toxicwillpower: (Default)
toxicwillpower ([personal profile] toxicwillpower) wrote in [community profile] onepassingnight2012-04-01 04:00 pm

The Remnant of Midgar (Pied Piper of Hamelin)

((OOC: This is totally not my writing style. But I wanted to follow Grimm's style, so that is what I did here. :3 I hope you like it/it is acceptable))

Once upon a time...

On north of side of Gaia was a town called Midgar. The citizens of Midgar were honest folk who lived contentedly in their urban houses. The years went by, and the town grew very rich.

Then one day, an extraordinary thing happened to disturb the peace.Midgar was struck with an illness known as Geostigma. A black plague swarmed over the whole town. The terrified citizens flocked to plead with ShinRa to free them from the plague of Geostigma—which the ShinRa company had been responsible for. But Rufus ShinRa had, for a long time, been sitting in the Presidential room, trying to think of a plan.

"What we need is an army of SOLIDERS!"

But all the SOLDIERS were dead.

"We'll atone for our mistakes then . . ."
But most of the damage was already done and even attempting to please the Planet did not stop the Geostigma.

"It just can't be done without help!" said the president sadly.

Just then, while the citizens milled around outside, there was a loud knock at the door. "Who can that be?" the Turks, ShinRa’s henchmen, wondered uneasily. Mindful of the angry crowds, they gingerly opened the door. And to their surprise, there stood a teenage boy, dressed in dark leather, with silver hair that obscured half his face, and waving a double bladed katana at them.

“I can cure your little problem,” the stranger announced, “All I want in return is Jenova!”

"Jenova!" exclaimed the president. "We'll give you Jenova and all her remains!"

And so the deal was set.

The sun was still below the horizon when the sound of zealous gospel wafted through the streets of Midgar. The little remnant slowly made his way through the houses and behind him flocked the diseased. Out they crawled, the ill of every size, all after the remnant. And as he preached, the stranger marched straight down to a black river, right up to his middle. Behind him swarmed those who were plagued and every one was taken over by the remnant’s will and told to remain out of the city to be used for a later purpose.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, there was not a diseased person in the town. There was even greater delight at the town hall, until the remnant tried to claim his payment.

"You want Jenova?" exclaimed the Turks, "Never..."

"You promised you’d give me Mother!" cried the little remnant angrily. But the President broke in. "Geostigma is dead now and it can never come back. . ."

His eyes flashing with rage, the little remnant pointed a threatening finger at the President and told him he’d regret his actions.

A shiver of fear ran through the Turks, but the President shrugged and said excitedly: "We've saved the Planet!"

That night, freed from the nightmare of the Geostigma, the citizens of Midgar slept more soundly than ever. And when the remnant returned to the streets at dawn, only the children were interested this time. Drawn as by magic, they hurried out of their homes. The long procession soon left the town and made its way through the woods and across a glowing forest till it reached the foot of a huge crater. Beyond lay the Northern Cave. All the children had followed the remnant into the cave, to which he held them captive by pure Willpower alone.

Only one little girl escaped this fate. It was her, named Marlene, who told the anxious citizens, searching for their children, what had happened. No matter what people did, the Northern Cave never gave up its victims, for you see, they had become the remnant’s new brothers and sisters! A brand new army of children to fight for Mother! And it was here, that the remnant known as Kadaj would keep the children until ShinRa upheld their deal—and returned Jenova to her rightful family.
waterfell: (ami 悪 blank slate)

Have a little sister, Kadaj. You know you always wanted one. >D

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-04-01 11:41 pm (UTC)(link)
She's a bit younger. Ami doesn't really know why she's out here, but she isn't thinking much about it, either. There's just somewhere to go, somewhere she's being drawn to, someone who's drawing her there. She's going there to meet him, of course - whoever 'him' might be. She isn't sure.

She doesn't need to be sure. She just needs to follow the thing pulling her away from home and family and towards the darkness of a blank and black future. Certainty at its finest.

Her feet crunch down the grass along the way, until she finally comes to the cave; yes, this feels right. This is now, she supposes, her new living place. She eyes it with an interest that nothing else seems to have stirred in her since she walked out the front door of that apartment.
waterfell: (ami 悪 so i brainwashed them!)

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-04-02 08:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes; she'd once been innocent. It was a very long time ago, it sometimes feels.

Ami looks back at Kadaj, and a smile breaks over her face at his words. Something feels a bit wrong not to have Mama nearby in a 'family', but the part of her that wants to badly to be included, and to have such a large family instead of being alone as an only child, smooths the bump over easily.

"Thank you, Brother." That's right. He's her brother. It's her turn to eye the sheer number of children gathered here, and almost wiggle in a sudden fit of satisfaction. She'll soon show herself to be the best of them.
findmyownreason: (opening credits)

threadjack! because you know he has to ;)

[personal profile] findmyownreason 2012-04-05 03:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Dammit. He'd known making a deal with anything even close to Sephiroth was a bad idea and he'd been ready for the fall out when it had gone wrong. He just hadn't - he hadn't thought it would be children the Remnant would go after.

Sephiroth had never cared about children. Apparently fragments of him had other ideas.

So here was Cloud, in front of a familiar cave thanks to Marlene's instructions. He's here for the kids. But he's also here for one of them in specific. In his dream, Denzel's safe. This time it's someone else precious to him that the Remnant's taken.

His little sister. He's here to get her back.

"Time to let the kids go, Kadaj." It doesn't matter if the entrance looks sealed. Cloud can crack it if he needs to. He knows the Remnant will hear him though and the last time he saw the other he'd almost -

he'd almost felt sorry for him.
waterfell: (ami 悪 you're my prey)

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-04-07 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
Ami's smile was anything but pleasant as she turned to Kadaj instead of to Cloud. How dare someone interfere with her family? With her coming here, where she was obviously meant to be and finally fit so well?

"Yes!" she agreed, now that Kadaj addressed her. "Maybe he just doesn't understand yet." Foolish, really, even she, younger, knew that. Cloud should be as eager to be here and a part of this as she was!

The grin spread, and she finally turned to eye Cloud, making it clear the next words were a threat entirely for him. "So we'll make him!"

Cloud had no sister here. But Kadaj did.
findmyownreason: (whatever it takes)

[personal profile] findmyownreason 2012-04-07 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)
He was used to the pontificating. It was obvious which of the Remnants had gotten the part of Sephiroth that liked listening to the sound of his own voice. It gave him plenty of time to take in his surroundings and see the forms of the children in the almost lightless hole. The other two of the triplets seemed to be missing but Cloud wasn't ruling them entirely out. He'd had to take on all three last time.

At the moment it looked like just Kadaj and the kids though.

How was he going to work around the kids?

He knew Ami was under Kadaj's control. But there was still something disturbing about the glee she took in threatening him. Littler than usual or not, he knew she was dangerous when she wanted to be. Blue eyes that glowed in the dim light locked with hers.

"You're stronger than letting someone else control you, Ami. I can't believe you haven't kicked his ass yet for even trying." His eyes went back to the silver haired youth in the midst of the kids and they narrowed down into sharp fire. "And your 'mother' is gone. I wiped out the last piece of her worthless, powerless existence when I killed the man she thought was a better fighter against me than you."
waterfell: (ami 悪 better not say you won't fight)

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-04-08 06:53 am (UTC)(link)
Ami's face was not blank at all. Instead, it was a picture of anger, and a mirror of Kadaj, the moment Cloud disparaged Jenova. What he'd said right beforehand went right through her ears. She was upset.

"Don't talk about our mother that way!" She might have lunged at him, but there was no order from Kadaj yet, no command letting her let loose on the hindrance in front of them. She itched for it at the moment. How dare he degrade their mother, of all people? Something of her feelings towards her true mother outside the spell only heightened her aversion to the insult.

"As if she was a filthy human." Jenova was - they were - so far above that petty, powerless existence. Look at them! Look at what they could do with her cells, her energy, those few people blessed with them!

She'd love to show him just how it could tear a human apart. She glanced at Kadaj. Now?
findmyownreason: (I wouldn't put my money on the other guy)

[personal profile] findmyownreason 2012-04-09 02:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud looked utterly casual, First Tsurugi over one shoulder, the single hollow blade seeming almost forgotten in his left hand. Blue eyes looked bored. For good measure, he gave that thin ice a good hard stomp.

"Your mother's being picked apart in the Lifestream to power a tree. At least she'll finally be useful for something."
waterfell: (ami 悪 you're my prey)

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-04-11 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
With both ignoring her, Ami's eyes narrowed; but her face lightened again as soon as Kadaj sprang forward, that heightened smile back in place. It was just as good to watch, to witness the demonstration and the clash between Cloud and Kadaj. She tilted her head with every impression of enjoying herself.

Besides that, she'd have her opening soon enough - very soon, if their focus on each other meant Cloud left himself open to her attacks... when she got around to feeling like stepping in.
findmyownreason: (ex-SOLDIER)

[personal profile] findmyownreason 2012-04-14 03:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud wasn't hampered by black diseases or doubt anymore. He was in his element. When he fought, everything became simple and straight forward. So when Kadaj sprang forward, Cloud was already ready. He'd goaded the Remenant for a reason, hoping for this reaction. He didn't launch forward to meet the silver haired boy however. Instead he waited for Kadaj to come to come and all he did when he did was absorb the first blow on his quickly raised sword. The force of it sent him skidding backward and he let the momentum carry him, jumping backward even as he swung his hollow blade around to clear Kadaj away from him.

He was very aware of his little sister, not trusting her to stay out of the way of flashing blades. Kadaj got a blue look over the silver of Cloud's blade and a snort.

"Not Sephiroth."
waterfell: (ami 悪 you're my prey)

no worries <3 happy to continue >D

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-04-26 02:36 am (UTC)(link)
Oh, she'd been waiting for that. Ami's grin spread, malicious and almost manic. "It's been fun!" she told Cloud. "But it ends now."

She raised her sword, and instead of Kadaj, it was Ami running for Cloud with a weapon she knew how to use. It wasn't hard to tell she wasn't holding back. She was taking pleasure in the thought of the clash of their blades, of drawing blood, of harming the person she'd been so close to such a short while before.

Cloud should have noticed it the moment he arrived and saw her at Kadaj's side.
findmyownreason: (fight to the last)

same here :)

[personal profile] findmyownreason 2012-05-01 04:24 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud had been hoping to avoid this. It was why he'd goaded Kadaj in the first place. The Remnant was impatient and emotional and Cloud has hoped he'd forget all about Ami in his anger. It would have made things easier. Safer. Instead he was dealing with his sister now.

She was a child, in a child's body. No matter what her heart and her training said, there was no way she was going to physically match what he somehow instinctively knew she was used to. The how of that blurred in his head, no adult imagine to transpose to explain it but his fighting mind told him just the same. Her magic might not be hampered by her size though. And more importantly, he refused to hurt her. He'd never been good about hitting one of his team to snap them out of a Confuse spell and he thought it was going to take more than a hit to bring Ami back. He needed to find a way to immobilize her. He just wasn't sure how yet.

He leaped back again at her charge, vaulting up into the thick lower branches of one of the trees.

"You're right, Kadaj. You're not challenge. I already beat you twice. Maybe a little girl can do better than you can."
waterfell: (ami 悪 you're my prey)

Re: <3

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-05-17 08:42 am (UTC)(link)
Ami didn't bother waiting for Cloud to figure out his strategy. With a grin that took in both men at once - conspiratorial to Kadaj, and predatory to Cloud - she was quick to snap to attention, eyes narrowing at the new situation.

It was true: the years she'd had to hone her training were missing now, but with Cloud holding back, she was still dangerous. She didn't seem to appreciate his reluctance, either. "If you hold back," she warned him as she struck at him "you'll be hurt even more quickly!"

And for as long as he was holding back, he wasn't taking her seriously; that rankled her pride, somehow, but she'd make him pay for the mistake. She'd show him what she could accomplish. Taking advantage of his hesitancy, Ami had the chance to figure out how to get him down from that tree.

Her first attempt was, typically, blunt. A swipe of the sword against the air, and an arc of energy powerful enough to shatter it headed straight for the trunk.
Edited 2012-05-17 08:48 (UTC)
findmyownreason: (fire in the hole)

crap! I keep losing this. Sorry.

[personal profile] findmyownreason 2012-05-26 12:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Cloud doesn't belong to anyone. He's past that point and there's no way in hell he's going back. He's also not going to kill a child. His sister. Kadaj thinks too simple, he always has. There are a lot more options than the ones he's focused on.

"Funny, I remember you dying last time we fought."

He's done talking though and his focus shifts to take in Ami as well as she approaches. He's never actually fought against her before but he's fought next to her. It's a bit of an advantage. His eyes narrow at the arc of power and, because it's blunt and straight forward, it's easy to dodge, swinging himself clear of the tree before the blow lands and into the branches of another of the trees. One that's farther away.

Come and get him, little sister...
waterfell: (ami 悪 you're my prey)

[personal profile] waterfell 2012-06-14 06:59 am (UTC)(link)
"I can do it, too!" The excitement in Ami's voice was nothing short of childish, striving to keep up with the elder sibling, striving to prove herself. And she would.

After all, ice was always hers. With no more than a glance, glittering stalagmites of pure ice sprang up from the ground, one after another, the entire formation rushing towards Cloud as if it were a single, living thing, armor covering a winding spine. To be caught by them would mean impalement, a fact which only seemed to goad their creator further.

Her eyes strayed towards Kadaj, still caught in seeking approval.
tasercopter: (you got to keep in the game)

[personal profile] tasercopter 2012-04-02 07:52 am (UTC)(link)
There is so much wrong with this story. For one thing--well, actually, everything is wrong with it. Reno rolls her eyes. The Remnants as saviors? That's a laugh. As if that would ever happen. But all the same, here she is at the Crater. Again. Her favorite place on Gaia! Except it's not, because the opposite is true.

Once again, the Remnants have run off with kids, and they actually are insane enough to think they're doing the right thing.

"You can come out now," she says, adding, "Assholes," under her breath.
tasercopter: (little old doll with a frown)

[personal profile] tasercopter 2012-04-03 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with those creepy-eyed freaks again.

"Yeah, we've got your mom." Don't make a 'your mom' joke, Reno, she told herself firmly, although the temptation was there. "We're gonna need you to give back the kids first, though. Cause we don't trust you."

She looked at those kids. She could tell that they were slaves or brainwashed or whatever the Remnants had done to them. Great. It was true that she was much less likely to kill a kid than an adult, but she'd done so in the past. Following orders. Sometimes sacrifices had to be made. But if it came down to it, she'd rather avoid it if she could.
tasercopter: (playing with prodigal sons)

so sorry for the slow!

[personal profile] tasercopter 2012-05-15 01:11 am (UTC)(link)
"The little stunt? You mean the amazing way he outsmarted you? Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't be happy about being completely made a fool of by him." She smirked.

It wasn't that she didn't feel afraid--she'd be stupid not to be, monsters that the Remnants were--but she was damned if she was going to show it. She kept her grip on her EMR and her gaze steady.

"Like we have any reason to trust you. If we hand her over right off, you'll keep her and the kids. Don't think I don't know it. She ain't here, and guess what? If I don't come back in one piece--there's not going to be one piece of your mom left."
pinnaculum: (Default)

I couldn't resist including Tinyroth

[personal profile] pinnaculum 2012-04-02 07:58 am (UTC)(link)
Among the children gathered in the Northern Cave is one with silver hair and green eyes, much like the Remnants'. Like the other children, he doesn't know quite how he came to be here, but now that he is here, he doesn't mind it. The stranger who led him here looks like him, and he feels drawn to him. The cave may be bleak, but he likes it better than the lab already.

He doesn't feel frightened, but then, he rarely does, and he hardly feels the cold. He regards Kadaj with a faintly curious expression, the soft glow of his eyes evident in the dark.
pinnaculum: (the only moving thing)

[personal profile] pinnaculum 2012-04-03 03:00 am (UTC)(link)
Sephiroth didn't pull away from the touch, but his eyes widened slightly as the man spoke to him. He wanted to nod his agreement, but he didn't, even though it did feel as if he belonged here, with these people. Yet he didn't know for sure.

"Am I?" he asked, looking into the other's eyes. "You look like me. Are you from the lab also?" After a brief, thoughtful pause, he asked what struck him as the next logical question. "Who are you?"
pinnaculum: (the only moving thing)

[personal profile] pinnaculum 2012-04-13 08:33 am (UTC)(link)
Sephiroth remembered those things very clearly, especially when he envisioned himself at this age. When pushed, he merely hopped backward, easily, as if the almost birdlike movement was natural for him.

"ShinRa Science Research Division," he said, agreeing.

"Family?" he asked. Was that what this was? He knew the word, but it had no emotional impact on him. He had no real sense of what a family might mean to others, the importance of it outside of genetics and social structuring. "I was in the custody of Professor Hojo," he said, though he didn't seem to be anymore...

"Why do I belong here?"