| GCB Fanfics: The Fanfiction Project |
August 8th, 2003Preshow: "Destiny and Duty" Aeris' locker room Aeris wasn't feeling too good. She had hoped that after the first battle with her friend Sora, she wouldn't have any reservations about her battles. It hadn't worked out like that. It was just that she couldn't find a bad thing about Master Chief to focus on. When she had fought before she had a higher purpose, a higher reason. Also, the fact that she was fighting evil had also helped. Now she was in a tournament...no, a contest.....no, a game. Her higher purpose was winning, and nothing more. Instead of a man bent on destroying the world, her enemies had been a child and a soldier. The only thing she could find evil about her opponent was what he had done to KOS-MOS, while the details still were a little hazy on that, but even then he had only done that to uphold a deal. Aeris thought back to the last time she had been fighting in this tournament. She remembered having the same wavering doubts about her desire to fight people, yet she had done fairly well. Why couldn't I be fighting someone I can dislike, it would make everything so much easier She thought to herself. "I know what you're thinking," said a voice from next to her. She had been so overwhelmed by her thoughts that she hadn't even noticed her friend Squall enter the room. "How's that Leon?" she replied. "I told you, you can call me.....whatever, listen, I know how you feel about fighting this guy," said Squall. "It's just that if I don't have anything against the person, how can I fight them?" Aeris responded. "Why do we fight?" Squall mused. "For hatred, for revenge, for love, I gave up on a reason for fighting a while ago. Emotions just restrict us during the battle." "Then why do you fight?" Aeris asked curiously. "Destiny, that's all it is. It's our destiny to fight," Squall responded. He began to walk out of the locker room, "Oh, and good luck in the fight. I hear that this Master Chief isn't a push over." Squall left the locker room, not even closing the door behind him. Destiny huh? I wonder if that's why Cloud fights. The PA announced it was time for her to go to the field. I wish Cloud had come to give me some support She thought to herself as she walked off towards the field. ---- meanwhile.... "So what's the strategy, Cortana," Chief asked his AI companion casually. "It's a tough one to call, Chief. Long-range isn't recommendable as she has quite a good array of magic at her disposal, but close-range isn't good either because she's well trained with her staff and you're weapon's weren't made for close range combat. Your chances are pretty much equal no matter which way you do it. I think you've got this one in the bag," Cortana said in her cocky tone. "Magic won't be as big a threat this time. I fought magic in the last round, I won't be surprised by anything this time. Also, I can use my weapons as blunt instruments, and my superior strength would come into play in close combat as well," responded Master Chief who was clearly confident about the upcoming match, or at least trying to appear so. "So I guess you've only got one problem then, don't you?" Cortana said, cracking a grin. "Oh, and what's that?" the marine asked. "Whether or not you're willing to fight a girl," the AI answered. The confident smile slid off of Master Chief's face, this had been bothering him ever since his victory against Felix. He knew he'd have to fight the flower girl eventually, and he hadn't been looking forward to it. It wasn't like fighting the Covenant, who had been trying to kill all humans, or like the Flood, who would annihilate all existence if they had escaped from Halo. It wasn't even like fighting Felix, who would have killed him that day if he had made a mistake. She was just a girl, a girl who made a living selling flowers for gods sake. "Chief.......CHIEF!!!!" Cortana yelled at him, he had spaced off in his thoughts. "Yeah, I can Cortana," Master Chief said finally. "It doesn't matter who my opponent is, I'll fight them and beat them. It's my duty." "Even a flower girl," inquired Cortana. "Yeah," said the Chief, "even a flower girl." Battle: "Bloodless Battle" Aeris and the Chief entered the stadium simultaneously. What awaited them was the maze. The maze hadn't been used in a long while, but Master Chief had been the higher seed, and he thought the maze was a good idea. The two contestants made their way through the maze to the small courtyard that lay in the center. They arrived there and the match began. For a moment the opponents just stood there, at the center of a maze, contemplating each other. Then they began to circle around the outside of the courtyard. The crowd began to get restless. Naturally Bowser was on his feet, demanding that they start killing each other, Kefka didn't seem to object to that idea. Sonic was beginning wiggle around in his seat like a freshly caught bass. Then when Master Chief was between two of the four entrances into the maze, Aeris attacked. Aeris rose her arm and faced her open palm towards Master Chief. A small incantation escaped her lips. A small flame engulfed the upper half of Master Chief's body. However when the flames and the smoke cleared, Master Chief remained relatively unscathed. "But.....how?" asked Aeris incredulously. Master Chief rose his fist and tapped his armor, "Thermal Plating, resistant of up to 2000 degrees Celsius, also renders lightning and ice spells useless." With that Master Chief charged in towards the surprised Aeris. He pulled out his shotgun and came in with a swinging attack. Aeris masterfully parried it with her staff and jabbed Master Chief in the stomach. All the time she had spent fighting beside Cloud had paid off for her. Sure, she wasn't nearly as good as Cloud or Tifa, but she could hold her own with her staff. Regardless, the rod deflected harmlessly off of the metal plating. Master Chief grinned behind his visor and pushed Aeris down to the ground. Aeris hit the ground, but rolled backward and pushed herself up, landing on her feet quite gracefully. Dang, he's prepared for magic attacks, well at least elemental ones Aeris began another incantation, but by the time she finished the Chief was gone into the maze. She mumbled and pursued after him. Damn it thought Master Chief Why did I tell her the specs of my armor. She couldn't have guessed that it would defend against lightning and ice as well. Now she'll try more powerful magic. That was stupid, John. Suddenly Aeris rounded the corner and began her incantation again. Master Chief tried to run off, but Aeris had prepared better this time. He began to feel himself grow heavy. Not this time he said as he jumped into the air. The spell completed and Master Chief came crashing back down to earth, but tucked and rolled out of the magnetic field and rounded another corner to safety. Dang thought Aeris as she began to chase after the Chief He really has prepared for my magic assaults, I'm not sure I can beat him. Master Chief was worrying about his situation as well, Damn, I can't keep this up much longer. If she keeps upgrading the power of the spells she uses I'm fried. But she can't keep up in close combat, she's not strong enough. I've gotta close the distance. Aeris chased around the corner, Master Chief was nowhere in sight again. This maze thing was really beginning to be a problem for her. All I need is my magic to beat him she began to think to herself. No, that man Felix relied too much on his magic and this guy defeated him because of it. He probably doesn't have as much experience in close range combat as I do. I've gotta close the distance. Master Chief rounded another corner and popped out into the center courtyard again. She was following me, so she'll probably come through this exit. Master Chief stopped and stood beside the exit. Sure enough a few seconds later Aeris came dashing through the door. Master Chief swung down with his shotgun for the KO hit. But Aeris was prepared for an ambush. She spun around and brought her rod up to block the hit, but there was too much power. She slammed into the ground below her and skidded along the ground before, flipping up and landing on her feet again. Unexpectedly, she rushed at Master Chief with her staff. Master Chief, who was stunned for a second responded with a horizontal slash with his shotgun. Aeris ducked under it and in a metallic arc whipped her staff into Master Chief's chin. His head snapped back, that one had hurt, but Aeris wasn't done. She slid her hands to the bottom of the staff, so she was gripping it like a sword and with tremendous speed brought it down on the Master Chief's chest. Master Chief fell to the ground. He hadn't been hurt too bad, but that was way more than he expected from a flower girl who mainly relied on magic. He got up to his feet calmly, and began to speak. "Wow, I'm impressed," he said wiping the dust off of his armor. "Thank you very much," responded Aeris, giving him a heart-warming smile. "I've trained very hard these last few months," then she resumed her battle stance. Master Chief chuckled and gripped his shotgun in the middle, preparing for the attack. Aeris obliged his battle request and charged forward once more. Master Chief waited for her to move first this time. She leaped up in the air and came down with a powerful downward strike. Master Chief smiled behind his visor and raised his shotgun to block it. The two weapons collided with a loud clang, but Aeris was clearly the worse off of the opponents. The collision had shaken her and she was trying to regain her focus. Master Chief came down with another KO hit from his shotgun, but she rolled out of the way. She jumped backward trying to take a moment to recover, but Master Chief had a different idea. He charged forward and smashed his shotgun into the ground were Aeris had been kneeling. Aeris had jumped to the side and was now coming in with a jab. However with out the momentum of a full arc, Aeris didn't have enough power to hurt the cybernetically enhanced commando. The jab connected, glanced off to the side, and Master Chief grabbed her and threw her into a nearby wall. Master Chief heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn't beat him in hand-to-hand combat, she just wasn't strong enough. He began to walk over to her, to force a resignation out of the fallen warrior. Aeris was beginning to collect her thoughts after the unpleasantness with the wall. She quickly realized what happened and looked over to see Master Chief walking over to her. It's no use thought Aeris I can't beat him without my magic. It's my destiny to use magic, after all I am an ancient She crossed her hands and began conjuring a flare. Master Chief saw her preparing a spell and panicked, he began to rush over to where she was but he knew she was too far away. There was no way, he could get there in time to stop the spell. He cringed behind his mask and drew his pistol. I have a duty to uphold he thought to himself. The spell was taking too long for Aeris. She couldn't concentrate on the words, there were voices inside her head distracting her. Some of the voices demanded that she spare him. No human could withstand flare, without the proper magical garments at least. Others said that this was her only way to win. Then her own voice prevailed over all the others. It said, "There is always a way other than violence." She nodded to herself in affirmation and started a different incantation. Master Chief aimed his pistol at Aeris's head, but he couldn't pull the trigger. Come on he thought to himself It's you or her. Whatever spell she casts is gonna be way too much for the thermal plating to stand. If you don't take her out you're dead. Suddenly he feld a twinge of cold in his left foot. He looked down to see a small star of ice engulfing his left foot. He looked at it curiously. Then another star appeared on his right foot. Suddenly they were engulfing his legs bit by bit. He soon realized that he couldn't move his legs anymore. He looked up at Aeris and fired a shot. The crowd hushed, Cloud was out of his seat, being looking onto the field. Aeris slowly turned her head to the left. To see a bullet embedded in the wall less than a foot from her head. The stars of Ice began to cover Master Chief's arms as well. "Whoops," said the Chief sarcastically, "I missed." Then the ice covered his entire body and he was frozen. The announcer declared Aeris the winner. She walked over to the block of ice, shaped like Master Chief and cast the weakest fire spell possible. Slowly the ice melted and Master Chief was back to normal, well maybe a little worse for wear. She slowly removed his helmet and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," she said and with that she walked off the field. Aftermath: "After Forever" Cloud Strife trudged up the narrow staircase at a pace which could only be described as reluctant. The young warrior had a lot weighing on his mind, and for some reason it all seemed more important right now than what he was doing. Just like it always used to be. Old habits die hard, I guess. Things are different now though! There's no race, everything is scheduled. I shouldn't worry... I'll get my chance. Tonight isn't about writing stories, turning pages, or any of that. For tonight, I'll forget about... him. Cloud paused on the landing between the third and fourth floors and gazed out the window. The sun was sinking below the trees west of the compound which now only 25 contestants called their home away from home, bathing the grounds in a warm orange glow. So peaceful... perfect. Should I have brought a flower? How prosaic. She'd probably just rib me about it anyway. No time for it now. I'd better get going. The blond fighter turned and ascended the last half-flight of steps to the fourth floor with purpose. He stepped through the creaking door into an empty corridor lit with a harsh artificial light. Cloud paused outside the third door down the hall. Aeris Gainsborough had retired to her room shortly after her defeat of the Master Chief in the arena. There was little celebration over her victory, unlike the parties she had arranged for her friends' winning outings. Aeris had always been an outgoing person, but her sense of modesty kept her from celebrating her own victory. She knew Cloud and Squall were glad to see her win, but both were still too proud to admit it. It just wasn't their style to celebrate much of anything. Aeris was happy enough receiving their silent praise. Aeris was reclining on her bed, half reading some dog-eared novel from the compound's tiny collection, half gazing contemplatively out her open window at the lengthening shadows of the east and south wings of the contestants' lodgings as they crept up the little hills toward the golf course. The battle had gone as well as she could have hoped. Two rounds in, and she hadn't had to hurt anyone... She started at the sudden rap of knuckles on her door. It was rare that anyone ever visited her in her room since Zelda had disappeared--she almost always had to find her own company. When she opened the door, Aeris' eyes lit up and a wide smile crossed her face as she recognized the spiky blond hair and blue eyes peering in hesitantly. "Cloud!" she said, opening the door wide. "What's going on? You never come by! Come on in! I was just wondering where you'd been!" "Um, Aeris, I..." was all Cloud could manage in response to this verbal barrage as she pulled him into her room. Somehow, despite being in the shade on the southern side of the building, the room seemed brighter than the rest of the halls and stairwells Cloud had passed through to get here. "What is it, Cloud?" Suddenly, Aeris looked concerned. "You look distracted." "No, no," Cloud reassured her quickly. "Nothing's wrong. It's just... I want to show you something." "You'd better not mean what Tommy meant when he told me that the other day." Aeris shot Cloud a look of mock reproach. Cloud's brow furrowed and Aeris laughed. That's not funny. "Come on, let's go." Ugh. I still sound like a sergeant ordering his squad. "I think you'll like it," he added hopefully. He reopened the door and stepped out into the hall again. Aeris followed and Cloud stepped out of the way to shut the door behind her. The two paused briefly in the hall. "Okay, so where are we going?" "Er... You'll see," answered Cloud woodenly. He was more than a little out of his element. The best he could think to do was to try emulating the way Tifa and Aeris flirted with him. He wasn't doing a very good job of it. "Ooh, a secret! Sounds fun!" Aeris either didn't notice his fumbling impersonation of her, or was doing an excellent job of hiding her amusement at it. "Okay, silly. But if you aren't going to tell me, then you'd better lead the way." Cloud set off. He was all the way down the staircase and opening the door that led out of the building before he realized Aeris was not with him. "Wait!" she called after him as she descended the steps. Her pink dress seemed to part his shadow in the reddening glow of the last light of day shining in through the open door. "If I had known you wanted to race, I would have changed into something different!" "Sorry," mumbled Cloud. I need to relax! This is supposed to be relieving. The two adopted a slower pace as they crossed the grass to the path headed north. They had only started up the path to the arena when something round hurtled out of the brush by the side of the path and came to a stop in front of the couple. Oh, great, Sonic again. Well, I suppose the worst he'll do is call me "Clod" a few times and be off in thirty sec--wait, pink's not exactly his color. Kirby looked up into the icy blue eyes of Cloud, then into Aeris' soft green ones. He waved his flipper in greeting. "Hello," said Aeris. She started to say something more, but Kirby began applauding as best one can when barely able to bring one's flippers together. He then twirled on one foot, did a backflip, then cartwheeled back to the position he started in, raising a flipper palm-upward in Aeris' direction with a smile. "Why, thank you!" she said to the puffball. Kirby, apparently satisfied, headed back toward the lodgings. "Good luck in your next match!" called Aeris as he retreated into the dusk. "Was that a congratulation?" asked Cloud, who had watched the whole exchange in complete confusion. "Of course! Couldn't you tell?" She always could understand people. Always knows just what to say... The two continued up the uphill path in the gathering gloom. Bushes outlined the path as it curved up toward the spectators' entrance of the stadium. As usual, Aeris broke the silence. "The arena? Why are we going there? There's nothing there after hours." The round structure loomed ahead of them, stark, black, and foreboding against the blue-purple twilit sky. "That's... kind of the point. Just wait until we get there." That sounded gruff. "I guess you could say this is my congratulation to you," added Cloud. Then, after an awkward pause, "I'm really glad you won today." A puzzled Aeris followed Cloud up to the great main gate of the structure. He opened the gate, which gave way with a low metallic groan that echoed in the empty enclosure within. "What a creepy place. Will you tell me what we're here for now?" pressed Aeris. "Follow me. We're almost there." Cloud led the flower girl up into the stands. As they climbed ever higher, the stale atmosphere inside the arena was stirred more and more by the breeze blowing above. The two didn't stop until they reached the top. Cloud smiled at Aeris. "Take a look." "Oh, Cloud..." Aeris whispered in awe, "It's beautiful." She stood atop the arena wall at the southernmost point on its circular outer shell, towering stories above any other building in the compound. By now, the sun had set and only the faintest blue glow could be seen at the western horizon. Stars peppered the night sky, shining faintly in the dark. Looking south from their vantage point, the contestants' compound was laid out before them like a miniature town. In the center of the assorted paths, due south, the tall cross-shaped hotel in which the contestants stayed dwarfed the other buildings. Lights twinkled visibly in the north wing and on the north faces of the east and west wings of the lodgings. Lighting from the long, low-lying training complex to the west and floodlighting on the golf course to the east illuminated the flanks of the north wing, each washing out the shadow caused by the other. The occasional serious-minded tiny figure could be seen making its way to or from the training complex. The gaudy glow of the Hero's Haunt peeped out from behind the lee of the western wing of the hotel. Its glare was not as bright from this perspective as it had seemed to Cloud before, but it was still fending off the night handily. In the southeast quadrant formed by the hotel, however, the black night was absolute. No light could be seen, and the land nearby was lost in shadow. Beyond the compound in all directions, forested hills stretched into the distance. Aeris' deep green eyes turned to stare into Cloud's. "I would never have thought..." she trailed off. "I owed you, remember?" said Cloud. Aeris wasn't quite sure what he meant. "I wouldn't forget. Do you remember back before"--Cloud hesitated--"before everything? I promised that one day I would take you for a ride on the Highwind. You wanted to see what the world looked like from above. This thing won't fly, and this place is certainly no Midgar, but," Cloud lowered his voice, saddened, "I guess this is about the closest I can come to giving you your wish anymore..." Aeris listened to this with a wistful expression, her wide eyes somehow at once both those of Aeris the wise Ancient and of Aeris the charming flower girl. "It's perfect." Cloud felt compelled to put his arm around her shoulder, her windblown hair waving across his back. Neither was admiring the scenery anymore. She always said she wanted to know the real me. Now she does, and it hasn't changed anything. Maybe she always did. Maybe she loves me, not that... other... Cloud. Why am I doing this? What would Tifa do if she found out?! Cloud recalled a certain little boy growing up in Nibelheim who had been deeply in love with a local girl. The girl had always counted him among her friends, but had never thought any more about him. The boy had gone to great lengths to get the girl's attention, but none of his effort could ever pay off. Years passed in frustration. In the end, the boy had nearly thrown his whole life away, betting his entire future on a desperate gamble to win just one date, just one kiss. Of course, many years and many strange and saddening events later, Tifa and I did have a happy ending. But I would never wish what I went through back then on any of my friends, especially not Aeris. I was too cold, too lost to pay her any attention until it was too late. Now I have a chance to make things right. She deserves it. If only just one date, just one... Aeris stood up on her toes and brushed her lips softly against his cheek. Cloud didn't pull away. Their eyes closed, and their lips met. ...kiss. ---- A while later, one by one, the lights in the windows below the couple were winking out. "We should probably go back," said Cloud softly. "It's getting pretty dark." "I'm sure the lights will be shining brightly in the end," answered Aeris enigmatically. The warrior didn't understand. The stars began to follow the windows' lead. "In a few minutes, we won't even have starlight. The clouds are coming in." "I wouldn't have it any other way." Next Entry Back |