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 6 - A Light Shrouded in Shadow

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

Sephiroth smirked as he advanced once more against the writhing beast, stopping when Cerberus howled and attempted to limp away from him further. "Not so tough when you've only got two legs and one less head..." He lifted a hand and smeared the dark blood that had splattered on his cheeks, rubbing his blooded gloved fingers together in amusement. He lifted his fingers to his lips and had a small taste of the warm liquid, his features souring considerably. "Not nearly as sweet as Cloud's blood, but then again, you aren't nearly as wonderfully attractive in your struggles. His elegant writhing gets me right here..." He patted his heart and sighed almost dreamily.

His gaze shifted from his fingers up to the beast that deserved a worse fate than death, one that he was fully willing to give. He took a menacing step forward, setting his blade against his side once more as he picked out the best place to strike. He teleported to his destination, sword singing through the dead air before meeting dark flesh, not as deeply as he would have liked. He jumped back several feet, again setting Masamune on his belt. "Meet your fate!" He shot towards the heavily wounded beast anew, landing heavily on Cerberus' shoulder while bringing his sword down in a deadly arc, cutting cleaning this time, a smirk forming on his features as another of the beast's heads left attachment to a body.

He put his foot on the only remaining neck as Cerberus sunk down and whimpered in pain, his triumph clearly evident. He sheathed his blade at his side and crossed his arms in front of his chest, looking like the perfect image of a respected hero. He only wished that it wasn't a mangy dog pleading for mercy; rather, he would much prefer his property submitting to his will. Still, he accepted this victory as a conquest of those that stood in the way of his final goal, slowly removing obstacles that stood blocking his view of the sensual blonde warrior.

Triumphantly, he stepped from his pedestal of black flesh, satisfied with the punishment that Cerberus had received. He was confident that his dominance had been asserted on the beast, and he was sure that Cerberus and Hades would be aware that he would not tolerate any act against his property. Only he was allowed to crush Cloud when it suited his fancy.

He was drawing his sword with instant speed as his senses murmured of danger, swiveling gracefully as a set of jaws lunged at him, parrying most of the blow as he teleported away. He appeared a few feet away from the snarling beast, glancing down at a small pain in his arm, eyes narrowing with anger. He grabbed the wound roughly, ignoring the pain that laced up into his shoulder, gaze shifting to where Cerberus glared at him in the same manner that he was glaring at the beast. "I'll do you for that..."

Setting his shoulders in stubborn anger, he lifted a hand in the air, summoning up some of his hold on the darkness, calling up a spell to mind. He closed his eyes as blue energy flashed around his raised arm, the ground beginning to rumble beneath his feet as he called forth some meteors to ravage his pathetic enemy. Light exploded around him in a great show of technicolour as each large boulder-size meteor impacted in the ground around him, those that did not actually impact swinging around him to smash into the downed Cerberus. He eventually stopped calling forth the large rocks and rescinded his dark powers.

"Umm...is this the apocalypse or something...Did I miss an important memo?" Came a slightly bewildered, yet annoyed voice from behind Sephiroth.

Sephiroth slowly turned to regard the intruder to his victory, gaze narrowing as it fell on Hades who seemed to be shaking a fist at the heavens. He stalked over to the god and seized Hades by the god's black robes, pulling Hades so that their faces were very close together. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't rip you apart? It better be a good one, too."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't your non-existent underwear in a knot, Wonderboy! What the heck crawled between your legs and died a horrible screaming death?" Hades took a step away from the now furious, releasing himself from the silver-haired man's death-grip, taking the time to look Sephiroth over. He noted the black blood that was spattered over the man's flesh and clothing, gaze shifting to where Cerberus lay bleeding.

For the first time in all of his godhood, Hades squealed like a little girl and drifted quickly over to where his beloved pet lay heavily wounded. "No! My beautiful pooky-wooky!" He reached down and lifted the last remaining head, staring into the blank eyes before faking a few tears of anguish. "Ohhh, don't worry my cutesy, snuggle-wuggle bum! Daddy will make things right again!" He panted a kiss on the end of Cerberus' nose and rubbed his cheek almost loving against the big dog's muzzle. "Did that mean-ol', obsessive man with non-existent underwear hurt you?!"

Sephiroth fumed silently as Hades called him various colourful insults while fawning over the dismembered beast that was the god's pet dog. He crossed his arms, completely unimpressed in this show of silliness. He wiped some of the blood from his cheeks with the back of his hand, lifting it to protect his eyes as a bright flash light washed over him when Hades snapped his fingers. He grumbled and continued wiping the gore from his cheeks until Hades let loose another overly cute string of words in regards to Cerberus. His gaze traveled to where Hades stood, letting his hand drop back to his side at the sight of the god of the Underworld hugging a completely new and uninjured Cerberus. He sighed in frustration and glared death at the three-headed dog that seemed all too pleased with having its belly scratched by Hades.

Hades chuckled and turned to regard Sephiroth, noting the still rather angered look that Cerberus was receiving. He released his hold on his pet and drifted back to where the silver-haired man stood rigidly eyeing him. He grinned and looked back at Cerberus. "Last time I saw that many rocks falling from Heaven, Zeus was having an all-nighter. You really scared me there, Wonderboy. For a minute there, I thought something important had happened."

"That beast hurt my property." Sephiroth stated coolly, eyeing the three-headed dog as Cerberus flopped down in front of the gates of the Underworld. "According to our deal, I could exact whatever punishment I wished upon individuals that hurt or threaten Cloud's life." His gaze shifted to Hades as he spoke, watching the god out of the corner of his eye.

Hades chuckled and smoothed down his robes, looking anywhere but Sephiroth. "Wow, I didn't think you were actually serious about that, Wonderboy. It wasn't my fault Cerberus wanted to play fetch...with Blondie."

Sephiroth growled angrily. "Cloud. Call him by his name. His mother gave him one for a reason." He glared at the god as Hades turned to regard him fully, their gazes locking.

"Fine, fine, whatever you want, Wonderboy." Hades threw his hands up in the air in exasperation before turning on the silver-haired man. "It's not my fault Clod can't do his job!"

"Did you just call him 'Clod'?" Sephiroth asked in slight disbelief.

Hades pointed a warning finger at the silver-haired man. "No, now you listen up, Wonderboy. Aside from the miserable failure of Spiky...I mean, Clyde..."

"Cloud."

"That's what I said!" Hades snatched the silver-haired man's voice away, glaring the former General into peaceful silence. "Like I was saying, aside from one peon's failure and a hang-nail...very painful, I must say...I've been having a great day." Hades created a chair behind the silver-haired man and forced Sephiroth to sit down, taking seat in midair, rubbing his chin as if deep in thought. "Look Wonderboy, I know what I'm doing with you from now on. I'm going to give you a full-time job...and before you say it, despite not being able to talk, yes, it has a good dental plan...the medical is a bit lacking but you probably won't use that too much anyway...."

Sephiroth opened his mouth to question what he had done to warrant this obvious show of godly enthusiasm. He snapped his jaw shut in frustration when his voice murmured somewhere in Hades' robes. He noted the playful smirk that Hades threw him and looked away, not bothering to speak any more; he refused to be any sort of pleasure to the god of the Underworld.

Hades clapped his hands together in front of the silver-haired man's face, bringing Sephiroth's attention back on him. He pointed at the former General's eyes then his own, indicating that eye-contact was a good thing between them. "I know it's difficult, but don't let your mind wander off...you may never find the important part of it again. I know you already lost some of it awhile go...hey, those postcards it sent you from all those tropical destinations were nice..." He sat back in his non-existent chair, flicking a hand when Sephiroth attempted to stand up and slug him one. "Anger-management, Wonderboy. It's all the breathing. Deep breaths!" He took a deep breath of his own as a model for what the silver-haired man should be doing.

He shifted his gaze down to his fingernails and mourned the loss of the one that he had broken in his attempt to rid himself of a hang-nail, not in the mood to just conjure a new one up. "Now, as I was saying, since you already have the 'psycho' part covered in your contract, I'm just going to add on a small bit after that, then you can be my 'psychopomp'." Hades poked the silver-haired man in the forehead to make sure that Sephiroth's mind didn't wander off. "See, I came to this wonderful conclusion that, after your cute escapade to collecting that girl and that world's subsequent destruction thanks to that big rock you dropped on it...nice style on that, if I do say so myself..." Hades stopped to figure out where he was going with that sentence, tracing it back to its origins. "Oh right...Because you destroyed that world and it was not eaten by Heartless, I got a rather large influx of newly dead souls, a fact that I really liked because...heh, I get more powerful the more souls are in my realm...so I want you to wander around and kill more planets...a lot more planets."

Sephiroth crossed his arms in stubborn pride and turned his head to the side, lifting his chin to show his obvious arrogance for the whole situation. If he could not voice his displeasure, he would at least show it off silently. He could sense Hades puzzling over his reaction and mouthed the words 'You will owe me big.'

"Look, Wonderboy, the more places you off, the more powerful I become...meaning, the happier I am because I'm powerful." Hades wrapped an arm around the silver-haired man's shoulders, pulling Sephiroth closer to him. "The happier I am with someone, the more I'm willing to look the other way when they do something that they are not supposed to." He grinned when the former General's gaze shifted to look at him. "I may even throw in a little annual bonus... how does another dream with everyone's favourite spiky meat-puppet sound?"

Sephiroth couldn't help the smirk that pulled at his lips as he slowly nodded his agreement to this new title. To be able to get another chance at facing off with Cloud and righting the wrongs that had occurred in the last one, he would give just about anything for. He had little time to watch his property so being able to step back into the blonde's dream was the most perfect opportunity that he simply could not pass up. Perhaps he could pin Cloud beneath his body again and claim a bit more than just a touch or two.

Hades grinned in satisfaction and allowed the silver-haired man the ability to speak again, if only to hear the nice 'ouf' of surprise as the chair disappeared and Sephiroth fell the small distance to the ground. He quirked an eyebrow as Sephiroth suddenly teleported across from him before grinning. "Okay, Wonderboy, destroy a few planets and lead all those new souls down here to me, and I'll find an opportunity with Blondie to slip you into that boy's busy schedule." He looked around and huffed silently. "Speaking of Spiky..."

"Cloud." Sephiroth growled out, smirking at Hades' glare in his direction.

"Anyway, where the heck is that spiky ball of warrior-meat? He should be down here by now and hanging his pin-head in shame for failure." Hades glanced at the silver-haired man then turned on his heel and began to drift back towards his palace, muttering softly to himself. He would have to look into where the blonde had wandered off to sulk.

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

Cloud had only just learned to teleport himself places, and he was still not very good at finding a location that best suited slipping around in the shadows. Often, he managed to end up in some obscure places in the Underworld or dangling precariously on ledges, or even standing beneath Cerberus or one of the Titans. Really, he had thought that he had seen every place that he could embarrass himself in; however, he was sure that he topped it off with the fact that he was standing knee-high in a full bathtub, its real occupant humming softly on the other side of a closed door.

He hastily slipped out the curtained window as the door opened, now sitting precariously balanced on a ledge of a rooftop while he removed his boots and shook out the water while listening for any sign that he had been seen. He quickly pulled his boots back on and began rearranging the long black cloak that he had grabbed from the Underworld to better cover all of his appearance. He refused to be recognized, especially not with his current appearance change. It would only lead those that believe that he was a criminal down the path of affirming such thoughts. He pulled the cloak up around his nose, allowing only his glowing gaze to be seen, though he knew for a fact that he looked extremely suspicious.

He stepped up further on the roof that he had placed himself, gaze scanning his surroundings. He stood overlooking the open square of the Second District of Traverse Town, the place not having changed much since his last visit except for the lack of people wandering about. He assumed that it was late here, despite to audible ticking from the Gizmo Shop and the clock tower. He glanced at the clock, noting the evening time then hopped down to the ledge just below his feet, walking with cat-like balance until he jumped to where his feet would meet stone, settling himself down into a crouch.

Without really taking time, he slipped across the open square and hopped up the stone wall, crouching down as he now faced the hotel which had been forced to close because of the Heartless infestation that surrounded the place. He noted the small Heartless that seemed oblivious to his presence and moved away from the little creature to avoid having to fight any. He wished to be silent in his visit as he had always been even when he lived here. He doubted that anyone would even realize that he was here if he could keep it that way.

Slowly, he opened a door to the hotel and stepped inside, gaze moving around to see if he was being followed. Just as silently, he eased the door shut and stalked down the hardwood hallway, his footfalls bearly making any audible noise. He stopped and listened at each door, searching for one voice that he was familiar with. Eventually, he stopped at the red room, sensing the presence that he desired and pulled his cloak a bit more tightly around his shoulders almost nervously. He glanced up and down the hallway before finally knocking softly on the door, taking a step to the side to hide himself. He didn't wish to be seen by any guests to the room.

He waited for what seemed like a considerable amount of time, his heart pounding in his chest and his breaths coming in small hitches. His back pressed up against the wall tightly, almost wishing that he could be absorbed into the wood and sneak off again before he was seen. His gaze flitted around the hallway, the huge sword on his back feeling heavier with each tense passing second. His palms began to sweat, forcing him to rub them nervously on his cloak, and he nearly bolted like a green colt when the lock sounded.

"Yuffie, is that you?" A soft voice asked into the hallway.

Cloud took in a deep breath and pushed himself off of the wall so that he stepped into view of his adoptive daughter. He didn't need to reveal his face to know that she instantly recognized him, the warm smile that crossed her lips a pleasant change to all the gloom that he was used to. He slipped silently into the room when she beckoned, knowing better than to speak openly with him where anyone could listen. His gaze flicked around to all the parts of the room, moving to make sure that the window was securely shut and locked, all the doors were tightly closed and all of the other portions of the room met his standards for secretiveness. When he felt safe, he turned to regard the young woman who still smiled at him, and he pulled the cloak off of his head. "Aerith, it's been a long time."

Aerith walked over to the blonde and wrapped her lithe arms around his shoulders, a silent appraisal of how he had been keeping himself over the last couple of months. "I've been worried about you, Cloud." She pulled away and gently brushed a few stray bangs from the blonde's forehead, glad to have the chance to see him again. "Please, sit down for a little while. Will you be able to stay?"

"Only for a little while." Cloud noted Aerith's look and reluctantly removed the rest of his cloak, tossing it over the chair that she set out for him. He removed his sword and placed it on the floor at his feet as he sat. He winced slightly at the small pain in his back where Sora's keyblade had hit him. He raised his gaze to where Aerith sat across of him, smile ever-present on her lips since his arrival. "How have you been in these last months? I received your letter just a little while ago, the main reason of my visit." He glanced to the side, slightly comfortable. "I never thought that I would return here so soon."

Aerith reached out and patted one of the blonde's hands, completely unafraid of the changes she felt in him. No matter what people said, Cloud was probably the most trustworthy and sweet individuals she had ever known. There was no amount of good acts that she could do to make up for all that the blonde had done for her, all the sacrifices that Cloud had made over the years. She loved him as much as she loved her own parents, and she knew that he loved her as a daughter. She was probably the only person that Cloud felt comfortable enough to relax and have a conversation with, a fact that she never took lightly. She was so very pleased to be able to see that he was still doing well.

She reached out and run a finger over his cheek, pulling back to investigate the smeared dirt she found there. She gave the blonde a look that indicated playful annoyance. "You need a bath, Cloud." She climbed to her feet, ignoring his soft protests and walked into the bathroom to prepare some warm water for the blonde. She returned quickly and gave Cloud a hug from behind. "Relax, eat, have a bath, and speak with me, Cloud. I'm sure there is so many things that we both have to catch up on." She pulled back and tugged at the blonde's cloak. "Give me your clothes and I will repair any damages to them." Her tone was matter-of-fact and she knew that Cloud would not argue, as was generally his way with her.

Cloud sighed at the instant attention he was receiving and nodded his head in obedience. It would be nice for once not to have to constantly be looking over his shoulder for an attack against him. Climbing to his feet, he started to remove his clothing while Aerith wandered back into the bathroom. So accustomed to her presence was he that he completely forgot his new edition that clung his to shoulder until it was too late to scramble back into a shirt. Instead, he tensed when he heard Aerith stop in mid-hum as his back came into view. Instinctively, he tucked the new appendage closer to his body, hoping that he could just draw it out of sight. He glanced over his shoulder, smiling weakly. "I suppose I have quite a bit of explaining to do." He gestured to the wing and to the demonic hand. "Where to begin...?"

"Don't...not unless you are ready to talk." Aerith felt another smile replace the lost one at the blonde's shyness towards her opinion of him. She knew that she could never hate him no matter what he looked like. "Please, have a bath and relax. We can talk all you want once you are finished, and I have repaired your clothes." She walked over and touched the blonde's shoulder. "You don't have to say anything to me that you don't want to, Cloud. I just want to know that you are safe."

"I know." Cloud ran a hand through his hair and chuckled softly. "A bath sounds really good right about now." He quickly shed the rest of his clothing, laying his many belts meticulously beside one another on his chair and his dusty boots near the door before he wandered towards the bathroom, stopping when a familiar fragrance greeted him at the bathroom door. "Still using rose scent?"

Aerith giggled as she laced her needle with thread and glanced up towards the blonde. "Still? Always, Cloud." She lifted the blonde's thick blue sweater and investigated the repairs that were required to the material. "It is your fault that I use it. I seem to remember a certain adoptive father getting me some for my fourteenth birthday."

Cloud nodded silently and wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door quietly behind him before stepping into the warm water, settling himself until his chin rested on top of the warm liquid. He sighed as all the tension seemed to drift out of his muscles into the water, noting that the dirt that he had crusted to him was doing the same. He ran a hand over his left arm, trailing his finger over each muscle and contour until he stopped at where his normal tanned flesh drifted into black. He clenched his left hand, feeling each muscle constrict and relax to follow the assigned movement, the bone shifting with the tension created by the muscles until his appendages were dragged into his palm. It was a simple command on an appendage that he was not so sure he had full control over, but he was pleased to relax it back into the warm water.

He took a pain-staking amount of time cleaning himself, not sure of when the next real opportunity to do so would arise for him. Every inch of his body was scrubbed clean, probably more roughly than was really required, leaving his skin reddened and sensitive to touch, though all signs of his roughness quickly faded along with the dirt. He scrubbed his hair meticulously, smoothing down all the golden locks so they remained against his scalp then shook his head wildly, letting his hair fall where it normally would; if he allowed the hair to set without a good shake, he would look even worse with spikes jutted out at much odder angles.

When he was completely finished washing himself, he slowly stepped from the tub, letting the water droplets trail sensual lines down his body. He smoothed down some of his still wet hair, letting more droplets race down his spine before he picked up a nearby towel and began to fully dry himself, running the soft white material over every crevice and contour until he was satisfied, wrapping the towel snugly around his waist. He stepped towards the door, a fond smile playing over his lips as a pair of new pants hung on the door knob, with a note of 'The others were unsalvageable', meaning that Aerith was currently washing his old pair and just not saying so.

He casually slipped into the new pair of pants and stretched, flapping his wing several times to exercise the kinks from the underused muscles before settling the appendage back against his shoulder. He pulled open the door and stepped back into the room where Aerith was hanging his clothing to dry; either he took a long time bathing or she was faster in her repairs and cleaning than he last remembered. He noted that even the black cloak that he had taken from the Underworld had been cleaned as he sat on the seat again, shaking his head in amusement. He waited for her to sit across from him, idly stretching out his wing in the process until Aerith's amused smile made him stop playing around with his new 'toy'. He shrugged his shoulders almost innocently. "It's not my fault. I don't use it much."

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

"Hey Wonderboy?"

Sephiroth looked up as Hades stepped up beside him and growled in annoyance. All he wanted right now was a bit of peace and quiet while he fixed his equipment. Still, he forced himself to his feet to regard the god, glaring to show that he was not amused by this disturbance to his quiet time. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and took a step away from the god to increase the distance between them. "What do you want now?"

"Don't worry, it's a good reason this time...well, it's a good reason all the time because...heh heh...I'm a god and you are not, making you my peon to bother whenever it suits my fancy, not yours." Hades chuckled and smoothed down his flaming hair before turning quite serious. "Look, Spiky hasn't come back to the Underworld yet, and I don't want him getting the idea that he can wander off whenever he pleases."

Sephiroth felt himself perk up at an opportunity to catch a glimpse of his property and if he was really lucky, be able to inflict a little bodily harm on Cloud too. Yet, he did not allow his expression to show in sudden interest in the request that might be coming up, instead passing it off as annoyance by rolling his eyes. "I don't babysit." He sat down again, going back to his previous activities as if Hades was not even in the room with him. He glanced up when Hades said nothing, eventually putting down his sword again. "Do you mind? You are blocking the light."

Hades shrugged his shoulders and stood a little closer to the silver-haired man in an attempt to annoy Sephiroth more. When he received a glare for his efforts, he grinned and patted the silver-haired man on the shoulder. "Look Wonderboy, I know you have Spiky-blonde-dar in your little head. I want you to use that cute little device and find Blondie. Just tell me where he is and I'll have someone come and get him, okay? Do it and I'll give you a cookie."

"I could bring Cloud back if you really wanted." Sephiroth said without looking up from checking over his sword for nicks.

Hades chuckled. "That's a good one. If you really want to, by all means, go for it. A permanent peon would be kind of nice." He grinned when the silver-haired man stiffened considerably and glared at him again, lifting his hands in a mock gesture of peace. "Look, you going to do it or not?"

Sephiroth sighed and stood. "Very well, I'll find my property and inform you of his location." He sheathed his sword on his side and pointed a finger at the god. "You can at least give me some time to watch him." He ran a ran through his hair and flipped a few stray silver locks over his shoulder, tightening his gloves on his hands. "Pull another prank like letting your dog step on him or me, and I'll make sure you have no peons to serve you."

"Yeah, yeah...I'm sorry, did you say something? I could have sworn I heard an annoying buzzing sound just a second ago." Hades looked around as if to locate the bothersome insect, swatting his hands in the air before looking back at the silver-haired man. He looked around Sephiroth before looking like he was measuring the man, glaring at the former General. "How come you're still here? I told you to go away at least ten seconds ago. Shoo!"

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

Aerith giggled and sat on the edge of the bed, cocking her head to one side when Cloud's smile faltered. She looked somewhat sadly at the wing that rested almost innocently against the blonde's shoulder, an obvious show of the trials that he much have faced on his journey. "You haven't found him yet, have you?" She sighed when Cloud only shook his head and looked at the floor. "Have you found any clues?"

Cloud pursed his lips tightly before releasing the breath that he had been subconsciously holding. "Not anything concrete. All I currently know is that he is alive and looking for me too." He glanced over at Aerith quickly, gauging her reaction to the information. "As far as I can tell, he is still on that 'ownership' fling...He's seems to still be insane and possibly more powerful than before." He shook his head slightly. "I'm only running on hints right now, but I can feel...him drawing closer."

"So, General Sephiroth is intent on getting the only goal that he ever had after giving in to the darkness." Aerith crossed her legs and leaned her chin on an elbow that she balanced on her raised knees, contemplating silently before shutting her eyes tightly. "The same man that killed my father is out to destroy my adoptive one. Sometimes, I wonder why life throws these hitches in good people's paths."

Cloud cocked his head to the side and let his gaze drift over to the closed balcony doors, suddenly feeling his true age for a brief moment. "Life's problems are to teach us how to be strong." He nodded his head at his own words of wisdom, trying to take them to heart more than he had been previously.

Aerith pulled herself further onto the bed and crossed her legs, remained silent as it appeared that her adoptive father was in deep contemplation. She rang her fingers over the small silver bracelets around her wrist, smiling fondly as the bands jingled together musically. So much of the small gifts that she wore had come from Cloud, though not one person that she knew had any idea about such a detail. Even if asked about her often beautiful objects, she allowed those with the questions to make their own conclusions, most of them coming up with a possible suitor for her affections. Such thoughts could not be further from the truth because she could never love Cloud as a suitor because she loved him too deeply as a father and close friend.

She doubted that the blonde would even know what to do with an interested woman even if one approached. She was very aware that Cloud was a single man, having never once entered a love relationship in all of his days. She had never come to understand why it had never happened, rather, she always imagined it as an unresistable quirk that Cloud had that probably drove the ladies of Hollow Bastion's court wild. Really, the blonde almost had as few friends as he had lovers, a fact that also made her wonder as to the reasons of the blonde's often anti-social qualities. Cloud never spoke about his past to her, though she never pushed the issue. She was content to allow the blonde to run his life just as Cloud allowed her to run through hers. Perhaps that was what attracted so many people to him because of the obvious mysteriousness surrounding the strange blonde. His past remained where no one would find it, and his feeling were usually tucked deep within himself, only a calm and distant exterior showing plainly through, sometimes hiding the fact that he was just another man not some war hero or criminal.

She stood quite suddenly, as if startled, bringing Cloud's gaze around to her. She walked to the balcony and pulled back the curtains, starting out into the night sky. Her thoughts drifted back to Cloud's mission as her gaze wandered over the night sky. "Do you ever wonder, Cloud?" She glanced back at the blonde, finding his gaze fixed on her quietly. "Ever wonder what kind of man is behind the madness? I hardly remember the General before he was insane, yet I feel like I should hold in my heart some pity for him. He's all alone out there with no one to talk to or hold. Do you ever wonder if he gets lonely like everyone else?"

"No." Cloud replied, looking away to gaze at his sword. No, he had never wondered such things because he never felt it was necessary to bother with petty details. He was not sure why it never occurred to him to think about the General in a different light after the experiment, and he was not about to start thinking about it after all that he had been through. It made his mission seem cheap. Slowly, he shook his head, much too long after his answer, but it was obvious that the movement was supposed to be paired with it. "No, I don't think about such things."

"Why not?" Aerith looked out the window again, running her fingers up the drapes as if they were now talking about a common person. "You did know him before? What was he like? Father never spoke much about the General when I was a child, and you spoke even less as I was growing up. Was he always insane and it only fully manifested itself when the Heartless attacked?"

Despite himself, Cloud found himself on his feet and pacing almost nervously. He never spoke openly about his past acquaintances, though he knew for a fact that he could to Aerith. He glanced at her and was forced to look away when he found her questioning gaze following his movements. Finally, he forced his feet to be still and turned to face her, tucking his hands behind his back so that she would not be able to see him fidget. "He...was the General. He commanded an entire court full of guards who were some of the best fighters, most of which were from the upper class. He was fair leader, I suppose... and he was not always...as insane though he certainly was quite eccentric." He shrugged his shoulders as if he had told this story many times before. "He was loyal to his cause and his men. Always talking with someone."

Aerith smiled and let the drapes fall back into place, turning to regard the blonde. "Did he have any friends?"

Cloud snorted. "No one was friends with the General."

"He was probably lonely then. Imagine a life with only people dancing around looking for a chance to kiss your feet, yet in all the attention, he probably never once felt accepted as a man, just a hero." Aerith cocked her head to the side as she contemplated her own words, a small smile pulling at her lips. She always seemed to run off on these strange tangents, trying to find all the distant motivations of something that she did not fully understand. "I bet he never had anyone to confide to about his secrets, his problems, his worries... He was probably forced to bottle things up and not let any of it show because he was a man with a hero sign tacked onto his back. Maybe all he wanted was for someone to be a friend to him?"

"Doubtful..." Cloud spoke the word, but he was suddenly not so sure that he believed it himself. Sometimes he hated how Aerith could turn a situation around to gaze in the other direction, through the eyes of the enemy and make it all appear to make complete sense. It was conversations with Aerith that got his mind whirling with the reasons why he disliked the General so much, and he could tell that his adoptive daughter knew that she had him thinking. In all stubborn resolve, he shook his head at her as if he had come to a decision when really, he had bearly begun to think. "That man loved nothing."

"He loved his job." Aerith replied sweetly, smiling when Cloud seemed to scramble back from that comment. "He loved his men, or he wouldn't be loyal to them. I think he loved a lot of things, but he just didn't show it." She folded her arms behind her back and swiveled as a child might back and forth in one spot. "He had a love for fighting, I bet. Probably a love..."

Cloud put his hands on his hips, feeling suddenly very uncomfortable with this conversation. "Alright, you've made your point, Aerith! You can stop now." He immediately turned his back to her, ashamed with the outburst of words and the obviously hurt look that crossed his adoptive daughter's face. He never snapped at someone unless they managed to hit a nerve on him. He felt his shoulders sink in defeat. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that, Aerith. It...came out wrong."

Aerith walked over to where the blonde was standing in defeat to her, wrapping her lithe arms around his shoulders, letting her cheek rest next to the Cloud's wing. "I don't think it did come out wrong." She felt every muscle in the blonde's back tense. "Why do you hate him so, Cloud? What happened all those years ago that made you actually hate someone?" She felt Cloud's glowing gaze shift to look at the top of her head where she rested it. "He must have hurt you very badly for things to be like this."

"He did." The words leapt free of his lips before he could stop them, but instantly fell silent after they had escaped him. He never spoke openly about his rocky relationship with the General or the events leading up to the fall of Hollow Bastion. He feelings were his own and his memories were simply that, just memories. He had always felt little need to speak about his past, not finding it pleasing to bring up things that happened long ago for that fact that he couldn't change the events of the past. He knew that there were some aspects of his life that he would have wished to change, not anything of grand importance, just events that he would have done differently or wished to have participated in. His life before a Royal Guard was a mystery to everyone, and he had always wished to keep it that way. None of the children that knew him were still alive, meaning that his existence before a Royal Guard had faded into nothingness, and he could probably make up grand stories about how he lived his life as a small boy. All he allowed himself to remember about his childhood was the fact that he always felt hidden and all alone...just like the General, his mind mused.

That thought sent a jarring shudder through his entire body, to the point were his knees nearly buckled on him. He felt Aerith's arms tighten around his shoulders in silent support, her warm breath across his shoulder settling him slightly. He felt himself desperately trying to pull himself back from allowing his mind to drag himself down the road of contemplative thought, really not in the mood the analyze his past relationship with a man that was currently attempting to own him and only the planet knew what else; one could never be too sure about these things when it regarded a highly obsessive, and very possessive madman. Slowly, he forced himself to shove all of the thoughts in regards to his past back down despite the attempts to swallow him again. His past did not need to be thought about because it would only make him ask questions that would never be answered.

Aerith patted Cloud on the shoulder as she pulled away, shifting around so that she could look in the blonde's face, bending slightly to be able to gaze beneath his golden bangs. She smiled sadly when their gazes met, and felt bad about her questions about the General. It had obviously upset Cloud, and she never wanted to do such a thing, especially after not seeing him for nearly eight months. "Cloud, I have wronged you, and I apologize. I won't ask anymore."

Cloud nodded in relief and flopped down in the nearby chair, feeling suddenly very tired. He felt a good change of topic was needed to shift his mind away from dragging up parts of himself he'd rather not currently think about. "In your note, you said that you had found some information that I might be interested in. What was it you were talking about?"

Aerith smiled reassuringly and ran a hand over her hair. "Well, that message was sent a little while ago and things have changed since then, a lot has changed." She sat down on the bed and drew her knees up to her chest. "Initially, I wanted to ask you to watch out for the keyblade that has the power to destroy the Heartless and seal that doors that connect all of the worlds." She giggled when Cloud only quirked an eyebrow of mild interest at her. The blonde had never really thought too much about her choice of studies. "But, from that fact that I just spoke with Sora earlier today, I think that you have already come to know him. He told me you beat him quite badly in the fighting preliminaries."

Cloud couldn't help but smile slightly. "Yeah, he wasn't that much of a challenge."

"I heard you had an accident with Cerberus, though." Aerith broke into a small fit of giggles when Cloud's cheeks reddened in embarrassment and the blonde looked away from her. "Oh Cloud, you never change. Always so cool and calm until you get a little embarrassed." She forced herself to stop laughing when the blonde began to fidget nervously, if only to save him from more humiliation thanks to her. "Anyway, now that Sora and the keyblade has been found, I was kind of hoping that a big tough man like you would take care of him if he gets into trouble." Again, Cloud's cheeks reddened considerably. "It would only be for a little while, hopefully. Would you protect him, my handsome hero-of-heroes?"

"Stop it!" Cloud shot back at Aerith's jabs at him, mock glaring at her. He shook his head and ran a hand through his hair, leaning back in his seat. "And in response, yeah, I'll see what I can do for the kid. I already gave him a learning stone so I can keep track of him if I need to. I doubt Hades will let me too far out of his sight though."

Aerith quirked an eyebrow at the mention of the god of the Underworld, but she choose not to comment. If Cloud wanted to tell her, he would come out on his own and do it. He was not one to like being pressured into answering anyone's questions. Still, she switched over to her other questions before coming back to the one's that were not answered. "You've traveled a lot?"

Cloud shrugged his shoulders, glaring at the wing that seemed to voluntarily stretch itself out and now stood at attention on his shoulder. "I've been around here and there. It took me a while to find the entrance to the Underworld so I guess I traveled around."

"Have you been to other worlds?" Aerith asked, leaning a bit close to the blonde.

"I've been to a few, not for any real length of time mind you." Cloud replied, stretching his legs out in front of him. He felt his body relax for the first time in quite awhile. "Why do you ask?"

Aerith sighed and nodded resolutely. "You remember that report that Ansem wrote? The one that he never showed anyone about his research on the Heartless." She smiled when Cloud nodded his recognition to the item. "Well, as everyone knows, the book disappeared after the fall from Hollow Bastion, and now, it appears that its pages have been spread across quite a few of the other worlds." She met the blonde's churning glowing oceans. "We believe that those pages may hold the key to stopping the Heartless and possibly their origin as well. You knew Ansem better than a lot of people so you would probably recognize what his journal looked like. Have you ever come across any of Ansem's report?"

Cloud shook his head. "No, but I haven't been looking either. All I know about his report, before you even ask, was that he tried to figure out where the Heartless came from and what drove them." He shrugged his shoulders, never really finding much interest in reading boring reports. "But, if I see any of the pages, I'll be sure to send them your way."

"I heard that he experimented on the Heartless." Aerith said softly, running her fingers over her bracelets again.

"Maybe, who knows. He never talked about his scientific endeavors too much until he found something that was worth mentioning in small talk. He was a brilliant man. I'm sure he found out some pretty interesting stuff that neither you or I would have the foggiest idea what he was talking about." Cloud watched his adoptive daughter's eyes darken and quirked an eyebrow, not entirely sure he wished to know what strange thought was bouncing around in her head.

Aerith glanced out Cloud out of the corner of her eye. "Cloud...what are the possibilities that Ansem let the Heartless out?"

"Out? Out of where?" Cloud knew he looked a bit confused.

"If he was experimenting on them, he must have had some test subjects, right?" Aerith nodded when Cloud did, watching as the blonde's eyes shifted to a darker colour, the glow in the blue depths making him look much more haunting. "And if he had Heartless to test on, then he could have...let them out? You know...to see what they would do to Hollow Bastion..."

Cloud knew his eyes flashed dangerously at the way Aerith flinched. "Enough of that talk, Aerith." He gave her a stern parental look. "Lord Ansem was a good man who served his people to the best of his abilities. Sure, he got a little bit weird and more recluse, and he thought of some pretty weird stuff, but he never once harmed a soul on his planet. He would never do that." He crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back more heavily in his chair, drawing his legs up again. "I lived under his reign for a long time, and my mother lived under portions his father's reign. They served with as much loyalty to the people as the people served them."

Aerith nodded her head and glanced around before returning her gaze back to the blonde across from her. "Father used to talk about Ansem because of his knowledge of science. I never understood what my father said about it, but I do know that the older I got, the more worried he sounded." She put her feet back on the carpet, leaning forward as Cloud evaded her gaze. "He started to stay away longer, Cloud. There were some nights were I used to hear him sob in his bed, other nights where he would drink much too long. My father knew something, Cloud. He knew something about Ansem that probably the Royal Guards never found out about." She watched Cloud begin to shake his head negatively, climbing off of the bed when it appeared that the blonde was about to speak again. "Cloud! I remember him talking about you."

"What?" Cloud cocked his face up so that he could still look at his adoptive daughter's face.

"I remember, Cloud." Aerith wrapped her arms around herself as she watched Cloud climb to his feet. "He said that Ansem shown a considerable interest in you since the day you fainted off-duty. Father...he said you were different from the rest, that you were special because the darkness that tried to take you over didn't work...you were completely normal still." She took one of Cloud's hands and squeezed if only to reassure herself that he was still in front of her. "I was very young, but I remember the way father said that you were the light of this world, and that if Ansem had his way, you would be the next full experiment."

"Aerith..." Cloud looked away when he saw tears brimming in his adoptive daughter's eyes, pulling Aerith into a secure hug. He patted her back tenderly and kissed the top of her head reassuringly. "Aerith, five years went by after that experiment on me, and Lord Ansem never once attempted to harm me."

Aerith nodded slightly and pulled away, brushing away the odd tear as memories of her father hit a particularly difficult note with her. "Cloud, may I theorize about you?" When the blonde wearily nodded, she gestured to his clothing. "Why don't you get dressed while I talk? You must be getting cold."

Cloud smiled. "Alright. Talk away." He reached down and started to lace his belts around his waist as Aerith began her theories that made little sense to him. He was a soldier not a scientist so he merely bobbed his head in an affirmative fashion to keep his adoptive daughter speaking. He pulled on his boots after dusting them off, taking his time to tie them tightly before standing up and reaching for his sweater which was hanging to dry. The material was still damp, but it was the sudden silence in the room made him stop and look around, his gaze rounding on Aerith as she stared oddly at him. "I'm listening. Sounds like a good theory so far. Keep going."

Aerith took a step towards the blonde, reaching out hand to touch the flesh on his back. She felt him stiffen at the sudden contact, but paid it little mind as her gaze searched for a source of the lines of discolouration. She traced each black vein to a common source, a mark that strangely resembled one that she remembered from her earlier days, a mark that she had initially thought was a bruise. Now that she was closer, it was obviously not; rather, the mark and all the small veins were cold to touch. She felt the blonde's questioning gaze on her as she studied the mark. "Where did you get this mark, Cloud?"

"I don't know. It...just appeared after a small encounter with Sephiroth." Cloud felt Aerith's gaze look up sharply and shrugged his shoulders. He started to put his thick sweater on. "It's just a small mark that I think Sephiroth used to mark me as his. I'm sure the symbol will go away when we finally settle things."

"Cloud..." Aerith looked from the symbol to the blonde's hidden face then back again. "Cloud, you have black veins sprouting from it, not part of the symbol I remember." She watched the blonde stiffen considerably and whirl to face her. She indicated the length of the veins with her fingers. "There is only five of them, but...Cloud, they weren't there before, were they?" Silently, she watched Cloud slowly shake his head. "I don't understand...?"

Cloud pulled the sweater over his head and struggled to arrange the material comfortably around his wing. He then stopped as he stared at the appendage then looked at the demonic hand he carried. He traced back what he had been doing since he had first seen the mark and felt himself frozen as he realize that something was seriously wrong. "The darkness... it's taking me over..."

Aerith shook her head in disbelief at the sudden urgency that Cloud walked around the room and equipped himself. She walked over to him as he fixed the red cloak around his shoulders and grabbed his wrist. "How? How is this possible, Cloud?" She looked a bit stunned when Cloud grabbed her shoulders, probably more roughly than he had intended. "No, I won't...!"

The door to Aerith's room opened quite suddenly, both Cloud and Aerith looking to the doorway in shock.

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

Sephiroth let his eyes drift open to catch a glimpse of the scene in front of him. He knew that his gaze could be seen by another that glanced at his shadow, but he felt confident that everyone would be busy with other matters.

He felt a smirk pull at his lips as his gaze fixed on Cloud, the perfect image of Royal Guard, the blonde standing at attention and all emotions hidden. He had to keep himself from chuckling when Cloud grabbed the girl, an obvious sign of the blonde's hurry and desperation. It amused him to see that even when Cloud was worried, the blonde's face remained almost completely expressionless. It was a fact that he knew Cloud learned from him in the old days.

He noted with some annoyance that two people entered the room, though he didn't bother to look at them. They were completely unimportant when he could watch his property so closely. Despite this, he could not ignore the sudden tension in the room and rolled his eyes, glancing over at all the occupants. He could smell blood, meaning that there would be a battle soon. He was not so sure how to feel about a battle, simply because it meant that the blonde would not be fighting him. He didn't want anyone to fight HIS Cloud except for him.

Slowly, he resigned himself and teleported from the room so that he could at least watch what would occur from shadows. Perhaps Cloud would take him down a lane of memory with a few choice attacks. He knew that it depended on the skill of the enemy, though he was already doubting the opponent he didn't bother to look at. He was confident in Cloud's abilites, and if he were lucky, he was in for a good treat. "Crush this opponent like a bug, Cloud. I wish to see a little blood for my efforts of coming to visit you."

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

"Hey Aerith...We just...?" Yuffie stepped into Aerith's room to a scene which she never thought that she would ever witness. Her gaze shifted to the strange blonde man grabbing her friend roughly at the shoulders, as a look a anger in those deep pools of glowing blue fixed on her. The look of shocked disbelief and the fact that she caught Aerith in mid-cry spelled out the rest of the situation for her. This man was obviously trying to force himself on Aerith, a fact that did not seem to evade Leon's attention as he stepped in the room behind her. She watched as the man released his hold on Aerith and stepped away from them all, but the hiss that left the disgruntled brunette to her right made her really wonder. However, she immediately flew to Aerith's side and stood between her friend and the blonde, sudden anger at the situation that she had just defused with her mere presence. She was just that good. "What the hell do you think you were doing, you freak?! No one touches Aerith and gets away with it! Right Squall?!"

"No, Yuffie, it's okay. It's not what you think!" Aerith pleaded with the young ninja, her gaze switching to their male partner whose boots sounded much heavier than usual. She saw the look in Leon's face, knew that bitter hatred for the blonde anywhere. It was obvious that Leon recognized Cloud. "Leon, please wait...!"

Yuffie pulled out a shruiken and gestured at the blonde. "Don't worry, Aerith. We'll make sure this guy gets a real good funeral, right Squall?"

Leon had his gaze fixed on the blonde as took another purposeful step into the room, one foot shooting out to knock the door closed again. He would never have forgotten that terrible day when this man showed his true colours to the people of Hollow Bastion. He had lost his only uncle to his once hero. He had changed his name because he could not protect anyone from this blood-crazied murder, a fact that he knew that he would never forget in all of his years. To finally get an opportunity to avenge the family and friends that he had lost all those years ago was like his greatest ambition come true, one that he was not about to pass up.

He quickly noted the demonic hand that his once hero-now enemy carried, indicating the blonde's true purposes here and they appeared to be quite malicious. It was obvious that the blonde had given over to the darkness but carried only some characteristics of the Heartless, meaning that the other warrior could die. He shifted his gunblade to his shoulder as his gaze met with that of the blonde. "And here I thought that you had died all those years ago, General Strife. I doubt that you remember me, but I certainly remember you." The tone in his voice indicated the impending fight. "In your rampage through the lower sectors of Hollow Bastion, you took the lives of some people dear to me. I intend to get a bit of vengeance for their sake."

"Leon, no! Don't do this!" Aerith pleaded, trying to move out from behind Yuffie to get between the two men. "He's not that way at all! Cloud never did anything to hurt anyone!"

Cloud glanced at Aerith and slipped his foot beneath the hilt of his sword, raising his hands slightly to indicate that he was unarmed and not about to fight. He settled his face lower in his cloak and grimaced. He knew that he would someday have to fight his own people because of what he was framed for, but he had hoped that he could have remained 'dead' to their eyes until he had salvaged Hollow Bastion from Heartless control. "I won't fight."

Leon shook his head and took another step towards the blonde, quickly closing the distance between them. "I don't need you to fight. You just have to die." He growled when the blonde moved faster than he could keep up with, watching as the sword at the blonde's feet was suddenly in the former General's possession and the blonde was running towards the balcony. He ignored Aerith's scream and Yuffie's gasp, glancing over at the two women. "Yuffie, you keep Aerith here. I'll deal with General Strife. That man has been known to kill for less and considering he's now given in to the darkness, it won't be safe."

Cloud felt the glass shards whiz passed his face as he busted through the balcony doors and leapt over the railing, skidding to a halt in the canal of water. His gaze immediately shifted up to the window as he stepped from the water and strapped his sword to his back, gathering his power as he lifted his demonic hand in the air. Just as the teleport spell formed around his hand, he felt the cold sting of steel slamming into his side and grunted as he lost his hold on the spell, instead jumping up to the balcony railing again, grabbing the wound. He crouched down as the brunette seemed to be taking aim at him. "I'd advise against doing that. You've hit me once already, and I don't want to fight you."

He kept his gaze on the brunette who fired a shot at him, slipping gracefully to the side before hearing Aerith yelling his name, instinctively moving from his spot. He turned slightly to regard what arched towards him, eyes widening as a shruiken flew passed him, cutting deeply into his cheek. Yet, he had no time to comment on the new wound as the brunette's blade was cutting through to air towards him again, this time swiveling his back to catch the gunblade on his own sheathed sword as he leapt from the balcony. Instinctively, his hand went for his sword and grabbed the hilt as the brunette walked towards him. "I don't want to hurt you. Back down and I'll let you live with all your parts still attached to your body. Fail to do so and I will be forced to retaliate."

"No deal. I never dreamed to find you here, though I had my suspicions that you were still alive, General. A man like you has good survival instincts, even for an invasion of Heartless which I now see you were part of." Leon settled his gunblade over his shoulder as he walked in a circle around the blonde, not sure how dangerous the former General would be while wounded. He took a few steps around to check the blonde's stance, finding the other warrior's movements slow and rickety. Before the blonde could switch footing, he ran at the former General. "It's over!"

Cloud watched the brunette charge him, stepping back from the man's intended uppercut sword lash, noting that the blade would come down eventually, but he knew it would not be in Leon's hands when it did. His eyes flashed moments before his sword left his back with such speed and intensity that his movements were blurred as he rocketed up to meet the brunette in midair, his gigantic sword smashing through the other warrior's defense as if weren't even present, continuing forward in the air as his own blade made contact with flesh, probably only bruising the other warrior because of the bandages still on his sword. He flipped in midair and landed a few feet away from the brunette, their gazes meeting equally before reserved himself to putting this upstart into the dirt. "Feel my blade... Omnislash!"

Aerith rushed out onto the balcony with Yuffie in time to see Cloud's body blurring so fast that she was not sure if she was even seeing anything but Leon standing prone in the flurry of attacks. She could feel the crackling red energy biting at her flesh, and she could only stand in stunned silence of the attack that she had only witnessed once before when she was a child. It was quite possibly the most beautiful yet horrific and technically difficult movements that she had ever seen, yet their grace, speed and power could not be denied. She had watched the great Sephiroth fall victim to the same liquid movements, and now Leon was subject to the same ethereal beauty that took her breath away. All Cloud appeared as was a perfect angel that seemed to attack with the fury of the very planet behind him.

In fact, the closer she followed the blonde's movements, the most she could hear whispers of many voices, iridescent green wisps streaking from Cloud's body as if the wind that he traveled through was the voices of the planet. She could vaguely make out what appeared to be small green wings of energy attached to her adoptive father's back. In such a state, Cloud appeared to be something that was beyond any world, perhaps a god or something, but certainly more that just an ageless mortal. And quite suddenly, the movements were over and Cloud was staring down at the falling form of Leon.

Cloud watched the brunette fall to one knee, instinctively aware that this battle was not over just yet. "Stay down, boy. You've been defeated." He took a step away from the other warrior before running a hand over his blooded side, noting that the wound was not life threatening just yet but would be difficult to explain to Hades. His wounded cheek would be more difficult to explain, but he settled himself into ignoring his injuries as the ninja girl jumped down to check on the brunette. He looked up at Aerith and bowed his head to show that he would go no further in wounding the other warrior so long as Leon did not persist to attack him. He waited long enough for the brunette to be helped to stand before walking passed the pair. He casually stepped over the ninja's attempt to trip him, only glancing over at her as he continued on his way.

'Left, our child!' Before really thinking about it, Cloud stepped to his left, swiveling as a fireball smashed into his previous spot. He lifted an eyebrow at the brunette and shifted his blade to indicate that he would attack again if Leon persisted. 'Watch the ninja, gifted one.' His gaze shifted to the young woman as she pulled out a shruiken and threw it at him, lifting his sword to parry the small object, his glare making her take a step away from him. He noted that he was alone with these two since Aerith had disappeared into the room and was probably making her way out to meet them, a fact that did not please him considerably.

Leon shifted his grip on his gunblade, wondering if he could get a good shot off at the blonde before a charge. He used the fact that the former General was watching Yuffie to his advantage, lifting his blade to take some aim before pulling the trigger. It certainly wasn't as accurate because of the distance between them, but it would hit a good mark. He smirked when the blonde's attention shifted to the bullet, his expression turning to slight shock as the blonde's demonic hand moved faster than was humanly possible and snatched the bullet from the air. "Impossible...No one can move that fast..."

Cloud dropped the bullet but inwardly winced at the pain that slowly made its way up his arm. He reminded himself that catching fast flying bullets was a bad idea despite the shocking qualities that it presented to his enemies. He clenched his hand shut and jumped to the balcony ledge again, his gaze shifting up to the stars in the sky.

In that endless blackness, he felt the dull cold in his lower back, the cold veins sending shivers up his spine. He could feel the darkness in his wing and hand reacting, whispering softly to him even as he felt himself knocked from the ledge that he was standing on. He rolled to his feet when he hit the ground and gathered power around himself, red energy lashing out at the charging brunette and the whispers dulled to a pleasant purr in his mind as he felt his body shifting as it appeared that the darkness within him combined with another power that was unknown to him but very strong. He felt his wing lash from beneath his cloak and appear as his feet left the ground, his now cold gaze settling on his opponent. "Farewell..."

Leon felt the entire demeanor of the former General shift, a strange coldness slipping into place. He slipped to the side as the blonde's blade crashed down, bearly missing the hit that cracked the stone as it hit. He was suddenly aware that he had managed to get the blonde a little angry, and he felt that he was about to get a little taste of the power that the other warrior held within. He was surprised when the blonde's wing smashed into his shoulder, forcing his grip on his gunblade to loosen enough that the former General's sword ripped it from his grasp on the next hit. He found himself suddenly unarmed with a winged General, and he admitted that he was very unnerved as the blonde bore down on him, realizing quite quickly that he was about to die as the gigantic sword came down for him. 'Dodge it, you fool!' He screamed at himself, but he simply could not move his legs to get away from the intended it and watched it fly at him in slow motion.

"CLOUD!" Aerith screamed in desperation as she flew around the corner. "Don't let Leon think that he is right about you! You aren't a murderer! You're my father! Cloud, please don't!"

Cloud was jarred from his concentration as Aerith's voice rung out into the night, pulling back hard on his blade until he could no longer hold onto the weapon, letting it rip from his hands and fly off to impact with the near stone wall. He himself had too much forward momentum and went tumbling forward as all the energy left him suddenly and his wing slipped back into hiding, stumbling forward a few feet before falling to his knees. He sucked in some air to calm his jumping nerves and slowly climbed back to his feet in time for Aerith to throw her arms around his shoulders. He rocked back on his heels to collect her weight on his own and wrapped an arm around her waist as her cheek settled on his shoulder. He sighed heavily and nodded more to himself. "Aerith, it's alright." He glanced back at Leon who was watching him. "I hope you are happy for yourself. You've proven that you are a man, now what do you plan to do? You could attack me while I'm prone, I suppose."

Leon shifted his gaze away from the blonde and said nothing. He was not sure what to think anymore, especially now that he had become painfully aware that Aerith was on the blonde's side. It had also come to his attention that the cloaked man that Aerith had often traveled around town with must have actually have been the former General. He couldn't believe that he had missed such a thing. General Strife had been nearby for years and he had never clued in. He grunted softly and went in search of his blade, gesturing for Yuffie to follow with him; she looked just as shocked as he did about Aerith's outburst.

Cloud eventually pulled away from Aerith and cupped her cheek gently. "I've stayed too long, Aerith. I have to get back to the Underworld before Hades sends someone to find me." He smiled gently when his adoptive daughter nodded silently and stepped away from him. He walked over to where his sword was wedged in stone and pulled the weapon free, taking some of the wall with him. He ignore the crumbling wall and sheathed his blade on his back, walking back to Aerith as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the beautiful glowing stone that she had given him. "Here, you should take this back. I might lose it."

Aerith looked down at the stone, cocking her head to the side as the stone shimmered and emitted light, a characteristic that she had never seen before. And suddenly she realized that Cloud really did have the planet protecting him, a fact that brought a smile to her lips. She wrapped her arms around the blonde's shoulders again. "Keep it. It will protect you and let me know that you are safe. I think...that you were meant to have it." She pulled back and smoothed down her dress as Cloud put the stone back in his pocket. "I think my father was right, Cloud."

"You're father was right about a lot of things." Cloud replied softly, glancing over to where he knew that he was being watched closely by Aerith's friends. He returned his gaze to Aerith and smiled fondly. "You have the look of your father. I wish that I could have saved him. He would have known a better way to raise you." He took a step away from Aerith and gathered some energy, calling up a teleportation spell.

Aerith sighed as Cloud moved away a few feet, nodding her head. She knew that Cloud had felt awful about the death of her father, had seen the blonde mourn for months afterwards. Perhaps it was her father protecting Cloud now in that stone from the Promised Land. Her father was always fond of the blonde. "Cloud, please come and visit again. I miss you." She smiled when the blonde merely shrugged, Cloud's manner of a 'yes' answer when others were present. "I think that father knew that you were the light of the planet, Cloud. I think that you still are, and I know that someday you will return victorious over the Heartless. Just, promise to come back."

Cloud glanced at Aerith and slowly nodded as the spell formed, pulling darkened energy over his body as he shifted between destinations and slipped off back to the Underworld. He blinked when he found himself upside-down in what appeared to be some sort of chair, though luckily his shoulders were on a rather nice pillow and his legs hooked over the top of the chair so he didn't fall over. He rolled his eyes as he came to realize that he must be in Hades' throne, upside-down with the god of the Underworld marching across the floor at him. He already knew what kind of tongue-lashing he would be getting and to be found in such a postion made it all seem worse. "...This...is SO embarrassing..."

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

Sephiroth stood in the shadows of Traverse Town, running a hand over his knuckles as he remained in contemplation. He was currently in a state of indecision as his gaze flicked over to where Leokas' daughter stood with her two pathetic friends. His gaze fixed on the male of the group and he dropped a hand to touch the hilt of Masamune. "I should slit his miserable throat."

He was not displeased by the fact that the gunblade-wielding brat had injured Cloud, though he could seriously smash the brunette for that along with the little ninja too. No, he was angrier over the fact that such an insignificant whelp had been subject to the use of his property's skills. This...Leon...was nothing in comparison the Cloud's skill level, and it was obvious that HE was the only warrior good enough to be a challenge to the blonde. The brunette simply could not understand the sheer grace, speed, power, and skill that Cloud possessed and this man would only leave the blonde bored with no challenges. No, he and Cloud were the perfect opponents, so close in skill and drive that they could almost be counted as warrior kindred spirits.

He had felt his breath slip away from him as he had watched the fight, leaned against the wall he was standing next to in awe of the skills that Cloud carried like a second skin. He had been taken in with every liquid movement, every perfect footfall, every tense of muscle, every graceful swing of that gigantic sword. His heart raced with anticipation when the blonde had launched into the most wonderful set of attacks, feeling each sword blow drum on his own body as he had those years ago. His eyes had closed in delight as that same wind and crackling energy washed over him as if it had happened just earlier in the day. He found Cloud to be the most magnificent...most seductive creature to ever wield a sword. The blonde looked to be dancing when he fought, and Sephiroth had to bit his knuckle hard not to become Cloud's partner in that deadly sword dance that he loved so much.

"Soon, my precious...soon, we shall dance together." He let his head fall back against the stone wall and sighed heavily, his glowing gaze flicking up to the stars that flickered in the endless blackness of night. He had watched as Cloud had looked up at the stars during the battle, and he had to admit that it took all of his self-control not to teleport behind the blonde and wrap an arm around Cloud's waist and watch the stars with the blonde. They had often danced beneath the stars, their swords casting out little lights as they swung. He had often lost himself in the lure of those battles, only being able to see flashes of the blonde beneath the stars, yet each shadow highlighted Cloud's strong features. "Why must I wait? Is this my final punishment...? Is it that I must watch and not participate until I have served my time?" His gaze shifted to the party of three. "Well, I have time. I am not an ageless mortal for nothing, and I have seen more lives fall into the Promise Land than anyone else. I have lived too long not to finally get what I want."

He glanced down at his sword as he began to slip off into a darkened street where he stepped from the shadows and walked normally. His hand followed his gaze to Masamune and a half smile formed on his lips. "How long has it been, my friend? One hundred years now? Perhaps more? Time seems to slow when Cloud is involved, does it not?" He chuckled softly, almost sadly. "I am double Cloud's age, yet it took that long for something as magnificent as he is to walk into my life. Up till that time, you were my only friend, Masamune. Soon, my friend, we shall dance again and Cloud will be our eternal partner."

He glanced back up at the stars and nodded resolutely, stubbornly. He heard enough of the conversation between the blonde and Leokas' daughter to know what he must do. "If I can find that cute little report, then I can bring Cloud to me. All I need to do is make him realize that I'm there and the contract is void. Soon...my precious canary, your wings will meet with flesh and know that it is I that you are touching. How close will you let me get, my beauty?"

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Heh, the chapters are slowly getting longer, which is good I suppose. It means that I can cover more of the plot, which is running rampant in my head. I am hoping that it is still a sound storyline and that all the elements required are falling into place. Soon, I'm hoping to kick the plot up a notch and make it more intense. Soon, more of the game will be revealed I am hoping, including the return of Sora to the Coliseum for the Hercules Cup. Ha, that will be interesting with Cloud and Hercules in the same tournament.

Of course, then there is always Sephiroth skulking around in the shadows. He's going to get a longer part very soon, I guarentee and he'll have plot of his own instead of just showing up when someone needs to be beaten down behind Cloud's back. He's so funny when he's a stark raving lunatic who is completely driven for one goal. Somehow, I can see in his character to have more of a dark obsessive side. Maybe it's just me.