Spirited Away
Summary: Even after thousands of years, the Dead still cannot rest. Being trapped in a spiritual limbo by Sauron himself, the souls of the damned reach out through death to contact the only one of their friends still alive to help them. Legolas soon learns the value of friendship…
Author's Notes: This originally started as something completely different, but as the first chapter progressed, the plot bunnies just swept it away and it basically wrote itself after a while. I discontinued Under Cover of Nightfall, because the two became shockingly similar in idea after a while. That, and I've become much more interested in this story anyway. Besides, no one was reading that fic. It got two reviews. TWO! Oh, and if you've never heard of Devil May Cry, don't worry; you'll like the story anyway. It's my first attempt at a crossover, so please be nice! AND ONE MORE THING, THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. When you begin reading this story, just assume that something terrible happened in the Undying Lands and Legolas was the only survivor, mm'kay? Mm'kay! Don't flame me for this. I didn't want to write a prologue without having read the Silmarillion first. After I'm done reading it, I'll go back and write a prologue. I promise.
Warnings: AU. No slash. Anti-Mary Sue. LotR/DMC crossover. That's barely important. I just don't want people who have played the game flaming me saying "WTF WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US IT WAS A DMC CROSSOVER? Bitch, bitch, bitch, whine, bitch, whine, whine."
Disclaimer: I do not own the Lord of the Rings or its characters or its locations. If I did, I'd be forcing Legolas and Faramir into a threesome constantly. Oops, I hope I didn't say that out loud just now. I also do not own Devil May Cry or its characters… Or else I'd shove Dante into that little romp session, too. Yes, I am a sick freak. Sue me. Oh wait, this disclaimer is here so you can't! Mwahaha! ALSO!! This is very important. The band that is to be mentioned in the story – since the authoress is uncreative and boring – will have the same songs as the metal bands Nightwish and Blind Guardian. Go check them out. They're awesome. I just thought that their lyrics would fit a lot in the story, so that's what I used.
"Hey there, pretty boy. What's a good-looking guy like you doing in a run-down dump like my own, here? Ah, forget that. What can I get you?"
The woman behind the bar was not exceptionally pretty to most, but to the man she addressed, she had a certain inner light about her that shone forth from her eyes as she searched the features of his body. She was approximately forty, and it was apparent to him that she had no interest in what she was doing, and only needed the money. He forced a grim smile at her and shifted a bit on the soft leather barstool, placing his hands upon the bar.
"Just water, thank you," he politely said. His voice was soft and elegant, and dripped with an accent that the woman could not exactly place to any that she had heard before.
"Ah, I see," she said. "You seem young anyway. Too young for a drink?"
She chuckled a bit at her own remark, grabbing an empty glass that hung upside-down from over head, and quickly filled it with water, placing three oddly-shaped ice cubes in the glass. She placed it on the flat surface of the bar, and slid it across to meet the young man who requested it. He nodded a thank you at her and took a sip.
"How old are you, anyway?" she was forced to ask. "I'd expect you'd be out there, having a good time like everyone else. Lord knows people don't come here to find peace and just to have a drink."
She chuckled again, and it was only then that he had realized the blasting music around him. It had gotten to the point where he had just been able to block it out of his mind. He smiled timidly at her. He had actually forgotten his own age, but looked up at her with bright blue eyes and answered, "Twenty-four, though I don't care much for the taste of alcohol. And I don't care much for the music or the crowd, either. I'm here because I'm expected to be. My best friends are playing tonight."
"Ah, yes, I've seen you with that Dante whatever-his-name-is - a strange boy, that one. Claims he hunts Devils, which is absolutely ridiculous."
The man smiled again, and looked down, suddenly finding the ice cubes in his drink to be very entertaining. He put both hands around the glass and interlaced his fingers, sighing. The music around him suddenly became a lot louder, and the voices of happy drunkards having a good time pounded in his head over the band that was currently playing. He cringed inwardly, and after a couple minutes of nothing, he reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet, throwing a 5-dollar bill down before getting up and walking outside. Of course, he wanted to see the band play. After all, Dante, Trish, and Lucia were his best friends, but he just had to get away.
"Even if only for a little bit," he sighed to himself.
He leaned up against the outer wall of the small building, propping his right leg up and letting the sole of his foot lay flatly on it. He looked around him. A couple of people had come out to have a smoke, and some even held beer bottles in their hands. The man sighed deeply and reached up behind his head, pulling his black bandana loose, and letting his long blond hair fall into place. Almost automatically, he began braiding a portion of it behind his right ear, and then his left, and then took a part a section from the top and did that.
"I don't belong here," he said quietly to no one.
He forced himself off of the wall and began making his way back to his car. He was about to open the back door to throw his bandana inside, when he suddenly caught sight of his reflection in the window. He stared long and hard at himself, taking in every last detail. He didn't know how long he had been standing there, but after a while, he suddenly grew angry. He grew angry with himself and what he was doing.
"What am I doing wearing these clothes?" he wondered aloud, yet his voice remained quiet. "What am I doing here? This isn't where I should be. This isn't me, this isn't my life!"
His grip suddenly tightened around the handle of the car door, and he had the sudden urge to just rip it off, when he caught himself. He knew better than anyone else that this wasn't the time or the place to throw a tantrum. He opened the door and threw his bandana inside, and then after a long pause he took off his black blouse, which was open and revealing a tight, black, long-sleeved undershirt, and gently placed that on the seat. He then proceeded to take off the undershirt, and carelessly tossed that into the car.
"Whoa, there! Plan on streaking?"
He looked up to find the smiling blue eyes of the best friend he had made in, well, a long, long time. He tried to force a smile, but a bemused tug at the right side of his lips was all he could manage. He really was not in the mood for jokes. He turned his attention back to the open car, picked up his blouse, and put it on, buttoning it up to the second to last button. He placed a hand on the door and quickly shut it, yet he did it with a bit more force than he had meant to.
"Dante, will you be playing soon?" he asked, not looking up at the man who stood before him. "Though I am not very tired, my bed seems as if it were to be heaven as of now."
"Hey, if you don't want to be here, I'll understand if you take off," Dante answered. "I know this isn't exactly your thing."
He sighed and put his forearms down on the trunk of his car, leaning on it for support. He bowed his head, and what blond hair was not tied back in three separate braids on his head slid over his shoulders and covered his neck and a portion of his cheeks.
"Dante…" he began, a small smile escaping him. "The woman behind the bar asked my age today. Would you believe that after I had given my normal answer, I had thought about it, and realized that I could not remember my own age? It was like that time a few months ago when that one girl asked me where I was from, and dumbfounded, I said, 'The Kingdom of Mirkwood.' She laughed at me then, as I laugh at myself now."
"Maybe you should go home," his friend suggested. "Looks like you've been thinking too much again. What did I tell you about that?"
A full smile appeared. "Never to think unless told to, for it is bad for my health."
"Exactly," Dante smiled, clapping his friend on the shoulder in a manly fashion.
"Dante! Finally, there you are!"
Both men cringed at the sound of that. It was Trish's voice from behind both of them, and she was obviously annoyed. They both knew better than anyone else that when Trish was annoyed, it meant hell for everyone else. The blond looked up at his red-clad friend and smiled, an amused look in his eye. Dante shot a sarcastic glare back at him, and just waited for the angered woman to approach them.
"We go on in five minutes," she said. "Get ready."
"Alright, Mopey, you heard her," Dante said, still refusing to look at Trish. "We'll meet you back at the house before 4AM this time. I promise."
"Huh?" Trish asked. "Legolas, you're leaving? Now?"
Legolas stood up, trying to hold back the miserable look he knew he had on his face. He forced a smile, but not at Trish. "Back before 4AM" to Dante meant "Back at around 3:59." It was already midnight, and they usually played for an hour, making it approximately 1, and then Dante of course had to fit in a few more drinks before he went home, making it around 2, and then Trish or Lucia took a good time to convince him not to drive, making it give or take 2:30, and it took more than an hour to get home, especially with the traffic pouring out from the place.
He knew Trish would be worried, and he knew Lucia would be ten times worse, and on top of that, annoyed he had left. Dante had made it very apparent to Legolas that Lucia "wanted him" as Dante so affectionately put it, but the Elf seemed all but interested in Lucia, and tried to avoid conversation on the matter if he could. He knew Dante wasn't going to give up, but he had "a stubborn streak wider than the Anduin," as his old, yet long gone friend Aragorn once told him, and he wasn't going to give in, either. He smiled at this thought. Lucia reminded him so much of Eowyn. In fact, he recently found himself comparing everything to his old life on Middle Earth. But as for now, he was just letting his mind wander needlessly.
"No," he said, much to Dante's surprise. "I was just taking off my undershirt when Dante found me, and thought I was going to leave without saying anything. It's just hot inside."
"Oh," Trish said thoughtfully. "Well, come on, let's go." And with a gesture to follow her, she began to walk towards the entrance of the building.
"Great," Dante said sarcastically with a smile, turning back to his blond-haired friend. "Lay the blame on me. Thanks!"
A smirk made its way to the Elf's face. "Better you than me."
The two men – rather, the man and his Elven friend – made their way back inside. Legolas found himself in better spirits, now that he had told Dante about the incident involving his age. He was having a lot of nostalgia attacks lately, and thankfully, Dante was the only one who had noticed it. Legolas couldn't exactly find any rhyme or reason to the way he was feeling. After all, the last of his close friends had died off years ago, after the Undying Lands stopped being, well, Undying. Not only that, but he had been with Dante and his new friends for some five years now, but only recently had he been thinking of "old times."
Dante made his way to the stage area, and Legolas found himself a new seat at the bar he had just been at not fifteen minutes earlier. He smiled to himself. Although he didn't really care for this kind of music, it was pretty much Dante's whole life. (Aside from the Devil "Never" Cry business, of course) He was very devout to his music, and loved what he died. Only three years ago did he get antsy and want a band, so he single-handedly taught Trish and Lucia guitar, and offered to teach Legolas bass, but when he declined, Dante simply went out and hired an experienced bassist instead. He was a great player, and also a good person. Legolas made friends with him quite quickly, even though they barely speak, and only see each other when Dante schedules a band practice one day when he closes the office, and Legolas happens to be home during it.
The Elf smiled to himself as the band on stage – now consisting of his best, and only friends – began to warm up. He was actually looking forward to this now. They were not like 99% of the metal bands that played at this club. He actually took a liking to their songs and music, although he did prefer something a bit less heavy and went easier on the ears. But there was no denying, they were talented, and Lucia's voice was nothing short of amazing. Occasionally, Legolas would write a few lyrics for them if he had the sudden urge to express himself, and didn't know how else to put it. Of course, he had only written two songs that they had actually really liked, but the others were just as good. Well, to him, anyway.
"Our first song," Dante said into Trish's microphone before taking a seat behind his drum set "Is dedicated to that handsome guy with the long blond hair and the fruity braids sitting at the bar. That, my wonderful people, is a good man. So good that he actually wrote this song for us. Give it up for him!"
The audience burst into applause and cheers. Legolas couldn't help but smile. It was times like these that he had actually wished that he had let Dante teach him to play bass. He sometimes wished that he was up there playing with everyone, but he knew he wouldn't be able to devote himself like they had. He tried not to focus on the song they were about to play, however. He had written it when he was reflecting on his feelings right before he had left to sail off to the Undying Lands. The way he had felt just before stepping into his handmade boat, and his feelings on Aragorn's death. They brought back painful memories, even now. He tried not to let it bother him, however, and locked his eyes on the stage. Dante always had a way of entertaining his audience. He hummed the Jaws theme song into the microphone as he slowly did a semi-strip tease, taking off his red trench coat, black vest, and white undershirt, and throwing it aside. The crowd went wild again. He smiled wide and took a seat behind the drums, and within seconds, the song began, and Legolas took in comfort from Lucia's remarkable voice.
One more nightTo bear this nightmare
What more do I have to say?
Crying for me was never worth a tear
My lonely soul is only filled with fear
Long hours of loneliness
Between me and the Sea
Losing emotion
Finding devotion
Should I dress in white and search the Sea?
As I've always wished to be
One with the waves
Ocean Soul
Walking the tide line
I hear your name –
It's angels whispering
Something so beautiful it hurts
Long hours of loneliness
Between me and the Sea
I only wished to become something beautiful
Through my music
Through my silent devotion
Losing emotion
Finding devotion
Should I dress in white and search the Sea?
As I've always wished to be
One with the waves
Ocean Soul
Legolas smiled again as the song came to an end and people seemed to love it. It made him happy that something he had done that caused him quite a bit of grief was finally doing some good. He loved making other people happy; no matter what kind of pain it caused him. Perhaps that's why, he thought, that he had never settled down and found a wife, despite the many years of his life. He was too busy with something important that he had to do, or with trying to please the people who mattered most to him, that he had never thought to do something like that for himself. It had never occurred to him much, even on Aragorn's wedding day. He was just happy to see his friend's face so filled with joy.
He stopped himself in his thoughts again. "Those days are over, stop doing this to yourself!" Legolas scolded himself. He tried to shake off the feeling of the past, and just enjoy what he had in the present. Internally he fought himself, trying to focus on his friends' band, and what was really important. His little almost-episode out in the parking lot earlier wasn't like him at all, and he needed to avoid things like that in the future. He was getting happier now, and he had to leave the past where it lay.
The band was well into their third song by the time Legolas had broken out of his trance. He suddenly felt very tired, which was unusual for him. He glanced down at his watch. It was only 12:15. He knew right then and there that he was not going to be able to last the night. After the band was done playing, he decided not to watch Dante make a spectacle of himself as he downed too many drinks for his own good, and would just take off. Yes, that would be fine, and he was sure that everyone would understand. He forced another smile. The next song was another one of his. It was the story of what happened in the Undying Lands, basically. What's more about this, Daemon, the bassist, sang this song.
No sign of life did flickerIn floods of tears she cried,
"All hope's lost, it can't be undone.
They're wasted and gone!"
Save me your speeches, I know
"They blinded us all!"
What you want
You will take it away from me
Take it and I know for sure
The light she once brought in is gone forever more
Like sorrowful seagulls they sang,
"We're lost in the deep shades the misty cloud brought
A wailing when beauty was gone
Come take a look at the sky"
Monstrous it covered the shore
Fearful into the unknown
Quietly it crept in new horror
Insanity reigned
And spilled the first blood
When the old king was slain
Nightfall
Quietly it crept in and changed us all
Nightfall
Quietly it crept in and changed us all
Nightfall
Immortal land lies down in agony
"How long shall we mourn in the dark?
The bliss and the beauty will not return
Say farewell to sadness and grief
Though long and hard the road may be"
But even in silence
I heard the words,
"An oath we shall swear by the name of the One till the world's end.
It can't be broken."
Just wondering how I can still hear these voices inside
The doom of the Noldor grew near.
The words of the banished king,
"I swear revenge!"
Filled with anger a flamed our hearts
Full of hate
Full of pride
Oh, we screamed for revenge!
Nightfall
Quietly it crept in and changed us all
Nightfall
Quietly it crept in and changed us all
Nightfall
Immortal land lies down in agony
"Vala he is – that's what you said?
Then your oath's been sworn in vain!"
But freely you came and you freely shall depart
So never trust the northern winds
"Never turn your back on friends!"
"Oh, I'm heir of the High Lord!"
"You better not trust him!"
The enemy of mine –
Isn't he of your kind?
And finally you may follow me
"Farewell," he said…
Nightfall
Quietly it crept in and changed us all
Nightfall
Quietly it crept in and changed us all
Nightfall
Immortal land lies down in agony
Back to where it all began…
The next forty-five minutes were not as bad as the Elf had thought they would have been. He was still entranced by Lucia's wondrous voice, and the occasional burst of praise from the audience more than kept him awake. By the time it was all over, Legolas was surprisingly alert. In fact, he felt as if someone were to try to attack him right then and there, he'd be up and fighting quicker than a flash of lightning. But then he wondered why he was thinking of fighting in the first place. He furrowed his brow in frustration. He had felt considerably odd lately, and decided it would be best if he had gone home, regardless.
"So, did you appreciate that little shout-out we gave you in the beginning?" Lucia asked as she and the rest of the band approached Legolas.
"Yeah, it was Lucia's idea," Dante said, putting a hand on her shoulder. He shot a smug grin in Legolas's direction, and only smiled and shook his head in return.
"Yes," he said, stifling a laugh. "It was great. Thank you. But I guess now Dante will be having his post-show drinking session."
"You better believe it, Elf Boy," Dante replied, taking a seat next to Legolas at the bar.
"In that case," Legolas said, standing up. "I think I'll be heading home."
"So soon?" Lucia asked.
"I'm a little tired," he lied.
"Alright, we'll see you tomorrow then," Dante said over his shoulder, not bothering to look back. He knew exactly why Legolas was leaving.
"Rather, we will, and Dante will have a killer hangover," Trish smiled.
"Feh," Dante breathed out, giving a nonchalant wave in her direction.
With that, Legolas turned to leave. He began to push aside a few people who were in a huge crowd for some reason near the door. It was almost as if they didn't want him to go. Not just yet - and not alone. Feeling a bit claustrophobic, he became a little less than courteous with his trying to get to the door, when finally he felt his hand fall on the handle. He pushed the door open and took a deep breath as he made his way outside into fresh air.
The night was clear and cool. It seemed as if no cloud dared to creep into the sky, as if it feared the moon as a great force, and the stars as its little warrior minions. It was as if the clouds were the people of Middle Earth, the moon was the Eye of Sauron, the stars were the orcs, and the sky was Mordor. His eyes opened wide as he caught himself in that thought. He shook his head, as if he were trying to shake the thought from it. Trying desperately to clear his mind, he tried to focus on anything he could.
"What I wouldn't give," he thought to himself, trying to calm "to be in the comfort of an old tree overlooking the ocean, staring up at the stars."
At this thought he smiled. It had been a long time since he had been at peace like that. He had missed being so in tune with nature. It was hard, especially now, to sit back and enjoy it. It was because so many forests were being destroyed, and the only peace he could get was from a small patch of woods that he'd find occasionally. All of the trees said the same thing to him, though. They would always say that they were very happy to see him, and yet they feared for their own lives. It was that alone that brought depression to Legolas. If the trees had reason to fear for their own lives, something was obviously not right in the world… but that was no longer of his control.
He sighed and started forward, eager to get home. He felt himself jogging towards his car before he even realized it. It didn't matter at this point, anyway. He placed a hand on the dark green handle to the door of the driver's seat, when suddenly he heard someone calling his name out from behind him. He spun on his heels and looked around, but saw nothing. He could've sworn it was his voice… No! He scolded himself again. He really needed to get home. He opened the door to his car and sat down, when he actually did hear his name being called out this time. He stood up to see Trish running towards him.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
She looked at him long and hard. He could tell she was just desperately searching for the right words. He waited patiently and just stared into her eyes, hoping they would give him more of an answer than she, herself, was. She looked back, and after a few seconds, forced herself to look away. She felt as if there was more to Legolas than she had thought – and by more she felt as if there was someone else looking at her. It wasn't the semi-angst-ridden, yet more often than not light-hearted Elf she knew. There was something else about him. A memory, she thought it was. Something long forgotten was plastered into his mind and was trying to come out. But for a second, she felt as if it were more than a memory, and that he was staring into the very fires of her soul. She shook the thoughts from her head and looked back at him, though careful not to look him in the eyes.
"Just," she hesitated. "Take care of yourself. I've noticed you haven't been yourself lately, and I'm just worried, that's all."
"Thank you," was all he said.
Legolas smiled at her and sat back down in his car, closing the door after him. He started it up and pulled out of where he was, and made his way out of the parking lot. Trish didn't take her eyes off the green car until it passed out of her line of vision. She sighed, confused with her own actions. Legolas was a lot older than she was. A lot older, she reminded herself. He had taken care of himself all these years. Why did she feel the need to remind him of it now? Still, she couldn't shake off the feeling that something was definitely not right. She only wished that she could put her finger on exactly what it was…
Legolas grimaced as rain began to fall. He was now standing outside of "Devil Never Cry", fumbling with his keys, trying to find the one that would allow him inside. Thunder clapped from somewhere more towards the west, and shortly after, lightning struck. He really didn't need to be standing out here in a thunderstorm, not being able to find the key that would let him inside his own residence. Finally he found it, and he let out a sigh of annoyance has he made his way inside and turned on the lights.
The "statues" of slain beasts and demons that Dante chose to be wall decorations still gave Legolas an unnerving feeling in the pit of his stomach every time he looked at one, so he just continued to walk towards the back, carelessly throwing his keys on the big wooden desk towards the back of the room. Still going towards the back, he opened the door and made his way up the wooden stairs, to the residential part of the building.
He closed the door on the second floor of the building behind him, and suddenly felt as if the small couch on the other side of the room was welcoming him, beckoning him to go sit down, even fall asleep there. He complied and collapsed on the brown love seat, clutched a pillow, lay down on his side, and turned the TV on. After a while, everything that was on just looked the same to him, and suddenly lost interest, although he decided not to turn it off.
Suddenly, he felt exhausted. He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind. He didn't want to go to sleep just yet. He at least wanted to stay up until the others got home, so that it didn't seem that he was just lazy and fell asleep on the couch. Still, his eyelids got heavier and heavier, and he thought it was quite strange, seeing as how Dante would always make fun of him for sleeping with his eyes open. A sudden burst of thunder sprang him back to alertness, but as he sat up straight, he looked directly towards the TV in front of him, and what he saw frightened him to his very soul. It was an eye. Lidless. Wreathed in flame. He had seen it before. Not wanting to think, his first reaction was to reach for the remote and quickly turn off the TV.
Legolas sat there on the brown love seat, breathing heavily, not knowing what to make of what just happened. His heart pounded in his chest and he felt as if his head was spinning. He felt dizzy as his mind raced a mile a minute, not knowing what to think or what to do. Slowly but surely, he made his way back into a laying position, clutching the same pillow tightly again. He closed his eyes and tried to forget everything that had just happened.
"Legolas…"
He didn't stir.
"Legolas…"
The voice seemed oddly familiar.
"Legolas…"
What was going on?
"Legolas!"
"What!" he sprang into sitting position again, only to meet the concerned faces of Dante, Trish, and Lucia. He looked around. He was back in his own bedroom, but how? He had passed out on the couch.
"You've been out for three days," Dante told him; worry spread across his handsome face. "And I mean out. As in, your eyes were closed and everything. And then suddenly you started mumbling in your sleep. I couldn't understand what you were saying, until you started shouting, 'Aragorn! Aragorn! Gimli! No! Let them go. Now!' as if someone were dying."
"They were dying," Legolas said absently. "They were dying and screaming for help. All of my friends were there. Everyone I had ever known and loved was there. But I could do nothing. The great Eye was constantly watching me…"
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A/N: So what did you think? Before you flame me all like "omigosh that's so not what Tolkien wrote!" go up and read my pre-fic notes please. I just hope you're not afraid to turn on the TV or pass out on your couch now! No, of course, I don't think that I put that much intensity into that scene. As I'm writing this little note right now, it's 3:43 AM. I've been working on this fic since approximately… I don't even know. 11:30 I think.
If you're reading this, then by god, PLEASE tell me what you thought. I really want reviews; I want to know how I'm doing! I stayed up practically all night writing this! The least you can do is give me some feedback!