SC :huggles reviewers: I LOVE YOU GUYS! MUCH IS APPRECIATED BY THE REVIEWS!
Alter Ego: I GOT MY COOKIES! :huggles:
Cheekon: I got nothing...
SC: You didn't ask for anything...and put that katana DOWN!
Cheekon: MAKE ME!
Alter Ego :hands Cheekon a cookie: Here...
Cheekon :stares at cookie: I don't want cookies...
SC: Behave and you might get something...
Alter Ego: But you gotta pay a price. :munch:
Cheekon: Why?
SC: If you ask for something—especially if it's coming from you—there's a price...
Cheekon: What's the price?
Alter Ego: DRESS UP LIKE A CHICKEN!
Cheekon: Hell. No.
SC :holds up chicken suit: Oh come on, Cheekon. Just wear it and dance. That's all I'm asking.
Cheekon: NOOO! :runs away:
Alter Ego: Does he know that you were joking?
SC: Nope... :grabs a cookie:
SC: I LOVE YOU REVIEWERS AND FANS! You are sooo nice to me. 22 pages of typing for the first chapter was worth it! ;)
Alter Ego: YEP! :munch:
SC: Anyways, you guys could ask questions for Suffocating in the Darkness (SITD) if you want to! IDEAS ARE WELCOMED!
Alter Ego: SO ARE COOKIES! :munch:
SC: SITD is doing well for the past days so keep your fingers crossed for me while I try to update this and my other stories.
Cheekon :comes back: I'm not wearing that suit...
SC: I was only kidding XD
Cheekon: ...
SC: XDDD
Alter Ego: ... :munch:
Cheekon: I hate you...
SC: Love you too!
SC: TO THE REVIEWERS!
To Star Braveheart: Holy crap you're actually asking me if the dress was to your ankles? Don't you care about how I portrayed you? Oh wells, I told you I was going to draw a pic of it so then you could see what it looked like...but thanks for being a devoted reader and friend:D
Alter Ego: SHE TOLD ME TO SHUT UP! BUT THANK YOU FOR THE COOKIE!
Cheekon: I'll watch over Sara for you Star. :steals cookie from Alter Ego:
Alter Ego :cries:
To Mandeth: That was the longest review I've gotten so far! :huggles: Thank you Mandy! I was really happy by the compliments (especially the one about the dream scene) I know it was weird of Riku thinking he likes Sora right after the fight, but Riku actually realizes he has feelings for his best friend after that kiss XD! So yeah...and I know Sora's mom, Saya was very mean to call Kairi a bitch. She doesn't really like her.
Cheekon: I don't like Kairi either...
To LeVeL27Guitar: Heh...I know you want me to update really soon for my other fics. They're coming... Don't send the angry mob on me again! XP
To ChibiKitsune:
Cheekon: Why does Milo want me to be my friend...I don't like perky people that much...
SC: I'll be Milo's friend then you meanie! Contact me on email ChibiKitsune!
Cheekon: Feh...fine...I'll be his friend...but only a friend...
To Mel: Sora is really cute when he's confused.
Alter Ego: THANK YOU FOR COOKIES!
To lunasun72: Don't die on me yet, girl! The updates will come very soon!
To LilAznSp0nge:
Alter Ego: I DIDN'T GET A COOKIE! :sob:
SC: Ignore her...
To TAFFY'S bUMMBULBEE: TALK TO ME LATER! PLEASE!
To DieChan: I've noticed that people like making stories like this one... But I hope this one stands out from them...
Cheekon: IT BETTER! :holds ups katana:
To Sad Sarah: I'll finish this story...I know this one will be going on for a year or more! I want at least a 100 reviews for this!
To Shady: THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR HELPING ME THINK OF A NAME FOR YOU-KNOW-WHO! :hands you a big cookie: LOVE YA!
Alter Ego: Mruffphm!
SC and Cheekon: What? O.O
Alter Ego :gulp: I said, let's do our welcoming!
SC: Oh...
SC, Cheekon, Alter Ego: REVIEW WITH LOVE!
Suffocating in the Darkness
Chapter Two: Forgotten Memories and New Friends
It was nearing noon and Kairi and Riku were sitting peacefully, away from Tidus and Wakka's rough housing and Selphie's bickering (for Riku's case only), enjoying the other's warmth.
They did not know that someone else was there watching.
"It's nice..." murmured the red head as she squeezed her grasp on her boyfriend's hand. Riku smiled, trying to suppress the memories of Sora out of his head.
"Yeah..."
The two came closer together, sighing. The sun began to sink down lower, casting an orange hue on the sky.
"Riku..."
"Hmmm...?" replied Riku idly.
"Let's share a paopu fruit together!" exclaimed Kairi, getting up to her feet. "It'll be great; our destinies intertwined together..." she whispered, holding Riku's hand in hers. Riku raised an eyebrow.
Should he share the paopu fruit...? With Kairi?
"I suppose so..." said Riku. Kairi's face beamed as she scurried to the paopu tree. Riku lingered on, slowly moving forwards.
Why share it with someone you don't even love?
Don't you ever leave me alone?
It's just a question...
Well then I don't really need to answer it if I don't want to.
I think that was your answer.
What?
You don't love her...
I didn't say that.
But I can tell what you're thinking...
Riku stopped short. Something had caught his emerald eyes: a halve of a paopu fruit. Riku's heart stopped a beat.
But why?
He hesitantly picked up the object. Who ate the other half?
Without another thought, without understanding more about his predicament, Riku plopped the half in his mouth. Chewing slowly, he felt a sweetness enter his mouth. It was satisfying, a bit too satisfying...it made Riku almost dribble the eaten contents out of his mouth.
Some juices spilled on his chin; he wiped them immediately as Kairi began coming in Riku's focus. She had a disdain look on her face.
"There was no more of them, the paopu fruits," said Kairi disappointedly. "They must have washed away from the storm yesterday..."
Riku raised an eyebrow.
"You know...now that I think about it, I didn't hear the storm from the island. Destiny Islands isn't that far from home; we should have heard it," said Riku, a finger tapping his chin. Kairi blinked.
"I think you're right..."
"And if that is true...there's something wrong here," stated Riku, walking a little. Kairi followed, tilting her head slightly in confusion.
"Well, what are you going to do about it?" she asked, trying to keep up her boyfriend's long strides but failing. Riku didn't look at her, let alone say anything.
"..."
Something peculiar about it; what did it all mean? The unknown storm that they hadn't heard, the disappearance of Sora, the strong emotions that was building up in Riku, the dreams, the voices inside of his head...
Heisnothere! Nothere! Heiseverywhere! Masterwillkillagain! Master!
"Kill the Light."
"Sora..."
"You are the only one to open the door..."
"Merely a shadow..."
"He must hate him...more...MORE!"
"Make the pain go away..."
"Release your heart, Sora..."
An image of Sora, his neck encased in someone's hands... A beautiful man with dark skin and white hair, one sweeping long white bang hovering one of his yellow eyes, but not the crude smile on his face.
It reminded Riku of the smile Sora had given him in his dream...
"You're nothing...just someone who needs to release the pain..."
Riku could feel his throat tighten, as if he was Sora, as if he were the one suffocating in the man's grasp.
"Stop..."
"Release your power..."
Black wings began to spread from the man's back, stretching to their full length. Feathers fell like black snow, contradicting the fair white hair on the man. The smile widened then it faltered.
An amber eye fell upon Riku. Emerald eyes widened... Had the man seen Riku? Why did he look so familiar? Why?
"So you've come, Keyblade Master..."
His voice—so smooth yet it held some danger in them...poisoning any ear to think it was a friendly voice, one to trust. Riku saw through the kindness, the fakeness...
"Who are you?" asked Riku; his eyes fell on the struggling boy in the man's hand. "LET HIM GO!"
"You don't care about him...you pushed him away...he's nothing..."
"LET HIM GO!" repeated Riku. The man's lips curled into another smile. The grip on Sora's neck lessened but did not vanish.
"I can't..."
"And why not?" asked Riku, taking a step forward, his fists clenching. The man smiled at Riku's glowering face as if he was amused.
Amused? But for what...?
"Because...you pushed him away..." the man whispered, looking at Sora through narrowed eyes. "He released his pain in me..." His grasp then faltered, allowing Sora's limp body plummet to the dark ground. Riku began to run to Sora but was blocked by the winged man. Another smile...
"Pathetic, don't you think? He..." The man lowered down to caress a pale cheek. His face softened a little when he stared at the fluttered eyelashes against a cheekbone, but his eyes still held the evil. "Was scared...frightened...wondering if you," amber eyes fell on Riku again, "would ever return his feelings...how"—His eyes glinted—"maybe that Riku would ever accept his heart...his love..."
The amber eyes never left Riku's face...Riku gulped by how haunting they were...how they left a scar in his mind...
"It was boring though," he went on, getting up to his feet. "But I was patient; I waited. I was sympathetic, I was kind. Sora poured his feelings to me. Take the pain away. I don't want it...it's useless if Riku doesn't love me back...he has Kairi...he's happy... But why do I feel horrible? Why can't I get Riku's attention like that? Does he hate me? Will he hate me if I ever tell him?"
The man laughed, his voice echoing in the dark. Soft whispers also reached Riku's ears, making him shiver slightly.
"Don't you see, Keyblade Master? Don't you see how Sora had felt for you? How his heart only wished for you to accept him...but no... You rejected him. Sora's worst fears unfolded right in front of him. You called him 'disgusting', and it tore Sora's heart. I could feel it," The man placed a dark hand on his chest. "I could feel his sorrow...and that's what I needed...for Sora to feel pained...enough to want it to go away... I fed on it...his pain...I granted his one wish...and now..." The smile widened, amber eyes flashing in the dark.
"I will grant my own wish..."
Riku felt his breath come sharp as a sudden pain shot in his heart. He screwed his eyes, clutching his chest.
The evil laugh rung in his ears.
Theboy'sheart...wantit...wantitsobadly...
A cold began to seep in Riku's skin, making his shallow gasps come more ragged. Riku felt another shot of pain enter his heart as he heard footsteps coming closer to him. A dark shadow obscured everything else.
"Sora will be happy now that he no longer has to suffer when ever he sees you..."
Riku felt drowsy. Everything looked like it was in blackness.
Sohungry...mustfeedonhisheart...MUST!
"So ends the Keyblade Master...so ends Sora's suffering..." said the man's distant voice. "It doesn't matter if you ever know my name...you'll be gone...lost in the Darkness. Far from the Light, far from reality...He truly loved you...but now he's happy..."
Riku felt himself sink deeper, the darkness entering his body.
Was he ever going to see his home again...? Kairi? Sora?
"Sora..." came Riku's rasp voice. The man looked startled.
"What? You now feel something for the boy? You rejected him, you left him...but for what? A girl who didn't even save you from losing your heart to the darkness? Was that not Sora who pulled you out? Was he not the one who never gave you up to something so evil...? Or had you forgotten? Did you even care?"
"I CARE!" cried Riku through the sinking darkness. He thrashed his arms, searching for any guiding light.
"You do?"
"Yes..." a tear fell from closed emerald eyes.
Why cry...?
Riku's eyes shot opened. Vast dark was all he could see, but the presence of another—Riku could feel it.
Why cry?
The voice repeated. Riku wiped his wandering tears with the back of his hand.
"Who are you?"
I asked the question first.
"Fine...I'm crying 'cause I think my friend hates me..." Think? Riku knew Sora hated him now...
Why does he hate you? Did you do something to hurt him?
"You have to answer my question." stated Riku, becoming impatient. Why did the pain go away?
I'm no one.
Riku raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean 'no one'?"
As in I don't exist but I do.
"Okaaay... Do you know how to get out of this place?"
Yes and no.
"Answer me without your stupid riddles, dammit!" yelled Riku. He heard a high, shrill laughter.
Why are you screaming? Anger's not a very healthy emotion you know, Riku. Fine. I'll help you...but...
Before Riku had questioned how the person knew his name, he felt his feet leave the ground; he was falling again, falling through whirling colors and then, quite suddenly, he blinked at the dazzling sunlight. Before his eyes could adjust to the light, he heard voices.
A child crying...
Riku looked around to see the source when his eyes lay upon him. A boy with spiky brown hair atop of a small heart-shaped face with blue eyes was crying and curled up in a ball. Two boys, looking older than the smaller child kicked at him harshly, taunted him.
"You're only a baby if you cry over some stupid sandcastle!" A heap of sand was behind the cowering boy, footprints etched on it. The boy whimpered.
"BABY! BABY!"
Riku growled slightly; he knew what was happening. This was a memory...Sora's memory as it looked like. The smaller version of Sora let out a scream as the boys kicked at his face, blood gushing out of his nose. Sora didn't move or retort.
Then he heard it.
"HEY YOU BOYS!"
The two boys whirled their heads around to see Riku—a younger Riku with short silver hair and baby emerald eyes. The present Riku blinked.
"YOU MESSING WITH SORA?" growled Riku as he advanced towards them. The boys laughed sheepishly under Riku's icy glare.
"N-no...we were just showing him how to stop being such a baby..." said the boy with the band-aid on his cheek. Riku narrowed his eyes at the sight of the fallen sandcastle; the sandcastle he and Sora had tried building until Riku went to get some ice cream for the both of them.
"Right..." without another word, Riku landed a blow on the boy's face. The other boy screamed, tears rolling down his face.
"We're going to tell on you!" and with that, the boys scurried away, the injured one holding his nose to stop the bleeding. Riku let out a sigh, his chest rising and falling rapidly, the anger disappearing.
He turned his heel towards his friend.
"Sora, you okay?" he asked as he pulled Sora up to his feet. Sora clutched his nose tightly, nodding.
"I'm okay..." whimpered Sora, tears plastered on his face. Riku frowned.
"You really need to learn to fight...you seem to always get in trouble..."
"Only 'cause you're not here..." whispered Sora, averting his eyes. Riku blinked.
"Whadaya mean?"
"They only pick on me because you're not around me to fight them off...they don't even talk to me if you're here...they're afraid of you, not me..."
"That doesn't change the fact they don't have to make fun of you!" exclaimed Riku. Sora shook his head, his grip on his nose faltering. He looked terrible with his bruises on his baby cheeks. Sora managed a smile...
Riku could see through the smile; it was the same smile Sora had given to him when Kairi had told him about their relationship...
"You're pathetic..."
Riku turned around. And there he was: Sora...the real Sora...
His elated blue eyes were replaced with dull, blank ones, holding nothing, no happiness. His face was in a grimace, as if he didn't want to see Riku in his memory. He wore the same outfit Riku had last seen him. They were now surrounded by a sudden, unnatural dark...extinguishing the memory to pieces.
"Sora...what's going on?" asked Riku, holding his hand out to Sora. Sora stared at it like it was infected.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" asked Sora without looking up from Riku's hand. "Why can't you just leave...completely out of my life...I don't need you...go..."
Riku frowned, approaching his friend slowly.
"Sora...what's gotten into you? You've been so distant between everyone."
"I don't need them...I have new friends..."
An image of the man with the dark skin and white hair entered Riku's mind. Riku narrowed his eyes.
"He's your friend?" asked Riku, his voice lacing hatred. Sora smirked at Riku and nodded.
"He understands me...my pain..." Sora placed a hand on his heart, averting his dull eyes. "The pain that you brought me..." hissed Sora. Blue eyes stared back at emerald, anger fueling inside of them.
"Sora...I didn't understand how you felt about me...I was confused...scared..."
"'Scared?' Scared of what Riku? What society thought of us if you'd ever return my feelings? I thought you were stronger than that..."
"Sora..."
"I hate you."
It was stated perfectly, as if it was rehearsed so many times. Riku didn't know what to do...Sora now hated him. He confessed it.
"You don't mean that," whispered Riku, his voice breaking the awkward silence. Sora glared at Riku, his lips turning into a thin line.
"No, I mean it. I hate you. I don't need you. I hate Kairi too... I hate her and everyone else at home... It's sad though..." said Sora, waving his hand idly. "Our home is once again engulfed in the darkness...by the Heartless..."
Riku's eyes went wide; he froze on the spot.
"No..."
"Yes, Riku. Our home is gone...you were too busy to not realize it...you were too busy taunting me at the memory...taunting me at how weak I am..." he said, his quiet voice filled with hatred.
"That's not true..."
"Liar. You're never good at lying. I've always known that."
"Sora, stop this..." pleaded Riku. His fingers curled in his silver hair, shutting his eyes. Voices began to whisper to him; strange voices that Riku couldn't understand.
Hatehim...takehisheart...musthaveit...MUST!
"Stop what? The truth...?" snapped Sora.
A high laugh escaped his lips, a laugh that didn't suit the brunette at all.
"You can't stop the truth. It creeps up to you out of nowhere...haunting you like a demon..."
"SORA, STOP!"
"Heh...heh..."
The familiar cold began to seep into Riku, making him shiver. He dropped to his knees, his eyes still shut. Another high laugh erupted in the darkness.
"I like watching you in pain...it's amusing." The voice wasn't Sora's anymore; it was the stranger that had taken Sora in his control. The man Riku had now hated.
"Sora... Help me..." said Riku through the indestructible darkness. This made Sora laugh more.
"The famous Riku: pleading?"
Sora began to laugh again. He laughed so hard, the dark seem to echo his voice, as though ten Sora's were laughing at once—
"So the Keyblade Master is pleading for his life? How pathetic...and to have thought that I should have been afraid of you..."
Riku reached his hand blindly, contemplating maybe that Sora would consider saving him and forgiving him in a split second. But...why would he forgive him so easily?
His desperation swirled in his head, his frustration fusing with his anger, sudden warmth commence to enter Riku's chest. Squinting his eyes, Riku could make out a faint shimmer piercing through the blackness, embracing Riku.
Maintain the power of Light and Dark...
Fuse them together...
Create the Third Power...
TWILIGHT!
His hand went heavy, as though it was carrying something. It brought a hope through Riku's clouded mind. A scream slipped from his lips, a scream of triumph.
A flash of Sora's face, a flash of Destiny Islands sucked up into a black hole, a flash of light and dark...
Something hard hit the back of Riku's head. Instead of seeing Sora in front of him, Riku found himself lying on top of a circle of stained glass, a picture of a Heartless Symbol with white wings encircling it underneath him.
Riku glanced at his hand: the Keyblade was held tight around pale fingers. It was Oblivion, the Keyblade Sora had used at Kingdom Hearts. It was black, with bat wings as the hilt, the keychain hanging from the end.
In the corner of his eyes, white and black whirled from a distance.
Instinctively, Riku turned around, Keyblade held in a fighting pose. The thing began to take shape, twisting this way and that. It had one ice blue eye on a white parted face and one amber eye on the black part, staring back at Riku. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. The grip on the Keyblade tightened more.
The creature spread out one white long arm, claws at the end, and another arm, black. The Heartless symbol was encrusted on its chest, wings sprouting out of it. Stomping a black foot, the platform quaked and quivered, almost making Riku lose his balance. The creature reached one enormous claw towards Riku. Riku quickly rolled out of the way, allowing the claw to sink inside the stained glass, whiteness swirling around it. Then, Riku saw it: a Heartless that was white with the same icy blue eyes.
Shaped like him.
Riku stared at it, his stomach lurching. The white-Riku's eyes blinked at him, tilting his head slightly as if confused by why there was someone that took his shape standing in front of him. Without consideration, without any hesitation, as though he was always destined to, Riku slashed at the Heartless.
There was a long, dreadful shriek as something white spurted out of the spot Riku had aimed at the white-Riku, falling away and vanishing. More white-Riku's lunged forward to vanquish the Keyblade Master, but none prevailed as they were sent to oblivion as the Keyblade struck them. Riku huffed and turned his attention to the bigger trouble.
Did he just see a glimmer of Sora's mother, Saya in the monster's eyes?
Shaking his head, Riku lunged, but quickly dodged as the creature lunged again. Riku nearly missed his footing on the platform. Its face lunged at Riku again, as though it wanted to swallow Riku—Riku dodged it again, but barely.
It lunged again—Riku raised the Keyblade in both hands—and the creature's aim was true—Riku put all his weight behind the Keyblade and drove it to the hilt into the roof of the creature's mouth—
But as luke-warm white and black blood swirled Riku's arms, he felt something else: a searing pain that was a little above his chest, where his heart was.
One long, white claw was sticking out of Riku's chest, allowing blood to flow steadily on Riku's white shirt. The creature had at least thrust an attack during Riku's assault. It kneeled over and fell sideways, twitching as darkness and light engulfed it.
Riku was left alone, and wrenched the claw out, clutching his heart tightly. As blood pooled his hand, the pain started to recede. Riku blinked and glanced downwards. The claw had left a hole in his shirt, leaving a symbol engraved on his chest.
The Heartless symbol, but it was the outline of the thorn heart was black and the inside was white. Red wings, two on each side, accompanied it.
All of a sudden, it went dark.
o-o-o
"Where are we going?"
It was the third time Sora had asked Star for what could have been the past fifteen minutes. Star was coming very impatient as she and Sora, along with his Heartless guardian, Shi, were walking through pitch black, mainly the only the source of light being their eyes. Star twitched her left eye.
"When we get there I'll tell you." she answered. Sora pouted. He allowed Shi to ride on his back, its black arms grasping his neck like a small child. Shi nuzzled its head on the back of Sora's neck, purring. It comforted Sora a little as he pondered where the hell he was going.
"Almost there..." said Star finally. Sora issued a sigh, relieved for his feet were growing tired. Star stopped abruptly, almost making Sora collide into her. She held out a hand out nothing. Then, a stream of light no bigger than a pencil, appeared, growing rapidly.
It was then replaced with an opening into what seemed like a very spacey room.
Sora awed at how the room was so magnificent.
The boy was met with a ceiling that could have been the sky itself; velvety black spotted with white stars. Blue eyes looked around to see many books in many shelves, illuminating by the candles that were placed around them. But, that wasn't what caught Sora's attention the most.
A picture, a man with white hair, amber eyes above dark skinned cheekbones with a grim look on his face, was staring back at Sora, hanging against an emerald wall. The man looked very familiar...Sora thought he looked a lot like Ansem...but a younger more handsome Ansem.
Maybe it isn't Ansem, thought Sora. Star had noticed that Sora was looking at the picture. Her lips formed into a thin line, her blue eyes narrowing.
"That's Master." she answered Sora as if she had read his mind. "He's the one who's inside your head..."
Sora stared at the picture for a second or two then turned to look at Star.
"Do you know his name?"
"No... No one here knows his real name. Well, maybe DiZ, but if he did, he doesn't tell us. He's really strange," she said as she led Sora out of the room into the corridor where gargoyles that were attached to the wall, stared at them with horrid looks. "He's like an enigma or something like that. He's also a NEO,"
"A what?"
"Non-Existence One, that's what NEO stands for. I've heard that DiZ was the first NEO. No wonder he created an Organization. Hey," she whirled herself around so that she was facing Sora, with a smile.
A smile? Odd...
"Do you know what the Organization is?" she asked. Sora thought for a moment then shook his head.
"Why?"
"Well...since you're the bearer of Darkness (she ignored the look of dismay on his face), you need to be filled in the details." She stopped at another door and knocked.
A shuffling of feet was heard behind the door, then it flung open, revealing a dark skinned girl with short red hair in a ponytail wearing a red shirt with a smiley face with horns, sticking out its tongue, hanging off her shoulders, showing two strips of black; a black skirt and red-black striped knee socks in red shoes, beaming at the two, her jade green eyes gleaming, beamed.
"Star! You already back?" she asked, staring at Sora with a look of interest. Star's face calmed down a little at the sight of the girl.
"Yeah...I got Sora with me,"
"Oooh...he's cute!" the girl exclaimed, grabbed Sora's wrist and brought him in another big room. It was violet, with curtains in front of a stained glass window, the colorful lights streaming in the room, creating a kaleidoscope look on the floor. There were two velvet red couches in the middle of the room, candles next to them.
Two other people were in the room, one sitting on one couch while the other sat in the other, laughing at what the other had said. They stopped their conversation as the girl, Sora, and Star entered.
"Whatcha got there, Devi? A new replica of someone?" joked the one with fiery, scarlet spiky hair atop of a round pale face, a mark etched under his blue eye that covered most of his left cheek. His other eye, red as his hair stared at Sora, an eyebrow quirked up.
The girl, supposedly 'Devi' scowled, giving the boy a fist.
"This is the bearer of Darkness, Sora!"
The boy laughed, holding his stomach to support himself from not falling over.
"You're joking? This squirt?" stammered the boy through fits of laughter. "To hell...he can't be..."
"Pyro! Stop being a jerk! He really is—"
"Who you calling a squirt!" it was Sora this time who spoke, his face flushed. Pyro's laughter died away, his face turning serious now. He narrowed his eyes at Sora.
"You of course..." he answered lazily. Star rolled her eyes.
"Pyro, you're not much of a tall person yourself; I don't think you should call him 'squirt' since he's only a few inches shorter than you," said Star, taking a seat next to other man with long dark brown hair, his bangs over beautiful violet eyes. He had a stern look on his handsome face, his arms folded in front of his black shirt. He wore leather pants that reminded much of Leon's outfit to Sora.
"Oh, shut up, Star," muttered Pyro, sulking down in the couch, averting his eyes to the wall. He wore a gray shirt that looked like its sleeves were cut off carelessly, a hood behind it. Pyro wore a darker shade of gray shorts that went below his knees, revealing some creamy calves. Leather clad boots covered his feet.
"I win," said Star, smirking at Pyro.
"Anyways..." said Devi, taking a sit next to Pyro and beckoning Sora to follow. Sora obliged, carrying Shi in his arms instead of his back. It curled up in Sora's hold, purring.
"I'm Devi," she said, smiling at Sora with cherry red lips. Sora returned the smile, feeling much more comfortable then before.
"And this is the stupid jerk, Pyro." said Devi, pointing at the boy, who suddenly got an interest at his boots. "And that's the very aloof Kakyo," she said, jerking her head to the older male. He snorted slightly to his name. "And you already know Star...so, you're Sora... DiZ has been talking about you non-stop! It seems like he's taken a very big interest into you, Sora."
Sora blushed.
"I'm not that interesting...my life's really boring...well...after Kingdom Hearts,"
"Of course your life's interesting!" exclaimed Devi. "Come on; you use to be the Keyblade Master!"
Again, Sora blushed. He wasn't use to such attention.
"I suppose so..."
"I still can't believe the Keyblade chose a kid like you."
Sora leaned forward so that Pyro came into view. He was still staring at his boots, narrowing his eyes.
"I sometimes don't understand why the Keyblade chose me..." whispered Sora.
"It's because the strength of your heart is why it chose you." stated Kakyo as if it was the most obvious reason. A sudden silence hovered over them.
"What?" said Kakyo. "Every time I talk it seems like no one expects it,"
"It's because we don't," said Star, smirking. Kakyo rolled his violet eyes. The door swung open hastily. Sora jumped slightly; Shi woke up with a start.
"...stupid...asshole...why that mother fucker..."
"Don't you have a colorful vocabulary?" mused Devi. The new arriver glared at her.
"Devi," he said curtly as he walked to a wall near the couches, leaning against it.
"Lucifer," she replied, her lips curling into a slightly mocking smile. Sora blinked. If the boy didn't have any dignity in the world, he'd probably tackle the man.
Lucifer had black hair, a little above his shoulders, a long bang covering one of his dark blue eyes. His pale face matched perfectly with him. He wore a long sleeved trench coat, the top opened to reveal a chiseled chest; he also wore leather pants with zippers on the knees. His legs crossed over another, his arms also folded in front of him. He lowered his eyes only after he took a quick glance at Sora, who blushed under his gaze.
"...What was that all about anyways?" asked Star. Lucifer didn't look up.
"DiZ is being the asshole he is..." he muttered.
"Uh-huh,"
"What happened now? I mean, did you get DiZ angry again?" asked Devi, petting Shi who was sniffing her. Lucifer snorted.
"Bleh. I didn't do anything...well; I did disagree about DiZ thinking it's wise for—what's the kid's name?—"
"Sora," said Sora, blushing when Lucifer looked up. He looked away, his heart pounding in his ribcage.
"Sora—'kay—Sora being here." finished Lucifer.
"Why do you think it's not wise?" asked Pyro, finally looking up to Lucifer. Lucifer rolled his eyes.
"Think, Pyro. Think! Don't you understand Master's in Sora's head? Don't you think that maybe Master wants to take control of the Organization?"
"Well...after his disappearance, DiZ did take control... But we all thought Master was defeated..."
"And I feel ashamed by how we did believe in some rubbish like that." said Lucifer coolly. Sora was quite puzzled by what they were talking about.
"Umm..." he said, making sure he surpassed the redness in his face. "What are you talking about...?"
They all turned their heads at Sora. Sora gulped. Star finally broke the silence.
"Oh, yeah; I knew I forgot something... You wanted to know what happened, huh?"
Sora nodded.
"It'll be best if you knew anyway,"
Star walked up to the fireplace that Sora had finally noticed.
"Pyro?" she asked.
"Got it," with a wave of his hand, a fire erupted, cackling. Sora mouth was gaped opened. Pyro smirked.
"My specialty," he said, flicking his index finger to light a small fire on top of his finger. "Fire...you gotta love it."
"Anyways," interrupted Star. "As I was saying, it begins with a person...you know the man in that picture...well, it's kind of a mystery about him...parts of it..." she absently thought, as if she was trying to find the right words to say.
"Master's the dark side of Ansem's heart."
"What?"
"Yeah...Master's like a NEO but not really...like a shadow of Ansem's past and future..."
"Well, you guys don't know his name?"
"I do."
Everyone now stared at Lucifer. His dark blue eye glimmered ominously by the fire.
"Well, not his real name...he's got tons of them: killer, Evil One, the Devil's Child—they're countless—but the most unknown one most people don't know is..."
Lucifer quickly looked both sides of him before he lowered his voice.
"Satsujin."
Many things happened at once; Devi let out a small scream, Pyro's eyes looked like they were about to pop open, Star twitched slightly, Kayko shuddered, and Sora hissed slightly without knowing why.
"See. The name scares people spit less."
"And why is that...?" managed Pyro, gulping. Lucifer smiled.
"Because it means 'murder'. But," Lucifer waved a hand idly. "Most people don't know that name; some of them are too stupid to want to know. Now, since I don't want to anger Master any further (he had noticed Sora clenching and unclenching his fists), I'll refer to him as Master.
"Now, Master wasn't truly known since he was part of Ansem until Ansem started his foolish experiments on the Heartless and people's hearts. After one disastrous attempt to find out how hearts were born, it seems parts of Ansem's heart—and sanity—split from his body and mind. And that's how Master came to be. Since he lived most of his days in the Darkness with the Heartless, he grew rapidly to a younger version of Ansem. He doesn't look like Ansem that much, but you could see the resemblance. The hair, the eyes, the skin—you get the point.
"Master began researching, wanting to learn more about the Heartless and how to control them. Then he went across a prophecy during his research."
"What was the prophecy about?" asked Sora.
"Don't know, but I've heard that it had to deal with you."
Sora felt his whole body go numb. He didn't understand what was wrong with him; when Lucifer had said Master's name aloud, an abrupt wrath went through him. Lucifer had infuriated him, but what for?
"Back to the important stuff; after coming to know about the prophecy, Master began to create an Organization, the very organization that we're in.
"But, something happened one night. One minute Master's controlling the Heartless, the next thing we know it, Master had disappeared. It was around the time Sora here"—he jerked his head at the brunette—"defeated Ansem. The real mystery about it is why he really disappeared; Master couldn't have been affected by Ansem's downfall. Master's a whole even without Ansem. Maybe there was something he wanted to obtain...like a very strong heart..." Lucifer looked at Sora again.
"You're quite right, Lucifer. I didn't think anyone would have figured me out."
Lucifer didn't react, unlike the others, at their Master's voice. Lucifer thought it was actually amusing to see Master talking through a young boy with such seriousness.
"Thought so," Lucifer simply said.
"You saw right through me... How you only would refer to me as Master, not by my real name...how did you know I was very angry at you because of my name?"
"When Sora gave me this look on his face...I could see you. In his eyes...you're demeanor: I saw it right through him."
"Ah,"
There was a long, shocked silence after that. No one moved, no one dared speak; most of them only were lost in their own thoughts.
"So...you going to be stuck in some kid's body?" asked Pyro finally.
Sora glared at him, a glare that did not fit his façade at all. Pyro fell back in silence, looking very dismayed.
"That, Pyro, is none of your business. As for the rest of you, I want you to protect this boy with your life. Understand?"
"Yes, Master," chorused the others, not looking very happy by their master's request. Sora smirked.
"I'll be leaving..."
With a snap of his fingers, the strong aura that had hovered over Sora had diminished. Sora blinked.
"What just happened?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head as it throbbed. Kakyo snorted.
"The kid doesn't even know if he ever gets to his head."
"..."
"Forget about it, Sora." said Devi, glaring at Kakyo. "It's getting late right now; I suppose it's time for bed."
"We," began Star, pointing at herself, Lucifer, Kakyo, and Pyro. "Don't have bedtimes. So I think you and Sora should go to bed,"
Too tired to argue, Sora stretched his arms out, yawning.
"'Kay," with that, Devi led Sora to another room, a bedroom with a four-poster bed hung with scarlet curtains. She handed him his pajamas, a white shirt and gray shorts, which she conjured out of nowhere.
"My specialty: I'm able to conjure stuff when I put my mind to it," she explained when Sora gave blinked at the clothes in his hands. "Well, G'night."
"'Night,"
She closed the door behind her. Sora slipped the pajamas on, only after he stared at his right hand.
What did it all mean? A prophecy that had to deal with him; a man who had a very secret past that was stuck in his body and able to talk and take control when ever he wanted to?
Curiosity began to take its toll on the tired boy, but tiredness won the inner battle tonight. Flopping himself to his bed, Sora heard scratching at his door.
"SHI!" he exclaimed, quickly getting out of bed and opening the door. There was the Shadow, giving his master sad yellow eyes. Sora gave it a cheerful smile.
"Sorry 'bout that, Shi..." Sora scooped the creature in his arms, successfully closing the door with his foot.
With Shi in his arms, Sora pulled the covers over them both and fell instantly asleep.
o-o-o
"Is he awake?"
"Does it look like he's fucking awake, Yuffie?"
"Sorry...you don't have to use that foul mouth of yours, you know!"
"Ah, screw you!"
Voices...from outside...why is it dark...and why the fuck does my head hurt like hell!
Opening one eye slightly, Riku groaned, rolling over to his side to see someone with big brown eyes stare back at him.
"HOLY SHIT!" Riku instantly backed to the wall, Keyblade in his hands. The girl with short black hair blinked at him then laughed.
"Nice reaction; you sound like Cid whenever he wakes up."
"Shut up, Yuffie!" said a man with blonde hair, a very irritated look on his face, and a toothpick sticking out of his lips. "Anyways, Aerith he's awake!"
Riku looked as the door near the corner of the green room open. A tall woman with a long brown braid that was held with a pink bow, wearing a pink dress, smiling at Riku, entered the room; a bucket of rags and water in her arms.
"That's good; now I can heal his wounds without him getting out of control," stated the woman, nearing Riku. Cid mumbled something that sounded like, 'out of control my ass.' Riku raised the Keyblade more, his lips trembling.
"Don't come near me," he hissed. The woman backed away.
"I suppose the bastard doesn't want his wounds to be healed." said Cid, giving Riku a scowl. The woman shook her head.
"Nonsense, Cid."
"I said don't come near me!" said Riku a little louder than before.
"If he doesn't want to heal his wounds, let him suffer Aerith."
A new person arrived in the room, an expressionless look on his face. He had brown hair that went to his shoulders, wearing a leather jacket above a white shirt with leather pants to match. Riku blinked at the person.
"What the hell are you talking—" but before the words were voiced, Riku felt a white-hot pain around his body. He collapsed against the wall, clutching the Keyblade closer to his body.
"I suppose this is Riku, eh Leon?"
Another man entered the room, a man that had blonde spikes that were more like Sora's but more tamed. He wore a zippered turtle-neck with baggy gray pants. Was Riku seeing a black wing out of the man's back?
"Maybe, maybe not. He could be a Heartless disguised as him."
"I'm no Heartless!"
"Okay, who was the previous Keyblade Master?" asked Yuffie.
"Sora." answered Riku.
"It's Riku alright. No Heartless is smart enough to know the guy's name."
"Who the hell are you?" breathed Riku.
"I'm Yuffie the greatest Ninja in the world!" said Yuffie, stabbing a thumb to her chest.
"I'm Aerith," said the woman with the braided hair calmly.
"Cid," growled Cid.
"Cloud and this is Leon." said the blond, pointing at himself first then to the brunette.
"How do you know I'm Riku?" asked Riku, lessening his grip on his weapon.
"Didn't Sora ever tell you about us?" said Cloud raising an eyebrow. Riku shook his head.
"Sora doesn't talk much about that..." a sudden stab struck Riku's heart. He averted his eyes.
"Uh-huh..." said Yuffie, tilting her head by how sad Riku had suddenly become. "What's the problem, Riku? You look kinda depressed."
"It must be Sora that did that."
Everyone turned their heads to see no one. Then, after flying sparks filled the room, an old man stood. He had a crooked nose above a very long mane of white hair. A blue hat that matched his blue robes sat atop of his head. Blue eyes twinkled behind half-moon spectacles, smiling at the group.
"And I dare say this is Riku," he said, approaching Riku with a look of satisfaction. Riku, if possible, backed more to the wall.
"Oh my, no need to be frightened; I'm Merlin. How do you do?" he pulled out a gnarled hand out of the robes. Riku reluctantly took it, shaking Merlin's hand slowly, never leaving his gaze at the cheerful face.
"Merlin, what had you meant Sora being the cause of Riku's sadness?" asked Aerith, finally squeezing a wet rag and dabbing it on Riku's arm. Riku had noticed that his shirt was folded neatly by the desk next to the bed. He winced slightly at the contact, but did not push away.
The smile on Merlin's face faltered a little.
"I'm afraid Sora has gone to the Heartless."
A long, bitter silence hung over them. The only sounds were the contact of a wet rag against cuts on Riku. Cid finally broke the silence.
"Whaddya mean? You mean Sora's given up the duty of a Keyblade Master?"
"Yes," said Merlin sadly, walking across the room to the window. The sound of soft rain hitting against the window welcomed another silence. Merlin sighed.
"It seems so, Cid," he went on, not looking away from the window. "Something deep inside the dark side of Sora's heart must have awakened the dangerous power."
"Do you know what might have caused Sora to...to—" Aerith was lost to words. She couldn't believe someone like Sora giving up to the Heartless, the force that he had fought a year ago. It would soon be two years in a week.
"I think someone other than me in this room knows." Merlin looked at Riku, a grave look in his eyes. Riku felt as though his inside had turned into ice under that gaze.
Should he tell? Should he voice out why Sora had done what he had done?
Riku let out a sigh.
"Sora told me he liked me and I didn't return his feelings." said Riku in one breath. Yuffie stared.
"What do you mean he told you he liked you? As in...He liked you? More than friends like each other?"
Riku only nodded, casting his eyes to his folded hands.
"Nothing's wrong with that," said Yuffie, waving a hand idly. "I mean, does it matter if Sora liked you that?"
"Besides," added Cid. "I've meat plenty of homosexual couples. Hell, there's a homosexual couple in this room right now."
Cloud slightly coughed. And did Riku see a tint of pink on Leon's half covered face?
"Ah," said Merlin. "I see... The pain in Sora's heart must have attracted the Heartless...and someone else..." he scratched his chin.
"Someone else?"
"Yes, Cloud. Someone else was very interested in Sora's pain...and I fear who he is..."
"You, Merlin?" said Cid, a frown on his face. "The greatest wizard of all, is afraid of some bastard?"
"Well, I wouldn't say I'm the greatest..." said Merlin modestly. "But, yes; I'm afraid of the person who took Sora. A man who knows what he fears is a very brave man, indeed. Or so the old saying goes. Now," Merlin now faced Riku. "It seems your destiny and Sora's destiny are once again linked, but you're destinies have switched."
Riku stared.
"Switched?"
"Yes; it means now that you're the Keyblade Master as Sora now is the bearer of Darkness."
"And you say our destinies are linked—what did you mean by that?"
Merlin smiled.
"You once lived in Destiny Islands, I'm correct?"
"Yeah,"
"I heard a legend of some fruit that grows in that island—"
"The paopu fruit?"
"Precisely. Have you recently eaten a half of a paopu fruit?"
Riku thought. Then he said slowly, "Yes."
"Who did you share it with?"
Riku gulped.
"I-I don't know."
Riku heard Cid snort slightly but no one said anything for awhile. Merlin's smile widened.
"I see..." he said quietly. "Can you tell me how it tasted?"
"It tasted really sweet," answered Riku. "Too sweet for my good. I almost threw it up."
"You've just described your part of your destiny." stated Merlin calmly, his eyes twinkling. The pitter patter of rain continued, becoming louder. Riku blinked.
"Are you serious?" said Yuffie finally.
Merlin only nodded, his smile never faltering.
"But...you're saying Riku's destiny is so good—it sucks?"
"Indeed."
"What a bunch of bull that is." huffed Cid, leaning back in the chair he was sitting on.
"And why do you say that?" said Leon.
"I mean...why would it suck to be really happy?"
"Now that is a question." said Merlin, folding his hands behind his back. "Humans wish to obtain endless happiness once in their life. But what would it be like to expect to get what you always want, that everyday will be at your command?
"It'll be very boring!" exclaimed Merlin after the awkward silence. "People don't want the same thing to happen every. Single. Day. Most of them want the least unexpected to happen. That's what we look forward to everyday. Well, a normal human would," said Merlin, chuckling.
"If," began Riku, trying to maintain his composure. "If my destiny is like that, how is the person's destiny that ate the other half is—" a thought hit Riku like a rock. "You mean, Sora's destiny—"
"Is the very opposite." finished Merlin.
Riku couldn't take all of this in...
Sora's destiny and his were linked, but at a price...Riku would obtain the better half of it while Sora would have to suffer. The thought almost made Riku cry.
Almost.
"I still don't understand the part of who you're afraid of?" said Aerith. Merlin cast his eyes at the floor then after a moment looked up.
"I don't know much about him. I'm still gathering information about the man."
"Know his name?" asked Riku, his hands clenching.
"Not really...he has too many of them...but I have come to know a very true fact about him."
"And that is?"
"He's the dark side of Ansem's heart."
It seemed like the millionth time there was a deadly quiet in the room. Riku hesitated.
"Is that why he looks like him, the man?"
"You've seen him?" asked Merlin sounding impressed and amazed. Riku nodded.
"Hmmm..."
"What?" said Cloud.
"Nothing; I was only thinking... Now," Merlin gave Riku a smile. "I suppose I must speak to you, Riku. About your destiny,"
"There's more?" asked Riku, taking his shirt that Aerith had handed to him after she bandaged some of his wounds.
"Of course," said Merlin bluntly. His soft blue eyes had found the Heartless symbol on Riku's chest. "I'd like to know how you got that as well."
Riku followed Merlin's gaze. He shrugged.
"All right..." Riku briskly got off the bed and pulled this shirt over his head. "Where are we going?"
"My place...it's in the Third District of Traverse Town. Not far from here. There, we'll take a trip to memory lane..."
"Are we coming along?" asked Yuffie, getting up abruptly.
"I'm afraid not this time, Yuffie. I'd like to speak with Riku alone. But," he gave Riku a smile. "If Riku wants to tell you about it, I know he'll be happy enough to tell."
Merlin drew his wand out of the insides of his robes.
"Quickly, Riku," he ordered the male. "It's time we should be going."
Without any reluctance to obey, Riku hurried over to the old man.
"Take a hold of my sleeve; we're going to use my short-cut,"
Riku took a grip on the blue robe.
"On the count of three...One...two...three..."
Riku turned. At once, he felt a horrible sensation of being squeezed through a tight shaft; he couldn't breath, couldn't think. He closed his eyes tightly, hoping it would all very quickly. Just when he thought he would suffocate, the sensation vanished.
Opening his emerald eyes with caution, Riku was standing in what looked like the inside of a hut. A large stone platform sat in the middle of the room, surrounded what looked like billions of books, books with title like Winnie the Pooh, Charm Your Furniture—it's that easy,and Enchantment in Knitting. Curtains were hung in various places in the hut, creating a cozy atmosphere.
Riku felt quiet happy in such a small place; he was so use to the beach houses in the islands. It was his first time in a real hut with no ocean breeze or the sound of the ocean right outside the window.
"It's not much," said Merlin.
Riku heard a scurrying of feet from a distance. He would have pulled out Oblivion out if it wasn't Merlin who just simply stood there, smiling.
"I assume Mushu has been waiting for my return."
A red lizard (or so what Riku thought it was) walked from a pile of books, its whisker sticking out of his frowned stout.
"What took you so long, Merlin?" whined the animal.
Riku stared.
"Uhh...Merlin, do you know that a lizard is talking to you?"
The 'lizard' huffed at Riku. It walked and climbed on Riku so fast that he had no time to react when angry beady eyes stared back at him.
"What do you mean, 'lizard'?" it asked harshly. "I am no lizard; I am the greatest dragon guardian, Mushu!"
"Uh-huh..." said Riku, biting his bottom lip to prevent himself from laughing.
"Since introductions are being made," said Merlin, moving forward to pick Mushu from Riku's neck, "Mushu, this is Riku. Sora's friend."
By the mention of the brunette, the dragon's face beamed.
"How's my ol' pal, Sora doing?" said Mushu from Merlin's hand. Riku glanced away, his eyes fixed upon a pile of books. Merlin also looked distraught.
"Not so well," answered Merlin truthfully. Mushu's smile faltered.
"'Not so well?' Is he all right?"
"As in safe? I hope so..."
Merlin placed Mushu atop of another pile of books, searching for something under the many spell books that he owned. With a loud, "Aha," Merlin walked back to Riku, who was sitting on a step of the stairs that led to the top of the platform. Merlin walked the same steps, placing the item on the table that appeared out of nowhere. Riku followed, staring down at the object. It was a basin, silver etched with many peculiar symbols around the outside. There was a silvery substance in it, looking like a mist caught inside. Merlin beamed at it.
"It's a Memory Holder."
"A what?"
"It's an object that holds memories, of course." snapped Mushu who had suddenly appeared on Riku's head. Riku scowled.
"I meant, what does it do?"
"After applying the memory that you want to see in the basin," explained Merlin, rummaging in his robes again and pulling out a small bottle with a cork. It held the same substance that was in the basin. "You must drink it, allowing you to see the wanted memory."
"Drink it?"
"Yes, if you want to see it." said Merlin simply like it was the most obvious answer. Riku stared at the basin with a worried expression on his face. Merlin had noticed this.
"Oh, nothing to fear, Riku. It isn't that unpleasant. Well, if you don't add the whole thing about your insides twisting whenever you drink the substance."
This did not lighten Riku's mood.
With a wave of Merlin's wand, two silver goblets conjured out nowhere, landing beside the basin. Mushu frowned.
"I'm going too, right?"
"But of course, Mushu."
"Why are you letting him go when the others wanted to go?" asked Riku. It was hard to keep a note of accusation from his voice.
"Well, I can't take so many people to see this memory. Besides," Merlin looked at Riku, the silvery substance illuminating his face. "I think you'll tell them what happened."
Riku just looked back at the basin, still unsure if he should really drink the silver stuff.
Before Riku could make any further protest, Merlin lowered the two goblets into the potion; when the glasses were full to the brim, Merlin handed one to Riku. Mushu lowered himself so that his lips were nearly touching the drink. Merlin raised his glass.
"Drink up."
And they drained the goblet (Mushu was only able to get two sips since it was difficult). Just as Merlin had said, it felt like an invisible hand taken Riku's insides and twisted them. Riku screwed his eyes, swirling colors was all he could see. He felt his feet leave the ground. And then, quite suddenly, wet grass was under Riku. He blinked. Merlin landed beside him along with Mushu plummeting on top of Riku's head.
They were standing in a vast valley, blades of grass swaying with the cool breeze. A tree stood alone, petals of white dropping.
"Where—?"
But before he was answered, he saw someone was sitting under the tree. A boy, with white hair and dark skin. And if Riku went closer, he saw the same amber eyes under the white bangs.
There was no trace of happiness of the boy's face; just a look of malice as he was ripping a bird's wings from its body.
It was the man who had taken control of Sora's heart.
A younger version of him...
SC: AHHHHHHHH! 26 pages on Word! :pulls hair out of head: AHHHHHHHH!
Cheekon: THAT'S A CLIFFIE!
Alter Ego: She did warn you guys there were going to be cliff hangers...
Cheekon :scowls:
Alter Ego: Anyways...you guys are probably wondering when SC will be updating her other stories...they'll be coming...we hope...
Cheekon: SC WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?
SC :appears out of nowhere: You rang?
Cheekon :holds up a katana: UPDATE!
SC: No...I want plushies now...and cookies... :eats Alter Ego's cookies from Mel:
Alter Ego: I WANT PLUSHIES TOO!
Cheekon :sigh:
SC: PLUSHIES! ME WANTS A RIKU PLUSHY! AND A LUCIFER PLUSHY!
SC, Cheekon, Alter Ego: REVIEW WITH LOVE!