Chaos
Her fingertips tentatively touched the pale line on his forehead running down his face tracing his features as her red eyes gazed intently into his, sparkling with delight as her mouth twitched into a smile.
'We really are together.' She said softly.
Squall smiled in reply and then followed her example and tugged his own glove off and gently clasped her hand. 'It's hard to believe isn't it.' He told her.
Injustice looked away from what to him was sickening affection and so he was the first to notice the darkening of all that surrounded them and the rising of a dark cloud forming, condensing and solidifying.
'Free at last...' a voice hissed dryly growing in strength becoming richer, smoother.
A figure emerged from the cloud and smiled perfect white teeth at Injustice. He seemed middle aged with dark hear greying at the temples, his eyes orbs of steel grey, but Injustice was well aware beings such as he could alter their appearance.
'Not to you I can't.' the figure told him.
'How...?' Injustice asked bewildered.
'There is nothing that can be hidden from me.' The figure said softly.
Squall and Paine broke away from their own private world to gaze upon the strange figure dressed in a robe made of fractured pieces of colour that roamed continually, passing through one another.
The figure beamed at them. 'So the seal has finally been repaired.' He said.
'What?' Squall asked.
'Who are you?' Paine asked her brow crinkling slightly.
The figure chuckled looking at all three bemused faces.
'One at a time... I guess I should explain... I am Chaos.' He told them and clicked his fingers, a chair appearing out of nowhere so that he could sit on it.
'Please sit...' he told them and clicked again three chairs appearing.
They obeyed the voice unable not to.
'I can guess knowing my name will not explain anything... my imprisonment erased my existence.' Chaos told them.
'Imprisonment?' Injustice asked.
'Yes I was imprisoned by Fate, when he tore these two poor souls apart he created a rift that trapped me and removed me from existence... blanking all memories of me except in him... if only I knew how he achieved that...' Chaos told them.
'I placed it in the one place where it wouldn't be warped...' Fate's voice came from the shadows.
'Of course I should've guessed... how fortunate that you were able to find it again... your plan would've been foiled if one of the others had come across your memories here.' Chaos said standing as Fate stepped into the light.
Chaos clenched his fist and Fate's body flinched, crumpling in on itself. Fate screamed in agony as he slowly dissolved away.
'You pitiful, treacherous child. I created you and this is how you repay me? I gave you the power to control the destinies, I favoured you above all my children and your greed devoured you. You shall be cast back to the nothingness from whence you came, you are no longer my son!' Chaos bellowed and there was a final long scream that became deformed as Fate disappeared.
'Son?' Injustice said surprised his eyes wide open.
'Of course... I am the Father of everything. Creator and Destroyer of all.' Chaos told him his fist opening and dust falling from it.
Time and Death crept into the light meekly, their heads bowed in supplication.
'And now the sheep return to the herd!' Chaos sneered.
'Father...' Death started to say.
'Silence! Weaklings the pair of you!' Chaos snapped and then sighed. 'But I suppose that was how I made you... you control your realms well but they are not resistant against Fate.' He added softly.
'And me?' Injustice suddenly snarled.
Chaos raised his eyebrows questionably.
'You made me this way!? The black sheep of the family... always on the outside, me against them! Never to win!' Injustice ranted.
'But there had to be an opposite to Fate or there would be no balance, and everything I had made would've unravelled.' Chaos replied calmly.
'What balance? I'm made to scheme, destroy and yet the outcome is always the same!' Injustice yelled not even slightly mollified.
'Enough!' Chaos told him.
'NO! I'm not a child! I will not be cowed! I set you free!' Injustice snapped.
'Yes you won...' Chaos replied softly.
Injustice opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of anything to say.
'It all makes sense... trust me.' Chaos told him.
Squall and Paine had been sitting watching this dysfunctional family and Squall finally asked. 'What's this have to do with us?'
'Pure luck. The separation of the souls of Twin Heroes causes a rift between the two of them. This rift can contain many things but cannot be seen or felt by anything. It stretches the distance between the two souls, which is why Fate put you onto two totally different worlds. The rift is also responsible for a troublesome life but then again the lives of Heroes is never easy. However the rift gives immense power to the souls that have created it also... which increases as the two draw near.' Chaos explained.
'Anyway I guess that is enough explaining... although I have been away for only eighteen human years the damage caused by Fate is far reaching in both directions of time and all directions of space. A problem occurs in that the two of you cannot be separated again lest I disappear once more so you have to decide which world you want to be returned to... which ever world you leave your existence will be erased... though your deeds will be done by someone else.' Chaos told them.
Squall and Paine looked at each other in silence. Paine finally broke it. 'I want to go to Squall's world, Spira has nothing for me but mostly bad memories.' She told Chaos.
'Are you sure?' Squall asked hoping that her knowledge of his life, all he had back home hadn't put pressure on her for he'd gladly give all that up if he could go with her. After all look what he had come through so far.
'Yes.' Paine said firmly.
Behind them was a groan as Tidus finally awoke. 'What's going on?' he said muzzily. 'Chaos?' he gasped and knelt before him.
'Hey how does Tidus know you?' Injustice asked.
'Tidus?' Paine muttered softly to herself.
'The fragment of yourself that you bestowed upon him must have held some memory of me.' Chaos said simply.
'Rise my child.' Chaos told the quivering Tidus.
As he rose his body changed, his limbs fleshing out becoming more muscular, long fingers shortening to more normal standards. His head also changed becoming more human and blond hair sprouted from his bald head forming long locks that he vaguely remembered.
'I'm me...' he whispered in awe.
'A gift to you.' Chaos said smiling.
'I ask for another gift.' Paine interrupted.
'Of course.' Chaos said graciously.
'Tidus has to be returned to Yuna.' Paine said simply.
Tidus glanced at her his eyes brightening.
'That can be arranged.' Chaos told her making Tidus grin widely.
'But for now we have to send you home and then me and my children can catch up on many things.' Chaos told them and swirls of light surrounded Squall and Paine as well as Tidus.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed. He sat up quickly and gazed round confused. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking to himself wildly.
'No it couldn't have all been a crazy dream?' he thought to himself.
Even when Ellone had been taken away he had never dreamt anything as lucid and detailed as that... never dreamt of a replacement or of all powerful beings that controlled everything... something like that had to be real surely?
His door opened and a woman in black stood in the doorway, her grey hair hanging down in her red eyes, her lips pulled into a wide smile.
Squall gazed at her and blinked as if not believing she was there. 'So it was real?' he said out loud in disbelief.
'Of course sleepy head.' Paine teased. 'Now that I'm living here are you going to show me around this place of yours or not?' she added grinning.
Her fingertips tentatively touched the pale line on his forehead running down his face tracing his features as her red eyes gazed intently into his, sparkling with delight as her mouth twitched into a smile.
'We really are together.' She said softly.
Squall smiled in reply and then followed her example and tugged his own glove off and gently clasped her hand. 'It's hard to believe isn't it.' He told her.
Injustice looked away from what to him was sickening affection and so he was the first to notice the darkening of all that surrounded them and the rising of a dark cloud forming, condensing and solidifying.
'Free at last...' a voice hissed dryly growing in strength becoming richer, smoother.
A figure emerged from the cloud and smiled perfect white teeth at Injustice. He seemed middle aged with dark hear greying at the temples, his eyes orbs of steel grey, but Injustice was well aware beings such as he could alter their appearance.
'Not to you I can't.' the figure told him.
'How...?' Injustice asked bewildered.
'There is nothing that can be hidden from me.' The figure said softly.
Squall and Paine broke away from their own private world to gaze upon the strange figure dressed in a robe made of fractured pieces of colour that roamed continually, passing through one another.
The figure beamed at them. 'So the seal has finally been repaired.' He said.
'What?' Squall asked.
'Who are you?' Paine asked her brow crinkling slightly.
The figure chuckled looking at all three bemused faces.
'One at a time... I guess I should explain... I am Chaos.' He told them and clicked his fingers, a chair appearing out of nowhere so that he could sit on it.
'Please sit...' he told them and clicked again three chairs appearing.
They obeyed the voice unable not to.
'I can guess knowing my name will not explain anything... my imprisonment erased my existence.' Chaos told them.
'Imprisonment?' Injustice asked.
'Yes I was imprisoned by Fate, when he tore these two poor souls apart he created a rift that trapped me and removed me from existence... blanking all memories of me except in him... if only I knew how he achieved that...' Chaos told them.
'I placed it in the one place where it wouldn't be warped...' Fate's voice came from the shadows.
'Of course I should've guessed... how fortunate that you were able to find it again... your plan would've been foiled if one of the others had come across your memories here.' Chaos said standing as Fate stepped into the light.
Chaos clenched his fist and Fate's body flinched, crumpling in on itself. Fate screamed in agony as he slowly dissolved away.
'You pitiful, treacherous child. I created you and this is how you repay me? I gave you the power to control the destinies, I favoured you above all my children and your greed devoured you. You shall be cast back to the nothingness from whence you came, you are no longer my son!' Chaos bellowed and there was a final long scream that became deformed as Fate disappeared.
'Son?' Injustice said surprised his eyes wide open.
'Of course... I am the Father of everything. Creator and Destroyer of all.' Chaos told him his fist opening and dust falling from it.
Time and Death crept into the light meekly, their heads bowed in supplication.
'And now the sheep return to the herd!' Chaos sneered.
'Father...' Death started to say.
'Silence! Weaklings the pair of you!' Chaos snapped and then sighed. 'But I suppose that was how I made you... you control your realms well but they are not resistant against Fate.' He added softly.
'And me?' Injustice suddenly snarled.
Chaos raised his eyebrows questionably.
'You made me this way!? The black sheep of the family... always on the outside, me against them! Never to win!' Injustice ranted.
'But there had to be an opposite to Fate or there would be no balance, and everything I had made would've unravelled.' Chaos replied calmly.
'What balance? I'm made to scheme, destroy and yet the outcome is always the same!' Injustice yelled not even slightly mollified.
'Enough!' Chaos told him.
'NO! I'm not a child! I will not be cowed! I set you free!' Injustice snapped.
'Yes you won...' Chaos replied softly.
Injustice opened his mouth to retort but couldn't think of anything to say.
'It all makes sense... trust me.' Chaos told him.
Squall and Paine had been sitting watching this dysfunctional family and Squall finally asked. 'What's this have to do with us?'
'Pure luck. The separation of the souls of Twin Heroes causes a rift between the two of them. This rift can contain many things but cannot be seen or felt by anything. It stretches the distance between the two souls, which is why Fate put you onto two totally different worlds. The rift is also responsible for a troublesome life but then again the lives of Heroes is never easy. However the rift gives immense power to the souls that have created it also... which increases as the two draw near.' Chaos explained.
'Anyway I guess that is enough explaining... although I have been away for only eighteen human years the damage caused by Fate is far reaching in both directions of time and all directions of space. A problem occurs in that the two of you cannot be separated again lest I disappear once more so you have to decide which world you want to be returned to... which ever world you leave your existence will be erased... though your deeds will be done by someone else.' Chaos told them.
Squall and Paine looked at each other in silence. Paine finally broke it. 'I want to go to Squall's world, Spira has nothing for me but mostly bad memories.' She told Chaos.
'Are you sure?' Squall asked hoping that her knowledge of his life, all he had back home hadn't put pressure on her for he'd gladly give all that up if he could go with her. After all look what he had come through so far.
'Yes.' Paine said firmly.
Behind them was a groan as Tidus finally awoke. 'What's going on?' he said muzzily. 'Chaos?' he gasped and knelt before him.
'Hey how does Tidus know you?' Injustice asked.
'Tidus?' Paine muttered softly to herself.
'The fragment of yourself that you bestowed upon him must have held some memory of me.' Chaos said simply.
'Rise my child.' Chaos told the quivering Tidus.
As he rose his body changed, his limbs fleshing out becoming more muscular, long fingers shortening to more normal standards. His head also changed becoming more human and blond hair sprouted from his bald head forming long locks that he vaguely remembered.
'I'm me...' he whispered in awe.
'A gift to you.' Chaos said smiling.
'I ask for another gift.' Paine interrupted.
'Of course.' Chaos said graciously.
'Tidus has to be returned to Yuna.' Paine said simply.
Tidus glanced at her his eyes brightening.
'That can be arranged.' Chaos told her making Tidus grin widely.
'But for now we have to send you home and then me and my children can catch up on many things.' Chaos told them and swirls of light surrounded Squall and Paine as well as Tidus.
He opened his eyes and found himself lying in bed. He sat up quickly and gazed round confused. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking to himself wildly.
'No it couldn't have all been a crazy dream?' he thought to himself.
Even when Ellone had been taken away he had never dreamt anything as lucid and detailed as that... never dreamt of a replacement or of all powerful beings that controlled everything... something like that had to be real surely?
His door opened and a woman in black stood in the doorway, her grey hair hanging down in her red eyes, her lips pulled into a wide smile.
Squall gazed at her and blinked as if not believing she was there. 'So it was real?' he said out loud in disbelief.
'Of course sleepy head.' Paine teased. 'Now that I'm living here are you going to show me around this place of yours or not?' she added grinning.