I don't own Final Fantasy VII nor the Legend of Zelda. Hope you like it. :D Reviews and comments are welcomed. :)
Cloud thoughts are in italic as well as the slave's autobiography
Cloud subconscious thoughts are in bold
I used Irish Gaelic for one of the characters language. I hope I wrote it correctly if I didn't feel free to tell. :D Also, there may be some spelling mistakes, but those are intentional. Hope you like it. :D
"Never call me by that name again." I growled.
"Oh please." She said too comfy for my liking. "We know you loved the nickname Shin-Ra gave you."
"Those were other times." I said irritated. "I don't want to do anything with Shin-Ra anymore."
"Fine. Fine." Ted sighed. "Just to let you know hinclebucks, you gotta accept your past, if you want to grasp you future."
"So said the woman who hasn't been able to accept her lover's death." I soon regretted saying those words. Ted looked at me as if I had grown a second head. She couldn't believe I had said such things. Not even I could believe I said them. This was so much different from mine and Zack's previous fight, no this one did hurt me as hell. How could have ever said such thing? Ted and I had sort of been our only pillars for support and now…I had destroyed hers and mine. "I-I'm…"
"It's alright." She said void of emotion. "Let us sit and discuss your guest's situation." She walked towards the couch, sat and patted a space beside her for me to sit on. Her eyes showed a deep depression. I had really crossed the line this time. "So what do you think?" I asked as soon as I sat down. "What's seems to be his problem?" She put out her cigarette with the sole of her shoe and looked at me. "I have various reasons for his behaviour. As you know, the human mind is a complex thing, understanding the human behaviour is by far more complex." She took a deep breath. "Have you ever wondered what things happen inside a slave camp?" She suddenly asked.
"I have heard stuff." I answered honestly.
"What kind of stuff?" She questioned.
"Well…that they are hung from their ankles for hours, they are whipped when done wrong, sometimes they are denied to bathe and such…Why?" When she answered I knew that the previous question was just a preparation for what was to come.
"I've known people who have been there; people who have been bought and then set free. They are few…about two or three. And they explained their lives inside those walls." Her face turned gloomy, as if a dark veil had been placed upon her face. "One of them was exceptionally astounding. I know I shouldn't speak about a patience profile and such, but I guess you must know these. Besides, I trust you. I know you will never backstab me." She had forgiven me. I don't know how her heart could do so, but she forgave me. She trusted me. After what I did, she still considered me as a close friend, her pillar to support on. I guess I shed a tear for she wiped something wet from my cheek. "Oh come one, honeybucks! Don't cry. I know you didn't say that intentionally. It hurt yes, but you are so hot-headed that you could make a baby cry without meaning to." She flashed me a smile. I scowled. "Fine. I'm sorry." She chuckled a bit. "Well, anyway…this patient told me of his life in the slave camp. He wrote it down, every word of it. I guess he felt much more at ease talking and writing it down at the same time. You know kill two bird with a single stone and such." She then took a notebook out of the suitcase she had brought along and handed it to me. "From page 25 forward it's his story. Once you read it, perhaps you may understand how Link felt. How he feels and why does he do the stuff he does." I looked at her and then at the notebook. I couldn't deny I was curious, but I wondered if it was really necessary to know the terrifying things Link went through. Was I prepared for them? Would my ideas about him change once I knew almost all the story? In the end my curiosity won and I opened the notebook to page 25. There in a barely readable language and serious orthographic and grammar mistakes began the story of the slave, named by his master, Cil.
Me guess talk about it would help, or so say my master. He is kind, kinder than them at least. He allows me to bathe at mornins and nits, a thing that me couldn't do there. No, there you wait weeks for it to be your turn and sometimes you couldn't bathe a whole year. Me got a serius skin infection once. But the tutors, how we called them, managed to cure it. Of corse, half me skin were deadly grin by the time they found out. Most weren't lucky; they die due to the infetions. Worst were that they remove them bodys after a week or so. Stench were almost unbearable. But me guess that were better than when we were left at the sun. Yeah. It were much best. Well at least for me it were. Other wuld contantly puke cause of the smell ya know. And since them feed us poorly, those who puked soon joined the dead. Well me guess me shall start from beginning, before me became slave you know. Me worked on a farm at south; me don remember the name though. Since time at slave camp were meaningless me forgot. It normal. Most of us don remember anyting at all. Me'm one of the lucky me guess. Out of the blue, varius trucks and tanks appeared. We wondered what them were doing at aur farm so far from the city. But soon we had answer. Them wanted aur farms to build labs and aur animals to experiment. We denyd and no time passed before bullets rain. Aur people were massacrated and those who survived were taken as prisoners. Me were among them. Them blindfold us, bind us and throw us in some sort of trailer or truk. Haurs passed before we came to a stop and them pulled us out and down the trailer. Them then guide us somewhere. Since me were blindfold me could barely register what were going on. After a long walk them finally tore the blindfolds and we saw that we were before five strangy dressed men. Them wore white long-sleev shirts with red pattern at their centre and red capes with golden embroidery. Some had them ers pierce and some others them mouths and eyebrows. The man at the centre stepped closer toward us. He had blak hair that fell till him shoulders, him eyes were marooned colour and him skin were a tanned, near to tosty. The men that brought us assembled us in a line, while tanned man examine each and every one of us. He opened aur mouths, check aur limbs and built, he pull from aur hairs, and even forced us to strip before him so he could examine us furter. Me felt so helpless and vulnerable during that part. Me mean…he violated all privacy of mine. He touch me everywhere. Everywhere. From then on…Me knew thing would't be to simple. When he finish checking all of us, he turned to the men who had brot us. Me never knew who were those men. It never occurr to me to turn around and check who the hell them thought them were: coming to aur home and steal everything and dragging us here. It never crossed me mind. But…maybe if me had don so, me would't be writing this. It would have been pointless. Them took aur home, so them may easily take aur lives. The tan man spoke in a language me could't understand. And the men behind us took away three of us. Me never see them again, but me remember faintly hearing gunshots. Me were lucky. Or so me thought. The tan man then spoke to us. "From now on," He began with a strange akcent. "Ya are under aur custody. We say, ya obey. We talk, ya shut up. We force, ya don't complain. If any of this rules are violated, ya'll be punish according to the gravenes of yar violation. If the defiant attitude continues, death will fall upon ya. I hardly doubt ya'll even think about breaking the rules." He then laughed like a maniac, his subordinates following suit. Me know me were in trouble. Deep trouble. "Well then," He continued after his laugter subside. "As ya may have sin, I have given ya a full examination. Through that I determine which types of roles ya'll have to accomplish. Some will be simple slaves; some others house slaves. The remaining would be sex slaves. At my command ya will step forward." He pointed towards the man beside me. "Due to ya lack of muscles and terrible psyche ya would become house slave, step to my left." He then pointed to the guy at the extreme left. "You simple slave, ya have some muscle to do the complicate chores. Come to my right." He did as he were told. One by one the line diminish. Yet me had still to know if me would become a sex slave. Finally the tan man pointed me. "Ya will be…" Me gulped and inwardly prayed to the gods that me were refrained from being a sex slave. "Ya will be a house slave." Me sigh with relif. Me walked to his left and looked at the poor men before me. Them still had a trial to pass. Sadly, all of them were actualy good looking. One caught me stare and stared at me with disdein. Me know the fellow. He would always bid me a hello whenever he walk the road heading to the stor. Poor guy. "Those who remained would become sex slaves." The three remaining lowered their gaze due to them bad luck. The tan man smirked amuse. Me guess he loved to see him workers in pain. He then spoke in that forein language me didn't understand and him subordinates nod. One of them left the room. Me guess he was going for bak up or something. After few minuts or so he returned with a young man, quite the looker in me opinion. Me could have mistaken him for a woman with that long hair of him. Him hair was one of the few things me consider pretty in that place. Him long golden hair.
After I read that I looked at Ted. "Link…" I stared at her wide-eyed. I guess I couldn't avoid showing my emotions when it came to him. "Link was there. Link was there when this guy arrived." Ted nodded.
"Keep on reading." She said in a commanding tone of voice.
"When…when did this guy arrived? When did he come to you?" I asked. Questions flooded my mind and I wanted them answered.
"Keep on reading." Ted insisted. "I'll tell you at the end. You'll freak out if I told you now and probably stop reading the autobiography." I nodded reluctantly and returned my eyes to the page.
He look at the tan man. As soon as him gaze fell on him he was given a hard slap on him cheek. He fell to the floor and bow. "Next time I won't be so resilent." The tan man said venomusly. "Now take this dogs to the sex slave laboratory so them can be examin." He point to the three fellows before me. The longhaired man bow and stood up, me had a good chance to look at him features better. He had slightly tan smooth skin and long point ears that were pierced with blue earings at them tips, the tan man follow him. As soon as them were out, two of them subordinates guide the guys that were to be simple slaves out; us, house slaves, follow the remaining two outside the room and into a dark and shady hallway.
The first weeks were filled with excruciating pain. The first week them wuld makes us stand out in the sun while receive constant whipping for the entir day, then at night them would feed us a loaf of bread and water but only if we had manage to stand up straight the entire day. For three days me survived with half a cup of water. Me back was complete sor and bleeding. After the first week, two of the men who me had arrived here pass away. The only thing that kept me going were to perhaps be sold to a nice master. The second week we would pass all day and half the night scrubbing floors until aur hand and nail bleed. Them gav us rough cloth to do the job and the soap and water contain some sort of chemical that burned aur hands. If we didn't manage to at least scrub an entire hal we would be denyd food. But the worst were that them would whip us al nit. By the end of the week…me were the only one who remain. The third week, me were joined to another grup who had survive the second week. Now them place us to fold and unfold clothing. The clothing had thorn and spike wuven to them. So aur hands bleed and bleed. If we cry we will receive three whip per tear. Me manage to stop cryng by the fiftint whip. But some weren't that lucky. Aur dinner kept being a loaf of bread and a glas of water. By the end of fourth week, from the fifty we were…forty remain. Fifth week arrived. Me had caut a terrible skin disis du to the infection of me cuts. The ten men who had dyd had't been remove. Me thout it were weird, since at the begining them wuld take them away instantly. But this men remain. Me puke the entire first nit. The stench were unbearable and so were seeing them faces. Me understud why the tan man had say that we wuld probably never break a rule. Them had broken us without us realizing. Aur spirits had been corrupt and bend them way. We had akcept how things were unfolding, never once fighting against this injustice that previled inside this walls. Them had broken us beyond repir. We have begun to beliv we were slaves, not humans, SLAVES, toys to play wit, objects to use. We had lost the idea that we were humans. We had lost the ability to tink for aurselves, to take desisions, to pray, to talk…to drim. We had lost everyting ekcept the mir instinct of survival. Unknuingly, we follow orders as sun as them were said. We akted upon habit. If them didn't order us anything we wuld knil far in a corner or a wall and wait for orders. We did it untinkingly and as normal as it was to breat. Hell if theym asked us to stop breating we wuld do it just to avoid being punish. At list that is what me thout. But then it hit me…me were tinking! Me were thinking! Me guess me weren't as broken as me tught! Maybe me may still manage to remain sane! Maybe! How wrong were me that time! Sooner or later, me wuld luse it. Just like everyone else. Sixt week them faund me shivering and sweting. The skin infection had goten worst. It were then that them removed the ten ded men and two more who had dyd at hands of the same skin infection. Sixth week me spent it betwin the doctor and me new chores, which were laundry. Same as when scrubing the hal, them had place some sort of chemical in the water and it constantly sting me hands. But the furt day of the sixt week were when me saw him again: the longhair man. Me were happy for the first time since me arive here. But…he luked diferent. Him hair had grown more and him eyes had lost the few lit them had the first time me saw him or maybe that were the efect of the torches from the rum. Probably. Seeing the guards were busy playing cards. This time, it seemed to me at least, they wouldn't whip us. Me walk towards him. "Hey." Me saluted him. He simply stared at me. "Me name is…." Me stop ded on me tracks. Me culd't remember me name! Me couldn't remember me name! Me grip me hair. Me culd't remember it! Why? Me panicked a bit, me breating coming in pants and gasps. Me culd't remember me name! Me culd't remember me name! "Ya may have no name." He said in void of emotion voice. "Remember that one of aur precepts its to have no name. If ya had one then ya wuld belong to someone. And if ya belong to someone, that means ya have a master and shuld't be here." He explained. It seemed reasonable.
"So…" Beside the introduction me had no topic whatsoever to chat with. "Em…how long have ya bin here? Me meself have lasted six weeks." Me said a bit praudly. Seeing the man just gave me high spirits.
"Never thought about it. Lost track of time. I guess I've been here for about….five to ten yirs?" He sort of said, sort of asked. Five to Ten yirs? That were insane! He were brugt here when he were a child? Imposible! Even if the tutors were inhuman people, them couldn't be that inhuman! "Five to ten yirs? How…"
"HEY YU! BACK TO WORK!" Me receiv five whips to me back. Betwin the pain me asked him wat "department" of slavery he were on. Hey….even in this situation me could still make some sort of joke. "Sex slave." He say in that voice that were begining to scare me a bit and continued to walk him way. After that encounter…me never saw him again.
Soon, days didn't matter to me anymore. Me lost track of time and hardly ever distinguish when morning came and turned to noon and when this one turned to afternoon and when evening gave way to nit. Me stop tinking and just concentrat on obeying, avoiding being punished. Me receiv punishment not so often as much others did. Aparently as ya grew in training the punishment change from being aplied when ya disobey to being aplied when ya culd't complete a task. Even if it wasn't yar fult for being completely exhausted. Me receiv punishment trice. Me remember perfectly. Yet…it were…me can't spik of it. It still scares me. Me had nitmares about them. Me stil do. Every once in a while, potential masters came but it wasn't until much later that me master would come to buy me. Yet at that time, me tught me were doomed to an eternity of slavery training.
When master came, me life changed completely. Me still recal that day and treasure it dear. Me were cleaning bathrums this time. Yes. The chemical them used now were by far much painfuler than the previus one. But, if me slacke off me wuld be punish. So me refrain from giving up and crying like a girl. Well, me were about to finish when the guards received a message that we must be presentable imediately and perfectly clean in every aspect. Soon, me were bath after perhaps months of not having and dress in clean clothes. Me soon found meself before me soon-to-be master along with five other men. The time me gaz upon me master me were dumbstruck. He had gentle eyes, unlike other masters who usually were cold and sniring. He were dressed not so flashy, but ya could feel he were nobleman. Him hair had bin perfectly comb to a ponitail and him face perfectly shaved. He were pale like snow and had the most unusual purple tinge in him eyes. He examined the first slave from head to toe. But made a gesture that clearly state he were not to him liking. He examined another one, giving the same gesture after doing so. It were me turn and when he looked at me, me were quite nervous. He were tughtful and kept analyzing me for a while longer than what he took with the two before. Me pray. Me pray like me've never pray before. If any god existed, me hoped he listened to me. Me thought me prays would go unanswered, for me had stop believing in any divine creature. The only ting me learned to believe was to obey. Yes. Me believed in obeying. Now…Me believe in anyting master says. He became me god. As soon as he finished him long examination, he smiled. At that moment, me knew me life was to change forever. Master bought me and took me to him lands. From that day on, me life changed for the better. Me weren't punished as severely as before. In fact, me'm only punished for overexerting meself and it's just verbal punishment, never physical. But do to me nightmares; me master has decided that me must talk to ya. And therefore brught me here. Me wuld do anything for master. Even give me life for him. He is the only thing that me got and the only ting me need.
I closed the notebook as soon as I finished the autobiography. Ted had been right…I had no idea how life was at the slave camps. This autobiography just gave me a glimpse of the horrible life at those places. "Link…" I began with difficulty. A knot had formed at my throat. "Link…was a sex slave?" Ted nodded. "Have you…"
"No." She said disappointed. "I've never received a sex slave patient. I'm afraid those or either are kept indoors and with the outmost security or die young."
"Ten years…" I whispered, something wet rolling down my cheek. "Ten years…ten years being a slave….a sex slave…" Ted hugged me and whispered soothing words at my ear. "When did this guy visited you?" I asked with a hoarse voice.
"Two years ago." Ted answered. I finally knew what happened there. And the truth was a tough bitch. Yet…I only knew half of it. And it wasn't until I openly sobbed that I realized…I was crying.
Crying the tears that Link couldn't cry.