Author's Notes: Wow. I'm back awfully fast. I figured that since it's a holiday and I'm sick with nothing to do anyway, I might as well write another chapter. I hope you all like it.
(Reviewers thanked at the end.)

The Burning Puzzle
"Interlude: Keep Going"
By: Locked

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"If you come across fear, stare it in its eyes. Face it and you will notice that fear fades away."
J.Krishnamoorthy
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"So? How'd it go?"

Cloud had only just walked into his apartment, barely putting the keycard back into his pocket for safe keeping. He was not in the mood to see the god again, especially when he was obviously expecting some good news. The tone of his voice had sounded smug, enough to tell the blond that if he should nothave the information the god wanted, there was going to be a serious issue at hand.

He saw the blue flames before anything else, glowing eerily in the corner of his living room. Cloud then cast his gaze over the god, taking in what he saw carefully. Hades was sprawled on the red recliner, his elbow leaning on the arm rest to support his head, his yellow eyes narrowed with anticipation. The blond braced himself internally, keeping his face as neutral as he possibly could. "Not so good."

"What do you mean, 'not so good'?" Hades was standing up before Cloud could blink, standing over him with a glare in his eyes. "Should I refresh your memory?" he raised a spindly hand to his right temple, massaging it in circles, "Not so good is not an answer, Cloud!" When he looked at the face of his minion, he read the look in his eyes with great skill. A smirk then rose onto the corners of his lips, an amused glint flickering within the back of his yellow stare. "Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that you only just met, and you two already had a fight?" He laughed, pointing a long finger in the blond's face, "How is it that you already managed to screw up?"

"He's the one who was an asshole. If you want to blame someone, blame him!" Cloud took a step back, glaring daggers at the god. Thinking that he had no more to say, he turned his back on him and stepped over to the coffee table to pick up a box of matches, beginning to light some candles in the room for source of better lighting.

"What happened exactly?" Hades advanced on Cloud, appearing in front of him. He was massively invading the man's personal space by standing between him and his desk, stopping him in mid step from lighting a green candle.

Cloud sighed and walked away from the god again, staring at his feet as he went to attempt to light another candle. He could not really explain what had happened without feeling like an idiot, only because it had been so childish on his part. Everything was taken personally with him, and someone's bad attitude was automatically taken as a personal attack. "We just didn't hit it off, okay?"

"No. Not okay. What part of, 'we need him on our side' don't you understand? I really don't care whether or not you like him! Befriend the lion and bring him to me!" The volume of his voice had risen with every word, until he had finally been screaming at him. His flames turned a horrific scarlet and blazed on his skin, showing the extent of his rage brilliantly.

"I'm not a tamer. If you want your stupid lion, go get him yourself."

The flame's died back down into blue, and Hades brought his hand to his chin, stroking it thoughtfully. "I guess all of those spikes running through your head really did let loose the hot air."

Cloud attempted to ignore the snide remark, working on the fifth candle with shaking anger. He took a deep breath and put the matches back onto the coffee table, hoping to occupy himself with something other than the god in the room. His plan was just to ignore him and pray that he left, though that would never happen. Persistent was a good word to describe Hades, next to persuasive and manipulating. He would never stop until he won, which was just what he planned on doing.

"You're going to suffer through this, my spiky headed compadre, because, quite frankly, you don't have a choice," his voice shook with silent laughter, rubbing in the fact that Cloud was stuck doing as he was told. "And you very well know that I will make sure the job gets done, whether you make it out alive or not."

"What's that supposed to mean, 'if I make it out alive'? I don't remember you ever saying anything about my life being at risk here." Cloud spun on his heel to stare at the god accusingly, his eyes narrowed and arms crossed. His wing was fanned out at full length, making him look bigger and more intimidating than he actually was. A demonic look was laced in his glowing gaze, his jaw set and face like stone.

"When dealing with a lion, Cloud, there are always risks. If you piss him off, don't expect to live through it. He's not nearly as lenient as I am, and he won't put up with the hissy fits you throw."

"Hissy fits? I don't throw hissy fits!"

"You're throwing one now!"

"You know what? Whatever! Go somewhere, all right?" Cloud threw up his hands in aggravation, sitting down on his couch in one solid motion. He looked as though he should have been pouting along with his attitude, but all he did was stare at his carpet indignantly and wish Hades away.

"Look, you were given a job, and you will do it. If you don't, I can easily take away what little you have left. There are more lives than your own at stake." That smugness had returned to his voice, dripping from his lips and burning holes into Cloud.

"This isn't between anyone else, Hades! Don't get anyone else involved!" The blond now sounded frantic, and when the god began to laugh at him, all he could do was stand up and stare at him in disbelief. If he had not known any better, he would have attempted to kill him right then and there, but he knew that it would be incredibly useless.

"If you don't want anyone hurt, I suggest you get out there and do your job! Go become buddy-buddy with him, make him trust you, and bring him back to me! You can do it; I picked you for this job for a reason! The two of you are similar enough to find a common ground, and if you would just try to become his friend, then you easily could!"

"I don't want to be friends with that heartless jerk, damn it!"

"Like you have a choice?"

"What is it about him, anyway? Huh? Why do you need him so damned bad?"

"He's vital to 'the plan'," Hades put his fingertips together, sneering down at Cloud. "He's a needed soldier in our game. The fates saw you bringing him to me, and there is no way I'm letting you mess it up!"

Cloud stared long and hard at the god that stood before him, studying him crucially. So he really did not have a choice? The decision was already set in stone? He let out a defeated sigh before he lowered his gaze to the floor, his arms raising to hug himself.

"I'm glad you've come to see things my way," a smirk once again produced itself onto Hades, his hand going on top of Cloud's head to ruffle the spikes teasingly. "I'm giving you a month, which is plenty of time to get close to him. If you've not accomplished this by the time this month is out, I will take extreme measures. Your light will die, I'll see to it myself." Standing up straight to cast a tall shadow over Cloud, he then added, "And to make sure you're on task, I'll receive reports from reliable sources on your progress weekly. So don't screw up this time, you copy?" Without waiting for a reply, Hades was gone, leaving black smoke in his wake.

The young man collapsed onto his couch, staring up at his ceiling with disdain. He hated working for the god, and he hated how he would have to be the one to play the ultimate betrayal with someone, despite whether or not he liked him.

He then rolled over so that he was facing the head of the couch, closing his eyes in pain. How am I supposed to pull this off? It was going to be harder than he bargained for.

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Author's Notes: It's not much, but it's only a filler between chapters. Trust me, each piece will all make sense in the end, I'll be sure of that.
Thanks to my reviewers! I'm going to thank you all individually now. I'm sorry I didn't last time, I meant to, but I was lazy. So, here we go:

AngelD - Thanks for your review! A dark sided Cloud is enough for anyone, huh? Oh yeah.

Pyrofirepower - (x2) Ha-ha. Thanks, chiquita. You're an awesome balentime, you know that?

Yersi Fanel - Glad you like it! Thanks!

Chess88 - I want my cookies, you. He he. n.n Thank ya'!

Schu - Couldn't have Leon falling all over Cloud at first sight. He's not like that. . Stupid mean Leon. Can't answer your question about the key, though. You'll have to keep reading to find out.

Dimonyo-anghel - Wrote more! Thanks!

Thank you all very much. You guys keep me going. ;) Hugs and kisses to you all. And a happy Valentine's Day!
Please review!