A/N: Not as much romance as general fantasy silliness. ;) But maybe there will be something one day. I've wanted to write something like since ever since playing Chrono Trigger (any other gamers remember Masa & Mune in their little kid forms?).

~*~*~

Finally! The shrine where the legendary sword Tairen was hidden. The stories didn't tell why it had such a strange name, but Mikio was just glad to have found it. Now he could fulfill the prophecy and banish the evil forces plaguing the land.

Just like he had imagined it would be, the sword waited for him at the end of the shrine, struck in pedestal and gleaming in a ray of light shining on it.

As he stepped closer, a figure armored head to toe and brandishing a longsword appeared in front of him.

"Have you come to claim this sword?" a deep voice asked. "Then you must defeat me in combat."

Mikio unsheathed his own sword. "I will not shrink from any trial."

The guardian was strong, but he was stronger. He had been trained for this task his entire life. Over and over their blades met, the sounds of clashing muted like in reverence to this sacred place. In the end Mikio disarmed his opponent and pushed him down to his back.

Willing his breathing to calm down, he placed the tip of his sword at the other's throat before he could regain his footing. It was over. He had won.

The armor faded away, leaving a boy no older than fourteen lying still on the floor. His steel gray eyes, the same color as his hair, stared intently at Mikio, but he made no move to defend himself. "Claim your victory," he calmly stated as silence stretched on.

That was completely unexpected. "Hold on, I only wanted that sword...Nothing else."

The boy tilted his head back slightly, giving better access for the blade at his throat. "Claim your victory," he repeated.

His eyes were immensely sad, almost...empty. And with the simple, pristine white clothes he wore, he looked every bit like one of the sacrifices Mikio's home village always had to offer to the Dark General to keep his armies at bay.

Mikio trembled. He hadn't signed up for anything like this! How could he...

Before he could utter another word of protest, he sensed movement behind him and barely blocked in time as another boy – one that looked considerably the same as the first one except for his eyes and hair being pitch-black – lunged at him with a sword.

The boy attacked with such fury that all he could do was dodge and parry the wild strikes.

But almost as quickly as the attack had started, the gray-haired boy was behind this one and looped his arms around the other's to restrain him. "Stop, Ren! He did not do it!"

The black-haired one didn't listen. "He was going to! They always do! I'm sick of watching you get hurt!"

"I swear I don't want to hurt anyone!" Mikio shouted, his voice rising to be heard over them yelling to each other.

Ren stopped struggling against the other boy's hold, yet his expression remained carefully hostile. "Then why do you seek a sword?" he asked.

"Because I'm destined to be a hero. With the legendary sword Tairen, I will save this land," he explained solemnly. That was what the elders had told him as long as he could remember.

"He might be the one," the gray-haired boy spoke quietly to the other.

The black-haired one, Ren, snorted. Then he looked straight at Mikio. "Would you pledge your life on this task?"

"Of course!" Mikio replied without hesitation.

"Would you never raise your blade against the innocents?" The gray-haired one.

"Never ever."

"Would you...take good care of us as long as you live?"

Mikio stared back at steel gray eyes in confusion. "Huh?!"

Ren laughed. "He seems alright, Tai."

The gray-haired boy nodded. "I agree, Ren. Kind and honest."

Mikio's heart filled with hope. "So I can have the sword then?"

Tai glanced at the sword standing on the pedestal. The blade and the pedestal both disappeared like they had never been there to begin with. Then he nodded. "Yes."

Ren took the other boy's hand. "We are Tai-Ren, the legendary sword forged to destroy evil."

Tai smiled faintly. "We belong to you now. Please don't fail us. We already lost one master..."

The entire room filled with light, and when it faded, a magnificent sword floated to Mikio's hands. The steel forming its blade was flawless and interleaved with black material shiny like purest obsidian. The grip was wrapped in impossibly white cloth, and the pommel was adorned with a stone that was also half black and half steel gray. Tai and Ren. Tai-Ren.

~*~*~

Mikio still couldn't believe his luck when he settled down on his bedding roll for the night, the legendary sword – wrapped in a spare blanket to protect the blade from the elements – by his side. He lovingly patted the bundle and whispered, "I'm so glad I found you."

Now he could fulfill his destiny and make his family proud. With this sword, he'd be unstoppable-

He froze as his hand met soft flesh instead of solid steel.

"I'm so glad you found us too," Tai murmured and snuggled close to him.

"Uh...Um..." Mikio could only stutter, completely at loss for words.

"Oh, are you cold?" Tai asked and considerately spread the blanket over the young man too. The boy was completely naked under it.

"Aww, that's not fair," Ren murmured and snuggled against Mikio's back in identical garb – that was, none at all. "Don't leave me out."

"At least put some clothes on!" Mikio all but screamed. "You're both freaking me out!"

Both boys shrugged as one. Apparently they didn't see anything weird in their actions. Then clothes like the ones they had worn in the shrine appeared to cover them.

Mikio could breathe again. "Thank you."