FFVI (Kefka/Celes)

[syvia.livejournal.com]

Title: A King of Infinite Space
Author/Artist: syvia
Rating: PG
Warnings: Spoilers for FFVI.
Word Count: 497
Summary: Kefka and Celes have a chat about humanity, or lack thereof
Prompt: 13. Final Fantasy VI, Kefka/Celes: Intimacy/old friendships turned bad - "I always knew you'd end up like this"




"Enjoying your stay?" he cackled, hands clasped beneath his cape. Kefka sneered at her, hair bobbing in the faint breeze. The cell block was old, and the windows- barred without glass- allowed chill air to whistle about them.

Celes maintained her silence.

He tsked, tapping a finger on his chin and shaking his head.

"I always knew you'd end up like this. Great General that you may have been- I knew there was something in you that was flawed... weak." He smiled, leaning his face and prominent nose between the bars to sneer a little closer. "Human."

Celes lunged forward, slamming her hand at his face- but Kefka danced away, laughing.

"You're the only one who finds something wrong with being human."

"Hardly the only one, little Returner. The Emperor hates them, the soldiers try not to be them, you and I aren't," he tilted his head and smiled, "them."

He approached the bars again and his eyes narrowed, turning the smirk into a leer. "You and I are cut from the same quivering strands of DNA," he put a hand through the bars and curled his fingers playfully, beckoning.

"We are the same species," he murmured, and it was almost loving. Kefka paused, thought for a moment, then grinned. "Freaks."

He cackled, but softly, and Celes approached, allowed him to touch her. His hands were longer than hers for all the cattish way he moved them and the spider thinness of his fingers. More masculine. He lifted her chin with them, smiling covetously.

"Pretend humanity all you like, but I know what you are. All the sweet words and good deeds in the world will not make you more like your little thief than you are to me." He stroked a fingertip along her jaw, following the line of it with his eyes. This too, she allowed.

"We are one and the same. Such a pity you couldn't handle the pressure of being godlike."

"Yes, you are so very merciful and compassionate," she spat, moving out of his reach.

He cackled. "What gods have you been studying?"

Then she tired of it all. The conversation, his presence, and she stepped away from the bars, knocking on the outer door for the guards to open it.

"If you're a god, Kefka, what are you doing in there?" she gestured at his cell.

He gave her a most disquieting smile.  "Waiting."

The door behind her cracked open. She could leave, but Celes had never been so foolish as to trust that Kefka was harmless. If there was a chance to gain knowledge from him, she would try.

"For what?"

Unfortunately, nor had she ever been able to extract information from him that he had no intention of giving. He smiled at her and raised his hands, extending his thumbs and forefingers, using them to create a frame. Kefka shut one eye and looked through it.

"For the day that you realize that I'm not the one behind bars."

Comments

[moogle-maniac.livejournal.com]

Kefka will always be my favorite villain, and seeing him depicted like this first thing in the morning makes me soooo happy. The insert of "Freaks" delighted me more than I'd like to admit. I also loved how he was as bitterly "kind" as he can manage, slightly condescending as he reminds Celes that she's fallen and wrong. And the last line was perfect. Thank you for writing this!

[syvia.livejournal.com]

XD He's a freak and he's damn proud of it!

One translation of the dialogue on the floating island (after defeating Atma), supposedly has the Emperor saying that Celes and Kefka were supposed to breed a new race. ... *shudder* I can imagine a common-bond between them, being that they are what they are. Especially if Kefka knew about 'breeding plan' beforehand. She is also, of course, very pretty. *chuckle*

Thank you! ^^

[moogle-maniac.livejournal.com]

*twitch* I forget the SNES version, but Gesthal definitely says "Why don't I give you and Kefka the task of creating progeny to populate my new Magitek empire?" to Celes in the advance version. I might very well have blocked it out of my mind when I first played it as a kid, but I kind of stared at my DS screen for a few moments before I finally hit the button to continue.

I think Kefka's too nihilistic to ever want to create anything in my opinion... and I always wondered if the infused esper powers would actually be passed on to subsequent generations. Hmmm...

[syvia.livejournal.com]

*grins* Exactly. I don't have GBA, but a friend who does felt the need to share her brainbreak.

It's a scary, scary AU concept. Celes would kill anyone who wrote it, I'm sure. ;p

[lassarina]

This is lovely, with all the tension and the realization partway through that it's he who's jailed, and not she. *prrrr*

[syvia.livejournal.com]

Thank you! ^^ Yes- many fic possibilities for that time they both spent in Vector.

[astrangerenters.livejournal.com]

Love the interaction between them. Much better than "Run, run, or you'll be well done" I'd say :)

[syvia.livejournal.com]

XD He has his lucid moments. ...Not many, but he does have them!

Thank you!

[white_aster]

<3 <3! Yes, yes, I was thinking of something JUST LIKE THIS when I prompted for it. <3! I do so love a frighteningly lucid Kefka. <3! Thank you so much. :)

:has no Kefka nor Celes icon, so Locke it is!:

[syvia.livejournal.com]

What a pretty icon it is! :D

:3 *celebrates!* Sweet! XD I know how rare it can be to get what you really want in a challenge fic- I'm tickled to have given that (or something like it) to you! You're very welcome. ^^

[shaded_mazoku]

God, I love Kefka in this one. He's got that frighteningly insightful madness going on. I love the "What gods have you been studying" line, too.The last one is definitely the best, though. Thank you for writing this!

[syvia.livejournal.com]

Thank you! *chuckles* His laugh and his inevitable power are freaky as hell, but I'm always more afraid of an intelegent enemy. XD I think Kefka is one- but they don't show it enough in the games.

Goddess of Destruction. ^^ Scary thought and fun to play with.

Thank you very much!

[shaded_mazoku]

I always thought a lot of what Kefka shows to the public was... ...Not an act, exactly, but partially a complete dismissal of the public opinion and also partially a beneficial little game of smoke and mirrors. While Kefka certainly acts a lot like he's completely whimsical and crazed, he'll occasionally do things that makes you think he's fully aware of his actions. The whole game he plays with the heroes, making them think he's imprisoned is a great example. I don't think Gestahl could ever make Kefka do something he didn't want to. And he's playing mind games with Leo before killing him, as well as his deception of Gestahl.

To use my favourite mirror analogy; there's definitely something undeniably broken about Kefka's mind, but the shards that are left are sharp and bright and more dangerous than you'd think.

[lostangelssong.livejournal.com]

That was a thing of beauty. Really. There is so good Kefka fic out there, and really... you captured his characterization wonderfully. I also thought that there was something... there with his interaction with Celes, even if I can't put my finger on exactly what it was.

I also liked that it took a while to figure out that this was when Kefka was jailed in Vector, and not when Celes was jailed in South Figaro.

Now all I need to do is find an excuse/reason to ask you to write me a Kefka/Leo fic/drabble/whatever...