Oh my god, I've reached the double digits! XDDDD I'm so happy, I could die! (Okay, not really, but I'm still pretty happy.)
I do not own Kingdom Hearts.
Betad by: copycat-capycot, my ever-so-awesome beta. :DDD You would all suffer from my horrific grammar without her.
Chapter 10: The Adventure at the Yorushi Villa
It was Spring Break. And while most of the pitiful student body of Twilight Town High School was in their homes surfing the internet, procrastinating or lounging about and enjoying their boredom, Riku, Sora, Axel, Roxas, Zexion and Demyx were happily lounging at the beach by a beautiful, two-story, sea-side villa at Radiant Garden.
Granted, it was Sephiroth's sea-side villa, but he allowed Riku to bring his friends as well. In frankness, Sephiroth had intended the villa solely for the silver-haired teen and Sora, but after Setsuna—Riku's mother and possibly the only person Sephiroth would listen to—stood beside her son and protested that Riku should bring as many friends as he wanted, Sephiroth eventually conceded.
And so, here they were. Demyx, Roxas and Riku were attempting to construct a sandcastle, Sora was digging a hole in the sand underneath the large beach umbrella (he was not particularly fond of the noon sun) with Zexion next to him, and Axel was deeply absorbed in lighting the fire for their barbeque.
"Hm. It seems Radiant Garden has a bit of interesting history," Zexion commented, as he thumbed through a book titled Radiant Garden: A History.
"Yes," Sora said, shoveling out another handful of sand with a large shell. "I've heard about that. This entire city is rich with its own horrors." A gleeful, slit-like grin crossed his features.
"Yeah, my father thinks that the villa's haunted by a zashiki warashi," Riku spoke up as he attempted to etch a royal crest into the castle's main body with a stick. "I think that's half the reason why he bought it, knowing him."
"A what, sorry?" Axel asked, glancing at his friend.
"A zashiki warashi," the silver-haired teen explained. "It's kind of like a prankster ghost child that brings prosperity and good luck. Sometimes my clothes would go missing and stuff, and things would move around."
Roxas and Axel gulped. Demyx paled. Zexion looked quite intrigued. Sora seemed happier than ever.
"A zashiki warashi!" the brunette said gleefully, dazed with complete bliss. "I've always wanted to meet one!"
"But I think it was my Dad playing tricks on me," Riku said. "He always did like doing things like that," he added a bit bitterly. Sephiroth had once misled the silver-haired teen into thinking that the toothfairy was a hulking, ugly, winged goblin-like creature that would steal away into his room the night he turned six-years-old and pry out all his baby teeth with a large pair of pliers. His father cheerfully admitted his deceit the next morning… after Riku had spent the entire night sobbing hysterically.
Sora looked slightly disappointed. His lower lip jutted out into a very identifiable pout.
"Sora, don't tell me you came all this way with me 'cause you wanted to see my haunted house," the eighteen-year-old joked.
"Not solely," the mortician's son said, failing to notice Riku's teasing. "I wanted to spend time with you, too."
The elder knew it probably wasn't easy for Sora to openly admit his feelings, so he shuffled next to him and gave him a light kiss as a reward. "Thanks," Riku murmured.
The relationship between the two boys had been going quite well. Riku often kissed Sora and held his hand openly in public, but he wouldn't dare try anything more than a heated make-out session. Sora was taking this new experience quite well, in all consideration. The brunette was still very, very prone to bouts of heavy nosebleeds, however he was getting better. When Sora felt compelled to, which was rare and endearing, he would offer a kiss with a subdued excitement and a slight dab of fear (of making an error) in his eyes. At these times Riku would always oblige with enthusiasm. But the elder was always careful never to frighten Sora when he made his advances. Always very careful.
But it wasn't to say that Sora had given up his ways. He was as obsessed with death, gore and all manner of horrifying things as he always was. In fact, several days ago, Sora took it upon himself to show Riku a new cat whose skull had been crushed a peculiar way by a car tire and spoke of how fascinating the shape was. On a related side note: the older teen loved cats. There were new aspects to the mortician's son that Riku found so utterly captivating: the sad, quiet moments when the shadows would darken Sora's face more than usual, his unwavering concern for the silver-haired teen's well-being, and his love for music.
They were quite a couple.
[The First Night]
There were four bedrooms, three bathrooms, two game rooms, one large kitchen, one living room, and a laundry room included in Sephiroth's villa. The teens had paired up and separated themselves amongst the bedrooms. Zexion and Demyx elected to stay in the bedroom on the second floor. Axel and Roxas stayed in the bedroom on the first floor. Riku's father, however, had already designated which bedroom his son and Sora were to stay in. It was the master bedroom, which contained a large, four-poster bed complete with a velvety-red canopy and equally red sheets, luxurious pillows and its own bathroom. It was lovelier than the other bedrooms. The moment Riku found out where they were going to be sleeping, he almost turned scarlet. It was a room for physically intimate couples. The silver-haired teen would have phoned his father and thrown a fit if he didn't secretly like the thought of Sora curled up in those silky bedsheets.
Early next morning, at about 3:00 AM, Riku woke and discovered Sora was not with him. He didn't have to open his eyes to find out, he could tell. The bed was colder than usual.
"Sora?" he called, too tired to sit up.
The brunette stepped out of the bathroom, a shovel resting on his shoulder.
"Good morning, Riku," he said.
"Morning, Sora," the elder said, half-mumbling. "What's with the shovel?"
"I'm going to dig something up."
"Oh. Okay." Riku yawned again and rolled over onto his other side.
"By the way, Riku, do you know where the butcher knives are?"
"Hm? Oh… yeah, they're in the kitchen. Left of the stove, second drawer."
"Thanks. And what about garbage bags? Preferably the big ones."
The silver-haired teen's brow furrowed as he tried to gather his thoughts; he was drifting. "Underneath the sink," the elder said, lazily.
"All right. Thanks, Riku."
"No prob…"
"Good night."
Riku only let out a grunt as a response, hardly noticing his boyfriend leave quietly. He was asleep in moments.
[The Second Day]
Several hours later, Axel (an early riser) woke to find his pillow was missing. The redhead rolled over to the edge of the bed, thinking that the pillow had perhaps tumbled over while he was sleeping, and began to blindly feel around the floor for the lost object. He couldn't find it. Had it traveled far? Grumbling softly, Axel sat up to find his pillow was nowhere in sight. Not on the floor. Not on the bed. Not in the room.
'What…?' the redhead thought. 'Did Roxas take it?'
Axel turned to the blonde, who was sleeping soundly next to him. His pillow was gone as well.
The taller was quite sure that they had both fallen asleep with a pillow, so where could they have gone? He rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully and then dismissed the entire thing. It was too early to think anyway. Axel swung his legs off the bed. His throat was dry; he needed some water. He crossed the room and opened the door—
To find that there was a pillow pyramid waiting outside for him.[1]
The redhead stopped, glancing at the structure with curiosity.
"Hey, Roxas?" he called, turning his head to the bed.
The blonde groaned in annoyance.
"Roxas! Look at this!"
"Axel, shut up…" The blonde whined, rolling away from him. "It's too early." Roxas clawed around for his pillow to jam it over his head and keep the noise out. Unable to find it, he begrudgingly opened his eyes and pushed his upper half from the bed.
"Did you take my pillow?" the shorter asked.
"Well, I didn't do it," Demyx said in his defense during breakfast.
"Me neither," Zexion said, sipping his milk.
"Me neither," Riku echoed as he settled down to eat his toast.
"Well, me and Roxas—"
"Roxas and I," the lilac-haired teen corrected.
Axel ignored him, "—didn't do it. And anyway, Riku, don't you get up to pee, like, six times a night or something? Did you notice anything?"
The silver-haired teen's cheeks turned pink. "No, I didn't, Ax," he said, letting a tone of resentment slide in his voice. He hated it when his nightly bathroom runs came into conversation.
"Maybe Sora did it?" Roxas suggested. "Hey, where is he, anyway?"
"Oh, he left a few hours ago," Riku said, biting into his toast.
"What in the world do you do at that early?" Demyx asked, his eyebrows raised in surprise.
"He said something about digging," the silver-haired teen replied, his mouth full.
"Digging?" Zexion spoke up. "Digging what?"
"You know, I…" Riku swallowed his food, thinking. "I don't really know."
Luckily, the TV provided a response.
"Locals are terrified by a shadowy figure that had broken into the cemetery and unearthed a grave. The suspect was identified as a small male carrying a shovel, a knife and a garbage bag on his person—"
Riku choked on his orange juice.
"—but other than that, not much evidence has been uncovered to lead to the identification of this graverobber. Twenty people have reported seeing the suspect enter, but they did not see him leave. In fact, many were prepared to swear that the suspect had 'vanished into thin air.'"
Sora entered the villa, his hands, feet and front covered with dirt, the knife in one hand, the garbage bag slung over his opposite shoulder, and his best, eerie slit-like smile on face. The bag was obviously filled with something (its contours in the plastic were easily seen) but most of them did not want to venture a guess at what it was.
"Good morning," he said cheerfully, as everyone stared at him. "Oh, I made the news!" He took his seat between Riku and Demyx, and plopped his bag next to him. The mullet-mohawked teen gaped at the garbage bag in horror, his eyes bulging.
"So, Sora…" Riku said, slowly. "You… robbed a… grave this morning?"
"Yes," Sora replied happily.
"…what did you take?"
"Several rare herbs that can only be found growing at the graves here. And an arm." He said the last sentence so casually.
He eagerly took his fork and moved several pancakes onto his plate. It seemed that only Sora and Zexion had the ability to continue eating. Demyx's face had turned a sick shade of green.
"Oh, an arm," the silver-haired teen nodded like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. "From who?"
"A girl. Don't worry, she didn't need it. She was already dead, a victim of a murder." He practically glowed with content. "I'm so happy I have a souvenir now."
Riku sighed. For an instant, he thought of making the brunette take the arm back, but he knew Sora. The mortician's son would not give it up without an all-out bloodbath. Roxas, however, did not have this insight, noble as his intentions were.
"Um, Sora," the blonde began.
Axel looked to Roxas in horror, fearing for the shorter teen's safety. The redhead had seen what Sora can do when provoked!
"Roxas!" he hissed quietly, but Roxas didn't hear him and continued.
"Maybe you should go and put—"
The room suddenly became frigid, the TV channel became fuzzy, and the lights dimmed and sputtered.
"I should do what, Roxas?" Sora asked, his voice quiet and leveled. Their gazes met and it took only a moment.
"Syrup," the blonde said, quivering. "You should put syrup on your pancakes. Yeah. And uh—Sora?"
"Yes?"
"You didn't happen to take our pillows and make them into a pyramid before you left did you?"
Sora sliced into a pancake. "No," he replied, looking slightly confused. "Why would I do that?"
"Well, we all woke up this morning and there was a pillow pyramid to the hall," Riku spoke up.
A look of pure joy overcame the brunette's face. "Do you think it's the zashiki warashi?" he said, happily.
"No, I think it had to have been someone," the silver-haired teen reasoned.
"Hm," Sora frowned, sinking into his chair as he prodded his breakfast. "Regardless of your interpretation, Riku, I'm afraid I am not the culprit. Besides, do you take me to do those sort of pointless pranks?"
"No, I guess not," Riku frowned.
"But anyway, what shall we do today?" the brunette asked. "I'm told there are very interesting things in the city. Can we go?"
"Yeah, sure."
Within several minutes, the other teenage boys had regained their appetite and started to eat again. Aside from the TV, everyone was too busy eating to talk.
"Riku?" Sora asked suddenly.
"Mm-hm?" the silver-haired teen replied.
"I'm afraid I have to store this arm in the freezer. Otherwise, it will rot."
Slowly, Demyx sullenly set his fork aside. He wasn't hungry anymore.
Radiant Garden was home to a very unique shopping district, mouth-watering foodstuffs, and plenty of historical sites. That day, the group enjoyed themselves in the shopping district, going from store to store for souvenirs and stopping by anything remarkable along the way. There seemed to be a horror story for each of the city's scenic points, which Sora did not fail to inform everyone whenever they happened upon them.
"There was a great fire in this library," he said. "Ninety-two people died."
"A girl was found dead in this fountain," the brunette would comment. He said this just as Demyx had leaned forward to admire his reflection in the clear water.
"A serial killer hung one of his victims from this tree," the mortician's son stated this as Roxas was leaning against the said tree.
Riku realized that allowing Sora to continue would be detrimental to the entire group, and so he quietly took the mortician's son aside and gently reprimanded him for it.
"It's not that I don't like it," Riku explained quickly. "Really, Sora, it isn't. But Ax and the others kind of want to… relax, you know? They can't really do that knowing that just about everything in this town has some sort of bloody murder or something. Except for maybe Zexion," he added offhandedly.
Sora looked a little hurt. The silver-haired teen had never asked him to hide his behavior before, but he understood his logic. "All right," the brunette agreed.
Riku came closer and kissed him. "Thank you," he whispered. "Tell you what, I'll buy you that shrunken head you wanted a couple stores back."
"Really?" Immediately, the mortician's son brightened up.
"Yeah."
"The one with the stone knife in its head?" he asked excitedly.
"Yeah, the one with the stone knife in its head." Riku agreed, even though he knew he was probably going to have nightmares of the thing rolling around in their room.
[The Third Night]
"Huh?" Demyx groggily woke up in the middle of the night. He turned to Zexion, who was sleeping on his stomach next to him. He could have sworn he had heard someone call his name.
"Zexy, did you say something?" the mullet-mohawked teen asked.
The lilac-haired teen didn't respond. Demyx shrugged, deducing that it must have been his imagination, and let his head sink into the pillow.
He hiccuped.
"One…"
The sandy-blonde froze. A voice? Was he hearing things? Hiccup!
"Two…"
Hiccup!
"Three…"
It was the voice of a child—a young boy, Demyx realized.
Hiccup!
"Four…"
The mullet-mohawked teen was wondering if perhaps the fifty-five hot chicken wings, two packs of twizzlers and galleon of milk he had before bed were finally getting to him. Demyx chastised himself about his strange eating habits before sleeping. He really should stop. All that junk food before bed was probably making him hallucinate voices.
Hiccup!
"Five."
But on the slight chance that something supernatural was actually happening to him, he thought of all things paranormal associated with hiccups. Zexion had once told him that if one hiccuped one-hundred times they would die.[2]
'But that was a legend, right?' the mullet-mohawked teen thought. 'Just a legend…'
Hiccup!
"Six…
Then why was he hearing this eerie voice counting his hiccups? Was the boy intending to count the hiccups until… he reached one-hundred?
Hiccup!
"Seven…"
Hiccup! Hiccup!
"Eight… Nine…"
Demyx paled.
Hiccup!
"Ten…"
Panicking, the sandy-blonde climbed out of bed and raced to the kitchen, hiccupping the entire way. The voice followed him, counting.
"Twenty-two…"
Hiccup!
"Twenty-three…"
He could not even tell where the voice was coming from. It seemed to surround him entirely. Demyx desperately found a glass from the dishwasher, filled it with water and gulped it down.
Hiccup! Hiccup! Hiccup!
Unfortunately, when he was scared, the mullet-mohawked teen was also quite prone to hiccups.
"Twenty-four… twenty-five… twenty-six…."
Demyx drank another glass and another and another…
Hiccup! Hiccup!
"Thirty-six… thirty-seven…"
…until finally the hiccups—and the counting—stopped.
The sandy-blonde teen sank onto the kitchen floor, a heavy sigh blowing passed his lips. He slid his hand over his plump stomach. It was full of water and he felt a little sick, but at least his hiccups were gone.
Gripping the kitchen counter, Demyx pulled himself to his feet and then made his way back to bed.
[The Fourth Day]
"And it disappeared right when you stopped hiccuping?" Zexion questioned that next morning.
Demyx nodded. "It was so creepy!" he said. "Do think it's that sushi wara—"
"Zashiki Warashi," the lilac-haired teen amended.
"Yeah, that. Do you think it can do that?"
"Yes, it sounds like something a zashiki warashi would do. But it was probably just a prank. Zashiki Warashi are quite harmless."
"Great!" the mullet-mohawked teen said, bobbing up and down happily. "Wow, 'cause I was so worried and—"
"What did it sound like?" Sora said, from right behind him. Demyx let out a squeal of fright so sudden and so loud the brunette's ears rang.
"Oh," the sandy-blonde gasped, hand over his racing heart. "Sora, it's… it's just you."
"Yes, I overheard your conversation about the zashiki warashi," the mortician's son said. "I was just wondering how he sounded like."
"Um," Demyx thought for a bit. "Like a kid, I guess. A boy."
"Ah, I see." Sora seemed to be lost in thought. "And did you see him?"
"The ghost kid? Now that you mention it, no, I didn't."
"Hm." The mortician's son crossed his arms idly and fell silent. Before the two could question him further, the brunette strolled off.
[The Fourth Night]
Riku woke for his nightly bathrooms run to find the shrunken head looking at him. He jumped, because he was very sure he asked Sora to put that thing in his pack all nice and wrapped in a newspaper. But here it was, sitting on his pillow, staring at him. The silver-haired teen turned to ask Sora if he had—
Sora was gone.
Riku's brows furrowed together. Did something happen to him? No, nothing looked out of place. The silver-haired teen searched in the dark for his phone, turned it on and—squinting due to the brightness—called him. He only got his voice mail. After failing to reach the brunette once more, Riku began to text.
Sora, where are you? He texted.
As he waited, the silver-haired teen went to the bathroom. When he finished, he opened the door and nearly stepped on the hideous head. It was now resting on the floor two feet from him.
Riku knew for a fact that the head had been on his pillow because he had been too afraid to move it.
"Warashi?" he called, looking about the room. "Are you playing with me?"
No response.
He knew it was a bit weird to talk to an empty room, but his father had always told him never to be shy about speaking to a zashiki warashi. They brought prosperity and had to be respected. But Riku heard nothing but silence. Feeling a bit foolish, the silver-haired teen shuffled around the head to get to bed. His phone chimed, and Riku instantly looked at his new text message.
I'll be back by morning. Sora replied.
Riku frowned at it. It was a rather enigmatic response.
True to his word, though, the mortician's son was back by sunrise.
"Good morning, Riku," Sora greeted, entering the room. The brunette's hands were free. His clothes—a simple denim jeans and a t-shirt—were clean and did not suggest where he had been.
"Morning, Sora. So where did you go?" the silver-haired teen asked, casually.
Sora did not answer immediately. "Hmm… It's a secret."
"Were you graverobbing?"
"Ah, no, I didn't. I should have, though…" the brunette added the bit distantly as he rummaged through his backpack for today's clothing set.
"And no, I don't intend on telling you," Sora answered before Riku could even open his mouth to ask. "No, there's no point in asking later," he responded to another yet-to-be-spoken question.
The silver-haired teen blinked.
"I do apologize, Riku," the mortician's son said. "But I'm afraid I would like to keep this to myself, if you don't mind."
Riku did mind. He minded a lot. It wasn't like Sora to be so blatantly secretive, but the elder bit his tongue. If the brunette didn't want to say about his personal business, he should respect it.
The days of Spring Break flew by at an unfair rate. The group enjoyed the town's historic district—which was deeply intertwined with Radiant Garden's outdated, but undoubtedly fascinating water system—and its splendid Botany Pillar which had all species of plant life. They alternated between spending the day on the beach and the city.
Sora was becoming more and more reclusive with each sunset. He was more silent than usual, and at times it seemed that he was not paying attention at all. And then there was the fact that he was sneaking out at night to do… Riku still had no idea what, and the lack of information squirmed in the back of his mind like a bad itch. Whenever his concern grew unbearable, the silver-haired teen approached Sora on his observations. The mortician's son would simply brush it off and change the topic. But Riku noted that recently Sora seemed additionally distracted, and it worried him. Whatever was plaguing the brunette's mind seemed to be affecting his sleep as well. When the silver-haired teen would habitually wake up to go to the bathroom, he would either find the Sora missing or sitting with his back against the headboard staring into the darkness quietly. Of course, when Riku tried to ask if something was wrong, the mortician's son would gently, but adamantly, dismiss the subject or ignore him completely.
On the fifth day, Sora suddenly volunteered to make any home-cooked meals the group was having. To everyone's surprise, the brunette was actually a very good chef, despite the fact that everything he cooked looked like entrails or a murder scene. Everything, including pasta, soup, lasagna, cake and roasted chicken. The brunette often made elaborate, time-consuming meals which demanded his focus and often isolated him from Riku. ("I'm sorry, Riku, but I must pay attention to this first, lest I cause an accident," he would say. "We can talk later." Which they never did.) Regardless, Riku planned on attempting to bring up the topic again. However, currently the group's focus was on Roxas, who had a rather unusual story on the sixth day.
"I'm telling you, it's true!" the blonde protested. "I swear! One minute the room was covered in all these bloody handprints and the next minute everything was gone!"
"You probably just had a bad dream," Axel said.
"Are you sure it's not that evil ghost kid, the zashiki whatever-it's-called?" Roxas asked, as he turned to Riku.
"Warashi. Zashiki warashi," the silver-haired teen supplied. "And it kind of sounds like something it would do. I've never heard of a warashi doing anything so drastic, though. Maybe it's angry. Father taught me how to win a warashi's favor."
Sora was unusually silent throughout this conversation. Riku had thought that the news of the zashiki warashi would make him happy, but it seemed to make the mortician's son dive farther into thought. His face contorted in a very rare and grim way that made the silver-haired teen uneasy.
"Sora, are you—" Riku began, approaching the brunette from behind.
Sora jumped, whirling around to face him in complete surprised.
"Ah, Riku, it's you," he said. "I'm sorry, you startled me."
That was when the silver-haired teen knew something was very, very wrong. Because for an instant he saw a flash of fear in the brunette's eyes.
'I'm going to talk to him tonight,' Riku thought firmly. He'd had enough of this secrecy.
On the sixth night, Sora was quietly entering through the front door at about five o' clock in the morning. The villa was quiet, and it seemed that everyone was sound asleep. Shutting the door very silently behind him, he stopped.
"Shouldn't you be in bed, Zexion?" Sora asked. Even in the dark, he could see the lilac-haired teen sitting one of the armchairs by the window, a book in his hands. He had obviously been waiting a while.
"So should you. What are you doing, Sora?" Zexion questioned, flicking on the nearby lamp. "You've been sneaking out for the past few days. Why?"
"Investigating," the mortician's son replied. He seated himself in the chair in front of the bookworm. They sat quietly for several minutes, and then Sora spoke again.
"I've been… noticing things lately."
"Noticing things?" Zexion repeated. "Is that why you've been so frightened?"
"Yes," Sora said quietly. The lilac-haired teen had to lean forward to continue hearing him. "Sometimes I can hear footsteps echoing mine—stopping when I stop, continuing when I continue. I try to turn around quickly, but there's nobody there, not a presence to be felt. Some articles of my clothing have also gone missing and recently when I've tried to sleep I can see someone standing over me, but I can't really make out who it is. It's… very unnerving to say the least." He made a very depressed expression, his fingers uneasily drumming on his knees.
"Why haven't you spoken about this until now, Sora?" Zexion questioned.
"Riku had asked me not to scare the others during this break and… and I didn't want to worry him," Sora let his gaze drop to his lap. Then he raised his head. "But it's all right now. I've figured it out. It's not a zashiki warashi, Zexion."
"Then what is it?" the lilac-haired teen asked.
Before Sora could answer, there came a footfall on the stair. They immediately became quiet, their heads turned to the origin of the sound. Seconds later, Riku groggily descended the steps.
"Zexion? Sora?" he mumbled. "Is that you?"
"Yes," the brunette stood up. "What are you doing up, Riku?"
"Bathroom…" the elder teen mumbled. "I was on my way there when I heard people talking. What are you guys doing?" He approached them.
"Discussing the herbal uses of the flytrap and begonia," Sora responded. "I had heard once of someone boiling them in a pot with sugar and honey to make a strange concoction."
"Oh, I see."
"Yes. I'll be up shortly, Riku."
"Okay, don't stay up too late, you guys. 'Night," Riku yawned as he ascended the steps.
"Good night, Riku," Zexion said.
Sora rose from his seat. The lilac-haired teen began to speak, to ask him to continue their conversation, but the brunette's eyes caught his for a moment, and he held his tongue.
Riku looked up when he heard Sora enter. The lamp on the bedside furniture was on, but dim.
"So are you ever going to tell me what's been bothering you?" the older teen asked as he patted a spot on the bed next to him. The brunette seated himself in the indicated space, letting his head fall onto the silver-haired teen's shoulder.
"No," Sora murmured.
Riku frowned a bit. "Sora… Look, if something's wrong, tell me. Let me help." He placed his hand in the brunette's. "I'll do everything I can."
A small, sad smile formed on the brunette's lips. "I'm afraid this is something I cannot allow you to help me with, Riku. Please, I ask you to respect my wishes and permit me to continue as I am."
The frown on the elder's face deepened. "I can't," he protested. "Do you really expect me to stand aside when you look so troubled?"
Sora didn't answer, his gaze cast downward. Instead, he buried his head into Riku's form, a small sigh escaping him as silence filled the room. The silver-haired teen's hand inched up to the brunette's shoulder and held him closer.
"…Sora, you're really tense," Riku commented with a worried expression, he could feel the tight muscles underneath the skin. "Here..." The older teen moved behind him, both hands on the other's shoulders, working through the clothing and at the knots.
Sora nearly melted. He had been a bit stressed as of late. The brunette let his head hang limply; the massage felt so good. The silver-haired teen's hot thumbs began to rub relaxing circles at the spot where his neck and shoulder met. Sora shuddered pleasantly.
"Mmm… Riku," he murmured, absentmindedly.
"Feels good?" The elder asked, leaning in. He was so close to the mortician's son could feel his breath against his neck.
"Mm." The mortician's son bobbed his head.
Riku trailed one finger down Sora's spine as he moved closer and whispered into his ear. "Maybe we could do a little something? Something a little… erotic?"
A flash of red colored the brunette's cheeks. He lifted his head. "Riku…?" he asked. "Riku, what are you saying?"
Sora turned to face him. Taking the opportunity, Riku leaned forward and connected their lips. Somehow during the liplock, the eighteen-year-old managed to maneuver Sora beneath him on the bed.
"Riku, wait…" the brunette began, breaking the kiss. He placed his hand on Riku's collar to stop him. "Demyx and Zexion are close by—"
"Then we'll just have to be quiet."
"But Riku, I've never…" Sora's cheeks flushed darkly.
"It's all right, Sora. I just want to help you relax," the silver-haired teen said softly, his voice alluring and hot. "I'll be gentle."
He placed his hand on Sora's thigh and inched inwards, towards the area between—
A knife was at Riku's throat.
"Sora, wh-what are you doing?" the elder stammered, lifting his hands up and straightening himself completely. Sora sat up, his knife following Riku's neck.
"I know you're not Riku," the mortician's son replied steadily. "You can stop pretending now."
"What are you doing talking about?" Riku asked, keeping his gaze on the gleam of silver. "Sora, seriously, put that knife away! This isn't funny! Come on, you could really hurt me!"
Sora said nothing, his eyes fixated on the other's. Riku fell silent for several seconds, and then he dropped his hands and an annoyed expression swept his features. The silver-haired teen sighed and in a split second the knife flew from Sora's hand, clattering in the distance. Suddenly an invisible force pinned the brunette onto the bed, his wrists on either side of him. Riku—no, it wasn't Riku, even if it had his face—leaned forward.
"What gave me away?" he asked, tucking a lock of silver hair behind his ear. "I thought it was a perfect impersonation."
"It was," Sora said calmly. "You performed flawlessly."
"Buuuut…?" The older teen leaned down, so that their chests were together. He traced circles just underneath Sora's clavicle playfully.
"I just knew you couldn't be Riku. That was all. And besides, Riku would never be as assertive as you were. He would stop if I asked him to."
Riku frowned, as if he had expected a more grand explanation.
"So who are you?" The brunette asked.
"I'm Riku." The silver-haired teen grinned.
"You're not."
"I can be."
"You're not," Sora repeated firmly.
The grin on Riku's face warped into a humorous smile. "All right, I digress. I'm not Riku. But I don't need to tell you who I am. You already know it, right Sora? You've got it figured out in that cute little brain of yours." He tapped his finger on the brunette's nose playfully.
"Terra," the brunette replied. "You were a serial murderer-rapist several decades ago, back when you were alive. You killed approximately nineteen adolescents. You inhabited this very house in your time and disappeared before the police could have you atone for your crimes. Your body was never found. Mostly likely it's trapped in some secret room deep in the lower bowels of this house."
"Wonderful!" Terra said, cheerfully. "Correct on all counts!"
"And all your little pranks, the pillow pyramid, the counting, it was all a show to make everyone believe you were a harmless zashiki warashi."
"Correct again, Sora!" The ghost held up a triumphant finger.
"But I figured it out anyway." Sora narrowed his eyes.
"Well," Terra tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "I sort did send you some clues. You know… all the stalking, looming over you while you sleep, stealing your underwear… Oh, and the bloody handprint trick I pulled on your friend. That was for fun, too. I just love scaring you youngsters way too much." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling with a wily expression. Then he planted his elbows on each side of the brunette and propped his chin on his palms.
"So, want a victory kiss for being so smart, Sora?" A devious, almost predatory, smirk crossed his features.
"Don't make such an expression with Riku's face. It doesn't flatter him at all," Sora said, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh? And what will you do?" Terra tilted his head to the side, amused. "Be careful, you don't want to bruise this fine specimen of male, do you? Don't forget, I am—was…?" he thought for a moment on the proper word before deciding, "am a psychotic killer, I can make your little boyfriend chew out his radial artery if I wanted to." The specter raised Riku's wrist to his lips, grinning, and clicked his teeth together twice.
A spark of anger flared in Sora's eyes and he struggled against the power holding him down.
"If you hurt Riku…!" He growled.
Terra laughed, giddy to see he had roused such a passionate emotion. "I won't hurt Riku, not if I don't have to."
"Then what do you want?"
The spirit stroked the brunette's cheek. "I want you," he said, grinning. He leaned forward until his nose was at the nape of the Sora's neck and inhaled deeply.
"Since I first saw you enter this mansion, I wanted you," the ghost murmured. "Your body is so sweet. Spiritually aware young humans like yourself are always saturated with such delicious pheromones. Your boyfriend had no idea of the prize he had in his grasp." Terra licked his lips, which did not suit Riku's face at all.
"But why go after me now?" Sora asked. "Riku had been coming here since he was a child. Why didn't you want him?"
"Oh, I did," The ghost nodded. "But I don't do kids, only sixteen-year-olds and up." He raised his thumb to punctuate his statement. He continued on,
"I was waiting patiently for little Riku to grow up and let me say, I am pleased with how well he's developed." Terra giggled. "I was going to go for him, his last visit was when…? He was fifteen, I think? So I waited. I knew he'd come back eventually. But who should he bring back… but you. Darling, delicious, scrumptious you…"
The specter crushed his mouth against the brunette's; his lips hot and demanding a response while Sora remained impassive. "Mm. Be a good boy and behave while I fuck you, Sora," he murmured. His fingers gripped the brunette's shirt and yanked it up to his neck. Terra wasted no time in exploring him, his excited hands stroked every inch of skin they could find. The mortician's son squirmed. It was so different from how Riku would touch him. It felt awful, disgusting even.
Terra moved lower, his fingers dipping underneath Sora's waistband—
"That's far enough, Terra," the brunette said, a serious look on his face.
Terra twitched his lip irritably. He looked up at the brunette with a short hum. "Sora, stop distracting me. We've just gone through this. I have your boyfriend hostage, and you won't hurt me. So please just let me violate you, already." There was an aggravated inflection in his voice that was actually quite amusing, but Sora stood his ground.
"You misinterpret me. I'm not going to hurt you, and neither am I going to let you do as you please."
"Is that so?" The ghost laughed. "Then what are you planning on doing then?"
It had taken Zexion only an instant to figure the first part of Sora's clue.
"Discussing the herbal uses of the flytrap and begonia."
Flytrap and begonia. In the ways of the Wicca, these flowers had very specific meanings. The flytrap meant "deceit" and the begonia, "beware."
Given the circumstances in which Sora said those words, it could only mean that the Riku that had interrupted them wasn't entirely Riku. The lilac-haired teen shook his head at himself. He had given Sora far too little credit. Zexion couldn't even tell something was wrong.
"I had heard once of someone boiling them in a pot with sugar and honey to make a strange concoction."
At first Zexion was confused with this part of the brunette's message and had thought that "sugar and honey" was the focus and went to the cabinet they were stored in. He searched about, knocking on the wood, moving aside spices and found nothing. Considering further, the lilac-haired teen then contemplated on the word "pot" and went to the specific drawer. It was quite a large cabinet next to the sink. Using his book light, Zexion inspected the wood and the pots. It took him several minutes to discover it: a small, well-hidden indention in the back of the cabinet that indicated a trapdoor. He removed all kitchenware, took a knife from a drawer, and wedged the door open. It reluctantly slid to the left, revealing a narrow shaft and a ladder to lead the way.
Zexion climbed down the ladder. Several feet into his descent, he was ready to gag. The scent of rotting flesh hit him hard and grew heavier and heavier with each passing foot. The stench became so strong the lilac-haired teen was forced to stop as his body was overtaken by a powerful coughing fit. He felt dizzy, but he knew he had to continue on. Sora was counting on him. The moment his feet hit solid ground, Zexion immediately brought his collar up to his nose and waved his book light around the room to find some sort of light switch. The lilac-haired teen found one to his left. He flipped it on.
The room was bare, and several claw marks—made by human hands, the bookworm noticed grimly—and blood stains littered the walls and floor. There were metal loops attached to the walls, along with a chest to his far right. Zexion did not want to think on what was inside that box. There was also a coiled group of chains in one corner and a chair lay propped on the opposite wall.
The body was near the center. How the man had met his end, Zexion did not have time to contemplate. He strode forward, bringing out the salt, lighter fluid and matches.[3]
Terra suddenly had a feeling something was wrong. Someone had found it. His…
In the corner of his eye, he saw Sora smirk. And it was then did the spirit realize.
"You little bitch!" he roared. "You've been stalling me!"
He leaped off the bed, and threw open the door—
It slammed closed tightly and did not budge.
The poltergeist whirled around to see the brunette sitting on the bed, his legs folded and calm as can be. With a snarl, Terra lunged for him, his hands around Sora's throat. The mortician's son did not even flinch, his composed royal-blue eyes meeting Terra's blazing sapphire ones.
"Let me out of here," the spector growled.
"No," Sora countered. "Release me, Terra."
To the spirit's complete shock, he did.
"You made a very grave mistake coming to me when I knew your name."[4] Sora said.
Terra snarled. "You think you can hold me, pretty-witty Sora?" he said icily, his fists shaking with anger. He could not move, not even a little step. Just how strong was this human?
"Don't insult me. I've been playing in the supernatural world since I was a toddler," the brunette replied, his voice was full of confidence. On the inside, he was secretly relieved. He didn't know how much longer he could have distracted the ghost before Zexion figured out his message and got to the body.
Terra let out a cold laugh. "Clever boy," he said bitterly.
The next moment, the spirit threw his head back with an anguished cry. Riku's eyes fluttered shut and he fell. Sora bolted from the bed and caught him before he could hit the ground.
"Riku?" he called, shaking him. "Riku!"
After several seconds, the silver-haired teen's eyes cracked open. "Sora…?" he muttered.
A thankful smile—the largest Riku had ever seen—spread on Sora's face and the brunette leaned down and kissed him.
"I was so worried!" he said, brushing the older teen's hair from his eyes.
"What… what happened?" Riku asked.
Sora gave a little sigh. "I believe I can explain everything now," he said. "But first let's find Zexion, I'm sure he would like to know the complete truth as well."
"Now that we're all seated comfortably, I can explain fully," Sora said. They were all sitting in the dining room table, Riku on Sora's right and Zexion on the left.
The brunette first started with explaining his actions to Riku. He spoke of the strange occurrences singular to him, and his hunches that a true zashiki warashi did not dwell in his place. Then he started on how he drew his conclusions.
"I did a bit more than grave-robbing on my ventures out," Sora said. "I was also speaking with the local mortician, Cid—a colleague of Dad's—who not only provided me with notable specimens to take home, but information. Specifically, information on very intriguing deaths. That led me to the infamous Terra murders, which Cid knew in great depth as he had prepared the bodies himself. He even showed me one he had kept…" A dark gleam overcame the brunette's eyes. "But that's beside the point. In passing, Cid said that Sephiroth's villa was once Terra's home before it was renovated. From there, I pieced together that perhaps it was Terra's ghost, not a warashi, that inhabited the place. Unfortunately, Cid also mentioned that Terra's body—which was needed if the ghost was to be vanquished—was never found by the police, so I figured that there must be a secret room. It was very possible. After all, the victims were never found until Terra wanted them to be found, and his house had been searched thoroughly, but his body was never recovered."
"How did you find the hidden room?" Zexion asked.
"That was a bit of luck," Sora admitted with a smile. "I started systematically on the first floor. From my own experience, I knew it was most advantageous for the room to be underground. So, if you remember, I chose a rather flippant time to demonstrate my culinary abilities."
"You were looking for an excuse to search the kitchen," Riku said.
"Yes," the brunette nodded. "I knew Terra was watching me within these walls, so I had to explore without drawing too much attention. Yesterday morning, I just so happened to notice some nail marks—human nail marks—on the inside of the cabinet while I was looking for a pot to use. I was very fortunate to find it so quickly.
"I was going to head down there myself last afternoon, when I sensed that Terra's presence had become… less intense, I believe would be the way to describe it. I knew that he had probably taken possession of someone. I quickly found out it was Riku and I discontinued my plan." Sora glanced at Riku. "I knew if I tried to move anywhere near the body Terra would retaliate at your expense. I needed someone to incinerate Terra's remains while I distracted him. As ghosts are usually bound to a single building, I snuck into town tonight—quite sure that Terra wouldn't follow me—to seek Cid's help, but he had left to preside over a wake. I came back, disheartened."
"And you ran into me," Zexion said.
"Yes, by a most magnificent stroke of luck, I might add." Since Zexion knew the rest of the story, the mortician's son shifted his attention to Riku and continued to enlighten him. "I managed to relay a coded message to Zexion, knowing he had the ability to decipher it. I then went to divert Terra's attention while he went to destroy the remains."
When Sora finished, they continued to sit in silence. Zexion could tell that Riku wanted to say something to the brunette, so he quickly excused himself. He was in desperate need of a shower, anyway.
"You seem very troubled, Riku," Sora said, turning to him once the lilac-haired teen was out of hearing range. The silver-haired teen did not look at him, gathering the words he wanted to say.
"Yeah, I…" He began, his cheeks turning red. "I was awake through most of it, Sora."
"Most people are."
"So I saw… what he was trying to… do… to you." A sick pit of shame welled up in Riku's stomach. "I could hear his thoughts… what he wanted—It was sickening. I tried to stop him… but couldn't do anything…"
Sora rose from his chair and grasped his hand, a gentle expression on his face. "You mustn't feel guilty, Riku," he said. "You couldn't control any of it."
"But I still feel… like… What if…" he struggled with his words. "What if Zexion hadn't gotten to his body in time?"
"I suppose I would start chatting about my dull preschool years, and then I would move on to how I had always been emotionally crippled since childhood when my pet turtle, Fluffy, was hit by a car in front of my very eyes."
Riku stared at him.
"…I was trying to be funny," Sora explained. "I never had pets."
"Would you have let him do it?" The elder's turquoise gaze met royal blue.
"I was going to," The mortician's son answered almost immediately and Riku's face fell in an instant. "If it would keep you from getting hurt, I would have let him."
The silver-haired teen felt the nauseous taste of bile rise in his throat. He turned away. Sora spoke again.
"But I changed my mind," he said. "I knew it would hurt you more if I did. But I couldn't hold him long, not with him fighting me with all his strength and not without harming you. Which was why I opted for the least restrictive measures and reserved the more potent ones when the situation called for it."
The answer still did not satisfy Riku. Fretting, Sora bent down and grasped his hand.
"Please tell me what to do, Riku. I don't know what to do to make you feel better…" He said helplessly.
The elder said nothing as he looked away from Sora in disgrace. Then, Riku took the brunette's face in his hands and kissed him. Sora was surprised, but he didn't pull away. He kissed back as best he could. The silver-haired teen kissed him again and again and again, each time become more passionate. Then Riku's lips descended to the younger adolescent's nape, then down to Sora's bare chest (at some point his shirt was removed), planting kisses wherever he went. The mortician's son moaned with each fiery contact, his body twisting with pleasure. Yes, this was Riku.
"Where else did he touch you, Sora?" The silver-haired teen murmured.
A rather loud moan escaped the brunette's lips as Riku kissed his stomach. Sora slid a hand onto his thigh.
"Here," he replied, his face growing hot. Would the older teen really…?
Riku motioned for Sora to lie down, his hands on the clasp of the brunette's jeans. It was then did the silver-haired teen catch sight of Axel and Roxas gawking at them from the hallway. The two stopped immediately, too frozen with shock to even begin to explain.
"No, please, continue. We'd hate to interrupt you," Axel said, trying so very hard not to laugh at their faces (both teens were tomato-red and Riku's mouth was slack.)
"We—uh…" Roxas explained. "We heard some noises. We thought it was the zashiki warashi."
"But it was just you two…"
"…getting it on," the blonde added, clearing his throat. "So, we'll just be… We'll be going. Come on, Axel." Roxas grabbed hold of his arm and hauled him up the stairs.
Sora immediately clapped his hand over his nose, willing his nasal blood vessels to remain calm. Riku pressed one last kiss at the brunette's stomach before lifting his head to him. It was too late to salvage the passionate mood, though, with Sora dangerously close to hemorrhaging.
"Hungry?" the elder asked.
"Starving, actually…" the mortician's son said, lowering his hand. Another episode averted.
"Well, we're already up. We might as well start breakfast." Riku handed the brunette his shirt and helped him to his feet. "I actually liked that pasta thingy you made yesterday."
"Oh, did you?"
[The Seventh Day]
"Ax, shut up," Riku snapped.
"I didn't say anything, Riku," the redhead said with an innocent grin. He stuck in fork in his pasta and swirled it. "But just out of curiosity were you the pitcher or the catcher?"
The silver-haired teen glared at him.
"I don't understand your reference," Sora spoke up, confused. "Riku and I weren't playing baseball."
"It's a metaphor, Sora," Riku said. "I'll, uh, tell you later."
"Why can't you tell me now?"
The elder scratched his head thoughtfully, his cheeks turning the faintest of red.
"…Is it indecent?" The mortician's son pressed.
"Yeah."
"Oh."
"What are you guys talking about?" Demyx whined. "I want to know to!"
"NO," Riku said almost instantly.
The mullet-mohawked teen was about to argue when Zexion decided to change the subject.
"It's our last day here," he said. "What should we do?"
They all agreed for one last day on the beach, where they skimboarded with mixed results (Sora, Riku and Axel managed to skim for several meters while everyone else face-planted in the sand), caught fish with their bare hands (which Sora was unsurprisingly good at), barbequed the fish, and buried Demyx in the sand until around one o'clock. Then they rushed inside, bathed quickly and raced to the bus station where they got on the two o'clock bus home.
"This was an awesome break!" Demyx said as they all settled into their seats. "We should totally brag to everyone about it!"
"I'll say," Riku said quietly to Sora. "Father should pay you. You got rid of a lethal ghost residing in our villa."
The mortician's son let out a small laugh as he leaned against him, laying his head on his arm. Riku smiled and, in turn, rested his cheek on his cinnamon-brown tuffs comfortably.
"How was your vacation, Riku?" Sephiroth asked when his son came home.
"Great, Chichi-ue," Riku said. "We saw the city, went into the Botany Pillar, had fun on the beach, and bought lots of nice souvenirs. Oh, and I got possessed by a psychotic serial killer-rapist-ghost who nearly sexually assaulted Sora. But everything's fine now. Sora and Zexion got rid of it."
The silver-haired man glanced up from his laptop with a curious eyebrow. For once, it seemed that his father's omnipresent eye did not know of this.
"No, Chichi-ue, I'm not joking," Riku said. "The zashiki warashi you thought inhabited our house was actually the ghost of a murderer."
"Hm. I knew something was special about that place." Sephiroth began to type furiously on his laptop.
"I'm fine, by the way, Chichi-ue," Riku said, monotonously.
"I knew you would be fine. Sora was with you. He's very capable."
The eighteen-year-old sighed. "I'm going to go recount the events of our Spring Break to Haha-ue*, now. Excuse me."
But before Riku completely left his father's presence, he paused. "Chichi-ue?" he asked, turning to face him.
"Yes?"
"I would like you to teach me martial arts."
Sephiroth lifted his gaze to him, this time he seemed fully attentive. "Interesting proposition, Riku. You've always been a pacifist, why the sudden change?"
The silver-haired teen fell silent for several moments, thinking of something Sephiroth could not figure. "…I can't keep letting Sora protect me," he said. "I want to be able to protect him, too."
His father let out a short hum. "Accepted," he said. "We'll start this weekend then."
"Thank you, Chichi-ue."
*Haha-ue: a very formal term for 'mother.'
[1] "To find that there was a pillow pyramid waiting outside for him." This pillow pyramid is from a second volume of manga series known as Ghost (or Eerie Queerie, as it's known in the USA) about a teenager who can communicate with ghosts. It's a shonen-ai that's really cute and kinda random and neat. I really like it. I hope any Eerie Queerie fans recognized this pyramid.
[2] "Zexion had once told him that if one hiccupped one-hundred times they would die." I'm not sure where this is originally from, but I stumbled upon this legend when I read Eerie Queerie volume 2.
[3] He strode forward, bringing out the salt, lighter fluid and matches. Okay, this is from the TV series Supernatural for all you sad non-Supernatural fans who did not recognize it. I'm not sure how legitimate this lore is, but to get rid of a ghost (as per Supernatural) you're supposed to salt and burn the body. I don't know it's lame or cute that I keep putting in these references to other things. Oh well.
[4] "You made a very grave mistake coming to me when I knew your name." This bit from a witchcraft book I have which states that if you know someone's name, and with enough magic, you could control them and will horrible things to them if you wanted. In this case, Sora is using Terra's name to command him.
About Terra. O_O I don't know. I just don't know what the hell happened to make me personify him like some sort of gay weirdo. Like, what the crap? What is it with me and tearing down the images of manly Kingdom Hearts men? First it's Leon, now it's Terra.
Got a bit Rated-R towards the end, didn't it? Without meaning to, I've managed to increase this fics M-rated potential exponentially… O_o
MY GOD. THIS IS A LONG CHAPTER. I hope I didn't bore you guys and I'm really sorry if I did. :( Please know I didn't mean it.) I've been getting into Sherlock Holmes so that's why I kinda sorta put a bit of a mystery spin onto this chapter. God, I love Sherlock Holmes… I love Sherlock, the TV series. Dear, sweet Benedict Cumberbatch, you probably will never read this, BUT I LOVE YOUUUUU!
SOOO... one last round of applause to copycat-capycot for betaing!
—As always, please review. See you all next chapter!
|Corrossive Moon|