PART II

Beast of Blood

Chapter 1: Two Blue Eyes

Well all, here it is, Tidus' story! This whole story is based off of Gackt's "Requiem et Reminisance Tour" just so you all know! That was my total inspiration. Giggles Actually, Gackt himself is probably my inspiration! Love I just got his new album in the mail today, too! Squee Anyway, enjoy!

Two blue eyes opened, but there was nothing for those eyes to see. At first, anyway. His chest heaved slightly, and he managed to pick himself up, although he felt incredibly weak. The room was in shambles, and his mind flashed back to what had happened.

"Am I dead?"

No, he wasn't. This was concluded as his eyes wandered from the overturned furniture to the body of a woman, who was lying there covered in her own blood. She was still dead, and he was still alive.

And yet, he felt so very empty.

He looked at where he had been lying, only to notice that there was still a silhouette of himself in blood. He felt the spot on his neck where he had felt two large fangs enter, but there was no hole, like there was in the woman's. There was nothing.

He found a knife lying on the floor, next to where his body had laid. He had tried to defend himself, but he had been unable to. Now, he picked up that knife that he had attempted to save his life with, and slit his neck. There was pain, but blood didn't seem to run.

Falling to his knees, he began to weep. What was wrong with him?

"Am I dead?" he questioned himself again.

The answer was no. He wasn't dead. And yet, he wasn't alive, either. He pulled the knife in front of his face, to see it sparkling with his own blood. So, he did still have blood.

Standing up, he went to the cracked mirror that had once been completely clear, although now it was not only cracked but smothered in blood. He gasped though, seeing that he had no reflection.

He almost lost his balance and fell, but managed to regain himself. He turned his head sideways, and, choking back tears, fell to his knees at the side of the woman. His mother.

She lay there, blood still leaking from her neck where the demon had bitten into her. She had gone before him, and he knew she was dead before he had even been attacked. Still, why was she dead, and he still alive?

"But I'm not alive, either," he then said softly to himself, and he started to cry again, "What am I?"

He stared at his mother's face for some time, before finally regaining himself and standing up. Still, what was he to do?

His sadness was slowly beginning to erupt into anger, and he was trembling. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to find his mother.

He ran out the door, into the breeze. He figured he must look horrible, smothered in blood, and yet still alive. He wished he could see what he looked like, but it wasn't as if he existed.

The moon shone bright in the sky as he ran through his city, looking every which way for his father. His mother's murderer. His destroyer.

"I hate you!" he suddenly screamed at the sky, and at that, he collapsed again. His father was long gone, he knew that now. Where, he didn't know.

"It's not his fault," he said softly to himself, as his eyes gleamed north, "It's Bevelle's!" Hatred consumed him, but he knew there was nothing he could do. Bevelle was the reason he was the reason he was, he knew that. Still, there was nothing he could do. Nothing at all.

"Someday," he just said, as he leaned against a wall for support, "I'll destroy you, Bevelle. For what you did to me!"

"Tidus?"

His head turned around, only to see a young man walking toward him, his eyes open in belief.

"Tidus!" the man said again, a smile on his face, "Thank goodness you're alive!" He ran up to Tidus, but stopped as he closed in on him. The moon shone on Tidus' face, showing, no doubt that there was blood everywhere. As Tidus' eyes followed the brick path he was on, he realized even that he had left a trail.

"Nooj," Tidus said, managing to stand, and reaching his bloody hands out to his friend, "Look at me!"

"What the hell happened?" Nooj said, "We were just at your house! We heard a lot of noises! Did you...Did you kill your mother?"

"No," Tidus managed to sputter, "It was my father!"

"...Your father?" Nooj said in disbelief, "But he was held at the prison in Bevelle!"

"He's out now," Tidus said, trying to take a step toward Nooj, only to fall.

"Are you hurt?" Nooj asked, falling down to his knees to try to help his friend.

"Do I look like I'm not?" Tidus just cried through his tears, "I'm covered in blood!"

"Relax, I'll go get help!" Nooj just cried.

Suddenly, Tidus' vision began to go blurry, and the only thing he could focus on clearly was the side of Nooj's neck. Blood was going into his mouth, and he realized how much he enjoyed the taste.

"Nooj," Tidus managed, "You need to leave...I think I'm going to kill you!"

Nooj stared at his friend in horror, and suddenly began to back away from Tidus, saying, "What the hell's wrong with you?"

Tidus' fingers went to his mouth, where he felt the formation of two very sharp fangs.

"I'm a monster!" Tidus just managed to say, and at that, he lost consciousness.

-

Memories floated across his mind. Memories of his mother, his father...Memories of what it felt like the night his father attacked him. He saw blood, his mother lying dead, his father attacking mercilessly. His vision seemed to dim in and out, but he saw himself grab a knife and attempting to fight his father off with it. He saw his father knock the knife from him, and pin him to the ground. He felt two fangs dig deep into his neck, and his life slowly being taken from him. Then, he saw light, and finally, blackness.

He eyes fluttered open and he found himself in a cold, damp area.

"A monster, I tell you."

"Nooj?" Tidus said, managing to stand up. He saw that he was still completely blood-stained, and really did look like the non-living. He felt much better, and honestly felt like his normal self, although the familiar emptiness he felt didn't seem to want to go away.

He walked around the corner toward Nooj's voice, only to see that he was barred in. He was in none other than the Zanarkand prison.

Nooj was indeed standing on the other side of the bars, and looked nervously at Tidus as Tidus came toward him.

"Nooj, let me out!" Tidus said, grabbing the bars.

"No can do," Nooj said, and Tidus realized he was with a man who appeared to be a doctor, "I'm sorry Tidus, but it's just not safe."

"Safe?" Tidus said, leaning his head against the bars, "Why not?"

"The doctor has classified you as...well, not alive," Nooj said, looking at Tidus as if he had never seen him in his life.

"I know, I can explain, sort of," Tidus said, "My father, he is a demon, Nooj! It's from all of the experiments in Bevelle, I'm sure of it! They've created a monster, and apparently I've turned into it to. And my mother...she's dead..."

"We know that," Nooj said, "But you...you have no pulse."

"Wh-what?" Tidus cried, bringing his fingers to his neck. Sure enough, he was feeling no pulse.

Tears streamed out of his eyes then, and he cried, "What am I?"

"A demon, as you said," the doctor said then, his first words, "You aren't alive, and yet you aren't dead."

"Then what am I?" Tidus just repeated himself. For some reason, the term 'demon' wasn't connecting. There was no way in his eyes that he could be the same thing as his father was.

"Tidus," Nooj said softly, "We think it's wisest that we keep you here. There's been four other deaths, all from your father. We're afraid that you'll be the same.

"I can control myself," Tidus said, "I didn't kill you, did I?"

"No," Nooj said, "But you were going to. I saw your fangs."

"Nooj, you know me!" Tidus said, his voice weak, "Don't keep me in here. Please."

"There's nothing I can do," Nooj said, "Except for wait for your verdict."

"Verdict?" Tidus mustered, "What verdict?"

Nooj didn't say anything, and the doctor turned to leave, obviously figuring it wasn't his place.

"They want to kill you, Tidus."

"What? Why? I'm lucky to still be...sort of alive, aren't I?" Tidus cried, slamming his fists against the wall, "Why kill me?"

"We're afraid of what Bevelle's going to do with you!" Nooj cried, "This is war, Tidus! Bevelle can create monsters. We can't let them use you against us! You don't want that to happen now, do you?"

Tidus' eyes lowered. At that, he chose to remain silent, and Nooj and he stood there, opposite sides of the bars, before Nooj finally silently left Tidus, leaving him all alone.

-

Nooj was three years older than Tidus, and had been his friend for as long as both of them could remember. Their parents had been friends, being that both Tidus' father and Nooj's fahter were large patriotic figures in their city of Zanarkand. It was a time of violence, as Zanarkand had been engaged in a complicated kind of war with Bevelle for over twenty years. There was no fighting, but the people lived in constant fear of Bevelle destroying Zanarkand, as the people in Bevelle lived in constant fear of Zanarkand destroying them.

Nooj's and Tidus' fathers were both spies for the city of Zanarkand, doing what they could to keep Zanarkand safe. They were often away, and when that was the case, their mothers would often reside with each other, both too afraid to raise their small children alone in such a violent place, especially knowing who their husbands were. Tidus and Nooj, because of this, were almost like brothers.

When Tidus' father had been caught by Bevelle though, Tidus' mother had been unable to handle it. Nooj and Tidus became rather distant, as Nooj was no longer living with him. After all, Nooj's father had returned, while Tidus' had not. Still, Nooj lived right next door.

They had left Tidus' mother alone, with him. He was seventeen, though, and figured he could handle himself. He knew what was what, being that Nooj and him had been enrolled in secret military classes for some times. Still, he'd never expected to be destroyed by his own father.

-

"The wisest thing, is to put you to death," Nooj said softly, talking to his friend from the other side of the bars.

"Come on Nooj," Tidus said, in a slightly whiny voice, "That's not really necessary, is it? Can't you do something? People look up to you!"

Nooj turned away from Tidus, and it was then that Tidus realized a change had take place throughout his friend.

"Nooj, what's wrong with you!" Tidus then yelled, throwing himself at the bars, "We're like brothers! And you're just going to let them kill me!"

"Your damn father killed my family!" Nooj then cried, pulling out a pistol, "I saw it take place with my own eyes! You'll turn on me too!"

Tidus took a step backwards, and said, "Nooj, I had no idea! They're...your family..is dead?"

"Yes! Why the hell are you still alive?" Nooj said, aiming the pistol at Tidus, "What the hell makes you so damn special?"

"Nooj..." Tidus said softly, "You want me to die, don't you?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," Nooj said, and at that, walked toward the door.

"Nooj!" Tidus called after him, "I'm afraid to die!"

Nooj didn't answer. He just walked through the door, leaving Tidus by himself, again.

-

Rope was tied around his wrists, and he was led out of the cell. Fresh air felt marvelous on his skin, but there was no enjoyment. He was, after all, on his death walk. They were going to kill him.

He passed millions of familiar faces, but they didn't look nearly as familiar as they should have. They all gazed at him fearfully, and Tidus heard them whispering things about him, things that weren't true. They may have been true for his father, but not for him.

They were calling him the Bevelle monster, saying he'd been sent from Bevelle to kill them, along with his father. They were saying he was happy the way he was. They were saying he deserved to die.

They didn't bother him though. What bothered him was Nooj. His very best friend, his brother, was the leader. It was odd, the people suddenly seemed to look up to him, now that their other leaders all seemed dead.

They tied Tidus to a stake then, in the middle of the crowd, and he didn't fight them. He just gave Nooj an imploring look, as if begging him to stop. Still, Nooj wasn't the man he had once been.

"According to the doctor," Nooj said to the crowd, "A demon like this, created by Bevelle, can only die in one or two ways. The first is to let them die in the sunlight, burning. The other, is to stab them through the heart.

"Nooj," Tidus said, softly, but Nooj didn't hear him, as he continued.

"We have prepared this stake," Nooj said, holding a wooden stake with a sharpened edge, "To drive through the heart of who was once our friend."

"I'm still your friend," Tidus said softly, that familiar emptiness conveying him once again, "I'm still your friend!"

"Always true to Zanarkand, but fallen prey on Bevelle..."

Tidus stopped listening. No one would listen to him, no one cared. People became blurred together, and there was nothing Tidus could do but stare at the blur of all of their faces.

Without warning, he suddenly felt a large pang in his heart, and he looked down to see that the stake had been driven through his heart with great force. Blood leaked out, and he body slowly grew cold. Then, all turned black. The last thing he saw, was Nooj staring at him, almost looking as if he wished he hadn't been involved.

"Too late," Tidus' last thoughts said, "You've killed me now."