how you felt, how could you form a plan of action?
This indifference worried her.
But in any case, she was going to
go see Noojie. Yes! She was going to see Noojie and tell him�
Tell him what? How much she adored
him? That was old news. That she was so profoundly moved by his speech in Luca?
Only a little. That she loved him and wanted to be by his side for the rest of
her life?
After a long silence, Leblanc stood
with a ripple of water, grabbed a towel, and smiled cynically to herself.
�Damn, you�d think going to the
edge of the world and back was such a life-changing experience.�
---
Logos could barely contain a smile
as Leblanc glared daggers at Ormi�s sleeping form.
�What�s gotten into him, love?�
He feigned a sigh, leaning back and perhaps shifting
a little ways over to emphasize the space left next to him. �Your guess is as
good as mine. And he won�t awaken for anything.�
She poised her hands on her hips,
pausing once to throw a damp lock of hair out of her face. Her tone was deadly
sweet. She wore this little pink satin thing that made him not care in the
slightest. �And where did you figure I would sleep after all
this?�
The pat of his hand on the mattress
did not amuse her.
�Go squeeze in with Ormi! If that
doesn�t work, try the floor.�
Without warning, Logos emitted a
gasp and clutched his side desperately.
�Ah�! Oh, Boss� it would seem that
poison has had residual effects�! I must conserve my strength��
�Shut up and move over.�
The light
blinked out, then a bit of weight settled beside him. He could just barely see
the rising slope of her hip through the darkness, but he knew that to touch
would only mean death. Logos rather enjoyed living.
�Good
night, Boss.�
She
grumbled a reply.
---
�Mmm��
He thought it was just a trick of
the sleep-addled imagination at first, but then it happened again: a
feather-light hum and a puff of air against his ear and a hand on his chest.
His eyes opened vaguely after a few seconds and then struggled to focus on the
wall-mounted clock. He�d only been out for an hour.
�Mm-hmm�� There it was again. It
crossed Logos�s mind after a moment of lucidity to turn his head and look for
the source of the sound, and when he did he suddenly found himself much, much
more than awake.
Leblanc was pressed flush to his side, palm and pads
of fingers sliding resolutely over to his former Ochu wound and seizing the
fabric there. She pulled until he was no longer on his back but rather facing
her and her closed eyes and faintly smiling lips, and after that she finally
let her arm slacken and drape loosely around his waist. And then she shifted
closer. Logos believed very strongly that at that moment, his eyes were wider
than they had ever been in all the whole of the rest of his life. He felt
compelled to say something, to address her, but he couldn�t. One of the many
inevitable results of having someone else�s tongue in your mouth.
And another inevitable result floated unbidden from
the corners of his body to pool, ahem, elsewhere, which he consented to
be the logical reaction to such a� compelling situation. Oh, and her leg
snaking over and half-straddling both of his own was helpful, too.
So, he felt fairly safe to say that
his slapdash plan had worked out unexpectedly well.
This was� rather surprising, but oh,
divine. Logos knew better than to ask questions and risk blowing the whole
operation, so instead he wrapped an arm around the small of her back. That
negligee of hers was as soft as he�d envisioned it to be. Yevon, when
did he ever imagine he�d get to say that sentence? Leblanc let
out a longing sigh past his lips, and he stole a sidelong glance to Ormi to
reassure himself that he was still out cold.
She pulled
away abruptly, sinking to the pillow below. A challenge, a tease! Her soft
murmur faded away almost into nothing. Trying to stifle his zeal, his grin, and
the private assertion that this was the best day ever, the hand on her hip
stole just a fraction lower�
Leblanc
snored. Loudly.
Logos
froze. Completely.
�Ooh� Mmmn,
Noojie��
When Leblanc
woke a few minutes later, the space next to her was empty. She stared blearily
without really seeing, then put her head down and went back to sleep.
---
Neither
Logos nor the boss looked too happy this morning. Leblanc, while dressed and
looking pretty as usual, seemed too preoccupied to do much more than pick at
her plate with her fork. And Logos� Logos slumped at the table, normally
groomed dark hair in complete disarray (Ormi kind of wondered why he even
bothered, since it was all obscured under his helmet in the end anyway), gazing
off into space. He jumped a little every time Ormi said his name. It was kinda
fun.
About half
an hour passed. He�d had the best sleep of his life last night, himself.
�Somethin�
botherin� yous guys?�
�Of course not!�
both chorused. They stopped and looked at one another before Logos glanced
away.
�That�s
enough,� the boss said, smoothing the folds of her dress as she got up. �We
have somewhere to be.�
Ormi just
watched Logos, worried. Did his eye twitch for a second, or was he just seeing
things?
�Let�s go,
boys.�
Rin gave
the party a wan look as they paraded out the door.
---
That was
terrible, Logos decided, eyes flitting over to his boss every so often. Of all
the possible circumstances that he might actually get somewhere with her, he
never counted on her being asleep for it. There was something vaguely
insulting about that, wasn�t there? Of course he would have been perfectly
content to behave himself from the start, had she not pounced on him
like that. Oh, but she didn�t even know what she was doing! Last night had been
little more than a fleeting taste to a man who wanted to devour, and it just
wasn�t fair.
Mushroom
Rock was upon them, and so was Nooj. He hadn�t been looking particularly forward
to it from the beginning, and especially not now. Not that he was at liberty to
say so, by any means. It also perturbed him to notice that Leblanc wasn�t quite
her usual spirited self this morning. She�d been brooding ever since they�d
departed from Luca, and he would have thought their increasing proximity to
Nooj might help that in some way. But not so. Odd.
�Boss.�
�What?� She
looked aggravated enough from being addressed alone. But even if he had to face
her wrath, he would press the matter. It just wasn�t normal. It was enough to
make him forget his own dispiriting ordeal. At least for the moment.
�Are you certain you�re not�
apprehensive about something?�
�I�m thinking. It doesn�t matter.�
�C�mon, Boss� if ya don�t tell us,
who�re ya gonna tell?�
The only audible sounds in the area
for the next few moments were the crunch and grind of the path underfoot.
Finally her pace slowed a bit, and she heaved a sigh.
�I don�t know why I�m going to see
him.�
�What do you mean?�
�Look, we fought Vegnagun, and� on
the Farplane, I� Noojie-Woojie is never� Oh, forget it! It�s too hard to
explain. I just�� A frustrated huff. �I owe him an apology, at least.�
Ormi�s �what for?� was cut
prematurely short when Logos gave him a sharp nudge. �Let it be,� he whispered.
His sturdy companion looked troubled for a second longer, then nodded slowly
and resumed walking in silence.
Somehow he�d gotten ahead of her in
the past few minutes. She really was anxious, wasn�t she, to be
hesitating so. He stopped as they approached the side-path off Djose Highroad
and offered a sweeping bow.
�After you, Boss.�
She snorted. �Thanks.�
It was only after she passed that he thought to
wonder if her eyes hadn�t stayed on his a little longer than necessary.

fin
- 1
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Camaraderie