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The blade lay across his lap, its dark surface slowly changing as lines of neon blue crackled along it. Squall had asked Aeris about the sword before she had been carried off by Zell and she hadn't been too helpful. She had told him that the sword was now his and now that it had been called it couldn't be banished until his death. He worried about the dark power it represented but Aeris had only shrugged at his concerns, but then she was still suffering from Rage's attack and the massacre that had lain before them.
He had stood by and let other SeeDs and students carry the dead away, Dr. Kadowaki had been among them vainly searching for any survivors. There would be a mass funeral in the next day or so, he would have to be there but he hoped he wouldn't have to say anything. What could he say? He didn't really know most of the people that fell, besides it was partly his fault, he had brought this tragedy to them.
But then the rage burned inside him at those ultimately to blame, Fate, Death, Time, the Other. Squall's fist clenched and shook as he swore on those that had fallen that he would make the High Ones pay, for no matter what Zell said, their souls may rest because the immediate cause of their deaths had been avenged but his wouldn't until the ultimate cause was dealt with. If only he knew how.
'You don't look so glad to see me...' Injustice said in a hurt voice.
Protes unfroze first the quartz rock crumbling as his huge hand clenched into a fist. 'Give us one reason why we should be?' he growled.
'Well I just saved your miserable existences.' Injustice said matter-of- factly. 'Besides I think we can help each other.' He added.
'We don't want anything to do with you!' Tidus hissed.
'Really? So you don't want freedom? You don't want a hand bringing Paine and Squall together?' Injustice asked.
Protes' jaw dropped. 'How did you know..?' he mumbled.
'I finally figured it out. All this time Fate was tricking me into getting rid of Squall so that he'd never be able to meet Paine by making me think he wanted them together to get rid of me once and for all. But now I know, now I see, he doesn't want them to be together, something about the two of them worries Fate and he can't be seen to kill his own, so he'd have me do it and he almost got his way. Damn I hate my brother!' Injustice replied his voice becoming edged in anger.
'And how do we do this?' Tidus asked approaching Protes.
'We hijack the Junction.' Injustice grinned evilly. Tidus and Protes started in surprise. 'That's impossible!' Tidus stammered.
'Really? Have you forgotten who I am? Who you are?' Injustice told him brushing his hair from his eyes. 'Damn Death must have done a number on you to make you unaware of your potential.' He said his emerald eyes rolling.
'What?' Tidus barked, looking at Injustice and then at Protes, who gave him a non-committal shrug.
Injustice laughed. 'It's no good looking at him he hasn't a clue either besides he's the weaker of Fate's two.' He said.
Protes frowned. 'If that's the case why does she still serve him?' he argued.
Injustice sighed. 'Aeris has never been Fate's servant, sure she may obey his orders, to be honest only Tidus here has ever broken that power we have over you...' he started and raised a hand as Protes went to interrupt him.
'Again you only questioned Fate's ideals for the first time now, Aeris has questioned them ever since she has been bound by him and she warped his orders where she saw fit. It comes from her being human. Now you Protes were only able to go against us because of Tidus.' He continued.
'What are you talking about?' Protes growled perplexed.
'I can't be done with explaining. It just has something to do with who he was okay?' Injustice told them.
'Fine.' Protes relented.
'Good.' Injustice said and sat on a rock. 'So maybe we can plan what we have to do?' he suggested and the two renegades came closer to him in a huddled discussion.
Fate sat by the bank of the river in his personal dimensional room. He sighed as the water wound its way by his feet. His little brother had failed to do what had been expected of him. Squall still lived and now Injustice had given up on him. Fate closed his blue eyes and rubbed his temple as the tension grew. How could he stop Squall now without the others realising? Paine was free but Time was watching over here and if he tried anything it'd seem suspect.
Something had to be done about Squall, he could never meet Paine, not after all he had done to prevent it. Damn Shiva she just had to let Paine open to Squall hadn't she? Damn her love for the boy, and damn Injustice too for being so useless! Fate's jaw clenched in anger, the muscles becoming taut. He needed something that would remove Squall and occupy Aeris at the same time. He opened his eyes as inspiration struck. 'Yes...' he said softly and smiled.
Zell watched over Aeris as she slept, her body covered in bruises from where Rage had struck her. They hadn't spoken much to each other since the attack, Zell reasoned that she was still drowsy from the injury she sustained to her head.
He had peeled his gloves off and washed the blood off his hands but still they burned. He knew it wasn't anything physical that made his hands feel that way but the anger and hatred that boiled in his veins. He had been surprised at the strength of feeling he had when he had seen Aeris hurt, the power that had coursed through him as he pushed his own aching body from the ground and launched at Rage.
He had been unable to stop himself as he had punched and punched, crushing flesh and bone under his fists. He had only finally stopped when his concern for her finally over-rode the anger, the hatred which had grown with each blow rather than dissipated.
He looked at himself in the mirror, saw the mix of emotions flowing in his blue eyes, all of which started from the frustration of an abruptly curtailed kiss. He heard Aeris murmur in her sleep and watched her roll over kicking the sheets off her.
He wondered what she saw in her dreams, whether he was there now or all she saw was all the things in the multi-verse she was connected to. Curiosity got the better of him as he drew nearer to her, hoping to her the words that escaped her lips.
'Cloud... No...' she murmured softly her face twitching in her sleep.
Zell pulled back, his face frozen in dismay. 'So it was this Cloud again... didn't he mean anything to her at all?' he thought.
He sunk to the floor looking at his hands sadly and then the next moment he was blown back as the door to Aeris' room exploded.
The blade lay across his lap, its dark surface slowly changing as lines of neon blue crackled along it. Squall had asked Aeris about the sword before she had been carried off by Zell and she hadn't been too helpful. She had told him that the sword was now his and now that it had been called it couldn't be banished until his death. He worried about the dark power it represented but Aeris had only shrugged at his concerns, but then she was still suffering from Rage's attack and the massacre that had lain before them.
He had stood by and let other SeeDs and students carry the dead away, Dr. Kadowaki had been among them vainly searching for any survivors. There would be a mass funeral in the next day or so, he would have to be there but he hoped he wouldn't have to say anything. What could he say? He didn't really know most of the people that fell, besides it was partly his fault, he had brought this tragedy to them.
But then the rage burned inside him at those ultimately to blame, Fate, Death, Time, the Other. Squall's fist clenched and shook as he swore on those that had fallen that he would make the High Ones pay, for no matter what Zell said, their souls may rest because the immediate cause of their deaths had been avenged but his wouldn't until the ultimate cause was dealt with. If only he knew how.
'You don't look so glad to see me...' Injustice said in a hurt voice.
Protes unfroze first the quartz rock crumbling as his huge hand clenched into a fist. 'Give us one reason why we should be?' he growled.
'Well I just saved your miserable existences.' Injustice said matter-of- factly. 'Besides I think we can help each other.' He added.
'We don't want anything to do with you!' Tidus hissed.
'Really? So you don't want freedom? You don't want a hand bringing Paine and Squall together?' Injustice asked.
Protes' jaw dropped. 'How did you know..?' he mumbled.
'I finally figured it out. All this time Fate was tricking me into getting rid of Squall so that he'd never be able to meet Paine by making me think he wanted them together to get rid of me once and for all. But now I know, now I see, he doesn't want them to be together, something about the two of them worries Fate and he can't be seen to kill his own, so he'd have me do it and he almost got his way. Damn I hate my brother!' Injustice replied his voice becoming edged in anger.
'And how do we do this?' Tidus asked approaching Protes.
'We hijack the Junction.' Injustice grinned evilly. Tidus and Protes started in surprise. 'That's impossible!' Tidus stammered.
'Really? Have you forgotten who I am? Who you are?' Injustice told him brushing his hair from his eyes. 'Damn Death must have done a number on you to make you unaware of your potential.' He said his emerald eyes rolling.
'What?' Tidus barked, looking at Injustice and then at Protes, who gave him a non-committal shrug.
Injustice laughed. 'It's no good looking at him he hasn't a clue either besides he's the weaker of Fate's two.' He said.
Protes frowned. 'If that's the case why does she still serve him?' he argued.
Injustice sighed. 'Aeris has never been Fate's servant, sure she may obey his orders, to be honest only Tidus here has ever broken that power we have over you...' he started and raised a hand as Protes went to interrupt him.
'Again you only questioned Fate's ideals for the first time now, Aeris has questioned them ever since she has been bound by him and she warped his orders where she saw fit. It comes from her being human. Now you Protes were only able to go against us because of Tidus.' He continued.
'What are you talking about?' Protes growled perplexed.
'I can't be done with explaining. It just has something to do with who he was okay?' Injustice told them.
'Fine.' Protes relented.
'Good.' Injustice said and sat on a rock. 'So maybe we can plan what we have to do?' he suggested and the two renegades came closer to him in a huddled discussion.
Fate sat by the bank of the river in his personal dimensional room. He sighed as the water wound its way by his feet. His little brother had failed to do what had been expected of him. Squall still lived and now Injustice had given up on him. Fate closed his blue eyes and rubbed his temple as the tension grew. How could he stop Squall now without the others realising? Paine was free but Time was watching over here and if he tried anything it'd seem suspect.
Something had to be done about Squall, he could never meet Paine, not after all he had done to prevent it. Damn Shiva she just had to let Paine open to Squall hadn't she? Damn her love for the boy, and damn Injustice too for being so useless! Fate's jaw clenched in anger, the muscles becoming taut. He needed something that would remove Squall and occupy Aeris at the same time. He opened his eyes as inspiration struck. 'Yes...' he said softly and smiled.
Zell watched over Aeris as she slept, her body covered in bruises from where Rage had struck her. They hadn't spoken much to each other since the attack, Zell reasoned that she was still drowsy from the injury she sustained to her head.
He had peeled his gloves off and washed the blood off his hands but still they burned. He knew it wasn't anything physical that made his hands feel that way but the anger and hatred that boiled in his veins. He had been surprised at the strength of feeling he had when he had seen Aeris hurt, the power that had coursed through him as he pushed his own aching body from the ground and launched at Rage.
He had been unable to stop himself as he had punched and punched, crushing flesh and bone under his fists. He had only finally stopped when his concern for her finally over-rode the anger, the hatred which had grown with each blow rather than dissipated.
He looked at himself in the mirror, saw the mix of emotions flowing in his blue eyes, all of which started from the frustration of an abruptly curtailed kiss. He heard Aeris murmur in her sleep and watched her roll over kicking the sheets off her.
He wondered what she saw in her dreams, whether he was there now or all she saw was all the things in the multi-verse she was connected to. Curiosity got the better of him as he drew nearer to her, hoping to her the words that escaped her lips.
'Cloud... No...' she murmured softly her face twitching in her sleep.
Zell pulled back, his face frozen in dismay. 'So it was this Cloud again... didn't he mean anything to her at all?' he thought.
He sunk to the floor looking at his hands sadly and then the next moment he was blown back as the door to Aeris' room exploded.