Author's Note: This was written for the Cleon Crusade's Secret Santa, for pyjamaTerra, with the prompt 'hide-and-seek'. I hope you enjoy it!
This contains several references to Greek mythology. I used several sources to back up my own knowledge, but let's face it – there are so many different interpretations that it's impossible for everything to be 'correct'. Because this Underworld is a Disney adaptation, I tried to adjust things to make it fit a bit more… and, as usual, my sarcastic nature and general random idiocy bled through into the characters. At the very least, I hope it's entertaining…?
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, Disney, or Greek mythology. …Can anyone own mythology?
Even as a child, Cloud was observant. It may not have seemed like it to some – the blond boy was usually getting into trouble – but anyone that had seen him spar had known: Cloud had focus. It was that focus that had kept him alive when Radiant Garden fell, even if it was just barely. Coincidentally, it was that observant nature that opened his eyes to Sephiroth – and toppled him down into the Underworld for nine years. It might not have been nine years, but Cloud also had drive. He was masochistically stubborn about things like revenge and making things 'right', though often at terrible costs – his soul, for one. It wasn't stupidity, though some may have called it that (years later, when curled around him in bed, stroking his hair absent-mindedly after a round of mind-blowing sex). Cloud Strife was actually quite intelligent, highly trained, incredibly dangerous… and had little to no social skills, helped along by the fact that he had been enslaved to the Lord of the Dead for the past nine years.
This may not seem relevant. It… well, I'll let you decide for yourself.
He'd first noticed the man during the numerous tournaments in the Coliseum. Though no longer hired to kill Hades, Cloud was still under a bit of contract – he was too good at his job for Hades to let him go that easily, and besides, he hadn't found Sephiroth yet. He had, however, started spending more time above ground in the Coliseum itself, training in the hot sun, checking out the tournament entrants, and occasionally helping Phil and Hercules (usually because he didn't have anything better to do, and not at all because Phil sort of reminded him of a blond pilot that had been his neighbor, or because Hercules wasn't that bad or anything sentimental like that. No, really). It was during one of these extended stays above-ground that the blond, perched in the rafters, edges of his cloak just barely handing below him, that he saw him.
It was the gunblade that tipped him off, raised to block the shuriken thrown by the man's teenage companion. Cloud shifted in the rafters to get a better look at the two, cloak rustling as his wing shifted slightly to help him balance. Very few people used classic gunblades anymore; against the Heartless, the newer models were much more effective. The last person he'd seen use a gunblade like that had been in back Hollow Bastion, the day before he'd followed Sephiroth and ended up in the Underworld.
Squall Leonhart, beating back a Heartless as it approached a black-haired little girl, as Cloud had darted into the catacombs after his former idol, hearing only a loud cry of pain as the darkness closed in around him. After that, he'd assumed Squall was dead, the little girl with him, but…
"Leeeeooooon, come on! You're not even trying!" The teenager whined, hands on her hips as she stared at her brunet companion. Cloud twitched, claw digging into the rafters slightly at her voice, but the wood splintered when her companion replied quietly.
"We're being watched, Yuffie."
If Cloud hadn't spent so much time in the Underworld, honing his senses against the least favorable conditions, he wouldn't have heard the man's quiet warning. As it was, the words weren't as much of a shock (he hadn't been trying to cover up his presence) as the voice itself.
It was deeper, more mature, but it was still his. As the man twisted to block another throw from the girl, this one a bit less energetic, Cloud's eyes narrowed at the flash of silver on his chest and the slight shadow that seemed to be a scar on his face.
It looked like Cloud was less alone than he'd thought. It had been nine years, and the only people he thought had survived the darkness were himself and Sephiroth. He would have bet on it; he would have made another deal with Hades on the basis of that idea alone. But if that man was truly the one and only Squall Leonhart (never mind that the girl had called him Leon)…
"Enjoying the view?" A faux-purr sent shivers up his spine, and the blond turned to look, narrow-eyed, into the face of the smirking God of the Underworld.
"Just checking out the new faces," Cloud replied flatly, grip on the wood tightening slightly.
"Ah, but that's not really a new face, is it? I'm a god, Cloud, and as I have quite a few entrants in these little tournaments, I like to keep up with the competition. Squall Leonhart, now called Leon, and Yuffie Kisaragi. Home world of Hollow Bastion, currently living in Traverse Town; gunblade and shuriken, ages twenty-five and sixteen. Leonhart has a scar across his face and is always wearing a necklace in the shape of a lion; Kisaragi is generally known for just being loud. Ring any bells?"
Cloud gritted his teeth. Hades knew, he always knew, and the excited crackling of flames coming from the god let him know that Hades also knew he was right.
"Now, seeing as we can't have you running off with some old 'friends', I'm going to propose a little game."
Cloud bit back a slightly bitter laugh. "What makes you think I would want to play a game with you, Hades? I learned my lesson last time." "Well, that's the thing, isn't it. I know things about you, Cloud. Win the game, and I'll not only let you go completely, I'll also tell you where Sephiroth is. Lose the game, and you're mine again, without Sephiroth, without Squall, and without knowing whether or not he made it through my tournament without a partner; the little ninja isn't entering."
"…What kind of game?"
"What do you mean, my partner and I are already signed up? What partner?"
"Look, Leon, you're a great competitor, but since Yuffie isn't competing you…" Phil tried to say, but Leon cut him off.
"I am not being stuck in a tournament with a partner I don't know, Phil. Did you even think about—"
"Of course I thought about it! I know the guy; bit quiet, bit moody, but he's good. Gave Herc a run for his money, and that's sayin' something. I know it's not ideal, but eh, try it out, yeah?"
From across the room, Yuffie added "Yeah, Squally, some interaction with other people will do you some good!"
Quickly interjecting before his room got torn up, Phil continued. "Look, here. The guy's around your height, got spiky blond hair and blue eyes. Carries this huge sword like it's nothing and has it covered in bandages, Zeus knows why. He… well, he didn't want me to tell you his name, but you can keep an eye out for him – maybe see him train or something. If you've still got a problem after that, we'll work something out."
Leon closed his eyes tightly for a moment, but nodded. Phil was using his no-nonsense trainer voice, and besides, working with someone new would be good training… as long as it didn't get him killed.
Now he just had to find his mysterious partner.
Leon, though he hated to admit it, was perplexed. The Coliseum wasn't that big, really, and yet the brunet had no sign of his mysterious partner. In fact, the only blond he'd seen had been a rather vicious woman trying to get a penned-in Behemoth to snap at her; he wouldn't be surprised if her heart was stolen after the relative safety of the tournaments. It was a group of men thinking they were invincible that had gotten the Heartless unleashed on the worlds, after all.
"Looking for someone?"
Raising an eyebrow, the brunet turned towards the broken pillar where the voice came from. It was… well, he guessed it was a man, with blue skin and blue fire-hair and a toga. Shaking his head, the brunet continued, fingers idly tapping his gunblade. A slight 'whoosh' caught his attention, and the scarred man looked up, only to find the… whatever he was in front of him.
"Who are you?"
"Ooh, feisty, are we? The name's Hades, Lord of the Dead, and I do believe I know who you're looking for."
Tensing slightly, the brunet looked at the god closer, gunmetal eyes narrowing. "Really."
"Oh sure, blond, blue eyes, spiky hair, likes to try and be all mysterious." Producing a martini glass out of thin air, the god sipped some of the acid green liquid before slurping up the worm inside, the hint of a smirk on his face. "I am a god, you know."
"And why would the god of the dead want to help me?" Eyeing the bit of a smirk, Leon decided he didn't like the way the flame-headed man's sharp teeth looked, especially in combination with the curled lip.
"Let's just say I'm interested in your situation, hm? Now, Cloud is—"
"What did you say?!" The gunblade was in his hands, ready to attack parry slice before he knew it, eyes hard. That name…
"Oops, did I let that slip? I take it you have more to talk to him about than you thought, hm? If you can find him, of course." Hades' smirk was even wider now, flames on his head dancing excitedly. "After all that business with Sephiroth and the darkness, too…"
Letting out something like a snarl, the brunet's grip on his gunblade tightened. He'd thought the darkness had taken them both, that Sephiroth had killed his childhood friend, that Squall had let his best friend die alone in tunnels even though he promised him that he wouldn't stop looking, that he wouldn't leave… So many possible scenarios had played out in his head, but this one, the hope that Cloud was alive… that had never crossed his mind. No, he'd never let it cross his mind – hoping was for Aerith and for Yuffie, while it was his job to keep the shadows away, even if it meant looking for them in the light.
"I see the kitty is protective. Well, Kitty-cat, you'd better start looking." As flames leapt up and danced around him, the Lord of the Underworld laughed. "After all, the Underworld is a big place."
Leon swung, but the god was gone; the steel connected with the twisted, black iron bars of a gate instead. With a creak, one gate opened, the stairs beyond it covered by a dense fog. A cold shiver ran up his spine – it was the Underworld, it was a Bad Idea, and yet…
He'd wasted nine years. He wasn't turning back now.
Gunblade at the ready, Leon passed through the gate.
There were several constants in the Underworld. One was the strange, nearly sentient fog that twisted and twirled around anyone (living) that might somehow end up there. Another was the poor lighting, but that was only to be expected. The third was dead people, but again, that went with the territory. The fourth, however, was that it was ridiculously complicated to get anywhere. Just entering the place involved walking down a twisting, turning, seemingly never-ending staircase, and then you got to the parts that, before getting there, most people would have bet money didn't exist (or had simply visualized very, very differently).
All in all, Cloud Strife was rather lucky that he had a wing and was playing a game for his complete freedom with Hades. That didn't, however, mean that it was easy for him to get around there, as was clearly being demonstrated to him by the three Judges.
"Cloud Strife, your chances of winning this game are slim," the first judge, Aeacus (the former general) said, peering down at him. "Hades has more powers, underlings, the ability to make the entire Underworld rise against that man and you, while you have little more than determination."
The next judge, Minos – not to be outdone by his rival – quickly added "That man had never stepped into the Underworld before. He doesn't know about this place, or the dangers that it holds. Besides, even if he does make it through, who knows how he'll react to you?"
"Oh, you mean like you reacted to the Minotaur?" Aeacus interrupted, raising his eyebrows.
"I—"
"Hades is waiting for you, Cloud," Rhadamanthus, the third judge, interrupted. "We'll spread the word that you are to be let through."
Folding his arms, the blond looked up at the judge. "And then you'll start licking your master's boots." Moving past the three judges, Cloud shouldered his sword, eyes fixed on the rise of black cliffs that marked Hades' throne room, mentally going back over the rules. He was to be held in Hades' chamber, and the Underworld was to rise up against Leon to block his attempts at finding him. While Hades had said he wouldn't kill him, Cloud had no doubt that the god would try and manipulate the brunet into becoming… well, like him.
Gritting his teeth, Cloud continued on. They were both going to get out of here, and then (after finishing the tournament he had signed the other man up for), he could track down Sephiroth. That was all that mattered right now.
Leon was beginning to think that he was having a rather bad day. Upon finally making it down the steps, he'd been met with water – lots of it – and dead people. Standing there, rather perplexed, the brunet had been ignored by the spirits. There attention was all fixed on the rivers, and as Leon looked out, he spotted a boat in the water, a lone figure rowing it back towards them.
"So that's how to get across…"
One spirit turned to look at him, eyes heavy. "Only if you were taken care of after death. Those who were not buried, or who do not have the payment, they are fated to wander the shores of the Acheron forever." Upon closer inspection, the spirit let out a hoarse laugh. "But you are alive… Charon's reaction will be interesting…"
"And Charon is…?"
The spirit raised a finger towards the boat. "The ferryman. But if you are alive, you are probably here for a reason. The gods… did they talk to you, or are you on a quest of great importance?"
"...In a way." Inside, Leon's thoughts were turning; Hades wanted him down here, and that obviously meant that this place was dangerous and the god was hoping to get him killed or stuck in some sort of situation that would require the god's help. And then there was Cloud… how had he gotten tangled up with the god of the underworld?
A rasping cough drew Leon's attention back to the spirit. "If you did not know that, then you would not know of what else the Underworld contains. There is Cerberus, the three-headed guardian; he won't bother you on the way in, but remember him if you plan on leaving. There are the three Judges; if you were good, a hero, or a think, you will be sent to Elysium. If you were bad, you will go to Tartarus – and may the gods help you if you were bad enough to warrant further punishment. For the rest, you will stay in the Asphodel Fields."
The mass of spirits began to shift, and the spirit turned back, speaking quickly now. "Be careful! Beware the Plain of Lethe, unless you seek to forget, and be careful around here - Grief and Anxiety, Diseases and Old Age, Fear, Hunger, Death, Agony, and Sleep can be found here, along with Discord, centaurs, gorgons, the Hydra, the Chimera, and the Harpies! Do not pick the leaves of the elm, and-" But the spirit was gone, swallowed up in the group that boarded the boat.
Leon was alone on the bank now, eyeing the water with distaste. Fiddling with Griever, the brunet turned – only to catch himself staring at a tall man with black hair, a pack of hounds behind him.
"It is not your time." The man had a low, rumbling voice; at the sound of it, several of the dogs perked their ears, staring at Leon with a hungry look. "None of the Fates are here, yet you are, Squall Leonhart." Pausing as one of the dogs whined, the man seemed to listen to nothing, and then smiled cruelly. "So that is it… a search for an old friend, a game of hide-and-seek crafted by Hades, to break his chains or be enslaved in your own…"
"Who are you?" Hands on his gunblade, Leon stopped as several of the dogs snarled, one of them going so far as to lunge at him, teeth snapping, before the man grabbed it.
"I have many names, much like you, Leon. Thanatos is one of them… Death is another. But it is not your time, not yet."
"What, did Hades tell you to back off or something?"
Thanatos snorted, releasing his hold on the dog, which moved back with the pack. "The gods do not control Death, nor the Keres, nor the Fates. They interfere at times, but no – Fate is not done with you yet." Smiling again, this one a smile of cold contemplation, he beckoned to the dogs. "The Keres are devourers of life, yet they will not harm you, nor Cloud Strife. I will help you, Squall Leonhart; I have wanted to meddle with the affairs of the gods for as long as they have meddled in mine. The pack will go ahead, distracting the monsters and my siblings from you. You will still have trials, but maybe Hades will fail."
"…Thanks." The words were grudging, even though they both knew Thanatos wasn't doing it for him, but Thanatos nodded anyway, and Leon walked to the river's edge as the Keres swarmed in the fog around him.
As he'd expected, Hades was waiting for him. Cloud had not, however, expected Persephone to be there. The Queen of the Underworld usually stayed out of Hades' deals unless he was being particularly… well, hot-headed, preferring to wander the gardens and ignore her husband's schemes. Her intervention had saved more than one hero from an incredibly unhappy ending, but her presence made Cloud wary. He didn't dare hope that something good would come of it; instead, he focused on the fact that Hades' plan was cruel enough to warrant her intervention… or, at least, her standing there, arms folded, glaring at her husband.
Oh great, his and Leon's futures were caught in the middle of a marital dispute.
Turning away from Hades, Persephone saw Cloud and smiled. While not content to leave mortals to their own devices and not get involved (then again, none of the Olympian gods were content to do that), she had a bit of a sweet spot for Cloud. Cloud liked to think that it was because he wasn't dead and had more than half a brain, unlike Pain and Panic; Hades liked to think it was because his wife thought the blond swordsman was incredibly attractive (Persephone had learned to use this to her advantage, much to Cloud's chagrin). Either way, the goddess had taken Cloud through the gardens of the Underworld on more than one occasion, telling him of all the things he might need to know in order to stay alive in her kingdom, and reminding him not to touch the pomegranates. Cloud was fairly certain that, once he was out of here, he wouldn't be able to eat pomegranates for some time – then again, he hadn't exactly been intending on making Sephiroth a fruit salad.
"Cloud, dear, Hades seems to think that you need to be chained up. While I can't say I would mind—" Hades made a startled noise of protest from behind her, flames turning from blue to red. "—I really don't think that's necessary. After all, you know very well that your friend needs to get here without your help, and to ruin that would break the deal." Cloud nodded. He wasn't stupid, for Gaia's sake.
"Look, Cloud. I've got to protect my investments, you know that, and let's just say that brunet would be a hell of an investment. There won't be any actual chains, just a locked door!" Hades protested, no longer angry.
Cloud turned to look at him, gaze cold. "The deal was that, if Leon cared enough to find me in the depths of the Underworld, you would let me go for good, and give me what you know about Sephiroth. It wasn't that he would take my place. I wouldn't want him to take my place."
"It's the Underworld, accidents happen to the living down here," Hades shot back. Cloud drew his sword.
"Boys!" Persephone snapped, raising a hand towards each of them. "Stop this right now. Hades, stop provoking Cloud, because he's right – Leon is not part of the bargain, unless he's collateral. Cloud, the Underworld is a dangerous place, and if Leon accepts a deal to servitude in order to help himself or you, that's his choice."
Both of the men smoldered with rage for a minute, eyeing each other before relaxing a bit, knowing Persephone was right. Visibly pleased, the goddess looked at Hades. "Dear, don't you have souls to be watching?"
Clearly not happy about being kicked out of his own throne room, the Lord of the Dead skulked off. As soon as he was gone, Persephone turned back to Cloud, a knowing smile on her face. "Now then, we may not be able to help your friend, but we can watch him. Come, we'll look at the orb, and you can tell me about him."
Hesitating for a moment, Cloud found himself nodding, returning his sword before following the goddess to the orb, and hoping that this time, he wouldn't have to watch his childhood friend die.
The Keres were, Leon found, actually quite useful. Though the pack had dispersed, none of them staying with him, their effect on the area was quite noticeable; distressed tracks, a bit of blood, a snag of fur… Thanatos had kept his promise, and Leon was now trying to get across the river.
"I have a coin right here," the brunet growled, holding out the piece of munny to the skeletal boat keeper.
"That is not an acceptable toll," the boatman replied, leaning against his poll.
"You're not even doing anything right now!" Frustrated, Leon turned around, pacing for a moment. Charon watched the souls floating in the river while picking under his nails.
Returning, Leon pulled out his gunblade. Charon looked up, disinterested. "I'm immortal."
"…This is because I'm alive, isn't it?" Growling, the brunet put his weapon away and went back to pacing before the boatman's voice crept back to him.
"I'll need a coin when you return, too… as well as one for any souls you may be taking with you. Under the tongue." Gritting his teeth, the scarred man resisted the urge to leave and find another way – there was water everywhere, after all.
Wait… under the tongue?
Opening his mouth, the brunet placed the coin beneath his tongue, grimacing at the taste before approaching the boatmen. Looking him up and down, Charon grinned. "Welcome to the Underworld, Squall Leonhart."
"Ift's Leonf!"
Ignoring the comment, Charon waited until Leon was on the boat before casting off, pole stirring through the souls that swarmed the river. Looking down at them, the brunet jerked back as one clawed at the boat. "They get temperamental sometimes; you're living, and some are jealous," Charon explained, though his own eyes were fixed on Leon, too.
Nodding, he pulled his gunblade out anyway, and was immediately glad he had done so when they turned around a corner.
"Cerberus," Charon breathed, looking away from Leon to the sleeping hell hound. White-knuckled, the man mentally started looking the dog over for any weak points – did things with three heads have weak points? No, that was ridiculous, of course they did.
One thing was for sure: when he got Cloud out of here, Leon was going to buy him a huge drink and an invitation to spar. If he'd survived down here for nine years…
"We're across." Charon's voice interrupted his thoughts, and Leon quickly got out of the boat. "I'll be around when you come back… if you come back."
Nodding to show he heard, the brunet fixed his gray eyes on the skull-shaped cliff in the distance. Looking around, he recalled the helpful spirit's words – this was the Asphodel Fields, and ahead would be the three Judges. Indeed, soon enough, the road forked, and Leon was being stared at by three men.
"Oh, it's Cloud's… what are you, again?" One of them started, scratching his beard.
"Friend," another suggested dryly, rolling his eyes.
"Cloud doesn't have friends, he's too busy obsessing over killing Sephiroth. This poor sap must be a victim of unrequited love," the third broke in.
"Oh, please, the kid's not that good looking."
"He's not that anti-social, either, he's just peculiarly tempered!"
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Leon sighed. Luckily, these seemed to break up the argument, as the three men quickly started paying attention to his presence again.
"Oh, right, judgment! Let's see here…"
"I'm not dead," Leon broke in flatly. "I just need to get to Hades' throne room."
"He's being testy, he ought to go to Tartarus!" One of the judges said gleefully. Another reached over and smacked him across the head.
"Don't get ahead of yourself. He's a great warrior, so he ought to go to Elysium."
The third judge broke in, then. "Actually, he ought to keep going."
All three of them, two judges and Leon, stared at him.
"Well, every other time there's some mortal on some idiotic quest, we just sort of ignore them. Just because we don't want Cloud to leave doesn't mean this… guy deserves to be picked on more than the others."
Catching on, the other two judges nodded. "Yes, yes, continue on! Across the Plain of Lethe for you, then."
Leon was privately quite sure that these three had lost their minds, and should in no way judge the souls of the dead. If he hadn't been so annoyed with the three of them, he might have noticed the strangeness of the situation and remembered some more of the helpful spirit's advice before continuing on into the Plain of Lethe. As it was, he set off into the fog without a backwards glance, drawing his jacket closer as the fog grew thicker.
The plain was dotted with obsidian rocks, much like the cliffs that made up Hades' throne room. A constant reminder of who was in charge down here, the skull cliff rose from the fog, visible from anywhere in the Underworld. Here, it was the only thing more than a few feet away that Leon could see in the fog. With each step, the mist grew thicker, rolling around him in an ominous manner. So far, he was the only one walking… where was he again?
Pausing, the brunet looked at the cliff. He was headed for there, he knew that, it was Hades' throne room… but where was this? Shaking his head, the man unconsciously tightened his grip on his gunblade, continuing in the direction of the skull cliff.
Sort of a strange look for a cliff, really; from a purely architectural standpoint, the way it had been carved wasn't very practical. He had a feeling Cid would have quite a few things to say about the workmanship, too, though with luck the pilot wouldn't end up here (at least for many years). He was safe in… in…
The hair on the back of Leon's neck raised slightly as the spirit's words drifted back into his mind. "Unless you seek to forget", well, he was forgetting. Moving faster, the scarred brunet called up the faces of his friends. There was Yuffie, practically his little sister, a mischievous ninja with a hankering for shiny objects. There was Cid, a gruff pilot and accessory shop owner, who had more or less raised them after… the Bad Thing. Wait, what bad thing? No, focus… there was Aerith, polite and kind and incredibly pink. There was Sora, Donald, and Goofy, the Keyblade wielder and his friends, and King Mickey. There was Cloud, his former best friend, who had been swallowed by darkness and who he was searching for.
"Cloud," Leon murmured, looking up at the skull cliff. Cloud was what mattered, why he was here – even if the memory loss was permanent, he had to remember Cloud.
A loud screech broke the silence behind him, and Leon broke into a run.
Watching Leon in the orb, swirling blue-green mist obscuring part of the man's features, Cloud gritted his teeth. "Son of a—"
"You don't trust him?" Persephone interrupted, voice sugary.
"I haven't seen him in nine years," Cloud pointed out. "But I trust his skills; from what I've seen, he's good, and this isn't his first tournament. Besides, if Hades is willing to play a game that may result in getting him…"
Persephone nodded, absentmindedly fiddling with her ring. "You know, Cloud, I could make leaving very difficult for you if I wanted. Hades is my husband, after all. I could make poppies bring the two of you into an eternal sleep, or turn you into trees… but I will not. Though I am Queen of the Dead, you have done nothing wrong – you have made the seasons I spend here more favorable. I shall miss you when you are gone, but I will not reach to drastic measures. I do, however, have one requirement for you to follow."
Cloud nodded. If it weren't for the goddess, he probably would be encased in darkness by now; though she was called the Iron Goddess by some, he had been in her favor. He repaid his debts. "Name it, and it will be done."
Persephone smiled. "When your friend arrives, I shall tell you. Speaking of…"
Turning back to the orb, Cloud's eyes widened.
The swift beating of wings and an outraged screech behind him made Leon drive all thoughts of home and what he was forgetting out of his mind; gunmetal eyes fixed on the skull cliff, thoughts on getting to Cloud, he ran, gunmetal secure in his hand. Jumping over a rock, a clawed hand grasped at his hair, and Leon swung. An outraged shriek echoed across the plains, and he chanced a glance backwards.
He wasn't sure how, but deep in his gut, Leon was sure that this was one of the Furies. It was a woman, or at least it was woman-shaped, with bat-like wings and snakes coiled around its limbs. Blood was dripping from its eyes as it swooped down again, snakes hissing in unison. Gunblade flashing, adrenaline spiked, he kept his eyes on the stairs he could see at the edge of the plains as he continued to run. The cliff was so close…
Screaming in pain, his pursuer dove again, claw-like hands grabbing at the back of his shoulders. Wings beating, the creature lifted, blood dripping onto his face as it tried to get them further into the air. Swinging his gunblade, the brunet yelled as the Fury dropped him, favoring her limbs over him. Managing to soften his landing with a roll, he quickly called on some lingering residue of energy and shot an ice spell at the creature before dashing up the stairs, the agonized cries of the Fury echoing behind him.
"He's coming."
Persephone's murmur was unneeded; Cloud turned, wing carefully folded behind him, to watch as his childhood friend enter the room.
Blood was running down Leon's face from the Fury's eyes, and a tingle of magic still hung in the air around him. His gunblade was still out, his hair slightly damp from the fog. Some of his leather was torn, and Cloud could smell the strange smells of another world on him.
He'd come for him. He'd made it.
Leon, for his part, was looking at Cloud. Blond, spiky hair, bright blue eyes, almost unnaturally pale skin, and a wing that was strangely similar to that of the Fury he'd just been attacked by. Nodding towards it, he met Cloud's gaze. "Sephiroth do that to you?"
There was a pause, like Cloud was trying to judge the threat, before the nod and the soft "Yeah".
If Aerith had been here, Leon thought to himself, he would have been forced to catch up. It looked, however, that Cloud and Leon were far more similar than Cloud and Squall had been. Leon looked at Persephone instead, stance guarded. "I'm taking him."
"It looks like it's my turn to try and 'help' my husband's plan. Cloud told me he would do this willingly; trust me, it shouldn't be a big deal for you. After all, even with your strength being sapped by the Underworld, you managed to beat off Alecto."
"…What was happening to my strength?"
Cloud stepped over to his childhood friend, cloak swishing as he held out one arm, gesturing for Leon to do the same. "The Underworld is cursed. As soon as a mortal steps foot here, unless they are protected by the Olympus Stone, their strength is sapped. It's part of the reason Hades was so keen on keeping me; I've been training against it for nine years."
Holding his arm out, Leon silently digested this information, taking note of the gauntlet and cape that Cloud wore, too. Persephone's actions, however, made him look up.
"These are not unlike the snakes that bound Theseus and Pirithous here. Pirithous is still bound, but these snakes will disappear as soon as you leave here. If the two of you can work and fight together to get out of here, you will be free for infinity." Moving her hands over their arms, two black-and-white snakes with blue eyes appeared, twining themselves around their arms and biting down on each other's tails. Stepping back, the goddess looked at Cloud and smiled almost forlornly before clapping her hands. "Right! You two ought to get going. Alecto will leave you alone now; you've fulfilled your childhood promise, Leon, and now she and the other Furies have no reason to chase you. As long as you have the coins for Charon, Cerberus will be your biggest obstacle."
"What about that bewitched field out there?" Leon asked, not enjoying the thought of returning to it.
"There's another way," Cloud murmured softly. "Along the Phlegethon, the river of fire. The flames keep the mist away; that's what causes the memory loss."
Nodding, Persephone turned to look out one of the skull's 'eyes'. "You should hurry. You still have that tournament to fight in, after all."
The tournament? Leon had completely forgotten about it, though at the reminder he shot Cloud a look that clearly said "We're talking about that later, when we're not in mortal peril."
The smirk he received in turn said "Looking forward to it."
The walk along the Phlegethon was considerably hot, but it seemed Thanatos and the Keres had come even here – nothing was around but the raging river of fire and the two men, walking in silence. Leon had wiped the blood off his face, and while both of them were now quite sweaty from the heat, the snakes wrapped around their arms were unnaturally cold, keeping them from stumbling over with heat stroke.
"This is a bit closer to what I thought Hell would be like," Leon stated after awhile.
Cloud absent-mindedly corrected him. "It's not Hell, just the Underworld. Tartarus would be close, but…" Pausing, the blonde stared for a moment. "Did you just make a joke?"
"Yuffie must be rubbing off on me. Or it's the heat."
"Yu- oh, the girl you were with," Cloud nodded.
"Yeah… she's the one I was protecting." The words 'when you disappeared' hung unsaid between them, but Cloud shook his head.
"And you're called Leon now instead of Squall. A lot of things have changed."
"Yeah." Shifting back into a companionable silence, the two of them went back to walking until the sound of running water became clearer, followed by a loud snarl.
"Ah, shit, I was not looking forward to fighting this thing," Leon groaned, hand immediately shifting to his gunblade. Cloud stuck his hand beneath hic cloak, eyes fixed on one pair of the three headed-dog's eyes before he tossed it something small and round.
Cerberus lunged, but while Leon automatically brought up the gunblade, one set of the black dog's jaws closed around the white thing Cloud had thrown it. Throwing some more, Cloud tugged on the snake-restraints. "Come on, while he's distracted."
"What were those?"
"Honeycakes. The big mutt loves them, so I grabbed some from Persephone awhile back. They're a bit stale, but they work."
Shaking his head in silent wonder, it was Leon's turn to stop them as they came to Charon and his boat, pulling the two coins out of his pocket and placing one under his tongue before raising the other to Cloud. Once Charon was satisfied with the payment, the two were across the river and running once more, the spiraling stairs back to the Coliseum the last step.
At the top, Cloud stopped, turning to look at the Underworld behind him. It had been his… well, 'home' wasn't the right word, but he'd been there for nine years, and Hades still owed him information. Looking down at the snakes binding his arm to Leon's, the blond firmly turned his back on it, and walked into the open air of the Coliseum, the snakes dissolving in a puff of black smoke as soon as the light hit them.
The Hades Cup was over, with Sora as the winner. Leon and Yuffie had already returned to Traverse Town, Cloud having kept himself scarce whenever one of them wanted to find out if he was coming with them. The Coliseum, nice though the area above the Underworld was, just wasn't home, but he couldn't leave it yet. He'd met with the scarred brunet one last time before he left, had listened and forgiven and strengthened a bond that had been re-forged when Leon had known the risks of seeking and found him anyway.
Standing, arms crossed, beneath the columns that he had been sitting above when he first saw Leon again, Cloud's wing twitched in irritation. It had been a week since Leon had found him, a week since Hades lost in a game of twisted, indirect hide-and-seek, and the god still hadn't come to tell him what he knew of Sephiroth. Shaking his head, the blond turned to enter his temporary quarters, only to see Persephone standing there.
"Hades had a temper-tantrum, so I decided to finish the deal myself. Sephiroth is waiting between Hollow Bastion and the realms of darkness at the moment. If you can get a hold of Leon in Traverse Town, he can make sure you find a way there. The Keyblade wielder is planning on closing the keyhole in Hollow Bastion, and you can't travel the realms of darkness, so it looks like Leon has to save you day again, Cloud." The grin on the goddess' face made it clear that she was kidding. "Good luck."
"…Thanks."
With a wave, the goddess vanished, and Cloud looked up at the ceiling.
He had his own game of hide-and-seek to play now.
Author's Note: This story caused my physical pain. I would say I need a vacation but I wrote most of it while on vacation. XD
Anyway, reviews are like honeycakes for the three-headed monster that is this author.