Final Fantasy

Taeyang walked slowly down the aisle of the church, taking in the damage that had befallen it in his absence. As he came to the edge of the patch of flowers, something caught his eye.
"Hyorin!" he cried, rushing forward, heedless of the flowers he trampled. He knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms.
"Hyorin!" he said again, trying to wake her. She slowly came to.
"You're late..." she replied in a pained voice.
"Who did this?" Taeyang demanded to know.
"He didn't say..." she said. Suddenly she sat up.
"Bora?!" Hyorin cried, realizing the little girl was no longer there. She sank back into Taeyang's arms, as though that one action had taken all of her remaining strength, and then passed out again. Taeyang looked around desperately, but there was no sign of the girl.
"Damn!"
Without warning, his arm convulsed in pain, and once again, visions of Daesung danced before his eyes as the world around him began to spin. Black liquid dripped from his infected arm onto the flowers around him, the effects of Geostigma.
----
A drop of water splashes into a crystal clear pool, sending tiny waves rippling out from the center. Taeyang and Hyorin lay unconscious among the flowers in the haven of a dream world. A lone wolf watches over them as they sleep.
*~*~*~*~*
When Taeyang awoke, evening had already set in. He found himself in a bed, in familiar surroundings. Hyorin's home. On another bed, next to his, was Hyorin, still unconscious. He dragged himself from the bed and moved towards her, to assure himself that she was alright.
"You know, you're pretty heavy," drawled a voice from behind him. Taeyang turned quickly toward the sound, and came face to face with Xiumin and Chanyeol. They stood on either side of the room's door.
"... Weren't there some kids living with you?" said Chanyeol.
"... 'Cause they ain't here," Xiumin informed him. Taeyang lowered his gaze, fearing what might have happened to the children.
"You don't care?" asked Chanyeol.
"I just..." Taeyang began after a moment. He looked over at Hyorin, helplessly. Xiumin heaved a sigh, realizing that their presence was not wanted.
"Hmph... You're a real handful," he muttered, and the two Turks left Taeyang to tend to Hyorin, slamming the door behind them.
*~*~*~*~*
In the Forgotten Capital, T.O.P had met up with GD... and he had not come empty handed. He had brought with him the large box of materia that Taeyang had been keeping, and Bora, as well. The little girl was held firmly by her shoulder at T.O.P's side, unable to get away.
"Look at what Brother was hiding..." said G Dragon, as he reached down to pick up one of the translucent spheres, "The power born from the Lifestream. He laughed.
"With this materia that power will be ours," he continued. GD pressed the sphere against his forearm, and it began to meld with him, infusing itself into his body. The materia's glow radiated from where it had been embedded, and G Dragon studied this newly acquired power.
*~*~*~*~*
The angel statue in Midgar overlooked a darkened street. Indoors, Taeyang gazed, contemplating, out the window, while on the bed, Hyorin at long last stirred to consciousness. She sat up.
"Xiumin and Chanyeol are out looking," Taeyang said.
"You have Geostigma, don't you?" Hyorin replied, ignoring Taeyang's comment.
-----
Taeyang races along through a strange forest on his motorcycle. The trees surrounding the road he travels seem almost crystalline, giving off their own light in the darkness of the night.
-----
"You're gonna give up and die, is that it?" Hyorin chastised him. When he didn't answer, she turned away from him, and hugged her knees to her chest, "As I thought."
"There's no cure," Taeyang said simply.
"Yeah, but that's not stopping Luhan is it?" Hyorin countered, "Don't run. Let's fight it together. We can help each other, I know we can."
-----
The trees gradually become denser as Taeyang travels deeper into the forest...
-----
"I guess that only works for real families..." Hyorin sighed.
"Hyorin..." Taeyang began, unable to meet her eyes, "I I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family... Not my friends... Nobody."
"Dilly dally, shilly shally," Hyorin said, her frustration evident in her voice, "Dilly dally, shilly shally!"
"I think she wants you to move on, man" Xiumin's voice interrupted. He and Chanyeol had managed to enter without being noticed by either Hyorin or Taeyang. Xiumin stood beside the door, his arms crossed over his chest. Chanyeol stands on the opposite side, looking smug.
"Did you find them?!" Hyorin cried.
"No. Only a witness. GD's gang took the kids," Xiumin replied, casually strolling farther into the room.
"Where are they?" Taeyang asked him. Xiumin started to answer, but Chanyeol unexpectedly beat him to it.
"They're at their base... the Forgotten City."
-----
Taeyang's motorcycle gains speed, flying through the forest.
*~*~*~*~*
A crowd of children, all afflicted with Geostigma, stood gathered around a small pool. Across from them stood a massive shell-like structure. Luhan was among them.
"Mother has given me a very special gift," G Dragon proclaimed to the crowd, standing on the far bank of the pool with his arms raised skyward, "The power to fight against a planet that torments humanity."
Seung-ri and T.O.P were on either side of G Dragon. T.O.P still had Bora in his grasp, and the little girl struggled, but could break free.
"She gave this gift to all her children," GD continued, "That's right... You and I are brethren. Brothers and sisters chosen when we inherited Mother's memetic legacy through the Lifestream!"
He turned his back on the children and dramatically walked toward Seung-ri and T.O.P. "But..." he added, turning back to face the crowd, "But the planet doesn't approve of that at all. It's doing everything it can to hold us back. That's why it's wracking our bodies with pain and filling our hearts with doubt!"
He pointed toward the children, allowing his gaze to settle on them individually. The children nodded, seemingly in agreement.
"I'll cure you," he stated, "And we will go to Mother together."
Energy began to emanate from his body, rising like mist.
"We will join as a family and strike back at the planet" he continued, his voice rising, gaining strength. As he spoke, he began to change, much as he did before Tao back in Healin Lodge, his face taking on the appearance of another. Luhan watched from the crowd, unable to take his eyes off of GD. As quickly as it began, G Dragon's transformation stopped, and he returned to normal.
"Do as I do," he said, and he waded unflinchingly into the waters of the pool, waist deep. As he did so, the water surrounding him began to turn black. GD cupped his hands and drank some of the water.
After a moment's hesitation, the children followed him in. Luhan, too, cupped his hands and lifted some of the water to his lips.
"Luhan..." Bora called, alarmed, but he ignored her and drank the water.
"Luhan!" she cried.
Moments later Luhan's eyes took on the same cat-like appearance of GD's.
*~*~*~*~*
Taeyang's journey through the forest is interrupted without warning, as his surroundings vanish. He suddenly finds himself in a world of white light.
"You came," said a woman's gentle voice from behind him, "Even though you're about to break, hmm?"
He knows the voice. It can only be Soyou. A hand touches the arm that is covered by his sleeve, but Taeyang does not turn around.
"That's a good sign," she says to him. Suddenly there are flowers all around... flowers exactly like those that grow in the church.
"So!" Soyou says playfully, "Why did you come?"
"I think... I want to be forgiven," Taeyang replies, "Yes... more than anything."
"By who?" Soyou asks, laughing. Taeyang turns around, but the dreamworld vanishes, and he finds himself once again on his motorcycle, speeding toward the Forgotten Capital.
-----
Without warning, shots rang out from directly ahead of him, and Taeyang swerved out of the way, narrowly avoiding being hit by the gunfire. Seung-ri, GD, and T.O.P had anticipated his arrival, and had prepared an ambush. Seung-ri and T.O.P had let loose a barrage of bullets, while G Dragon stood calmly between them.
Taeyang opened the compartments on either side of his bike, and an array of swords was revealed. He drew two of them, at the same time aiming his bike toward the three men.
GD stepped forward, drawing a cruel-looking double bladed katana. He raised his hand and motioned toward the trees. In response, the children he had collected came out of hiding, gathering in the path between Taeyang and the three men. At the front of the group was Luhan... beside him was Bora, who looked on in silent desperation. She tugged at his arm, trying to get him to run, but he was completely oblivious to her.
Taeyang threw his bike into a skid, a desperate act to avoid hitting the children. He tumbled gracelessly to the ground, and the children scattered out of the way as the motorcycle careened, riderless along the ground. GD jumped over it effortlessly, and behind him, T.O.P stopped it's journey. Taeyang tumbled along the ground, coming to rest at GD's feet, his swords knocked from his grip in the fall and landing several meters away.
"I'm glad you could make it," GD shouted, sounding amused and very pleased with himself.
"I only came for the kids," said Taeyang, glaring at the younger man.
"See this man? He's our big brother," G Dragon ranted, speaking to the gathered children who had surrounded the two men, as if he hadn't even heard Taeyang. He circled Taeyang, his sword in hand, "But alas, in our happy flock... he's what you'd call a black sheep."
GD leveled his sword at Taeyang's throat, a murderous glint in his eyes. He raised the sword preparing to strike.
"Taeyang!" Bora shouted from somewhere among the throng of children. Her cry distracted GD momentarily... just long enough for Taeyang to recover from his fall, and reclaim his sword.
Taeyang lunged for GD, swinging the sword hard, but G Dragon was fast. He leapt out of the path of the blade, landing several feet away, ready for a fight.
From a distance, Seung-ri fired at Taeyang, but Taeyang managed to block the round with his sword. While Seung-ri kept him occupied, T.O.P charged in for an attack, using the same speed ability that so effectively ended his battle with Hyorin. In a matter of seconds, Taeyang was forced to contend with not only Seung-ri's gunfire, but T.O.P's physical attacks.
T.O.P aimed a kick at Taeyang's chest, but Taeyang easily blocked it. Several more blows sent Taeyang flying backwards, but he landed on his feet and skidded to a halt. Taeyang raised his blade and charged toward T.O.P, but the he, batted him aside, leaving him sprawled on the ground quite some distance away. Taeyang's sword clattered to the ground. He quickly reclaimed it, and revealed a secret of the sword... that it separated into two blades... just in time to block a frontal attack from Seung-ri.
Behind him, T.O.P slammed his weapon into the ground, sending up a shockwave through the earth. It traveled swiftly toward Taeyang and Seung-ri. Seung-ri broke off his own attack, and leapt to a safe distance, leaving Taeyang directly in the path of the oncoming wave, firing relentlessly at him as he retreated. Taeyang managed to block Seung-ri's shots, and then raised one of his swords, the blade glowing with blue energy, and brought it down harshly against the ground. A wave of pure energy streaked out from the blade, colliding with the incoming earth attack, effectively negating it and sending dirt and debris flying in all directions. But Taeyang did not have time to relax, as T.O.P took the opportunity to slip in close to him for a more direct assault. Seung-ri, too, returned to the battle, and the two men drove Taeyang back, pummeling him.
Taeyang made a desperate leap into the air, but with a lift from T.O.P, Seung-ri was not far behind. The two men battled in mid-air, until finally, one of Seung-ri's shots caused Taeyang to lose his grip on one of his swords. It landed, embedded in the trunk of a tree. Taeyang jumped from branch to branch, racing to collect it. He reached it at last, and swung around to land on top of the blade, hoping to gain an advantage of height... but T.O.P was at the base of the tree, and with one great punch, it came toppling down.
Taeyang retrieved his sword and Seung-ri stalked toward him, gun blazing, as the tree fell. Taeyang leapt again, but Seung-ri and T.O.P were on him, ganging up on him again. He managed to lose them temporarily among the branches.
He gaze finally settled on GD. Taeyang recombined his swords into a single blade and attacked. GD was fast... perhaps too fast for Taeyang to handle, as the younger man's onslaught of blows drove Taeyang back. For a moment, it appeared that GD might be victorious as Taeyang fell to the ground, disarmed. Taeyang's cell phone tumbled from his pocket and landed in the pool, sinking quickly out of sight.
But before GDragon could finish him off, the swirl of a familiar red cloak descended from above, gathering around Taeyang's fallen form. Gunshots fired from within the mantle, keeping the three men occupied. They tried to fight back, but as quickly as it arrived, it was gone, taking Taeyang along with it and disappearing high into the tree branches. G Dragon watched it go, annoyed by the loss of the battle.
*~*~*~*~*
Safely away from the battle, Taeyang sat beside a small lake, somewhere in the strange forest.
"See? I knew I'd be no help," Taeyang said. He rubbed his covered arm. At last he looked up at the person who had come to his rescue.
"Sehun... What do you know about this?" he asked.
"I come here often..." Sehun replied, leaning against a tree. He flipped his cape aside and strode toward Taeyang, "... I've seen what GD's group is doing."
Sehun gripped Taeyang's arm tightly, and Taeyang flinched in pain.
"Geostigma," Sehun said, knowingly, "It's a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it and overcompensates."
He released Taeyang's arm, and stood, moving off to stand beneath one of the trees.
"Inside our bodies is a current like the Lifestream," Sehun continued, "That current is what fights off any malevolent intruders."
"Intruders..." Taeyang echoed, trying to make sense of it all.
"The Desung gene... Jenova's memetic legacy," Sehun clarified, "Call it what you want."
"You're well informed," Taeyang commented, gazing out across the lake.
"Lay and Hani," Sehun explained, "They were brought here half dead. They must have been brutally tortured. I did what I could to save them but... we'll see."
"Tortured?"
"You reap what you sow," Sehun replied, with a half shrug, "They got their hands on Jenova's head."
"Then the Mother that GD is searching for is..."
"Heaven's dark harbinger... The calamity," said Sehun, "Jenova. If they wanted to, they could recreate Daesung."
"G Dragon..." Taeyang asked after a moment, "What is he?"
"Hmph... I'd rather not know," said Sehun. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes, and both men abruptly turned, expecting a fight. But from the bushes, emerged Bora. She ran toward Taeyang, and threw herself into his arms.
"Bora!"
"Taeyang! Luhan... Hyorin... they...!" she gasped, out of breath.
"Hyorin is alright," Taeyang assured her.
"I want to talk to Hyorin!" Bora cried. Taeyang searched his pockets, but only now realized that his cell phone is gone. Bora turned toward Sehun.
"May I?" she asked.
Sehun pulled his cloak aside to show that he did not have one.
"You don't have a phone?" the little girl lamented.
"Sehun... Will you take Bora to Hyorin?" Taeyang asked, "I'm going to talk to SG about this."
"I can't do that," Sehun replied, shaking his head.
"But..."
"Forget it Taeyang," Bora shouted, fed up with Taeyang's attitude. She pushed away from him "Why don't you ever pay any attention to us?!"
She ran to Sehun's side, and Sehun sheltered her beneath his cape, so that only her feet could be seen.
"Bora..." Taeyang said, trying to explain his desire to gather more information before taking on the trio again, "Please give me some time. There's a battle to be fought... but it's not as simple as just fighting. Understand?"
"No, I don't!" she shouted angrily from her hiding place.
"Taeyang, you sure this is about fighting?" asked Sehun. Taeyang lowered his gaze, thinking back to earlier conversations.
----
"Where are they?" Taeyang asks.
"They're are their base now... The Forgotten City," Chanyeol replies.
"Go," says Taeyang, looking away, "I have to talk to Tao."
"Stop running!" Hyorin shouts, "I know. Even if you find the kids you might not be able to help them. Something might happen that can never unhappen, and that scares you, doesn't it?"
Xiumin and Chanyeol stand awkwardly by the door, debating on whether or not they should leave before this discussion turns into to a lover's spat.
"But you need to think about now! Really take it in!" she says firmly, "Look at you, you think you've got it so damn hard! Well, you hate being alone so let people in."
Xiumin, signals to Chanyeol that they should make a hasty exit, and heads out the door, but Chanyeol grabs him and drags him back into the room.
"Sure, you might not answer the phone" Hyorin said, "But I don't see you throwing it away, either."
"You go. The base is all yours," Xiumin says, forcing Taeyang to do what Hyorin wants him to... go after the children. He and Chanyeol at last take their leave.
"Which is it? A memory or us?" Hyorin asks when they are gone.
"But... I just let her die..." he replies.
-----
Taeyang once again finds himself surrounded by white light and flowers.
"Dilly dally, shilly shally," chastises Soyou' voice, "Isn't it time you did the forgiving?"
-----
Back in the present, Taeyang silently debated what he should do.
"Are sins ever forgiven?" Taeyang asked at last.
"... I've never tried," Sehun replied. Bora peeked out at Taeyang from under Sehuns cape.
"You mean..." Taeyang began, "Never tried..."
He had come to a decision.
"Bora," he called, "Let's go."
Bora came out of her hiding place and nodded in agreement.
"I'll give it a try," Taeyang said to Sehun, turning to go, "I'll phone in the verdict."
Bora caught up with him, taking hold of his hand, and they walked off into the forest.
*~*~*~*~*
Elsewhere in the forest, Taeyang's phone sinks into the murky depths of the pool. They messages stored in it's memory play as if falls.
"It's me, D.O. How's work going? I saw your flier... How in the world do you stay in business? You never change, Taeyang. If it's alright, I was thinking about helping you out, but I guess I'll call back another time."
"I got a phone call from Xiumin and them in Healin," says Hyorin's recorded voice, "They said it's a commission job. Taeyang... have you been doing OK?"
"Surprise! It's me, Hyolin! So hey, all the kids are missing from Wutai... have you heard anything about it? Fill me in, ok?"
"What up, foo'?! It's Kai! I am the man! Oil, Taeyang. I just found the biggest damn oil field you ever seen! Survey is done, so I should be able to get out there and see Bora soon! You let her know, alright, Spiky?"
"Xiumin called again. He says to hurry. And he sounded kind of strange. Be careful, Ok?"
At last the phone comes to rest at the bottom of the pool.
"I've never blamed you," says Soyou' voice, "Not once. You came for me. That's all that matters."
The cell phone finally goes dead.
-----
Back on the surface, at the edge of the pool, a lone wolf stands by the bank, gazing into the water.

Notes

Thanks to http://www.ffrepublic.com/!