finis

a whole is that which has beginning, middle, and end
-- aristotle

He was beautiful.

Golden hair, more pristine than the softest slivers of light that shone down from beyond the sun; flawless skin so white and pure; and eyes deeper than any ocean, clearer than any sky. Fingers so small and tender that wrapped delicately around his calloused hands with such gentleness; face so petite and endearing; cheeks rosy and poignant; expression kind and full of love and adoration; smooth breaths a soothing, caressing gust; and voice so soft... so strikingly soft.

Beautiful.

A stark contrast to the burning darkness of the Underworld, scorching flames searing up through the dried cracks of the dead and hardened soil, blue fumes reeking through the air with putrid stenches, adorning the yellowed bones of dead carcasses that littered the ground. The rancid air was boiling from the sheer steam and heat that made up these darkened pits, black dried blood covering the mass of the ground and rocks, causing them to decay.

His hardened eyes quietly studied the child who had fallen from the sky, letting those plump arms wrap around his hand and hold it close to that soft, warm body, resting that round face against his coarse knuckles as those cherubically blue eyes closed drowsily, allowing long, golden lashes to flutter.

His other hand rested against the hilt of his blade, gripping it furtively as he raised himself, got to his feet, cradling the baby in one hand. He was unsure of what to do since this was all rather new to him, but one thing was certain – Auron had no interest in keeping… it.

Of course, Auron found it quite novel that such an angelic little thing managed to drop off the edge of the Otherworld and survive the fall into Hell, and he fully applauded the baby's hardiness in remaining alive in such a toxically decrepit place. However, all novelty aside, this was no place for a child – much less a baby – and Auron was not going to go to any lengths to ensure that it remained alive. If it lived, it lived. If it died, he didn't particularly care. But, he supposed that he'd give the baby a chance and decided to at least allow the kid to be someone else's burden. Yet…

What were the odds of a little angel falling into Hell?

He supposed he wasn't one to make qualms since an angel had fallen into Hell; right into his lap, the angel had. But it was still quite oxymoronic, to a point. And perhaps also a little romantic. Maybe if Auron had been in the Underworld for a shorter period of time, or maybe if the baby had dropped into his lap a little sooner, he would have been a bit more willing, a little more sympathetic. But too much time had passed and Auron, having been impounded in the deepest pit of Hell for a sin he had all but completely forgotten already, was just like all the other demons. Emotionless. Hollow. Empty of anything. Independent of hopes or dreams. A dead thing.

Resolutely, the warrior gathered himself, tightening his grip securely on the child and walked in long strides past the ghastly demons that resided the dark realm, unknowingly huddling the baby away from them in the loose folds of his robe due to a swelling surge of distrust that had welled up in his chest. The demons approached him cautiously, a few sniffing curiously at him before he glared them away, forcing them to back down. They eyed him suspiciously from a distance, and Auron frowned, feeling a little squirming and fidgeting from the baby. He tentatively held the angel out slightly, hard gaze unwillingly softening almost immediately as they lingered on the cherubic child who had taken to sucking on its thumb. He absentmindedly cradled the child to rest, rough fingers gently caressing the top of the infant's head as the baby fell to sleep against his warm body.

He stared at that serene face, a face that knew no troubles, knew nothing about the Inferno it now subsisted in. With those chubby cheeks and that soft body, Auron knew that one wrong move, one fall or trip or toss or snap, one absolutely critical and wrong move could end the life of this baby. It seemed fitting, he thought, if the baby could die in this infernal pit sinless and pure, without having to learn about this Hell – this Hell of the Hereafter… or even the Hell of the Otherworld. The Otherworld was just as hellish as this chthonic Underworld, but even so Auron remembered about there being a few sweet pleasures up Above, even with all the misery that existed among those living up there.

Maybe it would be merciful to forego survival and just kill the baby then and there.

And then a part of him piqued with curiosity – would it be possible for such a delicate thing to ever survive in the Underworld?

Survive…?

Laughable. Auron snorted, scoffing at the thought. He could barely believe that he even considered a chance of survival for the baby. In his opinion, the baby had less than a negative percentage to survive. The souls and spirits – metaphysical manifestations of once-living beings that resided in this place, that could die no more than it had already – barely outlasted in the Underworld. In fact, he was surprised that the kid was still even breathing, and was, admittedly, counting down the minutes until the baby… no longer did, to put it politely.

Still… for a mere baby, a non-resident, non-dead being to still be alive after so long…

Without knowing, Auron had been staring gently at the sleeping child, his other hand caressing that smooth face with a softness he had long forgotten. It was strange, he thought, and suddenly Auron recalled a time millenniums in the past when he had been alive and had committed no crime. In the haze of his memories, he could vaguely recall holding something just as small with just the same softness, looking down in the same way… with the exact same… smile?

Auron was startled from his thoughts, his free hand already tracing out the unremembered lines in the corners of his lips. His eyes darted down once again, feeling an unrecognizable surge of solicitousness as he found himself unable to look away at the baby who was burrowing itself into the open fold of his robe, grasping onto a leather strap that had been buckled around his waist for security.

… novel. Yes, this was… very, very novel.

Auron paused a moment in his thoughts, realizing that this child had unexpectedly elicited that humane part of him from long ago… and he had to admit that he was impressed. Maybe he had even started to develop a soft spot for the kid.

Maybe he wouldn't leave him to die at someone else's hands.

Reluctantly, Auron tore his gaze away from the sweet child, looking up warily down the path to find the grandeur of darkness looming across the lands in the distance. Auron was extremely able, one of the two or three human spirits that had actually managed to survive the ravages of the afterlife. How many souls would be willing to shoulder the burden of another being, a fragile and living one at that?

Auron found himself making a bet to no one in particular – maybe to the baby, maybe to himself – and he was figuring out what the odds were of him succeeding in raising a living human baby in the Underworld… what the odds were of the baby growing up, maybe… maybe even making it out of this place.

Then again, this was still, after all, merely a child.

A child, fallen to a place where even the warmth of the sun cannot be felt, no longer able to reach out to the land that lay beyond the skies; left to live a struggling existence motionlessly.

"Like a Cloud," Auron found himself whispering, to which the baby gurgled happily. A smirk ghosted across his face.

Like a Cloud.

A/N: Omg, I LIVE? An old WIP I decided to rework and randomly post. It's very short, so it's not going to be a huge pain in the ass like Rain Falls Softly had been. This is just me wanting to break away and write something thoughtful and mature. Hope you like. Yet another take on fanon from my many points of view. This is a very brief three-shot about how Auron, Cloud and Leon each rediscover their humanity through their unlikely, if not shaky, relationships with one and the other. It will become an eventual ambiguous Leon x Cloud thing.

Don't forget to park your mouse on the little purple button called 'REVIEW OMG'. 8Db