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Into the Abyss	By : blackharu2 Category: Final Fantasy VII > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 1046 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy, nor any characters owned by Square Enix. I do not make any money from the writing of this story, though I wish I did.

Chapter List
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Loosely based on the Last Chapter of the Manga "Othello" entitled 'Night's Abyss' or 'Abyss Pool', depending on translation.
I do not own this Manga or its plotline.

"Are… Are you sure man? I mean, it just happened… Don't you still have families to see and stuff?" The voice said on the other end of the phone, his tone filled with concern.
"I…" The blonde hesitated, putting his head into his free hand. "No… No I don't."
There was a long sigh and a short pause before the other spoke again. "…Alright. But if all you're looking for is a place to stay, then you can use my house. I'm on a business trip right now anyway, so it might let you really relax and get away from this all."
"Yeah… You may be right…" A sad smile crossed his features. "Thanks again for all of this…"
"Naaah~ it's the least I can do for a friend."
The other snorted. "Zack… You're giving up your house… It doesn't get any better than that."
He could almost see the other blink questioningly. "…So?"
And all Cloud could do was chuckle to himself.

Chapter One: Telling a Tale
There was a click before the knob turned and the door creaked open, the blonde squeezing through with his suitcases and keys, early morning light slipping in behind him. Once he had successfully maneuvered into the house and closed the door, he pushed his bags against the wall and drew a hand through his hair, sighing softly to himself. "Well… It looks like I can't turn back now…" Cloud said before turning to face the house's interior.
It wasn't a large house… Just a small little one-story that, knowing his friend, probably hadn't cost much to begin with. But seeing as how Zack was a business man and was almost NEVER home, it didn't make much of a difference… Then again, it was quite apparent that he had taken some time to fix up the place. All the floors were wood, except for the living room, which had a cream-colored carpet, complete with matching sofa… which Cloud promptly threw himself upon.
He stared up at the ceiling for a few moments, silently watching the stilled fan hanging above his head… random thoughts drifting through his mind… until they settled on a woman, and he frowned softly to himself. He sighed before sitting back up. "Well…" He said, pushing off the couch. "Time to unpack."
It only took him roughly an hour to completely unpack and get settled in, the process also including checking the fridge for some form of nourishment… which there was none. Cloud sighed as he shut the door, closing away a couple of boxes of half-eaten take out Chinese food, and some celery. "Not much of a meal…" He mumbled to himself, checking the pantry, only finding some crackers, popcorn, and cookies. Did Zack just NOT eat?
The notion of his friend not eating made Cloud laugh to himself as he closed those doors as well, mind traveling back to when the black-hole of a stomach came over and immediately devoured all their food… But that also got him stuck upon his wife… mind going numb.
Cloud took in a breath, holding it for a few heartbeats, before letting it free and continuing in his exploration of the house, deciding after a fruitless search – both literally and figuratively – that it would be best to just go down town and find some food in the farmer's market that he had passed on his way here. Zack had told him he could use the car, but still… Cloud just didn't feel comfortable with that. Really, he was much more of a motorbike kind of guy, and it wasn't too far to go there on foot, so he decided to go with that.
He went to the front entry way, grabbing his coat and house-keys off the table, having a spare to his closest friend's home in case of emergencies, dangling beside his own house's keys and the key to his motorbike, the three jingling together merrily as he slid the coat on over his arms. He looked at himself briefly in the mirror beside the door… and sighed. "Fuck it…" He said softly to himself, pushing the door open and stepping out into the crisp Spring air.
Cloud walked leisurely down towards the small town, people crowding the farmer's market which didn't just have food, but some entertainment as well, music echoing up the hill that led to Zack's certain rode of houses. The blonde smiled at vendors out of politeness, turning down some offerings with a wave of a hand and looking over others, only buying what he thought would be most necessary. But slowly, the general feeling of the market sucked him in, Cloud finding himself lingering by the musicians and watching a tall, thin man juggle flame-lit wood and some knives, children in awe sitting by his feet, parents assuring of the man's safety as he faked a blunder for an effect.
But, when he finally tired of the atmosphere, Cloud found himself pulling back his sleeve to look down at his watch, sighing and looking back up the hill that led him back home, stomach growling slightly from hunger and fatigue of walking around. So, he dropped some money in the entertainers' hats and instrument cases before turning to leave, plastic bags in his hands, noticing that he wasn't the only one leaving, but that some of the vendors were beginning to trickle away as well, one by one. But then a voice caught his attention.
"You're not staying for the legend-teller…?"
Cloud blinked, turning to look at the woman beside him. She was a young woman he had bought some peaches from and had a nice conversation with before moving on to his next purchase, the woman too packing up and readying herself to leave. "For the what…?" Cloud asked, unsure of what she was talking about.
The girl laughed a little, stacking up her empty fruit baskets as she spoke. "The legend-teller." She repeated, Cloud stepping a bit closer to hear over the finale of music. "She's this old woman who comes by every year to tell the legend of this area and the forest near-by… It's kind of a scary story, but a total fairy-tale in my books. Though, it's definitelynot for kids, which is why it's so late in the day, after the littler ones have already gone home." She finished, stacking the baskets and brushing her hands off on her apron before untying it and folding it neatly, putting it inside the top empty basket. "It's a good story though… You should really stay to listen to it."
Cloud blinked at the woman as she smiled sweetly at him, before turning to look back up the hill he would have to climb to get back to his part-time home, then to his stomach as it grumbled softly. The girl giggled at the sound, and Cloud felt a bit embarrassed. "I don't know…" He said simply, looking back to her. "It's getting pretty late, and I'm not really into story-telling."
The woman smiled and shrugged. "Neither was I, but I still pack up early to go hear it every year… It really is a good legend, and since it's about where I live, I find it to be more intriguing."
Cloud considered this for a moment… and sighed. Sometimes, he hated himself for being such a push-over. "When is it…?" He asked, the girl looking a bit surprised by his quick submission, before checking her own watch.
"It should start in about fifteen minutes, in the town square… It's just down this road here." She said, her chin bobbing down the main road of the town. "I always go, since it's free and not too long or boring or anything like that…" She continued, Cloud feeling bad for not helping her out as she closed the extra boxes of her fruits, lifting them up and piling them into her truck that was parked next to her stand.
"Do you need some-?" He started to ask, but was cut off.
"Nah," She said, lifting up the box with ease, obviously having some expertise in the moving back and forth of her goods. "I was just about to tell you to get moving, seeing as how it's starting so soon… If you don't leave now, you may not hear it from the beginning." She finished, putting down the box and moving to the next one, smiling as she looked up at him. "Thank you though."
"You sure?" He asked again, still feeling that small pang of guilt.
"Yeah, I've got it." She said again, lifting the second box. "Go on, get a good seat."
Cloud paused for a moment, chewing his lip a little before speaking up. "Alright… Don't be too long though, or else you might miss it too." He said, turning to walk away, the girl laughing a little at the comment.
"Thanks, I will." She said, smiling, Cloud walking off in the direction she had indicated. "Goodnight…!" She called after him, Cloud waving and calling the same word back as he continued on his way down to the town square thinking of how ridiculous he was being.
The blonde knew when he had hit the square, because of the stage in the center and the stool set up with a microphone, surrounded by teenagers to adults alike. "Wow…" He said to himself, a bit surprised by the amount of people who had gathered. "Is it really that great of a story?" He asked himself as he walked forward, trying to find somewhere to sit.
Everyone was chatting amongst themselves, creating a welcoming hum, Cloud understanding immediately why Zack liked it here… It was like the whole town was your family, and – even for Cloud – it was a nice feeling. He found a place to sit at the feet of a statue, its podium acting as a good chair, the legs of the person substituting as its back, Cloud placing his bags down beside his feet. He watched as a few more people came to sit by their friends, eyes catching the form of the girl from before as she walked towards herassumed boyfriend, the two giving a quick kiss and hello as she sat beside him, Cloud smiling to himself at the nice gesture… before it died at the memories it brought.
But then, the crowd suddenly grew silent, the sound of footsteps creaking floorboards as an old, small woman walked up the steps at its side, Cloud's attention caught fully by her presence. It was like she was one of those renowned fortune tellers, or an ancient gypsy only here to tell her ancestor's tale, the silence of the once-bustling town making her seem even that much more official… giving Cloud a strange feeling of fear. But the feeling was quickly brushed away as he shifted his weight, making himself more comfortable, eyes watching as she sat, her hands shaking from her own weight.
She cleared her throat and tapped the microphone to test it, the sound all in check before she began… the entire audience locked on this old woman before them… including him.
"As you may know…" She began, her voice shaking a little with her old age and soft, but powerful, demanding attention as she spoke, really hitting a chord in the crowd. "I am here… to tell you a tale of this town. To tell you the legend of the forest that lies just beyond that hill…" She spoke, hand trembling, frail fingers pointing up towards the hill Cloud would have to walk back up to get home. "It is indeed a legend, but this does not mean it is not true…" She continued, hand returning to hold the microphone stand. "And it is a dark tale… A tale of death and black, evil magic… Of a spirit that likes to devour souls and drink the owner's blood… leaving their bodies in the streets of our quaint little town." She continued, Cloud smirking slightly at how the young couple closest to him both gulped, fighting the urge to scare them both with a nudge.
"And to begin with this tale…" The woman continued, Cloud returning his attention to her. "I must first begin with the f… facts." Voice cracking under her age, coughing once, softly. "For the past seven years, there has been a series of disappearances… One young man per year being stolen from our town to be dragged into the forest, only four of them came back… none of them alive."
There was a soft gasp from a teenage girl in the crowd, followed by a few snickers coming from her friends, another in the crowd shushing them, Cloud only smiling at the amusing antics. But the woman's voice continued. "These are not things to be laughed at, young ones," She said, looking over the faces of the teenagers who had chortled at the girl's gasp. "For these occurrences are real… These deaths have truly happened, and still cannot go explained by the police." Cloud smiled, holding back a snort… He gotta hand it to her, she was good. "Not until tonight, when I tell you the truth of these men and their misfortunes… As I tell you the secret of the forest up that lonely little hill. The legend… of the dragon spirit."
There was a pause, everyone dead silent as they stared at the old woman on stage, Cloud too intrigued to know where this story led, the woman continuing again shortly. "In that forest, at the top of our sloping hill, bordered by houses and yards, there lays an immense danger…" She spoke, eyes working the crowd, hands moving in such a way to emphasize her words. "Within that forest lives the spirit of a dragon whose home has been taken by our builders and crafters… By the men and women who dared to chop free the trees from the land to make way for our houses atop that hill… There lives the spirit who has awaited the perfect time to strike against our town in revenge, stealing away our young and only most beautiful men, taking our mothers' prides in a single night… Only to return them to their doorsteps, bloodless and dry… dead."
Cloud couldn't believe it, but he had actually scooted forward to the edge of his 'seat', eyes transfixed on the story-teller, teeth gnawing lip lightly, anxious for the rest. "For the past seven years, like clock-work in the Spring, there has been a disappearance of a fair-skinned man from that hill… The first two appearing back completely drained of all bodily fluids, the third not appearing back at all, taken for his own needs by the spirit of that forest." She said, clenching in a tightly wound first, motioning like it was a talon, her thin fingers trembling like she too was afraid of her own story. "Then the fourth returned, crisp and deceased like the first two… The fifth taken, along with the sixth, seventh returned to his doorstep, drained and unmoving."
Cloud swallowed, blue eyes absolutely locked onto the woman, enthralled in the story, cold air giving his spine the shivers. "Each one of those men were taken after the market's end… After the forest's fruits had been sold and the people were feeling the least vulnerable and most joyous… Every spring, like clock-work…" She repeated, her tone dropping slightly to emphasize the urgency of this information. "So now, young ones, I must ask you to be weary and tell you why I do not demand money for my telling of this tale, sodark and cold…" She said, back to scanning faces in the crowd, this time searching out young male's eyes. "This is a warning. A tale to tell you of the dangers that will creep free tomorrow night upon the market's end, for if it rains upon that hill tomorrow… it is a sign that the spirit is on the prowl. That it is hungry for the blood of men and the souls of thedead… and that young men, such as yourselves, could be its next meal… its next gourmet dessert in the night."
Then Cloud's heart pounded strong in his ears, the woman's eyes finally moving onto his own personal gaze, sending a chilling shock down his spine. "That you…" She spoke, Cloud gulping as her eyes stuck to his own. "…could be the next to die."
For a few long moments, the entire universe seemed to go silent, the woman's closing lids finally freeing Cloud from her gripping gaze, the blonde letting free a soft breath of relief, the tension in his shoulders going unnoticed until they relaxed… The impact of the story hanging strong in the air and sticking to the crowd's minds like peanut butter mixed with glue, not letting any of them free…
Until, that is, the old woman smiled and leaned in close to the mic. "Of course…" She spoke softly, a bit of a smirk on her old, wrinkled lips. "It is just a legend after all, is it not…? It couldn't be real…" She spoke, her eyes still closed… until the smirk grew, wise-eyes opening and locking the audience in their seats once again. "…Could it?"
With those last words, the stage's curtains were let free, the thick velvet falling swift over her, finishing it quickly to leave a greater impact as she appeared to vanish behind the royal purple coloration of the drapes… the entire square absolutely breathless in silence.
Until, that is, the same girl who had gasped latched onto her boyfriend and said out loud, "I'll never let that evil spirit take you!" Hugging him tightly, obviously so enthralled in the story she had almost found it to be true, everyone around her blinking… Before the audience burst into rounds of laughter, Cloud included in the chuckles at how she had reacted.
The girl just pouted and crossed her arms, Cloud noticing how the boyfriend was laughing as well, saying something to her before kissing her forehead sweetly, a few people standing up to go home before the sun fell completely, the oranges and reds of sunset starting to hit the square, moon showing it's pale face. Cloud calmed his laughter, standing and stretching, realizing as he checked his watch that the story was not really as long as it seemed, only a few minutes compared to how it had felt in his mind as he listened… He couldn't help but feel a bit shocked by how immersed in the story he had become, smiling to himself as he picked up his bags.
"You liked it, I'm guessing?"
Cloud blinked and stood back up to face the familiar voice's owner, the girl standing behind him with her arms wrapped around her boyfriend's, their fingers entwined. He smiled and nodded, "Yeah. It was better than I had expected, actually." He admitted, the girl laughing a little at his remark.
"Yeah, that's basically what I thought as well when I first heard it… It really gave me a scare, but I felt worse for this guy here." She said, looking up at her boyfriend, the man smiling slightly as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Seeing as how the spirit never goes after women, I couldn't exactly be too scared myself… I'm assuming that dragon's a girl. You know, "hell has no fury like a woman scorned" or however it goes." She said with a laugh, the guy she was attached to chuckling at the comment as well.
Cloud too laughed a little at that, but their conversation was cut as someone called for the couple, their attentions being drawn back to a waving hand. "Oh, right. Sorry…!" She called back, before turning to Cloud. "Sorry… We've got some plans for dinner. You understand right?" She asked, looking a little apologetic, but Cloud just shook his head.
"No, yeah, I get it. I've got to get home and eat myself, my stomach only stopped growling so I could actually hear the story." He said, the woman laughing a little, nodding.
"Alright then, hope to see you again tomorrow at the market." She said as the two started to navigate away from the blonde.
"Sure." Cloud said back, the woman waving a little as he too walked away, headed in the opposing direction. But the second he broke free of the square, his mind was back upon that story… It really was a rather impacting tale, and seemed like it could've been reasonable, though not the spirit part of it. In reality, it would most-likely be a rapist or serial killer or something… Some deranged form of fellow who was committing the murders, if they were even true to begin with, which he assumed not. But to base a story on police-investigated killings was a crazy gamble, of course… it really did do a good job at making someone nervous, Cloud realized as he began walking up the dark street of the hill mentioned within the story.
"Man…" He said softly to himself, pulling his coat up a little tighter around his shoulders. "It really is cold out tonight." He remarked, eyes scanning the street, watching as person after person went back into their homes, chatting with one-another about the story he had just heard and the murders of the men… keeping it fresh in his mind as he got closer to Zack's house and the forest lying only a couple more houses away.
As the blonde reached the end of the street, looking up from the ground that he generally watched as he walked, he stopped… and sighed. "Great…" He said irritably, continuing forward as he looked at his current home, the end of the street dark and quiet. "I forgot to turn the lights on." His grumbles went unheard as he walked in closer to the house, now in front of the home next-door and looking around, finding it odd how all ten of the houses at the end of his street had not even a hint of light, inside or out.
The story came back to mind as his pace slowed… Cloud gulping. But he soon shook his head, stopping completely in front of Zack's neighbor's house, clearing his mind with his thoughts. "Come on Cloud, you've gotten past those years of youth where ghost stories ACTUALLY scared you. Get a grip…!" He said in his mind, telling himself to continue closer.
But the second he looked back up towards the house, his eyes widened, steps stopping dead in their tracks, heart thumping loud and body running cold… Because in that one moment he swore… he swore… he had actually seen someone creeping around his temporary home.
Cloud gulped and wearily took another step forward, heart pounding hard in his ears… Holy crap was he scared… and it was ridiculous! But the fear leapt back up in his throat when he saw another glimpse of something suspicious… something not there before… A glint of silver, like a rush of water or a visible breeze and it… it petrified him.
Blue eyes just stared for a moment, transfixed on that one spot, stories of spirits and ghosts creeping back into his mind from this same night and previous nights from his childhood, making his body suddenly move. A hand dove into his pocket for his cell phone, flipping it open and using the screen's glow as a form of flashlight, scanning his front yard before he walked forward, ready to beat to death anything that moved, if necessary. He kept his cell phone moving back and forth… back and forth… throat tight as a gulp forced its way down into his gullet, heart racing. "Come on Cloud…" He said softly to himself. "You're being ridiculous… That was just a story. It couldn't possibly be—EE!"
He made himself jump at the sound he made, shocked by his own fear and tone at the motion of a white object around the same corner he had seen it before, but this time… Thistime he only sighed, holding his chest and breathing in pants of relief as he calmed down. He looked up to see his neighbor's sheet billow outwards again, the damn thing probably having flown loose from the line in the breeze to land on top of their fence, Cloud swearing at it before laughing softly to himself, breathing. "Jesus…" He smiled to himself before moving towards the house. "What the hell is wrong with me?" He asked, hands going for his keys and shoving them in the knob before entering his house, flicking on the lights and letting the keys fall back to the tabletop with a metallic clunk. He kicked closed the door behind him and locked it, checking himself out in the mirror again as he hung up his coat… before shaking his head at his own ridiculousness, snorting in amusement.
Then his stomach growled aloud, deep in his gullet, groaning for nourishment after the day's work. He held it for a moment saying to himself, "Alright alright…" as he walked into the kitchen, putting away the foods he had bought, except the goods he had gotten for dinner, whipping up a quick pasta with some chicken and Alfredo sauce, settling on the couch to watch a movie on the television as he ate before getting too tired to continue, glancing at the clock to see that the hours had really gone by, all thoughts of the legend erased by the film.
"Well…" He said to himself, turning off the television. "Time for bed, I guess." He stood and stretched, stifling a yawn before taking off his watch and plopping it on the coffee table, followed by picking up his dishes and making his way back to the kitchen. Cloud rinsed them off before setting them down in the sink, piling the left-over pasta into a Tupperware he had found while scavenging then heading for his chosen bedroom.
He yawned again, undoing his clothes and stripping down to his underwear, kicking off his shoes before rolling his shoulders and popping his neck, sighing to let his bodycompletely relax. He trudged over to the bed before slipping between the cold sheets, taking in a deep breath and staring up at the ceiling for a moment… feeling his heart fall a little as his mind began to wander.
Cloud closed his eyes for a second, trying not to think of her too deeply… then turned to face his bed-side table… eyes opening to trace the outlines of the phone and alarm clock… the unlit lamp and a picture of Zack's girlfriend, Cissnei… A knot began to tie in his throat, missing her… the other half of the bed suddenly feeling very cold… lifeless as he thought about her…
He gripped the covers more tightly, pulling them closer to his shoulders, curling in on himself as he swallowed down the knot… His eyes closed as he tried to sleep, her face lingering in his thoughts… voice coming out soft as the cold beside him dug into his mind, the words a simple routine he would now have to get used to never speaking again, slipping past his lips reflexively… striking pain in his heart as he spoke them… whispered and unintentional…
A sweet, "Goodnight… Aerith…" for the one he had loved…
And the one he would never love again, he realized, as fatigue dragged him down into the darkness of his mind… The blonde sleeping that night in a guilty, restless state, mind lingering on her name… on the story… on death… and loss… alike.
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Into the Abyss