Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ sore kara... ❯ deau ( Chapter 1 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: awwaw 
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.11.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 353 | Status: Completed
Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.11.2003 | Pages: 3 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 353 | Status: Completed
Standard disclaimers apply.
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sore kara...
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deau
The Sleeping Forest was known for it's ability to put a being without the Lunar Harp to sleep without any intention of ever releasing them from the slumber. Anyone sane and informed avoided stepping into the Forest because of this. And even if one DID possess the Harp, it was usually after much thought and consideration that he would eventually decide to cross the forest with it.
After all, what laid beyond the Forest was the legacy and knowledge of the Ancients -- of which, not all are ready to peer and inspect.
-------------------------------
Cloud didn't know what had inspired him to come here.
The only thing he could think of was that he had needed firewood, since his temporary abode at the Chocobo Sage's house had run dry recently. But he always got his firewood from the Bone Village's forests nearer to the beaches, so why should this time be any different? Yet if it wasn't for the firewood, he could come up with no other reason, or excuse, for him being present in the mysterious forest. He folded his arms across his chest and thought for a while.
The serenity of the forest was impeccable. It was quiet enough to let him hear the voices.
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"I think," began a hoarse, almost unwilling voice, "it's further down there."
With a bit of a strain, the dark-haired teenager managed to point towards the bright light emitting from what appeared to be the boundary of the forest.
"......" went the target of his suggestion, who opened his mouth but was unable to form any words with his voice. Nonetheless, he gave a slow nod and shifted his burden - an unconscious blond with a tail, around carefully. After making sure the burden's arm hung comfortably around his shoulders, he started to limp towards the unseen destination.
"Hey," footsteps on the soft grass behind forced them to turn back.
-------------------------------
Cloud only had to glance at them once to see the despondancy that hung around them, especially the dark-haired scar-faced teenager, like a thick gloom. Nevertheless, he trusted his instinct and pressed on with walking towards them until they could see him clearly and he, them.
They looked at him with confusion evident on their faces.
He blinked.
"The toilet's not that way, you know."
Cloud proceeded to say.
There was a pause.
And they looked at him with more confusion evident on their faces.
"I mean," Cloud scratched his head, feeling the need to justify what he had just said, "your friend," he pointed at the blond with a tail, "is drunk, right? If you're looking for an inn or a toilet, it's not that way," he nodded.
There were a few more seconds of confusion.
Then the two of them wavered and fell to the floor simultaneously. Needless to say, the already unconscious soul also fell along.
"Hey!" Cloud immediately ran forward to check on them. They were still breathing, though a couple of them had rather weak signs of life. He quickly dug around his pockets for any curative materia or items he could use, settling for a few hi-potions and his restore materia. After trying unsuccessfully to first revive them with a few phoenix downs, he shook his head and realized that it was going to take a lot more than revival and curative magic to snap these guys out of it. He fished out his PHS and requested for some help from Bone Village.
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"Eh, no problem kid, eh," the gruffy excavator adjusted his equally gruffy looking helmet and reassured Cloud, "probably just passed out coz they ain't got the Lunar Harp, eh," he put his arms on his hips and shook his head, turning to Cloud. "Funny, coz I ain't seen 'em pass through the Village to the forest at all... wonder which dimension they dropped out from, eh?" He mused randomly. "Anyway, that'll be 5000 gil, thank you very much, eh."
Cloud turned around from attempting to administer a phoenix down on one of the downed persons, literally bristling. "It never used to be so expensive," he complained slightly, "and I wasn't doing any excavation at all!"
The man shrugged. "Times are hard, boy," he chuckled, walking to his seat outside the tent, slouching in it as he usually did. "You can leave your friends here and go get the dosh somewhere else, of course, but longer they stay, the more you'll hafta pay," he continued, pulling his helmet down to shade his face from the sun, "now, I'll be taking a little nap, eh, so be a good boy and bring me my money."
For a while, Cloud considered kicking the chair the money-grubbing excavator was resting on and then carting the three of them somewhere else cheaper. But when he thought about it, since he was going to have to pay him anyway, might as well make the money worthed it. Shrugging, he strapped his weapon to it's usual place on his back and trottered off to find some monsters to bully.
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Darkness had always been confusing, for it meant many things. Perhaps it was night? Or maybe it was just that there wasn't any light. Perhaps he was dead, but then again, he could just be asleep...
Kuja woke up.
It hurt to open his eyes, or even move any part of the body, so he stayed perfectly still and thought about it for a while.
Aches in his body, blood in his mouth, a few sore spots around his face and the fact that his hair was starting to itch...
... that means he was still alive.
The next thing he noticed was that there were noises of metal being struck on hard rock - a sign that he wasn't trapped within the tendrils of the Iifa tree roots and was possibly somewhere safe in an excavation site, maybe Fossil Roo. An entire weight lifted from his shoulders at the onset of such knowledge. Even breathing became easier. Soon, he felt confident enough to open his eyes.
He didn't see dark, brown stalactites hanging from the ceiling of a deep, looming cavern. In fact, what he was laying on at the moment didn't feel like soil either. Fragments of memories escaped him while he tried to piece together the happenings. Nothing really made sense then, owing to his confused state of mind, but nevertheless he made sure his eyes had adjusted fully to the light and space before climbing up into a half-seated position to examine the surroundings more carefully.
It was a cosy tent, snug enough to fit maybe four to five full-growns, though at the moment, including him there were only 3. A dark-haired teenager laid at his feet muttering incoherently, and beside him...
... Zidane.
Slight panic arose within him as he looked at the motionless figure, quickly bending over to check on the boy. The sudden movement caused some creaky bones to ignite and forced him back on the mattress he was lying on. He groaned, making a note to keep the aerobics out until he was certified ready to do so.
That meant he had plenty of time awake and unmoving to recall and consider. What had happened, where they were at, who was involved, and why they weren't at the Iifa tree.
He shut his eyes, deciding on a rest which eventually swept him into sleep.
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"... 4989... 4994... 4999... 5000! There!" Cloud emptied out the gil he had picked off the monsters roaming around outside the Village into the helmet of the gruffy excavator. Before the latter had a chance to express his gratitude, Cloud slapped another 500 gil into the man's palm. "We're staying a coupla' hours more, then I'm moving them out somewhere cheaper." He said, and without waiting for a reply, entered the resting tent.
"Thank you for your hospitality." Came the disembodied voice from within the tent, definitely sarcastic.
The man outside merely laughed strangely and poured the gil back into a sack underneath his chair. He then put the helmet back where it was supposed to be and sniggered some more. The smell of money sure was a great lullaby to his sleep.
-------------------------------
"Hmmm..." Cloud put his arms akimbo and carefully considered his options. There were four people, and one gold chocobo. How were they all going to fit? No chance of getting either one of them to wake up and do the walk-walk thing either, but he really wanted to avoid paying the excavator anything more than what he had already. There were some things he wouldn't stand for, and one of that included daylight robbery.
Should he cart them back one by one? Should he throw all of them on the chocobo and trust that they would reach the Chocobo Sage's house without any mishaps, while he took a slow stroll back? Or maybe it would be better to just leave them here, run away and never come back to pay the bill - assuming they would eventually wake up and pay the bill themselves. He sighed. Responsibilities and decisions were never his favourite part of life.
"Where," a weak voice asked, along with the rustling of some cloth, "are we?"
At this, Cloud spun around to locate the owner of the voice, eyes finally resting on the silver-haired person on the mattress nearest to him. Good. At least one of them was awake. Might as well make some friends while they still owed him money, Cloud thought funnily to himself.
"You're at Bone Village." He was saying. "I found you guys at the Sleeping Forest, apparently drunk or something - since no one sober goes in there without the Harp." He paused for a while, as if suddenly remembering something. The silver guy raised an eyebrow when Cloud began searching his pockets. A while later, a hi-potion emerged and was thrown to him. He caught it with grace.
Cloud shrugged and seated himself on one of the wooden crates stacked in the corner of the tent, saying, "My name's Cloud Strife, you can call me Cloud. Anyway, you probably need that," he pointed to the hi-potion, "and your two friends too. But I'll have to wait until they get up first."
With that, he folded his arms and laid backwards against the filmsy tent wall.
"What's your name, by the way?"
The man looked at him silently.
"... Kuja."
He then cringed, wondering what Cloud would say, now that he knew who it was he had just saved.
"Kuja, huh," Cloud grinned idiotically, scratching his head a little, "that's a kindda weird name, hmm... you must be from Wutai. Well, nice to meet you. Hey, I got a favour I need to ask of you... think you can be strong enough in about an hour to help?"
Kuja's face spelt 'Information Overload' in flashing neon letters. What?? This guy wasn't the least bit bowled over by the fact that he just saved the man who had tried to destroy the world? And what's this about an Wutai... ? Now that things were beginning to make more sense, he remembered hearing about a Bone Village and a Sleeping Forest... both of which never existed in either Gaia or Terra. What's going on... ? Kuja closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and decided that he should try to work things out systematically for now.
"... I think I should be able to stand in about an hour," Kuja told Cloud. He then paused, thinking. "No wait, let me try that now," he said, throwing the blanket off and then getting up on one knee. It hurt, definitely, but not as much as he thought it would. Besides, he had a hi-potion he could enjoy later. Soon, he was up on both feet, a little unstable, but at least not as pathetic as lying motionless on the ground. He dusted some imaginary soil off his thighs, smirking slightly to himself. "... there. That should do it."
"Cool." Cloud nodded, showing no obvious emotion other than the occasional smile. "Can you walk?"
"Walk?" Kuja raised an eyebrow. "I can try, but why would I want to do that for?"
At this, Cloud sighed. He walked a little closer and whispered, "You know, we can't like, stay here forever, coz the bozo out there is over-charging us, so I'm thinking of packing and moving before he decides to slap another big fat bill on my already empty pocket." He laughed nervously.
Kuja remained thoughtful for a while, though Cloud had no idea what was it he had so much to think about. Noticing that the other's glance had slowly wandered to the still unconscious people on the ground, Cloud spoke up again, saying, "Don't worry about the two of them. Once we get them to my temporary abode further north from here, there'll be more space for you guys to rest and recuperate."
The silver-haired man's glance never left the floor, as he said, "Can I ask you something, which might seem ridiculous and repetitive?"
"..." went Cloud, who had seen all kinds of freaks in the world, "... shoot," he told Kuja.
"Where are we?"
"... Bone Village." Cloud smiled a little.
"Hmm... okay." Kuja put a finger to his lips. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Where is this Bone Village you keep talking about? Is it anywhere near Fossil Roo?"
"... ?" It was Cloud's turn to be mystified. "Fossil what?" He shook his head firmly. "Bone Village is on the nothern continent, if that's what you're asking about. As for Fossil Roo, I have never heard about it before."
"Fossil Roo is the tunnel joining the Mist Continent and the Outer Continent." Kuja put his hand down and put them on his hips instead, posing like the vainpot he was. "Maybe your tribe has some personal jargon for them which I don't know of? I've never seen glowing eyes before, come to think about it..."
"I think you must be the one with the jargon, because I have no idea what you just said." Cloud scratched his head in confusion, question marks sprouting all over his head.
"..." went Kuja and Cloud.
"Oh, nevermind." Kuja waved a hand and turned around, bending down to check on Zidane. "So what's your plan for now, Mr. Know-it-all-and-more?"
"The name's Cloud." Cloud sighed. He strolled slowly over to where Kuja was and knelt down as well. "I have a gold chocobo outside, ready to take us back. For now, just help me carry one of the boys here. Our first priority is to get out of the village."
"Will can do." Kuja nodded and heaved Zidane over his shoulders. He looked at the other person on the floor for a while, on the verge of asking another question. When Cloud looked at him expectantly, he shook his head and smiled thinly. "No, nothing. Let's go."
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deatta
16/5/2001
http://cloud-is.ourfamily.com/
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sore kara...
-------------------------------
deau
The Sleeping Forest was known for it's ability to put a being without the Lunar Harp to sleep without any intention of ever releasing them from the slumber. Anyone sane and informed avoided stepping into the Forest because of this. And even if one DID possess the Harp, it was usually after much thought and consideration that he would eventually decide to cross the forest with it.
After all, what laid beyond the Forest was the legacy and knowledge of the Ancients -- of which, not all are ready to peer and inspect.
-------------------------------
Cloud didn't know what had inspired him to come here.
The only thing he could think of was that he had needed firewood, since his temporary abode at the Chocobo Sage's house had run dry recently. But he always got his firewood from the Bone Village's forests nearer to the beaches, so why should this time be any different? Yet if it wasn't for the firewood, he could come up with no other reason, or excuse, for him being present in the mysterious forest. He folded his arms across his chest and thought for a while.
The serenity of the forest was impeccable. It was quiet enough to let him hear the voices.
-------------------------------
"I think," began a hoarse, almost unwilling voice, "it's further down there."
With a bit of a strain, the dark-haired teenager managed to point towards the bright light emitting from what appeared to be the boundary of the forest.
"......" went the target of his suggestion, who opened his mouth but was unable to form any words with his voice. Nonetheless, he gave a slow nod and shifted his burden - an unconscious blond with a tail, around carefully. After making sure the burden's arm hung comfortably around his shoulders, he started to limp towards the unseen destination.
"Hey," footsteps on the soft grass behind forced them to turn back.
-------------------------------
Cloud only had to glance at them once to see the despondancy that hung around them, especially the dark-haired scar-faced teenager, like a thick gloom. Nevertheless, he trusted his instinct and pressed on with walking towards them until they could see him clearly and he, them.
They looked at him with confusion evident on their faces.
He blinked.
"The toilet's not that way, you know."
Cloud proceeded to say.
There was a pause.
And they looked at him with more confusion evident on their faces.
"I mean," Cloud scratched his head, feeling the need to justify what he had just said, "your friend," he pointed at the blond with a tail, "is drunk, right? If you're looking for an inn or a toilet, it's not that way," he nodded.
There were a few more seconds of confusion.
Then the two of them wavered and fell to the floor simultaneously. Needless to say, the already unconscious soul also fell along.
"Hey!" Cloud immediately ran forward to check on them. They were still breathing, though a couple of them had rather weak signs of life. He quickly dug around his pockets for any curative materia or items he could use, settling for a few hi-potions and his restore materia. After trying unsuccessfully to first revive them with a few phoenix downs, he shook his head and realized that it was going to take a lot more than revival and curative magic to snap these guys out of it. He fished out his PHS and requested for some help from Bone Village.
-------------------------------
"Eh, no problem kid, eh," the gruffy excavator adjusted his equally gruffy looking helmet and reassured Cloud, "probably just passed out coz they ain't got the Lunar Harp, eh," he put his arms on his hips and shook his head, turning to Cloud. "Funny, coz I ain't seen 'em pass through the Village to the forest at all... wonder which dimension they dropped out from, eh?" He mused randomly. "Anyway, that'll be 5000 gil, thank you very much, eh."
Cloud turned around from attempting to administer a phoenix down on one of the downed persons, literally bristling. "It never used to be so expensive," he complained slightly, "and I wasn't doing any excavation at all!"
The man shrugged. "Times are hard, boy," he chuckled, walking to his seat outside the tent, slouching in it as he usually did. "You can leave your friends here and go get the dosh somewhere else, of course, but longer they stay, the more you'll hafta pay," he continued, pulling his helmet down to shade his face from the sun, "now, I'll be taking a little nap, eh, so be a good boy and bring me my money."
For a while, Cloud considered kicking the chair the money-grubbing excavator was resting on and then carting the three of them somewhere else cheaper. But when he thought about it, since he was going to have to pay him anyway, might as well make the money worthed it. Shrugging, he strapped his weapon to it's usual place on his back and trottered off to find some monsters to bully.
-------------------------------
Darkness had always been confusing, for it meant many things. Perhaps it was night? Or maybe it was just that there wasn't any light. Perhaps he was dead, but then again, he could just be asleep...
Kuja woke up.
It hurt to open his eyes, or even move any part of the body, so he stayed perfectly still and thought about it for a while.
Aches in his body, blood in his mouth, a few sore spots around his face and the fact that his hair was starting to itch...
... that means he was still alive.
The next thing he noticed was that there were noises of metal being struck on hard rock - a sign that he wasn't trapped within the tendrils of the Iifa tree roots and was possibly somewhere safe in an excavation site, maybe Fossil Roo. An entire weight lifted from his shoulders at the onset of such knowledge. Even breathing became easier. Soon, he felt confident enough to open his eyes.
He didn't see dark, brown stalactites hanging from the ceiling of a deep, looming cavern. In fact, what he was laying on at the moment didn't feel like soil either. Fragments of memories escaped him while he tried to piece together the happenings. Nothing really made sense then, owing to his confused state of mind, but nevertheless he made sure his eyes had adjusted fully to the light and space before climbing up into a half-seated position to examine the surroundings more carefully.
It was a cosy tent, snug enough to fit maybe four to five full-growns, though at the moment, including him there were only 3. A dark-haired teenager laid at his feet muttering incoherently, and beside him...
... Zidane.
Slight panic arose within him as he looked at the motionless figure, quickly bending over to check on the boy. The sudden movement caused some creaky bones to ignite and forced him back on the mattress he was lying on. He groaned, making a note to keep the aerobics out until he was certified ready to do so.
That meant he had plenty of time awake and unmoving to recall and consider. What had happened, where they were at, who was involved, and why they weren't at the Iifa tree.
He shut his eyes, deciding on a rest which eventually swept him into sleep.
-------------------------------
"... 4989... 4994... 4999... 5000! There!" Cloud emptied out the gil he had picked off the monsters roaming around outside the Village into the helmet of the gruffy excavator. Before the latter had a chance to express his gratitude, Cloud slapped another 500 gil into the man's palm. "We're staying a coupla' hours more, then I'm moving them out somewhere cheaper." He said, and without waiting for a reply, entered the resting tent.
"Thank you for your hospitality." Came the disembodied voice from within the tent, definitely sarcastic.
The man outside merely laughed strangely and poured the gil back into a sack underneath his chair. He then put the helmet back where it was supposed to be and sniggered some more. The smell of money sure was a great lullaby to his sleep.
-------------------------------
"Hmmm..." Cloud put his arms akimbo and carefully considered his options. There were four people, and one gold chocobo. How were they all going to fit? No chance of getting either one of them to wake up and do the walk-walk thing either, but he really wanted to avoid paying the excavator anything more than what he had already. There were some things he wouldn't stand for, and one of that included daylight robbery.
Should he cart them back one by one? Should he throw all of them on the chocobo and trust that they would reach the Chocobo Sage's house without any mishaps, while he took a slow stroll back? Or maybe it would be better to just leave them here, run away and never come back to pay the bill - assuming they would eventually wake up and pay the bill themselves. He sighed. Responsibilities and decisions were never his favourite part of life.
"Where," a weak voice asked, along with the rustling of some cloth, "are we?"
At this, Cloud spun around to locate the owner of the voice, eyes finally resting on the silver-haired person on the mattress nearest to him. Good. At least one of them was awake. Might as well make some friends while they still owed him money, Cloud thought funnily to himself.
"You're at Bone Village." He was saying. "I found you guys at the Sleeping Forest, apparently drunk or something - since no one sober goes in there without the Harp." He paused for a while, as if suddenly remembering something. The silver guy raised an eyebrow when Cloud began searching his pockets. A while later, a hi-potion emerged and was thrown to him. He caught it with grace.
Cloud shrugged and seated himself on one of the wooden crates stacked in the corner of the tent, saying, "My name's Cloud Strife, you can call me Cloud. Anyway, you probably need that," he pointed to the hi-potion, "and your two friends too. But I'll have to wait until they get up first."
With that, he folded his arms and laid backwards against the filmsy tent wall.
"What's your name, by the way?"
The man looked at him silently.
"... Kuja."
He then cringed, wondering what Cloud would say, now that he knew who it was he had just saved.
"Kuja, huh," Cloud grinned idiotically, scratching his head a little, "that's a kindda weird name, hmm... you must be from Wutai. Well, nice to meet you. Hey, I got a favour I need to ask of you... think you can be strong enough in about an hour to help?"
Kuja's face spelt 'Information Overload' in flashing neon letters. What?? This guy wasn't the least bit bowled over by the fact that he just saved the man who had tried to destroy the world? And what's this about an Wutai... ? Now that things were beginning to make more sense, he remembered hearing about a Bone Village and a Sleeping Forest... both of which never existed in either Gaia or Terra. What's going on... ? Kuja closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and decided that he should try to work things out systematically for now.
"... I think I should be able to stand in about an hour," Kuja told Cloud. He then paused, thinking. "No wait, let me try that now," he said, throwing the blanket off and then getting up on one knee. It hurt, definitely, but not as much as he thought it would. Besides, he had a hi-potion he could enjoy later. Soon, he was up on both feet, a little unstable, but at least not as pathetic as lying motionless on the ground. He dusted some imaginary soil off his thighs, smirking slightly to himself. "... there. That should do it."
"Cool." Cloud nodded, showing no obvious emotion other than the occasional smile. "Can you walk?"
"Walk?" Kuja raised an eyebrow. "I can try, but why would I want to do that for?"
At this, Cloud sighed. He walked a little closer and whispered, "You know, we can't like, stay here forever, coz the bozo out there is over-charging us, so I'm thinking of packing and moving before he decides to slap another big fat bill on my already empty pocket." He laughed nervously.
Kuja remained thoughtful for a while, though Cloud had no idea what was it he had so much to think about. Noticing that the other's glance had slowly wandered to the still unconscious people on the ground, Cloud spoke up again, saying, "Don't worry about the two of them. Once we get them to my temporary abode further north from here, there'll be more space for you guys to rest and recuperate."
The silver-haired man's glance never left the floor, as he said, "Can I ask you something, which might seem ridiculous and repetitive?"
"..." went Cloud, who had seen all kinds of freaks in the world, "... shoot," he told Kuja.
"Where are we?"
"... Bone Village." Cloud smiled a little.
"Hmm... okay." Kuja put a finger to his lips. "But that still doesn't answer my question. Where is this Bone Village you keep talking about? Is it anywhere near Fossil Roo?"
"... ?" It was Cloud's turn to be mystified. "Fossil what?" He shook his head firmly. "Bone Village is on the nothern continent, if that's what you're asking about. As for Fossil Roo, I have never heard about it before."
"Fossil Roo is the tunnel joining the Mist Continent and the Outer Continent." Kuja put his hand down and put them on his hips instead, posing like the vainpot he was. "Maybe your tribe has some personal jargon for them which I don't know of? I've never seen glowing eyes before, come to think about it..."
"I think you must be the one with the jargon, because I have no idea what you just said." Cloud scratched his head in confusion, question marks sprouting all over his head.
"..." went Kuja and Cloud.
"Oh, nevermind." Kuja waved a hand and turned around, bending down to check on Zidane. "So what's your plan for now, Mr. Know-it-all-and-more?"
"The name's Cloud." Cloud sighed. He strolled slowly over to where Kuja was and knelt down as well. "I have a gold chocobo outside, ready to take us back. For now, just help me carry one of the boys here. Our first priority is to get out of the village."
"Will can do." Kuja nodded and heaved Zidane over his shoulders. He looked at the other person on the floor for a while, on the verge of asking another question. When Cloud looked at him expectantly, he shook his head and smiled thinly. "No, nothing. Let's go."
-------------------------------
deatta
16/5/2001
http://cloud-is.ourfamily.com/