Chapter 10: The Hide and Seek part 1

A/N: Hello my dear readers! I'm sorry for the extra late update but I've been going through some things and I just got back from vacation, That and now school so updates will be coming in at random times, but I'm hoping this chapter makes up for the long wait.

Also thank you all for the reviews, the favs, and just for reading my story it means a lot.

And here's the song list for this chapter:

[1] Rage Awaking (BBS)

[2] One-Winged Angel (I didn't want to use this song but its like the only song I can think of that fits a fight with Sephiroth)

Radiant Garden: Out Side Marlins house

Leon rushed out of Marlins house just as the comet struck theunrestored district, as soon as he pushed open the door we was met with a wave of dust; he had to cover his face with his forearm to keep the dust out if his eyes. When the wind settled down and the dusted cleared Leon uncovered his face and what he saw startled him; the whole street and the homes in this area were covered with a blanket of dust, the people and guards that where in the street at the time where knock on their backs, but worse of all something new was in the streets that called for Leon to call forth his Gun Blade:

"Heartless.." Leon choked under his breath as he held his weapon at the ready. It wasn't just the low level heartless that would normal appear in these streets but it was a group of neo shadows and an even bigger group of Armored Knights, all ready to strike at a moment's notice.

Leon watched as the citizens in the area looked upon the heartless with fear and began running away while the squad of soldier took aim at the slow approaching fiends; waiting for Leon's command.

[1]"Lions Heart." He proclaimed out loud, as he did so his Gun Blade started giving off a light bluish aura that enveloped the entire blade; at this the Armored Knights charged forward and the neo shadows sunk into the ground.

Leon took aim with his sword and aimed it at the heart of the oncoming heartless, the squad of soldiers opened fire with their automatic weapons witched seemed to only slow down the oncoming heartless as the bullets only bounced of their armor, suddenly the neo shadows flew up from under the ground and grabbed hold of one of the soldiers and dragging him away into the darkness, screaming for his life all the while. At this Leon jumped into the fry as the rest of the squad drew their short swords and began fighting the heartless in close quarters combat.

Leon took out two Armored Knights with a lunging strike, knocking them into building. On impact both heartless collapsed into a cloud of black smoke as they each released a single heart, but before Leon could exhale his held breath two Neo Shadows came up from under him, but Leon saw the attack coming. The Neo shadows swung at him with their claws as they reached out from the dark depths they came from, only for them to strike thin air; Leon in that instant leapt into the air and with his free hand unleashed a barrage of fire and Blizzard spells that destroyed the Neo Shadows on impact and simultaneously knocking down a few heartless that battling nearby. Was Leon landed by on the ground he witnessed the slaughter of one of his soldiers, as his heart was consumed by the Neo Shadow the few remaining soldiers slowly began to fall back out of fear as more and more heartless appeared out of the darkness, Leon quickly stepped in between them and the heartless.

"Cowards, do you want to lose this world again?" he said under his breath as they continued to take more and more steps back as the heartless slowly advanced.

"No I won't let that happen, not this time!" Leon proclaimed as he charged forward into the mass of heartless that started to assemble, but before he got a chance to tear them apart the sound of automatic rifle fire came from behind him stop Leon in his tracks. The Neo Shadows were torn apart and faded into dark smoke while the Armor Knights tried to take the barrage head on only to have their armor shot to peace's and they were soon reduced to black smoke as well.

Once the barrage ended Leon turned around to see who was behind him yet he already had a damn good idea who led the attack, a few yards behind him Tifa sat on top of her motorcycle on both sides of her were fifth teen soldiers. Leon decided that these must have been better trained then the ones he just fought with, he made a mental note to personally train the men from now on as Tifa slowly road up beside him and the soldiers instinctively spread out and created a perimeter.

"What's the situations here Tifa, how's the rest of the city holding up?" He asked

"Wow no thanks for saving me or any kind of show of appreciation, just straight to the point as always right Leon?" Tifa teased but Leon wasn't in the mood for playing game so he just stared at her with his piercing eyes. She shook her head and sighed and handed him her cell phone, on it were a list of messages from Cid.

"Well from the information Cid sent me a few hundred heartless have appeared in this district and the districts closest to the uninhabited district F, Yuffie and two squads were sent to district E, Merlin even thou he felt like he didn't need any back up was sent with a squad to district G, while I came here to check on you. Cid figured that since this district leads straight to the castle and the center of the city it should be the heaviest protected. So I brought you two squads for back up." As Tifa spoke Leon read over the text messages from Cid witch held more detail about what was happening then Tifa's summed up version of what was happening.

"So where are you heading?" He asked while handing her her phone back

"To district F." she said

"Hmm well im going with you." He pointed out as hopped up on the back of her motorcycle

"What about this district?" she asked

"These are the soldiers you helped train right? So have more faith in them." Leon pointed out, Tifa nodded in understand and rode off in the direction of district F.[1]

Hollow Bastion, The castles library

Aerith, a young woman in her low twenties wearing a long sun dress that stopped just a few inches below her knees was sitting in a rocking chair in the newly finished castles library. The walls were painted white and with a tannish color outline, the thousands of books on the shovels that were once covered in dust are now spotless, there are tables with chairs under them and on one table a stack of books all on the history of this world and others. Leon would come every other day and sit there and read for hours then leave. But Aeriths reason for being here wasn't for a history lesson but to such for more info on what happen to a very close friend of hers ten years ago during the first attack on this world by the heartless. He was a SOLDIER just like Cloud and Leon in the army of Radiant garden, but unlike Cloud and Leon he was in a Special Forces unit but just like members of the noble families and the royal family there's no trace of them here or on surrounding worlds, so Aerith though if she's lucky she might find come clues here.

Aerith had found a cabinet in the other room it held all types files in it and in the section labeled under Z she found what she felt would be the best clue, the file was labeled under classified but that wasn't going to stop her from reading it. But before she could break the seal she felt a sharp pain in her heart, but it wasn't pain for her but pain coming from someone else close to her, she could feel his pain. His heart was calling out for help and at the moment she could do nothing to help, so she let out a silent prayer as she uttered his name.

"Cloud…"

Only for it to be drowned out by the sound of thunder and the pitter pat of rain hitting the windows of the castle library.

Unrestored District F

On the days when construction wasn't being done district F is usually as silent as grave but on this day it wasn't so, the cries of a dying man could be heard though out the district. Cloud was on his last leg he had narrowly managed to block Sephiroth's attack and quickly scurry away but now he was leaning up against the wall of an abandoned hotel his great sword hanging loosely in his right hand, panting due to over exhaustion and fatigue from his many wounds. Suddenly a distant sound causes Cloud to enter a state of alertness, he listens closely for a few seconds; to him it sounded like the beating of wings and whatever was making it was getting closer. Cloud pushes himself off the buildings wall he tried to run but the process took too much energy so every few seconds he had to stop to catch his breath and rest his body.

"Be gone." Said a voice in the wind, suddenly acting on instinct Cloud lunched his self forward onto the pavement as a sword drove right throw the cement street that he was walking on. Cloud painstakingly rose to his feet and turned to greet his attacker. Only to be greeted by a tip of a blade he knows all too well.

The Masamune, from tip to hilt the sword was about 1.8 meters long, this single sword as taken the lives of hundreds and hurt thousands of others and the users of this blade has for years stopped being human and has become something more; A one-winged Angel.

With devilish green cat like eyes, extremely long sliver hair that extends down his back with bangs that drape over his pale emotionless face. Sephiroth donned along black coat with silver pauldrons, the top of the coat is lift open to reveal is chest witch is covered by crossing leather straps. On his right side protruding from his shoulder was a single black wing, all this mixed with his cold demeanor give Sephiroth an other worldly even god like presents.

Cloud never looking away from his arch enemy took a step back and tried to bring up his sword to get into his fighting stance but in his state he was unable to do so it was like all his strength had disappeared. Sephiroth amused cracked a sly all knowing smile.

"Are you in that much pain that you can't even defend yourself? Or are finally giving into your fears and opening yourself up to the inevitable?" Sephiroth pondered

"As if!" Cloud shouted as he summoned as much strength as he could at that moment and attacked Sephiroth but it was easily block, Sephiroth countered it with a thrusting attack to Clouds mid-section, Cloud seeing the attack coming flipped his sword to the side and brought it up to his body to block the attack with the flat side but mere seconds before their blades clashed Sephiroth did a half spin to the left and with that opening smacks Cloud in the face with flat side of his sword with so much force it sent him flying throw the front of a small flower shop that was across the street from them creating a large gaping hole.

[2]"If this is the best you can do maybe I should just go into the city burn it down this town just like I did your home years ago, but this time I think it will be more satisfying." Sephiroth said as he slowly and calmly walked over to the ruble of front of the flower shop.

"Because this time you won't be able to save that girls life…or the lives of those two kids living with you." Sephiroth proclaim in a chillingly soft spoken yet cruel tone.

Suddenly from the darkness of the inside of the building a light blue field of aura began to form around the body of Cloud, as he rose to his feet its color changed from light blue a dark purplish glow.

"I won't let you" Cloud said in a low voice as he stood up, he lifted his sword and pointed at Sephiroth

"I WON'T LET YOU HURT THEM!" Cloud shouted as the dark purplish colored aura around him expanded as he charged towards him.

Sephiroth dropped back into a his battle stance readying for Clouds coming onslaught, Cloud bust out the gaping hole in the building and tried to cut Sephiroth across the mid-section only for Sephiroth to fly up high up into the sky.

"There it is, there's the Cloud I know. Let the anger you feel towards me feed the fires of hatred in your heart, and you'll be one step closer to becoming more like me." Sephiroth proclaim as he stopped mid-flight as he looked down upon Cloud who had just lunched himself up to attack his rival.

When Cloud reached him they both attacked locking blades

"Haha this just proves my point you haven't let go of your past you fear the darkness yet you shun away light. What a pathetic life form, a creature like you isn't fit to lick my boats." He stated as he pushes against Clouds sword.

"So what! Stop acting so high and mighty like your some kind of god! Your just a phantom from the past that doesn't know when to quit I'll never be like you, I've got too much to live for!" Cloud proclaimed as he broke their dead lock and attacked Sephiroth with a diagonal slash only for it to be evaded.

"Too much to live for you say, well I'll just take everything and everyone you care about and cut them to ribbons." He proclaimed as he extended his wing to its full length, and with one flap of it he closed the distance in between him and a mere millisecond. Cloud saw the attack coming but was to slow to react, his adrenal rush had subsided and now the pain and fatigue he felt before had returned so all he could do was watch as he was impaled by Sephiroth's Masamune.

"I am the chosen one." Sephiroth said as he drew his sword from Clouds chest, he fell to ground with a loud crack as if a bone or two was broken on impact. He missed all the vital points on purpose he wasn't done with Cloud yet what for what he had planned he needed Cloud alive, but playing with him a little while longer wouldn't hurt.

"This world and all others once belong to mother, but now they belong to me!" Sephiroth shouted down to the nearly unconscious Cloud, he grabbed the hilt of his sword with both hands and flipped the blade around so that its tip down at Clouds body. He then began descending at rapid speed it would only be a matter of seconds before Cloud would be impaled once again.

"FIRE!" a voice called out in the heat of the moment, a rather small but fast fire ball zoomed towards Sephiroth causing him to evade and end his attack on Cloud and turn his attention to his attacker: a teenage boy with hair of brown spikes who wore some baggy black shorts and a black jacket with a hood on it and a white t-shirt under it, the hood was pulled over his head yet the jacket its self was unzipped a little.

"Well if it isn't the keyblades chosen master what an pleasant-" he was unable to finish his sentence before from behind a downward slash attack almost met its mark but Sephiroth was too fast, he gracefully dive rolled out of the way of the sneak attack into a kneeling position.

Sora and Riku surrounded him waiting for him to make a move; Sephiroth found this amusing and stood up.

Sephiroth looked from Sora to Riku as the two of them begun to circle around him, he let out a dry chuckle. Boy how did this feel like déjà vu to him; the happy go lucky hero who acts on impulse rather than reason, and then the other who's heart was filled with conflict and had the same look in his eyes as Cloud. Well almost the same. As both parties felt the other out they all failed to noticed the man with the eye patch watching their spectacle.[2]

Chapter 11 preview: Hide and Seek part 2

"I..am so sorry it has come to this princess but in order to fulfill my mission you must come with me; conscious or not, or even with a few a missing limb or two. You decide?" asked the man in the trench coat, kairi took slow steps back as he slowly advanced on her, she felt tears well up in her eye from fear. How could someone she knew so fell fall so far she wondered as she stared into his red eyes.