Through the open window, dawn's first light was filtering in, illuminating the hospital room where Sora was held prisoner, hands bound to the bed post. Despite his exhaustion, Sora hadn't slept a wink. The boy was too tense with anticipation. Come dawn, he would make his escape, as soon as Riku came for him.
Riku had to come. They were friends and more, and Riku had promised. Sora knew that if Riku was the one in need of rescue, he would stop at nothing to save him. Riku would do the same. That's what friendship meant; that's what love meant.
Still, there had been those bells earlier, an alarm. He'd heard them, and a lot of commotion. The brunette had no idea what the bells meant, but something was up. However, the bells had been silent for hours, and Sora still had hope that things would go as planned. Sora wasn't the sort to give up hope easily, but even Sora could only cling to hope for so long. As the sun continued to rise with no sign of Riku, and dawn turned to day, it became clear that Riku wasn't coming.
Sora's heart sank. He'd counted on Riku, trusted him, and now, once more, he felt betrayed. Along with hurt, fear began to eat at him. There would be no rescue, and he had no way to escape on his own. The naga were going to kill him; the only question was when. Sora was exhausted and weakened from his injuries, which made it difficult to keep his spirits up.
As Sora at last let himself sink into sleep, there were tears in his eyes.
"Don't tell me you're giving up," came a voice, startling Sora awake. It wasn't cold or mocking; in fact, it was warm, encouraging.
Sora blinked, sitting up. When he saw the stranger was a naga, he shrunk backwards on instinct. Of course it would be a naga, considering he was in their village, but that wasn't what made him nervous. For all he knew, this could be the one sent to execute him. Besides, the naga himself looked pretty intimidating. He was over six feet tall and muscularly built, a warrior, most likely. He had jet black scales, like most of the naga in village. These scales matched his dark hair, which fell like a silken waterfall around his face, but was spiked backward everywhere else.
"Hey," said the naga gently, "don't be afraid. I don't eat humans. Don't eat anything that can talk to you, that's always been my rule. That, and don't drink alcohol on an empty stomach, I learned that the hard way." He gave Sora a friendly smile, which was almost enough to make Sora relax. His smile, combined with the look in the naga's almost impossibly blue eyes, seemed to shine with the light in his heart.
Still, even if the guy reminded him of a puppy, he was a naga, so Sora couldn't entirely relax. "What do you want?"
The naga chuckled softly, shaking his head. "You seem like you could use some encouragement."
Sora looked at him, puzzled. "Who are you?"
"A friend of your brother's," he said.
"Brother?" asked Sora, interrupting, but the naga didn't seem to notice.
"He wouldn't want you to give up, you know, I know Cloud taught you better than that. You're a warrior, Sora; never forget your pride as a warrior. You can't give up. Sometimes, the battle isn't one with swords or strength, but in your heart. The minute you give in the despair, you've lost."
"What?" asked Sora. "How do you know…and Cloud isn't my brother."
The naga smiled again. "Things aren't always what they seem. That's another thing to remember." He looked away, sadness flashing in his eyes as he sighed. He then turned his attention back to Sora, and knelt down beside the bed, placing a hand on Sora's shoulder. "Don't let misunderstandings ruin what you have. You know Riku loves you, so don't give up on him either."
"I don't know if I'll even see him again," Sora sighed heavily, but the naga only smiled.
"So what if it seems hopeless?" Zack asked. "If it were me, I still wouldn't give up. Embrace your dreams, and trust your heart."
He stood, turning to go. As he headed toward the door, it opened and Sephiroth slithered in, eyes cold. The black haired naga paused, looking at Sephiroth, his expression a mixture of so many things: sadness, yearning, regret. Sephiroth didn't seem to the see the naga at all. Then the black haired naga slithered forward, passing through Sephiroth.
Sora's eyes snapped opened. He was still lying in bed.
A dream?
It didn't feel like a dream, but he had been asleep. Hours had passed, and the sun was setting. Sora sat up, and saw that Sephiroth was there; he must have just come in. The naga slithered toward him.
"Time to wake up," Sephiroth said coldly. His cat-slit green eyes seemed to pierce right through Sora. The hatred in the naga's stare was enough to make Sora pale. At this Sephiroth laughed. "Don't worry, little mouse. It isn't time for you to die yet, as much as I'd enjoy ending your pathetic little life."
"Then what are you waiting for?" snarled Sora.
"All in good time," Sephiroth assured him. "You see, I have a gift for Cloud. I'll give him despair, starting with having to watch you die. You are important to him, aren't you? Attacking me to save him? That was very foolish, you know. But don't worry. No hard feelings over that. When I kill you, it won't be anything personal. I simply wish to destroy everything Cloud cares about, so that by the time I kill him, he'll beg for death. Now come," Sephiroth drew a knife, cutting the ropes that bound Sora. He proceeded to grab Sora by the wrist, pulling him out of bed, "our healer says you're in good enough condition to be moved, so I want you to attend a little meeting."
In short order Sora was dragged into the meeting hall, through a crowd of naga. The crowd parted, making way for Sephiroth, as the naga headed for the center of the hall. In the center, there was a large support beam, and when they reached it two naga came forward, grabbing Sora and swiftly tying him to the post.
The crowd cheered at this, some literally hissing at Sora, others calling out encouragement to the naga who bound him. Once Sora was bound, the two naga moved back and another came forward to stand beside Sephiroth. This naga was silver haired and darker skinned, his eyes amber.
"Alpha," Sephiroth said bowing his head to the other naga.
The rest of the nagas in the circle around the meeting hall all bowed, some lower than others, echoing Sephiroth's address. "Alpha," they said in unison, recognizing the amber-eyed naga's authority. He was Xemnas, their king.
Xemnas spoke then, addressing all who'd gathered. "My people, a glorious day will soon be upon us. For too long have we let the humans live so close to our land, enemies that would kill us all in cold blood if they had the chance! Years ago, we lost one of our number to a human attack, and we retaliated. For if we did not strike preemptively then, it would have been the humans who came to our village! So we fought them there, and won, so that we would never have to fight them here!"
A cheer went up through the crowd.
When the clamor died down, their leader continued. "Now, we must fight again. Our General was attacked by the very savage who murdered Zack, aided by this boy you see before you!"
The crowd again hissed at Sora. Calls went up for Sora to be killed then and there, but the Alpha raised a hand to silence them.
"Humans are animals, our rightful prey, but dangerous to us! If a wolf took one from our flock, we would slaughter the pack before any more sheep were taken. Likewise, the human threat will be eliminated! Then their lands will be ours, and our resources and pack will grow stronger than ever before. However, this victory will not come easily; each of you must be willing to fight, to die for your pack's glory! All of us here are of the same tribe, the same pack. Remember the strength of the pack is your strength; the fate of the pack is your fate! For all of us, you will fight, one for all!"
The naga paused for another round of cheers before turning to Sephiroth. "General," he nodded, giving the floor to Sephiroth.
"As I am sure you are aware," Sephiroth began, "last night, one of our own betrayed us! Even now, some of our warriors continue to search for the traitor, my own apprentice among them."
Riku, thought Sora. That explained why he hadn't come. Sora felt bad for ever doubting him.
"Like many of you," Sephiroth continued, "I spent the half the night and good part of the day in pursuit of the traitor, to no avail. Although we did manage to round up most of our chocobos, the birds which will carry our cannons into war, and carry away the spoils of our victory, so it was not a total loss. However, I fear that Axel, a naga I once looked upon as a brother, may be our undoing. He knows our village, and if he joins with the humans our defenses will be compromised. We must strike now, so that we may fight the humans on our terms, before we are attacked. However, Axel will have surely warned the humans that we are poised to attack, and fighting them in their own land would be ill advised. They would know the terrain, giving them the advantage. So, we will lure the humans to fight exactly where we want them to. The place of battle will be the Abilene plains, which lies between our village and theirs. They will come to us there, because we have something they want," Sephiroth nodded toward Sora. "Then, when they arrive, we will execute the boy before their very eyes! And they will know fear, and loss, but this will be but a taste of what we will give them!"
A roar went up from the crowd. Battle cries. However, when the den had quieted, another voice was heard.
"What?" asked one of the naga.
The crowd fell silent. Those around the one who spoke backed away, and it became clear who had dared to question Sephiroth.
"Demyx?" Sephiroth glared at the blonde naga. "Do you have something to say?"
"Um…" Demyx whimpered under the general's gaze. "Well…I think this is a horrible plan. Why kill the human in front of the others? That will only make them angry. Then they'll fight even harder. How is that a good plan? Also, we're expecting them to come to us, why not just march to their village, and put them under siege, wait a few days until the run out of supplies and then attack?"
Gasps and murmurs filled the room.
Xemnas was clearly not amused. "You have no right to question your superiors, Omega. Or have you forgotten your place in this pack? Sephiroth is our fiercest warrior, our General in war, and you are a cowardly lay-about minstrel who can barely hunt for himself!"
Demyx fixed his gaze on the floor, whimpering. "Sorry?"
"Alpha," said Sephiroth, "perhaps we need not be so harsh. The Omega only wishes to be helpful, and so he shall be. We have prepared a declaration of war, informing the humans of the prisoner we've taken as well as when and where we wish to fight. Someone must deliver the message, and I think Demyx has just volunteered."
"Volunteered?" asked Demyx, shrinking back as if he'd been slapped. "But…but…"
"No," came another voice, as a pink haired naga came forward. "This task is too important to entrust to the Omega. I will take the message."
"Marluxia?" Xemnas seemed confused. "Why would you take this task? As my younger brother you are next in line for my throne. Why would you take such a dangerous assignment?"
"I am a warrior, brother," Marluxia answered. "Excuse me, Alpha. I might be killed in battle when we go to war just as easily as on this mission. However, if the humans kill an unarmed messenger, then it will be a rallying cry for us. Who better to be martyred than I? If I am killed on this mission, then my pack will fight all the harder to avenge their fallen prince. Besides, I wouldn't want Demyx in danger." The pink haired naga slithered to Demyx, putting a hand on his shoulder affectionately.
Xemnas looked to Sephiroth.
"If the Alpha allows you to take this mission," said Sephiroth, "then take this scroll and leave at once. Carry a white flag with you, so they know you do not come to fight." Sephiroth pulled a scroll from a pocket on his belt, offering it to Marluxia.
Marluxia came forward, looking to Xemnas for approval. The Alpha nodded. Marluxia took the scroll, and headed out into the night.
The meeting was adjourned shortly after, although it was certain Sephiroth would meet to brief the warriors again. They left Sora where he was, tried up in the meeting hall. Sephiroth said the building would be easier to guard, and that Sora didn't need a bed to sleep in.
"Don't make yourself too comfortable," Sephiroth said, sneering. "We'll be moving to the encampment in a few hours, and then at dawn, you die." With that, Sephiroth left. There was work to be done to get everyone moved out. The warriors still out in pursuit of Axel would return now that the sun had set, and they'd all march out together to set up and encampment in pale light of the waxing moon.
In the meantime, Sora was left to sit and contemplate his fate. Death at dawn! He had mere hours to live. He knew there were guards posted outside, and rescue was impossible at this point. No chance of escape.
The naga in his dream had said not to give up, but what hope was there to hold on to? He was right though, even in the darkness there was still light. As long as he had hope, there was a chance. More than anything, Sora wanted to see Riku again, if only to tell him that it was okay, that he understood why Riku hadn't come.
It seemed some wishes could come true. For soon enough, Riku slipped inside, slithering towards Sora.
"Volunteered for guard duty," the naga said. "There are more guards outside, but I said I wanted to keep a closer eye on you. They think I'm a bit paranoid, but they understand. They think I really want to see you killed. Oh gods, Sora, I'm so sorry."
"It's all right," Sora said. "You were sent after Axel, right? I heard something about him turning traitor and running off? Does that mean Roxas is all right?"
"Yeah," Riku nodded, "Axel saved him. It means he's a traitor now, and the pack will kill him just as quickly as they would any human, but I guess it's worth it to him." Riku sighed. "I'm glad Roxas is alive, but Axel's betrayal kind of threw a wrench in my plans. There was no way I could get to you, now."
"I understand," said Sora. "There's nothing we can do. In the morning, Sephiroth is going to kill me."
Riku was silent for a long moment. "It's worse than that," he told the brunette, "Sephiroth…he's ordered me to execute you."
Sora's eyes widened. "What? But…but why?"
Riku shook his head. "Don't know, I guess he thinks I'd want to be the one to do it. I did swear revenge on you before…" Another heavy sigh escaped Riku's lips.
"Revenge for what?" asked Sora confused.
"For stabbing Sephiroth," said Riku. "You stabbed him in the back. I know now, you were just acting out of love, but before, I was just so angry I couldn't understand."
"You were angry! You were the one who tried to eat me!"
"I wasn't trying to eat you," Riku sighed, "I was going to swallow you, and then let you go once Sephiroth was gone. You wouldn't have been hurt, it's a naga thing," Riku waved it off, "Then once Seph got distracted, I let you go anyway, but instead of running you hurt my mentor. I thought…I felt betrayed, but that doesn't matter now. It was all a misunderstanding."
"Yeah," said Sora, nodding, "on both our parts, just like he said."
"What? Who?" asked Riku confused.
Sora shook his head. "It's nothing, just a dream. Anyway, I'm sorry Riku, for everything. We don't have much time, do we?"
Riku shook his head, moving closer to embrace Sora. He leaned in, gently kissing Sora on the lips. Sora's lips parted, allowing Riku's serpentine tongue to enter. Sea blue eyes slipped shut and all his senses focused on this stolen kiss in the dark.
When the kiss finally broke, Sora asked, "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Riku said. "I'm sorry."
"No," said Sora, shaking his head, "don't be. Like I said, loving you is worth it, even if I die tomorrow. I'm honestly more worried about you. You'll have to do it; they'll kill you if you don't."
"I don't know if I can. Even if I wasn't the one executing you, I can't stand by and watch you die," Riku admitted, looking away. "I love you."
"And I love you too," said Sora, "so I really don't want to see you get killed. There's no sense in both of us dying."
Riku leaned in, kissing Sora again. The door opened with a loud creek. Riku instantly back away, but maybe not quickly enough. Sora eyes widened, had they been discovered? He looked to see the blonde naga who had spoken up at the meeting.
"Hey," said Demyx, "We're moving out soon. I'm supposed to help you take him." The blonde naga slithered closer, looking at Sora. He then leaned in, sniffing him.
Sora stiffened as the naga drew close, invading his personal space.
"You can't eat him, Demyx!" snapped Riku annoyed.
"I wasn't planning to. He smells like Roxas," Demyx said sadly. He licked Sora's cheek gently, and smiled at him warmly. "Tastes the same too."
Sora cringed at being licked.
"Sorry," said Demyx, "you just remind me of Roxas. He was my friend." Demyx sighed heavily, "And apparently you're Riku's."
Riku looked at him shocked.
"Don't worry, I won't tell," said Demyx, before laughing. "I'm not a complete idiot, you know. I'd love to hear this story, but we don't have time. We're supposed to tie him up and load him into the wagon; Sephiroth's moving everyone out. Xiggy and X-face are waiting outside, so..." Demyx sighed heavily. "You obviously don't want to kill him. Axel's a traitor; if our side wins, he and Roxas are as good as dead, and with all this fighting, who knows who else we'll lose. Everything's so messed up."
Demyx began untieing Sora. Once Sora was free, he took him by the arm. "Don't struggle, I don't want to hurt you."
Riku slung the rope over his shoulder and took Sora gently by the other arm, looking at him sadly.
Sora nodded; there was no way to escape. All he could do was go along, to whatever fate awaited him.
