Lest Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot.
Disclaimer: do I REALLY need to say this again? Oh what, once more won't hurt. I don't own Square, or these characters. Or Kingdom Hearts. I have the game… Is that enough?
But well… my rants before the chapters are getting shorter… huh! On with the show!
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Chapter 4: Make Me an Offer I Can't Refuse,
Leon stood knee deep in water, an unconscious Yuffie in his arms. He could only look at the ground beneath the rippling water. Moments earlier it had been much deeper and he could do nothing but watch as Cloud was sucked into its depths. A scream of "Yuffie!" from dry land focussed his attention. Looking down at the drenched youngster, he waded as fast as he could to shore, allowing Aeris to fuss over her.
"She's not breathing," she cried out in panic.
Leon pressed his ear to her chest. "Wait… there's a heartbeat."
Aeris proceeded to pound on Yuffie's chest in desperation, screaming her name and shaking her vigorously. Still dazed and distracted by the pain in his neck, Leon allowed her to continue without objection. Sure enough, the raven-haired youngster spluttered her lungs empty and drew a long-awaited breath.
"Thank heavens," Aeris sobbed, pushing jet-black hair from lidded eyes. Groaning, Yuffie rolled onto her side, still coughing and heaving water from now ventilated depths. Curling up into a ball was her attempt to hide from the world.
"We should get her somewhere warm," Leon reasoned, placing a hand on the back of his neck. When he examined it, he saw it was slick with blood. He could feel more of it trickling down his back, staining every item of clothing that he wore.
"Yeah," Aeris sighed in agreement, meeting his confused gaze. "And your neck needs seeing to."
"I'm fine," he bluffed, wincing as he made to lift the ailing teenager before him.
"I don't believe you," Aeris retaliated yet chose not to argue as he persisted in carrying Yuffie back to the hotel. Not only was it the closest place to them, it was neutral territory away from prying eyes and unwanted visitors.
Leon collapsed backwards on the bed immediately after entering the room and alleviating himself of Yuffie's tired frame, soaking the forest green bed linen a dark brown. Not caring in the slightest, he ignored Aeris's beration and insistence that he put a towel under his head. Wincing as she lifted his head, he looked to Yuffie. She perched on the end of the bed, not even flinching when Aeris wrapped her in towels and blankets. Only the tips of her toes and the occasional tuft of hair were on show. Stooping, Aeris offered a solution.
"How about a hot shower?"
Leon could not see her expression, but Aeris's mild bemusement informed him of her evident disgust.
"Had enough water, thanks," Yuffie grumbled.
"Figures. Fair enough. Why don't you go into the bathroom anyway? There's a heater in there. Go warm yourself up while I see to Mr. Hard Nuts here. "
Leon raised his eyebrows at Yuffie's giggle to the nickname she had for him but had only ever told Aeris. After watching a mound of fibres waddle to the bathroom, he turned his attention to the rose beauty that moved to sit by his side.
She tended to his injuries on his back initially, aiding him in lying once more after she had fulfilled that task. Turning her attention to the more serious gashes on his neck, he braced a topic they rarely thought of, let alone discussed.
Taking her wrist in his hand, he soothed, "You don't have to do this to yourself."
"Do what?" she spoke barely above a whisper, for fear of being heard.
"Aeris, we can't bury what happened."
She glanced to the headboard but he could see no regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she began. Whether it was from causing him discomfort as she pressed too hard on his wounds or from events passed, he couldn't be certain. "But," she sighed, "we must put what happened where it belongs; in the past."
"I don't regret it," he gently laid his closest hand towards the inner portion of her thigh. "I enjoyed the time we spent together. It was nice." He immediately thwarted himself mentally at his choice of words. Still, a slight smile graced her sombre expression.
"Nor do I," she spoke hesitantly but truthfully. "But now is not the time," she lifted his hand and placed it back on his own lap. "I was upset. I wasn't thinking straight at the time."
"You don't have to explain yourself," he spoke gently and tenderly, a possible first for the stony brunette. Finding the courage to open up, he chanced paining himself deep within his heart. "I know you never loved me. It was always him."
Aeris smiled wistfully. "What about you?" Hurting one of her dearest friends was a thing she refused to do. To protect him she left the question unanswered.
He did not reply verbally. He turned his gaze away and put on a brave face as she tended to the remainder of his abrasions. "Sorry," he finally mumbled, confirming her thoughts. The smile on her face contained a hint of relief as they remade eye contact. After a moment, she spoke.
"The feeling's mutual."
Leon smiled genuinely for the fist time in many years. Aeris could brighten the darkest of days. For him, it had been the blackest of nights that she helped him through. Quickly letting go of each other's hands that they didn't realise they held, they acted as normal as they could when Yuffie shuffled back into the room, plonking her sheepish form on the bed. Still in a state of shock from her ordeal; she failed to notice the awkward atmosphere between them.
Aeris spotted her still wearing her wet outfit and tutted scornfully. "Honestly Yuffie. You'll only make yourself worse. You should get out of those wet things. Here," she dumped the first aid equipment she held. "I'll go get you a change of clothes. I'll be right back."
The pair watched her leave, both feeling uncomfortable at the tension lingering from earlier. Leon felt naked at having lost his jacket and T-shirt between leaving the secret waterway and a few moments ago. Hoping Yuffie would spare him comment; he nestled deeper into the pillows.
Yuffie shuffled on the spot to face him. Her usual exuberant expression had altered to one of fatigue and apprehension, shaving years from her visage. She looked like she did that day nine years ago. He felt a pang of conscience; a seven-year-old didn't deserve turmoil like that. None of them did. But at least they had each other. Little could be said for the remaining quarter of the foursome. Sighing, she posed Leon a theory.
"Say Leon," she felt too exhausted to torment him of his previous name, "I think I know why you talk to that creature."
He raised his head inches off the pillow, confusion and pain fighting to dominate his expression. A mild grunt in question was her only reply.
"It's not a monster, is it?" she tested further.
"Meaning?" Leon asked in reply, draping a hand over his eyes, hoping to chase away the niggling headache that was creeping ever forefront in his mind.
"It's Cloud, isn't it?" his young companion finally managed to blurt out, causing the brunette to sit bolt upright and stare at her, also wishing he hadn't made such a hasty movement. That niggling headache was more of a war in his head now and left him collapsing back into the mattress. When he continued to display mock confusion, Yuffie explained her point. "When he was sucked down, the monster flickered for a moment. It that split second I saw him. I saw a human being. And it was Cloud. Oh Leon, He's grown so handsome. Aeris is gonna swoon when she sees him. I do hope he's okay," muttered into her shoulder.
Leon could see that she battled the desire to leap about in excitement. Perhaps her exhaustion added to that. "No signs?" he pressed. Yuffie shook her head and shuffled so that her blanketed back was all he saw. Before he could question her motives, she promptly flopped between his arm and torso, snuggling down by his side, curled tightly. Pressing her cheek against his chest, her hair cascaded over his patched shoulder. "Uhm… Yuffie?" he began, completely caught off guard.
She grumbled in refusal, to which he correctly assumed was at his suggestion to move. "Shh…" she hushed him "why do people have to die?"
Leon quickly regretted his insistence that she not be so close and felt guilty for it. Resorting to placing a hand on her shorthaired head, he chose to comfort her. "Sometimes it's inevitable. When our time comes, there's little we can do about it." When her curled frame shuddered against him, he couldn't help but feel that he was making things worse. Opting for another course of conversation, he tried once more. "Don't you worry about spiky. He'll be fine. He's already escaped death once. He's becoming somewhat of an expert at it. Don't you worry about him."
He felt her relax against him, bringing a hand up to her lips, gently resting her fingers against his smooth skin. As she drifted off into a gentle doze, he whispered something into her ear, praying she would remember it when she awoke.
"What ever you do, don't tell Aeris."
……………..
The darkness seemed to go on forever. The water that was only a few feet deep had suddenly become endless. Starved of light and oxygen, he strained not to give in to the desire to breathe. With the eternal black giving way to a deep fiery glow, he could feel himself falling from a great height. The warmth was welcoming and the air he swallowed even more so, but the landing was brutal. And painful. Pulling himself into a kneeling position resulted in his cloak tugging him back down. Laden with water, it only served to suffocate him again. Tugging it from around his neck exposed the solitary wing that he was renowned for in this land. In an attempt to reduce his burden, he proceeded to roll his cloak in his arms, flapping them wildly in a last ditch attempt to rid him of its entanglement. Finally throwing it to the floor in frustration, he heard a voice he'd rather not hear. Ever again.
"Well, well, well. Would you look at what the cat has dragged in. A drowned sewer rat."
Cloud glared at the very same one who had caused him the torment he presently endured.
"Giving me the 'silent treatment?' Oh, boo hoo. I knew I was to lenient on you kid."
"You wrote it," the blonde spat with resentment.
"Don't think I don't know?" his recent company wailed. "I don't know what's worse," he continued, sighing, "the fact that you won't die. Or the fact you turn up here when ever you do 'die'."
"I never asked for immortality."
"Hey," the blue flame-blue haired god shrugged. "It's the latest thing. Immortality. A lifetime of living with your mistakes."
Cloud growled and walked deeper into the underworld, passing the eternally tortured souls that resided there. Hollow expressions leered out from crevices, baying to be set free.
"Say, kid," the omnipresent one glided behind him, "what brings you down here. Party dead on topside?"
Cerulean eyes narrowed as he shifted them sideways. Ever since his contract had been stamped and sealed, nothing had turned out the way he expected. Both wary and distrustful, Cloud opted for the quiet approach. "I wish to question my contract."
"What?" Hades flung his arms wide. "It's all signed, sealed, and delivered. There's little more I can add, unless you want another one?" He beamed his teeth as a wad of paper appeared in his hands. Cloud span on the spot and sank five gleaming claws through every single sheet. "I take that as no then?" he raised a blue eyebrow at the glowering blonde before him.
Cloud threw the blank proposal aside where it vanished before the leaves hit the cold floor. "Precisely," he snarled. "I wasn't impressed with the first. What makes you believe I'd be a sucker for another?"
"Once a sucker, always a sucker," Hades grumbled. "You were my star player!"
Folding his arms across his chest, Cloud observed the blue god before him, tired with his manipulative ways. "You screwed me of my freedom"
"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" he exclaimed, "I screwed you? I think you'll find, if you turn to page four hundred and twenty seven," he flicked through another contract, "you did this all to yourself."
"The contract I signed must have been no more than four hundred pages. So, somewhere along the lines…"
"Something got lost in translation," he grinned. "Shame, I must have misplaced the extra pages. You didn't seem to mind back then. You were so eager."
"I found what I was looking for of my own accord."
"Not without a little help from me," Hades gloated.
"Help?" Cloud rounded on him, fastening his now dried cloak back in place. "You did no such thing. If anything, you ruined my chances of approaching her. I can't stand the way she looks at me."
"Shame," he rolled his eyes in mock sympathy. "And to think I had such control over your life? Oh, you flatter me, kid. You signed it. Ain't my problem. Enough skirting," he snapped through the formalities. "What do you want? I know you want something. They all do."
"And Sephiroth?"
"I said all, didn't I? He wants his old life back, but the sucker's done for. No trans-dimensional travel. No grasp on mortality. And certainly no bothering me at such ungodly hours." After a brief pause, he cocked his head to the side and pushed for the real reason of the blonde's visit. "So, whaddya want?"
The demand was simple, and plainly put.
"Out."
"No can do," the god quickly replied, walking away from his shorter statured company.
Before he had moved even a few feet, Cloud appeared in the air before him, his blade unsheathed. Turing away only provoked him to repeat this action until the blue god threw his arms up in exasperation and hear him out.
"I see you picked up that trick well," he growled before admitting defeat. "Fine. Fine! What do you want?"
Cloud frowned in thought, wording his approach in his mind before he answered. "I want my old life back. No quirks. No hidden clauses. Nothing. I want things to go back to the way they were."
"Ah, now that's not so simple," Hades sighed.
"Human," he quickly followed up. "At least return me to my human form."
Hades hummed lengthily. "Now tell me, kid. What's in it for me?"
Cloud simply held his gaze, not wishing to offer him the slightest chance to dupe him again. He watched as the god appeared to be processing several options, a finger tapping his lips. Bringing the tips of his fingers together, he cast Cloud a sly grin.
"Well, it wouldn't be right to just turn everything back to the way it was. That would be damaging to my credentials. Alas, I was mean to you," he mocked. "How can I make it up to you?"
The blonde mercenary did not appreciate the way he was observed by the god. Indeed, the outcome of the contract was permanent and everlasting. "Do you really want me popping in to 'visit' for the rest of eternity?"
"Geez," Hades shuddered. "Now that you put it like that kid, I'll do you a deal."
When Hades abruptly ended his sentence and offered no more, Cloud pressed for the slightest offer of his former self. "What? What is it?"
"Easy tiger. I'll give you your former self back if you make a sacrifice on your part."
"A sacrifice?" Cloud questioned, genuinely confused.
"Yes. A sacrifice. Are you deaf?" Hades screeched at him, the flames on his head blazing brilliant red if only for a moment. "And we aren't talking your likes of giving up chocolate for lent." An illusion of a chocolate bar appeared above his hand and melted as soon as it materialised. Shaking the offending mixture from his fingers, he stared the blonde down. "Offer me something extravagant. Something to make the rest of eternity interesting for me. Think on it. Surprise me." And with that, the god clicked his fingers and vanished from view.
Cloud stood for a period of time, the final words of Hades ringing in his ears. A sacrifice, and no meagre one at that. He sat on a rock, or what he presumed to be a rock, and mused into the back of his hand. Hades wanted something that meant the world to him. But what? This was no deal he would walk into lightly. Certainly not if the outcome could be like last time. The next few days were to serve torturous.
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Nyeh? Seems more of a filler chapter to me, but hmm… we need the formalities at times, ne? But good news, I practically have the rest of this all typed up now, so you might get quicker updates. Don't all cheer at once, please! ;) I'm thinking, once a week from now on!
Help? Can anyone gimme insights as to how I can upload this into a better, easy readable format? I ain't a technological heathen… technology just HATES me! No seriously, I'm talking several destroyed computers under my belt!
Reviews! Yay… it's a start, huh? But in response…
About the spelling. Admittingly, I hold my hands up; I did miss the odd one. I ain't perfect! (we wish we could be though!) I have corrected them and I will edit those chapters. I do all the checking myself. I don't have beta readers. Maybe eventually… I don't know. But I do my best for you all! If there are any here, I apoligise, exhausted! But when it comes to the British spelling, now that's fun. All words ending in –ize for you are –ise for me. I'm sorry... the letter z (said ZED!) is sacred and rarely used here! :) And then we have u. oh how we love those u's. Colour. Labour. Favourite. You get the point? Despite us all talking the same language… it differs so much. I had to spend a year in Canada to see that. And then you have the different vocab. Man… that got me into a few predicaments… but that's another story.