Oh man… I hate this solution, it's against my principles to bring back baddies already dead. But I had no choice. Hope ya'll like it anyway.
Chapter 6"How I hate, hate, hate you, brother…"
The glow grew, taking an almost human form.
Two enormous wings tore the air into pieces, sending everyone flying into the walls. A couple of claw-like hands grabbed Kefka's shoulders and lifted him from the sofa.
"No magic…" he stuttered, "you can't…"
"No, no magic!" Kerr screeched, "but hate has it's own power, you see…"
"Can't exist… you are dead!"
Kerr threw his head backwards and laughed. As he did so, Kefka's misted eyes fell upon his eyeteeth. They weren't teeth, they were fangs. Undead… he was an undead…
"I am dead, that is true," Kerr sneered, "but I cannot be completely gone before I have destroyed one last life! Die, brother!"
He let go with one hand and raised it, ready to cleave…
"Oh no, you don't!"
With his fading sight, Kefka only thought that he saw a wave of green hair and a white cloak. He fell, but somebody caught him.
"Hang on, Gogo!" Sabin growled.
Kerr backed screeching as Celes and Terra grimly gave him proof of that one years peace hadn't made them less furious. The woman with green hair was unarmed, but she did what she could with her bare hands. Yet her anger wasn't completely focused.
"Will you pick up your blasted head from the floor now, Cyan?" she snarled, "when this shadow is back to kill? Is that what it takes for you to trust?! You idiots, all of you!"
"Now isn't that a pity?" Kerr sneered and grabbed Terra's crag with his right hand, "pity, pity, pity. Destroying the greatest power of all, but a mere face crush your pretty alliance? Ha!"
"Terra!"
Celes threw herself at her struggling friend, but another hand grabbed her throat. She desperately kicked the air, fumbling for the undead angel's wrist.
"And little pretty Celes Chere," Kerr smirked, "still in one piece, dear?"
"Let them go!"
Locke leaped forward but was knocked back by a big foot. The two women's struggle was getting more and more desperate, fast.
"Interceptor!" Shadow growled, and the assassin attacked with his dog by his side.
Kerr snarled as he was hit by a dagger in the shoulder and two lines of sharp fangs buried into his arm. Terra and Celes fell to the floor. Locke and Setzer rushed to the women, ducking for Kerr's feet and pulling the two slightly dizzy friends away.
"How dare thee return?!" Cyan growled and reached for his swords, "after thy defeat…"
"You are such an idiot, Cyan…" Terra coughed, holding her hands around her throat.
Shadow and Interceptor hit the wall and fell to the floor. Kerr sneered at the confused warriors.
"Give him to me!" he screeched, "you don't want him, so why are you fighting to keep him?"
"You'll never get it, will you?" Relm snapped, instinctively reaching for her brushes even though they held little power nowadays.
Gau's hair bristled, and he was growling in a dangerous way. Sabin was backing, on guard. He had to bring Kefka to as much safety as there was. The prince caught Strago's eyes, and the two men nodded. The older one held his staff in a tight grip, moving in between Kefka and his undead brother as Sabin put the wounded one down on the floor. Cid rushed over the floor with a new bandage.
"Are you alright, Shadow?" Sabin called, ripping his clawed knuckle-dusters from his belt.
The assassin rose up on his hands, shaking his head to regain his orientation. Interceptor was reminding a lot of Gau for the moment.
"We said that we wouldn't allow you to harm another living thing," Celes snarled, "and that includes Gogo, whether he has your face or not!"
"Hear ye, hear ye!"
Everyone stared at Terra. He eyes were shooting lightning bolts.
"I see," she snarled, "now he's worth something again! This is absurd! I thought I knew you better than this!"
"Oh, don't give me that kind of crap again…" Kerr sighed, floating upside down in the air with his feet touching the ceiling.
"You just shut up," Terra snapped at him, giving him a poisonous glare.
"Look who's talking big… the little lady Maduindaughter."
Kerr sneered.
"Well, well," he said, "if you little fools are determined to keep my brother, I guess I'll just make a little hole in your pretty balloon up there."
He hit the ceiling with his heel, and the thick planks broke like hay. Immediately the wind began to howl inside of the room, making Kerr's strange robes flap like his wings.
"Why do you want to kill him so badly, Kerr?" Setzer growled, trying to stop the madman with words.
The big angel-creature waved with a finger.
"No, no, no," he said, soft as silk, "my name is not Kerr, it's Kefka."
"I don't believe it, you want to kill him of jealousy, you nutcase?" Relm said, disbelieving.
"Of course he wants to," Cid growled, pressing another bandage against Kefka's cheek, "he was always jealous at his brother. You have no idea how strong that feeling becomes when it's fused with insanity, little lady."
Kefka's trembling hand tried to hold the bandage.
"You can have my blasted name…" he bitterly stuttered, "you've stained it already…"
"Is this when I should scream and disappear because of your sacrifice?" Kerr sneered and began laughing, suddenly rushing through the air with his wings beating like two blades of a meat-mincer.
Kefka could hardly see at all by then. He only heard the others scream and hoped that everyone had ducked in time. Then he heard Cid give a half strangled shout, and the bandage fell as there was no strong hand that could help him hold it there anymore. Cold fingers encircled his neck and ripped him from the floor.
"Sir Gogo!" Cyan shouted.
Yes, I am Gogo… call me Gogo, then everything will be alright… alright…
Even his burning throat and lunges didn't seem to matter that much anymore.
Just call me Gogo…
It'll be fine.
He had no idea how he could do it; his leg seemed to draw back by itself and then heavily hit Kerr's chest. Snarling in surprise the madman lost his grip a little, and Kefka broke free. He hit the floor, Cyan grabbed his hand.
"Come, Sir," the swordsman grimly said, "thy strength is not enough for this battle."
The red liquid on Kefka's gloves stained Cyan's palm, but he didn't seem to care the slightest. With the help of the resolute friend and his legs shaking of the loss of blood, the mimicker somehow managed to stagger away from his growling brother. Kerr was spitting and snarling, suffering attacks from all directions.
As the angel-creature tried to fend himself against Locke's dagger, Celes gave him a cut in the hip from behind. Spinning around, he left his back vulnerable to Setzer, who was ready with his very sharp, metallic playing cards. Two buried in Kerr's back, but fell out with a hit of the wings at the same time as the angel sent a powerful kick into the gambler's stomach. Setzer flew backwards, knocking Gau to the floor when the boy tried to stop his friend's dangerous flight. In rage, Terra and Sabin attacked simultaneously, almost sending Kerr into the wall. But his palms were the only things hitting the wood, and he used that support to dash backwards and return the favor. Sabin almost landed on Terra as they were sent above the floor, but managed to avoid hurting her with his weight by getting a grip of her shoulder and pushing her aside even while they both fell.
Celes attacked again, raising her sword for a powerful slice. But Kerr saw her coming and reached out for her, as an attacking snake. His long fingers caught her wrist and sent her stumbling past him. While he was turned away, Strago took the opportunity to practice a jump of a height that his age shouldn't allow, and forcefully placed his staff in the back of Kerr's head. Dropping a comment about old men and staffs, the madman reached backwards, grabbed Strago's arms and violently pulled. Relm's grandpa spun around as he fell, and landed on his feet just beside Setzer.
"Shadow, now!" Locke shouted.
The assassin pulled out a black dagger, undoubtedly the Striker, and it flew through the air like a swallow of death.
There was a terribly soft thump.
Kerr screeched of pain and rage; a fading screech and growl as he sunk to the floor, twitching like a wounded animal, trying to get a grip of the black hilt that was stuck in the back of his neck.
Then suddenly he froze and fell, loose-limbed. His mad eyes, which had burned a second ago now stared blankly at the ceiling, wide open in shock.
He didn't move anymore.
Everyone held their breath for almost a minute. Kerr's legs twitched a couple of times; death throes.
"Is everyone well?" Cyan finally asked.
"How's Kefka?" a coir of uneasy voices shot back.
"Aye…" the swordsman sadly said.
They rushed over the floor and sat down on their knees, anxiously watching the half deathly pale, half blood-stained face. It looked like a mask of a horror theater.
Kefka's feverish eyes tried to focus on the many faces around him.
"Wh… what…?" he whispered.
It was almost impossible to hear his weakened voice, especially with the wind howling from the hole in the ceiling.
"He's gone," Terra softly said, trying not to let her voice give away her despair for Kefka's fading life, "not even he could survive the Striker's poison, since he had no magic…"
Kefka tiredly blinked, trying to remember something important.
"No…" he muttered, frowning, "Striker can't… undead…"
"What?!"
They all spun around or looked up as they heard the hoarse giggling.
"You seem to have forgotten how hard it is to do away with ol' Kefka!" Kerr sneered, sending the Striker into the floor were Shadow had been half a second ago.
"You're not Kefka!" Cid growled, "you're Kerr, the madman!"
"No, no, no," Kerr spitted, "I am Kefka!"
"Gods, let him… have the damn… name…" Kefka whispered, "let me… let me just be Gogo…"
All the bandages were bleed through. Cid desperately looked around, but Cyan cut off a piece of the wounded man's robe and put the yellow cloth against the bleeding cheek.
"Terra is right," the swordsman gravely said, ignoring the battling in the background, "I was a fool, Gogo. 'Tis indeed tragic that it would take such circumstances to make me think clearly."
"I und-underst… understand…" Kefka muttered.
Yes, he understood. Cyan had had the right of not trusting him. They had all had that right. After all, he hadn't trusted himself either; dreaded the one he really was and hated his face.
He felt so cold and tired. Maybe if he just fell asleep, the pain would disappear…
Sleep. That sounded nice.
There was a sound of glass shattering, followed by a scream. Not of pain, but pure anger.
'Kerr…' Kefka thought, fading, 'is that you…?'
He couldn't see anything, to tired to even try. Only listen.
"You puny little fools!" Kerr's voice screeched.
"You're the only fool around here!" Locke's growled, "here, catch!"
Kerr screamed again, to the sound of more broken glass.
"Cyan!" Setzer's voice shouted, "there should be more healing potions in the cupboard, get them!"
Kefka felt the swordsman move away and heard hurrying footsteps.
"Here, Sir Cid," Cyan's voice muttered, "whatever good can be done is worth trying."
The cloth left Kefka's cheek, and was replaced with a soft feeling of purifying warmth.
"I guess you can't drink it," Cid muttered, "don't worry, my friend, it'll be alright."
There were more smashes of glass. As the herbal potion sent careful, healing tentacles through Kefka's flesh, he regained his sight a little.
Kerr looked as if he was partly melting, the potions that healed living was deadly for an undead. But he was still standing strong, fending himself against those who tried to hit him with their weapons. Terra and Relm was standing in the back, carefully aiming not to waste the three last bottles of healing drugs.
"Do the Bum Rush now, Sabin!" the woman with green hair shouted as she successfully threw a bottle.
"Back off!" the warrior prince yelled and took a deep, calm breath.
Kerr had no chance to scream again as Sabin attacked him, looking like a deadly, human tornado.
The mad angel heavily hit the floor, and Terra ran over to him with the two last bottles and smashed them onto Kerr's chest. His hand flew up and grabbed her shoulder, trying to make her loose her balance. But as she easily broke free, he gave one last growl and then became quiet. When his hand hit the ground, it turned to dust. The rest of the great body followed, even the metallic wings.
There was a moment's silence.
"Is he gone now?" Gau finally asked.
Terra sat down on one knee and held her hand above the pile of dust. Then she blew carefully at it, making it lazily twirl and dance over the floor.
"Yes, this time he is," she finally concluded.
Kefka smiled tiredly and closed his eyes. There was a darkness reaching for him, but it wasn't evil. It was a warm, welcoming fall that awaited. It would only bring away all the pain and harsh memories, blessing him with peace of mind.
It's time. Time to rest.
He thought that he heard his friends call his name. They called him Kefka.
No, I'm not Kefka. I am Gogo. Let me die with that name, please…
I can't die as Kefka.
I have to live, to teach them that I'm Gogo.
The darkness seemed to hesitate, watching him.
Don't you want to come?
No, not yet.
Very well, then.
It seemed to smile, understanding.
He opened his eyes. At first, everything was dark. Then he managed to harness the soft light spilling out through a curtain and use it to see better.
"Are you awake, Kefka?"
He blinked.
"Terra…?" his broken voice produced.
She gave him a relieved smiled in the puny light.
"You're in Mobliz," she softly told him, "you've been unconscious for two days. We were afraid that you'd die… Kerr is dead now, for real."
He felt a short pain, but knew that it was for the better.
'Find rest, brother,' he thought, 'do find peace this time.'
"How do you feel?" she asked.
"Better than before," he muttered, even managing to smile a little.
"Go figure…" Terra said, smiling carefully, "here, drink this."
She helped him to sit up and put a glass by his lips. The sweet potion sent warm streams through his whole body, not harming him like it had done to his brother.
"Thanks," he mumbled as he lay back again.
She smiled a little.
"Hey, Kefka…"
"No."
He shook his head.
"Call me Gogo."
Terra smiled again and nodded.
"I… we understood that Gogo would be better for all of us. Here."
She bent down and picked up something from the floor, placing it on the bed beside Gogo.
It was his helmet, and the torn cloth had been replaced with a new veil.
"Strago knew a little about sewing," she said, a bit sheepishly.
"That old man?" Gogo smiled, "is there something at all that you people can't do?"
"I doubt it."
Terra smiled and rose from her seat.
"I'll tell the others that you're awake. Edgar, Mog and Umaro are here too; Setzer went to fetch them. Didn't listen to any protests."
She left the room, carefully closing the door.
Gogo sat up in the bed, examining the helmet that laid on the blanket. That was his face. His skin had nothing to give the eyes of the world.
His fingers trembled a little as he touched the veil; he was still weak after the loss of blood. It didn't matter. He had his face again.
Kerr would maybe live on inside of his memory, but it wasn't important anymore. If his allies were his friends even though they knew about his past, nothing else really mattered.
Gogo.
I am Gogo.
Terra came back, and behind her were Celes, Locke, Cyan, Sabin, Edgar, Setzer, Shadow, Interceptor, Mog, Umaro, Relm, Strago, Gau and Cid. They walked silently, weary of Gogo's condition. He smiled at them, maybe a bit tiredly, but it was a true smile. And they smiled back, relieved.
"Welcome back, Gogo," Relm grinned.
"Thank you, little lady," he replied.
Yes, I am Gogo!
The End.
Hope you liked this twisted tale. The sequel to is entitled "Worshippers of insanity". :)