A/N: Sorry for the bit of a longer wait folks--I was REALLY busy. But, after all the waiting here it is: Chapter 10. And with this chapter we meet one of my favorite OCs that I've created. His name is Tilles and he is just just ((spazzes, falls over, dies)) I don't wanna reveal any spoilers about him so let's just say he's awesome and leave it at that for now :)
Review Replies:
BwsAnti-Thesis: I'm glad you're enjoying it so far and just think: we haven't even gotten out of the flashback yet! ...not that I want us to but anyway... "Why does Riku wear that blindfold anyway?" I actually have a pretty good reason planned for this...it's not going to be explained for a while though so I'm sorry but I'll have to ask you to wait :(
EarthDragonAlchemist: "GAH! No a cliff hanger!" Ohh...but it was due :D I happen to be one of those wacky writers who LOVES cliffies. They are so much fun bwahaha... Don't worry though--FAF is one of my stories with fewer cliffies so if you hate cliffies...there's only a few. Glad you liked chapter 9--tis one of my favorites as well. As for updating...here it is!
Chapter 10: Old Man Tilles
There was an incessant pounding noise in Riku's head. At first he thought his heart was throbbing so hard it was echoing in his ears. But he slowly realized the sound was too erratic to be his heartbeat.
"Riku!! RIKU!!"
(Someone's…calling me…calling my name. Who…?)
"RIKU!!"
"Is he alright, what happened?!?"
(That sounds like Sai…and the other voice…)
"That's it; I'm kicking the door down!" The first speaker announced. A loud splitting crack and thud caused Riku to wince inwardly. His head felt like it was about to explode.
"Riku! RIKU!! Are you alright?!?"
Slowly Riku's eyelids parted to reveal his room and a worried flame-head who'd been pounding on the door moments before knocking it down.
"…I should've known that annoying voice was you Axel." Riku grunted.
"…Oh yeah. He's fine." Axel snorted, standing up straight. "You sure gave us a scare though, screamin' like that. I never figured you'd be the type to get nightmares."
(That's right…it was all just a dream…) Riku realized, sighing in relief. As he moved to sit up however, Riku had to bite his lip to keep from crying out in pain. It felt like someone had just stabbed him in the back the pain was so sharp.
"Oh my god, when did you get THAT?!?" Saisaiji exclaimed, running over to examine his back.
Axel whistled. "Man, someone scratched you up good…"
(Scratched up?!?) Riku thought in alarm. (But that's what--)
"I'll keep coming…until I kill you."
Remembering the blood curdling voice caused Riku to shiver and his fingers tightened around the sheets of his bed. (If I had hit the floor at the bottom of those stairs…I would be…)
Riku shivered again and winced as Saisaiji moved the ripped fabric of his coat out of the way to look more closely at the wound on his back.
"Not the type to get nightmares…" Riku slowly repeated Axel's words aloud. "You're right, I'm not. So tell me Axel…do nightmares usually do stuff like this?" Riku asked, jabbing a thumb at his back.
"You mean you got that…?"
"Riku nodded, confirming Axel's question. "In my dream."
"Hmm…well it's either an odd coincidence or…it wasn't a dream."
"That's impossible." (If that guy in my dream was real that might mean…she's real. But that's…She can't be.) Riku knew both Axel and Saisaiji could sense his uneasiness and quieted such thoughts.
"You know…on one of my missions to the Land of the Dragons I heard there's away to enter someone else's dreams. Maybe whoever was trying to kill you entered your dream." Saisaiji offered.
"That would make sense…The Land of the Dragons—that's the place we went to the other day isn't it?" Riku questioned.
"Yes. You planned on us going there first anyway, right? Hopefully Old Man Tilles will still be there…"
"Old Man Tilles?" both Riku and Axel asked at the same time.
"He's the one who told me about it." Saisaiji explained.
"Well then let's get going." Riku announced, moving to stand up.
"Ohhh no." Axel interrupted, pushing Riku back down with a hand on the teen's shoulder. "You're not going anywhere until that wound heals."
"You want me to just sit here and wait for that thing to kill me?!? Forget it Axel—I'm going!" Riku snapped.
A calming hand was placed on his other shoulder and Riku whirled around to face its owner, Saisaiji. She shook her head slowly, pinning him with her pleading eyes. "Please…at least let me treat your wound?"
Riku snorted and turned away from her. "Fine."
"Um…" Saisaiji began nervously. "I'm g-going to need you to take off the top of your coat." She finished quietly.
Without a word Riku brushed their hands off his shoulders, pulling the zipper down to his waist and slipping the coat off his shoulders, letting it slide down to the bed. He pulled his arms out of the sleeves, wrapping them across his bare chest and glancing back at Saisaiji. "Is that good enough?"
"Yeah that's fine." She squeaked, lowering her head to hide the fact that her face was turning red. Hearing Axel snort caused Riku to turn to the pyro who merely waved a hand and left the room.
"What—" Riku began in an irritated tone, but Saisaiji interrupted him.
"Don't worry about it." She assured him. "It's…nothing."
Axel returned merely to leave Saisaiji a tin of water, a towel, and bandages; and then he exited the room in a hurry, clearly busy with something else.
"Hey." Riku suddenly lowered his arms. "When did Axel start wearing his trench coat again?"
Saisaiji stifled a giggle at this. "You just noticed? Yeah…believe it or not Demyx lost the bet. Imagine—he proposed it and everything. But…"
"But?"
Saisaiji was silent for a moment before she spoke again. "Why are you concerned with something as little as that when…you're hurt?"
It finally dawned on Riku that she was worried about him. "Well then…let me ask you: Why are you and Axel going out of your way to help me when you barely know me?"
"I think Axel…thinks of you as the brother he never had…"
(Great.) Riku thought sarcastically, (Is that what he meant by "You remind me of me"?)
"…and, as for me, well…" Saisaiji paused a moment and sighed softly. "…You saved my life."
A knock came at the door and a whiny Axel's voice drifted into the room. "Are you done yet? If we're gonna go let's go and get it over with!"
"I'm just about done!" Saisaiji called out to him. She wasn't lying either—she'd just finished tying the last bandage around Riku's torso. Riku hadn't even realized she'd started. "…Don't be so soon to assume no one cares Riku." She whispered to him, taking the tub of water and extra bandages out of the room.
Riku silently slipped his trench coat back on and zipped it up, reaching for his blindfold on the bedside table. He hesitated a moment, wondering whether or not to leave it there.
"If it bothers you so much…why do you wear that blindfold?"
(I…don't remember. I just…do.) He thought, picking the cloth up and tying it around his head to hide his eyes. In silence he followed Saisaiji and Axel out of the house and through a portal the pyro summoned and then down a snowy mountain, their feet crunching in the snow.
At the bottom of the mountain was a little village—the village where Old Man Tilles lived, according to Saisaiji. It was cold enough for their breath to create clouds in the air as they stood outside a small wooden cottage, Saisaiji knocking on the door.
"Old Man Tilles? Are you in there?" She called.
"Just a minute!" Someone from inside answered.
After about five minutes Axel started getting impatient.
"He needs to hurry up—it's cold out here!" The pyro complained.
"Don't whine about it to us. Do something to warm yourself up." Riku ordered him. Riku was expecting Axel to make himself a fire or something like that so when the pyro began dancing back and forth in the snow Riku had to fake coughing to hide the fact that he was laughing. Then Riku sneezed.
"HA-HA! That's what you get for laughing at me!" Axel mocked, beginning to laugh hysterically at the teen. Riku cut him off by tossing a snowball in his mouth and the two proceeded to pelt snowballs at each other.
Saisaiji merely sighed. "Boys…"
The door opened slowly and both Riku and Axel froze, snowballs still in hand. A little old man stood in the entryway wearing a simple shirt and pants, a small patch of silver hair on his head and his lively brown eyes sparkling as he bowed; motioning Saisaiji inside. Axel hurried after her, not wanting to be left outside, and Riku simply walked inside; the old man closing the door behind him.
"Now let's see here…" The man croaked, making his way across the room to Saisaiji. "Miss Renko, what can I do for you today?"
(Renko?) Riku wondered.
"…Renko?" Axel whispered in question to Saisaiji.
"…He thinks that's my name." She whispered back. To the old man who was obviously Tilles she said, "Yes well actually my friend need some help with something this time…"
"Yes, yes, I noticed that you brought some friends with you this time. Is this the one that needs my help?" He asked, approaching Axel. Axel backed away slightly, trying desperately to keep himself from gagging at the old man's breath.
"No actually that's Axel, it's—" Saisaiji began, but Tilles cut her off.
"Ah Sauron, that's a nice name!" Tilles exclaimed, taking Axel's hand and shaking it repeatedly. "I used to have a friend named Sauron…"
(SAURON?!?) Riku stifled a laugh at this, then froze when he realized Old Man Tilles was standing in front of him with an odd smile on his face.
"Ah, Kurasu…I've waited a long time to see you."
(Is he talking to me?) Riku wondered. Old Man Tilles slamming a cup down on Riku's head confirmed this fact.
"WHAT TOOK YOU SO LONG KURASU?!?" The old man cried, whacking Riku upside the head with the cup again.
"O-Old Man Tilles please, he's injured!" Saisaiji protested.
"Yes, yes, his back right?"
"How could you tell?" Riku asked, impressed despite himself.
"Well there are scratch marks on the back of your coat and besides that when it comes to the astral plane I know it quite well." Old Man Tilles told them, nodding to himself.
(This man is really…strange.) Riku thought. "If you're so knowledgeable…" Riku challenged, "Then who did this to me?"
Silence enveloped the room as the old man closed his eyes, his face scrunched in concentration. Riku felt a slight tickle in his mind and Tilles took a step back in fear, his eyes popping open wide in concern.
"Kurasu…you should've come to me much sooner." The man muttered, shaking his head.
"So you know who it was?" Riku asked persistently.
"The being that attacked you…is human, but isn't. Is whole, but empty. Is alive, but at the same time dead. In your current state you cannot defeat him. Because you are neither of light nor dark he could strike you down at any moment he wishes. The person who placed a curse on you…yes I know him quite well."
"…Who is he?"
"All in good time my dear Kurasu, all in good time…Renko! Here is a list of things I need from the store. Get as many as you can, but the tea is especially important. I don't care what kind, just get some." Saisaiji took a slip of paper from Old Man Tilles, bowed, and left the house silently. "As for you two…" The old man snorted, opening a back door to his cabin. "There's a little red box in my tool shed. Get it for me, will you?" Before either Axel or Riku could object Old Man Tilles had pushed them out the door; closing it behind them.
Riku could hear Axel's teeth chattering the instant they were thrust into the cold air and he rolled his eyes beneath the blindfold.
"R-Riku?" The pyro stammered.
"Yeah?"
"That old dude said to get the box out of his tool shed, right?"
"Yeah."
"Well he failed to mention there's a friggin' bolder in the way!"
-…-
After straining to move a rock the size of a small elephant in the freezing temperatures and maneuvering their way to the top of the shed for the box—without a ladder, mind you—our heroes triumphantly returned. When all Old Man Tilles pulled out of the box was an armsock Axel almost strangled him on the spot.
"That's it? That's all we went in there for? A measly, crummy ARMSOCK?!?" The pyro exclaimed.
"Tut, tut, tut." Old Man Tilles replied, shaking his finger at Axel, "Not everything is as it appears Sauron."
Riku stifled a laugh.
"Oh shut-up Kurasu." Axel snapped.
"I'm sorry, I missed the part where that was supposed to be an insult." Riku chided.
Axel growled at this—after all, Riku's "name" was certainly cooler.
"If it makes you feel any better Axel, Kurasu means 'crow'." Saisaiji informed him.
Riku jumped—once again he'd failed to notice her presence as she'd slipped into the room. (How DOES she DO that?!?) He wondered.
"…No, it doesn't make me feel any better." Axel grumbled, "At least his name suits him."
(I look like a crow?) Riku wondered, raising an eyebrow at this.
"I got everything you asked for." Saisaiji told Tilles, holding up a paper bag stuffed full of various food items.
"Toss me a tea packet if you would Miss Renko."
Saisaiji threw him one and Tilles caught it in one hand without even glancing at her. Ripping it open deftly, he poured the contents into a pot of water he'd boiled while Axel and Riku had been outside.
"What about that other stuff?" Riku asked curiously.
"Oh that? That's my grocery shopping done!" Old Man Tilles explained, laughing. "Thank you kindly Miss Renko. Put it away for me, will you?" Saisaiji bowed to him and set to work putting away the food in nearby cabinets—she'd obviously done this before.
"Old man…" Axel growled threateningly, but Tilles held up a hand to silence him.
Silent himself, the old man scooped a small bit of tea out of the pot with a little cup and splashed it across the wooden floor in front of him. The tea danced across the boards with a mind of its own, running outward to form three distinct shapes: a sword, a heart, and a feather. Pulling the armsock into his lap Tilles proceeded to draw the symbols on it using a pen he'd kept tucked behind his ear the whole time. "A blade for bravery, a heart for truth, a feather for guidance." He whispered as he drew them. Finished, he then placed both hands on the soft cloth he'd etched dark marks into, muttering something in a strange language Riku didn't recognize. As he muttered the symbols glowed brightly beneath his fingertips, fading as he drew away. "All done." Old Man Tilles sighed and Riku realized the exercise had truly tired the man.
What Tilles did next however surprised Riku to no end. The old man turned the armsock inside out…and stuffed it onto Riku's left arm beneath the trench coat. "Wear this and don't EVER take it off. Do you understand?" He asked firmly.
"Y-Yes." Riku stammered. Somehow he felt he had to listen to this man. The firmness in his voice reminded Riku of someone…though he couldn't remember who.
The trio stayed a while longer—Saisaiji and Tilles making small talk over tea, Axel taking a nap on the floor for no apparent reason and Riku merely observing the whole endeavor. When Saisaiji finally decided they were leaving Axel was the first out the door followed by Saisaiji herself, then Riku.
"Oh and Kurasu!" Old Man Tilles called after the silver-haired teen.
Riku turned to face the old man and almost hit himself for responding to a name that wasn't even his. "…What?" Riku found himself asking.
"If you run into a man with two-colored eyes tell him I said hi." And with that cryptic message Old Man Tilles closed the door to his cottage, leaving an extremely confused Riku standing in the middle of the falling snow.
-…-
As Riku drifted off to sleep he wondered when the last time was that he'd had a dream that wasn't about Yun. Not that he cared. (I want to see her…I have to be sure that thing didn't…) Riku didn't even want to finish that thought. When the dream he'd grown so accustomed to unfolded before him and he saw Yun sleeping peacefully in her bed in her room he sighed in relief. (She's okay…)
At the same time he was thinking this a cold breath on his cheek sent shivers down Riku's spine and he realized immediately who was standing next to him.
"…They never learn…" the evil being hissed in his ear.
Inside Riku screamed in terror at the sound of this voice and he clenched his fists to hold it in, determined not to let his fear dominate him this time. Desperately Riku tried to recall the words his mother had told him to say when he was very little. "…I-It's just a dream. You're not real." Riku squeaked, his voice coming out small and weak.
"Just a dream? Riku, Riku…"
At hearing his name pass from this creature's lips Riku shuddered again. It was almost as if with each passing of his name Riku grew weaker.
"Riku…" The being continued, "…Can a dream do this?" It asked, running a finger along Riku's back in the exact spot where he'd been scratched.
Riku heard himself whimper as if from very far away and from some other person and the villainous cloud at his side merely laughed at him—a cold, harsh, mocking laugh. Despite his attempt to fight this demonic thing Riku found he was paralyzed in fear, his heart pounding in his ears as it furiously pumped his blood through his veins—blood he feared would soon be spilled.
"Too bad your friends won't wake you up…this time…I'm going to kill you."
"Th-There's no stairs he-here." Riku managed feebly, knowing as he said it how useless it was.
The murderous being's laugh merely confirmed this. "What a pitiful little rat. I don't need stairs to kill you! …Rats are best killed…" The being continued, shooting a hand out to wrap around Riku's neck. "With one's bare hands." And with this Riku's feet left the ground, the tight grip on his throat holding him suspended in the air.
Riku's hands shot up, prying at the hand around his neck; his feet flailing in midair as Riku tried to reach something below him to balance himself and stop the choking sensation filling his throat. His lungs felt tight, as if crunching together and shutting off all of Riku's air. He gasped and sucked in air—as much as he could possibly intake, but it didn't matter. The air wouldn't reach his lungs. The pace of his heart beat quickened in his ears--the sound growing more and more frantic; his chest burning as if his heart were trying to break free. Blood rushed from his head and Riku's face paled, dry tears slipping from his eyes as he realized what was happening to him. The being that held him up by one hand began to laugh at him hysterically, as if taking immense pleasure in watching Riku's life slip away. The sound came out hollow in Riku's ears and, finally, Riku simply gave up. His hands slipped off the grip around his throat, his legs swung to a stop and Riku's heartbeat grew slower…and slower…and… (I'm…going to die.)
As soon as he accepted this, however, there was a bright flash of blue light and the creature that had held him was thrown backward with such force he became almost visible, a massive shadow colliding with the wall of Yun's room. Riku fell to his knees on the floor, wheezing as the air he'd been searching for finally found his lungs. The blinding light was so close to his face Riku couldn't help but wince and as it faded Riku realized it was coming from the symbols on his armsock—the pitiful piece of white fabric wrapped over his lower left arm. (How…did that get here?) Riku wondered slowly, staring at the thing that had just saved his life.
"Tilles?!?" The being cried in surprise, "You…you are…Tilles'…." With each word the evil presence spat it sounded more and more infuriated. "Y-You…" the shadow stammered in anger, "…BASTARD OF A RAT!!" It screamed, racing forward and slamming a hand across Riku's back, knocking the boy full to the floor. The symbols instantly flashed again, sending Riku's attacker hurtling into the wall once again.
Riku struggled to push himself off the ground, his arms shaking and slipping beneath him, dropping him back to the floor again.
"You…" Was all the shadow could get out now, so furious was its wrath.
For whatever reason, Riku chanced a glance up at the presence; instantly regretting it when he saw what it was that lay before him. The being wasn't fully visible so it was mainly a mass of shadows in the shape of a man—shadows that writhed and swam over each other as they traveled around the villain's form. What held Riku gaze, however, was not the swirling mass of black fog surrounding the figure; but the one feature that was fully visible: his eyes. Yellow-gold eyes that burned right through Riku into his soul. Eyes that spoke of the millions its owner had killed, eyes that spoke of blood-stained hands that could never be washed clean. Eyes that made you feel watched even when they weren't looking at you, eyes that made you feel hunted. Eyes that made Riku want to kill himself just to escape them.
The being smiled at him, a sadistic shape of smoke in the pile of shadows. "This…doesn't change a thing Riku. That charm can't protect you forever…and as soon as it no longer does…I will come back. That time will be much sooner that you think…" and the figure disappeared in a shimmer of shadows, wisps of smoke crawling along the floor after him before snuffing out.
Riku's gaze was frozen on the spot where those cruel yellow eyes had been, the image burned into his mind. He curled up, pulling his knees close and burying his face in them. It took a minute for the events of that night to catch up to him but when they did Riku found himself shivering violently and tears rolled down his cheeks. He took in a deep, shaky breath, and once again those cruel yellow eyes flashed in his mind and Riku released a harsh sob. Despite how hard he tried to keep the tears from flowing they came and Riku broke into heart wrenching sobs, tears staining blue pants from his past. (No…I promised myself I wouldn't cry like this again…not after…)
"Riku? Riku, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Sora…they said she's gone!" A five-year-old Riku hiccupped. "They said she can't ever come back!!"
"Who? Who's gone?" A confused younger Sora asked.
Little Riku shook his head repeatedly, heart-wrenching sobs ripping through his small chest as he cried into his arm. Someone placed a gentle hand on Riku's shoulder and a man, the owner of the hand, knelt down beside Riku. "Come on Riku. Please be strong for Daddy? Daddy doesn't like to see you cry…" The man whispered, pulling Riku into his strong arms and picking up the little boy.
"Mr. Riku's Daddy?" Sora asked, tugging on the man's pants. "Who's gone?"
(…not after…my mom died.)
-…-
Riku sprang bolt upright in his bed, panting and looking around him frantically. He knew where he was—his room at the inn in the Land of the Dragons. (But why…?) Riku wondered as his breathing returned to normal. Other than the deep scratches in his back, Riku appeared to be unharmed after this night's encounter with the evil presence that wanted to kill him. (…How?) Realizing the symbols on his armsock were still emitting a faint glow beneath the sleeve of his trench coat Riku leapt out of his bed and ran out the door to his room without even bothering to put his blindfold on. He raced out of the inn and across the silent snow-blanketed town to Old Man Tilles' house; pounding on the door.
The door creaked open slightly after a moment and Old Man Tilles poked a head of wispy silver hair out into the night. "Kurasu?" He croaked, "What're you doing back—"
Before the man could finish Riku'd thrown the door open violently and stood panting, face to face with the man who'd been perfectly healthy earlier this evening…and now had to lean on the doorframe for support. The large red mark around Tilles' neck that was in the shape of a hand gave him away.
"Why…Why didn't you tell me?!?" Riku snapped.
"…It didn't need to be told." Old Man Tilles replied calmly.
"Yeah? It didn't need to, huh? You…you could've died, you know that! Is that something I don't need to know?!? Is it worth throwing your life away?!?"
"…Why are you so mad Kurasu?"
"BECAUSE I'M TIRED OF PEOPLE GETTING HURT BECAUSE OF ME!! I've already killed one person, I almost killed my two best friends and now I have two MORE idiots who'd risk their life for me—I'm sick of it!! I'd rather just be left alone!!" Riku screamed.
"…You don't mean that." Tilles whispered.
"Why wouldn't I?!?"
"Can you truly say you're happy? Being alone gives you lots of time to think…too much in fact. Thinking for so long makes you realize…After having all that time with just yourself as company you…you realize you hate yourself."
Riku's eyes widened and he took a step away from the old man, shaking his head. "I-I don't…" He stammered, tears slipping down his cheeks. "Why do I keep crying?!? I promised myself I wouldn't cry!" Riku yelled more to himself than the old man, furiously rubbing the tears from his face with his sleeves.
"…Why would you promise yourself something like that? Bottling in your emotions could make you sic—"
"You know what?" Riku interrupted, "Forget it. Just forget it. And take your stupid armsock back!" But as Riku moved to yank the accessory off Old Man Tilles grabbed Riku by the wrist, pulling him close to glare at him with an intense ferocity that Riku hadn't realized the old man possessed.
"Do not take that off Riku. That's final." And with those strict words Old Man Tilles released Riku's arm and slammed the door closed in his face.