Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Dreams ❯ Even the Wisest Fall ( Chapter 13 )

Chapter 13: Even the Wisest Fall

 

Cigarettes and tea… the scent seemed to flow through him stronger than any of the other senses. It overpowered his dreams and his subconscious. He could feel hands over his skin, calloused fingertips gliding over his back and chest, tracing the planes of muscle and causing softened nipples to bud under their skilled touch.

 

It was misty in his dreams, misty and warm with the sensation of water pouring down and around him. Their skin was slick with the soap and liquid as their bodies glistened from the heat of the shower and the steam rapidly filling the small bathroom. It was blue… everything was blue… from the shower curtains pulled against each wall to the tile that lined the enclosure.

 

Lips pressed to the back of his neck, sweeping away his long raven tresses with one hand. A chin rough with scruff scraped along the sensitive skin of his right shoulder.

 

Words that he couldn't understand were murmured into his ear as a hard, muscular body pressed against his back and a very obvious arousal prodded at him. The voice was rough but soothing, evidently masculine, and sent shivers down his spine. He responded to the touch quite vocally, gasping as he reached a hand back to tangle it in messy and short hair.

 

A hand snaked around him from behind, running a palm over the flat planes of his abdomen and caressing his skin, whilst the other reached for his already straining erection, jutting up proudly from the combined effect of soft kisses and touches. Rough fingers wrapped around his swollen shaft, encircling the flesh and stroking softly. A finger brushed over the tip, rubbing through the pearly drop of precum that had already gathered there. He unconsciously bucked forward into the touch wanting more from the simple caress.

 

Lips were on his shoulder again and on the firm flesh of the back of his neck, licking, sucking, biting gently. He turned his head to greet the lips and was welcomed with an equally hungry mouth. A tongue snaked out to lick across his lips before mouths met, and he tasted cigarettes and tea. Back to the flavors once more it seemed.

 

They didn't fight for dominance nor did one concede. It was a simple meeting of mouths, a shared exploration of moist caverns and a gentle caress. It made him weak kneed, and his mind whirled. The dream seemed to go out of focus and swirl until the scene faded before his eyes to become something new.

 

He was standing, back to the spray, the warm water beating upon his back and soothing strained muscles… muscles taut with battle and worry, riddled with guilt and self-loathing. The water hit his back at his shoulders, soaking his hair, and flowing down the planes of his body in smooth rivulets before falling to the floor of the rather large tub.

 

Large strong hands were placed on his hips, thumbs brushing across the bony jutting of his hips, and warm air ghosted over his full erection. He looked down to see a form, features indistinguishable in the foggy haze, kneeling on the floor of the tub before him. One of his own hands was tangled in the short light-colored hair as the other gripped the shower curtain in an effort to be steadied.

 

“So beautiful…” The words came, echoing throughout the bathroom, the only clear words he could understand. The same voice that time rough yet sensual, raw with need and filled with an emotion he wasn't sure he was worthy of.

 

A moist pink tongue snaked out, tasting the tip of his hardness and absorbing the drops of pearl before wrapping completely around the head. He couldn't hold back the groan of satisfaction as he was surrounded by moist heat. A hand left his hip to come down and cradle his balls gently, massaging and causing fire to race throughout his body. Fire of a sensual nature that made his toes want to curl and his fingers flex intuitively in the hair that he had grasped.

 

A tongue traced the vein along the underside of his shaft, and he moaned in response. It felt so damn good! It was all so surreal. He knew this had to be a memory, but he could feel every swipe of the man's tongue and experienced the familiar flush of arousal that spread through his body. The water on his back was warm and pleasing, the mist clearing the air and making it all have that foggy dreamlike appearance.

The fingers cradling his balls began to massage gently as the head bobbed over his erection, taking him in fully and slowly sliding him in and out until it felt like near torture. He couldn't help himself; he started thrusting slowly into the mouth that was sucking him wild.

 

His toes curled against the porcelain beneath him, and his legs trembled with the amazing sensations coursing through his body. The man hummed against his arousal, sending tremors through the turgid flesh.

 

He moaned aloud, long and low that echoed throughout the bathroom. He chewed on his lower lip as both hands now ran through the short hair. He was close… so very close.

 

Calloused fingers caressed his balls once more, causing him to gasp and buck wildly. Fire raced through his system, beginning in his belly as his shaft swelled with his impending orgasm.

 

A hand trailed softly over his skin, barely touching as it brushed across his hip, up his side and over his stomach. Its destination was obvious as a dusky nipple hardened beneath the rough touch.

 

He came with a cry that resounded throughout the tiled room, and his lover greedily swallowed all of his release. For a moment, his entire body went boneless with the force of his orgasm but his lover was there to catch him.

 

He was wrapped up in arms, thick with muscle and smelling freshly of vanilla, his soap of choice. Lips were pressed one unto the other, and the flavor of tea filled his senses.

 

“You are so fucking beautiful, Vincent,” came the voice, that one phrase clear to him. He couldn't look into those eyes, unable to believe the words. He turned his head away and stared off at the tile.

 

His mouth moved, words must have come out, but he couldn't hear them. He didn't know what he said. The scene started to get fuzzy, the sound of the falling water fading and drifting away…

 

Raven awoke slowly, still in a hazy state thanks to that vivid and revealing dream. So… his name was Vincent, was it? Or could he assume that from the dream? He sat up in the bed to try and clear his thoughts nearly blushing when he realized the state of his body. He groaned. Great… getting turned on by erotic dreams of a man he didn't remember and a past he had forgotten…

 

Vincent… wasn't there a man in Gongaga who was looking for a Vincent? But no… that man had many different characteristics. Besides, there couldn't have been only one Vincent in the entire world. Very well then, his new name was Vincent. Looking down at himself, the dark-haired man willed his arousal to go away. Now was not the time…

 

“You're going to change your name several times before you're satisfied,” chuckled a voice from the doorway.

 

The dark-haired man looked up through bleary eyes and blinked before realizing that it was Erebus. He flushed red although the demi-god couldn't see him and decided on pretending nonchalance.

 

For a moment however, he just sat and tried to clear his thoughts. They were still a swirling mess thanks to that confusing dream. He shrugged his shoulders noncommittally before throwing back the covers and swinging his feet around so that he could rise from the bed.

 

“If you would just tell me my name, I wouldn't have to keep changing it,” retorted Raven, who was now Vincent, sharply as he rolled his neck and tried to stretch his muscles.

 

The demi-god sighed as he crossed his arms and leaned on the closed door, imparting a somewhat irritated gaze on his animus. “You know that I cannot.”

 

Vincent waved a hand of dismissal as he rose from the bed and wandered over to where he had laid his cloak (careful to keep his body angled from the demi-god, of course) and other clothing earlier when Bugenhagen had suggested he rest. He hadn't meant to actually sleep, but looking at the soft and very inviting bed, he knew that he couldn't resist. And so in a moment of weakness, he had showered in the older man's most wonderful shower and collapsed into the clean and comfortable bed for a blissful rest that was soon affected by erotic dreams.

 

He was loved… somewhere. But he couldn't help but wonder if he loved in return. Vincent struggled to push the erotic images from his mind, knowing it would not do for him to be stuck in a precarious situation, especially since he hadn't taken part in any carnal pleasure since he woke up six months before hand. But flashes of skin and reverbs of moaning kept skating across his subconscious. He groaned and realized it was going to be a long day.

 

Risking a glance at the small clock on the wall, he realized he had slept for only a few hours. He willed his body to obey him, thinking all sorts of non-erotic images such as Bugenhhagen in the shower or even his anima… ugh. He shuddered without thinking and as a result, his libido was killed. He would have to remember that tactic for another time. His stomach growled hungrily as he slipped into his familiar black pants before wandering into the adjoining bathroom.

 

“You ought to feed yourself,” Erebus commented, his voice clearly able to be heard through the thin wooden door of the bathroom. Vincent rolled his eyes as he flushed the toilet and washed his hands before jerking the door open so that he could hear the demi-god better.

 

“I'd hate to intrude too much on Bugenhagen's hospitality,” the grey-eyed man replied softly.

 

The dark-haired man looked in the mirror, wincing as he saw the many scars that riddled his slowly tanning flesh. Some looked like battle wounds such as the three round scars of pinched and upraised white flesh that riddled his chest and abdomen. Others, such as the long slashes looked as if someone had been cutting on him just for fun. Then there were others that he didn't even want to think about, such as the two long, thick vertical ones that extended from his shoulder blades and down his back.

 

He lowered his eyes from the reflective glass and turned on the faucet, washing his hands and splashing some of the water on his face, to help wake him up and feel refreshed.

 

Erebus had snorted a reply and moved into the room to glance over the well-stocked bookcase. It was simply overflowing with all sorts of titles from history to science to mathematics. The demi-god briefly wondered if the room was really a guest room or someone's personal bedroom.

 

Suddenly his senses twitched, and he heard a summoning. Withdrawing his hand from the scientific text he was about to touch, Erebus ran to the window and threw back the curtains.

 

“What is it?” questioned Vincent with a frown when he noticed the odd behavior of his anima. He held a white fluffy towel in his hands and was wiping his face.

 

“So soon…” commented Erebus in a low, strained voice. Skeletal fingers tightened angrily on the curtains as he cocked his head to the side as if listening.

 

The dark-haired man flopped the towel onto the counter before attempting to draw his long raven locks into some semblance of a ponytail, so that it would be out of his face. He frowned again.

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

Erebus turned to look at him. “Get dressed. You have to get out of here.”

 

Vincent regarded him strangely before moving into the room, swiping his tie off of the bedside stand so that he could tie his hair.

 

“Why?” the man questioned as he pulled a mysterious red-hair from his hair tie, wondering how it had gotten there.

 

A cold flush of apprehension suddenly flooded his heart, and he nearly gasped from the odd feeling. The sense that something he knew was approaching, something terrible, hit him so strongly that he almost felt like he was the cause.

 

“They are coming,” Erebus answered with a shake of his head. He abruptly released the filmy white curtains from his skeletal grip and swiftly crossed the guest room floor, heading for the dark-haired man's pile of clothes. He grabbed the shirt and tossed it to Vincent.

 

He caught it easily and quickly pulled the fabric over his head, his face going pale. “They… you mean the ones that are trying to kill me?”

The moment the words left his mouth, the sound of an explosion rocked through the evening. The view from the window lit up with light, and the house shook in its foundations. It wasn't enough to throw the two males to the floor, but it was more than enough to cause them some worry.

 

As Vincent hurriedly grasped and clasped his cloak, then buckled the Hell's Fire around his waist, Erebus dashed to the window to confirm his suspicions. It was Gongaga all over again.

 

Hosts of winged demons and monsters were swarming over Cosmo Canyon. Some of the larger creatures held land borne ones in their grasp, dropping them to the ground as they flew close enough. Dragons, Imps, Gargoyles, and other such creatures… all laying siege to the tiny education town. The demi-god didn't even want to think about what the explosion had been.

 

And hovering over the town was the bringer of destruction… Pandemona. Erebus remembered his true name of course, but refused to think of the traitor in any other. He never would've believed that the wind demi-god would turn to Balaam's path. Yet, his eyes did not fail him.

 

The wine colored cloak settled about Pandemona's purplish-blue body as the demi-god hovered above the town. His head swiveled from side to side as it laughed at the Cosmo Canyon residents scurrying about below him, occasionally tossing out a wind magic to thwart them. He seemed to be having fun tossing the humans about as if they were toys. Erebus clenched his teeth in anger, his inner being raging with anger.

 

“I'm going to find Bugenhagen,” Vincent explained as he rushed out the door, silvery-grey cloak fluttering behind him. Erebus nodded though the dark-haired man couldn't see him and tore his gaze from the window. He had to be sure his animus survived… or the war would be lost.

 

Vincent flew down the steps as quick as he could, eyes darting all about to find Bugenhagen. Erebus wanted him to leave, but the grey-eyed man was not going to leave the kind elder to his fate. Not if the cause was his own fault.

 

After dashing through the house, Vincent learned that the sage was not inside. Another explosion rocked the air and he stumbled on his feet, almost crashing to the floor. However, he threw his arms out to regain his balance before awkwardly bursting out the front door.

 

The orangish-red glow of fire instantly met his vision, and he momentarily was brought back to Gongaga in his mind. It was just like before… the sound of screaming, the acrid scent of smoke, the insane cackle of monsters intent on destruction and death. This time the demons were more varied… and this time they were led by a face that should have been one of good. He recognized the wind demi-god despite his memory loss. There were some basic facts that he had not forgotten.

 

It was then that he noticed Bugenhagen, standing in front of him at the edge of the cliff that his home resided on and looking down sorrowfully at the destruction of his town.

 

Vincent moved to his side, eyes widening at the grief he saw there. “Elder, are you harmed?” he questioned.

 

Bugenhagen shook his head negatively. He gestured vaguely out towards his city. “It has begun,” he uttered with a heaving sigh.

 

(You know what must be done,) came the familiar voice in the back of the sage's mind. Bugenhagen exhaled softly once more.

 

“I only hope that they can get to the escape tunnels,” the white-bearded man added in. Vincent regarded him thoughtfully, his heart aching for the sheer amount of distress… and regret that he caught in the older one's ice blue eyes.

 

The screech of a monster alerted the dark-haired man to the presence of a monster. He whirled around to see three Gargoyles had landed on the ground behind him and Bugenhagen, malicious intent in their eyes.

 

Vincent pulled out the Hell Fire and shot at one of them, hitting the creature in the chest and abdomen, barely slowing it down. He hurriedly cast Ice, freezing the Gargoyle in enough time to fire another round or two and shattering the frozen monster.

 

A silver scythe appeared out of nowhere and slashed through a second, cutting it in half. Erebus appeared behind that creature, grinning as it took out the monster.

 

Now only the third remained, between the demi-god and the human, it was quickly defeated. Panting only slightly from the small battle, Vincent felt the prickle of magic on the back of his neck.

He turned to see Bugenhagen take one small step forward before he yelled out a name. “Isis!”

 

A great wind picked up, even more so than the ones caused by the traitor Pandemona. It swirled massively, forming a large tornado over Cosmo Canyon, though it did not land and cause destruction.

 

Vincent watched with mouth agape as the swirling wind began to collapse upon itself, drawing in all air as if it were a black hole and coalescing into a whirling ball of fire and wind.

 

A great lion-like roar resounded through the area and slowly a figure began to emerge from the flame-like ball of air. Two feet came first, elegant and cat-like, though they were massive. A head, ringed by an intricate golden crown emerged next, another ear shattering roar ringing through the air.

 

Massive golden wings came next followed by two more feet and a tail that was lit with fire much like Nanaki's lion-wolf form. The great wings flapped once and brought its owner high into the air. The creature roared again, but Vincent found that her roar did not inspire terror but hope.

 

Fireballs erupted from its mouth, aiming directly for the monsters swarming Cosmo Canyon. Some Gargoyles fell from the sky, victims of cleansing fire. Isis flew in the air, snatching creatures with her giant maw and occasionally burning them to a crisp. The great lioness flew close to where Bugenhagen and a gaping Vincent were still standing. One brilliant blue eye locked on the older man before it flew off to dispatch of more victims.

 

(Use the magic… get him out of here…) was the message that had been given to the white-bearded older man. He nodded in understanding.

 

Vincent moved to his side, staring in awe at Isis. “What… what is that?”

 

“It is Isis, demi-goddess of the sun,” Erebus answered, stepping up on the other side of Vincent. “Or as you humans have taken to calling her, Sphinx.” Bugenhagen nodded his approval; the demi-god was correct.

 

A screech was their only warning before a trio of demons swarmed down to attack them. Erebus swiftly beheaded one with his scythe; Bugenhagen cast an amazingly intricate spell of binding and breakage, while Vincent shot the third through the heart, a clean shot. The three demons fell before they even had a chance to strike.

 

“You must leave,” the elderly sage demanded, turning to face the younger man he had taken in and believed he had recognized.

 

“What? No!” Vincent shook his head negatively. “I am going to fight as well. It is me they want!” he exclaimed fiercely. He was not going to turn tail and run. He hadn't in Gongaga, and he certainly wasn't going to now. No one else was going to die if he could help it; no other blood would be shed, so that he could live.

 

The elder exchanged glances with Erebus who inclined his head slightly before responding. “Which is why you must go,” he intoned darkly. “If you are killed, then this war is lost before it even begins.”

 

Vincent's eyes widened in confusion at the older man's words. “I am nothing, nobody!” he protested loudly.

 

“We cannot afford for them to gain their power! Nor can Isis and I hold off the droves on our own forever,” Bugenhagen argued in return, gesturing towards the city that was slowly being destroyed their eyes.

 

The grey-eyed man pulled out his gun and started to reload it, replacing the shots he had already fired as he mentally gauged his condition for spell-casting and his stock on materia. On his way through Cosmo Canyon earlier that day he had procured a Mystify and Transform. If he confused many of the demons or turned them to frogs… it would be much easier to defeat them. He looked up and regarded the older man calmly.

 

“Which is precisely why I must stay.” Vincent set his jaw firmly and made his stand. If they weren't going to explain why he had to leave, then he was going to stay. He was no safer fleeing than he was fighting to protect the innocent. “I am but a man, nothing more.”

 

Erebus snapped, hands tightening in their grip on the scythe. “You are just a man, yes, nothing significant,” he said slowly, turning his gaze full on his animus. “However, the power within you is not.”

 

A roar, a sudden rush of heat, and suddenly the three were attacked by a pair of red dragons, spitting flame with gleaming blood-stained claws. Bugenhagen threw up a barrier, no materia needed it seemed, and the magic of the beasts was thwarted.

 

“Leave now,” the older man ordered through gritted teeth. “Or yours will not be the only death.”

 

“No!” Vincent argued stubbornly. “I will not run!”

 

“I'm not giving you a choice!” Before the grey-eyed man could react, Bugenhagen's hand shot out, and he slammed the palm against Vincent's chest.

 

“Migro!” Vincent stumbled backwards as whirls of magic began to coalesce around his body, tendrils and hands of a spell pulling him into a swirling vortex.

 

“No!” he argued desperately, trying to break free of the spell as his vision dimmed and tunneled, leaving Bugenhagen alone to fend off the two dragons and protect his city. The dark-haired man fought against the magic, but it was stronger, pulling him into a different space as he was transported.

 

With a jerk, he was spat out on the ground. He landed hard, face down, getting an unfortunate mouthful of dirt. His body groaned from the impact, jarring as it was. His shoulder ached, the one seemed to be repeatedly bitten and attacked, and his head spun from the sudden teleportation.

 

“Ugh,” he groaned as he slowly sat up, holding his dizzy head. It suddenly hit him what had just happened and he jerked to his feet, groaning again when he received a head rush. “Bugenhagen!” he called out but it was to no avail. He was no longer in Cosmo Canyon.

 

His mouth was slightly agape as he looked to the south of him and saw the bright orange glare of Cosmo Canyon being attacked. He was far away, somewhere on the plains between it and the next town. It would take him several hours to walk that distance back.

 

“You are too far to be of any aid now,” commented Erebus, suddenly appearing beside him.

 

Vincent turned to the demi-god and glared. “Take me back!” he ordered solidly.

 

Erebus shook his head in response. “I cannot do that.”

 

The dark-haired man growled and grabbed the front robes of his animus, though they were of the same height, and shook him. “I said take me back!”

 

“Even if I wanted to, I could not!” hissed the demi-god in response as he gripped onto Vincent's hands. He pried them quite easily off his robes. “My powers aren't geared for teleportation nor are they made for healing.

 

“Dammit!” cursed Vincent as he turned to look at the burning city, feeling every bit the useless human he was. “Then you go back! Go help them!”

 

“And leave you here?” Erebus snorted. “I think not. If you die…”

 

“If I die,” Vincent hissed in response, cutting off the demi-god before he could finish speaking. “Tell me what is so damn important about a mere human that I must be protected like some pampered child!!”

 

Erebus sighed and turned his gaze also upon the town that was slowly being destroyed as a result of a creature's desire for power, like so many wars before.

 

“All right, you deserve as much,” he finally acquiesced.

 

Vincent crossed his arms and glared at the demi-god. “Damn right, I do. I deserve to know why the innocent are being slaughtered.”

 

“You think that they are only trying to kill you, that there aren't other reasons they are attacking. Yes, perhaps they attacked Gongaga because of you, but they didn't know you were in Cosmo Canyon. That city is being attacked for an entirely different reason.”

 

The dark-haired man frowned. “Why?”

 

“Why else?” questioned Erebus with a shrug of his shoulders. “War and dominance are what Balaam is seeking. One of the early traitors that started the war so long ago that resigned us all to this fate. If only he had been left in his resting place we would not even have to worry, but some mad scientist decided to seek after the dark power.”

 

“You are speaking in riddles.” Vincent snorted disdainfully. “Skirting around the truth and issues, I should have known you wouldn't give me a clear answer. I am going back to Cosmo Canyon if I have to run.” He turned from Erebus as if he were going to walk as he said.

 

The demi-god sighed angrily. “As much of why his power is in you has to do with your past, which I cannot disclaim to you. I do not understand nor agree with that rule any more than you do. However, if I were to tell you your true self without your own comprehension, or your memory returning, you may never be the man you were again. The repercussions of you learning the truth before you are ready could be the destruction of your mind.”

 

Vincent didn't answer as his hands balled into a fist without him realizing. It was aggravating to have the answers so close but unable to be reached. He wanted to be in Cosmo Canyon, fighting against the creature. He didn't like to stand idly by, it was not his way.

 

Without waiting for Vincent to respond, Erebus continued. “You are acting as a reservoir of power in a way for Balaam. Most of his strength is in you, though you do not know it. Slowly he is reclaiming it and becoming whole, eventually it will all leave from you. Yet, that will take time that we can use to destroy him before that happens. Your death, however, would result in a rush of all the power back to him. And once he has it, nothing will stop him from demolishing Gaia into a wasteland. He cares nothing for using it after all has been destroyed. It is only the chaos that ensues that he rejoices in.”

 

“Why is that such a worry?” Vincent questioned with a frown. “He is nothing but a demi-god right? You said you are really not that powerful…”

 

Erebus sighed and shook his head. “That is true. However, in his effort to become the ruler, he stumbled upon a recently untapped magic and now uses that.”

 

“And Kami? Why doesn't he come down with his great and terrible power and just wipe this Balaam character off the face of Gaia? He is stronger than the magic, right?”

 

“He cannot. It is the ultimate law. He can create, but once free will and decisions have been given, he cannot destroy. It is up to us, those who serve him have also been given the choice.”

 

Vincent snorted. “That's convenient. He can watch us do whatever the hell we want to each other but isn't going to lay a finger to do any thing about it.” He frowned and looked to the burning city of wisdom. “I only hope Bugenhagen and Isis can protect their people.”

 

“Come then,” Erebus said abruptly. “You want to know more. Then go to Nibelheim.” When Vincent turned to gaze at him, the demi-god pointed towards the city nestled between the peaks of the mountains of Nibel.

 

The grey-eyed man didn't answer, choosing to look past the demi-god at the town that he was pointing towards. It didn't look much though the sheer height of the surrounding mountains was impressive. Nor did the sight of Nibelheim spark anything in him.

 

Shrugging his shoulders, he brushed past Erebus, still slightly angry with his anima and moved towards Nibelheim.

 

* * *