Bahamut/Taimat

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This chapter was co-written with my friend Erick K.O.S.M. (Some of you who knew me from might be thinking, wasn't K.O.S.M My old name? Yeah, it was, but I passed it to someone more deserving.) Anyway, like all of my co-written stories. This one was done over an IM, AIM to be exact, so there maybe some spacing errors, let me know if you see some.

And lastly, the song is Faded Pictures by Case feat. Joe, And all of the girl references are changed to boy for obvious reasons.

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They started up the spiraling bridge, coming around the first turn. This bridge was steep, more so then first expected. Squall lead the way, followed by Rinoa, after that was Quistis, then Irvine, who was closely trailed by Seiphie. Some how from when they started this accent to now, Zell had drifted to the back, walking with his hands behind his head, thinking, or more accurately talking to his GFs.

'I never thought of anything close to this would happening. I didn't know how we could fight Ultimecia…….but, here we are, going to fight her face to face…….' Zell thought solemnly.

(Are you ready for this?) Carbuncle asked, addressing the reluctance that had been in his voice ever since they first entered the Lunatic Pandora.

'Yeah... It's a little intimidating though, Ultimecia put huge seals on every city, nobody can get in or out. No one may even still be alive.'

(Not up to it?) Bahamut inquired.

'I didn't say that.' Zell corrected. "I came all this way, I'm gonna kick some ass for the hell I had to go through.'

That's right (oooo, yo, oooo, oh)

(Yeah, that sounds like you.) Carbuncle laughed.

'Heh heh…….I still can't believe this is it, it's all about to be over.' Zell seemed saddened when he said this, almost as if he'd be with out a purpose after this was over.

(What do you plan to do after you get back?) Bahamut asked.

Life is funny, ain't it?

'That's a good question………..' By the time Zell realized it, he was almost out of the tower. They had come to a section where a bell hung down, indicating that they were in the clock tower and going head first to the master room. The brass bell swung side to side making a light ringing sound, but it was immeasurably loud when you were next to it.

Sometimes you can end up with

'Damn that thing is loud!' Zell groaned covering his ears with a painfully tight grip.

(……….No way……Zell, Bahamut…..look……….) Carbuncle spoke as if with disbelief, So curiously Zell looked past the bell and in to a doorway that lay on the other side. Past that, he could see a ledge, an open balcony or a platform of some type.

Somebody you really don't wanna be with

But more importantly was what was on the other side. The something in question flew past, but going just slow enough for them to get a momentary look. 'Bahamut…..Was that you?' Zell leaned forward with even more curiosity, peering just to catch another glimpse of it what he'd just seen.

He had to see what that was.

On a brash thought, Zell took a step back and jumped on to the bell just as it's motion brought it close to the spiraling bridge.

And others left to figure it out.

(Zell? You sure about this?) Carbuncle asked, he couldn't help but noticed that he was leaving everyone behind. Therefore increasing the danger and chances of getting lost.

Zell hopped off the swing bell when it's motion brought him to above ledge below the doorway, it was broken off, looking as if it was once connected to the bridge at one time or another. (Shouldn't you at lest tell everyone where you going?) Bahamut suggested, knowing Zell's nature that would be the best thing to do.

'Don't worry, I'll be right back.' Zell reassured them, he was more worried about satisfying his own curiosity

He was more than a man, a god for all it seems (is that right?)

Zell waked slowly threw the door, walking with heavy steps to check the stability of the large terrace that outlay on the edge of the clock tower, devoid of any railings or barriers to prevent a very disastrous looking fall. It seemed they where right bellow the clock, and now that they were close they could see how large it really was.

But that wasn't what was noticed.

On the other side of the terrace was a large dragon, watching them, a piercing look coming on to his features when he saw the boy. It was odd, mainly because he looked just like Bahamut, or a negative of Bahamut anyway. The difference was that he was a dark blue and the bottom of his neck, tail and his chest were all gold.

And all I ever needed was him right here loving me

His eyes were red instead of green, and under his wings lay a black skin instead of the velvet red. It was like looking at the exact mirror of Bahamut, just...a different one, he couldn't believe the resemblance. Zell starred at the dragon called Taimat with his mouth open and his eyes wide, only with the vague feeling that something was completely different, yet the same underlining.

For a while we were cool and the grooving of love was on

Bahamut unjunctioned himself with out warning.

(Wait!) Carbuncle called out to him, unjunction himself also, wondering what would make him do something like that, so suddenly at that.

Bahamut appeared in front of Zell, looking with a face something he hadn't ever seen before. His reaction made Zell worried. "Bahamut?" Zell looked at Taimat, then at Bahamut, waiting to so see what he would do. "What's the matter?"

But I still remember how it felt when our love was gone

Taimat dropped from the air, landing hard enough to make the ground shake, face to face with Bahamut with the same curious and examining look on his face. Realizing what ever he needed to confirm, Taimat's expression changed from that confused and shocked look to one of raising anger determination.

"It's finally happening………" Taimat said in a soft voice, one barely audible.

"What do you mean?" Bahamut asked. "Who are you?"

Taimat to a step back with a unexplained downcast head, clinched fist, and rage building in his blood red eyes. "I remember, this day... I stood there, exactly like that……..looking at my self………I didn't understand what was happening…..I asked my self…..was this mean?"

In a tattered picture book

"I remember him…….. He was standing there just like that……… and he was standing right next to him…." Taimat glared at Zell, indicating him first and then Carbuncle next.

Zell looked on with a concerned look on his face when he saw Bahamut's reaction, and Carbuncle was just trying to figure out what was happening.

Was a photograph he took years ago

And he finally did, it just made it self painfully clearer that this was Time compression, and they were in the future. "It is him, that's Bahamut in this time…." Carbuncle told Zell, who could do nothing more then watch and listen while Taimat seemed to become increasingly angry and unstable.

"I was standing in that same spot, confused…….wondering what happened to myself……I saw this thing in front of me and I knew that it was a horrible monster just like all the others, I could sense it, I could see it, I could even smell the blood. I had become this horrible monster………in a place like this……." Taimat continued looking down, even more anger showing on his face.

Secret memories in his mind

Taimat was calling out everything he was thinking, every bit of confusion he was felling, everything he was thinking just as he thought it and just as he felt it, down to the second…….. "How did I turn out like this! Why! What happened to me? No……No! I don't want to be this……this thing…….in this place!" Taimat held his head and clinched his eyes tightly, speaking frantically as if reliving each moment in an amplified manner.

How could love be so unkind?

Bahamut took a steep back, not from Taimat's reaction, but what he was saying. "No...no.." All of this was running through his mind. "It can't be...!" In this time he had become nothing more then a mindless beast that only lives to kill and be controlled by Ultimecia. The only free, mental thought had been sparked by the sight of Zell.

Heartbreak time

Bahamut came to a realization, more so a frantic denial, and just as before, Taimat said it as it was happening. "………No……I wont become this……..I will not let this happen to me…" Taimat shouted, but then his voice became lower and calmer "….I didn't want it too…..I promised my self that I wouldn't let this happen no matter what……..But………it happened…..I am Him, the same monster a saw after Time compression……."

That's were the realization came in, Taimat had done everything that Bahamut was doing now………the same thoughts, the same reactions…the same promise to himself…. But it still happened to him, he still became the thing he feared as soon as he realized what it was. This was this was most horrifying then anything thing he had ever feared, This.

Faded pictures in a broken glass

"It……..It was him…." Taimat didn't open his eyes, looking down as he pointed to Zell…… This day was still very vivid in his memory. "He…Died……..and take it……….I let Ultimecia turn me in to this…..I begged her, anything to get a way from that………madness and despair after he died, after he did what he did to me, after he told me what he told me…….."

Like a mirror revealing

"I thought I could take it…..But I was trapped and alone again…….I couldn't get it out of my mind…..how he looked….the last, horrible thing he said to me…….it played over and over on it's on until I couldn't take it anymore!" Taimat roared. "I saw him kill me! And I knew he was going to do it to me."

Bahamut didn't know what to say……… was he destined to become this thing? Something so desperate that he would beg Ultimecia……

What the man is feeling

Taimat let go of his head, opening one eye turned directly at Zell. He just stood there, staring……..his left eye was twitching…. And he was heavy with the scent of blood…..

Was it someone from a distant past?

"YOU DID THIS TO ME!" He yelled followed by a fierce roar that made Zell flinch. This was why he was so mad, he believed that everything that had happened to him was because of Zell and whatever Zell had said to him at one point in time, in a way he was right.

Cuz it's breaking my heart

Taimat charged at Zell in a fury, but Bahamut ceased him by the wrist and pushed him back. Zell stood there with his eyes wide and his mouth still open. "He's trying to kill me……..Bahamut's trying to kill me……." Zell dropped his head reluctantly, clinching his eyes shut it tightly, still hearing the angry Taimat howl.

"YOU'RE THE REASON THIS IS HAPPENING TO ME. DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID TO ME!"

So won't you stare into the glass

Zell couldn't believe it, this was still Bahamut, no matter what his name was now or his, really cool, change in appearance. And Bahamut was trying to rip him apart, Zell couldn't believe he had drove him to do this, but How?

There was nothing anyone could say otherwise, it was only because he had gotten involved with Bahamut that this happened. He started to wonder, could he have stopped this if he left Bahamut in that capsule? Was there a way to stop it now? And just what the hell did he say to Bahamut!

As he turned through the pages, the tears roll down his face

He didn't want it, he didn't want to be the reason Bahamut became this…… Even though this was unbelievably strange and brain racking, because the immediate danger, he forced himself to push aside anything he was thinking of.

Zell looked at Taimat, then slowly moved past Bahamut, walking towards him.

I could see him reminiscing why his life had to be this way

"Zell……" Carbuncle watched for a moment, hoping that Zell wasn't about to do what he thought he was, then when he realized that Zell was he immediately ran after him. "Zell!"

Bahamut struggled to push the opposing Taimat back again, then grabbed Zell's arm, making him stop. "No! Stay back……." The expression on his face was enough to make Zell stop more then his words did.

Then he stopped as he came to a page where his book ends

"BahamutNo way! I have to help you." Zell protested, but Bahamut looked back at him with that demanding look.

"No, you cant!"

Zell looked at Bahamut again, then looked down, if Bahamut was going to fight him this hard over it. And considering all that just happened, he'd let Bahamut do this himself. "Damnit Bahamut...Alright, just be careful."

The scent of an old rose from his lover I suppose

Bahamut may have been strong, but Taimat had at lest a few hundred of years experience, definitely stronger even more so when angry. But anger led to rash thinking, and even more rash attacks, Taimat was somewhat predictable.

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"Hey, What happened to Zell?" Seiphie stopped in mid-step, now that they were out of the clock tower and didn't have to focus on a rather dangerous decent from it, they finally noticed that he was missing. They were standing right outside the master room, where Ultimecia was a waiting their arrival. But they couldn't just rush in, especially missing one of their strongest members.

Squall looked around, he wasn't behind them or ahead, and Zell had to much agility to fall and even if he did he was to loud not for them to hear it. Meaning he was probably still in the clock tower. "Wait here." Squall turned back, beginning his accent up the same later, the only entrance to the tower from here. "I'll go find him."

He edged his way across the narrow bridge formed by the hands on the clock that could only be made at this time of day, into the tower itself. 'What is he doing wandering off at a time like this…' Squall moved past the gears and cogs operating the clock and on to spiraling bridge that lay beneath them.

He walked downward at a slow pace, hoping to hear his missing team mate or move slowly enough for him to catch up if he'd been lagging behind, eventually he came back across the ringing bell. 'Huh?' What caused him to look that way was the faint sound of voice, familiar voices. That's when he saw what he didn't notice before, there was a door on the other side where the voices were coming from, probably where Zell went off to knowing him. 'Damnit Zell.'

Squall took a step back, waiting for the right moment before he jumped on to the bell, swinging across the ominously deep gap to the disconnected ledge under the open doorway. 'What is he do...'

Squall looked out in to the newly found path and saw Zell, whom he was about to say something very unfavorable to until he saw what was happening. Carbuncle was standing next to Zell defensively, and Bahamut was fighting a dragon that looked oddly similar to him.

It didn't take him long to figure out that this was an older version of Bahamut. But why was Bahamut doing this alone, why wasn't Zell helping, and why did Zell look so...out of it. 'You think I should give them a minute?' Squall wondered.

(……….Yes.)

Squall nodded, pulling himself back in to the tower and sitting down on the wooden ledge. He could wait a at lest a little while

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Taimat spread his wings and shot in to the air with a burst of scattered wind, soaring at Bahamut with a speed faster then his own. Taimat flew past, swiping Bahamut with his claws and knocking him toward the ground. Taimat was definitely stronger, Bahamut placed a foot back and caught himself and rushed into the air with spread wings offensively at Taimat, throwing a punch at the dragon.

In a tattered picture book

Taimat leaned back and out of the way, Bahamut came at him again, this time attacking with his claws. He managed to slash him across the face, but a quick Flare spell from Taimat followed right after the attack. A massive, burring energy formed around Bahamut, exploding in to a rush of red power, sending shockwaves outward.

Was a photograph he took years ago

Bahamut fell out of the sky, landing on the ground hard and making a small crater where his body had landed with a painful bounce. The entire platform shook from the impact.

With out any hesitation, Bahamut jumped to his feet and sprang in to the air after Taimat directly above. Bahamut rammed him with his shoulder hard enough to push him off balance, swiping at him with his claws franticly though each attack missed. Taimat made another evasive lean back and spun around sharply, striking Bahamut across the face with his tail hard enough to make the younger GF drop down a few feet and grunt loudly from the blow.

"Damnit!" Bahamut tried feverishly to lay a hand on the much quicker dragon, but despite his attempts the only thing he got in return was heavy blows for his attempts. A particularly forceful knee to his stomach that made him hunch over followed by a swift punch to the torso from Taimat sent him sprawling backwards.

Secret memories in his mind (secret memories in his mind)

Taimat roared in anger with a sparking electrified energy forming around him, the ground began to tremble, rattling the fragile platform Zell was waiting on. 'What is he...!' After a quick second of thought, he realized that he was about to use Mega-Flare. 'No!' The only way he was going to stop it was to disrupt the process, and the only thing Bahamut knew would be able to do that was to hit him with a Mega-Flare of his own.

How could love be so unkind?

The ground started to rumble twice as hard now, causing the terrace to rattle audibly. Carbuncle looked at the situation, if his memory served him correctly, the only reason Bahamut was stop like that, and this would happen is if Bahamut was charging something. "Bahamut! Good luck!" So he cast Haste on Bahamut to help him out, there was no way he would get his off before Taimat with out help. 'What the hell are you doing Bahamut, you have to know there is no way you can beat something that strong by your self!' Carbuncle sighed 'Your smarter then that!"

Heartbreak time

With the boost from Carbuncle, Bahamut fired Mega-Flare, more precisely then before. Bahamut fired off a volley of smaller, white blast, sending out far spread shockwaves with each impact that washed over Taimat. Bahamut let out a shaky roar as he took in a deep breath and he fired the heavy silver ray, engulfing Taimat in the strong energy and the explosion that followed

Faded pictures in a broken glass

A burst of wind cut through the smoke from a beat of Taimat's wings, covered in small cuts and burns the infuriated dragon growled, ground was shaking more violently now. If he couldn't stop the attack, he could avoid it.

Bahamut shot into the air, rising rapidly in to the cloudy sky above Taimat. But before he could get away, Taimat's tail wrapped around his neck and pulled him back.

Like a mirror revealing

Bahamut was pulled face the face with Taimat in a strangling grip, Bahamut dug his claws in to the strong appendage with eyes wide, trying desperately pry himself free "Leave...Zell...Alone!"

"Get out of my way." Taimat snarled.

Bahamut shoot his head, trying to get enough leverage to reach Taimat but the tail was just too long and out of his range. He groaned in pain when he felt piercing rays like holy burning into his back, forcibly removing his magic and any attempt at a spell 'Damn...it' "If...you kill me...you kill yourself..."

Taimat dug his claws into the back of Bahamut's head and pulled him closer, bringing them face to face with each other "Death is better then this!" he shouted. "It's his fault!"

Bahamut couldn't believe he was hearing his own voice say this, it didn't matter now, at least he was close enough. Bahamut let out one last roar and drove his claws into Taimat's stomach, the other set clinching Taimat's head and digging into the side of his face. Taimat drew back, howling in pain. Bahamut tried to take that opportunity to pull himself free of Taimat's tail but it was too late. Taimat used Dark Flare, a stronger version of Mega Flare. Bahamut was engulfed in the back chrome ray at point blank range, creating a powerful explosion that blasted open the back wall of clock tower and dropped a wave of flames on to the terrace.

Zell dived backwards, landing hard on his back as a sheet of flames smashed in to him and half of the platform broke off and plummeted toward the ground, weakening what was left. Zell narrowly escaped a fatal fall.

"Bahamut!" Zell covered his eyes, shielding himself from a surreally bright light that came from such a dark force.. He forced himself to look through the brightness, helplessly watching Bahamut's body fly out of the explosion, landing right in front of him, needless to say completely out, and bleeding profusely in most places.

"NO!" Zell rolled off of his back and crawled frantically over to his side. "Bahamut!" He didn't get an answer, Zell placed both hands on the scolding hot skin of Bahamut's torso and shook him light with no results, shaking harder and harder each time. Nothing... nothing...

"Damnit!" Zell shouted, punching the ground hard enough to smash threw the concrete, a golden light flowing over him as he was pushed to his limit break. He couldn't believe it, Bahamut was...

He pushed forward, sprinting off of his knees and charging at an approaching Taimat.

The dragon was visibly weaker though, Taimat was holding his bleeding stomach which slowed him down a lot, not to mention half of his face was covered in red from the wounds Bahamut had inflicted

What the man is feeling

"Zell! Wait!" Carbuncle couldn't let Zell go like that, it was crazy and stupid, and as a guardian force there was no way he could allow him to do this, at least alone anyway. A shield made of diamond appeared in front of Zell, one that he ran into in his haste fell painfully to the ground.

Zell glared back at back at Carbuncle almost threateningly, the small GF dropped his head with a deep sighed and junctioned himself on the boy, removing the shield soon after. He was going have to yell at Zell for this latter, there was no way he'd stop him, the best he could do was go with him.

With wide wings Taimat swooped down from the sky, Zell dived to the side, just barely rolling out the way of the claws that grazed his cheek on passing. Reaching back with new found ability, he grabbed on to Taimat's long tail.

This could turn out to be suicidal, there was more then a good chance that this was, but at the moment Zell didn't care, all he could think of was Bahamut...Bahamut.

Taimat flew up higher in to the air, leading Zell where he wanted him to go since the boy had no choice in the matter. Zell didn't care how high they were going, his mind was a complete blur of rage, though it didn't feel good to Carbuncle at all.

With quickness, he pulled himself up Taimat's tail, sure to dig into the wounds in Taimat's stomach to reduce resistance. "Damned Human!" Taimat shouted in pain, trying to pry off Zell's grip.

He wouldn't let go, he just moved higher. "Bastard!"

Was it someone from a distant past?

Before Taimat finally get the large to attack, Zell delivered a sharp punch to his stomach, stopping him where he was and forcing Taimat hunch over. Zell pulled back, repeatedly striking him in the stomach with a strength that only came with a Limit break. "Bastard!"

Cuz it's breaking my heart

Taimat found himself unable to attack, when he tried to, another blow from Zell was enough to halt any attempt. By then Zell's arm was toughly covered in blood and Bahamut's inflicted wound was immeasurably worse. Taimat began to fall out of the air, the headfirst decent not detouring Zell one bit. Zell reached up and wrapped both hands around Taimat's neck, driving his knee in to Taimat's stomach hard enough to making the dragon cough up blood on to his shoulder.

Taimat fell out of control, going in to a complete nose dive with his claws digging into Zell's back. He didn't even feel it until he fell off Taimat, hanging down towards the ground but managing to keep both hands around Taimat's neck. Zell finished him off using meteor strike, landing on his feet, and letting gravity and speed drive Taimat's neck in to his shoulder. Taimat was thrown off, landing hard on the now extremely weak and violently rattling terrace.

So won't you stare into the glass

Taimat was down after that, what ever power Ultimecia had placed in and over him backfired. Resulting in an explosion that inanely destroyed him, leaving Zell to realize what he had inadvertently just done... He had just... killed Bahamut, but his Bahamut was still alive, barely, but... He couldn't worry about what he'd just done now, he didn't have the time.

The pictures keep spinning

"Come on! I know it's around here some where……….Damnit!" Zell searched around for any of his GF potions, digging into his pockets and his inventory repeatedly just in case he'd missed it. He had none left!………Bahamut needed something!

Zell cursed to himself and punched the ground again, shaking the balcony.

"Zell." Squall appeared seeming out of nowhere, Zell hadn't even noticed him standing over him.

(Oh na, na, na, na, na, na)

He didn't say anything, refraining from asking any questions even though he wanted to. He just silently handed Zell a GF Hi-Potion, watching his face grow into excitement. "Thank You!" Zell wrapped his arms around Squall's waist and hugged him tightly, he didn't know where he'd come from, he didn't care, he was just happy he'd showed up where he'd been. Squall normally would have pushed him off, but in this situation………..

As he stares into the glass, I'll be waiting

Zell finally let go when he realized that he was hugging Squall, and more importantly he had to help his GF. Zell jumping back down to Bahamut's side, uncorking the container. "Hmm………Just don't take to long…We have business to take care of and I'm sure you'll want Bahamut with you…." Squall smirked in a surprisingly un cold manner, leaving Zell to take care of Bahamut while he headed back to rejoin the rest of his team

Zell poured about half of the potion in to Bahamut's mouth, dripping the rest of it carefully out over his wounds.

(Oh na, na, na, na, na, na)

Cuz he's lost inside the past

Bahamut slowly drifted back in to consciousness, wincing for a moment with a groaning from the intense sting of the potion. As soon as he opened his eyes now half red, normally green eyes he found Zell over him, nearly crying. "Bahamut!" Zell wrapped his arms around Bahamut's neck and hugged him tightly, ignoring the blood covering the both of them.

The pictures keep spinning, spinning, spinning, spinning

(Oh na, na, na, na, na, na)

As he stares into the glass, I'll be waiting

"Where is?"

"He's dead…."Zell told him solemnly, Bahamut only kissed him again, almost able to swear he'd seen the beginnings of tears in the boy's eyes.

"Don't worry about it." Bahamut reassured him, climbing to his feet with Zell's help. He still wasn't a hundred percent, but he was strong enough to fight again. "You...didn't have a choice." Bahamut faded away as he re junctioned himself to Zell.

(Oh na, na, na, na, na, na)

Cuz he's lost inside the past

Lost inside the past

'Bahamut...'

(You can't worry about that Zell.) Bahamut said, truthfully he had to worry about it more then Zell did and he told the boy so.

Carbuncle quickly interrupted before a conversation could persist. (Guys, we have bigger problems!)

The half destroyed land that he was standing on began to shake in the wind, it couldn't take anymore, it surely was about to collapse.

"Oh Man!" Zell ran as fast as he could, feeling a strong sinking feeling when the ground abruptly to drop under him. With out a second thought he pushed off the falling terrace with all his strength and dived, sailing in to the doorway overshooting the ledge under it. "Damnit!"

He just barely managed to grab on to the edge with one hand.

Faded pictures in a broken glass

Like a mirror revealing

What the man is feeling

Was it someone from a distant past?

Cuz it's breaking my heart

So won't you stare into the glass

Squall stood over him with his arms folded and shaking his head, he, for what ever reason apparently had decided to wait here for Zell.

Zell could hardly believe what he was hearing, Squall was laughing, even though it was at him it was still pretty unbelievable. "What's so funny! Another inch and I would be splattered on the ground right now!" Zell shouted angrily, though he could hardly be threatening when he was dangling over a ledge.

Squall reached down and grabbed his wrist, pulling Zell up on to the disconnected ledge. "Come on, let's get this over with."

Faded pictures in a broken glass

Like a mirror revealing

What the man is feeling

Was it someone from a distant past?

Cuz it's breaking my heart

So won't you stare into the glass

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Again, this chapter was written over an IM, AIM to be exact. At like 2 in the morning on a Friday, it's Saturday now. I Had the task of copying and pasting this time, Next Chapter, he's doing it, it's a lot of work. Next Chapter, Ultimecia! After that, it's almost over!