The Heartless

"What kind of torment is that?" Ansem snarled, walking along slightly behind Sephiroth in the forest. They moved near the edge of the road but out of sight of any potential passers-by. The sky moved overhead slowly, time measured by the movement of the one sun that swung from one end of the panorama to the other. The road to their left, and a bubbling stream to their right, they used it as a compase by which to measure their progress.

"What torment?"

"You just looked at me last night. Then I got bored with it and left you alone."

"Then it worked. I stared at you until you left me alone." Sephiroth was characterically cheerless today. He moved gracefully, bending slightly to duck underneath a low-hanging branch. Ansem followed suite, feeling more irritated than ever.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why won't you look at me? Or kiss me, or... touch me?"

Sephiroth stopped. So quickly that Ansem nearly crashed into his back but instead, he found himself caught inevitably in the man's arms. He gazed up, a palpable fear crawling up his spine. Perhaps he had asked too many questions... maybe he'd angered him, but he saw none of it in his eyes.

Sephiroth spoke as his hands gently massaged his upper arms where he had caught him. "I've just been thinking, Ansem. That's all. Thinking of our existence... the voice told me we weren't free, and as far as I know, we should stay away from the road for there may be people after us now. And until we find out how to survive, and maybe to get out, we'll never be free."

"But that doesn't mean we can't--"

The silver-haired man pressed a finger to his lips. He smiled sadly and shook his head. "Ansem, I... I have to think about this... I'm still confused... everything seems to be demanding my attention all at once, and I fear I'm going mad." His finger caressed his lip, and suddenly he leaned forward to brush his lips over Ansem's own, his tongue questioning at the corner of his mouth.

Ansem froze. Then melted. His arms passed around his waist, over his back... ah, bliss... he tasted good, Ansem realized, tentatively parting his lips, letting his tongue glide over his lip, into his mouth. A transient shudder rippled through Sephiroth's body and for a moment Ansem felt the burgeoning desire to steal him back further from the road and undress him in the shade, touch his body as he's longed to do for so long...

He started to step back but felt Sephiroth's grasp on him tighten and hold him in place as he caressed his back, sliding his hand beneath the cloak that had proved to be the only thing covering his upper body next to the loose tunic Sephiroth had stolen to keep him warm.

"Sephiroth..." Ansem growled softly, drinking each quiet pant that came from his companion like a dehydrated man. "Please, we can. There's no one on the road... there's no one..."

Resistence was becoming a vague idea that held no substance. Sephiroth pressed closer, light-headed. Desire coursed through him, and he wanted to take him, pull his cloak and tunic free and touch the sensitive flesh that was still recovering, inhale his breath and slip his own back into his lungs in the darkness of the woods as he made love to him...

A snap from the brush nearby broke him free of such fantasies. Sephiroth spun in a 180 degree angle, sword steal ringing in the air as he drew the blade, almost unconsciously keeping Ansem safely behind him. Ansem kept tightly close, and Sephiroth could swear he heard him whispering spells quietly to himself, carefully keeping the inunciations away so as not to trigger one. The power that coursed through him snaked around him, a dull vibration and electric charge that made his desire no more lessened than the alarm did.

"Come out, intruder! Show yourself!" Sephiroth called, his feet set in the ground.

The leaves moved. A short figure, slim in green leggings and tunic and cloak that seemed to be made from the very leaves of the forest themselves. The hood of the cloak carefully hid the face of the tracker, and the hilt of a slim dark sword was visible from the hip.

"I mean you no harm. I met you in the school, remember?"

"I don't remember you...show your face, child, and I may yet spare you a gruesome death."

She brushed her hands back, pushing the hood away from her face, showing her clear leaf green eyes and dark hair. "You don't know my name. It's Kiriel... I was trying to help you before--"

"--you were attacked and fell unconscious. I fought the creature but briefly before I had to flee. Forgive me if I don't remember."

"You're a stranger here, aren't you? You bear local clothing yet I have never seen a sword such as that. Nor eyes and features such as yours. You do not have pointed ears, or sharp teeth. What are you?"

Sephiroth smiled, slowly lowering the blade. He hadn't a thing to fear from the girl as he sheathed the weapon. Ansem stepped away from behind him and answered for him, haughtily. "Not an easy question to answer. I suppose you would think us demons if we tried to answer. But I assure you, we are not."

Ansem closed his eyes, his heart thundering in his chest. His face felt flushed and he prayed the girl hadn't seen anything. He was sure she hadn't, but even so he was thrice as frustrated than he was a few moments before. He had been *safe*, damnit... safe in his arms....

"If not demons... then.... what was that black demon that attacked my school?"

Ansem flickered his head up. Black monster? Sephiroth had explained to him before what it looked like... its mannerisms. And to Ansem, it sounded peculiarly like--

"The Heartless," he said softly.

Kiriel looked at him as he stepped out from behind Sephiroth and crossed his arms over his chest. "The Heartless. Beings without Hearts, who seek forever the energy of those who have them to devour their souls. They can never truly be destroyed once they have been released from their source."

"Ansem?" Sephiroth looked at him, arching his brow in curiousity. "You've never told me that before."

"Of course not," he said irritably. "I didn't think it necessary, since my defeat meant the trapping of the Heartless forever within Kingdom Hearts. Their ultimate source... *their* world."

"If it was locked, why are they here?" The swordsman gave a snort of derision. "What that entity said *was* true...."

"I don't know," Ansem answered softly.

Kiriel stepped forward, seeming frustrated. "What are you talking about? The Heartless?"

"Those without hearts," he answered, and suddenly felt a weariness come over him. He rubbed his forehead and paced slightly toward a tree, leaning against it. "The being that spoke to you, Sephiroth... he said we weren't free?"

"Yes."

"There must be...must be something that we must do here..." Ansem kept his eyes closed for a few seconds longer, his awareness peaked so that he could hear Kiriel's heart pounding.

"I followed the beast's trail this far into the woods. It stops at the riverbank. I was hoping you two could help me find it so that maybe we could discover its secondary source," the girl said. "My magic can trace its presence, but it's too far away now. We should keep moving." She paused, and wet her lips before she spoke again. "Is that...alright? I never got your names..."

"Sephiroth," the man with forest green eyes responded. "And that is Ansem. We are strangers here... but....I suppose since our coming here heralded the arrival of this Heartless beast... we *should* help take it down."

Ansem flashed him an almost pleading expression, his hopes crushed as fiercely as if Sephiroth had told him to take a hike. But Sephiroth was not looking at him. He was staring keenly at Kiriel, his eyes flashing with a kind of determination he had only seen when they had struggled through the savage torrent of rain, a time that seemed eons ago.

Determination to succeed... to finish. To get through, escape.

Ansem decided it was safer to keep his mouth shut. He nodded finally, his mouth set in a grim line, extinguishing his foolish desires make room to worry about more important things other than Sephiroth's warm hands, touching him, soft demanding mouth possessing his...

"I don't mind," Ansem mumbled, pressing a hand to his forehead. "Not at all."

* * *

The road that led through the forest carried them inexorably toward what Kiriel explained was Elven pass. Crossing the river by bridge was a risky task, but there was not another human in sight and they vanished back into the trees. Kiriel found that wherever the monster was going, it was heading not toward Elven pass, but west again toward the mountains.

"Where does Elven Pass take us?" Sephiroth asked as they moved through the trails. Deer trails, she said they were, which eventually became mountain ram trails once they would be clear of trees.

"It would have taken us to Latch Gate. It's another town, it mines iron. You'd have found good weapons there. Not too much magic, though. If you want to survive in this realm, you need both magic and the sword."

Kiriel moved along, stealth as a deer herself, her cloak of leaf green fading in and out of view like magic. But her voice was as crisp and clear as the forest around them, the sunlight bright and welcome to their rain-weary souls.

Ansem was silent. He, being so in tune with magic, found it becoming easier and easier to discover the source of power that was slowly reawakening his powers. He found himself stunned at the amount of life here, in such abundance... free, untamed and wild. This place was not shackled by society, or beaten back by human advancement. The land was the provider; to take it for granted was to plan your own demise.

He also understood that figuring out this... paradox, this traversing through realms, was far more important than spending private time with Sephiroth. Sephiroth, himself, seemed to be in deep thought about this. He walked, often his eyes staring at Kiriel without seeing her but only to follow, while his mind wandered elsewhere, weighing the possibilities, or perhaps trying not to lose sight of hope.

Kiriel stopped as soon as they began to pull free of the forest's gentle arms and push on into the mountains. She pointed out a spot for camping just beyond a tall mound of dirt and grass, sheltered from sight and storm.

"This'll do," she said, reaching into her backpack and rolling out a simple blanket that seemed far too large to fit into such a small bag. She smiled, seating herself upon it. "Magic. It's made from a rare material from Jorna. Incredidibly soft but firm, yet pliable for easy carrying. Come... you can use it if you wish. You have nothing to sleep on. We'll have to get you something. I need to scout ahead anyway."

Ansem looked up from where he stood, fixating his eyes on Sephiroth. But Kiriel's voice stole his attention. "Ansem? Will you come with me?"

The mage smiled softly before he followed her around the stones, up the hill.

"Kiriel," Ansem began, but he was interrupted as she spoke softly.

"You seem to know more about this monster than anyone else. So tell me... are you and Sephiroth really the catalyst of these events, or the answer to them?"

"I don't honestly know, Kiriel. But Sephiroth and I do not want harm to come to this place. I certainly don't. It, and its people, are far too beautiful and too precious for me to wish any destruction upon them."

"So you say...but how can I know for sure?" Kiriel stopped in her tracks and turned to stare at him, her eyes narrowed. Such intense green, crackling with what Ansem percieved was great magical potential... she was certainly no novice.

"We would have killed you." His reply shocked her and for a moment he thought she may have attacked. But his eyes were calm and he made no sudden movements. "We don't want to hurt anyone, Kiriel, unless they try to hurt us first. I merely know from experience that these Heartless are deadly and are not to be taken lightly. We should hurry if we expect to save lives."

Kiriel sighed... relaxed. He could see that she was making up her mind this time for sure. She smiled lightly and nodded, reaching to take hold of his arm and shake it lightly. "Forgive me for doubting you, stranger. It's just... well--"

A thundering crash shook the forest. Birds, screaming hellish fury, leapt from the trees and took flight at once, blotting out the sun. Ansem spun to the sound at once and backed away, feeling the familiar tickle of Heartless playing at the edges of his awareness.

"It's that Heartless," he whispered. "It's coming for us... isn't that where Sephiroth is!?"

He listened hard, his eyes widening as he focused on the tall mound of earth behind which Ansem knew Sephiroth was most likely preparing camp. The crash boomed again, and beyond the mound was a flurry of leaves, twigs to him but were branches in reality, tossed aside as though they *were* twigs. The noises shook his guts in his very body.

"It sounds...huge!" Kiriel stepped back, her eyes hardening into gold emerald gems.

"It could be. The Heartless can change many forms. It gains power as it kills.... I fear we may have waited too long." Ansem started to move forward but Kiriel caught hold of his arm.

"Sephiroth will lead him to us. That way, we can all try to destroy it."

Yes, Ansem thought to himself. And I stress 'try'.