Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any of the characters from the other squaresoft games in this fic.
To JoannaD: Hooray!! I finally know where the Tiki, Tiki Room song came from! ^-^ Actually, when I went to Disney World a long time ago I saw that room and that's why the song seemed so familiar to me. Thank you! ^^
To Dragon-Stone: To make the desktop movie you need a Mac computer. If you want the rest, just e-mail me! ^-^
To Princess of Fate: Don't feel out of place! I'm not gay or bi either, I just don't see anything wrong with it and find some couplings damn cute together! ^-^ You're welcomed always!
To Little Kaori solo Yuy-Maxwell: Relax there...lol. I'm not trying to do anything evil to Riku, he IS my favorite character after all. But if you check out my Yugioh stories like Silent Tears, you'll find that I'm pretty good at putting my main character through hellish times that lead up to one big happy ending! ^-^ So just relax and enjoy the story plot as it unfolds!
To everyone else: I'm really glad you're trying to figure out Sephiroth and Riku's relationship but here's the answer so you know if you're right or wrong...............................................................I .....................am..........not...........telling you! Ha! You'll just have to read and find out for yourself! ^o^
AnimeFan: Ok, thanks for all the reviews! The more reviews I get, the faster I tend to get new chapters posted. I guess I'm sort of driven by the fact that you all like it and I don't want to keep ya's waiting! I know I wouldn't want to wait...hint hint...I'm still waiting for some other great stories to be updated...in fact, I've been waiting for three weeks now!! -___-' Ok, on to the story so I can work on other stuff.
P.S. I absolutely know that I misspelled Hollow Bastion wrong. In fact, I'm sure I spelled it wrong just now. -__-' Oh well, I'll try to get it right sooner or later.
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Chapter 8 -- I'm Coming for You
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And so the past...summer days seem so ignorant...
I'm not afraid of the darkness...it's just safer to be cautious...
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Riku...is helping Maleficant and Sephiroth...that can't be...
Sora skipped another stone across the crystal clear waters, still unable to except the truth about Riku. Could Riku of really been the one who kidnapped Kairi? Was he really allies with Maleficant and the Heartless. According to Mint, Riku thought that he was the one controlling the Heartless, would Riku really believe that? I thought we knew each other better than that, Riku. Picking up another rock, Sora paused to think back on their battle with the Hawkniff. Now that he thought about it, didn't it seem like the Hawkniff was targeting only Riku? Sora was sure that from his friend's point of view, it must of looked like Sora was guiding the Hawkniff's attack towards him. And then there was Donald accidentally hitting Riku with a thunder spell. Now that he thought about it, the battle must of looked like him and the Heartless against Riku.
Thrusting the rock hard into the water, Sora kicked at the sand viciously, realizing how it all fit together now. The Heartless hadn't attacked until he and Riku were together in the same area, they had only targeted Riku, and Donald's accidental mistake WOULD definitely make anyone who didn't know what he and Donald were thinking think of him as the bad guy!
"Do you normally throw rocks at the water and curse like that?"
Sora glanced up from his thoughts as Serge walked over to join him. After the ordeal with Riku and Carona City, they had all been traveling back to Transverse Town when they realized Goofy had forgotten to fill the tank before the whole journey. So, in a bit of a hurry, they had landed in the world of El Nido Archipelago where they had met and befriended a young, blue-haired man named Serge. There, Donald and Goofy got to work sending a message to Leon back at Transverse Town for some help while Sora had decided to wonder off to the beach to ponder over their current situation. As for Kairi, she had become very quiet after her kidnapping and was now just hanging out at Serge's house with the boy's mom.
"No, I don't. I...just can't figure it out! Why would Riku listen to Maleficant in the first place!" Sora sighed and wrapped his arms behind his head, frowning and staring out over the waters. This place reminded him a lot of home, and a lot of Riku. He just wanted to get his friend back, he wanted Riku there right now. What seemed even more confusing to him was that...he wanted Riku back in his arms again. Maybe there was more to his feelings for the other, older boy then he was letting himself admit? Possibly... Serge sighed with a completely bored look, "Maybe...it was something you did? Maybe, he was upset at the time and let himself listen or maybe he's just to gullible for his own good."
Relaxing, the brunette pondered over this. Had he done something to upset Riku? Well, there was the time long ago when he had made fun of Riku's singing...but that was before the white-haired boy had learned to balance his breathing with his words. Then there was the time he had beaten him in a game of water volleyball...but Riku had just tackled him and tickled him until they were both laughing uncontrollably. There was when he had broken his promise and left Riku, not seeing him until four years later...but Riku had forgiven him for that! "I don't remember doing anything that might upset Riku to the point he'd think ill of me."
Serge shrugged and turned to head back to Arni Village, "Then, I guess your friend, Riku, is just gullible." Sora sighed and followed him as they both crossed the short distance back to the village. Perhaps Serge was right, Riku always was easy to trick. Like the time he had told the older boy that there was a sea monster in the bathtub when it was just his rubber ducky. Sora laughed out loud at the memory, ignoring the inquisitive stare from Serge.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(El Nido Archipelago, Arni Village)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sora slowed down a little as he and Serge walked through the flowered arch entrance of Arni Village. The locals were running about doing their daily business and the old people were hanging around talking about old times like they always do. He wondered if he'd ever be like that one day, standing or sitting around all day talking about what it had been like when he was a child. One thing was for sure, he'd have one hell of a story to tell the children. They walked by a couple of people setting up decorations for some yearly festival they celebrated and Sora stopped to admire the collision of color and sound. This was definitely a world he wouldn't mind living in. "Hey, hello in there! Sora, we've got Kid at five o'clock!!"
The brunette snapped out of his thoughts to look in the direction of the entrance of the village. Serge's girlfriend, Kid, was running over to join them. "Hey, Kid," the blue-haired boy said shyly and smiled. Sora sighed, giving the orange-haired girl a wave before turning to head inside of Serge's house. Did every world have at least one red or orange haired person? Inside the house, Sora encountered his friends who were all sitting around talking about Riku and Heartless. Not the kind of conversation he wanted to walk in on.
"It's simple Donald, Riku's turned his back on us in favor of the darkness."
"Gwarsh, Kairi, but didn't Mint say that he was being minipulled?"
"That's MANIPULATED, Goofy! Honestly, how did you become the King's Captain of the Royal Guard!? Anyway, he's right Kairi. Of course by now it may be to late to save him."
"To late to save him from what?" Donald, Goofy, and Kairi looked up as Sora stepped forward to make his presence in the room known. Donald laughed nervously and looked to Goofy for some help. The dog smiled ruefully, "Well, gwarsh, Riku's heart has probably been devoured by the Heartless by now." Not what Sora was wanting to hear right then, now he was even more worried for his friend. The brunette flopped into the chair, twiddling the clothe material covering it.
Kairi frowned, staring off as if she were thinking about something. After what Mint had said to her, Kairi wasn't sure what was what anymore. Was she really being a jealous bitch...maybe, she should be a friend instead. Nodding, she stood and turned to speak to the brunette, but just then Serge came running into the room. "A Monster...a huge monster...attacking the village!" Sora jumped from where he was sitting and nodded towards Donald and Goofy. Sheathing his Keyblade, he smiled reassuringly towards Serge, "Don't worry! We'll handle this." The brunette turned and left with his friends close behind him, leaving Serge and Kairi alone in the house.
Outside, Sora stopped in his tracks and stared around the village in confusion. Donald and Goofy crashed into each other in an attempt to not collide with him and after they recovered, they to looked around the village. Sora glanced left and right, raising his hands futilely, "Where's the monster!?" The village was still in one piece, its residence going about their daily business. Nothing looked like it was in danger. "This is really weird...why would Serge be yelling about a monster if there wasn't one in the first-"
"AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
"Kairi!!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy whirled around where they stood as the earpiercing scream shattered through the air. Not waiting another moment, they bolted back up the stairs and into the house where Serge and Kairi had been together alone. Inside, Sora froze as he spotted the shadow Serge floating in the air with Kairi under his left arm. What was more, Riku stood next to the Heartless, watching the brunette's every movement. The shadow Serge shifted Kairi in its grasp and floated through a black swirling vortex in the air. Sora gritted his teeth and reached his hand out to Riku feebly, "Riku! No...please bring her back! Don't go back to the Heartless, they'll swallow you up!"
He frowned as Riku just stood there, giving him a cold stare...devoid of all emotion. For a moment the older boy held that gaze, until finally closing his eyes and running a hand through his hair cooly, "Don't be ridiculous, Sora. This is an AntiHeartless, they've joined us to fight against your Heartless! And they don't devour hearts." Sora gapped as Riku turned and started towards the vortex. "You can run, Riku! But I wont let the Heartless have you...I'm coming for you!" Riku paused to look at him from over his shoulder. Sora remained standing there, his stern face set in determination. Another eternal moment seemed to pass before Riku took the step through the vortex that would take him out of there. Sora watched sadly as the vortex closed right after, silently praying to look into those aqua-green eyes once more. "Riku..."
@@@@@@~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(Hollow Bastion)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~@@@@@@
"Rikuuu!!!!!!!!" Riku stood and watched as Maleficant threw Kairi down a chute into the dark dungeons of the castle. He said nothing as the older women closed the hatch with her sickly sweet smile and sealed the lock. "A job well done, Riku. Now we have all seven princesses of heart and Sora has nothing except his Keyblade." Riku turned to her, swallowing the guilty feeling in his stomach, "What now though? Sora's still being used by the Heartless...and...there's just something not right here." Maleficant smirked and rested a comforting hand on his head, "I'm afraid it's to late for him, my child. You-we have no choice but to...dispose of him."
Riku snapped and stepped away from her after those words came out. Now what, what should he do? Something just didn't feel right...it had never felt right. Sora seemed determined to get Riku to come to him and Maleficant seemed determined to keep him. Everything was getting so confusing, but... "No! I won't let Sora get hurt. I don't care if he were to kill me right here, I won't destroy him. This is...none of this is right!!!" Turning, he quickly ran out of the room and down the halls to his chamber.
Maleficant stood and watched him leaving, narrowing her eyes as the door slammed behind him. That boy was starting to get as rebellious as Sephiroth. It seemed strange, the darkness should of taken his heart by now...yet he remained untouched. "He's a lot like you, defiant in every way." Smirking, Maleficant stroked the orb resting on her staff seemingly whispering to the ruby-red heart trapped inside in a never ending void of oblivion...
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AnimeFan: Ok, peoples. If you want to attack me now for putting Serge and Kid and the whole Chrono Cross thing in this chapter, do it after I've finished the story. Now, everything you thought you knew about Kingdom Hearts is about to change in a strange matrix sort of way. Next chapter will reveal a lot...but not everything of course. Anywho, I didn't put any wording for Kid because she has that accent and it's so hard to mimic! -__-' Kairi tends to get caught a lot...oh, and yeah, the person Maleficant said her and Sephiroth had to get back in the Minty Fresh with a Twist chapter is Jasmine. Remember...she was in Transverse Town and all. Ok, time to go...next chapter up soon! ^-^
