Stolen CH10 - Beg
NOW LEAVE ME ALONE A FEW WEEKS, KAY?! orz;;;; my eyes iiitchhhh it's 20 past 1 I hate you alllllll *grumble*
Words - 2481
Rating - ... OTish, I guess. But we all know how Ruval is decorated.
Stolen
Chapter Ten - Beg
‘Cuz you made me so complete, dear
But you left me so alone, here
And you left me so in love, here
You left with so much hate, dear
Was I creating only chaos? This world lives just fine without us…
(Quick A/N: this song inspired the whole fanfic; so if you haven’t heard it, I recommend you get down to youtube and watch it. It’s by Evans Blue. It makes me cry 7 times out of 10.)
-----
“Seeing as Fai-san is here right now… I’m certain there was probably something else in it too, like a slow-working…”
“A slow working what?” Kurogane asked impatiently, angry that they weren’t out of the woods yet.
Fay looked up, his eyes serious and clear, to mutter the one word that would shatter Kurogane’s heart yet again.
“Poison.”
-----
Kurogane placed his hand on the wall to help steady himself. Poison?! His fist curled and he fought against the frustration and anger rising in his chest.
It wasn’t fair.
Fay sat on the bed next to his double, stroking his still-damp hair carefully. He hadn’t even been introduced to the other blonde yet and he already felt such a connection, such an unwillingness to let him die.
“There has to be something.” Kurogane said, his words confident but his voice giving away the slightest of quivers.
“I don’t know,” Fay replied quietly, honestly, fingers still toying with the other’s pale strands of hair, “the only one who would know something like that would be Yuuko-san.”
Kurogane spun around to leave, but Fay easily grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.
“I’ll go. There’s no way of telling how much time he has left,” he reasoned bluntly, trying to not crumble at the emotions running through the PE teacher’s red eyes, “You should spend it by his side.”
-
“My, my. I didn’t expect to be hearing from you again so soon!”
“Fai-sensei’s poisoned, Yuuko-san… I don’t know if there’s an antidote, and-“
“You wish to know if such an antidote exists.” Yuuko cut him off, before taking a long drag of her cigarette, “But you know that information requires a price. That vase.” she instructed, pointing at something over Fay’s shoulder.
“That seems awfully cheap.” Fay commented, passing the vase along without hesitation. If the people living here hadn’t even packed up before leaving, they obviously had no need for a vase of enchanted ice. Especially seeing as they were so common.
“Of course. I said that there would be a price for the information, not for the actual antidote.”
“So there is one?”
Yuuko paused, running her delicate fingers along the curve of the green ice as she chose her words carefully. She was already treading the line of interference.
“Time is a strange thing, Fay. It’s not linear, as some people expect, but rather… it’s in a circle. But time is also very fragile,” the ice vase chipped as her nail clipped it at the perfect angle, “there are fixed events, and there are events that vary as time passes, like stories that are passed on by word of mouth. The fixed things… are the things that don’t change. Ever. No matter how many wishes are granted, no matter how much blood is spilt,” Her eyes fixed on Fay again, “for example. A fixed event would be… that one ‘Fai’ will not be leaving Celes with his life.”
Fay’s eyes widened in fear.
“You said there was an antidote!”
Yuuko nodded once.
“There is. Unfortunately the price for such a thing would be too high, and time itself would collapse. Fixed events cannot be changed, Fay, no matter how hard you wish.”
Fay nodded.
“And if I hand over my own life as payment?”
“I’d chase you into the bowels of Hell and drag you back here myself.”
Fay whipped around. Kurogane stood staring down at him, his face red from either anger or cold. A bag of firewood was slung over his shoulder, and remnants of snow were clinging to his boots and cloak.
“Witch, don’t feed him ideas. He’s stupid enough to follow through with them.”
“Stupid?! I’m trying to save Fai-sensei’s life!”
Kurogane’s eyes narrowed. He was absolutely livid.
“Handing over your own goddamn life to save someone else’s isn’t saving them; it’s cursing them.”
Fay turned back around, brow furrowed in thought.
“If… I stay in Celes when everybody moves on… would that work? Could we save Fai-sensei if I did that?”
“Yes. But I would still require a price.”
Fay didn’t hesitate, “Such as?”
Yuuko stared straight into his eyes. “The crown of Ruval.”
Instantly, Fay froze in place, his skin turning a sickening white and his trembling fingers winding themselves into the blanket he was situated beneath.
“How long would we have?” Kurogane asked, making Fay stare at him with noting but fear in his blue irises.
Yuuko looked out of the window next to her. It was night-time, and if they strained, they could hear the faint song of the cicadas. To Fay, it sounded like they were counting down to the end of the world.
“One sunrise and one sunset. Twenty-three hours.”
He looked down at Fay, who had drawn the blanket up to his chest and held his head low, as if the weight of the world had just been dropped onto his neck.
“How long will it take us to get to the castle?”
There was a pause, before the blonde magician mumbled “Six hours each way, if we’re lucky. Nine if we’re not.”
Kurogane nodded. “Five hours to steal a crown. Easy.”
Fay laughed bitterly. “What king do you know would give up his crown before his life? I have to kill him.”
“WE have to kill him.”
“No offence, Kuro-katana, but you can’t fight magic with a sword. Besides, it was my responsibility, and I failed. I have to right my mistake.”
“Your ‘responsibility’?” Kurogane raised a sceptical eyebrow. Fay said nothing, so Kurogane continued, “And what if you can’t kill your precious king? Will you just steal his crown and keep running?”
“And what if you-“
“Time spent sat around arguing is time wasted,” Yuuko interrupted, lighting another cigarette, “I suggest the both of you carry out your task.”
-
Fay stood just outside the door, hidden by the shadows. He could only hear parts of the conversation happening within the room, but he wasn’t there to eavesdrop.
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough, Kuro-sama…” Fay murmured, just loud enough for the ninja whom he knew was just behind him to hear.
“You’re willing to give up your wish so that he can live?” Kurogane asked just as quietly.
Fay watched the other Kurogane kiss the other Fai’s brow and he hummed in affirmative.
“Then you’re already stronger than when we met.”
Fay smiled wryly. For once, he wasn’t talking about emotional strength. He turned to Kurogane, who was facing away from him, leaning against the wall. He slipped his arms around Kurogane’s waist and rested his forehead against the ninja’s shoulder blade.
Kurogane didn’t return the hug, but didn’t pull away from it either.
He was annoyed. Annoyed that the blonde was still so willing to lay down his life. Annoyed that he had promised Yuuko he’d stay behind. What did he expect them to do?
Sure, there’d still be a Fai, a mother figure, with them. But what would they do after they get to wherever the other two came from? They couldn’t expect them to stay travelling with them, and Kurogane was no good at taking care of kids.
Well, there was taking care and then there was taking care. Kurogane could barely do either.
Stupid mage. Stupid witch. Stupid price.
“We should get going, Kuro-chan…”
Stupid country.
-
The blizzard was at its worst. It seemed like the very winds were against them, Fay thought, as he held his hood below his eyes. He glanced back at Kurogane, who had his eyes jammed completely shut and his hand hovering over Souhi’s hilt.
Silly Kuro-chan… there are no people left on this world left to sense.
Fay faced their destination again. They were making good time, despite the icy ache that the cold had drilled into their muscles. They would make it to Ruval in three hours, judging from their current progress.
He just hoped that he would be able to fulfil his promise.
X o X o X
Fai laughed and patted Mokona’s head. It really was a curious thing, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t completely adorable. It also seemed to be very good at annoying Kurogane, almost as good as he was, which of course formed an instant bond between them.
Kurogane grumbled and folded his arms, trying to ignore the jibes and teases from the white thing, inwardly happy that whatever Fai’s experience had been; it hadn’t damaged him. And if it had, he was still himself enough to be able to hide it.
“You should rest,” Kurogane reminded, trying to swat the thing away. Fai giggled and snuggled Mokona more.
“Silly Kuro-tan; my shoulder will heal whether I’m resting or not!”
Your shoulder will heal… but you won’t be able to fight the poison if you don’t have the strength.
“It won’t if you keep moving!” Kurogane growled, snatching Mokona away and throwing it through the open door. They could hear laughter, but it didn’t come back in. “Just get to sleep.”
“You know,” Fai said after a pause, “I always sleep better with Kuro-rin as a mattress…”
X o X o X
Fay pushed the large ivory doors open and swept through them, his coat billowing behind him.
Upon entering the castle, Fay had not let them linger long. Sprinting through endless rooms and hallways, Kurogane marvelled at the infinite corpses decorating the floors and walls with their frozen blood.
The corpses were also frozen too, and untouched by rot.
Kurogane wondered how long they had been there.
His attention returned to Fay, who spared less than a glance at the men and women who were once undoubtedly his colleagues, maybe friends, as they shot past. The ninja supposed it was better for Fay to ignore them and run, like he always had. Coming here was hard enough for Fay, physically and emotionally. He didn’t need the added weight of all the dead on his shoulders.
Fay slowed and paused at the end of the last hallway, a dead end if not for the gigantic, elaborately carved doors.
Fay’s hand quivered as he reached for the handle and he hesitated, clenching his fist, fighting down the dizzying fear that crept into his lungs and strangled his heart. He steeled himself and, with a last glance at the ninja for reassurance, pushed open the heavy doors.
Even though he had expected it, his heart stopped at the sight of Ashura-ou. Even if Fay had not known that Ashura would know of their presence as soon as they reached Celes, he would have figured it out from the apparent serenity of the situation. His king was stood in the middle of the room, just in front of… that pool, his face twisted into a soft smile that could no longer warm Fay’s icy heart, his hands clasped in front of him calmly.
“Welcome back. Fay.”
Fay hung his head and he murmured “I thought I’d be able to not return, if possible,” he looked up slowly, “Ashura-ou.”
Ashura’s expression didn’t change, it never did.
“Even though you promised me you’d grant my wish,” he held his hand out and magic sparked in the air, “I’ve been waiting for you. This child has also been waiting.”
Ashura flung his cloak out of the way and stood there was another man. His blonde hair was unruly and his blue eyes were dull and lifeless.
His face, however, was unmistakable, and Kurogane did a double take. He looked exactly like Fay.
Fay’s entire body tensed and a gasp escaped his lips. Kurogane knew that, if the mage’s hood were down, he would be able to see the skin drain of all colour and his eyes widen in shock and for a second he wished he could, if only to see a true Fay for once.
He remembered the situation and refocused himself on the obvious enemy, glad that they hadn’t taken the time to attack during both his and Fay’s lapses of concentration.
The second Fay double raised his hand, pale as death, and held his arm high, pointing loosely at Fay.
“You killed me… Yuui…” the thing, for it could no longer be human or alive, rasped and Kurogane felt Fay’s aura spike and he could practically hear the mage’s erratic, pounding heartbeat.
“You … killed… me…”
The words reverberated around Kurogane’s skull and he could hear screaming… it was distant and it was vague but it was horrifying and suddenly Kurogane knew.
He knew about the tower, about the pit and AAH his head was exploding with the madness and the blood and the screaming and he would have screamed himself had the terror not been so crippling and oh god he knew everything and-
It stopped… his head was quiet. He opened his eyes - he didn’t remember closing them - to see the twins together again, Fay - no, Yuui - embracing the dead one. Ashura’s puppet.
Ashura laughed suddenly and Fay - the original Fay - sprang away, drawing a halberd-like weapon out of thin air with a surge of magic and holding it poised before him, the tip of the blade a hair’s breadth away from Yuui’s throat, the enchanted ice of the weapon glinting in the bright light reflected in by the snow outside. Yuui stared calmly at his lifeless brother, his brows furrowed slightly.
Fay jabbed the halberd forward harshly, but Yuui luckily ducked away and parried with a harmless staff he had also drawn out of hammer-space.
Kurogane growled to himself. Even though Yuui knew his twin was dead and had been for many years, the idiot blonde could still not raise a blade to him, even in self-defence. Then again, Yuui had never really been a self-preserving kind of guy.
Kurogane cursed and was about to step in when he found he couldn’t step anywhere at all; his feet were magically rooted to the spot. He considered tossing Souhi over to the blonde, but quickly decided against it because the deadlier twin would easily be able to intercept the blade and use it to his advantage, and it would leave Kurogane completely unarmed.
Fay easily knocked the staff from Yuui’s hands, the force of the blow sending the blonde to his knees. He felt the cold blade press at his neck again.
He looked up slowly, into the dead eyes of his dead brother, praying that death come swiftly to him too.
TBC... Previous Chapter | First Chapter | Next Chapter
Words - 2481
Rating - ... OTish, I guess. But we all know how Ruval is decorated.
Stolen
Chapter Ten - Beg
‘Cuz you made me so complete, dear
But you left me so alone, here
And you left me so in love, here
You left with so much hate, dear
Was I creating only chaos? This world lives just fine without us…
(Quick A/N: this song inspired the whole fanfic; so if you haven’t heard it, I recommend you get down to youtube and watch it. It’s by Evans Blue. It makes me cry 7 times out of 10.)
-----
“Seeing as Fai-san is here right now… I’m certain there was probably something else in it too, like a slow-working…”
“A slow working what?” Kurogane asked impatiently, angry that they weren’t out of the woods yet.
Fay looked up, his eyes serious and clear, to mutter the one word that would shatter Kurogane’s heart yet again.
“Poison.”
-----
Kurogane placed his hand on the wall to help steady himself. Poison?! His fist curled and he fought against the frustration and anger rising in his chest.
It wasn’t fair.
Fay sat on the bed next to his double, stroking his still-damp hair carefully. He hadn’t even been introduced to the other blonde yet and he already felt such a connection, such an unwillingness to let him die.
“There has to be something.” Kurogane said, his words confident but his voice giving away the slightest of quivers.
“I don’t know,” Fay replied quietly, honestly, fingers still toying with the other’s pale strands of hair, “the only one who would know something like that would be Yuuko-san.”
Kurogane spun around to leave, but Fay easily grabbed his wrist and pulled him back.
“I’ll go. There’s no way of telling how much time he has left,” he reasoned bluntly, trying to not crumble at the emotions running through the PE teacher’s red eyes, “You should spend it by his side.”
-
“My, my. I didn’t expect to be hearing from you again so soon!”
“Fai-sensei’s poisoned, Yuuko-san… I don’t know if there’s an antidote, and-“
“You wish to know if such an antidote exists.” Yuuko cut him off, before taking a long drag of her cigarette, “But you know that information requires a price. That vase.” she instructed, pointing at something over Fay’s shoulder.
“That seems awfully cheap.” Fay commented, passing the vase along without hesitation. If the people living here hadn’t even packed up before leaving, they obviously had no need for a vase of enchanted ice. Especially seeing as they were so common.
“Of course. I said that there would be a price for the information, not for the actual antidote.”
“So there is one?”
Yuuko paused, running her delicate fingers along the curve of the green ice as she chose her words carefully. She was already treading the line of interference.
“Time is a strange thing, Fay. It’s not linear, as some people expect, but rather… it’s in a circle. But time is also very fragile,” the ice vase chipped as her nail clipped it at the perfect angle, “there are fixed events, and there are events that vary as time passes, like stories that are passed on by word of mouth. The fixed things… are the things that don’t change. Ever. No matter how many wishes are granted, no matter how much blood is spilt,” Her eyes fixed on Fay again, “for example. A fixed event would be… that one ‘Fai’ will not be leaving Celes with his life.”
Fay’s eyes widened in fear.
“You said there was an antidote!”
Yuuko nodded once.
“There is. Unfortunately the price for such a thing would be too high, and time itself would collapse. Fixed events cannot be changed, Fay, no matter how hard you wish.”
Fay nodded.
“And if I hand over my own life as payment?”
“I’d chase you into the bowels of Hell and drag you back here myself.”
Fay whipped around. Kurogane stood staring down at him, his face red from either anger or cold. A bag of firewood was slung over his shoulder, and remnants of snow were clinging to his boots and cloak.
“Witch, don’t feed him ideas. He’s stupid enough to follow through with them.”
“Stupid?! I’m trying to save Fai-sensei’s life!”
Kurogane’s eyes narrowed. He was absolutely livid.
“Handing over your own goddamn life to save someone else’s isn’t saving them; it’s cursing them.”
Fay turned back around, brow furrowed in thought.
“If… I stay in Celes when everybody moves on… would that work? Could we save Fai-sensei if I did that?”
“Yes. But I would still require a price.”
Fay didn’t hesitate, “Such as?”
Yuuko stared straight into his eyes. “The crown of Ruval.”
Instantly, Fay froze in place, his skin turning a sickening white and his trembling fingers winding themselves into the blanket he was situated beneath.
“How long would we have?” Kurogane asked, making Fay stare at him with noting but fear in his blue irises.
Yuuko looked out of the window next to her. It was night-time, and if they strained, they could hear the faint song of the cicadas. To Fay, it sounded like they were counting down to the end of the world.
“One sunrise and one sunset. Twenty-three hours.”
He looked down at Fay, who had drawn the blanket up to his chest and held his head low, as if the weight of the world had just been dropped onto his neck.
“How long will it take us to get to the castle?”
There was a pause, before the blonde magician mumbled “Six hours each way, if we’re lucky. Nine if we’re not.”
Kurogane nodded. “Five hours to steal a crown. Easy.”
Fay laughed bitterly. “What king do you know would give up his crown before his life? I have to kill him.”
“WE have to kill him.”
“No offence, Kuro-katana, but you can’t fight magic with a sword. Besides, it was my responsibility, and I failed. I have to right my mistake.”
“Your ‘responsibility’?” Kurogane raised a sceptical eyebrow. Fay said nothing, so Kurogane continued, “And what if you can’t kill your precious king? Will you just steal his crown and keep running?”
“And what if you-“
“Time spent sat around arguing is time wasted,” Yuuko interrupted, lighting another cigarette, “I suggest the both of you carry out your task.”
-
Fay stood just outside the door, hidden by the shadows. He could only hear parts of the conversation happening within the room, but he wasn’t there to eavesdrop.
“I don’t know if I’m strong enough, Kuro-sama…” Fay murmured, just loud enough for the ninja whom he knew was just behind him to hear.
“You’re willing to give up your wish so that he can live?” Kurogane asked just as quietly.
Fay watched the other Kurogane kiss the other Fai’s brow and he hummed in affirmative.
“Then you’re already stronger than when we met.”
Fay smiled wryly. For once, he wasn’t talking about emotional strength. He turned to Kurogane, who was facing away from him, leaning against the wall. He slipped his arms around Kurogane’s waist and rested his forehead against the ninja’s shoulder blade.
Kurogane didn’t return the hug, but didn’t pull away from it either.
He was annoyed. Annoyed that the blonde was still so willing to lay down his life. Annoyed that he had promised Yuuko he’d stay behind. What did he expect them to do?
Sure, there’d still be a Fai, a mother figure, with them. But what would they do after they get to wherever the other two came from? They couldn’t expect them to stay travelling with them, and Kurogane was no good at taking care of kids.
Well, there was taking care and then there was taking care. Kurogane could barely do either.
Stupid mage. Stupid witch. Stupid price.
“We should get going, Kuro-chan…”
Stupid country.
-
The blizzard was at its worst. It seemed like the very winds were against them, Fay thought, as he held his hood below his eyes. He glanced back at Kurogane, who had his eyes jammed completely shut and his hand hovering over Souhi’s hilt.
Silly Kuro-chan… there are no people left on this world left to sense.
Fay faced their destination again. They were making good time, despite the icy ache that the cold had drilled into their muscles. They would make it to Ruval in three hours, judging from their current progress.
He just hoped that he would be able to fulfil his promise.
X o X o X
Fai laughed and patted Mokona’s head. It really was a curious thing, but he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t completely adorable. It also seemed to be very good at annoying Kurogane, almost as good as he was, which of course formed an instant bond between them.
Kurogane grumbled and folded his arms, trying to ignore the jibes and teases from the white thing, inwardly happy that whatever Fai’s experience had been; it hadn’t damaged him. And if it had, he was still himself enough to be able to hide it.
“You should rest,” Kurogane reminded, trying to swat the thing away. Fai giggled and snuggled Mokona more.
“Silly Kuro-tan; my shoulder will heal whether I’m resting or not!”
Your shoulder will heal… but you won’t be able to fight the poison if you don’t have the strength.
“It won’t if you keep moving!” Kurogane growled, snatching Mokona away and throwing it through the open door. They could hear laughter, but it didn’t come back in. “Just get to sleep.”
“You know,” Fai said after a pause, “I always sleep better with Kuro-rin as a mattress…”
X o X o X
Fay pushed the large ivory doors open and swept through them, his coat billowing behind him.
Upon entering the castle, Fay had not let them linger long. Sprinting through endless rooms and hallways, Kurogane marvelled at the infinite corpses decorating the floors and walls with their frozen blood.
The corpses were also frozen too, and untouched by rot.
Kurogane wondered how long they had been there.
His attention returned to Fay, who spared less than a glance at the men and women who were once undoubtedly his colleagues, maybe friends, as they shot past. The ninja supposed it was better for Fay to ignore them and run, like he always had. Coming here was hard enough for Fay, physically and emotionally. He didn’t need the added weight of all the dead on his shoulders.
Fay slowed and paused at the end of the last hallway, a dead end if not for the gigantic, elaborately carved doors.
Fay’s hand quivered as he reached for the handle and he hesitated, clenching his fist, fighting down the dizzying fear that crept into his lungs and strangled his heart. He steeled himself and, with a last glance at the ninja for reassurance, pushed open the heavy doors.
Even though he had expected it, his heart stopped at the sight of Ashura-ou. Even if Fay had not known that Ashura would know of their presence as soon as they reached Celes, he would have figured it out from the apparent serenity of the situation. His king was stood in the middle of the room, just in front of… that pool, his face twisted into a soft smile that could no longer warm Fay’s icy heart, his hands clasped in front of him calmly.
“Welcome back. Fay.”
Fay hung his head and he murmured “I thought I’d be able to not return, if possible,” he looked up slowly, “Ashura-ou.”
Ashura’s expression didn’t change, it never did.
“Even though you promised me you’d grant my wish,” he held his hand out and magic sparked in the air, “I’ve been waiting for you. This child has also been waiting.”
Ashura flung his cloak out of the way and stood there was another man. His blonde hair was unruly and his blue eyes were dull and lifeless.
His face, however, was unmistakable, and Kurogane did a double take. He looked exactly like Fay.
Fay’s entire body tensed and a gasp escaped his lips. Kurogane knew that, if the mage’s hood were down, he would be able to see the skin drain of all colour and his eyes widen in shock and for a second he wished he could, if only to see a true Fay for once.
He remembered the situation and refocused himself on the obvious enemy, glad that they hadn’t taken the time to attack during both his and Fay’s lapses of concentration.
The second Fay double raised his hand, pale as death, and held his arm high, pointing loosely at Fay.
“You killed me… Yuui…” the thing, for it could no longer be human or alive, rasped and Kurogane felt Fay’s aura spike and he could practically hear the mage’s erratic, pounding heartbeat.
“You … killed… me…”
The words reverberated around Kurogane’s skull and he could hear screaming… it was distant and it was vague but it was horrifying and suddenly Kurogane knew.
He knew about the tower, about the pit and AAH his head was exploding with the madness and the blood and the screaming and he would have screamed himself had the terror not been so crippling and oh god he knew everything and-
It stopped… his head was quiet. He opened his eyes - he didn’t remember closing them - to see the twins together again, Fay - no, Yuui - embracing the dead one. Ashura’s puppet.
Ashura laughed suddenly and Fay - the original Fay - sprang away, drawing a halberd-like weapon out of thin air with a surge of magic and holding it poised before him, the tip of the blade a hair’s breadth away from Yuui’s throat, the enchanted ice of the weapon glinting in the bright light reflected in by the snow outside. Yuui stared calmly at his lifeless brother, his brows furrowed slightly.
Fay jabbed the halberd forward harshly, but Yuui luckily ducked away and parried with a harmless staff he had also drawn out of hammer-space.
Kurogane growled to himself. Even though Yuui knew his twin was dead and had been for many years, the idiot blonde could still not raise a blade to him, even in self-defence. Then again, Yuui had never really been a self-preserving kind of guy.
Kurogane cursed and was about to step in when he found he couldn’t step anywhere at all; his feet were magically rooted to the spot. He considered tossing Souhi over to the blonde, but quickly decided against it because the deadlier twin would easily be able to intercept the blade and use it to his advantage, and it would leave Kurogane completely unarmed.
Fay easily knocked the staff from Yuui’s hands, the force of the blow sending the blonde to his knees. He felt the cold blade press at his neck again.
He looked up slowly, into the dead eyes of his dead brother, praying that death come swiftly to him too.
TBC... Previous Chapter | First Chapter | Next Chapter