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 2 - Stepping from Shadows

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

Cloud sat perched on a black rock, whittling stone moving noisily as he sharpened the enormous blade in his hands. It was a mindless routine that he did when he needed to slip away from the constant stares and snickers from all of the creatures that resided in the Underworld. He simply desired some peace and quiet for some time.

Luckily, he had managed to wander into a place where he now found refuge from the needling of Hades for some time. He had stumbled upon the outcropping of stone quite accidentally, but the view that allowed his eyes to stare of across the grey plains kept him returning every so often. He often perched on the one smooth black stone that was mostly hidden from view of any that happened to pass by the location, one that slipped behind the cracking walls and allowed the best view of all. The shadows in the stones never followed him to this place, his one true solitude. It was a place where his thoughts could wander to and fro as the spirits far below him did.

He had already spent a week and a half training down in the Underworld. He needed to get used to the changes in his body and the appendage that clung to him closer than his shadow. He felt more strength coursing through his body, increased speed and stamina, and an increase of his old self. He found that he could take down every enemy that he had been placed against, though he was interested to know where all of his enemies wandered off to afterwards.

His new hand suited him well, taking up the place as if he had never lost it at all, and he had grudgingly forced himself to take a few flying lessons from Hades. His training with a wing was far slower than his training with a blade. He had managed to get his hands on a tattered red cloak to hide the ugly appendage when he was not using it, and he admitted that his appearance with the new material suited him well. Though the material covered it well, he could not get used to the new appendage, one so much like the one General Sephiroth had sprouted after Ansem's spell. It was part of the reason that he loathed the wing so much.

Before the wing's appearance on Sephiroth, the General was a proud but restrained individual who seemed secure of the fact that no creature would ever defeat him. Cloud had defeated him once in a sparring match, but they had both shook it off as a mere fluke. However, the wing brought about a vengeful edge to the General. Cloud began to feel his movements followed and Sephiroth always seemed to show up at the least expected times. The General's attention seemed to be set squarely on Cloud in a manner that made him uneasy about the whole thing, a strange desire that haunted his steps until the downfall of Hollow Bastion and the General's death. Sephiroth had been waiting for him and the smile that had crossed the General's face when he arrive to snatch Aerith away still sent shivers up Cloud's spine. He remembered that the General had said only one word to him before their battle began, a word that made him clench his fists in anger. Sephiroth had merely pointed a finger straight at him and issued the word "mine."

Cloud shifted on his feet, rising from a crouched position on his obsidian rock. He tucked the whittling stone back into his pocket and began to wrap bandages around the sword's blade for the purpose of bludgeoning his enemies rather than cutting cleanly through them; it was a measure he took for practicing. Silently, he clipped the enormous blade to his back and stepped off of the rock. He pulled the collar of the blood red cloak higher on his face to better cover his expressions and turned to walk back to training.

He no sooner stepped into a main hallway when Hades drifted down towards him; he considered turning and walking in the opposite direction as if he had not seen the god. He shoved that thought aside and waited for Hades the reach him. He forced his glowing gaze to the stone beneath his feet when an arrogant grin spread across the god's face at him.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the very brawny warrior that I was looking for. Geez, you manage to pop up at all the right times!" Hades wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and tugged the young warrior along with him, glancing down the height between the two of them. "Okay Spiky, I need a small, itsy-bitsy favour from you for a few hours. I have to wander off to a very important meeting with some not very important people who think that they are important, but I know better because...well, hey, I'm a god and they aren't so I technically know everything that has to do with something and..."

Cloud shook his head and pulled out of the god's grasp, turning to regard Hades fully. "What do you want me to do?" He asked almost casually, not really in the mood to agree or disagree with Hades' latest rant about the god's prestige.

Hades smirked and slapped the blonde on the shoulder. "Damn, I like you, right to the point in every way. It's good to have moderately decent help around here that I can train up and set loose on the masses at a later date but still find amusement with during times of a godly lull." He lifted a hand and investigated the state of his fingernails before looking at the blonde again. He delayed the silence between them for a few more seconds. "Right, I need you, my finely tuned spiky warrior...Heh, that's kind of funny. I'll have to keep that one for another time." Hades made mental note to remember as many insulting names he could think of. "Anyway, you have to come with me to my meeting."

"Fine. May I ask why you need me to come along, or will it be a long-winded speech with more drop-offs than is humanly possible?" Cloud grunted when Hades slapped his back roughly while laughing deeply. He regained the footing quickly and proceeded to only lurch forward with every smack, yet he remained tolerant of the treatment.

"Well, you're my newest toy! I have to show you off to the gang, and it is my godly right to gloat about how much of a good puppy you are. No paper training or obedience lessons required." Hades smirked and again wrapped his arm around the blonde's shoulders, pulling the warrior along until he grew bored walking. He straighten and tugged his robes back into place before turning to regard the blonde standing silently at his side. He reached out and brushed a few patches of dirt from the blonde's uniform. "My, puppy gets dirty fast. Bad puppy, no cookie for you."

Cloud silently rolled his eyes and squared his shoulders. He quirked an eyebrow when Hades' brushes against his clothing suddenly grew into a rough tug forward until he felt his vision darken and the same black energy that had transformed him start to bite at his flesh. He forced himself to endure silently, setting his jaw and closing his eyes to concentrate of keeping his carefully constructed walls around his mind and heart securely in place.

The cold did not last long and he found himself standing in a massive hall that was sparsely illuminated with emerald green fire. The floor beneath his feet was made from marbled stone, a long dark carpet stretching from one end of the room to another that was hidden in shadow. The walls at either side held long tabards with a royal emblem that he did not recognize in rich navy blue and in between each tabard was an equally tall stained glass window that was mostly covered over with the rich red curtains. The room had the same cold feeling as the circular room that Hades left the crystal in.

Cloud wordlessly followed Hades towards the only five occupants of the room. He could make out little of their appearance before of the darkness of the room, but he instinctively raised a hand closer to the hilt of his sword. As far as he could tell, these individuals were powerful and gave off the distinctive feeling that they would use anything within reach to achieve their goals. As he drew closer, he began to make out general appearances.

The first individual that caught his attention was a strange woman dressed in tight black and the lower body of an octopus; he found her loud laughter scrap on his nerves almost as much as her appearance hurt his glowing gaze. However, her laughter did not compare to the creature that looked more like a potato sack than a real person did, and Cloud did his best not to look in that area of the room as the creature swayed back and forth. He next came face-to-face with his first pirate, and he was somewhat disappointed with the quirky, drunkenly idiotic behaviour of the man. He had heard stories about pirates as a child, but this man with his fine clothing, curly black hair and hook did not live up to his expectations. Next to fill his gaze was an obvious foreigner to the group, tanned skin standing out almost as much as the swaying pirate beside him. He instantly felt a narrowed cold gaze fix on him and the man turn his back, giving Cloud a good look at his extravagant robes. Of course, he could not forget the woman who seemed to sink into the very darkness of the room, only her pale green flesh and calculating eyes standing out at all.

Hades rounded on the blonde, covering the warrior from view. He leaned forward so that the other occupants of the room could not hear his words. "Wait right here, Blondie. I'll introduce you in a few seconds, kay?" He stood straight before suddenly bending down again. "Oh, and please don't be a bad puppy while we're here. Just stand here, don't talk to strangers, and keep that sword on your back and your pants on." Hades chuckled and turned to regard the others in the room.

Cloud shifted his weight and kept his gaze on Hades' back as the god walked over to the individuals who all seemed aware of his presence. He shifted his gaze to the floor when they immersed themselves in conversation, studying the carpet under his feet. He glanced over to the shadows that shifted under the green flame, all too aware that he was probably being watched, by what, he could not tell. He did not stare long at the shadows, instead flicking his gaze over to where Hades was approaching with the woman who appeared to be the leader of this rag-tag group. His footing shifted instinctively to a defensive position.

Hades stopped when he reached the blonde, smirk plainly evident. "This is the whelp...I mean, kid I was telling you about. He's got a name, but I just call him 'Spiky' or 'Blondie', sometimes 'puppy' depending on how he's acting." He gestured to the warrior's demonic hand before looking over to Maleficent.

Maleficent took the young man in with a single glance, annoyed that Hades would drag his new toy to one of their meetings. She looked to the god, ignoring his silent gestures. As far as she was concerned, this man had nothing that she desired and quickly passed the warrior off as completely disposable. "We have other matters than are more pressing than your failings. Speak quickly so that we can discuss actual matters that are concerning us. Your toy is no concern of mine."

Hades felt his demeanor shift to completely serious, folding his hands behind his back before meeting the woman's gaze equally. "That cute little darkness magic didn't work on him. It's broken, and he is the proof. He received a new hand and a single wing, not what I wanted at all." Hades settled his shoulders into a relaxed position as he regarded the woman. "How am I supposed to do my share of the work if the ability to control the darkness and make fine warriors is tampered with, hm? Maybe you should take a closer look at him and tell me what went wrong."

Cloud took all of the information in silently, gathering as much information about these people for use at a later time. He already did not like the woman that stood before him, and he could tell that she held the same regard for him. His glowing gaze did not falter in the slightest as she stared at him. He would never give in to such a woman; he had defeated uglier opponents one-handed so she was no problem to stare at stubbornly. He watched her gaze crawl over him before returning to meet his gaze again, and he admitted slight surprise when she took a step away from him. He glanced at Hades.

Maleficent looked at the blonde carefully again, if only to confirm what she had seen. So, Hades was unwittingly controlling a strong heart, one of very few that existed in the entire universe. She could feel the darkness attempting to cling to the blonde, but the man seemed well guarded to its effects. She could tell that his strength was more in the physical realm rather than the spiritual one, an oddity and perhaps a diamond amoung the rough. Still, she could not fully predict the man's temperament, though his stubbornness shone through like a star in the fading skies.

She looked over to Hades before smiling coolly. "Of course it did not work on him. I doubt you even realize what he really is, but I never did ask for your help because of your intelligence." Her gaze shifted back to the blonde and lingered there for a long time, studying him. She had her eye on one quite similar to this man. "Unless you get this one to give into the darkness by himself, he will never submit to your needs properly. He has a strong light that he guards well, but..." She took a step towards Hades, gaze still fixed on the warrior. "If you can find a weakness that will allow the darkness in, he will be yours. I see a shadow in his gaze, a quest that he desires to fulfill. Perhaps you will find your answers there."

Hades glanced back at the blonde before shifting his gaze back to Maleficent, quirking an eyebrow. "What is the twerp?"

"One who has a strong heart. It is not as strong as the Princesses of Heart, but he ranks in the section just below it for individuals who the Heartless wish to consume the most." She looked at the blonde when the warrior's head shot up at the mentioning of the Heartless. She watched a flicker of recognition sweep through the oceans that stared back at her, and a new cold smile pulled at her lips. Obviously, this little one had encountered the Heartless before, meaning that he probably came from one of the recently consumed worlds. She could use such information to finding more out about the man. "Tell me, where did you pick him up from?"

Hades snorted and folded his arms across his chest in indignation. He was acutely aware of the plots forming in the dark-clad woman since he had spent much of his time researching her if only to pick out a few weaknesses. He was aware of her obvious love for converted troublesome hearts to the darkness, but he was determined to keep the blonde under his control, especially now that Maleficent had spoken openly in front of the warrior. He doubted that Cloud would be very pleased with all of the information passing between them in regards to the man's welfare and current state of stubbornness. Still, he did not wish to give up all of his secrets to the woman who continued to watch the blonde with too much interest for his liking.

Slowly, he turned to regard the blonde and made shooing motions, indicating that he wished a few silent words with the dark-clad woman. When the warrior turned and moved out of hearing distance, he swiveled his attention back to Maleficent. "He wandered into my realm a little while ago. I haven't found out which world he stumbled off of yet." He passed a quick glance to the blonde again. "Listen up, you don't say anything more when Spiky is around. I don't want him to get any ideas floating around in that spiky pinhead of his. He's a puppet, nothing more."

"So, you seek to be rid of him once he has done his business with you? If that is the case, I would be happy to take him off of your hands.... He amuses me." Maleficent smiled coldly at her gaze followed every moment of the warrior, noting that the blonde was stepping closer to the boundaries of the shadows that would not hesitate to capture him. Perhaps she could see the man's true strength sooner than she thought.

Cloud glanced back at the two people talking, his thoughts passing briefly over the words that were exchanged between the two in front of him. He knew that Hades was using him for some strange purpose that probably was not worth his time, but he had never really suspected how much Hades had attempted to trick him. He knew that he was strong, but his strength only seemed to be intensified by the subtle praise to his abilities to escape the Heartless that had taken his home. Still, he was not about to bow down and be controlled by Hades, especially now that Cloud knew that the God of the Underworld was controlling to Heartless and had attempted to turn him into one. Such an act was unforgivable and required time and attention to counteract, and he would counter anything that flew his way.

His glowing gaze shifted back to the two individuals still exchanging words, grinding his teeth softly to vent a bit of frustration with his current situation. He noted that the woman's gaze strayed in his direction again, and he shifted himself to give her a good look at his back. However, his defiance was cut short when the shadows on the nearby wall shifted and he took a step away cautiously, letting out a soft grunt of discomfort when an inky black hand shot out and seized his throat. He became immediately aware of all eyes on him.

Cloud felt the Heartless attempting to pull him closer, and he immediately dug his heels into the carpet stubbornly, eyes narrowing in silent loathing. He slowly reached up a hand and grasped the wrist of the creature as other hands began to emerge from the shadow in an attempt to pull him in. He forced a foot back, pulling most of the black creature with him as he rigidly refused to be dragged in by any tainted creature. His grip tightened considerably as he took another step back, bringing the creature completely free of the shadows. His glowing gaze met the golden eyes of the Heartless grabbing at him and his lips pulled back to expose his clenched teeth as his other fist shot out and torn roughly through the oily flesh of the creature, releasing his hold as the flesh melted through his fingers.

His hand immediately shifted to his enormous blade, swinging it gracefully into position in front of him. He smirked when the other inky hands pulled back into the shadows at his intended threat and swiveled the gigantic sword around his arm a few times before resetting it back into place against his back. He dusted off his hands as if they were dirty and turned his gaze to the other occupants in the room, a stony glare settling over his features. He pulled the collar of his cloak back up and shifted his gaze back the carpet at his feet; he made special note not to wander off of the carpet.

Maleficent was slightly pleased with the show that she had received, the stamina and resistance of the warrior shining through clearly. She could use such a man to further her plans, though his obvious dislike of the Heartless could prove a problem unless she found out exactly how this man had come into contact with them. Once she found out where the blonde came from, it would be easy to manipulate the situation to her advantage. However, grabbing hold of such a warrior was the second thing on her mind, and she had a meeting with the others of her group to attend to. "Hades, we must meet now. Bring your puppet if you wish."

Hades nodded silently and motioned for the blonde to return to his side, slapping the warrior on the shoulder when Cloud was in range. "Hey, hey, that was a nice little show you put on there. Trying to impress the ladies, are you? You can be so shameless, Spiky!" Hades motioned for Cloud to follow behind him. "We're just going to have a little meeting so you just slip into the shadows and be a good little puppy. No marking your territory or special puppy greetings in people's crotches."

Cloud ignored the jabs in his direction and followed Hades silently, stopping in the doorway to lean against the cool doorframe, not really that interested in what these people had to talk about. He stared down at his clawed hand, wriggling his fingers as if they were completely foreign objects. He did not listen in on the conversation taking place, but his eyes did stray to the large pool that portrayed an image of a sandy-haired boy. He took the image into his mind with a single glance, his ears catching only the odd word, mostly 'Keyblade master'. At such a comments, he listened in a bit more, his gaze again straying to the laughing boy.

His Lord Ansem had once spoken softly of an object known as a 'Keyblade', a special sword that has the ability to open and close the doors to other worlds. Cloud had passed the ramblings off as his Lord suffering from a strain, but he had noticed that Ansem seemed consumed with finding this object, often sending mercenaries out in search of it all around their world. He had never seen a blade in the shape of a key, but he had come to realize that it seemed to serve a great obsession for his Lord and that Ansem had never really stopped looking for it in all of his years as a Royal Guard. Whatever the blade meant to Lord Ansem, those secrets died along with the ruler of Hollow Bastion when it fell to the Heartless that attacked. All Cloud knew that might hold clues to such things were in a diary that Ansem had written before his death, but that object also disappeared, and he had not been interested enough to seek out its whereabouts.

Cloud did not have enough time to properly study the boy as the image faded and focused in on another boy, one with short silver hair. The murmurs in regards to this were much more toned down and difficult to discern, but the intent was clear from the sounds of their voices. He could only pick out a few words, but none of them forced together to make any relevant sense to him, though 'Princesses of Heart' did mystically float around. He stored all of the information away for further analysis when he had the time and the need to put in the effort. Obviously, these people had a need to grab children for their hidden purposes, which unfortunately, Cloud knew was none of his concern. He had other priorities on his mind, like killing Hercules and finding Sephiroth.

He took a step away from the door when the meeting appeared to be over, moving back into the main hallway if only to keep his distance from the Arabian man that continually stared at him with interest. He heard more than felt Hades approach, raising his shoulders for the incoming slap. He bristled when Hades slipped an arm around his shoulders and began dragging him away from the quickly dispersing people. "Does this mean we're leaving?"

"Wow, you are a perceptive one. Can't slip anything by you, Blondie." Hades ruffled the blonde's hair, chuckling loudly when Cloud recoiled roughly. "Whoa, hair sensitive are we? Geez, it is still standing straight up and jutting out at odd angles so don't you worry." He grabbed the blonde's wrist firmly and grinned. "Hold tight, my puppy."

Cloud found himself back down in the Underworld faster than he had expected, the biting darkness not nearly as rough as it had been on the initial teleport. He immediately pulled his wrist out of the god's grasp and passively wiped his flesh on his pants as if it were covered in a strange substance. He noted Hades' unamused stare and shifted his gaze away. "When do I go up to the Coliseum for this tournament?"

Hades smoothed down his robes and ran a hand through his flaming hair. "Well, since you asked my impeccably over-anxious finely feathered blonde friend, I'll have Panic take you up there soon to enter." He shifted and started to walk away from the blonde, noting the shift of a blonde eyebrow in his direction. "Oh, don't be upset my cutie-wootsie puppy! I would take you up there myself, but I have other business to attend to...you know, all powerful godly stuff." Hades turned on his heel to fully regard the warrior. "You can train your little heart out until Panic comes to collect you."

With his commands set down, Hades turned on his heel and stalked off towards his throne room. He muttered softly to himself on the way, ignoring everything but his thoughts at the moment. He entered the massive room with little grace, merely throwing the doors open and stalking over to his throne where he flopped down in a small cloud of dust from his pillow. He coughed and brushed away the dust, leaning his cheek on one of his hands as his thoughts strayed back to the meeting.

He had reluctantly taken on a new order, aside from attempting to keep the gods from catching on to their little plan and putting an end to any who was stupid enough to stray into the Coliseum looking to be a hero. He really could not believe that he was now stuck having to capture one of the Princesses of Heart; as far as he could tell, she seemed to be protected by a creature that easily defeated anyone that dared stray too close. With such information, he knew that he might have to pull out his big guns to do the job, as much as he would rather just keep his thrump card hidden up his sleeve. Still, it seemed that he had little choice in the matter and it would probably be less of a headache to send the obsessively persistent Sephiroth away rather than deal with the man stalking Cloud's footsteps day and night. Really, Hades had never seen obsession run so deep that one's entire purpose was based around staring at someone's receding back.

Hades sat up straighter in his chair and glanced around his chambers, clearing his throat softly. "Hey, Sephy-boy, get your obsessive little winged butt in here. I have a job for you do for me so hurry yourself up and stop attempting to pet your birdie." Hades did not have to wait long at all as the silver-haired General appeared in front of him in a great display of power. Obviously sending this man was a good idea. "Took you long enough. I had to wait at least a minute and a half. I suggest you show up to work on time, mister, or I'll fire your butt and burn your contract, meaning...birdie-boy is all mine."

Sephiroth remained completely unimpressed, his expression settling on almost annoyed at the disturbance to his previous activities. He relaxed at he regarded the god, one arm resting purposefully on the hilt of his long blade. "I don't believe that burning my contract with have an affect on my property. I have yet to have spoken a word he can hear or place any object in regards to myself in front of him to see; therefore, Cloud is still mine."

Hades covered his eyes with a hand and leaned back in his throne as if he had suddenly been stricken with a headache. "Right, got to remember to get good help with a sense of humour. I will remember this for the next time."

"What do you want? I was quite busy on other matters." Sephiroth replied curtly, wanting to get back to his previous activity. He was so very close to getting Cloud safely within his grasp again, and Hades was only prolonging the time it took to get his property back.

Hades slowly lowered his hand and sighed heavily. "I got a job for you to do, Wonderboy."

Sephiroth remained silent, his mind replaying the name he had just been called. He had been called some of the rudest names under the sun and even some of the most flattering ones as well, but he had never been called anything so stupid in his entire life. He was not sure if he should be offended or not, so he kept his silence instead. He stood almost rigidly, puzzling over the word shot his way before finally settling his thoughts on getting closer to his goal of capturing Cloud.

"Okay, all you have to do is get to this world, easy right? I thought so too." Hades gestured in the air, bringing up an image of a darkened castle on the edge of a cliff, the landscape lit with the sinking sun. "In that there castle, there is a woman that I need you to get your hands on and bring her back here. Easy right? Just get in there, grab the girl, and come back, nothing to it, right?"

Sephiroth studied the image intently, gaze flicking over all aspects that a picture could show him before finally nodded his head. "What does the woman look like?"

"Don't worry, Wonderboy, it's the only woman there. You can't miss her! Just...well, watch out for the talking furniture and happy sing-songs. Things like that could melt anyone's brain." Hades climbed to his feet and called up a photograph, handing it the silver-haired man for a glimpse. "Like I said, just grab her and come back."

"Any other details of this mission that I should be aware of?" Sephiroth inquired softly, suddenly the brunette closely.

Hades twiddled his thumbs as he attempted to come up with the best way to breach the subject of the rather large, over-protective wolf-man creature. "Well...Spiky won't be around there..." He grinned and paced slowly. "But hey! There is this funny little detail that you might want to watch out for since...you know, the creature is highly over-protective, powerful, and demanding..." Hades stopped and looked Sephiroth up and down before quirking an eyebrow. "Kind of like you, Wonderboy. You two might get along great...or, you could try to kill one another..."

Sephiroth snorted and turned away, tucking the picture into his coat as he started to walk from Hades. He was not interested in details that were not of any concern to him. He would not be defeated by anything so petty. "Such things are child's play. I have no worry about such a creature."

"Geez, I could have sworn that you said the same thing about Blondie before he whooped your butt and sent you down here to me." Hades grinned toothily when the silver-haired man swiveled to glare at him. He noted the tension in the room rising as the silence extended. "Don't worry, Wonderboy. I'm sure you can handle this thing. No big deal, right? It isn't a spiky blonde with a big sword so you can handle it. If you want, I can get Spiky to hold your hand and do all the battling for you." Hades snickered when Sephiroth turned fully to face him, the aqua eyes swirling with unspoken anger.

Sephiroth pulled his emotions back again and smirked cruelly. "If I say yes to having Cloud 'hold my hand', does that mean that my contract about not touching him is void?"

Hades blinked and thought about the best way to answer the question before finally just chuckling in mock fun. "That's cute, Wonderboy, but...no. Blondie stays blissfully in the dark." He noted the silver-haired man's mock pout. "However, if you can pull this off, I might help dear Spiky out in finding you. Do this and I get what I want and you get a little closer to getting what you want. Don't help me, and I'll make sure that you don't get another looky at your cute little birdie."

"Hmpt, your threats mean nothing to me." Sephiroth replied stonily. He was not about to be controlled so easily.

"They don't? Oh well, that's fine then. Panic, get in here!" Hades smirked at the silver-haired man's flash of confusion as Panic skittered into the room and all but ran around Sephiroth to get to him. "Panic, be a good faithful subject and take Spiky up to the Coliseum to enter the tournament. Don't show him off. Just get him up there, sign his name up and completely ignore that ol' goat and get Blondie a new place to stay." He smirked when Sephiroth's gaze narrowed at him and completely ignored the death-glare sent his way. "Oh and show the twerp which one is Hercules. I want Blondie to get a good look at his only real opponent. Got that?"

Sephiroth took a few steps forward, slightly enraged that Hades was making his plans more and more difficult. He glared at the small green creature as it skittered passed him, sending it from the room at a faster pace. "Cloud is mine. He is my property, and you have no hold over him. I will not allow you to move MY possession around where I cannot keep an eye on him."

Hades smirked and sat down in his chair again. "Like I said, Wonderboy, you do something for me, I'll do something for you. Don't and Blondie stays out of your reach."

"Very well. I get the girl for you, and you let me have some fun with my property." Sephiroth set his shoulders and ran a finger over the hilt of his sword, now really not in the mood for any games that Hades might try to send his way.

Hades chuckled. "I knew you would see it my way eventually." He folded his hands in his lap, gaze set on the silver-haired warrior. "Here's what I'll do for you. If you grab the girl and deliver her unharmed, I'll let you wander into one of Spiky's dreams to rape, pillage, and otherwise make his life miserable." Hades was pleased with the smile that pulled at the edges of Sephiroth's mouth. "But only one night so you had better make it worth while because this is the only chance that I'm giving you. Oh, and you can't say anything about where you are and what you are doing because...well, I'm watching you so do something wrong and you loss the kid. Got it?"

Sephiroth let the cruel smirk spread across his elegant features, a long sigh making his shoulders relax again. "I only need one night with him. One night and I will have him struggling beautifully for me." He turned and walked across the black stone floors, smirk still etched into his features. "Yes, that's sound like a very good deal. I like the sound of that."

"Oh, Wonderboy, one last thing." Hades watched as the silver-haired man glanced over an armoured shoulder at him. "Because you are such a good peon, I give you free reign in the world you are going to. Leave it in whatever state you want."

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

Cloud stopped as he pushed the massive gates of the Olympic Coliseum open, glowing gaze flicking around the massive courtyard. Silently, he followed Panic across the sandy grounds, somewhat awed by the sheer size of this place. He had never seen an arena built solely for fighting this big in his entire life, and it sent excited shivers up his spine, though his outward appearance did not change in the least.

The courtyard was huge, spreading out in all directions from the solid golden stairs of the entrance until it met with towering walls of golden stone that appeared to have been crafted individually and equally set with care. The dirt beneath his feet sparkled and crunched under his boots, an aura of a higher state settling across the massive courtyard. Cumbersome cauldrons were placed equidistantly around the outside of the courtyard, bright orange flames dancing and sending light to every corner of the open space. Directly in front of him were two gigantic statues of Greek warriors carved from stone and beckoning all fighting to the considerably smaller doors.

His gaze shifted around his surroundings in reserved astonishment. He silently followed the small green demon up the stone stairs and into a much more cramped room, though it seemed considerably more elaborate with the Greek writing etched into the stone. He stopped when his gaze strayed onto a muttering satyr, quirking an eyebrow at the obvious roundness of the creature. Obviously, this creature would not be one of his opponents.

He remained silent as Panic walked over to the creature and handed a slip of paper to the fat satyr and the two conversed briefly before Panic returned to look up the distance between them. He quirked a questioning eyebrow at the lithe creature and waited for an explanation for what was required of him. When the demon only glanced between him and the satyr, he sighed heavily. "What? Can we go now?"

Panic smiled and nodded, passing a glance back to Phil before making small shooing motions, indicating that they should leave before the old goat changed his mind on letting the blonde leave without a trial run. It followed the blonde out of the door triumphantly, squeaking unceremoniously when it walked right into the back of the blonde's legs. "Hey! You didn't tell me you were gonna stop! Are you even listening to me?" Panic wandered in front of the blonde, turning to follow the glowing gaze to its intended target. Its eyes widened as realization that the great Hercules was walking towards them. "Oh, oh...um...AH! Hide! Run away! Hercules is coming! Don't let me see us!" It quickly jumped behind the nearest cauldron and covered its head.

Cloud remained stonily in place, gaze running over the finely muscled man that was approaching him. So, this was his final opponent, the one he was supposed to kill? He sized the young man up, quirking an eyebrow when he could find little in the other warrior's casual stance that indicated any sort of weakness. He stepped to the side when Hercules started up the stairs, his gaze meeting the cobalt blue of the other man, shifting his eyes away when a bright smile lit the other man's features. As the man passed, he sighed and stepped down the stairs. "You must be Hercules." He noted the young man stopped and regard his back. "I'll see you in the fighting ring."

"Huh?" The confusion was almost overwhelming. "Oh, the tournament! Sorry kid, but I'm not participating in the upcoming tournament. I have to visit my relatives so I have to drop out, but hey, all to you. I wish you luck and maybe I'll meet you in the fighting ring another time."

Cloud swivelled as the stone doors closed after Hercule's receding back, stopping short. He looked around for Panic, rolling his eyes when the little demon crept out to look at him. "So, Hercules isn't going to be in this tournament. Great. I bet Hades set me up..."

Panic let the words sink in fully before letting its jaw hit the dusty floor. And like its name, it did precisely that, panicked. "Hades isn't gonna be happy about this...He wanted the god-wannabe out of the way! He is so going to get a headache and try to strangle me!" It skittered in behind the blonde, looking around as if the god of the Underworld could appear at any moment. "Um...maybe we should stay here for a little while...."

Cloud sighed and stepped around the little demon, walking back the way that he had come. He felt that Hades owed him big now and a serious explanation was due. He wanted to be rid of his contract and get any information that the god had for him in regards to Sephiroth. The sooner that he defeated Hercules, the sooner he would not have to associate with the Heartless that he knew that Hades controlled. He wanted to speed things up if he could. "Come on, you, let's not stay here any longer than we have to. I have to talk to Hades anyway."

Panic slowly trudged after the blonde, weaving a path that prolonged having to go back to the Underworld. "Hey...uh, why don't you tell Hades about Hercules...kay? I...uh..."

"Geez, grow a backbone, Panic. Hades couldn't be frightening no matter how hard he tried." Cloud glanced back at the slightly mortified demon. "I'll tell him, and you can just cower behind me. I won't let him strangle you."

"Really? You would do that...for me?" Panic asked quietly, quickening its pace to keep up with the blonde.

Cloud shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Sure, I guess."

Panic ran up and latched onto the blonde's leg, sobbing hysterically into the navy blue material of the warrior's pant leg. It refused to release its hold even when the blonde attempted to dislodge it. "No one...ever did anything nice for me! Only Pain is sometimes nice to me!" It clung closer when the blonde started to shake the leg it was attached to. "Will you be my friend?"

"Will you let go of my leg if I say yes?" Cloud felt more than a little embarrassed with this sudden burst of the flood gates from the demon. Obviously Hades had been right when the god had stated the lack of good help.

Panic slowly nodded its head. "Be my friend?" When the blonde nodded, it released its hold and shuffled slightly. "Sorry...but...I wasn't held very much as a demonling so...I...uh...get kind of emotional easily...."

Cloud turned and started to walk again, this time keeping one eye on Panic in case the lithe demon decided to lunge for his leg again. "Geez, I've seen more emotionally stable children after a war when compared to you."

"Really?" Panic grinned toothily. "Thanks a lot, friend."

"That's not supposed to be a compliment."

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

Wow, I really think that was probably the worst written chapter that I have ever done. It was almost painful to write and when I read it, it seems so fragmented in the thoughts! Oh, I am so terribly sorry! I will write better next time; I promise!

But hey, I managed to set things up for the next chapter! Sephiroth action coming up for those that are actually interested and the first 'meeting' between the two mighty fi~tors. It should be very exciting, or at least, I hope that it will exciting. Still figuring things out. I suppose that the next chapter can't get any worse that this one.