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August 6th, 2003Preshow: "Trial By Sword" Auron sat in the Hero's Haunt, alone as usual. He never ordered a drink, he only drank from the jug he carried on his side. Although, only god knows how he managed to keep it filled for the 67 days he had been at the tournament. He tipped up the jug and took a large swig, his faced cringed as the liquid burned a trail down his throat. His thoughts strayed once more to his match with Cloud. Cloud had not showed much development during the month since his last match. Since completely defeating CATS by as much as anyone, well almost anyone, had defeated their opponent, Cloud had only gained more confident in his own abilities. It seemed Cloud only went to the training center now-a-days to flout his own substantial power. Auron knew if that, regardless of the outcome of his match with Cloud, the spiky haired warrior could not progress far in the contest with his current attitude. Auron knew he would have to put on quite a show to match Fox's excellent performance against Link. A good challenge would get Cloud to start practicing more than he had been lately. He had heard Cloud scoff at the rest of his division in the Hero's Haunt one day. Squall and Cloud had been having lunch there, apparently they hadn't seen Auron in his usual chair. But then again, few usually did. "I tell you Squall, I really had to fight some tough guys last year, but this year I have complete nobodies to fight, and then BAM!!!! Link. I wish I could, work my way up to Link on people other than that joker Sonic." Squall had responded in a way more wise than the old guardian had assumed, "Listen, Cloud, after having won two matches that pretty much everyone thought I would lose, I can tell you one thing. Nothing's a lock, and no one's a nobody." Auron thought to himself about the young blonde warrior, who reminded him more and more every day of his own protege Tidus. He looked at the clock, it was time. Time for Cloud's trial to begin. ---- Meanwhile..... Cloud was not as sure of himself as he had let on to everyone. He was nervous about his match. He never did enjoy fighting. Fighting led to death and destruction, or at the very least pain, he didn't want any of those things to happen. Fighting villains had made it easy on him though, causing pain and agony to prevent it. It gave him a purpose, which was all that the young warrior had ever wanted, in any of the dimensions he had existed in. Auron was no villain though. In fact, Auron was just as great a hero as he had been, maybe greater. While Cloud had drug his feet all the way through to his climactic battle with Sephiroth, Auron had assembled and led a team that defeated the ultimate evil in his own dimension. Cloud had no interest in fighting someone like Auron. It was like Aeris's inner struggle when she fought Sora. Sora had no qualms about fighting, but she could not bring herself to go all out against him. It was the same for Cloud, sure he could fight Auron as hard as he could, but he needed to hate his opponent, or at least completely disrespect them, for his abilities to truly shine. However, the young warrior only had respect for the noble swordsmen. Cloud hadn't had much luck fighting people he looked up to, his original encounter with Sephiroth had been pitiful at best, but Cloud was a different warrior now. He had stood against the dark forces again and again, he had become stronger. It was time he showed them, it was time he showed them all what his continuous conflict had taught him. Battle: "Swordplay" Cloud's sword shone brightly as he took center stage in the arena. The enormous blade reflected a patch of light onto the ground, with a few colored portions representing the materia he had contained in the blade. Cloud was no magician, but he was prepared to make of whatever was at his disposal. It had certainly come in handy last match. Cloud glanced around the arena. Most of the crowd was acknowledging his presence with hearty cheers. Sephiroth was looking straight at him with cold eyes. Cloud avoided the villain's gaze. There was no point to giving him any attention, it would only serve to distract him. Auron had yet to appear. Cloud was slightly ahead of schedule, but he didn't mind. He didn't feel the need to make an impressive last minute entrance as some of the other contestants had done. Getting there first gave him a chance to be adjusted to his surroundings, check out the crowd, and allowed him to take enough time to prepare himself mentally and physically. He had not always been who he was now. Cloud's life had been a complicated journey. He was a capable warrior, and regarded as the strongest in his division-but there was a time when he was too weak, both mentally and physically, to protect himself and others. For the longest time, he had put on a show of strength for his friends, and made himself out to be so much more than he was. He kept his distance from everyone, and locked the truth away in his own mind. He had been terrified of his own failings, and invented a false persona for himself that enabled him to have the respect of his allies. But that unconscious duplicity had nearly doomed him at the hands of Sephiroth. He was forced to come to grips with who he was, and who he had been. And he believed that who he was now really was the powerful warrior he tried to project to others. The lie had eventually become the truth. Cloud Strife had defeated Sephiroth, the first class SOLDIER. He had proven himself, and had become much more than he had expected. "That's an interesting position to sleep in." Cloud started. Auron was suddenly standing beside him. Cloud had no idea how long he had been standing there. He could see a hint of a smile through the older man's coat. Auron held his sword with his right arm, resting it behind his back, just like Cloud. His left arm was tucked inside his shirt. "It's never really worked for me. I'd like to hear how you pulled it off. If you're tired though, I suppose anything works. Do you require a rest before we start?" "No. We can begin." Cloud kept his voice calm. He wouldn't allow himself to be easily manipulated. The older man was clearly just trying to get to him. There was no reason for him to pay any attention to anything but his opponent's ability in battle. The two warriors faced off against each other. If one of them had been left handed, they would have been mirror images of each other. Both men wielded enormous blades-Cloud's sword was the wider and heavier of the two, but it was still sharp. Auron's weapon of choice for the day was a deadly katana with a curved tip. The handle was made of interlocking green and red patches. Cloud forced his attention to Auron's face. Auron's eyes peeked over his glasses, and his left eyebrow was partly raised. Auron seemed serious, yet sardonic. Cloud had no worries about Auron making a mockery of him in battle, however. He was younger, faster, and supremely confident in his own skills. Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud could see Donkey Kong punching a giant gong. The dull tone reverberated through the arena. Cloud held his ground, waiting for Auron to leap at him. His opponent was simply standing still, a smile gradually appearing on his face. "Take your best shot. You should never hold back in the face of a weaker opponent." Cloud swung his sword forward with a heavy blow. Despite the weight of the blade, his own strength allowed him to whip it forward almost faster than the eye could see. But certainly not faster than Auron's eyes... the red-cloaked fighter raised his sword perpendicularly to Cloud's and blocked the blow. Cloud tensed his muscles and attempted to force the sword forward, but Auron refused to budge. "Against a stronger opponent however... you would be wise to be cautious." Auron began to force Cloud's sword backwards. Cloud tried to put his whole weight behind the sword, but Auron kept pushing him back. Cloud could feel his own blade press against his chest. He quickly swung his sword to the side, and jumped backwards, but Auron's katana clanged against his armor, and cut him in the wrist. Cloud struggled to right himself, and leaped forwards again. Auron raised his blade to block, but Cloud moved past it, and struck Auron in the back with his sword. Cloud's weapon tore away part of Auron's cloak, only to scrape against his armor. Auron smiled, and turned around. "Very good. Play to your strengths. Use your speed, don't hold back." The two men locked swords again as Cloud whipped his blade to the side. Sparks flew through the air as steel met steel. Attack, and counterattack. Advance and retreat. The two men were locked into a pattern of fighting they both knew all too well. Cloud attempted to swing his blade straight down onto Auron's head, but the warrior simply sidestepped out of the way, and jutted his katana into Cloud's side. The blonde warrior quickly blocked the blow and moved to attack again. Auron had an answer for every attack Cloud made. The older man was surprisingly strong, but Cloud knew he was faster, and believed that he would last longer in an extended match. Auron showed no sign of tiring however, and suddenly came at Cloud with a flurry of short strokes. The attack felt like it came out of nowhere. Cloud tried to block the jabs, but in trying to stop them all, left himself open. Auron slashed him across the legs, and Cloud felt the blood trickle down. There was probably nothing Auron would be willing to do to him that the healers couldn't fix, but he didn't plan to give the man another opportunity to do damage. "You react too much to my attacks. Don't keep waiting for me to do something, seize the initiative. Make the battle what you want it to be. Force me to respond to you." Was this guy trying to fight or give a lecture? Cloud dashed to one side and tried attacking Auron from as many different directions as he could. The older swordsman was turning his head quickly, obviously making an effort to keep up with Cloud's rapid movements, but he still managed to block most of Cloud's attacks. Cloud skidded to a halt and looked at Auron. The man was bleeding in a couple spots, obviously injured, but he stood still, like a rock. He extended his katana again, and pointed it at Cloud. Cloud returned the favor, looking his foe straight in the eyes. His gaze wandered up Auron's head... Auron's hair betrayed his age. It was graying, and slightly frizzled- a contrast to Cloud's ever present spike. Auron spoke softly. "So, why do you fight?" "To win." Cloud swung his sword sideways, but was forced back by an oncoming attack by Auron. Cloud ducked to hear the silver katana just miss his head. Well, actually the attack hadn't entirely missed-Cloud was now missing a good cross section of his oversized hair. The healers had better be able to fix that... Auron chuckled. "But why win? What glory can be achieved here that you do not already possess?" Cloud swung his sword in a full circle, attempting to force Auron back. He heard a satisfying tearing of fabric and brought his blade downwards. His weapon sliced down to meet the bone in Auron's knee. Cloud pulled back his sword. Auron was still standing. Cloud smiled. He's just trying to distract me by talking... two can play at that game. "So why do you fight, if you don't care about winning? Both of your friends are already gone." Auron adjusted his glasses. "True. But I always have been one to linger on past my time." Auron swung at him, but Cloud nimbly moved out of the way. To Cloud's surprise, Auron continued his downward stroke. The blade pierced the ground, and fire began to burst upwards from the crack. Cloud had to keep himself from screaming as the flames washed over him... but they disappeared as quickly as they had come. Fighting back the pain, Cloud swung a fierce blow at Auron's head. He had hardly even expected it to succeed... sure enough, Auron had already anticipated his attack and was moving to block it. Cloud strained to force the elder swordsman backwards, but Auron refused to budge an inch. "Your attacks are too predictable, you always go straight for the kill." Cloud attempted to vary his technique by cutting Auron in the leg again, but found his blade kicked away as he leaned downward to strike. "Even more predictable. Who told you it was a good idea to take advice from your opponent, anyway?" Auron was laughing at him. Cloud felt the katana at his throat. "You aren't even worth my time. If you aren't prepared to try your hardest, you can't expect to battle your enemies here." Cloud felt his rage build up in him. He'd been fighting Auron more than evenly, what gave him the right to talk like that? Cloud rolled to one side as Auron swung his sword downwards. In one smooth motion he picked up his sword and leapt into the air. "OMNISLASH!" Everything seemed to slow down for him... or maybe he was just moving at really high speeds. Cloud slashed through Auron's defenses in the blink of an eye, jumping around his opponent and attacking him from every conceivable direction. His blade whizzed through the air at rapid speeds, surrounding Auron with destructive force. When Cloud had finally completed his ultimate technique, Auron was bent down on one knee, badly injured. Blood was coursing through Cloud's veins. He was about to strike again, when Auron raised up a single hand. "Enough. You have proven enough. If you can keep your concentration, you have what it takes to win." Auron began leaving the arena before Cloud could respond. The man was obviously doing all he could not to hobble his way out. But Auron maintained his dignity to the last step, disappearing to the outside. Cloud shrugged his shoulders, once again surprised by the old man's actions. It had been another unusual match. Aftermath: "The Verdict" As Auron slowly made his way from the arena, his strength eventually failed him. With a grimace, he finally resorted to hobbling about five yards away from the portals home. He stopped again as he reached them, but for an entirely different reason. Most competitors that were still standing took a trip to the medical ward after their matches...but Auron saw little point to this. With the place he'd be returning to, his injuries would be less than insignificant. The thought of going back to this existance after so long made even Auron pause for a moment in thought. Five seconds later, he nodded and stepped forward. "Wait," called a voice behind him. He turned to find none other than Cloud, hurrying to catch up to him as Aeris and Squall trailed behind. "I suppose I should have been expecting you," he said with a smirk. "You threw that fight, old man," Cloud said. Strangely, there wasn't a hint of anger in his voice. "...why?" Auron shook his head. "There was no reason to continue. The outcome was decided." "The outcome of what? We were barely fighting the whole time," Cloud replied. "I could have torn that stadium apart out there...and you could have too." "Is fighting really all that matters to you?" Auron asked, an eyebrow raised. Naturally, this stopped Cloud short. "The battle should not draw all of your attention, Cloud," Auron went on. "There are forces at work here that you do not understand. Before you see the end of your days here, those forces will gather. When they do...you may have much more to deal with than a tough semifinal round." "'Forces'? What sort of forces? ...who?" Auron simply raised his eyebrow. "...no." "This is not my story, Cloud...but it may well become yours," said Auron, as he put one foot through the portal. "...I hope you're prepared to turn the page." Cloud could only stand and watch as Auron stepped the rest of the way through. ---- "...he can't be." Cloud had said that perhaps a hundred times since he had left Auron at the portals. It had sort of tempered the mood of his celebratory dinner at the Haunt...not that he and Squall had felt like celebrating in the first place. "I really wouldn't worry, Cloud," Aeris said, putting a hand on his back with a faint smile. "This is just a tournament...and I'm sure the coordinators aren't taking these battles lightly. How much could go wrong?" Cloud could tell from her smile alone that she wasn't convinced either. "Heeeey, Clod!!" The three looked up to see Sonic the Hedgehog, waving at them from the door. Cloud scowled. Squall grimaced. Aeris smiled rather weakly. "Hello, Sonic," she called back, a bit reluctantly. "What are you doing here...?" "Looking for Knux. Said he wanted to talk to me about something. Probably just wants to tell me to 'Get Serious!' again," he grumbled, sticking his tongue out in annoyance. Then, before the friends could blink, he had zipped right up to their table. "So Clod here looks pretty mopey," he said, looking at the slightly-less-spikey-haired warrior as all three jumped. "'Specially for a guy that just won a tough match. What's up?" "It...doesn't concern you," Squall said, his eyes a bit narrower than usual. "Ah, come on--you guys have gotta loosen up!" Sonic said with a laugh. "Not worried about having to fight me off, are you? That's still a couple weeks away, you know." "...there are powers out there a lot stronger than you, hedgehog," Cloud said, angry at much more than Sonic. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. 'Powers?' ...wha, what're you talking about?" Sonic mumbled, giving a kind of nervous chuckle. They don't know about the Emeralds, do they...? Cloud just looked at him for a second. "...never mind," he muttered, looking down with a scowl. "You'll know about him soon enough...." Sonic laughed again, a lot more confidently than before. Whew...Rad Red would've chewed my ear off for days! "Yeah, well--whoever 'he' is, I wouldn't worry about him much," he said, waving off the threat. "This place is crawling with goody-two-shoes. If someone steps outta line, we'll show 'em what we can do!" He gave them a grin, then abruptly sped off, already bored with the conversation. Cloud chuckled darkly. "'We', Sonic? Heh...you really don't have a clue...." Squall folded his arms. "Hmph...does he ever?" Next Entry Back |