Final Fantasy VI (Terra/Any:Xenokink)
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kinkfestTitle: Gilgamesh
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: R
Warnings: explicit esper sex, oral sex
Word count: 3,760
Summary: Terra has an intimate encounter with the esper, Gilgamesh
Prompt: #16. Final Fantasy VI, Terra/Any: Xenokink - Curious Esper!Terra and a surprise encounter
A/N: I am extremely sorry for posting this story so late. I've had a lot of unexpected overtime at work. Also, I took some liberties in developing Gilgamesh a little more than his presentation as an additional esper in the re-vamped version of FFVI.
Gilgamesh
“You didn’t need to use Ultima!” Terra screamed, breaking free from the rest of the party. “He was already defeated.” She turned to look at them through a blur of tears. It was easy to tell from their expressions that they considered him a monster, not another creature with as much right to life as they had.
“He attacked us,” Locke pointed out, sheathing his sword.
“That doesn’t give you the right to play Kefka,” she snapped. She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, but she couldn’t take them back. If her team mates thought they could use their powers indiscriminately, how could she be sure they wouldn’t lose track of what was right and what was wrong?
“Terra’s right.” Celes rubbed her still glowing hands against her battle-worn armor. “But, he was still standing when I cast Ultima. I didn’t know Locke would cast, too.”
“I’m going to see…” Terra looked over her shoulder at the fallen esper. “Maybe there’s something I can…”
“I have enough strength left for Cure 4,” Celes offered, “if you think that would…” Her voice trailed off. “Will it help him, Terra? Can we…”
“I don’t know.” Suddenly weary, the half-esper admitted, “I don’t know if anything will help now.”
Grabbing each of his comrades by an elbow, Cyan pulled them back toward the arena door. “We’ll be outside waiting, if you need us.” He eyed Terra with concern, looking her up and down with pain-filled eyes. “Don’t be long. Looks like you might be needing some attention yourself.”
She favored Cyan with a grateful smile. For all his training as a knight, he was tender and filled with compassion. If anyone understood, it was him. Celes glanced back over her shoulder once and Terra couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever loved the war-hardened general, shown her concern. Locke continued to mutter under his breath and Terra felt a twinge of disappointment, wondering if they thought of her as a monster when she was in esper form.
The thought haunted her until she reached the center of the battlefield, where she knelt beside the fallen esper. The once magnificent armor, now dented and magic-marked, covered a humanoid form of astounding proportions, the lower half of his face hidden by a portion of the red cloak he wore over his armor.
She thought he was gone until glowing eyes peered up at her from the darkness inside his helmet. She was sure he’d had features when they’d fought him, indiscernible perhaps, but a humanoid face, nonetheless. Now, she feared he was too far gone into nothingness to help, let alone save.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Why did you…why did you have to attack?”
“You baited me,” he said in a rough voice filled with awe. “You knew what you wanted. One of the swords, perhaps?”
Maybe Locke had mentioned a sword—a legendary sword—when they’d entered. “I hate this place.” Terra turned to rise. The field was filled with feelings of death and destruction.
He captured her arm, his grip surprisingly strong in spite of the damage he’d taken. “What is one so gentle as you doing in a place like this?”
“Saving the world.” When their eyes met, she realized how presumptuous it must sound. Dropping her eyes, she amended, “Or trying to at any rate.”
The esper was silent a moment before asking, “Why care what happens to people you don’t know?” His eyes drifted toward the door. “Why travel with people…” He captured her chin in one strong hand, tilted her head back until he could look into her eyes. “So different from yourself?”
When she spoke, her voice emerged as a whisper. There was something so powerful, power so raw, so restrained, hidden inside the armor that it took her breath away. “Are they so different?”
His hand dropped, freeing her. “I’m feeling a bit better now.” Shoving himself to his feet, he offered her his hand and, when she accepted, pulled her to her feet. “I thank you for your kindness.”
She stood rooted to the center of the coliseum battlefield when he turned to go, unable to take her eyes from him. Broad shoulders carried the weight of armor she suspected weighed more than she did. Beneath his cloak she could see the outlines of swords, more than she’d realized he carried. There was something about him, something alluring, something frightening, and Terra wondered if it was only the fact he was an esper that drew her to him.
He stopped suddenly, turning to look over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t be standing there if I was you.” He nodded behind her. “Looks like they’re ready to start the next battle.”
She wasn’t sure why, but Terra tagged along after him. She’d never really been able to spend any length of time with another esper before. Not that she could remember, at any rate.
“What are you?” he asked as she fell into step beside him.
He looked her up and down and Terra could feel his eyes on her. “I’m Terra Branford,” she offered. “I...I’m...half esper.”
“Didn’t know there was such a thing,” the big man muttered, opening the massive door with little effort, then stepping back to allow her first passage. When she was through, he followed, then allowed the door to slam behind them. “Gilgamesh.” He thrust one massive hand forward.
She accepted the hand he offered, marveling at his strength, at how small her hand looked in his. “Are you the last esper?”
“Can’t say.” With a shrug, he admitted, “I heard there were others like me, scattered around the world, but you’re the first I’ve seen in a number of years, girl.”
They walked in silence down the narrow corridor until it grew dark and Terra felt a burst of fear. “Where are we going?”
“Thought you knew.” The cavern vanished into open air. “You were the ones who lured me out, after all. Think one would know the enemy before...”
Terra stepped back with a squeak of surprise, but the safety of the cavern had vanished, leaving her on a rickety bridge suspended among the clouds. Sunlight filtered through the hazy wisps, illuminating them with an amazing array of pinks and oranges and golds. The place felt familiar though she was certain she’d never been there. She’d have remembered somewhere as beautiful as this.
“Where are we?” she asked, her voice no more than a whisper.
“You’re half-esper and you’ve never heard of the realm between heaven and hell?”
“Heaven and…”
Gilgamesh laughed. “Between the world and beyond,” he amended. “It’s all that’s left of the esper world since those who filled it with light and magic are gone.”
His gaze grew distant as it covered the expanse of clouds. “I once protected this world. Before the outsiders came and the gates were sealed.” With a sigh, he turned away. “I left then. I didn’t want to be closed in. With a little effort, I could fit in with the outside world, so I made it my home.”
“You look human.” If it wasn’t for the power, the feel of magic that emanated from him, she’d never have guessed he was an esper. If it wasn’t for the feel of magic, she’d never have known he was still injured. Perhaps he’d come back here to die.
He turned so suddenly she startled, pitching sideways with a half-scream. Her skin burned as primal instincts took hold, dragging at the core of energy buried deep inside her. She still couldn’t control it completely, but when she needed it, it was there, blazing and consuming, it filled her with power.
In a flash of magic, she was esper. Still, he reached for her, capturing her arms, settling her back onto the bridge, four arms wrapped around her, cradling her with ease.
He dragged two of the arms self-consciously back beneath his cloak. “Look human, do I?” Grumbling something unintelligible under his breath, he turned to stomp into the clouds.
“I…wait!” Terra hurried after him. “I’m sorry.”
He had shrugged off his cloak by the time she caught up with him, tossing it over the edge of a chair that looked strangely solid in spite of the ethereal feel of the place. She hadn’t remembered entering a dwelling, yet here they were, clouds parting and swirling around them to reveal a room remarkably comfortable in spite of the Spartan, cave-like feel to it.
“Is this…your home?”
He wore a harness with an array of weapons—mostly swords—sheathed across his back. “I became a collector of rare and ancient weapons.” The loosening of a buckle sent the lot of them clattering to the ground. “These are fake.”
He turned to look at the heap of them, twisted together, glittering in the eerie light. For the first time, she noticed the wound in the center of his chest, a gaping blackness with faint traces of light lingering around the edges.
“You’re hurt.”
Gilgamesh chuckled.
“Let me…” Terra rushed forward, her hands hovering inches from him. “Maybe I can…”
“Nothing you can do, girl. I just…” With the flick of his wrist, a section of the wall opened.
The glimmer of treasure, of weapons and armor, took her breath away.
“What your friends wanted might be in there. Take it. Take whatever you will. I’ve spent enough time traveling the world to know what’s happened to my kin. Stop the maggots from spreading, from destroying your other half as sure as they destroyed the espers.”
“I didn’t come for treasure.”
The towering warrior loosened the buckles on his armor, dropping it, piece by piece, to pile at his feet. He had six arms by the time he was done freeing his true form, and hair of gold that hung almost to his waist. His humanoid form—what Terra could see—was pocked and scarred, testimony to his violent nature. Yet there was something about the broad shoulders, the quick smile, the easy charm, that captivated her, drew her to him.
“I don’t remember living with espers,” she offered, wondering for the first time, if it was mere curiosity that had drawn her to him. “The Empire, they…took me away when I was a baby. I thought…I never knew who—what—I was until recently.”
“I see.” The big man seemed to really see her for the first time as he leaned back, rolled his shoulders, flexed each of his arms. “You’d be Maduin’s daughter, then. Brought the scourge of humans down upon us, he did.”
“I…” Terra swallowed hard. “It’s…my fault the Empire found you, isn’t it? My fault…”
“What did they do to you, girl?” he asked, motioning her forward.
“They made me their slave.” She took a couple of stumbling steps toward him, an ache growing in her chest. All of this, the power the Empire wielded, the destruction of the espers, was her fault. “They…took cells from espers. I’d never known where they got them until…”
Lips curled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. “Your friends reek of esper magic.”
“We…they…freed espers from the Magitech research facility where the Empire was using them to infuse Magitech knights with their power.”
Gilgamesh snarled.
Tears spilled onto Terra’s cheeks, bitter and burning. She’d never cried in esper form, never known she could, but emotions that were painful in human form were transformed into desperation and emptiness that ate at her, threatened to consume her, drain the life force from her body.
“They died, didn’t they?”
Unable to speak, she nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Forcing back a sob, she whispered, “They gave their powers to my friends, as did others we’ve met on our journey to defeat Kefka and make the world whole.”
He was silent for long moments, watching her before his eyes dropped to the fatal wound that had doubled in size while they’d spoken.
Without thinking, she drew on the healing magic bequeathed her by another of their kind. It felt rough, a poor fit with her own powers in esper form, but she tapped it, making it a part of her until the glow surrounding her burned a bright blue-white.
“Don’t be doing anything stupid,” the esper-warrior warned. “You’ll be needing all that power…”
At her touch, he drew in a breath that rattled in his throat, cutting off his voice. His eyes widened, but when he tried to push her away, all six arms flailed, grabbing at air without finding purchase.
The wound was a gaping emptiness that sucked in as much healing power as Terra was willing to feed into it without any indication of healing. “No.” Fresh tears burned in her eyes.
“There is no healing for espers,” he croaked. “Not from injury in the human world.”
“Gilgamesh.”
“Will you grieve for me, Terra Branford, when I’m gone?”
It seemed important to him, perhaps because he’d spent so many years alone. She nodded, surprised that she would grieve for someone she’d met a mere hour before.
When her magic waned, he captured her hands in two of his, gathering them close, but not close enough to touch the wound.
“Does it…hurt?” she asked, wishing there was something she could do to ease his suffering.
“Not as much as one would think.” Dropping to one knee, he looked up into her glowing face with sad eyes. “I swear to you my power, my allegiance, when I’m gone. Use me as you will. My weapons, my armor, my magic…all yours, as long as you wipe magic from the face of this world.”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s not the magic that’s evil, Gilgamesh, but the people who wield it.”
“How can you be?” he marveled, rising, gathering her into his arms. “Esper and human, love and hate, good and evil…”
“They’re not all evil. There are many good. Many innocent. Many…”
He silenced her with a kiss, his lips strong, insistent against hers. Even in his weakened state, his power flickered and burned against hers, casting off reddish-gold sparks to her blue-white. A thrill ran threw her, a mixture of fear and hope, desire and anticipation.
While his top arms embraced her, the second set of hands settled on her breasts, the third on her hips, pulling her against him until she could feel his pounding erection through the silky robes he wore. He was substantial and yet he wasn’t and Terra found herself fluctuating with him, drawn to him and into his power as it struggled to mingle with her own.
“Let go, girl,” he whispered against her throat before his teeth bit down on the side of her neck, surprisingly gentle as his lips closed around the wound to suck at the delicate skin there. “Let go of your human half; be an esper with me.”
Let go. The words echoed in her mind. I don’t know how. Help me. She wanted him, wanted to be part of him, wanted to be all esper.
His lower hands released her long enough to drop the loose pants he wore beneath his robe, then returned to her, dropping to stroke her legs, the insides of her thighs. Terra gasped, easing her limbs apart for him, for his electric touch, the thrills that flickered across her esper skin like never-ending echoes.
Strangely gentle, his large fingers plunged inside her, questing and probing, forcing their way deeper as she squirmed around him. She would have fallen if it hadn’t been for his powerful arms supporting her.
She lost track of his hands when his mouth dropped to one breast, the teeth and lips as insistent as they’d been at her throat. When his mouth settled in to suckle, she felt the energy being drained from her on one level, yet recharged on another, building, cycling between them, given and taken, tinged as much with his desire for her as hers for him.
Enormous hands cupped the curves of her ass, teased the opening behind while his other fingers continued to plunge in and out of her, until Terra lost herself in the pleasure. Sensations she’d never experienced pulsed through her body to pool in the pit of her stomach and knot there while heat flared to life beneath his mouth on her breast. His fingers teased the nipple of her other breast, twisting and turning, the sensations alternating between pleasure and pain.
She wasn’t sure when it happened, when she realized she was more esper than human, but she lost track of mere physical sensations until she felt with her magic, felt with her soul. As her power grew, she sensed his growing weaker. Reaching for him, she laid her hands flat on his stomach, felt his surge of desire, the burst of pleasure at her gentle touch.
She stroked her way lower along his abdomen until she reached his erection, hard and pulsing. It pressed against her hands, larger than one hand could encircle. She took it with both, pressing herself against it as she ran her hands up and down along its length, felt his power build, then ebb, then build again.
Sliding free of his grasp, she dropped to her knees, her mouth to his cock. Its girth was too broad for her mouth, but the hot tip, damp with excitement, brushed against her teeth as she drew it inside. Gilgamesh twitched, thrusting against her. She sucked at the tip, licking the very end as it wept, stroking the shaft with her fingertips while he threw back his head to bellow in an unearthly voice.
He threw her down, the floor vanishing into clouds through which they tumbled. They landed with a thud when he entered her, forcing his cock into her, his grunt an echo to her cry of pain. He pounded in and out, in and out, until she lost track of where she ended and he began, their power combined, amplified, flashing around them in a white-gold blaze that consumed the heavens.
He came with a roar that rumbled through her as surely as his orgasm, consuming her, forcing shudders of pleasure through her, setting off every magic at her power. It flickered around them, across their esper skin, charged the clouds around the before settling into the pit of her stomach, a knot of tension waiting for release.
He slid out of her and down her, his face between her legs. “Terra.” Her name tickled against her warmth. His tongue filled the void he’d left when they’d separated, hot and wet and determined to explore every part of her, twisting and flicking as deep inside her as his cock had gone.
The desperate lapping wrung a cry of despair from her. He was fading and she wanted nothing more than to hold onto him, to keep him with her, to know him over and over until there was nothing left in secret between them.
“Please,” she cried. “Don’t leave me.”
His tongue swept over her with a broad lap that left her tingling. Her body trembled in anticipation when it settled on her clit, circling it with delicate strokes, darting at it with the tip of his tongue. The hands cradling her backside tightened, fingers stroked the tight skin between her cheeks.
Terra thrust up against him, longing for the release she knew would ultimately separate them. Tears of guilt settled into her eyes.
Gentle fingers wiped them away. It’s not your fault. None of it is your fault. You’re a hope in the midst of desperation, light in the darkness.
His fingers plunged into her from behind, wringing a scream from her lips. Gently, he dragged them almost out before driving them back inside, deeper this time. Caught between his fingers and his tongue, she came, hard and long, pleasure spreading between them in an all-consuming wave of magic that echoed from one to the other and back again. Her muscles released stored tension in shudders that left her weak.
For long moments, she was unable to think, unable to move, and when she opened her eyes with a sob, she realized he was gone.
#
It seemed like forever, but by the time she’d joined her party just outside the battle arena doors, Terra realized only a few moments had lapsed. Back in mortal skin, she lamented the loss of Gilgamesh silently, running her fingertips along her arms, wishing she felt magic instead of the stir of delicate, all-too-human hairs.
“You okay?” Celes asked while Cyan fell into step on the other side of her.
“He’s gone.” Terra released the breath she’d been holding. It wouldn’t mean the same thing to them that it meant to her. They couldn’t understand what they’d done, though none of it had been done in malice.
“I’m sorry,” Locke said in a quiet voice from behind her. “I didn’t know he was an esper. If I had…”
“We’d never have used such powerful magic,” Celes agreed.
Terra shrugged. “A battle is a battle. We needed…”
“But he could have been the…last.” Somehow, Celes seemed to understand.
That surprised Terra, but not as much as the realization that there were others and that Gilgamesh had left her not only with that knowledge, but with the knowledge of their locations as well.
When your battle is won, take them to the bridges in the sky. The words echoed in her mind, left behind by his memory, perhaps parting thoughts she hadn’t remembered until now. She’d thought that, by following Gilgamesh, she’d satisfy her curiosity, learn more about her esper heritage. Instead, she was left with even more questions about who—what—she was.
They were almost to the door when a flash of light deposited a multi-faceted shard of magicite at her feet. She bent to pick it up, cradled it in her hands. Images of Gilgamesh sprang to life in her mind. His words echoed, rumbled through the magicite, reminding her, I swear to you my power, my allegiance, when I’m gone. Use me as you will. My weapons, my armor, my magic…all yours, as long as you wipe magic from the face of this world.
And she would erase magic, but not from the world. Only from the evil who abused it.
With a sad smile, her fingers closed around the stone, absorbing the warmth, the vitality, it offered. One day, she’d return to the bridges in the clouds. She’d return with Gilgamesh. She’d return with the others. Then, perhaps, they’d be together again. Together, the way they were meant to be.
Author/Artist: queenoftheskies
Rating: R
Warnings: explicit esper sex, oral sex
Word count: 3,760
Summary: Terra has an intimate encounter with the esper, Gilgamesh
Prompt: #16. Final Fantasy VI, Terra/Any: Xenokink - Curious Esper!Terra and a surprise encounter
A/N: I am extremely sorry for posting this story so late. I've had a lot of unexpected overtime at work. Also, I took some liberties in developing Gilgamesh a little more than his presentation as an additional esper in the re-vamped version of FFVI.
Gilgamesh
“You didn’t need to use Ultima!” Terra screamed, breaking free from the rest of the party. “He was already defeated.” She turned to look at them through a blur of tears. It was easy to tell from their expressions that they considered him a monster, not another creature with as much right to life as they had.
“He attacked us,” Locke pointed out, sheathing his sword.
“That doesn’t give you the right to play Kefka,” she snapped. She regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, but she couldn’t take them back. If her team mates thought they could use their powers indiscriminately, how could she be sure they wouldn’t lose track of what was right and what was wrong?
“Terra’s right.” Celes rubbed her still glowing hands against her battle-worn armor. “But, he was still standing when I cast Ultima. I didn’t know Locke would cast, too.”
“I’m going to see…” Terra looked over her shoulder at the fallen esper. “Maybe there’s something I can…”
“I have enough strength left for Cure 4,” Celes offered, “if you think that would…” Her voice trailed off. “Will it help him, Terra? Can we…”
“I don’t know.” Suddenly weary, the half-esper admitted, “I don’t know if anything will help now.”
Grabbing each of his comrades by an elbow, Cyan pulled them back toward the arena door. “We’ll be outside waiting, if you need us.” He eyed Terra with concern, looking her up and down with pain-filled eyes. “Don’t be long. Looks like you might be needing some attention yourself.”
She favored Cyan with a grateful smile. For all his training as a knight, he was tender and filled with compassion. If anyone understood, it was him. Celes glanced back over her shoulder once and Terra couldn’t help but wonder if anyone had ever loved the war-hardened general, shown her concern. Locke continued to mutter under his breath and Terra felt a twinge of disappointment, wondering if they thought of her as a monster when she was in esper form.
The thought haunted her until she reached the center of the battlefield, where she knelt beside the fallen esper. The once magnificent armor, now dented and magic-marked, covered a humanoid form of astounding proportions, the lower half of his face hidden by a portion of the red cloak he wore over his armor.
She thought he was gone until glowing eyes peered up at her from the darkness inside his helmet. She was sure he’d had features when they’d fought him, indiscernible perhaps, but a humanoid face, nonetheless. Now, she feared he was too far gone into nothingness to help, let alone save.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. “Why did you…why did you have to attack?”
“You baited me,” he said in a rough voice filled with awe. “You knew what you wanted. One of the swords, perhaps?”
Maybe Locke had mentioned a sword—a legendary sword—when they’d entered. “I hate this place.” Terra turned to rise. The field was filled with feelings of death and destruction.
He captured her arm, his grip surprisingly strong in spite of the damage he’d taken. “What is one so gentle as you doing in a place like this?”
“Saving the world.” When their eyes met, she realized how presumptuous it must sound. Dropping her eyes, she amended, “Or trying to at any rate.”
The esper was silent a moment before asking, “Why care what happens to people you don’t know?” His eyes drifted toward the door. “Why travel with people…” He captured her chin in one strong hand, tilted her head back until he could look into her eyes. “So different from yourself?”
When she spoke, her voice emerged as a whisper. There was something so powerful, power so raw, so restrained, hidden inside the armor that it took her breath away. “Are they so different?”
His hand dropped, freeing her. “I’m feeling a bit better now.” Shoving himself to his feet, he offered her his hand and, when she accepted, pulled her to her feet. “I thank you for your kindness.”
She stood rooted to the center of the coliseum battlefield when he turned to go, unable to take her eyes from him. Broad shoulders carried the weight of armor she suspected weighed more than she did. Beneath his cloak she could see the outlines of swords, more than she’d realized he carried. There was something about him, something alluring, something frightening, and Terra wondered if it was only the fact he was an esper that drew her to him.
He stopped suddenly, turning to look over his shoulder. “I wouldn’t be standing there if I was you.” He nodded behind her. “Looks like they’re ready to start the next battle.”
She wasn’t sure why, but Terra tagged along after him. She’d never really been able to spend any length of time with another esper before. Not that she could remember, at any rate.
“What are you?” he asked as she fell into step beside him.
He looked her up and down and Terra could feel his eyes on her. “I’m Terra Branford,” she offered. “I...I’m...half esper.”
“Didn’t know there was such a thing,” the big man muttered, opening the massive door with little effort, then stepping back to allow her first passage. When she was through, he followed, then allowed the door to slam behind them. “Gilgamesh.” He thrust one massive hand forward.
She accepted the hand he offered, marveling at his strength, at how small her hand looked in his. “Are you the last esper?”
“Can’t say.” With a shrug, he admitted, “I heard there were others like me, scattered around the world, but you’re the first I’ve seen in a number of years, girl.”
They walked in silence down the narrow corridor until it grew dark and Terra felt a burst of fear. “Where are we going?”
“Thought you knew.” The cavern vanished into open air. “You were the ones who lured me out, after all. Think one would know the enemy before...”
Terra stepped back with a squeak of surprise, but the safety of the cavern had vanished, leaving her on a rickety bridge suspended among the clouds. Sunlight filtered through the hazy wisps, illuminating them with an amazing array of pinks and oranges and golds. The place felt familiar though she was certain she’d never been there. She’d have remembered somewhere as beautiful as this.
“Where are we?” she asked, her voice no more than a whisper.
“You’re half-esper and you’ve never heard of the realm between heaven and hell?”
“Heaven and…”
Gilgamesh laughed. “Between the world and beyond,” he amended. “It’s all that’s left of the esper world since those who filled it with light and magic are gone.”
His gaze grew distant as it covered the expanse of clouds. “I once protected this world. Before the outsiders came and the gates were sealed.” With a sigh, he turned away. “I left then. I didn’t want to be closed in. With a little effort, I could fit in with the outside world, so I made it my home.”
“You look human.” If it wasn’t for the power, the feel of magic that emanated from him, she’d never have guessed he was an esper. If it wasn’t for the feel of magic, she’d never have known he was still injured. Perhaps he’d come back here to die.
He turned so suddenly she startled, pitching sideways with a half-scream. Her skin burned as primal instincts took hold, dragging at the core of energy buried deep inside her. She still couldn’t control it completely, but when she needed it, it was there, blazing and consuming, it filled her with power.
In a flash of magic, she was esper. Still, he reached for her, capturing her arms, settling her back onto the bridge, four arms wrapped around her, cradling her with ease.
He dragged two of the arms self-consciously back beneath his cloak. “Look human, do I?” Grumbling something unintelligible under his breath, he turned to stomp into the clouds.
“I…wait!” Terra hurried after him. “I’m sorry.”
He had shrugged off his cloak by the time she caught up with him, tossing it over the edge of a chair that looked strangely solid in spite of the ethereal feel of the place. She hadn’t remembered entering a dwelling, yet here they were, clouds parting and swirling around them to reveal a room remarkably comfortable in spite of the Spartan, cave-like feel to it.
“Is this…your home?”
He wore a harness with an array of weapons—mostly swords—sheathed across his back. “I became a collector of rare and ancient weapons.” The loosening of a buckle sent the lot of them clattering to the ground. “These are fake.”
He turned to look at the heap of them, twisted together, glittering in the eerie light. For the first time, she noticed the wound in the center of his chest, a gaping blackness with faint traces of light lingering around the edges.
“You’re hurt.”
Gilgamesh chuckled.
“Let me…” Terra rushed forward, her hands hovering inches from him. “Maybe I can…”
“Nothing you can do, girl. I just…” With the flick of his wrist, a section of the wall opened.
The glimmer of treasure, of weapons and armor, took her breath away.
“What your friends wanted might be in there. Take it. Take whatever you will. I’ve spent enough time traveling the world to know what’s happened to my kin. Stop the maggots from spreading, from destroying your other half as sure as they destroyed the espers.”
“I didn’t come for treasure.”
The towering warrior loosened the buckles on his armor, dropping it, piece by piece, to pile at his feet. He had six arms by the time he was done freeing his true form, and hair of gold that hung almost to his waist. His humanoid form—what Terra could see—was pocked and scarred, testimony to his violent nature. Yet there was something about the broad shoulders, the quick smile, the easy charm, that captivated her, drew her to him.
“I don’t remember living with espers,” she offered, wondering for the first time, if it was mere curiosity that had drawn her to him. “The Empire, they…took me away when I was a baby. I thought…I never knew who—what—I was until recently.”
“I see.” The big man seemed to really see her for the first time as he leaned back, rolled his shoulders, flexed each of his arms. “You’d be Maduin’s daughter, then. Brought the scourge of humans down upon us, he did.”
“I…” Terra swallowed hard. “It’s…my fault the Empire found you, isn’t it? My fault…”
“What did they do to you, girl?” he asked, motioning her forward.
“They made me their slave.” She took a couple of stumbling steps toward him, an ache growing in her chest. All of this, the power the Empire wielded, the destruction of the espers, was her fault. “They…took cells from espers. I’d never known where they got them until…”
Lips curled back to reveal razor-sharp teeth. “Your friends reek of esper magic.”
“We…they…freed espers from the Magitech research facility where the Empire was using them to infuse Magitech knights with their power.”
Gilgamesh snarled.
Tears spilled onto Terra’s cheeks, bitter and burning. She’d never cried in esper form, never known she could, but emotions that were painful in human form were transformed into desperation and emptiness that ate at her, threatened to consume her, drain the life force from her body.
“They died, didn’t they?”
Unable to speak, she nodded, wrapping her arms around herself. Forcing back a sob, she whispered, “They gave their powers to my friends, as did others we’ve met on our journey to defeat Kefka and make the world whole.”
He was silent for long moments, watching her before his eyes dropped to the fatal wound that had doubled in size while they’d spoken.
Without thinking, she drew on the healing magic bequeathed her by another of their kind. It felt rough, a poor fit with her own powers in esper form, but she tapped it, making it a part of her until the glow surrounding her burned a bright blue-white.
“Don’t be doing anything stupid,” the esper-warrior warned. “You’ll be needing all that power…”
At her touch, he drew in a breath that rattled in his throat, cutting off his voice. His eyes widened, but when he tried to push her away, all six arms flailed, grabbing at air without finding purchase.
The wound was a gaping emptiness that sucked in as much healing power as Terra was willing to feed into it without any indication of healing. “No.” Fresh tears burned in her eyes.
“There is no healing for espers,” he croaked. “Not from injury in the human world.”
“Gilgamesh.”
“Will you grieve for me, Terra Branford, when I’m gone?”
It seemed important to him, perhaps because he’d spent so many years alone. She nodded, surprised that she would grieve for someone she’d met a mere hour before.
When her magic waned, he captured her hands in two of his, gathering them close, but not close enough to touch the wound.
“Does it…hurt?” she asked, wishing there was something she could do to ease his suffering.
“Not as much as one would think.” Dropping to one knee, he looked up into her glowing face with sad eyes. “I swear to you my power, my allegiance, when I’m gone. Use me as you will. My weapons, my armor, my magic…all yours, as long as you wipe magic from the face of this world.”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s not the magic that’s evil, Gilgamesh, but the people who wield it.”
“How can you be?” he marveled, rising, gathering her into his arms. “Esper and human, love and hate, good and evil…”
“They’re not all evil. There are many good. Many innocent. Many…”
He silenced her with a kiss, his lips strong, insistent against hers. Even in his weakened state, his power flickered and burned against hers, casting off reddish-gold sparks to her blue-white. A thrill ran threw her, a mixture of fear and hope, desire and anticipation.
While his top arms embraced her, the second set of hands settled on her breasts, the third on her hips, pulling her against him until she could feel his pounding erection through the silky robes he wore. He was substantial and yet he wasn’t and Terra found herself fluctuating with him, drawn to him and into his power as it struggled to mingle with her own.
“Let go, girl,” he whispered against her throat before his teeth bit down on the side of her neck, surprisingly gentle as his lips closed around the wound to suck at the delicate skin there. “Let go of your human half; be an esper with me.”
Let go. The words echoed in her mind. I don’t know how. Help me. She wanted him, wanted to be part of him, wanted to be all esper.
His lower hands released her long enough to drop the loose pants he wore beneath his robe, then returned to her, dropping to stroke her legs, the insides of her thighs. Terra gasped, easing her limbs apart for him, for his electric touch, the thrills that flickered across her esper skin like never-ending echoes.
Strangely gentle, his large fingers plunged inside her, questing and probing, forcing their way deeper as she squirmed around him. She would have fallen if it hadn’t been for his powerful arms supporting her.
She lost track of his hands when his mouth dropped to one breast, the teeth and lips as insistent as they’d been at her throat. When his mouth settled in to suckle, she felt the energy being drained from her on one level, yet recharged on another, building, cycling between them, given and taken, tinged as much with his desire for her as hers for him.
Enormous hands cupped the curves of her ass, teased the opening behind while his other fingers continued to plunge in and out of her, until Terra lost herself in the pleasure. Sensations she’d never experienced pulsed through her body to pool in the pit of her stomach and knot there while heat flared to life beneath his mouth on her breast. His fingers teased the nipple of her other breast, twisting and turning, the sensations alternating between pleasure and pain.
She wasn’t sure when it happened, when she realized she was more esper than human, but she lost track of mere physical sensations until she felt with her magic, felt with her soul. As her power grew, she sensed his growing weaker. Reaching for him, she laid her hands flat on his stomach, felt his surge of desire, the burst of pleasure at her gentle touch.
She stroked her way lower along his abdomen until she reached his erection, hard and pulsing. It pressed against her hands, larger than one hand could encircle. She took it with both, pressing herself against it as she ran her hands up and down along its length, felt his power build, then ebb, then build again.
Sliding free of his grasp, she dropped to her knees, her mouth to his cock. Its girth was too broad for her mouth, but the hot tip, damp with excitement, brushed against her teeth as she drew it inside. Gilgamesh twitched, thrusting against her. She sucked at the tip, licking the very end as it wept, stroking the shaft with her fingertips while he threw back his head to bellow in an unearthly voice.
He threw her down, the floor vanishing into clouds through which they tumbled. They landed with a thud when he entered her, forcing his cock into her, his grunt an echo to her cry of pain. He pounded in and out, in and out, until she lost track of where she ended and he began, their power combined, amplified, flashing around them in a white-gold blaze that consumed the heavens.
He came with a roar that rumbled through her as surely as his orgasm, consuming her, forcing shudders of pleasure through her, setting off every magic at her power. It flickered around them, across their esper skin, charged the clouds around the before settling into the pit of her stomach, a knot of tension waiting for release.
He slid out of her and down her, his face between her legs. “Terra.” Her name tickled against her warmth. His tongue filled the void he’d left when they’d separated, hot and wet and determined to explore every part of her, twisting and flicking as deep inside her as his cock had gone.
The desperate lapping wrung a cry of despair from her. He was fading and she wanted nothing more than to hold onto him, to keep him with her, to know him over and over until there was nothing left in secret between them.
“Please,” she cried. “Don’t leave me.”
His tongue swept over her with a broad lap that left her tingling. Her body trembled in anticipation when it settled on her clit, circling it with delicate strokes, darting at it with the tip of his tongue. The hands cradling her backside tightened, fingers stroked the tight skin between her cheeks.
Terra thrust up against him, longing for the release she knew would ultimately separate them. Tears of guilt settled into her eyes.
Gentle fingers wiped them away. It’s not your fault. None of it is your fault. You’re a hope in the midst of desperation, light in the darkness.
His fingers plunged into her from behind, wringing a scream from her lips. Gently, he dragged them almost out before driving them back inside, deeper this time. Caught between his fingers and his tongue, she came, hard and long, pleasure spreading between them in an all-consuming wave of magic that echoed from one to the other and back again. Her muscles released stored tension in shudders that left her weak.
For long moments, she was unable to think, unable to move, and when she opened her eyes with a sob, she realized he was gone.
#
It seemed like forever, but by the time she’d joined her party just outside the battle arena doors, Terra realized only a few moments had lapsed. Back in mortal skin, she lamented the loss of Gilgamesh silently, running her fingertips along her arms, wishing she felt magic instead of the stir of delicate, all-too-human hairs.
“You okay?” Celes asked while Cyan fell into step on the other side of her.
“He’s gone.” Terra released the breath she’d been holding. It wouldn’t mean the same thing to them that it meant to her. They couldn’t understand what they’d done, though none of it had been done in malice.
“I’m sorry,” Locke said in a quiet voice from behind her. “I didn’t know he was an esper. If I had…”
“We’d never have used such powerful magic,” Celes agreed.
Terra shrugged. “A battle is a battle. We needed…”
“But he could have been the…last.” Somehow, Celes seemed to understand.
That surprised Terra, but not as much as the realization that there were others and that Gilgamesh had left her not only with that knowledge, but with the knowledge of their locations as well.
When your battle is won, take them to the bridges in the sky. The words echoed in her mind, left behind by his memory, perhaps parting thoughts she hadn’t remembered until now. She’d thought that, by following Gilgamesh, she’d satisfy her curiosity, learn more about her esper heritage. Instead, she was left with even more questions about who—what—she was.
They were almost to the door when a flash of light deposited a multi-faceted shard of magicite at her feet. She bent to pick it up, cradled it in her hands. Images of Gilgamesh sprang to life in her mind. His words echoed, rumbled through the magicite, reminding her, I swear to you my power, my allegiance, when I’m gone. Use me as you will. My weapons, my armor, my magic…all yours, as long as you wipe magic from the face of this world.
And she would erase magic, but not from the world. Only from the evil who abused it.
With a sad smile, her fingers closed around the stone, absorbing the warmth, the vitality, it offered. One day, she’d return to the bridges in the clouds. She’d return with Gilgamesh. She’d return with the others. Then, perhaps, they’d be together again. Together, the way they were meant to be.
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Date: 2007-07-10 04:22 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-18 05:52 am (UTC)I loved writing this story. This was a wonderful prompt!
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Date: 2007-08-13 01:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-08-14 05:51 am (UTC)I loved writing this story. I'm really glad you liked it.
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Date: 2007-08-13 07:22 am (UTC)This is just a spectacular piece in a number of respects. Both the starring characters are excellent, first off. Terra is wonderfully thoughtful and kind, and you can tell she deeply cares for both Gilgamesh and their Esper bretheren. Even better is Gilgamesh himself, a dashing and even admirable knight. Since my only exposure to him is from FFs 5 and 12, I was shocked to see him taken so seriously here--and for that serious personality to be so convincing. Their conversation is both heartwarming and heartrending, and I was truly sad to see him go.
I'll admit I was a bit frightened, at first, by the idea of "xenokink" mentioned anywhere near Terra's Esper form. I'll also admit that, in the end, I think that's the thing that drew me back into clicking on it later. ^^; Needless to say I was thrilled by how tastefully it was done, by what parts of their Esperness (the magic between them, GIlgamesh's hands) were emphasized. The encounter as a whole was also very well-written...and very sexy, at that.
All in all, an exceedingly, even surprisingly well-done fic. Just seeing this prompt was a nice surprise, really...but the story it spawned was a much, much nicer one. ^_^
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Date: 2007-08-14 06:00 am (UTC)It means a lot to find people that respond to a piece of fic.
I loved writing this. It went in directions I didn't even anticipate. I chose Gilgamesh because he was humanoid and because we know some interesting facts about him, but there's also enough left vague that I could fill in the blanks. And, since they added him into the re-release of FFVI, he just seemed to fit.
It was a real pleasure to explore what a relationship might be like between Espers. I'm really glad to hear that it worked.
I'm very flattered that you liked it enough to recommend it to others. Thank you so much.