Now, I bet you're all wondering 'why in the world is this the same chapter two?' It isn't. I have revised this change the entire story completely. I want to see if this would be better for the people who do not like the fact I placed religion in this story. So, chapter two (Morning Chores) and chapter three (Genesis: Beginning) will have new versions. However, I have separated them, so you can go to the one you wish to read. We'll see how it goes from here. Also, I have decided that chapter three (Genesis version) will be the only chapter with Bible references. It's getting kind of complicated...
-This chapter is not as revised as the third chapter. Just the ending is revised.
Now for the warnings and disclaimer-
Warnings- Yaoi, Abuse, Forced Labor, Tragedy, and Sora acting somewhat not his age.
Riku, Sora, and other characters used that is linked to Kingdom Hearts do not belong to me; They belong to Squaresoft and Disney.
-This chapter has been revised.-
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Servants, Obey They Master
Chapter Two: Morning Chores
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"Slave! Get Up!"
Riku groaned in annoyance and turned over in his poorly made pallet on the floor. He cracked open his eyes to see what time it was only to find that the sun's light wasn't even rising above the horizon. It was too early to get up... "Slave, I thought I told you to get up!" The 'Demon from Hell' kicked Riku in the back, a harsh yelp resonating from the youth's lungs. He wasn't expecting that... "Now you're up! It's time to get started, Slave!" Riku twisted his head sharply to retort when he felt another swift kick into his already bruising back. "Will you stop that!? You Jerk!" Riku hissed violently, his answer was a crack of a long horsewhip against his wounded back. "Don't you ever insult me, Slave!" the soldier bellowed loudly, causing the window to rattle. "I don't have to listen to you...!" the silver-haired boy growled, sitting up quickly before any other injury would come to his backside. That proved to be a mistake...
"You WILL listen to ME! Do-I-make-my-self-clear-!?"
With each syllable, the end of the whip's thread came snapping harshly on the youth's face and shoulders, causing Riku to writhe and grunt in a suppressed pain. His eyes had dilated considerably and his racked breath shook his entire form as he recuperated from the punishment. Each slash ate at his white skin like a leech wanting the crimson blood that the layers of flesh held and more came like a storm icy slaps of hail and knives. No matter the strength that was held behind it, each onslaught felt the same; Cursed and Horrifying.
"That ought to teach you to disrespect your superiors!"
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Limping from the kicks and whips he had received earlier, Riku carried a tray with plates covered with silver lids that had delicately crafted handles upon the top and a heavenly smell rising from each lid in an aroma of breakfast. All that did nothing more than make Riku hungrier than he already was... The guard who had beaten him into a bloody pulp prior to dawn had added on that Riku was not to have a bite of food unless told different. And he was sure that the prince, looking back on the child-like attitude yesterday, would surely squeal about Riku stealing food from his breakfast. "Why can't the spoiled brat just walk down and eat with everyone else in the so-called 'Royal Family?' 'Royal Family my foot!' he mumbled under his breath, not caring how sweet and innocent and... well... perfect the prince was. He was still beaten for not getting up and preparing everything correctly for the morning events that would take place for the prince that day. The tray almost cracked from the masculine hands that were gripping it so tightly for Riku was not in a happy mood at that current moment.
Riku stopped at the door that he had been told previously held the prince's bedroom. The doors were large and ornate, crafted obviously by hand, They seemed to tell a story, in a certain and eerie way... Throwing the thought out of his mind, Riku set the silver tray on a nearby table and proceeded to knock on the door quietly as if coaxing the 'child' to wake. He heard a soft and admirable yawn inside and he heard a sweet voice softly beckon the 'stranger' in. Turning the golden handle and pushing the door ajar slightly, Riku went back for the tray and used his burning back to open the door far enough for him to enter as he placed a fake grin on his face. He treaded into the elegant room filled with beautifully-done dressers and a bed that had a canopy in which translucent white drapes fell and were 'shut,' a vague figure stretching out his tired limbs and gazing through the draperies. Pushing them back, the young face of the prince moved to look at his companion. "Hello, Riku!" he said as his bell-like voice squeaked a welcome to his 'friend'. Riku couldn't help but feel his thoughts of hate for the family ebb away like the tide back on Destiny Islands, receding and coming back gently only to fall back more into the ocean. Riku's expression softened and he laid the tray upon the prince's lap carefully, making sure none of the contents spilled over the silky white gown the prince had on. The platinum-headed youth wondered why on earth anyone would dress their son in a ladies night garment. Riku shrugged off the strange thought and watched the prince pull each lid off of the porcelain plates and smiled as he saw the wonderfully cooked food in front of him. Not being one to be a pig, he looked over to Riku and tilted his head. "Do you want any? It's too much for me..." Sora's voice implied gently and it was just above a whisper as if he didn't want anyone else to hear him. "Hmmm?" Riku had nodded off from the lack of sleep and drowsily answered Sora by shaking his head. "Why?" Sora asked, tilting his head like the child he was in a curious manner. "I'm... not hungry..." It was a lie and Riku's stomach knew it. Being deprived of food was one thing, but being kicked, whipped, slapped, and yelled at and being deprived of food was more than the older male could take. But... Sora needed to eat. The poor prince looked as if he hadn't eaten in months and he was offering food. How polite could a fifteen-year-old get...
"Okay..." the sable-haired youth stated as he picked up the fork and the knife with an almost soundless clatter before proceeding to cut the pancakes that were completely drowned in syrup and with a small slice of butter at the top. The only sound made between the two was the scrap and clinks of the silverware hitting the porcelain plate and Riku tapping his fingers against the chair he sat in. Riku noticed a calm aura around Sora today, unlike the hyper and adolescent one when Sora was choosing a friend to be there with him when he wanted. But last time Riku checked, friends weren't supposed to be considered as slaves nor were they supposed to do your every whim when it consisted of carrying your breakfast to your room and whipped for not getting out of bed before dawn. Suddenly, there was a soft sound of the silverware hitting the tray and Riku saw Sora's glare at him. "Wh-what'd I do?" the taller male asked, surprised to see such intense emotion flowing from those large azure eyes. Sora's hand reached for Riku's and pulled the seventeen-year-old towards him, pushing the sleeve of the black shirt up and seeing one of the scars Riku had endured beforehand. "These wounds look new... Who hurt you!?" Sora exclaimed, obviously not happy about the impairments on Riku. Before he knew it, Sora had pulled up the shirt more to see how many more scars his new companion had taken. There was a heavy silence before Sora leaned back onto the bed fully, his face in shock and paleness. "Who did it to you...?"
"Did what to me?"
"Don't play dumb!" Sora's eyes had lost their shock and turned into a stern and fearful glare as he screamed in fury, 'This isn't the same Sora I met yesterday.... It's like he's this totally new person...' the silver-haired youth trailed his fingers over one of his marks on his opposite arm as he pondered about Sora's change in personality. "Hey... it's nothing..." Quietly, Riku stood, then underestimated his regained strength and seriousness of his leg wounds when his legs buckled almost immediately under him, causing him to collapse. "Riku!" Sora tray fell with a loud clatter as the plates and lids fell on the bed as the prince went to his friend's side, trying his best to help the larger boy to his feet. "A-are you all right?" The smaller boy inquired, worry covering his soft features. He could only guess what torture Riku went through when the guards went through the taverns in the lower levels to wake the servants to start their day. Though his father thought that he wasn't aware of the screams of pain that were nestled inside the layers of stone beneath him, he was not as stupid as he acted...
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A small boy of eight glanced past the corner to see if any of the soldiers were around to stop him from his one goal that day; find out why the lower levels of the castle were forbidden to him. With the quickness of a fox and the stealth of a wolf (though he had never seen either of the two), he sidled the wall as if sneaking to steal treasure. He then made a sprint down the nearest turn and stopped at the last door where he heard a shrill of fight come forth from. Slowly, he opened the door enough for him to peak inside and his entire life changed those few moments he watched...
Children about his age were bloody and dirty of being kicked and slashed at on the ground while the women were taken advantage of and forced down, being raped every minute by men who were attired in the royal armor that bore his father's crest. And in the corner laid corpses of children, women, and men who the boy had seen around, cleaning or doing some odd job around the kingdom. Their eyes were glazed with death and blood with some missing limbs or their head, which the boy saw were either hung by ropes on the ceiling or had spikes driven through them and appeared to be exhibited off. Tears threatened his eyes and he ran as fast as he could to his room, screaming the second he slammed himself onto the bed...
Did his father know about it?
And then his mind went blank...
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"Prince Sora...? Prince Sora, wake up..."
His eyes began to flutter with a small groan tiredly and he looked towards the source of the calling. "Riku..." he groaned as he covered his eyes at the bright light shedding through the opened curtains. Riku must have pulled them open while he was unconscious... 'Wait... I was Unconscious...?' the young heir questioned himself as Riku sighed, relieved that his master wasn't hurt. "You scared me to death, do you know that?" the taller male chuckled, placing a gloved hand upon his forehead and then tugged at the gleaming tresses that almost covered his hostile sapphire irises. Sora tilted his head oddly, as if not interpreting the imposed fright that he had placed on his servant. "Why did I scare you...? You scared me when you fell..." the sable-haired youth flustered slightly and then started to notice that Riku had cleaned the mess that was on the bed from where he had dropped it earlier. "Why did you clean this up? I could have done it myself..." Sora's eyes seemed to have become slightly more distant with each passing second. He had never been made to clean, but he still felt that he should at least prove himself publicly instead of the private cleaning sessions and cooking lessons he privately did when his father was away and most of the guards' posts were vacant. At least it gave him time to think...
"I cleaned it because it's my duty..." There was a certain venom in Riku's voice that made Sora's hair stand up even more than it already was. He knew how tough the guards were to the servants or 'slaves', as they called them, and they each had the perfect torture device to use on the servants when they didn't do as told. Just the thought of the many hellish ways of the protectors of the kingdom which he resided in to abuse the unwilling menials with scared him beyond able thought. Having as strong will was one thing, but breaking one is another and much more of a rigorous task than most. "But still... you shouldn't move a lot when you're so... damaged..." the limber youth turned away as he spoke, acting once more in the shy manner Riku remembered from the day before. At first, Sora had seemed immature like and was just a spoiled brat... but this new attitude added to the awkward situation the seventeen-year-old was currently in the middle of. He was quite appalled that Sora would even take notice to the cicatrices on his neck to his wrists and show worry and remorse for him... Those actions just made Riku's heart skip a beat or two hopefully.
"I'm tougher than I look," Riku stated, placing a smug smirk on his face before wincing at the sting that accompanied it from a near by wound that he had tried to cover up with a white cream and patches. Clearly Sora had a knack to figure out things faster than expected. The royal adolescent laid a lithe hand upon Riku's own and smiled with the grace of a seraph, making the islander's heart liquefy in a matter of seconds. "I just don't want to see anyone hurt... no matter who they are or what they do..." the prince whispered gently, his thumb caressing one of the slashes that Riku had succumbed to when he was being tormented that morning. There was a ambiance that seeped through into the room that told of a secret that no one wanted to know. Riku's mind tensed up at the cold air that slid in and breathed on his neck evilly. Something was wrong...
"How did you know I was beaten this morning?"
Sora flinched with dread plastered on his face so evidently that the pale youth became suspicious of what Sora's life was like. Personally, a prince, to Riku, would never care about the pains of others and of the troubles that the surrounding area endured. However, this prince seemed to have a mother-like intuition. It reminded him of his own mother... She would always know when something was wrong or when to put out supper for his father before he got home. One time, Riku swore up and down that his mother predicted the storm that hit Destiny Islands a few months ago. That gift was what saved the entire island from going hungry for the storm had wiped out every possible means for food... She was so much of a hero to his eyes... And Sora was just like her when it came to knowing things in a strange manner. "Well?" Riku pushed on, hoping that the skinny boy would at least stutter. "I... I know because I saw it happen before... and I guess that I was scared that they were still hurting everyone..." Sora's hands cradled his face and his sobbed softly. Tears ran down his cheeks and he seemed to be the child that Riku had seen yesterday; spoiled and protected by his father but knew of the awful dark cloud that hung about the King's head. And Sora could so nothing more than to curl up in a sad, little ball and cry...
"You shouldn't feel bad, all right?" the taller of the two stated, unable to take the lamentful scene much longer. It tore his heart apart just watching the sable-haired boy wail over his bruises and scars. It kind of disgusted Riku to think that Sora's own father tried to shield the truth when his child knew it the whole time... That just made him want to see the King being whipped himself. Maybe the King would then see how much the people who were physically abused were in pain whenever they walked or raised their heads. Riku gritted his teeth furiously that the heavenly child in front of him had so much emotion over something that he had nothing to do with and yet he was right in the middle of it all. He heard a small sniff and the brown hair rose along with the façade of a child. Sora's cheeks were flushed and his eyes were glazed from crying. For some reason, that expression amplified Sora's natural beauty. Riku felt that he would die if he didn't do something anytime soon, so he moved his hand to Sora's cheek and stoked the tear-stained skin with the back of his fingers. It was as if touching rose petals and silk at once to Riku. He vaguely wondered if those pouted lips would be the same...
"...Riku..."
Leaning his head forward, Riku kissed Sora's forehead delicately before moving down to the boy's round cheeks. He laid his lips on the side he did not have his hand on before lowering just a bit more... "I can't..." Riku whispered, pulling back reluctantly. He shook his head and groaned as if he had a headache that was splitting his mind into two. He shouldn't have done what he did... but at least he had stopped himself before he was uncontrollable... "I'm sorry..." Sora looked at Riku strangely and couldn't quite place why the elder was apologizing. It seemed unusual for one of Riku's age to be embarrassed for kissing someone's forehead and cheek, and yet here Riku was, atoning himself for a wrong that was never committed. "You don't need to apologize..." Sora whispered, comforting Riku to a certain extent. At least Sora didn't understand the full fundamentals of love yet... Surely at fifteen, Sora would at least know the intimacy between two people when they kissed. It looked like the guard that told Riku of Sora was right... he was spoiled and kept away from the dark matters in life.
"I still wish to know why they beat you this morning..."
Riku rolled his eyes at Sora's persistence. He was so determined to find out why in the world Riku was harmed so brutally earlier. He heaved a sigh before slumping down a bit more in his chair before he began to tell Sora of the purpose of his wounds. "I didn't get up at two o'clock like they wanted me to... I also called the guy a jerk... So I was whipped. Happy?" There was a silence after Riku spoke that chilled him to the bone. Sora's eyes had widened and remorse brimmed the pale blue irises of the prince. Maybe he shouldn't have said that... "heaven forbid... Why did they-!? I mean-! How could they-!?" Sora stuttered a few more sentences before Riku's curiosity surfaced.
"...Why are you so worried? It's not like they almost killed me..."
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-Anyway, I'm sorry this chapter took so long... I was being lazy and stupid to just sit here and waste time by not working on it. Also, I have a rough draft due in a little over a week, so I might have trouble fitting the third chapter in sooner than later. But I do hope to at least get this story up to about five to six chapters. I should have the third chapter up in less than two weeks... and if I don't Kairi099, you can yell at me all you want.-
Don't mind that. I hope you are all happy. I have also revised chapter three so all of you can stop worrying. Thank you.
