author's note: This story is AU so the characters will be different from what you are use to.
Disclaimer: All Final Fantasy characters are owned by Square-Enix, not me...*sniff*...
"Remember, this was your choice…your regret."
Chapter One
Midnight.
"Happy Birthday to me."
Congratulations to making it through another year.
Sigh.
The ceiling stares back blankly, showing nothing but the contours of imaginary shapes designed by the cracking paint. It is white like the other four walls, empty of anything. Empty like the one lone figure in the room.
Isn't this wrong?
Don't you care?
How can you-
So cold-
Unfeeling-
Heartless-
"..." Eyes clutched tightly, lips thinned and knuckles whitened.
Her eyes flies open and her face contorts into a grimace. Nearly spitting out, "Pathetic."
Fist hits the bed and bounces to a stop. Body swung into a sitting position. Eyes no longer locked on the ceiling, but the barred door. Eyes unfeeling, eyes cold, eyes that has seen death and eyes that crave for it. Her fingers flexes and crack; her wrist flicks, snapping the chains. Pale and dry lips stretching into a slight smile. Still staring at the metal door, her smile widens.
"I do deserve a birthday gift." The bed creaks from the lost of its host.
"I do tire of waiting for it." The chains break the silence as it is dragged from the mattress to the barred metal door.
"Perhaps it's time," pale hands stroke the cool surface, " that I received it." Her fingers pierce through metal exterior.
She grapples onto the door and wrenches it from the wall, letting it go with a thud. The sound of hurried footsteps comes her way. She walks a foot past the threshold when a light points accusingly at her. Her smile widens and she holds out a hand. "Will you give it to me?"
The man holding the light frantically reaches for the gun strapped to his hip. His movements are spastic and uncontrolled as he continues to stare hauntingly at the woman before him. When he finally has the gun within his grasp, he aims it at the woman who stills has her hand outstretched. "S-stay where you are!"
With one step forward, she is staring straight into the barrel of the gun. Instinctively he pulls the trigger, shattering the tense air. Body still rigid, he lowers his weapon and stares at the nothingness before him. His screams muffled by the hand covering his mouth; his body constricted by the iron hold around his waist. He valiantly tries to hold in the shiver that threatens to break out as cold air whispers in his ear.
"My gift."
She removes her hand and turns his face towards hers, their noses barely touching. His head is locked in place by her hand as a wave of cold caresses his face, "My freedom."
Red was all either one could see.
"Satisfied?"
A smirk presents itself, "Quite."
There is a rustle of fabric and then there is light filling the room.
"You know, you can stay the night."
Buttoning up his shirt, Cloud Strife looks back at the woman holding up the sheets around her body. When the night started out, she was breathtaking. Beautiful blonde hair done up in the latest fashion, a cocktail dress that complimented her figure well and left little to the imagination. But like always, after his desire is sated, she looks just like her personality. Disgusting.
Her hair a bird nest of stringy straw likes hair, makeup smeared and running, body sticky and coated in sweat. It is a wonder why he does not stay after their nightly rituals. Cloud cocks an eyebrow and dryly replies, "Then I would be late for work."
Marred face and scowling, she hisses, "I'm tired of your excuses. I'm tired of this!"
She drops her head, her hair covering her face and her hand clutches tightly to the sheets, "And I want more."
Cloud stares back at her. It is the same thing every time for the last three months. Always the same questions and same answers, it was, is, the same dance between them.
"There is nothing to give."
Her head snaps back up, "At least try!"
Never wavering, "Then what? We both ride into the sunset while you leave your family in the dark?"
"I," she is hesitant, "I will leave him."
Anger, it is always anger that answers. "You say that, but we both know you don't mean it."
A pause, his anger shifts to guilt. "You know it's impossible."
"Please…" she begs.
Anger returns.
Pathetic.
"Disgusting." He turns and opens the door, closing it roughly, muffling the sobs behind it.
It was always the same, same questions, same answers, same actions and the same feelings. Disgust. Disgusted with her, them and with himself.
Pathetic.
Disgusting.
That is what he is, who is.
Cloud wanders out of the hotel and stops just outside of the entrance. He leans his head back and looks distantly at the hazy night sky. She will call him, he knows. And every time he will answer and see her again. His focus is once again on the world before him and begins to walk away farther and farther until he turns a corner, no longer within the view of the hotel. He knows they will see each other again, go through the same actions and motions. After all, he left without getting paid.
A hollow laugh escapes him.
Pathetic.
Disgusting.
Push and pull.
Pull and push.
That is all she feels, all she hears and all that she lives for, push and pull.
Push.
Moist lips upon their necks.
Pull.
Teeth grazing skin.
Push.
Red blossoming from broken flesh.
Pull.
A smile as it slides easily down the throat.
Thump!
Another body joins the haphazard chaos of corpses. Eyes close, nose raised, taking in the scent of death. Pale lips now red, smiling lovingly, widening when hearing another heartbeat, the flow of blood.
Push and pull.
Pull and push.
Instincts take over. She follows the sounds. The ragged breathing, the erratic beats and the rough pulling of blood pushing through the veins. Sweat invades her senses. She can hear and smell her next conquest; she can even imagine the taste. Left, right and another left, down the hall, up the stairs and through the door. There! Predator meets prey. Another guard. It seems like every encounter she makes is just with them. No matter, they only serve one purpose. A winning smile is directed towards the petrified man.
One, two steps and she is in front of him. His gun drops to the ground, back pressed to the wall, head tilted back and eyes wide with fear. Lips placed gently amongst the column of his neck, moving gently, "It will only hurt for a second."
A scream breaks through, but she does not hear it. She hears only the push and pull of blood.
Push and pull.
Pull and push.
His heartbeat slows.
Push.
His mind begins to fog.
Pull.
His eyes grow heavy.
Thump!
Another empty shell joins her collection.
Her eyes are now dilated, senses super sensitive and so aware. She finally registers the blaring and ear splitting alarm echoing within the building. Her mind finally left the red haze and wonders why she only encountered guards. Where are the other patients? Was she the only one in this facility? How can you shut up this annoying alarm?
Click.
Ears twitch in response to the sound. She pivots on her heel, facing the direction of the noise.
Bang!
She hisses. Her hand covers over the hole on her left shoulder to stem the flow of blood as she stares incredulously at the wound. Sharp painful stings erupt from her shoulder and her hands presses down harshly against it.
"Silver…" she bites out.
Click.
In a flash her hand grips the throat of her attacker. His hand lets go of the gun and wraps around her slender wrist in silent desperation. He struggles, but with a rough shove to the wall he ceases. There is no reason to kill him, yet. She can have her fun with this one.
An alluring smile graces her face. She lessens her grip allowing the man to breathe. "You should have stayed in that hiding spot of yours. You might have lived, after all."
His mouth is pressed into a thin line and he bravely stares back into her red eyes. "Tell me," her smile widens as she hears the erratic rhythm of his heart, " how many of them were your friends?"
Blood rushes violently through his veins, his body tense and breathing harsh. She recognizes it all, the symptoms of anger. Her smile remains dazzling, if not wider. "Yes, well, do forgive me. After all, I have been isolated for so long that I have certain urges to attend to."
Her eyes darken and roam over his rigid form as she spoke those words. As her gaze returns back to his red face she drives on, "Don't worry, they didn't suffer much. I was quite gentle with them. After all, I'm not an animal."
"B-bitch!" He sputtered out. "He should have k-killed you thirty years ago!"
Her smile falters as spit hits her face. "He's alive then…"
The pain in her shoulder starts to become too much to bear so she lets go and uses her free hand to wrench out the bullet embedded in her shoulder. As her wound slowly close, the guard scrambles for the gun he dropped, but as he reaches for his only salvation she destroy all hope left.
"Tsk tsk. You should know better not to try that again." She kicks the gun out of his reach and stoops down to his crouched form.
In a sweet voice she asks, "Now wont you be a good boy and tell me where he is?"
Trying with all his might, hoping he sounded stronger than he actually is, defiantly replies, "Go to hell you parasite."
She frowns. "Pity," her hand wraps around his neck before he has a chance to move, " I have no use for you anymore."
Snap!
His body slumps and falls to the ground staring lifelessly at nothingness. She straightens up and dusts herself off. She walks casually to the door lost in thought, once again forgetting the sounds and surrounding around her. She mutters to herself, "Where are you hiding Professor?"
With one step she vanishes from the room. With a second step she walks past the iron gates of the facility. With a third step she was completely gone.
Smack!
Cloud groans and removes his hand from his alarm clock. He remains still for a few seconds, contemplating his next actions. With another groan he chances another glance at the alarm.
6:30
He continues to glare at the red digital numbers that seem to gleefully mock him. Five seconds later he sharply pivots to settle on his back, groaning once again for the whiplash he might have caused on himself. His arm settles over his face, trying to return to the black abyss.
"Too God damn early," he mutters out.
Cloud would have succumbed to sleep if not for another presence making itself known - his stomach to be exact. In a valiant effort, Cloud tries to ignore this new disturbance as well. All hopes of a little lie in were lost as another resounding rumble punctured the air.
Annoyed and hungry, Cloud grudgingly left the confines of his bed and braved the cold tiled floor of the kitchen. A kettle placed atop the stove, a bowl pulled from the cupboard, bread placed in the toaster, cereal poured into the bowl, followed by milk and a spoon to top it off. Breakfast, just like everything else in his life, is the same as yesterday and the day before.
As Cloud polishes his bowl of cold cereal, he turns off the stove and commenced to make his much obligatory cup of tea that goes smashingly well with buttered toast. A swish and flick of the wrist, his second mandate of breakfast is complete. He leaves the chill of the kitchen to the living area of the one bedroom apartment. Cloud settles into the well-used loveseat, sets his cup of tea upon the coffee table, munches on his toast and turns on the television for the morning news. The ritual performed the same as yesterday and the day before.
" was a scene of horror." Elizabeth Reynolds of the Edge Morning News reported with anxiety in her voice.
Cloud sips his tea and is enraptured to the recent crisis taking place. Elizabeth Reynolds never betrayed her emotions during a live broadcast as she did now. Whatever happened must have been devastating.
"Just past midnight a prisoner of Adelhard broke loose from its confines and raided the facility which left a path of blood and massacre for the local authorities."
The anchorwoman took a shuddering breath as she continued onwards, "Due to Adelhard harboring only one criminal, those attacks were all guards. None survived."
"It is rumored that the convict is responsible for the mass murders of thirty years ago and a participant of the JENOVA Project. Local officials will be turning this investigation to federal agents and government authorities. This investigation will also involve SHRINRA CO in regards to the JENOVA Project."
Elizabeth's expression hardens as she stares at her audience, "Because of the high severity of the event, little is revealed of the escapee. However, what we know is enough to not approach this murderer. We know not if the culprit is male or female, but a participant of the JENOVA Project. So in order to identify said person, he or she should have a numerical tattoo with an encrypted barcode on the back of the hand. People of Edge City will remain on high alert until the murderer is captured. More coverage later."
The screen blacks out and Cloud lowers the remote. He rises to pour himself another cup of tea in the kitchen and drinks it languidly. Arms atop the counter, Cloud leans forward, adding pressure to his forearms and stares unseeingly at the wall.
A ghost of a smile tugs at the corners of his mouth and talks to the nothingness around him, "Maybe…"
Maybe, just maybe, today will be different.
Adelhard, Stronghold of Justice Falls!
She smirks as she reads the article concerning the breakout. Legs crossed and one hand stirring the steaming mug of coffee, she fails to notice the attention she is attracting. After her escape, Tifa Lockhart decided to partake in a custom that humans of the feminine gender called birthday shopping. However, this shopping trip was completely free of charge. Tifa also dabbled into real estate and found a charming studio condo owned by a drug-crazed musician turned Van Gogh. With the right persuasion, that came free of charge as well.
Tifa sips her coffee slowly and grimaces. "That bad huh?"
Turning around she smiles at the tall blonde purchasing the Edge Times, similar to the one she was reading.
"No, just not a coffee person."
He tilts his head questioningly and curiously at the estranged woman and inquires, "Then why drink it?"
The corners of Tifa's mouth tug upwards as she drinks in the site of this stranger. With the bangs of his hair sweeping over the corners of his crystal blue eyes and his bewildered smile, she could not help but indulge him.
"I had a bit of a pre-celebratory birthday party," she responds with a smile and a slight adjustment of her sunshades.
"Note to self, blood contaminated with Heavens knows what leads to massive headaches and bouts of nausea," Tifa thought.
He nods in understanding as he caught the slight redness in her eyes when she adjusted her glasses.
"That explains the glasses. Maybe you should use some eye drops, your eyes are a bit red," he gestures towards them.
Her eyes widen and smile becoming tense, "Pretty good advice, I'll take it. Thank you."
He smiles handsomely at Tifa and opens his mouth to introduce himself, instead the clerk at the vendor interrupts.
"Hey, buddy! You gonna buy anything else or you just gonna stand there?"
Embarrassed, he mumbles an apology towards the clerk and scratches the back of his neck. He turns back towards Tifa to find her getting ready to leave.
"It was nice talking with you, but if I don't leave soon I'll be late for a meeting," Tifa smiles apologetically.
With a sheepish smile he answers, "No worries. I must hand it to you though. Going to work with a hangover? That's pretty brave, I'm jealous."
With a nod and brighter smile Tifa bid him goodbye and he wished her a happy birthday and farewell. Every step away from the stranger, Tifa felt the happiness of just moments ago fading away. Even if it was brief, she felt human again, but right now she required a visit from a very old friend. With the address for SHINRA headquarters circled in red clutched in her hands, Tifa walks towards a world forgotten decades ago.
As the dark haired beauty walks further away from the vendor, from him, Cloud was compelled to follow. But the vibrate of his cell stops him and reality sinks back in. They were from different worlds. He could tell from her posture and movements that she was of higher stature. She was not a creature of the underworld like him. Something so bright should not be tainted with darkness. Robotically, Cloud pulls out his cell and looks at the name across the screen. Corneo. With a sigh he walks in the opposite direction of the enigma that, even for a moment, made him forget who he is.
With their backs facing each other, both thought, with remorse, "It's for the best."
End Scene
"…But, it was your choice too."
XD Thanks for reading!
-Emyre-