XO'MagickMoon'OX
A/N: Sorry for the slow update. T-T But, anyway, here's the next chapter!
Aza: I had no idea that "brunette" and "brunet" were different. But then I looked up the word "brunette", and although one of the definitions was just a person with dark hair, another definition was a woman with dark hair, while "brunet" only had the first definition. So, basically, you were right and thank you for correcting me!
Li the Twilight Knight: Yup, most of this stuff deals with Wiccanism. But, a lot of the stuff with vampires I made up. :) My best friend is Wiccan, too, kinda. I'm not Wiccan exactly... I'm what some call a "New Age Christian" or a "Christian Witch". Basically it's my own blend of Wiccanism and Christianity.
And thank you to everyone else, too! I love you all. I apologize for my last chapter being a little... extreme (for lack of a better word), what with the swearing and the outbursts. But, I'm a sucker for drama, so what can I say? That chapter was actually the reason I up'd the rating, though that might have been a little unnecessary. Eh, the rating would've gone up in the end, anyway, mostl likely. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Anticipate angsty and overdramatic!Sora... well, overdramatic in my opinion, anyway. I made him far too... weepy. -sighs- I can't seem to do anything right.
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.506 AD.
Riku landed in the courtyard. On something that strongly protested to being landed on.
"Hey!"
Riku, dazed by the unexpected presence of other people in the courtyard, struggled to his feet, offering a hand to help up the person he had so graciously dropped in on. The person took the offer, sharp nails digging into Riku's palm. He winced, but ignored the pinpricks of pain as the stranger stood. Looking the man up and down, Riku decided he didn't like this person. He didn't like the way their creepy, cat-like eyes observed him or the way his nose twitched curiously.
Riku looked away from the person and around the courtyard, noting with relief that no one else seemed to be disturbed by his sudden appearance. Though, it wouldn't have been hard to realize that Riku certainly didn't belong with this crowd. They were sickly and dirty and everything that he was not. Even the air around them felt tainted with their filth. There was no doubt in his mind that these poor, desolate people were the serfs that worked Sora's father's land.
Speaking of whom. Riku scanned the crowd again and found no trace of Sora. His heart, which had been beating rather quickly at the thought of Sora being in danger, calmed a bit. Perhaps the boy was okay. There didn't seem to be any widespread panic or pandemonium. He quickly concluded that the invaders had not yet reached the castle and that the knights were probably out on the fief fighting them away.
"I see, now, how everything's falling into place. Indeed, I see it clearly."
Riku turned. He hadn't been aware that the strange man was still watching him. The thought was unnerving to say the least. "What was that?" Riku asked.
"So you shall be he, he who brings the destruction. Destruction will be brought by he who will lose everything, everything." The last was said as the man's small, knowing smile erupted into an eerie grin. "What goes up must come down, no?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Riku growled.
"Of course you don't. Not many often know about that which I say, and sometimes me, myself, and I do not know what I speak of, as it is often hidden from mine eyes, the truth of my words. But say it I do, and hence I realize the truth of my words. I am never wrong. Wrong, I am never."
"You should really stop talking," Riku deadpanned, turning away from the man and pushing his way through the crowd. He made it to the open corridor that surrounded the courtyard and continued down it, reaching out with his sensitive senses for Sora's whereabouts. It almost disturbed him how easily he could sense the boy. Soon he'd reached his destination. "Sora!" he called.
The idle chatter he'd heard coming from a nearby room ceased, and a familiar brown-haired head popped out of the doorway. A bright smile spread across Sora's face. "Riku!"
"Sora, who is it?" Roxas appeared at his cousin's side, peering around the older boy and down the corridor. Upon sighting the approaching figure, his eyes narrowed.
Riku ignored the sharp glance he was receiving from the blonde and stepped into the room, consequently forcing Sora back. As soon as they were out of the doorway, Riku captured Sora in a tight embrace. Upon realizing his behavior, however, Riku pulled away and shook his head. Sora was blushing, his smile gone and replaced with an unspoken inquiry that Riku chose not to answer.
"Sora." Roxas stepped around Riku and stood between him and the brunet. "Who is this?" He gestured over his shoulder at Riku, who was looking rather indignant at Roxas's audacity.
"He's…uh…Riku," Sora answered awkwardly.
Roxas turned to the silver-haired boy, glaring at him. "He's a vampire."
Riku started, taking a wary step back.
Sora gripped Roxas's shoulder, feeling the tenseness of his muscles. "But he's not doing any harm!"
The blonde whirled on Sora. "Sora, you know what has to be done—"
"Roxas, no," Sora said earnestly. "You can't hurt him."
"Who are you to say what I can and cannot do!"
"You can't hurt him!"
"BUT WHAT ABOUT—"
"YOU CAN'T HURT HIM!"
"WHAT ABOUT MY FATHER!"
"What about him?"
"Weren't you the one that said I have to live up to my father's reputation?" Roxas demanded. "Well, here I have the opportunity and you're telling me not to!"
"Roxas," Sora whimpered. "Not him." He darted around his cousin, clasping Riku's arm. Riku was very confused by the exchange, but remained silent. "You can't."
Roxas was seething. "Damn you." He ran out of the room, fighting back angry tears.
Sora let out a breath, clenching his eyes shut and stumbling over to his bed. Then he began to cry. Riku's brow creased into a worried frown. He reached behind him and shut Sora's door before making his way over to the brunet's side. "Sora?" he whispered as he knelt down on the bed.
Sora had his face buried in his pillow, his shoulders shaking and his sobs barely audible. A shout floated through the window on a cool whisp of wind, followed by a chorus of jocund cheering. The two ignored it. Riku shook Sora's shoulder gently, trying to turn the boy over so he could see his face. "Sora, what's wrong?"
Sora sprang up suddenly, spinning and throwing his arms around Riku's neck, almost knocking the silver-haired vampire backwards. Riku gathered his balance and returned the awkward embrace, wrapping his arms around Sora's back as the boy cried into his shoulder. "I-I'm s-so confused-d, Riku," he sobbed.
Riku smoothed his hand down Sora's spine comfortingly, pressing his lips to Sora's temple. "Shhhh…" he crooned. He moved so that he was leaning against the wall at the head of Sora's bed, the trembling brunet held securely on his lap. Why was he being so compassionate towards the boy? Was it possible that he…held some sort of feelings for Sora? He shook his head, returning to the task at hand. "About what?" he asked.
"Ab-About eve-ry-th-thing!"
Riku swallowed. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to calm Sora down? As he sat trying to think of something, his hand absently continued its path up and down Sora's back. He unconsciously noted how good it felt to hold the boy, as if he was made just to fit in Riku's arms. Riku shook his head again, chasing away the ridiculous notion. "Stop crying," he whispered, "and tell me what's wrong."
"B-But I c-can't st-stop crying-g," Sora choked out. "It's j-just too m-much!" He buried his face deeper into the crook of Riku's neck, and Riku could feel the warm tears soaking through the collar of his tunic.
And then, without warning, Sora pulled away from Riku's neck and looked up at him. Riku's heart nearly broke on the spot when he saw the pain on the brunet's flushed, tear-stained face, his blue eyes swimming in the liquid grief. Before Riku could note another thing about Sora's face, it became all too close for him to see clearly and he felt Sora's lips against his.
With a sudden burst of passionate abandon, Sora tightened his grip around Riku's neck and pulled their lips more forcefully together, making Riku gasp in surprise and giving Sora access to the inside of his mouth. Riku couldn't help but groan at Sora's sudden aggressive demeanor and grew very hot, fire alighting his blood and spreading the searing heat to the tips of every extremity. He held Sora closer to him, savoring each and every sensation that streaked through his nerves as their tongues brushed and lips moved against each other in a lusty, sensuous dance. Riku wouldn't have minded if it'd gone of forever.
However, Sora's mortality would not allow such a thing, and he pulled back for air, taking deep, shuddering breaths. Riku, still in a fog, murmured, "What was that?"
"It's one of th-the things I'm c-confused about," Sora stuttered, tears still trickling from the corners of his downcast eyes, his head tilted down at Riku's chest to hide his shame. "I…really like you, Riku. I don't know how or when I st-started to, but I did…and now you're all I think about."
Why did the news of this make Riku's stomach turn excitedly?
"Even though I d-don't act like it, you're always on my mind. I haven't seen you f-for nearly a week…and I need you around. I'm a l-little afraid r-right now." Sora tugged on a lock of his hair, biting his lip nervously.
"Of what?" Riku whispered.
"W-Well…someone told me that…that I was going to d-die a year from now, and I just—"
"Wait, what?" This caught Riku's attention. For some reason the words "Sora" and "die" in the same sentence greatly unsettled him, coupled with the phrase "a year from now". Sora just further tried to hide his face behind his bangs, feeling more than ever like a foolish child. "You're not a foolish child," Riku said softly. "Who told you this?"
"Th-This man…in the courtyard."
"You mean that weird man with the cat-eyes?"
Sora nodded.
"Why would you waste your thoughts on him? He's insane, Sora, don't worry about it." Riku was very much relieved to hear that Sora's source of information was a petty serf who was more than a little touched in the head.
Sora shrugged, but felt a comforted by Riku's words. He was right; there was nothing to worry about. But, that didn't resolve Sora's other issue. What exactly was he feeling for Riku? It wasn't love, he was sure of that (he'd only just met Riku after all), and it was probably a little bit of lust, but he knew that there was more than that. Something deeper than lust but not as great as love. Strong like? That was it. Since Riku had left him in the courtyard that day a week ago, Riku had seemed to be slipping more and more into Sora's thoughts. The reason he'd gone looking for Roxas earlier that day was to take his mind off of Riku and hopefully take Roxas's mind off the death of his father.
Roxas…
Sora felt the leaden weight of guilt drop into his stomach. He shouldn't have yelled at Roxas like he had; the blonde had only been doing what he thought was right. Riku was, after all, a vampire.
"But I'm a damn sexy vampire," Riku interrupted Sora's thoughts with a roguish grin.
"A damn egotistical vampire," Sora murmured. The brief snatch of humor disappeared quickly, carried away on the winds of unease. Sora idly fingered the amulet beneath his shirt, drifting deep into thought. So deep that Riku didn't bother trying to read his mind, knowing he'd only catch superficial snippets of thought. He let Sora lay there and brood, savoring the feel of Sora's heart beating against his chest.
He never wanted to let him go.
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Leon stepped precariously across the stone slabs that made up an archway that ran down one side of the courtyard, glancing down at the serfs milling about. He sighed, hopping over a grotesque stone gargoyle. He perched on the head of another, sitting down on top of it. He wondered where Riku had gotten to.
And then, a voice erupted above the din of the serfs, calling, "SILENCE!"
Quiet fell across the crowd. Leon lifted an eyebrow as a blonde head came into view, pushing through the crowd. The blonde continued to speak. "They're gone!" he yelled. Cheers exploded in the courtyard, but the man quickly quieted them again. "We shall escort you back to your land and aid you in repairing the damages until tomorrow evening. Everyone follow the knights out of the castle and back to your farms."
There was continued rejoicing on the departure. The blonde remained where he was as everyone filtered out around him. From Leon's vantage point, the person looked tired. Finally alone in the commodious courtyard the blonde staggered back inside and out of sight.
Leon cocked his head, vanishing from his perch and reappearing on the ground bellow. He headed in the direction the blonde had gone, curiosity getting the better of him. When he stepped through the stone archway, he didn't have to look far to find his object of interest; the blonde was leaning against the wall of the corridor, breathing heavily, his façade of strength and composure shattered. Despite his worn appearance, Leon noted that he was still quite attractive, with his golden-blonde hair seeming to stick up naturally in a most appealing sort of way, his bangs falling to frame his gently curved face. His nose was straight and almost aristocratic in its ideality, eyes that were blue enough to put even the most beautiful sapphires to shame set above proud cheekbones, with perfect, pink lips parted just enough to draw heavy, even breaths.
Leon quietly approached the recuperating man, arms behind his back. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, causing the blonde to glance up sharply, eyes wide. His guard went up immediately. "Who are you?" the blonde demanded, managing to look intimidating in his chain mail and armor despite his obvious fatigue. There was also a certain fire to his eyes that was just, simply put, threatening.
"Easy," Leon coaxed. "I'm no enemy."
"How can I be certain?" the blonde rejoined. Nevertheless, he allowed Leon to near him until the brunet was standing directly before him.
"What's your name?" Leon asked.
"…Cloud." Cloud seemed to drop his guard somewhat, either too tired to hold it anymore or not sensing the other to pose any sort of threat—possibly both. "You?"
"Squall." Leon shifted his weight to one foot and crossed his arm, adopting a casual stance. "So, are you a knight?"
"How could you tell?" Cloud said jokingly, though he sounded a little breathless.
"I take it you just…returned from some sort of victory?"
Cloud nodded. "We had to chase the Vikings off our fief. It's going to be difficult to repair, but fortunately they did little damage."
"Are you the noble's son?" Leon asked.
The blonde returned this query with his own inquisitive look, but nodded nonetheless.
"How old are you?"
"…Erm, nineteen this winter."
Leon started at this. "So young…" he whispered in wonder, more to himself than Cloud. It was only logical though, considering that a human's lifespan was drastically shorter than a vampire's. What seemed young to Leon was actually quite mature in the eyes of a mortal. And as he looked the blonde up and down, again taking in his weary demeanor, he noted the frailty of humans, as well.
Cloud shook his head, seeming to blink something away from his eyes. The brunet wordlessly took into account the sudden film that had seemed to veil Cloud's eyes, making his gaze unsteady and glassy. Without further warning, Cloud collapsed, and Leon leaned forward without thinking, catching the blonde in his arms. His knees buckles under the sudden added weight, and Leon found himself on the floor, an unconscious Cloud in his lap.
Leon was feeling rather panicked, which was decidedly unusual for him. Looking down at Cloud's peaceful countenance, however deathly pale, he murmured, "Why does it feel like…something inside of me is…dying?"
There was no denying that the sensation was there, wriggling uncomfortably in his chest. He was worried, plain and simple. There was something wrong with Cloud, this boy that he'd only just met moments ago. And Leon was…worried.
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A/N: Bah, I think this chapter was too short. And, as I said, Sora was a regular drama queen (or was his angst justified?) But, hey, the relationships are evolving! Sort of... eh, again, sorry for the slow update. The next chapter's almost done! Review, and TBC!
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