He had traveled the universe for almost a decade; every incident he had faced had scarred his soul, making him who he was. He had no home, he had no where to go, but he knew what he was searching for.

Now, at the age of 21, Cloud Strife was willing to sacrifice anything to see his beloved again. He had traveled from one world to another on Gummi Ships, paying whatever her earned from being a mercenary.

He still remembered the day when he was separated from two of his closest friends, Tifa and Rinoa, in a horrific accident, but he knew they were still alive and well in another world, like he was. Cloud had no idea which worlds they were in, fully aware that it would be almost impossible for him to track them down in his state. But there was one person he was truly searching for; Aerith. The possibilities of finding her were close to nil, but he kept following his heart. It had been almost 9 years, and he was beginning to lose hope. He didn't know where she was at all.

Traveling to different worlds, he had met a few good people. A family he met had supplied him with an old soldier uniform, to which he found comfortable to wear, and a large red cloak that they said would protect him from raging weather. Cloud has been in so many ferocious battles with Heartless, the cloak had become tattered, but he continued wearing it.

He still wielded the Buster Sword, even though it was in the brink of falling apart. He had been able to keep it together with some strong unbreakable bandages, given to him by another good friend he had made in one of the worlds he passed through.

Now with the instinct of a ruthless fighter, there were still sparks of compassion in those blue eyes. Everything he did, he would always think of it to be for her. Would Aerith want it to end like this? Is this how Aerith would want you to become?

Cloud closed his eyes at the thought of her. He wondered what she was like now.

Has she grown more beautiful?

Was she still as kind and pure-hearted and lovely as the day he last saw her?

He smiled softly to himself. He hoped she would still accept him when he returns to her side someday. Cloud cast a worried look. He hoped she would still accept him for what he had become. He still remembered the moment when the man named Sephiroth fired a seed of darkness into his heart. It had grown in the years, he could feel it. He knew the effects were working, because he could no longer dream. All he felt was darkness. He was slipping in; it was pulling him down so hard, he didn't know whether to resist it or not. It had been so long since he felt whole. He needed his light; he needed his reason to keep fighting it. He needed to find Aerith.

Cloud stopped and looked around. It was early in the morning, and the Grecians were all busily doing what they did; no one took any notice of him. He sighed and took a seat on the sidewalk.

He was exhausted. Cloud took out the small piece of bread out of his pocket and bit into it. It was hard and stale, but that was all he had. There was no munny left; he had spent it all on the trip here by Gummi Ship.

Cloud finished the bread, but he was still hungry. This was something he was used to, and so was being stranded. He knew he wasn't going anywhere until he could find some munny for another Gummi Ship ticket. He was lost; too tired and miserable to think. Cloud closed his eyes, picturing his true love in his arms. He had to find her; the problem was he just didn't know how.

"Aw, feelin' down, are ya?" a voice in his ear mocked. Cloud's eyes snapped open, looking around. He stood up and scratched his head; the closest person to him was 10 feet away.

"Psst," the voice said, coming from the shadows behind him. "Over here."

Cloud cautiously turned around. A man was leaning against the wall, smirking at him. Or…was he a man?

His skin was…blue and his hair seemed to be on fire, lit by a blue flame. He was wearing a black toga of some sort, but it seemed to turn to smoke at his feet. Cloud raised an eyebrow, subconsciously also raising his sword. The man just laughed.

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded.

"Hehe," the man chuckled. "I'm somebody who can help you find what you're looking for." Cloud was still confused, so the man continued.

"Hades, God of the Underworld. Nice to meet ya," he said, holding out his hand. Cloud looked at it, but didn't take it. A God, huh?

"What do you want?" he asked calmly.

"I told you," Hades said, a little more curtly. "I'm gonna help you find what you're looking for." He threw an arm around Cloud's shoulders and walked him towards the shadows. "You see, I've been watching you for a while, and I kinda sense a vibe from you." Cloud flicked Hades' arm off and stepped away from him.

"I'll ask you one more time," he said coolly. "What do you want?"

"I TOLD YOU!" Hades exploded, his body blazing with red-hot flames. He quickly took a deep breath and rubbed his face, the flames returning to blue. "Okay, okay. I'm calm, I'm cool. Baby steps, just take baby steps…" he mumbled to himself. Hades turned back to a stunned Cloud. He put a hand on the blonde mercenary's shoulder.

"First, how's about we go into my office?" he said, grinning horribly. Cloud was clearly confused. Hades snapped his fingers and Cloud suddenly found himself in the gloomiest, darkest place he had ever seen. Hades walked over to his chair and took a seat. He grinned.

"Welcome to the Underworld!" he exclaimed, gesturing around with his hands. "Not the happiest place on Earth, but hey, it ain't so bad as it is."

Cloud looked around. He had a bed feeling about this. He raised his sword.

"What do you want from me?"

"Easy there with the sword, fella," Hades joked, eyeing the Buster Sword. He disappeared in a puff of smoke from his chair, and a split second later, re-appeared in front of Cloud. "Okay, here's the deal." He started pacing.

"You seem to have some sort of supernatural power to ya. Not only that, but also some kind of extreme dark vibe ringin' off that spiky blonde head of yours." Cloud lowered his sword, feeling slightly guilty. Hades noticed.

"No, no," he told him. "That's exactly what I need, actually." He stopped and turned to him, smiling. He clicked his fingers again, and the wall behind him transformed into a whirlpool. It started spinning faster and faster until the face of a young Grecian man appeared in it.

"Okay, meet Hercules," Hades said, almost lazily. "Mr I-think-I'm-so-smart-just-because-I-can-crack-rocks-open-with-my-head." He scoffed. "Smart, my foot. Anyway, he's gonna compete in the Pegasus Cup in the Coliseum." He turned back to Cloud, smirking. "Kill him, and I'll give you the thing your heart desires the most."

Cloud looked back at the image of Hercules. He looked like a good guy. Cloud shook his head and turned away.

"Sorry," he said simply. "I don't make deals with the devil." He was expecting Hades to explode at him again, but he didn't.

"Not even to see your little girlfriend again?" Hades said carelessly.

Cloud froze. He spun around to find Hades smiling.

"What?" he muttered mindlessly. "What did you just say?" Hades smiled smugly and clicked his fingers once more. The image of Hercules dissolved and the face of a beautiful young woman slowly appeared on the wall. Her brown hair tied in a high braid, her gently emerald eyes sparkling. Cloud's mouth fell open and he dropped his sword. Unconsciously, he slowly walked to the wall, not taking his eyes off the face.

"Aerith… is that Aerith?" he breathed, unable to believe it. Aerith, you're all grown up, and you're so beautiful now. He placed his hand on the wall, wishing more than anything that he could hold his precious love.

Hades walked over next to him, staring up at the image. He wolf-whistled at it.

"She's a babe, isn't she?" he remarked, glancing over at Cloud. "What you wouldn't give to see her again."

Cloud was breathing heavily; beads of sweat ran down his forehead. He wanted so much to see her again, his mind had gone blank.

"Okay. I'll do whatever you want," he told Hades in a weak voice. "Just tell me where she is."

Hades shook his head.

"Sorry. No can do, babe. I'll only tell ya where she is when you kill Herc." Cloud emitted a defeated sigh.

"Fine, I'll kill him for you," he muttered. Those words were music to the God's ears.

"Excellent," he said happily. "But first, I'll need something from you." He snapped his fingers and a scroll appeared in his hand with a puff. He gave it to Cloud.

"Just sign here," he told him, pointing at the dotted line at the bottom. Cloud's eyes narrowed as he read through the contract.

"Wait a minute," he said. "This contract also says I have to hand my soul over to you." He looked back at Hades, who just shrugged. He walked behind Cloud and put his hands on his shoulders.

"You've got darkness in you, kid," he said, his tone turning dangerously persuasive. "If you let yourself enter into the darkness, you'll have the power to defeat Hercules. Hand me your soul, and you'll be able to release that power. You'll finally be able to see your girlfriend again. And after all these years, too"

He's trying to tempt you, his heart said. Don't give into the darkness.

Oh, come on, a voice in his head exclaimed in annoyance. You've listened to your heart all these years and look where that got you. This might be the only way.

Cloud looked up at the beautiful face one last time. He sighed and turned to Hades behind him. He nodded.

"Great!" Hades said cheerfully. He tossed the scroll over his shoulder and instead held out his hand. He grinned evilly.

"Let's shake on it."

Cloud stared at it for a moment, then at his own, still uncertain. He wanted more than anything to find Aerith, even if it was giving his soul, giving his life and his fate to Hades.

Cloud swallowed silently, and slowly he took the God's hand with his left. Hades immediately gripped it tightly, as Cloud felt a horrific pain surge through him. He felt something drain him, a gruesome darkness taking over. Cloud let out a scream of pain and horror, trying to pull out of Hades' firm grip.

But he couldn't.

His left hand burned and sizzled as he collapsed onto one knee, the darkness inside him erupting. He let out another agonized yell as a huge bat wing shot out of his back. Hades finally seemed satisfied, so he let go of Cloud's hand. Cloud stumbled onto the ground, breathing hard. Hades just stepped over him.

"Excellent," he chimed. "It's done."

Cloud slowly stood up. He examined his left hand. It was now completely black, tainted by the darkness. He tried dusting the blackness off, but it seemed to be tattooed on his hand. Cloud reminded calm, shooting a glare at Hades.

"Oh, that," Hades said, shrugging. "Looks like that's gonna be there for a while." He snapped his fingers. A cloud of smoke started to form around Cloud's hand. He started to feel something cold and heavy appear around it. When the smoke cleared, he found his hand covered in some kind of metal-claw type glove. He opened and closed his hand, the claw moved with ease. It was armor.

Cloud then examined the wing on his back. The skin was tough rather than fragile. Cloud tried controlling it, and he did with ease. His feet lifted off the ground and he was able to move like the wind. He was amazed.

He landed back on the ground and closed his eyes. He could think and feel nothing. He couldn't remember anything from the past except Aerith.

He had to be with her, and nothing, nothing, was going to stand in his way.

Nothing.

Hades chuckled as he watched, clearly amused.

"It's time," he said silkily, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Cloud turned around to him. He bent down and picked up his Buster Sword, slowly opening his eyes again.

The once crystal-blue eyes were now clouded with shadows. All the compassion was gone.

"Okay," he said in a monotone. "I'm ready."

Aerith's eyes snapped open as she quickly sat up on her bed, awakening from a horrific nightmare. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. She shivered with fright. Leon woke up next to her, seeing Aerith awake in that state. He sat up, putting a hand on her back.

"Aerith," he said. "What's wrong?" Aerith's eyes were wide open and she was shaking. Her breathing was heavy.

"Darkness…" she gasped. She squeezed shut her eyes, frightened tears sparked. "So much darkness…" Leon wrapped his arms around her, resting her head safely on his chest. He stroked her hair softly.

"It was just a bad dream," he said, rocking her gently. "You're okay now, I'm here for you."

Aerith wrapped an arm around his chest.

"I'm scared, Leon," she said shakily. "I'm really scared." Leon held her closer, his warm body cradling her.

"Don't be," he whispered. "There's nothing to be scared of."

Aerith sighed softly. She felt a little safer, but she still couldn't clear her mind of the dark nightmare. She looked over at the candle burning by the windowsill. The one she lit for Cloud every night.

Strange, why did she feel like something was wrong when she stared at it? Why was she sensing darkness from out of nowhere in her soul?

"What's… what's wrong with me?" she whispered silently to herself.

"Do you think something's wrong with me?" Aerith asked Yuffie the next morning in the Small House.

Yuffie surveyed her friend carefully for a moment, and then placed her hand on Aerith's forehead.

"Hmmm, you don't have a fever or anything," Yuffie said, shrugging. Aerith sighed wearily.

"I don't know why I feel so anxious," she said, rubbing her forehead. "Maybe it was just because of that nightmare last night. I shouldn't look into it too much, I guess." She shook off all her doubts, though quite unsuccessfully. Leon walked into the room.

"Hey, there's my beautiful fiancée," he said, smiling softly. He went over to her and gave her a kiss. "Feeling better?"

Aerith smiled and nodded. "A little." Leon smiled. He cupped her jaw gently, staring deep into her eyes.

"Look," he told her. "Yuffie and I are leaving for Athens."

Aerith frown slightly. "Why?"

"Well," Leon said fondly, pinching her cheek softly. "We'll need some extra munny for the wedding, right? There are fighting tournaments being held in the Coliseum." Aerith rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. We'll come straight home, and we'll only go again for the next tournament."

"And when will that be?" Aerith said, smirking as she pushed his hand off gently. Yuffie walked up behind him.

"The next tournaments are probably going to be sometime in the week," Yuffie told her, clearly excited. "Come on, let us go! We'll have fun AND make enough munny for your wedding!"

Aerith laughed, finally giving in. She looked back at Leon, reaching up and straightening his shirt collar.

"Okay, then," she said. "But remember to take care. Okay, honey? I wouldn't want you all covered in anymore scars, especially before the wedding." She poked the scar on the bridge of his nose playfully. Leon rolled his eyes and smiled. He bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

"Alright, I'll be careful," he said to her. "I'll see you soon." Aerith nodded and smiled sweetly. Leon moved aside so Yuffie could give her best friend a hug.

"See you, Aerith," she said when they pulled apart, shaking a finger at the older girl. "We won't be gone forever, so don't change." Aerith laughed and nodded. She brushed Yuffie's hair neatly back with her hand, and then took her by the shoulders. She smiled at her like a proud mother.

"Good luck, sweetie," Aerith told her softly. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?." Yuffie grinned and nodded. A whistle from Leon told Yuffie to move it. He opened the door and Yuffie walked out, giving her one last wave. Leon shot Aerith a small smile before he too left, closing the door behind him.

Aerith let out a deep sigh. She walked over to the window and watched them enter the Gummi Ship. It lifted off and shot into the clouds. She sighed again and hugged herself tightly.

"Something big is going to happen," she muttered to herself. "I just hope I'm ready for it."

Leon sat in the Gummi Ship, staring out the window, his head in the clouds.

It had been hours, and they were drawing closer to Athens.

He was getting a bad feeling. He sensed that some kind of threat was waiting at the Coliseum for him, but he didn't just didn't know what.

How would it affect him? What could it be? Why was he so worried?

Yuffie walked over to him, noticing he was very deep in thought. She put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Leon," she called out loudly. He snapped out of it, looking over at her. "You okay?"

Leon sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm just thinking."

"Well, no time for that," Yuffie told him firmly. "We're here."