Author's Notes:  See chapter one for disclaimer and explanation.

Separate Destinies By Annie-chan Chapter Four:  A Need to Belong

"How could she not know you were not human?"

Sephiroth turned at the sound of his son's voice.  Since he had come to the Destiny Islands, he had been staying in the forest outside of Fate.  Now, he was sitting on a knoll that overlooked the beach, and Riku had approached him from behind.

"What do you mean?" Sephiroth asked.

"Your wing, what else?" Riku replied.  "How could my mother not know you were not human with that thing staring her in the face?"

"Ylfe wings are retractable," was Sephiroth's answer.

Riku blinked.  "Retractable wings?  Give me a break."

"I'm serious," Sephiroth insisted.  He turned around so he was facing Riku.  "See, the earliest ancestors of our race did not have wings, and their magical capacity was less than it is now.  As that capacity grew, their bodies were unable to properly house it, and many withered and died because their magic was basically stagnating inside of them for lack of proper 'space'.  So, the survivors were forced to add an extension to their bodies to contain their power and allow them to live their natural lifespan."

"But, why one wing?" Riku asked.  "Why not two, or some other bodily extension?  A single wing looks unbalanced, if nothing else."

Sephiroth shrugged.  "I have no idea, really.  I haven't found anything explaining that, and I've never cared to look.  Besides, our wings aren't actually used for flying.  Flight is achieved with a simple antigravity spell that doesn't just make us float, but gives us control over our midair motion as well.  Most children learn to fly long before your age."

"Hm," Riku replied, digesting this new information.  "But, why are the wings retractable?  If your explanation of their origins is true, wouldn't retracting them make you ill?"

"No," Sephiroth shook his head.  "Wings first appeared among ylfe over two thousand centuries ago.  Since then, our bodies have toughened, so to say, and our magic capacity has long since evened out.  I'm the strongest alive today, but the strongest on record died long before I was born, and the second strongest today isn't too far behind me.  If we wanted to, we could get rid of our wings entirely and have no ill effects.  The thing is, we've had wings for so long, that children are now born with them, and there's no downside to keeping them, so no one's done away with them.  They're a harmless natural ornamentation now, more than anything else.  There are two main kinds:  birdlike and batlike.  What kind you have is hereditary, so they're considered two separate races, or at least sub-races.  The two sub-races are rather unceremoniously called feathers and leathers."

Riku nodded slowly.  "I see.  And, on the rare occasion that an ylfe visits the Many Worlds, they retract their wing to appear human.  Is that it?"

"Yes," his father answered.  "Your mother discovered mine when I had come out of Fate and into the forest one day.  Since no one was around, I thought, I extended my wing to let it stretch some.  If you have your wing retracted for a long time, it feels good to extend it every once in a while.  It's like taking your shoes off after walking for a long way.  Anyway, your mother was looking for me to tell me that she was expecting, and she caught me unawares."

"Well, show me," Riku said.  "Retract your wing."

"I already have," Sephiroth said.

Riku blinked, surprised.  Sure enough, there was no wing folded against his father's back and shoulder, as there had been when he had first come up to him.  "Oh…" he said, thinking of nothing else to say.

"Aren't you supposed to be 'the observant one'?" his father chided.

"Shut up," Riku replied, a faint blush coloring his cheeks in embarrassment.  To get the focus off of himself, he posed another question.  "What about your eyes?  No human has eyes like that."

"I put an illusion spell on them to make the pupils appear round," Sephiroth shrugged.  "Most ylfen don't have to do that.  The majority of us have round pupils, just like humans, and the vertical slits that I have are a rare, harmless anomaly.  Some people consider it a mutation; others call it an extremely recessive genetic trait.  As for the glow…I guess each ylfe has their own excuse."

"So, why did you come here with no disguise this time?" Riku asked.  "Why not let only me know about this?  I thought ylfen were supposed to keep their existence mostly a secret."

Sephiroth shrugged again.  "I didn't feel like it this time.  I called the secrecy policy, and it is, but it's a pretty loosely enforced policy.  It's more important that we keep details of our world hidden than our actual existence.  Besides, there are plenty of 'legendary creatures' in the Many Worlds that are rarely spotted.  Some are real, and some are myth.  Ylfen are one of them."

"But, you just gave me details about ylfe wings and eyes, and you said details were to be kept secret," Riku pointed out, "and you're staying here for an extended period of time with no disguise.  It's been almost two weeks now, and I've heard the gossipers in Fate talking about people seeing a strange man living out here in the woods.  Sooner or later, everyone's going to know about you."

"I know," Sephiroth said.  "So, the gossipers have something to talk about.  That's no big deal.  Once something else comes up, I'll be forgotten like all the other gossip topics.  And, that stuff about ylfe wings and eyes can be added to what little legend is told of us in the Many Worlds.  I don't care."  He eyed Riku.  "Besides, if you don't tell anyone and you end up coming back with me, it's like I never told anyone, right?"

Riku hesitated, then nodded.  "Right."  He seemed to be thinking for several moments, then quickly stood, his curiosity satisfied.  "Thanks for the info," he said, and he turned and walked back toward the city before Sephiroth could even nod in reply.  He got halfway down the hill before he turned around and headed back up.

"Forget something?" Sephiroth asked.

"Yes," Riku replied.  "Why didn't you kill her?"

It was Sephiroth's turn to blink in silence.  "What do you mean?" he finally asked.

"Why didn't you kill my mother?" Riku repeated.  "If it stung you so much to leave me with her, and if you hated her as much as you've implied, why didn't you just kill her once I was born and take me back with you?  It's not like she would have been a big loss to the community, and I sure as hell wouldn't have cared."

Sephiroth sighed, looking away from his son.  "I've killed many in my life," he began.  "Most of the deaths on my hands are wild beasts or the half-intelligent savages that roam the wilds around the ylfe civilizations, but I have killed some ylfen and humans as well.  Most of those deaths were in some kind of altercation or another."  He turned to look at his son again.  "Death is a much more foreign concept to ylfen than it is to humans.  I don't like death and killing any more than the rest of my kind.  Because we are so long-lived, the concept of death unsettles us more than it does humans."  He sighed and looked away again.  "On the other hand, also because we are so long-lived, death can be a boon to us as much as it can be a bane."

Riku watched his father in silence, puzzling over these last few words.  Since Sephiroth didn't say or do anything more, he soon turned and went back down the hill, thinking.  Over the past two weeks, he had been even more pensive and detached than normal.  As far as he knew, the only people in his circle of friends who knew for sure of Sephiroth's existence were Sora and Kairi, but he didn't tell even them about the proposition Sephiroth had handed him.  Ever since receiving it, he had been constantly arguing with himself over what he should do.  Having to explain it to others would just be a pain in the ass.

Almost an hour later, Riku was back home.

Which way do I go? he asked himself for the thousandth time.  The offer to go live with the people he really belonged with was very tempting, but he instinctively shied away from leaving the group of people he had come to hold most dear, especially Sora and Kairi.  He sighed as he went into the kitchen.  May as well make something to eat and try to get his mind off of it for a while.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next day…

Riku was in a very bad mood.  He wasn't angry, but he was depressed.  He was having one of those occasional days where all he could focus on was what had gone wrong in his life.  There was his uncaring mother, his long-absent father, his neglected childhood, his reputation as the "inside outcast" of the group (even Riku had trouble deciphering that one sometimes), his willingness to follow Maleficent into the darkness, his possession by Ansem, his unreturned feelings for Kairi…

Better stop, he told himself, rubbing one of his temples.  If I keep naming off everything, I'll just get even more depressed.  He had avoided everyone he knew so he wouldn't be asked what was wrong.  He had the day off from work, so he hadn't seen his coworkers, either.  Most of the day had been brooding and wandering aimlessly around Fate.  He had somehow found himself on the Party Island, which wasn't the best place to be if he wanted to be left alone.  Still, the sound of the waves lapping over the sand was relaxing.  Perhaps he could do away with his bout of depression here.

There were two particular spots he liked to be.  There was the bent paopu tree on the circular islet offshore, which was the perfect place to sit and look out over the water.  There was also the secret place, which was secluded and sheltered, making it the best spot to think without the risk of someone coming by.  He wondered if anyone besides himself, Sora, and Kairi used it as a place to hide out.  Wakka and Tidus had thoroughly explored the place, but Riku never knew of them going back in there.

Why it was called "the secret place" when everyone knew of its existence was beyond him.

As he crawled through the entrance, he remembered the first time he had come here.  It had been just him and Sora, and they had been about five and six years old.  Sora had been convinced that there was a monster living back here, since he could hear its "growling".

For several minuets, Riku leaned against the stone wall just inside the entrance, listening to the "growling".  It was the sound of the ocean reverberating off the cavern walls, deepened in pitch by the repeated echoes and the rock insulation.  But, to a young child who didn't know any better, it did sound a lot like the warning growls of a large animal protecting its den.

His sharp ears twitched, and he realized he wasn't just hearing the ocean.  Voices trickled down the narrow tunnel, as well.  He knew better than to be rude and spy, but something compelled him to quietly go in further.  Before long, he recognized the voices.  Sora and Kairi.  Before the last bend in the tunnel, he stopped to listen, barely peeking around into the chamber.

"Hey, look what I have, Kairi," Sora was saying, fishing around in a small satchel he had.  He pulled out a yellow, star-shaped object.

"A paopu fruit?" Kairi asked.

Sora nodded.

"You want to share it with me?"  Kairi looked surprised.

"Of course," Sora replied.  "Don't tell me you're surprised about this.  I mean, look at that scratching on the wall over there."  He indicated the rough etching of them sharing the star fruit.

"Well, yes," Kairi said.  "I just didn't want to assume. I mean…you know…"

"Yeah, you're nervous about all this, aren't you?" Sora asked.  "So am I.  I've been wanting to finally do this for months, but I just now worked up the courage."

"Really?" Kairi asked.

Sora nodded.  "Yes.  I…um…I love you, Kairi."

Kairi's eyes sparkled bright blue.  "I love you, too, Sora!"

Inwardly, Riku winced painfully, and he had to turn away.  He knew Kairi didn't return his feelings, but to hear her say that she loved another was still a knife in his heart.  Leave, his conscience told him.  This is a private moment between them, and you don't want to see this.  It hurts you too much.  Go away!  However, something in him commanded that he keep watching, and he turned back.

The paopu lay split on the rock floor.  They had already fed each other some of the fruit.  The mini-ceremony was over.  Now, Sora was just leaning in to kiss her…

NO! he shrieked inwardly.  Oh, why did you look back?!  WHY did you look back?!  Without another thought, he turned and fled back down the tunnel.

His thoughts were racing.  Stop it, his more rational side admonished him.  Stop being so childish!  You KNOW she doesn't love you, so having a fit that she loves Sora instead won't do any good!

His emotions, however, refused to listen.  His chest was painfully tight, and it was as if someone had clamped a vise around his heart and lungs and was squeezing the life out of him.  He couldn't breathe right, and he was breathless before even half a minute went by.

Ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts! his body kept crying out, shuddering under the onslaught of his soul's intense feelings.

He had run across the bridge to the circular islet, and was just about to jump off into the water in an attempt to bring himself back under control, when a voice spoke up behind him.

"Someone doesn't return your feelings, do they?" the voiced asked.  Riku turned around and beheld his father looking at him with oddly sober eyes.

"H-how do you know?" Riku asked, his voice thin.

"I've seen it happen enough times before to recognize it," Sephiroth stated, his voice expressionless.  "I've experienced it myself, as well."

Riku's eyes met Sephiroth's.  Just as he knew Sephiroth was his father by looking into the glittering green irises, he knew that the older man was speaking the truth.  There was so much sorrow buried deep inside those dark depths…

"Don't hold back, Riku", his father said softly.  "Ylfen emotions are so much more potent than human emotions.  Don't do yourself harm by holding them back."

Finally, the floodgates opened at the sound of his father's gentle voice, and Riku felt the unfamiliar sensation of tears on his cheeks.  For most of his life, he had held the intensity of his emotions back and refused to cry, afraid of repercussions from his unsympathetic mother.  It had become second nature to hold his reactions in check.  Now, nearly fifteen years of frustration, anger, sorrow, and helplessness was rushing up at him, and he had no way to stop it all.  Within seconds, he was on his knees, bent double with his forehead almost on the ground, sobbing like a lost child.

Strong arms took a firm hold of him and pulled him up against a warm, sturdy body.  His father was holding him as he cried.  It felt so good to let his emotions free like this, so good to have a parent that showed him compassion and caring, that he clutched desperately at his father, crying raggedly against his shoulder.  Nothing else mattered at the moment, his whole world shrinking down to include only them.

Later, seemingly hours later, he was able to stop crying.  His eyes and cheeks were red, but he felt so amazingly relieved that he almost had to lie down to keep from getting dizzy.  He had let out so many pent up emotions, the relieved feeling was almost physical, as if his insides could now work better and more smoothly.  He had had no idea just how many feelings had been festering inside of him, and it was good to finally release them.

"Are you all right now?" Sephiroth asked, brushing hair out of Riku's face.

"Yes," Riku replied softly, his voice raspy.

"Good," Sephiroth said.  "It feels good to let everything out, doesn't it?"

Riku nodded, then looked up at the sky.  The sun had been setting as he had run out of the secret place, and it was now nighttime.  The crescent moon shone down from high in the sky, thousands of stars twinkling in the blackness of space.  Unless some people were spending the night, he and Sephiroth were probably the only people left on the Party Island.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" Sephiroth whispered.  "Each one a different world."

Riku nodded again, then looked at Sephiroth.  "Do you have stars in the night sky on the One World?"

Sephiroth shook his head.  "No.  As far as we know, there is no other world in that plane, which is why we call it the One World.  We do have ten moons, though.  Any number of them may be visible on any given night, in varying states of fullness."

"Ten moons?!" Riku exclaimed, shocked.  "That must be hell on the tidal forces!"

"Which is why no ylfe settlement is within a few miles of the ocean," his father chuckled, amused at his outburst.  "We'd rather not have our homes washed away by a flash flood."

"You know, you're giving me an awful lot of details about the One World after telling me you have a secrecy policy," Riku pointed out.  "All I have to do is ask."

Sephiroth sighed and shook his hair out of his eyes.  "I know, I know.  I thought I explained that already."

"I think you're just making excuses," Riku chided.

"Hush, you," Sephiroth replied in mock offense.

They talked long into the night, their conversation wandering from subject to subject, and Riku found himself growing more and more relaxed with his father.  His lifelong yearning for a loving family and a place to truly belong was becoming stronger and stronger, till it fairly throbbed in his chest, mimicking his heartbeat.

"Father, I…" Riku began, "I'll go back with you."

Sephiroth was silent for a moment, then nodded.  "As you wish.  You may take your time preparing and saying goodbye to your friends.  I can wait."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Two days later…

"A-are you really leaving?"

Riku nodded in reply to Sora's question.  "We may not see each other for a long time.  I'll still have contact with the Destiny Islands, but I don't know how frequent that contact will be."

"But, Riku, you can't!" Kairi exclaimed.  "We've been friends for so long!  You can't just leave so suddenly like this!"

"I've found where I belong, Kairi," Riku said softly.  "Staying here would kill me.  My body may live, but my spirit will stifle and die."

"But…but…" Kairi stammered, on the verge of tears.

"You two move into my house, if you want," Riku said, and tossed something for Sora to catch.  "There are the keys.  Another set is in one of the kitchen drawers, and the deed is on the table.  Just sign it to make the transfer of ownership official.  I've taken care of everything else."

"Riku…why?" Sora asked, unsure of what to say.  "What about all your belongings?"

"Everything I'm taking with me is in this," Riku said, indicating the duffel sitting at his feet.  "Everything else, you can do what you want with.  Sell it, for all I care, and replace it with stuff more to your taste."

"Riku, you can't go!" Kairi cried again, her tears spilling over.  She closed the gap between them and threw her arms around him.  "It's too sudden!  It's not fair!"

"I'm sorry, Kairi," Riku apologized.  "I wish I could stay, too, but I need to be where I belong.  I don't want to leave you, but it's for the best.  We'll see each other again sometime."

Sniffling, Kairi finally nodded.  "I'll miss you, Riku."

"We both will," Sora added, putting one hand on Kairi's shoulder and the other on Riku's.  He was misty-eyed as well, but he was resolved to accept the situation.  "You do what you have to do, Riku.  Just always remember us, okay?"

"There's no need to ask, Sora," Riku replied.

"Good," Sora nodded, then his voice dropped to the soft, thin whisper people used when trying to keep from crying.  "You're my best friend, Riku."

"You're mine, too," Riku whispered back, his own throat tight.  He chuckled when Sora put one arm around him and the other around Kairi, turning it into a three-way hug.

They stayed like that for several minutes.

"I should go now," Riku murmured softly, pulling away from the two.  He turned to Sora and looked him straight in the eyes, echoing his own words from when Kingdom Hearts was sealed.  "Take care of her."

Sora set his jaw and nodded, much like he had as the white doors had shut, cutting Riku off from view.

"Goodbye," Riku said simply, then picked up the duffel from the ground, turned, and went back to where his father was waiting.  Sephiroth had stood apart from the three, allowing them some privacy as they said their goodbyes.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Sephiroth asked him.

"Yes," Riku answered.  "Now, get us out of here before I chicken out and change my mind."

Sephiroth chuckled, and Riku was suddenly awash with light.  It didn't just surround him, but it penetrated to his very core, warmth permeating every bit of him.  He suddenly remembered how he and Sora had gotten back to the Destiny Islands from Disney Castle.  This was exactly the same feeling.

"It was you!" Riku yelped as he realized it had been Sephiroth's voice he had heard.  "It was you talking in my head!"

"Glad you finally remembered," Sephiroth grinned.

The light brightened to the point of washing everything else out of sight, and Riku felt like he was weightless.  No sooner had he recognized the sensation, he found himself sprawled ungracefully on a smooth, hard surface.

"Looks like you have to work on your entrances, Riku," Sephiroth said, and Riku could just hear the amused smile in his voice.

Standing up, Riku found himself looking out over a titanic limestone canyon.  The wind was swift and sharp up here, but a feeling of sudden belonging filled his heart so fully that all other sensations were virtually blocked out.

"Welcome home, Riku," he heard his father say.  "Welcome home."

To be continued…

Author's Notes:  This chapter is more than half a week later than I planned it to be.  Grr.  Oh, well.  Better late than never, huh?  *pauses*  Seems my sister finds the sound of me typing annoying.  Well, that's just too bad for her.  You don't expect me to keep you guys waiting any longer, do you?  Now, I really hope I didn't make the goodbye scene between the three friends too sappy.  I mean, it's a very emotional moment for the three of them, but I hope I didn't make it cookie-cutter soap opera material.  I'd hate that.  Oh, and as for Sephiroth's attitude about death and killing, I don't think that's out of character.  Yeah, he's a homicidal maniac in FFVII, but the FF characters in KH seem to have little to do with their counterparts in the FF series.  The fact that Squall, Aerith, and Yuffie are all from Hollow Bastion is a good example.  Besides, if you want to get picky, you can say Sephiroth has the same mindset as he did before he went mad in FFVII.  Before being driven insane, he was a deadly warrior, but he also seemed like a decent guy, if a little aloof.  He probably didn't like to kill, yet he did so when he had to.  Anyway, let me know what you think of this in a review or an email to mangareader@hotmail.com, onegai shimasu!  The next chapter may be pretty long.  Or, it may not.  We'll just see.  It depends on the amount of detail I go into.  In case it turns out to be long, I hope to start it within the next couple of days, so I don't keep you guys waiting too long for it.  Keep your fingers crossed.