fic: eir's tomorrow, ch.14.4

[jukeboxhound_backup]

…

The screaming outside started.

Zangan and Gillian were already up and dashing out of the cottage; Aeris, the kind girl, stayed to help Elfreda up, as the sudden jerk from what had been a pleasantly meditative state was horribly jarring. Fenrir streaked past their legs and out the door, and Aeris took Elfreda's hand as they followed.

It was noon but all Elfreda could see was fire.

Villagers were running through the town towards the gates, screaming and sobbing in terror and there were the words Strife and gods echoing through the roaring fire. Flames leapt and crackled along thatched roofs, swept across the ground like a flood to leap upon the people.

(Those Strifes, the villagers used to say. A bunch of witches. Superstitious heathens. Practically child abuse, that woman raising her son to believe in that crap. Better to forget such nonsense, learn to accept the changes in the world.)

"Zangan!" Aeris was yelling, "They're at the mansion, Tifa and Zack and everyone!"

He hesitated, looking between the three women, but Elfreda put her hands on her hips and barked, "We can take care of ourselves just fine, now listen to what the girl says!"

Mouth quirking in a wry smile, Zangan leaned in to press his lips against Elfreda's and murmur, "Stay safe."

She huffed but there was a slight blush giving her away. "Don't be silly, Zangan, just go find the others while I take care of my son."

The flames forced him to take a second, smaller route out of the village towards the mansion, ducking low as he did so to avoid the worst of the smoke and heat that made the air shimmer. Fenrir was howling, teeth bared and tail stiff as a bottlebrush, and Gillian and Aeris were both grabbing at her and crying, "Elfreda, please, we have to get out of here!"

Then from the path came her son, and it was a terrible sight.

He was older, somehow, naked and pale save for the red cloak he held around himself with one hand, with eyes that glowed like materia and turned molten in the light of the inferno. From his shoulders arched wings white as fresh Nibel snow, like the wings from a hippogriff or tycoon that had been bleached of color save streaks of blood that dripped to the ground. For all that Elfreda had believed he had some divine purpose, fear had never occurred to her; fear for him, yes, but never of him, because he was her son and she was his mother.

Now she felt the fear and awe of a mortal in the face of a god.

The small Ice materia carved in the shape of an ornate hammer glittered from his collarbones, as brilliant as his eyes, and the sword he carried in one hand could have been made in the deepest forges.

Aeris suddenly made a sound that broke Elfreda's heart; it was quiet and gasping and was like a hunter's poorly made shot that didn't kill a doe quickly enough. The girl dropped to the ground in unconsciousness, narrowly missing a rock near her head.

"Shit," Gillian breathed, and then with eyes wide in horror she threw herself at Elfreda, knocking her down as flames rushed between them. Coughing through dirt and smoke, Elfreda pushed the other woman aside.

"Gillian? Gillian, what – "

Soft brown eyes stared sightlessly at her and it didn't sink in for a long moment that Gillian wasn't just unconscious, she was dead.

(cloud had sensed the calamity's presence in gillian hewley she was angeal's mother she had seen so much death and lost so much that death was a mercy)

"Nebel!" Elfreda cried, scrambling to her feet, "Stop, bitte!"

The water-tower was beginning to groan as its wooden supports sagged and then cracked, sending up plumes of sparks. The noonday sun was being swallowed up with smoke and ash and heat and some of the screams had turned into shrieks of agony as flesh bubbled and flaked from living bodies.

But her son didn't hear her; he continued walking, as relentless and pitiless as Hel. From him the fire spread like a wave to the cottages, the Inn, the gates, and then farther beyond, climbing up the mountainsides like packs of wolves and turning the trees into pillars of hellish light. Elfreda finally realized it wasn't a natural fire caused by any materia but something far more dangerous, something that didn't need a material source to consume and grow – snow melted into streams of freezing water that just as quickly evaporated into hissing steam and collected with particles of ash and fell back down to earth in black rain.

Hel had promised that their clan would live beyond all the others, but she had never said that theirs would be the cause for Ragnarok.

Elfreda's fear and awe hardened. She was a mother and she would do what was necessary to protect her child, even from himself, and her hand found the red materia in the pocket of her skirt.

Not Nebel anymore, she thought as those wings arched higher. Wolke.

She didn't have any silken rope that would bind a god (odd how she immediately thought of Aeris' hair ribbon and that unusual materia tied up in it) but sometimes another god could serve just as well. Elfreda had no regrets, she'd lived with honor and with pride and the traditions of her family, and as the fires finally came for her she activated the materia.

The last thing she saw was the sky opening up on her son and Odin.

…

Zack woke up to a world that was oddly muffled. There was movement, but he wasn't the one moving. Was someone carrying him? He thought so, even if those thoughts were rather muzzy. Sound trickled into his brain very slowly; a quiet shout somewhere, harsh breathing from the chest that he was pressed against. Weird, it was like he'd just come through a mako shower, only a thousand times more intense. Everything was distant like it was all happening behind a thick pane of glass.

"Angeal?" he managed, thinking that the person who carried him looked familiar. Only his voice came out more like aaan-jeeel, all long and thick like syrup. How much mako was in that damn shower, anyway? And why was Angeal – and yes, it was Angeal, and Zack shouldn't have been nearly so proud of himself for figuring out that much – crying? Was something burning? It must've been the coffee again, Genesis was going to be so irritated.

"Go back to sleep, Zack," it sounded like Angeal was saying, but the world was coming in a little more clearly and now he knew something was burning.

"Cloud?" and it was a little more human this time, just a little trouble with the 'L' part.

"Genesis is getting him, Zack, go back to sleep." Yeah, Zack totally wasn't imagining it, Angeal really was crying, and why had his voice nearly shattered on Genesis' name? Sure, the guy was an ass, but everyone had their issues. He wanted to ask but his head starting pounding like whoa, like he'd just had his ass kicked six ways to Sunday by all three generals, so he let himself fall back into darkness.

…

Neither Genesis nor Angeal had seen what Hojo was doing until the glass of the observation window suddenly exploded inwards from a percussive force. Only SOLDIER reflexes and the thick feathers of their respective wings had prevented the shards from slicing their upper bodies to ribbons. An instant later a man in black leather slipped into the room through the now-empty frame with unnatural grace, a great metal claw lashing out and pinning Hojo's hand to the console. The scientist was mostly dead, only managing to cough up a fresh wave of blood through a garbled, "Valentine."

More glass was shattering in the laboratory and Angeal thought he stopped breathing when he saw Zack slump to a floor awash in spilled mako, when Strife lifted him like he was a child's toy doll and laid him upon the steel table. Not Zack, his mind screamed, and suddenly he felt all the regret and self-loathing slam into him. You left him behind without a second glance, even Strife noticed before you ever did.

There was the sucking sound of a sword being yanked out of a body. Genesis didn't seem to care about the stream of blood running down Rapier's blade and over his glove as he snarled, "Hojo is mine."

"Hojo doesn't matter anymore," the man (Valentine?) growled, and as they watched his skin was turning from parchment-white to slate-grey and black, scarlet wings wrenching their way out of his back with the shredding of muscle. "Cloud's lost, he's – "

"A WEAPON," Genesis supplied, but whatever else he was going to add was lost in the fire that erupted in the laboratory. Angeal was leaping for Zack before he was conscious of doing so, had to get him out –

Genesis saw the look on Angeal's face and smiled wryly to himself.

So you've made your final choice, old friend.

His sense of self was threatening to get swallowed up by the roaring of Strife's mindless fury, tempting him to give in, to fall at the feet of this new god, but it was that very urge that strengthened his resolve and pride. A thoughttwist and he left Hojo behind, left Valentine-CHAOS behind and followed the destruction that Strife had left in his wake.

Perhaps he would die a hero after all, and the irony of it all made him laugh aloud.

The Nibel valley was already mostly consumed. Genesis could see that some of the fleeing villagers were enshrouded in flame as they ran until their bodies gave out and collapsed in on themselves. It wasn't just the town but the trees, then the mountainsides, and he knew as instinctively as he knew how to breathe that Strife would keep walking until the whole Planet burned itself out.

A WEAPON made from a human is the most dangerous one of all.

The airship that had brought them all here had taken to the sky to avoid the fire. Good, because Genesis wasn't going to be very happy if he sacrificed himself and everyone still died. Morbid humor. Sephiroth would've appreciated it.

("Humans always wish they were angels," he'd once told Sephiroth, and he added to himself, and this is what happens when they are.)

Strife was beautiful in the way that a hurricane or a battlefield was beautiful in its destruction. In the Lifestream that was a part of every living thing Genesis could hear the boy's sephirothprotectmine neveragain that was drowning out the sound of anything else. The Planet was waking up with its smallest and most powerful WEAPON and behind him the reactor was groaning, letting out metallic snapping and screeching as the mako surged up through the deep channels that had been drilled through the earth's surface. If it wasn't the fire that destroyed the town it would be the reactor's meltdown and the flood of distilled, acidic Lifestream.

There was something of freedom in seeing, and choosing, one's own death.

Genesis activated the Barrier materia in his bangle as he strode down the path after Strife, blocking the waves of fire and heat that washed back towards him. He saw the water-tower collapse, the cottages go up like torches; he saw Angeal's mother die.

The compassion he'd thought years-gone suddenly threatened to buckle his knees because Angeal…after this, Angeal would have nothing, not even Zack, because he'd already hurt Zack too many times.

When Genesis was young and still living in the labs he'd heard the far-off calls of a woman's voice, or something that was a close approximation of a woman's voice, speaking of mothers and power and everything he'd ever wanted, until one day it was silenced as abruptly as a knife to the throat. Now that voice had returned and it was Strife's. He reached out, tangled himself with the rage that was all that remained of Strife's mind, and forced the boy to turn around.

Above them came the ozone-smell of an Odin Summons.

killingragestop unnecessary he snarled.

protectatallcosts was the reply and Genesis fell to his knees with the force of Strife's cry, but he used the position as leverage to throw himself forward, black wing held high and Rapier steady in his grip. More sparks flew when Rapier struck the Buster Sword – shock, seeing Angeal's beloved blade – and the force sent frissons of pain down Rapier's blade into Genesis' hands.

Strife wasn't human anymore, however, and he tossed Genesis back enough steps to be able to swing down with the Buster Sword, narrowly missing the redhead's body as he ducked to one side. Rapier was just as long as the Buster but narrower and therefore lighter, making it easier to swing more quickly. Genesis wasn't entirely sure that a direct slash would actually kill the boy – would he bleed red or mako, would the Planet keep bringing him back every time? – but he pressed forward ruthlessly, gaining a few feet of ground.

Above them Sleipnir bore Odin into the sky and the god drew his own weapon, called up the storms that were his domain and drove down against the unnatural fires.

i am weapon

Through the chaos threatening to grip Genesis' own mind he could see flashes of a future that never happened: Sephiroth being the one to burn the world, as terrible as Strife could ever hope to be; humans and animals alike turning into twisted dead things that still crawled on broken limbs and bled black acid; the Lifestream splintering and the Planet ripping itself apart.

Knowing what it was like to live through it all.

And for a moment Genesis was lost in the horror, his soul turning into a gibbering mass of madness so he couldn't feel the Buster Sword split apart his ribcage.

never again

"And you thought you had to protect the Planet from me," Genesis managed to laugh through numbed lips, drowning in the blood filling his lungs.

Strife's eyes widened.

…

The SOLDIERs were slapping one another's backs in congratulations, though Sephiroth had been the one to take down the Emerald WEAPON. They weren't stupid enough to approach him. Almost no one in Mideel had been killed and the monster had been destroyed, and for them, that was enough.

Sephiroth stood beside the massive body of the fallen WEAPON and felt hollowed out. The body had been sliced into more pieces than was strictly necessary.

He wondered if he should return to Midgar or just go to Nibelheim, one never knew...

sephiroth

i need you

mine

now

his mind went greenblackblood as his wing burst from his shoulder in an explosion of feathers and he fell back into lifestream into cloud

…

Vincent tore out Hojo's throat with a flat, "For Lucrecia. For my son."

…

Aeris had never fully been unconscious. She'd sensed Cloud an instant before he reached out and touched something inside that sent her mind reeling, Gillian following almost immediately. Except whatever Cloud had done had killed her, killed Gillian, and Aeris lost a few moments to darkness. She came back to herself in time to see Elfreda reach for that materia, but then there were teeth gripping her around the waist and the pain sent her off again.

She came back to silence, and for a moment she thought she was dead. But her nose was thick with the stench of charred flesh and wood, and the sky was still dark with ash. Her head pounded and she thought there might be blood soaking her dress around her midriff, but she was alive, and something was whining beside her. It was Fenrir, his nose nudging underneath her shoulder as though he couldn't decide if he needed to hide or get her moving.

"Ow," she managed weakly, and with the wolf's nose against her shoulder she managed to sit up slowly, gasping when the movement tightened her abdomen. Aeris glanced down and realized that the only reason she was alive was because Fenrir had gripped her the only way he knew how and dragged her away from the flames. And, yes, a glance at the blood on his muzzle confirmed her suspicion.

"Good boy," she rasped, wryly, then coughed as her smoked-out throat protested.

There was no more fire, no more screaming. The Nibel valley was a burnt-out husk, snow and vegetation and buildings scorched away to bare grey rock. There was nothing left. No roots, no housing foundations, no bodies.

Except for the heap of white feathers and red cloth in the center.

Aeris was only able to get to her feet by leaning most of her weight against Fenrir. Perhaps Nibel wolves were even more intelligent than regular wolves because he seemed to understand, pacing slowly at her side and helping her hobble all the way to Cloud's side. She dropped back down to her backside and leaned over the blonde.

He was utterly still. A slight breeze likely left over from Odin's storm ruffled blood- and smoke-streaked feathers, but he didn't move, just remained curled in on himself with his forehead turned towards the ground. When she tentatively reached out for his mind, she found nothing.

"Oh, Cloud."



Comments

[nashidesei.livejournal.com]

...I'm just gonna be sobbing forever over here. ;A;

[jukeboxhound.livejournal.com]

;__; *hugs*

[miss-aya.livejournal.com]

;O;

Owch. Really really owch. And Elena and Cissnei in the library....

[jukeboxhound.livejournal.com]

Um. Not everyone dies?

Your icon is amazing.

[miss-aya.livejournal.com]

I thought of something earlier. The song that plays when Sephiroth burns Nibelhiem in the game is titled "Those Chosen By The Planet". Yeah, that adds a whole new level of pain/irony there.

Also! There are only three confirmed deaths, and Cissnei makes that comment about Turks being like cockroaches, so I'm being cautiously optimistic/hopeful here.

It's awesome, really, one of my favourites. And my spellcheck is British, good to know.

[aikonamika.livejournal.com]

*wailing softly*

This is just...oh gods. Tyr, and Ragnarock, and Freya, and Cloud just going utterly batshit insane and oh hells. ;________;

I love the plan of attack, and how Nanaki is introduced to give us a view onto Cloud in Hojo's lab. Then people sneaking in, as inside everything suddenly and rather quickly goes to Hell. It goes straight to Hell, do not pass Go, do not collect $200. I just...oh geeze. *shuddering*

Genesis' final thoughts, and his last words, are powerful as hell. Cloud putting himself into Jenova's place in the tie to the others is terrible and achey, and the fact that Cloud, as a human WEAPON, is so much more destructive than any of the others could ever hope to be... *shivers*

I apologize for the lack of coherance. This is mind-blowing and amazing in an absolutely fantastic way, and my heart is aching, and I'm desperately wondering just where it'll go.

One quick typo, I think: but then there were teeth gripping her around the waist and the pain sent her off again.

Do you mean "around the wrist"?

[artimusdin.livejournal.com]

No. She meant waist. =D Fenrir's just that effin' huge, and Aeris that small.

[jukeboxhound.livejournal.com]

I almost slapped myself when I was mentally ticking off AVALANCHE members (haven't forgotten Yuffie, dunno what to do with Barret) and then it was like OH GOD NANAKI HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN YOU YOU'RE MY FAVORITE. And then it was like OH HEY CONVENIENT PLOT TWIST.

*coughs* Way back in the first couple chapters, when people were getting mad at me at how easily Jenova seemed to have died, I kept wanting to yell WAIT THERE'S MORE TO IT and took it out on Dina instead. (There's still more, I suppose, but yeah.)

I was making myself queasy with nervousness with posting, so...I'm glad you liked it. *huddles in a ball*

And yeah, what Dina said. Fenrir's a freakin' Nibel wolf and Aeris is a tiny thing, so, uh, I didn't think it'd be that big a stretch. And I figured that if he pulled her by the hand or arm, the poor limb would end up getting ripped off...

[wickedly-evil.livejournal.com]

What the fuck just happened?

I don't even know what to say, my mind is blown. I was NOT expecting this. Shit. Cloud! T-T Amazing chapter, even though it's just so fucking sad and not supposed to happen. Waiting is going to kill me.

[akalillyn.livejournal.com]

Holy craaaaaaaaaaaap. That was amazing. What a role reversal! Cloud being the one to destroy everything and GENESIS stopping him, oh. my. god. I really didn't expect this. And I don't think you needed to be nervous because this was a fantastic chapter! I mean, I was devastated at the character deaths, but they were well done. I'm just going to go cry myself to sleep now, thanks. That was wonderful, beautiful, and I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WROTE THIS SO QUICKLY. I am always thankful for a new chapter. So thanks again. I loved it.

[jinnina.livejournal.com]

Wow, that was intense--one moment everything is going according to plan...then Cloud "wakes up."

Poor Cloud. He got what he wanted with Zack and Aeris alive, and Sephiroth free from Jenova's influence, but the cost..oh, the cost...

I can't wait to see Sephiroth's reaction to everything that has happened, especially with Cloud now looking exactly the angel from his childhood.

Thank you for sharing this amazing story with us!

[rsasai.livejournal.com]

I know I commented a little while ago on FFn, but I just wanted to say again that I'm acrying mass of goo right now, and my heart is beating like a gazillion miles per hour. I can't feel my fingers, and I am totally blaming you. I need to go drink some tea and calm down.

On another note, my roommate asked if my pet just died. I told her that no, but all my favorite characters did.

Genesis... at least his death was useful. the idea of him rotting bothered me... though I DON'T WANT HIM DEAD. NOOOOOOES.

Thus, I will use a Genesis icon in memory.

[madisuzy.livejournal.com]

oh my god... you just fried my brain with all the awesome excitment and so much going on and people dying and who's dead and who's alive and crap!!!!!

[persica-parfume.livejournal.com]

This was fantastic. I'm on the edge of my seat- I can't wait to see what happens next!
I am so glad that I found this fic, you have no idea. And the fact that it's got multiple chapters and is still being frequently updated- well that doesn't happen a lot in fandom. Especially with the really good fics. I'm floored. Please, please, please keep updating because I honestly love this.

[spellhorn.livejournal.com]

;A;

and I don't even know how many people to morn because it's all so confusing.

Is this story ever going to get a happy ending? Because Cloud really deserves it. (if, you know, he manages to get his mind back >_>)

Really really really good job though. Can't wait till the next part.

[mika-kun.livejournal.com]

Wow, I'm not really sure how I feel about this chapter. From a story telling and technical point of view it's pretty much perfect, I especially liked the parallel to cannon in Cloud's actions, but not his thoughts (good intentions aren't always enough and all that) I though Cloud's mom was brilliant and that Zack getting Angeal's sword was very touching.

From a personal point of view I think my heart broke on Cloud's behalf. I was actually sniffing quite a bit by the time I finished the chapter. I also think the way it went from hoping and expecting a rescue to being horrified by Cloud's actions was particularly affective. I'm just very sad for Cloud because when he wakes up (if he does, and if he doesn't that'll be even worse!) he's going to be heartbroken over what happened.

[artimusdin.livejournal.com]

... < snip > he's going to be heartbroken over what happened.

There. Fixed that for you.

[mika-kun.livejournal.com]

Haha, thank you!

You're right, I mean, Nibelhime was traumatizing enough the first time around, to learn that he's responsible (well, from his perspective, personally I don't think temporary insanity has ever seemed more appropriate) for it happening again? Yeah, he's going to need lots of help picking up the pieces of himself, if he can at all. (Arise, Zack and Seph will do there best to help I'm sure though).

[akahoshi.livejournal.com]

Reading this was like being on a rollercoaster and havign adrenaline ebb and flow and seeing the long falls coming and being eager for them and dreading them at the same time. Weapon!Cloud was so powerfully written and exciting and dreadful, I'm not going to get anything else done today because I'll be thinking about it. And Genesis. His role was so unexpected and so bittersweet I could just sob. I cannot believe I have to do mundane things like work and pay bills and drive when I just want to live in the....sheer magnitude of this chapter. However (heh) I think Spehiroth and Cloud and Aeris and Zack and Angeal and Elfreda and Zanagan have earned some hot-soul-restoring-happily-ever-after-saved-the-day-celebratory-dawn-of-peace sex...right?

[xantissa.livejournal.com]

ooookay, just how are you going to get out of this one?

What Geneseis said at teh end? It boggled my mind, in a good way. I'm gla dto see this one comming together.

[scarborough1.livejournal.com]

I'm a long-time reader of your work (have been following ET since when you started posting it), but never commented in your lj before. I'll make sure to show my love and appreciation for your wonderful work here on this domain from now on <3

Already left a lengthy review about this chapter over at ff.net, but to reiterate what I said previously... Your story never, ever disappoints, in fact, each chapter seems to be even better and more exciting than the last one. I squeal shamelessly every time I see an update alert in my inbox. And now I won't be able to properly concentrate on my studies until I know what the fuck will happen with Cloud after all of that oh god ;_;

[armina-skitty.livejournal.com]

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[(Anonymous)]

Genesis's realization that Angeal would be alone after this made me realize something: you changed the roles of the three friends of LOVELESS around, and now Genesis would get to be what he's always wanted to be: the hero, and this time around it's for Gaia rather than Jenova. Sephiroth would be the one who turned from the path for his own pursuit, and Angeal is the one left loveless and alone. ... ouch. Because everything is breathtaking beautiful and fiercely sad, and I get the feeling that someone's going to have to pay the price for all this in the end. That said, I'm not sure if these new endings are eminently appropriate for the story as it is turning out, or do you really despise Angeal that much? (I hope that made sense...)

-- sanctum_fw@yahoo.com

[aoyagi-rikka.livejournal.com]

Well, damn. There goes my hope for a Happy Ending here.

[loke-21.livejournal.com]

OMG! i totally loved it. All that experiment has altered Cloud into what he was in the beginning of the story! Poor Cloud! Oh man... is his soul gone. back to the planet. Man was the Planet pissed. lol. Is Cloud going to get his sword back? First Tsuguri? That still is the most awesome sword. Well...next to Masamune of course. :) Anyways..love your work and can't wait to read more. Please please update soon.