Darkness Rising

By Chibi Nataku

Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)

Chapter 1 - Walking into the Void

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

Cloud sat quietly on the edge of the bed, hands folded in front of him as his gaze strayed on to the small playing child at his feet. He felt a fond smile pull at his lips and reached out to pat the smooth sandy locks of the little girl, the daughter of his now deceased friend and ally. He forced more of the smile into being when shiny aqua eyes turned to regard him and the little girl smiled warmly back at him.

"Cloud, when are we going home?" The little girl asked quietly, turning herself to fully regard her caretaker. She wrapped thin arms around one of his muscled legs, resting her chin on his knee. Her bouncy gaze never left his face, but she was sad to see that the smile faltered and a pained expression slipped into its place. "We aren't going home...are we? Those black things that hurt daddy...they won't let us go home, right?"

Cloud slowly nodded and clenched a silent fist. He cursed himself for being unable to save his friend from the heartless, but he had managed to fulfill his ally's final request to save his daughter. He felt his heart ache for how his life had managed to turn itself upside down without him realizing it until it was far too late to correct. Still, he reserved himself to get back his home when his wounds had healed and little girl at his feet was old enough to be on her own. He refused to allow the heartless to have his home forever, even if it took his life to get it back.

He looked down at the little girl who was still watching him. She was much too perceptive for her own good at such an age but such thoughts brought another weak smile to his elegant features. "Aerith, are you hungry? I could make you something."

Aerith silently shook her head, settling her cheek on the blonde's leg, refusing to release her hold on him. She had let go of her father's hand and now he was gone. She wouldn't let Cloud go because he was the only one who cared enough to storm through all of Hollow Bastion to find and rescue her.

She knew little of Cloud except for the fact that he was a Royal Guard of the planet, one of the best. She remembered him always being around as she grew up, a constant partner to her father who had always been a gentle man. Cloud was like a second father to her, always taking care of her when she needed something and even baby-sitting her when he probably had much more important matters to attend to. She remembered the bedtime stories that he used to tell, but now those stories were rare. She noted that his warm smile was even rarer than his stories now days.

Aerith looked up into Cloud's face again, seeing the young man in deep thought. She climbed to her feet and leaned over him, studying his features intently. She touched his cheek before looking into the oceanic depths of his eyes, emotions and untold wisdom swimming in and out of the pools. "Cloud? How come you look so young? My papa had grey hair, and he said that you were older than he was."

Cloud chuckled softly and lifted the little girl on to his knee, balancing her as he considered his answer. He was not so sure that she would understand how old he really was, but he reserved himself to answer her question. "I guess its because I don't age anymore. I will look like this until the day that I die."

"How come? Can I look young and pretty forever too?" Aerith asked, smiling at that thought.

"Well...I don't think that you can. You should want to grow up. Sometimes, I wish that I could." Cloud lifted his hands and began to braid sandy locks in front of him, an act he had not done in quite a while. "Lord Ansem wanted his most prized Royal Guards to be able to fight for him for longer than most so..." Cloud paused and drew a deep breath, memories leaking forward. "He used a very rare spell to make certain people stop aging, like me. He didn't want us to get old and have to leave his court."

Aerith glanced back at the blonde. "So, you can't get old?" She cocked her head to one side in thought when he silently shook his head at her. "Does that mean that you can't die? Will you be with me forever?"

Cloud looked at the blanket beside him, closing his eyes slowly. "Oh, I can die, just not of old age. My death will come in battle, or so I hope."

"But, you can't die in battle! You're the best warrior ever!" Aerith smiled and swiveled in one smooth motion so that she could look at the blonde in the face again. She giggled when he looked questionably at her. "I saw you fighting those black things! They couldn't touch you because you were so fast!" She bounced on his knee slightly, almost excited as her mind brought forth the images of the blonde's glorious battles to save her. "You even beat General Sephiroth! I saw you! You saved me from him! I saw! I saw! You are the best, Cloud! Everyone said that General Sephiroth was unbeatable, but you did it!" Aerith wrapped her arms around his neck. "You saved my life, Cloud. Please don't go away, not yet, not ever."

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

"Aerith!" The word shot from Cloud's cool lips as his mind suddenly jarred itself back into consciousness. His eyes shifted about his current location, blinking several times in an attempt to get his gaze to focus. When he could see around him again, he sighed heavily with the fact that he was alone in the dark. "Aerith...she's safe. I left her in Traverse Town...She'll be alright."

He let his head fall back against to cold stone wall behind him and checked himself over now that the aches and pains of his body demanded some attention. He noted that the bruises that had laced together had faded into sickly yellow blotches that were just as quickly disappearing. The claw marks had been reduced to small scratches, except a few that were covered over with yellowing bandages that matched in with his bruises perfectly. His muscles ached because of his upright position of sleep and long battles before he had been trapped in this cell. All of his clothing, which had not amounted to much anyway, had been removed and replaced with silky white material that covered only his waist and tied in the front.

His most severe injury was his left hand, which was missing. He had lost the appendage during his battle with Cerebus, one of the dog's maws catching him off guard as he fended off the other two. It was in the loss of his hand that he had beaten the mystical creature, mostly because pain was often the only thing to make him angry. He had been furious and blind to his own pain after that, allowing him to win, but he was paying for it now that he looked at the stump where his hand would normally fit. The wound was still aggrevatingly sore, sending shooting pains up his arm and into his shoulder blade. He wondered how he was going to wield his blade properly with only one hand now.

He didn't have long to wallow in self-pity before a small green creature slipped in between the bars and trotted over to him, wide toothy grin making the winged demon's nose even larger. He flicked the demon off of his leg where it decided to climb to regard him more closely. "Buzz off."

"But I saved you! You should thank me! If it weren't for me, then you would be one dead man." Panic grin and wiggled its eyebrows, leaning over the blonde's wounded arm. "Ya... nothing I could do about that hand, pal. I couldn't wrestle it away from Cerebus so... you'll just have to get another one later."

Cloud rolled his eyes and looked away, shifting in his position so that he could stand, quickly noting that the cold shackles that kept him in this place were still attached and holding strong. He walked a few steps to test his footing, wincing as the stone floor beneath his feet seemed cold enough to burn. He continued to ignore the little beast that was following him as he paced and stretched out his arms, forcing his muscles to relax. He wriggled in the silky cloth that he had been put into, finding the material all to restraining; it also did not cover as much of his thighs as he would have liked.

Eventually, he turned to regard the small lithe demon at his feet, cobalt blue eyes searching it before he finally spoke. "How long do you plan on keeping me here? I have business that I would like to attend to." When the little demon took a few steps back, he followed with steps of his own. "I suggest you release me if you want to keep all of your parts."

Panic looked around and took a few more steps back, grinning when the blonde's chains only allowed him to move a small distance. "I can't do that. The boss will be pissed if I let you out, but don't worry about it! He said that he would drop by to see you today...when he finds the time I guess." Panic edged forward a few steps when the blonde growled and retreated away again. "Hey...um...Can I ask you something?"

"Only if you come in smashing distance to me." Cloud looked over his shoulder, quirking an eyebrow when the green demon did walk within reaching distance. "Fine, ask away."

"Is your hair naturally like that?" Panic asked, grinning madly now.

Cloud felt his shoulders slump and shook his head. If he had a munny piece from everyone that asked him that, he would be a very rich man. He swiveled gracefully on his heel to face the little demon. He leaned down towards it, letting his good hand reach out to grab it, surprised when it did not back away from him. He stopped when he could flick it away again. "Yes, my hair is naturally blonde."

Panic blinked in confusion. "Hey, that's not what I meant!"

Cloud smirked and stood up again, turning his back to the lithe demon. "Too bad. I answered your question now leave me alone." He walked back over to the spot where he had woken from and leaned back against the wall, silently thinking of ways of escaping this prison. He refused to stay here when there was too many questions and denials moving through his mind like the tides on the sea. He simply had to know.

Briefly his gaze flicked to the demon before leaving again. Soon enough, his gaze returned and a small smile crossed his lips. He knew that this demon might not know all the answers, but the answers it did know, it was probably stupid enough to give him if he asked. He nodded to himself. "Hey, you demon, tell me something. Have you heard of a man named Sephiroth?"

Panic thought for a few seconds before snapping its fingers and nodding its head vigorously. How could it have forgotten about that man? No, it could never forget, mostly because it had been that man who had nearly killed it years before. "Yup, he was a real trouble-maker or something. Kept drinking blood to keep his memories and such... of course, then he would try to kill and eat the other spirits... only got away with that one a few times before the boss got tired of him doing that. I haven't seen him around here in a long time."

Cloud crouched down, all too interested in the information. "Why? Where did he go?"

Panic grinned and flopped down on the floor, trying desperately to think of what its master did with the silver-haired man. Again, it snapped its fingers when the answer made itself clear to it. "Oh yeah, the boss made special arrangements! He said something about not wanting that guy around so he...uh...oh, what did he do...?"

Cloud was progressively leaning more forward, but he jumped to his feet when his senses suddenly screamed that he was no longer alone with the little creature, eyes narrowing as he saw Hades looking displeased. He looked to the little demon again, hoping that its memories would serve his purpose more quickly. "Go on, what?"

"Panic, what are you doing?" Hades stepped into the cool cell, gaze flicking from the blonde down to his servant. When Panic jumped at his presence, he grinned and waved a small hand. "I don't remember telling you to get all warm and fuzzy with my prisoner. Does 'fix him up' sound like 'detailed conversation' to you?"

"Uh...maybe?" Panic said innocently, ducking under Hades' swatting hand. It took quick movements to flee the area as quickly as possible, hiding behind a nearby rock to watch the two men. It hid again when Hades looked back towards it and made shooing motions, quickly retreating away.

Hades waited until Panic's presence vacated the area, turning back to gaze intently at his fingernails. Slowly, he raised his gaze to regard the blonde, looking over the young man's injuries. "Well Spiky, you seem to be in snoop-tastic health. So glad that you could stay in the land of the living...well, more or less the land of the...nevermind." He took a few steps forward, grinning when the blonde took steps away from him. "Hey, that outfit looks good on you. I hope it isn't too tight. The size numbers down here are all screwed up so getting anything above a petite is a bit difficult...you know, with all the dead down here and all..." Hades sighed when Cloud did not even attempt to break off a neutral expression. "Riiiight...no sense of humour. It must have slipped my mind."

Cloud leaned back against the wall behind him, crossing his arms across his chest. He studied Hades for a few moments before clearing his throat. "You have answers to questions that I have. I came down here to get those answers, but you didn't appear to be in the mood to talk with me so I let myself in. Will you give me my answers now?"

Hades quirked an eyebrow and chuckled softly, now pacing slowly back and forth in front of the blonde. "You know kid, I like you. You seem to have things straight, your ambitions and all, I mean. You know what you want, much like I know what I want. We're kind of similar, except for the part where I'm a god and you're...a puny mortal who I'll end up seeing at one point or another." Hades took a step towards the young man, grinning. "If you help me with one small problem, I would be more than happy to give you all your answers." He snapped his fingers, causing a contract to materialize in his hand. "All you have to do is sign this here contract."

"You must think that I'm a complete idiot." Cloud replied coolly.

"Well...you are blonde. I kind of assumed..." Hades took a few hasty steps back when the young man's eyes flashed dangerously and Cloud stalked towards him to the chains end. "Okay, okay, a little touchy on the whole blonde thing. We can do this a different way if you really want." Hades smoothed down the folds of his robes and smiled a toothy smile. "Come on Spiky, what do I have to do to get you to have a little trust in me?"

Cloud tugged at the chains around his wrists in frustration. "I'll trust you when you let me out of these chains and answer my questions."

"How about this, Blondie? You ask me one of your questions, and I'll answer it as truthfully as any god or goddess out there would and you will negotiate a nice fluffy contract with me? Sounds good, right?" Hades walked over to the blonde and wrapped an arm around the young man's naked shoulders, pulling the blonde close. He bent to whisper in the blonde's ear. "I'll even give you a free tid-bit of information. That little friend who you were asking about is no longer in a...dead state."

Cloud felt all the muscles in his body tighten and his hand clench until his fingernails drew blood from his palm. How could this have happened? Why wouldn't that insane bastard just leave him alone? He forced himself to take a long deep breath, closing his eyes as if pained. In fact, all of his aches and pains seemed to heighten with this new information, making his body shudder in exhaustion. He refused to have it end like this. "Alright, why is he back from the dead?"

Hades grinned and patted the blonde's shoulder. "Well, he and I had a long talk about what I had to do to...know you...make him stop attacking the other souls and drinking any source of blood that walked through the gate...gods included." He looked down at the blonde, smirking cruelly when Cloud seemed too consumed with this information. His plan was working better than expected. "See, he wasn't too happy about being dead so...he promised to stop all the killing if I would bring him back from the dead. I agreed, to keep the peace as any loving god of my realm would, and he wandered off or something."

Cloud sighed heavily, his worst fears coming to life. Despite this, his fear was not for himself. He knew that he was more skilled than the former General; the fact that he had killed the madman once was proof enough of that. It was the fact that Sephiroth was a very prideful man and would probably vow vengeance upon him that made shiver jump up his spine. He was worried that Sephiroth's vengeance would fall on the heads of those who he had acquaintances with, possibly Aerith or anyone else that he had made vague contact with and could be seen as an ally. He knew that Sephiroth would most likely strike at his heart before striking at his body, and it was a fact that he dreaded the most. It appeared that his worst nightmare was attempting to swallow him up again.

He tried to think of the time when it all started for him. Perhaps it had been when he had first met the General when he was a small boy during the parade. Perhaps it had been when his constant idolization of the man had ceased to exist. Perhaps it had been when Lord Ansem had noted his skills with a blade and his sheer determination to break from the mold of the other boys that desired to be just like General Sephiroth. Perhaps it had been when he resigned himself that he would only be himself. Perhaps it had been the time when he bested the General in a sparring match and refused to gloat about it.

There were so many times when he could have bent to act like someone he would never be, but he had downright refused and held his head high. It had been when his mother had passed on that he was determined to be his own man. He had dropped all of the silly ideas of being a clone of the great General and decided to be an equal with the man. He forced himself to grow up and recognize his own worth and skills, honing them so sharply that he bested anyone that stepped into his path as a fighter. He refused to let such victories go to his head and remained constantly somber and respectful of his quickly rising position among the Royal Guards. He had been an honourable fighter always, but a competitive athlete that was striving to be better than anyone else.

It had been a goal that he had nearly touched, but it was not to be for the General never wanted to be undermined by a spiky blonde whelp. Cloud had bested the General on his own playing field, and it was clear that such a thing desired special attention, which he had often sluffed off with a shrug of the shoulders when he was confronted. He would never bow to the whims of another. He would be himself and be proud of that. He would never be Sephiroth, and he would never want to be. He was Cloud Strife, forever and always.

Cloud broke from his mussings and looked sharply at Hades, their gazes locking as he searched for silent answers. "Answer me one more thing, and I will make a deal with you like you want."

Hades blinked and considered, tapping his fingers on his cheek as if in deep contemplation. He hummed and hawed for several minutes as if this decision was one that required all of his attention. Eventually, he grinned and patted the top of the blonde's head as if pleased with himself. "Sure thing, kiddo. Ask one more question and then we talk business." When Cloud opened his mouth, Hades lifted a finger. "Just one! I have an appointment with myself to stew in the darkness of my throne room that I simply cannot miss!"

Cloud quirked an unimpressed eyebrow and silently shook his head. How had he managed to fall prey to this god and end up in his dungeon? Perhaps he had hit his head on his sword blade and rendered himself unconscious. He shook off Hades' arm around his shoulder and walked a few paces away. "Did Sephiroth say anything about me that would indicate that he wished vengeance on me or my comrades? Tell me that in all honesty that you can muster and I will help you get rid of your problem."

Hades had to resist the urge to wriggle his fingers together and laugh evilly. Instead, he smoothed back his flaming hair. "Would I do anything less to a mortal soul who is currently in my clutches to do as I wish to whenever it suits me?" He grinned, letting all of his pointy teeth show, folding his hands behind his back as he thought of the best way to answer such a question. He began to cock his head from side to side as if trying to draw up a memory of the past. "Hmmm, I remember wondering if he dyed his hair, then something about him nearly decapitating Panic, then..." He returned to thinking silently, playing up all the drama that he could if only to amuse himself. "Oh yeah, real stiff guy, not much of a personality, good poker player but he cheats. Overly fond of preening himself."

Cloud could only shake his head in slight frustration, clenching his fist tightly. Would he ever get a straight answer from the God of the Underworld? "Answer the question, Hades." He growled softly, noting how the god stopped to regard him.

"Fine, fine...almost as stiff as Zeus on a good day." Hades cleared his throat and leaned back against the wall behind him. "Yeah, I remember him muttering something about how he couldn't believe that a spiky no-good could defeat him. He then said something about him holding claim over you...real creepy. Said he owned you." He grinned as the blonde's face hardened. "Geez, I wouldn't want that guy after me. I think he has some real possessive qualities that he needs looking after. I bet he wasn't held enough as a child."

Hades left his post at the wall and walked over to the blonde, wrapping an arm around his shoulders again. "Now, about that deal we are going to make." He grinned when Cloud slowly looked up at him. "Here's how it will go, Blondie. You kill one person that has been a thorn in my side for too long in an upcoming tournament that I'm organizing, and I will help you track your possessive little friend down and you two can *work* out your differences. Sound good?"

Cloud sighed heavily and set his jaw. He needed to find Sephiroth before the silver-haired man tracked him down, which might be any time. He refused to have Aerith and other allies pulled into his fight with the former General. If Sephiroth wanted to place a claim over him, it would be over his cold dead corpse for he would fight until death before he gave in to another. He would need help finding Sephiroth though, which was where Hades might come in handy.

Slowly, Cloud nodded. "Who is it I have to kill?"

"Oh, just some stupid dolt that thinks he is the biggest thing since the creation of the universe. Really, it should be no problem for you considering how far you managed to get into my realm without dying." Hades chuckled at the thought and pulled the blonde closer. "His name is Hercules, and he's kind of...one of many sons of Zeus, but really kind of...annoying to me. All you have to do is kill him."

"Then you'll help me find Sephiroth?" Cloud asked softly, taking a side-ways glance at the god beside him. He had a slightly sneaking suspicion he was playing into Hades' hand. Still, a small sacrifice for information would be worth the trouble.

Hades felt a sinister grin pull at his lips. "Sure thing, Spiky. I'll help you find your annoying little friend." He leaned down to whisper in the blonde's ear again. "I'll even throw in a bonus of some power and a new hand, but..." He snapped his fingers so that a contract materialized between them. "You have to sign this here contract so that we understand each other, kay?"

Cloud picked the beige thick paper from the air, bringing it closer so that he could read the contents of the letter. He could find nothing that raised his suspicions about any other intentions that Hades might have for him, nor any contents that they had not agreed upon. He sighed and nodded, blinking as an ink feather appeared in his hand. Slowly, he signed his name and handed the contract back to Hades. "There, happy?"

"More than you could ever fathom." Hades smirked and transported the contract to where all of the others were, filing it away for safekeeping. He turned to regard the blonde, eyes trailing up Cloud's body. "Hmm, how about a new hand since you seemed to have lost that last one. I doubt you can swing that sword of yours around with only one hand, eh?"

"You'd be surprised how many people I've defeated one-handed with that sword." Cloud shifted his weight and glanced down at the white material clinging resolutely to his hips. "Real clothing would be nice though. This outfit...hinders me."

Hades looked at the tight silk before raising his eyebrows. "I bet." He snapped his fingers, smiling when the chains around the blonde's wrists and ankles fell away. "Come on, Spiky, let's get you acquainted with my realm and...some new cloths for you. Just follow me...as quickly as that outfit will allow. I don't want any of my short minions to lose an eye."

Cloud set his jaw and resisted the urge to walk away from the god. Stiffly, he fell in line behind Hades, keeping his glowing eyes on the cold stone beneath his feet. He shifted back and forth behind the god as he walked, gaze moving to the shadows that seemed to reach out to touch his flesh. Each time, he shifted away from those shadows suspiciously, occasionally speeding up or slowing down to avoid contact with them. He became aware that the god in front of him was noting his every movement, and he choose to ignore this, lifting his chin in defiance. He did things his own way, even if no one else understood his reasoning.

Hades glanced behind himself occasionally, smiling to find the blonde increasingly edgy as they progressed further into his realm. He found his smile falter slightly as his gaze picked out a shadow trailing much too intently behind the blonde warrior, an occasional leather-clad arm snaking out as if about to seize the young man. He cleared his throat when that arm came a little too close for his comfort, smirking when it drew back into the shadows only to be replaced by narrowed glowing aqua eyes. 'You just signed your contract. Are you so willing to breech it and loss this pretty little sucker for all of eternity before you've even had a real crack at him?' Hades shot the mental thought towards the hidden warrior, almost chuckling when it seemed to retreat back a few steps and trailed more pleasantly. He didn't want to be stuck with the blonde without even trying his skills out first.

Cloud had a sneaking suspicion that he was being watched, but every time he looked over his shoulder, his gaze could pick out nothing from the shadows. He kept on his guard, mostly ignoring the scenery as it changed, instead looking for any sign of attack against him. He was so intent on protecting his back that he failed to notice Hades stop when they had stepped into a small circular room, nearly running into the god's back. He managed to catch himself at the last second and step to one side to avoid the physical contact. His gaze shifted around this room as Hades closed the onyx door behind him.

Compared to the other rooms in Hades' halls, it was quite small, room enough for only a handful of people. The walls were blacker than night, absorbing all of the light into its murky depths. Only the sickly green veins that laced through the stone and shimmered against the blackness gave off any luminance. The floor beneath his feet was covered in black veins that were warm under his skin, pulsating as he shifted his weight from side to side. The room was completely bare except for the black obsidian rock that jutted from the middle of the floor so suddenly that it appeared to have been created for that single look. Set upon the pedestal of endless black, encased in four pulsating veins was a large glowing crystal that shifted colour every so often. It made the room seem much colder than it actually was.

Hades smirked at his gaze ran over his prize possession before turning to regard the blonde beside him. "So Spiky, how do you feel about flying?"

Cloud cocked his head to the side in confusion to the sudden question. He had never flown before, except on the Gummi ships that Ansem employed. The only other flying experience that he had was when he was soaring through the air after being slammed back in a sparring match. "I haven't flown much. Ansem ratherly left Hollow Bastion until he was near the end of his reign."

"Ever been air-sick?" Hades asked as he leaned down to gaze more levelly with the blonde.

"Uh..."

"It's terrible, take my word for it. I've never seen so many green faces in one place until the day Zeus held a chariot championship for the lesser gods. It would have been amusing if they had managed to hold down their meals on the fly-overs." Hades shuddered as the memories made themselves clearer than he had wanted to remember. He shook his head to rid himself of the images of that time. "So, how about it?"

Cloud quirked an eyebrow. "You want to teach me to fly?"

Hades looked the blonde over and grinned. "Well, you aren't very aerodynamic with all those spikes flying everywhere. However, you are a warrior so ramming your head into something hard probably won't make you lose anything important. If anything, I will laugh." He quickly noted the glare he received and cleared his throat while looking in another direction. Obviously trying to joke around while being completely insulting was not working on the blonde. Perhaps the warrior was smarter than he let on, though Hades highly doubted that.

"Let's get this over with, shall we?" Cloud said in the least annoyed voice that he could muster, taking a purposeful step forward, gaze fixed on the glowing crystal.

Hades smirked. "If you insist..." He took a few steps towards the center of the room, lifting a hand over the crystal that shifted deep blue then black. He looked over at the blonde and grinned. "Try not to struggle too much. It really is a lot easier if you sit down... though in that outfit, you may want to reconsider." He concentrated slightly, feeling the room darken considerably and the veins pulsate more vigorously.

Cloud looked around the room suspiciously, shifting his weight almost nervously. He was not so sure about what he should expect to happen. He felt the hairs on the back of his neck snap to attention as the temperature of the room dropped considerably and the veins beneath his bare feet began to shift. He stepped away from the shifting veins, slowly moving towards the door of the room, gaze shifting around him as the shadows began to pull off of the walls and form strange shapes that moved in his direction.

He let out a surprised gasp when his next step backwards stopped him as his leg seemed to sink into the floor up to his knee and the veins suddenly wrap around his body. His attempted to pull himself back to more solid ground, but several veins latched onto his wrists and began to burrow into his flesh. He forced himself to remain calm as his other leg sunk into the floor and the veins covering his flesh refused to allow him any movement as they seemed to consume him. Cloud glared at Hades as the strange little shadow creatures touched his arms and began to melt against him, so cold that his skin went instantly numb. "Hades! What...?!"

"Like I said, try not to struggle. It only makes it worse." Hades grinned cruelly and flexed his fingers. "Just give in to the darkness like a good puppy, and it will end sooner. You have my word that things get easier from here, kiddo."

Cloud would have snarled a reply had several veins not wrapped around his throat and began to slip beneath his skin painfully. He felt the blackness slip over his shoulders and begin to swallow his face. He resisted at first until he came to realize where he had felt something like this before, so long ago.

The 'spell' that Lord Ansem had used on his guards felt so cold, almost painfully so. It had sucked him into forever despair as it altered what it wished in his body. In the darkness, Cloud had felt as if his heart would be ripped from his body and torn into thousands of pieces, but he had set his jaw and fought against the despair that encased his body. He had been altered, but he had remained with a free mind and heart, carefully set walls protecting him. He felt the coldness every so often running over his skin, sucking the life from his grasp, but he always pulled it back. He would never give in to such a horrible feeling.

He let out a small cry of pain as the same blackness washed over his gaze, the same coldness melting into his flesh in an attempt to grab hold of his heart and squeeze. He felt like thrashing about, to scratch at his flesh in an attempt to remove the vile shadows from covering him completely, but he could none of that. He wrenched himself backwards, fighting to remain in control even as the shadows crawled through his veins, spreading to every corner of his body. He felt his body changing in a manner that his mind could not fully grasp in all of the pain that clouded him and nearly drove him to panic. Yet, he did not because he knew it would solve nothing in this predicament. He fought as though he were fighting an opponent on the battlefield, shifting his footing until the cold feeling that encased him began to fall away, the shadows that were grabbing for him melted away.

Cloud took a sharp intake of breath as warm sweat slipped down his cheek and fell to the floor. His eyes slowly opened to find himself on his hands and knees on the same floor as if it had not moved at all, warmth slowly washing over his flesh. He felt his muscles trembling to hold him from slipping completely to the warm floor, his gaze snapping to his left where a new hand was in the place of the lost one.

He forced himself to sit back on his haunches, gaze crawling over the new appendage as he lifted it closer to his face. The flesh was completely black up to his forearm, thin but strong muscle clinging to a previously non-existent bone. His fingers were less fleshy and more demonic looking, the last two joints on each of his fingers replaced with hard yellow claws that flexed as if he had always had the strange appendage. It felt alien to him, yet all the same, it seemed as familiar as his old hand.

He struggled to wobbly legs, nearly sinking down to his knees again had Hades not set a hand on his shoulder to steady him. His glowing gaze swept over his appearance almost desperately, trying to locate any other abnormalities on his body that did not make themselves known to him. He remembered some of the changes that Ansem had told him about after the first time he had been exposed to the darkness. Aside from his hand, he appeared to be completely normal and intact, just like it had been when Ansem forced the darkness to swallow him.

Hades looked the shaky blonde over with some confusion. The darkness should have done more than put on a new hand and a single demonic wing on the young warrior. He was certain that the blonde would have been completely transformed by the darkness; he had seen it done several times before using it on Cloud. He noted that the blonde was extremely taxed of energy, as if the warrior had fought a trying battle. Obviously, something must have gone wrong, and he would be sure to tell Maleficent so when he next saw her. How was he supposed to rule the world if the darkness that all Heartless stepped from couldn't even change a simple mortal over?

Cloud reached a trembling hand up and pushed his sweat-soaked bangs from his eyes, gaze shifting to the side as he stretched out his shoulders. Something seemed different, something that did not feel right at all. He looked behind him and made a rather unceremonious cry as his gaze was greeted with a demonic wing resting against his flesh. Without even acknowledging his tired muscles, he shifted away, turning himself in a savage circle in an attempt to dislodge the appendage, grunting when he fell back to the floor, now staring up at the God of the Underworld. "What did you do to me?! This is not part of my contract!"

Hades quirked an eyebrow at the unchecked anger in the blonde's voice, taking a step away as if to get a better look at the warrior. "I see nothing that we didn't agree on." He folded his hands behind his back when the blonde gestured to the wing. "Hey, that looks good on you. It gives a real edge to your appearance. By the way, you might want to cover yourself."

Cloud growled before realizing that Hades was being serious, glancing down at himself to find that he was indeed sitting in the nude. He brought his knees up to his chest and reddened in frustration at the manner that Hades avoided his demand. "I didn't agree to this!"

"Well, you didn't *not* agree to it either. Besides, you signed the contract after reading the thing about me giving you power to wield and that is just what I did. You aren't calling me a liar, are you?" Hades went to the door casually and flung it open, smirking as a grey package fell at his feet. He picked it up and threw the contents to the silently fuming blonde. "I took the liberty of getting you real clothing, just like I promised. Don't worry, Spiky, you'll get used to that new addition. I guarantee that you'll like it."

Cloud looked down at the package beside him and reluctantly unwrapped the contents. He was surprised to find it to his liking as he slipped on the navy blue material, impressed that the clothing fit him perfectly. It was very much like his old uniform he thought as he fastened the belts around his waist and tightened the leather that held the new shoulder pad in place over his left shoulder. He looked himself up and down, pleased. The only part of his appearance that was met with disproval was the folded wing on his back. "I want a cloak."

Hades quirked an eyebrow. "For what? To add to your already dramatic appearance?"

"To hide that ugly thing. I don't want it out." Cloud stepped from the room with slow steps, allowing his muscles to relax back into holding his weight. He fixed the brown leather gloves on his hands and shifted the metal hip armour more comfortably before looking over to Hades. "You change me back once our deal is done."

Hades grinned. "If that's what will make you happy, Spiky." He wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and began directing the warrior towards his throne room. "Come on, I'll show you around so you can get started on your training."

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

Sephiroth leaned against the onyx door where the shadows still covered him, gaze fixed on the back of the blonde following Hades away. The cruel smirk that was set across his features could not be washed away as he folded his arms across his chest. He was pleased with Cloud's new appearance, almost as pleased as he was with the thought that soon the blonde would be his property again. It was only a matter of time.

"Soon my little canary. Soon, I will have you caged so I may watch your eternal struggling. Your wings are spreading wide, my little canary. Soon you will take flight from the darkness that could never capture your heart...right into my grasp where you will fly no more. The darkness can never have you because I own you." Sephiroth pushed off of the stone door and slipped up the path silently, gaze fixed on the back of the blonde, an almost pleasant smile forming on his features. "Fly high, little canary so that I may enjoy it when you crash down before me...."

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

shivers Oh, I like that ending way too much. Geez, I think that I really like writing an insane Sephiroth and an overly humorous Hades. I'm not sure if Cloud is the somber middle ground between the two, but it sure is great to watch them dance around him.

I suppose that I should really write a bit more of the dynamic that got Cloud and Sephiroth to this point, and I might just do that in small spurts throughout the next bunch of chapters. Probably the Kingdom Hearts game timeline will be popping up in the next chapter or two so Cloud beating up on a duck, dog, and child will commence.