WARNING: This chapter contains NON-CON YAOI/RAPE. Sephiroth's half is DARK. If you have objections to this, don't read it, and skip straight to Cloud's.
Part Seven
Now roaming through this darkness
I'm alive but I'm alone.
Part of me is fighting this
but part of me is gone.
------------------
/--…c'mon, just do it…--/
/NO, Zackary./
/--Come on!--/ Zack went on, voice childish, /--it'll be fu-u-un.--/
/Perhaps, but will it be of any use?/
Mentally, Zack scratched his head and coughed. /--…no, probably not… considering he's doing everything mental… and stuff…--/
/Then what, pray tell, would be the point?/
/--…because,--/ the deceased SOLDIER muttered, /--it would be FUN, I said.--/
Sephiroth sighed heavily and looked at Ansem's curled form on the floor, murmuring softly to himself, and the silver-haired man had to listen to Riku speaking the words as well. It was disconcerting, and he hated it…
The teenager - or Ansem, rather - was in the middle of what seemed to be a rather heated battle with Sora and his companions; and, by the way the room shook, rumbling and buzzing violently, and how the white-haired man occasionally grimaced in anguish, Sephiroth deduced - and hoped - the younger teen was winning.
/--KICK HIM!--/
/Zackary, STOP./
Sephiroth growled inwardly, the room's constant jostling along with his ex-Lieutenant General's pleas to assault a prone Ansem nearly breaking his - somewhat - calm exterior. He had fleeting thoughts of attacking the giant door with the Masamune, but Zack assured him it wouldn't have done any good… at least until the time was - cliché as it sounded to Sephiroth's ears - 'right'.
And, surprisingly, neither was for the idea of decapitating the other man while he lay defenseless, either; given the control Ansem held over Riku's body, they couldn't even imagine what possible consequences such an action would bring.
But, nevertheless, the black-haired ex-SOLDIER did want to resort to petty attacks… simply for amusement.
And instead of trying to help Sephiroth do anything productive, he was merely trying to get a rise out of him - admittedly - for his own entertainment more than anything else, since, as he told his friend, 'screwing around is all we can really do right now'. But Sephiroth wasn't exactly in the mood for 'screwing around'.
He looked over to Ansem as he writhed on the floor, and snarled as he watched the tanned one. Sephiroth was growing to hate the man more and more…
Resisting the urge to spit on the white-haired man, Sephiroth turned abruptly and approached the strange, large door, and got the Masamune ready.
/--Seph, not right now… you're going to get hurt… its not time to do this yet, listen to me… if you do—--/
"Hurt. I don't care, anything is better than being in this prison with him," Sephiroth muttered under his breath, cutting his friend off as he brought the giant sword up and viciously slashed at the door.
Sparks flew down the blade and right through the hilt, shooting straight up Sephiroth's arm, numbing it as it traveled directly into his heart.
/--SEPH!!--/
He fell to his knees, hand clamped over his chest, a pitiful cry of pain gasped out. Sephiroth felt as if his heart was being torn to shreds while being both seared and frozen at the same time. His heartbeat was irregular and his blood ran ice cold, a gradual, throbbing ache pounding building in Sephiroth's head in time to the thumps in his breast.
"Know this…"
He slammed his fist into the floor repeatedly, bowing forward to his forehead rested against the ground, listening to the white-haired one as he began to talk. Sephiroth's breathing was ragged, lungs desperately begging for air as the man slowly choked from the immobilizing pain spreading through his upper body.
"The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade…"
/Zack… what is he…?/
"What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?"
/--See, you should've listened to me!--/ Sephiroth could nearly feel the one in his head tearing at his black spikes in frustration. /--Now… shit… this can't be good…--/
"For that instant it was," Ansem spoke, voice barely above a crazed whisper, clawing his fingers into the floorboards. "However, you can become stronger…"
/--Oh, fuck… get up, Seph, you gotta make him stop…--/
"I… I can't move…," Sephiroth managed to choke out. His body felt pinned to the floor and utterly paralyzed, the same way he had when in the Darkness earlier, only now it hurt much, much more, the pain gripping him to the core. His heart felt as if it was being crushed.
The white-haired man chuckled slightly, proud and breathless, and his voice came out quietly - so quiet, in fact, that had Sephiroth's hearing not been what it was, he never would have heard Ansem speaking at all. "You showed no fear in stepping through the door to Darkness… it held no terror for you…"
/--GET UP, SEPHIROTH!!! GET THE FUCK UP!!!--/
The ex-General shook his head, his heart convulsing, pounding hard in his chest before stopping for bare moments, then switching over to a rapid beating again. A lump the size of a fist was in his throat, slowly strangling him. His attempts to get up were futile at best, barely able to lift his head from the ground.
/I can't…/
"Plunge deeper into the Darkness…," Ansem choked out, a smile on his face.
/--Oh shit… no, no, no… Seph, get up. Get moving…oh… fuck…you can'tlet him do this, Seph!!--/
"…and your heart will grow even stronger."
"…Zack…ary…" /What can I do…?/
"What should I do?" came a small voice, sounding very fall away.
Sephiroth knew that voice, knew it was Riku whom Ansem was talking to…
He tried moving again, pulling his forehead across the floor, unable to lift it. He sucked in air through his mouth, chest moving shallowly at the desperate pulls. A gloved hand slipped from its position near his head on the floor, making him fall, face scraping on the wood.
"It's really quite simple… open yourself to the Darkness…"
/--Shit… Seph, come on… please, get up…--/
"I…," he paused, gasping in vain attempts to breathe, "…can't…"
/--Don't be so WEAK, get your ass UP!! Come on… fuck…--/
"That is all… let your heart, your being, become Darkness itself…," Ansem finished, a sinister grin spread on his face.
/--Gods… great, now we're fucked…--/
/…help me, Zack…/ Sephiroth loathed to show such a weakness, but he was held in place by an unseen force. He couldn't move; he felt crippled, numb to the core, and it hurt so badly…
The white-haired man's smile deepened and he writhed on the floor, limbs twitching violently, trembling. He darkened considerably, skin turning near-black before shifting to a bright green then back again. His body seemed to slowly break apart cell by cell, and dissipate, Ansem's body turning completely translucent for several moments, as it fading in and out in putrid shades of black and green.
/--…we may never get out now, Seph…--/
Ansem cried out shrilly and the room quaked again, phasing along with him into the black and purple vortex Sephiroth came through earlier. Everything around them pulsed and twisted like some sordid mass of living, breathing Darkness as Ansem changed along with it.
The pain surrounding Sephiroth's heart intensified, the organ practically screaming, threatening to burst with each shift of the room's form. The silver-haired man's eyes rolled back into his head as his body quaked in a sudden seizure.
"Do you see, Sephiroth…?" Ansem's voice rang out from the deepest regions of his mind.
Sephiroth's limbs flailed as his entire body jerked, eyes flitting back and forth rapidly. He saw flashes of Riku, then of Ansem, the boy screaming mutely, trying desperately to get away from the older man with the fiercely glowing, feral amber eyes. What Sephiroth saw was like a living slideshow, he had no doubts in his mind that this was all truly happening and not just a terrible scene his mind chose to unfold, evidenced by that feeling of dread lying like a rock in the pit of his stomach. His assumption proved correct when Zack started screaming in agony, right along with Riku as Ansem advanced on him.
/Yes… I see…/
/--No! Seph, no! Don't watch, gods, block it out don't WATCH!--/
But Sephiroth couldn't hear Zack's voice - instead, it was Riku's, begging him… him…
"Can you see…"
/…yes…/
Riku lashed out and screamed as the older man grabbed his arm and threw him roughly to the ground. He fought against Ansem as the man straddled his hips, pressing his knees on the boy's forearms. Ansem's left hand immersed itself into the boy's silver hair and yanked upwards, at the same time bending down to crush his lips against Riku's.
"…what you've done…?"
/--Gods, PLEASE, don't listen… this is not your FAULT!!--/ Sephiroth still wouldn't listen to him at all, and Zack couldn't seem to pull the ex-General's attention back to himself. The deceased SOLDIER had a sneaking suspicion that Ansem was only doing it to punish the silver-haired man, but for whatever reason…
/…no, it's all my fault…/
"…because you didn't submit…"
/…I should have complied…/
The boy bucked and thrashed his body underneath Ansem as the man snapped his head back, angered by Riku's relentless resistance. His free hand slashed at the Riku's face, leaving long, ragged marks from his nails on one pale cheek. Ansem bent forward to lick at the struggling teenager's bloodied cheeks and grinned maliciously. There was no turning back for Riku now and the boy knew it, but he sure as hell wasn't giving up without a fight.
Again Ansem brought the silver-haired teenager forward, taking his lips in for another brutal kiss. One quick, sharp tug to Riku's hair wrung a cry from the boy, granting the man's tongue full access to the mouth Ansem took advantage of within seconds. The teen's aqua eyes widened impossibly as his mind registered what was happening.
…but the last thing Ansem had expected was for the boy to answer to the kiss by gnashing his teeth into the invading muscle, uncaring of the older man's darkened blood spilling into his mouth.
Caught by surprise, Ansem ripped Riku's head back and snarled, the sting and coppery taste on his tongue disgusting, even to himself. In some ways it was funny how Riku was putting up quite a fight for one so supposedly willing to open himself to the Darkness… unfortunately, the foolish boy shouldn't have accepted the white-haired man's offer to become nothing but a mere vessel had he been so disinclined to face the inevitable consequences.
"But this could all end now, Sephiroth… that is, if you are willing to join me…"
Wherever he was, Zack felt as if he was being crushed, as if something was attempting to force him from Sephiroth's psyche, and it hurt… the pain distracted him beyond thinking, to even figure out why Ansem wanted Sephiroth in Darkness so badly… it made no sense, unless Ansem simply wanted to harness Sephiroth's power, turning him into a puppet as well.
"Know this… your lover possessed no qualms over his own submission…"
The words intrigued yet frightened him at the same time… had Cloud gone through a similar thing…? It hadn't even occurred to him that Hades could have been in league with the white-haired man… if Ansem used Hades to take his Cloud in such a manner…
"…and I have the power to lead you to him," Ansem went on, even as his image's fist slammed into Riku's face, hard. The teenager was screaming to high heavens, but absolutely refused to allow himself the luxury of crying. To do so would have shown the white-haired man that he reached his breaking point, and Riku was not willing to prove that Ansem had won.
"This could all end now, and I could lead you to your heart's desire… your possession, if you submit… this is your last chance."
Tempting as the offer was, Sephiroth couldn't. He couldn't do that again…
Sensing the negative reply was imminent, Ansem snarled and spat, "so be it." The white-haired man went on to brutalize Riku repeatedly before Sephiroth's eyes until the teenager finally passed out, blood dripping from his nose and mouth, down the sides of his face to stain his lifeless silver hair.All of it, Sephiroth's punishment.
/--Fuck, no,--/ Zack keened, feeling remorse and anger and so many feelings well up inside of his friend, /--no, this is not your fault, Seph… block it, please, Seph, no…--/
As it was before, Sephiroth couldn't hear him.
/…he suffers because of me…?/
"Yes… now do you feel that guilt, Sephiroth…?"
The silver-haired man swallowed thickly. /…more than I can endure…/
Zack was getting frantic. He could feel Sephiroth slipping away from him, receding back into the ventures of his own mind, consuming himself with his own guilt. Sephiroth was going to go insane if it went on for much longer… he had to snap him out of it.
/--Don't feel guilty, Seph, you didn't do this! Don't feel pain… please Seph. Please stop listening… stop watching this, Sephiroth!--/
Still, Sephiroth watched, unable to tear his eyes away.
With Riku unconscious, Ansem tore off the younger one's pants and then his own, pushing up one of Riku's legs. Carefully, Ansem steadied Riku's hips before forcing himself into the smaller body, and proceeded to thrust, determined, again and again, Darkness seeping from the white-haired mans body to flow onto Riku's own as it lay prone. Ansem continued to violate him, snarling as he did it, the boy's form limp and weak and broken, blood mingling with the blackness from Ansem's being.
"…this boy is now mine, Sephiroth."
/…yours…?/
/--Shit… Seph… stop…--/
Ansem's entire body shuddered with his every movement. Sephiroth could feel Riku's flesh tearing, could feel Ansem's grunts of grotesque contentment with mind-shattering clarity as he raped the teenager, used him to draw out all of the free will from Riku's body, replacing it with so much of that Darkness…
The man let out a feral growl that tore at Sephiroth's very being as his body shuddered violently, finally through with pounding into the small form beneath him. As he withdrew, Sephiroth watched with a sickening fascination when the Darkness began to infuse itself into Riku's deathly pale skin.
When the black was stood and fixed his clothing, then grabbed one of Riku's ankles before turning to face the silver-haired one's field of vision. "…he and I are now one… and you… you are a fool."
The flashes stopped coming at the rapid pace, dying down to seconds-long intervals as Ansem turned, a grossly satisfied smile plastered on his wicked face. An finally, as the darker man walked away, Riku's limp body in tow, the flashes stopped completely.
/…I was too weak to stop him, Zackary…/
/--…Seph…--/ Zack didn't know what he could do to console him. He could feel the other man cracking… and that definitely wasn't good.
Feeling gradually returned to his self and Sephiroth snatched up the chance to suck in air greedily. He fell onto his back, wing be damned, as his chest heaved with every pull of oxygen, thoughts of Riku plaguing his mind. Without warning, Sephiroth buried his face in his hands, clutching at his hair as he let out a pained sob, the forgotten sensation of tears slipping past his eyes and over his cheeks.
Guilt… that was all he felt. Painful, consuming guilt. "Dear gods, no… Riku, gods what have I allowed… Riku…"
Zack winced mentally. He never saw Sephiroth crying before… it was infinitely strange and even more disconcerting than he ever imagined possible.
Anguished cries passed his lips as the memories of Riku's violation surged up into his mind, over and over. If he only submitted, it could have all been avoided, no harm, no foul…
Sephiroth pulled at his hair hard enough to nearly tear flesh and draw blood, grief replacing itself with anger at himself and his own weakness. Maybe the Darkness wouldn't have been so bad… not if it would have saved him…
"Why couldn't I stop him?" the silver-haired man snarled to himself, "gods, this hurts… this pain hurts… please forgive me, Riku, I'm sorry… please forgive me…"
/--Sephiroth… you did NOT do this.--/
Softening back into sadness, Sephiroth went on pathetically, "I should have listened to you, Zackary… I should have… I never should have… Riku…"
/--SEPH…--/
The silver-haired man closed his eyes. His entire body felt cold and lifeless, but he could still move, feel, hear, and see, but he didn't want any of that, not right then. What he wanted was that teenager, that silver-haired boy he felt such a bond with, to be by his side again. Sephiroth wanted to help him and keep him safe, but he couldn't… instead he was numb; that part of him was numb, unable to feel that connection with Riku… so, helpless, he cried. The General, the great leader of ShinRa's elite army, the highest-ranked SOLDIER ever, the man who didn't feel and didn't love, a mere science experiment who was to feel no pain… cried.
And all over that silver-haired child who was so much like himself, in a new form of pathetic self-pity… Sephiroth didn't know he could have it in him.
/--Seph,--/ the deceased SOLDIER started quietly, /--please listen to me.--/
Sephiroth swallowed hard, beautiful face drained completely of color and tearstains prominent on his cheeks, aqua eyes red-rimmed and puffy. He felt like a mess, and he knew he must've looked it, too.
"What do you want, Zackary…"
Zack made an indiscernible noise and murmured, /--I think we have a slight problem here…--/
"That is the understatement of the century, Knightblade…"
/--No, a really, really big problem.--/
The silver-haired man sighed heavily and cleared his throat, eyes fluttering shut as he brought a hand up to wipe at his cheeks. He felt like such a weakling, letting himself fall apart like that… nevertheless, Sephiroth asked, voice shaky and toneless, "and what might that be…?"
/--Ansem's… um… gone…--/
"I'd have imagined that's a positive, Zackary…," Sephiroth stated emotionlessly.
/--See, normally it would've been, but, the guy did just rape a little kid.--/ He paused a bit before continuing, /--and… there's a couple more problems…--/
"And I will kill him for that." The ex-General sighed and placed his palms on the floor, pushing himself into a sitting position. He put his face in his hand and bit his palm hard enough to bruise before he asked, "…and what are the others?"
/--Number one being… I don't… uh… know where we are… exactly.--/
He sighed again and tiredly shook his head, silver hair pooled on the floor around him, strands caught on several of the feathers of his wing, but Sephiroth couldn't bring himself to care. "And?"
Zack frowned internally. /--I don't know how to get us out.--/
Sephiroth growled and slammed his palm on the floor, suddenly very agitated with everything around him. "Tell me then, Zackary, is there anything that you do know?"
/--I know that Ansem's gone…?--/
The silver-haired man rolled his eyes. "I'm aware," he remarked, dryly.
Another mental frown down, Zack added, more upbeat this time, /--I also know that now's the time to break that stupid door down.--/
"And will I be attacked again?"
/--Probably not…--/
Sephiroth wiped his eye with a knuckle, smiling thinly and without humor. "Now, why is that?"
/--Duh, Seph, because the prick isn't here to screw with you for messing around.--/
A silver eyebrow perked up curiously as Sephiroth shook his head at his friend's rather obvious statement. "Touché."
------------------
The two men sat in the pink Gummi ship, making good time on their way to the Coliseum. Leon's skill piloting the vessel was astonishing, expertly weaving through asteroid belts and random debris, shooting down invading Heartless craft with the ease of a professional. The man never lost his cool while shifting from battle mode to standard driving, never broke a sweat, barely batted an eyelash as a barrage of shots burst from the Tiny Bronco's mounted cannons and lasers.
And Cloud was bored. His companion hardly talked when he piloted the ship, and, though Cloud could see why, he wasn't happy about it. A part of him wanted to shake Leon from that place he holed himself up in in that shaggy-maned head of his just long enough for Cloud to figure out why he felt so damned attracted by the former SeeD.
Leon captured his interest from first sight, but the blonde didn't have the faintest idea why that was so. Although Cloud had only male lovers in the past, he never thought himself to be strictly gay, considering very few men actually turned his head in that sort of way… but then again, not many women turned his head, either. There was Aerith, and Tifa before he met Sephiroth, but… surprisingly, the blonde couldn't remember any other people he took more than a fleeting interest to.
So… what made Leon so special…?
Yes, Cloud would be the first to admit that Leon was very attractive, but his personality was less than stellar and definitely left something to be desired. He seemed to want nothing more than for people to leave him alone, purposely distancing himself from those around him by acting so cold and aloof all the time.
Maybe that was why Cloud wanted Leon so badly… because of the fact that he somewhat reminded the blonde of the one he loved and lost by his own hand, the one who returned but was still just out of reach…
[…I don't want to think about this anymore…]
Watching random numbers on different panels served to amuse Cloud's wandering mind for a little while, but his boredom kicked in once more. He absently wondered if the majority of the buttons on the Gummi's front panels actually did anything or if they were simply for show, knowing Cid would actually do such a thing - and had, Cloud recalled with a small smile. The crass pilot installed levers and such on the Highwind II, so why wouldn't he do something similar on a Gummi modeled after the Tiny Bronco?
The blonde's hand, of its own volition, drifted towards a particularly large, showy green button, needing to sate that damning curiosity. He was dangerously close to pushing it before Leon slapped it away, and stated. "this ship is not a toy." The sentence made Cloud cringe at the scolding, fatherly tone the other man used.
Rolling his eyes while he rubbed the back of his hand, Cloud responded sarcastically, "sorry, daddy." Leon glared at him.
"Don't act like a child." The mercenary simply huffed, then pouted.
Like a child.
He brought his hands into his lap and wrung them together, amazed at how much the gold of his claws contrasted with his pale fingertips. Cloud didn't know why, but he was reluctant to remove the claw anywhere but in the shower, and that was only because he didn't want to accidentally poke his eyes out or scratching anything while washing himself. Sometimes he imagined he did so because it was unfair to Vincent, to have the simple ability to remove the claw at will when his former teammate couldn't, the claw an ugly reminder of the man who wrecked so many lives in the pursuit of 'science'…
Cloud sighed, now thoroughly depressed, and rested his chin against his collarbone.
"…I wonder if Seph'll be there…," the blonde murmured absently, staring at his hands.
Leon looked over at him briefly, head tilted. "'Seph'?"
"He's… the one I was looking for. My Light. He was my first, and will be my only…love…" Cloud shook his head and chuckled lightly. "I know how sappy that sounds, but…," he trailed off, shrugging.
"…'he'?"
[…you must've known, Leon, come on… even I'm not that clueless…] "Yes… 'he'. Do you have a problem with that?" Cloud asked, harsher - and bitchier - than he intended.
Leon's lips quirked upwards in a sad smile, eyes fixed ahead of him as he maneuvered the Tiny Bronco expertly through outer space's many obstacles. "No." He bit his lip and added, "we always remember our first loves, Cloud, no matter who they are…"
[…should I even ask?]
"What about yours?" the blonde asked, wincing. He hadn't been able to stop the words from tumbling out.
The gunblade wielder hesitated, brooding intensely. Cloud cursed himself for asking the other man something so personal, especially since he was always so reluctant to share anything about himself above petty details. "…do you mean my Light?"
Cloud blinked. The other man's tone wasn't angered or harsh, but merely thoughtful and uncharacteristically fragile. "If you wish…"
Leon let out a pained sigh. "…my Light… burned out…," the brunette replied quietly. Cloud noticed the other man was gripping the controls of the Gummi ship too tight for comfort, nearly bending the metal of the shifters as he unconsciously squeezed. Leon's face had hardened considerably, but his greyish blue eyes were glassy, possibly even threatening tears.
Quickly Cloud looked away, the anguish reflected from the other man's face palpable. "I'm sorry, Leon," he murmured, biting his lip.
"…it's alright."
Cloud faced the other man, shocked that he hadn't replied with his usual '…whatever'. Tentatively, the mercenary placed his hand on Leon's shoulder and patted it lightly. When the brunette didn't brush it away, Cloud prodded softly, asking, "what happened?"
The taller man's jaw set, facial muscles taut beneath his near-flawless skin. He drew his eyebrows thoughtfully, hands on the controls still tensing and relaxing. "…she was like an angel…," Leon started, and let out a ragged sigh before continuing. "It's hard to remember what happened, exactly… I was holding her… and…," he shook his head, "I don't know… she got away from me. She was smiling… I remember a bit, but…"
Cloud stayed silent as he unconsciously patted Leon on one well-toned arm, just to let the other man know he was there. He wanted to comfort him and show him that he was his friend, and was willing to listen to whatever he had to say. Cloud silently told himself that he would not push for the entire tale if Leon didn't want to go on. Instead, he would simply let the brunette set the pace of the conversation and stop whenever he wanted to.
"I can't… I think we were in a field, or a garden…? It was a familiar place, for me…" The man frowned, biting his lip in contemplation. "And I gave her… something… it was important…" He shook his head, eyes never breaking from the windshield, steering instinctively through the star field. "I've lost so many memories, Cloud…," he trailed off, voice breaking. "It's been so long…"
Cloud frowned slightly. If Squall wasn't so busy piloting the Gummi, the blonde would've gotten up and hugged him tightly, let the other man cry on his shoulder; he seemed to need it. "I'm sorry, Leon…"
"And there was… another person…" The brunette cleared his tightened throat uncomfortably. "But I never told…," he started before he licked his lip and frowned. "I… no, just… nevermind that."
[…eh?]
Leon laughed bitterly, brushing a piece of hair from his face. "You know… I didn't like her at first."
"Really?" The brunette nodded.
"Yeah. She was so…," he made a circling motion with his hands, searching for the most appropriate word. "So annoying. Pushy. But she made me… I don't know… care?" He fell silent for several minutes, just driving before he spoke again. "She meant a lot to me, but… I can't even remember her name anymore…"
Cloud slid his hand over the other man's arm soothingly, a saddened and concerned look in his eyes. "You'll remember eventually…" Leon shook his head slowly, taking in a ragged breath.
"There's nothing coming back, it just all… goes away, as time wears on." He shrugged, head tilting back, and blinked rapidly. Cloud knew he was fighting back tears and chewed on his lip, furrowing his brow. But seconds later, Leon scowled.
"Don't touch me," he spat angrily, face flushing.
The blonde flinched as the older man's emotional barrier shot itself back up and hastily removed his offending hand.
[…well, shit.]
The trip passed relatively silent after Leon's revelation, the two only exchanging occasional grunts or murmurs when they passed items dropped by random Heartless ships, Cloud skillfully controlling the Osmose-G from the passenger seat's attachments panel, scooping up the contents to be sifted through after they returned the ship to Cid.
Cloud was in awe at the things they passed as they traveled, marveling at the clusters of stars and nebulae. It seemed some stars had faded as they flew, there in the distance as they approached but turning black as the time passed. He remembered briefly that Aerith mentioned those fading stars were other worlds being eaten by the Darkness, as was the case for the Planet… it was insane to think of how many there were still going out.
"We're almost there," Leon broke in suddenly, bringing the smaller warrior back to reality. The older man's voice was weary, dark circles clearly visible under greyish blue eyes.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," the brunette muttered, still frowning in the same way he was, back when they last said more than two words to each other. Cloud was, of course, a bit worried at the detachment, growing more afraid that Leon was going to close himself off before the two could actually become friends - something they both needed.
"…you look tired."
"I'm not," Leon growled.
The blonde sighed shakily, rolling his eyes. [Gods forbid someone tries to reach out.]
Leon jerked his chin towards Olympus, the distance closing rapidly between the tiny ship and the world. For a moment, Cloud thought they were going to crash into it as it became bigger and bigger, the brunette not slowing until they were roughly a few hundred miles away - a distance that they could close very, very quickly on the Gummi. But, Leon was a deceptive driver and slowed quickly but cautiously, landing the Tiny Bronco expertly at the large docking station.
The place outside of the Coliseum's courtyard was surprisingly bustling and full of life, vendors lining the streets dressed in togas, selling foodstuffs, clothes, even pottery. Leon's eyes gazed at a cart selling handcrafted jewelry on thick leather cords, most of the charms made of shells and beautifully polished rocks. Cloud noticed, too, that the inhabitants seemed rather happy on Olympus, despite its oftentimes dry and too-hot weather.
…then again, Cloud always wore the cape and that agitated the heat, so…
"We should find an inn for tonight," the older man muttered as the two of them walked along the streets of Olympus.
"There's one," Cloud said, quickly pointing at a small hut with a tablet announcing its purpose hanging on the front, surrounded by several other small structures made of tan stone slabs. "…do they take munny here in the town?"
Leon nodded, hands latching onto his belts due to a lack of pockets. "Yeah. They get a lot of… tourists, I guess you could call us." He tilted his head to the side and added, "they rip us off, too."
The blonde raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Welcome to real life."
"Hold on… weren't you staying here?"
Cloud shrugged, feeling absolutely stupid. "Well… I was, but not in the town… Phil let he stay in the Coliseum and he usually took care of everything else…"
"…what, you never got bored with staying in one place for an entire year?" the brunette asked, sounding more amused than anything. "Curiosity never got the best of you? You never wanted to see beyond the courtyard walls?"
The mercenary frowned. "I participated in tournaments nearly every other day, all of my free time went into training, and the only thing my mind let me think about during that entire time was my own guilt, so no, I never did." Cloud swallowed the lump building in his throat and shook his head. He sounded like a pitiful loser and he knew it, but he couldn't bring himself to stop. "…I really didn't give a shit about the world passing me by, only because the one I always wanted wasn't by my side."
"Settle down," Leon murmured, "I was just curious."
The two men made their way to the inn and reserved a 'room', paying 350 munny for one night. Leon was right - they ripped out-of-towners off big time.
But the space itself was nice enough; it was clean, at least, and stocked with a lot of furs for the chilly night air, and decorated meaninglessly as most other inns were. Pots painted with Grecian gods and goddesses of legend and tall ferns stood about the small area; Cloud had to wonder which they were paying more for, the room or the decorum.
Yes, the room was sufficient - the only flaw with it that Cloud could see - even though, in his mind, it wasn't a technical flaw - was… the single bed-mat on the floor.
"You can take the bed if you want," Leon offered, gesturing to the furs. "I can sleep on those."
The mercenary raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Really?"
"If you want it, I don't care."
Cloud furrowed his brow, head tilted. "Wouldn't you be more comfortable on the bed?" In all reality, the bed didn't look that comfortable either, but he supposed it didn't really matter…
"…whatever."
The blonde sighed and turned around, looking out the hole in the wall - the equivalent of a window - and studied the inhabitants of Olympus once more.
"Cloud?"
"Hmm?" The blonde turned to see Leon standing a few steps behind him. His body didn't seem composed as he stood a bit awkwardly, shoulders slack, weight precariously balanced mostly on one side. He had a slight blush on his cheeks, his mouth off to one side contemplatively. Leon had his head tilted, eyebrows knit together as he nibbled the inside of his cheek… it all seemed so very not 'Leon'.
Still, Cloud knew he wanted to say something and stayed quiet.
"…I…," he started, one hand bobbing up and down on a wrist as he fished for words. The brunette sighed and shook his head, swiftly giving up with a frown and growl. "Never mind."
Cloud raised eyebrow at the other man. Leon looked flustered for some reason, and angry, but going by body language, he couldn't make out quite why.
"Let's just go tell Phil you're here," the older man sighed, tossing his belongings onto the pile of furs.
"…alright."
They made their way to the Coliseum, weaving through hordes of people as they gave the pair interested stares. Leon was dressed in his usual leather, though instead of his jacket he wore a vest, with a tight black tank underneath it, zippers running up the sides. He had foregone his gloves for the sake of comfort, as Olympus was too hot for so much extra clothing.
Cloud, on the other hand, seemed to have on everything he possibly could, in a loose blue t-shirt and his usual SOLDIER-style pants - with even more superfluous belts than he normally wore, several around his arm going from his wrist up to his bicep a la Leon. He added a few extras around his left thigh as well, one containing a sheath and a small knife he brought, just in case there were pickpockets looking for prey or a fight, since he left the huge Buster Sword back at the inn.
However, the cape was a necessity, or so he liked to think. But he couldn't deny that he was uncomfortable in the dry heat; it was all evident from the sweat on his forehead and the exposed flesh of his arms.
"Why don't you take that thing off?" Leon asked, tugging at the cape. "You look like you're boiling."
Cloud frowned, pulling the mantle away from the other man's grip. "I need it. Besides, I'm fine, I've dealt with it before."
"You're a terrible liar, Strife." Cloud waved his hand dismissively at the comment as they walked through the gate, into the Coliseum's courtyard.
A line of people were lined up in the courtyard, purchasing tickets for the next day's event at the last minute. The two men were jeered at as they went past them, nearly all assumed the two outcasts were cutting in line. Cloud resisted the urge to flip them off with his clawed hand as they stepped into Phil's small office. How the hell did those people not recognize him? He was a champion at those tournaments not that long ago…
"Hey, kid!" the stout goatling grunted, waving Cloud into the room. He nodded quickly at Leon before his pudgy face turned into a grin. "See ya made it t' register!" His burly arms crossed, barely making it around his chest. "Last minute, though," he said, near-glaring at the blonde.
"It wasn't my fault, Phil," he replied, gesturing to Leon. "His partner didn't tell me about it 'til today."
Phil shook his head and frowned. "Ah well, kid, 'least yer here." The satyr drew his eyebrows together, forming a rather large crease in the middle of his forehead. "Where you been, anyway?"
"Staying in Traverse Town."
"Ah… I heard about that place," Phil nodded and waddled to his desk, hooves clacking loudly on the stone. He scribbled something on a sheet of papyrus with a piece of black coal, handing it to Cloud when he finished. "There. Just some stuff ya need for tomorrow," he said, gesturing with a plump hand.
"Thanks, Phil."
"No problem, kid. Now don't be late this time, alright?"
"Hey, I said I was sorry." Cloud looked at the ex-SeeD, gesturing to the exit. "Wanna go?"
The other man nodded and they both left, heading back to the inn for the night to rest up before the Hercules Cup.
During the walk, the blonde had a chance to study the gunblade wielder, noticing for the first time a tattoo wrapped around his upper arm in some sort of solid black tribal design of intertwining curvy lines, tapering off into sharp points. He figured he must've been too hung-over to see it the last time he saw Leon without a shirt… it was cool, though.
"I like your tattoo," he said, jerking his chin at it.
Leon looked down at his arm and shrugged. "Someone I went to school with dared me to get one when I was younger," the older man replied, smiling faintly. He gave Cloud a sidelong glance before closing his eyes and finishing, "he had one on his face just like it."
"Did you say on his face?!" the blonde sputtered, disbelievingly.
"Yeah. He had it… I think as long as I knew him…?"
Cloud bit his lip and cringed, curiosity getting the best of him once more. On the subject of markings on the face… "Leon… if you don't mind my asking… how did you get your scar?"
The other man winced momentarily, a hand absently making its way up to his face, running down the length of the mark. "…let's just say it was a gift from… my… friend. An old friend." He drew his eyebrows together and clicked his tongue before continuing. "He's got one to match, though."
Slyly, Leon smirked and drew a line from his left eyebrow to the right side of his nose with one slender finger, crossing over his scar in the opposite direction.
Cloud snickered slightly. "So you were what, scar-buddies?"
"…something like that."
The blonde pressed his lips together. "Do you remember his name?"
"Of course!" Leon replied hastily, startling the mercenary. He noticed Cloud's questioning glance and shook his head. "Sorry… it's… or was… Seifer."
"'Was'?"
The brunette shrugged. "I don't know, so whether to use present or pasttense…," he trailed off, hooking his thumbs into the mass of belts about his hips.
Cloud bit his lower lip and sighed slightly. "I'm glad you're telling me these things, Leon." He smirked and added, "it makes me think you don't completely hate me."
The other man rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "I couldn't hate you, Cloud."
A blonde eyebrow raised then fell, deciding not to push the subject.
"…anyone else you want to talk about?"
Leon shrugged. "Why don't you tell me about someone," the taller man suggested as they stepped into the room.
Cloud took the offer to go in first, immediately removing his cape, belts and shirt before flopping carelessly on his stomach into the bed-mat, uncaring about his wing at that moment. He was tired and the trip to Olympus was slightly taxing; though it wasn't near as bad as it was as a teenager, Cloud still felt some aftereffects of motion sickness… and it sucked.
"I'd rather talk about you," the blonde suggested, "I still barely know anything about you."
Leon sighed and sat on the thick pile of furs in the room, long limbs splaying carelessly about him. He leaned his head back, quietly staring at the ceiling for a moment before speaking. "I already told you in the ship: I don't have very many memories from back then."
"Tell me what you can remember, then."
The brunette heaved another sigh. "Fine. I can't recall where I grew up… but I have flashbacks sometimes of a bunch of kids, though, so I'm assuming I was from a big family… I remember a little bit about my dad, though, but…"
Cloud shot the other man a pained look. "You can't even remember your family?" he asked gently. Leon shook his head.
"Not much. But, I do remember some things after, like SeeD." His head lifted as he asked, "I mentioned SeeD before, right?" Cloud nodded and the brunette put his head back down again. "Well, I attended training in a place called Balamb. It was a very unique building," Leon said the word 'unique' as if it was a joke, "huge place. Everything was tinted either blue or grey… it was actually rather futuristic…" He smirked before he continued, "…and it could fly."
The blonde raised an eyebrow. "It could fly," he asked, though it was more stated than questioned.
"Well, it was a military thing. On the off chance we were attacked, we could relocate." Leon paused to shrug. "And that happened, and the rumors were true. Balamb… flew away."
Cloud snorted loudly, pressing a hand to his forehead. "You realize how idiotic that sounds." Leon shrugged again.
"I try not to think about the more mundane details."
"I don't know, a flying building isn't exactly the epitome of 'mundane'," he replied, earning a short laugh.
"Whatever."
Cloud folded his arms under his head, glad the day was cooling down considerably, and that the older one was opening up to him. [Which reminds me…]
"I was wondering… why do you call yourself 'Leon', if your real name is 'Squall'…?" he asked, resting his cheek on his arms, tiredly.
"…my other one brings bad memories." The older man laughed bitterly. "Most of the only memories I haven't completely forgotten…"
The blonde sighed heavily. "I'm sorry I brought it up…"
"…whatever…"
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A/N: Chapter revised 7/09/04. Added around 2400 words, even though by this chapter my writing had gotten more descriptive… unfortunately. I just added a bit more of Zack's… thingy… thing… and more explanation of the motives behind the rape… ngh.
I still hate this chapter, it's still abysmal, and it still gives me the creeps. I hate my Ansem. That part was written when I was in a really shitty mood, and, well, it obviously reflected that… so, yeah, that's the explanation for shitty Seph/Zack/Riku angst with its stupidly dark, trippy overtones and gothic imagery and all that other pretentious bullshit, which would've been avoided entirely had I been in the right state of mind. -.-;
…and Cloud's half still irks me. -.- Thankfully, this sack of crap is one of the shortest chapters, so that's good, at least.