.
۵۵۵۵۵
-Chapter Eighteen-
Platinum!
۵۵۵۵۵
Please tell me you're not seriously considering going in there.
Well, I don't hear you coming up with a better idea. Or any other idea at all, for that matter.
Still, no idea at all is better than a bad idea...
With one hand pressed to the hilt of his blade and the other one pressed to the door, long, slender fingers splayed upon its ornate surface, Leon stood at the entrance to the Underworld, debating his inner voice on the merits of actually entering. Not that the outcome really mattered that much; he was probably dead either way.
If you go in there without that stone, his better judgment pointed out, Hades will most likely kill you.
Yeah, the argument against going in was looking pretty good.
On the other hand, Leon rebutted, if I fail to find Cloud, Aerith most certainly will. ("Don't you dare come back here without him again, Squall Leonhart!" she had threatened him as he boarded the gummi.)
Aerith never used his real name...
Okay, so the argument for going in was looking pretty damn good too.
And besides, he might not even run into Hades.
Of course, if he did...
And he didn't know for certain that Cloud was even in there.
Then again, he sure as hell wasn't anywhere else...
Heaving a heavy sigh of frustration, Leon dropped his head into the palm of his hand. He had spent the better part of the last four hours searching every last corner of the coliseum, and the worrisome blond warrior was nowhere to be found. He gave his face a good rubbing and then replaced his hand on the door with renewed determination, as if that could somehow help him divine what was on the other side.
It didn't.
He wasn't picking up a damn thing – no sixth sense or second guess, no signal or sign; there was nothing but the heavy fog that surrounded the Underworld, obscuring vision and smothering sound. Or perhaps the fog was in his own head... even his thoughts were muddled.
He cast a wary glance at the dark, swirling water that wound its way through the Underworld like a poisonous snake, sluggish and slimy and black – the fabled River Lethe? He had heard the tales of the mythical river, and of the dangers of drinking from its insidious depths, but could merely breathing the mist that rose from its surface scramble one's senses? Befuddle one's brain?
"Please tell me you're not seriously considering going in there."
Had the voice been just a tad bit deeper and a whole lot rougher around the edges, Leon might have thought it was his own better judgment piping up again, but this voice was much too mellow to be his; soft yet deep, with a hint of sarcasm and an undercurrent of concern. Leon hadn't realized just how much he had missed that voice.
"Well, I'm not now," he answered, letting his hand slide from the door and turning around, breath catching in his throat as his eyes met Cloud's. He had forgotten just how blue they were.
"Well, don't!" Cloud growled. "That place messes with your memories! It fucks with your head!"
Leon's tone was surprisingly gentle in contrast. "And how do you know that?" He took several slow, deliberate steps forward, eyes locked on Cloud's, examining … questioning.
Unnerved by the quiet force of Leon's advance, Cloud took an involuntary step back, confusion replacing the anger in his eyes as his confidence crumbled beneath the weight of self-doubt. "Well, I don't ... really … I mean, I've just heard..."
Leon tilted his head and studied Cloud's face. "You just came from there, didn't you?"
"Of course not!" Cloud cried. "You think I'm crazy enough to go in there without that stone? I was just..." His voice trailed off to a whisper, and his gaze turned inward as his eyes fell from Leon's. "I was ..." dreaming.
Wasn't he?
"You were– You know, never mind." Leon shook his head. Cloud was clearly disoriented, and backing him into a corner wasn't going to help anything. "Come on," he said, turning the conversation instead toward what he hoped would be a less contentious topic, and his feet toward the path that would take them back to the coliseum. "I still need to sign in."
Cloud accepted the change of subject without comment and fell in quietly beside the older man. After a few minutes, Leon mentioned casually, "Phil wants us to fight together in the Hades' Cup again. You okay with that?"
"Sure." Cloud shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be okay with that?"
Leon cast another troubled, sidelong glance at his companion. "Because the last time we fought together in the Hades Cup, you told me not to come back anymore?"
"Oh... right." Cloud said, nodding as if he remembered, but the hesitancy in his voice made it clear that he didn't.
Leon came to a full stop and turned to examine the other man more closely. "Cloud, are you sure everything is okay?"
"Yeah. I'm fine," Cloud answered, understanding that what Leon was really asking was if he was okay. Though not daring to think that the worried look in Leon's eyes was anything more than friendly concern, Cloud was nevertheless touched, and he returned Leon's solicitude with a small, but genuine smile and more confident tone. "Really. I'm fine. Just a little tired."
Together, they turned and started walking again, the soft thudding of their boots the only sound breaking the silence, and with every step closer to the coliseum and further away from the Underworld, Cloud regained a little bit more of himself. He abruptly stopped and looked around. "Where's Yuffie?" he asked, having just realized that his boisterous young friend was nowhere to be seen. Or heard.
"Ah... well. Aerith thought it would be better if I came alone this time."
"I see. So she finally put her foot down."
"I'm not to return without you," Leon confessed.
"And if I don't agree?"
"Then I guess you're stuck with me til you do."
Cloud shook his head and let out a skeptical huff. "That could take weeks. What about not leaving Traverse Town for too long? I thought you were afraid of what might happen to the townspeople without you there to protect them?"
"Of course I am." Leon leaned in slightly and lowered his voice. "But I'm way more afraid of Aerith."
Cloud nodded amen to that. "That woman is terrifying."
"I think it's all the pink..." Leon conjectured. "She looks so sweet and innocent and then–"
"Bam!" Cloud smacked his palms together.
"And you never even saw it coming!"
"Right out of the blue," Cloud agreed.
"Or the pink," Leon added.
And just like that, there they were, right back in that familiar, uncomplicated space they had always slipped into so easily. It felt so natural and unforced – the effortless back and forth, the falling into step – but all too soon they arrived at the entrance to the coliseum and lapsed back into silence. They passed through the bustling courtyard, ignoring the vendors peddling their goods, but just before reaching the registration area, Leon paused, halting the other man with a hand on his shoulder. "There's something else you need to know before we go inside..."
Cloud raised a brow in question.
"There's another tournament Phil wants us to fight in together." Leon hesitated. " A new tournament..."
"And?" Cloud prompted.
"And ... well, Phil thinks it's Sephiroth."
Cloud's body instantly tensed and all of the color drained from his face, the array of emotions shifting through his eyes ultimately hardening into anger. When he finally found his voice, it was quiet, but resolute. "No."
"According to Phil, it was Hades' idea," Leon continued as if Cloud hadn't spoken at all. "It was supposed to be his champion against Phil's, but since Hercules isn't back yet, Phil thought that we–"
"No," Cloud repeated more forcefully.
"What do you mean, 'No'?" Leon was forced to finally acknowledge the blond's response. "I thought this was what you'd been waiting for all this time!"
"It is, but I'm fighting alone."
Leon rubbed his brow in annoyance. "Cloud, we've been through this before..."
"And we'll continue to go through it again and again until you get it!" Cloud snapped. "It's my fight!"
Leon growled right back. "And I've told you before, you're not the only one with something to lose! What happens when Sephiroth goes after Sora?"
"He won't! I won't let him!"
"You won't let him," Leon repeated quietly.
Cloud winced. It sounded ridiculous when stated in such a calm, matter-of-fact manner.
He took a deep breath and composed himself. Turning his anger against Leon was counterproductive; it would only cause him to dig his heels in deeper, and Cloud was weary of this battle. He really didn't want to fight with Leon. "It's just that I'm the only one who can beat him. You don't understand–"
"Yes, I do understand," Leon insisted. "You're the only one strong enough to defeat him; I get it. But you don't have to do it alone."
"No you don't understand, Leon. You don't understand at all; Sephiroth will use you to distract me. You'll just get in the way!"
"I won't get in the way." When he got no response, he pointed out: "You let your friends help before."
"And Aerith died as a result!" Cloud cried.
"I'm not Aerith," Leon answered softly. "I won't get in your way. Just let me watch your back."
"I won't have anyone else's blood on my hands," Cloud stated – to himself, to Leon ... to the universe – as if declaring it out loud could make it so. Then he turned back to the door and shoved it open, trudging inside. Hopefully, Phil would be more willing to listen to reason. And if not...
Well, if not, then Cloud would just have to be strong enough to protect them both.
۵۵۵۵۵
"We had a contract!" Hades bellowed, storming back and forth.
"A contract that you voided," Sephiroth pointed out calmly, "when you unleashed your three-headed pet on my puppet." He remained firmly rooted to the spot like a tall, silver tree, fixed and unfazed, but neither his demeanor nor his reply improved Hades' temper.
"He failed to live up to his end of the bargain!"
"There was still time," Sephiroth countered, "and other means of achieving your goal. You acted too rashly."
Hades came to an abrupt stop in front of the infuriating prick and poked him in the chest with a long, fiery finger. "Did I ASK for your opinion? NO! And you know WHY I didn't ask for your opinion? Because I don't give a FUCK about your opinion! The only opinion that counts here is MINE, and MY opinion is that the only way to save your puppet's ASS is by putting your OWN on the line! So if you don't want anything else to happen to your pretty, little FUCK toy, you WILL get in that arena with Hercules!"
"Hercules is not even here." Sephiroth sneered, that condescending, contemptuous sneer that only Sephiroth could pull off so well: The bare rise of a brow, the slight curl of the mouth. The merciless glint in his green cat-eyes.
Refusing to be outdone, Hades sneered right back. "And that right there, you see, is what separates the wheat from the chaff, the men from the boys, the true gods and the mere wannabes! Because I, you see, unlike you, just so happen to know that Golden Boy is on his way back at this very moment!"
Sephiroth answered with a haughty roll of his eyes. "I have no interest in matching weapons or wits with Golden Boy."
"Then perhaps this might interest you," Hades taunted, waving a piece of paper in Sephiroth's face. "In the event that Hercules doesn't make it back it time, he is to be replaced by none other than your pretty little puppet and his sexy friend from Traverse Town. The arrangements have already been made!"
Malice twisted Sephiroth's mouth into the mockery of a grin, and try as he might to hide it, the flicker of interest in his eyes was impossible to miss.
۵۵۵۵۵
Another raucous cheer rattled the arena walls as Cloud and Leon exited the staging area at the rear of the coliseum; Sora had obviously defeated his next opponent in the Hades Cup in short order, and the crowd was going wild. Hanging his head in shame, Leon headed down the corridor that would take them back to Cloud's room and the showers reserved for the residents.
They had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the young keyblader, and it was all Leon's fault; if it hadn't been for his pathetic performance, Cloud would have easily won the match. How was he supposed to convince Cloud that he was capable of taking on Sephiroth when he couldn't even take on a little kid?
Lost in his own head, Leon was rudely awakened from his self-reproachful thoughts by a strong grip on the back of his collar. "This way," Cloud said, steering the gunblader down a path on the right that curved back around the arena. Several other corridors branched off to the left, leading to the guest rooms, the public bath, and the quarters for the coliseum staff. At the end was a private entrance to the courtyard, and just before that, a small path on the right led to Phil's apartment, as well as a back entrance to his office and the registration area.
"Where are we going?" Leon scowled at the other man in irritation. He had a pounding headache, an aching body, and a very bruised ego.
"You're favoring your arm again," Cloud replied. Not an answer to Leon's question.
Leon snorted. "Yeah, well, my masseuse unexpectedly left town."
"So let me make it up to you now." It still didn't explain why they weren't returning to Cloud's room; if he wanted to work on Leon's shoulder, he could do it there.
"Cloud, look, I appreciate the offer, but all I really want right now is a hot shower and some sleep."
"A hot bath, a massage, and some sleep," Cloud corrected.
Leon stared at the other man as if he had lost what little was left of his mind. "Uh thanks, but no thanks." There was no way in hell he was sharing the bath with those filthy pirates and all of the other grimy riffraff that fouled the water. Most of them didn't even shower first. Leon shuddered.
Cloud must have read Leon's mind, or his body language, or perhaps he had just put his knowledge of Leon's hygiene habits together with the look of utter horror on Leon's face. "Not the public bath," he replied. Did Leon really think he was that clueless?. "Phil gave me the key, along with Hercules' permission, to use Hercules' private bath while he's gone. Not sure what I did to deserve it, but Phil seems to really like me, and evidently, Hercules does too, though I can't imagine why after I signed that contract to kill him. And Sora..." he added, growing thoughtful.
"Maybe because in the end, you didn't?" Leon suggested.
"Hmm, maybe." Just before reaching the turnoff to Phil's quarters at the end of the corridor, Cloud turned into a small, camouflaged path on the left that led to Hercules' suite. "At any rate, Hercules' bath is quite nice, and we'll have it all to ourselves."
Leon opened his mouth to protest, but then closed it again when he couldn't come up with a plausible excuse. While Hercules' private bath was certainly more acceptable from a sanitary point of view, the thought of sharing it with Cloud – a naked Cloud – was even more terrifying than sharing the public bath with pirates.
Cloud could see Leon's mind searching for a reason to decline and cut him off before he could find one. "If you want to get into the arena with Sephiroth, you need to let me work on your shoulder."
"I'm fine," Leon said.
"No, you're not," Cloud disagreed. "You could barely hold up your blade."
Leon sighed. He was just too damned tired to argue with Cloud. "Look, I appreciate your concern, really I do, but all I want to do right now is shower and go to bed. Can't we do this tomorrow?"
"We fight Sephiroth tomorrow."
"Tomorrow night," Leon corrected. "You can work on my shoulder in the morning."
Cloud shook his head. "Your muscles need time to recover. There's not enough time as it is, but a good night's sleep will help. If you want to help me fight Sephiroth, then you need to let me help you."
"It just isn't necessary," Leon insisted. "I was just off my game."
Cloud rounded on the stubborn man so fast it caught him by surprise and threw him off balance. Grabbing the front of Leon's jacket with both hands, he backed him against the wall. "Just off your game?" Cloud spat. "This is no fucking game, Leonhart! You left yourself wide open – the hole in your defense was so big that even Sora could see it, and he's just an innocent and inexperienced young boy. Sephiroth is neither; he'll paint the arena walls with your blood!"
Leon knocked Cloud's hands from his jacket and glared at the other man, wordlessly daring him to ever try that again without losing a hand – or at least a few fingers – but Cloud wasn't intimidated. Grabbing him by the jacket again, he pulled Leon right up in his face and then shoved him, letting go as Leon hit the wall. With a look of annoyance, he spun on his heel and strode away.
"Where are you going?" Leon called angrily to Cloud's retreating back. When he received no answer, he pushed himself off the wall and started after the other man. "Don't you walk away from me, Cloud!"
Cloud threw a dismissive hand over his shoulder and kept walking, but he didn't get far before he was tackled from behind, Leon's hand on his shoulder jerking him back. "You're going to see Phil, aren't you? To cancel the tournament?"
Cloud forcefully shrugged off his hand and continued walking.
"Answer me, Cloud!"
When Cloud's only response was a scathing look, Leon tackled him to the floor and straddled him to hold him there, but Cloud fought back with everything he had. Bucking and twisting beneath the heavier man, he succeeded in dislodging him and rolled them both over, reversing their positions, but before he could pin him down, Leon pulled his knees to his chest and kicked Cloud off. Frustrated and furious, he threw himself at the blond, the two of them scuffling on the floor as they struggled for dominance.
In spite of Cloud's superior strength, Leon finally succeeded in gaining the upper hand and once again straddled the younger man, anchoring his hands above his head. "You can't stop me, Cloud." He growled, his face mere inches from Cloud's. "I'll fight Sephiroth by myself if I have to."
Knowing that it was true, that Leon wasn't merely bluffing, Cloud's body went limp beneath him, and Leon's anger disappeared as quickly as it had flared, drained by his humiliating defeat in the tournament, his disconcerting loss of control of his emotions, and this unwanted battle with Cloud. His shoulders sagged and he hung his head. "I just don't want to see you to get hurt."
Cloud reached up and brushed the hair from Leon's eyes. "And I don't want to see you get hurt."
Leon rolled off of the other man. "Just don't shut me out. Let me help you."
"Then let me help you," Cloud returned, sitting up beside him.
"Fine." Leon sighed, holding up his hands in surrender. "You win."
۵۵۵۵۵
Cloud inserted the long, slender key into the hidden lock, and the door swung silently inward, revealing Hercules' luxurious bath. It was elegant and refined, yet relaxing and warm, truly fit for a king – or a god. Everything about it was designed with ultimate comfort in mind.
The walls were a soft taupe with burnished wood trim, and the floor was tiled in polished marble of rich browns. The generously sized shower stall, outfitted with several adjustable showerheads and stocked with a variety of fine soaps and shampoos, was tiled in muted earth tones, as were the adjoining dressing room and the bath itself. Plush robes and towels were neatly stacked on shelves nearby, and a massage table sat in an alcove off to one side, replete with every kind of body oil imaginable. At the other end of the room was a sauna and a small swimming pool, kept at a refreshingly cool temperature. The warm glow of firelight gave the room a serene ambiance.
The sunken tub was much smaller than the public bath – able to comfortable seat up to a dozen adults at most, Leon guessed – but it was the most extravagant hot tub he had ever seen. It was loaded with jets that massaged sore muscles and soothed away the aches and pains of the tournament battles, and littered with handles and knobs and dials for making who-knew-what-all kinds of adjustments. But most importantly, the water was clean and fresh and steaming hot, unlike the stale, tepid water of the public pool.
Cloud went over to the tub and started messing with all of those handles and knobs and dials, and soon the water was swirling and churning away. Once he had the controls set to his liking, he grabbed a vial from one of the nearby shelves and emptied its contents into the water. The water immediately burst into bubbles that filled the room with a wonderful scent, soothing in body and spirit and mind.
"Go ahead and shower and get in the tub," Cloud said. "I'm gonna go get us some clean clothes. Your travel bag in my room?"
Leon nodded.
"I'll be back in about fifteen. And you don't need to worry about anything while you're here; this place is under the divine protection of Zeus himself," he added, pausing briefly at the door before closing it securely behind him.
Leon quickly stripped down and got in the shower, turning all of the showerheads on full blast as hot as they would go and filling the stall with steam. After washing his hair and thoroughly scrubbing his body, rinsing away all of the coliseum grime and a good chunk of his guilt, he grabbed a towel from the shelf and his weapon; in spite of what Cloud had said about divine protection, old habits die hard. Setting both his towel and his blade within easy reach, he slipped into the bubbling water.
He must have dozed off, because the next thing he knew, there was someone behind him, and he startled, reaching for his blade with lightning reflexes.
"Relax," Cloud said. "It's just me." Freshly showered and clad only in the towel wrapped around his waist, he sat down on the edge of the bath behind Leon, sliding a leg into the water on either side of his body. Firm hands began to work their magic on Leon's shoulders and back.
Leon leaned forward to give him easier access, and as Cloud's fingers massaged the back of his neck, he once again drifted off. When he woke, his cheek was resting on Cloud's thigh, and Cloud's fingers were gently combing through his hair. "How long was I out?" he asked drowsily.
"Not long," Cloud answered. "Twenty minutes maybe. It's hard to keep track of time in here."
"Hmm," Leon agreed, sitting up and stretching his arms overhead. He looked over his shoulder at the man behind him. "Come on, get in."
"I still want to do a little more work on your back first," Cloud said. "Let's move over to the massage table."
Leon shook his head. "I already feel a lot better. Honestly. It's time to pamper yourself a little."
"I'm fine," Cloud said.
Leon twisted his body between Cloud's legs and placed his hands on Cloud's thighs. "Cloud, get in, or I'll pull you in." When Cloud started to protest, Leon wasted no time in doing exactly what he had threatened to do: he wrapped an arm around Cloud's waist and pulled him in.
Legs still draped loosely on either side of Leon's body, Cloud gripped Leon's shoulders, wing unfurled and fluttering to steady himself as Leon twirled him through the water. Leon's arm instinctively tightened around Cloud's waist, pulling him closer as they came to a stop in the chest-deep water in the middle of the tub. He removed his arm from Cloud's waist and placed both hands on Cloud's hips as Cloud's hands slid from Leon's shoulders to his biceps and his legs slid slowly down Leon's, his feet seeking purchase on the floor of the tub. With Leon's left hand still gripping Cloud's hip, he reached up with his right hand to still Cloud's wing, caressing it with a long stroke of his palm. Cloud shuddered at the touch and his eyes drifted downward to Leon's mouth.
The soft click of a lock brought them sharply back to their senses, and they quickly took a seat on opposite sides of the tub. Cloud narrowed his eyes at Leon as Phil and Sora entered the room. "You got my towel all wet!" And to prove his point, he removed the towel from around his waist and held it up, dripping, for Leon to see.
"Perhaps you would have preferred I remove it first?" Leon suggested.
Cloud wadded the sodden towel into a ball and threw it at Leon, who then tossed it out of the bath, where it landed with a wet smack on the tile behind Cloud.
"Hey guys!" Sora exclaimed as he and Phil approached the tub. "Phil said we might find you here."
Right. Cloud had run into the satyr on the way back from his room and informed him that he had invited Leon to share Hercules' bath. "Hey Sora," he returned. "Care to join us?"
Sora turned beet red, and his already big blues grew even larger at the sight of his two favorite heroes in the buff. "Uh, I'd really like to, but uh, I have to get going." he stammered, eyes darting from Leon to Cloud and then back to Leon again. "We, uh, we just learned of a new world from one of the guests that was recently invaded by the Heartless, and we need to go seal it. Donald wants to leave right away."
He continued to glance, glassy-eyed, from the two men to the water, but the bubbles obscured whatever it was he might have been hoping to see. Phil just looked disappointed at not having caught them in a more compromising position. He had his suspicions.
"Surely there's no harm in relaxing for an hour first." Leon said.
"Yeah, you'd think." Sora said regretfully. "But you know Donald. So anyway, I just wanted to let you know, since we were supposed to have breakfast together tomorrow morning and all... So, uh, catch you later!" And with a bright smile and an exuberant wave, he was gone.
Phil gave the two men another discerning look and followed Sora out the door.
"Well, I think I'm as wrinkled as person can possibly get," Leon said, grabbing his own, very dry, towel and holding it out in front of him to preserve his modesty as he climbed out of the tub. He secured it around his waist and headed for the dressing room, emerging a few minutes later fully dressed in clean clothing. Getting a fresh towel from the shelf, he took it over to Cloud, exchanging it for the wet one. "I'm going to bed. You coming?"
"In a bit," Cloud replied.
"Then I'll see you in the morning." But when Leon awoke, Cloud's bed was still empty, and Leon suspected that he had spent the night trying to find Sephiroth and kill him before the tournament.
۵۵۵۵۵
Leon finished his breakfast and spent the rest of the morning wandering between the marketplace and the arena, but neither held his interest. The arena offered only a few unnamed tournaments featuring minor combatants, and the marketplace offered nothing new at all. The only reason the crowds were still there was due to the new tournament that evening, which had been billed as the most exciting new talent since Sora and Leon himself. In between trips to the arena and the marketplace, he checked Cloud's room to see if he had returned, but the room was still empty.
After an early lunch, he returned once again to Cloud's room and found the blond asleep in his bed. Leon decided he might as well get in a couple of hours too and curled up on his sleeping roll. He was awakened several hours later by Cloud quietly fastening his armor in place. The blond had an infallible inner clock, and it had told him it was time for the tournament. It was a good thing that Leon was such a light sleeper; he suspected that otherwise, Cloud wouldn't have woken him.
۵۵۵۵۵
Leon stood in the staging area with Cloud, waiting for the gate to open and allow them entrance into the arena.
He was always a little nervous before a tournament and didn't resist it, even welcomed it, for the flow of adrenaline was a good thing before battle, but what he was feeling tonight was closer to apprehension. Leon supposed it was largely due to the amount of hype surrounding Sephiroth, although hype wasn't exactly the right word; from all accounts, Sephiroth was genuinely formidable. Still, Leon had faced formidable foes before, and he had never been quite this unnerved. Cloud's countless warnings must have finally gotten to him.
When the gate opened at last, he and Cloud strode into the arena to a deafening standing ovation, though Leon suspected that most of the applause was for Cloud. Tension mounted as the minutes ticked by and the opposite gate remained closed. "He's toying with us," Cloud warned quietly. "Be on your guard." Still the gate remained closed, and the audience began to grow restless. Leon was just about to write off their challenger as a no-show when a black feather drifted down from above. He caught movement in his peripheral vision and raised his eyes to see Sephiroth floating into the arena. He landed across from them with a lightness of foot and a certainty of his superiority.
"Finally we meet." Cloud said in a low voice.
"I was searching for you as well," Sephiroth replied.
Cloud's voice rose slightly in pitch and intensity. "As long as you continue to exist, I cannot awake from my nightmare. You are my darkness."
"Then turn towards that darkness." Sephiroth spread his arms in a dramatic gesture, but his voice was indifferent and his demeanor maddeningly smug. "Eternally refuse the light to the nightmare of no awakening."
Cloud planted his feet and hoisted his sword out in front of him, electricity already crackling along the length of the massive blade, and Sephiroth conjured a terrifyingly beautiful blade from thin air, impossibly long and slender: the Masamune. Deep violet lightning flickered in wisps of darkness emanating from Sephiroth's body, and just like his blade, he was terrifying and beautiful.
For one long, drawn-out moment, Cloud and Sephiroth glared at each other, unmoving and oblivious to all else; then suddenly, simultaneously, they flew at each other with a speed that defied belief, blades clanging with the force of an impact so strong that it blasted them both backward. They immediately flew at one another again, trading blows that would have obliterated an ordinary man.
With relentless attacks, Sephiroth beat the smaller man back, driving him into a corner, but a sudden burst of determination gave Cloud the advantage. He appeared to be getting the upper hand when a powerful blow by Sephiroth sent him hurtling backward to slam into the arena's invisible barrier, leaving a trail of blood as he slid to the ground, unconscious. The Masamune leveled in front of him, Sephiroth slowly advanced.
Leon had remained rooted to the spot, ignored, just watching Cloud's back as promised, but now that Cloud was down, Leon reacted quickly, placing himself between the two eternal foes. Sephiroth turned his haughty gaze and menacing advance on him, and Leon almost wished he had listened to Cloud's warnings. He truly was no match for this mako-enhanced demon.
But it didn't matter. Cloud was in danger, and Leon would be damned if he would abandon him without even trying. He might not be as strong as Sephiroth, but he wouldn't go down without giving it everything he had, not with his friend's life at stake.
Cloud stirred, some inner awareness pressing him to wake up as he sensed Sephiroth's focus turn on Leon. "How kind of you to bring me such a delectable treat," Sephiroth said as Cloud struggled to his feet. "It will bring me great pleasure to take him from you. Pity though, he's quite pretty."
Fully awake now, Cloud pushed Leon aside and blocked Sephiroth's path with his blade. "Forget him! He means nothing to me!"
"Then you won't mind if I have a little fun with him first."
Cloud flew at Sephiroth with absolute rage in his eyes, the fierce onslaught of his attack driving Sephiroth back. "This fight is between you and me!"
Sephiroth closed his eyes in concentration, and Cloud dropped to his knees, clutching his head in agony.
Again, Leon stepped between the two of them, Lionheart braced in front of him as he awaited Sephiroth's advance. "What did you do to him?" He growled.
Stopping just out of reach of Leon's blade, Sephiroth raised his own sword and pointed it at Leon's throat. Leon swung hard to his left, knocking the Masamune to Sephiroth's right, and then quickly brought his blade back to center. Lunging forward, he buried the tip in Sephiroth's chest and pulled the trigger.
Sephiroth recoiled, momentarily taken aback by Leon's successful attack; the man's lightness of foot and quickness of mind had surprised him, and his odd weapon had inflicted a painful blow. Sephiroth glanced down at his injury – a minor wound to the flesh, but a devastating blow to his ego – and the sight of his own blood only served to strengthen his desire to take this impudent human down.
He came after Leon in earnest then, unleashing a flurry of attacks that Leon was hard pressed just to dodge, much less parry. A feint to the left gave Sephiroth the opening he'd been waiting for, and he stabbed his long blade through Leon's right shoulder, right through the middle of the scar from Edea's ice spear. With a malicious sneer, Sephiroth picked Leon up with his sword and tossed him across the arena.
Regaining control of senses in time to witness Sephiroth's ruthless assault on Leon, Cloud quickly grabbed his sword from the ground where he had dropped it and was once again on his feet, charging at Sephiroth with renewed fury. Slumped against the arena wall, Leon could only watch as the battle reached a level of intensity he had never before witnessed. Moving at blinding speed with sparks flying and blades ringing, the two men spiraled up and up and up, and then out of the arena altogether.
And then Leon knew no more.
