Author's Notes:
NOTE: This chapter is NOT rewritten, and therefore it is very very BAD. Please excuse its crappiness until it can be rewritten with more story and detail. Thank you!
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Chapter Seven: In Foreign Worlds
Caw. Caaww.
For a moment Riku thought of home and those damn seagulls. He was afraid to open his eyes and find that it had only been a dream. On his skin he could feel the natural warmth of the sun he had always felt on the islands, and in the distance he could hear the familiar crashing of waves against the shore.
For a moment he feared he'd ended up on another island world. Of course Fate would screw him so dearly like that.
However, he wasn't home. And he hadn't ended up on another littoral world.
That became apparent to him rather quickly, in fact, when the once-monotonous tune of the waves suddenly had its volume turned up. They sounded like thunder, vibrating the very earth he was laying on. It was as though they were furious at him and intent on destroying him along with his rock.
Wait. Rock?
Slowly Riku opened his eyes, only to be greeted by a fluttering of blue and gold as a butterfly landed on his nose. He stared at it, watching it lift a leg and clean itself, its wings slowly opening and closing. There came another crash of water below him and the creature took flight again, darting gracefully to and fro through the air.
Only then did Riku have a good look at his surroundings. He was on a grassy plateau of some sort with cliffs on all sides; however, the grass was blue with thousands of butterflies, making Riku wonder how they all ended up here. Were they trapped because of the water? In the direction the butterfly had taken off was where the sounds crashing waves were coming from, and occasionally a stream of water would shoot up over the side of the plateau, the droplets of water reflecting a very bright, intoxicating setting sun.
Silhouetted against that sun was Sora.
The boy was staring off into the sunset, his back facing Riku, his spiky brown hair shifting lightly in the gentle breeze. Riku took a second to wonder why the boy hadn't bothered waking him up, but tucked the thought aside. Groaning, the silver-haired boy climbed to his feet to find that his whole body ached. His limbs didn't seem to want to respond; no, they were like puddy, shaky at his command.
But he didn't care. He was in another world... With Sora!
At the realization his body seemed to find the strength to take a few steps toward Sora near the cliff. Suddenly overjoyed, a smile crossed Riku's face.
"Sora!"
The boy made no move to acknowledge Riku's voice. Riku slowed to a halt a few feet away from Sora to watch him, his brow suddenly furrowing.
Was something wrong? Was Sora unhappy that they had made it off Destiny Islands?
"Sora," he called gently. "We made it."
Again, nothing.
"Sora, are you okay? Is something wrong?"
And very suddenly Sora let out a horrible shriek, piercing through Riku like a hundred wooden swords. The sound was inhuman, like a dying angel. It filled Riku's consciousness, blinding him, deafening him, tearing his senses apart so that when the unearthly sound finally ended and he could think again, the silver-haired boy felt as though he had been reborn. However, he had no time to be concerned about himself, after all it had been Sora who had uttered such a sound. The boy's arms were wound around himself, tightly grasping at his sides as his face twisted in pain. Riku could literally feel the sensation in the air. He could almost taste the pain.
"Sora!!"
There came the sharp sound of ripping clothes, and to Riku's disbelief, two dark-feathered wings tore through the boy's back, ripping flesh and shredding clothing as they stretched free, like black death. They flung open, sweeping over the grass and sending a wave of butterflies fleeing into the air, clouding the air with blue and gold. As they took flight, they left the green field dancing, swaying in the wind, Sora's dark feathers gliding to the grass below.
Riku panicked, batting at the creatures aimlessly to get closer to Sora, afraid for the boy. But they suddenly dispersed, leaving Sora's wings stretching impatiently as he stepped closer to the edge. Another wave crashed against the cliff, bathing Sora with tiny light-filled droplets, giving him almost an ethereal glow.
Clipped wings... fallen feathers...
Slowly Sora turned, spotting Riku for the first time. A smile filled with sad love crossed his face.
Something about the expression sent a chill running up Riku's spine, reminding him all-too-well of the cold darkness. He watched Sora, suddenly afraid. Not afraid of the darkness, however. Afraid of Sora.
The boy spread his arms wide, the smile ever-present...
And backwards he fell, towards the raging ocean below.
With a horrified cry Riku sprang forward with a hand outstretched for Sora, but he was too late. His hand grasped fallen feathers as he reached the edge, Sora plunging head first.
He couldn't protect Sora any more. But... Sora didn't need him.
"Open your wings!" Riku screamed, his voice breaking. "Fly!"
His cry was swallowed as another wave crashed against the cliff, violently rocking the plateau. Riku shifted his foot to gain better steading, and suddenly slipped. There was a slow moment of appalling realization that he was falling, but no one had granted him wings. Arms flailing out for a nonexistent handhold, dread filling him, the silver-haired boy fell after Sora over the cliff, wingless. He squeezed his eyes shut, refusing to watch the sunset to his death, as his own voice left him in a terrorized scream, swallowed by the ocean's roar. But then a familiar voice, sounding hollow and distant, reached his ears.
"Riku? Riku!!"
He had no wings. Not like Sora... There was no one to protect him as he fell toward his stygian fate.
"Riku, wake up!"
His eyes snapped wide open, his scream cutting short as he shot up into a sitting position. Clutching a hand to his chest, he felt his heart race through the skin-tight material, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.
It had been a dream. There was no cliff... no dark-winged Sora... He was still safe, still on Dest--Wait. Slowly he raised his head, the feeling of apprehension filling him.
A set of worried cerulean eyes met his.
Sora.
His Sora.
They were still alive.
And, after casting a quick glance around, he confirmed that they were indeed not on Destiny Islands any longer. No, definitely not his islands. As his breath gradually slowed, he noticed he could actually see it as he exhaled. That, and his body was numb with cold. Not the cold darkness, but rather actual cold weather. Soft white flakes were drifting slowly from a gray sky, covering the foreign world in a colorless blanket. They were definitely in a town, for there were short buildings aligned on the sides of an empty street. However, it was the town's lifelessness that intrigued Riku. Then again, who would want to be out in the cold, with strange things falling from the heavens? Curious, the silver-haired boy reached a hand out to catch a flake. There was a quick sensation of a burning cold, but then the white flake suddenly melted into a small puddle of water.
Ah, so that's what it was. Frozen water. Snow.
"Where... are we?" he asked softly, meeting Sora's gaze again.
Something seemed to come over the boy just then. His eyes began to water as he stared at Riku, his lip beginning to quiver ever-so-slightly as his body shuddered from the cold.
"Sora...?"
Sora's eyes squeezed shut as he lunged at Riku, enveloping him in a tight embrace.
"I was s-so scared!" he cried, burying his cold face into Riku's neck. "I t-thought y-you weren't going t-to wake up!"
The silver-haired boy slowly blinked, letting Sora's words sink in. He sighed, lowering his eyes as he lifted a hand to run through Sora's ice-crystallized hair, his other arm winding around the boy's waist. Sora was shivering uncontrollably, his skin unusually pale and a hint of blue in his lips.
"I-I didn't want to l-leave you here to look for help be... because I thought you were g-going to die if I did--I didn't know w-what to do, s-so I stayed... And... A-And now I can't move... I'm so c-cold."
His body began to quiver with weak sobs as he clung to Riku, scared to let go again, one shivering hand clenching tightly onto the older boy's shirt. Sora was immeasurably lethargic due to the cold, but he still had the strength to hold on to Riku... But if Riku didn't get the both of them to a warm place quickly, their adventure would be over before it could even begin.
"R-riku... What are we going t-to do...?"
"Shh..." Riku hushed reassuringly, softly petting the boy in an attempt to assuage his fears. "As long as we're together, everything will work out. I'll protect you."
For a moment Riku continued to stroke his hair, muttering small sounds of comfort. Sora finally gave a resigning sniffle and gave completely in to his boyfriend's solace, relaxing his grip on Riku's shirt and slumping in to the other boy, exhausted.
Riku sighed in temporary relief and lifted Sora's chin with his hand. The boy's eyes were hollow, distant, staring not at Riku, but through him. Parting Sora's bangs with his hand, Riku leaned forward and planted a light kiss on his forehead. He paused to breathe in the boy's scent, expecting at least a small lingering trace of salty beach air or maybe chicken from their last dinner on Destiny Island... But there was nothing.
Riku painfully, shakily rose to his feet, biting back curses as his limbs screamed in defiance and his muscles hissed in pain. He was going to get Sora out of the cold, even if it cost him a few frostbitten toes.
But as he stooped to help Sora up, Riku suddenly felt his heart jerk.
He didn't know how or why, but he knew something was definitely coming. Something dangerous. Something familiar.
And it was coming fast. Right below Sora.
Not throwing this gut instinct aside, Riku snatched up Sora's arm and quickly jerked him off the small hill they had been sitting on by the side of the road. As soon as the boy hit the white ground and began sliding down the slope, the ground where they had been resting suddenly rippled, like a pebble being tossed into a puddle. This puddle, however, tore open a portal from hell and spat out three of its heartless demons.
The creatures twitched as they swayed from side-to-side, surveying the foreign world they were in. Unfortunately, they seemed completely immune to the cold.
The situation could not have been worse for the boys. Nearly collapsing from the coldness, exhausted from being sucked into the darkness, and weaponless, they were no match for the three heartless.
Even so, Riku wasn't going to let them have Sora.
"Sora!"
Riku slid down the hill after the boy, who was struggling to sit up as he sank into the white-covered ground. Pulling Sora to his feet, Riku paused to look the boy in his eyes.
"Sora, I need you to run with me. We can't fight these monsters, and I don't want to die here."
Slowly the boy nodded, his eyes drooping as he trembled, his muscles threatening to give way.
"All right then." Riku gave a strained smile before tightly grasping Sora's hand. "Let's go!"
The two of them broke off into a clumsy run, struggling through the snow as their feet sank in with each step. Sora almost immediately fell behind, casting worried glances over his shoulder to keep track of the heartless as Riku tugged on his arm for him to hurry. But they didn't get far before Sora tripped, unable to lift his feet any longer. The boy fell face forward, too tired to even bring his hands forward to catch himself. He hit the snow without a sound, his hand falling away from Riku's.
Wordless, without hesitation, Riku knelt beside his boyfriend and plunged his hands into the snow, digging Sora's feet out. He roughly wrenched the boy's shoes off, tossed them away, and pulled his socks all the way up before he slipped his arms under Sora and lifted the boy into his arms.
His heart was in his throat, but he ignored the panic that filled him. Even as the heartless decided to take pursuit, Riku only had one thing on his mind.
Protect Sora.
Just as the black demons synchronically stooped forward and brought their talons forth, Riku strengthened his hold on Sora and brought a leg out to kick at a heartless. His foot connected with its head and it fell backwards. The other two heartless disregarded their fallen comrade, stalking towards Riku hungrily, who prepared for another kick.
If only he had a weapon!
But as he lifted his leg, the heartless suddenly sprang at him. Talons ripped at his clothes, through his flesh, reaching for his chest where his heart was racing. They stretched past Sora's vulnerable skin, eager to separate Riku's heart from his body and taste it. A new fear suddenly struck him.
When had the heartless begun to ignore Sora and target Riku instead?
Riku shifted his balance and crouched, hugging Sora to himself as the demons shredded his shirt, sliced into skin and drew blood. But the pain wasn't so bad. No, it was the coldness that bothered Riku. Eyes forcing shut, he hissed through his clenched teeth as he felt it envelope his heart, caressing it as though to appease it. Shuddering, he held Sora close. The other two heartless were relentless, clawing at his bare skin and trying to gain access to their prize as the third creature paid no heed to them, its eyes locked onto the task at hand.
"Go away."
Riku eased his eyes open at Sora's voice.
"Go away..."
The heartless's face was less than four inches to Sora's face. The boy glared at it, his face colorless and his voice sounding hollow and withdrawn. The heartless meanwhile hesitated at Sora's voice, its hand paused in mid-reach.
"Go away!" he cried, his brow wrinkling in anger.
There came the thundering of hooves and a war cry, and very suddenly two objects flew past Riku's head, shooting into the heartless. They went flying backwards snow before disappearing into nothingness, leaving two arrows stuck in the snow. Riku lifted his head in surprise, feeling the hand retract from his heart as the remaining heartless panicked. Another arrow zipped past the two boys and into the creature's head. It gave a low hiss before it too disappeared, leaving the arrow to fall to the snow below.
Riku took a moment to catch his breath and realize what had just happened. He wasn't dead yet. He'd been saved... But why had Sora been neglected by the heartless when they had been so keen on him before back on Destiny Islands?
He didn't have time for further thoughts, for the sound of creaking wood reached his ears. He looked up to see his savior leveling an arrow at him. He surveyed his rescuer with a solemn face. The boy was mounted on a large black horse and wore some sort of ancient bulky clothing armor. A sword was sheathed at his waist, tucked under a sash, and a quiver of arrows was slung over his back. He looked a bit young and small to be a real warrior with his semi-large, pointed dark eyes, slick top-knotted black hair, and tanned skin...
"You don't look like one of them," the newcomer said in a not-so-feminine voice, his eyes narrowing. "But I know you're not from here."
The large horse whinnied in protest, shifting a hoof in the snow impatiently at its rider.
"Hush, Kahn," the boy said with a sigh, lowering his bow and arrow. A friendly smile curved his lips and he took in the two boys below him with a quick glance. "All right, I'll ask questions later. My camp isn't too far from this town. Do you think you can ride a horse? You can warm up there."
Riku managed a small nod, grateful for this stranger's kindness. He struggled to stand, his knees shaking as he clutched one gloved hand to a wound on his arm. Despite his weakness, however, he managed to face his savior with a small smile. "T-thank you..." he said lightly, violently shivering. "I don't know w-what would have happened if you hadn't helped me..."
The boy's smile fell, noticing Riku's wounds and how weak he was, and that the other boy wasn't even moving at all. "By the ancestors...you two are nearly dead!" he exclaimed, his voice turning even more feminine. He swung off his saddle and landed in the snow, rushing to their side. "Come on, I'll help you. We'll have to hurry to camp."
"What about the town...? I-isn't there someone who could help us?" Riku asked as his savior began to pull him to the horse. "N-no.. Sora first."
The boy hesitated, but then nodded and reached for Sora. "No, there's no one in town. Everyone evacuated when Shan-Yu and the huns sided with the demons. My group is the only one left to fight them... Li Shang still has hope though."
"Where are we?" Riku managed to ask quietly.
"A few miles south of the Imperial City," he answered, lifting Sora with some effort. After seeing Riku's confused face, he added, "China."
Once Sora was slung over the horse, their savior motioned for Riku to mount the horse as well. "You'll have to hang on to your friend... Sora. I'll try to hurry Kahn to the camp as best as I can," he said quickly, helping Riku onto the horse. He swung up after him in front of Sora, taking the reins. "Remember, hold on. This will be a bit bumpy."
Riku nodded, clinging tightly to Sora and the stranger's back as shudders racked his torn body. "My name is Riku. May I ask yours...?"
His savior frowned as he kicked at the horse's sides and lightly slapped at the reins to get Kahn running. "Fa Mu-" he began, but abruptly cut himself off. As Kahn broke into a gallop, the boy began again, a smile lighting his face. "Fa Ping. My name is Ping."
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