Prompt: (26) Fear
Pairing: Eraqus/Xehanort
Requested By: Sunset Yesterday
Setting: Decades before BBS
Rating: K
Word Count: 350

Whatever mist that creature hit Eraqus with soon had him blind, deaf, and unable to help Xehanort continue the battle. He tried to remove the poison by focusing deep breaths to clear out his lungs, but as a standing target it wasn't long before claws slashed him. He held back the urge to run, knowing a cliff lay nearby, though in which direction he couldn't recall.

Another creature rammed him and his mind went blank as he fell backwards, but the ground hit at foot level. The creature holding him down flew off before getting another chance to attack, leaving Eraqus to surmise it had been knocked away by Xehanort. Human hands yanked him off the ground, disappearing back into the fray once he was standing steady. The other man didn't know what had happened to Eraqus. He called out an explanation, but had no way of knowing whether any sound escaped.

Holding his Keyblade near his heart as protection, Eraqus kicked his boots off and tried to distinguish the vibrations through the hard surface beneath him. One of the creatures had been airborne, he remembered; hopefully Xehanort had already vanquished that one.

The mess of combat was difficult to correlate without sight, but Eraqus managed well enough to survive, striking whenever he felt a nearby thud or current of air. He kept his feet grounded, still more than wary of the large drop onto protruding rocks. He knew Xehanort to be an acute observer and trusted he had figured out to stay away, lest Eraqus strike him by mistake.

When all feeling in the ground ceased, Eraqus stood stiff; though confident they'd won the battle, he knew better than not to be on guard. He flinched when the dirt shifted softly behind him, but forced himself to remain still. These creatures had lashed out, lacking the intelligence to sneak or the patience for the controlled traipse approaching.

He allowed his Keyblade to vanish once Xehanort's familiar touch reached his back, his lips brushing lightly against Eraqus' hair, fingers tracing heartening words over his shirt.

Icelandic requested something from Eraqus and Xehanort's training days, and I decided there would be no better time to upload it than now. Happy Birthday, Icelandic! : D

I'm not exactly happy with that ending line, but cutting it off there was the best way to make the word limit work. What I wouldn't give to extend that limit by just a hundred words. XD Ah, but that's all part of the challenge, isn't it?

- Star-Shaped-χ