Lest Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot.
If there are some really bad errors in this chapter, I am really, REALLY sorry. After a 7 hour working day and two 11 hour shifts the day before that… I'm a little exhausted. So, I promised I would update, and I deliver. Sorry once more! Roll on Tuesday. A 12.5 hour shift! ARGH!
Disclaimer: do I get the feeling I'm repeating myself. If you don't know what this is for by now… reread an earlier chapter.
……
Chapter 5: Clues from the Past.
Having aimlessly wandered from one world to the next, Cloud found himself back in Traverse Town. The fourth district to be precise. After walking for hours through the flowers, it made him realise just how numerous they were. Settling in the quietest corner, he perched on a bench before retreating deeper along the path when unwanted company arrived. Finding himself without adequate seating, he opted for the barest patch of ground. One that consisted of skewed bottles turned his head immediately. But nonetheless, he was able to find one, despite the lonely clump of Forget-me-nots. Trying his hardest not to squash their frail beauty, the soft earth was much more comfortable than the paved path.
He readjusted his cloak repeatedly, peering down at the violet blossoms that argued with him for the sunlight from above. Tilting his own head back, he savoured the warmth that permeated even the toughest hide. Growling lightly in the back of his throat he pummeled his forehead, willing the cogs to work.
It had been almost two weeks since Hades had offered the slightest opening of his former life. Cloud wanted it so badly that now his mind was ready to explode. He wanted a sacrifice. He was more than clear on that. But what to sacrifice? That was what caused him the greatest torment.
Initially, he had posed the temptation of offering his most treasured worldly possessions. The thought of giving up his trusted buster sword or his heavily mastered materia moved him to the core, but he was willing to do so just for a release from this tiresome existence. Slowly he had rejected that idea. It wasn't like Hades didn't have a stash of odd trinkets taken from souls as they passed over. He also considered relinquishing his dark powers back to the god. The inter-dimensional travel was a wonderful perk, not to mention the incredible strength, but if it meant he could reclaim his old life he would be more than willing to reconsider. Thinking of anything that could help, he analysed the god's living conditions.
What more could a power hungry god want? Control? Power? Simply to play god? He had that, for sure. Thousands of souls lived out the remainder of their existence in a place that caused his hair to stand on end. All those that were entombed in the fiery depths were subjected to an eternity of torture. Well, with Hades they certainly were. The longer he spent considering this, the more it seemed obvious. Hades wanted a life for a life. Perhaps upsetting the balance of existence was one thing that he had no manipulation over.
Seeing the faces of past friends and family erupting in his mind, he considered them in turn. The first to cross his thoughts was the ninja Yuffie. The last time he had seen her, she was vastly different from her younger self. Physically mature, but perchance not so mentally. She was annoying at times, he thought. Perhaps with her in the underworld people wouldn't be so fed up with her. Maybe Hades would like a constantly perky soul to keep him company. And then the guilt gripped his untainted heart. She was always so cheerful. So peppy. He couldn't do that. Plus, Hades would find some way to reverse it all. She'd drive him insane. And who would cheer them up with her gone. 'No,' he thought, 'not Yuffie.'
Perhaps someone important to him? The prospect of offering a random soul had been long thrown out the window. Hades would blatantly refuse it, as it would not bother Cloud in the slightest. Slowly, his mind turned to processing all those close to him. Initially, the vision of his mother dominated his senses. She meant everything to him. And more. But where would that get him? He dismissed the idea as soon as it arose. How could he think of such a thing? He adored her; that was no way to tell her how much he cared. And then there was the problem of where she was. Ever since the fall of Hollow Bastion, he had searched high and low for her, hoping to find her one day. Up until the point at which he left that world, he still believed she clung to this life. No. Someone else would have to do.
He then moved on to the others that he thought the world of, and she came to mind. He cringed at the thought but explored its possibilities all the same. Hades would love her. Pretty, pure, and had special connections with the planet itself. How he had admired her from afar for all this time. Long before the fall of Hollow Bastion he had failed to miss her beauty. Even after starting a new life in The Coliseum, it was her memory that helped him through. With years of longing to see her again, he set about finding a way to seek her out. Talking it through with Sephiroth, he was overheard by Hades and couldn't believe his luck a week later. It was then that Hades offered him help. A contract was formed and struck but the events mentioned forthwith would not come to pass for another year or so. In the end, his determination to find her and exploiting the dark side to do so backfired on him. He had finally found her but could not approach her. All thanks to the one who offered to 'help' him.
And then Cloud's thoughts expanded further. What point was there in losing Aeris? He would become human again and she wouldn't be there to be with him. And why should that blue brute be graced with her company? Besides, someone had already attempted to sacrifice her life. There's only so much a girl can take.
Passing thought over the one who tried to kill Aeris, his attention turned to Sephiroth.
"What am I thinking?" he muttered aloud.
That was a pointless cause. Firstly, Sephiroth wasn't exactly human anymore, and secondly, Hades hated the guy. More so after he failed his task. Sephiroth had a power that Hades admired. Unfortunately, he was not able to harness it for his own benefit.
After considering Sephiroth and his inner strength, his train of thought brought him to his final option. This person had something Hades would love. Courage and strength of conviction were what he was noted for, along with a few other, undesirable characteristics. But, on the whole, he made a great fighter and leader, if somewhat reluctantly. Despite having the heart of a lion, he truly had the soul of a man.
But then, what would Hades want with a moody, stoic, and sporadically unbearable Gun-Blade wielder. And what would Leon make of his childhood friend offering his life to the god of the underworld. He'd have a few words to say about that. And then, who would look after Aeris and Yuffie. Would they be able to trust him after being away for so long? Most likely not.
Sighing at his wits end, he thought of his youth and the times he had spent with Leon, or then, Squall. He never spoke of it, but he looked up to the brunette. He was his friend, brother, and idol in one. He had leant a great deal from him, who in turn absorbed his knowledge from books. Anything he offered on life and work with Ansem could keep him enthralled for days. Here was a man who, when younger, didn't think twice about putting his life in the line to save Cloud's when he was foolish enough to endanger himself. The brunette was always one step ahead of the game. Gazing idly around at the flowers, it slowly came to him as he relived that fateful day from their shared pasts.
………………
The early morning sun bathed the castle with its gently glow, its finger like rays probing every window it could find. A bright seam slipped though the smallest crack in the curtains to illuminate the face of the room's sleeping occupant. Rolling away from the window, he buried his head under the pillows to escape it. Once one disturbance had been vanquished, another arose.
A single eye opened and tried to glare at the door and its arrival on the other side. Judging by the way that they hammered on the door, it had to be Cloud. He would have much preferred Rinoa but he doubted she would be back so soon after sneaking away. He smiled at he empty side of the bed and set about ignoring the constant beating on the door.
"Squall, you lazy git. Get up. Time to go. You better not wimp out on me again."
"Wimp out?" he laughed into the pillows. "Sure."
He could hear Cloud sigh with frustration on the other side of the door. "You've already wimped out for the last three weeks. You owe me." He chanced a final time at the door; "Chickenwuss!"
That was enough for Squall. "Who you callin' chickenwuss?" he catcalled back, propping himself up from the covers. "You're gonna die," he added.
A curt chuckle emanated through the door before he retaliated. "Kitchens, in fifteen. Don't be late. Or you'll lose by default."
"I'll give you default," he grumbled, flinging himself into alertness and hastily climbing into his usual leather attire.
Shortly he stood in the kitchen of the wing he lived in. The castle was an enormous place, but it was their home nonetheless. The girls, Rinoa, Aeris, and that little annoying kid, who called herself a ninja, lived on the adjoining wing. It was close enough for him to sneak to her room yet far enough away for anyone to suspect anything. On numerous occasions he had encouraged Cloud to visit his admired one, but he wouldn't. For some reason or other, he always refused.
Breakfast lay where it had been served. Since Cloud was the only one of the pair with a surviving relative, his mother always took it upon herself to make Squall feel at home. He loved this place. Families lived in separate units on each floor, but anyone was welcome to pop by. Helping himself to pancakes, he heard his friend enter. Nodding with a mouthful, he attempted to add coffee to the mixture.
"Ready?"
Squall only held up a finger, indicating for a moment to digest that which was yet to make it to his stomach. Slowing with his chewing, he simply observed his friend.
Cloud had changed so much in the eight years he had known him. He was no longer puny, but he wasn't your tallest fighter either. Nonetheless, he had filled out best a thirteen-year-old could. Leaning against the counter, he appeared to be a normal teenager, dressed in casual clothes and with unruly hair. Unfortunately for Cloud, there was little he could do about the latter. The ponytail had long gone, but the spikes had grown as he had. He seemed almost cocky as he folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head to one side, sending the spikes into an array of dance moves. His eyes failed to change. Still they peeked from underneath the mass of golden fringe with their strange cerulean glow. They shone with a greater intensity ever since his accident with Sephiroth. The time where he had chased the silver haired one to the forbidden Makou spring. Since then, he had become stronger, and much better with magic.
As he swallowed the last mouthful of his breakfast, Cloud was almost ready to go. He groaned and rolled his eyes when Squall curled his fingers round the mug of coffee, smirking whilst he took a lengthy sip. Realising he had a few more moments to wait, he pulled up a chair and slouched at the table. Unbeknownst to Squall, he studied the brunette though his fringe, appearing to have his gaze downcast the entire time he was seated.
Squall had now taken to staring unfocussed out the window. There were no prizes for guessing whom he thought of. When a flicker of a smile crept across his scarred face, he was certain it was she on his mind.
They had been dating for a long time. Too long back for Cloud to remember exactly. He envied Squall for it. Whenever Rinoa was by his side, they appeared meant for each other. She was one of the few things that brought fire to his expression. Deep sapphires continued to sparkle as his friend's memory tiptoed back to the previous evening's activities. Cloud had no idea what he was thinking about; he was just pleased his friend was content. Whenever Squall was angry or generally under the weather, his deep blue eyes appeared so cold.
Whilst Squall took his delayed time with his drink, Cloud's thoughts wondered once more. What was it like to have a girlfriend. Sure, Squall was seventeen, barely. He was more 'mature'. Supposedly. He only ever hated him for the fact that he knew more and had a greater experience of life. He too wanted that. He wanted in on the studies that Ansem performed on these 'dark creatures' as he called them. But no, he was too young. For now, only Squall could join. He scowled into his folded arms and chose to follow a path of more joyous thoughts.
Aeris, Rinoa's neighbour. Now she was something. All the other kids thought her strange at school but he was attracted to her. She was different. Alluring almost. On the up side, he thought she was kinda nice. They'd been friends for the longest time. Both outcasts, she managed to keep his feet on the floor and out of the headmaster's office. Well, most of the time. Obviously his face betrayed him and informed Squall of his train of thought.
"You're thinking about her, aren't you?"
"Huh?" he snapped his head up, the finger he chewed on poised in mid air. "Who?" he bumbled. "No I wasn't. What makes you say that?"
Squall chuckled and shook his head. "Your face said it all," he grinned further, dropping his cup into the sink. "Set?" he asked rhetorically whilst picking his blade up from its usual dumping spot on the cupboard tops.
Cloud sighed. "Yeah. Betta tell me muvver I's off."
Squall could only roll his eyes as the blonde shuffled to find her. Still, part of him wished he too could have family that cared for him altruistically. Commencing the walk to the frozen walkway, he dawdled with the intention that Cloud could catch up.
Rarely they talked on the way to their secret sparring grounds. That was fine for them both. There were fewer disturbances while they psyched themselves for the upcoming match. It also allowed them to admire the beauty of their surroundings. However, they could never admit this to the other. That wasn't very manly. But it was. The ice was deceptive. Like many things, its danger was hidden in its beauty. Sucking you in and before you realised it, it was too late. The waterfalls merely added to the splendor. Yet they too, masked their ferocity. The temperature of them was enough to snatch your life away in minutes, let alone your breath. And still, it provided the best environment for them to hone their skills.
Standing upon one of the many moving ice platforms, they prepared themselves whilst taking in the rapidly altering scenery. Cloud wasted no time in lifting his blade and commenced swirling it about his head. Many often accused him of showing off and displaying his techniques, but they failed to take into consideration the length of his blade. Anyone who possessed a weapon of such a size would need to adjust and fine-tweak before they dueled. Squall was reminded of Sephiroth and his lengthy weapon. Both were similar in several ways.
Squall stooped and polished the flat of his blade with the cuff of his jacket. Looking up, Cloud returned the gaze as he leant upon the hilt of his sword. A solitary raised eyebrow informed him of his readiness.
The brunette did not stand speedily. Rather, he took his time about it. Slicing the air to his right, he slung the blade back to slash the vacant space between him and his battle partner. Performing a few additional preparatory moves, a clearing of the throat on Cloud's behalf diverted his attention back to the more pressing matters at hand.
"Don't hold back," Cloud growled as he lifted the blade to a horizontal position that obscured half of his face. Inwardly, Squall was mildly impressed at his ability to keep the blade aloft by means of the hilt alone. He knew all too well of the blade's impressionable weight.
"I won't."
He never needed to. Although his dueling partner was three years his junior, his skills were beyond his years. There was never a slow moment between them. The sound of metal upon metal resounded throughout the otherwise vacant chasm. Blow after blow rained down on the other's form, each quickly performing evasive manoeuvers before delivering their own retaliation. Neither sustained the slightest injury despite the danger involved with regularly sharpened blades. With each of them focussed upon the goal of victory, neither even acknowledged the passing of a shadow way above their heads, heading for the castle.
Squall drove Cloud to the edge of their platform, pressing him into submission. Cloud would consider no such option. Standing his ground, he battled on whilst teetering precariously on the edge. Squall used repeated, exaggerated sweeping arcs in a last ditch attempt to claim his prize. Cloud's footing finally gave way, sending him toppling from the edge to the frozen waters below.
Plunging into the dark depths offered more than a friendly wake-up call. Ice cold water filled his ears, muffling the world around him. Dark shapes swam below him, but they did not matter. He refused to give up so easily. All he had to do was reach the only patch of dry ground around. Despite having lost his footing, his grip on his trusted sword remained. Proving only a minor hindrance, he swam to shallow waters before wading towards the bank. A sharp splash from behind caused him to instinctively swing his blade in the direction of the disturbance.
Squall strove to reach out to his friend before he fell. Peering over the lip of the platform, he witnessed the dying splash from Cloud's descent. An indistinct outline rippled below the surface, striving for shore. He did not wish to call victory so easily and Cloud would protest at the unfairness of it all. Leaping from platform to platform, he bore down on the shallow depths at the reach of the chasm, intending to give him a fight he would never forget. Little did he realise the significance of his thoughts.
Cloud may not have seen him leap from the rocks above but he was more than ready at his arrival. Cold from his brief dip, it served to drive him harder towards his goal. Squall enjoyed it when anger fuelled him; he had to keep his wits about him more. There was the slim chance he could flip like he did that one time and left him scarred for life. Still, he would prove hard to beat. And it was a challenge he would gladly accept.
Cloud attacked relentlessly, raining strike after blow on his friend. The momentum alone that his blade carried could cause Squall to stumble, if only in the slightest. Spurred on by his disapproval at his dunking, the added power gave him the edge. As Squall reluctantly began considering his first defeat, things took a turn towards unusual.
Simultaneously, both of them were thrown from their feet, falling unceremoniously on elbows and faces. Squall pushed himself up with his hands to a seated position whilst Cloud pounded the floor in frustration.
"I ALMOST HAD YOU!" he hollered, looking towards his friend.
Squall frowned as Cloud's face dropped from looking past him and out of the valley. Tilting his head back revealed the same to him.
Black storm clouds swirled across a purple sky. Lightning rained above their heads, terrifying all that remained at the castle. Squall leapt to his feet whilst Cloud scrabbled away from the chasm wall.
"Whoa!" he exclaimed, careering into Squall's legs and almost sending him flat on his face. "What's that?" he jabbed a finger towards a small, dark corner.
They both watched as a pair of yellow slits pierced the darkness, gaining form in mid air. Now standing, Cloud matched Squall's step from this unknown entity. Yellow slits developed into golden orbs that absorbed from its surroundings. As it crept towards their position, they could make out more of its being. Repeatedly it swung its head from side to side, a pair of jagged antennae bobbing atop of golden dish plates. Its posture was hunched, keeping as low to the ground as possible before it was swallowed by the rock.
"No way!" Cloud gasped as the black shape homed in on them.
"It moves like a shadow," Squall pondered aloud.
"Well, it ain't my shadow!" Cloud protested, lifting a foot off the ground and making sure that his shadow was indeed still there. In this midst of this action, a movement from the side caught his attention. "Holy shit," he cursed, spinning to face the apparition, "there's another."
Slowly the pair began to circumspect the area only to find they were surrounded. They were innumerable. Swinging their blades at them served only to make them pause, almost wrinkling their non-existent noses in distaste, before they advanced once more. Deciding this was a battle he couldn't win, Squall scaled the closet platform with Cloud hot on his heels.
As they made headway, Cloud chanced a backward glance. He only saw the error of his ways when his feet became crossed and he tripped. Squall heard the dull thud of chest on stone and whipped about to face him. His eyes could only widen at what he saw.
The very same ghosts from before oozed from the ground and swiftly moved in on his downed companion. Cloud fought them off as best he could, choosing to moving away from the main group of them. None appeared to notice Squall. One in particular paid Cloud a great deal of attention. Despite him scrabbling away on all fours, it remained perched on his back, groping its way to his chest.
Futile was his attempt to remove the offending apparition that now pawed at his chest. Clawed fingers sank through his clothes and under his skin. From the sharp intake of breath, Squall concluded its icy touch had indeed made contact. When more of its arms vanished into his torso and abdomen, his friend's face twisted into a grimace of pain and slight fear.
Before Squall realised his actions, he pounced on his friend, intending to remove the offending pest. Flailing his hands at the dark shadow on Cloud's chest, his fists passed clean through its body. It served to unnerve the creature nonetheless. Scuttling a short distance away, it prepared to reclaim its victim.
Aiding a woozy Cloud to his feet, Squall had to shake him vigorously before he gave any indication of alertness. Even when he did come round, he clutched at his chest and wheezed heavily.
"We better get out of here," Squall reasoned, dragging Cloud away yet still eyeing the twitching masses.
"They have no hearts," Cloud uttered, glaring at them as the pair passed. Squall thought his revelation was absurd but another development struck him; they no longer pressed forward. Instead, they hung back and parted as they struggled through. For some reason they were much more interested with Cloud. As they reached the entrance to the chasm, they could see nothing but darkness. The ice walkway was the last place they had sought.
"They're at the castle," Squall pointed out.
"They're killing everyone," Cloud grabbed at his T-shirt again. "I can see it." Suddenly he stood bolt upright, almost sending Squall flying. "They're after my mother," he screamed, taking off at full pelt towards the castle.
"Let's be rational about this," Squall pleaded, failing to slow his pace.
"They want Rinoa as well," the speeding blonde called back. Squall needed no second telling. Soon he was close behind.
As they reached the castle, the number of strange creatures grew. Gradually, they assumed different forms and varying attack patterns. Realising their blades could vanquish them for a short time; there was little that could slow their determination.
The castle's courtyard had to be the only place they hadn't conquered. Indeed, there was truth to the statement 'safety in numbers.' Almost the entire population of Hollow Bastion was assembled here, being herded onto numerous, ugly looking ships. From time to time one would lift off vertically and zoom away to a blip on the horizon.
The pair strained over the tall walls, looking for friends and family. "There!" Cloud yelled, deafening Squall from his closeness. "I can see Yuffie."
Indeed, she stuck out like a sore thumb. She stood alone, isolated in the crowd, huddled small and evidently sobbing to herself. Her parents were nowhere to be seen. As they made their way to her, another familiar face appeared.
"Aeris," Squall gasped from his exertion, "where are her parents?" as he grabbed the small ninja-in-training by the wrists and yanked her from certain trampling. Instinctively, she wrapped her small arms about his waist, burying her face into his sodden jacket and weeping endlessly.
Aeris could only reply with confusion in her eyes. "Cloud…" she bit out, finally suppressing her quivering lip for only a second.
Squall looked over his shoulder expecting to see gold spikes in his line of vision. "He was right here," he murmured. Shortly, his voice caught their attention from the other direction.
"My mother. Where is she?"
"I haven't seen her," Aeris swallowed her fear.
"Rinoa…" Squall straightened up, searching for her head in the crowds.
"I haven't seen anyone I know, except you," Aeris could barely hold back from sobbing.
Squall slowly prised Yuffie's vice grip from his back and tried to force the struggling youngster on to Aeris. She was having none of it.
"I'm scared," she whimpered as he knelt to face her. "Don't go away," she pleaded with wide brown eyes.
"I won't," he tried to sooth her, feeling slightly ridiculous. Now was not the time to play brooding. "Stay with Aeris, she'll look after you." As soon as her name was mentioned, she looked to Cloud with fear in her emerald eyes. He did not see, for he scoured the crowd from his place, striving for the faintest glimpse of the one he sought. "Cloud and I will go look for Rinoa and the others. Don't wait for us. We WILL come back. Get on the next ship and go. Don't wait for us."
The frightened pair clung to each other for support. Squall clicked his fingers before Cloud's eyes to focus his attention. When their eyes met, the emotion storming within the cerulean was something he had not experienced. Not yet, anyway. Nodding in silence, he followed the brunette, only looking back when he was distracted.
A warm touch encompassed his wrist, filling him with hope. Looking at the limb in question revealed the hand to be feminine. Following the arm back to its owner, he met Aeris's gaze. He frowned lightly; he saw a look in her eyes that had never been used for him before. He strove to return the gentle squeeze but the jostling crowd separated her from his view. Slowly, he could feel his fingers slip away from her warm caress. Unable to fight his way back to her, he sped off towards his home.
He reached his quarters alone; Squall was nowhere to be seen. As he hurtled down the corridor that led to his family unit, he failed to witness the scorched decoration about him. He certainly didn't notice the overwhelming stench of burnt timber. Reaching the door to his home, the intense heat singed the very hairs from his body.
Disregarding danger, he threw himself at the smoldering door. As he fell to the floor on a mattress of cinders, smoke billowed out into the corridor. Flames licked at his ear lobes whilst he peered though his fingers at the sea of red and orange. He leapt to his feet, dancing from side to side, debating on which way to go whilst calling for the one he sought. He tried to make it to her room, but he was restricted from behind.
"Lemme go!" he wailed upon witnessing Squall restraining him by the collar.
"And let you kill yourself? No," he argued.
"I have to get to her."
"She won't be here. No one can survive this heat," he shouted in reasoning, feeling the flames boil the blood in his veins. "She's probably in the courtyard waiting for you." He hoped this was true. There was no way he could let his friend plunge into a wall of flames only to find it in vain.
Cloud reluctantly ceased his struggles, coming to terms with the possible verity of his comment. If she were still in there… well, it wouldn't bear thinking about. "Rinoa…" he choked.
"She wasn't in her quarters," Squall replied. "I don't know where she is."
"The chapel," Cloud sighed in revelation, glad that his friend had now stopped twitching with distress.
Squall could only shake a finger at him in agreement. "Yes. She was always up there. Hell, even your mother could be up there." A smile of hope lit up both their faces as they sped through the castle, seeking means to ascend to a higher floor. As they headed for the stairs, a stern voice called from nearby.
"You pair of fking idiots! What in shits name do you think you are doing?" Cloud made to explain, but the elder man spoke up once more. "Shut your bollocking trap and get them fking feet moving to the courtyard. Fked if I'm waiting for you. Once my ship's full, I'm getting the fk outa here."
"We'll be right there," Squall cried, bolting away before the foul-mouthed pilot made a grab for him. Unfortunately for Cloud, he was just too slow.
"Screw you," the pilot screamed when a golden head ploughed into his chin. "Arsehole," he grumbled as the younger of the two stumbled after his friend. Deciding that giving chase wasn't the best option, he resorted to seeking out reinforcements to, if they had to, drag the pair kicking and screaming by their ankles. This was no place for children to play.
Reaching their destination left them to ponder if it had really been worthwhile. The passageway to the chapel was devoid of life. Dark shapes swirled behind stained glass, but still they pressed forwards. Dust trickled unnoticed from the cracks in the high ceiling, accompanied with intensifying creaks. Sensing something was missing; they both paused and gazed around the eerie chamber.
"She's not here," Squall hissed, the slightest ounce of panic in his voice.
"Hey," Cloud tried to be optimistic in the bleak circumstances, "at least there ain't any of them sneaky things. Maybe she's on a ship and left already?"
Squall sighed in thought. "Perhaps. Her parents have left already, someone told me that."
"There you go," Cloud faked cheerfulness. "Whose parents would leave without them?" Squall glanced sideways as the blonde's face creased into a frown. "Where could she be?"
"Waiting for you?" the brunette offered, yet being of no help. Cloud pouted in frustration and faced the way they had come from. They silently met the other's gaze and decided they had had enough of the dying atmosphere. Heading for the exit, the reason for the falling dust made itself apparent.
Squall shoved his friend out of the path of the falling ceiling whilst throwing himself in the opposite direction. Heaving himself to his feet and dusting himself off, he looked to where his friend had been last. Luckily, he was visible and appeared unscathed. He too lifted himself up and peered groggily about. His head snapped upwards when the creaking resumed once more.
Squall had to leap aside again whilst Cloud scrabbled desperately out of its path. The accumulated weight was simply too great for the now trashed chapel floor, for it fell through to the floors below, leaving gaping holes where beautiful tiles once lay. Looking for the blonde a second time left him to realise that this time he wasn't so lucky. The faintest hint of gold protruded amidst twisted metal girders and rubble. Otherwise, he was buried alive.
It took all his strength to remove the offending support beam. Even then, pale skin had been given a fine coating of plaster dust that almost mummified his bruised form. Where blood oozed from broken skin, a curious mixture of the two arose. Debris littered the floor around them, but Cloud failed to focus on it. Still dazed from the repeated bombardment, his vision wasn't at all good. Slowly the world around him solidified yet his insides still felt unstable. Resisting the urge to retch, he groaned laboriously instead.
Scanning his friend's position, Squall noticed that his left arm was still submerged in building material. Before he could even attempt to relieve him from his trapped position, Cloud tried to right himself. This only served to bring his innards inline with the outside by means of excruciating pain, especially where his left arm was concerned. It felt like he clutched at a concrete pillow that certainly wasn't as comfortable as a feather one.
"Keep still," was all Squall could think of. "We have to get you out of here. I just have to…"
"No," Cloud cut him off. He explained further when his friend cast him a confused look. "Go, it's not worth it. Save yourself."
Squall shook his head, refusing to consider the thought. "No," he spoke with intent. "I'm not leaving you here alone."
"You have to," Cloud yelled, striving for an excuse and eventually finding one. "You can't do it alone."
"Don't call me weak," Squall snarled, tossing rubble aside. He lost his balance temporarily when another gaping skylight was created for the floor below. Looking back, the look of agony subsided from paled features.
Cloud now fought desperately to find an excuse to send his friend away. At least if one of them… he couldn't think further on these lines.
"Maybe," he winced as he cemented his ploy; "you can get that girder from over there and prise this rock off my arm."
Nodding in agreement, Squall turned to where Cloud indicated. "Where?" he looked back.
"Over there," Cloud added determinedly. When the brunette turned once more, he aimed to position him where he wanted him. "Over there. Go forwards a little. Great, now left a bit," he urged. Squall looked back once more, increasingly confused and lost with the blonde's directions.
"I don't see it."
"Bend down a little," Cloud insisted, lifting his foot marginally.
Squall did as instructed and crouched, albeit close to the recently opened hole. Bending his leg and pulling his foot back, Cloud prepared to enact his plan. Kicking out as hard as he could, given his condition, his brown boot made solid contact in the small of the brunette's back.
Squall had a fraction of a second to witness the look of apology on Cloud's dusty face before the ceiling of the room below snatched him from view. A second ceiling sped past before another, and yet another. The final thing he saw was his blade spiraling down to clatter by his side before his vision faded.
Cloud slumped back onto a bed of rubble and stone. His arm was still pinned above his head and the life was beginning to fade from it. He lay in silence, praying someone would come, if not for him at least for Squall. Some several minutes later, his prayers were answered.
"Here, ain't this the one you were talking about?"
"Holy fk," the voice from before came up, faint from the many floors below. "I think it pissin' well is."
"This place doesn't look safe," a third voice reached him as they evidently scoured the damage.
"Looks like the entire place is going to collapse. We have to get out of here. Now," the first one spoke again.
"Give me a hand," a fourth pressed.
"Now hold on one frickin' minute. There were two of them. Where's the other?"
"We haven't the time to look for him. Perhaps he went for help."
"Aye. Fk," the pilot cursed once more. "That spiky haired punk wasn't all stupid. Perhaps them spikes were something other than hair."
Cloud heard them groan as they heaved an unconscious body from amidst a pile of rubble. He heard them slowly move away. He felt dejected that they appeared not to even have looked for him. Little did he know that a second search party sought for him. Sighing and closing his eyes against the pain, he was unseeing of the chapel tower bearing down on his broken form.
………………
Burying his face in his hands, he pulled at his hair. Still, to this day, it pained him to relive the events of that day. Squall had been saved and he hadn't. Cid had found the girls, adamant to remain until the pair returned. Aeris had to be dragged onto the ship when they couldn't find him. In the end, they had left without him, leaving him alone in a castle overrun with evil. As for the events after the tower collapse, he remembered little, except pain. And lots of it. Skimming over it all again, his face fell as he realised the out-come of his plight. How he hadn't seen it earlier was beyond him. In a way, it wasn't. Leon had been willing to sacrifice for those he cared for, no thoughts spared. He couldn't help but feel guilty about his selfishness. That was the answer: himself.
"All I ever wanted was my humanity," he thought aloud. "And I want it more than anything. Knowing Hades, I won't get it. All I have to do," he sighed, "is offer my own life."
Drastic, yes. Foolish, no. The contract would be ended, but he would only go from one hell to another. Rising to his feet, he raised his claw hand and created a portal to the underworld. Hesitantly, he swallowed his anxiety and stepped, once more, away from his nearest and dearest. Perhaps, never to return to them again.
……
And that's the beauty of poetic licence. Where the blanks are, we can simply fill in with our own work. Not that I believe this is the actual course of events, it just goes here. A little flash back doesn't hurt does it?! Next chapter, things really start to get interesting. In a weeks time, hopefully! That is, if some flamin nutter doesn't knock me from my bike in rush hour traffic. I swear, they are maniacs in cars. Oh, Cloud calls Squall a "git" at one point. I often use it to mean idiot, or moron! Gotta love British slang!