Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix and Disney does. I do, however, own the original characters like Sira Lockheart, Shell Bastion, and the ever so sexy Rai Kisaragi.
A/N: Here's some advice to you all, if you don't like a person, don't talk to them please. It is so annoying when people who clearly don't like you have to talk to you and say "Oh I miss you!" Bull crap! Total Bull! Correct me if I'm wrong but that is total bull and I its totally annoying. Plus, when someone says "Oh, I hope the problem that you are having with 'Blank' isn't bringing you down even though I'm the little ho that caused it). I still want to be your friend!" Now, if you really are best friends with the party that has hurt the person you are talking to and you genuinely want to be their friend, don't say to ignore it because if you really have the inkling of wanting to be someone's friend you should try to… I don't know, do something! And if you say that no matter what is going , you still want to be their friend, you just have issues! Who in their right mind says that they want to be friends behind their friend's backs? It really comes off that way. Well, ignoring my rant, on with the story. Enjoy!
Promise Me Mortality
"Well what are we supposed to do!"
"Do nothing, just leave me alone! Let… me… go."
"I'm not gonna let you go, not yet. We need each other Rai; you need me as much as I needed you. I don't care if some damn assassin comes after me because I know you need my help."
Chapter 4: Behind these Walls
Life is love and love is life. Sora was beginning to think of such profound things like this as he sat in the easy chair next to the TV as he looked at a small book of quotes and sayings that was left in the rather boring set of books on the bookshelf. Their new apartment, thought temporary, was still very boring. There was only the chair he was sitting on and a couch in front of the rather standard television. Well, what was he supposed to expect, it was only a backup place made for Rai incase he was in danger right? It was only supposed to be basic and temporary.
Currently, Rai was unloading the set of groceries that they had recently bought. Tonight, he said he was going to cook him a feast from his native country. It was sure to be delightful, all of the foods that they bought seemed so exotic and all smelled so good. Deciding to use up his time, he turned on the television to see what channels were on that he liked. As he flicked through the channels, he found nothing of interest so he left it on the news, there was something always interesting on there.
Breaking news today, President ShinRa has put Midgard on a danger warning of attacks from the eco-terrorists Avalanche who have recently joined forces with the rebel nation of Wutai.
This was definitely interesting. Eco-terrorists? Well, they had plenty of good arguments that they could say about this place. There were hardly any birds at all and the only ones he had seen or heard were pigeons and other unpleasant looking creatures with wings. He missed waking up in the morning to hear the beautiful cooings of gentle songbirds as they fluttered their pretty little wings on his windowsill.
But the thing that also interested him was about the Wutai. They were attacking ShinRa right? And they were the same people who supposedly came after Rai last night.
The rebel alliance have currently targeted a series of major reactors for Sector 3, 2, 5, and 6, a hit that could bring Midgard it utter destruction and chaos.
"Rai?" asked he asked as he furrowed his eyebrows at the information. The younger boy ceased his organizing temporarily to walk over to the small living room.
"Yes? What is it?" he asked. Leaning against the chair that his friend was sitting in, he folded his arms as he listened. The newscaster continued, showing video clips of past bombings on reactors in Midgard.
"They're saying that Midgard might be attacked by Wutai and some Avalanche people. It seems pretty serious," said Sora as he continued to watch.
Here's live footage of President Rufus Shinra addressing the media.
Then the feed went to show a rather tall and pale man standing in front of a podium wearing a long white trenchcoat. He seemed very young for his position as president of all ShinRa, the biggest corporation in the world but with his menacing blue eyes, he could easily kill all who disagreed anyway. Next to him stood a slightly younger man with long black hair slicked back and down with a bindhi type of mark on his forehead. On the other side was a young woman with short blond hair and deep brown eyes looking fiercely and excitedly at the crowd.
"Now, citizens of Midgard; there is no real reason to worry. The Wutai and Avalanche are no match against our skilled military and SOLDIER units. We are bringing in more experienced personnel from all corners of the globe to help in our effort to find out and squash these rebels once and for all."
The news reporters clapped at his speech and then there was a flurry of questions from them. Looking over his audience, he pointed to a select reporter with a laugh.
"You all are so eager today. Mr. Ledeg."
A fairly balding man stood up and looked at his notepad of questions he had to ask.
"There are rumors that Wutai is aiming for a peace treaty before war. What is your reaction to that?"
The other reporters clamored together, discussing the question and how they believed the President to answer the question. President Shinra nodded at the inquiry and leaned against the podium.
"Well, if there was any belief that they had the intention of doing so, we wouldn't be in this predicament and I wouldn't have to miss out on an excellent dinner to be seeing you people."
The crowd all laughed at his reply, Sora as well. "He seems to be pretty cool for the president of such a big company," said the older boy as he watched eagerly. Rai simply muttered something under his breath.
"Now, the man with the bad hair cut."
A few more of the reporters laughed as a fairly young man stood up uneasily, looking around to see if there could have been anyone else he was talking to.
"Uh, well, I- I mean, what about the rumors of our use of secret spies from Wutai in this struggle?"
This question grabbed Sora's attention. Spies from Wutai? Maybe Rai was secretly a spy against the Wutai and that's why they wanted him killed. But he still had problems grasping that. No matter how fishy he was and how possible him being a spy could be, Rai wouldn't so easily do such a thing. It wasn't in his nature to betray someone like that, even if it was the people who tried to kill him. It had to be something else.
"Lets turn to something else Sora. This is full of shit," said his obviously disturbed companion as he reached for the remote from Sora's lap. Before it was in his grasp, the brunette took the device and held it in a firm grip on the armrest.
"This is interesting and I want to see it. Besides, we need to know about what's happening in Midgard, they say there might be a war here," he replied in a maternal and scolding manner. The younger boy simply huffed and pouted against the chair, his arms folded even more.
President Shinra quickly began his answer, thinking about it for a few seconds.
"There are spies that we have against the Wutai and against Avalanche as well but the names will not be disclosed. If we did, then what use would they be as spies right?"
The crowd laughed again at his joke and the nervous reporter sat down. They were eating it all up and the president was enjoying every minute of it. Figuring out who was to ask the last question, he pointed to a rather distinguished man in the back of the room. The cameras turned to him as he stood up in his rather short stature.
"Begging your pardon Mr. President but what about the speculation of you fathering an illegitimate child in that cursed place?"
The crowd then fell silent. No jovial laughter or mumblings of predictions could be heard as they all awaited for his answer. The woman to the left of President Shinra's eyes widened at the question and she looked to him for orders. However, the other man to the left of him simply stood there stoically as he waited for his boss' reply.
Sora blinked at this as well. "The president having an illegitimate child? From Wutai? Rai have heard about that before?" asked Sora innocently as he turned to his friend. He was motionless and seemed to be shaking in rage as he glared daggers at the screen. Turning back to the screen, the older boy waited for the response.
The president simply chuckled at the question and ran his black leather gloved fingers through his golden blond hair, giving a devilish smile shortly after.
Now the guy seemed smug, a bit too smug.
"I, at the very least, understand your assumption of that being the end result of my trip some eighteen years ago on financial business to Wutai. They do offer up anything they can so we can get the 'bang for our buck' as some people say."
A few people chuckled uneasily at the comment, not knowing if he was truly in a good mood or if he was in his sadistic humor before someone ended up missing. The reporter however stood unfazed, eyes focused on the president in determination. Seeing this, President Shinra then leaned on his podium and focused his now hawk-like eyes in a malicious glare.
"I got the bang for my buck but the buck stopped there. End of Story."
The reporters then squabbled on with extra questions as the president and his two bodyguards walked out behind the stage, not before whispering something to the black-haired man. The man then nodded and pulled his headset microphone closer his mouth and mumbled in an order as President Rufus coolly pulled his shades on with a grin.
Sora heard his friend angrily walk off into the kitchen. Following him concernedly, he hovered over the kitchen entrance, watching the other boy hack at a head of cabbage with fervor. His shoulders were tense in an emotion that Sora couldn't quite read, maybe anger, sadness, or at the utter shock of something. Deciding that it was a combination of the three, he leaned against the doorway, watching over him from afar.
What he had heard on the TV had shocked his friend to no end. He had never seen him as angry and pent up as he was now. What had caused his reaction? Did he hate President Shinra so much to cause him to act this way?
Rai suddenly yelped in pain as he accidentally sliced part of his finger in his rush and quickly stuck the wound into his mouth, cussing under his breath like a sailor.
"What's wrong Rai?" the brunette asked as he slowly walked into the room. The said boy, upon seeing the entry of his friend, tensed up, feeling embarrassed at him seeing him like this.
"Nothing, just go back to that damn TV or whatever the hell else you wanted to do." He blushed gently as his elder pulled his hand from his mouth to inspect the cut. The feeling of his eyes upon him so intensely made him blush even more, looking away from him in an attempt to save him pride.
Taking his hand, Sora led him to his bags and shuffled through them. Pulling out the box of bandages, he slipped out one sized just right for fingers and laid it on the wound, applying the adhesive tenderly. The taller boy watched him take care of his rather minor wound intensely, eyes clouded in another round of thoughts.
"All better," said Sora as he smiled up at him in his long forgotten child-like manner. "Just make sure that you're careful next time that you decide to storm off."
He soon felt a sense of nervousness as he felt Rai's intense gaze on him. There was something about his eyes that didn't seem like normal. They seemed more searching, desperate, in need of some kind of comfort. What was really on his mind? What had hurt him so much from what President Shinra had said that knocked him off of his inner axis?
Leaning to his friend's kneeling form ever so slowly, Rai had kissed him. In his worried state, Sora did nothing but continue his thoughts, feeling as if he had been separated from his body and was now watching everything between him and his friend unfold. Rai's kisses were gentle and even meek as he slowly caressed the older boy's lips with his own, rubbing his nose affectionately with his with each one.
Breaking away from him slowly, his honey-colored eyes looked into his deep blues, asking his permission. Sora looked to the side with a blush as he focused his eyes on the carpet, watching Rai's shadow move slowly across it as he felt soft and warm lips give butterfly kisses along his neck.
What was he doing? This was his friend. He shouldn't be allowing him do this; he was just acting on his sudden rush of feelings. He wasn't really thinking it was himself kissing his best friend. But he somehow needed him. Even though it seemed as if he had only been upset at something the president had said in his press conference, it was something more than that.
There was going to be a war happening, something that he had accidentally become a part of in some way that Sora wasn't quite sure of yet. And because of that, Rai needed him. He needed someone to help him feel as if he wasn't alone in a scheme that was far bigger than he had initially imagined, something far bigger than himself.
Sora simply accepted his friend's soft touches and warm soothing kisses as he was laid back against the feathery carpet between the sofa and the ever so quaint coffee table, azure eyes fixed on ceiling. 'I shouldn't be doing this. This isn't right. I shouldn't be doing this,' he repeated in his mind as he wrapped his tanned arms around the assaulter's back. It wasn't right but who was to blame? Rai had the overwhelming feeling of loneliness and being paralyzed in what was going on around in but it didn't mean that he had the right to take advantage of Sora like he was. And though Sora had good intentions of helping his friend in his time of need, trying to repay him for his kindness in helping him, he wasn't right to let Rai use him in such a manner to redeem his own guilt.
Each inch of clothing that was shed from him felt as if a burden had been lifted from his soul. He was doing the right thing. He was helping Rai cope with his feelings. If it was what he wanted, so be it as long as he could keep being the rebellious friend that he had known. The kisses became bruising and more lustful as the younger boy trailed his lips over his friend's soft shoulders and pure skin, never before touched by another soul in such a way as he was now. His breath upon his skin was hot and soothing on his Sora's bare chest. He laid there like a doll in a newly opened box of tissue paper, bared as a sacrifice, a toy, a beautiful thing to immerse oneself in.
With each caress and sensual kiss that had been bestowed upon his body and lips, the young island boy lost himself. He had lost himself in the pain he felt as he was being roughly rocked into the carpet. He had lost himself as he heard his name called over and over again. As his friend, the one he had cherished and enjoyed so entirely, took him as his own, he had felt his debt repaid. He had repaid his unconditional friendship and care with himself as he stared blankly at the ceiling, watching the fan's long wooden blades turn.
"Oh my God! That was so hilarious!" laughed Riku as he walked out of the theater with his two best friends Tidus and Wakka. They had just seen a rather obnoxious comedy about a man struggling to propose to the woman he loved. It was the most fun he had had in the month and a half that Sora was now temporarily out of their lives. His friends had watched him mope around school long enough to decide to take him out to see a movie. They had been waiting for it to come out since the wintertime when the previews for it came out.
Smiling with his friends, Riku looked up at the night sky. The stars were so beautiful, twinkling their magic in the heavens, whispering their secrets and ancient stories. His two companions eyed him confusedly and looked up to the sky as well, trying to figure out what he was seeing. To them it was just stars, the same stars that would appear every other night that they could look up.
"I wonder what he's doing," said the silver haired dreamer with a sigh. Tidus raised an eyebrow at his statement quizzically.
"Who are you talking about?" he asked, earning a nudge in the shoulder from Wakka with a grin.
"Uh oh, Riku's getting into his spiritual mood again," joked the hearty native as he chuckled loudly. It was true, Riku tended to have moments like this, where he would simply stare off and think of grand things and cosmic wisdom. His father would sometimes do the same thing, sitting in the library with eyes glazed over a rather old scripture. They were both dreamers, wanting something more to life than just the mundane and what was laid out for them. It was the thing that lead to his father's downfall and soon to his own as well.
"I'm talking about Sora. I wonder if he's happy in Midgard. I hope he's having the time of his life," he said with a smile as he traced out the sign of Jenova with his fingers. "Mother Jenova, keep him safe."
When Riku had reached his house, his mother was sitting on the couch with a worried expression on her face.
"Hey Mom, I've got you the new workout tape you were talking about," he said as he fished for it in his bag of things that he had bought. While he was out, he had decided to get Sora a present as well, a silly t-shirt with the words "Born to Kill" and a picture of a mog with a nail bat in its hands. He decided it would be something nice to mail off to him later.
Tifa looked up to her son nervously as she wrung her hands together. The teen knew that whenever his mother did that, something big was happening. Frowning, he placed the tape on the coffee table and sat on the couch next to her.
"What's wrong Mom? Where's Dad?" he asked, nervous about her reply.
"He received a call from ShinRa. He's locked himself in the library for an hour now," she said, eyes worried.
"Well, what's so bad about that? Dad's probably just catching up with Rufus or something like that. Don't worry about it," he said as he slowly got up to go into his room. His show was supposed to come on soon and he needed to get the tape recorder ready.
"You haven't heard have you?" she asked her son, not turning around to face him. He stopped with his back to her and cocked his head to the side. Heard about what? What was happening?
"I don't understand Mother. Heard what?" he voice was now tender but concerned as well. Something was happening and he didn't like it. His mother sighed and looked ahead of her, eyes blank.
"There is going to be a war."
"Wha-what do you mean?" he asked, slightly panicked. War? He had only heard about wars in his history books and tales from years ago. But he thought that relations with the other countries had made it so that war would be too much of a tangle.
"The Wutai are becoming more violent in their methods for financial independence from ShinRa. And they've decided to group with Avalache to bring down Midgard in the process."
"Avalanche… isn't that the old eco-terrorist group that you used to be a part of?" he asked, eyes panicked. He had remembered the tales that his mother had told Sira and him about the radical group that bombed strategic reactors to shut down ShinRa and stop the destruction of the planet. But since his mother had first fallen in love with Sephiroth, she had quit the group and cut off all ties to it. But he had thought that they ceased to be. They were back?
His mother sighed and nodded her head. "Yes, Avalanche is back but now they are even more stupid than they were before. They were reckless and now they plan on tying themselves to the Wutai, something that is much bigger than it needs to be." She then gave a bitter laugh. "Those fools are now trying to drag us into an all out war."
"But there's a chance that there won't be a war. If ShinRa simply wipes them out and takes complete control, then they'll have all they want and there won't be anything about it."
"That won't help anything. Besides, why would ShinRa want to waste money, troops, and precious time to take over Wutai when they can just exploit it instead. Those people don't understand that ShinRa is what's keeping that little rundown country together. If they decided to invest their money into someplace else, their whole economy would crumble. This is a useless war that'll have useless results," she said angrily as she rested her forehead against her clasped hands.
"So what does Dad have to do with it?"
"I have to go to Midgard to head SOLDIER operations."
The both of them turned around to see the man himself Sephiroth Lockheart, standing with his arms folded, cold aqua eyes staring at them. He never did like anyone talking secrets around him.
"Oh, what did they say?" asked Tifa, her eyes hopeful. He stoically walked down past the couch to sit down in a plush chair, his 'throne.'
"Shinra wants me to leave tomorrow morning to Midgard to train troops for potential guerilla warfare. I might not be back for a while," he said, dazing off into oblivion. He never looked a person straight in the eye whenever he talked to them unless he had the very intention to kill them or when he was really worked up in emotion. The former option occurred more than others.
"Well, I want to go too Dad," said Riku, making his mother jump up.
"You are most certainly not! There's going to be a war Riku and we don't know when you'll be back. And its important business that your Father has to take care of. It isn't a vacation."
Sephiroth however simply nodded to his request and muttered out an 'okay' before he stood up and retreated into the library yet again, probably to read over his books for the fifteenth time.
"Thanks Dad!" he called after him in a grateful tone. He was going to go to Midgard! He might even be able to Sora while he was there. He wondered how much it had actually changed. When he was a boy, they used to always visit the megalopolis, buying weird items, watching the movies, and simply sightseeing. His mother turned to her son with worried eyes.
"Of all of the things to do Riku! Don't you know how dangerous it is out there? Don't you understand how important of a man your father is? There will be many people trying to assassinate him and they'll come after you to do it"
Riku smiled and walked upstairs, ignoring the words of his mother. He was going to Midgard and that's all that mattered to him. He could finally see Sora again. It had felt like a century since he was able to have him at his side. Maybe, his father might actually let him stay and attend school there during their trip. It was going to be a while before his father came back anyway right?
Throwing himself on his bed, he smiled up to the ceiling. Tonight he was going to pack and go off to find his beloved. He sat up and walked over to his dresser. He had to dress the part of his father's son so he had to dig far back into his clothing. If he had appeared there with his father wearing a t-shirt and jeans, he would bring shame to Sephiroth. ShinRa already disapproved of his marriage to Tifa of the notorious Avalanche group so he had to appear as if he was brought up well, like the prized son of an elite ShinRa family like he was.
In the back of his dresser he found his more expensive clothing. They were the things that his father had bought him every now and then and his presents from President Shinra himself. It was a mass of fine silk button up shirts and well made sweaters, in almost every dark color that could be imagined and a few in lights.
Ever since meeting the rather tall and intimidating "godfather" of his, he had always been showered with presents ranging from clothes to money and even the promise of a brand new car of his choice when he could drive. Though he had seemed kind, Rufus had always seemed as if he only saw his father in him and only treated him as such.
His father was probably packing as well so he decided to hurry it up. How long was he supposed to pack for, a couple of days? Weeks? Months? He decided to pack for a little over a week's trip, after all, if he ran out of clothing Rufus would simply by him a whole new wardrobe anyway.
Looking around his room, he put in a few mementos into his sidebag, to carry it aboard in case his luggage was lost. He decided upon his old friendship bracelet that Sora had made for him in the sixth grade, a few photos of his friends and family, his favorite blue pocket knife, and the chain that Sora had given him to remember him by the morning before they left.
He looked at the necklace thoughtfully. It was a thick and shiny silver chain that sparkled brightly in the lamplight. At the end was a charm, in the shape of a crown. Ever since his friend had received it on his birthday from his father Cloud, Sora always used that symbol in everything he did, whether it was signing yearbooks and such or buying shirts that simply had a crown in some shape or form on it. It symbolized him. Putting the chain around his neck, he smiled as he felt its weight on his chest.
"Riku! Phone for you!" yelled his mother from down the stairs. He sighed and pushed himself off of his comfortable seating position on his bed. Whose bright idea was it to call him at this hour? It was just before midnight!
With a sigh, he picked up the receiver in his room. "I've got it Mom!" he yelled out of the door before cradling the phone on his shoulder. This had better be good or else someone was going to be thoroughly yelled at.
"Hello, this is Riku," he began as he threw himself upon his bed. The voice he heard from the other end shocked him.
"Hey, this is Sora. I need to talk."
A/N: Hey y'all, I just finished this after my last day of school! Us seniors had to check out and it was a major pain. Luckily, I was able to get to find some of my friends so we hung out. Well, how do you like this chapter? Is it good? Do you like the little plot twist I created? The story was going too slow and I needed to give it a little boost. Besides, it would give more reason for what's gonna happen next in the story. Well, sorry this is so angsty but I promise there will be light moments. Like they say in Kingdom Hearts, within light there is darkness and within darkness is light. So, review and tell me how you like the story or how you don't like it. Either way is cool to me. Bye!
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