Chapter Two: The Knight and Squire

Ice blue eyes opened to see a ceiling, carved out of stone.

This certainly was not the darkness that swallowed him up.

Where...Am I?

Sitting up Riku then took in his surroundings with a more clearer vision: A small one roomed cell with a table and chair in one corner, a bedpost to the left, and wooden holders for a sword upon the left wall. One window graced with no curtains as well as a door-less doorway leading out to a corridor of even more stone.

"What is this...Place?" Riku managed to mutter out, mostly to himself, but still was given an answer from a deep monotone voice to his right.

"Olympus Coliseum. Perhaps a place far away from your world?"

Quickly Riku's eyes turned to see a masculine lithe framed figure sitting in a wooden chair next to the bed. Both feet on the floor with skintight gloved hands shining up an exceptionally long sword. Silver hair reached his waist as this figure also wore all black, and a visible chest. He also had one, dark blue/black wing. Riku blinked, staring wonderingly at this character.

"Coliseum? A place where people fight...How did I end up here? I only remember darkness..."

"I cannot say. We only found you at the entrance."

"We?"

"Yes. Another man and I."

Sephiroth sighed then stood up, walking swiftly over to the wooden handles upon the wall. He gently placed Masamune upon them then turned back to Riku with a raise of a silvery eyebrow. "What is your name, boy?"

"Riku. Yours?" Riku asked still staring at the man while sitting on his bed. The man did not smirk nor show any emotion, his voice completely dry from any dramatic tone: "Sephiroth." Sephiroth then walked back to his chair and sat down, folding his arms in his way showing his irritably of this whole problem. However, Riku kept staring at his wing. Sephiroth then remarked about it. "It's a wing, boy. Get used to it." Then, Sephiroth went on.

"Through reluctance I have agreed to house you. Since no one else would keep you, mind you. However, you can only stay if you work. What can you do?"

"Lots! Whatever you tell me to do, I'll do it." Riku's determination melted into his words. Sephiroth blankly gazed at him making Riku feel un-easy. "Then," Sephiroth finally replied. "Make yourself a bed. I'll be back later." Standing Sephiroth then progressed to the door only to be stopped by Riku's questioning voice.

"Where?"

Sephiroth turned to him, glancing to the floor, then back up to Riku. "On the ground, of course." Then, the ex-general quickly left Riku alone. Riku sighed and buried his face into his gloved hands. "How'd I get into this? I wonder...What happened to them?" Letting go of his face Riku then scooted out of Sephiroth's bed and looked around for any extra bed sheets, but none showed up in sight. This was going to take some time.

Sephiroth went to seek Phil. He found the half-goat still in the lobby fixing it for the up-coming tournament, which was within two more weeks or so.

"Phil, I do not want to take care of this kid." Sephiroth started, leaning on a wall with his arms still folded in that way of his. Icy mako-hues watched Phil move back and fro across the ground making sure everything was right. Phil just smirked.

"What's wrong with the kid?"

"He's invading my privacy." The warrior simply stated, but almost bitterly.

"Privacy? Pfft! You're usually too busy winnin' matches left to right! Look, just give 'em some time, maybe he'll teach you some things."

Sephiroth raised a brow, "And those things would be...?"

"How to be human!" Phil then gestured for Sephiroth to shoo, doing so through a fury of anger Sephiroth then re-entered the battle arena.

The battle arena was blustering with people, since most of the fighters were getting ready for the newest tournament which Phil has dubbed the "Pegasus Cup". However, there was one in particular whom wasn't fighting with his fellow comrades, but, sitting in the bleachers watching not-so-intently.

Strife.

It was like a bitter tasting drink upon Sephiroth's tongue. Oh, how he remembered the past memories of Cloud Strife, both before and after the incident. No, this wasn't the incident when Sephiroth was accused of being insane and trying to take over the World, this was the morbid memory in which Sephiroth keeps tucked away...Trying to forget it. But, every time seeing Cloud the memory came back like an never-ending melancholy of remorse, and...Fear. But, Sephiroth still faced it, he sat on a stone bench near the bottom where his booted feet could be placed right on the sand, watching the fighting.

Cloud caught a glimpse of his old friend, mentor, and rival. He seemed distressed with something, Cloud could tell since Sephiroth leaned forward to make his arms sit on his thighs as those dark eyes weren't actually watching the training but the clear sky. Over one boy? Surprised he didn't throw him out already. Cloud thought to himself. News spread quickly about the boy, since, Sephiroth had to carry him all the way to his cell and Hercules had a big mouth. What's wrong with him? Is he actually...Depressed? Cloud blinked, then, shook his head.

After returning to his cell Sephiroth found his bed missing a layer of bed sheet. Searching his quarter Sephiroth found the bed sheet neatly folded into a sleeping bag in a small corner and Riku looking up at Masamune, his eyes gleaming with wonder with his mouth partially open. Riku turned his head to Sephiroth, then back to Masamune.

"Can you wield it with one hand?" Riku asked, about to touch it, but Sephiroth shooed him away from his valuable sword and inspected it for any smudge marks.

"Of course I can." After inspecting Masamune Sephiroth then turned to Riku who now sat on the edge of Sephiroth's bed. Riku smirked, faintly.

"Man, I wish I had that much strength..." Sephiroth harshly chuckled at this.

"You do not know of how much training I have been in. You, boy, could never match up to me."

As much as Sephiroth hated being called weak so did Riku. He got up on his feet and glared at Sephiroth. "Says who?!" Riku clenched those skintight gloved hands into fists. Sephiroth was amused with this.

"It is a simple fact. No one has ever matched up to my skill." It was truth and lie mixed together. Although no one has beaten him, there is also that one man...Cloud Strife. No matter, this boy didn't need to know of his in-depth background.

"Well," Riku said after a long pause. "You'll see. I'll become as strong as you!"

"Don't talk nonsense, boy. No one in this whole Coliseum would be able to train you to match up to me." Sephiroth then turned his back on Riku and walked over to his desk to sit down. Riku's frown became deeper, but soon relaxed into a hopeful expression.

"You could always teach me."

"Never." Sephiroth spat out.

"C'mon! You said I needed to work here, so I could work on training." Riku argued. Sephiroth twitched his wing in annoyance and folded his arms over his chest, the boy was pressuring him! Sephiroth! He gazed upon the boy with a cold stare, then finally sighed out. "I'll think about it. However, tomorrow you have a chore to do. Tomorrow I'll be going up against more recruits, you'll be there as..." Sephiroth trailed off, trying to find a word other than lackey. "My squire, per se. Go to bed early, boy, for I rise with the sun."

Riku smiled, then nodded. "All right!"

Dusk came swiftly upon the coliseum. Soon, the torches would be lit and the sun would dive into the horizon so the moon could have it's share of sky-time along with the clear diamonds of the sky, some of them missing almost everyday however. Sephiroth dressed into loose black pants and a t-shirt, with his wing perfectly folded inward. One of the healers came by to give Riku some clothes for sleeping and working in.

Riku wore a normal beige shirt and black shorts to bed, and tried to get comfortable in his little sleeping bag, but it was almost impossible with a stone ground as your only cushion. Sephiroth went to bed without say good night or anything. Riku laid there in the darkness, trying to think things over but through this he too fell asleep.

"Riku," Sephiroth shook Riku's shoulder. The ex-general already dressed into his trench coat, gloves, pants, and boots. Riku then placed the bed sheet over his head with a groan to go away. Sephiroth rolled his eyes and gently kicked Riku's feet with the tip of his boot. "Wake up, I don't have time for this." I knew he was going to be in my way. Riku then stirred and crawled out of the bed sheets for his clothes lying next to him on the floor. Sephiroth then turned around, studying Masamune clenched in his hand. It was still dark in Sephiroth's room with only the torches outside in the corridor giving dim light, and Riku could only mumble out a slurred speech.

"Ready, mff..." Riku then shuffled behind Sephiroth down the corridor, wearing his regular yellow sleeveless shirt with dark blue overalls and pants. His silvery tresses waving back and fro around his eyes in their shaggy manner. He was dead tired, other than Sephiroth who walked with pride and swiftly down the stairs to the vacant battle arena which was dimly lighted as well.

"Sephiroth...Why do we have to get up so early?" Riku rubbed his eyes, trying to suppress a yawn. Sephiroth walked into the tiled battle arena and turned to Riku who stopped about a foot away, stretching.

"One who wants to become strong and stay strong must rise with the sun and train." Sephiroth simply stated then twirled Masamune around, making sure not to hit Riku. Riku's eyes brightened up.

"Does that mean you're gonna train me?"

"...No. I don't have time to train you, a tournament is coming up and my reputation matters to me. Now go and sit down."

Riku was enraged. "You woke me up for nothing?!"

Sephiroth merely smirked. "Perhaps through watching you'll learn something." Then, like that, Sephiroth forcefully thrust his wing out and turned to the wooden training poles, Masamune clenched in both hands and slanted in a attack position.

Riku blinked. How can someone be so cold?! Pouting, Riku stormed off to one of the benches and sat down, glaring at the warrior.

Sephiroth leapt high in the air using his wing to gain extra air, then, gracefully landed on his feet in the middle of the poles which made a circle shape about him. Before he even landed, however, those arms swung Masamune around over his head in a swift motion so fast that Riku didn't even catch it. Already five poles were missing half of their height with their other halves on the ground. Sephiroth then side-stepped swinging Masamune along with him to chop three more in two.

Like that, he was done. Riku didn't expect to see a show that good. He blinked and was in awe. Sephiroth was certainly a master swordsman. Riku absent-mindedly stood up through this awe and grinned.

"How...You were so fast!" Riku cried out. Sephiroth didn't even pant, he turned to Riku lowering Masamune down but the blade never ever touched the ground. "Where did you learn to swing a sword that fast?!" Riku came running up. Sephiroth blinked, he hated to be asked questions about his past and became angry.

"None of your business. Go on and let me train." He coldly replied. Riku frowned, then, nodded obediently walking back to his bench. Sephiroth turned back to the poles still intact and got ready to attack them.

"Your name?"

Riku jumped from the monotone yet youthful voice from behind, then turned to see blonde headed warrior cloaked in red. "Riku..." He got out. Cloud glanced to Sephiroth defeating the menacing wooden poles then back to Riku.

"Lucky he hasn't thrown you out, yet. Never talk about his past, then maybe you'll live." Cloud bluntly said, then, slowly walked back up the steps. Riku was mainly confused about the whole thing and watched Cloud intently.

His eyes glowed just like Sephiroth's...

Riku then turned back to Sephiroth, the One-Winged Angel swung his sword downward making a pole split in two through a wood-splintering sound. For some reason...That move made Riku feel nostalgic.

A/N- ... Woo. -rubs back of head- Is it just me or is Sephiroth a little OOC? I dunno, maybe I'm paranoid. xX; But anyway...Thanks you three for reviewing (I also can see Seph beating his head against a wall xD! ). Thank you, thank you, thank you! Hopefully the story won't get too out of hand (since my plan for the surprise is kinda...meh, I suppose) and be one of those Seph fanfics that just...Suck. xD I'm gonna stop talking now.