A Love on the Sidelines
By: 4quintessence
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Square Enix, the fanfiction to me.
Pairing: CliffxFayt
Rating: R for dark themes (gotta end my story with a bang, humour returns for last chapter)
Summary: A fantastical journey to death and beyond awaits Fayt and Cliff (with Braedon's help). In their darkest hour will their love be enough to see them through? In this journey Fayt meets two friends he has missed greatly and hence finds some closure. He even gets a lecture from Elicooria herself, but there is an accident involving Sophia, Maria, and Albel...
Shout Outs - Zel: Well you wanted to see how i wrote dark themes...but really there is light underneath it all. Ya the poem from last ch is from the movie Moulin Rouge! Unfortunately im not good enough to write something that good :D Dont be jealous :D I really wanted to try to put what depression feels like into words since i have alot of experience with it. its funny cuz i thought i went overboard with the descriptions at the end of ch18. but it is a really crazy time so i guess it fits. wow lord of the rings? im flattered! thank you so much! Im so happy and excited for my present from you! Maybe im just dumb but what is Gackts' "Vanilla"? Can't wait for mind forest and ch2 of killjoy. btw, your review was totally worth waiting for, so good. Spectral: Ya im shifting away from humour to make it more serious these last few chapters. What do you think?
Chapter 19:
As Cliff's grip loosened around him, Fayt tightened his arms around the blond while fighting back tears. His head fit seamlessly into the groove under Cliff's chin, Adam's apple tickling his ear, and he couldn't make himself look up at the Klausian's face — seeing the life draining out of his eyes would break him.
"For what it's worth, I tried...I tried to protect ya Fayt," Cliff mumbled, his speech slurring. "Till the end of time...remember? Nothing can separate us...this love...it's forever."
Tell me that there's more
Tell me who're worth fighting for,
You are.
Everything I know
Everything that matters
You can make this easy, believe me
Make me believe,
Lie if you have to
Stay here forever,
Tell me this won't end.
Make me believe
Know that I need you
Don't leave me alone here,
This doesn't have to end
This doesn't have to end
Waiting, frustrating,
But I can't let you go
I just need you to know…
- Song by Tupelo Honey 'Make Me Believe'
The blond's chest rose and fell, one last time. The oceanic winds of life had ceased and the boat Fayt imagined himself floating in sunk to the bottom of the sea as tentacles of darkness eagerly grabbed at him, willing him to drown. He pushed himself away from his love and began frantically cupping the other's chin and shaking it, hoping that this wasn't really happening, that this was all a big mistake. "No, no! Cliff...Cliff...Cliff..."
His chest muscles tightened until his heart strained to beat and his lungs struggled to take in air. The blond's eyes were already closed as Fayt gave him one final kiss that was eventually broken by his intermittent sobbing. Cliff's lips were still warm but there was a tingle of coldness behind them, like the feel of a brisk breeze on a hot day in late summer that signaled it was all coming to an end. The bluenette slumped downwards on Cliff's still body and lay on his stomach, facing the tiny window on the cell wall. He could feel his power welling up inside of him and he fought back with all his might to prevent it from surfacing again.
He had a thousand thoughts swirling in his head, but at the same time, he couldn't recall any of them which ultimately left his mind blank. None of it mattered anymore. Not stopping the war on Elicoor, not the Vendeeni, not his parents, not the fact he was a weapon created for some larger purpose. The only person he had ever loved had been torn away from him, the one who had saved him, the one who had made him feel safe, supported, and wanted. At that moment Fayt would do anything to get him back. He missed the Klausian's voice already: "You expect too much of people around ya when yer the one that needs to take control". Cliff had mentioned that during their last night together. And Fayt had taken control — he had broken through an impossible number of guards and destroyed half the courthouse without any help. What more could he do?
Without opening his eyes, Fayt heard his crewmates coming towards the cell, followed by high-pitched screams and the beginning of quiet sobs by Sophia, Mirage, Maria, and Nel. Feeling someone rest a hand on his shoulder, he cracked an eyelid and saw Braedon standing beside him.
"If you're willing to risk it all you may be able to get him back, my friend," he spoke softly.
Fayt didn't say anything so Braedon continued: "You must go to the afterlife, enter the lifestream and ask the planet to return Cliff to you."
That got the bluenette's full attention. "What are you talking about? How do you know this? How is that even possible?" he cried.
Braedon knelt down to converse face-to-face. "I've done it myself. Our tribe is closely connected to the planet and we have the ability to 'speak' with it. For as long as we have existed, the leader of our village has made one or two trips to the underworld to talk to our ancestors and to ask favours of she who has made us. The way this is done is by ingesting a special poison and then having someone give you the antidote after a certain amount of time to allow the spirit to return to the body once its tasks are complete in the underworld."
"Hmm...remarkable...are you sure this will work?" Fayt asked hesitantly, knowing it sounded crazy but genuinely trusting that Braedon was telling the truth. And right now he would do anything to get back Cliff, even if it carried the possibility of being lost from this life for good.
"It always has. The difficulty is how long to give you in the afterlife before delivering the antidote to your body and pulling you out of there. Too short a time and you will not be able to find the planet's being and talk to her. Too long and your body will be damaged and you won't be able to return. As for Cliff, I have an antidote for his poison too. Lord Arzem tried to poison some of our people before so we developed a cure. We will protect your bodies until you return."
"I'm sorry guys," Fayt said to his friends. "But that's a risk I've got to take...even if I don't make it back. Please go on without me." They all nodded solemnly. Sophia dashed over to the bluenette and gave him a hug, her eyes welling with tears.
"We'll be fine while you're gone," Haru added. "Now that you've destroyed the walls around the city we can use magic to protect ourselves. Word has already gotten out that Saint Cliff is dead and once the people of Granada see that nothing changes, that this 'New Testament' sacrifice prophecy is a sham, Arzem's last iota of support will fade."
"Tell me what it's like down there, Leingod," Albel piped in, rather interested with such matters. "It's just too bad I can't come along for the ride."
Fayt smiled weakly to everyone before asking Braedon for the fatal poison. The latter ruffled through his travelling bag before presenting a vial of black liquid and another of white liquid. Swallowing nervously, the bluenette took the black bottle and slid off Cliff and onto the ground beside him.
"We will give you half an hour at most. You must do what you need in that time. Good luck," Braedon wished, the sympathetic look in his bicoloured eyes calming the bluenette to some extent.
Grabbing Cliff's cold hand with his own and holding the vial in the other, Fayt shakily brought the poison to his lips and let it seep into his mouth and down his throat. It was warm and thick and it immediately made his stomach lurch and contract. He fell backwards onto the ground and the glass bottle slipped from his hand and rolled across the floor while Sophia looked over him with wide, terrified eyes as his body started to tremble and turn numb. The poison spread through him quickly like the warmth of a hot chocolate on a winter day, blurring his sight and causing him to crumple his face in pain.
Fayt was now perched on the edge of consciousness. Maria had come over to sit beside him and he felt her cape sweep against his fingertips. His life memories began to flash before him in a dizzying array until they paused in his and Cliff's meadow by Aquios. Suddenly he was walking leisurely through the tall grasses and wildflowers, brushing a hand along their silky crests while the sun set before him. Up ahead Cliff was standing on a little island in a pond and running his fingers through his hair before smiling and then outstretching one hand…. The image soon withered and was replaced by a bright white light as Fayt took his last gasp and left the world of the living.
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Fayt's spirit was falling, falling through the sky in a beam of white light which he soon realized was actually the sun. His clothes were flapping around everywhere and he was approaching a layer of cirrus clouds below him. He felt as light as a feather and there was no wind brushing past him as he floated downwards but instead green streams of energy spiraling like multiple tornados in the distance. As soon as he hit the clouds he splashed through what appeared to be the surface of the ocean and continued falling as everything around him darkened and he found himself unable to keep his eyes open. Plummeting at the speed of a meteor, the bluenette only slowed down within inches of what appeared to be a grassy pasture as he landed softly onto the ground, face down.
His eyes shot open and he studied the area around him. Am I dead? The air was saturated with a burgundy tint and everything around him was the same shade of purplish-red. He was clearly on the periphery of some sort of savanna since he was surrounded by coarse grasses and there were a bunch of giant boulders blocking his view on one side. In the other direction the land was scattered by cherry trees in full bloom — it was a magnificent display of blossoms and some of the trees towered over the landscape, overwhelming the senses with so many delicate flowers. Fayt finally stood up and gazed around, wondering which way to go.
He decided to climb over the rocks and see what he could find on the other side. As he scrambled up a boulder, slipping every so often, he heard the sound of a stream and the splashing of water up ahead. Then the echo of two familiar voices reached his ears; they were both joyous and cheerful, a sharp contrast to the last time he had heard them. His heart jumped in his chest and when they came into view he stopped suddenly, speechless as he saw two friends he had missed greatly playing around in a river. Ameena and Dion were together as they had always wanted.
"Ameena! Dion!"
Fayt ran down towards them, splashed into the water, and gave Ameena a huge bear hug. When he pulled away Dion stuck out a hand and he shook it vigorously, looking back and forth between them.
"Fayt! I'm so glad to see you again. Um, what are you doing here?" she asked tentatively.
"Yeah, well, uhh I kinda killed myself…"
"WHAT?!" Dion stammered, truly shocked.
"What about the Maiden of Irisa flower I gave you, Fayt? It's suppose to keep you safe."
"Oh ya, I still have it Ameena. There's no way I'd lose that, especially after what happened between us. I still feel guilty that I couldn't do anything to help you two…"
"Don't," Dion began. "You brought us together, and in the middle of a war, no less. We never would have found each other without your help."
"Yes, Fayt. You made my wish come true," she said glowingly. The bluenette was thrilled to hear her talk without it being punctuated by painful coughs. "And now we are together forever here in the afterlife; I couldn't imagine anything better."
I guess that's true, Fayt pondered. She also made me realize that I could make a difference in the war between Aquaria and Airyglyph when before I wanted to run away from it all. He thought back to those stressful days in Aquios and remembered how kind and supportive Cliff had been through it all. He missed being held in the blond's calming arms in the nights before the war when he had had to make some very difficult decisions. He really was my guiding light in the...SHIT! The time limit!
"Well I guess I should explain to you two why I'm here in the first place," he offered.
"Was it too much for you? Did you give up?" Ameena asked. "I wouldn't think you would..."
"Oh, no no. To make a long story short, Cliff was poisoned and I came here to get him back. There's still so much I need to do but I don't think I can go on without him."
Dion crossed his arms. "You know, I knew right away you two were together when you came to the castle. It was the way he looked at you...it reminded me of how Ameena used to gaze at me when we were younger."
Fayt blushed a burgundy colour, the only colour he could in the underworld. "Do you two happen to know where the planet is? I need to talk to her and ask about getting Cliff back...I'm sorry, I don't have much time."
"Elicooria? Oh yes, she is over in that direction by the cliff," Ameena said, pointing back over the rocks and towards the cherry trees. "We saw her on our way over after talking to my parents. She's very nice. Umm, so...take care of yourself Fayt."
"You too," Fayt replied, awkward at having to leave so quickly. "I better go now." Turning to leave, he splashed some water up at his friends before bolting off as they tried to get him back. He gave a final wave before stumbling back up the boulders, his mind much relieved. He was slowly forgiving himself for the past, realizing that not everything was his fault. Ameena had recovered everyone she had lost...now it was his turn.
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Nel and Maria paced around the jail cell while Mirage and Albel rested against the wall in the hallway. Haru and Braedon were talking to each other in low voices.
"I'm going to give him the antidote now," Sophia announced, still sitting beside and watching Fayt's inanimate body. "I don't want him to be lost forever!"
"No you mustn't Sophia!" Maria and Braedon yelled at the same time. "He needs time to find Cliff and talk to the planet," he continued. "Don't worry, it's only been 15 minutes my friend."
"But...but...how will we know he is ready to come back?" she stuttered.
"We won't Miss Sophia. He knows he has half an hour and we'll just have to cure him after that time."
Sophia grabbed Fayt's hand and the rhythm of her breaths started to rise. "No! I'm giving it to him now," she declared, staring at the vial in her other hand. "I can't let my best friend die right in front of me…"
Like a gust of wind Maria and Albel surged towards Sophia and tried to wrestle the antidote away from her. "Be careful you guys," Mirage warned. Soon Nel's patience with their child-like fighting waned: "Sophia, just let them have it."
Too late. As they grabbed at each other trying to take the bottle, it fumbled out of their grasp and smashed to pieces on the hard floor. The white liquid oozed across the ground and dripped into a drain nearby.
"NOOO!" they all screamed in heartrending harmony.
Albel seized Sophia's shoulders and shook her around like a rag doll. "You stupid wench! Look at what you've done! This is no game..." he snapped as his voice trailed off from the lump developing in his throat. Sophia had shut her eyes and her lips were quivering uncontrollably.
Maria cupped her face in her hands as she knelt down beside him. "What do we do now?" she mumbled through her fingers.
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Having returned to the place where he had landed on the savanna, Fayt hurried towards the cliff on the other side of the cherry trees. As he passed under low-hanging branches he felt like he was moving in slow motion — his hands were brushing along the cottony soft tips of the grasses and scores of purplish-red blossoms were blowing around in a wind that Fayt still couldn't feel against his skin. In reality, he was not completely immersed in the lifestream, at least not yet. The special poison he had taken could still be immobilized to bring him back to life. I'm a visitor...
As he neared the cliff, he passed through a ring of trees into an open area where a woman with long, flowing hair was standing with her back to him. She was wearing a simple dress that came down to her knees and fluttered in the breeze as she gazed out over the precipice and watched the torrents of lifestream twisting upwards out of the valley while gusts of cherry blossoms disappeared over the edge. She finally turned to face Fayt and he immediately noticed her eyes were a startling deep green, a strange contrast to the burgundy of all else.
"Fayt Leingod," she spoke in an all-knowing and unhurried voice. "I think I know what brings you to the centre of Elicoor."
The bluenette felt like he needed to acknowledge her in some way so he bowed politely and walked closer. "Are you...are you 'the planet'?" he asked with eyes full of a childish wonder not seen since he was little.
She gave a slight chuckle which caught Fayt off guard. "Yes, I am the planet. I am Elicooria who has given life to everything that lives on my surface. I control life and death and I keep the balance between them stable."
Wow, Fayt thought. This is incredible. I'm talking to the planet itself and slowly unravelling some of the mysteries of the universe. Cliff wouldn't believe this...but I guess he's already found out though.
The bluenette could feel Elicooria reaching out into his mind and he didn't try to fight it. "Cliff Fittir," she finally exclaimed, glancing past Fayt. "The bond of love I feel between you is incredible, I must say. You risked your life to come here and ask for him back, no?"
Brushing off a petal that had stuck to his nose, Fayt interlocked his fingers in front of him and said: "Yes. I did."
She came forward and rested a slender hand on his shoulder. "Normally I cannot shift the natural balance of these things...but you give me some powerful reasons why I should make an exception in this case." Taking her hand away, she turned to look upwards. "I have talked with my kindred across the galaxy and they sense the brink of an attack from another universe. So the prophecy you discovered in my city of Granada is true. Well, at least the original components."
She turned back to Fayt as lines formed under her eyes, interrupting her flawless face. "Humanoids can be so terrible sometimes. Each planet creates a dominant species to protect it and then they lose touch with us and end up harming us in the end. Can you imagine? Hurting the one who gave you life." She shook her head and her shimmering hair ebbed and rolled like waves in the gentle breeze. "I have talked with Terra. She has told me about your history."
Terra? My history? "OH! You mean Earth? You've talked to it?"
"Yes, I've conversed with her through the lifestream that connects us and everything. She told me stories of how she had to almost completely wipe out your species long ago in the A.D. years. Humans, her finest and most complex creation, were destroying her and her other fantastical creatures...but really they were no match for her forces of nature." At this Elicooria grinned. "It's good to see you learned from that and were able to build up your civilization again, this time respecting her."
She paused and Fayt didn't say anything as he tried to digest what he was being told. Like fatty food, it was taking a while.
"But I'm getting sidetracked here. There is one thing you must never forget: Destroying a planet is the ultimate sin, Fayt. My kindred can just barely reach through the 4-D wall and sense the intentions of the coming enemy. You are the one that can stop this madness and you are already on the path to do so. Terra is proud of your parents and what they have done. But enough of that." Elicooria began twisting an index finger around in the air and lifestream from the valley quickly floated over and swirled around it. "Hmmm...now what should I do about Cliff?"
4-D wall? She's happy my parents experimented on me and Maria? The prophecy is true? CLIFF? His mind was getting all jumbled up and confused until suddenly he heard the rustling of grass behind him and his psyche became crystal clear. He spun around in an instant...and there striding confidently towards him through the grass and blossoms was his true love, his whole heart, with a giant grin across his face.
When I see your smile
Tears run down my face, I can't replace
And now that I'm strong I have figured out
How this world turns cold and it breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find deep inside me I can be the one
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
It's okay, it's okay, it's okay.
Seasons are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one
- 'Your Guardian Angel' by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
TO BE CONTINUED! GET READY FOR THE FINAL CHAPTER.
(A/N: This chapter is really magical, what with Ameena/Dion and Elicooria. Ahh! i know, i killed both of them! im sorry!! i'm a little obsessed and desensitized with death. im hoping by doing this larger meaning arises (esp about love). still one more chapter! Wow i cant believe this story is almost over! I've been doing it since January! But really there were no long, developing stories of CliffxFayt out there so i needed to do this. And i already have a good idea for my next story...)