Darkness Rising
By Chibi Nataku
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)
Chapter 5 - Battling the Darkness
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud kept his gaze squarely on the door in front of him, tucking his chin more securely into his red cloak. He slowly climbed the steps that would lead him into where he was certain to find the placement in the tournament that he had managed to draw. He shoved open the stone door effortlessly and entered, quirking an eyebrow to find the room empty. He wandered over the stone slab where strange lettering was etched in, cocking his head to the side as he attempted to decipher the odd characters. He scratched his head when he could make little sense of what was written.
'Hey, Spiky! You're late! Bad puppy, no walkies for you!' Cloud looked around when a Hades' voice echoed in his mind, glancing around to locate the god. 'I'm not with you right now, but just meet in the entrance to the locker rooms. Oh and look tough will ya. I don't you to be pathetic today, especially since...heh, you know, it's your grand debue!' Cloud shook his head when Hades laughed much too loudly, trying to remove the voice. He had been subjected to too many people trying to get into his head in the last little while. 'Oh, I got you a great spot, Blondie! Right on the top, where I'm sure to love to be. Now all you have to do is kick a little butt and automatically qualify for the next tournament, sounds good right? Right? Hey, stop ignoring me! Don't tell me the hamster fall off the wheel again?'
Cloud gritted his teeth and started through the darkened hallway that led out into the enormous Coliseum, gaze focused straight ahead as he prepared himself for battle. His gaze shifted around the gigantic fighting arena, noting every aspect of its well-chiselled appearance, a sure sign that this place had been created by the gods. The magnificent craft nearly took his breath away, but his attention was instantly drawn down the satyr that he had barely met upon his meeting along with three other occupants.
His glowing gaze passed over the trio with an outward disinterest that hid the fact that he recognized these people. He noted the duck's slightly bewildered look as well as the staff that the creature held in one hand, an obvious magic-user, meaning easily defeated in armed combat. His gaze then shifted to the tallest member, a strange dog creature with an elaborate shield whose symbols he failed to recognize; it appeared that his presence did not completely register with the dog, an obvious sign to the reason this creature was a defender and not a mage. After the other two were noted, his gaze shifted to the boy staring right back at him.
Cloud allowed their gazes to lock as he passed by, noting the boy's very familiar appearance. He had seen this boy when Hades had presented him to the other dimwits who spoke openly of this boy and their combined plan to toy with then remove the child. He noted at close range that the spiky brunette was probably similar to his age when he had first joined the Royal Guards, a feature that attracted his attention the most. The boy stood in lax bewilderment of him, seeming to be entranced with his aura of dominance when it came to a fighting ring. His gaze passed over the boy's appearance before looking above him as if disinterested, which was completely untrue because of the hidden power he felt radiating from the brunette.
The next feature was the pull to this boy, a strange whispering in his mind as if he were being searched by a powerful source. He felt the whispers drift slowly through his mind and a power begin the gather in his right hand as if a sword were suddenly materializing. He clenched his fist tightly and forced the whispers from his mind, turning his gaze away from the trio to look out for Hades. He smirked when the satyr spoke opening about that fact that he would be a difficult opponent to beat.
He cast a quick glance back at the trio before shoving open the wooden woven planked door that lead down to the locker rooms and slipped into the darkened sloping hallway. He stopped and leaned back against the stone wall so that he could watch the trio fight through the open spaces in the doorway, picking out weaknesses in the form of the boy especially. He noted that the boy was stubborn, high-strung, and obviously very loyal to his goals. He was reminded of himself at that age, making a smile pull at his lips. His smile didn't last long as Hades was suddenly beside him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet, occasionally glancing up at the fighting trio.
Hades wriggled his fingers together, a toothy grin spreading across his lips. "So...I saw that nasty little dream you stumbled in a few days ago. Geez, that was rough...enjoyable to watch from the outside, but rough. You sure took it bent over from that guy. I mean, you just stared at him like a virgin looking at Zeus for the first time." He lifted his hands in a mock sign of peace when the blonde glared at him, the questioning look causing him to saunter over to Cloud and wrap a fond arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Hey, great god of the Underworld here...I know everything that happens in my realm...because you know, I'm the god and you are my faithful servant so...I got to look out for you...seeing as that's what gods do...look out for peons that serve them blindly." He smirked when the blonde tensed. "Sorry Spiky, truth hurts, I know."
Cloud grunted and let his gaze drift back to the fighting trio, noting that they were doing quite well against simple Heartless. He really was not in the mood to speak about his encounter with Sephiroth, if only because he needed to analyze the former General's changes. He pulled his hands from his pockets and rested them on his hips. He decided to shift the conversation to the trio of fighters. "Who's the kid?"
Hades glanced to where the brunette and his little play toys were prancing around. His plans about having the Heartless take out the keyblade-wielding brat seemed to be failing, making his temper shorten considerably. He thought for certain that the insignificant band of misfits would fall easily, but he had obviously underestimated the youth's abilities with the keyblade. If he couldn't get rid of this kid quickly, he would be in trouble and have another thorn in his side almost as big as Hercules. However, unlike his fellows, he was not about to let a brat run amok in his Coliseum and gain power. He made that mistake with Hercules, but he refused to do it again. Obviously, he needed to pull out his big gun to blast the kid to the next planet and back.
He shifted his gaze to Cloud again, noting that the blonde's attention seemed fixed, more of the little personality that Cloud expressed sinking away into complete soberness. He rolled his eyes and smirked, an evil idea coming to his head. His gaze shifted to the fighting brunette then back to the blonde. He took a few steps forward as the trio began to dance around again, making his frustration level flare. He walked back to standing next to the blonde, trying not to show his frustration too much. "That little punk is you next opponent, okay? Now don't blow it. Just take him out." He swung his arms to insinuate his point, glancing down at the blonde.
Cloud shifted his weight and glanced over at Hades, noting the god's obvious dislike of how the tournament was going. Perhaps this keyblade wielder was better than Hades had first thought, meaning that the Heartless had been particularly weak. He shifted his gaze from Hades over to where the spiky brunette was fighting in another battle. He had to fight off his amusement so remained sarcastic instead. "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of some kid." He watched Hades tense at his obvious prodding. He wondered how much he could bait the god into anger. "Sorry but my contract says..."
"I know! You think I don't know! I wrote the contract." Hades had to reel in his temper quickly, instead regarding the blonde as coolly as he could currently muster. Really, he had to restrain the urge to slap Cloud and shove the blonde out into the arena. "I know that it says that you are only required to kill Hercules in the tournament. But you have to fight that kid to get him. Come on." He gestured towards the fighting trio as they spoke with Phil, patting the blonde on his shoulder. "It's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game so just let loose and have fun with it. I mean, I casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?" He grinned and folded his hands behind his back, sighing internally when the blonde shrugged slightly and walked out of the door. His hands clenched in frustration; he did not being mocked by anyone, especially not his toys.
He glanced back at where Cerberus had been lying quietly and gestured slightly for the beast to get up. He spoke to the dog as if it truly had a large measure of understanding to his words. "Geez, stiffer than some of the stiffs back home. Still...suckers like him are hard to come by." He chuckled softly and turned to regard the beast fully reaching up to scratch underneath one of the three chins as any normal owner would their pet. "Listen up, Cerberus, if Spiky fails to kill this kid, I want you to get in there and finish the job. Don't kill Blondie, just take him out if you need to." He looked up at the three heads and lifted his hands to get each heads' attention, pointing at his mouth. "No blonde death, brunette death only. I want a yellow spiky head to walk out, not a brown one. Got it?" When Cerberus simply stared at him, he slapped his forehead. "Riiight, get out there...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud rested his blade over one shoulder as he walked to the middle of the arena, gaze fixed on his opponents. He had to remind himself to go easy on these three, simply because he didn't want to make them look completely out of place. He would force himself to practise on the skills that he was still developing, not use the one's that he had mastered and could crush just about anyone with. However, in the back of his mind, he felt his fiercely competitive instincts stir and knew that even if he did go easy on these three, he would probably still win. He had already seen their weaknesses, and he was fully trained after long years of practise. He was never one to like losing, bred into him by the other Royal Guards and his mother. Still, he would do his best not to completely crush the trio.
He stopped in the middle of the arena and bent, knocking on the large stone slabs to test their hardness. Shrugging, he climbed back to his feet as the trio fell into battle formation, a small air of cockiness floating over in his direction. He felt the need to deflate the egos before completely humiliating this rag-tag bunch of would-be heroes; he shoved his sword into the stone at his feet effortlessly, watching the faces of his opponents that twisted into slight shock, and merely adjusted the fit of his glove before pulling his sword back out. "Right, let's get this over with. Show me what you've got." He swivelled his enormous sword around his hand in a great show of skill and set himself into a relaxed battle position, eyes fixed on his opponents.
Sora bit his lip and tightened his grip on the keyblade, suddenly very nervous about this battle. He had been doing so well, too, but now, he feared that he might have stepped a bit out of his league. The blonde across from him held the feel of a battle-harden warrior with more experience than he could ever dream of having in his lifetime. Yet, the more he looked at the blonde, the more grip on the keyblade seemed to loosen, like it was about to leap from his hands at any moment. He glanced over at his companions, somewhat wishing that he could speak with them about his new problems with keeping a firm grip on his keyblade; he hadn't had these problems with when he faced off against the Heartless; rather, he only had it when the blonde was around. Something had to be going on.
Cloud drew back his blade as soon as the whistle sounded to initiate the battle, lunging forward in a straight line for the brunette, now fully intent on finishing this battle before his opponents had a chance to completely humiliate themselves in front of Hades. His gaze shifted to the dog with the shield who intercepted his blow, rocking back on his heels as he swung his sword in a downward arc that smashed roughly into the shield, then his sword switched directions, moving in an upwards slash then across, each blow forcing the dog a few steps back from him.
He leapt back, settling into his own rhythm of battle; now that he was in fighting mode, there was no turning back for any of them. In this state, he cared little for his opponents' well-being so long as he was the victor, a wall of callousness settling over his mind. He would feel very little for his opponents, placing them in the same realm as a real enemy; he had developed it during one of his sparring matches, the first match that he had defeated the General. He now used it in any fight that he participated in, mostly because he had developed a highly competitive nature early in his childhood. He refused to show his opponents mercy until the battle was over, and even then he was unsympathetic to any wounds received during the fight. It was a mindset that he now slipped into subconsciously, despite his best efforts to give an opponent a break; he had fought too many skilled opponents to let his guard down anymore.
Sora took a few steps around the blonde warrior, clutching at the blade in his hands before finally gritting his teeth. If this warrior was going to defeat him, he would at least go out fighting; besides, this was a fair tournament fight and the rules stated that there could be no killing. Perhaps all he had to do was use his speed to his advantage, especially considering the blonde appeared seemly slow when moving towards him. However, Goofy had often reminded him that he should never judge an enemy by first appearances.
He glanced over at Donald who had begun to cast a lightning spell, jaw tightening as the blonde stepped between each strike as if the bolts were mere obstacles to be avoided not feared. He was completely shocked when the blonde rocketed forward in another straight strike, now only inches away from Goofy. Well, he guessed that defeated the thought that the blonde was a slow fighter. He immediately moved to help his comrade, keyblade smashing hard into the blonde's back, rolling to the side when his opponent's sword arced in his direction. He jumped back to his feet when the wind from the blow had finished racing over him, turning when Goofy let out a surprised howl, eyes widening as the blonde now turned to regard them. He gulped ran over to where Donald was casting again, only now catching a glimpse of his downed comrade. "Geez, this is not going well! What are we going to do, Donald?"
"Shut it and blast this guy with magic. Magic solves every problem." Donald glanced at Sora then over to the now approaching blonde. This was definitely not going well. He had never seen a hit so strong that Goofy couldn't handle it, meaning that this warrior was better than the average Heartless. Donald fired off a fireball, grimacing when the blonde leapt to the side of the intended blow. This was the sound of them losing.
"Is that the best you can do?" Cloud called, baiting the pair to attack him. He took an intimidating step towards the pair, stopping when the soft whispers of before drifted by him again, this time considerably more insistent. He fought off the voices, only to be captured by darker voices that seemed to be attempting to protect him for something. Again, he fought off the conflict around him, forcing himself to concentrate on the battle at hand. Despite his best efforts, whispering still muddled his thoughts and made his muscles seem all the more tired. He shook his head and closed his eyes to enforce the walls around his mind and heart, determined to fend of the invisible enemy. His eyes snapped open again a few seconds before the keyblade smashed into his side, the whispering suddenly turning into an incoherent wave of voices that threatened to sweep across his entire consciousness.
Sora sighed in relief when the keyblade sent the blonde flying backwards; it least this warrior wasn't completely unbeatable. He followed the blonde, determined to at least get another hit in before the warrior recovered. He thrust forward, gasping when the keyblade in his hands shimmered and became translucent, almost as if it weren't really there anymore. The keyblade passed harmlessly through as the blonde slipped to the side, but Sora was not as lucky as the enormous blade the blonde carried smacked into his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hit the ground and forced himself to roll, just in case he was being perused. Vaguely, he heard Donald casting almost desperately before the arena around him went silent.
Slowly, Sora looked up as he climbed to his feet, gaze fixing on the blonde who was standing over the now unconscious mage duck. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at the keyblade in his hand, wandering if the warrior had some control over his weapon. He had never seen the keyblade flicker in and out of his hands before, but it worried him considerably, especially if he had any chance of beating this opponent. Again, the keyblade flickered as he climbed to his feet, his gaze locking with the glowing gaze of the blonde. He couldn't fight if he didn't have a weapon that would work, so he did the next best thing until he could figure out an ulterior plan...he ran as the blonde charged him.
Cloud turned to regard the short brunette, quirking an eyebrow at the boy's sudden fleeing tactics. He then noted that the brunette's sword seemed to have something wrong with it. Yet, as soon as he looked at the blade, the voiced formed into a single understandable one in his mind.
'You can open the door if you take up the fight. Hold out your hand and the keyblade is yours, child of the planet.'
Another voice, darker in nature and malicious in sound echoed right after the first. 'This one is ours. His heart has already given in to the darkness around him. Soon the planet's energy will not be enough to protect him.' The same voice began to shift into something that he recognized, a single cool and calm voice. 'Looking for something, my precious...my Cloud?' Soft mocking laughter echoed around him. 'You've lost your Light, my little canary. You have lost sight of what you claimed to protect. Soon, your nightmare shall swallow you, and I shall own you...just like I promised. I hope you like the taste of blood because you will soon be bathing in it.'
The other light returned, much softer and at more of a distance. 'Until he moves through the darkness, his heart remains pure but clouded...Until the child of the planet releases his walls and opens his heart, his Light will be lost forever...'
Cloud rocked back on his heels, grabbing his head as a headache took over his mind. The voices had left him now, but he again felt a soft squeezing against his heart. He forced his walls to hold, suddenly fearful of what the voices meant and not about to test out losing his walls while he was in the middle of battle. Waves of pain and confusion trickled through his mind, distracting his concentration and nearly making him drop his sword. Too many questions flooded his mind all at once, taking his guard down one notch. Slowly, he redirected the questions into the back of his mind while he forced himself to concentrate on this fight. "I...have to finish this fight...quickly."
He looked across the arena when the brunette was watching him wearily, summoning up some of the dark powers that he had attained; he would only use it when he was desperate. He leapt high in the air without further thought, bringing his sword down hard into the brunette who scrambled to get out of his way. His enormous blade sunk deep into the stone as dark energy erupted from the ground around him, catching the boy by surprise and again sending the brunette flying. He pulled his blade from the stone, swivelled on one foot, rebalanced himself and launched forward with his sword extended, again catching the brunette off balance. He shifted his weight, leaning to his left as he swung his blade like an unavoidable battering object, smashing hard into the stomach of the already flying boy. He pulled himself up as the brunette landed hard on the stone in between the only now conscious comrades. "Couldn't have laid them out better even if I'd tried..." He muttered softly into his cloak, now walking casually over to the fallen trio, lifting his sword into the air to finish what he had been ordered to.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well, well, well Strife, still sitting on your butt rolling around in the dirt? The General beat you THAT bad again? How many times is it now...four, ten?" Cloud looked up from his spot in the middle of the sparring arena at the small group of guards that had taken it upon themselves to mock his failures. "For your age, we'd have thought you would be able to handle an old man like the General, but obviously, you're still just a punk...a nobody!" The leader of the group, an older greying man by the name of Adoven Silverkin, particularly picked on his lack of summers. Cloud did his best to ignore the group and knocked a few pebbles with his fingers. "Why don't you got home to your mommy and cry? A punk like you isn't going anywhere in our ranks. You think you're so good, but you don't know nothing!"
"Anything." Cloud corrected softly, glancing up at Adoven, watching as the man's face turned red with anger. He allowed himself to be dragged to his feet by his collar, staring the older man down without any hint of fear.
"What did you say, punk?" Adoven questioned, ready to smash the blonde at any moment.
Cloud looked down at where he sword lay covered in a thin film of dust before looking back to Adoven. "According to the rules of etiquette, a Royal Guard should fully implement their education and speak in a manner that is appropriate to indicating the greatness of the service." He shrugged his shoulders much as he could given the fact that his toes were bearly touch the ground. "You said nothing when you should have said anything in your attempt to degrade my self-confidence."
Adoven shook his head in anger and smashed his fist into the blonde's cheek, releasing his hold on the boy to allow the blonde to fall back into the dirt. "You may be able to kiss the General's butt and even Lord Ansem's butt, but you're smart comments will only get yourself a good beating around me." He took a step towards the blonde, stepping on the boy's sword to hold it down while he reached out and flicked the blonde's dust-covered spikes of hair. "Maybe I should pound that into your thick skull, eh?"
"Perhaps you should leave the new recruit to his own devices before you are suspended, Adoven." All eyes turned to regard the General as he approached, all of the guards immediately lowering their heads in respect to him. He stopped when he was standing in between of the two groups, his aqua gaze fixing on the larger group of men. "Leave." He ordered firmly.
"General..."
"Did I give you permission to speak?" Sephiroth asked coldly, giving Adoven a warning look. He smirked when the older man lowered his head in respect again. When the group remained shuffling their feet, he turned to face them fully. "I believe that I have given a direct order, yet, I still see all of you still here. Disobeying the orders of a senior officer is a serious offence that I may punish myself." He glared at each man's back as they all seemed to almost flee the area before turning his attention to the blonde at his feet. "Problem, Strife?"
Cloud slowly shook his head. "No, sir."
Sephiroth bent to investigate the state of his newest guard, finding a small line of blood slipping from the blonde's cheek, obviously where Adoven had smacked the boy. He glanced around when the blonde did not meet his gaze, slowly climbing back to his feet. "I beat you almost two hours ago, Strife. How long do you plan to mope about?"
"I'm not moping, sir." Cloud replied slowly, reaching a hand to the hilt of his sword.
"So...you're trying to act your age then, playing in the dirt? I believe there is a time and a place for that, meaning at your house." Sephiroth turned on his heel when the blonde winced at his cold comments and started to walk away, not interested in dealing with a moping child. He stopped when he was a few meters away, glancing over his shoulder as the blonde stood. "Strife, if I catch you like this again, I will personally see to it that you are removed from duty until you have grown up enough to be able to handle a bit of defeat."
Cloud watched the silver-haired man walk away, reaching a tentative hand towards the General. He had received many beatings over his first two weeks of being a Royal Guard, making all the enthusiasm leave him as the days passed by. "Sir...?" The word jumped from his mouth before he could stop it, quickly covering his mouth and looking in the other direction in a weak attempt to make it appear as if he had not spoken at all. However, he felt the General's gaze fall on him again and sighed heavily. He felt doomed as it was so he might as well go out with a bang. "Permission to speak...freely, sir."
Sephiroth walked back the distance between the blonde and himself, stopping when they were inches apart. He looked the younger man up and down, trying to discern the words that might leap from the blonde's mouth when allowed to speak. Slowly, he nodded. "Permission granted, Strife. What is it you want to say to me?"
"I hate it how you pick on me. Every chance you get, you're dragging me out in the arena and making a complete fool of me. I didn't join up the ranks show off; I joined because I wanted to learn what it took to be a good Royal Guard. Having my butt thrown across the arena was not part of the vision that I had and...Frankly, it's pissing me off...sir." Cloud took a step away from the General, knowing full well that his choice of words might get him into trouble. He didn't care though; his mother had always taught him to speak his mind. Finally, he settled into staring up at the silver-haired man, almost about to glare at the non-response to his words. He huffed and kicked at the dirt near his feet, noting that he managed to send some on the General's boots. "I don't see you picking on any of the other men. Is it because of my age? If it is, then you can go and screw off because I got here on my own steam. I'll be damned if you think that you can chase me off. Just leave me alone."
Sephiroth was internally shocked. He had never received any such words from any man under his leadership, and he admitted that he felt suddenly sharpened with the small tongue-lashing. Everyone aside from Ansem feared his authority and skills, but not this little one. His new-found challenge had a bark that was equal to his bite, a fact that he stored away for further analysis. He was impressed with the blonde's boldness, held the young man in higher standings for it. The boy would someday be a leader.
He cleared his throat to announced that he was about to speak, gaze shifting to make sure that no one was listening. When he could find nothing that displeased him, he let his gaze meet the deep blue depths that stared back at him. "I don't pick on you, Strife. I doubt you understand the honour of having been challenged multiple times by me. Not many men can claim such an honour."
Cloud set his shoulders as he felt as if he were being talked down to again. "There's no honour in it! I don't want to be nursing new bruises and scrapes because you think that I'm your new play toy! I want to learn..."
"You are learning, Strife. You are just too thick-headed and nervous to actually see what I am giving you." Sephiroth seized the blonde by the throat and lifted the boy, impressed that Cloud did not struggle in his hold. "There is no man in all of the ranks that I hold claim over that has any sort of skill to challenge me. My skills grow rusty on wasted old-timers who can bearly lift a sword, but those men will fight and die for me if I say so. They are good men who see for the first time in all of their pitiful careers that a poor, under-educated peasant boy has stepped up to challenge me. I fight you, Strife, because you hit me." He watched the blue depths shift with an unknown emotion before looking away from him, but he decided it would be best to continue. "No one has hit me while I was General of the Royal Guards, except you."
"Lucky shot..." Cloud stated, seeing as it was the only thing that he had been hearing in the last two weeks.
Sephiroth released his hold on the blonde, watching as Cloud's feet landed evenly, no loss of balance what-so-ever. "I had two options when I saw you fight, Strife. I could have killed you...I still could kill you before you hone your skills and become any sort of threat to me." He smirked when the blonde took a few nervous steps away from him, following with steps of his own just to prove that he was in control of this situation and the blonde's survival. "But, I didn't kill you, Strife. I let the other option set into place. I'm letting you develop those impressive skills so that when you finally reach some point of maturity, then I can sharpen my own skills again."
Cloud nearly stomped his foot on the ground. "So, you are just using me. I see. I suppose that is supposed to make me feel better about myself."
Sephiroth pointed a finger at the blonde's chest before raising it to poke the younger man in the forehead. "You are the challenge that I have been waiting for, Strife. I've given you the shove to run, boy...you just have to plunge ahead and show me what you've got." He turned away from the obviously shocked blonde. "You won't fail where you are running to, Strife. Your father was a stubborn man who wouldn't let a bit of name-calling stop him, and I doubt that you will too. Show me what you've got."
"General..." Cloud had never dreamed that he would hear any such words from the General, let alone have them directed at him. He drew in a deep breath and bent to grab his sword, hefting the blade onto his shoulder as he watched his commander walk away. He felt hardness built up around his heart as he nodded at the General's words. "I won't fail...I'll be the best!"
"If you want to be the best, you'd better start practising. You have a lot of work to do, Cloud." Sephiroth stopped when he realized that he had just called the blonde by a first name, turning to regard the younger man. He wasn't sure if the blonde noticed, especially considering the boy seemed to be completely immersed in practising. "I've given you the chance to excel; now you just have to do it."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud lowered his blade as the brunette lowered his head in defeat. He couldn't take away this boy's potential. He breathed in a heavy breath, forcing himself out of his cold mind-set. He had to give the keyblade master a chance to hone skills, just like Sephiroth had given him the chance.
He found it ironic that the same man that had saved him from ultimate defeat in the service of the Royal Guards was now the same man that was hunting him down and attempting to own his skills. His skills had flourished under the watchful eyes of Lord Ansem and General Sephiroth, and he rose quickly in the ranks as his abilities and versatility accelerated. He had done what he had promised his mother and even his dead father...he had become better than any man who lived, even the great General Sephiroth.
He was pained about how much time had changed the days that he had enjoyed. He had been ridiculed up until the age of eighteen, but in the times when the anger made him bleed, the General was always there, either passing him a casual glance or even walking by at the right moment. He and the General were never much of friends, seeing as no one was friends with Sephiroth, but somehow, they had a connection of some sort. Of course, that connection had now turned into dark obsession and insanity on the General's part, but, despite himself and his often hateful feelings towards Sephiroth, he admitted that he should feel honoured again at having the General's attention. Not many men could claim that the 'greatest' swordsman in the universe was their silent obsessive stalker.
Cloud let his gaze meet the innocent blue one of the boy in front of him, slowly nodding his head that it was alright to stand again. Behind his cloak, a small smile pulled at his lips, this boy all too much like him that it almost hurt. He wondered where the days had gone, where his friends had gone, where his dreams had disappeared to. Yet, these were things that he could never get back because it was all in the past. All he had to do was survive into the future and eventually set Hollow Bastion free again. That was his last mission, he determined.
So consumed in his own thoughts, Cloud bearly heard the sound behind him. His eyebrows quirked as he turned and looked up as a giant paw descended on him. He had been a complete fool to think that Hades would not take action if he had failed to kill this boy, and now, he appeared to be paying for his mistake. He grunted the beast literally stepped on him, pinning him to the ground, forced to release his hold on his blade. It did not take long for the sheer weight on top of him to prevent any air from entering his lungs, and he found his consciousness slipping away before he had a chance to fight back against the three-headed beast. His last thought was that this was the second time that Cerberus had got him. He was beginning to really hate that slobbering brute.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Glowing aqua eyes snapped open in shock before narrowing in anger as the silver-haired man shot upright, the air leaving his lungs suddenly. "Cloud...!" He glanced around himself, gaze travelling over the dishevelled sheets on his bed, the torn pillows and blanket of feathers around the room, his discarded leather coat and boots, stopping when his gaze fixed on his long blade. He lifted a hand and beckoned the sword to his hand.
He looked into the flat of the blade, calling forward whatever had attracted his blade's minor attention. His gaze was greeted with an image of his property lying unconscious with Hades' three-headed bruiser standing on the blonde. He felt his ribs lurch as if a weight was lifted from them, the image showing the creature lifted from Cloud by another man. He noted that Cloud did not get up or even move for that matter, making more anger cause his muscle to tense.
Sephiroth snarled in protective anger and climbed to his feet, banishing his attunement to the blonde. He only used it when he slept or was away from the blonde, but now, he was called into action. Cloud was injured, possibly the blonde's life threatened, meaning that he could exact whatever revenge he saw fit. He smirk pulled at his lips and ran a hand over his blade. "I'm in the mood for some bloodshed. I think it's time that I gave Hades a normal dog...one head will do for such a creature."
He looked around his room and picked up his leather coat. "No one touches Cloud except me. Anyone who dares place a mark on his flesh will be taught never to do it again. He's mine! Eventually, the stupid people will understand that I am right."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud regained consciousness as someone was slapping his cheeks, slowly cracking open his eyes to find him staring at the very man he was contracted to kill. Without really thinking about it, he smacked the man's hands away from him and jumped to his feet, rocking back to lean against a stone wall as his world spun for a few minutes. He shook his head to rid himself of the nausea, prodding his aching ribs before looking up at Hercules. "What are you doing here? I thought you were visiting your father."
"I was, but I came back. It looks like I picked the best time to come back too." Hercules grinned and put his hands on his hips, looking the blonde over. He was a bit surprised that the man in front of him was not more wounded after participating in a tournament and also nearly being killed by Cerberus. It took a real strong warrior to only have a headache from that. "You alright? I thought for sure that you were a goner when Cerberus landed on you."
Cloud couldn't help a scowl forming on his features which he hid behind his cloak. He could tell that this man was quite taken with himself, probably one of the reasons that Hades wanted Hercules dead. Obviously, Hades couldn't take another person as fat-headed as the god. He brushed dust off of his cloak, if only to give himself something to do while both a Demi-god and a fat satyr were staring at him, probably waiting for him to respond. Eventually, when they began to fidget, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine. I don't need your help."
"Look at that, Herc. Guy can't even appreciate someone saving his life. Now that's gratitude for ya." Phil put his hands on his fat hips and glared up at the blonde. Obviously, this kid didn't read the rule book before entering the tournament. Thinking about the rule book made Phil jump slightly and stalk over to the blonde. "Oh, and you!" He pointed a finger directly at the blonde. "What were you doing?"
"Fighting?" Cloud responded neutrally.
Phil stopped and thought about that response for a second before finally shaking his head. "Aside from that! You were gonna kill that squirt and his little friends! If Hades hadn't stepped in my path, then I would have thrown the rule book at you sooner!"
Hercules bent to look Phil over before whispering in the old satyr's ear. "Phil, you can't throw. You can bearly climb stairs..." He stood again when Phil sent a glare his way and smacked his cheek, not that it hurt any.
Cloud leaned back on the wall behind him, not really in the mood to be discussing his conduct. He doubted that it would go over very well if he claimed that Hades ordered him to do it. Such accusations would probably uncover his real contract of killing Hercules, something that he really did not wish to deal with at the moment. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders, forcing his headache away long enough to finish this conversation. "Look, I don't kill children. As soon as he showed me that he was defeated, I lowered my sword. You think I would have stopped if I had wanted to kill him?" He watched a quizzical look pass over the satyr's face before pushing off of the wall. "I doubt that you could have stopped me if I had gone through with killing them."
He stepped from the wall and pushed passed Hercules, setting his shoulder so he could shove a little more roughly. He found the other man's shoulder bearly move, forcing his own shoulder to give; so this Hercules was strong. He glanced up at the sandy-haired man, there gazes locking as he walked towards the exit. He could already see that normal attacks would have difficulty harming this man, something that he would need to research on how to get passed. He was not about to throw his own life away until he knew for sure what he was going up against so he walked on harmlessly, shoving the doors open before disappearing to the outer courtyard.
As soon as the doors closed behind him, he sunk down to his knees and grabbed his head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his chest in an attempt to soothe the aches in his body. His ribs hurt the most, meaning that he probably had a few cracked on him, and his headache was only growing worse as all the questions and voices from during the fight rampaged through his consciousness. He felt suddenly very nauseous, but forced himself back to his feet and across the courtyard, eventually flopping down on the steps as far away from the fighting arena as possible. He let his head sink back to the stone and closed his eyes, fighting a new battle to keep his meal in his stomach. It was a long and hard battle, but he managed to win his body over into saving energy and just accepting that he would win.
When his stomach had claimed and the ache in his ribs had subsided, he let out a long breath, looking at his demonic hand now. He eventually let it fall back to his side and stared up at the blue sky above him. "When did things go so wrong?" He really didn't need to think about it to actually know the very moment when his pleasant life had been turned upside down and slashed with a sword. The moment he felt the darkness grabbing at his flesh for the first with the echoing screams of his fellow guardsmen, he knew that his life would never be the same again. After he stumbled out and fell at Lord Ansem's feet, he felt something different about his ruler, something cold and sinister snaking over as Ansem's eyes crawled over his body. Cloud knew that everything had changed...Lord Ansem, the General, and the other men involved in attempted immortality. He was aware that no one aside from them knew anything about went on in that evening, that soon, he and the General would be the only men still alive after four days. He would carry on as normal, the other men would either disappear or kill themselves, and the General would become his shadow. Yes, it was that day so long ago when everything about his life changed, and he knew that there was no way to get it back.
Slowly his mind drifted to other matters, more precisely what the voices in the arena had been arguing about. He had little idea what his 'light' was, but it sounded rather important. Because he had no clue as to what it was that he was missing, he could not know where it had gone or how he could get it back. Certainly, he knew his inner strengths and weakness, but a light did not sound like it fit into his abilities. He doubted that any sort of research would help him solve this mystery, and he really did not have anyone close by to speak to about the matter, leaving his mind running around in pained circles.
Cloud let his head flop back on the stair behind him, eyes snapping to his chest as a weight settled over him. He blinked as he was staring at the grinning face of Panic, grunting when another similar weight settled much too close to his groan, forcing him to sit up. He looked down to find another demon, Pain he thought, attempting to bounce on his upraised knee. He reached out and shoved the maroon demon forward, smirking when it let out a yelp and fell from his knee, surprisingly rolling like a ball might. "What are you two doing here?"
Panic clapped its hands together and hopped up on the blonde's shoulder, shifting around until it found a comfortable position. "I found out where Cerberus went! I'm so smart! I came up here to tell you to look out because Cerberus is in the arena somewhere." Its eyes narrowed and shifted about as if exploring the open area in search of the mystical creature.
"Yeah...I know." Cloud said softly, rubbing a hand over his still tender ribs. "I already found Cerberus."
"Really?" Pain did its best to scramble back up on the blonde's knee, kicking out its short legs in an attempt to catch some of the warrior's pant leg. Unfortunately, its roundness prevented such an action, and Pain only succeeded in tiring itself, now taking to hanging from the blonde's pant leg until it caught its breath. "See...Panic..." It wheezed and made another attempt to pull itself up. "...Told you he'd...know...Boss...says he's a smart one..." Another wheeze of pathetic glory. "...despite his hair colour...."
"So who told you?" Panic inquired, making faces at Pain.
Cloud rolled his eyes and eventually lifted Pain to sit on his knee, tired of watching such a pathetic attempt. He shifted his gaze between the two demons, noting that his apparent fan club was about to get a new member in it. "No one told me. I found out the hard way."
"Bit, clawed, barfed on, or stepped on?" Panic asked.
"Stepped on." Cloud replied, feeling a small smile lit his features. These two were probably the most light-hearted company that he had ever kept nearby. It appeared that they had a way of cheering him up and taking his mind off of some of his problems for a little while. He watched as the pair nodded their heads in sympathy and look at one another as if it hadn't been the first time. However, his mood did not last as he felt the need to inquire about what someone's 'light' was. "Do you two know what someone's light is?"
Pain lifted its hand in the air and waved it around wildly before falling from the blonde's knee again. This time, its excitement for knowing the answer allowed it to jump back onto the warrior's knee. "Oh, I know, I know! Pick me, pick me!" It hopped up at down on the blonde's knees, still waving its arm in the air when Cloud looked at it oddly. Of course, it took the look to mean that it had been picked. "Someone's light is something that makes the darkness go away." It grinned widely.
Panic glanced over at Pain and shook its head. "No, it doesn't. Someone's light is their soul...you know, like the ones that the Boss collects." It then got into an argument with Pain about the meaning of the light.
Slowly, Cloud shook his head as if his headache had just returned. He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily. Obviously, these two had little knowledge about the subject that he wanted to know about, meaning that he would need to find the time to look for someone that did. He was not sure if Hades would let him sneak away for a couple of days, especially if he didn't have a good excuse as to why he wanted to go to another world. The only other place that he knew to start from was Traverse Town, and he wasn't sure if he wished to venture back there so soon. Too many bad things could happen if he returned there...too many people could recognize him.
He glanced down as Pain and Panic started to wrestle on his knees and rolled his eyes again, reaching out to pull the two apart. "Stop fighting. It doesn't matter that much. I'll find out from someone else, I guess." He released his hold on the two demons, watching as both failed to rebalance themselves and fell from his knees, slowing shaking his head. He now understood what Hades meant by needing to find good help. "Look, you two should get out of here before Hades finds you up here. I don't think he would be pleased if he found you both wandering up in the Coliseum."
Panic sat up and glanced over at Pain before looking pleadingly at the blonde. "You'd protect us, right?"
"Uh...I suppose..." Cloud cringed as both demons launched forward and latched onto his legs. He hastily tried to pry the two off, surprised how strong they both were when they wanted to be. He eventually gave up when they gave no sign of releasing their hold. He could swear that they were sobbing like babies into his pant legs. "Would you two please let go of me?"
Panic lifted its head long enough to look over to Pain and sob. "See! I told you he was nice! He's our bestest friend in the whole wide Underworld!" It then returned to sobbing in the blonde's pant leg.
Cloud looked down at the demons attached to his leg then around the courtyard, hoping that no one was looking in his general direction. Luckily, the courtyard was empty. "How am I supposed to protect you two if you're clinging to my legs?"
Pain looked up this time and released its hold on the blonde's leg, patting Panic on the shoulder. "He does have a point, Panic." It managed to pull the lithe demon off of the warrior's legs and patted its friend on the shoulders. "You get so emotional over the simplest things."
"But I've never had a big friend before!" Panic began sobbing on Pain's shoulder.
Pain glanced up to the blonde who was still hiding his face behind a cloak. It grinned and waved to the blonde as it pulled Panic away to return to the Underworld. "Wow, a big friend who stood up to the Boss. I feel taller already."
Cloud watched the two demons wander off in slight bewilderment. How he managed to get those two on his side was still beyond him, and he was not about to put in the time and effort to puzzle through the phenomenon. He glanced down at his hands and sighed heavily. "Those two pop up at the most odd moments."
He rested his arms across his upraised knees and leaned his chin on top of one of his knees, returning to his previous thoughts. His list of things to do was steadily growing. First, he wanted to find Sephiroth, and then set Hollow Bastion free of the Heartless. Now, he found himself protecting two abused demons, trying to keep everyone he knew safe from harm, and searching for whatever light that he seemed to have lost. He was beginning to feel a bit bogged down with the tasks that he had taken upon himself, now suddenly wishing that he was just searching for Sephiroth and had no association with any of the other problems that kept heaping on his pile. However, he knew that was impossible because he was still a Royal Guard at heart, and he felt the need to keep up with his duties even if he was not in Ansem's court.
Yet, he was still no closer to finding out the answers that he was searching for, despite his efforts. If anything, he was more confused and getting steadily frustrated. He forced himself to concentrate, sorting through the questions that seemed important and bringing them foremost in his mind, slowly piecing together the fact that no matter where he went and no matter what duties came about, he would be forced to find Sephiroth. The dark voice had turned into the former General to taunt him, meaning that it could either be complete coincidence or Sephiroth held to key to finding out where his 'light' was. He didn't completely understand what he had lost sight of; he still protected everything that he had pledged to. He was still the same man that he had been years ago...wasn't he?
He looked at the demonic hand, wriggling the bony fingers as if to make sure that they were still under his command. Perhaps he had lost sight of one thing...he had given in to the darkness for a purpose that required him to manipulate his situation for his own benefit. Despite his best efforts, he sometimes grabbed at the darkness that had made his body what it was; he had used it for his own reasons, be it as innocent as he thought it would be. He wondered if his wandering into the darkened realm had shadowed his better judgement, leaving him just as obsessed to find the General as Sephiroth was to find him. How had he missed this detail? How had he overlooked his own morals for another crack at the General? How...could he be rid of this form and take back his life again?
Cloud did not have time to sort out through the new questions as his acute senses picked up the fact that someone approached him. He didn't need to look up to know that it was the brunette with the keyblade so he remained with his head down as if he were still deep in thought. If he was lucky, the boy would simply pass by and leave him to his thoughts.
Sora approached the blonde cautiously, not sure how he was supposed to act around a man that was obviously thinking. Still, he wished to know if the blonde warrior was alright after the encounter with Cerberus, despite Donald's protests to him doing so. He stopped when he was a small distance away from the blonde and ran his hands over his shorts. "Hey, are... you alright?"
Cloud grunted inwardly. Obviously he was not going to get away without talking to the boy. 'Damn, he's so like me it isn't funny....' Slowly, he looked up, gaze meeting the innocent one across from him. He kept his expression completely neutral, if only to figure out where this kid was going before he let his emotions through. "Yeah." He replied softly.
Sora cocked his head to the side, considering the answer. It was a bit shorter than he had been hoping for, but he found that it didn't matter that much. He still knew a few details about this man, especially the one part about the blonde working for Hades. It was obvious with the way that Hades had stepped into Phil's path when the blonde was about to kill him. Slowly, he took a cautious step forward. "How...come you went along with him anyway?"
Cloud really didn't wish to speak about his motivations, especially not to the brunette. However, despite himself, he felt the words slip from his lips before he could even think about them. "I'm searching for someone." He let his chin rest on his hands again, closing his eyes to consider his words He was aware that the boy knew about his association with Hades. "Hades promised to help." Yet, he knew the price of getting Hades' help was to keep to the form that he was now in. How had he not seen this until this moment?
He was aware that speaking the truth to the brunette could lead him closer to tying up his contract but probably not without Hercules finding out first. He was not one to speak openly about his inner thoughts, especially not when the boy could reveal part of himself that could complicate his plans. His mind searched for an excuse that would best hide him from further scrutiny, quickly settling into pretending to be one who was controlled by the darkness. "I tried exploiting the power of darkness, but it backfired." He watched the brunette's expression carefully, nodding inwardly when the boy seemed oblivious to his small lie. "I fell into darkness and I couldn't get out." Slowly, Cloud climbed to his feet, wishing to escape from further conversation in the Coliseum. If he wanted to talk to this boy about more personal matter, he could always track the brunette down again.
Sora smiled warmly at the blonde. "You'll find it." He nodded his head as the blonde looked up at him again. He had a feeling that whatever the blonde was searching for, it was much more complicated than his own search. Still, he felt a connection in the fact that they were both searching for something important. "I'm searching too."
"For your light?" Cloud wasn't sure why he assumed it was that. He watched the brunette nod, wanting to ask the boy what the 'light' was but forced himself to hold his tongue. Such matters should not be spoken in such an open place where anyone could listen in on. He was weary of his surroundings, and of the two standing beside the brunette. He did not wish to let anything slip that could potentially lash back on him or the keyblade wielder.
It was with that thought that he became suddenly very aware of the connection between them. He found the similarities to be unnerving, yet comforting. He felt his heart relax and all his troubles melt away as he stared at the boy, so much reminded of the good times of his life, the times were nothing mattered but the present and all of the adult problems seemed so far away. The determination in the boy's blue eyes made a small smile pull at his lips, the innocent air of promise and a lively future. Yes, this boy was like him, and like him, the brunette needed a helping hand to find a place in the great scheme of things. He felt the urge to help, if only a small amount until he figured out what direction he would take from now on. He found his strength and resolve to find and protect the truth setting in his stubborn pride again. It was a good feeling. He needed this boy's strength as much as the boy needed his strength.
Cloud took a step towards the brunette as he pulled out a small glowing red stone and handed it to the boy. It contained the knowledge of the one move that he had willed into a writing stone. It was obvious that this boy needed all the help that he could get, and with this stone in the brunette's possession, he would know if the boy had fallen into great danger and required aid. "Never lose sight of it." He meant the stone he had just given the brunette, but it was clear that the boy took it to mean something completely different. He walked around the brunette, hoping to escape quickly and quietly from the Coliseum. He had much-needed thinking to do. He stopped when the brunette called to him, glancing back over his shoulder.
Sora waved a hand at the blonde, feeling strength within the shining stone. It was a pure strength that he had often felt when he was around Kairi. He was suddenly aware that he had found a new, powerful ally if he needed to call on one. He felt an odd connection with the blonde, one that he couldn't really explain in words, but he knew that it was there. He knew that if he wanted, he could probably learn some very valuable skills from this blonde that held an air of a man with more years than actually showed. He smiled warmly, feeling happier than he had since he was on Destiny Island with all his friends. "Hey, how about a rematch sometime?" He grinned widely, mischievously. "Fair and square, no dark powers involved!"
Cloud snorted and brushed a hand over his bangs in a mock show of arrogance. "I think I'll pass." He turned and walked away again, a soft playful smile on his lips. He would return to the Underworld and hopefully be left alone for awhile. However, he had no longer taken a few steps away as the brunette left when a strange creature appeared in front of him, grinning, handed him a small rolled scroll, tipped a hat and left again.
He looked from the scroll in his hands and the fast-moving spec in the distance, not sure of what he had just encountered. Eventually, he unrolled the paper, eyes scanning over its contents before looking around, his heart sinking in his chest. He slowly closed his eyes as he rerolled the paper and tucked it into his cloak, turning to look at the gates that Sora had just left from. He ran a hand through his blonde locks and sighed heavily before finally nodding to himself; he would force himself to go. "...Alright, you win...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth stepped through the gates of the Underworld, gaze shifting around until it fell on the reason for his visit to this place. He turned to regard the large three-headed dog that lay off to the side resting. It appeared that the beast had taken a beating and was now licking wounds. He walked slowly but purposefully over to the beast, smirking cruelly when all three heads lifted to watch him. He unsheathed his blade, pointing from one head to another as he spoke childishly. "Inny meeny...miney moe...Catch an ugly three-headed brute...by the toe. Lose a head and where do you go..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Okay, okay, I know. It was longer than I thought that it would be for the scenes that I was planning on throwing in. Cloud's part took quite a bit longer than I expected for the sole reason that I thought that his lines while talking with Sora were really stupid and I had to figure out a mind set that would have Cloud say stuff like that. Maybe it's not his actual lines, just the way he says them in the game. Anyway, I finally ran through that screaming so now I can run back to my own plot and not as brilliant lines.
I apologize for all you Sephy-lovers out there. I really didn't have the time or the energy to throw in the scene where he wipes the floor with Cerberus. Actually, he got very little air time, something that I am sure that I will pay for at a later date. Oh well, it was enjoyable.
Oh, I have been thinking and reading my reviews several times a day as I think over the yaoi situation. I still haven't fully decided an 'aye' or 'nay', but...I could nudge Sephy a bit get throw some more sexual overtones just to spice things up. Not entirely sure, but I know that I could write it...seeing as I do have a somewhat consensual way for Sephiroth to win! (Aside from pressing the 'win' button on the controller...Sorry, in joke) I will consider it more. I probably won't say for sure for at least a couple of chapters or something...you know, leave you all in suspence!
By Chibi Nataku
Disclaimer: In no way do I hold claim over any of the characters of Kingdom Hearts, who are currently owned by Square. Despite my attempts to grab hold of even a cardboard cut-out of my favourite characters, my efforts have fallen short so they will probably always remain under rights of Square (the world is so unfair :P)
Chapter 5 - Battling the Darkness
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud kept his gaze squarely on the door in front of him, tucking his chin more securely into his red cloak. He slowly climbed the steps that would lead him into where he was certain to find the placement in the tournament that he had managed to draw. He shoved open the stone door effortlessly and entered, quirking an eyebrow to find the room empty. He wandered over the stone slab where strange lettering was etched in, cocking his head to the side as he attempted to decipher the odd characters. He scratched his head when he could make little sense of what was written.
'Hey, Spiky! You're late! Bad puppy, no walkies for you!' Cloud looked around when a Hades' voice echoed in his mind, glancing around to locate the god. 'I'm not with you right now, but just meet in the entrance to the locker rooms. Oh and look tough will ya. I don't you to be pathetic today, especially since...heh, you know, it's your grand debue!' Cloud shook his head when Hades laughed much too loudly, trying to remove the voice. He had been subjected to too many people trying to get into his head in the last little while. 'Oh, I got you a great spot, Blondie! Right on the top, where I'm sure to love to be. Now all you have to do is kick a little butt and automatically qualify for the next tournament, sounds good right? Right? Hey, stop ignoring me! Don't tell me the hamster fall off the wheel again?'
Cloud gritted his teeth and started through the darkened hallway that led out into the enormous Coliseum, gaze focused straight ahead as he prepared himself for battle. His gaze shifted around the gigantic fighting arena, noting every aspect of its well-chiselled appearance, a sure sign that this place had been created by the gods. The magnificent craft nearly took his breath away, but his attention was instantly drawn down the satyr that he had barely met upon his meeting along with three other occupants.
His glowing gaze passed over the trio with an outward disinterest that hid the fact that he recognized these people. He noted the duck's slightly bewildered look as well as the staff that the creature held in one hand, an obvious magic-user, meaning easily defeated in armed combat. His gaze then shifted to the tallest member, a strange dog creature with an elaborate shield whose symbols he failed to recognize; it appeared that his presence did not completely register with the dog, an obvious sign to the reason this creature was a defender and not a mage. After the other two were noted, his gaze shifted to the boy staring right back at him.
Cloud allowed their gazes to lock as he passed by, noting the boy's very familiar appearance. He had seen this boy when Hades had presented him to the other dimwits who spoke openly of this boy and their combined plan to toy with then remove the child. He noted at close range that the spiky brunette was probably similar to his age when he had first joined the Royal Guards, a feature that attracted his attention the most. The boy stood in lax bewilderment of him, seeming to be entranced with his aura of dominance when it came to a fighting ring. His gaze passed over the boy's appearance before looking above him as if disinterested, which was completely untrue because of the hidden power he felt radiating from the brunette.
The next feature was the pull to this boy, a strange whispering in his mind as if he were being searched by a powerful source. He felt the whispers drift slowly through his mind and a power begin the gather in his right hand as if a sword were suddenly materializing. He clenched his fist tightly and forced the whispers from his mind, turning his gaze away from the trio to look out for Hades. He smirked when the satyr spoke opening about that fact that he would be a difficult opponent to beat.
He cast a quick glance back at the trio before shoving open the wooden woven planked door that lead down to the locker rooms and slipped into the darkened sloping hallway. He stopped and leaned back against the stone wall so that he could watch the trio fight through the open spaces in the doorway, picking out weaknesses in the form of the boy especially. He noted that the boy was stubborn, high-strung, and obviously very loyal to his goals. He was reminded of himself at that age, making a smile pull at his lips. His smile didn't last long as Hades was suddenly beside him. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet, occasionally glancing up at the fighting trio.
Hades wriggled his fingers together, a toothy grin spreading across his lips. "So...I saw that nasty little dream you stumbled in a few days ago. Geez, that was rough...enjoyable to watch from the outside, but rough. You sure took it bent over from that guy. I mean, you just stared at him like a virgin looking at Zeus for the first time." He lifted his hands in a mock sign of peace when the blonde glared at him, the questioning look causing him to saunter over to Cloud and wrap a fond arm around the blonde's shoulders. "Hey, great god of the Underworld here...I know everything that happens in my realm...because you know, I'm the god and you are my faithful servant so...I got to look out for you...seeing as that's what gods do...look out for peons that serve them blindly." He smirked when the blonde tensed. "Sorry Spiky, truth hurts, I know."
Cloud grunted and let his gaze drift back to the fighting trio, noting that they were doing quite well against simple Heartless. He really was not in the mood to speak about his encounter with Sephiroth, if only because he needed to analyze the former General's changes. He pulled his hands from his pockets and rested them on his hips. He decided to shift the conversation to the trio of fighters. "Who's the kid?"
Hades glanced to where the brunette and his little play toys were prancing around. His plans about having the Heartless take out the keyblade-wielding brat seemed to be failing, making his temper shorten considerably. He thought for certain that the insignificant band of misfits would fall easily, but he had obviously underestimated the youth's abilities with the keyblade. If he couldn't get rid of this kid quickly, he would be in trouble and have another thorn in his side almost as big as Hercules. However, unlike his fellows, he was not about to let a brat run amok in his Coliseum and gain power. He made that mistake with Hercules, but he refused to do it again. Obviously, he needed to pull out his big gun to blast the kid to the next planet and back.
He shifted his gaze to Cloud again, noting that the blonde's attention seemed fixed, more of the little personality that Cloud expressed sinking away into complete soberness. He rolled his eyes and smirked, an evil idea coming to his head. His gaze shifted to the fighting brunette then back to the blonde. He took a few steps forward as the trio began to dance around again, making his frustration level flare. He walked back to standing next to the blonde, trying not to show his frustration too much. "That little punk is you next opponent, okay? Now don't blow it. Just take him out." He swung his arms to insinuate his point, glancing down at the blonde.
Cloud shifted his weight and glanced over at Hades, noting the god's obvious dislike of how the tournament was going. Perhaps this keyblade wielder was better than Hades had first thought, meaning that the Heartless had been particularly weak. He shifted his gaze from Hades over to where the spiky brunette was fighting in another battle. He had to fight off his amusement so remained sarcastic instead. "The great god of the Underworld is afraid of some kid." He watched Hades tense at his obvious prodding. He wondered how much he could bait the god into anger. "Sorry but my contract says..."
"I know! You think I don't know! I wrote the contract." Hades had to reel in his temper quickly, instead regarding the blonde as coolly as he could currently muster. Really, he had to restrain the urge to slap Cloud and shove the blonde out into the arena. "I know that it says that you are only required to kill Hercules in the tournament. But you have to fight that kid to get him. Come on." He gestured towards the fighting trio as they spoke with Phil, patting the blonde on his shoulder. "It's like that old goat says: Rule 11: It's all just a game so just let loose and have fun with it. I mean, I casualty or two along the way is no big deal, right?" He grinned and folded his hands behind his back, sighing internally when the blonde shrugged slightly and walked out of the door. His hands clenched in frustration; he did not being mocked by anyone, especially not his toys.
He glanced back at where Cerberus had been lying quietly and gestured slightly for the beast to get up. He spoke to the dog as if it truly had a large measure of understanding to his words. "Geez, stiffer than some of the stiffs back home. Still...suckers like him are hard to come by." He chuckled softly and turned to regard the beast fully reaching up to scratch underneath one of the three chins as any normal owner would their pet. "Listen up, Cerberus, if Spiky fails to kill this kid, I want you to get in there and finish the job. Don't kill Blondie, just take him out if you need to." He looked up at the three heads and lifted his hands to get each heads' attention, pointing at his mouth. "No blonde death, brunette death only. I want a yellow spiky head to walk out, not a brown one. Got it?" When Cerberus simply stared at him, he slapped his forehead. "Riiight, get out there...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud rested his blade over one shoulder as he walked to the middle of the arena, gaze fixed on his opponents. He had to remind himself to go easy on these three, simply because he didn't want to make them look completely out of place. He would force himself to practise on the skills that he was still developing, not use the one's that he had mastered and could crush just about anyone with. However, in the back of his mind, he felt his fiercely competitive instincts stir and knew that even if he did go easy on these three, he would probably still win. He had already seen their weaknesses, and he was fully trained after long years of practise. He was never one to like losing, bred into him by the other Royal Guards and his mother. Still, he would do his best not to completely crush the trio.
He stopped in the middle of the arena and bent, knocking on the large stone slabs to test their hardness. Shrugging, he climbed back to his feet as the trio fell into battle formation, a small air of cockiness floating over in his direction. He felt the need to deflate the egos before completely humiliating this rag-tag bunch of would-be heroes; he shoved his sword into the stone at his feet effortlessly, watching the faces of his opponents that twisted into slight shock, and merely adjusted the fit of his glove before pulling his sword back out. "Right, let's get this over with. Show me what you've got." He swivelled his enormous sword around his hand in a great show of skill and set himself into a relaxed battle position, eyes fixed on his opponents.
Sora bit his lip and tightened his grip on the keyblade, suddenly very nervous about this battle. He had been doing so well, too, but now, he feared that he might have stepped a bit out of his league. The blonde across from him held the feel of a battle-harden warrior with more experience than he could ever dream of having in his lifetime. Yet, the more he looked at the blonde, the more grip on the keyblade seemed to loosen, like it was about to leap from his hands at any moment. He glanced over at his companions, somewhat wishing that he could speak with them about his new problems with keeping a firm grip on his keyblade; he hadn't had these problems with when he faced off against the Heartless; rather, he only had it when the blonde was around. Something had to be going on.
Cloud drew back his blade as soon as the whistle sounded to initiate the battle, lunging forward in a straight line for the brunette, now fully intent on finishing this battle before his opponents had a chance to completely humiliate themselves in front of Hades. His gaze shifted to the dog with the shield who intercepted his blow, rocking back on his heels as he swung his sword in a downward arc that smashed roughly into the shield, then his sword switched directions, moving in an upwards slash then across, each blow forcing the dog a few steps back from him.
He leapt back, settling into his own rhythm of battle; now that he was in fighting mode, there was no turning back for any of them. In this state, he cared little for his opponents' well-being so long as he was the victor, a wall of callousness settling over his mind. He would feel very little for his opponents, placing them in the same realm as a real enemy; he had developed it during one of his sparring matches, the first match that he had defeated the General. He now used it in any fight that he participated in, mostly because he had developed a highly competitive nature early in his childhood. He refused to show his opponents mercy until the battle was over, and even then he was unsympathetic to any wounds received during the fight. It was a mindset that he now slipped into subconsciously, despite his best efforts to give an opponent a break; he had fought too many skilled opponents to let his guard down anymore.
Sora took a few steps around the blonde warrior, clutching at the blade in his hands before finally gritting his teeth. If this warrior was going to defeat him, he would at least go out fighting; besides, this was a fair tournament fight and the rules stated that there could be no killing. Perhaps all he had to do was use his speed to his advantage, especially considering the blonde appeared seemly slow when moving towards him. However, Goofy had often reminded him that he should never judge an enemy by first appearances.
He glanced over at Donald who had begun to cast a lightning spell, jaw tightening as the blonde stepped between each strike as if the bolts were mere obstacles to be avoided not feared. He was completely shocked when the blonde rocketed forward in another straight strike, now only inches away from Goofy. Well, he guessed that defeated the thought that the blonde was a slow fighter. He immediately moved to help his comrade, keyblade smashing hard into the blonde's back, rolling to the side when his opponent's sword arced in his direction. He jumped back to his feet when the wind from the blow had finished racing over him, turning when Goofy let out a surprised howl, eyes widening as the blonde now turned to regard them. He gulped ran over to where Donald was casting again, only now catching a glimpse of his downed comrade. "Geez, this is not going well! What are we going to do, Donald?"
"Shut it and blast this guy with magic. Magic solves every problem." Donald glanced at Sora then over to the now approaching blonde. This was definitely not going well. He had never seen a hit so strong that Goofy couldn't handle it, meaning that this warrior was better than the average Heartless. Donald fired off a fireball, grimacing when the blonde leapt to the side of the intended blow. This was the sound of them losing.
"Is that the best you can do?" Cloud called, baiting the pair to attack him. He took an intimidating step towards the pair, stopping when the soft whispers of before drifted by him again, this time considerably more insistent. He fought off the voices, only to be captured by darker voices that seemed to be attempting to protect him for something. Again, he fought off the conflict around him, forcing himself to concentrate on the battle at hand. Despite his best efforts, whispering still muddled his thoughts and made his muscles seem all the more tired. He shook his head and closed his eyes to enforce the walls around his mind and heart, determined to fend of the invisible enemy. His eyes snapped open again a few seconds before the keyblade smashed into his side, the whispering suddenly turning into an incoherent wave of voices that threatened to sweep across his entire consciousness.
Sora sighed in relief when the keyblade sent the blonde flying backwards; it least this warrior wasn't completely unbeatable. He followed the blonde, determined to at least get another hit in before the warrior recovered. He thrust forward, gasping when the keyblade in his hands shimmered and became translucent, almost as if it weren't really there anymore. The keyblade passed harmlessly through as the blonde slipped to the side, but Sora was not as lucky as the enormous blade the blonde carried smacked into his chest, sending him flying backwards. He hit the ground and forced himself to roll, just in case he was being perused. Vaguely, he heard Donald casting almost desperately before the arena around him went silent.
Slowly, Sora looked up as he climbed to his feet, gaze fixing on the blonde who was standing over the now unconscious mage duck. He swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at the keyblade in his hand, wandering if the warrior had some control over his weapon. He had never seen the keyblade flicker in and out of his hands before, but it worried him considerably, especially if he had any chance of beating this opponent. Again, the keyblade flickered as he climbed to his feet, his gaze locking with the glowing gaze of the blonde. He couldn't fight if he didn't have a weapon that would work, so he did the next best thing until he could figure out an ulterior plan...he ran as the blonde charged him.
Cloud turned to regard the short brunette, quirking an eyebrow at the boy's sudden fleeing tactics. He then noted that the brunette's sword seemed to have something wrong with it. Yet, as soon as he looked at the blade, the voiced formed into a single understandable one in his mind.
'You can open the door if you take up the fight. Hold out your hand and the keyblade is yours, child of the planet.'
Another voice, darker in nature and malicious in sound echoed right after the first. 'This one is ours. His heart has already given in to the darkness around him. Soon the planet's energy will not be enough to protect him.' The same voice began to shift into something that he recognized, a single cool and calm voice. 'Looking for something, my precious...my Cloud?' Soft mocking laughter echoed around him. 'You've lost your Light, my little canary. You have lost sight of what you claimed to protect. Soon, your nightmare shall swallow you, and I shall own you...just like I promised. I hope you like the taste of blood because you will soon be bathing in it.'
The other light returned, much softer and at more of a distance. 'Until he moves through the darkness, his heart remains pure but clouded...Until the child of the planet releases his walls and opens his heart, his Light will be lost forever...'
Cloud rocked back on his heels, grabbing his head as a headache took over his mind. The voices had left him now, but he again felt a soft squeezing against his heart. He forced his walls to hold, suddenly fearful of what the voices meant and not about to test out losing his walls while he was in the middle of battle. Waves of pain and confusion trickled through his mind, distracting his concentration and nearly making him drop his sword. Too many questions flooded his mind all at once, taking his guard down one notch. Slowly, he redirected the questions into the back of his mind while he forced himself to concentrate on this fight. "I...have to finish this fight...quickly."
He looked across the arena when the brunette was watching him wearily, summoning up some of the dark powers that he had attained; he would only use it when he was desperate. He leapt high in the air without further thought, bringing his sword down hard into the brunette who scrambled to get out of his way. His enormous blade sunk deep into the stone as dark energy erupted from the ground around him, catching the boy by surprise and again sending the brunette flying. He pulled his blade from the stone, swivelled on one foot, rebalanced himself and launched forward with his sword extended, again catching the brunette off balance. He shifted his weight, leaning to his left as he swung his blade like an unavoidable battering object, smashing hard into the stomach of the already flying boy. He pulled himself up as the brunette landed hard on the stone in between the only now conscious comrades. "Couldn't have laid them out better even if I'd tried..." He muttered softly into his cloak, now walking casually over to the fallen trio, lifting his sword into the air to finish what he had been ordered to.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Well, well, well Strife, still sitting on your butt rolling around in the dirt? The General beat you THAT bad again? How many times is it now...four, ten?" Cloud looked up from his spot in the middle of the sparring arena at the small group of guards that had taken it upon themselves to mock his failures. "For your age, we'd have thought you would be able to handle an old man like the General, but obviously, you're still just a punk...a nobody!" The leader of the group, an older greying man by the name of Adoven Silverkin, particularly picked on his lack of summers. Cloud did his best to ignore the group and knocked a few pebbles with his fingers. "Why don't you got home to your mommy and cry? A punk like you isn't going anywhere in our ranks. You think you're so good, but you don't know nothing!"
"Anything." Cloud corrected softly, glancing up at Adoven, watching as the man's face turned red with anger. He allowed himself to be dragged to his feet by his collar, staring the older man down without any hint of fear.
"What did you say, punk?" Adoven questioned, ready to smash the blonde at any moment.
Cloud looked down at where he sword lay covered in a thin film of dust before looking back to Adoven. "According to the rules of etiquette, a Royal Guard should fully implement their education and speak in a manner that is appropriate to indicating the greatness of the service." He shrugged his shoulders much as he could given the fact that his toes were bearly touch the ground. "You said nothing when you should have said anything in your attempt to degrade my self-confidence."
Adoven shook his head in anger and smashed his fist into the blonde's cheek, releasing his hold on the boy to allow the blonde to fall back into the dirt. "You may be able to kiss the General's butt and even Lord Ansem's butt, but you're smart comments will only get yourself a good beating around me." He took a step towards the blonde, stepping on the boy's sword to hold it down while he reached out and flicked the blonde's dust-covered spikes of hair. "Maybe I should pound that into your thick skull, eh?"
"Perhaps you should leave the new recruit to his own devices before you are suspended, Adoven." All eyes turned to regard the General as he approached, all of the guards immediately lowering their heads in respect to him. He stopped when he was standing in between of the two groups, his aqua gaze fixing on the larger group of men. "Leave." He ordered firmly.
"General..."
"Did I give you permission to speak?" Sephiroth asked coldly, giving Adoven a warning look. He smirked when the older man lowered his head in respect again. When the group remained shuffling their feet, he turned to face them fully. "I believe that I have given a direct order, yet, I still see all of you still here. Disobeying the orders of a senior officer is a serious offence that I may punish myself." He glared at each man's back as they all seemed to almost flee the area before turning his attention to the blonde at his feet. "Problem, Strife?"
Cloud slowly shook his head. "No, sir."
Sephiroth bent to investigate the state of his newest guard, finding a small line of blood slipping from the blonde's cheek, obviously where Adoven had smacked the boy. He glanced around when the blonde did not meet his gaze, slowly climbing back to his feet. "I beat you almost two hours ago, Strife. How long do you plan to mope about?"
"I'm not moping, sir." Cloud replied slowly, reaching a hand to the hilt of his sword.
"So...you're trying to act your age then, playing in the dirt? I believe there is a time and a place for that, meaning at your house." Sephiroth turned on his heel when the blonde winced at his cold comments and started to walk away, not interested in dealing with a moping child. He stopped when he was a few meters away, glancing over his shoulder as the blonde stood. "Strife, if I catch you like this again, I will personally see to it that you are removed from duty until you have grown up enough to be able to handle a bit of defeat."
Cloud watched the silver-haired man walk away, reaching a tentative hand towards the General. He had received many beatings over his first two weeks of being a Royal Guard, making all the enthusiasm leave him as the days passed by. "Sir...?" The word jumped from his mouth before he could stop it, quickly covering his mouth and looking in the other direction in a weak attempt to make it appear as if he had not spoken at all. However, he felt the General's gaze fall on him again and sighed heavily. He felt doomed as it was so he might as well go out with a bang. "Permission to speak...freely, sir."
Sephiroth walked back the distance between the blonde and himself, stopping when they were inches apart. He looked the younger man up and down, trying to discern the words that might leap from the blonde's mouth when allowed to speak. Slowly, he nodded. "Permission granted, Strife. What is it you want to say to me?"
"I hate it how you pick on me. Every chance you get, you're dragging me out in the arena and making a complete fool of me. I didn't join up the ranks show off; I joined because I wanted to learn what it took to be a good Royal Guard. Having my butt thrown across the arena was not part of the vision that I had and...Frankly, it's pissing me off...sir." Cloud took a step away from the General, knowing full well that his choice of words might get him into trouble. He didn't care though; his mother had always taught him to speak his mind. Finally, he settled into staring up at the silver-haired man, almost about to glare at the non-response to his words. He huffed and kicked at the dirt near his feet, noting that he managed to send some on the General's boots. "I don't see you picking on any of the other men. Is it because of my age? If it is, then you can go and screw off because I got here on my own steam. I'll be damned if you think that you can chase me off. Just leave me alone."
Sephiroth was internally shocked. He had never received any such words from any man under his leadership, and he admitted that he felt suddenly sharpened with the small tongue-lashing. Everyone aside from Ansem feared his authority and skills, but not this little one. His new-found challenge had a bark that was equal to his bite, a fact that he stored away for further analysis. He was impressed with the blonde's boldness, held the young man in higher standings for it. The boy would someday be a leader.
He cleared his throat to announced that he was about to speak, gaze shifting to make sure that no one was listening. When he could find nothing that displeased him, he let his gaze meet the deep blue depths that stared back at him. "I don't pick on you, Strife. I doubt you understand the honour of having been challenged multiple times by me. Not many men can claim such an honour."
Cloud set his shoulders as he felt as if he were being talked down to again. "There's no honour in it! I don't want to be nursing new bruises and scrapes because you think that I'm your new play toy! I want to learn..."
"You are learning, Strife. You are just too thick-headed and nervous to actually see what I am giving you." Sephiroth seized the blonde by the throat and lifted the boy, impressed that Cloud did not struggle in his hold. "There is no man in all of the ranks that I hold claim over that has any sort of skill to challenge me. My skills grow rusty on wasted old-timers who can bearly lift a sword, but those men will fight and die for me if I say so. They are good men who see for the first time in all of their pitiful careers that a poor, under-educated peasant boy has stepped up to challenge me. I fight you, Strife, because you hit me." He watched the blue depths shift with an unknown emotion before looking away from him, but he decided it would be best to continue. "No one has hit me while I was General of the Royal Guards, except you."
"Lucky shot..." Cloud stated, seeing as it was the only thing that he had been hearing in the last two weeks.
Sephiroth released his hold on the blonde, watching as Cloud's feet landed evenly, no loss of balance what-so-ever. "I had two options when I saw you fight, Strife. I could have killed you...I still could kill you before you hone your skills and become any sort of threat to me." He smirked when the blonde took a few nervous steps away from him, following with steps of his own just to prove that he was in control of this situation and the blonde's survival. "But, I didn't kill you, Strife. I let the other option set into place. I'm letting you develop those impressive skills so that when you finally reach some point of maturity, then I can sharpen my own skills again."
Cloud nearly stomped his foot on the ground. "So, you are just using me. I see. I suppose that is supposed to make me feel better about myself."
Sephiroth pointed a finger at the blonde's chest before raising it to poke the younger man in the forehead. "You are the challenge that I have been waiting for, Strife. I've given you the shove to run, boy...you just have to plunge ahead and show me what you've got." He turned away from the obviously shocked blonde. "You won't fail where you are running to, Strife. Your father was a stubborn man who wouldn't let a bit of name-calling stop him, and I doubt that you will too. Show me what you've got."
"General..." Cloud had never dreamed that he would hear any such words from the General, let alone have them directed at him. He drew in a deep breath and bent to grab his sword, hefting the blade onto his shoulder as he watched his commander walk away. He felt hardness built up around his heart as he nodded at the General's words. "I won't fail...I'll be the best!"
"If you want to be the best, you'd better start practising. You have a lot of work to do, Cloud." Sephiroth stopped when he realized that he had just called the blonde by a first name, turning to regard the younger man. He wasn't sure if the blonde noticed, especially considering the boy seemed to be completely immersed in practising. "I've given you the chance to excel; now you just have to do it."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud lowered his blade as the brunette lowered his head in defeat. He couldn't take away this boy's potential. He breathed in a heavy breath, forcing himself out of his cold mind-set. He had to give the keyblade master a chance to hone skills, just like Sephiroth had given him the chance.
He found it ironic that the same man that had saved him from ultimate defeat in the service of the Royal Guards was now the same man that was hunting him down and attempting to own his skills. His skills had flourished under the watchful eyes of Lord Ansem and General Sephiroth, and he rose quickly in the ranks as his abilities and versatility accelerated. He had done what he had promised his mother and even his dead father...he had become better than any man who lived, even the great General Sephiroth.
He was pained about how much time had changed the days that he had enjoyed. He had been ridiculed up until the age of eighteen, but in the times when the anger made him bleed, the General was always there, either passing him a casual glance or even walking by at the right moment. He and the General were never much of friends, seeing as no one was friends with Sephiroth, but somehow, they had a connection of some sort. Of course, that connection had now turned into dark obsession and insanity on the General's part, but, despite himself and his often hateful feelings towards Sephiroth, he admitted that he should feel honoured again at having the General's attention. Not many men could claim that the 'greatest' swordsman in the universe was their silent obsessive stalker.
Cloud let his gaze meet the innocent blue one of the boy in front of him, slowly nodding his head that it was alright to stand again. Behind his cloak, a small smile pulled at his lips, this boy all too much like him that it almost hurt. He wondered where the days had gone, where his friends had gone, where his dreams had disappeared to. Yet, these were things that he could never get back because it was all in the past. All he had to do was survive into the future and eventually set Hollow Bastion free again. That was his last mission, he determined.
So consumed in his own thoughts, Cloud bearly heard the sound behind him. His eyebrows quirked as he turned and looked up as a giant paw descended on him. He had been a complete fool to think that Hades would not take action if he had failed to kill this boy, and now, he appeared to be paying for his mistake. He grunted the beast literally stepped on him, pinning him to the ground, forced to release his hold on his blade. It did not take long for the sheer weight on top of him to prevent any air from entering his lungs, and he found his consciousness slipping away before he had a chance to fight back against the three-headed beast. His last thought was that this was the second time that Cerberus had got him. He was beginning to really hate that slobbering brute.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Glowing aqua eyes snapped open in shock before narrowing in anger as the silver-haired man shot upright, the air leaving his lungs suddenly. "Cloud...!" He glanced around himself, gaze travelling over the dishevelled sheets on his bed, the torn pillows and blanket of feathers around the room, his discarded leather coat and boots, stopping when his gaze fixed on his long blade. He lifted a hand and beckoned the sword to his hand.
He looked into the flat of the blade, calling forward whatever had attracted his blade's minor attention. His gaze was greeted with an image of his property lying unconscious with Hades' three-headed bruiser standing on the blonde. He felt his ribs lurch as if a weight was lifted from them, the image showing the creature lifted from Cloud by another man. He noted that Cloud did not get up or even move for that matter, making more anger cause his muscle to tense.
Sephiroth snarled in protective anger and climbed to his feet, banishing his attunement to the blonde. He only used it when he slept or was away from the blonde, but now, he was called into action. Cloud was injured, possibly the blonde's life threatened, meaning that he could exact whatever revenge he saw fit. He smirk pulled at his lips and ran a hand over his blade. "I'm in the mood for some bloodshed. I think it's time that I gave Hades a normal dog...one head will do for such a creature."
He looked around his room and picked up his leather coat. "No one touches Cloud except me. Anyone who dares place a mark on his flesh will be taught never to do it again. He's mine! Eventually, the stupid people will understand that I am right."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Cloud regained consciousness as someone was slapping his cheeks, slowly cracking open his eyes to find him staring at the very man he was contracted to kill. Without really thinking about it, he smacked the man's hands away from him and jumped to his feet, rocking back to lean against a stone wall as his world spun for a few minutes. He shook his head to rid himself of the nausea, prodding his aching ribs before looking up at Hercules. "What are you doing here? I thought you were visiting your father."
"I was, but I came back. It looks like I picked the best time to come back too." Hercules grinned and put his hands on his hips, looking the blonde over. He was a bit surprised that the man in front of him was not more wounded after participating in a tournament and also nearly being killed by Cerberus. It took a real strong warrior to only have a headache from that. "You alright? I thought for sure that you were a goner when Cerberus landed on you."
Cloud couldn't help a scowl forming on his features which he hid behind his cloak. He could tell that this man was quite taken with himself, probably one of the reasons that Hades wanted Hercules dead. Obviously, Hades couldn't take another person as fat-headed as the god. He brushed dust off of his cloak, if only to give himself something to do while both a Demi-god and a fat satyr were staring at him, probably waiting for him to respond. Eventually, when they began to fidget, he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm fine. I don't need your help."
"Look at that, Herc. Guy can't even appreciate someone saving his life. Now that's gratitude for ya." Phil put his hands on his fat hips and glared up at the blonde. Obviously, this kid didn't read the rule book before entering the tournament. Thinking about the rule book made Phil jump slightly and stalk over to the blonde. "Oh, and you!" He pointed a finger directly at the blonde. "What were you doing?"
"Fighting?" Cloud responded neutrally.
Phil stopped and thought about that response for a second before finally shaking his head. "Aside from that! You were gonna kill that squirt and his little friends! If Hades hadn't stepped in my path, then I would have thrown the rule book at you sooner!"
Hercules bent to look Phil over before whispering in the old satyr's ear. "Phil, you can't throw. You can bearly climb stairs..." He stood again when Phil sent a glare his way and smacked his cheek, not that it hurt any.
Cloud leaned back on the wall behind him, not really in the mood to be discussing his conduct. He doubted that it would go over very well if he claimed that Hades ordered him to do it. Such accusations would probably uncover his real contract of killing Hercules, something that he really did not wish to deal with at the moment. Instead, he merely shrugged his shoulders, forcing his headache away long enough to finish this conversation. "Look, I don't kill children. As soon as he showed me that he was defeated, I lowered my sword. You think I would have stopped if I had wanted to kill him?" He watched a quizzical look pass over the satyr's face before pushing off of the wall. "I doubt that you could have stopped me if I had gone through with killing them."
He stepped from the wall and pushed passed Hercules, setting his shoulder so he could shove a little more roughly. He found the other man's shoulder bearly move, forcing his own shoulder to give; so this Hercules was strong. He glanced up at the sandy-haired man, there gazes locking as he walked towards the exit. He could already see that normal attacks would have difficulty harming this man, something that he would need to research on how to get passed. He was not about to throw his own life away until he knew for sure what he was going up against so he walked on harmlessly, shoving the doors open before disappearing to the outer courtyard.
As soon as the doors closed behind him, he sunk down to his knees and grabbed his head with one hand and wrapped his other arm around his chest in an attempt to soothe the aches in his body. His ribs hurt the most, meaning that he probably had a few cracked on him, and his headache was only growing worse as all the questions and voices from during the fight rampaged through his consciousness. He felt suddenly very nauseous, but forced himself back to his feet and across the courtyard, eventually flopping down on the steps as far away from the fighting arena as possible. He let his head sink back to the stone and closed his eyes, fighting a new battle to keep his meal in his stomach. It was a long and hard battle, but he managed to win his body over into saving energy and just accepting that he would win.
When his stomach had claimed and the ache in his ribs had subsided, he let out a long breath, looking at his demonic hand now. He eventually let it fall back to his side and stared up at the blue sky above him. "When did things go so wrong?" He really didn't need to think about it to actually know the very moment when his pleasant life had been turned upside down and slashed with a sword. The moment he felt the darkness grabbing at his flesh for the first with the echoing screams of his fellow guardsmen, he knew that his life would never be the same again. After he stumbled out and fell at Lord Ansem's feet, he felt something different about his ruler, something cold and sinister snaking over as Ansem's eyes crawled over his body. Cloud knew that everything had changed...Lord Ansem, the General, and the other men involved in attempted immortality. He was aware that no one aside from them knew anything about went on in that evening, that soon, he and the General would be the only men still alive after four days. He would carry on as normal, the other men would either disappear or kill themselves, and the General would become his shadow. Yes, it was that day so long ago when everything about his life changed, and he knew that there was no way to get it back.
Slowly his mind drifted to other matters, more precisely what the voices in the arena had been arguing about. He had little idea what his 'light' was, but it sounded rather important. Because he had no clue as to what it was that he was missing, he could not know where it had gone or how he could get it back. Certainly, he knew his inner strengths and weakness, but a light did not sound like it fit into his abilities. He doubted that any sort of research would help him solve this mystery, and he really did not have anyone close by to speak to about the matter, leaving his mind running around in pained circles.
Cloud let his head flop back on the stair behind him, eyes snapping to his chest as a weight settled over him. He blinked as he was staring at the grinning face of Panic, grunting when another similar weight settled much too close to his groan, forcing him to sit up. He looked down to find another demon, Pain he thought, attempting to bounce on his upraised knee. He reached out and shoved the maroon demon forward, smirking when it let out a yelp and fell from his knee, surprisingly rolling like a ball might. "What are you two doing here?"
Panic clapped its hands together and hopped up on the blonde's shoulder, shifting around until it found a comfortable position. "I found out where Cerberus went! I'm so smart! I came up here to tell you to look out because Cerberus is in the arena somewhere." Its eyes narrowed and shifted about as if exploring the open area in search of the mystical creature.
"Yeah...I know." Cloud said softly, rubbing a hand over his still tender ribs. "I already found Cerberus."
"Really?" Pain did its best to scramble back up on the blonde's knee, kicking out its short legs in an attempt to catch some of the warrior's pant leg. Unfortunately, its roundness prevented such an action, and Pain only succeeded in tiring itself, now taking to hanging from the blonde's pant leg until it caught its breath. "See...Panic..." It wheezed and made another attempt to pull itself up. "...Told you he'd...know...Boss...says he's a smart one..." Another wheeze of pathetic glory. "...despite his hair colour...."
"So who told you?" Panic inquired, making faces at Pain.
Cloud rolled his eyes and eventually lifted Pain to sit on his knee, tired of watching such a pathetic attempt. He shifted his gaze between the two demons, noting that his apparent fan club was about to get a new member in it. "No one told me. I found out the hard way."
"Bit, clawed, barfed on, or stepped on?" Panic asked.
"Stepped on." Cloud replied, feeling a small smile lit his features. These two were probably the most light-hearted company that he had ever kept nearby. It appeared that they had a way of cheering him up and taking his mind off of some of his problems for a little while. He watched as the pair nodded their heads in sympathy and look at one another as if it hadn't been the first time. However, his mood did not last as he felt the need to inquire about what someone's 'light' was. "Do you two know what someone's light is?"
Pain lifted its hand in the air and waved it around wildly before falling from the blonde's knee again. This time, its excitement for knowing the answer allowed it to jump back onto the warrior's knee. "Oh, I know, I know! Pick me, pick me!" It hopped up at down on the blonde's knees, still waving its arm in the air when Cloud looked at it oddly. Of course, it took the look to mean that it had been picked. "Someone's light is something that makes the darkness go away." It grinned widely.
Panic glanced over at Pain and shook its head. "No, it doesn't. Someone's light is their soul...you know, like the ones that the Boss collects." It then got into an argument with Pain about the meaning of the light.
Slowly, Cloud shook his head as if his headache had just returned. He rubbed his forehead and sighed heavily. Obviously, these two had little knowledge about the subject that he wanted to know about, meaning that he would need to find the time to look for someone that did. He was not sure if Hades would let him sneak away for a couple of days, especially if he didn't have a good excuse as to why he wanted to go to another world. The only other place that he knew to start from was Traverse Town, and he wasn't sure if he wished to venture back there so soon. Too many bad things could happen if he returned there...too many people could recognize him.
He glanced down as Pain and Panic started to wrestle on his knees and rolled his eyes again, reaching out to pull the two apart. "Stop fighting. It doesn't matter that much. I'll find out from someone else, I guess." He released his hold on the two demons, watching as both failed to rebalance themselves and fell from his knees, slowing shaking his head. He now understood what Hades meant by needing to find good help. "Look, you two should get out of here before Hades finds you up here. I don't think he would be pleased if he found you both wandering up in the Coliseum."
Panic sat up and glanced over at Pain before looking pleadingly at the blonde. "You'd protect us, right?"
"Uh...I suppose..." Cloud cringed as both demons launched forward and latched onto his legs. He hastily tried to pry the two off, surprised how strong they both were when they wanted to be. He eventually gave up when they gave no sign of releasing their hold. He could swear that they were sobbing like babies into his pant legs. "Would you two please let go of me?"
Panic lifted its head long enough to look over to Pain and sob. "See! I told you he was nice! He's our bestest friend in the whole wide Underworld!" It then returned to sobbing in the blonde's pant leg.
Cloud looked down at the demons attached to his leg then around the courtyard, hoping that no one was looking in his general direction. Luckily, the courtyard was empty. "How am I supposed to protect you two if you're clinging to my legs?"
Pain looked up this time and released its hold on the blonde's leg, patting Panic on the shoulder. "He does have a point, Panic." It managed to pull the lithe demon off of the warrior's legs and patted its friend on the shoulders. "You get so emotional over the simplest things."
"But I've never had a big friend before!" Panic began sobbing on Pain's shoulder.
Pain glanced up to the blonde who was still hiding his face behind a cloak. It grinned and waved to the blonde as it pulled Panic away to return to the Underworld. "Wow, a big friend who stood up to the Boss. I feel taller already."
Cloud watched the two demons wander off in slight bewilderment. How he managed to get those two on his side was still beyond him, and he was not about to put in the time and effort to puzzle through the phenomenon. He glanced down at his hands and sighed heavily. "Those two pop up at the most odd moments."
He rested his arms across his upraised knees and leaned his chin on top of one of his knees, returning to his previous thoughts. His list of things to do was steadily growing. First, he wanted to find Sephiroth, and then set Hollow Bastion free of the Heartless. Now, he found himself protecting two abused demons, trying to keep everyone he knew safe from harm, and searching for whatever light that he seemed to have lost. He was beginning to feel a bit bogged down with the tasks that he had taken upon himself, now suddenly wishing that he was just searching for Sephiroth and had no association with any of the other problems that kept heaping on his pile. However, he knew that was impossible because he was still a Royal Guard at heart, and he felt the need to keep up with his duties even if he was not in Ansem's court.
Yet, he was still no closer to finding out the answers that he was searching for, despite his efforts. If anything, he was more confused and getting steadily frustrated. He forced himself to concentrate, sorting through the questions that seemed important and bringing them foremost in his mind, slowly piecing together the fact that no matter where he went and no matter what duties came about, he would be forced to find Sephiroth. The dark voice had turned into the former General to taunt him, meaning that it could either be complete coincidence or Sephiroth held to key to finding out where his 'light' was. He didn't completely understand what he had lost sight of; he still protected everything that he had pledged to. He was still the same man that he had been years ago...wasn't he?
He looked at the demonic hand, wriggling the bony fingers as if to make sure that they were still under his command. Perhaps he had lost sight of one thing...he had given in to the darkness for a purpose that required him to manipulate his situation for his own benefit. Despite his best efforts, he sometimes grabbed at the darkness that had made his body what it was; he had used it for his own reasons, be it as innocent as he thought it would be. He wondered if his wandering into the darkened realm had shadowed his better judgement, leaving him just as obsessed to find the General as Sephiroth was to find him. How had he missed this detail? How had he overlooked his own morals for another crack at the General? How...could he be rid of this form and take back his life again?
Cloud did not have time to sort out through the new questions as his acute senses picked up the fact that someone approached him. He didn't need to look up to know that it was the brunette with the keyblade so he remained with his head down as if he were still deep in thought. If he was lucky, the boy would simply pass by and leave him to his thoughts.
Sora approached the blonde cautiously, not sure how he was supposed to act around a man that was obviously thinking. Still, he wished to know if the blonde warrior was alright after the encounter with Cerberus, despite Donald's protests to him doing so. He stopped when he was a small distance away from the blonde and ran his hands over his shorts. "Hey, are... you alright?"
Cloud grunted inwardly. Obviously he was not going to get away without talking to the boy. 'Damn, he's so like me it isn't funny....' Slowly, he looked up, gaze meeting the innocent one across from him. He kept his expression completely neutral, if only to figure out where this kid was going before he let his emotions through. "Yeah." He replied softly.
Sora cocked his head to the side, considering the answer. It was a bit shorter than he had been hoping for, but he found that it didn't matter that much. He still knew a few details about this man, especially the one part about the blonde working for Hades. It was obvious with the way that Hades had stepped into Phil's path when the blonde was about to kill him. Slowly, he took a cautious step forward. "How...come you went along with him anyway?"
Cloud really didn't wish to speak about his motivations, especially not to the brunette. However, despite himself, he felt the words slip from his lips before he could even think about them. "I'm searching for someone." He let his chin rest on his hands again, closing his eyes to consider his words He was aware that the boy knew about his association with Hades. "Hades promised to help." Yet, he knew the price of getting Hades' help was to keep to the form that he was now in. How had he not seen this until this moment?
He was aware that speaking the truth to the brunette could lead him closer to tying up his contract but probably not without Hercules finding out first. He was not one to speak openly about his inner thoughts, especially not when the boy could reveal part of himself that could complicate his plans. His mind searched for an excuse that would best hide him from further scrutiny, quickly settling into pretending to be one who was controlled by the darkness. "I tried exploiting the power of darkness, but it backfired." He watched the brunette's expression carefully, nodding inwardly when the boy seemed oblivious to his small lie. "I fell into darkness and I couldn't get out." Slowly, Cloud climbed to his feet, wishing to escape from further conversation in the Coliseum. If he wanted to talk to this boy about more personal matter, he could always track the brunette down again.
Sora smiled warmly at the blonde. "You'll find it." He nodded his head as the blonde looked up at him again. He had a feeling that whatever the blonde was searching for, it was much more complicated than his own search. Still, he felt a connection in the fact that they were both searching for something important. "I'm searching too."
"For your light?" Cloud wasn't sure why he assumed it was that. He watched the brunette nod, wanting to ask the boy what the 'light' was but forced himself to hold his tongue. Such matters should not be spoken in such an open place where anyone could listen in on. He was weary of his surroundings, and of the two standing beside the brunette. He did not wish to let anything slip that could potentially lash back on him or the keyblade wielder.
It was with that thought that he became suddenly very aware of the connection between them. He found the similarities to be unnerving, yet comforting. He felt his heart relax and all his troubles melt away as he stared at the boy, so much reminded of the good times of his life, the times were nothing mattered but the present and all of the adult problems seemed so far away. The determination in the boy's blue eyes made a small smile pull at his lips, the innocent air of promise and a lively future. Yes, this boy was like him, and like him, the brunette needed a helping hand to find a place in the great scheme of things. He felt the urge to help, if only a small amount until he figured out what direction he would take from now on. He found his strength and resolve to find and protect the truth setting in his stubborn pride again. It was a good feeling. He needed this boy's strength as much as the boy needed his strength.
Cloud took a step towards the brunette as he pulled out a small glowing red stone and handed it to the boy. It contained the knowledge of the one move that he had willed into a writing stone. It was obvious that this boy needed all the help that he could get, and with this stone in the brunette's possession, he would know if the boy had fallen into great danger and required aid. "Never lose sight of it." He meant the stone he had just given the brunette, but it was clear that the boy took it to mean something completely different. He walked around the brunette, hoping to escape quickly and quietly from the Coliseum. He had much-needed thinking to do. He stopped when the brunette called to him, glancing back over his shoulder.
Sora waved a hand at the blonde, feeling strength within the shining stone. It was a pure strength that he had often felt when he was around Kairi. He was suddenly aware that he had found a new, powerful ally if he needed to call on one. He felt an odd connection with the blonde, one that he couldn't really explain in words, but he knew that it was there. He knew that if he wanted, he could probably learn some very valuable skills from this blonde that held an air of a man with more years than actually showed. He smiled warmly, feeling happier than he had since he was on Destiny Island with all his friends. "Hey, how about a rematch sometime?" He grinned widely, mischievously. "Fair and square, no dark powers involved!"
Cloud snorted and brushed a hand over his bangs in a mock show of arrogance. "I think I'll pass." He turned and walked away again, a soft playful smile on his lips. He would return to the Underworld and hopefully be left alone for awhile. However, he had no longer taken a few steps away as the brunette left when a strange creature appeared in front of him, grinning, handed him a small rolled scroll, tipped a hat and left again.
He looked from the scroll in his hands and the fast-moving spec in the distance, not sure of what he had just encountered. Eventually, he unrolled the paper, eyes scanning over its contents before looking around, his heart sinking in his chest. He slowly closed his eyes as he rerolled the paper and tucked it into his cloak, turning to look at the gates that Sora had just left from. He ran a hand through his blonde locks and sighed heavily before finally nodding to himself; he would force himself to go. "...Alright, you win...."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Sephiroth stepped through the gates of the Underworld, gaze shifting around until it fell on the reason for his visit to this place. He turned to regard the large three-headed dog that lay off to the side resting. It appeared that the beast had taken a beating and was now licking wounds. He walked slowly but purposefully over to the beast, smirking cruelly when all three heads lifted to watch him. He unsheathed his blade, pointing from one head to another as he spoke childishly. "Inny meeny...miney moe...Catch an ugly three-headed brute...by the toe. Lose a head and where do you go..."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Okay, okay, I know. It was longer than I thought that it would be for the scenes that I was planning on throwing in. Cloud's part took quite a bit longer than I expected for the sole reason that I thought that his lines while talking with Sora were really stupid and I had to figure out a mind set that would have Cloud say stuff like that. Maybe it's not his actual lines, just the way he says them in the game. Anyway, I finally ran through that screaming so now I can run back to my own plot and not as brilliant lines.
I apologize for all you Sephy-lovers out there. I really didn't have the time or the energy to throw in the scene where he wipes the floor with Cerberus. Actually, he got very little air time, something that I am sure that I will pay for at a later date. Oh well, it was enjoyable.
Oh, I have been thinking and reading my reviews several times a day as I think over the yaoi situation. I still haven't fully decided an 'aye' or 'nay', but...I could nudge Sephy a bit get throw some more sexual overtones just to spice things up. Not entirely sure, but I know that I could write it...seeing as I do have a somewhat consensual way for Sephiroth to win! (Aside from pressing the 'win' button on the controller...Sorry, in joke) I will consider it more. I probably won't say for sure for at least a couple of chapters or something...you know, leave you all in suspence!
