Journey One – Discovery
Olympus Coliseum. Home to the skilled warriors and one mysterious person. Aerith, Leon, Yuffie and Cid arrived at the entrance to the arena, as thousands of participants gathered to obtain the ultimate prize – being praised as champion.
Aerith looked around for something interesting, but so far, it's nothing, bar warriors with weapons. Except, she caught sight of an unique figure. Such beautiful long, platinum, flowing hair and that black wing on his back. She could not get her eyes off this handsome, yet mysterious person and then a sudden flashback began to crack beneath her mind.
"Mummy, what's an One Winged Angel?"
"Hmm, now what's on your mind Aerith?"
"I'm just really curious and I've been reading through books about it."
"Well all right, if you insist. An One Winged Angel is person born with a black wing every 100 years or so. Some might say whoever was born in that condition can be considered as bad luck and tend to rid of this one either casting off to another world or be killed at such a young age. Others might say, that person is the bringer of destruction to the world whenever that one sets foot on land."
Unfortunately, that flashback was short-lived, as Aerith was interrupted by a familiar voice calling out to herself and her friends.
"Aerith! Over here!"
"Sora!" Aerith exclaimed happily as she and the others ran towards the young spiked-hair boy.
"Hey there, Sora!" happily remarked Yuffie. "Are you ready for the tournament?"
"Yeah! I can't wait to get that title!"
"Hmm, if you have enough skills to qualify for the quarter finals." Sarcastically remarked Leon.
"And luck!" followed Yuffie merrily. "So, Aerith. Which person, except for Cid and you, do you think is going to get that title?"
"Hmm, that person with long hair." Aerith replied without a second to hesitate.
"Long hair? You don't mean that Champion Sephiroth!" Surprisingly exclaimed Cid as soon as his toothpick dropped from his mouth.
"Sephiroth?" Everybody asked.
"Well, haven't you heard? He's currently the Champion five times ever since, he defeated Hercules with his long, but strong weapon Masamune!"
"So, what are the chances on getting that title?" Yuffie nervously asked to Cid.
"Slim. Very slim. Even Hercules can't defeat him, even though he is the son of Zeus." After Cid's statement, that made Yuffie and Sora gulped.
The tournament inside the arena made an exciting start, as the crowd cheered their favourite gladiator, some on Sora, others for either Yuffie, Donald Duck, Goofy, Leon and even Sephiroth. But as for Aerith sitting on the front row next to Cid, she couldn't help herself, but to look at that graceful black-winged person gracefully attacking his first opponent – a heartless.
Then it was the semi-finals. Leon versus the mysterious electric guitar player and Sora versus Sephiroth. At the start of the first round of the semi-final, Leon was battling against this person with a choice of eccentric weapons.
An electric guitar? Leon thought before the match has even begun. Does this person know he's in a battle where he is vulnerable?
However, unknown to Leon that appearances can be deceptive, the mysterious cowboy-hat wearer with dirty colour trench coat, jeans and boots hold a surprise to the lonely warrior as he devilishly smiled to him. As soon as the 'foul-mouth' faun, Phil shouted 'Fight!' to the combatants, Leon quicken his pace and ready to strike with his Gunblade, as soon as he got near his position.
He's still standing there. Okay, Leon, just one easy swipe and you're through to the final!
He jumped and strike his Gunblade to the guitar player. But then something happened that shocked every crowd, even Aerith and Cid.
As soon as the mysterious person plucked his string from his electric guitar, strange wires came out from the grounds behind him and grabbed tightly onto Leon's every limb and torso.
What the! Where did those wires coming from?
Meanwhile back on the entrance to the arena, Sora was worried about Leon's current struggle and couldn't face the decision of whether to save him from being strangled by a mad guitar player.
I can't leave him suffering from this! Sora thought angrily as he summoned his Keyblade. Don't worry Leon! I'll save you! However, his attempts was stopped by someone's strong hand.
"Where do you think you're going?" he coldly asked. When Sora turned around, he was amazed to see Sephiroth looking so coldly, yet strangely concerned.
"Would you let go of me! I've got to save Leon!"
"And then you'll risk yourself resulting in disqualification? Pathetic."
"What did do say?"
"Face the facts! Leon is going to lose, yet he is still fighting to survive the round and doesn't need any help. So don't be a fool rushing in, only to get disqualified!"
Sora desperately wanted to save Leon, but bitterly Sephiroth was right. He would be disqualified should he be assisting the man with the Gunblade.
As for Sephiroth himself, instead of looking at that mad guitarist strangling Leon via his electric instrument, he looked at interest to this woman dressed in pink attempting to shout Leon for support, though doubt that it can go through in his ears. Yet, for strange reason, he found her captivating as she looked innocent.
However, he shook his head denying his interest on that woman.
Wake up, you fool! You're not in love with that woman! You're only interested with battling against strong opponents! Just concentrate on the tournament!
Minutes later and Leon fell down to the floor, clutching for his very life thanks to those wires. He knew that mysterious guitarist won the round, smiled and yet gave one joke as he helped him to get up –
"Hope that one of my acts wasn't strangling your neck!"
"No…wonder…" was all Leon was saying as he gasped for breath and been taken to infirmary.
Meanwhile, back at the stand, Aerith couldn't believe how such an aloof electric guitarist could defeat Leon by only plucking his strings and let the wires do the work. Even Yuffie, defeated earlier, Donald, Goofy and Cid felt surprised that the electric guitarist was stronger than he looked.
"You know," remarked Yuffie, "I doubt that Sora would beat Sephiroth, but Sora beating that weirdo?"
"I know." Aerith replied with concern. "Though Sephiroth has a longer reach, not to mention great strength, that person has wires from behind could trap him within seconds and I'll doubt neither of them will win."
The second round of the semi-final was disappointed, well to Sora, as usual, Sephiroth won and now the final could begin. The great One Winged Angel against an eccentric, yet aloof electric guitarist. On the arena for the closing match.
The crowd was tense. Even Aerith and soon, Sora, looked worried to see if Sephiroth would lost the title to someone.
Please, Sephiroth Aerith thought Don't get caught by his trap.
"So, you must be the One Winged Angel." Remarked apathetically the electric guitarist. "Allow me to introduce myself. The name's Johannes Bach. But called me Bach for short."
"…" was all Sephiroth could say.
"Silent one, eh? Heh. I've heard an One Winged Angel was bringing bad luck and destruction to the world from the moment you stepped on to this world. But I wondered, would your bad luck be the key to your victory?"
"…"
Then with the stances ready for position, Sephiroth bending down, ready for Masamune to strike and Bach, stretching his fingers to pluck his strings, and Phil shouting "Fight!" it was all action.
Bach plucked his beloved strings, making the wires come out from the ground, directing towards the One Winged Angel. Yet Sephiroth did not want an utter defeat against that eccentric guitarist, as he narrowly dodged the oncoming wires and slicing them, should they be too close for Masamune's contact.
Minutes in the arena later, turned to hours and the atmosphere was intense, showing neither of the warriors showing utter defeat.
But then, some event unexpectedly happened. A crimson arrow was shot between Bach and Sephiroth and the crowd stopped cheering.
"What the -!" Bach exclaimed.
"My, my." Shouted the sinister voice. "Here I am, seeing you battling against an One Winged Angel, when you're losing the main prize." Everyone, well nearly, looked at the corner on top of the arena and there, a person covered in a deep red robe with a half mask that covered his eyes, smiling sinisterly to Bach. "Well, Bach. Why aren't you reaching your goal?"
"Hey! I was just taking a break from exploring so why are you pissing me off now?"
"Exploring?" Aerith asked to herself. "Does it mean that weird electric guitarist is actually an explorer?"
"Who knows." Cid replied indirectly to Aerith. "Though I've never seen him in Traverse Town. That's all I could tel-" Another crimson arrow shot between the two observers.
"Keep it down or you'll be my next target." Told the Crimson stranger coldly.
"Hey!" exclaimed Bach's voice. "Target me, not the audience!"
"So, Bach, got any last request, before your appearance?"
"Yeah I got one. Go on and bother someone else's tournament!"
"Sigh. Oh well." With a click on his fingers, strange crimson shadows appeared in front of him, transformed into hideous dragons and jumped to the crowd, where the audience stood up and ran for their life, as the crimson stranger disappeared.
Bach was surely ticked off that the crimson stranger interrupted, while disposing a few crimson dragons.
"So, Sephiroth," remarked Bach, as the two warriors backed each other, "Want to call it a truce?"
"…I suppose so." The One Winged Angel replied as he slashed a few more dragons.
What became the best tournament Olympus Stadium gave to the audience, became the most horrific event people have seen. Crimson dragons were everywhere slaughtering the audience. However, there was resistance as Sora kept slashing, Yuffie kept using her ninja skills, along with Leon, who still being bandaged from Bach's wires, was on the young ninja's side; slicing and dicing every monster that were nothing look like a Heartless.
Meanwhile on the edge to the row entrance upstairs, Aerith and Cid managed to escape from the crimson dragons, but unfortunately for her, she tripped by the time she went on the next step. Cid did stop helping her to get up, but Aerith insisted that she was all right and wanted Cid to get out the arena. As Aerith stood up in time to save herself, she was caught unexpectedly by the claw of the crimson dragon. She tried to struggle to free herself, but the way that mysterious creature lured her, made her no choice, but to be killed as it opened its gory mouth.
Maybe my childhood dream of exploring new worlds is over. I guess this is it. I'm sorry Sora, Yuffie, Leon; Cid. And especially, Sephiroth. I don't know about you, but it was nice seeing your quiet, yet celestial face.
"Mummy. Do you mean that One Winged Angels are bad guys?"
"No, not necessarily. Just because their wing is black, doesn't mean they act like a villain."
"So, how do I know they are really nice people after all?"
"Don't believe the people telling you myths about that person I've talk to you about. You have to approach him or her to see their sensitive side and decide for yourselves, whether you like her or him."
SLASH!
He did it. Cutting the crimson dragon's arm off as it cries loudly, just to save a woman in pink. Sephiroth had no idea why he should be saving her, but his mind told him save that woman. He looked at her calm, yet innocent and beautiful tired face as he was carrying her.
By the time Aerith woke up, she was shocked to see her 'knight in shining armour' was none other than the One Winged Angel himself. But instead of screaming to put herself down, she shouted and pointed to that object behind him.
"BEHIND YOU!"
Another crimson dragon appeared from Sephiroth's back and as he sensed danger straight away, he placed Aerith onto the sitting area of the stand, quickly drawing Masamune and as he turned around, Aerith saw the horror.
Blood. Spilt for the first time, as the crimson dragon split itself near-severely, resulting in as instant death. However, unfortunately, Sephiroth too has suffered the same damage as injuries was showing heavy cuts from his body. He then, turned his head slowly, seeing if that woman was okay and…once the Great Champion, fell down unconscious in front of her.
Why am I saving this woman? And why doesn't she seem to be afraid of me?
Author's notes: The main concern for Aerith's flashbacks, yes it is Ilfana's voice that was speaking to young Aerith, but since Square Enix wasn't bothered to add Aerith's past in Kingdom Hearts, I might as well put her in, only in speech form, as I do not want to give out too much plot. Also, I'm not good at writing some action battle scene stuff, so I'll let you, the readers to do your imagination of that, like what C.S. Lewis did to his readers.
And if anyone is interested why did I name that electric guitarist after a composer, well I think the original J.S. Bach was as cool when listening to his music as listening to Gorillaz's 'Feel Good INC.' and even Nobou Uematsu's Final Fantasy pieces. It was also a bit cool to have an aloof, Sha Gojyo-style from Kazuya Minekura's Saiyuki personality into it.
The inspiration for original character, 'Bach' came from an art book from Taschen and I came across the manga-ka, Kazuhiro Fujita with one of his manga, Le Cirque de Karakuri (Karakuri Circus or Trick Circus); by the time I was running out of idea to find a cool character, I eventually found this guitarist in Fujita's same manga as mentioned earlier that had fuel my ignition to do this fanfiction. Add Gambit from X-Men to have an appearance, without space boots and that 'X' uniform and Bach was created. End of story.
And why did I chose the fanfiction title, 'Nimbus Exploration'? You'll have to give me five reviews to answer that out! Sorry for being mean, but the last time I did it to my CATCF fanfiction, no one has ever bothered to reach the 5th review, so I couldn't be bothered writing the next chapter. So, please review! All flames and anti-Aeriseph hate mail shall be used for Damien Hirst's latest creation and all anti-anti-Aeriseph mail shall be welcomed to me.