![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ladybug_archiveOne I've been meaning to get to for the last few days, continuing the situation of the last KH blurb. In this one, a few weeks have passed by, and unfair prejudice has been mounting against winged humans.
Thanks to Lisa for pointing out the absurd mistake that my tired brain was not processing. XD
Cloud grumbled to himself as he wandered down the lonely streets, making sure to keep his bat wing hidden underneath his tattered cape. Ever since the incident where Zack had nearly been stabbed by a Sephiroth imposter, people in and around Hollow Bastion had been growing wary of anyone with wings. Nevermind the fact that the real Sephiroth, another winged man, had been stabbed in Zack's place. That fact was rarely told. And the wings were such a rare phenomena that no one seemed to know what to think, and it was a growing viewpoint that such people (or "creatures" as they were more commonly called) would be the downfall of the entire town---maybe of the world, or the universe.
Cloud rolled his eyes. Prejudice against wings on any humans threw himself and Sephiroth into the same boat, much to his displeasure.
A footfall in front of him made him sharply look up. The shadowy man standing there looked like he belonged at the head of a gang, from the large muscles protruding through his ripped sleeveless shirt to the deadly weapon in his hand. Great. The blond narrowed his eyes. All he wanted was to go past. Was that going to be so difficult?
A brass-knuckled fist was shoved an inch from his face. "Not so fast," the thug said, his tone much too smooth and calm for comfort. "We just wanna have a friendly chat."
Cloud glowered at him, a chill running down his spine at the term "we." Gripping tightly at his sword, he started to turn around. Other gangsters were coming out from all directions, starting to surround him. There seemed to be at least ten in all. Ten too many. Under his cape, his wing twitched.
"I don't have anything to say to you," he said, looking back to the leader.
The muscle man shrugged, stepping closer to Cloud and starting to walk around him. "We're just . . . doin' a tally of all the people we can find," he announced, "seein' how many of 'em have wings and all that."
Cloud met his gaze coldly. "There's no wings here."
"You hear that, boys?" His voice had become boisterous. "There's no wings here."
All of them started to laugh. It was a cruel, heartless sound.
"You are Cloud Strife, aren't you?" the leader grinned, his yellowing teeth gleaming under the light of the stars.
It seemed pointless to deny it, but Cloud also did not want to confirm it. So he instead opted for saying nothing, glaring icily at his assailant.
"Spiky blond hair, black clothes, red cape, freakin' huge sword . . . and one wing." Without warning the man reached under the crimson material, his hand closing painfully around what he sought. Cloud gasped in agony as the extra appendage was drawn into full view of everyone there. It felt like it was being crushed in this man's hand.
"See this, boys?" the thug yelled, moving his hand so that it was tightly around the bone at the top. "This is a bonafied, genuine, demon wing." He inserted the most vile expletives that he could think of before continuing. "And we hate guys with wings, right?" His grin widened as everyone nodded.
The feel of the rough, unkind hand on his wing was horrible. More than anything at that moment, Cloud wanted to pull away. He wanted to whirl around, the sword held high, and force the creep to let go. And yet he could not. If he showed the first signs of violence, then they would all descend upon him for certain. He had to keep still and hope that they would leave him alone. But he knew they would not. He was going to have to fight them.
"It don't matter what kind of wings they got, we just don't want 'em around." Abruptly he kicked Cloud's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground with a gasp. The wing was released, roughly, and it landed on the street at Cloud's side. A boot immediately stepped on it, pinning it down.
Cloud's eyes widened, the anguish shooting through him like a knife. They were going to crush it! They were going to try to cripple him, just like the dragon had partially done with one of Sephiroth's wings! He had to get away, he had to get up somehow. . . . Keeping his right hand on the sword's hilt, he closed his left hand around his captor's ankle. With a sudden jerk, he caused the man to lose his balance, and he fell backwards onto the ground with a curse-filled cry.
Immediately Cloud got to his feet again. "I don't want any trouble," he said, his voice gaining an edge. If he could just get past!
"Trouble?" grinned a second man as he planted himself in front of the blond. "You got trouble when you decided to grow yourself a wing." He flung out a chain, wrapping it quickly around the buster sword. He yanked on it, trying to dislodge the weapon from Cloud's grasp.
But Cloud hung on, throwing all his weight into gathering enough momentum to send his attacker back. The chain unwound, hitting the thug in the face. Now that they were being aggressive, Cloud was going to have to be as well.
The man swore angrily, raising a hand to the cut that was forming. "Show him no mercy!" he yelled.
And they all ganged up on him at once.
Anger, panic, frustration, and fear surged through Cloud's heart. They were coming at him from all sides, even jumping from above! Every time he forced one back, two more leaped in their place. Surely there were more than ten now! It seemed that it must be twenty, thirty! They were everywhere! And they were all bent on one goal---hurting him in any way possible.
Harsh weapons slammed down on his arms and legs---clubs, sticks, the brass knuckles, whatever was available. Half the time he could not even see what they were using, but he would feel the pain once they did. Several times he was struck by chains, and then something stabbed him in the shoulder. A scream tore from his lips, and as they continued to assault him in unison, he could feel that he was losing his balance.
No, he had to stay standing! The moment he collapsed, he would be completely defenseless. He had to be able to fight!
The sharp object plunged into the leathery skin of his wing. He screamed again, feeling it tearing as the weapon was moved along. Clutching his sword, he turned as fast as he could, forcing the person to stop and cutting into his side with the thick blade. A strangled cry of pain met his ears, and then a chain went around his own neck.
"Here's the deal," a cruel voice told him. "We can hurt you, but you can't hurt us. Got it?"
A harsh boot kicked him forward onto the ground, releasing the pressure of the chain at the same time. Cloud gasped, the asphalt scraping his chin and his bare arms. Before he even had a chance to get up, they were all upon him again, beating, pounding, kicking, hitting, stabbing. . . .
Was he going to die here, like this? Now he could not even get up to try to fight back. They had overpowered him. Their heartless laughter was incessant, echoing all around him and probably all down the deserted street. They were having fun. It was not as it was with some people, who were simply frightened of the winged men or who would attack out of self-defense. These people just wanted to be cruel. It was all a game to them.
Vaguely he heard other voices joining in now, indignant, furious voices. Then, gradually, the burden began to be lightened. He frowned slightly, struggling to drag himself out of the semi-conscious state into which he was slipping. What was going on? It sounded like the men hurting him were being attacked now. He could hear what sounded like punching, and cries of anger and pain on both sides.
Slowly he raised his head, blinking blearily at the sight in front of him. Zack . . . it was Zack. . . . He was flipping one of the men right over his shoulder, then immediately slugging another one across the face. He acted like he had completely lost it. Cloud frowned slightly in concern. Of course he was grateful for the help, but Zack's fury could backfire and cause trouble for him later. What if these people came after him too? Or what if the military was angry at him? Maybe they would think that he was not making a good impression. But these people did need to be taught a lesson! Zack was the perfect one to do it.
The last of his attackers was pulled away, and he could hear the man slam into the wall with a yelp. Then he felt other hands reaching for him, carefully starting to lift him. He tensed. Zack was still fighting the others, so who was . . .
"There isn't any point in trying to get away from me. You'll hurt yourself worse."
He blinked again, staring upward at the cold voice. "Sephiroth . . ."
The older man winced as he straightened up with Cloud's limp body in his arms. He was still weakened from the previous stabbing, and he was trying to hold Cloud in such a way that neither of them would end up with their wounds jarred. That was proving difficult.
Not to mention that he had been assisting Zack in the fight. Cloud had been right, the original ten had been joined by at least that same number. He had been forced to use some of his lesser fire attacks on some of them, to create a shield and prevent them from coming back over to Cloud.
"You're lucky to be alive," he remarked, and then looked over to Zack. "Leave them for now," he directed. "Cloud needs immediate help."
Zack looked over, giving his opponent one final shove before hurrying to them. He swallowed hard, the horror obvious in his eyes as he finally got a good look at his childhood friend's battered body. "Cloud . . . oh man. . . ." He cursed under his breath. "What did they do to you?!"
Cloud tried to smirk weakly. "That bad, huh?" The dizziness was starting to overwhelm him again. He was probably not going to be able to stay awake. Already he could feel himself fading, especially when Sephiroth seemed to abruptly teleport with them. Of course it was done to help them get away, but it was making unconsciousness come so much faster. . . .
"Cloud!" He could hear Zack pleading, as if from far away. "Come on, you've gotta stay with us! Focus on my voice. . . ."
But it was no use. The darkness was calling too strongly.
****
Zack sighed, slumping back into the chair as he ran his hands through his hair. It seemed like hours since they had brought Cloud back. Maybe it even was. He had not been keeping track of time.
Cloud still had not woke up. His skin looked pale even against the whiteness of the pillowcase, and it was definitely a worry. Bruises, bumps, and cuts were all over his poor body, and his right shoulder was bandaged where the knife had entered it. His hands were limp on the quilt, and his bangs were hiding his right eye. But they could not conceal the look of pain on his features. Even unconscious, he could not have peace.
Zack looked up as Seph's shadow fell in the doorway again. "Hey, buddy, I thought I told you to rest," the brunet grinned weakly, his voice lightly scolding. "You're still getting better yourself."
"I'm alright." Seph entered, sinking into a chair next to Zack's. Subconsciously he held a hand to his chest, where his coat was hiding the stab wound. His wings hung around him, and from the way he was gingerly carrying the half-crippled one, it was paining him.
Zack swallowed hard. Seph's scream from the fight still haunted him, when one of the men had hit that wing hard with a crowbar. They had seemed to go after that one in particular, because of its injuries. It was sickening.
"Let me look at your wing, Seph," he said quietly.
"No." Seph shook his head firmly. "I've already looked at it. It hurts worse to move it." It would be alright in a few hours. Once it had ached like this when he had fallen off Cloud's couch and had landed directly on top of it. Now the pain was just a more intense version of that. He would just have to wait it out, as miserable as that was going to be.
Zack could see the agony in the other's eyes, and the silent pleading to not try to touch the wing. And of course, he would not press the matter.
Instead he looked back to Cloud. "What about his wing?" he murmured.
Seph sighed. "I stitched it," he said, "but I can't tell if it will heal correctly. We'll have to wait and see." Absently he brushed a lock of hair over his shoulder. It had not been a hard task. Cloud had been so deeply senseless that the appendage had not even jerked when the needle had been put through it.
He glanced back to Zack. "At least one of them saw who you are," he said grimly. "They won't let you forget it."
Zack clenched a fist. "I don't care," he said emphatically. "I'm not afraid of those cowards. They messed up both of my best friends, and they didn't even have a reason!" It made him so angry! How could any human being stand there and relish inflicting pain on another?! Poor Cloud had not even been able to do anything to protect himself, once they had all pinned him down. And then they had started hitting Seph's wings without warning, once he and Zack had joined the fight.
Sephiroth laid a hand on Zack's shoulder. "You may not care," he said, "but I do. I don't want to see you hurt."
Zack looked over at him. "Hey . . . I'm already pretty mixed up in this, Seph," he answered. "It was me who that fake you was trying to stab." He smiled a bit sadly. "And I've already been hurt. What happens to you and Cloud involves me too. We're all gonna have to ride this thing to its end."
Sephiroth knew that was true. And he was angry too. They had no right to assault Cloud as they had done. When he had first seen his rival's limp body, he had not even been able to notice breath at first. He had looked so pathetic, laying on the ground, bleeding, his clothes and wing torn. . . .
"They beat him almost to death," Zack whispered, as if reading Sephiroth's thoughts.
Sephiroth's grip tightened. He wanted to tell Zack that Cloud would wake up, that his wing would heal better than Sephiroth's had, that he would be just fine.
But he could not bring himself to tell a possible lie. Not to Zack.
So instead he simply remained there in silence with his friend.
Thanks to Lisa for pointing out the absurd mistake that my tired brain was not processing. XD
Cloud grumbled to himself as he wandered down the lonely streets, making sure to keep his bat wing hidden underneath his tattered cape. Ever since the incident where Zack had nearly been stabbed by a Sephiroth imposter, people in and around Hollow Bastion had been growing wary of anyone with wings. Nevermind the fact that the real Sephiroth, another winged man, had been stabbed in Zack's place. That fact was rarely told. And the wings were such a rare phenomena that no one seemed to know what to think, and it was a growing viewpoint that such people (or "creatures" as they were more commonly called) would be the downfall of the entire town---maybe of the world, or the universe.
Cloud rolled his eyes. Prejudice against wings on any humans threw himself and Sephiroth into the same boat, much to his displeasure.
A footfall in front of him made him sharply look up. The shadowy man standing there looked like he belonged at the head of a gang, from the large muscles protruding through his ripped sleeveless shirt to the deadly weapon in his hand. Great. The blond narrowed his eyes. All he wanted was to go past. Was that going to be so difficult?
A brass-knuckled fist was shoved an inch from his face. "Not so fast," the thug said, his tone much too smooth and calm for comfort. "We just wanna have a friendly chat."
Cloud glowered at him, a chill running down his spine at the term "we." Gripping tightly at his sword, he started to turn around. Other gangsters were coming out from all directions, starting to surround him. There seemed to be at least ten in all. Ten too many. Under his cape, his wing twitched.
"I don't have anything to say to you," he said, looking back to the leader.
The muscle man shrugged, stepping closer to Cloud and starting to walk around him. "We're just . . . doin' a tally of all the people we can find," he announced, "seein' how many of 'em have wings and all that."
Cloud met his gaze coldly. "There's no wings here."
"You hear that, boys?" His voice had become boisterous. "There's no wings here."
All of them started to laugh. It was a cruel, heartless sound.
"You are Cloud Strife, aren't you?" the leader grinned, his yellowing teeth gleaming under the light of the stars.
It seemed pointless to deny it, but Cloud also did not want to confirm it. So he instead opted for saying nothing, glaring icily at his assailant.
"Spiky blond hair, black clothes, red cape, freakin' huge sword . . . and one wing." Without warning the man reached under the crimson material, his hand closing painfully around what he sought. Cloud gasped in agony as the extra appendage was drawn into full view of everyone there. It felt like it was being crushed in this man's hand.
"See this, boys?" the thug yelled, moving his hand so that it was tightly around the bone at the top. "This is a bonafied, genuine, demon wing." He inserted the most vile expletives that he could think of before continuing. "And we hate guys with wings, right?" His grin widened as everyone nodded.
The feel of the rough, unkind hand on his wing was horrible. More than anything at that moment, Cloud wanted to pull away. He wanted to whirl around, the sword held high, and force the creep to let go. And yet he could not. If he showed the first signs of violence, then they would all descend upon him for certain. He had to keep still and hope that they would leave him alone. But he knew they would not. He was going to have to fight them.
"It don't matter what kind of wings they got, we just don't want 'em around." Abruptly he kicked Cloud's legs out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground with a gasp. The wing was released, roughly, and it landed on the street at Cloud's side. A boot immediately stepped on it, pinning it down.
Cloud's eyes widened, the anguish shooting through him like a knife. They were going to crush it! They were going to try to cripple him, just like the dragon had partially done with one of Sephiroth's wings! He had to get away, he had to get up somehow. . . . Keeping his right hand on the sword's hilt, he closed his left hand around his captor's ankle. With a sudden jerk, he caused the man to lose his balance, and he fell backwards onto the ground with a curse-filled cry.
Immediately Cloud got to his feet again. "I don't want any trouble," he said, his voice gaining an edge. If he could just get past!
"Trouble?" grinned a second man as he planted himself in front of the blond. "You got trouble when you decided to grow yourself a wing." He flung out a chain, wrapping it quickly around the buster sword. He yanked on it, trying to dislodge the weapon from Cloud's grasp.
But Cloud hung on, throwing all his weight into gathering enough momentum to send his attacker back. The chain unwound, hitting the thug in the face. Now that they were being aggressive, Cloud was going to have to be as well.
The man swore angrily, raising a hand to the cut that was forming. "Show him no mercy!" he yelled.
And they all ganged up on him at once.
Anger, panic, frustration, and fear surged through Cloud's heart. They were coming at him from all sides, even jumping from above! Every time he forced one back, two more leaped in their place. Surely there were more than ten now! It seemed that it must be twenty, thirty! They were everywhere! And they were all bent on one goal---hurting him in any way possible.
Harsh weapons slammed down on his arms and legs---clubs, sticks, the brass knuckles, whatever was available. Half the time he could not even see what they were using, but he would feel the pain once they did. Several times he was struck by chains, and then something stabbed him in the shoulder. A scream tore from his lips, and as they continued to assault him in unison, he could feel that he was losing his balance.
No, he had to stay standing! The moment he collapsed, he would be completely defenseless. He had to be able to fight!
The sharp object plunged into the leathery skin of his wing. He screamed again, feeling it tearing as the weapon was moved along. Clutching his sword, he turned as fast as he could, forcing the person to stop and cutting into his side with the thick blade. A strangled cry of pain met his ears, and then a chain went around his own neck.
"Here's the deal," a cruel voice told him. "We can hurt you, but you can't hurt us. Got it?"
A harsh boot kicked him forward onto the ground, releasing the pressure of the chain at the same time. Cloud gasped, the asphalt scraping his chin and his bare arms. Before he even had a chance to get up, they were all upon him again, beating, pounding, kicking, hitting, stabbing. . . .
Was he going to die here, like this? Now he could not even get up to try to fight back. They had overpowered him. Their heartless laughter was incessant, echoing all around him and probably all down the deserted street. They were having fun. It was not as it was with some people, who were simply frightened of the winged men or who would attack out of self-defense. These people just wanted to be cruel. It was all a game to them.
Vaguely he heard other voices joining in now, indignant, furious voices. Then, gradually, the burden began to be lightened. He frowned slightly, struggling to drag himself out of the semi-conscious state into which he was slipping. What was going on? It sounded like the men hurting him were being attacked now. He could hear what sounded like punching, and cries of anger and pain on both sides.
Slowly he raised his head, blinking blearily at the sight in front of him. Zack . . . it was Zack. . . . He was flipping one of the men right over his shoulder, then immediately slugging another one across the face. He acted like he had completely lost it. Cloud frowned slightly in concern. Of course he was grateful for the help, but Zack's fury could backfire and cause trouble for him later. What if these people came after him too? Or what if the military was angry at him? Maybe they would think that he was not making a good impression. But these people did need to be taught a lesson! Zack was the perfect one to do it.
The last of his attackers was pulled away, and he could hear the man slam into the wall with a yelp. Then he felt other hands reaching for him, carefully starting to lift him. He tensed. Zack was still fighting the others, so who was . . .
"There isn't any point in trying to get away from me. You'll hurt yourself worse."
He blinked again, staring upward at the cold voice. "Sephiroth . . ."
The older man winced as he straightened up with Cloud's limp body in his arms. He was still weakened from the previous stabbing, and he was trying to hold Cloud in such a way that neither of them would end up with their wounds jarred. That was proving difficult.
Not to mention that he had been assisting Zack in the fight. Cloud had been right, the original ten had been joined by at least that same number. He had been forced to use some of his lesser fire attacks on some of them, to create a shield and prevent them from coming back over to Cloud.
"You're lucky to be alive," he remarked, and then looked over to Zack. "Leave them for now," he directed. "Cloud needs immediate help."
Zack looked over, giving his opponent one final shove before hurrying to them. He swallowed hard, the horror obvious in his eyes as he finally got a good look at his childhood friend's battered body. "Cloud . . . oh man. . . ." He cursed under his breath. "What did they do to you?!"
Cloud tried to smirk weakly. "That bad, huh?" The dizziness was starting to overwhelm him again. He was probably not going to be able to stay awake. Already he could feel himself fading, especially when Sephiroth seemed to abruptly teleport with them. Of course it was done to help them get away, but it was making unconsciousness come so much faster. . . .
"Cloud!" He could hear Zack pleading, as if from far away. "Come on, you've gotta stay with us! Focus on my voice. . . ."
But it was no use. The darkness was calling too strongly.
****
Zack sighed, slumping back into the chair as he ran his hands through his hair. It seemed like hours since they had brought Cloud back. Maybe it even was. He had not been keeping track of time.
Cloud still had not woke up. His skin looked pale even against the whiteness of the pillowcase, and it was definitely a worry. Bruises, bumps, and cuts were all over his poor body, and his right shoulder was bandaged where the knife had entered it. His hands were limp on the quilt, and his bangs were hiding his right eye. But they could not conceal the look of pain on his features. Even unconscious, he could not have peace.
Zack looked up as Seph's shadow fell in the doorway again. "Hey, buddy, I thought I told you to rest," the brunet grinned weakly, his voice lightly scolding. "You're still getting better yourself."
"I'm alright." Seph entered, sinking into a chair next to Zack's. Subconsciously he held a hand to his chest, where his coat was hiding the stab wound. His wings hung around him, and from the way he was gingerly carrying the half-crippled one, it was paining him.
Zack swallowed hard. Seph's scream from the fight still haunted him, when one of the men had hit that wing hard with a crowbar. They had seemed to go after that one in particular, because of its injuries. It was sickening.
"Let me look at your wing, Seph," he said quietly.
"No." Seph shook his head firmly. "I've already looked at it. It hurts worse to move it." It would be alright in a few hours. Once it had ached like this when he had fallen off Cloud's couch and had landed directly on top of it. Now the pain was just a more intense version of that. He would just have to wait it out, as miserable as that was going to be.
Zack could see the agony in the other's eyes, and the silent pleading to not try to touch the wing. And of course, he would not press the matter.
Instead he looked back to Cloud. "What about his wing?" he murmured.
Seph sighed. "I stitched it," he said, "but I can't tell if it will heal correctly. We'll have to wait and see." Absently he brushed a lock of hair over his shoulder. It had not been a hard task. Cloud had been so deeply senseless that the appendage had not even jerked when the needle had been put through it.
He glanced back to Zack. "At least one of them saw who you are," he said grimly. "They won't let you forget it."
Zack clenched a fist. "I don't care," he said emphatically. "I'm not afraid of those cowards. They messed up both of my best friends, and they didn't even have a reason!" It made him so angry! How could any human being stand there and relish inflicting pain on another?! Poor Cloud had not even been able to do anything to protect himself, once they had all pinned him down. And then they had started hitting Seph's wings without warning, once he and Zack had joined the fight.
Sephiroth laid a hand on Zack's shoulder. "You may not care," he said, "but I do. I don't want to see you hurt."
Zack looked over at him. "Hey . . . I'm already pretty mixed up in this, Seph," he answered. "It was me who that fake you was trying to stab." He smiled a bit sadly. "And I've already been hurt. What happens to you and Cloud involves me too. We're all gonna have to ride this thing to its end."
Sephiroth knew that was true. And he was angry too. They had no right to assault Cloud as they had done. When he had first seen his rival's limp body, he had not even been able to notice breath at first. He had looked so pathetic, laying on the ground, bleeding, his clothes and wing torn. . . .
"They beat him almost to death," Zack whispered, as if reading Sephiroth's thoughts.
Sephiroth's grip tightened. He wanted to tell Zack that Cloud would wake up, that his wing would heal better than Sephiroth's had, that he would be just fine.
But he could not bring himself to tell a possible lie. Not to Zack.
So instead he simply remained there in silence with his friend.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-05-29 05:47 pm (UTC)How have you been lately? :)
no subject
Date: 2007-05-30 12:49 am (UTC)I've been good, mostly! Kinda sick today, though. You?
no subject
Date: 2007-05-30 04:03 am (UTC)Aww, I hope you feel better! I've been pretty good; just looking for a job...and finally getting around to playing my Nancy Drew game. XD; I'd had it since the fall and never gotten a change to play it while I was at school.
no subject
Date: 2007-05-30 04:06 am (UTC)Good luck getting a job!
XD I still have some DVDs around here I haven't got watched. And my Return of the King game that wouldn't install on this computer. I need to try it on the one we got recently from one of Dad's friends. ^^
no subject
Date: 2007-05-30 12:37 am (UTC)Anyway, bzuh! o_o Poor Cloud! Poor everybody! But the thing I really loved about this blurb was FlippingOut!Zack, because much like FlippingOut!Aerith, you don't normally see it. ^.^
no subject
Date: 2007-05-30 12:42 am (UTC)Writing Zack flipping out is fun. XD