Dual Desire
By: 4quintessence
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.
Pairing: CliffxFayt
Rating: PG
Summary: Saving Maria Traydor from the Killers is going to be harder than they thought. A lot harder. They've stumbled into a battle stadium on the recently invaded Titan and the ruthless leader of the Killers wants to play a little game with the Star Ocean crew. In the most arduous challenge Cliff (who does something really impulsive), Albel, Sophia, Nel, and Luke have yet faced, Fayt and Leila are the two that really step up to the task in this astonishing chapter.
Shoutouts: Zelavril - Heya, I saw your profile note and no problem about all the schoolwork you have, I'm just happy to hear from you! I'm so glad you find time to fit me in :D and that's great about the court case outcome, yay. Haha Mirage. I try to build on what little they gave us in the game about her personality, and I endevour to make her more human since she was quite one dimensional in the game. I totally get what you mean by Cliff's fighting being fast and slow. I had the image of Cliff fighting in the manga in my mind as i wrote that, combined with the speed of battling in the game. i didn't intend for the 'nip' and 'flapping' to connect to the fire but it totally does! thanks for pointing that out. And, of course, LOL at your dad and dojos. Spectralwings - I hope everything's going well and I hope you like this chapter!
Chapter 14:
Flashback to the time after Fayt was born...
"This is a nightmare, Robert," Fayt's mother sighed, rocking her blue-haired angel gently back and forth in her arms. "Robert? Are you listening to me…?"
Fayt's father stood at the edge of the balcony, his work impatiently waiting for him on the quad scanner in his hand, staring out over the lush orchards of their backyard and across the inspirational shimmer of the ocean's surface. There was no ominous storm, no warning signs — time was passing as it always did, the world oblivious to the coming danger only he and a select few knew of. "I know honey," he said, not turning around, "...but it had to be done."
Ryoko peered back down at her son, his wide and innocent sapphire eyes filling up a chubby face powdered with rose-coloured pixie dust. Baby Fayt flashed a silly smile in response to his mom's gaze and reached up to grab her finger in his tiny, silk-soft hands. "Do you think he will ever forgive us...will Maria forgive Jessie...for what we've done?" Her voice was calm, yet a deep, repressed pain was evident within the strained breathing that enveloped her words.
Robert found his grip on the quad scanner growing painfully tight and his temples pulsed furiously with the dark power of the unrelenting guilt that had plagued him day after day, month after month, slowly eating away at the most delicate and obligatory part of his being — his heart.
"HOW COULD HE EVER FORGIVE US?" he abruptly howled, turning around and hurling an arm through the air. "WHEN WHAT WE'VE DONE GOES AGAINST ALL OF OUR BELIEFS! Choosing his life for him…" He threw his scanner to the ground and it bounced along the deck like a rock on water and plopped into the grass. "WE'VE BROKEN EVERY LAW IMAGINABLE, TURNED INTO SELFISH MONSTERS HAPPILY PLAYING GOD ON OUR OWN CHILDREN, LIKE THEY ARE SOME KIND OF LAB EXPERIMENT; LYING TO THE FEDERATION, OUR FAMILIES, OURSELVES…"
Fayt's high-pitched shrieks tore through his father's yelling and Robert finally ceased the tirade, slumping down in the chair beside Ryoko with a groan and a shake of his head. The baby bluenette quickly stopped crying and actually began to chuckle as his dad attempted to lazily blow away the chocolate-brown hair that had fallen into his eyes. "Da da" he cooed through tears. Robert glanced over at his son and tickled his cheeks, his heartache slowly waning.
"Not all of our beliefs…" Ryoko finally replied, her eyes sunset red. "It would've been a greater sin to use the children of someone else. This is greater than us Robert, we have to remember that. We have to hope that one day he will discover for himself why we did this. We are both going through the same thing...the endless torment...we have to share with each other...help each other through." She turned to look him straight in the eye. "I cannot face any of this without you Robert. Promise you'll always be there for me. Please."
The brilliant blue of both his son and wife's hair was a symbol of hope, a life-giving ocean. He leant in closer to her. "Of course I'll be there for you...I promise Ryo, until the end…" His oath was broken by a kiss. ...Until the end of time.
----------------------------------------------------
Fayt sprinted down the long length of the arena floor, the crew in hot pursuit. Humans dressed in full armour and holding spears suddenly materialized in front of the dozen or so exits out of the arena, blocking any means of escape. These were actually simulations, but as dangerous as the real thing. As the bluenette came closer to where Maria was tied up, he couldn't fight off the eerie feeling of thousands of people staring at him, watching his every move. It was an awful sensation — as though he was fully naked and brutally exposed — all those prying eyes searing through his clothes, his skin, and into the fragile depths of his mind. It was like a dazzling, penetrating spotlight was revealing the weak and scared boy underneath his tough exterior, and he struggled to keep this raw emotion from overwhelming him by gripping his arms against his chest.
His running became staggered and just as he tripped over a nook in the ground, Cliff was suddenly at his side, grasping his hand and preventing him from falling. His boyfriend's comforting touch and untroubled smile banished that creeping feeling of vulnerability and his enduring strength returned. With his head held high and his mind on overdrive, the bluenette arrived at the base of the tall metal pole and stopped, gazing around at the rest of the group for ideas.
Before anyone could utter a word, that creepy voice came out over the speakers once again: "Look who's arrived just on time," it declared pompously, as the crew scanned the stadium seats, looking for its originator. "Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: THE INFAMOUS...FAYT LEINGOD!"
The crowd's clamor surged like a tsunami throughout the building — the Killers amongst the audience were booing, but the local Titan residents were cheering as loud as they could.
"Who is that talking?" Nel shouted to her friends through the deafening racket.
"Hmph...I don't know, but I knew this was going to be a trap!" Albel snapped back.
"Who fuckin' cares...you're the one who wanted to come!" Cliff bellowed, swinging a mighty arm in front of him. "Let's just get Maria down from there and get outta 'ere, stat."
Their conversation was soon overpowered by the voice. "Fayt Leingod, I have a request of you," it roared, a sense of sinisterness now surfacing. "Your resistance is hopeless. We, the Thought Killers — as you have so cleverly christened us — are the new power in this universe, the next great rulers that will bind the galaxy together in peace and prosperity. But we are no fools. We know you cannot simply rule by force, that you must win the hearts and minds of the people. And that's where you come in…"
Sophia edged closer to Albel, her eyes expanding popcorn. "What is he talking about Fayt...?"
The voice continued, cutting her off: "You know what you're up against. Your defenses are weak, they posed no threat whatsoever in our swift takeover. One by one the planets in the Sol System are falling to our rising tide. So we ask you now...join us. With you as our spokesman, and perhaps our leader, it will be easy to legitimize our rule among the people, creating a strong and united universe."
"Bah, the maggot talks big Leingod, but we've heard this drivel all before," Albel muttered, easily reading through the manipulative rhetoric.
Fayt nodded and then narrowed in on the voice. At the closest end of the stadium was a special VIP box where the head Killer was broadcasting from — the President of Titan standing helplessly beside him. Fayt screamed back his response, throwing an accusing finger in the air and finding a loudness in his voice he never knew he had: "All of it, everything you say, it is all LIES! I know what you want. You want people to bow down before you, to do your every bidding, living as slaves within our own homes, slaughtering all who resist. WELL I WON'T HAVE IT! After everything I've done, after everything we've sacrificed, to bring freedom to our galaxy, I won't let you get away with this!"
"AMEN!" the crew roared, cheering on the bluenette.
And then something amazing happened. The Titanites among the crowd began chanting Fayt's name, quietly at first, but then louder and louder. It was heartwarming, to say the least. This was something the bluenette had never experienced before, and it felt so good. Like a final vindication for all the shit he and his comrades had been through.
"QUIET! EVERYONE SHUTUP!!!" the leader of the Killers bellowed desperately, shooting his gun into the air with an echoing bang. The chant faded out. "I am your new leader now, people of Titan. Leingod here could have made things a lot better for you, but seeing as he has refused my offer, it's time to play a little game now. You see, I think killing you and your friends should be an entertaining affair, a spectacle for all these people who have come out here today...is that not right?"
The Killers amongst the crowd let out a loud and prolonged cheer.
"This doesn't sound good," Luke announced, Leila standing close to him. "How are we going to get out of here after we get Maria down?"
"Fittir to Mirage," the blond spoke into his communicator. "Have the transporter ready."
"Cliff!" her voice immediately rang back. "I can't get a lock on you! There must be some sort of transport scrambler nearby."
The Klausian stared questioningly at Fayt, who nodded his head. "All the battle simulators are equipped with scramblers to prevent people from sneaking in unpaid. I forgot to mention that after I realized where we were."
"Oh y'did, did you? Well...SHIT!"
The leader of the Killers continued: "In this game, my avid spectators, Fayt and his crew will fight to the death...and perhaps — because I am such a generous person — I will spare the life of the last one standing."
The bluenette and his friends glanced confusedly at each other, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Umm no, we will not be fighting each other… Fayt assured himself.
"President, if you will," the Killer stated, as Titan's President motioned to someone down in the front row. "This is a nightmare from which you will never awake…" he proclaimed with finality, his terrible laugh ricocheting like a rubber band to every corner of the stadium. Such a satisfied laugh. So familiar to Fayt.
What happened next he couldn't explain. A ferocious fit of dizziness hit him with force, so that he saw a sheet of stars flickering within his fearful eyes. As he looked around, he noticed everyone else was stumbling around too, all except for Leila. When his vision came back into focus he looked up at Cliff, eager for an explanation. Instead he found Cliff's normally handsome face had warped downwards and malevolent darkness had set into every dip in his visage, slowly transforming it until he looked like a demon with a blood-lusted grin (Cliff noticed the same thing happen to Fayt as well). He realized he was now facing an enemy that wanted his life, not a friend or a lover, and he instinctively drew his sword from its sheath.
He struck demon Cliff across the arm with all the strength he could muster and a splatter of blood spurted forth, which was met by a raucous cheer from the Killers amongst the crowd. The shocked Titanites gasped and held their breath. Unfazed, the Klausian quickly struck back, pummeling Fayt in the stomach with a thrash of his fist so that he flew backwards and onto the ground. The bluenette jumped back up again and ran towards his enemy, gleaming sword gripped firmly in both hands and pointed straight ahead of him with a feral quiver in his eyes…
Albel and Sophia were now fighting each other, katana against symbology, with neither having the upper hand. With an elegant swish of her staff, Sophia sent a lightning bolt from the heavens above that stuck Albel silly and flattened him to the ground. Sparks of electricity lingered in the air and crackled around him. He sprung from his spot like a wild animal and Sophia narrowly avoided a katana to her right leg, the sword grazing across her skin and ripping through her blood-stained clothes…
Luke and Nel were struggling profusely. His lightsaber buzzed and flashed in the hazy golden light as it locked against Nel's daggers in a raw battle of strength. They both drove against each other's weapons, neither able to bring down the other. Luke finally catapulted Nel backwards with a push from the force…
As for Leila, she didn't seem to be affected by the spell. She stood on the outside of the battles, making herself as small as possible and staring angrily up at the Killer leader, fists clenched.
Cliff's last punch slapped Fayt's sword from his hand while the latter hastily responded by tripping the blond with a hypersonic kick. As the Klausian lay spread out on the ground, Fayt noticed that his face was returning to normal...the demonic darkness was fading...he felt as though he was awakening from a dream...what am I doing to poor Cliff?!
"MR. PRESIDENT! I COMMAND YOU TO CAST THE CONFUSE SPELL AGAIN — IT'S WEARING OFF!" the leader of the Killers roared through the microphone. The President shrugged. He was too far away to cast it himself on Fayt and co. The person who had done it before in the front row had been tackled by outraged Titanites sitting nearby.
Fayt and his crew awoke from the nightmare and looked around. Sophia immediately cast a series of Healing spells at the sight of glistening blood on her comrades.
Above their heads, Maria moaned. They all tilted their eyes skyward in worry. Clear, snaking bruises could be seen on her face, her azure hair was clumpy and matted, and her clothes were filthy. Her arms were tied behind her around the pole and her head was hanging limply forward, her eyes still closed. The chains that held her to the pole appeared indestructible.
"How will we get her down?" Nel shouted in anguish. "None of our symbologies can break that chain safely."
Surprisingly, Leila was the one who answered. "It's okay! I can set her free! I just need to get up there…" she said, slowly turning to Luke with a giant grin on her face.
"That's crazy!" he replied exasperatedly. "Now how am I supposed to do that."
"Well Lukie, you did lift me up and down in the Saviour like a million times…"
And just when they thought things couldn't get worse, they did. A procession of Killers were running down to the arena floor from the front rows, heading straight for the group, their shifting hair colour creating a seemingly cheery rainbow that veiled their malicious intents. The crew heard a gunshot up in the VIP box and the President slumped out of view. The encroaching Killers were closing in on them, circling Fayt and co. like a pack of wolves ensnaring their prey.
But then something strange happened. Leila started to glow flowery fuchsia and the Killers stumbled and started touching themselves. At that moment, the pieces of the Leila puzzle finally came together in Fayt's mind and he at last understood why she frightened them so.
"What's going on!?" one of the Killers exclaimed as the air around a bunch of them began to suddenly shimmer strangely. The accompanying sound was like hearing a blizzard, rather than the sea, in a conch shell. It appeared as though thousands of tiny glittering diamonds had materialized and started slowly spinning in a circle all around them. Then the jewels began elongating, emitting a cold, polar mist into the air. The Killers nearby gazed in awe, never having seen anything like it — such beauty. However a terrible realization dawned on them: those diamonds were not just decoration but perilous pieces of ice, and in a snap second they grew exponentially and fused together with a loud crash, forming a solid spike of ice that trapped a half dozen Killers within it; they were never to awake.
"YES!" Fayt cheered under his breath. "The symbology worked! Everyone! When Leila is close to the Killers and threatened, she somehow disables their natural armour! They're just like any other enemy now!"
Albel, Sophia, Nel, Cliff, and Luke all glared between Fayt and Leila, mouths dropped.
Fayt turned to address the silent crowd in a booming voice. "Hello everyone!" he began rather sheepishly, giving a little wave. "I want to thank you for your support and I'm sure you're all very confused right now. One thing is clear: you have my promise that I will find a way to bring peace back to our galaxy once again. But right now, we have to take advantage of this situation. This girl disables the Killers' armour! Their leader has foolishly revealed to you what he plans to do, you've seen how barbaric he is, and you've heard the rumours from Mars. Join me in finishing them off and preventing Titan from becoming their latest conquest!"
The Titanites within the audience started chatting loudly amongst themselves. The Killers' leader cried frantically through the microphone: "NO! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!"
Too late. The stadium erupted into a prodigious presentation of pandemonium.
Ordinary residents began casting symbologies on their nearby Killer neighbours, who easily went down without their natural armour. The mix of sights and sounds was incredible. Spells flew this way and that, bright ginger flames dancing in the stadium seats, sorcerous explosions dotting the rows, the leftovers of spikes of ice and rock raining down on the arena floor. Shockwaves thundered through the building and a crisp, sizzling smell filled the stadium — the leftovers from streams of lightning bolts, laser beams, and spheres of might. Phase fire from the Killers joined this mayhem of magic, and soon smoke was billowing through the open roof of the structure.
Meanwhile, Fayt and his companions were battling the Killers on the floor using only symbologies so that their enemy couldn't get too close to them and read their minds, as Cliff had smartly advised. As they stood in a circle around Maria and fought off the enemy, Luke was standing next to the metal pole and slowly lifting Leila upward through the air with his force powers. From the stands, it was quite a scene. This petite girl was mysteriously floating up into the air towards Maria, eyes wide with excitement, pigtails starting to fall out. On top of that, she was glowing pink and any phase shot that happened to come her way bounced off and went in a different direction.
One of the Killers broke through the circle and was bearing down on Luke. He managed to throw his lightsaber in the enemy's direction by taking his eyes off Leila for a split second. The chartreuse-coloured blade spun like a throwing star and sliced clean through the Killer's arm. This lapse in the Jedi's concentration caused Leila to bump into the metal pole and she yelled down at Luke in irritation.
"Sorry, sorry!" he replied, focusing harder and shaking his sandy blond locks out of his line of sight.
Soon she was level with Maria. She unceremoniously chopped the chain with her hand and to Luke's surprise, it shattered in half. Maria began to fall, her navy blue hair billowing up behind her. Luckily, Cliff was watching the situation like a hawk and he raced to the base of the pole, shifting about to make sure he was right underneath her, and then safety caught her in his arms, biceps rippling with the impact.
Fayt came over and gave the Klausian a quick peck on the cheek. "You're quite the superhero aren't you...she was so high up I probably would have dropped her."
Cliff snickered merrily. "Well, y'know, that's what I'm here for. I catch people who fall out of the sky after creepy little girls set them free," he joked, before looking down at his adopted daughter. "Wow, she really doesn't look too good does she. Anyway, let's get outta this place so we can transport up."
Fayt went to tell the others they were leaving. As Cliff stood holding Maria and watching the fantastical array of magical combat up in the stands, he noticed that the Killers' leader had vanished and that the majority of Killers were streaming out of the seats and towards the stadium's exits while the Titanites were staying and finishing off the remainder.
Suddenly, an injured Killer lying on the ground close by who had been watching Cliff began speaking. "There's a reason they're all leaving so quickly...and it's not because they're being attacked. Our leader had a bomb placed in the building in case something like this happened...he thinks of everything you know."
"WHAT!?" Cliff shouted warily, striding closer. "Why are you telling me this? How can I trust you?"
"Not all of us support the way he's taking over your universe," the young Killer responded bluntly. "That was never the plan. But we have to suppress those thoughts or we'll be found out," he sighed, clutching the side of his chest. "You seem like good people to me, and I figure what the hell, I'm going to die anyways."
The Klausian just stood there, holding Maria, trying to make up his mind about what to do. He couldn't believe he was taking an enemy at his word. "No you won't," he finally replied, biting his lip and casting a Cure spell over the Killer. The latter jumped to his feet and aimed his phase gun straight at Cliff's head.
"HEY! I JUST SAVED YOUR LIFE, BUDDY!"
The Killer withdrew the gun and started chuckling. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You should have seen the look on your face. I know exactly what was running through your mind too."
"I'll bet," Cliff snorted, trying to deny the fact he liked this guy. "Now can ya do us a favour and show us the fastest way outta here?"
"Sure boss, follow me...and hurry!"
By now, Fayt, Albel, Sophia, Nel, Luke, and Leila were running alongside Cliff, peppering him with questions. "LISTEN GUYS!" he cried. "We gotta leave this place faster than a cheetah or we're toast. There's a bomb in the building..."
"What!? Did you say what I thought you just said, worm? You'd better not be pulling our leg. What kind of bomb is it, Fittir?" Albel questioned intently.
Cliff tried to shrug but it was hard while carrying Maria. "I dunno, a bomb?! A bomb bomb bomb bomb bomb!"
"But what about all the people still in here!" Fayt cried in desperation.
"What can we do, kid? It's so loud now no one would hear you. We gotta be realistic here, it's gonna go off any second and we might not even make it out alive."
Just before they dashed into one of the exit corridors after the Killer, Fayt looked wretchedly across the crowd one more time, everyone happily attacking the enemy in a firework-like show of wizardry. The guilt was eating him up from inside, but he knew there was nothing he could do. This isn't how it was supposed to be, he pondered, watching people from both sides slumping down dead. I can feel it crumbling...falling away from beneath our feet. Everything we fought for. Everything we lost.
The dash through the corridors was a nebulous blur, bland hallway after bland hallway, sporadically running into Killers that were also escaping and thus thankfully paid them no mind. They closely followed the Killer Cliff had saved, until they emerged through the sliding glass doors and into the cool Titan air. Killers were streaming out of the battle simulator and escaping in waiting cars.
"MIRAGE! Get us out of here!" Cliff bellowed into his communicator as they all continued running from the stadium, across the plaza. "Eight to beam up!"
"Okay I've got you, you're outside the scrambler's range. Eight though?"
"Yup," he replied, glancing at the Killer beside him. "We have a new friend."
They looked behind themselves as they ran with a growing sickness in their stomachs. A deep, bloodcurdling detonation sounded from within the building. The air around them began to make a strange, sucking noise as it was forcibly drawn into the stadium. They gazed in absolute horror as the structure suddenly exploded in a massive mushroom cloud, dragging passing spaceships and flying cars into the raging firestorm and escalating ember showers. A behemothic shockwave was surging towards the crew, ripping up the earth in its path to reveal the hell beneath, and they vanished from the moon as it razed the very ground they were standing upon only moments ago.
OH CRAP! TO BE CONTINUED!
(A/N: I'm so glad to get this chapter out of my mind and onto paper. It's been festering for a while. Wow, things are getting complex aren't they? Just like real life. I can't believe the crew was fighting each other! haha. Next chapter...LEMON, finally. They still haven't had one yet after officially getting together!)