A Voyage of Night, Final Fantasy VII (Genesis/Zack/Cloud+Seph/Angeal hints)
Title: A Voyage of Night Author: skeren Rating: G Warnings: AU! Word count: 1038 Summary: Come away, O human child! To the waters and the wild With a faery, hand in hand, For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand. A/N: This came out better than I hoped and was due the Fifth as well, apologies.
Have you ever been outside on a night that made you think it was another? On a night far before the day of harvest and spirits, but with the weight of that very day, pressing down upon you as though the very night wanted to touch you?
This was a night such as that, with the fog curling around his feet as he picked his way higher into the mountains, flashlight in hand and a coat wrapped around his shoulders. He didn’t pay heed to those subtle signs, the mockery of the inaccuracy of a human calendar that had long fallen out of sync with the spirits.
It was their night and this unwitting youth was treading upon their path, straying ever deeper into forests he wouldn’t recognize if he simply raised his head to look. But they weren’t unkind. Spirits weren’t set upon the youth, kept away by a far more curious body, one far more vicious than any mere spirit could hope to become.
That fae, sadly, wasn’t quick enough to act against one however, his violet eyes narrowing in annoyance as the red garbed figure slipped forward to block the youth. The one in red knew, and simply smiled, blue eyes meeting ones even more vivid than his own, but with a glow so much less than his own, merely reflected light and the essence that any human had within them to play with.
The blond, for his part, was shocked. So high up in the mountains there should have been no one but himself out and around, let alone a complete stranger. They didn’t get them often, and they were well celebrated when they came. As long as they didn’t overstay themselves anyway. But this man, well, where had he come from? The only way to know was to ask. “Are you lost?”
The man shifted his red cloak around him, blue eyes plainly amused as he cocked his head, reddish hair falling across his eyes as one hand lifted to block the light from his face. “No, however, can you say the same?”
“What?” There was a visible lurch from the blond, then he whipped around, light dancing over the trees and path as he abruptly realized that somehow he’d lost track of his normal route. He should have been able to walk that in his sleep. “This isn’t right.” The beam flicked back to the stranger, his odd clothes instead of his face this time. They were archaic, fancy, and looked too much like blood for his taste. “Who are you and what’s going on?”
“You may call me Genesis, and as for what’s going on... well, it’s a special night and you have drawn some very interested attention.”
”Excuse me?” The blond’s eyes narrowed.
“Isn’t it custom to give a name for a name?” A smirk crossed the man’s face and he was sure the blond had caught the glimpse of fang when his bright eyes focused uneasily on his lips.
“I guess... Cloud. Why don’t I know you? Are you from around here? One of the other towns?”
“Something like that. I could show you.”
”No thanks, just a name’d be good.”
”You’re doing it wrong.” The voice came from the side of them both, a growl of a grumble before a black haired man tumbled with a little trip out of the bushes, righting himself as he picked leaves out of his hair. “All wrong.”
“And you think you can do it better whelp? You have no sense of tradition.” Pale blue and violet clashed as the two men glared at each other.
“Um. New guy, Genesis, what’s going on?”
Immediately violet eyes fastened onto the blond and he gave a wolfish grin, slipping forward to take his hands and rudely shouldering Genesis aside. “You can call me Zack. We’re from close, and it’s a wonderful place, but they’re all quite isolated, twitchy for strangers you know.” He tilted his head towards the fuming redhead. “Like him. All set in tradition. But, the place is gorgeous. Won’t you at least come see? If you insist we’ll have you back by morning. But only if you insist.”
Cloud blinked at him a few times in shock before jerking his hands away, a bit of a blush on his face. “I’m not going to sleep with you people.”
“What?” The word was a squawk as Zack’s eyes widened, and then he quickly grabbed his hands again. “No no no. I just want to show you our home, I promise. It’s so beautiful there. Nothing like those polluted places where nobody knows how to breathe. Just come see. Come see someplace that’s not ruined yet, won’t you?”
Deciding to help instead of hinder, as his youngest lover shared his interest in this one, he moved to run gloved fingers over the bound back hair. “Just come, you will be in no danger from out hands. You had nowhere better to be, did you?”
The youth visibly hesitated, making Zack wonder if he was thinking of that girl that had run through the forest at sunset had this one’s attention. If she did, she would fail against them. They had so much better things to offer than any human child ever would. “Please, come. We’ll even feed you if you want.”
Sighing, and giving the hands on his a suspicious look, Cloud finally nodded, obviously reluctant, and gave them what they needed to take him away. “I’ll go with you to your home, but you better not let anyone attack me.”
Genesis laughed lowly and turned to sweep off down the path. “Then come Cloud, come and know a place you never imagine real.”
Zack shook his head and wrapped his arm around the youth’s waist, dragging him along before he could change his mind. He was theirs now. Oh but how the others would be pleased. Sephiroth had always been fascinated by the humans, and what better gift than one who came of his own will after all?
They simply had to convince him to stay, but he was sure that wouldn’t be so difficult.