By: MataruDoukotsu
Fear and Destiny
Chapter 2: Legion
Summary: Can they overcome their ultimate fears? Can Riku accomplish his destiny? Can she overcome her heritage and power? Who exactly is the one who needs protection?
Disclaimer: Although Riku is gorgeous, I do not own him or any other of the Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy characters. I don't own, so don't sue me with those freakin' lawyers that you just pulled out of your freakin' pocket! I didn't know they made those now….hmm….
"Again."
Nekara growled lightly under her breath, grinding her teeth, amber eyes glaring at the man known as Squall, as he leaned against the outside wall of the Accessory Shop.
Sitting on the crates that were kitty cornered with the store and a much taller platform, Riku watched the girl murmur obscenities at the one who was pushing her buttons. It was quite amusing, really. As it would seem, the cat-girl and the gun-blade wielder did not get along. Only Riku was here to step in between them if something did happen…but the thought of letting them duel it out amused his inner devil too greatly.
"I said 'again', Nekara." Leon looked down his nose at the black haired girl. "You must learn to use your power before you leave with the Keyblade Master. You'll be the only one watching his back, you know."
The molten eyes, as the silver haired teen watched, darkened treacherously. "Yeah, and you might want to be careful of what you say to this feline before you find my claws in your backside. Watch yourself, Leon, you've been warned."
"Good, now channel that anger you feel for me into your power." His facial expressions never changed, except for the dangerous glower in his mild-blue eyes. "You know how to charge your body unconsciously, but you need to be able to do it consciously also. Channel your demonic power to your body. Think of carnage if you will."
Riku watched Nekara closely. A faint blue and black aura burst into existence much like a raging wind storm coming from her body. He suddenly felt as if he would float if he just gave himself a little push. His head ached slightly from the sudden change. It was as if he had smoked a whole dime bag of weed in five minutes flat; the result was a high like no other.
He could smell the very light scent of clover from Nekara as if she had her arm right under his nose; he could almost literally taste it. Jerking his head back as his eyes suddenly zoomed in on a fly; it was odd to see the insect look at him as if he was on crack and for all that Riku knew he could have been. He could hear Cid quarrelling with Yuffie over in the diner which was a good half mile away; not only could he hear their voices as if they were in his ears but he could hear the shifting of their clothing.
He finally noticed that the older man's eyes lighted on him. As the fighter began talking, Riku shook his head lightly, silver hair falling back into place easily.
"Your body should feel as if it is stronger, maybe tingling or something of the sort."
"What is she doing? Why is my body reacting like this?" he asked edgily. No matter what anyone would possibly tell him in the next minute, the human body should not be this receptive, he was sure of that much.
"You two are joined in a sort of way." Aerith walked into the alleyway. "Nekara is much like a demon. Now mind you she is not like the demons that people are made to hate. The tattoos on her arms are what allow her, her true supremacy. When she does something called 'charging her body', the marks will glow. She is also in a way powering your body with her own. You will obtain the abilities that she can do. Her powers are finely tuned in her charged state, as will yours. Like your ability to manipulate the Keyblade."
"So," the adolescent asked, "she's much like my own battery?"
Aerith smiled and spoke over the younger female's livid statements of 'Personal battery, my ass', "In a way…more of a protective and possessive battery."
"I'm not possessive!" golden eyes flashed, and Aerith smiled at the feline who was shaking her fist at them.
"Yes you are Nekara. One look at Riku, and you were already calling him 'your' Keyblade master."
The silver haired teen watched in amazement as a blush dusted over his companion's cheeks. Suddenly she turned on her bare heel to face the alleyway instead of them, clawed hands on her hips and back straight. "Really?" she questioned, and then gazed around at the others in the vicinity, an unknown expression on her tan face as she watched them nod their heads.
"Well then, I guess I am possessive."
"Enough of this repartee," Leon broke into the idle chat. "You two have to go see Merlin. I'm sure that old Sage'll have something to tell you. Nekara you know where he's at. Get there quickly or the Heartless will try to devour you with their numbers, just like last night."
"So they've gone to not even resting, hn?" Nekara crossed her arms and sat at Riku's feet.
"Or is it that they don't care whether it is day or night?" he asked.
"Like I said, Merlin has the answers. It's more like if he'll tell them to you." The light blue-eyed fighter answered.
"Come on, Nekara." Jumping down from the crates, Riku walked around the Accessory shop and straight to the door to the second district, his feline companion at his side.
"Do you want to even fight these monkeys when we enter?" she asked, making the boy look at her. "Or do you just want to go around them?"
He looked thoughtful for a minute before answering. "I don't have the Keyblade yet, so I'm weaponless except for hand-to-hand combat. Whatever you wish to do is fine."
"How much are you in a hurry to reach Merlin? 'Cause I want to see how the charge will actually work."
"I guess we'll check and find out." Riku answered, looking down a slight inch or few into her eyes. He pushed the doors and they walked through together.
Quickly, Nekara powered up; the blue and black wind storm surrounding her person again, making her hair lift faintly. Heartless gathered in front of them, and she pulled her right arm back to deliver a dead on punch to the first's head. The soldier's body dissolved into black ash upon collision.
Riku felt his body tingle. Lowering to a crouch he slung his leg around, tripping the darkspawn before catching every single of them in either a punch or a strong kick. Now he felt what his partner did. The rushing adrenaline and the overall sense of pleasure invigorated his mind as he wallowed in the power that was driving his body beyond what was considered to be normal. It was truly a beautiful feeling.
"Is this how you feel every time you fight?" he asked between attacks.
"Every time." She answered. Nekara looked around only to see that the whole town was clear. Not a lick of Heartless in the area. "Looks as if we've cleared out this section...for the time being at least."
"Looks can be deceiving." He replied, looking at her with his icy eyes.
Ignoring his stare she jumped over the fountain, landing softly on her naked feet. "Well, aren't you coming, Keyblade Master?" she asked.
Her question was answered as he jumped over the fountain as well. "Let's keep going."
Nekara let him walk past her. "Sheesh…stiffer than the stiffs back home."
"I'm not going to wait, Nekara." His chilling voice called to her.
"Dude, man, calm down. I could catch up to you as easily as pie anyway." Taking a powerful leap, she landed behind him and continued to walk not too far out of reach. "So do you know the way?" asked she, rubbing the surfaces of her claws on her halter top.
"He resides in the Third district, am I not right?" he asked, pushing the doors open to said district and walked in.
Silence was his answer.
Stopping, Riku turned. Only to find his questionable protector growling as she stood only an arm's length from him. "Nekara?"
"I like the dark, but this is just ludicrous." She hissed, golden eyes flashing crimson as a large body charged at them. Unsheathing her elongated talons, she cleaved the huge Heartless in half, "You're not touching him!"
A birdlike darkspawn flew at them nearly reaching Riku if Nekara had not slashed at it as if she had meant to gut it, "He's mine! So get your filthy paws away from him!"
Her roar echoed in the town, causing some of the minor shadows to disintegrate because of sheer dominance in it. Riku suddenly found her now crimson colored orbs on his person, then her smaller hand gripping his gently, tugging him behind her. "Come on. I stunned them and it should only wear off in less than five minutes."
Approaching a door with a flame insignia on it, he noticed her more demonic tattoo glowing red, and with that hand she threw a fire ball at the door. It opened and they ran through; as soon as his foot cleared the threshold, it slammed back down again.
"Oh, great. More magic." His voice full of the poison called sarcasm; Riku had never been too vast with magic, he was always the one with the profession of swordsmanship. But magic?
No. Un-uh. Not his thing. When he had fallen into the darkness, Maleficent had some how let him tap into her powers by way of the Soul eater Keyblade. He never used magic, though, unless it was mandatory.
The sudden loss of warmth coming from the female's smaller hand dragged him from memory lane. He watched as she crouched down slightly, and then sprang back up with powerful legs, thrusting her towards the run-down looking shack in the middle of the large lake. He was silently amazed that her leap had made her skip all of the huge stepping stones.
As the youth approached the edge of dry land, said stepping stones sprang into action; sliding side to side as if they were on oil. Glaring at the water with contempt, he bound to the first, and made his way to the demoness.
"How long have you been in preparation?" asked she; honey eyes questioning sincerely.
He shrugged, trying to think. "Ten years, maybe more. I never really counted and as far as I was concerned then, I wasn't really preparing myself. How was I supposed to know that I would need it in the future?" It was more of an answer than what he would've liked, but she had asked honestly, so he answered honestly.
It would be a great deal easier on the both of us if we try to act good naturedly to each other. Then we wouldn't feel so uncomfortable with the other's presence. The blue-eyed boy thought as he watched his travel companion sniff the air lightly.
"He's here already. And he just might be expecting us, knowing that old geezer." She said aloud, not caring, obviously, if the Sage heard her…
"Nekara, Keyblade Master, come in!" an elderly voice called from the inside of the shack.
The female whisked the red drape out of their way and barged right in. Riku followed her, evidently she knew the old crow enough to act the way she did with him.
The adolescent heard her mumble under her breath, "I've been expecting you."
It was quite a surprise to hear the same precise words come from the aged wizard standing not too far from them.
"I've been expecting you," the dark blue eyes twinkled at them.
"Please, sit down," Nekara mumbled again, only enough for Riku to hear her, "and have a spot of tea with me."
"Please, sit down and have a spot of tea with me."
Really it was quite comical. But he withheld his amusement and sat opposite of the white haired Sage, with Nekara at his feet, swinging her own off the edge of the platform where the table and chairs were centered.
"Do you not want to sit with us up here, Nekara?" Riku watched as the wizard leaned over his chair's arm to look at the feline.
"No," she waved her claws around, "I don't want to get caught up in your mumbo-jumbo shit."
"Yes, yes, yes…a female of your grade wouldn't want to get into a dialogue with an old man like myself, hn?" he smiled.
"That's for sure." She replied.
"So how are you? Any news about your mother?" he asked, wisely
"No news about Mother, though I heard that DeVen has put her under security restrictions. Not allowed to go anywhere without a posse of guards and shackles from what I understand; what a fine thing for a daughter to do to her mother, eh?
But anyway, I'm fine and dandy…just gettin' attacked by Heatless left and right because of Mr. Keyblade Wielder here, not that I wasn't getting attacked before he arrived, but that's not the point. I need a new file by the way; I really need to get rid of this hang nail! Geez, it's killin' me! Like a behemoth alpha screwin' you in the ass!"
"Very nice visual." Riku replied insipidly, a shudder racing down his spine. It was just…agh…very nice, indeed.
"Quit picking at it. It will heal if you give it about half an hour. But in the mean time, while I talk with your Keyblade Master, I want you to hew me some fire wood, if you would so kindly do for this old man?"
Her eye lids drooping to half-mast, she looked at the Sage almost jadedly. "Sure. Why not? Only the Gods know what you could do…most likely put your back out. And at any rate, my claws need to be sharpened. Where's the wood, old man?"
Waving his hand, a hefty pile of logs appeared aside the platform. "Slice away. I trust you won't shower us with splinters?" at the glower those hard amber eyes cut him, he replied. "No, not with those eagle talons. A clean cut like you were taught to make, like your prey, eh?"
She made a snort that sounded much like a "Keh" before putting the logs in a fashioned order and started to lacerate them into suitable pieces.
Riku was rather flabbergasted at how well those sharp appendages sliced the wood. She made it look as if she were cutting butter.
"Go ahead," she didn't even grace the Sage with the acknowledgement of her eyes, "talk about me like you want to. It's not like I'm gonna care and be able to stop you."
Merlin smiled at the back of the golden eyed girl. With a deft movement of his wrist, an emerald ribbon wrapped itself around the girth of Nekara's plentiful night black hair. Turning to lock eyes with the adolescent boy parallel to him, he waved his hand again. This time the tea kettle lifted itself up and poured Riku a hot cup of tea.
As he watched the sugar bowl come his way he stopped it when it added two scoops before it moved over to the wizard. "What is she exactly?" Riku asked, tired of the silence except for the background noise of said girl's actions.
The dark blue eyes of the elderly man questioned, "Who? Ah, yes…Nekara. I'm sorry my boy, simple things just seem to slip my mind at times. It is one of the things one must deal with when getting old."
Riku watched as the wizened man stopped to gather his thoughts. "Nekara, Nekara. Yes, Nekara is something like a demon as I'm sure someone has told you. Most likely Aerith had…yes, yes, she doesn't know too much about Nekara's species. Nekara is a peculiar type of creature. She seems almost demonic, yes? She is, yet she isn't. Her ancestors were mischievous spirits, what mortals called demons. When in reality, they were actually Legions, those who chose the one who they protected; and they were usually very possessive about their protégés. The Legions were warriors by nature and it was rare to find a male Legion, but mind you that they did fight also. Males were only used as mating tools usually, sadly enough. Females were the ones who humans tried to seek out, believing their male counterparts were useless.
Through the generations, the Legions became less protective and more realistic. They became a race and made their own government. Their Empire is called Kenalia. You must realize that Nekara's ancestors, the Legions, were very much like felines; great cats that could control the most supremacy over every race. The Legion blood has waned to nothing over the generations. Their power has begun to deteriorate, even if only slightly, by the absence of the ancient blood. That is until the War-Lady Nekara Yatsumaru was born.
Her mother the Peace Keeper, her father the ruling Lord of the Empire. She had a half sister whose name was DeVen, 10 years older than her and wanting to take the thrown, no matter if she had to kill her own father to do so. And she did, too. Nekara had been the Lord's favorite; it was no secret, so DeVen banished her, especially when she found out that Nekara was the actual last of the pure Legion blood line. DeVen was afraid of the power that her younger sister could harness against her; she was afraid that her younger sister, whom she loathed so much, would kill her to take the thrown just like she herself had done to her father. But she had never told the young Nekara that she had killed their father in cold blood, so the girl grew up believing that her father had just suddenly left her─"
"As if I were nothing," the demonic girl cut in, interrupting the old Sage. Riku could see how tense the girl was. Her hands were balled into fists, and blood could be seen dripping from her palms as her claws punctured the tanned skin. "I cursed the damnable bastard; I cursed him to the lowest depth of Hell, because he made me suffer so. You see, Master, my father was the one who was suppose to teach me how to fight, how to act every part of a warrior, how to run the empire, how to do everything a fighter must. And I was left to learn all on my own, after DeVen had banished me from the lands.
I was chased many a time, I had even lost my tail and had my claws ripped from my very hands before. Many demons had wanted me, not only to consume me for my power but for my body. I was so young, and convenient, a perfect object to rape. Oh, I had gotten away, that is how I became such a fighter. Want to know why?" she didn't wait for him to reply, "Because I lost my innocence with the world. I wasn't naïve, I knew that the world would charm you, entice you, then invite you to his bed, rape you and then throw you back out into the cold again. So I turned my back on the world, and trained myself for anything.
I had learned that DeVen was treating my mother, her step-mother, like shit because she had birthed me. So I decided that I would get help, train more then come back with that help and take DeVen down. I would choose a successor to take the thrown and then leave, for I had no place there anymore. I knew there were other worlds back then, so I searched for a way to get away from mine. Prior, I found that I could manipulate the shadows and darkness, I was never afraid of it. So I used my power to escape. I found myself here…hn, with all these weirdos. Finding Merlin, he told me that it was my destiny to wait for someone…for the Keyblade Master. So I waited, and then you came to prove him right."
A comfortable silence fell in the room.
"And now the Heartless have come back, searching for the Keyblade Master and his Legion." The sage whispered, staring into the crackling fire.
Riku was shocked, saddened, happy and mad all at the same time. Shocked and saddened at all that his Legion had gone through without help; happy that she was safe for now with him and mad, for a reason he could not explain, that he had not been there to protect her, even if she was his Legion.
He was appalled that her elder sister had treated her so. Riku himself was the oldest out of all the children from Destiny Island being seventeen, so he took care of the younger ones. He protected them and taught them how to take care of themselves. His heart hardened in resolve. He would protect Nekara even if she was to protect him…
They had stayed at Merlin's lake centered home for an hour after the Sage and the demonic yet angelic girl had finally taken the bit from their mouth and revealed the truth straight from the horse itself.
When the Keyblade Master and his Legion was ready to head back to their make shift base, Merlin had shown them the cavern underneath his shack and told them that it led to an alleyway behind the Hotel in the Second District, and giving them the instructions to use it whenever they wished, and to never, ever separate from each other.
Riku snatched a glance at his companion's face. Just as he thought, it was still flushed by what Merlin had continued to say.
"It's not like the Heartless are going to attack us in the shower." She emphasized the shower by stretching it and lifting her hands. Dropping those hands, which held individual knives at each fingertip, she continued, "And I am not going to sleep with you. Make me stand at the side of your bed, but nothing else."
Riku smirked at that comment before amusingly letting her continue to mumble under her breath. "You know, Nekara," he began, slyly, "I wouldn't mind if you wanted to sleep with me, all you have to do is ask."
Her reaction was quite…amazing really. Blushing a little darker again, golden sun-like eyes hardening, she lifted her head higher and walked off at a brisker pace (though the way she walked it didn't look fast) silently.
Riku gazed at her from behind and wasn't really surprised when he thought that he wouldn't mind if she wanted to lay down in his bed; either way. He silently watched her walk ahead, checking out the premises, though his eyes were trained on her hair. It was beautiful and still tied back by the emerald ribbon, revealing softly pointed fur tipped ears. The bangs spiking into her eyes enhanced the natural predator that resided within her soul.
Enticing; very enticing.
Nekara sniffed the air, unnoticeable to her male charge, but the only scent that filled her olfactory glands was the scent of charging lightning; the scent that which was already clinging to her skin and clothing and had come from the one and only…Keyblade wielder.
Glowering slightly at the teen following in her wake, she worked to lower her body temperature. That stupid rush of blood was still staining her cheeks, and she was not a happy camper at the moment. Still dealing with the fact that the Keyblade Master was in fact a boy, and not one of her same sex, meaning there was going to be a lot of fussing over this journey, and Nekara just knew it. But…
But I need his help back at Kenalia. Well, I don't think I'll need his help, but someone to back me up that there are worlds out there would be nice. And so would the presence of someone I can trust. It's not like I can trust very freely anymore. It just doesn't work like that for me now… DeVen…The name of her half sibling turned out to be a snarl even in her mind.
Nekara knew that her Beast would gladly use the best of her abilities to make sure DeVen suffered enough before she died. Death. It would be too glorious and a safe haven for DeVen if Nekara killed her swiftly. No, Nekara wanted to bleed her slowly to death, and enjoy every minute of it as DeVen had done their father.
Looking up to the heavens, Nekara vowed, "I will destroy you, DeVen."
Dismissing the curious glance that her ward had sent her, she continued into the alleyway, setting her bare feet on the cobble stone. Whether it was fortune or ill will, there were no Heartless in the vicinity. Ears twitching slightly as the wind blew across them, she caught every sound, sight and smell with her heightened senses.
A twang in the air caught her attention. She didn't know how to explain the scent anymore than like burning ashes. Sighing she groped behind her and with gentle talons caught her companion's wrist to once again pull their bodies together.
"Hang on," was her only warning to him as she sprung up into the sky with her powerful legs. She let the power of freedom blanket her soul as they seemed to suspend in the air, very slowly falling to the roof of the Hotel in the second district. Opening her eyes to search for a landing spot she caught notice of a group of Wyvern, flying heartless, targeting them.
"Do you trust me?" she questioned her silver haired boy.
"What!" he searched her golden eyes, she could only guess for an answer.
Getting irritable she repeated herself, "Do you trust me!"
A silent moment hung between them before Riku nodded, and Nekara acted quickly. Throwing her ward up into the air far above her and giving him an apologetic look she focused on the flying Heartless.
Closing her eyes, she let her instincts flow over her mind. Crimson blazed over her molten eyes. "Here, birdie, birdie, birdie." She hissed; talons unsheathing and bleeding black with poison.
Snarling, she swung her poisoned claws in graceful arcs; spewing the deadly substance around her and into the wounds of her opponents, causing them to wither and shriek. The sound of clothing whipping in the wind brought her attention back to the one she was trying to protect. Riku's lean body whisked passed her, heading straight for the hard roof tops below.
Letting go of her suspension in the air, she made a dive for him. Locking her arms close to her body and making herself as thin as physically possible Nekara quickly caught up to him. Clasping hands she pulled him up to her person again before landing gently to their feet.
"No matter how exciting that was," he panted, trying to regain his breath, "lets not do that in the near future."
Nekara smirked, "By then I believe you'll have learned how to control your fall. Or perhaps next time I'll charge and you can learn how to land, safe and sound. But in the mean time, let us get back to Cid that way we can talk over a bit of things."
Riku noticed how Nekara did not let go of his hand as she led him across the cropping of the roofs. Maybe she feels as if she needs a physical contact, he thought pensively. Even though he found that it was strange for someone as strong and mysterious as she to need something so down to earth as human contact.
Maybe she has her own weaknesses also.