Ugh…it can't possibly be healthy to update so much…I am pouring my soul into a little glass flask that is this fanfiction…

I DON'T OWN ANYTHING! CURSE YOU NOMURA!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shadow Feather: Chapter 7

Puppet Strings and Angel Wings

"Riku…as you call him...was indeed created on the Planet. Hojo performed the same experiment that created you and did it instead to create Riku. He altered Riku slightly, to be more obedient and less obtrusive, less of a killer. When you had reached your place in the Core of your Planet, Hojo was confronted by Cloud and his teammates. Hojo suffered a defeat but did not die. He fired the Sister Ray at you, in hopes to give you just a little more power, to complete your goal.

"He crawled, dying, into the laboratory where Riku and his mother were. In his final moments, he opened his heart, spirit, and body to Darkness. Such a gift to Darkness merits intense power that cannot be long controlled. In the throes of death and transformation, Hojo stepped into the Nexus with the boy and his mother. By now I think you have a general idea of how the Nexus works, am I correct?" I nodded slightly.

"Good. The Nexus welcomed Hojo, the boy and his mother. Hojo worked and traveled tirelessly throughout their journey. He performed surgery on the mother's memories, changing them to fit a story on their new world. He put so much power into this, it left him with barely enough to begin on Riku's. As a result, he could not alter his memories and simply obliterated them in hopes that it would be enough.

"When finally they came to rest in their rightful place in the Nexus, not a one of them had aged at all. Riku and his mother found themselves on the world of Destiny Islands."

I stood there, processing the notion in my head, in the most obscene way, it made perfect sense. "And what of Hojo?"

"Hojo remained in the Nexus and was swallowed up by Darkness. He became a Heartless."

"He always was."

Axel let out a peal of laughter. "So condemning." He straightened up and continued to speak, softly now. "You have noticed that Cloud is weaker, yes?"

"I had."

"Almost as if he had lost experience? Yet his body is older is it not?"

"Perhaps, but people do not age so quickly."

"Normally a true statement, but the Nexus works in strange ways."

"But he could not have become so much older."

Axel laughed lightly, "And why not! The Nexus does not carry your body through it, it transports only your soul, heart, spirit and mind. You cast off your body each time you enter the Nexus. When you leave you enter a new body that fits itself to your soul, spirit and mind. Time does not plow rationally there, is it not possible that fate could have required Cloud to be older when he emerged?"

"It is possible, but…"

"But nothing. No one can control the Nexus. When you enter it, no matter how important you believe it is to get somewhere at the right time, you could very well end up somewhere entirely different before you left, at an age appropriate for your task, in a body that was created for your job.

"Cloud is younger. A year after you were defeated, your world became connected. Heartless descended upon the Planet and only those with strong hearts found a way out. Cloud descended in Hollow Bastion, in a body of a boy 21 years old. There were others that came with him from his world and he met another boy 24 years old. On Hollow Bastion, one year passed in peace and then it too was taken by the Heartless. Cloud stayed and fought a heroic battle against the Heartless and was separated from the group. Before he died he cast himself into the Nexus and landed in the Coliseum. His friends, using a vessel to escape from Hollow Bastion, found their way to Traverse Town. Several months later you emerged from the Nexus in Hollow Bastion. And that is where we are now.

"Riku, a fifteen year old boy, Cloud, now twenty-two. The Nexus is a strange place indeed. There is no doubt, but you must learn to accept it and continue on otherwise you will fall." With his last words I felt everything I had worked for slowly slip out of my hands. I wasn't the one controlling things anymore, and it hurt. It hurt so much.

"And how do you know so much?"

Axel smiled and placed his hands on his hips.

"Ah…now that wasn't part of my request was it? No…you are not to be told anything about me or who I work with." He turned his back to me and glanced over his shoulder, "Maybe next time." And with that, he vanished into the Nexus.

I stood atop the bookcase for nearly an hour, feeling my mind whirl with blurry images and thoughts. I was too tired to sort them all out now. Too tired. If only Mother were here. I leaned against the wall and sunk down into a crouch. I was too tired, too lonely. It was all catching up to me. I didn't know what to do at this point. Everything had always been within my grasp…and now…

And with those thoughts coursing through my mind, I fell into a deep sleep.

When I awoke, I stood up, feeling empty and made my way to the meeting chamber of Hollow Bastion. My feet dragged along the corridors and I had to steady myself against any walls I could find. I did not know how long I had been asleep for. I did not care…I only wished for someone to talk to. It was a strange feeling, dependency.

When I reached the great doorway to the room, I heard voices from inside.

"So…Kairi's just a lifeless puppet now?"

Puppets…how long I had been the one controlling them. Cloud, his friends, Rufus, Shinra, even Hojo.

"Precisely."

"And her heart was…"

"Taken by the Heartless no doubt."

Riku's voice grew louder in worry and hope. "Tell me! What can I do?"

Maleficent began to speak softly, with great mystery in her voice. "There are seven maidens of the purest heart. We call them the princesses of heart. Gather them together, and a door will open to the heart of all worlds. Within lies untold wisdom. There you will surely find a way to recover Kairi's heart. Now, I'll grant you a marvelous gift. The power to control the Heartless."

There was a sound of struggling for several seconds and then someone's feet hitting the ground. Riku spoke with new conviction, "Soon, Kairi. Soon."

I heard his footsteps approach the doors. Something, some wild instinct inside me, told me that we should not meet yet. I focused my jumbled mind on the inside of the meeting room and warped inside just as the doors came open. I saw him turn and walk away before the doors closed.

"Ah…Sephiroth, I didn't hear you come in." Maleficent looked at me with slight amusement. "What brings you here?

Words began to fall from my lips without my consent. "That boy, Riku…what did you do to him?"

"I gave him the power to control the Heartless. Just as I can."

"Why? What will happen to him?"

"I don't quite know what you mean?"

"Can he do it? Can he control the Heartless?"

"Riku? He can. But he is at risk of being swallowed by the darkness if he does not tread carefully."

"What?"

"He can easily be swallowed by darkness. But not to worry, he will accomplish his job long before that happens."

"You mean it will?"

"I don't understand."

"Riku will undoubtedly be swallowed by the darkness?"

"In time yes. He does not have what it takes to truly control the Heartless."

"Take it back."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Take the power back."

"I will do no such thing."

"TAKE IT BACK!"

My scream echoed through the chamber. I stood, hunched over and shaking with some unfathomable mixture of emotions. I felt a lump in my throat and clenched my hands until I couldn't feel them anymore.

"Take back the power. Do not let him die. I won't let him. I won't let him die. Hojo made him for me to look after. I know it. I know it so take back the powers."

Maleficent, struck dumb by my outburst, gaped at me.

"Please…take them back. Don't do this too him. Don't make him your pawn. Don't let him go through what I had to. Don't make him kill for your gain. Goddammit. I won't let there be another me."

"I don't know what you mean…"

I began to sob in anger and sadness. All the years in the laboratory, Hojo watchig me began to flash before my eyes and I screamed and I screamed at the witch in front of me. "I SUFFERED SO MUCH! WHY SHOULD HE? HOJO GAVE HIS LIFE FOR HIM! GAVE EVERYTHING! HE CHANGED AFTER ME! HE MUST HAVE! HE WASN'T SELFISH ANYMORE! HE WANTED THEM TO LIVE! DON'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM HIM! DON'T DO THIS! Don't do this! Don't…" I fell to my knees in anguish. Punching again and again at the floor beneath me as all the feelings I had worked so hard to hide came flooding back into me.

Maleficent regained her composure and said, very quietly, "I can not take back the powers. I do not have that ability. Only the boy can relinquish them. Only he can save himself now."

I looked at her through wet and sore eyes. She couldn't be serious could she? If he were anything like me at all, which he must be, he would never give up power. This was awful. I couldn't let him die. This welling of emotions burst forth once again and I lurched across the room at Maleficent. She backed away and waved her staff in a panic.

I felt a gust of hind lift me off my feet and hurl me across the room. I slammed into the far wall and felt my breath driven out of me. I crumpled to my knees and came to rest with my head on the floor. What the hell was I doing? What is all of this? Such drama, such angsting drama. I had never been like this before. I had always been so focused. So set on becoming one with Mother. I this what happens when we are separated? Am I really so weak?

I stood up slowly and steadied myself against the wall. I felt Masamune humming gently at my side. It gradually changed tones and I could hear it almost warning me that it would not be owned by such a weak individual. Maleficent made no move to approach me. I shook my head and dried my eyes on my leather sleeve.

I felt a new power welling up inside me. With a slight shudder I tensed my muscles and let my wing tear from where it had been stored away. It unfurled and stretched outwards, casting crazy shadows in the green light. I looked at it for a long time. It was a comforting sight. A dark angelic wing. It reminded me of Mother.

Something clicked inside my mind. Some small piece fell into place and suddenly I knew what it was I wanted. I wanted to…

"I'll protect him."

Maleficent stepped forward with curiosity. "What did you say?"

"I will watch out for him."

I tightened my hand on Masamune's hilt and steadied it against its quivering. "I will not let myself be so weak again," I promised it. I glanced again at my wind, I felt it slowly pulsing with power and energy, moving up and down as if breathing.

"I will be his angel."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh dear…oh dear…this is a bad sign…I didn't see any of this coming. The chapter is shorter than most of the more recent ones…oh boy. I honestly think that my subconscious is running my fingers as I type this thing. I feel like the whole thing is spiraling out of control. I don't know how I'm ever going to get through to the Showdown Of Fate…aw man. I must say…I was about to give up halfway through this chapter but xsaturnine saved me with a midday update. I went on fanfiction and saw I had a new review. Thank you xsaturnine. God I don't know where I would be without reviewers…I might need to take a little break before I continue writing…I wanna make some sort of plan for the rest of this story. Erm…Oh! Before I forget…also thanks to Prinsessa Garnet, Brett A Longman and generic soda for reviewing!

Ps: If anyone has ideas, please share them. Try and have them stick to the general idea I have going though. I really want to hear where you think this should go, it might help me sort out everything I have going already.

Pps: Erm…by the time I put this on will have written chapter eight as well…got I can't freaking stop…Jesus Christ…should I just put that up as well? Shouldn't I space things out a little? Whatever…later.