Title: For Whom the Bell Tolls
Author: Sae
Fan-verse: Kingdom Hearts FFVII
Couplings: VincentXCid, not-so 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 13: Painful Interlude
o o o
Sephiroth grabbed Cid's arm as the empty lift made it's way back towards them. "Go back," he said softly. "Go get those children, get in one of the Gummi-ships and get the hell out of here. We'll follow as soon as we can." Cid looked at him, his eyes dead ands blank. Sephiroth shook him sharply. "Snap out of it, Highwind." He hissed sharply. "Go. Vincent, you too. Get the hell off this world."
Cid's frown was thunderous. "If you think we're jus' gonna-"
"That's an order, Highwind." Sephiroth said with deadly calm. "Go."
Cid's mouth snapped shut and he turned abruptly and stalked away, Vincent following.
Sephiroth sighed inaudibly and looked at Cloud at his side. He wondered if he'd live to see the sun rise, then decided that it no longer mattered.
o o o
Cid strode through the halls and lifts and balconies, his face drawn and thunderous. Vincent walked beside him, stone silent. They walked close together, and despite their silence and anger and fear their hands often intertwined for a moment. They said nothing. They didn't have to.
The softest of noises caught Vincent's attention and he twisted, his cloak spinning out from his shoulders as he drew his gun and shot once into the dark hallway behind them. The gun flash lit up the hall in a lightning strike, revealing a dozen dark shapes. The Heartless Vincent's bullet had caught in the chest disappeared, it's whirling crystal heart throwing a scarlet gleam over the Heartless crowded into the hall, slowly moving forward. Cid swore.
"Highwind," Vincent said softly, turning towards his lover. Cid looked up at him and Vincent grabbed the mechanic, pulling him close and bruising their lips together in a rough, desperate kiss. "Go on, get them out of here, Highwind." Vincent whispered. "I'll be close behind, but I want to put the fear of me into these things, first, so that they do not follow." The second kiss was softer, sweeter, and infinitely sadder. "They need you now. Go." He all but pushed Cid away from him and turned back towards the approaching creatures. Rather than argue, Cid continued on.
o o o
Their swords bit through black creatures, carving a path through the Heartless enough to admit them both through. The door to his office, their office, loomed ahead. Sephiroth swept the Heartless from the door with his sword and pulled the heavy wooden door open, Cloud at his side.
Ansem stood beside his desk, gazing out the window as if he hadn't released a thousand horrors on his people. He turned towards the two swordsmen with a beautific smile. Sephiroth stared at his brother for a long time, unmoving. "Why?" He asked finally, his voice dry and cracked. "Why release this madness?"
"Madness?" Ansem asked, amused. "This is not madness, my dear brother. This the pursuit of knowledge."
"Knowledge?" Sephiroth asked incredulously. "Knowledge?! Your 'knowledge' is causing untold destruction! Those accursed heartless-"
"Are purging the weak from this world." Ansem replied softly. He stepped towards his half-brother, eyes gleaming ruddy-gold in the lamplight. "No longer shall we have to live to serve those weaklings, my brother. No longer shall we be confined to this castle. We can leave this world, with the help of the Heartless, and travel and learn, and we shall learn so very much." He held out his hand in an offer of peace. "You and I, Sephiroth, alone, together, and we shall rule not one world but many. Together."
Sephiroth had taken a step towards Ansem without realizing it. Throughout his life, Ansem and their mother were the only people he ever listened to without question, without thought. The habit was so long engraved in him that his hand was already halfway out to meet Ansem's. Then he glanced back, saw Cloud's grief-stricken face, saw the Heartless crowded around the door, heard Cloud's frantic plead-
(Don't go you said you said you wouldn't leave me behind you said you wouldn't oh please don't leave remember I love you until the end of time you said you wouldn't leave me behind I love you-)
like a whisper or a scream across his mind. He looked back at Ansem, his face hardening, withdrawing his hand. "What about Cloud, Ansem?" He asked his voice quiet and dangerously flat. "What about my father, and Cid, and Squall, and Aerith, and Yuffie? What about Reeve and Nanaki, who were taken even as I watched?"
Ansem's face twisted in disgust. "They are all too weak to handle-"
"What about the people of the city?" Sephiroth demanded, his voice rising. "What about the people of this world, who you promised to guide? That I promised to protect? What of them? What about our mother, who lost her heart? What about our mother!?"
Ansem stepped back, black smoky shadows writhing across his body. Masamune screamed in the air, into Ansem's midsection - and straight through it without drawing blood. Ansem threw back his head and laughed. "Even I was too weak, in my body." He laughed. "No longer. I am forced to leave my body behind, but my spirit shall travel on to find others who share my thirst for knowledge, for within knowledge lies true power." His laughter seemed to dwindle off into the distance as his body disappeared under the darkness that consumed him. A moment later he was gone.
And the Heartless were approaching.
"Cloud." Sephiroth said sharply, striding towards the windows and throwing open the shutters. A pale light on the horizon hinted towards a dawn nearly an hour away. Cloud approached, and then yelped slightly as Sephiroth hooked an arm around the boy's waist. Lifting Cloud easily, the general stepped up onto the wide windowsill, then jumped out, praying that he had remembered the layout correctly, that the balcony wasn't too far below, that he wasn't sending them both directly into the Rising falls.
They hit the balcony and rolled, swords clattering and for a wonder not slicing either of them to ribbons. Sephiroth was to his feet in a second, ignoring the dull ache in his legs that was the result of their landing, and pulled Cloud to his feet, already running towards the nearest lift down.
Author: Sae
Fan-verse: Kingdom Hearts FFVII
Couplings: VincentXCid, not-so 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 13: Painful Interlude
o o o
Sephiroth grabbed Cid's arm as the empty lift made it's way back towards them. "Go back," he said softly. "Go get those children, get in one of the Gummi-ships and get the hell out of here. We'll follow as soon as we can." Cid looked at him, his eyes dead ands blank. Sephiroth shook him sharply. "Snap out of it, Highwind." He hissed sharply. "Go. Vincent, you too. Get the hell off this world."
Cid's frown was thunderous. "If you think we're jus' gonna-"
"That's an order, Highwind." Sephiroth said with deadly calm. "Go."
Cid's mouth snapped shut and he turned abruptly and stalked away, Vincent following.
Sephiroth sighed inaudibly and looked at Cloud at his side. He wondered if he'd live to see the sun rise, then decided that it no longer mattered.
o o o
Cid strode through the halls and lifts and balconies, his face drawn and thunderous. Vincent walked beside him, stone silent. They walked close together, and despite their silence and anger and fear their hands often intertwined for a moment. They said nothing. They didn't have to.
The softest of noises caught Vincent's attention and he twisted, his cloak spinning out from his shoulders as he drew his gun and shot once into the dark hallway behind them. The gun flash lit up the hall in a lightning strike, revealing a dozen dark shapes. The Heartless Vincent's bullet had caught in the chest disappeared, it's whirling crystal heart throwing a scarlet gleam over the Heartless crowded into the hall, slowly moving forward. Cid swore.
"Highwind," Vincent said softly, turning towards his lover. Cid looked up at him and Vincent grabbed the mechanic, pulling him close and bruising their lips together in a rough, desperate kiss. "Go on, get them out of here, Highwind." Vincent whispered. "I'll be close behind, but I want to put the fear of me into these things, first, so that they do not follow." The second kiss was softer, sweeter, and infinitely sadder. "They need you now. Go." He all but pushed Cid away from him and turned back towards the approaching creatures. Rather than argue, Cid continued on.
o o o
Their swords bit through black creatures, carving a path through the Heartless enough to admit them both through. The door to his office, their office, loomed ahead. Sephiroth swept the Heartless from the door with his sword and pulled the heavy wooden door open, Cloud at his side.
Ansem stood beside his desk, gazing out the window as if he hadn't released a thousand horrors on his people. He turned towards the two swordsmen with a beautific smile. Sephiroth stared at his brother for a long time, unmoving. "Why?" He asked finally, his voice dry and cracked. "Why release this madness?"
"Madness?" Ansem asked, amused. "This is not madness, my dear brother. This the pursuit of knowledge."
"Knowledge?" Sephiroth asked incredulously. "Knowledge?! Your 'knowledge' is causing untold destruction! Those accursed heartless-"
"Are purging the weak from this world." Ansem replied softly. He stepped towards his half-brother, eyes gleaming ruddy-gold in the lamplight. "No longer shall we have to live to serve those weaklings, my brother. No longer shall we be confined to this castle. We can leave this world, with the help of the Heartless, and travel and learn, and we shall learn so very much." He held out his hand in an offer of peace. "You and I, Sephiroth, alone, together, and we shall rule not one world but many. Together."
Sephiroth had taken a step towards Ansem without realizing it. Throughout his life, Ansem and their mother were the only people he ever listened to without question, without thought. The habit was so long engraved in him that his hand was already halfway out to meet Ansem's. Then he glanced back, saw Cloud's grief-stricken face, saw the Heartless crowded around the door, heard Cloud's frantic plead-
(Don't go you said you said you wouldn't leave me behind you said you wouldn't oh please don't leave remember I love you until the end of time you said you wouldn't leave me behind I love you-)
like a whisper or a scream across his mind. He looked back at Ansem, his face hardening, withdrawing his hand. "What about Cloud, Ansem?" He asked his voice quiet and dangerously flat. "What about my father, and Cid, and Squall, and Aerith, and Yuffie? What about Reeve and Nanaki, who were taken even as I watched?"
Ansem's face twisted in disgust. "They are all too weak to handle-"
"What about the people of the city?" Sephiroth demanded, his voice rising. "What about the people of this world, who you promised to guide? That I promised to protect? What of them? What about our mother, who lost her heart? What about our mother!?"
Ansem stepped back, black smoky shadows writhing across his body. Masamune screamed in the air, into Ansem's midsection - and straight through it without drawing blood. Ansem threw back his head and laughed. "Even I was too weak, in my body." He laughed. "No longer. I am forced to leave my body behind, but my spirit shall travel on to find others who share my thirst for knowledge, for within knowledge lies true power." His laughter seemed to dwindle off into the distance as his body disappeared under the darkness that consumed him. A moment later he was gone.
And the Heartless were approaching.
"Cloud." Sephiroth said sharply, striding towards the windows and throwing open the shutters. A pale light on the horizon hinted towards a dawn nearly an hour away. Cloud approached, and then yelped slightly as Sephiroth hooked an arm around the boy's waist. Lifting Cloud easily, the general stepped up onto the wide windowsill, then jumped out, praying that he had remembered the layout correctly, that the balcony wasn't too far below, that he wasn't sending them both directly into the Rising falls.
They hit the balcony and rolled, swords clattering and for a wonder not slicing either of them to ribbons. Sephiroth was to his feet in a second, ignoring the dull ache in his legs that was the result of their landing, and pulled Cloud to his feet, already running towards the nearest lift down.