FicWad

Part Three



Black gloves touched the scorch marks on the wall. The inside of the tavern looked like a tornado had hit it, but a tornado made of fire not wind. Tables, chairs, bottles, everything was broken and littered across the wooden floor. It looked like their new Heartless was either extremely pissed off by something or just liked mass destruction in general, in addition to killing people that is. The weird thing was that the survivors of the attack said he wasn't a Heartless, but a man in a hood and a long black coat. Yet, the Heartless trailed after him and attacked those he didn't kill.


Leon cursed silently. It looked like Cloud was right. Whoever or whatever this thing was, it wasn't simply out for souls. The only person whom Leon knew could walk around unharmed by Heartless was Cloud and the bargain Cloud had struck to achieve it wasn't an appealing one. If another person had struck the same deal with Hades, they'd have to be pretty desperate.


Desperate people were dangerous. Particularly the kind who associated with the God of The Underworld.


"Leon," Cloud's called. He stood behind the bar's wooden counter.


He walked over to Cloud and looked at where the man was pointing.


"Do you see? These marks were made by a sword." Cloud's human hand moved over the slash-like mark that ran diagonally down a wall.


Blue-grey eyes looked up and down the wall. They widened in shock.


A swirl of red fabric and Cloud was standing beside him. "Leon?" His tone betraying his concern.


Leon took a deep breath. "Look at the marks, look how they form a symbol."


Cloud's eyes narrowed and he stared at the wall and the slash marks. Together, all the marks formed a crude symbol.


"It's a.. cross?"


"Yeah, a cross." Leon swallowed. He brushed back his hair with one hand, trying to contain his anxiety.


"Why would you..?"


Leon sensed the man was trying not to say something sentimental. He pivoted on one foot and walked out of the deserted tavern. Hyne, but it'd been years since he'd seen that symbol. Happier years. He gazed at the sky. Night had just fallen and a small silver crescent rose to grace the cloudy sky. He heard footsteps nearing him.


"There was someone I knew who had a cross as their symbol." Leon didn't look at Cloud as he said it.


"Someone special?" Cloud's voice was a mere whisper. It was a difficult subject for them both.


"Yes," Leon said simply. "But that person's dead."


Cloud stepped around to look him in the eye. "You think these attacks are directed at you?"


No, the thought hadn't occurred to him yet.. but Cloud was right. Someone knew his past and was using it against him or at least to goad him.


"When I find out who it is, I'm going to kill him," Leon vowed, relishing the hot anger that flowed through his veins. It had been a long time since he'd felt anything.


"That's good to hear... /Squall/." The words came from the shadows, heavy with contempt.


Leon whirled around, drawing his gunblade. Startled to hear a name only a handful of people knew and no one used, and that voice!


The figure stepped out of the shadows.


From the corner of his eye, Leon could see Cloud unwrapping his broadsword.


A cold wind blew. The white gauze drifted from Cloud's sword and swept along the ground towards the figure in the black coat.


Thunder rumbled far above.


It's going to rain, a part of Leon's mind told him.


A black gloved hand rose and pushed back an equally black hood.


Yellow eyes shone in that too familiar face.


"Hello, Squall."




~ To Be Continued ~