 |
 |
 |
When the Worlds Collide[08.07.00] » by Frankie Catena The line of reality and existence between two worlds can seem to be a wholeUniverse. Yet, in closer examination, this is proved to be untrue. The line of reality and existence between two worlds is very small.....yet powerful in itself. Just as any line, or border, it can be broken, twisted, or welded. Though so powerful, those tasks are easily accomplished. Even so, these tasks have yet to be accomplished. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Two Years ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The rock skipped along the surface of the water at just the right angle. Not only did it bounce three times, but four. Another factor was the calmness of the lake that day. She couldn’t believe it, actually, for the lake hadn’t been that smooth the whole week she and her family had been there. Such a nice boating day, too..... she thought to herself with a slight smile glimpsing over her face. She took another rock, and chucked it at the surface. It skipped five times this time, to her disbelief. Wow....thats the record! she smiled to herself once more. Maybe I can get six? She picked up the rock nearest her, and prepared for the record breaking blow. She stood up, breathing in a deep breath....and chucked it in with all of her might. It only sank. Darnit! ....well...I'll try again and maybe..... “Maybe not,” a deeper voice called out. She sat up, and moved away from the water’s edge, and peered out into the woods surrounding her. “Who is it..?” She called out. “Who’s there?” ~snap~ ~scrack~ She heard a few twigs snapping, along with the rustling of dead leaves, as if the person who had called out was getting closer to her. “Just a lonely beggar is all....” the voice called out once more. “ A lonely beggar in the shadows of those who can not think for themselves....a lonely beggar in the shadows of those who are run like ‘puppets’......a lonely beggar in the shadow of....you.” The girl backed up a slight bit as the man stepped forward from the shadows of the trees behind him, a slight grin overshadowing his features. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ And so the electric bill stacks itself again. Damn windmill isn't really worth the tim... "Cloud!" Cloud's train of thought was yet again disrupted due to Tifa's call. He sat up from his slouch, not wanting to be seen in his lazy state by anyone, especially Tifa. He didn't know what he felt with her...it felt like it was a bunch of pieces to a big puzzle. At one point he felt as if she was one of the most important things to him.....but the feeling just seemed to diminish over time. Suddenly Tifa ran in through the front door, startling Cloud. "Cloud! What are you doing?" she asked him, for no apparent reason, causing Cloud an inkling of annoyance. "Im tryin to get some rest...." "Well....rest later! Ive been thinking....and I've come to a decision. I want to show you something...." she smiled with a somewhat giddy look across her face. Cloud didn't catch it though, as he usually didn't catch small things like that. "Maybe later Tifa....I've been up all night for the past two nights....and I need to sleep. If I can't sleep at night...Ill take the day," he repositoned himself in his slouch again, not caring if she saw him anymore. "...Well....at least tell me what's been keeping you up..." her hands seemed to play amongst themselves, seemingly interested. Cloud, already half asleep, turned over in his chair. "I dont know...something......frightening me..........again.....a wierd...feeling....." Tifa looked strangely at him, not quite understanding what he was saying. She was quite upset at how he acted like this most of the time now. Something was going on in his head, and she knew it, and she wanted him to open up to her. He wouldn't, though, she knew. At least not for a while. She turned, and went out through the door. "Cloud....." She sat on the chair by the window, looking out over the path leading into the town. It made her feel like crying. Sephiroth was still on her mind. Nibelheim, Aeris, all of it. And it would stay there, she knew. Nibelheim had been rebuilt, yes, but not the people who had died such horrible deaths at the hand of a madman. Shadows of that deadly past lingered to cover the light of the new day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 Hours ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ (Lookout Guard 1):"Whatd'ya say?! Huh?! Whatd'ya say?!" (Lookout Guard 2):"Jeeze! Wake up the whole town why don't ya?!" (1):"If I want to wake up the town, I will!!! I own this town, ya know?!!?" (2):"Ugh...do you want the stuff or not?" (1):"Of course I want it! Give it to me now...and I'll pay you later!" (2):"Fine...here ya go..." (1):"....." "HAHAHAHAHAA!! You should never trust someone like me! I am the master of all things! The Jack of all trades! I am.....the..um.....uh... (camera angle switches between four camera views of the guy).........JACK OF ALL TRADES!!!" (2):"Oh god! And I gave it all to you.....wahhahwaaaaaaaahh!!" ~whisp~ (1):"HAHAHAHAAAAAAAaa.........um....did you just hear somethin...?" (2):"WAAAHhhah......um....I think...." (1):"Oh well...hehe...heh...hehaHHA....HAHHAAAA-" ~crack~ (2): "Um...." (1): "OK...I DEFINETLY heard somethin....but we're ok!! We're Guards!! We're trained in situations like this!! We're masters of the trade!! We're-" (2): "We don't even have guns!!! ::starts crying again::" ~CRACK~ (1): "::jumps into Guard 2's arms:: Oh god what is it?!" ~sniffle~ (2): "Oh! Wait, its just Ronnie eating a cracker!" (1): "Wait...you mean the HAMSTER?!" (2): "HEY! I COULDN'T LEAVE HIM ALONE IN THE HOUSE! HE WOULD GET SCARED!" (1): " I cant BELIEVE YOU!!!!" The guards' arguments echoed through the town, neverending through the night. Can't they shut up? A cool, gentle breeze flowed from the window. There were no fans or anything of the sort in their room, so he kept the window open to let the air circulate through, and aside from the rants of the guards, it put a more peaceful atmosphere into the room. Cloud looked out through the window beside the bed, noticing the night's calmness and quietness. Smiling slightly, he took a small glance at Tifa lying next to him, sound asleep. She's so beautiful... Cloud thought to himself, attempting to put his mixed feelings of her to an end. After that night, how could he have any mixed feelings? He knew for sure that he loved her, yet, he felt guilty for it. He felt as if he was betraying 'her' trust...'her' love. Though he loved Tifa, he had many feelings of 'her' as well. Aerith...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ He slowly stepped up onto the Altar-like platform the she had been kneeling on. His thoughts, as if on que for the moment, began to go wild, like they were tugging on him...tugging on him like strings of a puppet. Loving thoughts....memories.....evil thoughts....all in one big medley of his mind. She's so...so.. beau- His sword suddenly detached itself from the sheath on his back, and continued to move itself in front of him. Confusion raged through his head...wondering exactly what the hell was happening. As he watched his sword move directly into the center of his vision, he saw something he could never have believed....never have considered...even if God himself had told him it was true. He saw his own hand at the base of the sword..... Suddenly, the sword jumped up, then sliced down through the air.....right down at 'her'. "Cloud! Stop!" "NO! STOP IT!" His hands stopped at the sound of the two familiar voices. Cloud was pulled back into reality...relieved that he hadn't done what his 'hands' intended to do. Yet, he was outraged at himself. He did not know what had come over him..... He was confused....too many thoughts were passing in and out at the same time....generating a huge headache, yet, he had to smile when he looked at 'her' face. She seemed so peaceful....and so comfortable as she prayed. To God? Maybe. Cloud didn't know who the Cetra prayed to, even though -supposedly- he was one himself. He stepped closer to her, ready to wake her from her trance and take her home where she belonged. He reached his hand out, but it looked as if he reached into a shadow. He looked up...seeing a dark form falling out of the blue light....falling straight down at 'her'. Cloud let out a deep breath as he landed. He was completely confused and disoriented....it seemed as though he had just fallen from the ceiling of the place...when just before he had been watching 'her' pray to her Gods. He looked down at himself...gathering composure. No....wait.... This...impossible....NO.... He looked down at himself, examining everything about his body....black trenchcoat and all. Wha...?! What the hell is this!? ....My hands.... His hands. Terrified, he examined his hands. Blood - all over. Not just on his hands, but on the coat, on the boots, on the....it...the....Masamune..? Ugh....I...Can't...........no..... Realizing what had been done, and who's blood 'he' had shed, he turned the sword on himself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Light suddenly filled the bedroom. It was as if a huge flashlight had just been turned on, its light penetrating every corner. The hill on the road into the town made it so that the light didn't slowly fill the town's square, but suddenly lit it up. The light finally reached into Tifa's eyes, and she awoke with a small yawning. The night before had been absolutely great....filled with magic. It was the best experience she ever ha- "...Wait...." "Cloud?" she looked around the bed and the room for him, but he was seemingly no where to be found. She even went as far as to look under the bed, but no sign of him came up. They always end up leaving....she thought, a slight depression gleeming over her. OOOH when I find him I'm gonna take his ne- Her train of though was interupted by a scratching sound. What?? What was tha- Another sound ensued in the hallway outside of the closed bedroom door. Must be Cloud cleaning up or something....? ....Nah.... ~THUMP~ Startled yet again, this time she jumped. It was getting ridiculous and quite annoying, but because of the fact that she didn't know what could be making ths sound, it left her with a nervous feeling. The sound moved from what sounded to be the end of the hallway outside of the bedroom, to the area around the door. ~THUMP~ ~THUMP~ ~THUMP~ ~CRACK~ As it came, it hit harder....louder. As if something was slamming against the door. ~CRACK~ ~THRACK~ Tifa began to shudder, for she had absolutely no clue as to what was going on.... Her face grew pale as suddenly the door cracked off of its hinges, and fell to the floor. The long black coat flapped wildly as the man stepped over the door, into the room. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Borders ------------------------------ He sat there watching as the line on the rod began to tug, rippling the water it sat in. Havn't felt this peaceful in years....he thought to himself with a smile. Finally, he was rid of all that trouble from the past. Being controlled, being led around, being tugged on wasn't the greatest of feelings in the world. "Hey....Hey Raij...gimme a hand here will ya??" Raijin looked over, seeing what he thought to be the funniest scene ever. "Once one of the most powerful people to ever fight, and you can't even bring in a fish?!? That's a little funny, ya know?!" "Just shut up and get over here! It feels like im pullin in a whale or somethin! Gah!!" Raijin ran over to him, and grabbed the pole. Suddenly, they both started sliding forward, as if they had skates on. "The hell?!?" Raijin shouted, as the pole finally slipped from both of their hands and lunged straight down into the water. Woah...what the hell was that?...Seifer thought to himself. He's got a point...one of the best fighters all around, and I can't even get a fish out of the water....am I gettin old? "Jeeze!! It was like a blue whale!! Ya know?!?" Raijin bellowed out, amazed at what he had just experienced. Seifer shrugged it off. "Nothin we can do about it, it was a force greater than us." ------------------------------------ Greater Indeed, puppet, greater indeed. I thought I had taught you to actually look at the opposing force and see what it really is before you go and assume such things. A whale? Ridiculous. ------------------------------------ "......." ------------------------------------ What's wrong? Speechless? Surprised to hear from an old friend? ------------------------------------ "I wouldn't have called you friend. ....But I am no longer under your control. Leave me be. Let me live my life." ------------------------------------ So you remember me..... ------------------------------------ "How could I forget one such as yourself? I am no longer yours to torture, sorceress. Leave me and my friends alone." ------------------------------------ Be careful of your words, human. You will regret them one day..... Don't worry, child. Seifer. I had no intentions of bothering you of my new plans. Someone as weak as yourself wouldn't be fit to carry them out, either. I just simply wished to torture your mind by telling you that I am alive. I am stronger, and you have not seen the last of me. ------------------------------------ "........" Ugh..... Motion... UGh... Swirling..... "SEIFER!!!!" Raijin's voice suddenly reached through to him. "Ga..Ugh......" "What the hell is wrong?! What happend to ya?!?" Raijin asked, but Seifer didn't reply. He took a small step to the side of the dock, and sat down, unmoving for the rest of the day. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A light wind blew across the plain. The weather was clear as it was, but dark -seemingly pitch black- clouds were moving in rather quickly. She acknowledged this, and encouraged her Chocobo to run faster. "Jeeze...like, if I get rained on, I'm gonna be pissed," she said to herself. I just got these clothes, and if I get all muddy, I'm gonna have to like... kill someone. "Godo! Faster!" "No, faster Godo!" "Im being serious, go faster!!" "Godo....SERIOUSLY!! GO FASTER!! JEEZE!!! GAH! NO!! NOT SLOWER!!!" The Chocobo, at the sound of Yuffie's tone deafening screams, decided to stop and give it a rest, just to show who really ran the show. "Godo, please! You know I just got these clothes, and I don't want them dirty!! How about this....once we get there...and after I greet Red and whatever....I'll give you 10 carrots." The Chocobo's head popped up at the deal, but it still didn't move. "Fine....15 carrots?" The chocobo started to walk, making a small noise which Yuffie could have sworn was a giggling. "FINE!! 20 CARROTS!! JUST GET GOING!!" Godo finally began to run at a faster pace, guaranteeing her arrival at Bugenhagen's before the cloud's settled. She was going to see Nanaki for a small visit, though she didn't exactly know why. Something told her to visit him, like a pulling, so she decided What the hell? Why not. She enjoyed the newfound pace, and began to relax a little. Suddenly, she was thrown off. She looked back at Godo for some type of answer to what had just happened, but he was just standing there. "GODO!! I THOUGHT WE HAD A DEA-" She was cut off, suddenly, as Godo collapsed and fell to the grass. Seeing no visible breath being take...she jumped up and ran over to her Chocobo. She had grown close to it, and wasn't about to let it die from seemingly nothing. Suddenly she felt a shooting pain surge from her temple, and spread throughout her head. She fell back to the ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Light.... No..light.... Gah...too much...pain... Ugh.... It...It hurts..... "I know..... I know it hurts. Soon, though, it won't. You won't feel any of it for much longer." Her eyes opened involuntarily, adjusting to the dark plain surrounding the two. She looked around for the man who had spoken. "Who...who are..you..?" she forced out. The pain had spread from her head, down past her chest, pulsing with the beat of her heart. She heard a slight laugh from behind her. Looking down to the ground, she realized that she was suspended on a pole with rope, her hands tied behind her. She noticed the flapping of a black coat beneath her, but her eyes were unexpectadly covered with something, and she felt that it tied around her head. "We'll have none of that," the man implied. "You don't need to see me, do you?" The voice sounded vaguely, yet horrifically familiar. "Oh, and Yuffie...." "How ...do you..know....my na-" "....say hello to 'her' for me." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ -------------------------------- You. "......And you are the Legendary Ultimecia?"
".....All I have to do is kill them?"
".....And you say my m...Jenova is weak?"
"......For how long have you been in control of my body...?"
"Ever since what...?"
"My plans...?"
"And you say that my power is strong enough to have over thrown Jenova...?"
"Then it should be no problem."
It was never him, though. That very thought kept him going. It was never him. He didn't destroy Nibelheim. He didn't summon the Meteor. He was merely the puppet that was used to do such things. |
| |||||||||||||||||
