2011-08-22 22:36![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
melluransa
melluransaThis is for ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
zeph317toho because she's awesome like that! I had such big plans for this story, and imagined it to go along with the events in "Advent Children." But that proved too hard. This was my first ever fanfiction ever! It's 3500 words or so, and is a prologue and one chapter. It will forever remain unfinished! But it was so fun to write.
Prologue: An obsessive yet impressive depth of devotion.
“Tseng!” Elena cried in joy. “Look at this.”
The cave walls were lit and twinkling in a brilliant display of many colors. Christmas tree lights. Cords and cords of them, coating every single inch. Some shone and some twinkled. Others blinked; synchronized to a distant, throbbing pulse of dance music. All of the light strands, completely covering the walls of all the cave passages, led the way to a massive center cave room.
The walls of the central room were coated with yellow Christmas tree lights that cast a warm glow on everything. On the naturally domed ceiling, many stories high, hung a masterpiece of gold and crystal—a grand chandelier. It was massive, and shining with the reflections of the lights. It hung beneath a large blue crystal sticking out of the cave ceiling.
Despite all of the lights and the crystal’s own massive size, the cheerful light couldn’t seem to penetrate the inner depths of the blue crystal very well. If looked at more searchingly, the crystal showed a faint outline of something dark embedded inside.
Elena’s eyes shone with wonder. She turned her blond head around in all directions, taking in the amazing display of this central room. She looked at her companion, Tseng. The lights cast highlights on his slick black hair. Elena giggled. Tseng’s usually stoic and professional expression was gone. The lights dazzled him as well.
Directly beneath the chandelier sat a simple table. It was the only furniture in the room. On it sat a dark red velvet pillow cradling a severed head. The head looked very much out of place compared to the cheerful lights. It was a woman’s head, and she lay unmoving, with her long silver hair drawn in a braid and coiled beneath her. Her pale skin looked creepy in the bright and warm light in the room. Her eyes were open. They seemed alive, reflecting the lights. They were green, with strange vertical slits for pupils.
Upon seeing the head, Tseng’s usual expression returned. ‘No more staring at the lights,’ he thought. ‘Back to work. Back to what I was sent here for.’
“Pay dirt.”
“Not a pretty sight, is it?” Elena queried.
Radios at their belts crackled. An annoyed voice was faintly heard, saying, “Who cares, just get the damn thing.”
“Reno,” Tseng commanded into the radio. “The chopper.”
Over the radio, Reno said, “You got it.”
Tseng nodded at Elena. They would take the head and leave via helicopter. Elena held a small suitcase ready, and Tseng slipped on a pair of sleek black gloves. He reached for the head delicately, focused on his task. He picked up the head and placed it gently in the suitcase, which Elena snapped shut. She hugged it to her chest.
A yell was heard over the pulsing dance music. The music was turned off somewhere. A deep voice called in alarm, “Hey! Intruders! And they’re taking Mother!”
“Don’t let them escape with her!” barked a third voice with an air of command.
Tseng looked far, at a lit entrance of a cave passageway to see a slim man in black and a muscular man in purple pajamas. They were quite far away—this center dome room was huge, after all—and they were running towards him, their weapons glinting. The figure in black, while running, took aim with his gun. He fired two rounds, but the bullets missed their targets. They hit a few strands of lights, which blew out and sparked. The man in pajamas aimed and shot as well.
“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” Tseng cried. A bullet whizzed by his ear. Those bullets had missed, but were actually very accurate to have been shot by people who were running. He and Elena turned and sprinted into the passageway they had come through. Elena spoke into her radio. “Reno, hurry!”
She and Tseng ran under hot pursuit. Strands of Christmas lights seemed to blink a farewell past their faces as the two reached the cave’s main exit. Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the natural light. Tall gray mountains and cliff faces, sharp and angry-looking met their eyes. Fierce winds and chilly clouds whipped their hair. Flakes of snow blew angrily.
To their relief, a black helicopter was landed nearby, balancing dangerously on the rough and rocky terrain.
“Reno!” Elena called happily. A man with a jaunty look and messy red hair was standing at the chopper’s side. Reno. He smiled and waved at them. Tseng and Elena ran towards him.
Reno saw the two figures who were chasing Tseng and Elena come out of the main exit as well. He caught sight of the man in pajamas.
“Who the hell is that?” Reno said, thoroughly disturbed at the sight. Tseng and Elena reached him. Reno led the way as the three began to board the chopper. Reno climbed aboard and held out his hand to help Tseng and Elena on.
The man in black fired an accurate shot that pierced through Elena’s shoulder. She fell to the ground, gasping in anguish. She still clutched the suitcase tightly.
“ELENA!” Tseng screamed. He bent to help Elena, but more shots, each more close than the last, forced Tseng to drop to the ground for protection. Elena handed him the suitcase.
“G-get out...” Elena gasped. “Go…” she whispered. Tseng shook his head at her. He lifted her onto his back and turned to the helicopter’s door. More shots sounded deafeningly behind him, and a bullet grazed his thigh.
“D-damn it.” He fell to one knee, and Elena slid off his back. He looked up at Reno and held up the suitcase up for him to take. Reno reached from inside the chopper and took it. He began to climb down to help Tseng and Elena, but Tseng motioned for Reno to escape with the suitcase. The resolved look in Tseng’s black eyes said it all: this was part of the job. The mission and its objective had to come first. Reno was pained, but he understood. He nodded and closed the door of the helicopter as more shots fired.
As Reno flew away, his heart pounded, each beat hammering his brain. He tucked away his grief for later and eased the helicopter into the winds and fierce looking clouds. The helicopter rose above the clouds, departing from the mountainous region. He flew away from what was actually a giant crater in the planet’s surface. Reno set the computer to the coordinates of Headquarters and continued flying onward. He glanced at the innocent-looking black suitcase that had started it all, checking to see if it was still there.
Below, one last shot was fired. It echoed eerily.
Chapter One: It Begins.
Three young men—brothers—with matching physical characteristics, pulled their motorcycles up to the cliff overlooking the dusty ruins of Midgar. Another city had been hurriedly constructed in the midst of the ruins. Called Edge, it looked out of place, too new and shiny for the grimy ruins surrounding it. A smoky cloud of smog drifted lazily over the industrious city.
The threes’ matching emerald eyes roamed over the vast landscape below them. Their eyes had slits for pupils.
The youngest brother, Kadaj, flipped his silver, shoulder-length hair out of his eyes. As the leader of their little group, he confidently took the foremost position of the three.
‘Wow. How drab,’ Kadaj thought, viewing the plains beneath him. ‘All gray and brown and bo-ring. This ugly sword stabbed in the ground right here doesn’t help. Who leaves a rusty old sword on a peak in the middle of nowhere anyway?’ Kadaj kicked it over. Just the start of many things he’d kick in this story.
The usually quiet brother to Kadaj’s right spoke. Yazoo. Intentionally or not, he was the most feminine looking of the three, with a flawless face and long silver hair. Also, Yazoo ever actually speaking was a rarity. So would the next words out of his mouth be deep words of profound wisdom to upset reality as we know it?
“Hey, Kadaj, is that where big brother lives?”
To such a blunt and totally stupid question, Kadaj would normally reply with a “Duh.” Or, if the person asking was someone he disliked, or even a random stranger, he would simply unsheathe and use his sword, Souba. Whenever Kadaj used Souba, pointless questions, no, all questions, would be permanently silenced. Life was good when you had power. (Looks to kill for weren’t all that bad either, unless insane masses of obsessed fangirls swarmed you. That’s why the three brothers—and anyone else even remotely attractive in the Final Fantasy VII world—were always armed.)
Today’s situation was different. Kadaj’s heart rushed, and his body was almost trembling with anticipation. All they had labored for was for these times. All that planning and training was to ensure that the biggest event in their short, pathetic lives would be ushered in with success. Its enactment was all the three has been dreaming about. Kadaj could almost taste the moist, crumbly goodness that was a chocolate cupcake just waiting for him at the end.
His eyes glittered with excitement. “Yeah.”
Yazoo spoke dreamily, “Do you think he’ll be glad to see us?”
‘Jeez, what’s with all the questions?’ Kadaj thought as he tossed his head, his locks spraying about his perfect face like waves of molten silver.
“Not a chance,” he replied with a laugh.
“Don’t cry, Yazoo,” spoke the largest of the three, Loz. His very existence proved that “All brawn and no brains” cliché that’s used too often. Usually, Yazoo always teased Loz with that same line, “Don’t cry,” when Loz was in one of his crybaby moods. But this time victory was his! He said it to his verbal tormentor, no less! Loz smirked, utterly elated.
Yazoo continued, seemingly unfazed by being one-upped by Loz’s comment. “But Mother’s with him?”
“Maybe not.” Kadaj still felt energized, though.
Loz’s unnoticed little victory jig faltered, and his face fell.
“Don’t cry, Loz.” Darn! Yazoo had nailed him again! But he sucked it up as Kadaj stated, “Hold on—he’s coming.”
Indeed. Another motorcycle sped below them. How they could tell it was a specific person, nobody knows. Normal people can’t see that far. But by now, you realize that these three aren’t exactly normal…
Loz grinned. Dangerous stunts always gave him a pleasant rush. By an unspoken command, he and Yazoo revved their bikes (Loz made a ridiculous “Vroom!” noise) and drove off the staggeringly steep rock face towards the unsuspecting motorcyclist below.
Loz wished he could have brought Mr. Pinky M. Cuddles, his stuffed bunny, along for the mission. Pinky would have squealed in excitement at the rush of their fall. But meanie Kadaj had said pink bunnies didn’t fit with their whole, “cool-black-leather-bad-guy” look. Loz had tearfully left Pinky at home. Poor guy.
The unsuspecting man on the other cycle below was a spiky headed young man who thought the world of the cool goggles he was sporting. They really did look cool on him, so I guess he’s justified feeling so. His name was Cloud. Fitting, as he often zoned out, lost in his memories, His head was always in the clouds.
But have some sympathy for the guy. He has had such a past…He still attended therapy sessions, and it had been two whole years since that fateful journey. Did he continue attending them for the mental stress of once knowing the entire world depended on him? For defeating his once-idol, who had gone nuts and decided to destroy the world? Who had also inflicted physical and psychological pain upon him? For seeing that once-idol kill his dear friend and/or romantic interest?
Heck no. Cloud had nerves of steel. It was that stupid Cait Sith who had mentally scarred him. Cait Sith had that effect on people. More on that nightmare incarnate later.
Jerked from his usual meditations, Cloud noticed two bizarrely different looking people racing after him. He pondered, ‘Why are they chasing me? A buff guy and …maybe a girl? WHOA! Ghost dogs!?”
Indeed. Yazoo and Loz had summoned phantom beasts. Cloud yanked out seven-some-odd swords all at once and swatted the dogs away.
“Where’s Mother?!” Loz screamed at Cloud. Loz didn’t wait for an answer, and aimed a heavy punch at Cloud’s face. Cloud dodged. With his gun, Yazoo began playing target practice with Cloud’s body.
“We know you hid her, Brother,” Yazoo accused.
So, with the phantom dogs and the two brothers, Cloud was outnumbered about twenty to one. They were confusing him with the “Mother” and “Brother” stuff, they were trying to hurt him, and all of them were racing and fighting atop motorcycles going much too fast for safety of any sort…What a lovely situation. Well, if Cloud happened to die in this situation, it would most likely be quick and painless. At least Cloud had that to look forward to.
So they all raced on for a while, somehow fighting each other on top of motorcycles.
And what of Kadaj?
“No need to shout,” Kadaj laughed into the cellphone held up to his ear. The man on the other end rambled on about how important the President was. Kadaj thought, ‘What did this guy say his name was? Rude? He has a personality that fits his name. Heh. Rude. Who in the world would name their kid Rude? Jeez, he’s annoying. Talks too much’
Kadaj spat, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Put the President on. … Hello? Sir? Where’s Mother?! Where is she?!? How can we have a reunion without our dear Mother?! Huh? ANSWER ME!…HELLO!?”
Silence on the other end.
“Oh no, he did NOT just hang up on me. This is so not helping our schedule,” he growled and huffed as he flipped the phone shut.
He peered over the rocky edge of the cliff to see his two brothers trying to kill the very person they were to interrogate. What a drag. Kadaj sighed and massaged his temples. He knew they were eager for their plan to work, but Loz never showed restraint. And that contagious excitement always spread to and intoxicated the usually emotionless Yazoo.
Kadaj dismissed the summoned wolves form afar. His two brothers below noticed that. They looked around and caught sight of Kadaj waving them back. They turned, rushing back to their leader.
Poor Cloud braked to a stop and stared at their departing leather-clad backs, utterly confused. He withdrew to his mind, and pondering what had just happened. He did not even notice performing the habitual actions of revving his bike and driving away. Like I said before, head in the clouds. He’s gonna get himself hurt someday…
When the two returned to Kadaj, he told them off for going too far with their “interrogation.”
“As far as we know, he’s the only one who knows where Mother is. We need that information for the Reunion to be a success. Now, about the invitations. Yazoo. You do ‘em, you’re the best at drawing. Remember that one time in kindergarten? The banana you finger-painted soooo totally beat the mango I drew and that carrot Loz drew. Make them look nice. Okay?”
“Consider it done. How many should I make? Who’s all coming?”
“Make a lot. Go to Edge and give them to everybody. But listen, Yazoo; leave out the time, address and date on all but five. Got it?”
“Why?”
“Because we hate humankind. Think about it. What if you got an invitation to the most rockin’ party ever, but you saw that no one cared to write where or when on the card. You wouldn’t know where it was, so you wouldn’t be able to go. You’d feel bad, right? Like you missed out. Let’s make all of humankind feel like they missed out. Cause they’re gonna. This Reunion will be the bestest ever.”
“And the five?”
“…Will be for the only five people who will actually attend the Reunion.”
“Aha.”
Kadaj smiled. He loved being the leader. Sure, Yazoo was smarter, always being manipulative. But Kadaj was the ambitious one. The man with the plan.
Kadaj was the one who thought of unleashing the virus, geostigma, on all humans possible. He considered the act an homage to Mother, who had infected the Cetra, an ancient civilization, with the same virus millennia before. It was a degenerative disease. People contracted it by exposure of the naturally clashing elements of the healing powers of the Lifestream and the evil influence of these three boys’ Mother. When these two warring elements enter the body, all hell breaks loose within. The body and mind become unstable, and sticky black pus leaks out at the place where the victim was most exposed to the infected Lifestream. And many people were exposed to the tainted Lifestream on that fateful day, two years ago. (I take it you all know what happened then.)
Kadaj turned to Loz. “You go and buy and/or steal the stuff you need for the food. Remember, make at least six different kinds of cupcakes. We don’t know what he likes yet, so make all kinds. He’ll be sure to like some of them. Maybe he’ll like chocolate. From what I’ve heard, he seems like a chocolate kind of guy.”
Loz felt weak-kneed at the glorious prospect of putting such a culinary masterpiece together. Being a pastry chef was the only joy he found in life lately. He and Pinky could whip up a mean lemon meringue.
“And as for me, I’m gonna find Mother.” In thought, Kadaj crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “I have a few ideas on where she might be, but they’ll take me a while to check out.”
Yazoo spoke. “Such as?”
“Oh, random alleyways, this here empty wasteland, under some rocks. I dunno. I’ll try and find Big Brother and ask him.”
“So, did the President have her?”
Kadaj’s green eyes burst open, wide in sudden and intense anger at the recollection of that infuriating phone conversation. Or rather, lack of conversation with the one guy who Kadaj had really wanted to talk to. The vertical, snakelike pupils of Kadaj’s eyes narrowed. It was a very evil moment. Even the most toughest tough guy, if he had seen this, would have trembled slightly at the very least. Or, if they were a real wimp, they’d wet their pants and/or scream for mercy. Scary.
“He didn’t say. He just hung on me, the jerk, so I’ll take that as a ‘No, and don’t ever call me again!’ But all the politicians I’ve seen in Edge are liars, so maybe— ”
“Has the President been infected with geostigma?” Yazoo interrupted.
Kadaj’s anger quelled, and he smiled a little. The thought of someone suffering miserably always made his day. And to think, they were suffering with a fatal sickness he had afflicted them with! He felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Kadaj thought for a moment, searching for an answer to Yazoo’s question.
“Yeah, I think so,” Kadaj said. “Before that rude Rude guy realized who I was, I asked him if I could speak to the President. Rude said that the Pres. was sick and not to bother him, cuz he’s important and all.”
“I see.”
Kadaj stared at Yazoo. He thought, ‘I see? Who says that? Nobody. And man, does he ask a lot of questions. If he’s so smart, why doesn’t he just know the answer? At least he’s quiet now.’
“And Kadaj, where do filthy rich people go for medical treatment?”
“Heck if I know.”
“To Healin. The top medical treatment and research facilities are located there. There are even lodges for the especially wealthy people to rent. Their motto there is, “We’ll do all we can for you to have a ‘Healin’ in a place with the comforts of home.” The rich stay in private lodges, while the normal people get plain old hospital rooms to stay in—“
“Get to the point, Yazoo.”
“Yes. I’ll put in it easy terms, so even Loz can understand. Mr. Shinra, in his position of power, is the person most likely to have Mother. He’s sick—and filthy rich—so he’ll be in a Healin lodge. Try going there to find him.”
“Whatever. And how the heck do you know all that crap about Healin?!”
“That rest stop miles back. While you went to the bathroom and Loz attacked the vending machines, trying to get that package of candy to share with Mr. Pinky, I read the tourist pamphlets.”
“Riiight. Well guys, let’s move out. We’ve got an agenda to keep.”
The three brothers got on their motorcycles and raced off to complete their missions. No one on the planet was prepared for the utter chaos that would explode in their wake.
zeph317toho because she's awesome like that! I had such big plans for this story, and imagined it to go along with the events in "Advent Children." But that proved too hard. This was my first ever fanfiction ever! It's 3500 words or so, and is a prologue and one chapter. It will forever remain unfinished! But it was so fun to write. Prologue: An obsessive yet impressive depth of devotion.
“Tseng!” Elena cried in joy. “Look at this.”
The cave walls were lit and twinkling in a brilliant display of many colors. Christmas tree lights. Cords and cords of them, coating every single inch. Some shone and some twinkled. Others blinked; synchronized to a distant, throbbing pulse of dance music. All of the light strands, completely covering the walls of all the cave passages, led the way to a massive center cave room.
The walls of the central room were coated with yellow Christmas tree lights that cast a warm glow on everything. On the naturally domed ceiling, many stories high, hung a masterpiece of gold and crystal—a grand chandelier. It was massive, and shining with the reflections of the lights. It hung beneath a large blue crystal sticking out of the cave ceiling.
Despite all of the lights and the crystal’s own massive size, the cheerful light couldn’t seem to penetrate the inner depths of the blue crystal very well. If looked at more searchingly, the crystal showed a faint outline of something dark embedded inside.
Elena’s eyes shone with wonder. She turned her blond head around in all directions, taking in the amazing display of this central room. She looked at her companion, Tseng. The lights cast highlights on his slick black hair. Elena giggled. Tseng’s usually stoic and professional expression was gone. The lights dazzled him as well.
Directly beneath the chandelier sat a simple table. It was the only furniture in the room. On it sat a dark red velvet pillow cradling a severed head. The head looked very much out of place compared to the cheerful lights. It was a woman’s head, and she lay unmoving, with her long silver hair drawn in a braid and coiled beneath her. Her pale skin looked creepy in the bright and warm light in the room. Her eyes were open. They seemed alive, reflecting the lights. They were green, with strange vertical slits for pupils.
Upon seeing the head, Tseng’s usual expression returned. ‘No more staring at the lights,’ he thought. ‘Back to work. Back to what I was sent here for.’
“Pay dirt.”
“Not a pretty sight, is it?” Elena queried.
Radios at their belts crackled. An annoyed voice was faintly heard, saying, “Who cares, just get the damn thing.”
“Reno,” Tseng commanded into the radio. “The chopper.”
Over the radio, Reno said, “You got it.”
Tseng nodded at Elena. They would take the head and leave via helicopter. Elena held a small suitcase ready, and Tseng slipped on a pair of sleek black gloves. He reached for the head delicately, focused on his task. He picked up the head and placed it gently in the suitcase, which Elena snapped shut. She hugged it to her chest.
A yell was heard over the pulsing dance music. The music was turned off somewhere. A deep voice called in alarm, “Hey! Intruders! And they’re taking Mother!”
“Don’t let them escape with her!” barked a third voice with an air of command.
Tseng looked far, at a lit entrance of a cave passageway to see a slim man in black and a muscular man in purple pajamas. They were quite far away—this center dome room was huge, after all—and they were running towards him, their weapons glinting. The figure in black, while running, took aim with his gun. He fired two rounds, but the bullets missed their targets. They hit a few strands of lights, which blew out and sparked. The man in pajamas aimed and shot as well.
“Whoa, whoa, WHOA!” Tseng cried. A bullet whizzed by his ear. Those bullets had missed, but were actually very accurate to have been shot by people who were running. He and Elena turned and sprinted into the passageway they had come through. Elena spoke into her radio. “Reno, hurry!”
She and Tseng ran under hot pursuit. Strands of Christmas lights seemed to blink a farewell past their faces as the two reached the cave’s main exit. Their eyes took a moment to adjust to the natural light. Tall gray mountains and cliff faces, sharp and angry-looking met their eyes. Fierce winds and chilly clouds whipped their hair. Flakes of snow blew angrily.
To their relief, a black helicopter was landed nearby, balancing dangerously on the rough and rocky terrain.
“Reno!” Elena called happily. A man with a jaunty look and messy red hair was standing at the chopper’s side. Reno. He smiled and waved at them. Tseng and Elena ran towards him.
Reno saw the two figures who were chasing Tseng and Elena come out of the main exit as well. He caught sight of the man in pajamas.
“Who the hell is that?” Reno said, thoroughly disturbed at the sight. Tseng and Elena reached him. Reno led the way as the three began to board the chopper. Reno climbed aboard and held out his hand to help Tseng and Elena on.
The man in black fired an accurate shot that pierced through Elena’s shoulder. She fell to the ground, gasping in anguish. She still clutched the suitcase tightly.
“ELENA!” Tseng screamed. He bent to help Elena, but more shots, each more close than the last, forced Tseng to drop to the ground for protection. Elena handed him the suitcase.
“G-get out...” Elena gasped. “Go…” she whispered. Tseng shook his head at her. He lifted her onto his back and turned to the helicopter’s door. More shots sounded deafeningly behind him, and a bullet grazed his thigh.
“D-damn it.” He fell to one knee, and Elena slid off his back. He looked up at Reno and held up the suitcase up for him to take. Reno reached from inside the chopper and took it. He began to climb down to help Tseng and Elena, but Tseng motioned for Reno to escape with the suitcase. The resolved look in Tseng’s black eyes said it all: this was part of the job. The mission and its objective had to come first. Reno was pained, but he understood. He nodded and closed the door of the helicopter as more shots fired.
As Reno flew away, his heart pounded, each beat hammering his brain. He tucked away his grief for later and eased the helicopter into the winds and fierce looking clouds. The helicopter rose above the clouds, departing from the mountainous region. He flew away from what was actually a giant crater in the planet’s surface. Reno set the computer to the coordinates of Headquarters and continued flying onward. He glanced at the innocent-looking black suitcase that had started it all, checking to see if it was still there.
Below, one last shot was fired. It echoed eerily.
Chapter One: It Begins.
Three young men—brothers—with matching physical characteristics, pulled their motorcycles up to the cliff overlooking the dusty ruins of Midgar. Another city had been hurriedly constructed in the midst of the ruins. Called Edge, it looked out of place, too new and shiny for the grimy ruins surrounding it. A smoky cloud of smog drifted lazily over the industrious city.
The threes’ matching emerald eyes roamed over the vast landscape below them. Their eyes had slits for pupils.
The youngest brother, Kadaj, flipped his silver, shoulder-length hair out of his eyes. As the leader of their little group, he confidently took the foremost position of the three.
‘Wow. How drab,’ Kadaj thought, viewing the plains beneath him. ‘All gray and brown and bo-ring. This ugly sword stabbed in the ground right here doesn’t help. Who leaves a rusty old sword on a peak in the middle of nowhere anyway?’ Kadaj kicked it over. Just the start of many things he’d kick in this story.
The usually quiet brother to Kadaj’s right spoke. Yazoo. Intentionally or not, he was the most feminine looking of the three, with a flawless face and long silver hair. Also, Yazoo ever actually speaking was a rarity. So would the next words out of his mouth be deep words of profound wisdom to upset reality as we know it?
“Hey, Kadaj, is that where big brother lives?”
To such a blunt and totally stupid question, Kadaj would normally reply with a “Duh.” Or, if the person asking was someone he disliked, or even a random stranger, he would simply unsheathe and use his sword, Souba. Whenever Kadaj used Souba, pointless questions, no, all questions, would be permanently silenced. Life was good when you had power. (Looks to kill for weren’t all that bad either, unless insane masses of obsessed fangirls swarmed you. That’s why the three brothers—and anyone else even remotely attractive in the Final Fantasy VII world—were always armed.)
Today’s situation was different. Kadaj’s heart rushed, and his body was almost trembling with anticipation. All they had labored for was for these times. All that planning and training was to ensure that the biggest event in their short, pathetic lives would be ushered in with success. Its enactment was all the three has been dreaming about. Kadaj could almost taste the moist, crumbly goodness that was a chocolate cupcake just waiting for him at the end.
His eyes glittered with excitement. “Yeah.”
Yazoo spoke dreamily, “Do you think he’ll be glad to see us?”
‘Jeez, what’s with all the questions?’ Kadaj thought as he tossed his head, his locks spraying about his perfect face like waves of molten silver.
“Not a chance,” he replied with a laugh.
“Don’t cry, Yazoo,” spoke the largest of the three, Loz. His very existence proved that “All brawn and no brains” cliché that’s used too often. Usually, Yazoo always teased Loz with that same line, “Don’t cry,” when Loz was in one of his crybaby moods. But this time victory was his! He said it to his verbal tormentor, no less! Loz smirked, utterly elated.
Yazoo continued, seemingly unfazed by being one-upped by Loz’s comment. “But Mother’s with him?”
“Maybe not.” Kadaj still felt energized, though.
Loz’s unnoticed little victory jig faltered, and his face fell.
“Don’t cry, Loz.” Darn! Yazoo had nailed him again! But he sucked it up as Kadaj stated, “Hold on—he’s coming.”
Indeed. Another motorcycle sped below them. How they could tell it was a specific person, nobody knows. Normal people can’t see that far. But by now, you realize that these three aren’t exactly normal…
Loz grinned. Dangerous stunts always gave him a pleasant rush. By an unspoken command, he and Yazoo revved their bikes (Loz made a ridiculous “Vroom!” noise) and drove off the staggeringly steep rock face towards the unsuspecting motorcyclist below.
Loz wished he could have brought Mr. Pinky M. Cuddles, his stuffed bunny, along for the mission. Pinky would have squealed in excitement at the rush of their fall. But meanie Kadaj had said pink bunnies didn’t fit with their whole, “cool-black-leather-bad-guy” look. Loz had tearfully left Pinky at home. Poor guy.
The unsuspecting man on the other cycle below was a spiky headed young man who thought the world of the cool goggles he was sporting. They really did look cool on him, so I guess he’s justified feeling so. His name was Cloud. Fitting, as he often zoned out, lost in his memories, His head was always in the clouds.
But have some sympathy for the guy. He has had such a past…He still attended therapy sessions, and it had been two whole years since that fateful journey. Did he continue attending them for the mental stress of once knowing the entire world depended on him? For defeating his once-idol, who had gone nuts and decided to destroy the world? Who had also inflicted physical and psychological pain upon him? For seeing that once-idol kill his dear friend and/or romantic interest?
Heck no. Cloud had nerves of steel. It was that stupid Cait Sith who had mentally scarred him. Cait Sith had that effect on people. More on that nightmare incarnate later.
Jerked from his usual meditations, Cloud noticed two bizarrely different looking people racing after him. He pondered, ‘Why are they chasing me? A buff guy and …maybe a girl? WHOA! Ghost dogs!?”
Indeed. Yazoo and Loz had summoned phantom beasts. Cloud yanked out seven-some-odd swords all at once and swatted the dogs away.
“Where’s Mother?!” Loz screamed at Cloud. Loz didn’t wait for an answer, and aimed a heavy punch at Cloud’s face. Cloud dodged. With his gun, Yazoo began playing target practice with Cloud’s body.
“We know you hid her, Brother,” Yazoo accused.
So, with the phantom dogs and the two brothers, Cloud was outnumbered about twenty to one. They were confusing him with the “Mother” and “Brother” stuff, they were trying to hurt him, and all of them were racing and fighting atop motorcycles going much too fast for safety of any sort…What a lovely situation. Well, if Cloud happened to die in this situation, it would most likely be quick and painless. At least Cloud had that to look forward to.
So they all raced on for a while, somehow fighting each other on top of motorcycles.
And what of Kadaj?
“No need to shout,” Kadaj laughed into the cellphone held up to his ear. The man on the other end rambled on about how important the President was. Kadaj thought, ‘What did this guy say his name was? Rude? He has a personality that fits his name. Heh. Rude. Who in the world would name their kid Rude? Jeez, he’s annoying. Talks too much’
Kadaj spat, “I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Put the President on. … Hello? Sir? Where’s Mother?! Where is she?!? How can we have a reunion without our dear Mother?! Huh? ANSWER ME!…HELLO!?”
Silence on the other end.
“Oh no, he did NOT just hang up on me. This is so not helping our schedule,” he growled and huffed as he flipped the phone shut.
He peered over the rocky edge of the cliff to see his two brothers trying to kill the very person they were to interrogate. What a drag. Kadaj sighed and massaged his temples. He knew they were eager for their plan to work, but Loz never showed restraint. And that contagious excitement always spread to and intoxicated the usually emotionless Yazoo.
Kadaj dismissed the summoned wolves form afar. His two brothers below noticed that. They looked around and caught sight of Kadaj waving them back. They turned, rushing back to their leader.
Poor Cloud braked to a stop and stared at their departing leather-clad backs, utterly confused. He withdrew to his mind, and pondering what had just happened. He did not even notice performing the habitual actions of revving his bike and driving away. Like I said before, head in the clouds. He’s gonna get himself hurt someday…
When the two returned to Kadaj, he told them off for going too far with their “interrogation.”
“As far as we know, he’s the only one who knows where Mother is. We need that information for the Reunion to be a success. Now, about the invitations. Yazoo. You do ‘em, you’re the best at drawing. Remember that one time in kindergarten? The banana you finger-painted soooo totally beat the mango I drew and that carrot Loz drew. Make them look nice. Okay?”
“Consider it done. How many should I make? Who’s all coming?”
“Make a lot. Go to Edge and give them to everybody. But listen, Yazoo; leave out the time, address and date on all but five. Got it?”
“Why?”
“Because we hate humankind. Think about it. What if you got an invitation to the most rockin’ party ever, but you saw that no one cared to write where or when on the card. You wouldn’t know where it was, so you wouldn’t be able to go. You’d feel bad, right? Like you missed out. Let’s make all of humankind feel like they missed out. Cause they’re gonna. This Reunion will be the bestest ever.”
“And the five?”
“…Will be for the only five people who will actually attend the Reunion.”
“Aha.”
Kadaj smiled. He loved being the leader. Sure, Yazoo was smarter, always being manipulative. But Kadaj was the ambitious one. The man with the plan.
Kadaj was the one who thought of unleashing the virus, geostigma, on all humans possible. He considered the act an homage to Mother, who had infected the Cetra, an ancient civilization, with the same virus millennia before. It was a degenerative disease. People contracted it by exposure of the naturally clashing elements of the healing powers of the Lifestream and the evil influence of these three boys’ Mother. When these two warring elements enter the body, all hell breaks loose within. The body and mind become unstable, and sticky black pus leaks out at the place where the victim was most exposed to the infected Lifestream. And many people were exposed to the tainted Lifestream on that fateful day, two years ago. (I take it you all know what happened then.)
Kadaj turned to Loz. “You go and buy and/or steal the stuff you need for the food. Remember, make at least six different kinds of cupcakes. We don’t know what he likes yet, so make all kinds. He’ll be sure to like some of them. Maybe he’ll like chocolate. From what I’ve heard, he seems like a chocolate kind of guy.”
Loz felt weak-kneed at the glorious prospect of putting such a culinary masterpiece together. Being a pastry chef was the only joy he found in life lately. He and Pinky could whip up a mean lemon meringue.
“And as for me, I’m gonna find Mother.” In thought, Kadaj crossed his arms and closed his eyes. “I have a few ideas on where she might be, but they’ll take me a while to check out.”
Yazoo spoke. “Such as?”
“Oh, random alleyways, this here empty wasteland, under some rocks. I dunno. I’ll try and find Big Brother and ask him.”
“So, did the President have her?”
Kadaj’s green eyes burst open, wide in sudden and intense anger at the recollection of that infuriating phone conversation. Or rather, lack of conversation with the one guy who Kadaj had really wanted to talk to. The vertical, snakelike pupils of Kadaj’s eyes narrowed. It was a very evil moment. Even the most toughest tough guy, if he had seen this, would have trembled slightly at the very least. Or, if they were a real wimp, they’d wet their pants and/or scream for mercy. Scary.
“He didn’t say. He just hung on me, the jerk, so I’ll take that as a ‘No, and don’t ever call me again!’ But all the politicians I’ve seen in Edge are liars, so maybe— ”
“Has the President been infected with geostigma?” Yazoo interrupted.
Kadaj’s anger quelled, and he smiled a little. The thought of someone suffering miserably always made his day. And to think, they were suffering with a fatal sickness he had afflicted them with! He felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Kadaj thought for a moment, searching for an answer to Yazoo’s question.
“Yeah, I think so,” Kadaj said. “Before that rude Rude guy realized who I was, I asked him if I could speak to the President. Rude said that the Pres. was sick and not to bother him, cuz he’s important and all.”
“I see.”
Kadaj stared at Yazoo. He thought, ‘I see? Who says that? Nobody. And man, does he ask a lot of questions. If he’s so smart, why doesn’t he just know the answer? At least he’s quiet now.’
“And Kadaj, where do filthy rich people go for medical treatment?”
“Heck if I know.”
“To Healin. The top medical treatment and research facilities are located there. There are even lodges for the especially wealthy people to rent. Their motto there is, “We’ll do all we can for you to have a ‘Healin’ in a place with the comforts of home.” The rich stay in private lodges, while the normal people get plain old hospital rooms to stay in—“
“Get to the point, Yazoo.”
“Yes. I’ll put in it easy terms, so even Loz can understand. Mr. Shinra, in his position of power, is the person most likely to have Mother. He’s sick—and filthy rich—so he’ll be in a Healin lodge. Try going there to find him.”
“Whatever. And how the heck do you know all that crap about Healin?!”
“That rest stop miles back. While you went to the bathroom and Loz attacked the vending machines, trying to get that package of candy to share with Mr. Pinky, I read the tourist pamphlets.”
“Riiight. Well guys, let’s move out. We’ve got an agenda to keep.”
The three brothers got on their motorcycles and raced off to complete their missions. No one on the planet was prepared for the utter chaos that would explode in their wake.
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(no subject)
Now I’m re-imagining the entire beginning of Advent Children, and I can't stop laughing. We don't *see* Tseng and Elena. It could have happened JUST LIKE THIS. This is now my canon!
I love that you gave each of the triplets a quirk, like Loz with his bunny and baking (oh heavens!) and Yazoo with his artistic skill at making invitations and his reading tourist pamphlets.
That line about keeping themselves armed in case they run into fangirls -- so true! You know that's why Cloud is never far from a weapon. :3
Speaking of Cloud, saying he's always lost in his memories, his head in the clouds -- so clever! And then I laughed even harder because it wasn’t the stress of the journey and battle that cracked Cloud – it was creepy Cait Sith.
This is beautiful. I’m very impressed it was your first fanfic. I will forever wonder who all was invited to the party and which flavor of cake was the favorite. And how did they convince Sephiroth to wear the party hat? You are so cute!
(no subject)
:3 I love you so much right now!
Now, off to read the latest chappie of ALIEN TO LOVE! >:D
(no subject)
Yeah, I tried really hard to get this insanity to fit with the movie, but that was too huge of a task. I was going to take every scene with Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz, and morph them into this story. I bit off too much with that one.
CAIT SITH He's a DISGUSTING DESPICABLE SCUMBAG and I WILL NEVER FORGIVE HIM. He's such a jerk in the game. Over the summer, I played through ff7 again, on an old ps1 and everything... And I named Cait Sith LOSERJERK. I really did.
Thank you, liebe! *bows* Thank you for reading! I had to literally carry my old cpu out of my closet and hook it up. It took 5 minutes to boot up. Ahh, memories.
It was gonna be chocolate cake, and I was gonna have Kadaj force him to wear a garish pink birthday hat. That was the inspiration of the entire story, actually; a mental image of Sephy wearing a glittery pink birthday hat. I had to write a backstory.
(no subject)
This was a really ambitious story idea! It would have taken a lot of work to make it fit with the movie, but OMG what you had was hilarious. I think I'll watch AC tonight and imagine them with these personalities. ^__^
I'm sorry Cait LOSERJERK has affected you so deeply. Would you like to talk about it? Would you like to see a comic where he gets stabbed and shot? I found this looong comic over the weekend and read the entire thing. Parts of it are classic. I hope it soothes you since the artist apparently hates Cait Sith too.
I'm so sorry you had to hook up your old computer! :O I feel terrible that I made you do that! Please forgive me! But I enjoyed every word of it. You're so cute!
(no subject)
It's alright about my old pc! It was cool to look through it, at what I was into in my teens. I was a dork. D'awww you're cute too! ~wibble wibble~