Part Three
So hold me when I'm here
right me when I'm wrong.
Hold me when I'm scared
and love me when I'm gone.
------------------
In the library, Sephiroth half-heartedly scanned the bindings of several volumes of books, bored out of his wits. He'd been stuck in Hollow Bastion for days now, never allowed to leave the premises, and it all was wearing quite thin.
Alone, he spent his time in the library surrounded by those books, browsing with no intent on reading at all, merely glancing at titles and leaving the leather-bound works themselves untouched. Once in a while he'd pick up one of them and leaf through it, barely glancing at the pages before he put it back down. He'd completely lost his taste for reading since Nibelheim, after all, and to be practically confined the castle's library when Riku wasn't around…
Usually after hours of mind-numbing torture, he'd leave the castle walls from time to time, the Masamune in hand, and boredly attack the pathetically weak Heartless littering the area. Unfortunately, Sephiroth was not in the mood the cut down the seemingly defenseless creatures at the moment, figuring the effort was more hassle than it was worth. There was no thrill involved in decimating the hordes of Heartless, no challenge in the least; so the man grabbed a book at random and sat down at one of the library tables.
"'Erotic Tales of the Count's Daughter'?!" Sephiroth read out loud, eyes wide, a little confused as to why there was such a book in the place. The majority of the tomes were reference materials, barely any of them books to be read for enjoyment, but this…
…Maleficent, Sephiroth decided, was a very strange woman.
Raising an eyebrow as he gave a sly glance around the room to be sure he was alone, Sephiroth opened it up to a random page and started to read this new - and rather unusual - discovery, unable to fight off that wicked curiosity. It was like gawking at a car wreck, in some ways…
/The bronzed woman pulled herself out of the lake, crystalline water droplets sliding easily from her heaving bosom. She unabashedly walked towards her discarded velvet robes, flipping her silken blonde hair over her shoulders. For a moment she stood, wiping her palms over her bare skin to remove lingering wetness from her long, slender limbs. Little did she know an admirer was lurking in the shadows.
"I have been watching you for a while now, M'lady," a luxurious baritone voice spoke, the admirer stepping out from his hiding place.
The countess laughed, a sound like tinkling bells, unafraid of her watcher. "Have you, sir?" she asked, beckoning the man forth. "I wish you had announced your presence. Had I known, I'd've invited you to join me in the spring."
The raven-haired man crept slowly forward until he stood mere inches from the proud woman's naked form. "Would you, my dear?"
"Oh yes, I would," she replied, taking the man's gloved hands and placing them on her—/
"That motherFUCKER!!" Riku shouted, storming angrily into the room.
The silver-haired man jumped at the sudden outburst and flung the book off into one corner of the room, turning in his seat to see a red-faced Riku kicking the side of a bookshelf hard and repeatedly.
"What happened?" the man asked, admittedly concerned. Earlier that day, Riku left the castle for the first time with Maleficent, the green witch explaining it was for 'business', so Sephiroth could only guess what the problem was…
The teen shook his head and crossed his arms, seeming to grow increasingly agitated as time wore on. Sephiroth knew that whatever was wrong was not good.
Riku paced back and forth across the floor, gesturing with his hands occasionally as he spoke. "You know how Maleficent and I left earlier?" Sephiroth nodded. "Well, we went to some… town… and she told me to just walk around a bit while she 'handled some business'. Been cooped up here all the freakin' time, I needed to get some fresh air, so, obviously, I went.
"So I was just walking around, not really going anywhere… oh, and before we left, she gave me this sword, and I wanted to try it out. You know those little annoying ant-like Heartless?" The ex-General nodded again. "Well, I decided to go after a couple. And like, a second after I got rid of the thing, I turn around and see Sora standing there."
"…your Light?"
"Yeah. But he wasn't by himself like I thought he would be." Riku sneered and continued. "I just ignored the others, since Sora ran up to me and looked… happy."
"That's understandable," the silver-haired man murmured, but Riku disregarded the comment.
"He pulled at my mouth to see if I was real - he's a weird kid, I told you… but then he had the nerve to ask me about Kairi, this girl…"
Sephiroth frowned slightly as the teen shook his head and huffed, hastily raking a hand through his hair. "I… didn't know she wasn't with him! Like… like I'm supposed to just automatically find her… I didn't even know…"
Riku sighed, lowering his voice to a less discernibly angry tone. "I tried to be optimistic, because he looked like he needed me to be… and then one of those little punk Heartless snuck up behind me.
"But before I could take the thing out, Sora pulls out this… key… and bashes the thing with it. Then he starts bragging, acting like he's better than me!" Riku growled, slumping into one of the table's chairs next to Sephiroth.
"…you're angry at him for being confident?"
The teen's mouth floundered for a moment before he shook his head, waving the question off. "It… it's not just that… we've always been rivals, and…" Riku trailed off, pursing his lips. "…maybe. So what?"
Sephiroth shrugged.
"…anyway… he said he was looking for me and Kairi, with those… things he had with him… get this: a talking duck and a talking dog. How… ugh." The teen folded his hands under his chin and continued, shaking his head. "Whatever.
"So Sora says he's been looking for me all over a bunch of different worlds… hmph. Obviously not, you know, since he didn't come here… but then the dog just randomly breaks in telling me Sora's a… 'Keyblade master' or something like that…"
Riku snorted derisively as he cast the winged man a sarcastic look. "He has a giant key, Seph. It's so… retarded. How the fuck is a key going to do damage…? So… I just wanted to see it for myself."
"Curiosity killed the cat," Sephiroth stated under his breath, absently quoting the god responsible for his resurrection.
"I know, right?" Riku chuckled mirthlessly. "And, yeah… well… I took it right from the kid when he was arguing with that stupid… dog thing… and was just checking it out. It was nothing special… I don't know what was so great about it, it was more stupid than anything…" The silver-haired teen frowned.
"But Sora got all pissy and yelled at me to give it back. That, of course, sounded like a challenge, so I just kinda taunted him with it, but…" he sighed, shaking his head. "He looked so angry at me for taking it, so I gave it back to him."
Sephiroth eyed the teen quizzically. "This doesn't sound so terrible, Riku…"
The boy shrugged. "I'm getting to that… okay, then Sora asked me if I was going to go with them, but before I could even answer, that… asshole of a duck starts flipping out!" Riku paused to shake his head again, blowing the hair out of his eyes. "Seriously though… I had to get out of there before I killed that duck."
Riku smirked and raised his eyebrow at his temporary companion. "I'm sure you know that feeling, right?"
Sephiroth nodded. "Story of my life," he muttered, distractedly running a gloved finger over the smooth tabletop as the teen placed his palm on his forehead.
"Anyway, I ran into Maleficent a little while after, not too far away from Sora and them, actually, and then she suggests we follow them." Riku's mouth grew into a bitter, scornful frown. "They went into this small house, and there were more people in there. Some blonde guy, a girl in pink, another girl who was only, like, half-dressed… this… leather-freak… no offense," he added with a smirk.
The teen noticed Sephiroth about to ask something, but raised his hand to stop him, fully aware of the question in tow. "Before you ask, no, the blonde wasn't Cloud… I don't think." Riku snorted. "…unless your Light is some chain-smoking old guy."
The ex-General chuckled, "no."
Again Riku's expression twisted into one of disdain. "But… they were in there, laughing… I wouldn't have made anything of it, but that bitch said that he replaced me with those freaks… normally, I wouldn't have believed her or anyone else who would even suggest that kind of thing, but…," the teen sighed and pulled himself up from the hard, wooden chair, moving to lean heavily against one solid bookcase, "Sora did snub me…"
Unceremoniously Riku slid down to the floor, frown deepening as his voice softened. "Then we came back here. It just… pisses me off, you know?"
The silver-haired teen pulled one of his legs up to wrap his arms around it, resting his chin on his knee. "I was so happy to see him again, and… I don't know… now it's like he's too preoccupied for me…"
"But in all fairness, you did run off before the boy could explain himself," the silver-haired man noted quietly.
Riku shook his head and shrugged, exhaling a weary breath. "I know. But I was pissed off… that's what I do…" The teen let head fell back, thumping it against the leather bindings behind him with a growl. "That's all I do. Run when shit gets bad."
The man nodded. "I understand," he said, adding as an afterthought, "I'm the exact same way…"
After a short span of quiescent silence, Sephiroth lifted his glowing Mako eyes and looked over to Riku, the teen still stewing slightly over his predicament. He couldn't say he didn't feel bad for the boy… Sephiroth was fully aware of the pain of loneliness, of being thrown aside for something better and new.
But the silence had gone on for far too long for his liking, and it wasn't a good idea for Riku to dwell on something like that. Hesitantly, Sephiroth asked, "where's the witch now?"
"Off. Probably having some meeting or something, I don't know and honestly, I don't care."
"I see." Sephiroth rubbed his chin contemplatively, eyebrows furrowed, before dropping his arm into his lap with a tired, worn-out sigh. "Riku, can you tell me how you got to that place?"
The boy shrugged. "Maleficent did… something…," he swayed his hand inattentively in the air, aqua eyes still affixed to the library's carpeting, "like that, and this black portal popped up… and we went through it, ended up… wherever it was we ended up."
"She didn't tell you how it was done, then?"
"No, sorry." Sephiroth let out an agitated grunt and looked away.
Once more the two fell silent, Riku tracing circles on the floor with a gloved finger distractedly as he whistled a light, airy tune Sephiroth wasn't at all familiar with.
The man tapped his foot on the leg of his chair, bored as usual. It was as if nothing in the castle could sate that need to do something other than mope around in the dismal atmosphere. The fact that neither one knew what to talk about didn't help, either, considering they were both still rather unwilling to divulge anything personal to each other, keeping themselves guarded and their memories locked away, still wary of one another even after spending several long days in each other's company.
Regardless of their unwillingness to talk, both of them knew they needed to do something constructive to pass the time, and preferably something active. Sephiroth himself grew tired of the so-called 'quiet life' fairly easily, and Riku seemed to be the same way as well.
And besides, even if they were the types to stay still for hours, reading the tomes on the shelves was out of the question - the majority of the subject matter was uninteresting enough to lull even the dullest person to sleep.
Finally, it was Sephiroth who broke the long, drawn-out stretch of silence.
"You mentioned a sword?"
Riku perked up at the acknowledgement and smiled brightly. "Yeah. It handles nice, too. Fits me perfectly."
"Alright then, what do you say to a spar?" the man asked, eyebrow raised. Even though Riku was just a boy, Sephiroth was confident he would be able to pose some sort of challenge, especially if he was anything like himself at that age.
And he had an idea that Riku would most likely benefit from a round or two of practice as well with his new sword just to get a more definite feel for the blade. And perhaps, the ex-General thought with a slight smile, he could even pass on a move or two onto the teen. Sephiroth was the Planet's greatest swordsman, after all.
Besides… what the hell else was there to do?
But Riku seemed intimidated a moment at the suggestion, and Sephiroth could tell he was carefully deliberating in his head, sizing the other man up. He stayed quiet as the teen made his decision, not wanting to force him into anything.
Sephiroth couldn't hold back the light smile to himself as Riku gave his own grin, nodding.
"Alright!" The boy smirked. "You think you can take me, old man?"
The silver-haired man snorted at Riku's cocky attitude.
He rose gracefully from the chair and made his way to the corner of the library, where the Masamune stood in all its glory. His pride and joy, that beloved sword… a wicked blade which had mercilessly taken the lives of many, completely led by his hand as if it was an extension of his own body, and the fact that he was the only one who could ever wield the gleaming silver weapon filled him with a sick sense of pride.
"Go retrieve your sword," Sephiroth murmured, attaching the Masamune's scabbard to his belt.
Riku immediately dashed out of the library and returned within mere minutes, clutching a silver, gold-hilted blade in his right hand. "Let's spar in the Grand Hall," he started, jerking his head toward the stairwell, "there's more room in there."
Sephiroth nodded and followed a few paces behind the teen.
On the way there, Riku practiced slashing and lunging, attacking the occasional, rather unfortunate Heartless which crossed his path instead of ordering them away. Sephiroth looked on, rather impressed with what he saw.
The boy was indeed a promising young swordsman, exhibiting that same formidable combination of grace, speed and power that he himself had as a youth. Riku's precise footwork and adept swipes of the blade showed the older man that without a doubt, Riku - despite his young age - would definitely be worth sparring with.
Inside the Grand Hall was dimly lit and somewhat eerie, as well as deathly quiet. Even their footsteps echoed as they waltzed in, Sephiroth's boots clacking on the cold, hard floor.
The room was decorated in completely gothic décor, done up all in black and shades of grey marred by the occasional silver accent. Large stone pillars were set right into the thick, near-windowless walls and stretched straight up to the high ceilings, twisted masks of gargoyles adorning the walls, seemingly staring straight at them with cold, dead eyes.
"What lovely decorating," Sephiroth commented dryly, examining the dreary interior with distaste. Riku snorted at the offhand comment.
"Yeah, I told you she likes this kind of shit…," the teen spoke as he took easy strides down the hall, stopping when he reached the middle of the room.
"Are you ready?" Sephiroth asked, standing quite a few feet away from the boy.
Riku nodded and quickly took on a position that betrayed neither offense nor defense. Sephiroth smirked.
/Smart boy./
"I want to warn you," the older one started, "I'll be going quite easy on you."
"Yeah, yeah. Let's go, old man."
The ex-General crouched and slowly laid his right hand on the hilt of the Masamune, clutching the scabbard in his left. In one swift motion, Sephiroth's arm shot out and unsheathed the seven-foot blade, holding it straight out in front of him.
Riku stood his ground, absently licking his lower lip in anticipation.
Deciding the boy wasn't going to make the first move, Sephiroth hopped forward quickly to take a quick, low swipe at Riku before jumping back into his original position a split-second later.
Riku merely watched Sephiroth as the two circled each other, swords poised. The man hopped forward again and unleashed a series of lightening-fast slashes, most of which the teen was able to successfully block. Sephiroth took a step back and lunged forward once more, catching the other silver-hair off-guard, and Riku fell back, footing lost.
The silver-haired man smirked as the teen hit the ground, watching him, but not at all anticipating Riku's quick counterattack.
Riku rolled back, curling his legs to his chest and launched himself at the ex-General feet-first, slamming them solidly into the man's chest. Sephiroth stumbled slightly as the boy kicked off upon impact, managing an adept backwards roll away from the danger zone before getting back on his feet to take a fast swipe at the silver-haired man. A prompt parry came, followed up by a thrust of the long, narrow blade, landing a shallow cut on Riku's face.
The injury was purely unintentional and Sephiroth faltered as a bright line of red slid down the teen's pale cheek, and he lowered the Masamune to aide the boy.
To Sephiroth's great surprise, Riku simply shrugged off the attack, instead took the opportunity to dash forward, sword poised for attack. The man sidestepped the swipe and twirled around as the boy kicked, his foot connecting with Sephiroth's stomach.
"You're vicious," the leather-clad man hissed, smiling proudly as he let out another series of slashes with that same fluid grace, "I like that."
Riku smirked, blood oozing from the wound on his cheek, blocking the attacks with a skill beyond his years. He crouched down and swiped at Sephiroth's legs, the man hopping back to evade the blows.
Purely on impulse, Sephiroth raised his left fist into the air and clenched it to merely intimidate the boy, quickly snapping his arm back down to his side.
Suddenly, a protective wall of fire burst up around Sephiroth, surrounding the winged one with a blinding white light and intense, searing heat.
Riku immediately rolled to the side and away from immediate harm, but still he stayed on the ground, completely shocked by the stunt his opponent pulled, staring at the taller one with wide aqua eyes, jaw floundering in disbelief.
Soon enough the fire died away, leaving behind nothing but the stench of a blaze and a severely dazed Sephiroth in its wake.
It was Riku who spoke first.
"What…?! You… cheater!! What were you trying to do, kill me!?" he yelled angrily, glaring at the older man. "You… gods, you fucking cheater!!"
Sephiroth blinked, only partially coming out of his stupor. "I wasn't… cheating…"
/What was that, Flare…?/
"You were using magic!!"
"Magic I wasn't aware I had in this place…," Sephiroth countered.
"Bullshit," Riku spat, wiping the blood on his cheek with the back of his hand. "You pulled that shit on purpose, I know you did… no one can cast a spell like that without knowing what they're doing…"
Sephiroth narrowed his glowing aqua eyes, boring his gaze into the boy's own. "Is that so?"
"Yeah, it is."
"So you truly believe," the man started, gesturing wildly for emphasis, "that I would have invited you to spar with me if I intended on winning this worthless match with something degrading as magic?"
The boy stood slowly, hand white-knuckled on the hilt of his sword as he glowered. "Would you?"
Sephiroth shook his head vehemently. "No! Why would I… what good could have possibly come from that?" He looked at his left palm where he could still feel the tingling of spent magic, then up into Riku's eyes. "Honestly. I hadn't known of that ability…"
"How could you do that?"
"…I couldn't tell you if I wanted to…"
Riku peered at the man, sensing the honesty in his voice and eyes but still wary of that untapped power Sephiroth must have had brewing inside of him. How the man could have summoned something like that without being at all aware of it was a mystery to the teen, still dumbfounded by the wall of fire…
The Masamune pointed to the ground, Sephiroth slumped his shoulders slightly, taking another look down at his palm. Experimentally he clenched his fist, partially relieved no other offensive magic expelled from his being. The more Riku watched him… frankly, the man appeared to be ashamed of that newfound power.
"…can you do it again?" the silver-haired teen asked, quietly curious.
Sephiroth's eyebrow raised. "I suppose can try, if you really want me to…"
The boy nodded, and the ex-General repeated his previous actions, his head tilting back this time, Mako-enhanced orbs tightly shut to block the harsh, dazzling light.
As expected, the inferno erupted again, but much larger than before, the wall spread out several feet further, giving the ring of protection an even wider span. Sephiroth snorted and shook his head, incredulous of the entire situation, before he sheathed the Masamune and pulled a lock of silky silver hair in front of him, inspecting it for any signs of damage.
The teen let out a short laugh and crossed his arms, tsk'ing in mock disapproval. "You're so vain."
"Mm." Flicking his hair back, Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Perfection isn't easy to maintain, Riku." The boy rolled his eyes and smiled.
"You're pretty weird."
"Yes I am."
Riku jutted his chin towards Sephiroth. "Think you can do any other spells?"
"It's a possibility," the man said, shrugging. "But, I'm not inclined to try at the moment. I've a feeling that anything else I'm able to do would involve fire, and I'm a bit wary of fire these days," Sephiroth stated, lowering his head as well as his voice.
Riku gave the man a knowing look, but said nothing. Instead, he pulled at a black and white suspender, tapping the flat of his sword against his leg.
"I need to get out of this place," Sephiroth grumbled dejectedly. "This castle is driving me mad."
The teenager glanced upward, caught off guard by the sudden statement. "Why? Because of Cloud?"
A bluish-black wing twitched involuntarily, and Riku interpreted the move to mean that he was right.
"I'm sure he's fine, Sephiroth," the boy said. "Hades still—"
"Hades made him sign a contract, and if it isn't fulfilled then Cloud could die," the leather-clad man interrupted. "Do you know what it was he needed to do?"
Riku shook his head and pushed a piece of silver hair behind his ear. "No, I don't. I only know that Hades hires 'suckers' to carry out assassinations."
"So basically, he's being used… a hitman for the god of the Underworld."
"Pretty much, yeah."
Sephiroth sighed, placing the heel of a hand on his forehead, and muttered a curse. How could Cloud have gotten himself mixed up in something like that, and why…? Didn't he care about himself at all? Why would he want to become a puppet like that again…? …for him?
Riku cautiously walked forward and wrapped an arm around the taller man's waist, his cheek pressed against his bare chest, and the silver-haired warrior looked down at him, frowning deeply.
"You're worrying too much, Seph," the boy whispered.
The two remained that way for a while, silent, and broke away only at the sound of approaching footsteps in the distance, and both of them turned to see Maleficent entering the hall, one of her stick-thin eyebrows arched high in amusement.
"Riku, dear," she drawled, mouth twisting to a sickening smile, "I have an errand you must attend to."
"But we just got back not too long ago…," the teen noted, curious and wary.
"Dear boy, do you not remember how the time flows at Hollow Bastion?" she asked, bringing her staff in front of her to grip it with both long, slender hands. "Days have passed in other worlds, and I'm afraid we may be running out of time."
Sephiroth cast a skeptical glance in Maleficent's direction. "'Running out of time'?"
The witch nodded. "The Keybearer has been locking the Keyholes to the worlds, inhibiting us from passage. Out of spite, perhaps… we do not know. But the boy hinders my ability to work." She tilted her head and smiled. "A hero complex, most likely."
Maleficent turned to Riku and let her smile transform into a frown, mocking the teenager right where he stood. "He hasn't found dear Kairi, yet, either. She could be in danger, Riku." The way the witch purred her words in such a blatant imperative made Sephiroth cringe.
Riku lowered his eyes and wrung his hands together, worrying at his lower lip. "…shit."
Sephiroth glanced at the boy, but said nothing.
Maleficent smiled again and brought a long, slender finger to her chin. "I believe I can direct you to her, however, my dear boy."
/She's done something with the boy's friend…/
"How…?"
Again the witch smiled. "When the errand is finished, my boy." She crooked a finger and beckoned him away from the black-clad man. Shooting him the occasional glance, Maleficent whispered something in Riku's ear and he nodded, leaving the room. When he was sure the teen was out of earshot, Sephiroth slowly approached Maleficent.
"Why are you using him?" he demanded.
Maleficent blinked innocently. "I am not using him, General. I'm merely giving him what he wants." She tilted her head and turned to leave. "Come, Sephiroth. This concerns you as well." He followed obediently.
The witch led them to a meeting room, completely dark save for the large black cauldron seated in the middle, thick green smog flowing down its sides. On one end of the cauldron stood the familiar, black-cloaked, flame-headed god. Sephiroth snarled and advanced on him.
"Where is he?!" Sephiroth spat, snatching Hades' collar.
The god of the Underworld shrugged nonchalantly and made a face. "Kid's outta my power now, pretty-boy. I can't tell ya."
Aqua eyes narrowed dangerously, practically spewing malice from their very depths. "You lying son of a bitch, what have you done with him?" Hades rolled his shoulders and snorted, waving a flame-tipped finger side to side then blew on it, extinguishing the tip.
"The kid didn't do his job," Hades said simply.
Sephiroth's face hardened as he tightened his jaw. Through teeth gritted to steel himself, the silver-haired one asked, "so he's dead, then?"
The witch ignored the scene and conjured up an image in the sickly liquid inside the cauldron, watching Riku as he made his way through the portal of Darkness, heading towards Agrabah.
"Maybe he is, maybe he's not, who do you think I am, his biographer?" Hades shrugged and turned to watch the scene as it flickered, showing the silver-haired teen pick up a tan, black-haired woman in seafoam-colored clothing. Behind him, a large crimson genie was surrounded in lava and flame, apparently involved in battle. Sephiroth looked into the cauldron, seeing a quick flash of silver, followed by brown and the occasional flicker of red.
Bored with the eventful - but uninteresting - image in the cauldron, Sephiroth turned to face Hades another time.
"I should kill you," Sephiroth spat angrily, clenching his fists and considering just how useful that inferno would be on the god of Hell.
Thinking the better of it Sephiroth spun on a heel to leave, but stopped when Maleficent placed a thin green hand on his shoulder.
"Will you gentlemen excuse me a moment?" she asked, exiting before the black-clad ex-General could take his leave. Sephiroth growled at the touch, shooting daggers from his eyes at the retreating woman's back, but complied. In the cauldron, Riku trudged through thick blackness, the mystery woman slung over his shoulder.
Too curious about the happenings to think about who he was asking, Sephiroth gestured towards the image. "What is he doing?"
Hades peered at Sephiroth with beady yellow eyes and sucked his teeth. "You friends with the kid?" Sephiroth blinked.
"Riku?"
The blue god clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. "No, the Keybearer," Hades replied, sarcastically. "Yeah, with the silver-headed frea—er, kid."
Sephiroth sneered momentarily but managed to compose himself, flicking a piece of hair over his shoulder. "I suppose I am."
Hades' eyes gave him a once-over quickly, and he tilted his head. "Nah, you'll find out later, pretty-boy." Sephiroth snarled again and went to advance on the blue god, but stopped abruptly as Maleficent led Riku back into the room, a long, slender hand on the teenager's shoulder.
Hades greeted Riku mockingly, making a face for a reason Sephiroth couldn't figure. Once the four of them were neatly situated around the cauldron, Riku looked up at Sephiroth, then over to Hades.
Catching Hades' condescending look, the boy crossed his arms and snapped, "what?"
"That smarmy vizier could've had 'em - if someone had stuck around to give him a hand," came the grumpy reply.
Riku narrowed his eyes and frowned. "Hey, I did my part… I brought the princess, didn't I?"
/Princess? …that half-naked girl…?/
The green-skinned woman squeezed the hand on Riku's shoulder reassuringly, locking eyes with Hades. "Jafar was beyond help, consumed by his own hatred," she said, defending the teenager. Glancing at Sephiroth then back towards Hades, she continued. "One should beware of letting it burn too fiercely."
The ex-General gritted his teeth.
Hades put his hands out in front of him, waving them in Maleficent's direction, fending off her accusations. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Lighten up. I'm as cool as they come, okay?" He broke from the witch's gaze and leaned towards the silver-haired teen. "By the way, kid, have we got something special for you."
The boy shook his head and raised an eyebrow in confusion. Sephiroth didn't blame him in the least, after the way Hades had acted towards him earlier…
"Huh?"
Maleficent nodded. "We had a deal, yes?" Her free hand waved above the cauldron. "You helped us, and we grant you your wish…," she continued, the image of a pretty, red-headed teenage girl appearing. The girl was dressed in white and purple, her image laying in the smoke, both eyes closed, and, apparently, unconscious.
"Kairi!" Riku gasped, staring at the girl's image. He looked up into the witch's face, bewildered.
/…what does she want from you, Riku?/
"Go to her. Your vessel is waiting," she said, waving her hand towards the door. A red-clad pirate came through the portal, and Sephiroth immediately recognized him as the same pirate from the meeting earlier, with the hook for a hand. Only this time, Sephiroth noticed how absolutely ridiculous the man looked, with a long, pointed nose and funny-looking mustache…
The man sneered and addressed Riku with unwarranted anger. "Just remember, this is no pleasure cruise. It won't be a pleasant voyage."
Riku's face pinched as he asked the witch quietly, "why are you doing all this for me? What's the catch?" Sephiroth's eyebrow quirked, relieved the boy picked up on the same thing he did.
Maleficent wore an unpleasantly human expression as she asked, "catch? What's the catch?" she repeated, blinking innocently. "Silly boy. You're like a son to me. I only want you to be happy…" Her bony green hand reached up and lightly brushed the boy's cheek. Riku grimaced and slapped her hand away, disgusted.
"I seriously doubt that," he muttered, meeting Sephiroth's gaze as the man nodded slightly, confirming his own suspicions.
Maleficent glanced between the two and smirked. "Believe what you wish. But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain."
Riku sighed and turned to leave before stopping. He scratched a shoulder absentmindedly and asked, "what about Sephiroth?" The older man shot a look at the teen, eyebrow raised in confusion.
Hades and the witch eyed each other for a moment. The blue one appeared to be at a loss for words, only able to make a face once in a while, apparently hoping Maleficent was able to read his expressions.
Finally, Maleficent responded. "Would you like to take him with you?"
The ex-General stepped forward and determinedly shook his head. "I can't. I must leave."
"Where have you to go?"
Hades rolled his eyes, throwing his hands in the air. "Hmph. Humans."
"I can't stay here anymore," the man said, sad eyes glancing at Riku, "but I need some way to travel."
"Can't this wait, boy?" Captain Hook asked, tapping his foot angrily. Sephiroth pursed his lips, once again tempted to summon that inferno.
Maleficent rolled hear hand on her wrist as she murmured, "you shall, soon, General. For now, accompany Riku. He's grown quite fond of you," she finished with a definite, knowing smirk.
The silver-haired man bristled at the comment, but opted to stay with niceties. With a respectful bow, he said, "very well."
The pirate glared at the two silver-haired ones as he led them from the gates of Hollow Bastion and onto his boat, helping Riku to retrieve the girl, Kairi.
------------------
The seating situation in the Gummi ship was both increasingly uncomfortable and increasingly awkward for Cloud. Both the duck and the dog sat in the front of the aircraft, the former randomly shooting angry glares at Cloud as the blonde did nothing but sit there, waiting for the ride to be over. The ride was less than smooth and resurging a bout of motion sickness, even if the pilots - […flying chipmunks…] - were the 'best in the King's court', or so the strange dog put it.
Despite his general goofiness, the dog was quite astute, doing his best to make small talk during the entire trip to thankfully keep the duck's attention off the mercenary. Cloud sat on the ship's floor, at Donald's insistence - most mid-size Gummis had a maximum occupancy of three, and due to the duck's near weightlessness, there were no real problems with capacity… Donald was just a spiteful asshole.
Well, there was a problem with capacity, but that was only due to the lack of a chair. The courteous brown-haired teen had offered his seat to Cloud at first, but the blonde warrior turned it down; Donald's torrent of complaints got ear-piercingly loud as he spewed them forth, and after the first minute in Sora's seat listening to the duck bitch and moan nonstop, Cloud realized that the duck's bellyaching was enough to get on a dead man's nerves and fell to the floor in hopes of some peace and quiet.
Once Donald and Goofy had started a relatively engaging argument with each other about the best way to bypass Heartless Gummi ships, Sora turned to Cloud and chatted about nothing in particular at first, subjects from the excitable youth changing rapidly from enemies he encountered in places he called 'Traverse Town' and 'Deep Jungle' to the inextinguishable Mog candles to the legendary Paopu fruit.
Cloud listened half-heartedly, nodding occasionally or asking simple questions. When the brown-haired teen went silent, the swordsman quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. Sora sat in quiet reflection before he asked, "Cloud, can you tell me about the person you're lookin' for?"
The blonde sighed, images and thoughts of his Light flooding through his brain. Memories both good and bad flew through his mind's eye, and some he preferred did not surface.
Cloud shook his head to himself, and decided gave Sora just a few superficial details in hopes that would sate the boy's curiosity. "Well… like I said, he's got long, silver hair."
"Like Riku," the boy piped up.
Cloud gave Sora a sidelong glance. "…I guess. And his eyes are a bright aqua."
"Like Riku."
"He's tall… and pale…"
"Like Riku."
"He's… perfect."
"Like Riku."
The blonde snorted and raised an eyebrow, watching Sora intently. "He taught me how to swordfight."
"Like Riku did for me."
Cloud let his head drop back, resting it against the wall of the ship. "Ah… okay. He can be distant and cold sometimes, but underneath all that…," the blonde trailed off, rolling his hand.
"Like Ri—"
"Yeah, yeah, like Riku," Cloud snorted. He chuckled quietly and rolled his eyes. "Lemme guess, he's the strongest person ever and was the General of the biggest army in the world?"
"No, of course not," the boy said. Cloud smirked. "He was the strongest person on Destiny Islands, even out of the adults, and kinda the leader of all the kids, though…"
The blonde grabbed at his hair and pulled it, hard. "Are you for real, Sora?"
"Yep!" he replied, flashing an incredibly cheesy grin.
[Because I feel like I stepped into some fucked-up alternate reality…]
"And this Riku… he's your Light?" The boy nodded sadly.
"Yeah… I lost him and our friend Kairi, when the Heartless attacked our world…" Sora looked away, his face paling a bit. Cloud averted his eyes and pulled his legs closer to himself.
"Sorry, Sora…" The little brunette shook his hand dismissively.
"That's okay… I'll find 'em! I have to."
Cloud nodded and sighed. "I hope you do…," he said with a loud yawn. "Do you know how much longer this trip will take?"
"Uh uh," Sora replied, shaking his head. "You can nap, if you want. I'll wake you up when we get there."
"Thanks, kid."
"H'yuck! Almost there!" Goofy called out.
The blonde man groaned. "I didn't even get to sleep…"
The Gummi ship started to decelerate rapidly, tumbling Cloud forward and into the two front seats, laying in a heap on the floor. Sora gasped and unbuckled his safety belt, grabbing Cloud's arm and pulling him up. The ship bucked again and descended shakily before coming to a sudden stop, sending both spiky-heads to the ground.
Sora rubbed the top of his head, ruffling a few of his dark brown spikes, and the blonde unwittingly mimicked the action, making Goofy laugh. "Gawrsh, ya look like twins!" Cloud raised an eyebrow at the dog and looked at Sora. The boy was grinning again.
"Stop fooling around!" the disgruntled duck squawked, opening the door to the ship.
"We already docked?" Sora asked, standing shakily. The dog nodded, ears flopping wildly. A white-gloved hand proffered itself to Cloud, who promptly declined it. The boy pouted, but brightened up quickly as the four exited the tiny vessel.
Cloud was nearly blinded by the bright neon signs flanking the storefronts of Traverse Town, a stark contrast to the pitch-black, starless sky. He noticed that, despite the seemingly late hour, shops were open, customers wandering about carrying armfuls of shopping bags filled to the brim with provisions. Children were still playing in the cobblestone streets and alleyways, singing and running and screaming their little heads off.
Traverse Town looked as if it had no set manner of dress, people wearing garments of all types, whether it be classic olden-day dress, modern casual wear, leather and vinyl. Most were highly decorated and adorned with bracers, numerous belts, armor… but strangely, some even wore feathers and caps, definitely not casual in the least. Not to mention every inhabitant's hairstyles were drastically different, females with braided hair of all colors or cropped neatly, males with shaggy manes, spikes. A few highly coiffed styles were worn as well… it was very, very strange.
Not all of the town's inhabitants were human, the blonde noted, spotting several moogles near one shop just milling about, shouting 'kupo!' often in their high-pitched, squeaky voices. Cloud grinned and remembered 'Mog's Forest', a video game from the Golden Saucer… though the constant 'kupo!'-ing was grating after a while, it was fun nonetheless…
The blonde shook his head to knock away the thoughts of home… it was far too depressing…
He winced as he heard Donald complaining again, only this time - to Cloud's great relief - the attitude was directed at Goofy, who was promptly called an oaf for stepping on the duck's webbed foot. Quietly, ignoring the fight breaking out between his unusual teammates, the brown-haired boy simply watched as Cloud took in the many different sights of Traverse Town.
"What is this place?" the blonde asked, staring at a scarily tall, plump man loitering in front of an Accessory Shop.
"This," Sora gestured, swinging his arm outward, "is 'Traverse Town'. It's pretty much a sanctuary for refugees who've lost their homes to the Heartless."
"It's busy here," Cloud commented, watching a young couple trot by, hand-in-hand. "Are these people usually out this late…?"
The boy looked up at him, confused. "Uh… what do you mean?"
"It's dark," the blonde stated, pointing at the sky.
Cloud's statement clicked, and the boy replied, "oooh… well, see… it's always like this here. I dunno why… but you get used to it."
"Oh."
Sora bounced away, beckoning the blonde with him. "C'mon! I wanna stop at a few shops before I drop you off at Leon's."
"Who's Leon?" Cloud asked, taken off-guard. He didn't want to impose on anyone in this town, friends of Sora's regardless. The blonde was never that kind of person; he lived too many years surviving on his own to start relying on others now.
The boy pulled open the door to a decent-sized red building, standing in front of a small flight of stairs. Cloud noticed the duck and the dog went into another shop, an item shop, the sandwich board sign out in front of the building stated.
Sora went in, greeting the store's owner before Cloud could get inside, "hi, Cid!"
[Cid…?! No way... it's a popular name…]
"Hey, ya little punk!" came the gruff reply, and immediately Cloud pushed Sora out of the way and froze, wide-eyed, staring at the familiar, rugged face. "You wanna buy… some… holy shit, I'm seein' a ghost…," the pilot murmured, raising his hand. He pulled at the flight goggles wrapped around his head and blinked, staring long and hard at the other, younger blonde.
Sora appeared to be confused, and rightly so. "Do you guys know each other…?"
"Cid… by Holy…" Cloud inched forward, looking him over. "Holy shit, Cid… I'm so glad to see you…," the younger man breathed, dumbstruck.
Cid came from behind the counter and clapped Cloud on his arm. He placed his hands on his hips and took a deep drag from his cigarette, smiling like crazy. "I didn't think ya made it out, kid. How long's it been since I saw ya?"
"Nearly a year, I think…," Cloud replied, sheepishly. "Oh!" He glanced at the confused teenage boy and shrugged. "From my world. We used to be comrades." Sora nodded slightly with a grin and walked over to a display counter, leaving the two blonde men alone.
"Hell, time's real screwed here. Been runnin' this shop for nine years now…" Cid trailed off, staring at Cloud. "Shit, kid, where the hell ya been? Don't see you for a helluva long time now you plop your spiky ass on my doorstep with the fuckin' Keyblade master!"
"You know about the Keyblade master?" Cloud asked.
Cid raised an eyebrow, letting out a harsh laugh. "What, don't tell me ya didn't notice that big fuckin' key the kid's got, hell, no one can miss that!"
"I did… but how do you know about it? What's the key do?"
"Locks Keyholes. Keeps the damn Heartless out." He shook his head, still in disbelief. "Sorry, but… hell… girl's gonna be real happy to see you again, Spike."
Cloud's eyes went wide. "Wait… 'girl'? Tifa?! Is Tifa here, too?!"
He swallowed thickly as the blonde pilot winced, bracing himself for the inevitable bad news.
"Sorry, kid… the thief was with Tifa… when we were attacked." Cid sighed and patted the blonde's shoulder. "…Tifa… didn't make it out, Spike…"
"…oh…" he said weakly, blood draining from his face. "Wow…"
Cloud pressed his hand to his forehead, disbelievingly. […Tifa's… dead…?! That…] He never even considered that any of them could've died when the Planet was attacked, and especially not his childhood friend…
"You okay, kid?" Cid asked, taking the swordsman by the arm, setting him down on an overstuffed pink couch gracing the small shop before the blonde nearly passed out. "Ya need some… water… or somethin'?"
Cloud shook his head. "No… I'll be alright… I just didn't think… Tifa was a strong girl, you know?"
The pilot nodded, pulling another cigarette from his pack and popping it into his lips. "Yeah, she was. The thief said she was fightin' 'em right up 'til the end."
"Wait… does that mean Yuffie's here with you, too?"
"Yup. Thank the gods I ain't got any Materia here," he said, completely serious as he gestured around the shop. Out of everyone, Cid was the one pissed off the most at the ninja for stealing their goods… Cloud thought he's have to put the blonde pilot in shackles just so he wouldn't harm the girl. Vincent managed to calm him down after a while, but it seemed that Cid still held a grudge after all that time…
Cloud paused, deliberating a moment before he ventured, "…is… there anyone else here, Cid…?"
"Uh huh. You'll never guess who, though."
Unwilling to get his hopes up - not that he thought his former teammates would have let Sephiroth into Traverse Town anyway, had he truly been alive - the blonde bit his bottom lip. "…who?" he asked, meekly.
"The flower girl."
Cloud's eyes shot open as his jaw dropped hard enough to nearly hit the floor. "Aeris is here?!"
"Aerith," the pilot corrected.
A blonde eyebrow arched high in confusion-slash-amusement. "When the hell did you get a lisp?"
Cid blinked. "The hell you talkin' about, boy?"
Cloud looked at Cid incredulously. "You just said 'Aerith'." The pilot nodded slowly, acting as if the young warrior lost his mind.
"It's Aeris."
"Oh!" Cid barked, slapping his forehead with a harsh laugh. "I getcha. Nah, see, she calls herself 'Aerith' here."
"Eh?"
The blonde pilot shrugged and crossed his arms. "I dunno either, Spike. Probably it's got somethin' to do with the past or somethin'… shit, she's gonna be so glad t' see you."
Cloud grunted his response. It wasn't that he didn't care that Aeris - no… Aerith - was alive again… but he knew that she was going to try and be with him, and he didn't want that… but he didn't know how he could explain it to her. He had a feeling she knew about Sephiroth and himself, but the girl never spoke up about it, really… and he didn't want to outright reject her, either… but now that she was alive again…
A spiky brown head popped up next to Cid, tapping the old man on the shoulder and snapping him back to reality. The pilot jumped, muttering obscenities as his rapidly-beating heart calmed down.
"Um… I'm ready to buy this stuff, if you guys are done talking," Sora announced rather meekly. Cloud nodded his head when Cid looked at him, silently asking for approval.
After ringing up Sora's purchases and taking his munny, the pilot spoke up again, and told - rather enthusiastically - that he was considering running a Gummi-exclusive shop instead of the Accessory Store.
…not that Cloud blamed him. Cid never really seemed the type to work with bangles and other such accessories… hell, the pilot even made fun of Cloud whenever he had Ribbon equipped.
Cid had offered the Accessory Store to Cloud to manage, but the other blonde declined. After all, he was no good at all with money matters… which he wasn't. He bought that villa in Costa del Sol for 300k gil, and he only stayed there what, three, four times…?
…and besides, Cloud had far more important things to worry about…
After several long minutes the two old friends said their goodbyes, and the spiky-heads walked out of the store, Cloud fingering his new - and complimentary - Protect Bangle.
"Uhm… sorry to hear about your friend," Sora started, sheepishly, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't mean to overhear…" Cloud shrugged. "Was she… your girlfriend…?"
The older man shook his head. "No, an old childhood friend," he replied softly.
"Oh." The boy bit his lip and looked up at Cloud with his big, blue eyes. "I know it's not easy losing a friend…," he said, patting Cloud's arm comfortingly. The man shrugged, letting out a ragged sigh.
He still couldn't believe it… how of all people, Tifa hadn't survived… the idea was crazy…
They made their way to the item shop next, which just-so-happened to be run by Donald's triplet nephews. Cloud was silently thanking any gods that would listen for the fact that the children were nothing like their uncle… who was still bickering with the clumsy dog after all that time.
After Sora made some more purchases, consisting mainly of Ethers and Hi-Potions, Donald and Goofy told them to just go on ahead to Leon's. Rather, Goofy did, because apparently, Donald 'didn't like' the way poor little Louie had stocked one of the higher shelves, therefore putting his argument with the six-foot tall on hold dog long enough to direct his bottle-restacking.
"I think you'll like Leon," Sora started, leading the way through First. "He's kinda quiet, though—oh, look! It's one of the moogle candles I told you about!" the boy exclaimed, pointing to a rather large candle, flickering atop a wooden table in front of a simple-looking café.
Cloud chuckled at how easily distracted - not to mention excitable - the boy was.
"Look, you can't snuff it without magic," he giggled, putting the flame out with wettened fingertips. And, sure enough, the flame flickered back to life some short seconds later. "Cool, huh?"
The blonde nodded, not really interested but polite all the same.
When Sora was finished screwing with the candles, they walked down a set of stairs and turned, passing by a moogle pacing madly in front of a tree and a highly over-decorated mailbox - which actually looked rather frightening with its large mouth and panting tongue.
Out of the blue, Sora smacked his forehead, letting out a grunt of disgust. "Oops! I'm bringing us the wrong way," he murmured, embarrassed. "That's District Three… we gotta go to Second District."
"Can we get to Second from Third?" Cloud asked, not quite in the mood for backtracking.
"Yeah, but there's lots of Heartless around, and without Donald and Goofy to help…," he trailed off, pouting. He snapped his fingers and smiled brightly at Cloud. "Unless you wanna help…"
The blonde shrugged, taking the Buster Sword off his back. It was really no problem anyway for him, seeing as he had already fought numerous, even tougher Heartless than what he was expecting. "Alright."
The two ambled through the Third District, fighting random battles with Shadows, Soldiers and the occasional - and annoying - Large Body. Cloud was surprised when the boy took out the rather rotund Heartless all by himself after the blonde's attack was deflected by the creature's large, bouncy belly, and within minutes, quite a few enemies were defeated and left the victors 59 munny richer, all of which Cloud let Sora keep. After all, Sora was the one who had the most expenses, he figured, traveling from place to place.
Sora coughed and scratched the back of his head, blushing. "Y'know… it's a good thing we went through here instead of going through Second," the teen commented.
Cloud raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"
The boy laughed nervously, stopping in front of a vacant-looking domicile and gesturing to it awkwardly. "…'cause this is Leon's house." Sora's blush deepened tenfold. "I'm not too good with directions…"
A clawed hand shot out and Cloud ruffled the boy's soft brown hair playfully… how cute.
Sora knocked briefly on the door before cracking it open tentatively, looking around. "…hello?"
A familiar, squeaky voice rang out, and Cloud grinned softly to himself. "Come in, Sora!"
The boy smiled brightly and stepped into the tiny house, waving. "Hey, Yuffie!" The ninja girl bounded towards the door, a huge smile plastered on her cherubic face, same as always, before she pulled the boy into a tight embrace and giggled.
"We were all worried about you!"
"…well look who it is, the 'Great Materia Hunter Yuffie'," Cloud teased, grinning wider now.
"Who the hell do you… think… you're… Cloudy?!" the ninja shrieked, bouncing up and down, her dark eyes wide with surprised, barely containing her excitement as she jumped up and down, clapping her gloved hands. "By Leviathan, Cloud! Look at you!" she squealed gleefully.
Yuffie bounced again, quite energetically, before wrapping her slender arms around Cloud's neck to plant a kiss right on his - very surprised - lips. Quickly taking a step back, the Wutaian looked the red-faced blonde up and down, a finger pressed to her lips, and clicked her tongue. "what the heck didja do, raid Vinny's closet?" she asked with an ever-present sparkle in her eye.
"Ha ha, very funny," Cloud said dryly, his glowing Mako eyes giving the ninja a once over herself. "…where are your clothes, Yuf?" he asked, smirking, to which she stuck her tongue out and smacked his arm, playfully.
"Oh, quiet, you." Yuffie turned to face a confused-looking Sora. "Hey, how come yer here with him?" the girl asked.
The brown-haired boy smiled proudly. "I fought him in the tournament."
Yuffie's eyes went wide, brows raised impossibly high. "Really?" She smirked. "Well then, I hope you kicked Spikey's butt!" she chided, winking.
"Nah, he was too good."
"Of course he was, he worked with the Great Ninja Yuffie!" she giggled, flashing a victory sign. Cloud snorted and shook his head.
"Egotistical as always. So…," the man's eyes quickly scanned the small room, "…where is she…?"
Yuffie's tongue popped out of her mouth and curled up to her top lip as she thought, staring off into space. "Um… oh, duh!" She turned to Sora. "Hey, Aerith's at the 'Secret' Waterway with Squall, can you get 'em?"
The spiky-haired boy nodded obediently and said a short goodbye, leaving the ex-teammates alone. The ninja tilted her head, surveying the blonde with her big, dark eyes.
"She's gonna be happy to see ya, Cloudy-boy."
"So I've heard," he murmured. Gesturing to a couch in front of a large window, he asked, "can I sit?" Yuffie nodded, sitting herself on the bed across from Cloud, folding her legs beneath her.
The girl folded her hands in her lap and worried at her bottom lip, head lowered mournfully. "Um… d-did Gramps tell you?" she asked, voice hushed, and with a deep sigh, Cloud nodded. "I'm so sorry, Spikey…"
The blonde waved his clawed hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it, Yuffie…" He managed a small, regretful smile. "It was a definite shock, but… I can get over it… I always have."
The ninja girl rose from her perch and sat on Cloud's right side, resting her cheek on his shoulder, pulling him into a one-armed hug. "It's good to see you again, Cloudy. We were all worried about ya…" she said.
He brought a hand up, patting her on top of the head.
"Same to you, Yuf." The man let out a sigh, dropping his hand. "What've you been up to here, anyway?"
Yuffie pulled away from Cloud and perched on the couch's arm, her feet set on an overstuffed cushion. "I've been working with Sq—I mean, Leon." The girl giggled and leaned forward. "He's really cute," she added, a playful gleam in her eye.
Cloud snorted and rolled his eyes. "Same old Yuffie, I see. What kind of work do you do?"
"Fight the Heartless, though Sora's been helping with that a lot, lately. We also kinda help the new refugees. There's a lot, if you didn't notice… and the sad thing is, more and more come in every day. It's nuts!" She tilted her head and smiled.
"How about you?"
Cloud licked his lips. "Ah…," his thoughts drifted briefly towards the wing on his back, and the blonde picked at a tattered edge of his mantle distractedly. "I really don't want to talk about it…" The ninja winced.
"Bad?"
The blonde nodded and leaned back, slumping into the couch. "Let's just say, things never go as planned, and you ultimately get screwed in the end."
Yuffie bit her lip, watching Cloud as the man tiredly covered his eyes with a gloved hand. "I guess an 'I'm sorry' won't make ya feel any better, huh?"
Cloud sighed. "Nope… I'm beyond simple 'I'm sorry's at this point." He kicked his leg out and scratched at his knee, refusing to look the girl in the eyes.
Yuffie took another look at the man's outfit and chuckled.
"You'll fit in perfectly here," she commented, poking at the numerous belts he was adorned with. Cloud gave her a questioning look, but she waved it off. "Oh… you'll see what I mean." Yuffie smiled brightly once more, the ever-energetic girl she was. "So, are you planning on staying in Traverse Town?"
"Yeah, for the time being, I guess I have to… Sora mentioned I could stay with that 'Leon' guy," he took a look around, "but… this place doesn't seem exactly roomy…"
Yuffie giggled, waving her hand. "Nah, this is really my place. This is kinda our makeshift 'base of operations', I guess. There's a couple rooms down that hall—" she pointed to a door Cloud hadn't noticed before, "—there. Aerith stays here with me, by the way."
She pushed a piece of stray hair out of her eyes as she continued. "But Leon's… well, you'll see. You'll… probably have to stay in the Hotel a while."
"I don't have any gil on me…"
"It's called 'munny' here!" the girl giggled.
The blonde snorted. "I don't think I can get used to that," Cloud joked.
"But the munny thing… um, I can lend you some, if you want… and you can just get a job and pay me back!"
"I shouldn't even have to pay you back, you little materia thief," he said, elbowing her in the knee. She stuck her tongue out in response as the door to the house opened.
Cloud stood immediately as two emerald pools brimming with tears pinned him to the spot. "Hey, Aerith…" he murmured quietly, his own eyes just as wide as hers. So… she really was alive…
The brown-haired girl shook her head, tears streaming down her face, tiny hands folded in front of her and completely white-knuckled. A brown-booted foot stepped forward and she whispered, "hello, Cloud."
Yuffie jumped up and latched onto Aerith's slender shoulders, giggling, nearly shaking the life out of the flower girl. "He's back, he's back, he's back!" the ninja cried, eyes sparkling.
"Who's back?" a deep male voice called out, stepping through the door.
Cloud's eyes went wide as a - gorgeous - man walked through the door, head to toe in tight, black leather, belts, and many silver buckles. The man's hair was shaggy and a deep brown, framing his face perfectly. The scar that ran diagonally across his face only added to the man's allure somehow, situated neatly between steely blue eyes.
"Spikey's back!" Yuffie giggled, releasing Aerith and bopping over to Cloud. The man sauntered in and leaned up against a far wall, one leg over the other, arms crossed. He looked absolutely bored with everyone and everything, and the blonde just… adored it. The greyish-blue eyes ran up and down Cloud's form, making him blush under the scrutiny, finally stopping at his face to seemingly study the younger man and his motives.
Aerith took another couple steps forward, directly opposite from Cloud, and the blonde broke his gaze from the - very pretty - scarred man, turning it over to the flower girl and her expressive emerald eyes. Gingerly, the flower girl raised a delicate hand and placed it on Cloud's cheek.
As if convinced he was real, the pink-clad Cetra wrapped her arms around Cloud's chest, breaking down into sobs as she held him.
"I've missed you so much," she whispered, shaking like a leaf. Cloud lifted an arm and gently wrapped it around her shoulders, patting her arm.
"It's alright, Aerith." He turned his eyes up and sighed sadly.
[I knew she was going to do this… how can I… tell her that I can't…?]
Yuffie bit her lip and looked from Cloud, to Aerith, to Cloud, to Leon, to the floor, to Aerith, to Leon, and lastly, to the door. She frowned for a moment before asked, "hey, Leon… where's Sora?"
"I told him to go get the rest of his party and Cid," he answered, eyes never straying from the blonde stranger.
"Oh, right! That's Squall Leonhart, Cloudy-boy. Squall, meet Aerith's and my ex-leader, Cloud Strife."
The blonde furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak, but was abruptly interrupted by the shaggy-haired man. "It's just Leon."
Yuffie rolled her eyes. "Blah, blah, blah, Sq—Leon." She turned to Cloud and smirked. "He's just crazy, don't listen to him."
The blonde chuckled as Leon replied with a resounding, "…whatever."
Aerith shook her head and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, taking a calming breath. "I'm sorry, everyone," she apologized quietly, "I didn't mean to cry like that…" Her voice wavered still as she clarified, "I was very surprised is all."
"Shit, I never saw so many fuckin' pretty-boys in my entire life!" Cid barked, chuckling. He raised his eyebrows and looked directly at Cloud. "Well… 'cept maybe in the Northern Crater, before fightin' Sephiroth. That fuck's gotta count for at least five pretty-boys, then with you there… and Vin…"
Cloud shook his head, pushing the thought of Sephiroth and Valentine from his mind. After all, this was a reunion, and the two of them weren't there to share it… "…always the eloquent one, old man." The blonde pilot stuck another cigarette in his mouth and shrugged.
"Fuck you, SOLDIER-boy," he teased before jerking his chin in Aerith's direction. "She okay…?"
Aerith nodded. "I'm fine, Cid."
"Good. Don't want ya havin' a heart attack."
She playfully raised an eyebrow and pointed at the half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips. "I think you should worry more about yourself." Cid shook his head, running a hand through his hair, letting the other fall to his hip.
"Is Sora coming soon?" Leon asked the pilot, blandly.
Cid nodded, obviously used to the younger man's attitude. "Yup. Had to get the dog and the bastard duck."
A sudden dizzy spell flooded through Cloud as his knees buckled, making him collapse onto the couch. The flower girl rushed to his side, placing a cool palm on his forehead. Her emerald eyes flooded with concern and she asked, "are you feeling well, Cloud?"
"Yeah… I just think I need to rest for a while…"
"I'll let you sleep in my room. Is that alright with everyone?" Aerith asked, taking Cloud by the arm. There were no objections as she led him to her room, laying him gently on her bed. She kissed him politely on the forehead and gave a little smile as the man passed out, extremely exhausted with the day's events.
The pink-clad woman shut the door behind her, leaving Cloud in total darkness before she walked back into the main room, just in time for Sora and his animal teammates to step in, all of them completely unaware they were being watched by both Riku and Maleficent.
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A/N: Chapter revised 5/09/04. Fixed a few inconsistencies, added ::coughs:: almost 3000 words… seriously, LACK OF DESCRIPTION, people! And I didn't realize I had so little clarification half the time for their actions… and stuff… so yes. And Seph was still OOC to me… but was getting gradually better… anyway.
::snickers:: Sephiroth reading het porn… that idea still amuses me. I am a sad, sad girl. XD