Author's Note: Yay! I finally had time to update. Sorry for making you all wait so long, I'm glad you liked the story so far. Please R it would make me very happy. Sorry in advance if you are scared by this chapter...

Forgotten
Chapter Two :: Broken
by Virgo Shadow

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Broken, empty lies. Did he trust...?

"Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful."
(Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche)

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Riku, Kairi and Sora didn't get taken home until late. Ansem had held them back in the detention room for a few hours, to try to figure out just what exactly had gone on outside the school. He'd had no success. Deaths weren't exactly common in this town... Nothing like this had ever happened before, where innocent children were killed outside of his school for reasons unknown. The headmaster stared down at the blank space in the report below "Cause of Death" in his notes, confused. What would he tell Seymour father, he wondered, when they came to him for answers?

And what of these three children, he wondered. He couldn't help but think that that Hojo boy had something to do with it, but there was nothing to go by. All of the children who witnessed the act said that they were sure Riku had done it, but not a single one could make any connections or say anything about what happened. The way he heard it, Vincent taunted Riku, they got to blows, Riku threatened Seymour, and Seymour... died. It didn't fit. But either way, Ansem had no choice now. He'd had them for long enough, it was time to return them back to their parents. Tired and wanting more than to just go home for the night, the headmaster simply dropped them off by their houses, Kairi first, then Sora and at last Riku. Ansem had wanted to speak with his parents. But, Riku refused and watched Ansem walk away.

Riku went inside, knowing that a great deal of punishment would come to him for being late again. But this time it was different from usual. Father was waiting for him in the front room, standing in his permanent shroud of shadow. The man travelled in a permanent shroud of shadow. Riku put down his school bag and stood still.

He's going to concentrate on me, Riku thought. He could read it in him.

Before a word was spoken, his father hit him across the face hard. Enough force was behind the blow to send Riku sprawling to the floor. When he was down, his father grabbed him and pulled him up, holding him from behind while his father removed his belt. He pulled Riku shirt off as he prepared the belt for a strike, like a coiled snake.

Snap! Riku winced in pain. His father hadn't said a word to him yet.

Snap! Harder this time, Riku's mouth formed an anguished expression as his eyes squeezed shut.

Snap! The skin broke of Riku's chest and he could feel a slight amount of blood seeping out and trickling down his stomach.

Then, Father spoke. "Cry, damn you!" he shouted at his son, continuing the beating to the very limits of the fifteen-year-old tolerance.

He squeezed Riku's arm tighter, thrusting him closer to the blows. He still didn't shed a single tear. "Seymour's Father is going crazy. What did you do to that boy, Riku?! He's dead, and they all say you did it!" More whips. Riku remained tearless, but his father dropped him to the floor and stood over him. A long silence between the both of them before he finally spoke. "Where did I go wrong...?"

As if you don't know, Riku thought. Pitiful. Ever since Mother died... She was the only thing keeping this broken family together. Maybe his own father had done it to him when he was at this age. Now it was all Riku's father could do to feel power. The pity wasn't for him. He wanted Riku dead. It was for himself.

Riku's father's belt continued. The boy winced, cringed, bled but never once cried. The pain was immense. Riku could bearly see anything clearly other than the snarling visage of his father, growing angrier still with each strike. His young chest burnt like the fires of hell, and he could see that his blood was staining the carpet that was once white. Now a part of it would be red, forever. It went on to no end, it seemed... And then, it stopped. Recovering from the last cringe, Riku wiped his eyes. He was still lying on the floor, so he pulled himself up into the nearest chair for support. He was alone in the room.

...Then Father returned, with his sword in his hand. Riku drew back in shock. He knew his Father was an evil, evil man... But murder? He raised the sword, and took a few steps towards Riku. "Did you kill Seymour Guado, Riku?"

Riku closed his eyes emotionlessly, silent. "Dammit boy, answer me!" No answer. "Answer your father!" Still no answer. "Riku, did you kill that boy? Don't you trust your father? I'll help you pay the price of murder!"

Broken, empty lies. Did he trust...? "No. Sephiroth. I don't."