Disclaimers: Final Fantasy VII © Square-Enix, as well all other Final Fantasy references. Everything else under their respective owners.
Meme, Gene, Scene
Jaosn M. Lee
He kept silent, the wind blowing past his ears as his boots crunched stone. Warm breath condensed upon meeting cold air.
If only he could've gotten there earlier, then she would've still been alive.
Like last time.
He should've stayed but duty called.
The smell of blood, burnt flesh and wood tickled his nose when the breeze shifted, mixing with the pollution from the reactor. Such a long distance but still a discomfort for his sensitive senses. The sounds of construction were striking at places where he thought it couldn't hurt but to see and hear the town under this state was distressing.
/"You're still beating yourself over it, ain'cha?"
"What's done is done. I'm still surprised that they're alive but at the same time, I'm extremely grateful."
"Ditto here."
Pacing of feet, cloth shifting as motherly fingers gently stroke their sleeping children.
"Although I suppose we'll have to deal with seeing glow-in-the-dark eyes later on. The neighbors will ask..."
A snort of laughter. "Heh. Doubt I'll have that much of a problem for me back home."
"How so?"
Her smirk was somewhat bitter. "Mako radiation exposure once he gets older. Not like my neighbors would care much. Well, save the usual freak asses looking for a laugh."/
Voices caused Thau to immediately cast Vanish over himself and he hoped nobody brought in dogs with them. Nearing the reactor, he quickly moved to avoid bumping into two assistants carrying out his son's friend. The Aeon skipped the guarded metal stairs by leaping over the heads of the ShinRa employees and landing softly near the catwalk. The machinery were off at the moment but the echoing steps of other people easily concealed his entrance.
Slipping behind a pod, Thau silently bristled in fury as he watched Hojo conversing with Tseng about the ongoing operation down in the town. When the scientist went over to examine a catatonic Cloud, he had to hold back from bursting out of his hiding spot on the instinct of protecting his younger son.
"Interesting, very interesting. I can use him as a new sample."
Even Diamond Dust couldn't chill him further than those words.
Yet, it wasn't his place to take action, much less he wanted Cloud to suffer the same fate as Terra – 'TINA, damnit!' – did. Thau could only hope that the physical seals would keep the eccentric scientist from discovering his sons' heritage. A simple stud it may appear but he had to exchange several parts of himself to acquire them. Reno's was apparently still working quite well, despite the young man being subjected under Hojo's care when it came to Mako treatments.
/"Promise us that you'll watch over them?"
"Rowena--"
Calloused finger pointed at his nose. "Just promise us that you'll keep an eye over the squirts."
"Crevan..."
A sad smile. "A last request when we both leave. It may be today, tomorrow, or further away..."
"...all we need is your word," her rougher counterpart gruffly finished./
Feeling something twining between his legs, Thau looked down to see a Tuxedo cat with a green bandanna around its neck, a single soft meow. A nod and both waited for a very long time.
When the last person finally left and silence came over, the odd duo slipped out into the open.
"What have you to tell me, Tryas?"
The feline shifted into a young man, eyes closed as if keeping secrets while down on one knee. The cloth around his neck stayed, worn red boots adorned his feet. A white streak covered part of his black bangs, dark jacket over a simple ensemble.
"I have something you must see, my lord."
"Didn't Dheas showed me what would happened?"
The gloomy alchemist hadn't been too keen on his lord's marriage to humans but out of a grudging respect as keeper over the dead, he had shown the images from his cauldron.
/"What happened to Crevan?"
Controlled fear from the former second, now leader. "Rival gang battle."
"I thought your business with her was settled!"
Fear to indignant. "It was! This time it wasn't our fault! Wrong time, wrong place! Worden's the one!"
Growl of frustration. "And Reno?"
Slumping of shoulders. "We can't find him. Wherever he is, he's on his own."
Anger with growing horror. "Why--"
"She made us swear to never bother him unless he came to us," Latner bit out, voice thick. "I doubt the kid's ever gonna come after that."/
Tryas smiled weakly. "Dare I say that my lord has forgotten that those of my kind and myself are linked to past and future, as well the deceased?"
Thau rubbed his eyes, waving away the barb. "I apologize. It's just that..."
"...stress is getting to you, my lord. Understood. If you will come with me to the chamber that once held the Calamity of the Skies."
Gold eyes blinked. "Why there?"
Black ears on top of the smaller man's head twitched nervously alongside with his white-tipped tail. "I find the events there important to my liege, as this may regard to Cloud-bocchama's well being. If my lord will."
Once in the room, Tryas wasted no time on getting to work. Clapping his hands together, a sigil appeared underneath him and the scenery surrounding both became enshrouded with fog not from the machines. Fingers separated and lights weaved around him, the scent of magic dancing with the Lifestream.
"A word of caution: my lord must remember that these are only images, never are we there," the smaller man warned, the strands exploding softly into the shape of drifting sakura petals.
He could only nod, the unspoken wish caught in his throat.
/Nibelheim engulfed amidst flames/
/Despair over his mother/
/Running up the trail/
/Grief over her father/
/Tifa being slashed for her attempt/
/Zack's futile battle against his former friend/
/Cloud stabbing Sephiroth from behind/
/Zack's weak but strong order/
/Masamune dangling him over the Lifestream/
/All too familiar Mako in anguished navy eyes/
Time seemed to stay frozen for a very long while to Thau as the image of the flooding of ShinRa employees faded away with the magical fog. The last scene containing both his children in the same room was the most heart wrenching. Tryas dismissed the glyph before voicing his thoughts.
"Why is it that Cloud-bocchama has the glow of the Lifestream within his eyes? He did not make it into SOLDIER, that much I know."
A heavy sigh as Thau turned to leave, his subordinate following in silence. It was only until they stopped at the Mako fountain when the taller man spoke.
"When they were younger..." He paused, memories still fresh. "Rowena had been giving a tour that day and a man who had a bit too much started a scuffle. Crevan attempted to quickly take down the outsider but things went downhill as he was more drunk than we thought. In the ensuing fight, Reno and Cloud were accidentally knocked into this very fountain. Cloud was barely seven months old."
A sharp hiss of breath, cat-like sky blue eyes revealed. "Adult humans may not have much problems to short exposure of the Lifestream if treated immediately but little ones are more susceptible! My lord's own hatchlings, by an unruly cur, no less!"
Thau's chuckle was that of irony. "Less than 10 percent of human infants before the age of four survive intact after an immersion, even after seen by a physician. On the other hand, my sons aren't like others of this generation. Apparently, their bodies accepted some of the Mako with minor ill effects. Yet... should both be in the Lifestream far too long they will encounter Mako poisoning if their seals aren't broken. Including the ones I placed onto them before I left."
Ears flattened, showing deference. "My apologies. I had forgotten their heritage in my haste. The reason behind Cloud-bocchama's eyes, I presume."
"Maybe it was a bit of hitsuzen and coincidence..." the taller man mused, picking up a large rock. "Even the strongest wards can be overturned by stronger emotions. I suppose that both the Mako and my blood is what helped him survive, even if barely, against that last attack."
Vacating the cave, they continued down the path until Thau stopped at a ridge overlooking the reconstruction of the village.
/"T-Thau..."
"Don't talk! Save your strength!"
"Cl..." A weak cough. "Cloud...?"
"I haven't found him yet but he's alive. Hold still."
Fingers splayed to cast Cure was covered by a sooty hand.
"My... time..."
"But--"
A bloodied cough, her grip weakening. "Pr-promise..."
"Rowena!"/
"What now, my lord?"
Silence, and then a heavy sigh. "We wait."
"Must we?" Reluctance laced the smaller man's tone. He was quite fond of humanity, especially those that cared for felines (unlike some of his siblings and kin). He was already keeping an eye on one particular man.
"Hitsuzen, Tryas," Thau reminded, casting the Vanish spell again as they neared the town. The two stopped at the isolated cemetery, thankfully spared from the destruction. Ironically, the only other place not razed to the ground was the ShinRa Mansion.
"I'm starting to resent that word," the cat-man muttered, his formal tone slipping. Being curious of the future, he had scryed to see, only to realize that inevitability was what held them back from taking action.
A weak smile as the older man went to work in a meditative silence. The stone he had picked up from the cave looked like a small boulder but it was actually Mako with impurities, condensed into a solid form to give the similar image. A well-placed fist split the stone in two, both sides with flat surfaces. Thau began shaping one piece by using a tightly controlled Flare, the concentrated heat softening the Mako. By the time he was done, a simple and small gravestone was the result.
"Amazing... It's bears the same image as that of other headstones yet it is composed of the blood of the Planet crystallized..." Tryas noted, respect in his voice.
"I'd say 'only the best for them' but they'd pull my ear," Thau sheepishly confessed. Neither of his wives ever cared much for flair, always keeping their humble roots.
The first one was placed alongside the other gravestones, as if it was situated there by the funeral service. A soft shimmer of light, another glyph, settled onto the Materia before disappearing.
"Something to compel those in the funeral business to put in a vase and her name in their records," he explained to his curious subordinate.
Hands softly clapped twice and a low bow, silent words for her. "The other half?"
A calloused hand briefly touched a locket containing two different pictures and hair strands. "Outside Midgar, maybe Kalm. I already left her name on a wall in Sector 4."
Tryas nodded in understanding. As there weren't much room to bury the dead, several walls in each Sector were set up to allow people to carve in the name of the deceased; the unspoken rule was that any type of graffiti was forbidden. Those with higher incomes would occasionally shipped their dead to Kalm's burial grounds.
/A failed mugging resulting in Crevan dragging away one of her father's underlings, cheerfully flicking a hand/
/Rowena peering at him behind the worktable as her employer talked about compensation for his stay/
/Being chased by the Don's guards after "liberating" several of the girls, both laughing/
/Fascinated blue eyes on him as he worked freshly harvested Mako into simple jewelry/
/Watching both Reno and Cloud sleeping next to each other as their mothers talked of future plans/
"De... Let's mosey."
The feline could only shake his head. "Really, my lord, that phrase is not suitable for someone such of your status."
Thau grinned boyishly, contrasting his true nature. "But I like it." Turning his gaze toward the village, his grin dropped, a remorseful visage in place.
A sigh and a bow. "Then, I take my leave."
Nothing but the sound of cat paws silently padding away and the impending storm threatening to dump its load.
Taking one deep breath of the mountain air, Thau released it slowly, trying to enjoy the better memories held in his heart.
Wind tickling a loose strand forced him to open his eyes and tuck it behind an ear, one last wistful look at her home.
/"What is your wish?"
"To protect my sons from those who would attempt to exploit my heritage within them."
"For that, I will take compensation."
"I have the necessary materials to have the seals made. Will these be appropriate?"
Slim fingers picked up a dark indigo scale from the lacquer box for examination. It's size was as large as her entire palm, shimmering faintly like the shells along the beach. Next to the box was a small bundle of Mako/mythril crystal wrapped in green silk. Her part-time employee watched from behind the fusuma, wariness emanating from the lanky form.
She smiled her usual mysterious smile. "In exchange for a pair of earring seals to be crafted, I will accept these scales of yours as payment."/
Without another word, he turned on his heel and walked away from view.
A/N: Not exactly one of my better works but one of my more self sastisfied pieces, even though it began running away from me come editing time. Inspiration came up after watching Last Order: Final Fantasy VII that came with the Advent Pieces (AKA Ultimate Edition) of Advent Children. Won't spoil what happens in it, unless you can figure out the events by reading this. While some may whine and gripe about the whole FF7 continuity, I find Last Order a challenge on blending it into the FF7 history.
A Mako/mythril crystal, not sure if it IS possible but considering both are materials made from the Planet, I'm thinking them along the lines of minerals. I've seen pictures where two completely different minerals would be in one large chunk.
Tryas and Dheas should be easy to figure out if you're really into Final Fantasy.
Title from Hideo Kojima's Metal Gear Solid 3, specifically the E3 2004 MGS3 trailer. The last part reference to xxxHOLiC of Clamp.
-bocchama - a version of "young master"; Lenny from Shadow Hearts: From the New World calls Johnny this in the Japanese editionfusuma - heavy rice-paper door for inside the house; shoji are the ones that face outside with lighter rice-paper.