It's good to be home.
"God is great. Beer is good. People are crazy."- Billy Currington
Chapter 14: Invitation to Darkness
***
Utter darkness…
Where am I?
…To the left and to the right.
It was just a dream. That's right. It was only a dream.
***
Riku sat up with his head buried in his hands. It was another one of those dreams. They kept reoccurring, every scene, every transition and that face. Curse that face! Pale, red lips, coal eyes- just who was that person? She called to him in his dreams saying 'come to me. I can help you. I know what you want and I can give it to you.'
The silver haired teen breathed heavily as he tried to shake the daunting image from his mind. As far as he could remember, this dream had been happening ever since his first magic training with Merlin. It had grown in intensity and in duration. In these visions, he remembered being alone in the darkness. There was no one around him and it was dead silent. He felt the silence would kill him; it was so strange. It was dark and he couldn't see his hand if it were in front of his face. Then it would shift to a dimly lit room. He could see green lights and the cries of crows. Now, recently, he could a face. That face sent shivers down his spine. He could hear her talk, and though her voice sounded pleasant, he feared her silver tongue was poisonous. Her words were sweet and comforting, warm and inviting. Still, something seemed out of place. Something didn't click. It was too lifelike.
Throughout it all, Riku was fully conscious in those dreams. He remembered waking one night and his ears rang from those blasted crows. Worst of all, his cheek felt warm where that mysterious woman had touched him.
Come to me.
Riku's eyes grew wide and he shot out of bed. Summoning his keyblade and getting into a crouching position, he turned his head from side to side trying to find the source of the voice.
Come to Mount Caucasus.
The teen swung his blade wildly but drew only air. He couldn't hear the voice anymore but he could feel a strong presence watching him. This unnerved him and he closed his eyes tightly to drown out his fear. At that moment, he knew what he had to do. Before the dawn rose, he would leave for Mount Caucasus. He had to know who was calling him.
Riku turned towards the windows and pulled aside the wooden blinds. His eyes watered from the moonlight and he squinted at the change of brightness. It felt cold outside- as autumn was creeping slowly towards winter. It would begin snowing in a few months and come Christmas, the ground would be painted white. Goosebumps trailed up and down his arms and he breathed into his fists to keep warm. The sound of crickets played the nighttime lullaby and the calm river swooshed gently. Taking a breath of fresh air, the teen patted the window sill and drew the blinds. His room was now dark but his eyes still carried enough light to see him to the door. Turning the knob gently, he bent down to pick up his bag. Taking a quick glance towards the direction of Sora's and Leon's door he muttered a swift farewell as he left.
"Riku..."
The boy stopped but did not turn around. He knew the voice. Instead he closed his eyes and continued walking.
"I already know what you're going to say, Master Yen Sid."
The old man smiled and nodded. He knew what he wanted to say as well. The same, exact words were teeming in his mind as he recalled what had happened nearly 20 years ago. He had lost a student on this exact same night and the image of Riku standing before him with a sack thrown over his back...it was all too familiar. The irony of coincidence...
"Where there is darkness, you'll need a light."
"The sun will be up in a few hours," the teen replied.
With those parting words said, Riku picked up his legs and continued out. Yen Sid could only watch as his newest pupil ascended into the darkness and vanished.
"Keep a strong heart," Yen Sid muttered, "keep a strong heart."
-KH-
The stone floors of the cold and dready castle echoed from the sound of Xemnas' boots as he moved across the room. Candles lit the way for him as he walked and the sound of metal clinked just before him. Water seeped down the sides of the walls and dripped harmoniously onto the ground. It had rained last night, or more precisely, in the wee hours of the morning but Xemnas would not let the excess moisture derail him from his work. Maleficent had been kind enough to allow him access to her collection of heartless, let alone the entire basement of her castle so he could undergo his research.
He approached the table where the Soldier heartless lay, bondaged by metal chains. Looking at the squirming specimen, his eyes smiled at the amount of knowledge he would soon encompass. He had dealt with Shadow heartless previously and this new type of heartless intrigued him. Reaching into his pockets to produce some papers, he looked them over, particularly at the results. If he were correct, the Soldier heartless would behave similarly to Shadow heartless. Oh, the thought of his findings excited him! He unhooked the heartless and let the examination begin.
-KH-
"WAIT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE LEFT!?"
"He left."
"HE LEFT!?"
"He. Left," Leon said spelling it out for the brunette.
Sora slammed his fist into the table nearly knocking down the silverware that held their breakfast. A plate of eggs, meat, fish, and fresh fruit decorated the table top. Still it was not enough to sway the anger and disbelief of one spiky brunette.
"Mother of mayhem," Sora blurted out as he stuffed a slice of meat into his mouth. "What the heck was he thinking?"
Yen Sid took a seat in the chair that was directly across from Sora. As he watched the boy eat, he folded his hands thinking of how to relay the story for the second time.
"Riku left last night while you were sleeping. He took his bag and left," Yen Sid said over Sora's ruckus.
"Yeah, I know that," the teen said after he finished tapping his fork on the plate. "I want to know why."
"Yes, well," Merlin sighed as he prepared himself. "Last night, I don't know if you felt it, but there was a presence in the woods. I felt it and so did Riku. No doubt this was Maleficent's work, sending an accomplice to Riku. All the times Riku has failed to master his magic has made Maleficent's job easier and easier. A weak heart can only resist temptation for so long. Sora, your heart is strong, pure, innocent. It can't be easily taken over. Maleficent called to him and he could not resist. That's why he left."
Sora sat there in silence contemplating each word that Master Yen Sid had spoken. Though it hurt his heart, Sora knew he had lost a friend, a brother.
"What do we do now?" he asked with sadness in his voice.
Leon patted Sora on the shoulder gently. "We finish our mission."
Sora nodded defeatedly as he stabbed his fork into his eggs. Though he didn't have the stomach, this was the only medication he had now to relieve himself.
When breakfast was done Sora and Leon left.
-KH-
The morning walk to Sora felt long and slow as if time wasn't moving. His usual brown eyes didn't gleam as they used to and soft tears welled in his eyes making it hard to see the dirt path he and Leon travelled along. Their journey now took them closer and closer to the Radiant Garden gates. Apparently, Yen Sid lived on the far side and their trip there now put them out of the way. They would have to circle around the remains of Radiant Garden, across the plains, and through a trecherous valley before making the climb up Mount Caucasus. Another week or so would bring them to the base of the mountain.
Leon glanced over his shoulder at Sora who walked silently behind him. He'd grown accustom to the boy's complaints of hunger and fatigue. As a matter of fact, he started to regard them as reminders him that Sora was still present in the group. However no word or even a sound came from the teen and though Leon enjoyed much peace and quiet, the muteness was unnerving. Sora was never this quiet. Leon turned his head back to the front respecting his friend's wish for alone time. He knew how important Riku was to Sora. If he remembered correctly, they've lived together for a while now and were inseperable. They kept each other alive through the years. Riku had kept Sora in check and behaved while the brunette's sense of humor and adventure allowed them to forget their troubles.
It would be hard for Sora without him around.
The destroyed city came into view as they trekked over the hill. It was quiet, desolate, and not to mention, pitiful. It was just another reminder for Sora that everything had gone wrong. The stone gate laid as a pile of rubble giving access to the inside of the ruined city. The once paved walkways were brushed over with dirt. The buildings that once stood were reduced. Radiant Garden had derived its name from the surrounding beauty that decorated the landscape. It was like a garden with blooming flowers of rich bright colors. The structured buildings were the flowers; the high impenetrable walls were the trees. The advanced architecture was no where to be found and the remnants made it hard to attest that a once proud city had stood here.
"Don't look at it," Leon quietly commanded. "It'll only make you sick."
Sora ripped his gaze away from his home and continued following behind Leon. He found the task impossible as he turned his head quickly to catch one last glimpse of his past. However, he stared at the sight for too long. He soon felt sick to his stomach and probably could guess that his face was turning green. Sora wanted to hurl. Falling face first into the ground, he laid there motionless.
Leon stopped in his tracks and turned around to find Sora on the ground. It was a sad sight to see, he had to admit. In his mind, Leon disapproved at Sora's lack of experience. As much as he admired the boy's heart and will, an alert mind was just too important to be substituted. Finding Sora too young to understand the importance of moving on, Leon saved the criticism and decided to give the youngster a break. He didn't want to break Sora's spirit. He figured he had been hard on him enough. The pressure of fighting, mixed with the disapproval of the townspeople already had taken turns beating down on Sora. Throw in all those times Riku had won each practice fight, Leon figured Sora didn't have any left in the tank. Acting in an unprecedented manner, Leon took a seat beside the brunette. He had to find a way to make Sora move on. Forget the city. Forget Riku. Forget everything except the mission.
It was getting pretty late in the afternoon. So much for time not moving. Leon slipped the brown bag off his shoulders and untied the rope. Digging into the sack, he grabbed a loaf of bread and portions of fish they had caught the night before. There was nothing like smoked salmon to cure a hurting heart or a troubled tummy. He tossed it casually to Sora who caught it without a second thought. Looking over the food, Sora shrugged as he plopped it into his mouth.
Leon smiled for the first time that day. It was good to see that Sora still had an apetite and hopefully eating would fill his void, if only temporary. Leon knew how hard it was cope sometimes. But as experience taught him, moving on was the best thing to do. No doubt they would have to face Riku sooner or later, and Leon knew it would be job to prepare Sora emotionally for that day.
Sora continued eating and a loud burp signalled that the teen had finally come around.
"You know, this has been the first time I've been able to eat without worry about Riku stealing my food..." Sora said, and for the first time that day, he smiled.
"That's good to hear but don't think you'll be able to eat like this more often. I'm still here," Leon responded as he laid on his back. "I'll have to be dead before you can eat in peace."
Sora laughed as he finished his dinner.
-KH-
The Heartless moved as Xemnas opened the valve. Water came rushing through the rusted pipes, powering the water wheel. The sound of rushing water made a deafening noise as the wheel rotated, allowing electricity to flow and enable light to shine. His workstation was unbearable. Paper decorated his work bench, littered the floor, and covered every available dry surface that was within his reach. The water produce mold that was smell after a few days, and not to mention, it was dark and cold here.
Working intensely, he took a syringe and jabbed it into the heartless' neck. It didn't squirm but turned its eyes to look at the intense face of the man. Using his thumb, Xemnas drew about ten milliliters of black gunk from the heartless and transferred it into a tube. The heartless continued to watch as Xemnas took a pipette and squeezed 2-3 nanoliters of the gunk and set it on a slide. He put a drop of water on it and placed the slide on the table. The tube was put on ice.
Feeling quite bad, Xemnas stepped back. He turned around suddenly, scaring the poor heartless, and fired a dark magic spell at the sample. A column of smoke rose to the air and Xemnas blew it away as if it was too hot to handle. There was no doubt about it; he was bad. Apparently, there was more liquid present that before so he poured it carefully back into the tube and shook it rapidly. Placing the tube on a lazy Susan type contraption, he spun it until it came to a dead halt. He took the tube and flicked with his finger and not to his surprise; there were two distinct layers that quickly reverted back to one. He kept in mind the immiscible layers, hoping to resolve this reaction. However, the results were conclusive and consistent (within a 5% range). Dark magic and heartless were related.
Labeling the tube, Sample 2, he stored it in an ice water bath. He finished penning his results in a folder that he kept and closed it with much satisfaction on his face. He turned to the Heartless and opened the door of his laboratory letting it out. His research was still far from complete but at least he was getting there.
Guess what? I have a surprise for everyone! I made a Sora/Kairi amv. Here's the link: youtube[dot]com/watch?v=V3DeN4GuFMc. Just replace the [dot] with a period. You guys know how to use youtube so it shouldn't be too hard to figure out.
Rock out, party hard, live hardcore