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)
Author's Note: Well, I felt really bad for that last horrible chapter so I wanted to take the time to apologize for it. Also, I wanted to thank everyone that has taken the time to read and review this fic. It really helps to encourage me to write more. I hope that you are all enjoying it.
Other Author's note: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head :P Please, enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 3 - Clash of Light with Darkness
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth perched silently in the stone window frame, smirking in amusement as the gentle night's breeze shifted the curtains and his black coat. He found the darkness around him rather refreshing and his skin had cooled down considerably when compared to the Underworld which was usually quite warm. The breeze that brushed passed him bit softly at his exposed flesh and shifted some of his long silver locks of hair cascading over his shoulder as if reaching for the lone occupant of the room who had yet to notice his sinister presence.
He had spent some of his time merely watching his intended prey, studying the woman's every movement as he often did with Cloud. He found little interest in her long brown hair and elaborate golden dress that shimmered and sparkled beneath the candle light in a similar fashion that the woman's deep brown eyes did. He smirked when she slipped her long lithe arms into the golden satin gloves and tied back the chocolate hair with a golden ribbon. He found her clothing to be overly extravagant and the woman's demeanor much too bubbly and happy. For him, she was just another woman in pretty clothing, not much too look at.
When she had wandered into an adjacent room to finish with her preparations, he had flicked the dense windows open and perched, his gaze moving about the room. Much like her clothing, the room was equally extravagant with a cherry coloured carpet and an overly large bed with sheets that appeared to be silk from his current distance. The wood furniture was of exceptional make, obviously only the finest trees having suited the owner of the house and all of the carvings. To each wall was either a finely painted picture or a long, beautiful tapestry. Even the curtains that swept by him as they moved in the wind were overly expensive. Of course, he was not impressed in the least with this show of wealth, nor did he take the various pieces of moving, talking furniture to be any sort of problem.
With catlike grace and agility, he stepped into the large room, gaze set of the sound of soft humming. He completely ignored the gasping closet on his obvious pursuit of his prey. He slipped into the doorway just as his intended target stepped out, running into him. Smirking, he nodded his head at her quickly widening eyes, thrusting a lightning hand out to seize the young woman by the throat. He pulled her close as if to study her more carefully before gesturing down at the sword at his waist. "Make a single noise and I will do more that slaughter everything in this house. Understood?"
He easily lifted the woman's weight from the ground and stepped back into the bedchambers, gaze fixing on the jumping furniture. Again, he completely ignored it and walked calmly back to the window, hopping back up into the sill before forcing the young woman to dangle at an obviously dangerous height. Finally, he turned his attention to the now screaming items in the room. "I'll be on the roof if prince charming wishes to challenge me. Oh...you have about five seconds before this room bursts into flames and you die. Enjoy yourselves." He turned his attention back to the young woman in his hand. "Shall we then?"
"Time to die!" Sephiroth more fell rather than stepped from the window, chuckling cruelly when the room exploded into an inferno of flames, his amusement peaking when the woman in his grasp screamed shrilly. He allowed their decent to continue until he had the young woman struggling against his hold and calling for help; he then stopped abruptly a few inches from the ground and started a painfully slow ascent towards the roof of the castle, gaze shifting down to the woman still struggling to get free of him. "Do you have a name, woman?"
"Monster!" Belle screamed at the one-winged man, clawing almost desperately at his gloved hand.
"Interesting name." Sephiroth chuckled at the enraged disgusted look he was thrown and pointed upwards towards an intensely shining light. He lifted the woman's chin when she did not follow his hand. "Look at that beautiful light. I had so wanted to see it a few years ago, but my property denied me that privilege. It will be a wonderful sight, I should think." He glanced down at the brunette who merely looked quizzically at him. "That..." He gestured to the rather large light again. "Would be what I call Meteor. I wanted to use it on Hollow Bastion, but...now I get to use it on your pathetic little world. Hope you have love ones around because I'm going to enjoy listening to them scream."
Belle gasped in horror, her eyes drawn to the large glowing object in the sky, shaking her head in denial. She immediately turned her attention back to her captor. "You can't do that!"
Sephiroth chuckled softly, patting the woman on the top of the head. "Just watch me." He unceremoniously tossed the brunette onto the steeply slanted rooftop, smirking when she latched desperately onto the elaborate shingles. He landed gracefully on the edge of the roof, gaze fixed on his prey before glancing up at the sky, noting that meteor was now clearly defined in the sky and drawing closer at a rapid pace. For him, it would be the greatest sight this world would ever see.
He really did not have to wait long before an enraged scream reached his ears and the sound of claws digging deeply into wood and his chosen opponent arrived within sight. He kept his back to the creature, silently enjoying the cool breeze that was slowly heating up as meteor drew closer, brushing stray locks of silver hair back over his shoulder again. He smirked as he turned to regard the furious creature, hand rising to rest on the hilt of his long blade as his eyes took in this 'beast' with a single glance.
Purposefully, his gaze shifted from the woman at his feet and the hairy cursed beast a few yards away before pointing towards his captive. His hand moved in an intricate pattern as he called forward a spell, red streaking light following each shift of his hand. He smirked as a red halo began to form around the young woman's head as the spell proceeded. He spoke only three words to initiate the destructive power of the spell that he had created, "Descend Heartless Angel!" His words were mostly masked by the enraged shout screamed from the woman's suitor along with the trembling scream that the young brunette issued as the spell drained away her life energy and transferred it into himself.
He rolled back on his heels briefly before grabbing the hilt of Masamune and flying into action against his new opponent; he was vaguely aware of the young woman's unconscious form slipping from the rooftop. He slipped to the side of the claw and drew his blade with masterful accuracy, smashing the hilt into the beast's ribs, enjoying the feel of cracking bone. He leapt back a few feet, rebalanced his weight and disappeared in a flash of black light, only the word "Omnislash" remaining in his stead.
His movements were like liquid, each stroke of his blade hitting its intended mark with brutal efficiency and debilitating power. He moved deliberately, each step perfectly placed, each shift of weight perfectly balanced, each hit impossible to dodge. Sephiroth felt each hit, judged the mark, and attacked over and over until the sword combination ran out, and he leapt back to balance on the edge of the roof, a calm cool smirk set across his features as the Beast slumped to the roof.
"Belle..."
Chuckling, Sephiroth fell back, teleporting to the ground when he had fully dropped out of sight just in time to catch the young woman's unconscious form. He gracefully swung her weight over one of his shoulders and teleported back the rooftop, now taking slow steps towards his injured opponent. He stopped when he was just out of reaching distance, gaze fixed on the battered form at his feet. "Interesting creature you are. I had almost hoped for a challenge from you, but... such things simply cannot be. Cloud is my only challenge, but you fell more quickly than expected."
"Don't...touch...Belle..." Beast snarled in as much anger as his battered form could muster. He had never seen speed or dark power like that in all of his life.
"The woman comes with me; I have my orders." Sephiroth looked up at the sky, reaching up a hand as if beckoning the meteor closer. It was clearly visible now, and it was still moving fast. He had only a little more time left with this world before it crumbled and was destroyed. "You are lucky that I was feeling merciful. By hitting you with the blunt side of my sword, I only broke almost all of you ribs, shattered the bones in your legs and cracked your skull."
Beast snarled as he tried to move, to get close enough to get Belle back from this madman's grasp. He nearly howled when his body refused to move with his commands and his mind was blurred with tremendous pain. "I...will...kill...you... if you...hurt...Belle...."
Sephiroth chuckled softly and glanced at the woman laid over his shoulder. "I don't believe you are in any position to stop me." He crouched, aqua gaze meeting the enraged gaze of the Beast before reaching out and patting the man's head in a rough show of mockery. "I think I will leave you here to watch my present drop on your miserable little planet and crush your pitiful life out while I go and perform activities that are better suited to my interests." He smirked cruelly. "I will see you in the Promised Land."
He stood and walked slowly to the edge of the roof again, gaze moving up to the sky as a fond smile pulled at his lips. He was almost upset that he would miss the fun of watching this world crumble, but he had much more important matters to attend to, mainly getting his hands on his property once more.
"...Who...?"
Sephiroth turned to regard the Beast again, quirking a slightly impressed eyebrow to see the man nearly on his feet again; he knew of very few individuals that could force themselves back into an upright position once they had been hit by his attacks. Obviously, he had slightly under estimated this man's strength of will.
Slowly, he smiled coolly. "I am the greatest swordsman that ever lived. You'd best remember that as you die."
Beast took a slow, painful step towards the silver-haired man, ignoring everything but his intended target. He needed to get Belle back; he simply could not allow her to fall into such hands even if it killed him. He promised to protect her and that was precisely want he intended to do, no matter what it took. He took another painful step, growling at the arrogant smirk that greeted him from the other warrior; he was so close of reaching Belle. He let out an angered cry as his next step lead to the silver-haired man stepping from the rooftop and plummeting to the ground. "BELLE...!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud watched with some annoyance as Hades threw a bit of a fit over the fact that Hercules had dropped out of the tournament. Of course, he had been the one to inform the god, seeing as Panic was hiding behind his legs currently, both of them waiting out the small temper-tantrum from Hades. He ran a hand threw his hair and shifted his weight when the god's hair colour returned to a more normal state of blue flame, and he watched impassively when Hades turned to regard him again. "Done?"
Hades glowered at the blonde before switching his gaze down to Panic who was peaking out at him from behind Cloud's legs. He sighed in aggravation and pointed to a spot on the floor directly in front of him, smirking when the little demon slowly skittered into place and cowered in front of him. "Panic, just...one small question for you."
"Uh...sure, boss." Panic squeaked back hoarsely, hoping to avoid the impending violence.
"Didn't I tell you to get Blondie here a new place to stay?" Hades folded his hands behind his back when the lithe demon nodded slowly before looking up at the blonde warrior. "Good, you heard the order at least, so...why is Spiky standing in front of me?!" One of feet shot out and slammed into the green demon, sending it flying across his throne room as his hair returned to a red to show his displeasure. However, before he could start his yelling at Panic, he noted that his faithful subject had yet to hit the floor, his gaze swinging to regard the blonde that was now holding the demon in an upside-down position. He blinked when his mind retraced the previous events, and he raised his eyebrows when he figured that the blonde must have caught the flying injured creature. "What...what was that? Can't you see I'm trying to practice my anger-management skills on Panic here?"
Cloud righted the little demon in his hands, putting Panic back on the ground behind him again. He slowly turned his attention back to the god who appeared to be trying to discern his actions. "Leave Panic alone."
Hades couldn't help but blink in confusion. Was someone telling him what to do? "What did you just say, Blondie? I could have sworn I heard your insignificant little voice."
"I said, leave Panic alone." Cloud felt the little creature's arms wrap tightly around one of his legs, but he kept his attention on Hades who looked to be about to blow another fit of rage. "I demanded to come back here after I found out that Hercules was not fighting. Does this mean I just drop out now and just continue to train?"
Hades forced himself into calmness again as he regarded the blonde. Perhaps he would let Sephiroth have more unrestrained time with his bad little puppy now that Cloud was talking back to him. Tensely, he shook his head. "Nah, you can fight in the tournament. Besides, I might get to see someone best you the more you fight. That way, your victories won't swell in that spiky pinhead of yours."
Cloud felt his eyes narrow at the insult, but he refused to be baited into action over something so trivial. "My contract says that I only have to fight in the tournament that Hercules is in."
Hades had to restrain the urge to strangle the blonde. How dare anyone but him manipulate the situation in regards to contracts! He looked the warrior up and down, giving a slight more appreciation to the man's perception skills. He felt a grin pull as the corners of his mouth; he hadn't played games with people's heads in a long time and now seemed like the greatest opportunity. It appeared that Cloud was no nitwit, and he would take pleasure in toying with the blonde. "Well, now that you mention it, you're right! Geez, how could I forget that miniscule detail that is the complete and utter fundamental basis for your contract. Man, I must be losing my memory in my old age! Pity that, eh Spiky?" When the blonde remained steadfast in his humour, he covered his face with a hand. "Can you just PLEASE try to change your expression, even if it is just once! There must be a sense of humour somewhere in your body! Try to find it, if only for my sake."
Cloud shifted his weight and made no attempt to find humour in Hades' comments, instead his face remained almost completely neutral. "I'll fight in that tournament if you give me some information in regards to where I can find Sephiroth. Give me something to go on and I'll fight in your tournament as long as the only opponents are the one's scheduled." He lifted his chin from behind the cloak and forced a small smile on his lips. "How's that for humour?"
"You know...I really think that Zeus must have be your father because no one is this annoying except him." Hades stormed over to his throne and flopped down, muttering about how much he hated his younger brother. He eventually reverted his attention back to the blonde and sighed heavily. "Fine, you fight in the tournament and I'll give you a tid-bit of information about your friend. Got it?" He really needed to put this kid in his place, and he already had the most perfect manner of doing so set into place. "Okay, here is what I can tell you that my research on Seraphim..."
"Sephiroth." Cloud corrected.
"Right, Serpentis. Anyway, as far as I can tell, he is currently on a completely different world reeking unspeakable havoc on it...you know, like deranged evil people often do." Hades shifted his gaze to his fingernails as if they were the most interesting things in the entire room. "Looks like he beating some wolfman up and stealing his girl, or something like that. Hey, and it looks like he's trying to drop a big rock on the planet from space. Zeus only knows where he got that power. So...there you have it. I'm still looking into things for you because...you know, I'm such a nice god and go out on a limb for any ol' peon of mine."
Cloud slowly nodded, his mind playing over the information. It certainly did sound like the Sephiroth that he had knew, and it didn't surprise him that the former General was doing something of that extreme nature. Perhaps the crazed man was trying to get his attention? He couldn't be certain, but he could at least attempt to put an end to Sephiroth again. "Where is this planet? Would I be able to get to it?"
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "To what?"
"The planet."
"Oh, that. Nah, don't bother, he'll have destroyed it by the time you get there. You'll just have to wait until I find something new on his position afterwards." Hades stood when he saw a flash of disappointment race across the blonde's face and walked the distance between them, meeting the warrior's glowing gaze. "Don't look so disappointed. There's plenty of time for you to continue this inane search for Sepulchre..."
"Sephiroth." Cloud corrected again. He was not sure if Hades was saying the General's name wrong by mistake or just to annoy him.
"Yeah, yeah, that's what I said." Hades wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and smirked arrogantly. He felt a familiar obsessive presence step back into the realm of the Underworld, making his smirk widen even more. "Well, Blondie, you must be tired from all the work you did today. Why not call it a night, eh?"
Cloud quirked an eyebrow and shifted away from the god suspiciously. Something did not feel right about Hades and the room around him seemed to feel a bit cooler than he remembered it. "I hardly did anything straining today. I'm not tired...." He gasped as he felt a prick in the back of his neck, and couldn't help but fall to his knees as all the energy seemed to be leeched from his body. He was not sure what happened when his mind cleared again, but he was vaguely aware that something had been done to him, what, he simply couldn't remember. It seemed as if the last few minutes of his memories were shrouded in darkness. Perhaps he had fallen unconscious?
Hades smirked knowingly and glanced down at Panic, giving the little demon a dangerous stare before turning his attention to the blonde at his feet. He actually enjoyed seeing the blonde warrior on all fours in front of him, perhaps because it added to his little power-hungry complex. Still, he decided to play this act up as much as possible as he let a hand fall on the blonde's tense shoulder. "Hey Blondie, what the heck happened? One minute we were talking, next your eyes rolled back in your head and you fell over all unconscious-like. You look like crap, kid. Maybe you should have a little rest; you've obviously been pushing yourself too hard."
Cloud slowly forced himself back to his feet, wobbling unsteadily before finally just sinking into a crouch. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure when the simple act of moving his golden bangs from his eyes became such an extreme task for him. He raised his head and tried to focus his gaze and grumbled when he failed to do so. Being stubborn, he once more forced himself to his feet, urging his trembling knees to support his weight as he attempted to take a step towards the door. His success only lasted a few steps before he fell back to his knees roughly, taking the time to breathe properly. He felt himself sway when blinking became the most difficult task, the sheer act of trying to force his eyes open too difficult to bear. Without realizing it, he felt the cool floor meet his cheek and a shadow descend over his gaze as he began to fight a losing battle with unconsciousness. Eventually, he could do little but slip off into the darkness of sleep and hopefully figure out what had caused him this inconvenience when his mind was free of the cobwebs of sleep.
Hades couldn't help but laugh when the blonde finally slipped off to sleep. His gaze fixed on Panic who was attempting to drag the blonde towards the door. He bent to check to make sure that he had not over done it and accidentally put Cloud into a coma; he had made that mistake once and really did not want to pay for it again. When he was sure that the blonde would eventually rouse again, he slapped Panic in the back of the head, sending the little demon to the floor. "You aren't to tell this twerp anything that happened here, Panic. He fell down and bumped his head or something, got it?" He watched the little demon nod before looking down at the sleeping blonde. "Hmm, I don't want him sleeping here where I can trip over his dead weight."
"I could take him to a more pleasing place, if you wanted."
Hades turned to regard the cool voice, smirking when Sephiroth stepped from the shadows with the required Princess of Heart over one shoulder. He could not help but notice the pleased smirk on the other man's features and chuckled softly. "Wonderboy, glad to see you made it back unharmed. Is the world destroyed?"
"Would you expect any less of me?" Sephiroth replied coolly, setting the unconscious woman down on the floor next to an equally unconscious Cloud. He stepped over the woman and bent to investigate the state of his property, reaching a tentative hand out as if to make contact with the warm flesh he knew was there. He stopped his fingers and glanced up at Hades. "You harmed him?" He did not bother to hide the slight annoyance in his voice.
Hades smoothed his robes back into place and folded his arms across his chest at he regarded the silver-haired man. "I did no such thing. I merely...drained him of most of his life energy and forced him into an unconscious state where he would enter a dream of his mind's choosing." He watched Sephiroth's gaze arc to the blonde again, smirking when the silver-haired man's hand reached out as if to touch. "You can take the time to thank me now. On your knees praising me as the best god this universe has ever known will be good enough to please me."
Sephiroth snorted and ignored the god, his gaze crawling over the blonde's still form. It would be so easy to capture Cloud in such a state, one that he admitted that he had enjoyed watching on several occasions in the past. He could take what he had already placed claim upon and enjoy the struggles of the lone creature that still held his interest for any length of time. With Cloud in a weakened state, it would be easy to get everything that he had ever wanted from the blonde with little struggle or effort on his part, too easy in fact. He always enjoyed the challenge that the blonde brought along, and he was not about to give it up no matter how much he wished to put his property back into a cage. He could wait for a better opportunity, like the one that Hades had promised him.
Slowly, he climbed back to his feet and turned to face the god. "There is the woman, unharmed as promised." He gestured down to the unconscious brunette on the floor. "I've done what you asked of me, now I want what you said that you would give me for success. If I am correct, and I almost always am, Cloud is sleeping soundly awaiting my arrival?" He let a cruel smirk fill his features. "I would hate to let my little canary wait for me."
Hades prodded the unconscious blonde with a foot, cocking his head to the side before finally nodding. "Well, I'm usually a god of my word...when it's an honest word, that is...so, I see no problem in turning a blind eye to such contact with him. If anything, it might unearth that personality that I've been looking for in him." He slowly walked around the two unconscious forms on his floor, gaze moving about the large room until he finally stopped when he was standing at Sephiroth's side. "Alright Wonderboy, Blondie is all yours as long as he is asleep. However, I want him in a mental state that is above Hercules, meaning above vegetable status." Hades leaned an elbow on the silver-haired man's shoulder. "Ruffle his feathers a bit. I want to see if this kid can actually get off balance, you know...just to make sure I can keep a bit of control on him if the tournament goes bad."
"I know him better than anyone. I know what will make him squirm and struggle in the most beautiful ways." Sephiroth sluffed Hades' hand off of his shoulder and took a step towards his sleeping property. "I will see how fast canaries can fly...."
"Riiiiiiight, you do that...obsessive freak." Hades looked down at Panic who now was sitting on the blonde's back as if protecting him. "Panic, do I want to know?" When the little demon opened its mouth to speak, he shook his head. "You're right, I don't want to know. Just go with Spiky and make sure that Wonderboy doesn't lay a hand on him while he's all vulnerable and unable to resist." Hades raised a hand when Panic looked to be about to protest, calling the darkness of his realm to transport the blonde to a safer place, preferably out of his sight.
Hades turned his attention back to Sephiroth as the man started to walk away. Smirking, he twitched his fingers and folded one hand behind his back. "Hey, Wonderboy!"
Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder briefly. "I'm busy."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Just do me one favour while you're over there?" Hades grinned. "Sleep." He chuckled when the silver-haired man almost crumpled to the ground before finding his smile falter. "Dammit, another dead weight on my floor! How am I supposed to concentrate on taking over the world with dead weight on my nice dusty floors?!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud smiled warmly as he walked through the massive gates of the Hollow Bastion's castle, nodding resolutely to the guards standing at their posts. The solid stone beneath his feet felt very good, and he could almost believe that the cool stone wall that moved beneath his fingers as he walked was real. He could remember clearly the smell of the air, the clinking of mechanical elevators as they moved along their routes, the soft bustle of people moving about their casual business. It brought a calm about him to return to his home even if it were just a dream; it brought memories of a pleasant time before all of the problems started, all the chaos, all the pain.
He traced a path up through the main halls to his most favourite spot in the entire castle. It really wasn't much considering anyone could venture onto the outcropping and often people did to take the moving platform back to the main gates. He sat after removing his large sword from his back and let his legs dangle over the edge of the stone wall, his gaze looking out over the waters below and the city that was on the horizon. It was a pleasant place that he relaxed when he was off-duty, and he was pleased that he managed to catch a beautiful sunset over the mountain range in the distance. He sighed and enjoyed the calmness of his dream, longing to be back in a time and place where his life had reached a normal stability.
"Cloud! Cloud, Cloud!" He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the small childish voice, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth again as his gaze found little Aerith in her favourite pink dress. It was rare that he encountered anyone that he knew in his dreams, but it was a very pleasant surprise. He chuckled when the little brunette skipped over and hugged one of his arms, providing him with a pouting face. "Cloud, where did you go? Away you go, and papa gets sick with the flu! I had to stay with Lulu 'cause you weren't here!"
Cloud shook his head and ran a hand through his blonde hair, lifting his chin as a gentle breeze swept over his body. It had been too long since he had felt to wind of his home, the smell of salt in the air from the sea below. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling until Aerith tugged on his arm and pouted more at him. "Alright, I'm sorry I went away. I won't do it again."
"Promise?" The little girl asked quietly.
"I promise. No more business trips for me." Cloud reached out a hand and ruffled Aerith's soft locks of hair, smoothing the stray pieces back into place before patting her on the top of the head. When she smiled warmly at him, he turned his attention back to the sunset, glancing back when the little brunette let go of his arm and appeared to go off to play with a small puppy that had wandered up to her. When he was sure that she would be in no danger of falling, he let himself drift back to enjoying the last warm rays of the sun.
He wasn't too sure how long it took for him to realize that the sun was not sinking any lower in the sky and shook his head as his own foolishness. He chided himself for getting lost in the feeling of belonging again, almost forgetting that he was in a dream, one of many that he had formed not long after the destruction of his planet. Still, he had not dreamed of Hollow Bastion in almost four years, but he quickly noted the insignificant details that did not find a place or did not find harmony with the actual place where he grew up. It did not displease him, but it made him frustrated that this would be as close to Hollow Bastion as he would get until he managed to liberate it from the Heartless.
"Cloud! Look! Look what I found!" Cloud half-turned to regard Aerith, quirking an eyebrow when she held up a small black bird that sat perched in her hands. He smiled when she giggled and began to pet the little creature with the utmost of gentleness, a quality that Aerith had acquired from her deceased mother. He pulled a knee up to his chest and chuckled when the little bird began to chirp and hop from the brunette's shoulder to her arm and back again. He took the moment to watch how much happiness that Aerith had when she was a child, something that he could not fully give her when he raised her in Traverse Town.
He smiled when the bird suddenly took flight from Aerith's hands and was about to turn back to watching the sun again when his senses dully protested. Something was not right. He looked around his surroundings, trying to pick out what seemed to shift in his mind that made the breeze fall silent and the lifts around him stop suddenly. His gaze could pick nothing out of the ordinary so he turned his attention back to Aerith to make sure that the little girl was still alright under his watch.
She was kneeling down, running some chalk over the stone to form a picture. She was completely absorbed in the activity, one that she enjoyed almost as much of having stories told to her. Her shining aqua eyes met his and the smile that washed over her face made his heart wrench with what he had lost. Aerith's pink dress now had acquired a few chalk marking and her cheek was smudged with dust, the pink ribbon in her hair fallen silent with no wind and her mother's precious glowing green stone nestled up with the ribbon. She was a very adorable sight, a picture perfect one if not for the shadow that seemed much too large for her small frame.
Cloud felt his eyes widen as his gaze only managed to pick out the minute detail as the shadow only increased in size rapidly. His glowing gaze snapped upwards, and he could feel his jaw slipping open as his gaze met with that of the one fixed straight on him. "...Sephiroth...?" He tried to climb to his feet, if only to get in the way of the General's blade which was plainly targeted on Aerith's back, but his movements seemed to be painfully slow when compared to the speed which Sephiroth was falling from the sky with. He let out a pained cry as Aerith lifted her head to regard him, their gazes meeting just as the General hit the mark, the silver-haired man's blade impaling through the child's back and sinking deep into the stone beneath her. "Aerith! No!"
As soon as the blade met with flesh, Cloud was on his feet. He watched as Sephiroth's head slowly lifted to regard him, their glowing gazes meeting as the silver-haired man pulled the blade from Aerith's back, feeling his jaw tighten as the little girl's body disintegrated into white feathers that were blown away by a sudden wind that picked up. All that remained of the little child was the small glowing stone that had been Aerith's mother's keepsake that was lazily rolling towards him. Cloud instinctively reached for his blade at his side, only to find that it was not to where he had left it.
"Looking for something, my precious?" Sephiroth resheathed Masamune as his side and enjoyed Cloud's panicked look as the blonde searched for a sword. He took a few steps towards the blonde, gaze passing fondly over the young warrior. When Cloud's attention shifted back to him, he gestured to the stopped lift a few meters away, smirking as the blonde took a step towards where the large sword was balanced precariously. "I took the liberty of unarming you. I don't want to have to use excessive force to cage you, MY Cloud."
Cloud turned his gaze to Sephiroth, gaze running over the man's distinctive different clothes though the black wing resting against the silver-haired man's shoulder was all too familiar for him. He took another step towards where his sword was, gaze fixed on the element that he knew for a fact was not part of his dream. How could have Sephiroth found him so quickly? Another step towards his sword, eyes narrowing as Sephiroth took another step towards him. "This is impossible. You can't be here. This is a dream."
"Nightmare actually, thanks to me." Sephiroth smirked cruelly and followed the blonde's steps with steps of his own, quickly closing the distance between them. It appeared that Cloud could get a bit rattled when the blonde was shocked. He was amused that Cloud's appearance had remained in the blonde's old form, no wing or demonic hand gracing the blonde's features. "You looked surprised to see me. I have been watching you for a very long time, Cloud, just like I promised that I would when you killed me." Sephiroth took a much larger step towards the blonde, almost within touching distance. "I have waited for this moment for years, and I now I have you just where I want you, cornered and with no way of spreading your wings to escape me, little canary."
Cloud took the biggest chance of his career and turned his back to Sephiroth as he leapt for his sword, fingers brushing the hilt of the blade before the air left his lungs as Sephiroth's long sword smashed into his ribs. He gasped for breath as he was sent flying away from any structure that he could grab onto, shaking his head as he plummeted towards the water below. He eventually found his breath in time to have the collar of his shirt grabbed, and he was slammed roughly into the smooth stone wall, gritting his teeth as a body pressed close to his to hold him in place. "Release...me...you're supposed to be dead..."
Sephiroth chuckled softly and pressed his knee into the small of the Cloud's back, one hand running over the silky locks of blonde hair before grabbing hold of some of the younger man's hair. "You can't kill what owns you, my precious Cloud. I never break my promises, and I long ago promised that you would be my property." He pulled the blonde's head back where he could better whisper in Cloud's, running a fond finger over the lobe. "Mine. You have always been mine, always will be mine no matter how much you deny me. There is nothing about you that I do not own. From the tallest spike on your blonde head to shoes that bind your feet in protection...I have placed claim over it all."
Cloud placed his arms against the wall and shoved back as roughly as his could, trying to dislodge the insane General, grimacing when Sephiroth's knee dug deeper into his back. He resisted stubbornly when the silver-haired man attempted to pin his shoulders to the wall, pushing back against the strength, refusing to give in without a fight. He groaned when Sephiroth took his stubbornness as an opportunity to slam his head into the wall, feeling his the strength in his arms falter in that moment and his shoulders joined his cheek against the cool stone. "I won't let it end...not like this..."
"You are right about that. It won't end with you pinned against a wall, but it will end with me as the victor." Sephiroth released his hold on the blonde's shoulders and began to remove one of his leather gloves, a cruel smirk gracing his elegant features. He roughly tugged Cloud's thick sleeveless sweater out of the blonde's belted pants, chuckling at the younger man's protests. He let his bare hand run over the warm flesh of the blonde's back, slowly tracing up Cloud's spine, smiling when the blonde tensed considerably at their skin-to-skin contact. His hand shifted off of the blonde's spine, fingers tracing over to where Cloud's heart lay bound in flesh, putting more weight behind his hold on the younger man. "My little canary, how much you need to grow...You fought the darkness for too long. Let me help ease your fighting spirit into a soft sleep...."
Cloud struggled hard, attempting to wriggle out of the silver-haired man's tight grip on his neck, nearly succeeding too. He felt all of the muscles in back suddenly tense as the warmth in Sephiroth's bare hand disappearing, leaving a freezing cold appendage touching his skin, his mind all too familiar with this feeling. His struggles only intensified as he felt the cool caress of dark energy along his shoulder blade, unable to suppress a hoarse cry of pain as the former General's hand cut through his muscle and bone as if it were paper, biting his lip as he felt to warm wash of blood spattering over his flesh and sweater. He attempted to struggle, but he was forced to lean heavily on the wall as Sephiroth appeared to find his mark, a cold hand wrapping almost tenderly around his beating heart. "I...won't...die...like this..." He whispered as he attempted to get his arms to push him away from the wall again.
Sephiroth smiled and shifted himself to the side, leaning in close to whisper in the blonde's ear. "Again, you are right, Cloud. You won't die from this; I won't let you die on me now. You WILL be mine." He shifted his hand as if to insinuate his point, smirking when the blonde refused to cry out in pain for him. He wrapped an his other arm around Cloud's neck, pulling the blonde closer to his body as he set to work to place his claim over his property. He smiled as the walls that Cloud had place upon his heart to hide it away and protect it slowly began to tremble and break down as he placed his powers of darkness against them. "You are very lucky that this is a dream, or it would be much more painful...and more difficult for me. Your mind is less skilled than your body, little one. Your heart will fall into darkness."
"...Never..." Cloud rasped out as his body convulsed in pain as he tried to escape the General's strong hold on him. His breathing began to come in gulping breathes as he resisted the slowly creeping darkness, feeling the despair of his carefully constructed walls were broken down as if they supporting a tremendous weight against them. He failed of hold in a shriek of unbearable pain as the hold on his struggling light tightened and the darkness broke through. He concentrated on defending himself, feeling as though he were backed into a corner against a much greater foe than he had ever faced before. He couldn't help but feel the weight of this battle, the despair that washed to all corners of his mind and started to draw him down. "No...stop..." Cloud shuddered as the coldness surrounding his heart spread throughout his body, a sign to his mind that he was losing this battle. "STOP...!!"
"You can't win, and you are now realizing it. Just let yourself go and give in to what you already know will be the future. Give in the darkness, Cloud. Allow yourself to feel the cool embrace of real power." Sephiroth whispered soothingly into the blonde's ear, smirking when Cloud issued a cry of pain as a demonic wing made its appearance. He wrapped his own wing around the blonde as if to shade Cloud from everything but himself. Soon, he noted the demonic wing of the present make its own appearance, and he knew that he had beaten the blonde. He could feel Cloud's hold slipping away, the blonde now clawing desperately to hold some part together. Sephiroth redoubled his efforts, wanting to capture the innocent light for his own desires as he held all claim over Cloud and the blonde would have no choice but to submit to him.
'Cloud! Cloud Cloud, look at my picture!'
Cloud felt a small distant voice in the back of his mind, slowly opening his eyes.
'Look at the pretty dress daddy gave me, Cloud! Don't I look all pretty! Look, look!'
Again, the small childish voice called, this time a little bit closer. Cloud shifted his cheek against the stone wall, his eyes sluggishly scanning his surroundings. Most of his gaze was filled with the man holding his body.
'You're going away, aren't you? You are going after the rumor that I know that you've heard. Cloud...?'
The voice sounded like a grown woman, but its caring gentleness made Cloud feel loved again.
'I suppose that if I can't convince you to stay, then I have no choice but to give you this. Take it, Cloud. My mother always said that it would keep me safe, and now I want you to be safe so I want you to have it.'
Cloud grudgingly moved his head, shifting his cheek from where he had rested it, vaguely aware that Sephiroth's hold on his neck tightened considerably, almost to the point of choking him. As quickly as his numb brain could force his freezing muscles, he lifted his chin, looking up the way that he had fallen what seemed so long ago. He slowly became aware that something was falling, a small glowing object. At first, he could not begin to think about what could be falling, but his eyes widened as he finally realized that the stone that Aerith had given him was descending towards him, beckoning him to catch it. However, he simply did not have the energy to lift a hand, rather he watched the glowing aqua stone approach rapidly, seeming to slow as it was only a small distance away.
Sephiroth growled in frustration as his progressed was slowed as it appeared that the blonde was giving a last stand, but such a thing simply should not be. He felt Cloud slipping more into his grasp when suddenly the blonde shifted and the warm began to return to the younger man's skin. "No, you're mine. Nothing will stop me now." His gaze shifted as Cloud looked up, moving to follow what had caught the blonde's attention, eyes narrowing as a small glowing stone fell from the sky. He instantly recognized it as the stone that had remained behind after he murdered Cloud's adoptive daughter. "You can't have him. Cloud is mine, my own, my only. I will give him to no one!"
'CLOUD!!!' The small childish voice rang out throughout the dream, reaching every corner of the small dreamscape. The one voice was suddenly overtaken by a larger, most forceful voice, one that was composed of many voices. 'Ours! The planet guards this child! Leave, accursed one!'
Sephiroth snarled angrily as a blinding light exploded from the small stone, covering his eyes with one hand as he was blown back, his hold on Cloud released grudgingly. He caught himself and hovered in the air, slowly pulling hand away to watch where the blonde must have fallen. He was angered to find the blonde curled in a ball, hovering in the air and surrounded by a glowing aqua light, the stone still shining brightly. His eyes narrowed in anger as the wound in the blonde's back healed and all of his precious work was replaced with glowing aqua energy that surged with what felt like anger at him, forcing him to keep his distance from the unconscious blonde. He growled when he was forced to cover his eyes again as a wave of blinding aqua light burst from the stone. When he could see again, he nearly screamed in unabashed anger to find that Cloud was no where in sight.
He was furious that he was left hovering with no sign of his properties whereabouts. He was so close! How could this have happened? He growled and clenched his fists, reserving himself to fume over his nearly successful claim over the blonde. "I won't give up. He's mine. Mine!"
'Our gifted child is protected once more. No darkness will claim his heart so long as we are present to give him our strength, the strength of the planet. Let his journey continue. Not even the Promised Land will hold him for we will not our warrior slip from the realm of the living. He is our final salvation, our hope, our memories...Let the gifted child fight!'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bwhahahahahaha! That went better than I expected. Sorry to end that chapter there. It might have been a bit mean of me, but I wanted to bring in more elements of why Cloud's heart remains untouched by the darkness. Of course, I enjoyed the Sephiroth action too. I hope that I wrote a better chapter when compared to the last one.
I was thinking about how I could pull Final Fantasy VII into it and find a reason for the lines that Sephiroth says when you fight him in the game. I think I might have found a way, and I hope that it makes some semblance of sense.
Oh, for those of you that are confused about the attack the Sephiroth used against Belle because it took me a long time to figure it out what he was saying, it is not actually called 'Sin Harvest' as I'm sure many of us actually heard. Thanks to Usagi sending me the sound clip, one can strain to hear what he actually said, which was 'Descend Heartless Angel'. Hard to hear, I know, especially when you are running for you life when he uses it in the game and it might be hard to hear above your own panicking screams.
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)
Author's Note: Well, I felt really bad for that last horrible chapter so I wanted to take the time to apologize for it. Also, I wanted to thank everyone that has taken the time to read and review this fic. It really helps to encourage me to write more. I hope that you are all enjoying it.
Other Author's note: Heehee, I just wanted to say that when ' happens, it is to indicate a dream-like voice that Cloud can only hear unless otherwise specified. Of course, we all know that Cloud is crazy and hears voices in his head :P Please, enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 3 - Clash of Light with Darkness
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth perched silently in the stone window frame, smirking in amusement as the gentle night's breeze shifted the curtains and his black coat. He found the darkness around him rather refreshing and his skin had cooled down considerably when compared to the Underworld which was usually quite warm. The breeze that brushed passed him bit softly at his exposed flesh and shifted some of his long silver locks of hair cascading over his shoulder as if reaching for the lone occupant of the room who had yet to notice his sinister presence.
He had spent some of his time merely watching his intended prey, studying the woman's every movement as he often did with Cloud. He found little interest in her long brown hair and elaborate golden dress that shimmered and sparkled beneath the candle light in a similar fashion that the woman's deep brown eyes did. He smirked when she slipped her long lithe arms into the golden satin gloves and tied back the chocolate hair with a golden ribbon. He found her clothing to be overly extravagant and the woman's demeanor much too bubbly and happy. For him, she was just another woman in pretty clothing, not much too look at.
When she had wandered into an adjacent room to finish with her preparations, he had flicked the dense windows open and perched, his gaze moving about the room. Much like her clothing, the room was equally extravagant with a cherry coloured carpet and an overly large bed with sheets that appeared to be silk from his current distance. The wood furniture was of exceptional make, obviously only the finest trees having suited the owner of the house and all of the carvings. To each wall was either a finely painted picture or a long, beautiful tapestry. Even the curtains that swept by him as they moved in the wind were overly expensive. Of course, he was not impressed in the least with this show of wealth, nor did he take the various pieces of moving, talking furniture to be any sort of problem.
With catlike grace and agility, he stepped into the large room, gaze set of the sound of soft humming. He completely ignored the gasping closet on his obvious pursuit of his prey. He slipped into the doorway just as his intended target stepped out, running into him. Smirking, he nodded his head at her quickly widening eyes, thrusting a lightning hand out to seize the young woman by the throat. He pulled her close as if to study her more carefully before gesturing down at the sword at his waist. "Make a single noise and I will do more that slaughter everything in this house. Understood?"
He easily lifted the woman's weight from the ground and stepped back into the bedchambers, gaze fixing on the jumping furniture. Again, he completely ignored it and walked calmly back to the window, hopping back up into the sill before forcing the young woman to dangle at an obviously dangerous height. Finally, he turned his attention to the now screaming items in the room. "I'll be on the roof if prince charming wishes to challenge me. Oh...you have about five seconds before this room bursts into flames and you die. Enjoy yourselves." He turned his attention back to the young woman in his hand. "Shall we then?"
"Time to die!" Sephiroth more fell rather than stepped from the window, chuckling cruelly when the room exploded into an inferno of flames, his amusement peaking when the woman in his grasp screamed shrilly. He allowed their decent to continue until he had the young woman struggling against his hold and calling for help; he then stopped abruptly a few inches from the ground and started a painfully slow ascent towards the roof of the castle, gaze shifting down to the woman still struggling to get free of him. "Do you have a name, woman?"
"Monster!" Belle screamed at the one-winged man, clawing almost desperately at his gloved hand.
"Interesting name." Sephiroth chuckled at the enraged disgusted look he was thrown and pointed upwards towards an intensely shining light. He lifted the woman's chin when she did not follow his hand. "Look at that beautiful light. I had so wanted to see it a few years ago, but my property denied me that privilege. It will be a wonderful sight, I should think." He glanced down at the brunette who merely looked quizzically at him. "That..." He gestured to the rather large light again. "Would be what I call Meteor. I wanted to use it on Hollow Bastion, but...now I get to use it on your pathetic little world. Hope you have love ones around because I'm going to enjoy listening to them scream."
Belle gasped in horror, her eyes drawn to the large glowing object in the sky, shaking her head in denial. She immediately turned her attention back to her captor. "You can't do that!"
Sephiroth chuckled softly, patting the woman on the top of the head. "Just watch me." He unceremoniously tossed the brunette onto the steeply slanted rooftop, smirking when she latched desperately onto the elaborate shingles. He landed gracefully on the edge of the roof, gaze fixed on his prey before glancing up at the sky, noting that meteor was now clearly defined in the sky and drawing closer at a rapid pace. For him, it would be the greatest sight this world would ever see.
He really did not have to wait long before an enraged scream reached his ears and the sound of claws digging deeply into wood and his chosen opponent arrived within sight. He kept his back to the creature, silently enjoying the cool breeze that was slowly heating up as meteor drew closer, brushing stray locks of silver hair back over his shoulder again. He smirked as he turned to regard the furious creature, hand rising to rest on the hilt of his long blade as his eyes took in this 'beast' with a single glance.
Purposefully, his gaze shifted from the woman at his feet and the hairy cursed beast a few yards away before pointing towards his captive. His hand moved in an intricate pattern as he called forward a spell, red streaking light following each shift of his hand. He smirked as a red halo began to form around the young woman's head as the spell proceeded. He spoke only three words to initiate the destructive power of the spell that he had created, "Descend Heartless Angel!" His words were mostly masked by the enraged shout screamed from the woman's suitor along with the trembling scream that the young brunette issued as the spell drained away her life energy and transferred it into himself.
He rolled back on his heels briefly before grabbing the hilt of Masamune and flying into action against his new opponent; he was vaguely aware of the young woman's unconscious form slipping from the rooftop. He slipped to the side of the claw and drew his blade with masterful accuracy, smashing the hilt into the beast's ribs, enjoying the feel of cracking bone. He leapt back a few feet, rebalanced his weight and disappeared in a flash of black light, only the word "Omnislash" remaining in his stead.
His movements were like liquid, each stroke of his blade hitting its intended mark with brutal efficiency and debilitating power. He moved deliberately, each step perfectly placed, each shift of weight perfectly balanced, each hit impossible to dodge. Sephiroth felt each hit, judged the mark, and attacked over and over until the sword combination ran out, and he leapt back to balance on the edge of the roof, a calm cool smirk set across his features as the Beast slumped to the roof.
"Belle..."
Chuckling, Sephiroth fell back, teleporting to the ground when he had fully dropped out of sight just in time to catch the young woman's unconscious form. He gracefully swung her weight over one of his shoulders and teleported back the rooftop, now taking slow steps towards his injured opponent. He stopped when he was just out of reaching distance, gaze fixed on the battered form at his feet. "Interesting creature you are. I had almost hoped for a challenge from you, but... such things simply cannot be. Cloud is my only challenge, but you fell more quickly than expected."
"Don't...touch...Belle..." Beast snarled in as much anger as his battered form could muster. He had never seen speed or dark power like that in all of his life.
"The woman comes with me; I have my orders." Sephiroth looked up at the sky, reaching up a hand as if beckoning the meteor closer. It was clearly visible now, and it was still moving fast. He had only a little more time left with this world before it crumbled and was destroyed. "You are lucky that I was feeling merciful. By hitting you with the blunt side of my sword, I only broke almost all of you ribs, shattered the bones in your legs and cracked your skull."
Beast snarled as he tried to move, to get close enough to get Belle back from this madman's grasp. He nearly howled when his body refused to move with his commands and his mind was blurred with tremendous pain. "I...will...kill...you... if you...hurt...Belle...."
Sephiroth chuckled softly and glanced at the woman laid over his shoulder. "I don't believe you are in any position to stop me." He crouched, aqua gaze meeting the enraged gaze of the Beast before reaching out and patting the man's head in a rough show of mockery. "I think I will leave you here to watch my present drop on your miserable little planet and crush your pitiful life out while I go and perform activities that are better suited to my interests." He smirked cruelly. "I will see you in the Promised Land."
He stood and walked slowly to the edge of the roof again, gaze moving up to the sky as a fond smile pulled at his lips. He was almost upset that he would miss the fun of watching this world crumble, but he had much more important matters to attend to, mainly getting his hands on his property once more.
"...Who...?"
Sephiroth turned to regard the Beast again, quirking a slightly impressed eyebrow to see the man nearly on his feet again; he knew of very few individuals that could force themselves back into an upright position once they had been hit by his attacks. Obviously, he had slightly under estimated this man's strength of will.
Slowly, he smiled coolly. "I am the greatest swordsman that ever lived. You'd best remember that as you die."
Beast took a slow, painful step towards the silver-haired man, ignoring everything but his intended target. He needed to get Belle back; he simply could not allow her to fall into such hands even if it killed him. He promised to protect her and that was precisely want he intended to do, no matter what it took. He took another painful step, growling at the arrogant smirk that greeted him from the other warrior; he was so close of reaching Belle. He let out an angered cry as his next step lead to the silver-haired man stepping from the rooftop and plummeting to the ground. "BELLE...!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud watched with some annoyance as Hades threw a bit of a fit over the fact that Hercules had dropped out of the tournament. Of course, he had been the one to inform the god, seeing as Panic was hiding behind his legs currently, both of them waiting out the small temper-tantrum from Hades. He ran a hand threw his hair and shifted his weight when the god's hair colour returned to a more normal state of blue flame, and he watched impassively when Hades turned to regard him again. "Done?"
Hades glowered at the blonde before switching his gaze down to Panic who was peaking out at him from behind Cloud's legs. He sighed in aggravation and pointed to a spot on the floor directly in front of him, smirking when the little demon slowly skittered into place and cowered in front of him. "Panic, just...one small question for you."
"Uh...sure, boss." Panic squeaked back hoarsely, hoping to avoid the impending violence.
"Didn't I tell you to get Blondie here a new place to stay?" Hades folded his hands behind his back when the lithe demon nodded slowly before looking up at the blonde warrior. "Good, you heard the order at least, so...why is Spiky standing in front of me?!" One of feet shot out and slammed into the green demon, sending it flying across his throne room as his hair returned to a red to show his displeasure. However, before he could start his yelling at Panic, he noted that his faithful subject had yet to hit the floor, his gaze swinging to regard the blonde that was now holding the demon in an upside-down position. He blinked when his mind retraced the previous events, and he raised his eyebrows when he figured that the blonde must have caught the flying injured creature. "What...what was that? Can't you see I'm trying to practice my anger-management skills on Panic here?"
Cloud righted the little demon in his hands, putting Panic back on the ground behind him again. He slowly turned his attention back to the god who appeared to be trying to discern his actions. "Leave Panic alone."
Hades couldn't help but blink in confusion. Was someone telling him what to do? "What did you just say, Blondie? I could have sworn I heard your insignificant little voice."
"I said, leave Panic alone." Cloud felt the little creature's arms wrap tightly around one of his legs, but he kept his attention on Hades who looked to be about to blow another fit of rage. "I demanded to come back here after I found out that Hercules was not fighting. Does this mean I just drop out now and just continue to train?"
Hades forced himself into calmness again as he regarded the blonde. Perhaps he would let Sephiroth have more unrestrained time with his bad little puppy now that Cloud was talking back to him. Tensely, he shook his head. "Nah, you can fight in the tournament. Besides, I might get to see someone best you the more you fight. That way, your victories won't swell in that spiky pinhead of yours."
Cloud felt his eyes narrow at the insult, but he refused to be baited into action over something so trivial. "My contract says that I only have to fight in the tournament that Hercules is in."
Hades had to restrain the urge to strangle the blonde. How dare anyone but him manipulate the situation in regards to contracts! He looked the warrior up and down, giving a slight more appreciation to the man's perception skills. He felt a grin pull as the corners of his mouth; he hadn't played games with people's heads in a long time and now seemed like the greatest opportunity. It appeared that Cloud was no nitwit, and he would take pleasure in toying with the blonde. "Well, now that you mention it, you're right! Geez, how could I forget that miniscule detail that is the complete and utter fundamental basis for your contract. Man, I must be losing my memory in my old age! Pity that, eh Spiky?" When the blonde remained steadfast in his humour, he covered his face with a hand. "Can you just PLEASE try to change your expression, even if it is just once! There must be a sense of humour somewhere in your body! Try to find it, if only for my sake."
Cloud shifted his weight and made no attempt to find humour in Hades' comments, instead his face remained almost completely neutral. "I'll fight in that tournament if you give me some information in regards to where I can find Sephiroth. Give me something to go on and I'll fight in your tournament as long as the only opponents are the one's scheduled." He lifted his chin from behind the cloak and forced a small smile on his lips. "How's that for humour?"
"You know...I really think that Zeus must have be your father because no one is this annoying except him." Hades stormed over to his throne and flopped down, muttering about how much he hated his younger brother. He eventually reverted his attention back to the blonde and sighed heavily. "Fine, you fight in the tournament and I'll give you a tid-bit of information about your friend. Got it?" He really needed to put this kid in his place, and he already had the most perfect manner of doing so set into place. "Okay, here is what I can tell you that my research on Seraphim..."
"Sephiroth." Cloud corrected.
"Right, Serpentis. Anyway, as far as I can tell, he is currently on a completely different world reeking unspeakable havoc on it...you know, like deranged evil people often do." Hades shifted his gaze to his fingernails as if they were the most interesting things in the entire room. "Looks like he beating some wolfman up and stealing his girl, or something like that. Hey, and it looks like he's trying to drop a big rock on the planet from space. Zeus only knows where he got that power. So...there you have it. I'm still looking into things for you because...you know, I'm such a nice god and go out on a limb for any ol' peon of mine."
Cloud slowly nodded, his mind playing over the information. It certainly did sound like the Sephiroth that he had knew, and it didn't surprise him that the former General was doing something of that extreme nature. Perhaps the crazed man was trying to get his attention? He couldn't be certain, but he could at least attempt to put an end to Sephiroth again. "Where is this planet? Would I be able to get to it?"
Hades quirked an eyebrow. "To what?"
"The planet."
"Oh, that. Nah, don't bother, he'll have destroyed it by the time you get there. You'll just have to wait until I find something new on his position afterwards." Hades stood when he saw a flash of disappointment race across the blonde's face and walked the distance between them, meeting the warrior's glowing gaze. "Don't look so disappointed. There's plenty of time for you to continue this inane search for Sepulchre..."
"Sephiroth." Cloud corrected again. He was not sure if Hades was saying the General's name wrong by mistake or just to annoy him.
"Yeah, yeah, that's what I said." Hades wrapped an arm around the blonde's shoulders and smirked arrogantly. He felt a familiar obsessive presence step back into the realm of the Underworld, making his smirk widen even more. "Well, Blondie, you must be tired from all the work you did today. Why not call it a night, eh?"
Cloud quirked an eyebrow and shifted away from the god suspiciously. Something did not feel right about Hades and the room around him seemed to feel a bit cooler than he remembered it. "I hardly did anything straining today. I'm not tired...." He gasped as he felt a prick in the back of his neck, and couldn't help but fall to his knees as all the energy seemed to be leeched from his body. He was not sure what happened when his mind cleared again, but he was vaguely aware that something had been done to him, what, he simply couldn't remember. It seemed as if the last few minutes of his memories were shrouded in darkness. Perhaps he had fallen unconscious?
Hades smirked knowingly and glanced down at Panic, giving the little demon a dangerous stare before turning his attention to the blonde at his feet. He actually enjoyed seeing the blonde warrior on all fours in front of him, perhaps because it added to his little power-hungry complex. Still, he decided to play this act up as much as possible as he let a hand fall on the blonde's tense shoulder. "Hey Blondie, what the heck happened? One minute we were talking, next your eyes rolled back in your head and you fell over all unconscious-like. You look like crap, kid. Maybe you should have a little rest; you've obviously been pushing yourself too hard."
Cloud slowly forced himself back to his feet, wobbling unsteadily before finally just sinking into a crouch. He ran a hand through his hair, trying to figure when the simple act of moving his golden bangs from his eyes became such an extreme task for him. He raised his head and tried to focus his gaze and grumbled when he failed to do so. Being stubborn, he once more forced himself to his feet, urging his trembling knees to support his weight as he attempted to take a step towards the door. His success only lasted a few steps before he fell back to his knees roughly, taking the time to breathe properly. He felt himself sway when blinking became the most difficult task, the sheer act of trying to force his eyes open too difficult to bear. Without realizing it, he felt the cool floor meet his cheek and a shadow descend over his gaze as he began to fight a losing battle with unconsciousness. Eventually, he could do little but slip off into the darkness of sleep and hopefully figure out what had caused him this inconvenience when his mind was free of the cobwebs of sleep.
Hades couldn't help but laugh when the blonde finally slipped off to sleep. His gaze fixed on Panic who was attempting to drag the blonde towards the door. He bent to check to make sure that he had not over done it and accidentally put Cloud into a coma; he had made that mistake once and really did not want to pay for it again. When he was sure that the blonde would eventually rouse again, he slapped Panic in the back of the head, sending the little demon to the floor. "You aren't to tell this twerp anything that happened here, Panic. He fell down and bumped his head or something, got it?" He watched the little demon nod before looking down at the sleeping blonde. "Hmm, I don't want him sleeping here where I can trip over his dead weight."
"I could take him to a more pleasing place, if you wanted."
Hades turned to regard the cool voice, smirking when Sephiroth stepped from the shadows with the required Princess of Heart over one shoulder. He could not help but notice the pleased smirk on the other man's features and chuckled softly. "Wonderboy, glad to see you made it back unharmed. Is the world destroyed?"
"Would you expect any less of me?" Sephiroth replied coolly, setting the unconscious woman down on the floor next to an equally unconscious Cloud. He stepped over the woman and bent to investigate the state of his property, reaching a tentative hand out as if to make contact with the warm flesh he knew was there. He stopped his fingers and glanced up at Hades. "You harmed him?" He did not bother to hide the slight annoyance in his voice.
Hades smoothed his robes back into place and folded his arms across his chest at he regarded the silver-haired man. "I did no such thing. I merely...drained him of most of his life energy and forced him into an unconscious state where he would enter a dream of his mind's choosing." He watched Sephiroth's gaze arc to the blonde again, smirking when the silver-haired man's hand reached out as if to touch. "You can take the time to thank me now. On your knees praising me as the best god this universe has ever known will be good enough to please me."
Sephiroth snorted and ignored the god, his gaze crawling over the blonde's still form. It would be so easy to capture Cloud in such a state, one that he admitted that he had enjoyed watching on several occasions in the past. He could take what he had already placed claim upon and enjoy the struggles of the lone creature that still held his interest for any length of time. With Cloud in a weakened state, it would be easy to get everything that he had ever wanted from the blonde with little struggle or effort on his part, too easy in fact. He always enjoyed the challenge that the blonde brought along, and he was not about to give it up no matter how much he wished to put his property back into a cage. He could wait for a better opportunity, like the one that Hades had promised him.
Slowly, he climbed back to his feet and turned to face the god. "There is the woman, unharmed as promised." He gestured down to the unconscious brunette on the floor. "I've done what you asked of me, now I want what you said that you would give me for success. If I am correct, and I almost always am, Cloud is sleeping soundly awaiting my arrival?" He let a cruel smirk fill his features. "I would hate to let my little canary wait for me."
Hades prodded the unconscious blonde with a foot, cocking his head to the side before finally nodding. "Well, I'm usually a god of my word...when it's an honest word, that is...so, I see no problem in turning a blind eye to such contact with him. If anything, it might unearth that personality that I've been looking for in him." He slowly walked around the two unconscious forms on his floor, gaze moving about the large room until he finally stopped when he was standing at Sephiroth's side. "Alright Wonderboy, Blondie is all yours as long as he is asleep. However, I want him in a mental state that is above Hercules, meaning above vegetable status." Hades leaned an elbow on the silver-haired man's shoulder. "Ruffle his feathers a bit. I want to see if this kid can actually get off balance, you know...just to make sure I can keep a bit of control on him if the tournament goes bad."
"I know him better than anyone. I know what will make him squirm and struggle in the most beautiful ways." Sephiroth sluffed Hades' hand off of his shoulder and took a step towards his sleeping property. "I will see how fast canaries can fly...."
"Riiiiiiight, you do that...obsessive freak." Hades looked down at Panic who now was sitting on the blonde's back as if protecting him. "Panic, do I want to know?" When the little demon opened its mouth to speak, he shook his head. "You're right, I don't want to know. Just go with Spiky and make sure that Wonderboy doesn't lay a hand on him while he's all vulnerable and unable to resist." Hades raised a hand when Panic looked to be about to protest, calling the darkness of his realm to transport the blonde to a safer place, preferably out of his sight.
Hades turned his attention back to Sephiroth as the man started to walk away. Smirking, he twitched his fingers and folded one hand behind his back. "Hey, Wonderboy!"
Sephiroth glanced over his shoulder briefly. "I'm busy."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know. Just do me one favour while you're over there?" Hades grinned. "Sleep." He chuckled when the silver-haired man almost crumpled to the ground before finding his smile falter. "Dammit, another dead weight on my floor! How am I supposed to concentrate on taking over the world with dead weight on my nice dusty floors?!"
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud smiled warmly as he walked through the massive gates of the Hollow Bastion's castle, nodding resolutely to the guards standing at their posts. The solid stone beneath his feet felt very good, and he could almost believe that the cool stone wall that moved beneath his fingers as he walked was real. He could remember clearly the smell of the air, the clinking of mechanical elevators as they moved along their routes, the soft bustle of people moving about their casual business. It brought a calm about him to return to his home even if it were just a dream; it brought memories of a pleasant time before all of the problems started, all the chaos, all the pain.
He traced a path up through the main halls to his most favourite spot in the entire castle. It really wasn't much considering anyone could venture onto the outcropping and often people did to take the moving platform back to the main gates. He sat after removing his large sword from his back and let his legs dangle over the edge of the stone wall, his gaze looking out over the waters below and the city that was on the horizon. It was a pleasant place that he relaxed when he was off-duty, and he was pleased that he managed to catch a beautiful sunset over the mountain range in the distance. He sighed and enjoyed the calmness of his dream, longing to be back in a time and place where his life had reached a normal stability.
"Cloud! Cloud, Cloud!" He turned his head to look over his shoulder at the small childish voice, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth again as his gaze found little Aerith in her favourite pink dress. It was rare that he encountered anyone that he knew in his dreams, but it was a very pleasant surprise. He chuckled when the little brunette skipped over and hugged one of his arms, providing him with a pouting face. "Cloud, where did you go? Away you go, and papa gets sick with the flu! I had to stay with Lulu 'cause you weren't here!"
Cloud shook his head and ran a hand through his blonde hair, lifting his chin as a gentle breeze swept over his body. It had been too long since he had felt to wind of his home, the smell of salt in the air from the sea below. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling until Aerith tugged on his arm and pouted more at him. "Alright, I'm sorry I went away. I won't do it again."
"Promise?" The little girl asked quietly.
"I promise. No more business trips for me." Cloud reached out a hand and ruffled Aerith's soft locks of hair, smoothing the stray pieces back into place before patting her on the top of the head. When she smiled warmly at him, he turned his attention back to the sunset, glancing back when the little brunette let go of his arm and appeared to go off to play with a small puppy that had wandered up to her. When he was sure that she would be in no danger of falling, he let himself drift back to enjoying the last warm rays of the sun.
He wasn't too sure how long it took for him to realize that the sun was not sinking any lower in the sky and shook his head as his own foolishness. He chided himself for getting lost in the feeling of belonging again, almost forgetting that he was in a dream, one of many that he had formed not long after the destruction of his planet. Still, he had not dreamed of Hollow Bastion in almost four years, but he quickly noted the insignificant details that did not find a place or did not find harmony with the actual place where he grew up. It did not displease him, but it made him frustrated that this would be as close to Hollow Bastion as he would get until he managed to liberate it from the Heartless.
"Cloud! Look! Look what I found!" Cloud half-turned to regard Aerith, quirking an eyebrow when she held up a small black bird that sat perched in her hands. He smiled when she giggled and began to pet the little creature with the utmost of gentleness, a quality that Aerith had acquired from her deceased mother. He pulled a knee up to his chest and chuckled when the little bird began to chirp and hop from the brunette's shoulder to her arm and back again. He took the moment to watch how much happiness that Aerith had when she was a child, something that he could not fully give her when he raised her in Traverse Town.
He smiled when the bird suddenly took flight from Aerith's hands and was about to turn back to watching the sun again when his senses dully protested. Something was not right. He looked around his surroundings, trying to pick out what seemed to shift in his mind that made the breeze fall silent and the lifts around him stop suddenly. His gaze could pick nothing out of the ordinary so he turned his attention back to Aerith to make sure that the little girl was still alright under his watch.
She was kneeling down, running some chalk over the stone to form a picture. She was completely absorbed in the activity, one that she enjoyed almost as much of having stories told to her. Her shining aqua eyes met his and the smile that washed over her face made his heart wrench with what he had lost. Aerith's pink dress now had acquired a few chalk marking and her cheek was smudged with dust, the pink ribbon in her hair fallen silent with no wind and her mother's precious glowing green stone nestled up with the ribbon. She was a very adorable sight, a picture perfect one if not for the shadow that seemed much too large for her small frame.
Cloud felt his eyes widen as his gaze only managed to pick out the minute detail as the shadow only increased in size rapidly. His glowing gaze snapped upwards, and he could feel his jaw slipping open as his gaze met with that of the one fixed straight on him. "...Sephiroth...?" He tried to climb to his feet, if only to get in the way of the General's blade which was plainly targeted on Aerith's back, but his movements seemed to be painfully slow when compared to the speed which Sephiroth was falling from the sky with. He let out a pained cry as Aerith lifted her head to regard him, their gazes meeting just as the General hit the mark, the silver-haired man's blade impaling through the child's back and sinking deep into the stone beneath her. "Aerith! No!"
As soon as the blade met with flesh, Cloud was on his feet. He watched as Sephiroth's head slowly lifted to regard him, their glowing gazes meeting as the silver-haired man pulled the blade from Aerith's back, feeling his jaw tighten as the little girl's body disintegrated into white feathers that were blown away by a sudden wind that picked up. All that remained of the little child was the small glowing stone that had been Aerith's mother's keepsake that was lazily rolling towards him. Cloud instinctively reached for his blade at his side, only to find that it was not to where he had left it.
"Looking for something, my precious?" Sephiroth resheathed Masamune as his side and enjoyed Cloud's panicked look as the blonde searched for a sword. He took a few steps towards the blonde, gaze passing fondly over the young warrior. When Cloud's attention shifted back to him, he gestured to the stopped lift a few meters away, smirking as the blonde took a step towards where the large sword was balanced precariously. "I took the liberty of unarming you. I don't want to have to use excessive force to cage you, MY Cloud."
Cloud turned his gaze to Sephiroth, gaze running over the man's distinctive different clothes though the black wing resting against the silver-haired man's shoulder was all too familiar for him. He took another step towards where his sword was, gaze fixed on the element that he knew for a fact was not part of his dream. How could have Sephiroth found him so quickly? Another step towards his sword, eyes narrowing as Sephiroth took another step towards him. "This is impossible. You can't be here. This is a dream."
"Nightmare actually, thanks to me." Sephiroth smirked cruelly and followed the blonde's steps with steps of his own, quickly closing the distance between them. It appeared that Cloud could get a bit rattled when the blonde was shocked. He was amused that Cloud's appearance had remained in the blonde's old form, no wing or demonic hand gracing the blonde's features. "You looked surprised to see me. I have been watching you for a very long time, Cloud, just like I promised that I would when you killed me." Sephiroth took a much larger step towards the blonde, almost within touching distance. "I have waited for this moment for years, and I now I have you just where I want you, cornered and with no way of spreading your wings to escape me, little canary."
Cloud took the biggest chance of his career and turned his back to Sephiroth as he leapt for his sword, fingers brushing the hilt of the blade before the air left his lungs as Sephiroth's long sword smashed into his ribs. He gasped for breath as he was sent flying away from any structure that he could grab onto, shaking his head as he plummeted towards the water below. He eventually found his breath in time to have the collar of his shirt grabbed, and he was slammed roughly into the smooth stone wall, gritting his teeth as a body pressed close to his to hold him in place. "Release...me...you're supposed to be dead..."
Sephiroth chuckled softly and pressed his knee into the small of the Cloud's back, one hand running over the silky locks of blonde hair before grabbing hold of some of the younger man's hair. "You can't kill what owns you, my precious Cloud. I never break my promises, and I long ago promised that you would be my property." He pulled the blonde's head back where he could better whisper in Cloud's, running a fond finger over the lobe. "Mine. You have always been mine, always will be mine no matter how much you deny me. There is nothing about you that I do not own. From the tallest spike on your blonde head to shoes that bind your feet in protection...I have placed claim over it all."
Cloud placed his arms against the wall and shoved back as roughly as his could, trying to dislodge the insane General, grimacing when Sephiroth's knee dug deeper into his back. He resisted stubbornly when the silver-haired man attempted to pin his shoulders to the wall, pushing back against the strength, refusing to give in without a fight. He groaned when Sephiroth took his stubbornness as an opportunity to slam his head into the wall, feeling his the strength in his arms falter in that moment and his shoulders joined his cheek against the cool stone. "I won't let it end...not like this..."
"You are right about that. It won't end with you pinned against a wall, but it will end with me as the victor." Sephiroth released his hold on the blonde's shoulders and began to remove one of his leather gloves, a cruel smirk gracing his elegant features. He roughly tugged Cloud's thick sleeveless sweater out of the blonde's belted pants, chuckling at the younger man's protests. He let his bare hand run over the warm flesh of the blonde's back, slowly tracing up Cloud's spine, smiling when the blonde tensed considerably at their skin-to-skin contact. His hand shifted off of the blonde's spine, fingers tracing over to where Cloud's heart lay bound in flesh, putting more weight behind his hold on the younger man. "My little canary, how much you need to grow...You fought the darkness for too long. Let me help ease your fighting spirit into a soft sleep...."
Cloud struggled hard, attempting to wriggle out of the silver-haired man's tight grip on his neck, nearly succeeding too. He felt all of the muscles in back suddenly tense as the warmth in Sephiroth's bare hand disappearing, leaving a freezing cold appendage touching his skin, his mind all too familiar with this feeling. His struggles only intensified as he felt the cool caress of dark energy along his shoulder blade, unable to suppress a hoarse cry of pain as the former General's hand cut through his muscle and bone as if it were paper, biting his lip as he felt to warm wash of blood spattering over his flesh and sweater. He attempted to struggle, but he was forced to lean heavily on the wall as Sephiroth appeared to find his mark, a cold hand wrapping almost tenderly around his beating heart. "I...won't...die...like this..." He whispered as he attempted to get his arms to push him away from the wall again.
Sephiroth smiled and shifted himself to the side, leaning in close to whisper in the blonde's ear. "Again, you are right, Cloud. You won't die from this; I won't let you die on me now. You WILL be mine." He shifted his hand as if to insinuate his point, smirking when the blonde refused to cry out in pain for him. He wrapped an his other arm around Cloud's neck, pulling the blonde closer to his body as he set to work to place his claim over his property. He smiled as the walls that Cloud had place upon his heart to hide it away and protect it slowly began to tremble and break down as he placed his powers of darkness against them. "You are very lucky that this is a dream, or it would be much more painful...and more difficult for me. Your mind is less skilled than your body, little one. Your heart will fall into darkness."
"...Never..." Cloud rasped out as his body convulsed in pain as he tried to escape the General's strong hold on him. His breathing began to come in gulping breathes as he resisted the slowly creeping darkness, feeling the despair of his carefully constructed walls were broken down as if they supporting a tremendous weight against them. He failed of hold in a shriek of unbearable pain as the hold on his struggling light tightened and the darkness broke through. He concentrated on defending himself, feeling as though he were backed into a corner against a much greater foe than he had ever faced before. He couldn't help but feel the weight of this battle, the despair that washed to all corners of his mind and started to draw him down. "No...stop..." Cloud shuddered as the coldness surrounding his heart spread throughout his body, a sign to his mind that he was losing this battle. "STOP...!!"
"You can't win, and you are now realizing it. Just let yourself go and give in to what you already know will be the future. Give in the darkness, Cloud. Allow yourself to feel the cool embrace of real power." Sephiroth whispered soothingly into the blonde's ear, smirking when Cloud issued a cry of pain as a demonic wing made its appearance. He wrapped his own wing around the blonde as if to shade Cloud from everything but himself. Soon, he noted the demonic wing of the present make its own appearance, and he knew that he had beaten the blonde. He could feel Cloud's hold slipping away, the blonde now clawing desperately to hold some part together. Sephiroth redoubled his efforts, wanting to capture the innocent light for his own desires as he held all claim over Cloud and the blonde would have no choice but to submit to him.
'Cloud! Cloud Cloud, look at my picture!'
Cloud felt a small distant voice in the back of his mind, slowly opening his eyes.
'Look at the pretty dress daddy gave me, Cloud! Don't I look all pretty! Look, look!'
Again, the small childish voice called, this time a little bit closer. Cloud shifted his cheek against the stone wall, his eyes sluggishly scanning his surroundings. Most of his gaze was filled with the man holding his body.
'You're going away, aren't you? You are going after the rumor that I know that you've heard. Cloud...?'
The voice sounded like a grown woman, but its caring gentleness made Cloud feel loved again.
'I suppose that if I can't convince you to stay, then I have no choice but to give you this. Take it, Cloud. My mother always said that it would keep me safe, and now I want you to be safe so I want you to have it.'
Cloud grudgingly moved his head, shifting his cheek from where he had rested it, vaguely aware that Sephiroth's hold on his neck tightened considerably, almost to the point of choking him. As quickly as his numb brain could force his freezing muscles, he lifted his chin, looking up the way that he had fallen what seemed so long ago. He slowly became aware that something was falling, a small glowing object. At first, he could not begin to think about what could be falling, but his eyes widened as he finally realized that the stone that Aerith had given him was descending towards him, beckoning him to catch it. However, he simply did not have the energy to lift a hand, rather he watched the glowing aqua stone approach rapidly, seeming to slow as it was only a small distance away.
Sephiroth growled in frustration as his progressed was slowed as it appeared that the blonde was giving a last stand, but such a thing simply should not be. He felt Cloud slipping more into his grasp when suddenly the blonde shifted and the warm began to return to the younger man's skin. "No, you're mine. Nothing will stop me now." His gaze shifted as Cloud looked up, moving to follow what had caught the blonde's attention, eyes narrowing as a small glowing stone fell from the sky. He instantly recognized it as the stone that had remained behind after he murdered Cloud's adoptive daughter. "You can't have him. Cloud is mine, my own, my only. I will give him to no one!"
'CLOUD!!!' The small childish voice rang out throughout the dream, reaching every corner of the small dreamscape. The one voice was suddenly overtaken by a larger, most forceful voice, one that was composed of many voices. 'Ours! The planet guards this child! Leave, accursed one!'
Sephiroth snarled angrily as a blinding light exploded from the small stone, covering his eyes with one hand as he was blown back, his hold on Cloud released grudgingly. He caught himself and hovered in the air, slowly pulling hand away to watch where the blonde must have fallen. He was angered to find the blonde curled in a ball, hovering in the air and surrounded by a glowing aqua light, the stone still shining brightly. His eyes narrowed in anger as the wound in the blonde's back healed and all of his precious work was replaced with glowing aqua energy that surged with what felt like anger at him, forcing him to keep his distance from the unconscious blonde. He growled when he was forced to cover his eyes again as a wave of blinding aqua light burst from the stone. When he could see again, he nearly screamed in unabashed anger to find that Cloud was no where in sight.
He was furious that he was left hovering with no sign of his properties whereabouts. He was so close! How could this have happened? He growled and clenched his fists, reserving himself to fume over his nearly successful claim over the blonde. "I won't give up. He's mine. Mine!"
'Our gifted child is protected once more. No darkness will claim his heart so long as we are present to give him our strength, the strength of the planet. Let his journey continue. Not even the Promised Land will hold him for we will not our warrior slip from the realm of the living. He is our final salvation, our hope, our memories...Let the gifted child fight!'
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Bwhahahahahaha! That went better than I expected. Sorry to end that chapter there. It might have been a bit mean of me, but I wanted to bring in more elements of why Cloud's heart remains untouched by the darkness. Of course, I enjoyed the Sephiroth action too. I hope that I wrote a better chapter when compared to the last one.
I was thinking about how I could pull Final Fantasy VII into it and find a reason for the lines that Sephiroth says when you fight him in the game. I think I might have found a way, and I hope that it makes some semblance of sense.
Oh, for those of you that are confused about the attack the Sephiroth used against Belle because it took me a long time to figure it out what he was saying, it is not actually called 'Sin Harvest' as I'm sure many of us actually heard. Thanks to Usagi sending me the sound clip, one can strain to hear what he actually said, which was 'Descend Heartless Angel'. Hard to hear, I know, especially when you are running for you life when he uses it in the game and it might be hard to hear above your own panicking screams.
