Title: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Author: Sae
Fan-verse: Kingdom Hearts FFVII
Couplings: VincentXCid, some implied CloudXSephiroth
Rating: PG-13 and most likely to stay that way.
Disclaimer: KH & FFVII belong to Squaresoft. The song-ness in each chapter belongs to Metallica.
Not me. Nope, nope, nope.
Warnings: Yaoi. Many little kids running around. Blatent screw-up-ed-ness of Sephiroth's family. (Hey, this is KH, ANYTHING could happen) Sad, sad angst at the end. Chibi Zell.....On sugar.
Chapter 8: Of Wolf and Man
Off through the new day's mist I run
Off from the new day's mist I have come
We shift
Pulsing with the earth
Company we keep
Roaming the land while you sleep
o o o
Spring passed into summer, with impromptu picnics in the middle of a field somewhere, with a trip on Sephiroth's boat to a nearby island to play on the beaches for a week, with cloud-watching and star-gazing on the balconies, with the massive fortress of blankets they made in Cid's workshop when several of the smaller children actually got lost on the maze of confiscated pillows and bed sheets. Then autumn, with the Harvest festival where a laughing Cid pulled an embarrassed Vincent on a stage to be crowned Harvest King, with stuffy-guys flanking every doorway in the city, with the sweet scents of fallen leaves and cut grasses and the last of the autumn fruits hanging in the air. Then winter again, with the snow- forts built wherever the snow was deep enough, with snowballs flying everywhere, with Ansem's bedroom one day mysteriously filling up with snow, floor to ceiling, and no one would take the blame, though many suspected Sephiroth of orchestrating the prank. And now, spring once more, with flowers appearing everywhere, including Vincent's bedside table when he awoke.
Vincent idly twirled a wildflower between his fingers as he wondered how Cid could sneak into his room without waking him to deposit the flowers beside his bed. Such a small token touched the bodyguard. He slid liquidly from his bed, stretching his arms in the warm breeze issuing from his window. Quickly, he dressed, forsaking his cloak for once. The weather really was much too warm to be restricted. Breathing deeply of the spring air, he bound back his hair and left his room.
Always an early riser, Vincent walked halls that were nearly empty. Once Nanaki and Reeve passed him, greeting him a good morning, and once a maid passed, bearing a tray laden with used dishes. Other than those three, Vincent didn't see another person until he reached Cid's workshop. He entered and looked around, greeting Shera, but did not see Cid. An arm wrapped around his waist from behind and a calloused hand tucked a flower behind his ear. "'Mornin', beautiful." Murmured a voice in his ear.
Vincent turned with a smile on his lips to face the mechanic. Their relationship, whatever it was, was always being tested by both of them, rising from the first nervous touches to an easy blend of smiles and light contact and soft kisses. And, of course, flowers on the bedside in the morning. Vincent sometimes wondered if it would ever become more than that between them.
Cid placed a light kiss on Vincent's lips, settling the flower firmly behind the brunette's ear, then released his hold on the taller man. The sweet mood was ruined most dramatically as Reeve shoved past them, Nanaki in hot pursuit, yelling something about his tail.
"Hey!" Cid shouted as Reeve dove behind one of the Gummi-ships Cid had constructed in the past year. "Not in my shop!" He stalked off after them. Vincent sighed, half amused and half annoyed. One thing a person could always count on in the castle was for someone to walk by and ruin the mood.
o o o
Shape shift, nose to the wind
Shape shift, feeling I've been
Move swift, all senses clean
Earth's gift, back to the meaning
Of life
o o o
"By the stars, I love the spring." Cid said, almost reverently, closing his eyes and breathing in the rich scents of the season.
Vincent stood beside Cid at the railing of a balcony, trying to enjoy the spring as well as ignore the shouts of the group behind them. Judging by the sounds of things, Cloud and Barrett had gotten into a scuffle and were having a grand time of trying to beat each other into the stone floor, cheered on by their friends. There was sudden silence and Vincent turned to see the cause. Sephiroth stood over the children, his eyes narrowed sharply. Cloud and Barrett were frozen in place, looking up. Vincent shook his head and turned his face back to the warm breezes.
"Too much trouble to stop them?" Sephiroth asked, walking up beside Cid.
Cid snorted. "Let 'em duke it out. It'll be good for 'em."
Sephiroth shook his head, sending a ripple along his hair. "If you say so. But Ansem wishes to speak with you, Cid. Something about a malfunction in the Lift Stop."
"Alrighty." Cid replied, turning away and walking towards the door back into the castle proper. Vincent and Sephiroth followed and were almost inside when a commotion started again. The three men looked back.
Zell stood on the railing, his arms held out for balance. Slowly, wobbling, he began to walk along the rail. "Zell, get down!" Cloud said sharply. "You nutcase!"
"Lookit him go!" Tifa said. "He's gonna make it all the way down."
"Zell, get down now!" Sephiroth snapped.
Zell made it to the end of the railing, then turned towards them all and bowed. As he straightened, a grin on his face, his feet slipped and he fell backwards off the railing, his grin turning into a scream.
"ZELL!"
Vincent never learned who had screamed the boy's name. He was running forward, his flesh hand twisting a band at the top of his gauntlet. The band released and he dropped the gauntlet to the floor. The hand that had been concealed under the gauntlet revealed itself to be misshapen, more of an animal's claw than a hand. A part of his mind that he didn't know existed knew exactly what it was doing, and that part made Vincent calmly jump the railing after the boy.
o o o
I feel a change
Back to a better day (Shape shift)
Hair stands on the back of my neck (Shape shift)
In wildness is the preservation of the world
So seek the wolf inside thyself
o o o
"Vincent!" Cid yelled, rushing to the rail and nearly tripping over the golden gauntlet on the floor. He clutched the rail trying to peer through the mist and knowing that the Rising Falls were below and that both Vincent and Zell were most likely dead.
Suddenly the fog was ruptured by a great scarlet and black creature that held a much smaller blue and gold person. Cid's eyes went wide when he recognized the creature as Vincent, his pale hands transformed into great black claws and scarlet bat wings protruding from his back. The great wings flapped and Vincent, a frightened Zell clutching his neck, rose higher into the air. He circled once then landed roughly on the balcony. Hurriedly he released the boy, who scrambled away, and grabbed the golden gauntlet.
With a snarl, Vincent shoved the glove on his left arm, turning the band with a hiss of pain. The wings slowly shrunk, melting into his back and leaving behind only smooth skin and his torn shirt. His right arm, black and deformed up past his elbow, turned back to its original color and shape. Vincent stayed kneeling on the floor, his right hand on the band of his gauntlet and his head bowed almost to his knees. His narrow chest heaved as he fought back the thing inside his head, the thing he had released when he removed the gauntlet.
Cid and Sephiroth glanced at each other, then moved forward to kneel beside the prone bodyguard. Zell, it seemed, was only shaken, and was already being attended to by Tifa and Squall. Cid laid a careful hand on Vincent's back. "Vince-"
"Don't touch me." Vincent hissed in a guttural voice, jerking away from Cid's touch. "Don't come near-"
"Vincent, get a hold of yourself." Sephiroth said softly.
"I'm trying," Vincent whispered roughly. "But it wants out so badly, and it's fighting me, and the gauntlet, and it wants out now, and it's ripping apart my mind-" He broke off, shuddering.
"What is?" Sephiroth asked sharply. He held Vincent's shaking shoulder with one hand, trying to calm the older man. "What is tearing you apart?"
Vincent looked up at him, fear and pain roiling in his eyes. But there was something else, something yellow and dead and greedy he was fighting to hold onto even as it shredded his sanity. "It has no heart." Vincent whispered, terrified, then his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
o o o
Shape shift, nose to the wind
Shape shift, feeling I've been
Move swift, all senses clean
Earth's gift, back to the meaning (back to the meaning)
Of Wolf and Man
Author: Sae
Fan-verse: Kingdom Hearts FFVII
Couplings: VincentXCid, some implied CloudXSephiroth
Rating: PG-13 and most likely to stay that way.
Disclaimer: KH & FFVII belong to Squaresoft. The song-ness in each chapter belongs to Metallica.
Not me. Nope, nope, nope.
Warnings: Yaoi. Many little kids running around. Blatent screw-up-ed-ness of Sephiroth's family. (Hey, this is KH, ANYTHING could happen) Sad, sad angst at the end. Chibi Zell.....On sugar.
Chapter 8: Of Wolf and Man
Off through the new day's mist I run
Off from the new day's mist I have come
We shift
Pulsing with the earth
Company we keep
Roaming the land while you sleep
o o o
Spring passed into summer, with impromptu picnics in the middle of a field somewhere, with a trip on Sephiroth's boat to a nearby island to play on the beaches for a week, with cloud-watching and star-gazing on the balconies, with the massive fortress of blankets they made in Cid's workshop when several of the smaller children actually got lost on the maze of confiscated pillows and bed sheets. Then autumn, with the Harvest festival where a laughing Cid pulled an embarrassed Vincent on a stage to be crowned Harvest King, with stuffy-guys flanking every doorway in the city, with the sweet scents of fallen leaves and cut grasses and the last of the autumn fruits hanging in the air. Then winter again, with the snow- forts built wherever the snow was deep enough, with snowballs flying everywhere, with Ansem's bedroom one day mysteriously filling up with snow, floor to ceiling, and no one would take the blame, though many suspected Sephiroth of orchestrating the prank. And now, spring once more, with flowers appearing everywhere, including Vincent's bedside table when he awoke.
Vincent idly twirled a wildflower between his fingers as he wondered how Cid could sneak into his room without waking him to deposit the flowers beside his bed. Such a small token touched the bodyguard. He slid liquidly from his bed, stretching his arms in the warm breeze issuing from his window. Quickly, he dressed, forsaking his cloak for once. The weather really was much too warm to be restricted. Breathing deeply of the spring air, he bound back his hair and left his room.
Always an early riser, Vincent walked halls that were nearly empty. Once Nanaki and Reeve passed him, greeting him a good morning, and once a maid passed, bearing a tray laden with used dishes. Other than those three, Vincent didn't see another person until he reached Cid's workshop. He entered and looked around, greeting Shera, but did not see Cid. An arm wrapped around his waist from behind and a calloused hand tucked a flower behind his ear. "'Mornin', beautiful." Murmured a voice in his ear.
Vincent turned with a smile on his lips to face the mechanic. Their relationship, whatever it was, was always being tested by both of them, rising from the first nervous touches to an easy blend of smiles and light contact and soft kisses. And, of course, flowers on the bedside in the morning. Vincent sometimes wondered if it would ever become more than that between them.
Cid placed a light kiss on Vincent's lips, settling the flower firmly behind the brunette's ear, then released his hold on the taller man. The sweet mood was ruined most dramatically as Reeve shoved past them, Nanaki in hot pursuit, yelling something about his tail.
"Hey!" Cid shouted as Reeve dove behind one of the Gummi-ships Cid had constructed in the past year. "Not in my shop!" He stalked off after them. Vincent sighed, half amused and half annoyed. One thing a person could always count on in the castle was for someone to walk by and ruin the mood.
o o o
Shape shift, nose to the wind
Shape shift, feeling I've been
Move swift, all senses clean
Earth's gift, back to the meaning
Of life
o o o
"By the stars, I love the spring." Cid said, almost reverently, closing his eyes and breathing in the rich scents of the season.
Vincent stood beside Cid at the railing of a balcony, trying to enjoy the spring as well as ignore the shouts of the group behind them. Judging by the sounds of things, Cloud and Barrett had gotten into a scuffle and were having a grand time of trying to beat each other into the stone floor, cheered on by their friends. There was sudden silence and Vincent turned to see the cause. Sephiroth stood over the children, his eyes narrowed sharply. Cloud and Barrett were frozen in place, looking up. Vincent shook his head and turned his face back to the warm breezes.
"Too much trouble to stop them?" Sephiroth asked, walking up beside Cid.
Cid snorted. "Let 'em duke it out. It'll be good for 'em."
Sephiroth shook his head, sending a ripple along his hair. "If you say so. But Ansem wishes to speak with you, Cid. Something about a malfunction in the Lift Stop."
"Alrighty." Cid replied, turning away and walking towards the door back into the castle proper. Vincent and Sephiroth followed and were almost inside when a commotion started again. The three men looked back.
Zell stood on the railing, his arms held out for balance. Slowly, wobbling, he began to walk along the rail. "Zell, get down!" Cloud said sharply. "You nutcase!"
"Lookit him go!" Tifa said. "He's gonna make it all the way down."
"Zell, get down now!" Sephiroth snapped.
Zell made it to the end of the railing, then turned towards them all and bowed. As he straightened, a grin on his face, his feet slipped and he fell backwards off the railing, his grin turning into a scream.
"ZELL!"
Vincent never learned who had screamed the boy's name. He was running forward, his flesh hand twisting a band at the top of his gauntlet. The band released and he dropped the gauntlet to the floor. The hand that had been concealed under the gauntlet revealed itself to be misshapen, more of an animal's claw than a hand. A part of his mind that he didn't know existed knew exactly what it was doing, and that part made Vincent calmly jump the railing after the boy.
o o o
I feel a change
Back to a better day (Shape shift)
Hair stands on the back of my neck (Shape shift)
In wildness is the preservation of the world
So seek the wolf inside thyself
o o o
"Vincent!" Cid yelled, rushing to the rail and nearly tripping over the golden gauntlet on the floor. He clutched the rail trying to peer through the mist and knowing that the Rising Falls were below and that both Vincent and Zell were most likely dead.
Suddenly the fog was ruptured by a great scarlet and black creature that held a much smaller blue and gold person. Cid's eyes went wide when he recognized the creature as Vincent, his pale hands transformed into great black claws and scarlet bat wings protruding from his back. The great wings flapped and Vincent, a frightened Zell clutching his neck, rose higher into the air. He circled once then landed roughly on the balcony. Hurriedly he released the boy, who scrambled away, and grabbed the golden gauntlet.
With a snarl, Vincent shoved the glove on his left arm, turning the band with a hiss of pain. The wings slowly shrunk, melting into his back and leaving behind only smooth skin and his torn shirt. His right arm, black and deformed up past his elbow, turned back to its original color and shape. Vincent stayed kneeling on the floor, his right hand on the band of his gauntlet and his head bowed almost to his knees. His narrow chest heaved as he fought back the thing inside his head, the thing he had released when he removed the gauntlet.
Cid and Sephiroth glanced at each other, then moved forward to kneel beside the prone bodyguard. Zell, it seemed, was only shaken, and was already being attended to by Tifa and Squall. Cid laid a careful hand on Vincent's back. "Vince-"
"Don't touch me." Vincent hissed in a guttural voice, jerking away from Cid's touch. "Don't come near-"
"Vincent, get a hold of yourself." Sephiroth said softly.
"I'm trying," Vincent whispered roughly. "But it wants out so badly, and it's fighting me, and the gauntlet, and it wants out now, and it's ripping apart my mind-" He broke off, shuddering.
"What is?" Sephiroth asked sharply. He held Vincent's shaking shoulder with one hand, trying to calm the older man. "What is tearing you apart?"
Vincent looked up at him, fear and pain roiling in his eyes. But there was something else, something yellow and dead and greedy he was fighting to hold onto even as it shredded his sanity. "It has no heart." Vincent whispered, terrified, then his eyes rolled back and he passed out.
o o o
Shape shift, nose to the wind
Shape shift, feeling I've been
Move swift, all senses clean
Earth's gift, back to the meaning (back to the meaning)
Of Wolf and Man