Notes: Ahhhh! I completely forgot about Hades!! Thank you for reminding me, Shattered Diamond! It took some thinking, but I think I've figured out how to work that. o.0 Thanks for all of the reviews and sorry it took so long to update! My muses have wanted FFX2 stories. o.0 Oh... by the way... we're pretending that Selphie, Tidus and Wakka aren't the same ones from the game.... just to clear up any confusion...


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Nightmares and Propositions


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"Hey! Where ya goin'?"

The voice made Leon jump.

"Look, I'm sorry I yelled at you.... I've just had a rough day.... fuckin' Chicken wouldn't shut his mouth, Quistis kept trying to tell us both what to do... it was just hell..."

Leon wanted to scream. The ever-present hole in his stomach, the one that seemed to drain everything away and devour him, surfaced. He was washed in despair. He didn't want to do this again. He was already walking a thin line, he wasn't sure if he could handle this right now. If he had something with him, he would have killed himself right there. Just grabbed a knife and plunged it right into his heart. He doubted the dream would let him, though. No, the dream wanted him to suffer, to hurt, to remember.

Leon knew he was going insane. Now he was talking about a dream wanting to hurt him.

"Please, come back in... it's late and it's cold out here... come back to bed with me..." The voice was soft, pleading.

"Not again..." Leon whispered hoarsely. But yes, here it was... again.

"Oh, come on Squall, quit being a dick! I said I was sorry, okay?!"

Leon gritted his teeth, feeling the bile rise up in his throat. It was always the same... he could never prevent it... try and try, to no avail...

"Squall, I'm telling you-...... what the fuck?"

Leon was running before he was even aware of it. He knew what was coming. What was always coming. Over and over again, it was haunting him. He knew before long, the screams and cries would start. The clashing of metal as weapons hit the floor. The sickening thud as bodies fell mere moments later. Then the terrible darkness. The darkness that swallowed everything and everyone, leaving only him behind. Always him. Why did it have to be him?! Why couldn't the darkness have 'spared' someone else?! Then again, on second thought, he wouldn't have wished this on anyone else.

Leon ran and ran until his sides ached, until his chest felt like it would explode from lack of oxygen, until he could run no more. He fell to the ground, panting. He couldn't tell if it were tears streaking his face or sweat. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"No matter how far you run, no matter how hard you try, you're still going to fail."

Leon's head jerked upward at the voice. He felt his heart wrench as he meet cold, dead, emerald eyes. Eyes that used to sparkle with happiness, narrow with anger. Eyes that used to glaze over with passion. Now they were dull, lifeless. Leon never wanted to see those eyes again.

"Time and time again, they will kill us. But they'll spare you... they'll let you live..."

Leon lowered his head into his hands. "I... I didn't want to live..."

A hand gently cupped his chin, lifting him up until once again he was staring into those dead orbs. "But... you did, Squall..."

"I tried to protect you." He whispered hoarsely.

There was only a flicker of emotion in the dead eyes before they resumed their hollowness. "And you failed."

Leon would have loved nothing more than death at that moment. His mouth could form no words, which was okay, because he didn't know what to say other than repeated apologies and wishes.

"But it's okay." He continued, letting go of Leon and raising his arms to the sky. "I'm with the darkness now. You should come sometime, Squall!" His voice grew in shrillness, louder and louder, pounding into Leon's head. "It's so lovely down here! There's nothing but death and more death! We all suffer!"

Suddenly Leon felt arms grabbing him, pulling him close. "It's okay... you're just dreaming... wake up, Leon..."

Leon's eyes fluttered open. He looked wildly around the room, his gaze landing on the man who held him. Cloud.

Leon quickly pulled away from the younger blonde and sat up, wiping at his face, which he knew was tear-stained. "What do you want?" He whispered, trying to sound cold, but not managing to pull it off.

"I heard you crying." Cloud said simply.

"Well, I'm fine now. You can leave."

"What happened?" He asked, not moving.

"I. Said. You. Can. Leave. Now." Leon replied through gritted teeth. He didn't want Cloud here with him. The only person he wanted here was the person he had failed the most.

"But, Leon... I..."

"Go."

Leon heard Cloud sigh, stand up, and then walk away. He sighed in relief when he heard the door close. He lied back down on his bed, covering his face with his hands. He took even, steady breaths to calm himself.

Leon always had the same dream. It never varied. Leon tried to say something different, to do something different, to save them all, but it never worked. He ended up saying the same lines, hearing the same things, watching the same scenes. It was madness. Complete and utter madness.

He was too afraid to close his eyes. He knew the images of Seifer would be there if he did. They always were. It wasn't that Leon minded seeing Seifer in his mind, as it strangely brought him little comfort, it was those eyes. Those dead, vacant eyes. They scared Leon more than anything else did. More than the darkness, more than the Heartless, more than life itself. Seifer Almasy was not meant to have dead eyes. Seifer was a vibrant, passionate person. He was all feelings, emotions. To see him so... lifeless... was a horror Leon had never wanted to know.

Leon sighed and turned on his side, clutching his pillow. It was going to be another night without rest.

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Cloud stared at the wall, not really sure what to think. He had woken up because he had heard Leon scream. So he had went to him. After knocking on the door several times and receiving no response, Cloud had taken it upon himself to open the door and walk right in. Sure, Leon might have killed him, but oh well. At least he had tried.

He had been surprised to find Leon asleep, the sheets twisted around him, a look of abject horror on his face. After a few brief seconds, Cloud had realised Leon had been having a nightmare. And from the looks of it, it had been one hell of a nightmare.

He had went to Leon and held him as the older man tossed and turned, whimpering in his sleep. Cloud hadn't been sure when Leon had started sobbing, but he knew his shirt was soaked from the never-ending tears. It had pained Cloud to see him in such agony. Cloud couldn't decide if he was more angry or scared by Leon's actions. Scared because he had never seen Leon such a mess, never knew Leon to look so... small and vulnerable... Angry because Leon wasn't supposed to be like this. He was a strong man, albeit distant and cold, but strong nonetheless. That whimpering, crying mess he had encountered in his room was just not Leon. And Cloud was angry at whoever or whatever had caused him to turn that way.

Cloud didn't know how long had passed when Leon suddenly let out a scream. It was one of those blood-curling screams, loud enough to physically shake Cloud, loud enough to wake the dead. Cloud had been surprised that when no one had come running to see what was wrong.

After a few moments, when he had recovered from the shock of hearing Leon scream like that, he had figured out that it had been a name that Leon had screamed out.

SEIFER!!!!

Cloud didn't know who this Seifer was, but Cloud knew enough to know that it was probably the reason Leon hurt so much. Maybe Seifer was Leon's best friend, a family member... or maybe... whoever he was, he was obviously very important to Leon... and he had obviously died at the hands of the Heartless.

Cloud sighed. He didn't know what to do, how to help. If could have raised the dead, he would have, just to see Leon happy again... Cloud hadn't encountered such blatant pain in quite a while. The last time he had seen that look was when he had... wait a minute...

Raise.....

Raise the dead......

...........

.....the dead.....

Raise.

The.

Dead.

...........

Cloud wanted to jump up and shout, "YES!" Of course! Raise the dead! The tournament tomorrow! Cloud knew Hades was bound to be present and Hades was the ruler of the dead. If anyone could restore life to the dead, it would be him.

Maybe it wasn't the best plan in the world, but it was worth a shot. Tomorrow, at the tournament, Cloud would approach Hades and seek out his help. He'd have to be careful, though. A creature like Hades could not be trusted- at all.

Cloud was too excited to sleep. Finally, he'd found a way to help Leon. There would be no more nights of nightmares and tears. No more harsh words or empty gazes. Yes, if this worked out, then everything would be okay. Or, at least, Cloud hoped it would.

Cloud glanced at his clock, willing time to move faster. 'Come on, come on, come on...'

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"You competing in the tournament today?" Leon asked evenly.

Sora nodded. "Yup!"

"Good luck." He said, pushing himself off of the wall and looking down at the kid.

"Yeah, you too."

Leon began to walk away.

"Hey! Who are you partnering with?"

Leon stopped. "Yuffie."

"That's cool! But you know we're gonna beat you, right?"

He rolled his eyes at Sora's obvious teasing. "I doubt that."

"You'll see!"

Sora watched as Leon walked away. That man was just cold. Sora got the distinct feeling that Leon didn't like him, although he wasn't sure why.

Sora sighed to himself and leaned back against the wall. The tournament would begin soon and Sora could hardly wait. He hoped against hope that Riku would be there. His only wish was that he would find Riku- alive and well. So far, though, he had had no luck. That didn't mean he would give up, though. Riku wouldn't give up on him.

Sora began to wonder who else would be in the tournament today. He knew Cloud and Yuffie would be there... but who else? Maybe Kairi had enrolled, but he knew that was unlikely. Fighting wasn't Kairi's thing. Maybe she'd come to watch, though. Finding Kairi would be wonderful, she was one of his best friends and all, but he wanted to find Riku most of all. And a tournament was just Riku's kind of thing. So, maybe...

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"Let me get this straight... you want me, to help you? What are you going to do for me?"

Cloud looked up the blue, fiery man, keeping his gaze calm and even. "What do you want me to do?"

Hades tilted his head to the side, considering this for a moment. 'Hm... the kid is well built... I'm sure he could get rid of Hercules for me... then, afterwards, I could just kill him and everything'd be fine...' "Okay, kid. You got yourself a deal. Just do one thing for me."

"Yes?"

"I want you to enter the tournament and kill Hercules."

Cloud wanted to question him, but thought better of it. Questions might make him change his mind, and then the plan would never work. "Okay."

Hades smiled. "Kid, you're not going to regret this."

Somehow or another, Cloud doubted that. He was sure the Great King of the Underworld would try to dupe him somehow, but he wouldn't let him. He'd be on his guard twenty-four seven. No one was going to screw this up now.

"Hey, guys!! Get ready, the tournaments starting!"

"Good luck!" Hades called, walking away into the shadows.

Cloud sighed to himself. He didn't suppose this would be easy at all....

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"Alright, Leon! Let's get 'em!"

Yuffie's energetic voice was enough to make Leon sick. This was not a pleasant journey, like she was acting. This was a test of strength, endurance, of power. Leon was determined to win the tournament. He would prove to everyone that he was not some weak fool.

Leon drew his weapon, Hyperion, and got in stance to fight.

Yuffie looked over at Leon, his face blank, his eyes cold. She wanted to roll her eyes and tell him, "Hey, relax! It's only a game!" but she knew it wasn't just a game to him. No, for Leon, this was a test. She knew Leon felt like he had to prove he wasn't the weak fool that he thought he was. No one else would ever consider Leon weak. Leon was one hell of a fighter, not many could stand against him. But, Leon thought otherwise. 'I failed to protect my people, my loved ones, so I must be weak, blah, blah, blah.' That kind of logic did not bode well with Yuffie. It was pure crap to her. She had failed to protect her friends as well, but at least she had the good sense to realise it wasn't her fault. She had done all she could. The Heartless were just too great in number. It was like trying to push a ten thousand-ton rock uphill. Don't care who you are, it just ain't happening.

Now, if only she could get Leon to realise that.

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Author's Notes: Well? Good? Bad? Ugly? Again, if you notice any grammar mistakes/spelling mistakes, don't hesitate to let me know.... one of these days I SWEAR my beta will return from the great wilderness... o.0 And I promise the next chapter will be longer!