Cloister Eight

Days pass, as they do. Beclem and Isaaru's foray into the depths of Via Infinito began, and progressed very slowly. The fiends were becoming progressively stronger, and at the depths Isaaru had already reached were already very strong. Beclem and Isaaru could only journey through a chamber or two a day before they found they were completely exhausted.

Soon Keekah announced that she would be travelling back to the Al Bhed homeland of Bikanel Island.

"There's been a lot of damage there because of an unexpected fiend attack," she explained. "They'll probably need some more help cleaning up, and I'm not sure how much longer I can live in Bevelle before the anti-Guado sentiments begin to get to me."

"So," Isaaru asked. "When are you leaving?"

"This afternoon."

"That soon?" Isaaru questioned. Beclem found that he was as shocked as the ex-Summoner.

"Well, I found a ship at the docks that's planning on travelling there anyway," Keekah explained. "It's leaving this afternoon, and the Captain's allowing me on board. There's no point in delaying it. I don't want to impose on the two of you any more than I already have."

The truth was that Keekah didn't impose all that much. A mattress had been set up on the floor in Beclem's room, but the woman was so quiet that Beclem barely knew she was there most of the time.

He was embarrassed to say it, but he was going to miss the woman's presence.

That afternoon the atmosphere at the docks was a solemn one, despite the weather's insistence that it shouldn't be. The sunset lit Bevelle in the most beautiful shades of pink and silver, making the whole city shimmer like a dream or spirit arising from the farplane.

Maroda had joined his older brother and Beclem on the docks. Apparently he and Keekah had talked quite a few times and had formed something approaching a friendship. The brothers were currently talking, leaving Beclem to say his goodbyes to Keekah.

"Good luck," Keekah told Beclem, offering him a sweet smile.

"What with?" Beclem asked.

"Him obviously," Keekah said, nodding in Isaaru's direction.

"What are you talking about?" Beclem objected.

"You're in love with him, obviously," Keekah giggled.

Beclem looked shocked.

"I am not!" he roared.

"That's all right," Keekah commented. "I'm half Al Bhed remember. They don't care about things like that. Your secret's safe with me."

"But I'm not…" Beclem tried to object, but Keekah just smiled at him, ignoring what he was trying to say. "I mean, I am like that… but I'm not, you know... not with Isaaru anyway."

"Are you sure about that?"

Beclem found that he didn't have an answer.

"What's going on between the two of you?" Maroda asked his older brother as they waited for Keekah's departure.

"What do you mean?" Isaaru asked, genuinely not understanding what Maroda was asking him.

"There's something going on between you and Beclem. I don't know what it is, but these last couple of days you've barely left one another's side."

"I asked him to help me explore Via Infinito," Isaaru answered, unwilling to tell his brother any more. If Maroda knew what had truly happened, then he would be furious, and Isaaru didn't want to make his brother angry on such a perfect moment as this.

"We've discovered that we make quite an effective team when fighting," Isaaru added, sending a smile Maroda's way.

"Still," Maroda said, his attention turning to where Keekah and Beclem were standing. "There's something about him."

"Who? Beclem?" Isaaru queried.

"Yeah," Maroda answered. "There's something about the way he acts around you. I've never seen him be so open or friendly towards anyone before. Something must have happened between the two of you."

"Not really," Isaaru lied. "Maybe he just likes me."

"He doesn't like Summoners," Maroda retorted.

"Why are you being so bitter?" Isaaru demanded of his younger brother. "You should be happy that he's finally opening up to someone."

"Perhaps," Maroda said, as he gazed at the ex-Crusader as he farewelled Keekah with a handshake. Keekah pulled her hand away from Beclem before he could object, and threw herself on him in an enthusiastic hug. Beclem seemed shocked for a while, and didn't move at all, before he very shyly returned the hug with one arm.

Keekah pulled away as someone on board the ship called her, and she ran up the ship's boarding plank.

Keekah had her small pouch of belongings with her, and waved goodbye to Beclem and Isaaru from onboard the large wooden carrier that was heading towards Bikanel. Her eyes sparkled, and it was almost impossible to imagine what she had to face most days of her life.

Beclem moved to stand beside Isaaru and Maroda, as the two brothers waved goodbye to Keekah. He put one hand up in the tiniest of waves as the ship pulled out.

Maroda soon walked off, but Isaaru and Beclem stayed on the docks, watching until the ship was no more than a dot on the horizon.

"Do you think we'll ever see her again?" Isaaru asked.

"Who knows?" Beclem answered. "Maybe. The world works in very strange ways after all."

"That it does," Isaaru agreed.

"So what Cloister are you up to now?" Elma asked as soon as Beclem had switched the Commsphere on.

"Seventy-nine," Beclem answered. "This afternoon we tackle Cloister Eighty. According to Isaaru there was a shockingly powerful fiend located at Cloisters twenty, forty and sixty, so I'm quite nervous about what we will find when we return."

Lucil moved into the view of the Commsphere.

"Be sure to let us know what happens when you report tomorrow," the Commander told Beclem.

"I will," Beclem agreed.

"You've become a lot more agreeable of late," Elma noted with a smile.

"I think the people here are beginning to have an effect on me," Beclem commented.

"Was that… no, it couldn't have been a smile, could it Beclem?" Lucil joked.

"Of course not," Beclem immediately answered.

"Sounds like someone there has definitely been having an effect on you," Elma laughed. "Let's see; who do you think it could be Commander?"

"Well, he never really mentions anyone but Praetor Isaaru," Lucil said. "But Beclem couldn't possibly be finding inspiration in an ex-Summoner, could he?"

This entire sentence was said with what could easily be seen to be an evil grin on the woman's face. Lucil and Elma shared a smile, then turned back to glare at Beclem.

"We're becoming friends," Beclem admitted.

"Friends!" Lucil exclaimed, as though it was the most shocking news Beclem had so far reported to her. Beclem just shrugged, trying to ignore the looks the two women were giving him.

"This will be the first real friend you've had since Chappu died," Elma said with a smile. Beclem flinched at his old friend's name.

"It's not that unusual or exciting, all right?" Beclem said, trying to get rid of their interest in the relationship between himself and Isaaru. Keekah's words from earlier that day kept coming back to haunt him, and he found himself wondering if there wasn't some small amount of truth behind her guesses.

"All right then," Lucil said, trying to disguise her laughter. "Keep us updated on your progress into Via Infinito, and on Isaaru."

With that the two women were gone, leaving Beclem with the feeling that they were going to be gossiping about him all afternoon.

"We will be journeying to Cloister Eighty today," Isaaru reminded Beclem. "Are you sure you're ready for a possibly difficult battle?"

"As always," Beclem said, drawing one of his guns from his pocket and checking it to make sure that it was fully loaded.

"Good," Isaaru said. They took one step forwards at the same time, and were soon transported to Cloister Eighty.

It took the two of them a couple of seconds of standing still and blinking away the strange sensation that always came with travelling by glyph before either of them felt ready to start walking.

About a hundred metres ahead of them stood a single figure. At this distance it was impossible to identify them, but there was something about the way they stood that sparked something in Beclem's memories.

Beclem began walking closer to the figure, and soon he could see that whoever it was stood with their back to Beclem and Isaaru.

"Beclem," Isaaru called. "Be careful."

As Beclem moved closer he could make out a head of gravity-defying red hair and a stance that was definitely proving to be familiar. Beclem could remember all too well the figure's cheerful smile, and light laughter, and had been haunted by the memory of it every day for the past three years.

"Chappu!" Beclem called out, and began running towards the redhead.

Isaaru hung back though. There was something about this situation that just wasn't right. The pyreflies around the area seemed to be passing just a little too close to Chappu, if that was indeed his name as Beclem seemed to think it was.

What would an old friend of Beclem's be doing in the depths of Via Infinito though?

Beclem continued to run towards the figure, a cheery quality in his voice that Isaaru had never heard before.

Chappu's head finally turned, and he looked towards Beclem, causing the ex-Crusader to stop in his tracks. He smiled at Beclem widely, but there was something in his eyes that told Isaaru to be cautious.

"Beclem!" Isaaru called. "Don't get too close! Something's not right!"

At that moment a loud laughing began to erupt from Chappu's mouth, so deep and powerful that there was no way it could have come from human vocal chords. The laughter echoed throughout the chamber so loudly that Isaaru could feel the ground shake beneath his feet.

The pyreflies surrounding Chappu began swarming. Parts of Chappu's body began to move and stretch with a series of sickening creaks and snaps. Within a couple of seconds he had grown and merged with the pyreflies to create something that looked as though it shouldn't have existed outside of a nightmare.

Chappu's new form seemed to be a sickening hybrid of machina and fiend, and was covered in claws and scales. It rose up, floating only a foot or two off the ground, and still the top of its grossly enormous bulk almost touched the top of the hundred foot high ceiling.

Beclem recognised the shadow from on board the ship, and found himself unable to move for shock and fear. Deep within the distorted form, there was still a face that looked vaguely human, and Beclem looked within its shining yellow slanted eyes to catch a glimmer of something that might have once been Chappu.

Chappu stared down at Beclem, and moved one enormous claw covered arm to strike Beclem down. A sickening crack echoed throughout Via Infinito, and for a moment Isaaru feared the worst, but a glance at Beclem revealed that the crack had been no more than his mask breaking in two.

It fell away from Beclem's face, revealing the shocked look beneath.

"Beclem!" Isaaru called, trying to pull Beclem from his shocked state. He ran towards the ex-Crusader and the fiend; readying his staff for the healing spell that he knew Beclem would need.

He cured Beclem as soon as he guessed himself to be within range and turned to face the Chappu fiend. Isaaru ran towards it and struck it with his staff, but this did absolutely nothing. There wasn't even a dint or scratch on the monstrous fiend's thick rock-hard hide.

The fiend stared down at Isaaru and moved its enormous clawed hand to strike the ex-Summoner and send him flying across the room. This seemed to snap Beclem out of his shocked state and he jumped to his feet, firing a round of shots at the fiend. When this did no more than Isaaru's attack had, Beclem fell back, and concentrated his attack instead on healing Isaaru. A few potions saw Isaaru back on his feet.

"Attacks don't do anything," Isaaru pointed out.

"Try magic then," Beclem suggested.

Chappu charged towards them again, throwing them both back. Beclem felt his back snap as it hit the wall of the chamber. Isaaru looked as though he was about to heal Beclem, but the ex-Crusader shook his head and looked pointedly towards the fiend they were fighting.

Isaaru nodded his understanding and turned towards the fiend once more. He murmured a couple of words and soon a powerful burst of fire erupted over the skin of the monster.

Chappu growled in annoyance, his eyes flashing brightly in anger. He glared at Isaaru and struck the Praetor once more. Isaaru tried to get to his feet, but failed as soon as he put his weight on his left ankle.

Beclem reached one aching hand to his pocket, struggling to find anything resembling a potion. His hand grasped around something, and he threw it towards Isaaru. The other man smiled in thanks and applied it to his ankle, moving out of the way just before Chappu could strike him again.

"We've got to get out of here!" Isaaru yelled at Beclem. "If we stay here we're just going to end up dead!"

Beclem nodded, and Isaaru wrapped an arm around him, pulling Beclem to his feet. They both grimaced as they were hit by one final attack before they could run far enough, and practically collapsed on top of the transportation glyph.

Beclem breathed a sigh of relief when he found himself back at the entrance to Via Infinito. He looked over to find Isaaru lying on the ground next to him.

Isaaru groaned as he got to his feet, and within a couple of minutes he had healed them both back to full health. Beclem reached up to his face as he felt Isaaru's healing magic flow through the gash that had been dealt to his face and remembered what had happened to Chappu's mask.

Chappu…

The full reality of what had just happened hit Beclem once more, and he felt a tightness building up in his chest. For just a moment he had hoped that somehow he would be able to see Chappu again, whether that fiend in Via Infinito had been Chappu in his unsent form or not.

He had never cried for Chappu; not even when he had been so deeply depressed that he had thought about bringing a gun to his head, but before he could stop it, a solitary tear ran down his cheek. He tried to choke it back, but realised any hope that he had of putting up a strong face was gone. The mask had disappeared, as had any emotional defence he had left.

Tears began to run down his face, unable to be stopped. Beclem was annoyed to discover that he was weeping. Not only that, but it was in front of the Praetor of New Yevon.

Isaaru stared at him with a concerned and almost sympathetic look on his face. Beclem continued to try and hold back his own weakness unsuccessfully, the choking sobs bursting from his mouth without his permission.

Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Beclem found Isaaru's arms wrapping around him in a comforting embrace. Isaaru guided Beclem's head to rest against his shoulder. Beclem tried to struggle, but he eventually gave in, clinging to Isaaru's robes as though they were his last lifeline.

They stayed like that for a while; Beclem sobbing against Isaaru's shoulder and Isaaru not questioning his tears, but doing his best to comfort the ex-Crusader, until Beclem's sobbing began to quieten, turning into the weak raw sound that only came after all the moisture in the eyes had fallen as tears.

"Was he the friend you were talking about?" Isaaru's question was no more than a whisper. "The one you said stopped you?"

Beclem nodded against Isaaru's shoulder.

"His name was Chappu," Beclem told the ex-Summoner.

"You must have truly cared about him," Isaaru commented.

Beclem froze for a second, fearful that Isaaru had accidentally happened upon the truth.

"What's wrong?" Isaaru asked, as he felt Beclem tense against him.

"I…" Beclem began, just before a fresh wave of tears washed over him. "I'm so sick of hiding…" he managed to cry out between sobs. "I just… wish… that I didn't… have to pretend… anymore."

"What are you talking about Beclem?" Isaaru asked. "You don't have to pretend anything when you're around me. You know that."

"You don't understand," Beclem cried as he tried to pull away from Isaaru's embrace, but Isaaru forcefully kept him there, one hand refusing to leave the spot where it rested firmly against Beclem's back.

"Then tell me. Make me understand," Isaaru pressed.

Beclem looked up to meet Isaaru's concerned gaze and came to a decision. Perhaps it was time to stop running, the consequences be damned.

"You're probably going to hate me," Beclem warned him. "You're probably going to call the guards and have me arrested."

Isaaru just looked confused. "Why would I want to do that?"

Beclem took a deep breath, willed away the last of his tears, and took one last breath of Isaaru's comforting scent.

"When you said that I must have really cared about Chappu," Beclem began, "you don't know how right you were. Chappu was my everything. I loved him."

Isaaru froze. Beclem expected his hands to move from their place around his back, but they barely moved.

"But you're both…" Isaaru said, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Men, yes," Beclem said, still waiting for the moment when Isaaru would pull away from him in disgust. "That's why I thought you might want to call the guards. According to New Yevon, homosexuality is still a crime."

"But if you loved him, then how…" Isaaru said, gazing at a spot on the wall instead of the man that was still in his arms.

"How what?" Beclem asked, afraid that he let a little too much fear and bitterness into his voice.

"How can that be a crime?" Isaaru finished. "That's just as bad as hating Al Bhed because they use machina, or hating the Guado just because one of them slipped up."

"You mean you don't mind?" Beclem asked.

"No," Isaaru answered. "Why would I? It's not as though you're going to fall in love with me or anything, right?"

Beclem let out a small chuckle then, Isaaru's unexpected acceptance of him bringing him a joy he never would have thought he could feel after such an experience as the one he had just had in Via Infinito.

"Then why the look of shock?" Beclem asked Isaaru, smiling up at him warmly.

"I guess I never even thought of it as a possibility before," Isaaru admitted.

"You don't think it's weird?"

"Well, maybe a little," Isaaru admitted. "But everyone has something about them that others might see as being weird. Yours is just a little more obvious than most."

"Thank you," Beclem said, finally pulling himself away from Isaaru's arms. "You know, Chappu was the only other person I've ever told that to. You won't tell anyone else, will you?"

"Of course not," Isaaru said. "You already know my biggest secret after all."

Beclem got to his feet and offered Isaaru a hand up off the floor. Their hands clasped around one another's, and Beclem could feel that there was a bond there that hadn't been before. Energy shot through his hand at the simple touch, and Beclem knew, in that instant, that Keekah had been right.