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-Chapter Fifteen-
Playground of the Gods
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The Traverse Town Trio entered the coliseum through the large front gate and then came to an abrupt halt, stopped in their tracks by the spectacle that greeted them on the other side. The crowded courtyard was already bustling with earlier arrivals, their colorful tents littering the square like colossal bits of confetti from some gala of the gods; the festive debris of some grandiose wingding up on Mt Olympus. The smaller tents of the eager contestants and avid observers filled the outer areas of the court, while the large red-and-white-striped pavilions of the vendors who catered to them lined a path down the middle like a candy-cane colonnade.
A palpable excitement filled the air with expectation, mingled with the smell of exotic spices that wafted from the food carts dotting the walkways, and the foreign accents of peddlers hawking their wares punctuated the steady background buzz of humanity. Beautiful garments of finely embroidered silks and deep, luxurious velvets danced in the breeze like fanciful flags, waving a cheery welcome from the open-air stalls, while exquisitely crafted jewelry and gaudy baubles alike beckoned from plush velvet beds inside glass display cases; all designed to entice the women who grew bored of the battles.
Lured by the big names like Hercules, the ladies flocked to the tournaments with their heads full of romantic notions of strong, handsome warriors and dashing young knights, but when faced with team after tiresome team of smelly old pirates and hideous Heartless, they soon retired from the hot, sunny stands to spend the afternoon in the refreshing shade of the marketplace, haggling over exotic goods, sampling savory foreign foods and gossiping with the other women.
For the male consumers, there were rows upon rows of tables offering a wide array of weapons and armor, from small knives and bucklers to greatswords and mighty shields, all promising victory in the tournament – and all at exorbitant prices. Cloud and Leon ignored their empty promises and walked on past the lavish displays, dragging a drooling Yuffie behind them. They could see her nimble fingers twitching.
But as eager as Yuffie was to check out the goods, she was even more anxious to stake out their own small plot of real estate to call home for the next few days and allowed herself to be led away with only a show of resistance: The goods would be still there later, but the good spots to set up a tent were already taken, and if they didn't hurry it up, there wouldn't be any spots left at all.
Of course, Leon the Logical insisted that they register first, before all of the spots in the tournament were taken and they therefore had no need of a place to set up their tent. Yuffie stomped her foot in protest and declared in no uncertain terms, Buster, that they would be staying to watch the tournament whether they themselves were in it or not.
Besides, she had some unfinished business with a fancy set of throwing stars.
Cloud was just about to suggest that he and Yuffie could go look for a spot while Leon signed them up for the games, when he heard someone calling his name. That someone turned out to be a stout little satyr who trotted over and attempted to clap Cloud heartily on the back. Unfortunately, given Phil's height, it landed more or less on Cloud's butt.
"Good to see you're okay, kid," he panted, huffing and puffing from hauling his rotund tummy around on two tiny hooves. "I told Herc you'd be back. Even saved your old room."
"I have a room?" Cloud asked, staring at the strange little guy ... uh, goat. Remembering Sora's description, as well as his manners, he awkwardly held out his hand. "You must be Phil."
"Oh, that's a good one," Phil laughed, slapping a thick, hairy thigh and rubbing his large, round belly. "I must be Phil. I only have one word for you, kid. Real funny."
"No, seriously," Yuffie said. "Ol' Cloudy Boy here seems to have misplaced his memory. We're here to see if we can help him find it."
"We're here for the tournament," Leon corrected, shooting Yuffie right between the eyes with a deadly look.
Phil paused for a moment to process this new information, giving Cloud a critical once-over as if that could somehow reveal the man's mental condition. When it didn't, he returned his attention to Leon for a more thorough inspection. Once his appraisal of Leon was finished, he turned his beady little eyeballs on Yuffie. Evidently satisfied with the results of his visual examination, he then proceeded to question them verbally. "So, you're friends of Cloud's?"
"Leon," Leon responded with a curt nod.
"And I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!" said ninja added, exuberantly shaking Phil's hand.
"Pleased to make your acquaintances," Phil offered in return. "You guys here to take part in the games or just spectatin'?"
"We'd like to sign up for the tournament," Leon answered.
"Great!" Phil said, and the self-serving look in his eyes concurred. This Leon fellow was just the sort of fighter who could draw in quite the crowd, especially the lady crowd – just like Cloud – and that was always good for business. More women meant more munny and more vendors and more men, which meant more games and more women and more ... why, the next thing you know, he would have to ask Zeus to expand the coliseum!
"I'll hafta run ya through the prelims so I know where to putcha," Phil explained, "but why don't I show you to Cloud's room first, since I'm assumin' he don't remember that neither. Then once you get your stuff settled in, we can putcha through your paces and see what we got. You'll probly hafta start out in the Phil Cup," he continued chatting away as he led them down the cool corridor to the private rooms beneath the arena, his horny hooves clacking on the stone floor of the tunnel carved through solid rock. "If you qualify, that is," he added, knowing full well that the two fit fighters wouldn't have any problem qualifying. Well, he'd have to see about the little ninja girl, but Leon was shoo-in. Phil was damn good at sizing up hero material.
Okay, so maybe he'd made a wee little error in judgment when it came to Sora, but he really couldn't be faulted for that one, now could he? Who could have known that the scrawny little kid and his two cartoonish cohorts would take the coliseum by such a storm?
Besides, everybody was entitled to a little mistake now and then, but Phil was confident that, this time, his assessment was right on the munny. Yeah, this Leon fellow could turn out to be quite the asset: Strong and mysterious. Handsome and stoic. Lots of leather... The ladies were gonna eat him up.
Heck, even the little ninja girl was nothing to sneeze at. Skinny, but she looked quite the scrapper, and the fact that she was young and attractive to boot was an even bigger boon; they didn't get many young girls in the games.
Plus having Cloud back to top it all off? Well, there was just nothing more that needed to said about that! Phil excitedly rubbed his pudgy hands together. Yes indeedy do, this tournament was shaping up quite nicely!
"Well here we are," he announced, flicking on the light as he ushered them into a small, dark room. "Just like you left it. I made sure nobody touched a thing."
Not that difficult a task, Leon noted, considering there was nothing in there other than a bare dresser and a small single bed.
"To tell you the truth," Phil continued, wagging a fat little finger at Cloud, "I wasn't too sure about you at first, kid, workin' for Hades and all, but after you refused to finish Sora off, well, you're a-okay in my book!" And he drove his point home by punching Cloud in the thigh. "I gotta say, I sure am glad to see you finally put a little meat on those bones."
"Damn kid was so puny," he said to Leon, "it's a wonder he could even swing that giant sword a'his. Still, kid was always a real crowd pleaser. Especially with the ladies," he added with a suggestive wink and a chummy elbow to Leon's knee, "so I'm guessin' he was just as good at swingin' his sword outside the arena, if ya know what I mean!" Then he let out a hearty belly laugh and smacked Cloud on the butt again for good measure. "Yes siree, quite the little ladies' man!
"Uh, meanin' no offense to the present little lady, of course..." Phil coughed, suddenly remembering Yuffie's presence. "So anyways," he concluded, turning to leave, "once you guys get your stuff put away, come on up and we'll getcha signed up."
"Is Sephiroth going to be in the tournament?" Cloud blurted out before Phil could get out the door.
"Ain't seen him since the day he flew off with you."
"What about Hades?" Cloud tried next. "Do you know where can I find Hades?"
"Boy oh boy, your memory is all messed up, ain't it, kid? But then, I guess that ain't that surprisin' – spendin' too much time in the Underworld tends to do that to folks. But no, to answer your question, I ain't seen hide nor hair of Hades neither. Layin' low in the Underworld, I 'spect, but I wouldn't go down there lookin' for him if I was you –leastways, not without that Olympus Stone. Y'know, Hades wasn't too happy with you last time you met, just in case you've forgotten that too."
"Olympus Stone?" Leon asked.
"Special stone that Hercules carries. Without it, you'll be powerless in the Underworld."
"And where do I find Hercules?" Cloud asked, only to receive the usual–
"Ain't seen him." Phil replied. "Last I heard, he was off chasin' some bull or boar or somethin'; his damn cousin's been runnin' poor Herc ragged the last few years! He might be back any day now. Then again, he might not be back for a coupla years – you just never know with Herc... "
Cloud thought about asking for Vincent, but figured he'd just get another 'Ain't seen him', or even more likely, a 'Who's Vincent?' so he decided to let it be for the time being and let the satyr get back to his duties. Once he was gone, the three friends spent a few minutes looking around the room, searching for any clues that might shed some light on Cloud's past situation, but failed to find anything other than a few spare pieces of clothing in the dresser and a roll of bandages beside the bed. They headed topside again to find Phil and register for the tournament.
Thankful for Cloud's opportune return, especially since Hercules might not make it back in time for the tournament, Phil gave him his old spot in the Hercules Cup, and after watching Leon and Yuffie make instant mincemeat out of the competition in the preliminaries, he decided to bypass the Phil Cup altogether and start them out in the Pegasus Cup instead, which was scheduled for that very evening. There was no sense in wasting a prime-time attraction on the afternoon's opening event.
Being composed of lesser talent and devoid of big names, the Phil Cup was more like a warm-up just to get the games rolling. It traditionally drew the fewest number of people – mostly just the newcomers who were eager to see their first match – but the more-seasoned crowd usually sat the Phil Cup out, choosing to spend the afternoon eating and shopping instead, saving their energy for the real excitement that would begin after the sun went down. But by tonight, the stands would be packed, and Phil was savvy enough to use his most talented warriors wisely.
Phil was certain that Leon was even good enough for the Hercules Cup, which was always one of the coliseum's top tournaments – with major celebrity power such as Hercules and Cloud, a huge turnout was always assured for the Hercules Cup – but he had just given the last open slot on the roster to Cloud. Well, except for Hercules' spot itself, of course, which was always reserved for his biggest star just in case he showed up.
Thank the gods above, at least Cloud was back. With both him and Hercules gone from the last two tournaments, Phil had almost had a riot on his hands. Why, a lot of people had even demanded their munny back! Phil doubted anyone would want their munny back this time; he'd be willing to bet on it.
After completing the registration, the three companions decided to grab a bite to eat and look around the marketplace a bit, then get their things from the gummi and go back to Cloud's room until time for the tournament. When it finally arrived, Cloud led them to the staging area where the fighters awaited their turn, his feet automatically tracing the well-worn path in his mind, even though he didn't remember it consciously. Nearby holding cells contained the Heartless, kept from escaping by magical wards, and just down the hall to the left were the locker rooms and the public baths. Down the hall to the right was the entrance to the arena.
Cloud wished them good luck and headed up to the stands to watch the fight. Finding the stadium already packed, he made his way to a relatively secluded section of seats at the very top, stares and whispers following him all the way up. More than a few bold ladies even offered him a spot beside them, scooting over to make room for the handsome hero, but Cloud just shook his head and retracted it even farther into the cowl of Vincent's cape.
Safely reaching the top, he settled into a vacant seat and attempted to disappear altogether, which was no easy feat in his friend's crimson cloak. For one brief moment, he thought about taking it off, but despite its eye-catching color, he felt more protected with it on. Besides, the strange reluctance that seized him whenever he thought of removing it was even stronger here in the coliseum. He supposed he would just have to wear it as his own until he could give it back to its rightful owner. Hopefully.
With the renewed worry for his lost friend weighing heavily on his mind, and the probing stares of curious people trespassing on his composure, Cloud considered simply returning to the privacy of his room, but just as he reached the absolute limit of his endurance, Yuffie and Leon entered the arena, and everything else suddenly ceased to exist. Watching Leon move was mesmerizing. Cloud didn't think he would ever tire of watching Leon fight; the beautiful flow, the agility and grace. Like poetry in motion ... an enchanting dance of death...
Cloud searched for fitting words to describe the beauty of Leon in motion, but came up with only well-worn clichés – no matter how apt their descriptions. Had he been a man of words, perhaps he could have come up with something more original, but Cloud Strife was a man of the sword, not the pen, and his appreciation for Leon's skill was far greater than his ability to express it.
Though he would never admit it to Leon, Cloud knew that the other man was the more technically skilled of the two; Leon was extremely well trained. His movements were precise, his timing impeccable and his aim dead on. Like everything else in Leon's world, it was all about discipline and control. He was a testament to efficiency; nothing was superfluous and nothing wasted. Every blow was deliberate, and every parry, perfect. When he wasn't swinging his blade, he was perfectly still, in battle stance with his wit and his weapon ready, watching for the weakness, waiting for the opening, and when it came, he was there, right there, with his deadly precision.
The man and his weapon moved as one – another time-worn expression that had seen its day, yet Leon brought new meaning to the words. They fit together like old friends, Leon's calloused fingers sliding into invisible grooves that only his fingers could feel, even through his leather gloves. Knowing when to pull the trigger, anticipating the exact instant of contact, had become second nature to him now; no longer a conscious effort, but an instinct; an extension not of his body, but his will. And did the potent blast of energy come from the weapon, or from the man himself, so vibrant and alive?
Leon's skill with his weapon was enthralling to watch. Beautiful, just like the man.
Cloud, on the other hand, was fast and strong. On muscle alone, strength against strength, he could take Leon handily, and coupled with his speed, he was nearly impossible to beat. But Cloud could never shake the feeling that he was cheating; his strength was not his own, but an alien gift. Even his sword, his beloved Buster, didn't truly belong to him. There were other invisible grooves on that hilt besides his own, grooves that fit other, more-capable fingers. More-worthy hands had once wielded its power.
A sudden clamor jolted Cloud from his thoughts, and he looked up to find the stadium on its feet, cheering wildly as Yuffie accepted the trophy. Leon hung back, looking on with his arms crossed and face impassive, while Phil watched from the sidelines with a self-satisfied smirk; yep, he had found himself a brand new, bona fide hero! And the little ninja girl weren't half bad neither.
Using the crowd's distraction to his advantage, Cloud slipped from the stands and out of the arena as quietly as the gentle breeze that played with the torches lighting the stadium night, unseen by all save one as he made his way backstage to meet his two companions. A familiar feeling prickled the back of his neck, and the breeze picked up slightly, leaving an edge of the approaching winter in its wake.
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After showers and a light dinner, the three friends returned to Cloud's room to retire for the night. Insisting that Yuffie take the small bed, Cloud shoved it all the way against the wall, making just enough space in the tiny room for the two sleeping bags, which he then rolled out between the bed and the opposite wall with barely an inch of space in between them. Leon just stood there and watched.
Cloud kicked off his boots and dropped them next to his pile of armor beside the dresser, then stretched out on the sleeping bag next to to the wall. Leon slowly removed his boots and carefully placed them next to Cloud's. Then he removed his jacket and hung it on a hook on the wall next to Cloud's cape. Next he removed his belts, one by one, and placed them on top of the dresser, followed by his necklace, which joined his belts on the dresser. Then, all out of suitable clothing to remove, he continued to just stand there and stare at the bags on the floor. How had he not anticipated this problem?
A slight scowl settled on his face as a heavy sense of foreboding settled in the pit of his stomach. He could just see it now: waking up with Cloud in his arms again, only this time with Yuffie grinning at them from the bed. He rubbed his eyes, but the terrifying vision remained. Would it be too rude to go sleep in the gummi? Did he even care if it was?
Yes. Yes, he did. Leon sighed. Cloud had been quiet and distracted all evening – ever since the tournament – looking over his shoulder and jumping at shadows. When Leon had asked him what was wrong, Cloud had merely shaken his head and mumbled 'Nothing.'
Well, Leon knew it wasn't 'nothing', and he wasn't going to leave the other man to face it alone, whatever it was. Even if Cloud didn't want to talk about it, Leon could still be there to lend his silent support.
"Leon?" Cloud called to him quietly, interrupting his inner deliberations. Cloud was lying on his back, watching him closely, and Leon had an uneasy feeling that the younger man could sense the thoughts going on in his head.
"Right." Leon turned off the light and lay down, attempting to console himself with the fact that the tent wouldn't actually have been any better, now that he thought about it, but then it dawned on him that he hadn't anticipated that either and wasn't consoled at all. Boy, oh boy, he really was slipping; SeeDs were supposed to anticipate everything.
Leon folded his arms across his chest and stared into the darkness, replaying the tournament in his head to occupy his thoughts, but the subtle heat radiating off the body beside him kept leading them astray. It soon became nearly unbearable, making him restless and sweaty even though the room was actually quite cool, and his skin started tingling with a strange sensation – like something was tugging at him.
It must be the Mako in Cloud's body, Leon finally concluded, sending out little magnetic waves that were trying to suck him in, which also conveniently explained why he had ended up in bed with the blond before. Leon rolled over as far away from Cloud and as close to the bed as he could possibly get – practically under it – and decided that the safest course of action would simply be to stay awake all night lest the little magnet monsters reel him in. Good intentions, however, like best laid plans and all that, do not always bear fruit, and assaulted by soft breathing on both sides, Leon soon succumbed to slumber.
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'Wake up.' Though whispered, the words were distinctively clear. Cloud opened his eyes.
A pinstripe of light marked the bottom of the door to the hall where the soft glow of firelight painted the walls a rich umber. Forged and fueled by Hephaestus himself, the magical sconces that burned night and day in the coliseum's bowels could not be extinguished by mortal hands, but even their divine light couldn't penetrate the utter darkness of the room.
The lack of light was of no consequence to Cloud, however; with his Mako-enhanced vision, he could see as clearly as a cat and immediately looked at Leon. He was sound asleep.
Cloud surveyed the rest of the room, but found nothing amiss. Yuffie was a motionless lump beneath the covers on the bed, his armor was right where he'd left it, and their weapons still rested peacefully against the wall. Leon's belts were still piled on top of the dresser like a tangle of sleeping snakes, and before it, standing silent sentinel like two good little soldiers were Leon's boots. Cloud's boots lay beside them like a couple of off-duty guards, already done with their watch and dead to the world.
Perhaps it was just a dream, Cloud tried to tell himself, desperately wanting to believe it, or perhaps Zack had woken up, bored and needing someone to talk to. Cloud listened for his friend's infectious laughter, but all was quiet in his head; both Zack and his mother remained true to their word to stay asleep unless called. Cloud closed his eyes and tried to go back to sleep himself. Perhaps he had just imagined it.
'I've been waiting for you ... Cloud.'
Or perhaps not.
Cloud crawled quietly out of his bag, grabbed his cape and his boots and his blade, and slipped soundlessly out of the room.
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Leon woke with a start, disoriented and blind, unable to get his bearings in the total blackness around him. He took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm.
The coliseum; he was in Cloud's room at the coliseum, and everything was quiet. There was no immediately discernible reason to think that anything was wrong.
So what had woken him up?
"Cloud?" he whispered, but received no answer.
Lacking any visual proof and having failed to obtain an audible affirmation that everything was all right, Leon tried next for tactile confirmation – he reached over and poked around for the younger man. His bedroll was still warm, but empty.
Leon lay back and let out a sigh of relief. Cloud had probably just gone to the bathroom, and that was likely what had woken him up; Leon was a very light sleeper. He stared into the black void and waited. Minutes passed, but Cloud did not return.
As his eyes finally adjusted a little to the darkness, Leon could just make out the faint sliver of light marking the threshold of the door. After more minutes passed and Cloud still hadn't returned, Leon got up and felt his way towards the door, opening it a crack to peek outside. He wondered what time it was, but there was nothing to judge it by. Even in Traverse Town there was a barely perceptible lightening of the sky at daybreak, but here in this windowless world beneath the arena, there was only the constant level of flickering firelight. For all he knew, it could be morning, though his body told him not.
He opened the door a bit further to let in more light from the hallway and looked around the room. Yuffie was still asleep, curled up in a snug little ball on the bed, and nothing appeared to be out of order. A quick inventory told him that Cloud's sword was missing, along with his cape and his boots, but that didn't mean very much; Leon wouldn't have left the room either without his weapon, not in a place like this, even just to go to the bathroom. But Cloud had been gone far too long now to have merely gone to the bathroom.
Leon stuck his head out the door and peered up and down the hallway, finding it empty. There was no sign of Cloud or anyone else, which told him that it was, indeed, most likely still the middle of the night. He stood there for a moment longer, torn between going to look for the other man and remaining in the room. Had he been by himself, he would have given in to the urge to grab his own blade and go look for the blond, but he couldn't leave Yuffie alone. Not in a place like this. She was strong for her size and quite capable of looking after herself, but there were too many big, burly brutes of questionable character here. If one of them should take a notion... Leon shuddered at the thought and shut the door. No, he wouldn't leave Yuffie alone.
He made his way back to the bed and lay down, reminding himself that Cloud, too, was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but it failed to allay the anxiety in his mind. After what seemed like at least several hours, he must have finally dozed off again, for the next thing he knew, Cloud was slipping quietly back into bed beside him.
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Cloud lay there quietly, hoping that Leon was asleep and knowing he wasn't by the rhythm of his breath. All he wanted to do right now was try to catch a few hours of sleep and not have to answer a lot of questions. What was he supposed to say? That he had wandered the halls for most of the night chasing a shadow? Following a feeling?
How could he explain that the telepathic taunts which egged him onward hour after hour weren't only in his head? Or that the flash of silver that always disappeared around the next corner, always just out of reach, wasn't just his imagination? That the scent he would never be able to forget wasn't merely a memory that had led him around by the nose all night?
How could he ever make anyone understand how he just knew, on a deep, molecular level, that Sephiroth was here; how he could feel him down to his very bones, in his blood and in his head, singing through his every cell.
How would he ever be able to convince anyone that he wasn't simply crazy, when he wasn't even sure of it himself?
Cloud heard the rustle of Leon shifting beside him and held his breath, praying that he wasn't going to say anything.
"Do you know what time it is?" Leon asked.
"A little after five," Cloud answered and let out a sigh, waiting for the 'Where have you been all night?' that he was so used to hearing from Tifa. But Leon merely rolled over and didn't say another word.
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Leon continued to lie there, a luxury he almost never indulged in, even on the rare occasions he was ill, but he was hoping that Cloud might volunteer some information about where he had been all night long. Which, of course, he didn't. No big surprise there. Of course, Leon could have just asked him.
Except that he just couldn't. No big surprise there either.
He'd be damned if he was going to stoop to prying. If Cloud wanted to talk about it, he would. Which, evidently, he didn't. Which was perfectly fine with Leon. Cloud certainly didn't have to report to him; he wasn't Cloud's keeper. Hell, he probably wasn't even his friend. Friends usually told each other things, didn't they?
Cloud probably did have friends, right here in the coliseum – friends he had just remembered and had been eager to see. Maybe even female friends, like Phil had implied. Plenty of them, and no wonder he was too damn tired to talk about it.
Of course, that would mean he was cheating on Tifa, and if that was the case, then why wasn't he cheating on Tifa with Aerith?
Unless it was because Tifa knew Aerith, was even friends with Aerith, and that could get pretty sticky if Tifa were to eventually show up, and boy oh boy, wouldn't he just love to see Cloud try to explain his way out of that one!
Just don't come running to me for help, Leon huffed to himself; he sure as hell didn't need the blond's stupid problems. If Cloud wanted to go fucking around all night, leaving his companions stuck in this stupid little pitch-black room while he was off cheating on his girlfriend, then fine; it certainly wasn't Leon's business.
Leon suddenly realized that while his own breath had grown shallow and fast, the breathing beside him had grown steady and deep, and that Cloud was, in fact, asleep. With a sigh of frustration, Leon crawled out a bed and felt around in the dark for his boots. He found his jacket and his gunblade, but didn't even attempt to sort through the tangled pile of belts on the dresser. He was all the way topside before he realized that he had forgotten to even brush his teeth. Frustration gave way to annoyance.
Surprised to find the marketplace already busy, and being in no mood to be around other people, Leon bought two cups of coffee and headed for the gummi. Once there, he plopped down into the passenger's seat and continued to brood. Fact was, he was in a real bad mood, and it wasn't just from his lack of sleep. It was because of that damn blond, and that just pissed him off even more. He rubbed at his face and let out a throaty growl, angry with himself for allowing someone's to get so under his skin. He thought he had already learned that lesson with Seifer.
As the coffee began to take effect, Leon began to feel better, albeit a little foolish, and as his anger began to subside, his hunger grew. He rummaged through the snacks he had left in the gummi, and after a few handfuls of homemade granola, felt capable of once again facing the world. He made his way back through the marketplace, even stopping to pick up a couple of bagels for Yuffie and Cloud.
By the time he got back to the room, they were both up and dressed and ready to go. They were obviously just waiting for him. He handed the bag of bagels to Yuffie and picked up his belts from the dresser, all the while avoiding Cloud's eyes, which he could feel intently watching him. He knew he was being irrational, but he was afraid that if the younger man could see his eyes, he would be able to see all the foolish thoughts that had been running through his mind.
Once all seven of his belts were securely back in place, Leon grabbed his bag of toiletries and headed for the restroom down the hall. When he re-emerged ten minutes later, his defenses were securely back in place as well, and Yuffie was just finishing off the bagels. There wasn't much else to do at the coliseum other than eat, sleep, or fight, and they were all sick of Cloud's dark and depressing room, so they once again headed for the marketplace where they spent most of the morning browsing.
Since she was no longer able to collect Materia, Yuffie had taken to collecting weapons instead and wanted to look for another one to add to her growing assortment. She finally settled on a small blade with a beautifully carved handle and matching scabbard, which she actually paid for, as well as the coveted set of throwing stars, which she didn't. She then picked out a souvenir for Aerith – one of those tacky decorative plates with a picture of the coliseum resting on white, fluffy clouds in a sky blue background with a gold rim and the words 'Olympus Coliseum' painted in gold around the top and 'Playground of the Gods' around the bottom. Yuffie though it would look perfect on the living room shelf in their new home.
Cloud also decided to purchase a gift for Aerith when he spotted a pretty, pink shawl embroidered with green leaves that perfectly matched her emerald eyes, and for Cid, he couldn't pass up a small replica of an airplane that looked just like Tiny Bronco perched atop a miniature coliseum. The base of the pedestal proudly proclaimed: 'Olympus Coliseum: Where Dreams Take Flight'.
Leon bought a new whetstone and a bottle of gunblade oil.
After taking their purchases to the gummi, they ate some lunch, and by then, it was getting close to time for the tournament. Cloud decided to head on over to the staging area, so Leon and Yuffie decided they might as well head on in to get good seats, even though it was still a bit early. Unfortunately, everyone else seemed to have had the same idea.
The stadium was much more crowded than it had been the previous night; so crowded, in fact, that Leon and Yuffie had trouble finding two seats together. They finally got lucky when some woman, having gotten a good look at Leon, scooted over to give them just enough room to squeeze in. Leon wasn't very happy about being wedged in so tightly between the woman and Yuffie, especially seeing as how the woman's hand kept accidentally landing on his thigh, but it was a very good seat, right up close, so he gritted his teeth and did his best to ignore it.
But when her hand kept inching closer and closer to places it had no business being, he finally broke down and removed it altogether, picking it up by the pinky and dropping it in her lap like a dead rat while simultaneously shooting her a look that promised slow, intense, and prolonged torture – and not of the sexual variety. After that, she left him alone. As a matter of fact, she even scooted over to give him a little more room, and he wished he had done it sooner.
Then Cloud entered the arena, and the woman lost interest in Leon entirely. She was instantly on her feet along with everyone else, cheering and chanting "Cloud! Cloud! Cloud! Cloud!" Leon had never seen anything like it. The crowd went crazy, especially the women, and one young woman had to be carried out on a stretcher after baring her breasts and bashing herself against the invisible barrier in an effort to gain his attention. Cloud hadn't even notice the poor woman, no doubt adding insult to her injuries.
He looked tired, Leon noted, and was definitely off his game – not than anyone else would have noticed other than possibly Yuffie and probably Phil. He still sliced through the competition like they were strawberry jello, and in no time at all, the whole thing was over. The crowd once again leapt to their feet, so happy to have Cloud back in the ring that they didn't even seem to notice that Hercules hadn't showed up.
Leon was just happy that the tournament was over. He was anxious to get back to Traverse Town as soon as possible, and it was still early enough that they could fly back this afternoon rather than having to wait until tomorrow morning. The fact that he wouldn't have to spend another night in Cloud's room was also a definite plus.
Having previously agreed to meet back at the room after the tournament was over, he and Yuffie pushed a slow path through the congested stadium, taking much longer than anticipated to reach it. Still he fully expected to beat Cloud back since he would likely take a shower first. When he opened the door to find a still sweaty Cloud sitting quietly on the edge of the bed, Leon knew immediately that something was wrong.
"You're not going back with us," he stated.
Cloud shook his head. "I thought I'd wait here..."
"For Sephiroth?" Leon finished when it became apparent that Cloud wasn't going to say anything more. "And if he doesn't show up?" Receiving no answer to either question, Leon ran his hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "Cloud. I know you're disappointed he's not here, but how long do you plan on hanging around this hellhole on the off chance that he might show up?"
"But he is here," Cloud answered quietly, looking Leon straight in the eyes. Cloud's own eyes looked tortured, but resigned, and the small, sickly smile on his face made Leon feel like kicking something.
He also felt like a complete and utter fool, not to mention thoroughly ashamed; of course that's where Cloud had been last night. While Leon was jumping to ridiculous, childish conclusions, Cloud had been searching for Sephiroth. Some friend he was, him with his silent support. He snorted at himself in disgust.
Cloud thought the disgust was meant for him and mumbled an apology, dropping his eyes to the floor. "I can't explain how ... I just know."
"It isn't that I doubt you," Leon answered. "I just– "
Don't want to leave here without you. Don't want you to face this alone.
Don't want you to get hurt.
"Just don't go to the Underworld without that stone." Leon sighed in defeat. "And promise me you won't go alone."
