Trigger Warnings: Suicidal ideation, themes on toxic relationships that includes sex, references to past torture, and character death
A/N: This chapter took quite a while to write/rewrite. The next chapter probably will need as much work. I have learned it takes me longer to write action scenes. Sorry for the long wait! Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 8: When in Rome
Leon had just returned to their new home base, when he wondered while cleaning his Gunblade, if it would be normal to visit the puppies again. Aimlessly, he had ended up visiting them three times that day. Or had it been longer? Did a day end when he fell asleep? It didn't matter to them. They wagged their tails and sniffed him like they first met, every single time. And there were more now. Fifty, sixty, seventy of them. He wouldn't deny that playing with them made him feel a little lighter in this world.
The handle of the front door clicked, and Leon wondered if Yuffie would want to visit the puppies, too. But Cloud was the one who pushed the door halfway open to the shared living area. Without entering the room, the guy surveyed the furniture against blue vertically-striped wallpaper in the dingy light. An orange couch that Yuffie stole from the Dalmatians' house, two green wingback chairs from the hotel that she roped Leon and Cloud to move separately, and a yellow television stand beneath the cuckoo clock, also from the hotel, its hands stuck at seven o'clock. All from a lost and found bin, unclaimed, jumbled, no one knew where they belonged. Cid had dismantled the clock once, spilling its gears, nuts and bolts onto the floor. He'd put every piece back together and cleaned it so that even the yellow wooden beak shined, but the hands still didn't move.
Unless they were sleeping in a room upstairs, Cloud, Yuffie and Cid stayed in this main area. But Leon considered it a passthrough.
"Yuffie around?" Cloud said, his hand still on the doorknob.
"I haven't seen her," Leon said.
"You busy?"
"Did something happen?"
"Be easier if I show you."
"I don't have anything better to do."
"Bring your weapon." Cloud let the door close behind him.
Leon picked his Gunblade up from the television stand, reminded of its impracticality. Why did he master this weapon? Some kid, a grade older, had swung one around, bragging about how hard it was to wield. And Leon just had to do it, too. He was above that now. He wasn't a kid anymore. He didn't remember the other kid's name. The cuckoo clock went off, chiming for the first time in the new house.
Cloud opened the door halfway again, his expression blank as usual. "You coming or not?"
Leon held the edge of the door to keep it from closing, and Cloud looked over the Gunblade, the weight of it a constant in Leon's hand. Without warning, the guy turned towards the third square and ran off before the door closed behind them. Leon followed him, at his own pace, footsteps echoing in another passageway, Cloud's steps louder than his. Out of the way, the sword on Cloud's back was likely held upright by a powerful magnet. He looked at his own sword. Whatever.
The buzz of the streetlights stopped, releasing pressure in his ears that he hadn't known was there. The sound was a tangible memory until silence seeped in. A streetlight blinked with a metallic ping, and Cloud stood under it, waiting for him. Leon frowned. "Should I be worried?"
Cloud shrugged, and they walked around the last bend before the square. Near a cinderblock wall, a black oval with purple swirls floated a foot off the ground. Leon couldn't place where he recognized it from. From the side, the human-sized oval seemed two dimensional as most of it vanished. Black wisps fluttered like inky flames on both sides of an infinitely thin line.
"Damn them into the hell," said a voice from the swirling darkness. "Damn, hell. Sss-Damn. Gahhh."
"See that?" Cloud nodded at the swirl.
"A floating black hole is swearing at us." Leon didn't look away from it. "Right?"
"Yup. Guess we ought to go back and get the others. Cid won't believe it until he sees it," Cloud said.
"Cid," Leon looked at Cloud. "Is he like Aeirth?"
"The heck you mean by that?"
"Nothing," Leon said. "It's just…"
"Good to see you." A new voice slithered from the swirling darkness, pulsing at each word. "Cloud."
"Can't be," Cloud said.
"Tell me, Cloud, when you dream, am I the one who jolts you awake with fear? Wake up, Cloud. Your destruction, this world's annihilation is inevitable. You will all rot."
Cloud ran straight at the dark swirl.
"What are you-?" Leon said, but the guy plunged into the swirling oval. The darkness splashed out, breaking like the surface of water, and engulfed him. Leon looked on the other side, where Cloud should have landed. Where the hell did he go? The entire oval flickered, and he smelled vinegar. Fuck these weird smells. Was this guy not coming back? Why did Cloud drag him here if he was just going to do something so stupid and leave? No one was around.
"Yuffie? Where are you? Cid? Aerith? I found… darkness," he shouted. The word bounced against the stone walls, the 'ness' stretched. He stared into the swirl, feeling ridiculous as he cupped his hands to his mouth. "It doesn't look stable."
Very little had made him feel more alone than talking to a black void. How could their absence have such a presence?
The oval flickered again. Was it calling to him? Had it called to Cloud? Leon didn't think Cloud was avoiding him anymore. They nodded at each other in passing. But that didn't matter, did it? He didn't owe it to the guy to go after him.
Still, he stepped closer, his hand reaching, unsure whether to touch the oval. The purple swirls wiggled away from his hand. Did this lead to another world? Leon touched one of the purple swirls, and his finger left a dot that grew into a ripple, but he didn't feel anything. At least it didn't hurt.
Leon stepped back, what was he doing?
Where was Cloud? Or Yuffie? Or anyone? What would she say if Leon came back without him? She would demand an explanation. What would he tell her?
The oval flickered again, pulsing with his heartbeat. Or was his heart following it? How would he tell? Was it compressing? Was space or time compressing? Was he? Deja vu. He was compressing, alone again. The unknown darkness wouldn't stop flickering. He had to stop this, this thinking and make a choice. No, this wasn't a choice, just what needed to be done.
Breathing deeply, Leon readied his Gunblade, his arm muscles moving from memory, and walked into the dark.
A field of brambles, bushes, and woody, gnarled vines, broken and without new growth, had grown feral around rows of rounded tops of fence posts. A smell coming from a barn was rotten, not like garbage, but sweet vinegar and sour…what? Was it death? Thousands of dead grapes, sitting in a drum as a slurry, flies swarming like angry bees. His boots squished several on his next step. Were they his? Was that him?
When Leon could see again, he remembered that he'd gone through a corridor, through darkness. Stalagmites and stalactites surrounded him in a dark blue cave, pointing in odd angles. Only their shadows moved under icy blue flames burning on torches that lined curved walls. The oval was gone, but the smell remained, now cleaner, simpler. Sour with a touch of fruit. A new world? How? Tap, tap, tap. He lowered his Gunblade.
"Cloud?" Leon said.
The tapping faded, as if it had only ever been an echo, and he moved towards them. Flames ignited in torches ahead, uncovering the mouth of a tunnel, beckoning to him. With no other way to go, he drifted into the mouth, and flames went out behind him.
In a spotlight from the torches, he flowed through the tunnel. Lights on, off. On, off. On, off. He was moving, but the space around him was moving in the opposite direction. He was standing still without standing or being still. Up a down escalator.
A curve in the tunnel startled him from his stupor. He crouched and peered around the bend. Torches lit a cavern crowded with a forest of merged calcified stones surrounding boulders and alcoves of an empty catacomb carved into the walls. Leon spotted blond hair between two of the columns.
"Cloud," he said, running.
And Cloud was in front of him, eyes glowing. Before he could register the danger, Leon pulled his weapon, an extension of his arm, up. Its weight still constant. The blade was coming in too fast. He twisted to get out of its path. Metal hit metal with a clang, and his hilt vibrated. He had raised it to block. Just in time.
"Are you looking for a fight?" Leon said, regretting his decision to come.
"You were moving. I didn't mean… Sorry," Cloud said, falling away. He tucked his sword behind his back. "Hear a voice before coming down here?"
"The one cursing or the one talking about world annihilation?"
"Annihilation. You heard that."
"Yeah."
"You sure?"
"Yes. I'm sure," Leon said. "Why?"
"Need to tell Yuffie and Cid."
"There's no way back. That thing you ran though is gone."
"What do you mean?" Cloud looked at Leon, no longer just talking to himself, before he looked around the cave. He sank onto one of the rocks, staring at the ground, lost in thought again. "There's got to be a way back."
Leon stood over Cloud, giving him space to gather his thoughts. He followed the guy here, he wasn't expected to give him a pep talk, was he? After Cloud stared at the ground for a while, Leon said. "Voices from black holes. What are we dealing with?
"Sephiroth. He… Keeps coming back to life to destroy the world."
"Are you sure he's not a cross-dressing sorceress? They do that sometimes."
"What?" The guy finally looked up at Leon. "Nope. No, he's not."
"Let's take a look around," Leon said. "Maybe the hole's hiding somewhere."
Cloud stood and brushed off his pants.
"Poseidon? Is that you? Please tell me that you and Zeus are finally speaking to each other about my predicament," said a familiar voice. A hulking, but not muscular, blue-gray man strolled into the cave. His yellow eyes bulged. His lips were dark, but his pointy teeth matched his skin color. "That's just great, useless mortals. But here you are, looking oh so fabulous."
Cloud and Leon exchanged identical looks.
"Who are you?" Leon said.
"How do you not know who I am? Dear, have I been gone that long? I am the King of the Helllllll. Hell. Hell. Why do I keep saying hell? You, mortal with the crazy hair, do me a favor and say the word 'under' and then the word 'world' but one after another, alright?"
"Underworld," Cloud said.
"Perfect." The blue man held Cloud's hand. "I am king of that. Can you say that back to me, handsome?"
"King of the Underworld."
"Communication, it's a beautiful thing, really. Do you know how incredible it feels to finally hear what I mean? Better than getting masses to grovel. Mwah." The blue man kissed his fingers and flung them upward. "Sheer satisfaction."
"You sound like a megalomaniac," Leon said.
"Oh, this one's sassy. Watch out or I'll damn… seriously, Zeus really didn't need to put me in this trap, did he? Olympus on a rock, I don't deserve this, really. Word games again. Sassy mortal, put an 's' in front of 'might' and what do you get?"
Leon crossed his arms.
"Smite," Cloud said.
"Oh, are you sassy, too? Or is that one ignoring me? Funny, no one ignores me."
Blue flames danced atop of the man's head and grew.
"I don't do word games," Leon said.
"You might want to reconsider. That kind of thing might add a couple years to your life. You know the type, right? Puzzles. Mind games. That's the stuff. Really. You should listen. I would know." The blue man held out his hand. "Handshake. Hello, what's your name, sweetheart?"
"Not sweetheart. It's Leon… Leonhart. I don't do handshakes."
"It would be oh so very unwise of you, Leon Leonhart, to refuse such a request from someone like little, old me." The flames on the man's head flickered with flecks of orange.
"Whate-"
Cloud elbowed Leon. It hurt more than he expected. Leon rubbed his arm. Next time, he'd leave the guy alone. Less pain, less trouble.
"Military man, stealthy, maybe? Is your name even Leon?" the blue man said.
"How did you know I was in the military?" Leon said.
"Please, live as long as I have and meet as many mortal souls as I have, you learn a thing or two. Hmm, if I had to guess, I'd say, above average strength, above average skills. Too arrogant for how strong you are, if I'm being honest, am I right? Still, you'll get the job done in a pinch. And you…"
"Cloud."
"I don't need to know your name. Your sword is unusually." With his chin in his hand, the blue man walked around Cloud. "Large. Can you actually handle it?"
"Yup."
"Of course you can." The man held out his hand. "Give it a good shake. Go on. I won't bite. Not hard, anyway."
Cloud stared at the man's hand before grabbing it.
"Are you human?" the man said. "You have the strength that rivals a demi-god."
"I'm human."
"You aren't sure. Aren't we all unsure about who we really are? Really. I have an idea. You should listen to it since all my ideas are brilliant, boys."
"Yeah, but what's your name?" Leon said.
"Mine?" The blue man's yellow eyes twinkled too gleefully. "Mortals far and wide steer clear from whispering my name into the dark for fear that they'll catch my attention. Do you really want to know my name?"
Leon looked away, unwilling to provide the attention he wanted. "You still sound like a megalomaniac."
"Help me out, Spiky. Mad-libs time. I am the King of the." The man pointed at Cloud like his fingers were a gun.
"Underworld."
"And the Lord of the dead, baby. Lord, what Lord? I am a god."
"The dead?" Cloud and Leon said, both staring at the god.
"That's what gets people. Forget megalomaniac. I'm the one in charge. The aftermath of absolute power powering absolutely, I suppose. Still want to know my name, Leon Leonhart?"
"I'm not afraid of ghosts." Leon didn't add that he wasn't afraid of gods either.
"Oh, you're a terrible liar. But most mortals are more worried of becoming ghosts, you see. So you did get that detail right. Death in it of itself is not in my wheelhouse. I have another god carrying out such a thankless task."
"Hades?" a woman's voice from outside of the cave echoed in.
"My name," Hades said. "Alas, twas never a word so sweet tumbling out of my lover's mouth."
"What?" Leon said.
"My wife," said Hades. "She likes it when I talk dirty to her. Quick, follow my lead and I will grant you great wealth and promise to look the other way should you try to cheat death but just once."
"Wife?" Leon said. "But you were hitting on him."
"Have you been living under a rock? How do you not don't know about us gods? Or are you surprised since my reputation suggests that my behavior pales in comparison to that of my brother's?"
"Does your wife know you hit on men like that?"
"My, my, mortals nowadays are so quick to judge fleeting feelings quite a bit in this ungodly place. When in Rome, I suppose they say. But no matter what they say, I am a happily married god. The luckiest in the realms. Be cool, she's coming over. Remember that second word? Fear a god's wrath." Hades smoothed the flame on his head as if it were hair. "But fear his wife's a whole lot more."
"Hades." Her clear voice curled like vines into every alcove. A green woman wearing a white sheet draped over her shoulder strided into the light from all the blue flames. Her breasts were bare, but nothing about her was obscene as she embodied the essence of art. Leon stared at her, she was beautiful. Nothing more. Nothing less. "I have been looking for you."
"Persephone, dear, you've come for me. Shall we leave on a golden chariot or one with everlasting flames? Both? Have you pulled out all the stops for me? Did you get me all the bells and whistles?"
"Why are you in such a hideous disguise? Oh. Mortals, men at that." With a soft clap, her sheet covered her chest, flowing against her body like a well-formed dress.
"Do you think I look hideous? I will damn…" Hades sighed. "Persephone, dear, please let us leave."
Persephone looked away. "Do you need my help to escape, dear husband?"
"Persephone, Kore, the love of my eternal life, I do," Hades said. "I do need your help. So for all of Olympus above, let's make haste."
Her expression softened. "I… I will do what I can. Eris has taken over the mortal realm due to your absence, and we mustn't let that go on much longer."
"Eris? What does that busybody have to do with the hell?"
"Hell? Do you mean Tartarus? Busybody?" She stared at Hades, her stillness demanding. "Have you been bewitched, Hades?"
"No, no, no, cupcakes. I meant the entire…" Hades paused.
"Underworld," Cloud said.
"You. That sword." Persephone focused on Cloud, clenching her jaw. "Your strength is not of a mortal's. What are you, warrior?"
"A hero." Cloud's hand moved towards the hilt of his sword, but he stopped at drawing it.
"Not a prince."
"Prince? Why would you…?" Persephone looked between Cloud and Hades. "No…"
Hades waved his hands. "Ignore him, dear. He's a nobody. Just some silly mortal with a big sword."
"Not nobody," Cloud said.
Not looking away from Cloud, Persephone planted her feet on the rocky floor and bellowed. "You are a demi-god."
"Babe, calm down," Hades said. "These gorgeous mortals have nothing to do with my predicament."
"Babe? Gorgeous?" Persephone's voice resonated throughout the cave, powerful enough to shake the air. "You begot a son without me. All shall pay for your betrayal."
"Son?" Hades laughed, at first. "Oh nonononono. That's not my kid."
The cave shook, and vines of all thicknesses burst through the floor, sending rocks flying. They coiled around columns and boulders, into the alcoves along the walls and at their feet, up swaying like charmed snakes. Thorns protracted at the ends of the vines, the sound mimicking unsheathing metal. The flames cast another web of shadows across the cave.
"Get out of her way, boys." Hades, bound by vines already, shrank and slipped free. "Or you'll end up turned into a plant or maybe dead. Probably more likely dead."
"Careful," Cloud and Leon said, only their faces turned towards each other. Both readied their swords, assuming challenging stances.
"Don't aim your swords at my wife," Hades said. "Just jump or run or… Persephone. Dear. Get a hold of yourself. They didn't do anything wrong."
Before Leon could formulate a plan, Cloud zoomed off in the opposite direction. A purple vine curled in the air around Leon, aiming its pointed end at his chest. He sliced it cleanly, leaving two perfect blunt end circles. The vine recoiled. It regrew and lunged at Leon from below. Flower buds sprouted around the vines' thorns. Leon stepped back and looked for a path out of the cave, but Cloud ran up to the buds and slammed his blade down onto the thickest part of the vine with a thunk.
"Be still, mortals." Persephone raised her arms and grew, towering over her vines. Dagger-sized thorns grew with her, and buds opened into petals that unfurled, throwing powder everywhere. Leon covered his mouth and nose with the sleeve of his jacket, but his eyes itched from the pollen. Cloud coughed uncontrollably. Another vine burst from under the ground.
"Watch out," Leon said. Cloud chopped the vine down before Leon finished speaking, his eyes glowing. A small cut under his eye bled.
A horde of vines rushed at them, leaving no gaps to escape. Too many, growing too fast. Slicing through was pointless, if they just grew back. A knot tightened in Leon's bicep from swinging, but this wasn't a workout. When was the last time he fought for his life? The ground moved underneath. He rolled in time as a vine thundered through the floor, spraying gravel that stung his face. He jumped aside as it crashed into a boulder, sending thorns clinking against the stone floor. It zinged straight at him, thicker than his thigh. He swung up and cleaved it midair. He couldn't avoid that.
Cloud sliced the vines surrounding them with incredible speed, clearing a path. Good, better than good, his strength was an asset, but raw power might not be enough. Leon didn't know how long Cloud could keep this up. He saw a clearance towards the entrance. They needed to regroup, find her weakness and attack. Then, they'd have a chance.
"Cloud," Leon shouted, his voice supported by the bottom of his lungs. He'd better listen. Cloud faltered, mid-swing slicing through two tree-sized vines at once. Their eyes met. "Get out."
A vine shot straight down from above and he swung, deflecting it rather than wasting his strength. White sap oozed from the cut. He had forgotten how relentless an opponent could be. Winded, he tried to control his breathing. His heart pounded but he had time. Leon kept moving.
And Cloud moved like he was dancing, his feet staying ahead of the vines and each arced slash cut clean. The energy fueling him was endless. The duality of agility and strength warranted more than just respect. Was he unstoppable? The vines weaved closer together in angles that left both with less room, but that only made the flash of his blade go through more.
Enough already. Leon shook his head clear. They weren't invincible, and neither was she. Cloud made a path to the clearing. They were gaining on it, but another vine shot out from behind. Leon twisted to get away but another wrapped around his ankle. More vines reached out wrapping themselves around his other limbs, his torso, and he swung his sword feeling off balance. A vine shot out and wrapped itself around his blade. He couldn't lose it. Not now.
"Cloud," Leon said, not as strongly as he wanted, but Cloud was already next to him, slicing through the vines holding Leon.
He pulled on his sword, but before he could make a move, Cloud slid his sword onto his back. A thick vine coiled around his torso. Cloud tugged at the vines around Leon's feet. Dozens of thinner vines pulled at his arms, as if to tame him. The vines climbed over both of them, breaking Cloud's sword free from his magnet. He punched, tore the vines, thorns not cutting him. They receded as he grabbed hold.
And they didn't tighten or strangle Leon. They cradled him, as if commanded to treat him with kindness. Upside down, Leon's muscles relaxed into the vines. The cave was lush with all shades of light brown and green. Soft leaves and plush flowers with layers of petals cascaded around him. It smelled like early spring, crisp but warm.
Cloud was upside down now and tied up with green vines, too.
"What should I do with him?" Persephone said, the vines carrying Cloud away, closer to her, lifting him up as an offering. "Your kin."
"Oh I don't know, eat him? He looks divine," Hades said, rolling his eyes.
"You dare mock me? After what you did?"
"He's not mine. It's not even a possibility. Physically, metaphysically, psychoanalytically, pick your poison and drink up, dear." Hades waved his hand over his mouth and yawned. "You do recall what happened the last time you threw a hissy fit, don't you?"
Persephone's eyes turned red. The vines moved Cloud up and down, between the two gods, not quite shaking him. "Look upon him. Look. Just look. He looks like you."
Hades looked Cloud over. "I'm flattered, really. Honestly, truly, but Persephone, you can't be serious."
Leon sighed. This was not the first time he got tangled in something so absurd, but an argument between gods? At least nobody died. Not yet. Cloud looked like he normally did, like he was constantly experiencing epiphanies, but pissed about it. The vines gave Leon just room enough to move so he inched his fingers to one of his three belts. People had made comments about his extra belts being a fashion statement, but no one who fought with him complained. He was practical after all.
The gods were arguing, the same way people argue. But louder and with more flair in their arms. Leon found the hidden seam in the loosest belt and fished out the knife tucked there, smooth and practiced. The vines tightened. He held his breath. They relaxed, and he worked his blade like he was cutting rope, his hand moving automatically. Sweat beaded around his temple. His fingers scraped against the vines, chafing, and his forearm and hand burned. He freed one arm, then the other, then his torso, and finally the last vine around his ankle.
He flipped upright and landed noiselessly onto rocks. Staying low, he moved slowly, painstakingly so, blending in the shadows of the caves.
"Was it Hera? Did you pursue her? Or did she pursue you? That hypocritical wench. Goddess of marriage? She would claim that title, wouldn't she?" Persephone said.
"Hera?" Hades said. "You mean my sister?"
"That didn't stop Zeus."
"Hon, Zeus is Zeus."
The god of death wasn't helping his cause, probably making it worse. They were busy, getting louder, wasting time when Cloud noticed Leon. Unable to think of a universal hand signal, he pointed at himself then at Persephone, hoping Cloud would get it, but Cloud's expression didn't change. No matter, Leon took his chance and moved closer to the three of them.
With a burst of strength, Cloud twisted and bent his body, snapping the vines wound around him. Leon kept moving, but watched to see if he should adjust to whatever this guy was planning. Cloud dropped to the ground upright and pulled vines from their roots. He punched them in midair. Green chunks sprayed everywhere. He didn't have his sword. Guess he didn't need it. The couple stopped arguing and looked at him. A distraction. Good.
Persephone raised her arms and vines descended upon Cloud, but he jumped ahead faster than a blur. He landed a cracking punch on a vine as thick as him. His fist burst through it. Hades hunched over, curling in on himself. Even Persephone stepped back.
Leon tucked his knife away and crouched lower, using boulders for cover as he moved closer. She was watching Cloud. Leon didn't look. He couldn't be distracted. She was close, just a boulder between them. No more games. He had to take her down. He took a long breath, counting backwards.
Leon jumped out and brought his arms up to tackle her to the ground. He expected her head to be at his chest, but his arms, then his body, slipped through her. She was cold, not quite air but not water. And he stumbled to stand, right between the gods. The vines and Cloud stopped moving and all eyes were on Leon now.
"Do you have a death wish, Leon Leonhart?" Hades said, his entire head red and blazing. "I am the god of the dead, boy. And that is my precious wife."
"She's not real," Leon said, glad that he chose not to use his knife. Cloud stared at her, too.
"What on earth am I doing?" Persephone said.
Hades stumbled back, turning blue again. "Persephone, sweetheart… you're like a shade. Are you unwell? What happened, love?"
"I haven't forgiven you, Hades," Persephone said.
"Seriously? Again with this? I swear he's not mine. He's just some silly little mortal. He looks nothing like me in both body or soul. Persephone, forget about him. So much more importantly, why are you not connecting with this world's earth? What on Olympus happened to you?"
"Oh I suppose this could be a dream. It feels so real, but I suppose it's wrong for me to be angry with you whilst in a dream."
"A dream? What would make you say that?"
"Morpheus sent me to your spirit so that I may find you."
"Morpheus? I will bestow him the greatest honor from the depths of the hell, of hell, oh good grief, of my damned world. For… bringing you to me."
"Hades, is this the work of Hera? I didn't know her to have this much wit to attempt this type of punishment for you."
"Punish me? But I'm innocent, baby. It's all on Heracles. Hera set him up, but entrapment's a bit of an afterthought when murdering your entire family, am I right or am I right? No, it can't be her. Maybe Zeus and Poseidon trapped me here, thinking I'd go along with their little charade."
"Heracles is here? He has been missing as well. Is this not a dream for you? A nightmare? Where is your being?"
"I'm here in my godly flesh, my dear. Everything surrounding me is as solid as Olympus, the hell and the mortal realm. You are the only one I cannot hold. The cruel Fates. Must they take their frustrations out on me?"
"The Fates? They've been missing as well."
"That's cause they're here, too. Zeus must be out of his right mind to mess with those old gals."
"Hades, you mustn't speak of them in such a way."
"I can't help it. If you think I look bad, they share one eye between the three of them. Like yeek, a literal eyeball. They're palming it, popping it back into all kinds of sockets. Whoever did this must want to be kaputed out of existence or nailed to a mountain from their own eyeballs."
"Hades, did you ask the Fates where you are?"
"Well, yes, but you know them. Embrace the place. Poets and they didn't know its. Just do it. Yada, yada, yada. Meanwhile, good old Heracles is reenacting some tournament in a coloseum that just so happens to be lying around in this neck of the not so woods."
"Give me the means to find you in the mortal realm, and I will come to you, Hades."
"That's just it. The Fates said we're not in the mortal realm. I don't have a clue where we are, honestly. I haven't seen souls pass through here, not in any meaningful way."
"Well, you are not in Olympus… or any known world. Do you realize what this means?"
"I'm in a whole heap of trouble is what it means. What's to say that Zeus will know how to get me out of here even if he is the one responsible for this?"
"Yes, that could pose a challenge, but Hades, it…it could mean the birth of a new world."
"A new world? Nah, can't be, can it?"
"Oh, Hades, imagine what this means for Melinoe. She could inherit a world. We must plan for her reign."
"Whoa, whoa, pussycat. No need to be all hasty about this. Five years of this doesn't mean that-"
"Five years?"
"That's how long I've been here, my love."
"Why would you think it's been five years? Oh Morpheus is calling. My time is up. He warned me what would happen if I stayed too long. I will come back. We will find a way to reunite. Until then, farewell."
"Persephone, don't leave. I miss your touch, please, hold me before you go. I would do anything if you would just…" Hades reached for her and his hand, his arm went through her as she faded away. "Stay."
Hades stared at the spot that she had stood, still reaching for her. He closed his hand and pulled it close as if holding what was left of her. He held it to his lips and closed his eyes, breathing deeply as if holding in the air that she had breathed. He let out a dry, broken laugh that Leon hadn't expected.
"Sorry about your wife leaving," Cloud said.
Hades looked up, as if seeing them for the first time. His yellow eyes, wrinkled and glazed, told of his timelessness, but he rolled them. He ran his hand over his head of blue flames, exaggerating the movement. He laughed dryly, but softer this time. "You are not the cause of my woes, mortal. Where are my manners? I do hope you can forgive me for ignoring you two. It's been years."
"Whatever," Leon said.
"Of course." Hades snorted. "Now where were we, boys?"
"You got an idea to get us out of here," Cloud said.
"Ah, yes, about that, I'm going to need you to play the part of damsel in distress, handsome," Hades said.
"Huh?"
"You." Hades pointed a pointy, dark-nailed finger at Cloud. "A coy damsel in distress."
"Not interested," Cloud said.
"Oh please, like someone like you hasn't acted that part out before," Hades said. "Twirl around, and I might call you pretty, sweetheart."
"Watch it," Cloud said.
"Or what? I'm immortal. Whatever you're about to threaten me with, you can do it to me again, love," Hades said. "Olympus knows you're all bark and no bite anyway. Such a pity."
"If he does this, are you telling us how to get out of here?" Leon said. Cloud stared at Leon.
"Sure, why not? I'll conjure up one of those portals and send you where once you came," Hades said.
"Why me?" Cloud said. "He'd make a better damsel."
"No," Leon said.
"Well, one teeny, tiny problem with using Mr. Sassypants over there," Hades said. "He might die."
"Guess if there's no way around it," Cloud said. "Where's the dress?"
"Oh well, there's no dress, I'm afraid," Hades said. "It was only a manner of speaking. A figure of speech damsel in distress."
"Oh."
"So here's what to do. Fight in this silly little tournament that Heracles's throwing. Get a little injured or fake it. Channel injured, baby bird, if you follow. Bat your eyelashes. Call him your bona fide hero. Tell him you owe him your life. Bada bing. Bada boom. And be done."
Leon said, "Wait a min-"
"Enough is enough," Hades said, louder. His hair brightened to a larger, orange flame then dimmed back to blue. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply until his shoulders relaxed. When he looked at Cloud again, he tilted his head. "Are you in or are you in? You know you want to shake on it, gorgeous."
"Don't know if I can act like a baby bird," Cloud said. "If somebody's here in this world, could you tell me?"
"Oh sure, we can ask the Fates."
"The fates."
"The ones that know of your life and what will happen within it. But talking to them usually leaves you with a blend of intrigue and a sinking feeling of 'oh shit, that can't be right'."
"They'd know if somebody's here."
"Yes, of course, they'll know, hottie."
"How would they?" Leon said. "You said they had one eye between them."
"What does that matter? They know absolutely everything," Hades said, slowly, eyeing Leon, who held back a scoff. "You could ask them whatever your heart desires."
"Let's ask them then," Cloud said.
"Yup, uh huh." Hades grinned. His eyes and sharp teeth glinted in the light of his ice blue flame. "Let's shake on it, alright?"
He reached out to Cloud, and all the blue flames in the cave flickered in sync with Hades's hair. Even Hades's outstretched hand pulsed with the glow of the lights. Cloud stared at it, and Leon reminded himself to breathe.
Cloud reached out.
"Wait," Leon said, surprising himself. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
Hades looked at Leon now. And they were back to when Persephone's vines had been chasing them. His smoldering stare stopped Leon from saying anything else.
"Sure." Cloud shook Hades's hand.
A wind blew out all the flames in the cave but left Hades's head still burning.
"A deal's a deal. There's no turning back now, boys." Hades snapped his fingers and all the flames on the torches came on like lights. He broke off a twig and sat on a rock, near the spot they had last seen Persephone. He stared at the spot. "Have you ever been in love? Either of you? Don't be frightened. I'm just curious, I suppose."
"Nope," Cloud said.
Leon wondered if he should answer honestly, whether what he would say would prompt questions that he didn't want to answer. He had no reason to lie though. "Yeah, I have."
Hades looked at Leon. "Learn something new everyday. It's so hard being apart from the one you love. Isn't it?"
"I…" Leon said. "I don't know."
"Is that so? Is it just me? Tell me, how long does it take to forgive a terrible mistake when a life goes on beyond a lifetime?" Hades looked away. "Silly me. Would you look at the time? Run along. Do what you need to do. Come back and tell me how it goes, alright?"
Even though Hades wasn't looking at either of them anymore, Cloud nodded in response. He pulled his sword free from hardened layers of vines, and the branches crackled, crumbling to dust. Leon did the same. Flowers and leaves wilted, the green thinning all around the cave. Beneath the blue-white light from a torch, Hades cast a shadow that stretched along the wall. Sitting on the same rock, he traced the spot where he last saw his wife, scratching the rocky floor with his stick.
Cloud elbowed Leon, not hard but to get his attention, and nodded at the entrance to the tunnel where they had come from. They walked back through the tunnel, following torches lit with blue-white flames. One light ahead of them still ignited and one blew out, but it was less fluid, since the spotlight was over both of them now. Cloud's sword swung on his back, ahead of Leon. He wasn't alone.
"You ever think about what happens after this?" Cloud said into the darkness.
Leon didn't have an answer. "God of the dead. Do you think he's as powerful as a sorceress?"
"Sorceress, sure," said Cloud, looking back towards Hades. "Why'd you say that to him?"
"Say what?"
"Him hitting on me," Cloud said.
"What do you mean 'hitting on you'? He was making innuendos."
"About what?"
Leon stopped walking. "He said you had a big sword."
"What? No." Cloud also stopped. "Wait, I mean, not no…. I don't know."
"You didn't notice?" Leon said. "You weren't into it?"
"Nope." Cloud crossed his arms and looked to the side. "What're we talking about?"
"He flirted with you. You shook his hand, and something weird happened when you did."
"He called you pet names."
"Okay? I didn't make a deal."
"Guess I better sign up for this tournament."
"Why would you do that?"
"Got a better idea?"
"This is why you don't run into black swirls."
Cloud stared at Leon with arms crossed. "Don't need a lecture coming from you."
"Forget it. Do what you want."
"Fine."
"Whatever."
Now, they both stood with their arms crossed, staring at each other. Leon was not looking away. He was right. Cloud had to know that, too.
"I just got to find somebody." Cloud stepped away. "Or know if he's here, at least. Doesn't matter what it takes."
Leon followed, and the lights went on and off again. "You didn't have to shake his hand."
"Don't worry. If there's a fight I got to throw, it can't be bad. Fighting's all I'm good for."
"How can you sound so sure?"
Cloud shrugged. "How I talk sometimes."
A light from an unfamiliar tunnel shined in. Cloud stood back, watching, while Leon crept around the next corner, chasing the beams promising daylight. The light brightened into full view as the tunnel's circular mouth emptied them into a field of compact sand.
Under a blue sky with white clouds but no sun, they were two exposed dots, like prey, under an unknown eye. The air lacked warmth, like the dead of night. Leon cast six, seven, eight, nine shadows around him. So did Cloud, but none were dark enough to see clearly. Visible edges, what could have been the tops of endless cliffs, flanked two sides of the field, defining a border and an intended destination. A beige block building spanned the far end. In front of it, two golden statues faced each other, with golden swords arching over steps that led to an arched tunnel. Cloud reached the steps first. Leon had no reason to stop. But…
"This the right place?'' Cloud said, looking back at Leon. "Got to be, right?"
"Yeah."
"Feels," Cloud said softer. "Wrong."
When Leon looked up, the sheer size of the building threw off his sense of balance, bending this world's direction. Its simplicity did not diminish its grandeur. Marble columns, wide enough to need a minute to walk around, held up a thin roof, either as decoration or to support unreachable, vaulting heavens above.
Warm orange flames atop torches lit the single hallway leading into the building. Even without doors or windows, the sharp, angular corners of the walls made Leon doubt it would lead to a cave. As they neared the end of the long hallway, hooves clip-clopped against stone and a shadow moved on the floor. Pacing in and out of view of the opening was a man with hooves for feet, brown fur from his waist down, and two small horns on his head.
Leon put his finger to his lips, as a signal, and moved to one side of the hallway to crouch. But Cloud ignored him and walked straight towards the beast. It looked up and blinked, looking between the two of them. Leon froze, caught, and kept his Gunblade lowered.
"Who goes there?" the creature said.
"We're looking for a tournament." Cloud stepped into the room, and the creature looked around it. "You know where we can sign up?"
"A tournament? Are you from the mortal realm? Could you be talking statues?"
"We're real. Hades sent me."
"You call the god of the dead by name? Oh great Zeus almighty above."
"God of dead," Cloud said. "Blue. Said he's in charge of an underworld. Told me to sign up. This the right spot?"
"Are you shades? Did the god of the dead himself follow you here?"
Leon shook his head. "No one followed us. Is there actually a tournament? Does this guy Hera…? Herak…?"
"Do you mean Heracles? The great God of Heroes? Surely you know of him."
"A god of heroes," Leon said. "Right…"
"Don't play dumb. Are you this man's trainer?" the creature said.
"If I say yes, can he sign up for this thing?"
"Well, the tournament is the most prestigious in all the land. What event are you interested in?"
"Fighting," Cloud said.
"The pankration? Usually, there are procedures to verify qualifications and such, however in this case, I don't know when another living soul will arrive. It might take years."
"Years?" Leon looked at Cloud. "This place doesn't even pretend to be a place like the last one. We could be stuck here."
"Still got to sign up," Cloud said.
Leon couldn't believe he followed this guy here. "Hey, do you have a name?"
"Philoctetes, closest friend to Heracles," the creature said. "Worse than the last one? Are there multiple layers of this divine punishment?"
"I'm Leon. This is Cloud," Leon said. "We walked through a black swirl, and now we're here. What do you mean by punishment?"
"Heracles incurred the wrath of a goddess, and I've assisted him in a few tasks. This has to be some kind of punishment. After all, I am an ironic satyr."
"Satyr?" Leon said. "Is that a clown?"
"You've not heard of a satyr? They're mythical creatures, comic relief mostly, with the appearance that I have, prancing around drunk and chasing nymphs with his erection of which, I am clearly lacking."
"His what?" Cloud said, his words loud enough to echo for the first time, but just slightly.
"They're sexual," Leon asked.
Cloud stared at Leon.
"Well, yes," the satyr Phil-whatever-his-name-was said.
"And you're…" Leon said.
"I was once, but as Fate would have it, I am no longer."
"Fate? Wait. Did you get this way because you pissed off a goddess?" Leon said, trying to remember if Persephone knew his name.
The satyr swished his tail. "Is this funny to you?"
"That's not…" Leon said, feeling caught. His face turned hot. "Sorry, I wasn't trying to be a jerk. I was just asking. We met a goddess. She wasn't happy."
"Is that so?" It looked between the two of them. "Did you suffer a similar fate?"
"No," Leon said. Would she do that? She wouldn't, would she? "This might be a weird punishment, but not that."
The satyr looked at Cloud.
"You heard him, I'm fine. Not just fine. I'm… Just sign me up." Cloud turned to Leon. "No use staying here. Let's go."
The satyr clip clopped closer to Cloud who stumbled back. "I'll accompany you. I can offer a tour."
"Don't need a tour." Cloud straightened. "Don't you got to stick around? What were you doing standing around here anyway?''
"Heracles comes to speak to me here. So I… don't leave this post often. However, being in the presence of a god makes it impossible to be yourself. It was easier when he… when we were friends."
"Is there a place we can sleep?" Leon said, before Cloud said anything else.
"The accommodations are not ideal, but clean. I'll show you where you can stay."
Cloud nodded at the roped off hallway. "Tell us. We'll find it."
"It's been so long since anyone has visited and I… I'd prefer your company. Please. Let me guide you."
"You want to tag along." Crossing his arms, Cloud stared at the satyr then looked at Leon. "Think he ought to?"
"Why not?" Leon said.
"Not going to tell you not to," Cloud said.
"Come this way. I… I'm glad that you're here." The satyr lifted a lit torch off of its bracket and unhooked the rope so that they could pass into a dark hallway with no end in sight. "Will you be staying here long?"
"We're trying to get back as soon as we can," Leon said.
"Then I shall enjoy your company while I have it. You will let me, won't you?" The satyr trotted ahead, and Leon and Cloud looked at each other before they followed.
The torch, the only source of light down the hallway, warped their shadows against the closest wall, making them dance in time with its flickers. Darker than the perpetual starry night of the other world, where streetlights stood at every corner, the darkness of the hallway swallowed them whole with the torchlight. The flame from the torch didn't radiate heat or give off smoke but looked like any other. Leon stared at it, he hadn't used one before.
"It's not a true flame," the satyr said. "Were you curious?"
"What is real here?" Using the wall as an anchor, Leon ran his hand along a hairline joint crack in the smooth, cold stone.
"Not a whole lot, I'm afraid. The room isn't that far ahead. It reminds me of the barracks of war." The satyr walked so that the light would bounce.
"War?" Leon pulled his hand away.
"While I'm in this… form, you wouldn't be able to tell. Still, I am a warrior at heart. Of course, I fought in the great war."
"Don't know anybody that sounds as happy as you do talking about war," Cloud said.
"Don't mistake my pride for ignorance. I know the wickedness of men all too well. Look, it's up ahead." He raised the torch higher. "That's odd. Why are there two doors now?"
The orange torchlight tinted doors adjacent to each other with a patina, making it difficult to tell the colors of the pale panels and darker trim. Even so, the trim popped against the white stone washed yellow from the light. Three metal star plaques on one of the doors appeared tarnished under the varying light, while transparent doorknobs sparkled without being bright. Everything about the doors contributed to an anachronistic feel.
Leon. His alias was written in curvy, thick letters across a star. He touched the coarse grooves to make sure it was real, but that didn't reassure him. The stars, the door, his name, they didn't belong together, but someone had put them there. They knew him. How? When was this staged? Could it be a trap? "Is this some kind of game?"
"Not one that I'm aware of." The satyr held the torch closer to the stars, and the flames reflected in all three. "But gods are unpredictable beings full of tricks. Look at this one. Phil?"
"Guess they knew we were coming." Cloud eyed a star with Cloud typed across it in a formal font. "Think we'll get towels with our initials on them?"
"Towels? What an odd thing to say." The satyr looked between Leon and Cloud moving the torch. "Which goddess seemed unhappy with you?"
"Persephone," Leon said. "Do you know her?"
"Of course, I know of her. She must have shielded you from danger."
"She didn't shield us," Leon said. "Her husband didn't do much either."
"Her husband? You speak of him so casually yet he's a harbinger of the end." The satyr's hooves clicked against stone as he retreated from them, from the doors. The shrinking light let the darkness drain even more color. "You are either brave or foolish. Or unlucky. I… I should leave you be."
They all stood in the torchlight the satyr carried. He obviously didn't want to be alone. Leon couldn't blame him. He wasn't about to encourage the poor creature to leave. But before he could speak, Cloud reached for the door.
"What are you doing?" Leon said.
"Got to see what we're dealing with." Cloud shrugged. "Aren't you tired?"
"Yeah, but," Leon said. "They know our names."
"Seen weirder stuff before." Cloud turned the doorknob and opened the door halfway. Light and a waxy, sweet smell flooded the hallway. The door was pink with blue trim and the stars shined like brass instruments.
The satyr wrinkled his nose. "What is that?"
"You smell it, too?" Leon said. "It's real?"
"Cherry. Fake, like lip gloss, from when we were kids." Cloud kicked the door wide open with the bottom of his boot. For all the buildup, the room looked comfortable, with beds piled with large pillows and plush comforters. The decorations, especially the wood, seemed like they were stained to look old, but too clean and chiseled to be.
One large wing had been hand painted onto the stonewall above one of the beds. Upon closer inspection, the wing, not intact, was scattered feathers of different shapes, tiny and soft or large and pointy, and different shades from white to black. The words Dream Big were tucked beneath the feathers as twisting, green vines.
"One wing?" Cloud said, looking lost.
"Icarus," the satyr said. "He was a man, a boy really, who flew too close to the sun and fell to his death when the wax that held his wings together melted. His father had built the wings for them to escape a prison."
"Why would it say that then?" Leon pointed at the words, white feathers stirring a lost memory, but he wouldn't reach for it.
"Might be," Cloud said. "It's still worth it, even if it's sad."
"You can't really believe that," Leon said. "What happened to his dad?"
"He watched his son fall into the sea to never come up. He could do nothing as it was his Fate. He lived on," the satyr said.
"Do you still think it's worth it?" Leon said.
"Bad things happen." Cloud stared at Leon. "That don't mean you stop trying."
The lighting above the mural dimmed, highlighting a sky blue dome over a second bed where glass bulbs hung by gold wires from the ceiling. Model ships sitting on nightstands bore primitive sails and rows of oars jutting out from their sides. Your Odyssey is the Reward glimmered around the edge of the dome. The smell of salt and seaweed replaced any other smell, but the underlying smell of fish was missing for it to resemble the real sea.
"What insult is this?" the satyr said, stepping closer to the door. "Must that snake follow me into this world? Is he here? Is he after my bow again? Heracles entrusted me with it. I watched him, you know, I watched my philētor…"
"Who's the snake?" Leon said.
"Odysseus. A wretched man."
"Yeus-es," Cloud said, without blinking.
"No," the satyr said slowly, looking at Cloud like he had more to say. Instead, he shook his head. "Odysseus. He led us, all of us, to a glorious victory. So from the sky, from Olympus above, he appears to be a magnificent lion, deserving to be arm in arm with Heracles, his cunning praised like a thick mane on his shoulders. But I know, he knows, what he is."
He turned on his hoof and left, sinking into the black rectangle left by the open door into the hall. The clicks of his hooves against stone echoed outside in small gallops.
Leon stuck his head out of the room, expecting to see the torch down the hall and having to yell or do something to get the satyr to come back and not leave them stranded in the dark, but he was across the hallway, lifting the torch near the stonewall and reading glowing words. "Follow your heart for the true meaning of light. Go the distance." -Hercules
The satyr put the torch into a metal sconce near the words like he had done it many times before.
"Is there another place to sleep?" Leon stepped out of the light of the room.
"The door with no name is locked," the satyr said. "That one could lead to the barracks, or perhaps that's lost. I've tried removing items from the barracks before all this, and they always return. I don't know what the Fates are trying to teach me here. You feel it, too, don't you? This itching madness."
"We need to sleep," Leon said. "The room is better than this hallway."
From the darkness looking into the rectangle hole full of color and light, the air waved like liquid, like heat coming off of the road in the horizon. And Leon realized he couldn't make out the furniture inside, behind the blur. He gripped his weapon and rushed over.
"Are you alright?" Leon asked Cloud, who looked dazed in the middle of the room. He didn't look hurt.
"I'm fine," Cloud said, eyes glowing brighter than before.
"Did anything happen?"
"Don't know."
Leathery pine musk overwhelmed the senses like an eye-watering aftershave so much that it took a moment for Leon to notice that the room had rearranged. Instead of a dome, unsmudged fingerpainted words were framed behind glass: Live, Laugh, and Love. Leon immediately understood the satyr's ire.
The satyr clip clopped into the room. "It's different now. How? Look, how incredible. That must be Achilles's shield."
Over a brick fireplace that wasn't there before and couldn't be real, a circular shield hung above a simple log mantel. Carved images in different metals including gold, copper, and silver depicted all the layers of a known world: from the planetary system of an entire cosmos down to simplicity of farmers, animals in nature and an entire town cheering and dancing in the backdrop of war. The divine comprehension of an oddly comforting balance had been etched just to bear witness to any observer unfortunate enough to catch a glimpse.
"Achilles?" Leon said. "They call part of your heel that in my world."
"Ha, he's immortalized for his weakness. Of course, that is his Fate. His mother dipped all but his heel into the River Styx when he was born, rendering him nearly immortal. He led armies to victory, but it was an arrow to that heel which killed him. To anyone else he isn't much better than Odysseus, perhaps. Are we all like that? One awful lesson in hubris."
"Hubris?" Leon said. "His mother cared that much, but he went to war and... It's pointless."
"What about that?" Cloud nodded at a painting on the wall. A man in sparse armour knelt down next to a pale naked man laying on the ground, arms spread out but eyes closed.
"Achilles mourning the death of Patroclus?" The satyr read the title on the bottom of the painting. "Are those even men? We are not so beautiful. Where are their scars? Where is his blood? It's not real. Have we been reduced to this?"
"His friend," Cloud said, not looking away from the painting. He uncrossed his arms. "He's… he…"
"They are brothers in arms, not mere friends. Do you not understand, even from the picture can you not see it? A man whose death would move you to drag a prince down, adding to the treachery of war."
"Yeah, I…" Cloud still wouldn't look away from the painting. "Yeah, we got that."
"And you?" the satyr said.
"No," Leon said. "Let's sleep."
The satyr bounced onto the bed under the painting of the two men causing Cloud to look away from it. He inched closer to the other bed. Leon sighed and sat on the bed that the satyr had chosen, sliding his Gunblade under it. He untied his boots before taking them off.
"You may join us, if you would like. There's ample space," the satyr said, and that caused both men to freeze.
"Need more space." Cloud placed his sword against a wall near the wing. "I'll sleep over here."
"I've had my fair share of space," the satyr said. "Far too much, I'm afraid. I sleep better when I'm not alone."
While Leon understood the sentiment, he didn't understand why that meant the satyr wanted all of them to sleep in the same bed. He wasn't interested in knowing either. He looked around for a lightswitch but as soon as Cloud closed the door, all the lights, except for the one stuck on the side Cloud's bed, dimmed until they were out.
Gasping, the satyr sat up. "No torches? What sorcery or curse is this?"
"There's no curse." Leon said. Cloud climbed into the other bed, boots, cape and all, and turned away from them. "It's electricity. It's normal. Lights turn on and off in our world."
"They do? And here I thought eternal flames were incredible."
"What's your name again? Phil-what?"
"Is that why that plaque says Phil? You can call me that if that's what you prefer." Phil moved enough so that the springs of the mattress squeaked. "I competed for Helen of Sparta's hand in marriage once."
Leon lay on his side to face away from the satyr, wondering if he should have asked about his name. He hadn't intended to keep a conversation going. "Is there a reason you're telling me?"
"Just conversing. I should have known better than to put my lot in with the most beautiful woman in the world. But the Fates had a hand in that as well. I never married. I didn't have a chance to. And you?"
"I'm too young."
"Is your fame not enough for you to settle down and produce an heir?
"I don't need an heir," Leon said. "I don't want to be more famous."
"You don't? Is that where I went wrong? We were bound by an oath to uphold civility and yet, in the end, we caused the fall of Troy. The gods' mark is all over that war, and defying the Fates only causes suffering. What must have been done shouldn't and what should have been wasn't." The satyr turned in the bed again. "What good is a hero's honor when abandoned on an island for endless years?"
"You were left on an island? Alone?"
"Yes," Phil said.
Leon didn't want the conversation to end there, not when they were about to sleep. "I had a girlfriend… once."
"A friend?" Phil said, amused. "Was she Amazonian?"
"I don't know what that is. We weren't friends. We were together."
"You had a lover? What was her status?"
"I wouldn't call her that. But technically I guess she was." Leon thought for the right words, trying to remember more about her. "She's the daughter of a general and a sorceress."
"A general? She's alive? She's not married, is she?"
"No, she's not."
"Your looks are quite deceiving. You took a sorceress as a lover, a daughter of a general, no less, left her alone, and you lived to tell the tale."
"Look, our worlds are different."
"Indeed they are. The Fates would not be so kind to you in mine. Are you not of royal blood?"
"Fate? I'm not a prince or anything. My girlfriend moved on. I… I'm trapped here, and she's not. It's been years."
"Ah, I misunderstood. She is worthy of being a wife, but you two are apart? She could be like Penelope, fending off suitors and waiting patiently for your return. It must have felt amazing to return to open arms after years of being away. What I would give for just the hope for such a thing. You are a lucky man."
"I wouldn't want her waiting for me."
"But isn't it lonely? They don't tell you that it's lonely without a family."
"Whatever," Leon said.
"What does that mean?"
"It means," Leon said. "I'm done talking about that."
"Fair enough. What of the man who wants to compete in the games. What is his story?"
"I have no idea. Ask him."
"Is he indebted to the God of the Dead? Bad things happen to those who speak of him the way that he did."
"I think… I need sleep."
"Sweet dreams then," Phil said, softer. "This is nice, isn't it? Having someone to talk to?"
"Night."
The nightlight glowed brighter than lights from streetlights filtering through windows of the other world. It wasn't just the light, but the newness, the smell, the odd animal sleeping next to him, Leon knew he wouldn't sleep.
The sound started soft, without any attempt to stifle it. Leon had let go of these emotional attachments from when he was so much younger, but the cries of a lonely man in the middle of the night weren't so different from a child's. No, it was gruffer, raw, uncontainable emotions, an outpour as opposed to an explosion. Phil shook the mattress. His cries didn't get louder.
The haggard breaths evened then slowed. Phil fell asleep. Eventually, they all do.
Would Leon ever see the puppies again? Yuffie, was she playing with them? He could count on her. Did she care that he wasn't there? His eyes sagged. Soon they would stop feeling so heavy, and he'd wish for the feeling back. What was Cid up to? Even Aerith? At least they were familiar. Would he ever see them again? Who were these gods, with powers like sorceresses? What were they going to do to him? To Cloud? Why was he here? Leon curled into a ball. Why did he feel like this only in the dark?
A/N: 'Good to see you, Cloud.' And 'You will rot.' are taken directly from FFVII sources.
I've been taking dialogue from KH1 throughout the story, but a lot of it I had to edit or cut because it was too clunky for my purposes. I.e. I didn't take anything in particular that sounded nice to my ears, but took things to poke at it. These two Sephiroth quotes sound nice enough and I don't want to take credit for them. Things like "They come at you from nowhere." was Leon's first line in the game. I've been doing that here and there, particularly in scenes with the entire group and Sora without Cloud there.
'The journey is the reward' is a quote from Steve Jobs.