A/N: So following me horribly degrading myself, here's the longest chapter I've ever written...for like anything...
It's going to be confusing, I'm warning you of that. X_X
Just bear with me.
I hope you enjoy, and Good luck.
Thank you for all the voting, and support, etc etc.
OH!
Chibi-Selene, I didn't ignore your review. I really did want to reply, but your email was cut off of the post! I'm sorry! X_X Thank you so much for your input!
That goes for all of my anonymous reviewers! Thank you so much for bothering to say something! It really makes my day!
This Chapter is Dedicated to George.
Rhapsody's Song
Chapter Eight: The Price to be Paid
"…As chosen Guardians, attendance is mandatory. The meeting with take place two moon cycles hence, and last no longer than eight Terrain hours. Meeting place has yet to be decided, but will be somewhere on Gaia, a secure location.
If one is unable to attend, another representative MUST be in attendance or punitive measures will be taken…"
As quoted from a letter to the Guardians from Sangiasha "Hatori" Dracula, head of the Elemental Faction of the Guardians (He is not a vampire).
No More Heroes
Galian stared out at the rain pouring down from the sky. Behind him, Chaos was reading to Rhapsody while Lucrecia was busy preparing the three-year-old a snack. Vincent had been called away to the WRO earlier in the day, and now Galian hoped his master was staying dry.
"Galian, you seem very pensive today," Lucrecia observed, bringing over a plate of apple slices for Rhapsody. She set them down next to the reading pair and walked over to stand next to the brooding Beast. She rested her hand on his shoulder. "Is something the matter?"
"Ser Valentine has been summoned less and less of late…" he responded. "It seems the world no longer needs heroes."
"That's not it, Galian," Lucrecia replied, frowning. "It's just that the world is at peace now. It doesn't need a group of ex-terrorists running around to save it anymore. The people like to know that Cloud and Vincent and the others are near at hand, but even they deserve a break."
Galian nodded, but sighed.
"Another age of change comes to an end, and we slump back into a routine that most likely will have us repeating this whole mess in another hundred years." Lucrecia looked at Galian when he said this.
"Being human has its flaws," she stated. "And, unfortunately, we're the ones with the control of the world, at least at the moment."
"Your flaws are what make you interesting, unique," Galian countered. "I would gladly face a thousand Calamities and Lord Omegas combined to cement flaws in humanity. Without them, there would be no change, no difference, and, consequently, no heroes."
"I guess you are right in that fact, Galian. Without 'flawed' thinking, who could possibly wish to sacrifice oneself to save a planet full of people who don't care at all?"
"Cloud," Galian answered simply. "Even in a perfect world, I'm pretty sure he'd be looking to be the hero regardless…" He chuckled.
"I'm not sure what to say to that," came a reply from the doorway. "Thank you, I think." Lucrecia turned and was pleasantly surprised to see Cloud standing in the door to the kitchen, if not a little worse for the wear. His clothing was muddy and torn in some areas. And his left eye was covered in a black/green swirling mist.
"Cloud! What happened to you?" Lucrecia hurried over to his side. Chaos and Galian exchanged a glance, Chaos raised one eyebrow. Rhapsody happily munched on her apple.
"It's okay, don't worry," Cloud muttered, batting Lucrecia away harmlessly. "One of the stray experiments from the old ShinRa labs got loose and attacked the excavation group Vincent and I were with. It cast blind on me about an hour ago…and it's taking its time wearing off." Vincent walked in after that, holding broken pieces of a vase. "Uh…sorry about that…"
"You should sit down." Lucrecia took his arm and led him to the window seat where Galian was standing. Cloud sat down heavily and blinked a few times. It only seemed to make the spell over his left eye worse. "Just stay still; I'll go get some eye drops." With that, she rushed from the room and down the hall.
The flurry of motion finally captured Rhapsody's attention, who, upon seeing her favorite uncle had appeared in the room, jumped off Chaos's lap and ran over to him.
"Uncle Cloud!" She cheered, climbing into his lap all while balancing the plate of half-finished apple slices. "Wow, I didn't know you were coming over today! Would you like an apple?" Cloud took one slice and smiled.
"Thank you," he said, taking a bite. "It's good."
"It's from the apple tree outside," she replied proudly. "Me and Galian picked them." Vincent chuckled as he re-entered the room, vase pieces gone.
"She's really attached to you, Cloud," he said, looking around the room. Rhapsody giggled and snuggled into Cloud's lap. "Rhapsody, you're going to need a bath now."
"So," she replied, smiling as she wiped some mud from Cloud's face and put it on her own. Vincent rolled his eyes and sat down next to Chaos and examined the book he'd been reading to Rhapsody without interest.
Lucrecia sprinted back into the room holding not just eye drops but potions and bandages as well. She dropped the supplies into a pile on the floor, leaving only the eye drops in her hands. The occupants of the room watched her with curiosity, Cloud looked shocked.
"I don't think I need all of that…" he mumbled. Rhapsody, sensing danger, dove from his lap and sought refuge with Galian.
"Nonsense! You may be infused with mako and that allows you to heal faster than the normal human being, but you still need to dress your wounds," Lucrecia scolded. She stuck a potion in his mouth before he could say anything. "Drink that, I'll tend your eyes."
"See why I never come home with a minor wound?" Vincent whispered to Galian. "She goes nuts."
"I think she just has a strong mothering instinct," Galian whispered back, clutching Rhapsody protectively to his chest and watching her mother with a wry grin.
In ten minutes, Cloud was all bandaged up, no longer blind, and the mud was wiped from his face, hands, legs, and most of his clothes.
"Thanks…" He mumbled, looking embarrassed as Lucrecia beamed.
"It's no problem. It's the least I can do," she said brightly. "I think, though, you should call Tifa and tell her were you are." She gathered up her supplies and eyed her husband. "What about you? Where'd you get hit?"
"I'm fine," Vincent said hurriedly, holding his hands up in surrender. "Cloud actually took most the damage…" Lucrecia stared at him, frowning.
"You're the more resilient one! You shouldn't be making Cloud be the shield, Vincent! Use your head," Lucrecia scolded. Cloud snickered as he dialed the phone. It was nice to know that he and Tifa weren't the only two who got into similar arguments.
"Hello, Tifa?" Cloud whispered. "Huh? No, no, everything's going to be fine…" Vincent and Lucrecia stopped their bickering and looked over at Cloud, who looked slightly guilty now. "The mission went well…yeah, um…did I get hurt…well…I got blinded…no, it's fine. Vincent took me back to his place…huh? No, it's okay…Lucrecia fixed me up, it's a good thing she's a doctor…" Cloud stopped, realizing that was not the thing to say. He panicked. "Wait, no! I'm fine, really! I'm coming home. Yes I'm fit to drive. No, you don't have to come get me…" He began hurrying out the door, frowning into the phone. He waved his thanks to Vincent and Lucrecia on his way out.
He was still trying to reassure Tifa that he was alright when the front door closed.
Galian's Request
After Cloud left, Lucrecia scooped up Rhapsody to give her a bath, leaving Vincent, Galian, and Chaos alone in the kitchen. Chaos happily snatched up the rest of Rhapsody's apples and began munching on them.
After ten minutes of sitting in silence, with the only sound being Lucrecia's singing as she washed Rhapsody down the hall, Chaos finally said something.
"Sheese you two are a talkative bunch," he said, waving an apple slice like a pointer. "What's eating you, Galian? You're normally volunteering to follow Rhapsody around like a stalker. And you're normally bouncing off the walls like Cloud on sugar." He took a bite of the apple and continued speaking with his mouth full. "Care to share what's wrong?"
Galian cringed at the Demon Lord's behavior. His mother was probably rolling in her grave.
"I just have a strange request to make…" he answered, looking to Vincent and not Chaos. "It pertains to you." Vincent nodded for him to continue. "The next Guardian meeting is scheduled for sometime this week, but I was supposed to find a secure location."
"So you want to use the house?" Vincent finished. Galian nodded. "Then that's fine…" Galian smiled.
"I am grateful," Galian said, rising up and bowing. "We won't stay long, and only require a large room."
"Lucrecia will probably wish to cook for you. But you can use one of the ballrooms that haven't been used in hundreds of years…"
"They will enjoy that…And the ballroom will be fine."
"We'll try to stay out of the way."
"I'll make sure we all stay visible for you."
"It should be fine, then, Galian."
"Vincent…the conversation….it might include topics about you," Galian cautioned.
"I don't care." Vincent crossed his arms, nodding.
"I'll contact them, then…"
"Wait…Galian…" Chaos interjected. "That's not it, is it?"
"The conversation might drift to my trial as well…"
"Trial?" Vincent asked, eyes narrowing.
"Never mind, Vincent, it does not matter." The conversation died then, as Galian left the room to call upon the Guardians.
The Elementals
It was not three days later that Galian warned Vincent and Lucrecia of his allies' arrival. Not that his warning helped them one bit. Despite her earlier show of excitement Lucrecia, who's only experience with Daemons was with Chaos and Omega, was showing signs of anxiety. Galian tried his best to calm her down ("Sira, trust me, none of the Guardians are as bad as our Lords…") but Lucrecia still had the fear lodged in her psyche.
And it was all Galian could do to stop Vincent from stockpiling weapons.
"Ser, you've met many of the Guardians," Galian was saying, frowning as he watched Vincent once again checking the gun closet. "Most of them are the very Summons from materia. Why are you so anxious?"
"I think Lucrecia's fear is affecting me," Vincent murmured, avoiding eye contact as he counted the number of ammunition clips he had. "Or maybe I'm worried about Rhapsody."
"Rhapsody? Oh, don't worry about her!" Galian laughed, slapping Vincent on the shoulder merrily. Vincent frowned and glared at him. "She is a harmless child. They will pay her no mind."
"Or you'll threaten them," Vincent muttered.
"Yes, well…you are aware that I've grown quiet attached to your family, Ser," Galian stated, smiling as Rhapsody waddled into the room. The old Daemon instantly swept her up into his arms, causing her to squeal with delight and hold onto his fur as he swung her around. Vincent fought a smile. To say that Galian was attached to Rhapsody was like saying the sky was blue. His daughter hardly went anywhere without the Beast on her tail, watching over her like a protective older brother.
And they said dogs were man's best friend…
Vincent guessed Galian's love for his daughter was probably considered strange (and, at points, Galian did in fact do some strange things…) but he really wasn't too worried. Not yet, anyhow.
Galian set Rhapsody back down; the little girl now had a smile on her face as she hugged his legs while he continued talking to her father.
"Vincent, I hate to tell you this, but most human weapons are worthless against Daemons," Galian said, chuckling slightly at the deadpan look Vincent gave him.
"Do you think I can get Death Penalty back from Chaos?"
The doorbell rang. Galian carefully detached Rhapsody from his legs.
"Come on, little one, isn't it time for your nap?" he said, hoisting her up again. To Vincent: "I'll put her to sleep and them meet up with the others…but you might want to go help Lucrecia, she just answered the door."
Vincent nodded as Galian left the room. Then he left himself, taking with him Cerberus.
You can never be too careful…
_*_
Lucrecia stood in the doorway, staring at the three people (?) who had rang.
Well, they appeared normal enough…sort of…
Lucrecia shook her head and retracted that thought. The people before her did not look normal.
First of all, the man in front appeared to be Wutianese, only something was off. He had the skin and hair color of a normal Wutianese man, only he dressed in a fashion that seemed to combine SOLDIER with the original AVALANCHE renegades. Military-like fatigues black in color, patches with different Daemon or Ceterian words on them, and a red bandana on his head. And his almond shaped eyes housed charcoal colored eyes, while his ears were distinctly pointed.
Behind him, on his left, was a one of the most beautiful woman Lucrecia had ever seen, if not one of the most unique. Her long hair was either black with white or silver highlights, but Lucrecia couldn't place which. Not that it made the woman appear old. Her skin color was distinctly olive. And her clothes. To call them old fashioned would be an understatement, as she had to of been wearing a dress from centuries ago. Well, a dress-like tunic with a long skirt and pants underneath, complete with hunter's boots. And there wasn't a scrap on her that wasn't white, besides her hair. Even her eyes had a silvery-white color to them. (You all thought Weiss was bad…) In her hand was a sketch book.
And lastly, to the first man's right, was probably the strangest of them all. He, like his companions, had long black hair. He wore a blue trench coat with bells for the buttons, under which was brown hunter's pants and tunic. On his feet were green boots with gold bells on them. His hands were covered with black fingerless gloves. His ears were pierced, and those were bells too. He wore a tangerine colored wide brimmed hat, pulled low over his face to hide his eyes and pointed ears. The hat had a giant red peacock feather shoved in it. From his belt (purple) hung an antique flint-lock pistol. Oh, and there was a chipmunk on his hat, also housing a tangerine floppy hat and a red feather.
Okay…?
"Hello," The first man said, holding up his hand in a slight wave. "Uh…we got the right house, didn't we? This is Vincent's place, right?" Lucrecia, realizing she'd been addressed, just stared at him. The woman behind him slapped him in the head with her sketchbook. "Ow! Iyshie, what was that for?"
"You're being impolite, Sangi. Excuse us, Miss Lucrecia, he's an idiot," Iyshie said, frowning at the man she called Sangi.
"Hey! How do ya even know that is Lucrecia, huh?" Sangi muttered, rubbing his head and frowning. "I mean, she could have changed her hair style or something. We probably have the wrong house…"
"No. There's Valentine now," the last man said. He grinned, showing a nice set of pointed teeth. But Lucrecia didn't feel threatened at all by the last man. In fact, he seemed to be the only one enjoying himself. It must have been the hat and chipmunk. Lucrecia stiffened as she felt Vincent's presence behind her.
"Aw, Chi Vá, you scared her!" Sanji said, slapping himself in the forehead. "This is great, we already scared the daylights out of our Hosts and Bahamut and Hades aren't even here yet. Wonderful…"
"Bahamut? Hades…? You're all…you're the Guardians?" Lucrecia managed to get out, gulping. She inwardly cursed her lack of experience with Daemons and chalked up her fear as such. But, damn it, she still could remember the pain as Omega ripped her spirit apart. And let's not even get started on Chaos…
"Yup," Sangi said, smiling. "I'm Sangiasha'Hatori' Dracula. Friends call me Sangi. I'm the Wind Elemental in the Elemental Faction of the Guardians. And I'm Chaos's head of the Military…" He held out his hand, which Lucrecia and then Vincent both shook. "Um, the 'Elementals' are kinda like the leaders of the Guardians," he explained quickly. Vincent felt as if he and the Military Daemon had met before.
"I'm Lady Iyshie," Iyshie piped up next, shuffling her sketch book out of the way to shake both of their hands. Well, she gave Lucrecia a hug and bowed to Vincent as greeting. "I'm the Water Elemental. And I'm Omega's Aid…" she paused. "Not that that dolt ever listens to me anyway…" she added as an afterthought. Vincent chuckled slightly.
"Chi Vá of Masquera," He took of his hat and bowed low, never once letting Vincent or Lucrecia see his eyes. "And this is my friend Chibi," he gestured to the chipmunk. "I am the Earth Elemental, and am one of the Daemon Generals. Chibi is just a harmless immortal chipmunk." Chi Vá kissed Lucrecia's hand in greeting before bowing again to Vincent. He smiled at last as he returned the hat to his head. He tipped it back just enough to stare at Vincent with shining red eyes. Vincent was startled, but only for the brief second he saw the other Daemon's eyes. But then, covered again, he couldn't actually tell if he'd seen them at all.
"May we come in?" Iyshie asked. "Galian is expecting us, is he not?"
"Um, yes!" Lucrecia muttered, nodding quickly. "Come right in…he's in the ballroom, I think…ur…I'm not sure which one…Vincent, could you…"
"Follow me," Vincent said, deciding then that it was best for Lucrecia to get away from the Daemons for a bit. The three seemed to agree and followed quietly after him, Chi Vá closing the door as they entered. Lucrecia disappeared down the hall, probably, Vincent guessed, going to check on Rhapsody.
"Uh, sorry about scarin' Miss Crescent away," Sangi said, earning him another slap on the back of the head by Iyshie. "Now what did I do? I was apologizing!"
"'Miss Crescent'? Well, Sangi, what did you do wrong?" Iyshie said, shaking her head.
Sangi apologized again, this time saying the right name.
"Don't worry about it," Vincent said, "on both accounts." He let his eyes linger on Sangi for a bit longer. "She's still a bit nervous around Chaos. I'm surprised she didn't faint when she answered the door."
"Fear not, I would have caught her," Chi Vá interjected lightly. Vincent snorted as he held back laughter.
"Speaking of Chaos, where is that devil?" Iyshie asked, peering over Vincent's shoulder (quiet easily, as she was three inches taller than him, and she was the shortest of the three Daemons) to look around the hallway. At the mention of the Daemon Lord, Sangi jumped slightly.
"I'm not sure. Why? Something wrong, Ser Dracula?" Vincent asked, noticing the Wind Elemental's slightly nervous expression.
"Sangi's fine, first of all…Actually, you can call all the Guardians by their first names," Sangi said, nodding. "But…well…"
"Sangi's in a lot of trouble with Ser Chaos," laughed Chi Vá. "Seeing as he sided with Galian on the decision to imprison Ser Chaos inside the Protomateria…and then, to add insult to injury, he blatantly ignored his orders to stay in the Daemon realm and acted as a Hume in Niblehiem for a period of thirty or so years." The Daemon General laughed again. "I guess he should've introduced himself as the ex-Military leader."
Vincent stopped walking. He suddenly recognized where he and Sangiasha had met before.
"You're the Innkeeper from Niblehiem," Vincent said. "Hatori Dracu…" Sangi laughed nervously.
"Yup, that's me alright. 'Hatori Dracu' is the name I normally use when I pretend to be human…"
"So…you were there when…"
"Unfortunately, I didn't help out much in any preventative actions…" Sangi muttered. "Fire is Galian's forte, not mine…" Vincent was sympathetic. If it was one thing he knew about Guardians, it was that they seemed to have great care for the human race, and wished to do all they could to protect it, as strange as that sounded. He guessed Sephiroth's reign of terror caused quite a blow.
They were at the ballroom. Vincent inwardly sighed. His curiosity had been awakened by these Guardians, but he knew he didn't have time to learn all of their stories. He had one question, though, for Chi Vá.
"Where exactly is Masquera?"
"Oh, that's simple," Chi Vá said, smiling as his comrades walked past him into the ballroom. "It's in the center of the Endless Desert."
"And where is the Endless Desert?" Vincent asked, having never heard of such a place.
"Oh, how should I know? It moves around so much!"
The Gathering
The rest of the Guardians arrived in groups, just like the Elementals had. Anywhere from two to ten at a time. The most that arrived at once were the Knights of the Round, where thirteen in total were standing at his door when Vincent opened it. Most were in full battle armor, but the three in front (V, VII, and XIII) where in more "normal" looking clothes. (Vincent never knew that any of the Knights were women until he met V). He was also startled by the fact that one of his ancestors was VII and, apparently, XIII was a Strife.
"You learn something every day," Vincent muttered. VII had laughed and proceed to show the other Knights around his home, leaving Vincent behind. XIII had apologized and then ran after the group.
Everything was pretty normal (?) after that, with only a few incidents arising. Like Vincent's unease at seeing Rufus ShinRa's panther, Dark Nation, walk through his door and smirk at him before trotting off down the hall with a flick of her tail. Or when Anima, the keeper of Oblivion, walked through the door and threw her arms around Vincent, giving him a bone crushing hug as she thanked him for taking such good care of her son, Zel.
(Zel?!)
Finally, after about an hour of playing the doorman, the last of the Guardians had arrived.
_*_
"Nice place," Bahamut (in his half-human form) commented, scoping out the ballroom from his perch on the chandelier. Phoenix, having no human form, nodded in agreement to his statement as she landed next to him gracefully.
"Don't break that, you two. It's not made to be a perch for Daemons," Galian reminded them. The two Daemons quickly cast all types of reinforcing spells on the chandelier so they wouldn't have to move.
The rest of the Guardians conjured up chairs and various other forms of seating (i.e., Da Cho provided pillows for himself and Leviathan to use, while Lady Cosmos sat on an oriental woven blanket, etc).
Iyshie called roll. As expected, no one was absent. The meeting began.
Galian noticed, as the meeting progressed, that very few of his fellow Guardians would make eye contact with him. Sure, he'd been given great praise at the beginning of the gathering from them all for his work during the JENOVA and Omega crises, including a public apology from Shiva for ever doubting him. But besides that, he was beginning to feel ostracized from his dear comrades.
"Have I done something wrong?" Galian finally interrupted. The Guardians stopped their conversation about what should be done now that the ShinRa household had transferred power to the Tuesti's. Any other day, Galian would be helping out the conversation in any way possible, but at the moment, he was distracted.
It literally became dead silent. Galian looked around. Now absolutely no one would look at him.
"Is this about my trial?" he asked, feeling himself smile. "Has Omega decided to put me in Oblivion? Am I to be sent to the deepest pits to be tortured for the rest of eternity? Ripped limb from limb and beheaded?" No answer. "Is one of you here to be my executioner?"
"Somehow you have been misinformed, Fearless Leader," Anima said, breaking the thickening silence that threatened to choke them all.
"Have I?" Galian chuckled. "Then what is this all about? Am I not to be executed for my betrayal?"
"Not at all," Alexander said wisely. "To most, you are a hero."
"And, even if you still had a trial, you know we would fight for you," Hades declared.
"All is well, Galian, this you should know," Leviathan calmly stated. The others began to filter in their encouragement. Galian was still skeptical, especially because none of the Elementals had spoken to him.
"Sangi, Chi Vá, Iyshie? What about you? Is there a problem between us Elementals?" He asked, taking a step towards the closest of his friends (besides, of course, XIII...) "Forgive my straightforwardness, but the only person in this room who seems to have no guilt towards me is Ezekiel." The occupants shifted again.
XIII (True name: Ezekiel Strife) looked up and blinked. The whole meeting, which so far had lasted four hours, he had said nothing.
"I do not know what is going on either, Lord Galian," he muttered quietly. "I assumed your trail was still on course. Even I, it seems, have been 'misinformed.'" The Knight looked to the others that made up his unit. None would look back at him, not even VII or V. "Something divides us."
"It's you and me against them all, Ezekiel," Galian stated. "As it appears."
"I agree."
"Galian," Chi Vá interposed, "this is not a rebellion against you. Calm thyself. You know for a fact that you could take us all on and survive, without XIII's help. "
"I am calm," Galian protested.
"You are not."
"Fine, I am not…What is going on? Why are Ezekiel and I being ostracized?" Galian pressed. He noticed that now Ezekiel was getting nervous. (Well, he was a Strife after all. They never did well standing against large groups of people…)
"This has nothing to do with XIII," Sangi said. Ezekiel sat down heavily on the floor. He looked relieved, and so did Galian.
"Galian, what is the one oath that all Guardians must sward to?" Iyshie asked gently. All attention turned to her.
"To protect Gaia, of course," Galian said smugly.
"And…?"
"And?" Galian frowned.
"'Should we take a charge, we will not…'?" Iyshie prodded.
"Get…attached…" The cogs in Galian's brain (once classified as an over-eager hamster in a wheel) began to turn.
"You are aware that you are the only Guardian in history to remain with your host long after your term was concluded," Iyshie declared.
"Yes…" Galian muttered. "But I was invited."
"Invited?" Iyshie repeated.
"Yes. Ser Valentine said I could stay."
"He did."
"Yes."
"Did Sira Valentine agree?"
"Yes."
"Did you ever tell another Guardian?"
"Ezekiel."
"Besides him."
"Bahamut and I have spoken on the matter. You see he still guards Cloud."
"That is a different matter, Galian," Bahamut broke in. "You know as well as I do he still needs a Guardian."
"You know my opinion on the matter, Bahamut. Cloud is strong enough on his own," Galian muttered.
"Please don't change the subject," Iyshie reminded the group.
"Lady Iyshie, I knew of this arrangement," Dark Nation admitted. "I saw no problem, so I reported nothing."
"The same goes for me," Ifrit agreed. Iyshie made careful note of this, as more of the Guardians admitted to okaying the arrangement.
"Galian, you are aware this problem has nothing to do with Ser and Sira Valentine…" Iyshie said. Something clicked in Galian when she said that. There was only one other person in the house…
"Galian, if they were to die tomorrow, how would you react?" Chi Vá asked.
"That's a horrible thing to say," Galian said, avoiding the question.
"You'd let them go, wouldn't you?"
"I'd have no choice."
"Yet if Rhapsody died tomorrow, you'd resurrect her."
Galian said nothing.
"You are aware such thoughts can get you killed," Sangi said, looking grim. "And you know the consequences of the action…"
Galian stared hard into the eyes of his friends.
"I made a promise," he said. "I was told…she is not to be harmed!"
"Galian, you are too attached…" Iyshie whispered, looking away.
"No…" Galian growled, the floor shaking with the force. "She is a child!"
"There was nothing we could do, Galian…" Chi Vá said, holding up his hands in surrender.
"She's not going to die, okay? She's immortal, you know that…" Iyshie reminded him. Sangi was no longer watching Galian. His eyes were on XIII.
"No…you're doing something worse than killing her, aren't you?" Everyone in the room turned to look at the normally silent Knight. He stared back at them all, but his eyes were full of sympathy, not malice. "Gaia help her…"
Galian let out a roar that shook the Planet.
The Price (and the one who pays it)
The Guardians were grateful to whichever Daemon had put the room under a soundproofing spell.
Galian had figured out why no one had been looking at him. The guilt in their eyes would have given it all away.
It was why Ezekiel was the only one innocent.
"She's…the Guardian of the Seals…" Galian moaned, holding his paws over his eyes. Ezekiel was burying his head into his knees. The Knight should have seen this coming.
"Galian…she's the only one strong enough…" Sangi muttered. "It would have been Sephiroth, but…"
"Don't even go there, Sangiasha, it was never a possibility," Phoenix corrected. The Wind Elemental hung his head and went silent.
"She's just a child," Galian repeated. His voice was weak, without hope. Broken.
"In our sense, yes," Leviathan agreed. "But in human terms, she will soon grow."
"I should have seen this coming," Ezekiel muttered. "I have the damn watch…"
"Ezekiel, don't blame yourself," Galian muttered. XIII said nothing. He just jumped to his feet and left the room.
"Where is he going?" V asked, looking at the other Guardians. It was against the rules to leave the Gathering without permission.
"I guess he needs to see for himself," Odin muttered. Chi Vá nodded and followed the Knight.
"Don't wake her up," Galian whispered to no one. "She doesn't sleep very well at night…this is the only rest she'll get for today…"
"Galian, I know you're angry, but hear us out…" Shiva started.
"Angry, are you kidding? I'm just…you don't know what this means. None of you do," Galian began pacing.
"It means you broke your promise to Vincent, that's all," Shiva said. "He's human, he'll get over it."
"That's all? THAT'S ALL?" Galian spun and stopped face to face with the Ice Goddess. "All that man ever wanted was to have some semblance of normalcy. That's all I promised him. And all of you, without one little meager glance at everything he's done for you, took that one little shard of happiness he may have ever had and destroyed it!"
"I think you're being a bit dramatic," Shiva balked.
"Trade places with me for one day, you'll understand," Galian spat back at her.
"Face it, Galian. You have an unhealthy obsession with this girl. You should be thinking about what's best for the whole, not what's best for your own selfish desires," Shiva retorted. Galian's eyes flared with rage.
"Shiva, shut up!" Anima ordered, as she and Sangi held Galian back.
"Everyone really needs to calm down," Mog stated. Choco squawked with agreement. It took some time, but the occupants of the room did just that. In the end, Shiva was put on one side of the room and Galian on the other.
Why You Always Knock
Meanwhile, in the kitchen above where the Guardians were meeting, Lucrecia was on her last nerve.
And her thirty-fourth cup of coffee.
"Lucrecia, dear…Um…I think that's enough coffee," Vincent said, trying to take the cup away from her. He knew that she was afraid of Daemons, but this was a little extreme.
Lucrecia didn't seem to hear him. She just sat, staring at the wall ahead of her with a blank gaze. And the death grip she had on the mug prevented Vincent from taking it from her.
Vincent was starting to learn that his wife on extensive amounts of caffeine was more frightening than JENOVA, Sephiroth, and Omega combined.
"Dear, if you really are that afraid, shouldn't you just leave? Tifa said Cloud was more than willing to come pick you up," Vincent said, patting her hand soothingly.
"I can't leave Rhapsody here," she said, eyes bloodshot. She took another gulp of coffee.
"I'm here," Vincent reminded her.
"Well, just because you've saved the world a few times doesn't make you super-parent!"
Vincent went silent as he began to calculate the grocery bill for this month if Lucrecia's rate of consumption remained the same.
Thirty minutes later, she was up to seventy-six cups. Vincent was trying to calculate how she'd more than doubled her consumption when the house shook with an earthquake like force.
(Vincent, actually, heard Galian's roar. But Lucrecia, a "normal" human being, did not.)
"Oh my Gaia!" She cried, throwing the cup into the air. It, naturally, landed on Vincent's head, drenching him in the dark liquid. "Oh no, Rhapsody!" She jumped for the door only to see Vincent there, dripping with the scalding liquid. "Oh dear, Vincent." She quickly grabbed a towel, but her eyes never left the door. "Cripes, it's all soaked through! Come on, you need to take off your shirt before it gets ruined!"
It didn't help that, moments later, XIII of the Knights went flying past the door, with Chi Vá following after him, yelling something in old Daemonic.
Neither Daemon noticed both human watching them as the charged past.
"Are they going towards Rhapsody's room?" Lucrecia asked, dropping Vincent's shirt on the ground as she watched the two run past.
"Huh? Probably not, they normally wish to keep to themselves," Vincent muttered, whipping his face with a towel.
"Those two were heading towards Rhapsody's room!" Lucrecia shouted, turning on Vincent. He looked back at her, a "what do you want me to do about it?" look on his normally deadpan face. "I've got to go save her!"
"Lucrecia, wait! I think you're jumping to conclusions. I'm pretty sure those two are harmless!" Vincent said, trying to stop her from running out the door (and becoming increasingly self-conscious over the fact that he wasn't wearing a shirt).
"How dare they get near my daughter!" Lucrecia declared. Vincent decided now that he would never, ever let Lucrecia have coffee again.
Then Lucrecia realized that, if she was going for a full frontal attack on the perpetrators, going without a weapon would be a stupid idea.
Vincent's Cerberus was the closest thing available.
"Excuse me Vincent, I need this," Lucrecia said calmly before ripping Cerberus from its holster and bee lining for the door.
Unfortunately, the coffee in her system had provided her an unnatural boost in strength, so when she grabbed Cerberus, the holster and Vincent's belt came with it. Then, Lucrecia would slip on Vincent's shirt, which was still laying on the group where she had dropped it. Vincent would, per character, catch her. Naturally, Vincent's pants would lose their fight to gravity almost immediately following.
And, of course, Chi Vá would walk in right at that moment, thinking a glass of warm milk would be a perfect peace offering for a child about Rhapsody's age.
Chi Vá tipped back his hat, took one look at the room, and immediately turned the same shade of red as his peacock feather. Chibi covered his eyes respectfully as the Daemon General instantly pulled his hat back over his eyes and backed quickly out of the room.
"My apologies," he called behind him.
"Wait! It's not what it looks like!" Vincent panicked. Naturally, that was the wrong thing to say.
Another Thing To Regret
"Sorry I woke you up," Ezekiel whispered, watching as Rhapsody sat up in her bed. He'd tripped over a stool when he'd walked in and the two swords he normally carried with him had clattered to the floor, waking the slumbering three-year-old. She blinked wearily at him before smiling.
"Uncle Cloud?" she asked, rubbing her eyes and then holding up her hands as if she wanted him to pick her up.
"Um…no…I-I'm…My name is Ezekiel," he stammered, not sure how to react to being mistaken for his (many times) great grandson.
"Oh…" Rhapsody frowned for a moment, dropping her arms as she looked him up and down. Then she smiled brightly. "Hello Mr. Eze…Ezek…Um…Ee-zee-kee-el… Ezekiel! Got it!" She clapped her hands happily and then sat down on the bed. She smoothed out a place and then patted it.
Ezekiel assumed that spot was for him. He sat. Rhapsody climbed into his lap and made herself comfortable.
"My name's Rhapsody, by the way," she said, snuggling into his arms and yawning. "I was takin' a nap a second ago. Wanna take one to? There's enough room, I think."
"Thank you very much for the offer, but I need to stay awake. In fact, I'm really not supposed to be in here…" Ezekiel confessed.
"Really? Well, don't worry Mr. Ezekiel. I won't tell anyone." Rhapsody crossed her hands over her heart and nodded. "Promise."
Ezekiel could only chuckle, but deep inside he felt his heart break (Daemons do have them, and Ezekiel was human once, a long time ago…). Actually, more like shatter into thousands of tiny pieces and be lit on fire.
This was the one who was condemned at birth. The very child he held now.
Chi Vá entered and surveyed the scene with slight amusement (and slight caution).
"You've made a friend, XIII." Ezekiel looked up, and so did Rhapsody.
"I sent you to get milk, didn't I?" Ezekiel muttered in Old Daemonic.
"They uh…didn't have any…" Chi Vá replied, shrugging.
"Whoa! Lookat his hat!" Rhapsody broke in, eyes as wide as dinner plates. "I could like…live in it!" Chi Vá grinned (Ezekiel knew from experience that the old General's only weakness was children…and sweets).
"Would you like to try it on, my dear?" he asked, looking around for something to sit on.
"May I?" Rhapsody asked, looking from Ezekiel to Chi Vá and back. He nodded and removed his hat carefully before striding over and placing it on her head. Chibi scampered off to sit on his shoulder.
As expected (at least by the Daemons), the hat engulfed her head.
"I can't see!" Rhapsody giggled. She waved her arms around blindly for a moment before readjusting the hat so she could partially see. "Hey, Mr. Hat Man! You have the same eyes as me!" She pointed from her ruby-red eyes to Chi Vá's blood-colored ones. "Are we family?"
"No, my dear. It seems we just share a unique trait," Chi Vá replied. Rhapsody stared at him blankly.
"You have the same eyes, but aren't family," Ezekiel clarified. Rhapsody blinked.
"Does it work like that?" she asked, staring at them both. "But you and Uncle Cloud have the same eyes. Aren't you related?" she asked Ezekiel.
"Well…uh, yes, technically…but you're not related to Chi Vá, because…uh…" Ezekiel was at a loss on how to explain genetics to a three year old.
"I am not a Valentine, my dear, that is all," Chi Vá said, smiling.
"Oh, I see… I think…" It was clear that Rhapsody, although she didn't get it at all, was trying to act grown up and not be any more of a burden (who'd she get that from?). She yawned again.
"I think it's time for you to go back to sleep, little one," Chi Vá said, removing his hat from her head and replacing it on its rightful perch. Rhapsody nodded, sleepily crawling off of Ezekiel and over to the top of her bed. Ezekiel stood up and dutifully tucked her in. Chi Vá picked up a doll from the ground (which looked suspiciously similar to Rhapsody and screamed of Galian's handy-work) and tucked it in beside her. It seemed, however, that she had already fallen back to sleep by this time.
Both Daemons headed for the door, Ezekiel being mindful of the treacherous stool which had given him away the first time.
"Will you sing to me?" Both stopped dead in their tracks. "Galian always does before I go to sleep." Chi Vá and Ezekiel exchanged a shocked glance before turning around to face Rhapsody.
"He…does?" Ezekiel asked, trying to picture the Galian Beast singing.
"Yeah," Rhapsody muttered sleepily. "He says that's what Godfathers do for Goddaughters…"
"God…fathers…?" Chi Vá felt his mouth fall open slightly. Ezekiel blinked a few times and tried to clean out his ears. Was he hearing this right?
"Uh-huh. Galian's my Godfather. Momma says that means that if something ever happens to her and Daddy, that he'll take care of me…"
"That's why…" Ezekiel stammered.
"Oh dear…" Chi Vá said. Rhapsody propped herself up, looking at them. She just wanted a lullaby. "XIII, I think you have a better voice than me, sing something."
"Uh…wha?" Ezekiel stammered. "No way, I've never sang anything in my life!" Rhapsody blinked a few times, looking kind of sad. "Uh…okay, hang on…" He walked back over to Rhapsody's side, kneeling right down next to her. She snuggled back in and watched him, eyes half-open. Ezekiel sang:
"I want to be a shadow
a shadow
so hollow
I want to be a shadow
don't make me live in Light…"
Chi Vá balked. Was such a haunting song appropriate? Hardly!
Rhapsody, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.
"Uncle Cloud sang that to me once…me and Anna…" she told them as she fell asleep. "He sounded so sad…so very sad…"
The Daemons all but ran from the room.
All Strings Attached
The Guardians still sat silent when Chi Vá and Ezekiel ran back into the room.
"Really, XIII. 'A Shadow's Lullaby' was the only thing you could think of?" Chi Vá scolded.
"How fitting," Ezekiel half sobbed. "That's all she's ever going to be now…a Shadow…"
"What are you two talking about?" Anima inquired, frowning. Ezekiel promptly stalked up to her and, standing at his full height of 5 feet 6 inches (call him short and you DIE!) he said:
"Send me to Oblivion please. Actually, send all of us to Oblivion. But me first."
"Why?" Anima replied. The others in the room had the same question written on their faces. Galian, who was still confined to his corner, watched wearily.
"Because we just killed the most innocent child on the face of this planet and made her the Seal Bearer, that's why!" Ezekiel yelled, his fists clenched. "Meeting adjourned!"
The Guardians shuffled uneasily at his (true) statement.
"XIII is right," Iyshie said, sighing. "Meeting adjourned. Sangiasha and I will keep you all posted…" There were some shocked protests, but many of the Guardians departed quickly. Those with protests stayed long enough to notice that no one was listening to them before also departing.
Leaving, in the end, only the Elementals, Anima, and XIII.
"That was a abrupt ending," Anima said, crossing her arms. She eyed Galian and Ezekiel, who stood talking in low voices to each other off to one side.
"What else could be done?" Sangi muttered.
"I suppose you're right," The Oblivion Guardian relented.
"You should leave now too, Anima," Chi Vá suggested. "We shant wish to overstay our welcome."
"After you, Elementals," Anima shot. They looked at her. "I am no fool. You have only left the Seals for me to look after all these years, after Ezekiel and the other original Seal Bearers died." Ezekiel turned away. "And, back then, it was only one Seal per Bearer. How can you expect anyone, even a Valentine, to stand the burden of all of the Seals at one time?"
"Rhapsody is…unique. She is stronger, by far, than any creature born onto this Planet before or after her time. She may be the only person in all of history strong enough to tolerate such a task," Iyshie clasped her hands together in a prayer-like motion. "She's our only choice."
"She'll be driven crazy!" Ezekiel shouted. "Legend did that to me, and he's only one of the Seals! I just about killed everyone with only one to deal with!"
"But you didn't," a new voice answered. But to the occupants of the room, the voice was an old acquaintance. "I stopped you, remember. Just like I stopped all the others…"
"Ashmore Takashi," Anima said, bowing slightly at the only human (though not anymore) to gain respect among the Daemons.
The cloaked figure stepped from the shadows, where he'd been for the whole meeting, unobserved. Lowering his hood, he revealed his forever youthful face, aquamarine eyes sullen with the weight of the his work. His long red hair was pulled into a thin pony tail, leaving a few stray strands in his face. His tan cloak covered his clothes completely, showing only his black boots.
The Clockmaker, and the only living being able to keep the power of the Thirteen Seals in check.
Ashmore Takashi was his human name, but few even remembered it, just like the forgotten name of his friend, Ezekiel.
"I suppose you're here with the Watch," Galian accused. Ashmore nodded sadly.
"Ezekiel and I will deliver it to the most recent Clockmaker, if that is the will of the Guardians," he responded, keeping his head held low. "If, in fact, there is no other way…"
"Not you too, Takashi," Sangi mumbled, dejected. "Is the whole world against us in this decision?"
"I will keep my opinions to myself," Ashmore replied. Sangi was about to protest, but Chi Vá waved it away.
"Who is this new Clockmaker? Can he be trusted?" he pressed.
"You would think not, but he is quite trustworthy underneath his mask," Ashmore answered.
"I wouldn't trust Reno as far as I could throw him," Galian scowled. Anima and Ezekiel had to fight back laughter as the other three Elementals looked strangely surprised. "And yet you do, Ashmore?"
"If you cannot trust your own family, Lord Galian, how can you trust anyone?" The Clockmaker riddled in response.
"One mistake," Galian warned.
"He is but human. Give him time, we all will see." The Clockmaker bowed again. "Come on, Ezekiel, let's go. You seem to need some fresh air anyway. All the darkness in the room is killing you again." Ezekiel said nothing. Casting one last forlorn glance back at Galian, he followed Ashmore and the two disappeared.
"I will go reattach the Seals to the Watch…" Anima said before any order to her could be given. "But one last question, Elementals."
"What, Anima?" Sangi asked. "What now?"
"How long will she get to live?"
"It's…not certain yet…" Iyshie whispered, and, for the first time that night, she looked sincere in her sadness. "There are other factors that will…determine the length of her…'normal' lifespan…"
"It may never happen, you know," Chi Vá reminded them all. "The Seals may never be released." He was still trying to hold on to some hope.
For Rhapsody's sake.
In Darkness
A shadow stood up, independent of the figure it was once bound to. Another followed suite, and another, and still yet another. Glowing, florescent orange eyes and sharp, pearl-white teeth formed the only features on the growing army of these matter-less monsters.
They were being called.
A figure, cloaked in the same darkness that formed the shadows, watched the army form from a obsidian throne. Thousands upon thousands of shadows, the very darkness that humanity feared under its control. But there was no laughter, no joy found in this creature's vast creations.
How easy it had been.
"Too easy," it muttered, scowling. "Give me a challenge; I want to watch the strongest fall before me." It blinked, watching its shadows. Some would die instantly upon their creation. The shadows of heroes, the thing thought. The very beings darkness could not touch.
Even the Savior's shadow had died, after a time.
The creature had once harbored high hopes for it. Too bad…the Savior had chosen light, after all.
"No matter," the creature sighed. "Light feeds me my shadows, after all. It's only a matter of time now…"
A/N Confused yet? Would a Character List help?
Seriously, if you have anything you'd like to say, PM me. I will listen! Or, if you'd like, Email Me. It's : proofofexistence(at)comcast(dot)net. Naturally, you have to take out the (at) and replace it with and the (dot) and replace it with . (a period).
Thank you again for all the votes! ^_^And for all the new readers, and all the support. Onward to the next!