Chapter 7
AN: It's so good to be back guys! I won't bother wasting words in an authors note, I've procrastinated getting this chapter written enough. So without further adieu…..I present to you the fruits of my labor!
Riku ran at a breakneck speed along the grassy plain country beyond the now barely visible dim lights of the village. The hair on the back of his neck stood erect, searching for the slightest hint of danger in the pitch black abyss that lay in front of him.
The heartless have concealed themselves well…
Riku gritted his teeth, grinding them back and forth in anger, scoffing at himself in disgust at how late he noticed their strength growing into a formidable power. Somewhere in this desolate area away from any semblance of civilization, they were gathering at an alarming rate.
This might too much for even us to handle… Riku thought gravely.
Despite his concerns he pressed on, getting closer to his destination with every step. The moisture laden air only made Riku sweat even more profusely in the muggy summer night. As the silver haired boy continued to run a strange sound made him slide to a stop, throwing grass and soil into the darkness in front of him. Riku's ears twitched back and forth, listening for the now silent area around him.
It didn't sound like a heartless moving around…….it sounded more like……a footstep….but who in the hell….
"Looking for me?" A rather sinister voice sneered from behind him.
It took only but a moment for Riku to be turned around, the tip of his keyblade resting on what felt like the intruders throat. His eyes widened as he realized that the only features that were visible were a full set of glinting white teeth and a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
"What…..are you?!" Riku demanded after he ascertained the strange being took no defensive action.
The figure laughed heartily before speaking. "What am I?" "You definitely are a direct one. What an interesting human you are, especially considering that weapon that was resting on my throat." Riku's enemy chuckled behind him in a feminine voice. His eyes shot sideways as far as his sockets would allow. Moving his head was not an option as he feared that it would be perceived as a threat, and he really wasn't feeling the whole decapitation thing that particular night.
Damn it's fast!
"You really shouldn't think of me that way," the dark figure pouted, "after all…I was human once…"
Riku turned slowly, eyes wide with surprise as he once again stared into a smile of shiny white teeth that resembled daggers.
"You can read my thoughts? Riku inquired, his eyebrow cocked up more out of curiosity than fear.
"Hahaha! Nope, just intuition, although I must say the title "it" gets old…"
Riku took his chances and jumped back several feet, creating a little personal space for himself before dismissing his keyblade and querying the strange girl again. "I suppose that your subtle way of telling me you have a name?"
"Ahh" the girl sighed contentedly, "that brings back fond memories of my former human life….heh…at least what little I remember of it."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Riku asked, very interested in what the "creature" had to say.
The mysterious human form grinned and began to walk towards Riku. "Perhaps it would be better to show you…"
"Stay back" Riku stated simply, holding his Way to Dawn keyblade that appeared in a flash of light..
"Oh" the girl stated in a high pitched flirty tone, "you still don't trust me? I guess that means I have to force you doesn't it?"
Riku spun around, his mind screaming curses the whole way around, as the heartless girl appeared behind him. He was, however, too late as she grasped his throat and picked him up off the ground with her left hand.
"The name is Leah Tress" she said as Riku gasped and gagged, struggling to free himself from the death grip that was currently wrapped around his neck. He didn't know what he didn't like most, the feeling of insects crawling all over his neck, or the fact that his world was getting darker and darker each second that hand was on him.
"It's very nice to meet you," she continued as she grabbed the almost unconscious Riku's right hand and shook it before dropping him to the ground.
Riku's bloodshot eyes shot open as he began coughing and sucking in the moist night air. He rubbed his neck vigorously with his sweaty palm, trying in vain to get the feeling of skittering insects off of his bare skin. Stumbling to his feet he shot a glare at the smirking girl standing a short distance away from him.
"I didn't catch your name mister," Leah spoke, her words dripping out of her mouth as delectable as honey, before sinking to a sinister monotone, "…unless I have to choke your name out of you…"
Wasting no time Riku told the heartless girl his name, trying his best to keep an even tone and hide his nervousness.
The now giddy Leah appeared before him in a flash of speed and reached for his hand warmly. The nervous Riku complied without any argument, but grimaced uncontrollably as he got the maddening sensation of insects skittering over his hand.
Sensing his discomfort she let go of his hand, but continued to stare at him with her vibrant golden eyes.
"You're a lot cuter up close" Leah stated simply, not addressing the boy inches in front of her face, but speaking her thoughts aloud.
Tiny rivulets of sweat began to form on Riku's face. They ran together, becoming larger and larger before running down his face and dripping off in what seemed to be a slowed moment in time. She was close….way to close for his comfort.
What the hell does she want?
Riku's thoughts were distracted as the strange heartless girls lips parted, showing her bright white teeth. The thin strands of saliva stretching from her lips were very visible as she began to move ever closer to Riku's own.
"Get away from…" Riku started to say before he was smothered in the blink of an eye. He began to pull away, disgusted and appalled at what she was doing. Riku stopped himself forcibly as he realized this was a golden opportunity for him to launch a counter attack. Her tongue flicked his, seemingly begging to join the proverbial dance it was performing. Riku grabbed Leah's shoulders, much to his chagrin, and deepened the kiss, complying with what she wanted. A moan of pleasure escaped from her vocal cords, a moment of pleasure that quickly turned sour.
The blast of darkness that emitted from Riku's palms knocked Leah fifty yards in the opposite direction, rolling and tumbling the entire way.
Leah's head shot up, but surprisingly, her visage showed no signs of anger, just a half smile, half smirk as she scanned around in the darkness for her newfound friend.
"That was very nice you know" Leah sing-songed. "You're lucky I think you're hot or I would've killed you a long time ago," she giggled out. "I really didn't expect you to be part of the dark realm, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. That kinda turns me on to be honest…"
Riku listened in rage to his crazy new "girlfriend" just beyond the hill he managed to get to in the short time he had bought himself by stunning Leah.
This is bad…she is too fast…I'm screwed if she finds me…
A chilling voice sent shivers up his spine, making him tense in shock.
"A munny for your thoughts" Leah smirked, her black visage showing glee at the entertainment Riku was providing her.
"I think I'll let you live….you'll be even more interesting when I see how you handle my subordinates.
"What do you mean?" Riku inquired cautiously, his legs threatening to release the hairline trigger they were on.
Leah laughed into the damp night air as she began to walk away.
"When I destroy the village of course," she laughed with mirth in her voice, "my army really has quite the appetite for human hearts."
"No! You can't!" Riku yelled, hurling his keyblade at the barely visible outline lingering in the pitch black space laying in front of him.
He once again struggled for air as Leah picked him up by his throat.
"Men never learn do they? Guess I'll have to teach you a lesson…"
Leah wasted no time in slamming her prey into the hard sun-baked ground, throwing soil in every direction.
The sound of Riku's lungs expelling all of his air at once filled his ears as he lay on the ground, arms and legs sprawled out over a wide area. In a daze Riku attempted to get up, but an unfamiliar weight kept him glued to the miniature crater Leah had created, courtesy of his body.
His vision blurring back and forth he could just barely make out the figure of Leah straddling his body. Leah spoke in a unnerving tone as she again leaned to within inches of Riku's face.
"Are you ready to learn your lesson hmm?" The insane girl smiled maniacally as she continued, "No one attacks me twice and gets away with it."
With her final statement spoken Leah plunged her pointer fingers into the soft flesh of Riku's shoulders.
He managed to keep from crying out as he grimaced and clenched his jaw shut, determined to not give Leah the satisfaction.
"Hahahaha! You're a tough one! But I wonder what happens when I wiggle my fingers like this!"
Leah's razor sharp fingernails began nicking and severing the muscles and other tissues in Riku's shoulders. Succumbing to the pain he cried out in agony. Compounding the problem he was no longer able to keep himself still, his thrashing only increased his pain by tenfold. Tears rolled down his contorted face as the torment continued for what seemed like an eternity.
Pulling her fingers from the wounds Leah licked her fingers slowly, savoring the taste of Riku's fresh blood.
"You really are an amazing boy; most humans would've passed out. I commend you on that fact," Leah said matter-of-factly. Staring daggers was all Riku could manage as his chest heaved up and down sporadically.
"Haha! Still that defiant look! I think I'm growing to like you more and more…" she practically yelled as if she had an audience observing her.
Riku's breathing barely allowed him to reply.
"Go…….to………hell…."
"Hell?" The heartless girl asked inquisitively before bending down close to his ear. "I already am," she whispered, kissing his cheek as she brought herself back to a standing position.
"I'll be seeing you in two days. Make sure you're ready for me. A date is a date after all. See ya!" Leah opened a portal into the dark realm and prepared to step through.
"….wait" Riku managed to say, stopping Leah from disappearing.
"Yes?"
Riku's own portal of darkness opened beneath him. He began sinking slowly into it before he gave Leah a pained smirk.
"You forgot your going away present," Riku said as he flicked his finger towards himself, motioning Leah to him.
"Awww!" Leah said excitedly. "What is" she began before the Way to Dawn slammed into the back of her head and drove it into the ground.
Riku painfully caught it and quickly sank the rest of the way into his escape route. The last words that entered his ears made him almost gleeful.
"You bastard! I always get the last blow in! I'll kill you! Slowly! Next time I see you!!!"
Riku lay in the strange realm for what seemed like ages. The wounds in his shoulders burned and shot pain throughout his entire body. Every so often enough blood would pool in the wounds and spill over like an overfilled glass. The warm sensation running down his upper body coupled with the swirling, discolored dark realm made the anvils that rested on his eyelids only that much heavier as he began to lose consciousness.
No…can't sleep….have…to…wake….up… Riku thought in his trance like state.
He struggled to lift the weight of his right arm and keyblade combined. Concentrating, he loosened his grip on the hilt, allowing it to swing down in a wide arc. With it now pointed strait down, and with not a moment to spare, Riku finally succumbed to the overwhelming order to sleep. That order however, was quickly vetoed as the sharp tip penetrated his already wounded shoulder on his right hand side almost all the way through his body. Involuntarily Riku practically jumped awake, his back arching upward with his mouth gaping wide open. He attempted to scream in pain, but not a sound was emitted from his broken and beaten body.
Carefully and painstakingly pulling his own weapon from his shoulder he was very alert, courtesy of the new surge of adrenaline coursing through his body. Gritting his teeth he extended the lesser of his injured arms and opened an oval portal inches from his body, concentrating on what he desired his destination to be. Tendrils of darkness came and relieved him of his keyblade, ruby red blood still sticking to it.
Riku chuckled with contempt as his keyblade vanished along with the tendrils he had summoned to take from him.
At least I can say one shoulder was hurt by my own hand instead of a psychotic heartless girl…
Riku shifted his weight forward and began his fall through the portal, his body slowly, but surely, making its way through. What he was met with on the other side when his head appeared was damn near the most disturbing thing he had seen that night.
Sora and Kairi were locked in a passionate kiss. Sora was without his shirt, Kairi was in the same state, Millie was nowhere to be found, and worst of all…..Riku wasn't blind or deaf, or both.
"What the hell!" Riku half screamed half whispered, his voice coming out raspy as he dropped to the floor with a clunk, threatening to alert the rest of the household to his presence.
Sora and Kairi practically hit the ceiling at the surprise interruption that disturbed their alone time.
Kairi scrambled to find a shirt to cover herself up; Sora began sputtering out some jumbled mess of a very crappy excuse, and Riku just stared, dumbstruck and sickened by the horror movie that had just been played out right in front of him.
Riku wasn't sure whether it was the image of Kairi's exposed chest burned into his cornea or the extreme loss of blood making him want to faint, perhaps it was a little of both. Nonetheless, his face slammed into the floor and he knew nothing after that. His last thought was more of a prayer than anything else.
Please let me have amnesia…
Over their initial shock the now fully clothed Sora and Kairi gathered their wits enough to notice their damaged friend lying on the floor, seemingly peaceful, all except for the pool of his own blood he was laying in. Kairi needed no other cue as she immediately cast a cura spell over Riku. She held off giving him an elixir to revive him as she asked Sora a very important question.
"Do you think he saw us?"
"Nah, he couldn't have…" Sora lied like his life depended on it, the image of Riku's eyes about to leap out of his head and jump into a vat of acid still fresh on his mind.
"…that's a relief," Kairi sighed slightly eased, although she still had her doubts about the validity of Sora's reassuring answer.
Moving to the next important question burning in her mind Kairi spoke aloud.
"What do you think did this to him?" She said, continuing the healing process.
"I don't know Kairi," Sora stared shaking his head, "It had to have been tough to injure Riku like this…"
"Yeah…" Kairi nodded her head in agreement. "Should we wake him up?"
"No, let him rest, he can tell in the morning."
"Okay" Kairi agreed, finishing up her work. Sora grabbed a pillow and put it under his slumbering friends head, making him as comfortable as possible before climbing back into bed. Kairi was close behind Sora, snuggling up close to him, exhausted from having to use healing magic for the second time in that particular twenty four hours. His voice brought her out of her semi-sleepy state as he whispered in her ear.
"Riku is knocked out…you think we could…" Sora began before Kairi sweetly cut him off.
"Goodnight Sora."
His idea crushed like fruit between two boulders, he silently complied and drifted back into nothingness with his fiancé. His last thought was anything but amiable.
Damn you Riku…
A/N: Yay! Finally done, hope everyone enjoyed it, I'm not sure whether something really major will happen in the next chapter, but we will see. I would like to thank Misaki34 for these drawings.
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Grim/Kai's Cousin: These are just two of the links. Stop being lazy bastards and go through her gallery to see them all. Thank you and have a Grimtastic day.
