The sequel will be "Fiery Red Horizon" for the votes were as follows:
2 For Trilogy (WINNER!!!)
0 For One Hella Long Ass Story (Uhm... nobody wanted it to be that long, I guess... =v.v'=)
~*~
Title: Mako Blue Horizon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: And Now It's Really Goodbye
Author: Kage Kashu
Archive: Ask. Give credit where it's due. Then... ?
Genre: General. Humor/Drama/Angst/Romance/Action/Adventure
Story Summary: What would happen if Cloud never went to Midgar? Who would take his place? And who would take Sephiroth's place as Jenova's right hand? Because of a Mako induced illness, Cloud never went to Midgar. Because of his absence, things that were supposed to happen never did, and things that were never supposed to happen did. Sephiroth-centric with Cloudy moments.
Chapter Summary: Uhm... last chapter. Cloud prays for Holy... Aerith shows up... badness...
Disclaimer: Dun own them, wish I did.
Author's notes: You need to have played the game to get this part. Things get stranger. And I figure... Normal thinking is between 'these things'. Jenova is going to be between -these, 'cause I didn't feel like being more creative for her-. And Aerith is going to be between ~these~. And Sephiroth's younger self is going to be between \these\. (Yeah, that works!) I suppose I also need something for talking through electronics. So, that will be in between =these=.
Warnings: Very AU. Character death... and a lot of blood.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Forgotten City
Cloud walked down the steps, pausing to look at the water. So far, it was exactly like his dreams. He sighed sadly. He had made sure that Nibie and Beatty stayed outside. It really wouldn't do for them to be down here when things began to happen.
His left hand went to his neck, to pull a thin leather cord from his shirt. His mother's gift. On the end was a crystal clear ball, which on first glance could be mistaken as glass. But no glass glowed quite like that.
He recalled his mother telling him quite cheerfully that it was quite useless, unless, of course, the planet... 'Gaia' he reminded himself... was threatened. The results of its use? The destruction of anything Gaia saw as a threat.
A thin smile crossed his face. It wasn't like his usual smile. It wasn't even the sad smile he'd been giving the past week or so. It was a rather sour look, one that promised something unpleasant to whatever was annoying him.
The smile slipped away, and he sighed. He really didn't like what he was going to do... he didn't like it one bit. But he didn't feel that he had a choice. The staccato rapping of his boots against marble echoed in this place.
He leapt onto the first step up to the -gazebo?- in the center of the place. It was a bit too small to be a city, he realized. That meant he'd given Vincent an inaccurate description of the place. Oh, well. It was a little too late to be thinking about that.
After a small series of such jumps, he made it to the... maybe it was an altar? Whatever it was didn't really matter, although it's purpose meant a lot.
It was a lovely place, he realized, even though he knew he wouldn't be there long. He sighed softly, pulling the cord from his neck, and holding the "pendant" in his hands. Begging Gaia for strength, he settled in.
~*~
The Ancient City, Several Days Later
A wolf howled nearby. 'Nibie?' Sephiroth wondered hopefully. The wolf howled again, and Sephiroth realized, with some surprise, that he was right, as the wolf in question pounded down the path to greet them.
She immediately thrust her nose into his face, whining.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
In response she whined louder. The small dragonet Cloud had picked up lay nestled in the fur of her back, obviously quite comfortable there.
He rubbed her muzzle, hoping that the cold feeling of dread had nothing to do with Cloud.
Vincent slipped past him, continuing down the path. Sephiroth paused for a moment longer before following him. Nibie fell into step behind him as he continued along.
Behind him, everyone else looked somber. Tifa especially had been in a somber mood, since Sephiroth had related his dream. From the sounds of it, especially after Vincent told them all what Cloud had said to him, about his dreams, Cloud had gone off fully expecting to die.
Cid was mostly silent. Rather, he was silent but for the occasional outburst caused by him being a rather loud man, who -did- more than thought. He had rather loudly protested when he had been attacked by the brush along the trails earlier.
Vincent, as usual, gave no indication of what he was thinking on the subject, other than the occasional comment in response to the others' worries.
They searched the entire city, and found no sign of Cloud. Nibie however, once they had gone into the center of the city, seemed rather inclined to hang out there.
It wasn't until nightfall that they found the crystalline staircase that lead down from the center of the "building" that lye in the middle of the city.
Sephiroth had gone down as soon as they found it, followed by Tifa, Cid and Vincent. Everyone else had opted to stay above ground, in case of trouble.
Sephiroth took the steps down two at a time, in hopes of reaching the bottom sooner. When he reached the bottom of the crystal staircase, there were more stairs, these ones seemed to be marble. Further down, and he was on a marble platform in the middle of crystal clear water. The soft chime of water dripping somewhere echoed, as did the sound of his boots against the stone.
And there was Cloud, sitting on a dais in the center of the... castle?
"Cloud?" he murmured, strangely unwilling to greatly disturb the echoing silence. He hopped onto the first column that stuck out of the water, his gaze locked on Cloud, who sat silently at the top.
~*~
The Forgotten City
Echoing silence. The steady echoing drip of water was a comfort. If it hadn't been there, Cloud would have gone insane in the first few minutes sitting there, locked in a struggle to put enough magic into the White Materia for it to work. The silence and the dripping helped work him into such a calm as he'd never felt before.
On the edge of his awareness, he thought that he might hear voices, but he pushed that thought away as a distraction. Until the soft yet echoing scrape of boots against stone alerted him to another's presence. Warm Mako blue eyes rose to meet the near match of Mako green. Sephiroth.
Cloud smiled softly, opening his mouth to speak. Then he noticed it. The growing shadow of something above him. No time. The smile turned sad. "So, this is it..." he murmured silently, right before ice cold metal drove into his back. Pain.
His eyes widened as the blade drove into the floor in front of him. His mouth worked soundlessly, as he tried to apologize to Sephiroth. The other's glowing green eyes were wide with shock.
There were two things that Cloud carried with him down into the darkness. The hope that he'd been able to do enough, and that frightened shocked look in Sephiroth's eyes.
~*~
Sephiroth dove forward to catch Cloud as the blonde fell forward, the blade still driven through him. Almost reflexively, Sephiroth pulled it from him, already knowing that it was too late. Once he pulled the blade out, however, he realized just what it was. The Masamune. His sword.
He dropped it, returning he gaze to Cloud's face. His eyes were shut, and a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. His breath caught in his throat as he gently placed a hand to Cloud's face.
His shoulders shook as he pulled Cloud's body close. His grip tightened as tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. "How could you?" he asked, voice choked and trembling.
Aerith just smiled. "Does it really matter? He's going to be with me, now." She tilted her head to the side. "Perhaps you want to join him?"
Anger flooded in, washing away some of the pain. "How dare you?" he hissed.
She laughed. "It doesn't matter... can you hear your mother calling?" she asked. "She wants you to come home..." She faded away, right there.
As she faded, something else seemed to grow out of the floor where she'd been standing. Something horrifically grisly.
He pulled Cloud's limp form to the edge of the dais. He then stood protectively over Cloud, sword out, and ready to attack this thing that Aerith had left behind...
~*~
Sephiroth had had a Water Ring, so the creature had been unable to harm him, considering that it used only water based attacks. It had disintegrated once he killed it.
He picked up Cloud and Masamune, to carry them out of the place that he now realized was a temple. There was blood all over the dais, now, and all over Sephiroth as well. Cloud's blood, everywhere; Cloud's body, lying limply in his arms. The pain from before came back, stronger than it had been.
His breath hitched as he carried Cloud up the crystal steps, back to the outside world.
Cid followed, just behind Vincent, carrying a sobbing Tifa. Cid was uncharacteristically silent... while Vincent... seemed a little more depressed than usual. If he'd been able to think, Sephiroth would have wondered what could make a man act so, even in such a situation... but his mind was beginning to numb.
It didn't take long to figure out what to do with Cloud's body. The chill pond outside seemed like the perfect place for him. The pond was rather shallow, but it was so cold that he doubted any animals would risk moving far enough into the water to get to the body.
He swallowed against the tightness in his throat as he let Cloud go.
Cloud sank slowly to the bottom, and Sephiroth was shocked when instead of stopping there, he continued to sink into the crystal at the bottom of the pool.
And all he could wonder was this... Did that mean that Cloud had truly "become one with the planet"?
~*~*~*~*~*~
*sniffles* There you have it folks. I'm ending it right there. Then... *sniff* the sequel. Not sure if I'm gonna start writing that one today, though. Well, you'll all see it when I post it, ne?
Angefantasy, Poor Cloud... poor Seph... Dear God, poor Zack. Heheh... It was only that one... *laughs* Dun know why, but I feel sorry for the guy. He's definitely changing... if he's lucky, he might get to control it. Heheh...
RavensHaelo, *laughs* I really don't understand why the bathroom is taboo though, if you know what I mean... I mean, everyone uses it, ne? Unless they don't have a bathroom, then it's the out house... or back woods, as it were... *chuckles*
Miniature Rant of the Day---
On Endings: I hate endings. It means you don't get to see anymore... but I like sequels... 'cause that means there's more... *sniffles* I can't believe I finished it... Wah!! Cloud, I'm sorry!! *bawls*
If you actually read my rants, thank you.
Thank you, for reading.
2 For Trilogy (WINNER!!!)
0 For One Hella Long Ass Story (Uhm... nobody wanted it to be that long, I guess... =v.v'=)
~*~
Title: Mako Blue Horizon
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: And Now It's Really Goodbye
Author: Kage Kashu
Archive: Ask. Give credit where it's due. Then... ?
Genre: General. Humor/Drama/Angst/Romance/Action/Adventure
Story Summary: What would happen if Cloud never went to Midgar? Who would take his place? And who would take Sephiroth's place as Jenova's right hand? Because of a Mako induced illness, Cloud never went to Midgar. Because of his absence, things that were supposed to happen never did, and things that were never supposed to happen did. Sephiroth-centric with Cloudy moments.
Chapter Summary: Uhm... last chapter. Cloud prays for Holy... Aerith shows up... badness...
Disclaimer: Dun own them, wish I did.
Author's notes: You need to have played the game to get this part. Things get stranger. And I figure... Normal thinking is between 'these things'. Jenova is going to be between -these, 'cause I didn't feel like being more creative for her-. And Aerith is going to be between ~these~. And Sephiroth's younger self is going to be between \these\. (Yeah, that works!) I suppose I also need something for talking through electronics. So, that will be in between =these=.
Warnings: Very AU. Character death... and a lot of blood.
~*~*~*~*~*~
The Forgotten City
Cloud walked down the steps, pausing to look at the water. So far, it was exactly like his dreams. He sighed sadly. He had made sure that Nibie and Beatty stayed outside. It really wouldn't do for them to be down here when things began to happen.
His left hand went to his neck, to pull a thin leather cord from his shirt. His mother's gift. On the end was a crystal clear ball, which on first glance could be mistaken as glass. But no glass glowed quite like that.
He recalled his mother telling him quite cheerfully that it was quite useless, unless, of course, the planet... 'Gaia' he reminded himself... was threatened. The results of its use? The destruction of anything Gaia saw as a threat.
A thin smile crossed his face. It wasn't like his usual smile. It wasn't even the sad smile he'd been giving the past week or so. It was a rather sour look, one that promised something unpleasant to whatever was annoying him.
The smile slipped away, and he sighed. He really didn't like what he was going to do... he didn't like it one bit. But he didn't feel that he had a choice. The staccato rapping of his boots against marble echoed in this place.
He leapt onto the first step up to the -gazebo?- in the center of the place. It was a bit too small to be a city, he realized. That meant he'd given Vincent an inaccurate description of the place. Oh, well. It was a little too late to be thinking about that.
After a small series of such jumps, he made it to the... maybe it was an altar? Whatever it was didn't really matter, although it's purpose meant a lot.
It was a lovely place, he realized, even though he knew he wouldn't be there long. He sighed softly, pulling the cord from his neck, and holding the "pendant" in his hands. Begging Gaia for strength, he settled in.
~*~
The Ancient City, Several Days Later
A wolf howled nearby. 'Nibie?' Sephiroth wondered hopefully. The wolf howled again, and Sephiroth realized, with some surprise, that he was right, as the wolf in question pounded down the path to greet them.
She immediately thrust her nose into his face, whining.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
In response she whined louder. The small dragonet Cloud had picked up lay nestled in the fur of her back, obviously quite comfortable there.
He rubbed her muzzle, hoping that the cold feeling of dread had nothing to do with Cloud.
Vincent slipped past him, continuing down the path. Sephiroth paused for a moment longer before following him. Nibie fell into step behind him as he continued along.
Behind him, everyone else looked somber. Tifa especially had been in a somber mood, since Sephiroth had related his dream. From the sounds of it, especially after Vincent told them all what Cloud had said to him, about his dreams, Cloud had gone off fully expecting to die.
Cid was mostly silent. Rather, he was silent but for the occasional outburst caused by him being a rather loud man, who -did- more than thought. He had rather loudly protested when he had been attacked by the brush along the trails earlier.
Vincent, as usual, gave no indication of what he was thinking on the subject, other than the occasional comment in response to the others' worries.
They searched the entire city, and found no sign of Cloud. Nibie however, once they had gone into the center of the city, seemed rather inclined to hang out there.
It wasn't until nightfall that they found the crystalline staircase that lead down from the center of the "building" that lye in the middle of the city.
Sephiroth had gone down as soon as they found it, followed by Tifa, Cid and Vincent. Everyone else had opted to stay above ground, in case of trouble.
Sephiroth took the steps down two at a time, in hopes of reaching the bottom sooner. When he reached the bottom of the crystal staircase, there were more stairs, these ones seemed to be marble. Further down, and he was on a marble platform in the middle of crystal clear water. The soft chime of water dripping somewhere echoed, as did the sound of his boots against the stone.
And there was Cloud, sitting on a dais in the center of the... castle?
"Cloud?" he murmured, strangely unwilling to greatly disturb the echoing silence. He hopped onto the first column that stuck out of the water, his gaze locked on Cloud, who sat silently at the top.
~*~
The Forgotten City
Echoing silence. The steady echoing drip of water was a comfort. If it hadn't been there, Cloud would have gone insane in the first few minutes sitting there, locked in a struggle to put enough magic into the White Materia for it to work. The silence and the dripping helped work him into such a calm as he'd never felt before.
On the edge of his awareness, he thought that he might hear voices, but he pushed that thought away as a distraction. Until the soft yet echoing scrape of boots against stone alerted him to another's presence. Warm Mako blue eyes rose to meet the near match of Mako green. Sephiroth.
Cloud smiled softly, opening his mouth to speak. Then he noticed it. The growing shadow of something above him. No time. The smile turned sad. "So, this is it..." he murmured silently, right before ice cold metal drove into his back. Pain.
His eyes widened as the blade drove into the floor in front of him. His mouth worked soundlessly, as he tried to apologize to Sephiroth. The other's glowing green eyes were wide with shock.
There were two things that Cloud carried with him down into the darkness. The hope that he'd been able to do enough, and that frightened shocked look in Sephiroth's eyes.
~*~
Sephiroth dove forward to catch Cloud as the blonde fell forward, the blade still driven through him. Almost reflexively, Sephiroth pulled it from him, already knowing that it was too late. Once he pulled the blade out, however, he realized just what it was. The Masamune. His sword.
He dropped it, returning he gaze to Cloud's face. His eyes were shut, and a small trickle of blood ran from the corner of his mouth. His breath caught in his throat as he gently placed a hand to Cloud's face.
His shoulders shook as he pulled Cloud's body close. His grip tightened as tears slipped from the corners of his eyes. "How could you?" he asked, voice choked and trembling.
Aerith just smiled. "Does it really matter? He's going to be with me, now." She tilted her head to the side. "Perhaps you want to join him?"
Anger flooded in, washing away some of the pain. "How dare you?" he hissed.
She laughed. "It doesn't matter... can you hear your mother calling?" she asked. "She wants you to come home..." She faded away, right there.
As she faded, something else seemed to grow out of the floor where she'd been standing. Something horrifically grisly.
He pulled Cloud's limp form to the edge of the dais. He then stood protectively over Cloud, sword out, and ready to attack this thing that Aerith had left behind...
~*~
Sephiroth had had a Water Ring, so the creature had been unable to harm him, considering that it used only water based attacks. It had disintegrated once he killed it.
He picked up Cloud and Masamune, to carry them out of the place that he now realized was a temple. There was blood all over the dais, now, and all over Sephiroth as well. Cloud's blood, everywhere; Cloud's body, lying limply in his arms. The pain from before came back, stronger than it had been.
His breath hitched as he carried Cloud up the crystal steps, back to the outside world.
Cid followed, just behind Vincent, carrying a sobbing Tifa. Cid was uncharacteristically silent... while Vincent... seemed a little more depressed than usual. If he'd been able to think, Sephiroth would have wondered what could make a man act so, even in such a situation... but his mind was beginning to numb.
It didn't take long to figure out what to do with Cloud's body. The chill pond outside seemed like the perfect place for him. The pond was rather shallow, but it was so cold that he doubted any animals would risk moving far enough into the water to get to the body.
He swallowed against the tightness in his throat as he let Cloud go.
Cloud sank slowly to the bottom, and Sephiroth was shocked when instead of stopping there, he continued to sink into the crystal at the bottom of the pool.
And all he could wonder was this... Did that mean that Cloud had truly "become one with the planet"?
~*~*~*~*~*~
*sniffles* There you have it folks. I'm ending it right there. Then... *sniff* the sequel. Not sure if I'm gonna start writing that one today, though. Well, you'll all see it when I post it, ne?
Angefantasy, Poor Cloud... poor Seph... Dear God, poor Zack. Heheh... It was only that one... *laughs* Dun know why, but I feel sorry for the guy. He's definitely changing... if he's lucky, he might get to control it. Heheh...
RavensHaelo, *laughs* I really don't understand why the bathroom is taboo though, if you know what I mean... I mean, everyone uses it, ne? Unless they don't have a bathroom, then it's the out house... or back woods, as it were... *chuckles*
Miniature Rant of the Day---
On Endings: I hate endings. It means you don't get to see anymore... but I like sequels... 'cause that means there's more... *sniffles* I can't believe I finished it... Wah!! Cloud, I'm sorry!! *bawls*
If you actually read my rants, thank you.
Thank you, for reading.