JESSE'S BACK IN ACTION!

Killer writer's block combined with school and emotional stress have left me out of business for a while, but I'm trying to get this fic up and running again. Might be a slow start, but bare with me.

Chapter 11 Lingering Pain

So sore. It hadn't hurt all that bad, true to Ansem's word, but he was still very sore. Riku relaxed against Ansem's chest, feeling the man's slow heartbeat pounding. Why couldn't he sleep?

Sora.

It was still a knife in his back. How could he have done that? He still loved Sora, even after what he had done, but cheating was the one thing he couldn't forgive even if he wanted to, besides, maybe Sora didn't even want him anymore.

Pain.

He felt used, and broken.

Broken…like a wild horse that needs to be taught it's place. That was what last night had been like, only he had allowed himself to be broken. He had put himself under Ansem's control.

But…maybe he could love Ansem.

Ansem was gone, doing who knows what. Riku was not left alone for long before Malificent arrived. He half limped over to the door in just his jeans, a bit groggy, and opened the door.

"Hello, Dear Boy." She greeted him.

"Hullo." Riku replied gloomily.

"Still upset over what that little whore did I see?" That little whore she reffered to was his Sora.

Was his Sora.

"Well you're young yet, you'll find love again." She consoled.

Riku nodded.

"Well, let's take you're mind off of it with some more adventures, shall we?"

Riku was close. Sora could feel it. He had felt it all day while they were in that jungle, among the trees, mud, bugs, and apes. He had felt that Riku was somewhere in that world, and then, briefly before he sealed the keyhole, the feeling vanished and once again he felt all alone, even though Leon and Cloud were with him the entire time.

Fuck you, Sora.

He could still see that look in Riku's eyes.

This was a misunderstanding, and one that Sora needed to correct as soon as possible. With every day that went by he felt like he was loosing Riku even more. The separation was almost more than he could take.

"Leon…" Sora began as Cloud was in the kitchen cooking dinner "Do you think we'll find Riku?" He asked. He needed an honest opinion on the situation.

"Maybe." Leon said. "But you have to be prepared…that never finding him may not be the worst thing that could happen. If Malificent has him you could find his dead body…find him wounded beyond recognition…he might be a heartless…there are never ending possibilities. It's easier if you don't feel anything. That's what I try do do. No attachments, no pain."

"What if…what if it were Cloud?" Sora asked.

Cloud smiled a little. So the kid called his bluff. Not many knew about his one soft spot, and he liked to keep it that way. He knew that if it were Cloud no force of any of the worlds would keep him away, but they needed the kid, so he had to lie.

"If it were Cloud I'd do the same thing. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, and until the time came that I could do anything I would do what I needed to do."

Sora nodded.

He hoped Riku Would be okay.

(Please excuse the suckiness of this chapter, it's kinda hard to get going on something agaion, plus I'm having a hard time with writer's block. If you have any suggestions either put them in a review or e-mail them to me at .)