Angel Fallen
A Final Fantasy VII Side Story
By Chadwick V. Simmons
Part VI
The fire snapped and crackled as pockets of resin in the wood burst open, sending acrid smoke spiraling towards the night sky. That sky was darkly beautiful this night. No moon was visible, so only the stars lent their sparkling light to the veil of darkness. The girl sat gazing up at that glittering canopy for a long while, basking in the nighttime song of the crickets.
Inevitably, she was drawn from her silent musings by a violent shiver. The night was growing quite cold and she had little to protect her from its icy chill. She quickly pulled her dark cloak, stolen from a tavern in Kalm, tighter about her and moved as close to the meager fire as she dared.
She sat thus for nearly an hour before the cold once again forced her from her considerations. She rubbed her hands together briskly beneath her cloak, trying futilely to force some warmth back into them. Her empty stomach chose that moment to voice its complaints as well. She sighed wearily in her misery and clutched her grumbling stomach, half numb fingers closing around the badly stitched fabric of her slashed dress.
Suddenly her head jerked up as she went on the alert. A creeping sensation spread across the back of her neck, giving her the impression that she was no longer alone. She gazed intently into the pitch black surrounding her dimly lit camp. After several moments, she sighed in frustration. Nothing seemed to be hiding out in the bitter cold night, yet the feeling that she was not alone would not depart.
As she brushed unkempt brown hair away from sparkling hazel eyes, sudden realization struck her. She gently parted her cloak and turned her eyes to the objects resting in her lap. One was a milky white orb glowing softly with a weak inner light. The other was a similar orb, though this one was darker than the night around her and hummed with a powerful presence, the same presence that had obviously just put her on edge.
She gently stroked both orbs. The white one was icy chill to the touch, dead in her hand. The dark one was slightly warm and pulsed in time to her heartbeat. She cupped the dark orb in both hands hoping to draw a little heat from the strange object. Gazing at the orbs caused her once more to begin dwelling upon how she'd come to possess them. Before she could consider too long however, a sultry voice echoed faintly within her head.
You are cold child. Let me warm you…
"Who are you? How will you warm me?" Uncertainty was apparent in the girl's voice. She had no idea with whom if anyone she conversed. She did know that the voice was coming form the dark orb, however.
I am your protector, your guardian. You are my charge now and it is my duty to keep you safe.
"Then tell me who I am, what my purpose is in being here. Why can't I remember anything before waking in those eerie ruins?" The girl's voice quivered with fatigue and cold. Her mind was growing muddled and she feared she would fall asleep soon. Likely she would never awaken if she did.
Hush child. All will be made clear in time. Right now we have other concerns, keeping you alive for one. For that we need to make you warm.
"Yes, of course. You're right. I'll worry about such things later. Right now I'm just so cold and so very tired." Her head drooped and she began to nod off. She new she'd fall into slumber soon, and then the cold would take her. "Please help me. I can't stay awake much longer."
Have faith in me child. I have summoned help for you. A man will arrive here shortly. You must do exactly as I tell you if you are to survive the night. Do you understand?
Footsteps echoed through the still night air, headed steadily toward the fire. "Yes I understand. I hear him coming I think. Tell me, what must I do?"
Yes child he is nearly here. Now close your eyes and blank your mind. Let me take over from here…
"Yes I'll let you take over. I'm sure you know what to do better than I." The girl's words began to slur together as her eyes dropped closed.
Just then a rather average young man stepped into the circle of firelight. "Ma'am? Are you alright?"
The girl didn't reply, just sat with her head down, facing the fire.
"Ma'am? I saw your fire. I don't mean to disturb you, but I thought you might need some help. It's not a good idea to be out on a night like this." The man looked around the camp, seeing only the strange young girl and the fire. "Why you don't even have a tent, or a bedroll for that matter. You'll freeze out here tonight."
The girl finally lifted her head, eyelids slowly lifting to reveal pitch black orbs of purest night. The man's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't noticed at first but the girl was radiantly beautiful. "Ma'am?"
"I'm so cold," she spoke, her voice sultry and inviting, yet still carrying a note of fatigue. "Please help me. I've lost my way and have no supplies. Please help me grow warm again."
The man's knees almost buckled. The seductive helplessness in her voice stirred passionate emotions out of place for this situation. He stumbled over his words as he pulled the bedroll from his back and began to spread it out by the fire. "Of course I'll help you Ma'am. Here you just climb into these nice warm blankets while I stoke up the fire."
The man threw a few branches on the fire and prodded it until it blazed a bit higher. Still the girl hadn't moved. He turned to her questioningly. "Ma'am? The blankets?"
"I'm sorry, but I'm so weak. Could you help me to them?" She shifted slightly as she spoke and her cloak fell partially open, revealing the pale white flesh of her calf and part of her thigh.
The man gulped, eyes riveted to the tender white flesh revealed. He shook his head rapidly in a vain attempt to clear it. "Of course," he said, rushing to her side.
He stooped down beside her, and gently placed his arms around her, willing his hands to stay away from certain places they seemed likely to stray. As he lifter her he notice how cold and limp she felt, a fragile little doll in his hands. He slowly carried her to the bedroll and gently eased her into the warm wool blankets.
"Thank you so much," the girl said, her voice barely more than a whisper. Her eyes were mere slits, but they glowed with allure none the less. "I'm so very grateful. If there is any way to repay you, you have but to ask. All I have is yours."
The man gulp yet again, eyeing the curve of her breasts outlined by the coarse woolen blankets. "Umm…really it's nothing. I could do no less," he stammered.
She reached one pale hand up and weakly closed icy cold fingers behind his neck. "Please, lie down beside me. I'm so cold. I just want you to hold me for a while."
The touch of her icy flesh sent chills of delight down his spine. After another quick glance at her blanket sheathed figure it didn't take the man long to decide what to do. Quickly he tugged off his boots and slid into the bedroll beside her, wrapping her in his warm embrace.
"Mmm…that feel so much better." She nestled up against him, reached chill arms around him, and drew his mouth down to hers.
The man leaned heavily into the kiss, his emotions in a jumble. His hands began to rove, pulling at the girl's tattered dress, seeking to free her cold flesh from it so he could make her warm again. He pulled his mouth from hers and began to nibble fiercely at her neck, his hand finally finding its way beneath her skirts.
The girl gasped in surprise and delight as the man's hands touched upon forbidden places, as she pulled his face tighter into the crook of her neck. Her eyes flashed open, dark orbs full of malice. Her hand closed tighter upon the dark sphere in her hand. The white sphere pulsed in protest form her pocket, but she ignored it. She rubbed against the man fiercely, clung to the dark orb as though to let go were to die. The orb pulsed in her grip and she pressed it under the man's shirt, against warm flesh.
The sudden chill of the dark orb against his side startled the man. He jerked his head up quickly and stared into her eyes. Something seemed different this time, something utterly wrong. Still, he couldn't resist her as she pulled him on top of her, as she wrapped her legs around him and pulled his face down against her breasts. He could feel her hard nipples beneath his cheek and suddenly the chill orb was forgotten as he fumbled to open his trousers.
The girl let forth a primal growl just as the man began to press against her. The dark orb flared to life in her hand and the man went suddenly rigid. She smiled as glorious warmth began to spread through her body, even as the stranger grew limp and cold in her arms. Malicious laughter bubbled up from deep inside her.
A few moments later, once the stranger had collapsed dead upon her, she callously pushed him aside, out of the bedroll. With a contented smile she snuggled deeper into the blankets, her dark eyes fading to hazel once again. The dark orb remained firmly grasped in her hand, lending her warmth all through the night.