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Ragnarok arc: Gray and Aiki
I ACTUALLY WROTE SOMETHING!!
It's not FAKE or BotP, but it's definitely something! I am shocked and delighted. It's been ages since I really sat down and wrote! And it's something to do with Lerre, no less! Is my slump finally over? Hurrah!
And naturally, I first write something with backstory that exists only in my head. XD
Lerre is basically the ultimate manifestation of my Final Fantasy geekdom. XD Its history starts with my sprawling epic of an idea that I affectionately call the Cloud Crossover. See, Cloud has cameos in so many other Square games, I thought one day that it would be interesting to write a fic where they all somehow came together... which proved to be a monumental task. XD Lerre is a byproduct of that idea - I eventually decided that I needed to explain in the story why all the FF worlds shared so many common elements, or else the story wouldn't make any sense.
So in a nutshell, Lerre is my explanation. The idea is that all the FF worlds originally existed as one world, which was eventually torn apart by an enormous war that fractured not just the planet, but the very reality of Lerre, and split it into many different worlds. The Ragnarok arc, when I write the blasted thing, will detail how that happens.
Yes, I know I have a massive amount of work cut out for me.
Anyway, the story of Gray and Aiki is just a part of the Ragnarok plot. Gray is a pacifistic Madain craftsman, Aiki is a human ninja. To those not familiar with FF9, Madain are like humans, except they have horns on their foreheads that they use to communicate with the summoned creatures.
The music box lay bare on the table, its filigreed back opened and its internal workings exposed. Gray stared at it with a kind of subdued hatred. He hadn't spent days on this piece, lovingly crafting the beautiful casing and tuning the mechanics with infinite patience, just to have the bloody thing start playing sour notes at him when he wound it up for one last test. It was well past midnight, and he had been hoping to have the commission finished by the morning. The deadline wasn't until the day after, but if he had to rework the entire mechanism, that would hardly leave him time to sleep between now and then.
Leaning back in the wooden chair, Gray groaned and massaged around the base of his horn. There was a headache starting behind his eyes. Fine, then. Sleep now, bloody wretched music box repair later. Pushing the chair back, Gray stood up and lurched towards the door, eager to leave the stuffy workshop behind. His lower back and legs were sore from sitting bent over the music box for hours, and his arms and shoulders seemed to ache just to complete the set. Shutting the door stiffly behind him, the Madain took a moment to stretch before slowly padding towards his bedroom. The plush carpet underfoot was a welcome change from the cool wood floor of the workshop.
Some days, he honestly felt that his house was just too big, or else the bedroom was just too far from the workshop. He was starting down a hallway and seriously weighing the merits of just collapsing on a couch for the night, when he heard the faint click of a lock in the room behind him.
The weariness fell away from his limbs in a second, and he crouched, pressing against the wall. His heart raced, and he tried to silence his breath. Someone had just unlocked his sitting-room window. He turned his head carefully to look at the opposite wall. Moonlight outlined the designs cut into the windowpanes, and threw a small figure into sharp relief against the wall. As he watched, frozen with terror, the figure heaved itself to its feet and flung the window open before dropping into the room.
Gray was paralyzed, staring at the shadow's movement against the wall. It was too late to think about sneaking away. He thought about summoning, and was just deciding which Esper to call for help when he noticed the way the shadow was moving. It was hunched over, holding its left side, and seemed to be walking unsteadily. The intruder took a few shaky steps, and then the shadow fell away from the wall entirely as its caster fell to the ground with a thump.
Compassion got the better of the craftsman, and he hesitantly left his hiding place to investigate. As he stepped around the corner and looked into the room, his heart seized.
"Aiki?"
The woman on the floor shifted weakly and lifted her masked head, making eye contact with Gray.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Did I frighten you?"
"Never mind that," Gray replied in alarm, hurriedly rushing to the human's side. A momentary flash of relief followed the realization of his intruder's identity, but it was quickly supplanted by panic. How badly was she wounded? "Love, you're hurt!"
"Only a little..." She pulled herself slowly back onto her knees. A trail of dark spots marked her path from the window. Gray stifled the desperate impulse to gather the woman in his arms, for fear of worsening her injuries.
"Don't move," he commanded, masking his fright with authority. He took her hand, wincing when he saw that it was covered in blood. "I'm going to summon, just don't move."
She sighed softly and leaned against him, letting her head fall against his shoulder. Gray gently pulled her mask away from her face, setting it aside and stroking her disheveled black hair as he closed his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate on summoning. The headache from earlier had not quite faded, and his horn twinged in protest as he opened his mind and reached out for the Espers.
The soft rush of air moving was his only signal that his call had been answered, and he opened his eyes, lifting his head to see the one who had come. A tall, winged woman as pale as the moonlight looked back at him, then down at Aiki. Appraising her task, she nodded solemnly and knelt beside the wounded ninja.
Her hands passed softly over the wounds, and although Gray could not see the process, he felt Aiki relax gradually in his arms as the cuts closed and her pain was lifted. He held her tightly, pressing his face against the top of her head as the Esper did her work.
Eventually, the winged woman removed her hands and stood up, wearily.
"That is all I can do for now," she whispered.
"It's enough," Gray murmured back. "Thank you."
Again there was the faint sound of air moving, and they were alone in the room again. Gray's hand wandered to Aiki's side, and he felt a frisson of horror go through him as he found that a gouge there had not fully healed and was still oozing blood.
"How did it happen?" he choked out.
"I was found," Aiki replied quietly. There was more strength in her voice. "But I got away."
Nothing more would be asked, and nothing more volunteered. Gray tenderly kissed her forehead and released her hand.
"Wait here," he said softly. "I'll get bandages."
She nodded slightly, and pulled away from him, sitting up carefully as he rose to his feet. All earlier tiredness long forgotten, he sprang into a run, barreling through the too-large house towards the nearest bathroom. He didn't leave Aiki long to wait, coming back as quickly as he could with a box of first aid supplies.
As he sat down beside her, Aiki wordlessly opened her tunic, letting it slide off her shoulders. She was beautiful, but Gray did not allow himself to stop and admire that beauty. He opened the box and took out swabs and salves, carefully cleaning what was left of the wound. Aiki watched dispassionately as he attended to the cut, not making a sound. Compared to what she had already suffered, Gray thought somberly, the sting of the disinfectant must have been nothing.
He felt a little sick as he applied a weak potion, which slowly began to do its work in regenerating most of the remaining damage. Not for the first time, he wondered how many she had to kill or harm to accomplish her missions, and how often she was wounded in return. Though Aiki did not make a habit of coming home injured, he had seen her scars. Every time she left on a mission, she put herself in danger. This was only the first time she had let Gray see her bleed.
Slowly, he wrapped the bandages around her waist, watching in a strange sort of trance as more and more of her skin disappeared under layers of the white cloth. Tying the bandage off, he lifted his head and met her eyes.
There was a tenderness in her eyes that belied her profession. Leaning forward, she laid a chaste kiss on his lips, and he wrapped his arms protectively around her. Even when he looked at her with full knowledge of the things she had to do, and the blood she had to shed, she was beautiful.
Gray hated bloodshed. He hated violence and death. He hated the essential cruelty of the human race. And yet, even though Aiki represented all of those things, Gray could not do anything but love her.
Phew. *collapses*
It's not FAKE or BotP, but it's definitely something! I am shocked and delighted. It's been ages since I really sat down and wrote! And it's something to do with Lerre, no less! Is my slump finally over? Hurrah!
And naturally, I first write something with backstory that exists only in my head. XD
Lerre is basically the ultimate manifestation of my Final Fantasy geekdom. XD Its history starts with my sprawling epic of an idea that I affectionately call the Cloud Crossover. See, Cloud has cameos in so many other Square games, I thought one day that it would be interesting to write a fic where they all somehow came together... which proved to be a monumental task. XD Lerre is a byproduct of that idea - I eventually decided that I needed to explain in the story why all the FF worlds shared so many common elements, or else the story wouldn't make any sense.
So in a nutshell, Lerre is my explanation. The idea is that all the FF worlds originally existed as one world, which was eventually torn apart by an enormous war that fractured not just the planet, but the very reality of Lerre, and split it into many different worlds. The Ragnarok arc, when I write the blasted thing, will detail how that happens.
Yes, I know I have a massive amount of work cut out for me.
Anyway, the story of Gray and Aiki is just a part of the Ragnarok plot. Gray is a pacifistic Madain craftsman, Aiki is a human ninja. To those not familiar with FF9, Madain are like humans, except they have horns on their foreheads that they use to communicate with the summoned creatures.
The music box lay bare on the table, its filigreed back opened and its internal workings exposed. Gray stared at it with a kind of subdued hatred. He hadn't spent days on this piece, lovingly crafting the beautiful casing and tuning the mechanics with infinite patience, just to have the bloody thing start playing sour notes at him when he wound it up for one last test. It was well past midnight, and he had been hoping to have the commission finished by the morning. The deadline wasn't until the day after, but if he had to rework the entire mechanism, that would hardly leave him time to sleep between now and then.
Leaning back in the wooden chair, Gray groaned and massaged around the base of his horn. There was a headache starting behind his eyes. Fine, then. Sleep now, bloody wretched music box repair later. Pushing the chair back, Gray stood up and lurched towards the door, eager to leave the stuffy workshop behind. His lower back and legs were sore from sitting bent over the music box for hours, and his arms and shoulders seemed to ache just to complete the set. Shutting the door stiffly behind him, the Madain took a moment to stretch before slowly padding towards his bedroom. The plush carpet underfoot was a welcome change from the cool wood floor of the workshop.
Some days, he honestly felt that his house was just too big, or else the bedroom was just too far from the workshop. He was starting down a hallway and seriously weighing the merits of just collapsing on a couch for the night, when he heard the faint click of a lock in the room behind him.
The weariness fell away from his limbs in a second, and he crouched, pressing against the wall. His heart raced, and he tried to silence his breath. Someone had just unlocked his sitting-room window. He turned his head carefully to look at the opposite wall. Moonlight outlined the designs cut into the windowpanes, and threw a small figure into sharp relief against the wall. As he watched, frozen with terror, the figure heaved itself to its feet and flung the window open before dropping into the room.
Gray was paralyzed, staring at the shadow's movement against the wall. It was too late to think about sneaking away. He thought about summoning, and was just deciding which Esper to call for help when he noticed the way the shadow was moving. It was hunched over, holding its left side, and seemed to be walking unsteadily. The intruder took a few shaky steps, and then the shadow fell away from the wall entirely as its caster fell to the ground with a thump.
Compassion got the better of the craftsman, and he hesitantly left his hiding place to investigate. As he stepped around the corner and looked into the room, his heart seized.
"Aiki?"
The woman on the floor shifted weakly and lifted her masked head, making eye contact with Gray.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. "Did I frighten you?"
"Never mind that," Gray replied in alarm, hurriedly rushing to the human's side. A momentary flash of relief followed the realization of his intruder's identity, but it was quickly supplanted by panic. How badly was she wounded? "Love, you're hurt!"
"Only a little..." She pulled herself slowly back onto her knees. A trail of dark spots marked her path from the window. Gray stifled the desperate impulse to gather the woman in his arms, for fear of worsening her injuries.
"Don't move," he commanded, masking his fright with authority. He took her hand, wincing when he saw that it was covered in blood. "I'm going to summon, just don't move."
She sighed softly and leaned against him, letting her head fall against his shoulder. Gray gently pulled her mask away from her face, setting it aside and stroking her disheveled black hair as he closed his eyes, forcing himself to concentrate on summoning. The headache from earlier had not quite faded, and his horn twinged in protest as he opened his mind and reached out for the Espers.
The soft rush of air moving was his only signal that his call had been answered, and he opened his eyes, lifting his head to see the one who had come. A tall, winged woman as pale as the moonlight looked back at him, then down at Aiki. Appraising her task, she nodded solemnly and knelt beside the wounded ninja.
Her hands passed softly over the wounds, and although Gray could not see the process, he felt Aiki relax gradually in his arms as the cuts closed and her pain was lifted. He held her tightly, pressing his face against the top of her head as the Esper did her work.
Eventually, the winged woman removed her hands and stood up, wearily.
"That is all I can do for now," she whispered.
"It's enough," Gray murmured back. "Thank you."
Again there was the faint sound of air moving, and they were alone in the room again. Gray's hand wandered to Aiki's side, and he felt a frisson of horror go through him as he found that a gouge there had not fully healed and was still oozing blood.
"How did it happen?" he choked out.
"I was found," Aiki replied quietly. There was more strength in her voice. "But I got away."
Nothing more would be asked, and nothing more volunteered. Gray tenderly kissed her forehead and released her hand.
"Wait here," he said softly. "I'll get bandages."
She nodded slightly, and pulled away from him, sitting up carefully as he rose to his feet. All earlier tiredness long forgotten, he sprang into a run, barreling through the too-large house towards the nearest bathroom. He didn't leave Aiki long to wait, coming back as quickly as he could with a box of first aid supplies.
As he sat down beside her, Aiki wordlessly opened her tunic, letting it slide off her shoulders. She was beautiful, but Gray did not allow himself to stop and admire that beauty. He opened the box and took out swabs and salves, carefully cleaning what was left of the wound. Aiki watched dispassionately as he attended to the cut, not making a sound. Compared to what she had already suffered, Gray thought somberly, the sting of the disinfectant must have been nothing.
He felt a little sick as he applied a weak potion, which slowly began to do its work in regenerating most of the remaining damage. Not for the first time, he wondered how many she had to kill or harm to accomplish her missions, and how often she was wounded in return. Though Aiki did not make a habit of coming home injured, he had seen her scars. Every time she left on a mission, she put herself in danger. This was only the first time she had let Gray see her bleed.
Slowly, he wrapped the bandages around her waist, watching in a strange sort of trance as more and more of her skin disappeared under layers of the white cloth. Tying the bandage off, he lifted his head and met her eyes.
There was a tenderness in her eyes that belied her profession. Leaning forward, she laid a chaste kiss on his lips, and he wrapped his arms protectively around her. Even when he looked at her with full knowledge of the things she had to do, and the blood she had to shed, she was beautiful.
Gray hated bloodshed. He hated violence and death. He hated the essential cruelty of the human race. And yet, even though Aiki represented all of those things, Gray could not do anything but love her.
Phew. *collapses*