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Story
+ Angel Hunt ~ Streifen +
Future Effects
Twenty Years into the future a new game begins...
A story collaboration between Angel Hunt and Streifen
Chapter One : Part One
[ Boredom ]
He was so bored. Why had he come back to this planet? Cobalt eyes shift in the slightest, the slick iridescent shine snaking across solid orbs – the only indicator of movement. A long, exaggerated sigh passes from his lips, spilling into the air around him to echo out across the vast valley he lay in the center of. His arms are up and pinned underneath his head, small legs crossed and kicking black and white loafers idly towards the sky. Hesue stares up at the bright sun streaming down from above, a look or pure boredom painted on youthful features.
He couldn’t remember why anymore. Why he’d bothered to come back. Why he was here. Especially when there was so little to do, so little to keep him entertained. Everything on the planet was so fragile, broken easily with the barest amount of play. The fun was fleeting and brief before whatever he’d chosen to play with withered and died, crumpling easily in his hands. How many planets had he and his Other traveled to? How many worlds and civilizations had they tried to play with only to see them break before any real fun could begin? Wasn’t this the reason they’d learned to make their own toys? Just so they could have some form of a challenge, some activity beyond an easy to break shell…
Yes… that’s right. He remembers it now.
After the last four planets they had traveled to proved to be less than adequate in the way of life and conditions, they found this little gem nestled away in the far corner of a neighboring solar system they’d wandered into, ripe with life. But that life had been primitive and the fun hadn’t lasted any longer than it had with any of the others. His Other had wanted to move on, but he’d liked it, he’d seen what lay hidden deep in the depths before his Other had and he wanted to use them to win, because he knew they could help him break his stupid losing streak he’d been on (which he was only on by the way, because his Other had been cheating). So he’d convinced his Other to stay with him and they’d created the perfect simulation, separating it from the planet so their new stronger toys could play without being tarnished by the lower life around them.
And it had been the perfect plan. His most brilliant to date actually. It was going to be wonderful. He’d come up with all of the rules, all of the stipulations so his Other could no longer cheat to gain the upper hand (that later backfired on them both since it was all of those fail safes they’d installed that prevented them from just wiping the board clean and starting all over), and while his Other was creating his boring toys, he went to that life he’d discovered and he talked them into helping him. He created his most beautiful shells for them; each one a masterpiece, bestowing them with gifts he’d never given any other creature, one of a kind toys made just for them. All they had to do in return is help him win. They agreed quickly, eager to taste solid form and all the so-called advantages it would give them. They were so easy to manipulate, looking to him as their new God (which he was of course).
Hesue laughs a little laugh.
His Other was so jealous, because where his ugly toys were nothing more than simple shells, his were beautiful sentient beings that were extremely grateful for all his attentions and gifts and were willing, in all that gratitude, to play his game with the advantage he’d created. For all that he loved his Other (his Other is, after all, his Other and he loves him like he loves nothing else) he also loved rubbing that in his Other’s face, teaching him what it felt like to be on the receiving end of a cheat, it made him so very happy. It almost made losing the last so many games worth the while, just to see that look painted on his Other’s face when he’d seen what Hesue had done. A frown flashes across childlike features and his feet still.
Almost. They were grateful, very grateful, all except the One. That one didn’t appreciate what he gave them, that one called his own people fools and refused to play his game. It was that one that he liked best. He was different, he was wild and free and Hesue wanted nothing more than to tame him, force him to comply and play along. It’s why he chose him. It’s why he was (and always will be if he’s so inclined) his favorite. He had fire and he had a real mind of his own. He was unique.
He was going to be the one to win him his game in the end, Hesue just knew it.
The small child like God smirks, stretching out his skinny legs with another heavy sigh. The problem was, his favorite was so contrary. Too contrary. Sure he’d been that way since the beginning, but he’d figured once his favorite was stuffed into his body, he’d come to appreciate what he’d been given like the others had, he figured it would calm him and he’d finally play the game… win his game.
He really wanted to win… He could almost taste it, taste the victory he’d been hoping for. He’d wanted it so bad, his Other had been too smug, won too many times in a row and it was his turn. His favorite was supposed to attain that for him. Instead, his favorite was unpredictable, very unpredictable. Not at all like his people (who were so extremely easy to read) and instead of winning, he tipped the scales in the other direction and made his long over due (and very much deserved, he might add) victory almost impossible to reach.
So, they ended with somewhat of a stale mate. His Other forgave his cheat since his favorite had taken the originals from the game (all his beautiful toys destroyed so easily, he’d be so cross with his favorite if he could muster the energy for it) and they began anew. He recreated his toys using those discarded shells of his Other’s toys and the game was reset. But those new ones weren’t as pretty as his originals, it was those creatures, his favorite’s people that had made them so perfect to begin with and he just couldn’t bring himself to make the new ones the same. Without the essence what good was just a pretty shell? That and he’d expended too much of himself back then, too much energy to create them and honestly just didn’t have the heart for it after his favorite broke them all. So in a much lesser (and nowhere near as graceful, masterful and wonderful) way, the game continued. Problem was, it went on too long after that. It went so far past the point that it no longer had reason. He’d lost his heart for that particular game, and soon after his Other did too and they simply left to find something new like they always did.
He remembers wandering back a few times he thinks. He’d completely forget about the planet and their toys and their game because there was always something else they would do and different entertainment they could find. But whenever he and his Other would get into a fight (which was never his own fault of course, his Other was just a stupid meathead who couldn’t admit how right Hesue was at any given time. Stupid Other.) he’d remember about this particular game and he’d come back to check in on it. Mostly in fleeting and mostly, he’d wander past and forget before he’d had a chance to actually care what the newer toys were up to or what the status was.
The last time he’d come though (the one that kept him here this time around, he vaguely recalls) was just after his Other had lost their daughters. He was so angry about that because they’d taken the time to fracture themselves (which was his Other’s idea, probably some sneaky game he wanted to play that didn’t quite pan out, but he’d figured why not?). Well, he’d done his time to watch them, and he’d left them in his Other’s care (it was his turn after all) and he’d lost them! Actually lost them. They were too young, too new to be on their own. They could easily get themselves hurt and his Other knew that and he still lost them anyway (and his Other calls him the irresponsible one. At least he never lost their daughters. At that point in time anyway). They’d really fought then, taking out some nearby cluster of stars and planets in their tussle before they both calmed and decided to actually go search for them.
He’d almost passed by this planet in his search, it was so small and nowhere near the pretty it once was when they had been here last. But something had caught his eye, something that reminded him again of the game they’d left behind. His favorite flashed those beautiful wings he’d given him and it all came crashing back. Hesue had been overjoyed to see his favorite again. He was so beautiful – so stunning - so perfect - exactly the way he’d remembered him.
His perfect work of art.
The years had been kind to his favorite, though his temperament was no better than it had been when he’d left him. He was still just as stubborn as before (if not more so now that he thinks about it), still just as ornery and defiant. But Hesue loved his favorite for that. If anything, he could always count on Jenova to keep him entertained.
But while Jenova himself had not changed, the others had. His Other’s toys had evolved on their own (he almost squealed with joy when he found that out, he knew his Other would be so angry and he so looked forward to seeing him return to find them). Not only had they evolved, they’d pretty much forgotten themselves completely. Living and breathing and trying to grasp onto life as if they were more than simple toys. A wide grin sweeps across Hesue’s mouth and he closes his eyes, spreading his arms out and making little scissor motions in the grass beneath him. He had found that to be very amusing.
The Demi God stops, his grin draining immediately from his face. Solid cobalt eyes open and he stares up into the sky for a moment before pulling his legs up and rocking himself to a sitting position.
What he didn’t find amusing though, was how saturated his favorite was in their smell. He nearly stank of them, as if he’d been immersed in them since the beginning. It annoyed him. He wanted his favorite to kill them, to win his game for him, not to sink down to their level and soil himself with their smell. And it wasn’t even just his Other’s toys his favorite stank of, there were others, things that he didn’t even recognize, things he couldn’t remember seeing before. He had smelled tainted.
A small scowl sweeps across his features and he folds his arms across his small chest in a huff. He supposes it’s really his own fault (which is something he’d never ever dream of admitting to his Other). When he looks back on it, he really should have come back and put Jenova in his body personally instead of trusting the others to do it like he had. It wasn’t really fair. It’s not like Jenova had been the first guardian to be locked into form, they had his sword, he gave them the means and explicit instructions on binding the guardians and until his favorite, they’d never failed. So really, why would he have thought this would be any different? He should have known though, that Jenova would make it different. It was one of the qualities he liked about him. His ability to change things around him. And change it he did (though he went a bit more extreme than Hesue thought he’d ever go, which is his folly he supposes. He should have known better).
But regardless of what happened, he can’t really do anything to change it. What’s done is done and so forth and so on. He and his Other haven’t figured out how to bend time (yet) so it’s not like he can go back and fix what transpired, all he can do is continue to hope his favorite will win the game for him eventually (that is, if he can figure out first and foremost, how to get the game back on track).
The small child like creature’s face softens and he uncrosses his arms, leaning back with yet another heavy sigh.
He will figure it out eventually.
A thoughtful look passes over Hesue’s face suddenly. Speaking of… when was the last time he even saw his favorite? He couldn’t remember that any more than he could (up until a few minutes ago when, in all his brilliance, it came back to him) remember why he’d come back here in the first place. He really should go see what he’s been up to. The last time he’d seen him, he’d been consorting with those special toys of his… how long ago was that?
Hesue pushes himself up, pulling his small form to his own feet. Child sized hands reach down and dust off the black pleated skirt he was rather fond of wearing before reaching up and scratching at unruly black hair. No matter how long it had actually been (a day, a week, a month, whatever – time was rather meaningless actually and didn’t so much apply to him) Jenova was always good for some fun. It had been too long since he’d had any fun, far too long. His Other was somewhere doing something, both of their daughters were somewhere he couldn’t remember and he’d been sitting there years for all he knew, bored out of his skull. He really needed some fun…
With that his resolve was made and he giggles to himself, throwing his arms out to his sides and taking one spin in the grass before fading from view.