Note: this is a long one folks. (l.o.r)
Ch 21: into the nightmare.
"Bad, this is just bad. We can't fight these guys, not now. But it looks like we don't have a choice." Atticus was weighing all his options. They could run, but they would be followed. He so didn't need this right now.
"So, traitor, long time no see. I suppose you'd had the impression that you could sneak by the brother hood unnoticed. The way I see it we owe you for all the trouble you've caused us." Royal gave a sweet smile and then turned his attention to Sora, a look on his face of comfort and sympathy.
"Poor boy having to carry such a weight. Now why don't you tell me why you should be doing all this? Why should you be lights lackey? I would think that you would have more pressing matters, like finding your friends." Sora stood there dumbstruck. He didn't care how this man knew it but it felt like everything he said was right. Why should he be doing this? He didn't ask for the key blade. He didn't wake up one morning and decide to give up his choice to be the peaceful boy he'd been. Surely there was someone better out there for this job.
Wait, but that didn't make sense. He had a bone to pick with the heartless for destroying his home. And he had less then kind feelings towards the brother hood for attacking him. This guy was just trying to get inside his head. And it pissed him off.
"Shut up!! I don't care what you think. The keyblade choose me! I will find my friends and I will save the worlds from scum like you and your heartless lackeys!!" Royal's expression hadn't changed one little bit as Sora stood there raging at him, it really just made him seem cuter to Royal.
Atticus took this as the sign to stop playing. As if they were perfectly in tuned to the other ones thoughts, both Atticus and Sora charged weapons drawn, straight for Royal and Arsenic.
Before they even got close though a huge mass of black engulfed the area between them and then receded to reveal a swarm of shadow and soldier heartless, poised and ready.
"You all have fun and play nice. Arsenic, I'm leaving you to finish this up; I have to take care of something else right now." In a cold swirl of wind royal vanished, leaving the blonde boy and the heartless.
"Guess it's my turn. Now don't take it personally, I'm just following orders." Arsenic tightened his hands into fists and a deep glowing aura began pulsing from them, it was a toxic orangeish color. Atticus snapped his attention to this then shouted over to sora on the other side of the heartless swarm
"Don't let him even get close to you, I remember this guy's name. He's called Arsenic, the judgment fist."
"Judgment fist? What the heck is that?" Arsenic lifted one of his fists and in a quick motion punched the air. The result was a wave of the orange light blasting from his fist, and clearing several trees away by shoving them out of the ground, roots and all many feet into the air. Sora stood with his mouth open.
"Crap."
As if on cue the heartless suddenly sprung to life and began circling Sora and Atticus with every intent of destroying them. Sora drew his key blade and began pummeling away at the shadows as they advanced. Likewise Atticus was clearing them out by the droves as he swung his giant bladed spear around with ease. In no time half of the attack force had been destroyed and the other half was diminishing in numbers just as fast.
Just as it seemed that victory was theirs though, Sora felt a fast current fly just beside him and then he heard the sound of smashing trees. He turned and saw Arsenic, his fist pointed in his direction.
"Damn how could I forget him!!??" without any more words the blonde boy charged at Sora ready to crush him. In an act of speed and agility that even surprised him, Sora rolled out of the way and with the split second he had; swung the key blade with all his might. The resulting blow sent Arsenic flying sideways into a tree with a heavy thud.
Sora didn't know what it was driving him at that point but he was to mad to think any more. He charged before the boy could recover and without hesitation began swinging the key blade left and right, up and down till all he could hear was the sound of swishing air and the painful smack of the blows on Arsenic's body.
Next thing he knew he was being held back by a pair of strong arms around his body.
"Sora!!Get a hold of yourself, you've got him already!" Atticus was using all his strength to hold Sora who was struggling as hard as he could to get free. He was completely somewhere else now, all he knew was that the brother hood was with the heartless, the demons that had taken everything from him. His home, family, friends. He wanted to see them suffer.
Suddenly he was free, and a heavy gloved hand slapped him hard in the face, almost knocking him to the ground. Everything was starting to come into focus again.
What the hell was he doing, he was never angry like this. He looked up to see Atticus standing in front of him, an odd expression on his face. He seemed to be looking past Sora with a strange mix of fear and disgust. He turned around to see what it was and suddenly felt like screaming.
Arsenic was propped up against a tree, breathing heavily. His arms wrapped around his chest. But what had Sora sickened was the fact that the half heartless boy's face was lying on the ground, ten feet away from him. Shattered as if it was made of glass.
"He was wearing a mask? Atty?" Atticus seemed unable to move as he watched Arsenic struggling. Without his "mask" all there that was there was a completely black smooth face, but his eyes were the same. He tried to walk over to them as if he had some kind of fight left in him. It seemed to Sora that steam was rising from him as he shuffled closer. Before he could make any real ground though, the rest of him shattered into a thousand tiny shards, a horrible black mist bursting from the broken enemy.
The scariest thing was it was in the shape of the Arsenic, and seemed to stare angrily at them before it faded. Sora turned to Atticus, pale and frightened.
"What...The...Hell. Atticus what the heck just happened? He was there and then he's a pile of dust." Atticus didn't make a sound. He just looked at the pile of remains a smile on his face.
"Well, well, well. A fake body. He was using a shell to hold his real self, the half heartless self. I figured they had some kind of trick up their sleeves to be able to move from world to world without any problems." He kneeled down and blew the pile of dust till it was scattered into the wind.
"He isn't dead, just banished back to the void. For now at least. I think we've had enough excitement for today, I don't think they'll attack again. I say we find some place quite and set up camp." Sora seemed unable to move as the shock of his own aggressive side was still washing over him. Atticus grabbed his shoulder lent down to kiss him, and led him out of the clearing and soon they were on the way again.
Meanwhile
Zul was hunched over on the ground as if he had a stomach ache, his wings gone. Both claw and Royal were standing by him as he convulsed a few more times and then stood up back his old self. Royal was giving him a reprimanding look.
"You really need to control your temper. You know that Zultheris is too much even for you to handle. I think you should rest for awhile back at headquarters. Were just lucky you burnt up most of your energy before you did anything stupid. Now don't try and argue I've already sent word to the commander and a medical team is coming to get you." Zul just nodded in agreement to everything not even listening to what was being said. He was drained. He needed to rest no Question. He just didn't want to face father fang when he got back.
Back with our heroes
The sun was starting to set, the beams of red and orange and purple were reflected in the white leaves, creating a kaleidoscope of colors. Sora looked n in awe at the natural display of heavenly beauty. Atticus had finished setting up camp, a small tent with a set of sleeping bags on the inside. He came to stand beside Sora and slipped his hand around the boy's shoulders.
"Let what happened today go. You've just had a lot of stress lately. And Royal has a way of making people not themselves." Sora walked into the tent and flopped don onto his sleeping bag and buried his face in the pillow. After a moment he felt a hand on his back, and sat up to see Atticus sitting beside him. He had taken of his coat and Sora could the scars on him. But what he noticed most of all was the burn on his arm. He just kept finding reasons to hate the brotherhood every where he looked. Atticus seemed to know what he was thinking and put his arms around him and brought them together into a tight embrace. Soon Sora's mind was lulling into a sweet bliss of warm feelings as Atticus started placing kisses on his cheeks and forehead. He closed his eyes and felt the heat radiating from his boyfriend. It was the only thing he wanted to know right now. Atticus began trailing his lips lower till he had reached Sora's neck. Without any hesitation Sora threw of his shirt and began returning Atticus's passion kiss for kiss. After what seemed like an eternity to Sora, they both fell together into his sleeping bag and Atticus had him pinned beneath him as he bite and kissed every bit of exposed flesh on Sora's chest he could find, causing the smaller boy to whimper and moan into the dark around them. Atticus couldn't wait any longer, he wanted to give Sora as much happiness s he could.
He moved his hands down and began fumbling with the belt on Sora's shorts. Suddenly Sora sat up a deep blush and a look of panic on his face.
"Wait, what are you going to do?" Atticus couldn't help but smile at how innocent Sora was about his sort of thing.
"Sora trust me, I want to make you feel things you've never felt before."
"As...as long as it doesn't hurt."
"Believe me, you'll like this." Sora looked unsure for a moment then slowly nodded his head to let Atticus know he trusted him. Gently Atticus undid Sora's shorts and traced a v in the opening with his finger, causing Sora to arch his back as if a bolt of electricity shot through him.
Taking this as a good sign Atticus stopped tracing and moved his hands to the front of Sora's boxers undoing the button on them. Sora couldn't control himself any more, and he was long past objections. His breathing had become ragged and heavy, as a slow pulse kept pumping through him as Atticus continued his work.
Not wanting to torment Sora any longer, he opened Sora's boxers and in one motion had taken Sora in his mouth. Sora arched his back again and moaned loudly as Atticus began a steady motion with his mouth. Every few strokes he got faster and faster till Sora was practically having a seizure from the pleasure coursing through him, till in one single second, he tensed and with a final gasp climaxed, and fell limp into his sleeping bag and pillow.
All his energy was gone and didn't even open his eyes when Atticus came up to lay beside him. With the last of his waking moments though he was able to whisper one thing before falling into a blissful sleep.
"I love you." Atticus stroked Sora's hair and then pulled the bags cover over them.
"I love you too"
Meanwhile
Riku had lost his patience, he was sick and tired of all this waiting and he was going to raise hell till the brother hood gave him something to do. His new sword was at his side and he was itching to use it. If he didn't get any action soon he felt like he would fossilize. He never was the kind to sit and wait. Just as he was about to go and find someone to gripe too, a voice filled the cathedral he usually hung out in.
"Lord Riku, I have news that might interest you. it seems that we are having some trouble with one of our agents."
"so what Ansem, why should I care?"
"Well, because the good sister scarlet has spoken on your behalf to father fang on your strength and skill with our new blade. Since you've been cooped up he decided to let you handle this as part of your repayment to us."
"Now you're talking! So who's the unlucky bastard?"
"Brother Beelzebub AKA The lord of flames. We intercepted him and several other lower rank members around a small back water world. The place is rather behind the times and has no technology past wind mills and blacksmiths."
"Okay so when do I start."
"Immediately"
"Fine by me"
End chapter 21
Notes: yay! Another one down. For those of you curios Beelzebub (beal-za-bub) isn't just a bunch of sounds. It is an old name used for Lucifer in ancient texts.