Tortured By Light
Series: Kingdom Hearts
Categories: AU-ish, Angst, Violence, Yaoi, Adventure, Etc.
Warnings: All things bad, gruesome, and wicked, yadda… yadda etc…
Summary: Ansem has stolen or rather copied Riku's physical appearance and the two battle against each other in the dark side of Kingdom Hearts; a new dimension of worlds. Sora searches for his friend, but will he ever find Riku, and will they ever be able to seal the true doors of light?
Disclaimer: It should be pretty obvious by now what is and is not mine…
Author's Note: Sorry for the obscene delay… It's been a busy summer to say the least. Also, Vincent Valentine from Final Fantasy VII shows up in this chapter, his character is altered due to the Kingdom Heart setting… oh yeah and I decided to play off the whole Vinny is a vampire cliché so don't hurt me K? I have a weakness for vampires and I couldn't resist. Also, Ansem's back and so is the angst….
IMPORTANT NOTE: You need to have read my first fic "Bound by Darkness" in order for this fic to make any sense.
WARNING: This chapter is extremely violent, angsty, and full of what could be considered offensive material, please take note of this warning in case you have a weak stomach.
Chapter 8: Crossing Over
Sephiroth watched Kuja patiently from his perch in the tree branches as Kuja toiled in the hot sun to pluck weeds. Sephiroth had originally thought to use this opportunity to rescue the mage but one of Rufus' bodyguards had come out to stand guard. Kuja's endless stream of curses went on until the hot sun finally exhausted him; his skimpy outfit did little to protect his porcelain skin from sunburn and the threat of heat exhaustion soon became apparent. Sephiroth began to worry how much longer Kuja would be able to hold up under such harsh conditions. Kuja collapsed suddenly and Sephiroth had to stop himself from leaping to the fallen mage's aid. He watched warily as the bodyguard approached Kuja, a steady hand gripping the hilt of masamune.
Kuja looked up to see a figure towering above him, he knew he should get up but he couldn't seem to find the strength. The man ordered Kuja to get up but Kuja would not comply. Kuja looked over his shoulder to see a whip in the man's hand, a blatant threat to which Kuja had to means to protect his self from. Kuja vaguely heard another vicious order barked at him as the whip was raised above him. Kuja winced and tried to prepare for the stinging blow but it never came. Kuja opened his eyes after a few moments to see the man tied up in his own whip and hanging from the nearby tree with Sephiroth standing next to him.
"Well, I had hoped for a stealthier rescue but this will have to do, come on Kuja, we need to hurry."
"Water…" mumbled Kuja, his head spinning with confusion.
"First I need to get you out of here." Sephiroth scooped up Kuja in his arms and ran straight for the mansion's outer wall which he gracefully cleared in one physic-defying leap.
Sephiroth took the scarf he had used earlier to rob people in to cover up Kuja's face so that he would be less recognizable and quickly weaved through the mass of people in the streets. He needed to hurry and get back to where Seymour and Riku were as soon as possible. Little did Sephiroth know, he had caught the attention of another stranger to this particular world.
The stranger watched curiously as a tall silver haired man ran past him with a smaller man in tow. The stranger felt a pang of familiarity and decided to follow.
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Meanwhile, Seymour and Riku had returned from their shopping to wait patiently for Sephiroth to return with Kuja. A sudden racket at the door alerted both young men and they quickly approached the door to let in Sephiroth and Kuja. Immediately they regretted their haste for it was neither Sephiroth nor Kuja who entered but Ansem.
Ansem's eyes flashed dangerously as he smirked suggestively at Riku. Riku backed away as did Seymour and the two held each other protectively without even realizing it as they stared into fiery amber eyes.
"I told you Riku, my dearest Riku… You belong to me and I will always find you, no matter where you run."
"Leave me alone! Why can't you go away and leave me in peace?"
"Save your questions, we will have plenty of time to talk about all such matters soon enough. You're coming with me."
"The Hell I am!"
"Pity, and here I thought we could leave together nice and peacefully without any blood shed or pain…oh well… I always did prefer violence to patience."
Ansem held out his hand and aimed it at Seymour, there was a sudden burst of air as if the wind had become blades of power and Seymour screamed as he was sliced from all sides at once. Riku cried out for Ansem to stop as Seymour fell limply to the floor. His elaborate robes were in shreds, his hair draped over his prone and bloody form; Seymour struggled to get up but he had lost too much blood and fell back onto the floor. Riku knelt beside Seymour and cried out in fear that his friend was dying. Ansem's laughter rang in his ears as he held Seymour close. Seymour's breathing was desperate and his cerulean eyes began to cloud against his will.
"S..Sorry, R…Riku, I couldn't be of better help…" Seymour gasped the words he spoke desperately as he struggled to stay conscious. Riku's tears fell on Seymour's face as he held on urgently to the blue haired elf.
Seymour fought to stay conscious but in the end, darkness conquered and consumed his will. Riku gently laid Seymour onto the floor and looked up angrily at Ansem… Ansem smiled sadistically at Riku.
"A pity, I would have thought him to be a rather fun toy; such a waste but now I'll have you. You're the one I want, come here!"
"Damn you to Hell Ansem! I'll never surrender to you! Never! I'd never break my promise to Sora!"
"Sora? Are you still fixated on that whelp? Get it through your head, Sora is never going to find you… don't you remember? He's on the other side of the door of darkness which was sealed!"
"Shut up! Sora and I share something you couldn't possibly understand! I love him and he loves me! That's all that matters!"
"Fool!" Ansem raised his hand at Riku and began to tighten his fist. Riku placed a hand upon his chest as he began to feel like something was gripping his heart.
"Ansem!"
"Don't you understand! We are the ones who share something! Both our hearts are tied to the same darkness! You will return with me."
"No!" Riku stumbled back against the wall, the pain in his chest rising, making it hard for him to breathe.
Just then Sephiroth rushed into the room, he promptly placed Kuja's still form on the couch and in a flash was on the other side of the room charging Ansem with masamune leading the way. Ansem simply smirked and in one fluid movement, the great general Sephiroth was unarmed and bound in a magical entanglement of dark energy. Sephiroth struggled wildly but was not powerful enough to break his bonds.
"You see Riku, my strength grows when I'm around you, I've learned this as well as many other things since our incident with the door to darkness. I need you to become whole and to increase my power ten fold. With you I will be able to unleash the door to light and be granted dominion over all worlds. The heartless will purge the land once more but this time the outcome will be much different. I will become a god and you shall be mine for all eternity."
"Madness!" stammered Sephiroth as his bonds began to tighten.
"Come with me now Riku and I will spare this man's life… for now at least."
"Riku run!" yelled Sephiroth. Ansem reached over to run his fingers through the general's long silver hair.
"I wonder, perhaps I shall have you grow your hair out this long Riku my love, it certainly is beautiful."
"Riku run now!"
"No Sephiroth! I can't leave you like this! You have someone that you are searching for too! I can't let your quest die here! Kuja still needs you and Seymour… I don't want to watch you die!"
"Riku!"
"Ansem, you win this time… release Sephiroth and I will return with you." Riku felt sick as he spoke the words but what else could he do, he couldn't stand the thought of watching anyone else important to him be harmed when he might be able to stop it.
"That's more like it my pet." Ansem approached Riku and ran one hand through Riku's soft hair and used the other hand to roughly grab his rear and pull him closer into a passionate and dominating kiss. Riku felt a tear slide down his cheek and a sense of hopelessness cast upon him. Sephiroth struggled even more and suddenly another figure entered the scene. The mysterious person form the marketplace who had watched Sephiroth and followed him called out to Ansem.
"Release him now!"
Riku blinked his eyes in bewilderment and struggled against Ansem's hold on him to see the dark clad figure who's voice sounded so painfully familiar. "It couldn't be, could it? Please God let it be him!"
"Sora?"
The dark clad figure removed a face concealing scarf to reveal spiky brown hair and sapphire blue eyes; eyes that once held such joy and life were now set in a deadly glare at Ansem.
"So, it would seem that there arise many new mysteries with such a reunion." stated Ansem as he held Riku tighter, "It's unfortunate for you dear Sora; you came too late, Riku is mine and always will be. Say goodbye Riku, we're leaving now."
"No! Wait! Sora! Sora!" Riku cried out hysterically to his beloved as he felt the energies surrounding him shift. Ansem was teleporting and taking him along.
"Sora!" Riku continued to call out even as the mists of teleportation surrounded him completely. He could only imagine what sort of cruelty awaited him, but Sora had come for him once again! Sora wouldn't give up, he never had, there was hope and Riku knew he had to protect that hope if he was ever to get through this.
Sora watched in horror as Riku was spirited away from him by the madman who now done Riku's face like some sort of cruel mask.
"Riku! Riku forgive me! I came too late!" Sora knelt to the floor and pounded his fist angrily against the floor in a fit of frustration. He had gone through so much to find Riku. He had even had to leave behind his friends Donald and Goofy among others. The sacrifices Sora had made were heavy indeed and then to come so close to having Riku back only to have him wrenched out of his reach. Sora held his tears and walked over to Seymour's still form. Sephiroth was dropped unceremoniously onto the ground with the release of his magic bindings. Seymour was a bloody mess to say the least and Sora knelt down beside him and laid his hands gently on Seymour's forehead and chest. There was a brilliant flash of light and Seymour began to twitch and open his eyes.
"Ansem!" Seymour cried out frantically but calmed at the sight of Sora's concerned gaze. "Where's Riku?" Sora looked away, not yet able to speak about what had just happened, his heart hurt too much. Sephiroth went to get some water for the two weakened mages and Sora.
"So you're the one he's been searching for?"
Sora nodded his head as he desperately gulped his drink. "Riku, if only I had come sooner… where could Ansem had taken him?"
"You followed us…"
"I did, when I saw you out the corner of my eye; I thought you were Riku but when I saw that you weren't I followed you anyway, call it a gut instinct if you will."
"How did you get here? Weren't you locked on the other side?"
"There are two doors remember?"
"Does that mean you found the other door?"
"Yes and no…"
"Explain."
"I'd rather not right now, it's a bit complicated and what's more important is saving Riku. Just know that I more or less found a indirect route but Riku is my top priority."
"I see… you love him that much? No wonder he's so stuck on you. First things first, you should rest; we'll figure a way to rescue Riku as soon as everyone's had a chance to recover some of their strength. We're going to need it."
Sora nodded, Sephiroth's tone seemed to imply that he understood more than he was letting on. Since, Sephiroth and the other two seemed to had been Riku's companions, Sora saw no reason not to trust them.
"But first we'll have to find Riku?"
"Believe it or not I think I might know a way but first we need to rest."
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Riku awoke in a dark well furnished room. He didn't remember passing out and immediately sprung up to evaluate his surroundings. He was all alone, there was no sign of Ansem or anyone else; for that he gave a sigh of relief. Riku walked cautiously across the room to the door and found it unlocked and unguarded. Figuring it to be one of Ansem's games but without any better idea, Riku walked out into a dark hallway. The hallway soon became a steep stairwell that spiraled into blackness. Lit by only a few torches, Riku held onto the rail tightly in fear of a tragic fall. After a rather lengthy descend Riku found himself in a small room that didn't seem to have any purpose. "Of all the pointless, ridiculous…. What the!" Riku had leaned up against a wall that suddenly began to rumble softly and slide out of place to reveal a secret door. Too curious to ignore it, Riku crept into the hidden room and peered into the darkness. A single torch lit up on its own, and that alone was enough to increase Riku's heart rate but then there were coffins all around. Riku was more than a little freaked out and about to leave when suddenly there was a faint knocking sound coming from one of the coffins. Riku walked closer to it against his better judgment and froze as the lid to one coffin began to slide off. The lid slid off and fell to the ground and a figure slowly emerged from within. Riku gawked awkwardly at the sight before him, a pale young man with long ebony hair and crimson eyes stared questioningly at him.
"Ansem?... wait no… you're not him, but you look like? Who are you?"
"I'm Riku? You know Ansem?"
"Yes unfortunately I do, how did you find this place?"
"Accident really, but what about you? Who are you and what are you doing here?"
"My name in Vincent Valentine, I used to live here among my kin until one day Ansem came and wiped out my whole clan except for me. He's kept me prisoner for quite some time and I'd rather not think about all the things he's done to me."
Riku could see the hurt in the young man's eyes and regretted being so questioning but he had to know where he was and what was going on.
"Who was your 'kin' and why is it you don't seem too bothered by being kept in a coffin?"
"Why vampires of course, the coffin's not so bad but the confinement is starting to get to me. I got over the loss of my clan more or less but I really wish I could have shared their fate, anything would be better than being kept as a toy for that madman's amusement. Since my body is immortal, Ansem does all sorts of awful things to me and when he's done, he tosses me aside to heal in the dark."
"If you're immortal, how could your clan get wiped out?"
"They were sealed away by magic, I'm not strong enough to release them but I know they're locked away somewhere in this castle, I feel as if they can see me when Ansem torments me. I wish he would just let us go." Vincent fought to maintain his composure and Riku couldn't help but walk over to lay a comforting hand upon the abused vampire's shoulders.
"Listen, somehow you and I are going to get out of this mess but we'll have to stick together got it?"
"Sure, but how can we escape? Ansem has gained control of the castle; it obeys his will."
"I don't know yet, but there's got to be a way… Hey Vincent, what's wrong?" Riku waved his hand in front of Vincent who stared blankly into the darkness.
"He's coming for us… I can sense him." Vincent's tone was full of dread and sure enough, Ansem's frame became evident in the darkness as he approached.
"Well, well, getting acquainted are we? That's good, in order to live together we should all get along."
Without warning, Riku and Vincent were transported to a grand bedroom along with Ansem. "Let's see, I think I'll start with Valentine and give Riku a welcome home show." Vincent tried to scurry away but was quickly grabbed by a dark energy vine that coiled around his body and restrained him. Riku made a move to help the vampire but was held in check by another restraint of dark energy. Ansem casually approached Vincent's struggling form and pulled out a small elaborately jeweled knife.
"Let's start things off with a series of screams shall we?" whispered Ansem to Vincent's ear, "As for you Riku, do watch, I'll be performing for you my love."
Riku couldn't believe what Ansem was about to do, was there no limit to how evil this man could be? Vincent's cries interrupted Riku's thoughts; the vampire screamed and yelled as Ansem proceeded to literally carve the clothing from his body. Streams of garnet washed the once flawless alabaster skin of the vampire and Riku was forced to watch helplessly. Ansem began to lick and bite at Vincent's wounds while occasionally glancing at Riku to give him a seductive wink or smile.
"Enough Ansem! Leave him alone! It's me you want right? Take me instead but don't make me watch this!"
Riku's pleas were ignored as Ansem commanded the dark restraining shadows to hold Vincent up and flat on his back while pulling at his limbs in a painful position. Vincent cried out at what was to come, his eyes catching Riku's for one gut-wrenching moment at which time Ansem plunged his member into Vincent's tortured body. Riku watched as sheer agony burned in Vincent's eyes, eyes that seemed to beg for death. Riku found himself unable to look away as Ansem proceeded to rape Vincent right in front of him. Ansem gripped Vincent's hips painfully and drove the vampire against him in time with each thrust. Vincent cried out tears of blood as he was impaled over and over again; the bindings were transparent but strong and Riku noticed red rings form around Vincent's wrists and ankles as if he was being quartered while being raped. Riku felt sick as he was forced to watch the spectacle, wondering if Ansem would finally climax before the vampire's limbs got dislocated. Ansem grunted frantically as he neared his release and used one hand to violently pump Vincent's member in time to the increased thrusts. Riku was absolutely horrified, it was almost like watching himself brutally rape Vincent but he quickly dismissed the idea, Riku would never do such a thing. Vincent came quickly against his will and Ansem's seed burned him from within in a sudden burst and the restraints dropped him violently to the ground. Ansem zipped himself up and leaned over to examine his bleeding toy. Already, Vincent's innate vampire powers were starting to heal and repair his broken body. Ansem held his chin and gazed coldly into Vincent's fearful red eyes.
"That's what I love about you; you're low maintenance, self repairing, and gorgeous. Until next time my beautiful bloody Valentine." Ansem stole a kiss from the exhausted vampire and with a simple gesture sent Vincent away, back to his crypt, in the darkness, alone.
"I don't think there's a word that fully describes the extent of how foul you are Ansem." Riku glared dangerously at Ansem, no longer bound he approached Ansem and without considering the consequences or really caring for that matter; the image of Vincent's pleading eyes as he cried helplessly was vivid in Riku's mind as he swiftly threw a violent jab and rammed it into Ansem's unguarded face. Ansem fell back from the punch and his head cracked against the back wall. Riku didn't think, he merely acted and he charged Ansem while Ansem was still dazed from the first blow and yelled out in rage as his foot connected with Ansem's stomach. Ansem was shocked but not for long, the kick had sent him to the other side of the room and as Riku made his way over, Ansem quickly recovered and was able to counter the next blow. Riku threw another vicious punch only to realize that Ansem was able to catch his fist and use his own momentum against him. Riku suddenly found himself face down under Ansem with his wrist twisted painfully at his back. A slight tug told him that Ansem could easily break it if he continued to resist. Riku stilled and growled angrily at the man on top of him hold his wrist in a painful lock.
"Careful now, I doubt your body can hold up to near as much punishment as Vincent's so you'd best behave."
"Never! I hate you Ansem! Let me go!"
"Foolish boy!" Ansem shifted behind him and Riku felt nothing but dread as his clothes were viciously ripped from him exposing his rear among other things, his thighs, and abdomen. "All of you belongs to me! This is mine!" Riku cried out as Ansem gripped his member tightly. "This is mine!" Riku screamed as Ansem slapped Riku's rear and prodded his entrance with two fingers. "This is mine also!" Riku was hastily flipped over and Ansem stole a violent kiss. "This is also mine!" Riku struggled as Ansem ripped off the remaining bits of his shirt to reveal the heartless emblem that appeared under Ansem's touch across Riku's bare chest. "You are mine Riku! All of you! Like it or not you belong to me! You bear my seal, we share the same heart! I'll take from you whatever I desire for it is mine to take! I could snatch out you eyes if I chose, I could slowly peel layer after layer of skin and tissue from your body! I will make love to you whenever and however I chose!"
"Make love! Bullshit! All you know how to do is to hurt and break!"
"Fool! I grow tired of your defiance! I can do nothing but love you! You are mine! You are an extension of me, I love you like I love myself! To lose you is like losing a limb!"
"You defile the word as you speak it! You're incapable of love!"
"Silence!" Riku cringed as Ansem slapped him hard across the face.
"It's true I can't love in the sense that you understand but mark my words I do love you, it is a dark love, but a love nonetheless. Careful dear Riku for I shall love you to death and even then you will never escape me!"
Ansem finished his statement by wrenching Riku's head by the hair and flinging him to the side. "This is a warning that I do out of love dear Riku, defy me like that again and I'll make you regret it a thousand times over." Ansem stormed out of the room and Riku suddenly found that he had been transported back to his original room but this time the door was locked. Riku looked around to find a new set of clothes laid out for him as well as a meal. Riku was shaking from an adrenaline high that was now fast leaving him only to leave the ache of several new bruises in its wake. Riku changed clothes and sat on the bed to think, he wasn't able to eat right now for fear of vomiting. Images of Vincent's torture, Sephiroth struggling as Ansem caressed his hair, Seymour's bloodied form, and perhaps most painful of all, Sora's face as if he were hope trapped in Pandora's box just out of reach; all these things collided in Riku's mind and heart.
To be continued…
Author's note Longest update ever but I did try to make the chapter extra long… I know this chapter was rather dark but it's also a turning point… Anyway tell me what you think unless of course you're flaming me and I'll try to update sooner.