Part One
There's another world inside of me
that you may never see.
There's secrets in this life
that I can't hide.
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Glowing aqua eyes opened when a foreign snapping noise roused him from his slumber. Instead of the expected green tint of the Lifestream, Sephiroth found himself staring up at pitch blackness, the air all around him acrid, and smelled of smoke and ash, hate and heat.
Eyes blinked experimentally and darted off to one side, only to be greeted with a towering stone wall, shiny and black with thin threads of red seemingly woven within it. Something thick and bubbling and bright red flowed beneath it, a moat filled with molten lava, fiery red embers flickering upwards. Screeching echoed from the distance, creating an even more ominous atmosphere.
He tried to stand but was paralyzed, he figured from his time spent in the depths of the Lifestream. /Mako poisoning…?/ The silver-haired man grimaced as a shot of pain made its way up his back and down again, coursing through his system like liquid electricity.
/If I have Mako poisoning… that means… I'm alive?/ He willed his fingers to move, hoping the rest of his arm would follow suit. His found his head could only move just slightly. /Where am I…?/
A loud creak from rusted hinges broke Sephiroth from his reverie, his mind and body both jolting up at the sudden noise. He cringed in agony as every muscle in his body locked up, preventing movement. He opened his eyes after the pain subsided, looking up to a long-faced man smiling down on him. If he could, Sephiroth would've quirked an eyebrow. The blue intruder was a peculiar sight, with long, conic teeth sharp enough to be considered fangs.
"Well, well, hello there!" the blue one said in a nasally voice, azure flames atop his head flickering with his every movement. "Welcome to the 'Underworld', also known as 'Hell'." Black-clawed fingers steepled in front of his sickly blue face. "I've been expecting you."
The ex-General narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"
The blue man rolled his beady yellow eyes and scoffed. "Take a wild guess," he replied, dryly.
This time an eyebrow managed to shoot upward, arching delicately. "A highly disturbing blue… thing," Sephiroth shot back.
"Eh, kids nowadays, I tell ya…" he muttered, shaking his head.
Sephiroth tried to move himself again, but found himself still paralyzed.
"Aaaaanyway, I'm Hades, God of the Underworld, blah, blah, blah. Enough with the formalities, let's get down to business, hmm?"
"Why am I in this place…? I was in the Lifestream, last I remember." He saw the faintly amused expression on Hades' face and grumbled, "I assume I'm still dead?"
"Oh, yeah, of course you are, kid, who do you think I am, Zeus? But I can give you a sweet deal, get you up top. You can stay a while, chat, visit, get laid, whatever guys like you do, I dunno." The blue god sucked his teeth, picking in between them with a sharp talon.
Sephiroth cleared his throat. "May I get up before you 'talk shop'? I'm a bit immobile at the moment."
"You're quite naked at the moment, too. Not that I mind, not like you got anything I don't have, am I right?"
The silver-haired swordsman grimaced. "I'm not interested in your anatomy." He sighed and closed his eyes, raising his brow. "May I get up?"
"Yeah, sure." With a flick of his wrist, Hades restored feeling to Sephiroth's body, allowing him to move. Another twist and Sephiroth was clothed in an outfit similar to the one he left behind. The man was always fond of leather, for some reason, as well as buckles, and belts, and the new apparel 'Hades' had dressed him in did not disappoint.
Shoulder armor, boots, gloves, everything in tact, with a new kick. Instead of a buckle bearing the SOLDIER insignia, he had one with angel wings. His trenchcoat was a bit shorter, but looked quite intimidating with red trim, flaring outward and moving easier due to lack of extra material. The pants were tighter than he was used to, but Sephiroth was proud of his body, years of training went into the perfect physique, so it didn't truly faze him.
Sephiroth raised an arm and inspected his new gloves, the same fine leather he was accustomed. The armlets around his wrists had what resembled dragon's wings attached to them, also of black and red, and only served to add to the overall appeal of the outfit.
Satisfied with the clothing, Sephiroth nodded when the god looked his way.
"Alright then, boy, help a brother out, huh?" Hades stretched his arms out, seeming to beckon Sephiroth into an embrace.
That was not going to fly.
"Eh? Eh? Aw, you're no fun, Seph."
"I'm not here for fun, though, am I?" Hades' expression faltered, sensing the mocking tone, as Sephiroth smirked. "Of course. And I'm assuming, since," he gestured with his hands, voice dripping with sarcasm, "you've so graciously clothed me, you want me to fulfill whatever inane quest you send me on, correct?"
Hades snorted. "Nail on the head, kid, nail on the head."
The ex-General crossed his arms, standing in a position he hadn't taken on since he commanded troops for ShinRa. An intimidating pose, usually, unless one is standing in front of the god of the Underworld…
"New clothing aside, why should I do this task for you?" Sephiroth gestured with one hand. "Payment, in other words."
"New threads aren't enough? Geez, you people. Alright. Like I said before, I can send you back… for a while."
"'A while', meaning…"
"Pushy, pushy. I don't know, however long it takes." Hades rolled his eyes, his sandaled foot tapping. He glanced at Sephiroth, who gestured again with his hand, urging the god on. "Hmph. Anyway, there's this kid named—" he stopped short, regarding the silver-haired man.
"…well, the name's not important. The kid showed a lot of talent, and I needed workers. Yada yada yada, he signed the contract, did a couple tasks right, but now, he's…" he tilted his head, tucking a fist under his chin, and thought for a moment.
"Well, can't say he'd do the current job right."
"What, you're telling me you require me to assist one of your mindless drones?" Sephiroth scoffed, loudly.
"Gods, just listen. Boy's got his head in the clouds, ya know? No use to me if he's distracted, that's for sure, kid's got all sorts of problems, you just gotta look after him—"
Hades was cut off short when Sephiroth advanced, his aqua eyes blazing with Mako glow.
"You're saying you need me to baby-sit? What do you take me for?!"
Hades smirked and raised his eyebrows. "Isn't that what you did when you were younger, General Sephiroth? Hmm? Look after a bunch of no-talent children? Seduce a few? Hmm? I'm sure that's something you'd love to do again, isn't it?" The blue flames jumped slightly on his head, flickering from blue to red. Even as Sephiroth glared menacingly, Hades stood there, seemingly amused.
The silver-haired man scowled at the God of the Underworld, his eyes boring into Hades' yellow ones. "How dare you drag my personal affairs into this…," he growled viciously. "Do you think angering me would get me to help you? What, are you planning blackmail?" He spread his arms then dropped them to his sides. "You should know better than anyone that I am, quite obviously, deceased, rendering your plan useless."
Sephiroth's feline eyes narrowed to dangerous slits, "so what is it?"
When the blue man stayed silent, the smirk still on his face, Sephiroth reached to his side to draw the Masamune, ready to strike at the god's insulting behavior. To both his surprise and dismay, the sword was nowhere to be seen.
"Lookin' for somethin, kid?"
A feral growl rose up into Sephiroth's throat as he lunged forward. He fisted his hand in Hades' cloak and slammed him backwards into a nearby slab of heated rock. The god raised both of his hands in front of him and grinned wolfishly.
"Hey, hey, whoa, settle down."
"What do you really want from me?" he hissed. "I know you didn't call me here for a simple task. Who am I supposed to 'watch'?"
"Temper, temper. Look, I already told ya, the boy won't be able to live up to his contract if he's got his mind on other things. All you gotta do is un-distract him, badda-bing badda-boom, simple, right? The kid himself isn't important, but getting his mind off—"
"Why did you choose me? Why should I care?" Sephiroth spat, cutting the god off mid-sentence.
Hades gave the ex-General a wink. "Ah, you gotta sign a contract first. Don't want you taking the kid, ya know."
"No contract." He took a step back, taking Hades with him. "Tell me his name."
"Curiosity killed the cat, you know."
Sephiroth shoved the god backwards forcefully, an enraged sneer flaring up onto his face. Hades flashed red again, stumbling. When he righted himself he tilted his head, letting out a few audible cracks.
"Tsk, tsk. So forceful."
"Why won't you TELL me, you son of a bitch?!" he shouted. Catching his mistake of emotion, Sephiroth clenched his fists, attempting to keep his anger from flashing again - despite his body's reflexes to do just the opposite. His eyes never strayed from the blue one's gaze.
Hades sucked in a breath through his pointed teeth and clicked his tongue. A dramatic contemplative look appeared on his face as he placed a clawed finger on his chin. The deliberately slow response was visibly getting on Sephiroth's last nerve; he would snap any second if the blue man didn't speak soon, and Hades knew it.
With a jaw clenched so tight it hurt, Sephiroth hissed out, "what do you have to prove by prolonging this?"
"Aw, pretty-boy don't like it?"
Cat-like speed enabled Sephiroth to land a solid punch directly on Hades' jaw, causing the God of the Underworld's head to jolt to the side, now-crimson eyes wide with shock. The silver-haired ex-General didn't bat an eyelash as Hades burned bright red, fire shooting angrily from his palms.
And as sudden as it came, the god changed back to normal, pulling on a sickening grin. "You don't wanna play? Fine. We won't play. But if you wanna see your little blonde boyfriend again, well…" Hades trailed off, his eyes drifting upward innocently. He shook his head and twirled a finger around.
"Nah, it doesn't matter." The god turned to walk away, smirking. "Have a grand eternity alone, pretty-boy."
Sephiroth was frozen to the spot. /Little blonde…? Cloud?/ Hades was leisurely walking away, whistling, hands clasped behind him. /No, Cloud's not here…/ Aqua eyes scanned the area, searching.
"He's in Olympus… alive…" Hades called back. "Not that you'd care…"
/Olympus…?/
"Oh, taking care of a little problem for me. No biggie." Hades shrugged. "Unless, of course… he fails…"
Sephiroth took a step forward, heels clicking on the hard rock floor. He had begun to sweat, Hades' revelation making him suddenly aware of the intense heat around him, unlike the cool green of the Lifestream.
"What will become of Strife if he fails?" he blurted out, unaware he had reached a hand forward to stop Hades.
Hades stopped, the broad expanse of his back facing the tall leather-clad man. "Let's just say he'll have a date with a ravenous three-headed beast, and I'm not talking about Zeus' mother." A smirk passed his lips as he sensed Sephiroth's deliberation. Hades shrugged nonchalantly, making lazy circles with his hand. "Just a consequence of distraction."
"You keep mentioning a 'distraction'." Sephiroth absently licked his bottom lip, furrowing his silver brows. "By that, you mean…?"
The blue god turned around, wrinkling his nose. "Eh, like I said, Cloudy-boy's not all there. Wants to find someone. Some sentimental bullshit, something or other…"
/The girl I… that Cetra…?/
"I… see… and how would I lessen this so-called 'distraction'? Strife loathes me. Well… now…" Sephiroth smirked. "I'd think that I'd be the last person to keep his 'head in the game', so to speak." A look of indifference crept onto his face.
"He's killed me twice. Or don't you have that on record? Tawdry sex tales the only things that interest you? No dirt on Strife to exploit?"
Hades narrowed his eyes. "Taunting won't benefit your cause, pretty-boy."
"And withholding information detriments yours." As an afterthought, Sephiroth added, "up to this point, there is no cause for me that I'm aware of."
A beady eye flared red angrily but Sephiroth's face remained unfazed. He was best known for his cold personality and composed exterior, completely in control of his emotions when the need arose, the perfect General. Now was one of those times; now that he was aware Cloud's life was on the line, this 'distraction'…
Sephiroth crossed his arms and simply waited for Hades to speak again.
"So, will you do it?"
"I'm not sure what exactly you want me to do."
"Just…" Hades sighed heavily. "Fine. Go away, I don't want you here anymore." He turned away, muttering about 'stupid crazy silver-haired boy-hungry pretty-boys' but stopped, a hand on his hip. "Oh yeah. You go back, you're in the tournament. You got me?"
Sephiroth raised an eyebrow. "Tournament?"
"Geez, you pretty-boys know anything?! Look. Olympus Coliseum. Tournament. Ya got me?"
"Right…" He paused momentarily, a skeptical look on his face. "And you're allowing me to return without signing one of your precious contracts?"
Hades narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "They're worthless anyway. I just like to use 'em so I can give you mortals grief." He turned to leave.
"I suppose I should thank you…?"
Before making his exit, the blue one squinted and tugged at his cloak. An itch broke out on Sephiroth's back, right above his left shoulder blade. A gloved hand reached behind him, scratching at a lump that had formed there. A ghost of a snicker was heard, followed by the sound of the retreating god.
"Okay, now go, get out of here."
The ex-General spun on his heel before realizing three important factors: One, his sword was missing. Two, he didn't know how to leave; and three, he didn't know where to go once out.
There was no time to turn around as Hades idly flicked his hand, the familiar weight of Sephiroth's beloved Masamune materializing at his side. A long time passed since the man was able to hold the weapon, and, albeit the feeling was silly, he was comfortable just knowing it was with him.
Sephiroth twitched and reached behind him again, clawing at the growth. The skin was tender to his touch and felt thin, ready to tear. The normally stoic man's face held a pained expression. His back felt like it was on fire, as if he was recently assaulted with powerful flare spells.
The man tore off his jacket and threw it to the ground; it had become too tight, the flesh on his back had protruded far too much for it to remain comfortable. Without warning, his spine wrenched to the side, something from within the protrusion tearing through his skin. Sephiroth let out an agonized cry and fell to his knees, bracing himself with his palms.
Pain subsided momentarily, allowing the man to breathe. An alien feeling crept up his back as he looked behind him. He caught sight of a bluish-black fin poking out, skin torn around it, oozing blood. Sephiroth bit his lip and screamed again as the fin grew larger, tearing his flesh further as a fine spray of crimson spurted forth. He could feel something sliding underneath his skin, squelching sickeningly. Sweat poured down the man's brow during the torment, sliding down his face and stinging his eyes.
Minutes passed as Sephiroth crouched on the floor, covered in his own sweat and gore. He could feel a foreign weight hanging from his back, twitching occasionally. He sensed his open wounds repairing themselves, skin cells threading and weaving themselves together rapidly, regenerating flesh thanks to his Mako-enhanced system. The odd twitching never ceased during his stay on the black stone floor of Hell. Mustering his courage, he peered behind him again, shocked at what he saw.
/A wing…?/
The 'fin' he saw before had grown, proving itself to be a menacingly beautiful wing with bluish-black feathers. Sephiroth laughed at the sight, tentatively willing the new appendage to flap, droplets of blood sliding from the large feathers and spattering around him.
Sephiroth tilted his head and smiled lightly. The junction at the first section of wing was topped with a rather sharp-looking spade. Sephiroth turned the wing downwards and removed a glove, stroking the fine feathers. It was quite a gorgeous sight, the man with the flowing silver-hair resembled a fallen angel who had suffered years of torment.
Only he knew how true it was.
Carefully standing, he retrieved his coat and frowned. /This, I know, will not fit over the wing./ With a sigh, he turned the garment around to slash an opening for the appendage. To his surprise, he saw a carefully hidden zipper running down the back of the jacket's left side.
"That rotten bastard," Sephiroth murmured to himself as he pulled on his trenchcoat. In less than an hour, his image had been completely revamped, thanks to that annoying god of the Underworld.
…and, it seemed, Sephiroth was plagued to be the one-winged angel once again.
Glancing around for an exit, Sephiroth took a cautious step forward before his form was suddenly engulfed in a rapidly fluctuating, black and purple void.
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Cloud awoke with the taste of dust and dirt in his mouth. His eyes were dry and stung as the occasional gust of wind picked up, blowing sand in the bright blue orbs, causing him to lift his arm, futilely attempting to keep the sand out.
The better part of his days were spent in the inner confines of the Olympus Coliseum, training with his revamped Buster Sword. He never knew why he chose to take that particular sword with him instead of the Ultima Weapon… the latter was infinitely more powerful than the former… but, then again, there was sentimental value to the Buster. It reminded him of Zack, his near-constant companion in his SOLDIER training days, and the link to his only love…
…Sephiroth…
That man was another reason why the Buster Sword meant so much to him. The Ultima Weapon held too many agonizing memories, the gift from the fall of a WEAPON, the Planet's defense from her…
Cloud shuddered, pushing the thought aside, only to be assaulted by another.
The glowing blue blade slashing relentlessly at his body, his face, cutting his angel down, running him through. Blood poured freely, gushing forth in torrents, as Cloud delivered the finishing blow. In the end, his eyes were sane, filled with pain and remorse and love, silently thanking the blonde for releasing him from his mind's prison.
Cloud shook his head and shifted, scanning his location. Still in the inner court of the Coliseum, huddled in a far corner, a thick pile of blankets underneath him, courtesy of Phil. The satyr wasn't such a bad… thing… once he's granted a person respect and reluctant admiration.
Cloud sighed and ran his claw through his hair. After all that time he still couldn't recall why his clothing resembled Vincent's so closely, the cape and the claw. Not only that, but Zack's old SOLDIER uniform - which he still wore stubbornly, not to forget his old friend - was still in tact. So why was the mantle in such terrible condition? It was torn and shredded, and dirty.
Groaning, Cloud stood. Another day of training, another day of thinking, another day of fighting. He had specific orders at the Coliseum to fulfill, thanks to Hades.
[Kill a demigod. Yeah, that'll be fucking cake.]
Hades had promised to help him find his light. His Sephiroth. Months of blindly following orders, disposing of those who interfered with Hades enraged the blonde man. Nearly a year after battling and killing his love, Heartless had attacked the Planet…
Cloud was still unsure of the fates of his former comrades. He had become distant after the final battle, and finally broke away completely from them when he just couldn't stand the constant ruckus surrounding the 'Planet's Heroes'…
Adding to his confusion as to why he was dressed like the ebony-haired vampire from his former party. They had been friends, of course, but not exactly close in any sense of the word. Cloud had thoughts about why, of course, but none of them made much sense… Perhaps it had something to do with Vincent's link to Sephiroth; there was always the possibility that the gunman was Sephiroth's father…
The blonde sighed and pushed these thoughts away. He still had to train for the upcoming tournament.
Hauling the large sword onto his shoulder, Cloud stepped into the middle of the outer court and stretched his weary limbs. Although he was used to training so diligently, his muscles still protested in vain.
The blonde seemed to care little about anything other than training or completing his tasks, barely taking the time out of his days to care for himself properly. He was aware of the fact that he barely ate, but his body never reacted, really. He rarely felt hungry anymore, and drank little. Suspicious as it was, he was sure Hades had something to do with it, somehow. The god had already made Cloud into something he never wanted to be again.
For the second time in his life, he was just a puppet. Except this time he had an accessory.
That damned wing.
Cloud adjusted the mantle over his right shoulder, making sure the black batwing was out of sight. He hated it, an ugly reminder of who he was owned by. The wing was appalling to him, leathery and black, and covered with a thin layer of short dark hair. He supposed he wouldn't have minded it so much if it looked different. Maybe an angel's wing…
[There I go thinking about you again…] Cloud was a devil now… and owned by an idiot. [What would you think of me now, Sephiroth? Pathetic. Instead of looking on my own, I had to go to that son of a bitch and look what it cost me. Would you even love me now, Sephiroth? No, of course not. I'm too weak.]
The blonde readied his sword and took an offensive position, poised to strike at the opponents his mind was formulating in front of him.
[Did you even love me at all? Or I was always too weak for you?]
The man imagined enemies surrounding him. He lashed out, swinging the Buster in a wide arc to the right and brought it upwards as he jumped then swinging it downwards, effectively cleaving the enemy in two within his mind's eye.
Reflexes quick as a cat's allowed him to turn around and pull his arms back seconds before lunging forward, impaling another assailant. He practically glided when he moved, feet barely touching the ground like a man possessed.
Another wide arc and a spin came, cutting down enemies. Strafe right, dodge attack, thrust, jump back, lunge forward, strike, evade to the left, block, lunge, repeat.
Cloud's motivation was Sephiroth, as it always had been. Hades was the only one who had offered to help him find his Light… if it still existed. And what had it cost him?
Oh… just his soul.
Hooves clacked on the hard stone steps of the Coliseum gates hours later, followed by a voice, breaking Cloud out of his trance.
"Hey, kid!"
A spiky blonde head perked up to look at Philoctetes, Phil for short. The tiny, pudgy, balding red satyr always went to check on the diminutive blonde soldier around that time of day. Cloud looked to the sky, guessing it was some time after noon.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Cloud readjusted the red cape draped around his shoulders. "Yeah?"
Phil put his plump little hands on his hips and tilted his head. "You gonna train all day or what?"
The blonde shrugged, lowering the Buster Sword, resting its tip on the hot courtyard floor. "What else do I have to do?"
The tiny satyr walked down the stairs to a green chalkboard set off to the side and started writing. "I dunno. You're my best fighter, kid, besides Herc, of course, but still. I don't want you to run yerself ragged before the games."
"I'm fine, Phil." He lifted his sword again and readied it, slashing half-heartedly. "You don't need to worry about me."
Still writing, the goatling responded gruffly. "So you still wanna train, that's fine. But you really don't got any competition. Two words, kid: Take a bath. You smell worse than I do."
Cloud rolled his head on his shoulders, working out the kinks that found their way to his neck. "Why bother, it's not like I have anyone to impress," he muttered.
Finished with writing updates on the chalkboard, Phil rubbed his hands on his furry thighs and started back up the steps. "Do what you want, kid, but if you die, don't complain to me about it."
And with that, the little satyr went back inside the Coliseum.
Cloud sighed and swung his sword around his head. "Like Hades would let his fucking puppet die…"
He slashed, wishing there was an actual opponent in front of him. "That's all I am." A sharp swing to the left. "I'm a nothing." He spun his sword and jumped up high, turning his it downward as he landed, driving the blade deep into the packed sand of the courtyard's floor. He landed on one knee and hung his head low, right hand still on the hilt. Sweat dripped down his brow, matting golden spikes to his forehead.
His breathing was ragged from both fatigue and his self-pity. "Fuck…," Cloud whispered, angrily. Suddenly, he jumped up and dashed to the far side of the courtyard, attacking a large flaming bowl urn as he screamed, repeatedly, "I'm not a fucking TOY!!!"
Relentlessly attacking the urn caused his knuckles to bleed profusely, red leaking through dirtied brown leather gloves. Fists and feet furiously pounded on the concrete bowl, pieces crumbling off into a pile on the floor.
Red stained the urn and the ground around it, but Cloud was beyond caring. He was too focused on his misery, reflecting on things he's done for Hades, for other people, used for nothing other than people's enjoyment. He had saved his Planet before, but there, in that place, he had been hired to take lives away from those he hadn't known, and never would.
Even being a savior caused him pain; he had to kill the man he loved. For what? Nothing. He didn't want their gratitude. He was cursed to live in a place where he would never be truly happy again.
Eventually he stopped attacking the pot and slumped onto the ground, his face buried in his hands. Tears flowed freely down his face as he cried for himself, cried for Sephiroth. He had forever to mourn and to wallow in his misery…
[And he never even told me he loved me.]
Sobs racked his body as a fresh bout of tears leaked down flushed cheeks. A cold chill ran through him and he shivered when he felt a familiar, bony hand on his unarmored shoulder. Without looking up, he spat shakily, "what do you want?"
"Ah, c'mon, Cloudy-boy, you don't want your lover-boy to find you like this, do ya?"
The blonde's head jerked up and looked at the man before him. "What are you talking about?!"
A large, toothy grin appeared on the elongated blue face. Cloud scrambled up and grabbed Hades' cloak, shoving him against the wall. "Answer me!"
Hades sneered and pushed the swordsman away. "Both of you, no respect for authority, I swear." He brushed his hands over his clothes, dusting them off, ignoring Cloud's glare.
The man's fists were clenched, wounds on his knuckles reopening, trickling blood onto the Coliseum's dusty floor. Hades smiled, somewhat amused at the situation.
"You got that attitude of yours from him, right?"
Silence echoed through the courtyard as Cloud glared at a smiling Hades. The blonde was definitely ready to attack. Piercing blue eyes bore holes into the god's unpleasant face for a long while before the blonde let out a slow, drawn-out breath, and inquired, hesitantly, "…who?"
The blue one smirked. "C'mon, kiddo, I know you're not that dense."
"Where is he?"
Hades clicked his tongue and made a face. "Ah, see, he's out there," a hand gestured upwards to a nondescript location. "Somewhere. Searching."
Cloud took a step forward. "Why? I killed him."
"Forgiving guy? I dunno." Hades made a fist and knocked on the top of Cloud's head, grimacing as he pulled it away. "Ech, take a bath, kid."
The blonde's face softened as reality hit. He looked at his palms, his sullied hands, what they had done. They fell to his sides, his head down. Quietly, he asked, "is he really back?"
Hades snorted and spread his arms. "Ah, kid, would I lie?" He asked, an innocent façade playing on his face.
"You brought him back?"
"Yep."
Cloud glanced up, catching beady yellow eyes with his beautiful blue ones. "Why would you do this?"
"Because I love and respect you," Hades responded sarcastically. "Because you gotta get your head in the game! You can't be screwing up assignments, you know." He looked away, his eye twitching. "Besides, it's part of the deal."
The blonde was silent a moment. "…I never thought you'd make good on that…"
Hades waved a hand dismissively. "Yeah, yeah, no one ever trusts the word of the god of the Underworld." He smiled deviously. "I'm not that shady, am I?" His face turned serious before he continued. "But you gotta pull through on your end, or else…" he shrugged. "You never know what could happen."
"…so he's really back…? Can I see him?"
"The deal, kid, the deal. Terms of the contract are met after the job's done. Geez, haven't you ever had a job before?"
Cloud nodded. "Alright…"
The blue god grinned. "Good. We'll be in touch, then," Hades said, a tinge of amusement in his voice.
A bright red flame erupted around him and Hades disappeared, leaving Cloud on his own.
The blonde slumped back down to the ground with his legs pulled to his chest, elbows resting on his knees. He placed his clawed hand over his other, putting his mouth to his fist, a somber expression on his face.
[…shit.]
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A/N: Chapter revised on 4/27/04. Why? Because I wanted to. Sephiroth seemed a bit too OOC for my liking in the first one, not to mention there were several mistakes… and I felt like adding a little more description and dialogue between him and Hades. I didn't really change a whole lot with Cloud's part, just fixed some things I found slightly annoying.
So… yes. That's about it.