Another universe with a no name story...
Yes, this is another universe. Correct, this story *doesn't* have a name. It's a story written in chapters with the help of a Prompt table. Yes each chapter is individually rated. *grins* Unfortunately, that first chapter's a dozy...
And if anyone has any suggestions for a title for the overall story, I'd be happy to take 'em.
Chapter 1 Rating: NC-17 Warning: M/M relationship aka Yaoi. Crossover between Trinity Blood and Final Fantasy 7
With a soft sigh, Father Abel Nightroad sank into the hot pool and moaned softly as the mineral spring attacked his sore muscles. He had not realized how far it was from the docks of Nibelheim to the capital city of Midgar in the Northern Kingdom when he was walking, but since the Iron Maiden wasn’t allowed over the Northern Kingdom without starting a war, he had been forced to walk the entire distance. The good part about it was that it had given him a chance to see the kingdom and its people without anyone making sure people were on their best behavior, allowing him to form an honest opinion of the king that ruled here.
Of course, it also ensured that I was foot sore and weary when I arrived, he thought with a wry smile. The guard who had met him at the gate, a large man with a shaved head, has escorted Abel to his assigned rooms for the duration of his stay before offering the hot springs as a way to relax since Abel’s appointment with the king wasn’t until the following day. A suggestion he was more than willing to take.
Laughter and approaching footsteps pulled Abel out of the light doze he had fallen into, and he sat up as three men entered the small nook that hid his chosen pool from the rest of the hot springs. The first had spiky black hair that fell down his back and laughing violet eyes. He was dragging a younger man with glowing blue eyes and wildly spiking blond hair by the arm, and by the tolerant smile on his face, this wasn’t the first time his friend had dragged him around. Both wore towels around their waists and had another draped over their shoulders.
It was the third man that had Abel’s breath catching in his throat as he tried not to stare. Pale skin, long limbs nicely muscled and silver hair that fell to his knees, swaying as he glided across the stone floor. Lovely features in a sharp face with amused opaline eyes regarding him back, and Abel blushed as he realized that he was indeed staring.
“Hey,” greeted the brunet. “Mind if we join you?” His manner was as friendly as his smile, and Abel found himself shaking his head even as towels were removed before they slid into the hot pool. “Ah. This is the life. Especially after all that work today. Oh! I’m Zack, this is Cloud, and that’s Seth.” He gestured first to the blond who looked like he was seconds away from dunking the man and then at the silver haired man who still wore an amused smile.
“Father Abel Nightroad,” Abel replied, holding his hand out. Cloud smiled and shook his hand, before Seth wrapped his long fingers around Abel’s hand, sending a shiver up Abel’s spine at the contact.
“A pleasure,” Seth murmured in a deep voice.
Zack snapped his fingers and pointed at Abel. “You’re the emissary from the Vatican, aren’t you? So, what do you think of the place so far?”
That started the chatting and trading stories as they talked about where they had been and what they had seen, and Abel relaxed again in the water, getting to know the new people. Zack enjoyed teasing Cloud, getting blushes and yelps from the younger man while Seth seemed content to sit back and toss a friendly barb or two towards Zack. A servant had come and gone, leaving behind a tray of snacks and a couple bottles of wine, and Seth poured out two glasses of the rich red liquid before handing one glass to Abel.
“I shouldn’t,” Abel protested, holding a hand up only for Seth to wrap his fingers around the glass. “I don’t really have a head for alcohol.”
“I only ask that you share one glass with me,” Seth stated with a small smile. “I promise I won’t let you get drunk and embarrass yourself or the Vatican.”
Abel chuckled and sipped the wine, gasping at the strong flavor that exploded across his tongue. “I’ll hold you to that. I don’t wish to arrive at my meeting with the king hung over. That would make him believe that the Vatican was full of drunks.”
For some reason, his comment got a strangled snicker from Zack before Cloud rammed an elbow into the brunet’s ribs. Seth chuckled and looped a strand of silver around his finger. It took Abel a few seconds to realize it was his hair that Seth was playing with instead of his own, and a blush stained his cheeks, adding to the flush from the alcohol. He should really stop drinking the wine, but it tasted pleasant, and Seth had been nice enough to promise that he wouldn’t let anything embarrassing happen. He drained the glass and held it out for a refill. “I’ll probably regret this in the morning, but more please?”
“That’s the spirit, Father,” crowed Zack as Seth refilled his glass, and Abel watched as Seth shot a glance at Cloud who nodded. Abel nearly dropped his glass into the pool when Cloud grabbed Zack’s head and proceeded to devour the brunet’s mouth. Raising the glass to his lips, he drained half of it in a long swallow and looked away when Cloud made himself at home on Zack’s lap.
“Why do you look away? Is it against your beliefs for two men to find enjoyment in each other?” purred a smooth voice in his ear, and Abel jumped, looking up to find Seth sitting very close to him with a curious look in his eyes. This close, Abel could make out the slit pupils amidst the blue and green of Seth’s eyes.
The questions registered in Abel’s alcohol dazed brain, and he shook his head. “I just wanted to give them some privacy.”
Long fingers lifted the glass of wine out of his hand before they turned his face and his lips were caught in a gentle kiss. He gasped in surprise before a strong arm wrapped around his waist, pulling him into Seth’s lap, and Seth brushed his hair over his shoulder, moving the long silver strands out from between them as he pulled Abel back against his chest.
“Are they not beautiful together?” murmured Seth’s voice as Abel felt him rest his chin on the priest’s bared shoulder, and Abel found his eyes redirected from the swirling eddies in the water to where Cloud was wrapped around Zack. As Abel watched, Zack stood up long enough to sit on the edge of the pool before pulling Cloud back into his lap, and Abel blushed brightly as he watched them come together, unable to pull his eyes away.
Long fingers slid from Abel’s waist to stroke the soft skin above his groin, and he softly moaned, arching into that touch as his head fell back on Seth’s shoulder. It had been too long since he had felt the touch of another like this, and his blush grew as the realization of how wanton he must look. Gentle fingers caught his chin and turned his face into another soft kiss.
“You are exquisite, a warrior who has seen much yet still retains innocence enough to blush,” purred Seth, his eyes hot with desire, and Abel felt himself grow hard at the look in those feline eyes. Long fingers brushed against him before wrapping around hard flesh, and Abel moaned again, hips jerking up into that light touch before he could stop them. “May I find my pleasure in you, Beautiful One?”
“Yes, please,” groaned Abel, the combination of alcohol and loneliness feeding his desire for Seth. A husky chuckle echoed in his ear as both of Seth’s hands busied themselves beneath the water. Light touches mixed with petting and stroking had Abel writhing on his lap as Seth’s voice purred in his ear, telling him how lovely he was and how precious he would be to Seth if he remained there in Midgar.
Then he was being stretched and filled, drawing ragged moans from Abel before he was encouraged to move, hands still stroking and petting his skin, pushing his pleasure higher. Abel’s hands rested on Seth’s, needing to touch him to verify that it wasn’t a strange dream brought on by too much wine in the hot springs. Dimly, he heard a soft cry and a muffled groan as the scent of sex grew heavy in the air, mixing with the smell of minerals, and he forced his eyes open to find Zack and Cloud were watching them from across the pool, an admiring light in their eyes.
“Think Seth will want to keep this one?” Zack murmured, his voice carrying to Abel over the priest’s pants.
Cloud smiled back at his lover. “Of course Sephiroth will want to keep him. How many other men do you know of with the same shade and length of hair as him?”
Abel’s eyes widened at those words and a desperate whine started in his throat that had little to do with his growing pleasure and everything to do with his growing panic. The man fucking him wasn’t introduced as Seth but Seph, an apparently shortened version of Sephiroth. He was being fucked by the very king he had been sent to open friendly relations with, and he started laughing, slightly hysterical. What a way to start those relations.
Teeth suddenly found a purchase in his shoulder, right where it met his neck, and everything exploded in him. He heard someone screaming in pleasure, but didn’t recognize the voice until he realized that it was coming from his own throat. There was a soft grunt in his ear as Sephiroth thrust into him one last time before his insides were bathed in heat, and the arms tightened around him, keeping him from moving.
“Well, I suppose that’s one way to open friendly relations,” remarked Abel, the words slipping out. Laughter echoed through the cavern as Abel relaxed in Sephiroth’s arms, enjoying the after glow. He’d deal with any other problems later.
Chapter 2: Rating: PG-13 for remembered cuddles
Straightening his robes, Abel made his way down to the antechamber where he would wait for his turn to meet with King Sephiroth the Angel. A faint blush stained his cheeks as he remembered the meeting the previous evening in the hot springs. Part of him was still horrified that he had acted like some common strumpet who was willing to bed anyone who paid him the slightest bit of attention, but a larger part wondered about the possibilities of an encore.
Don’t be silly, he silently chided himself with an irritated shake of his head. He’s a King, and I am simply a priest from the Vatican. Other than a bit of distraction, I have nothing to offer him.
An amused chuckle snapped him out of his thoughts, and Abel looked up to find a young man standing in front of him with a tail of scarlet hair draped over his shoulder. The dark suit was worn with an almost lazy indifference, but Abel noticed the sharp intelligence in aqua blue eyes indicating that mo matter how lazy this young man seemed, it was an act to coax his enemies into underestimating him. With an absent toss of his head, the young man flipped the tail over his shoulder to cascade down his back, and he walked up to Abel, cocky smirk firmly in place. “I don’t know why you’re so worried Father. It’s not like you haven’t met the king before.”
The knowing look in those eyes had Abel wanting to snap at him for some reason, but long years in politics held his tongue. Instead, he smiled his silly, gentle smile and the knowing look changed to a wary one. “It’s the principle of the thing. Besides, I can’t ask for special privileges just for being an evening’s distraction.”
With a polite nod to the surprised young man, Abel swept past him to take his place in the line of those waiting to meet with the king. A few of the people there glared at him, but he ignored them as he was uncomfortably aware of the fact that he was the only one clad in armor. In a way, the armored dress robes of the Department of Foreign Affairs was a subtle reminder that while he was a priest, he was also a warrior in his own right. Everyone else in the antechamber was clad in fine clothes and jewels, making him feel like a crow among peacocks.
Finally, his name was announced, and Abel entered the throne room, gliding down the red carpet to kneel at the foot of the dias with a casual grace.
“I bring greetings to His Majesty, King Sephiroth the Angel, from His Holiness, Pope Alessandro XVIII,” Abel announced, holding out the thick parchment bearing the seal of the Vatican stamped in gold wax. The letter was lifted from his hand, and he dropped his arm back to his side.
“And what does the Vatican seek from us?” inquired the familiar voice of Sephiroth, and Abel shivered slightly at the faint purr, remembering that voice in his ears the night before.
“Simply to open friendly relations between our countries and offer assistance when requested in the hopes of building a friendship and alliance in the future,” replied the silver haired priest. It was what the Department of Foreign Affairs did while the smaller section of the AX went out to handle rogue vampires who threatened that hard won peace.
There were a few minutes of silence from Sephiroth, and Abel could hear the rustling of thick paper and the fidgeting of various courtiers in the room as he continued to kneel before the throne. Finally, the king broke the silence, a note of curiosity in his voice. “Why have we not been approached before now about friendly relations?”
Catarina had thought that particular question would arise and had given him permission to tell the truth instead of the polite lies he normally would have told to prevent feathers from being ruffled. “Because, Your Majesty, it seemed more prudent to secure a peace treaty with the Methuselah Empire before looking for other potential allies. After all, if we had approached you before, it would have appeared as if we were looking for allies for a potential war instead of merely new friends.”
Angry murmurs started around the room, but Abel remained calm. He had spoken the truth, and he wouldn’t retract a word of it. If they didn’t like it, well, it wouldn’t be the first time he had to escape from a hostile territory. Probably wouldn’t be the last either.
Chapter 3: Rating: PG
Zack stared at Father Abel from his place next to Seph’s throne, and once more, he marveled at this strange man who was here on behalf of a church of all things. Last night when they had heard that the Vatican representative had arrived, Zack had put forth the idea to visit this Father Nightroad anonymously to see what sort of man he was. He had been expecting some crotchety old man with book dust in his hair, but instead, they had found a young man who seemed to carry a heavy weight on his shoulders. A quick glance and the plan was agreed upon between the three of them to learn more about this Nightroad without letting on that Seph was the king.
That had revealed the warrior that lurked behind black robes, and Zack could see the interest in Seph’s eyes when Cloud had pounced him. When he had finally surfaced, it was to find both Seph and the priest enjoying themselves, and Cloud’s answer to Zack’s casual question had produced an interesting reaction from Abel. There had been a slightly hysterical laugh as the true identity of Sephiroth had registered before he had joked about starting relationships.
And now, Father Abel continued to surprise him. Anyone else would have used the fact that Seph had bedded them to their advantage, but Reno had informed them that Father Abel didn’t expect any special favors or treatment for being an evening’s distraction.
So very curious.
Zack leaned forward a bit to mutter in Wutainese. “We should tell him the truth and find out more about this place.”
There was a vague nod from Sephiroth, the only indication that he’d been heard, before Zack turned his attention back to the armored priest. It was strange to see someone wearing armor for a dress uniform when not even the SOLDIERs had much beyond thick belts and shoulder guards. But then, with as hard to hit as they were, the SOLDIERs didn’t need much more.
“Your blatant honesty is refreshing and welcomed,” announced Sephiroth, causing more than a few people gathered there to flinch at the accusation. “You will be our welcomed guest while you remain in our kingdom, and we look forward to discussing many things with you.”
“Than you, Your Majesty,” replied the Priest, and Zack resisted the urge to start snickering. Everyone believed that Sephiroth was using the Royal “we” when he talked like that, but in reality, he was talking about the three rulers of the kingdom: Sephiroth, Zack and Cloud, the last two who were only seen as advisors and not rulers.
The truth was such a slippery thing after all.
Chapter 4: Rating: PG-13 for some language
The meeting with Sephiroth had progressed better than he had hoped for, and Abel was relieved in many ways. There were still some angry whispers along the walls from various court nobles, but he ignored them. They weren’t important yet.
“Rise and join us,” invited Sephiroth, and Abel barely managed to hide his surprise at the polite order as he scrambled to his feet. He looked up to find the king also on his feet with Cloud and Zack flanking him, and Abel followed the trio as they left the throne room. He wasn’t quite sure what was going on, but from the increase in the angry mutterings, this was an unusual event.
“Loki’s Balls,” sighed Zack when the door closed behind them. “Why’d we ever agree that holding an Open Court was a good idea?”
“Because it gives people a chance to air their grievances before it comes to a fight,” Cloud stated, apparently rehashing an old argument between them. “Something the Shinras didn’t do before everything exploded.”
“Um, excuse me. I don’t mean to be rude, but what’s going on?” Abel asked, feeling a bit lost. “I am glad that you are willing to accept the Vatican’s offer of friendship, but why did you as me to come with you? From the mutterings of your court, this is an unusual event.”
Sephiroth waved him to follow again, and Abel resisted the urge to sigh in frustration as his questions were ignored. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything he could do to get his answers as he was only a guest in this kingdom with no true power here.
They walked down the hallways, and Abel noticed that they passed several people wearing a strange charcoal uniform identical to the one Zack wore. Not unusual itself, but each one had eyes that glowed. Ruby red, gas blue, bright amethyst, clear amber, and a strange green were the only colors he saw, but none of the green eyes were the same shade of opaline that Sephiroth was blessed with.
Finally, Abel was ushered into a room, and he looked around at the simple yet comfortable furnishings as Cloud shut the door behind them. Where had they brought him? It looked like a sitting room, but there wasn’t the luxurious decorations that were usually found in a noble’s quarters.
“Okay, now it’s safe to talk,” Cloud announced, walking over to the couch and sitting next to Zack who was already sprawled there. Abel glanced at Sephiroth only to be waved over towards an overstuffed chair as the king perched on the arm of the couch. The silver haired priest carefully sat on the edge of the chair, a bit uncomfortable in his dress robe.
Zack grinned and looped an arm around Cloud’s shoulders, perfectly comfortable with snuggling the blond. “You see, the truth of the matter is we’re not exactly from your world.”
That got an even more confused look from Abel. “You are aliens from space?”
It made perfect sense to his mind, but for some reason, Zack burst out laughing. Rolling his eyes, Cloud shoved his lover off the couch while a faint twitch of lips revealed Sephiroth’s humor of the situation.
“Nothing quite so grad,” confessed Sephiroth. “About five years ago, one of the reactors on our world exploded, almost completely destroying the nearby town. There was enough of a warning to evacuate, but a chain reaction had started. Other reactors were becoming unstable and nothing could rectify the problem. Then Midgar exploded.”
“A lot of people died because they refused to evacuate, but many others lived because they did leave,” continued Cloud with a shrug. “It wasn’t until everything had settled down that we discovered our world had somehow connected itself to this one. Sephiroth, Zack and I had taken a squad of First Classes to scout for a place to settle when we sorta stumbled upon this place, and suddenly, we found ourselves ruling the Northern Kingdom.”
“What about your original world?” Abel asked, finding himself believing this fantastical tale. In a way, it was so strange that it had to be true, because it was too strange to be a lie.
Zack shrugged from where he was sitting on the floor. “Rufus Shinra and Reeve Tuesti are the main people in charge of rebuilding there, but Seph has the military behind him. The SOLDIERs know that the Silver General cares about them like a good leader should.”
Silver General? Abel looked at Sephiroth with a curious expression. He had to wonder just how old Sephiroth was to make the rank of general and what he had done to earn such respect from his troops.