Author's Quickie: Mwahaha, the much awaited battle! Who shall be the victor, Cloud or Leon? [Notice how, in the game, both Leon and Cloud beat your asses the first time you meet them...is that fair?! ;.;] Eh, I know I made Leon turn into a total bastard the chapter before...maybe you'll get a hint in this one about why. [Resentment, perhaps?] This chapter's rather short, but it's action-packed for your enjoyment! [Bleargh.] See you next week.

Disclaimer: Go on. Don't spoil the mood.

Project: Trinity

Chapter Seven: Death awaits us all

For a fleeting moment, she doubted her own sanity. All right Aerith, she told herself with an uneasy laugh, you've really gone insane now. Dimly she wondered what she had eaten that would give her such hallucinations [the sun glare, maybe?] but when Yuffie began clawing her arm, her mouth open wide in shock and a finger pointed crookedly at the man's figure, Aerith knew that she had no doubts.

To her absolute horror, the sickening thought that Leon was going fight him to the death sliced through her brain and left her reeling back in waves of nausea. Leon, who had never know him, wouldn't give half a damn who the hell he was facing. Death.

Something constricted tightly in Aerith's chest, squeezing her heart like one would squeeze an orange to make orange juice. She bent over in pain, dimly realizing Yuffie's shrieks of worry beside her ear and Cid's loud swearing farther off. It was happening again, she thought helplessly, choking on the tears that dripped down her cheeks. Her salty tears stung her skin as they encountered the still-healing scar across her face. I've failed to stop it in Hallow Bastion...Traverse Town...now... Are you haunting me?! Let me go!

Agonizingly she tilted her head upwards to look at the arena, stubbornly ignoring the flashes of hot pain that seared their way into her stomach. He was there...whipping out his sword...icy blue eyes blazing with the familiar Mako fire...hands gripping his weapon as if he would never let it go, the way he had touched her face as if he would never let her go, either...

"CLOUD!" she screamed, breaking free of the pain that held her back, breaking free of the chains of tragedy life had wrapped around her feet, running towards him in a pounding fury that echoed in her eardrums. Her face was blotched with tears; it was a miracle she could still see between the blurs of water and managed not to trip on anyone; nothing else mattered, if only she wasn't dreaming...

His head jerked up as he heard his name, in a voice that sounded too impossibly familiar. Was his mind playing tricks on him again? Too long had he woke up from his dreams, clasping only the thin air left behind by the shadows of her sweet voice. Suspiciously his gaze darted around, cursing his weak heart that laid behind his strong body. You'll never get anywhere, Strife, if you keep thinking she'll magically pop up in front of you, he thought harshly. Hades didn't approve of his weakness, but it was his weakness that he had exploited in order to Cloud to do his dirty work, after all. But why couldn't he let her go?

He watched as his opponent--a human this time, which was incredibly odd, since most enemies were either Heartless or monsters--tensed up in rigid shock. He watched as the young man's face contorted into something inscrutinable, a look that betrayed his surprise. The man's mouth dropped open, and Cloud thought--or, at least, he fancied--he was mouthing the words "You're Cloud?" soundlessly.

"Yeah," Cloud answered, a wicked grin flitting across his usually cold and immobile face. There it was in his mind, that voice again; her voice. He shook it away, putting a damper on the wild emotions that raged through him. Here was the battle; the only thing that would bring her back. Steadily he held up his sword, wrapped with gauze so he would never have to see his own cursed reflection again in it. Aerith would never love me if she saw how I look now, he thought a little brokenheartedly. This haunted look...something I can't shake. The point of the sword gleamed like the scythe of the Grim Reaper itself. "I'm Cloud."

And he charged.

* * *

"CLOUD, NO!" she screamed as she watched Cloud ready himself for an attack , running down to the arena floor, shoving the misplaced chairs and people that were blocking her way aside. At the edge of the arena, she found her way sealed off; furiously she pounded the sheer veil, digging her nails into the shield when kicking it wouldn't work. Down below, Leon was parrying every one of Cloud's blows, a sick look on his grim face. The thunderous dim of swords clashing and the roar of the audience in glee drowned out her voice, which was very nearly bordering on hysterics.

"Let me through!" she bellowed, jerking away from Yuffie's grasp as the young girl tried to still her. "Let me go!" Now is fate twisted or what? she thought with burning rage. "Stop them!" A whirl of blue smoke floated lazily beside her, finally condensing into a towering blue-haired figure. "YOU!" she shrieked, latching onto to his robes with the force of a lioness and shaking him like a rag doll, "You did this to Leon! Stop them! They'll kill each other!"

Hades easily disentangled himself from Aerith's grasp, a long, fiendish laugh working its way up his throat. "Of course I did, babe," he drawled with amusement. "Coliseum rules are rules. Death is the only way I can stop them. Why would I stop them when this was what I wanted all along?"

"You!" Aerith thundered, sparks of lightning cracking in her hands, approaching him with anger rolling off her in waves. Yuffie's eyes widened as she witnessed Aerith harnessing her magic and she turned to Cid, who was watching Hades with a mixture of loathing and alarm. "You...ass!" With a quick snap of her hand she launched a fizzing ball of electricity that struck Hades square in the chest and had him doubling over in pain.

"Damn...you're...strong." Hades gasped out, giving her a toothy grin. "Looks like I underestimated you. But even if you do kill me, you won't save your friends. They won't hear you over the silence charm placed over the arena. Cloud's run out of his helpfulness anyway, and I've no more use for him." Hades chuckled and straightened up, meeting Aerith's infuriated but slightly puzzled glare. "Tournament rules are rules. Fight until death. Unless you possess enough power to break through the veil..." Hades smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, then, I can't stop you. But you should know no one's been able to do that before. Zeus's charms are more powerful than mine, girl."

With a poof of dust and a horrible, chilling laugh that sent shivers down her spine, Hades disappeared from sight. Yuffie shot a glance at the heated battle that was still going on without abatement. "Poor Leon," she breathed. "He's really trying not to hurt Cloud."

They all looked on desperately at the battle that was raging inside, so close but so isolated from the rest of the Coliseum. Cid snorted, though his voice was cracking in the wrong spots. "Him? He couldn't hurt Cloud if he tried." He regarded the surge of power that seemed to course its way through Cloud's body as he pursued the offense, and added sorrowfully, "It seems Cloud's been pumping iron while we were gone. He's more powerful than I've ever known before."

It was true, Aerith mused thoughtfully. Cloud seemed stronger, more confident of his abilities, if anything. But there was also something in the look on his face, that told her instinctively that not everything was okay. Come to think of it...why is Cloud here anyway? Why did Hades say he had no more use for Cloud...? No. She refused to think of it. What mattered now was Cloud and Leon's safety. What mattered now was that the both of them come out of there alive. And so she stood there and tried to be logical, tried to ignore the throb in her head, ignore the ache in her chest. But all she could think about was the irony.

* * *

"What's the matter, huh?" Cloud grunted as he took another stab at him with his Buster Sword. "You didn't get all this way by simply being a coward."

The guy was taunting him, Leon knew. Instead of becoming enraged and committing a hasty mistake, Leon smiled wanly and blocked his attack. "Your mind tricks won't work on me, Cloud."

Cloud's face darkened perceptibly and he lunged at Leon, swinging his sword in a wide arc that nearly cut into his jacket, had not he rolled away at the right time. "What's with the familiar tone? We've never met!" he hissed, springing away from Leon's uppercut.

"No," Leon admitted. "But I know someone who has." Though it hurt him to think of her, he felt he owed that much to Aerith to at least help her reunite with...with her old friend. Old friend, huh? he thought to himself. That's an understatement. Even to himself, the voice in his head sounded...bitter. Get over yourself, Leonhart, he snapped impatiently as a renewed offensive by Cloud nearly nicked him in the head.

"Oh, really?" Cloud retorted sarcastically, unwilling to believe his words. "Well, then, be sure you introduce me to them when I see you in hell!" Even as he was taking another swipe at Leon, Cloud was already beginning the transformation.

Grunting as he rolled to the ground to dodge one of Cloud's slices, Leon sprang up and the strained look on his face shifted to one of utter disbelief.

The guy had grown wings. That was all he could think.

* * *

"Oh my God." Silence overwhelmed her and she stumbled back, landing straight onto the marble floor. Her shock was so great that she didn't even make an effort to get up, but simply stared at the winged demon Cloud had become. "Oh my God, Cloud. What have you done?"

* * *

Ending notes: My, my. Another damn cliffhanger. How in the world do I pull it off?

In response to some reviewers who think Aerith's cursing is out of tune with her character: she's hasn't been portrayed much in KH, and for her, swearing is just a way to voice her oft-kept in feelings. It's natural. I doubt that anyone hasn't sworn at least once in their life.

AND!: I have another fanfic up, called Astray. You might want to check it out...leave a review or two... ^^;