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"Really? Of all the things to say, you comment on my dancing?" He chuckled, his voice no longer holding that quiet characteristic, it wasn't a deep voice but it was certainly a young man's voice. His eyes narrowed as he walked beside her. The awkwardness was thick in the air and he knew that it had to be broken. Not only to make a sense of peace between the two but as to affirm that any peculiar emotion wouldn't betray them in the midst of the flurry of combat that was to come. It had to come to an end for that reason. It was easy to see that either Nona held no desire to really talk about it or had no clue as to diffuse the situation for the better of the two. My feelings are irrelevant if they cause something to happen to her during this....'mission.' He held no desire to call this a suicide run. For when that was admitted, there was the admission that there would be no coming back, and Riyel Vicaria would be damned if he didn't come back after the cluster of events that had happened the day prior. He would be DAMNED.

So in that moment, he stepped in front of her in an effort to halt her. "I'm tired of this. Out with whatever you desire to say, I can bear it. We both don't need...whatever this is...to delay and distract us while we are on this mission. Don't dodge the question, either. I am not in a gaming mood." His blue eyes seemed to glow, the normal sky blue eye and the bluish green right eye glared at her, almost with a piercing type of look upon them. It was obvious that he was of the utmost serious now. For better or for worse... He thought, his eyes still keeping their piercing appearance. "All I know is, you helped me in many ways last night. You got me out of my shitty second job when I didn't have the balls to even talk to the man. We danced the night away, I myself having the most fun I've ever experienced in quite some time, and don't deny you were having an enjoyable time as well...then I decked Violin Man." His muscles were tense as his gaze never wavered from her own eyes. "Say whatever you want. I'm an a**. I'm a p***k. But don't leave this to silence. We don't need this before we go." His hands were clenched in fists at the frustration he was feeling. The odd frustration had just...erupted. Perhaps it wasn't frustration be he lacked a better word for it. If she wouldn't say something...he would.

Riyel didn't say anything as he listened to Nona. Her words made no large impact onto his thoughts. It was already what he had thought. So as she brushed past him, his eyes didn't follow her nor did he look to watch her walk on. His eyes closed, feeling the air about him as Nona walked away. The clicking and clacking of her feet on the floor were the clear definitions of it, yet in a moment, it was silent once more. And then he laughed. His laughter rang throughout the halls of the Garden, its infectious echo carrying almost onward and onward, seemingly never ending. He felt so much better. Riyel had never felt better. It was an odd feeling really. More or less, he simply felt relieved that he had guessed what she thought...correctly. His laughter died down though, himself moving to lean back against the wall, slinking down until he was in a sitting position. That's better. His cracked his knuckles as he sat there, getting ready to get back up. The SeeD had just needed to sit there for a moment. Yet then he felt the draw in the back of his mind...something that hadn't happened in a long time.

"Come to me boy." said the booming voice of Ifrit. Letting loose a breath at the sound of the voice, Riyel opened his eyes as the heat of the area about him fully struck. The ash that floated in the air as well as the burning smell of brimstone hit his lungs hard, his head shaking to rid the tears caused by the black ash. Hell. That was the only name that this place could bear. Fire and magma circumvented the vast chamber, the air itself seemingly red. Only the sounds of eruptions and steam clashed within his eardrums, giving him a painstaking look on his face. Obviously it was a place that no individual would like to be in...yet Ifrit called him. Ifrit never called him. Something was going on, certainly. Yet Ifrit would not be messing with a weak Riyel this time because apparently the boy was on dealing with personal issues. Why stop now? The only debilitating thing that was going on was the ash and brimstone but that was nothing to be too concerned of. Riyel HAD been in here, once before. THAT had been purely accident, a couple of days after Ifrit had been claimed by Riyel, and the impression of the area had given the lad a valid reason to not desire a return trip to this nether realm of fire.

Fear wasn't with him this time. Stepping onward, his eyes narrowed while looking through the black ash and smoke of the area. The air itself seemed to shimmer with the heat, which in itself was voracious enough. Why did he continue to go on? Because he was asked to. Ifrit had never asked Riyel to do anything for, giving him that said option that came with the open question. Usually, it had been a command, a forceful one at that. His blonde hair swayed at a spray of smoke near him, stepping over a large collections of rock. He was already close, he knew. The path he had been walking was quite narrow. Now however, it stretched into a wider platform. Much larger. In essence, it could have encompassed and held a large house, though he didn't know any individuals that would desire to live in such a hostile environment. In a moment of course, his predictions became true. Before him was the large platform like area, where on the far end, surrounded by a moat of molten rock and flames was a large stone throne. On it lay embedded jewels of many kind, even the rock of the throne itself looked quite majestic.

But something was wrong.

Ifrit was not where he should be, sitting on his high seat in the middle of hell, a fitting place for him. The throne itself was bare, leaving Riyel to truly wonder where he was at. Taking a couple ginger steps, he came a couple of feet to the brink of the moat that lay before the throne. Riyel tired of this game though. "Where are you." he called out, not angrily but obviously not happily. Noone in their right mind would be happy in this sort of environment...except Lloyd. The other blonde's name simply caused to give him a headache, not for the obvious reasons either, startling as it was. Looking around, he only heard a roar above him, looking up as the massive demon of fire fell from the ceiling, landing twenty feet before the small blonde. The impact it had made on the platform was rather significant but the platform itself seemed to be much thicker than it led on. Riyel did not back away though. His feet moved forward until he was only a couple of feet from the giant beast, his blues eyes gazing into the fiery and chaotic pupils of the only other individual there.

"Become a man overnight, boy?" Ifrit snarled, his eyes never wavering from Riyel's. Said blonde did not waver though, continuing to look at the demon. The demon moved towards Riyel, only slightly, until they were almost face to face. The heat from Ifrit continued to pour on the young man, who made no sign of weakness though it was God awful. Noone liked staying in the heat for too long but this was getting a tad bit ridiculous. Yet still Riyel, sweat covering his brow, looked up at the beast. "What do you want." Straight and to the point. The heat was already getting to him and he did not know how much longer he could take being in this environment. No relief would come to him though. Ifrit had summoned him here, thus could only Ifrit allow him to depart. The demon sat on its haunches, its massive claws by both of Riyel's sides as it let loose a great peal of laughter, deep and shaking, causing the the ground beneath them to tremble. "Where is the fear, Riyel?" The being mocked, "The fear that characterized you so well? That which made death your greatest enemy?"

Riyel continued to look at the beast, still standing however. Where had it gone? Riyel looked down at his feet as he thought. It seemed to be a long while but it was only a matter of a couple of minutes. "It's still there." he finally answered. Three words was all that he could come up with. Honestly, there really wasn't a way to NOT be afraid, unless you had absolute control of the situation. Yet even then, things could go wrong as fate dictated. Yes, the fear was still within him. "It's still there but...hidden...or controlled...controlled, that's it." That was better. Riyel bent down, his knees bent as he looked at the ground then back up to the fire demon. "I got the better of it...last night. From hitting Violin Man...to facing the Headmaster and Sou-Ho...to dancing with Nona. I did so much last night that...fear seemed kind of foolish to let dictate my actions. It had almost gotten me killed, didn't it?" The sick irony that the fear of death could do to you...kill you. But it was still there...deep within. "I can't control my fear, for fear is what gives you that bit of a rush to fight more...that desperate cling to survive through whatever is causing that fear. It could rise up again at any day...but today it is certain."

Ifrit only looked down upon the boy, its eyes narrowed as if in its own train of thought. Its breath contained small ruptures of flame, almost as if it were smoking in a sense. The monster only shook its head. "So you have finally realized it?" it whispered, its voice and words seemingly getting into the depths of Riyel's skin, "It finally sunk into that thick damn skull of yours?" The being laughed once more, this time whole heartedly. The words that Ifrit spoke weren't aggressive that time, almost fatherly and caring. "I would say I'm proud but its taken you too long for my to say I'm quite proud....rather, I'm satisfied." The beast stood up, leaping with a massive grunt and landing on its throne, turning and sitting. His eyes didn't leave Riyel as the young man stood up as well, looking at Ifrit with curious eyes.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore." Riyel whispered, clenching his fists. Ifrit only smiled, a horrid sight. Its teeth were pure white but the expression itself was something that would horrify a young child. "You learned." The monster let loose another laugh. Then it hit Riyel. All the crap that he had gone through, Ifrit's tirades and insults...were a lesson?! A lesson on fear for him? What kind of sick thing was that? Riyel was surprised he did not develop personality and emotional issues, all the insults Ifrit had thrown his way. "Are you KIDDING me?" Riyel spat, looking at the demon, "All that s**t you put me through...was a lesson?!" He gripped a rock on the ground and threw it at Ifrit, who only roared, engulfing the object with a blanket of fire. "Yes, you damned fool! But don't you forget who is the master of this realm! Choose your stupid actions wisely!" Ifrit's eyes were dark at that, looking at Riyel with a ferocity he had never seen before. "Yes it was lesson. And now look at you, all the better that you finally completed it! We are beings of fire! We burn greatly, encompassing all that tries to hold us. We are not like WATER, which douses the brightest of flames." Ifrit's voice snarled at the term water, referring to the particular thing that had been bugging Riyel this morning, who in turn frowned at the remark, "Fear is not our lifestyle! Now look at you! You stand before me, a better man! Don't you complain over what has transpired over these several years."

Riyel couldn't say a word. He would have if he could have...but there was nothing to say. Ifrit spoke the truth..."But it's not over yet. That dark voice broke his thoughts, "You completed the lesson...but the test is to come...don't fail me now." The beast lounged in its throne, "When you need me...call me. We shall do what has to be done. And I might grant you a gift come that time." And in that moment, the heat was gone.

Riyel awoke, being back in the Garden Hall once more. Shaking his head, he rose to a stand. That confrontation had been...interesting. Spitting in a trash can by his side, he gripped his hands into fists, the black leather becoming tight across his hand. Fine Ifrit...you're smarter than you let on. And with that, he walked away towards the direction Nona had gone, finally returning to where he had been initially. Nona was there now, as well as Lisanna. Perhaps it was still awkward between the two of them but Riyel didn't care about her, for that reason. They weren't on the same team for this mission, both doing something different than one another. That bridge would have to mend over time, like Nona had said. Stay alive and move on...then perhaps some secrets could be shown and some grudges swiped clean...stay alive....