"Riku?"
Sora tried to lift himself higher on his toes to see over the mass of people, but it was no use. He knew it was him, but was he leaving the event already? Determination settled deep when the brunette made his decision. Riku had ditched them during their trip, but he wasn't about to let him do it again here. There was no doubt that the shifter had, reluctantly, nestled a spot within their little group.
As he moved further away from the others, Sora pursued the shifter. Grunts and glares met him as he squeezed and pushed his way through countless bodies until he reached the archway to the east wing and, through the thinning crowd, changed direction toward his left. There, 17B. The dorm number rang in his head repeatedly as he quickened his pace. He had to get Riku's attention before he disappeared into his room.
"Wait, Riku!"
Sora shouted as he broke out of the crowd into a sprint. He counted on the shifter ignoring him and slamming the door closed; however, he had paused and turned in the door way instead. His mind screamed at him to stop running - and he tried - but, of all things that could happen, Sora's foot scuffed the flooring, causing him to lose balance and practically catapult straight into Riku's chest. His body felt weightless as he felt himself tilt forward until both of them landed on the ground with a grunt.
He shifted himself into a sitting position, but before he could utter a word to the shifter, Sora found himself frozen when they locked eyes with each other. Since his spiked adrenaline still ran through rapidly through his body, he heard the heavy and fast rhythm of his heart as if it were in his head while he straddled the waist of the shifter. It wasn't until he let out a slow, shaky breath that he felt a slight movement behind him. The loud slam of the door resounded in the room, which snapped him from his rigid reverie. His body reacted apart from his mind as he curled his fingers into the lapels of the shifter's black suit jacket, leaning forward as he felt fingers pressing at the nape of his neck. Sora claimed his mouth with such intensity that he almost missed the coinciding low hum that rumbled through the chest below him.
A sharp nip at his lip was all it took for Sora to open his mouth in acceptance to the exploration the shifter wanted. As he felt the glide of Riku's tongue against his own, he felt a heat begin to slowly unfurl in the pit of his belly. The trail of fingers up his leg and the weight of a hand as it gripped his waist only stoked it further, causing him to roll his hips forward reflexively in order to lean into the touch. The movement resulted in a moan from the shifter as he angled his head to deepen the kiss. Sora repeated the action again, feeling satisfied in the back of his mind that he was having such an affect on the man below him. In a matter of seconds, the vampire pulled back as he reached up to the bandana on his head, his missing hat a fleeting thought that was buried when Riku reached up and stopped him with a hand to his wrist.
"Leave it..." he murmured, meeting the vampire's hazy blue eyes.
The tone in which he spoke made Sora's breath silently hitch in his throat. It was then that he noticed the swirling battle between the two shades of green he had become accustomed to. His hands flew up to remove his leather jacket, shrugging it off as he felt the shifter's fingers fumble with the the belt around his vest until it slid off. A growl of frustration was the only warning he had before Riku wriggled his fingers in the gaps of the buttons and jerked his hand roughly. He not only ripped open the vest, causing buttons to scatter across the floor, but the white button down shirt underneath it as well. Cool air hit Sora's skin for a brief moment until it was replaced by the heated warmth of eager hands.
As quickly as he could, and with what little concentration he could muster, he worked at the two buttons of the black suit jacket beneath him, successfully separating them before his hands were swept away. Riku removed the ruined clothing from the brunette's body with ease, tossing them aside before gripping the bared arms and changing their positions in a simple fluid movement. The cold contact of the floor against his bare back caused a breath to rush out of Sora. With the shifter now between his legs and the sly grin he saw slowly slide into place, he realized he was at the mercy of whatever Riku had planned.
A simple shift of his weight caused the swirling depths of green to reflect the moonlight trickling in through the window. Not only was Riku reacting to every move the brunette was making, but the wolf was, too. It should have filled Sora with fear; he knew the wolf only as a subject of feral danger up to this point. But it filled him with excitement and a fresh rush of heat to his libido when he thought of the shifter simply letting go of everything he had been holding back.
It wasn't until he felt the wet heat of Riku's mouth enveloping his right nipple that his chest heaved, releasing the breath he had been holding. His eyes fluttered shut as a moan tore from his throat. Sora felt that heat spread through his body quickly, increasing the sensitivity from the attention it was receiving. He had never felt this warm before.
He watched as Riku lead a trail down his abdomen in series of kisses and nips. When his tongue brushed against his skin just below his navel, Sora held on to the only thing that was stable as his body tensed. His fingers tightened in the silver locks when the hem of his pants slid over his waist and freed his aroused member. The brunette caught the predatory look in the shifter's eyes when he leaned down and took all of him into his mouth without hesitation, trailing his tongue along the entire length as he did. Sora threw his head back as another moan ripped from his mouth, feeling the firm grip of Riku's hand as he held his hip down to prevent him from bucking straight to the back of his throat.
More movement and the caress of cool air against more bared flesh was there and gone, chased away by the fingers that wrapped around his erection and moved in unison with Riku's mouth. Every muscle in the brunette's body coiled tightly, every nerve ending on edge wherever he felt the touch along his body, to the point where he felt his fangs descend - just like last time. It caught him off guard, and it wasn't until he felt a hand reach further below and apply a slick foreign pressure against the orifice there that Sora completely froze, sucking in a sharp breath. Riku flicked his tongue out at the tip of the brunette's member, ripping that breath from his throat.
"Relax."
Even as he said it, the shifter continued to slide a finger inside slowly, then two, moving and working the space inside until he could physically feel the body of the brunette slowly begin to settle. Sora could only watch as Riku lifted himself on his knees, fighting the urge to squirm under the scrutinizing emerald gaze. He was laid bare on the ground, his ragged breathing and random throaty noises cutting through the dull sound of the music coming from outside of the door. When Riku dropped his free hand down to his own pants and began removing them, Sora swallowed thickly before raising himself on his elbows.
"W-wait. The bed," he said as the words rushed out of his mouth faster than he counted on. Of course he was nervous, but he also had the sudden urge to take back the control he had started with.
A mild look of surprise crossed the shifter's face before he smirked and pulled his hands away to stand. Sora followed him and noticed that, instead of heading straight for the downy bed, he had went for the nightstand next to it. He didn't give him a chance to open the drawer. The brunette reached out and spun him around, shamelessly pushing himself against the taller man until he collapsed backward on the bed. Without giving him a single second to take over, Sora's hands worked at finishing what Riku had started. Once freed of clothing, he couldn't help but hesitate for a fraction of a second as intimidation hit him.
He shoved that feeling to the side, however, as he gripped the base of the shaft and slid the tip into his mouth, careful of his fangs. He heard the groan, louder than his own had been, as he felt a twitch in his mouth. Sora hummed at the reaction and Riku bit out a curse. His initial thought was to copy exactly what the shifter had done to him, but he found himself moving easily without much thought to it. A few times, he let his fangs scrape gently against the sensitive skin as he worked his tongue against the area just below the head, getting a pleasant reaction when he did. At the same time, he used his free hand to remove the shoes and slide his clothes the rest the way off until they fell onto the floor at his knees.
Only when his name was called out did Sora stop and lift his head, feeling breathless when he was pulled over the top of the shifter with rough hands. It happened quickly; as he straddled his waist once again, fingers bit into the skin of his waist and pulled him down roughly. Sora cried out loudly, at the same time as Riku let out a drawn out groan, as shock shot through his body. Neither of them moved for a moment, each of them concentrated on regulating their breathing. Sora was barely aware of his nails digging into the man's chest, but as the ebb of pain subsided, his hands began to relax.
The brunette was the first to move as he lifted his hips slowly and held his balance with his knees without much effort. Riku met his movement, thrusting his hips upward as Sora came down, finding a slow steady rhythm together until whatever pain was left had melted into tingles of electrifying pleasure. His jaw clenched when he felt a hand travel from his hip and upward past his abdomen until his still-sensitive nipples were given attention. It only made Sora want to move faster, to come down harder to bury the shifter inside of him so he could feel that shiver of bliss crawl up his spine. Just as he was getting used to the position, the shifter easily lifted him and shoved him back against the wall before he repositioned himself and buried himself deeply in the brunette's body . Sora's body jolted as a mind-numbing shock shot up his spine, a feeling so intense that he leaned forward with a ragged whimper and sank his fangs right into the curve of the shifter's shoulder. Sora expected him to wheel back in revulsion and spite once he realized what he had done, but it only spurred a faster and harder pace from the man, eliciting sounds the brunette didn't even know he himself could make.
The salty bite of sweat mixed with the coppery taste of the blood as Sora lapped at the light trickle escaping the bite wounds. Something kept him from closing the wounds, as if it was a way to mark the shifter - as if he claimed him. Sora smacked his head back against the wall when he felt the hand of the shifter begin to pump his hardened erection, swiftly bringing him close to a climax. He let out a shuddered moan when his body and mind entered the state of euphoria he had craved. Soon after, Riku followed, his rough breathing muffled as he buried his face against the dampened brown locks that had been freed during their tussle.
Neither of them went to move as the sound of their breathing mingled in the near silence of the room. He tightened his hold briefly on the steady shoulders under his hands as his head spun until they slowly extracted themselves from each other. While Riku moved over to the side with the nightstand, Sora felt himself simply sink down into the comfort where he was. His mind was still choked with the rush of ecstasy and adrenaline, but as it began to ebb away, exhaustion took its place. Within minutes, completely relaxed and his energy spent, the brunette's breathing had evened as his eyes closed on their own and dragged him into an undisturbed sleep.
He woke hours later. A thin stream of sunlight at the end of the bed alerted Sora, when his eyes cracked open, that the night had passed and it was well into the morning - possibly afternoon. When the light fog of sleep lifted, bringing back every second of the previous night, his eyes flew open. Shifting in the bed, the sudden dull ache of his body stilled his movements. It wasn't like when he practiced combat with Vincent. No, this was nearly in every muscle of his body. The brunette quietly laid back into the bed, the cool shift of the comforter on his chest making him realize that he had been covered at some point.
This hadn't been like the other time, where they were under the influence - it was still the only reason he clung to that explained their actions. Unless the punch had been heavily spiked, Riku and himself had simply acted on their impulses. It had felt mutual, which led him to believe that, maybe, the shifter hadn't been avoiding him out of anger at all.
It wasn't a mistake...
"Of course it wasn't." He felt as if he jumped a foot in the air as Riku's voice broke the silence of the room. He could have sworn it was just a thought, but the fact he had said it aloud slapped him in the face and left him dumbfounded.
Sora looked over at the man beside him and wondered: why was he so nervous compared to the calm and relaxed demeanor of the shifter? He groaned as he came up with nothing for answer and pulled the blanket over his head as he nestled himself into the downy feather mattress. Riku chuckled as the comforter settled over the brunette's body and the bed dipped from his weight when he reached over. He slid his fingers over Sora's abdomen, instantly feeling the heat rise beneath his touch when the muffled hitch of breath came from underneath the cover.
Riku's thumb feathered over his navel, extracting the beginning of a moan. It was cut off quickly as a knock sounded at the door, followed by the creak of the hinges when it was opened. When the shifter glanced calmly over his shoulder, the blanket moved beside him as Sora suddenly poked his head from underneath. Both of them saw Namine standing in the doorway with a rather familiar pirate hat in her hands. Two heads appeared on either side of her shoulders as the blonde took in the state of the room quickly. The scattered remains of clothing leading to the bed caused her eyes to widen for a moment, even going as far as to raise the hat to obstruct her vision.
"That's not fair.." Kairi said in a dismayed tone as Xion dejectedly said "All the hot ones get taken..."
"Get the hell out of my room. There's a thing called privacy," growled Riku as he sat up, uncaring that two of the girls simply stared at his bared chest.
"Yes, there is. But there's also the act of locking your door," replied Namine, lowering the hat to pin her eyes on the shifter. Sora had already disappeared under the covers again. A muffled slap sounded as fabric moved slightly, followed by quiet curses and a slight smirk on the shifter's face. A faint pink was coloring her cheeks lightly, but she didn't raise the hat again. "And I won't leave until you guys agree to get up and come outside with the rest of us. It's the last day before classes, so we want to make the most of it."
"I think they already did," whispered Xion, who produced a yelp when the blonde swatted the hat at her face. Riku hummed at the request.
"Fine. But give us... a minute. We have to get dressed."
Namine tossed the hat inside before closing the door, effectively cutting off anything the other two witches were going to say. Once gone, the two leapt into action. Sora headed straight for the shower after snatching up the fitted jeans from the floor, ignoring the ripped remains of the black shirt. Now that the bandana had been removed, the enchantment on his clothes had disappeared. As the water ran over him from the shower head, cleaning away the dried bodily fluids, he breathed a sigh of relief when he didn't hear Riku follow him.
The respite, however, was shortly lived when the door opened and the shifter stepped under the water with him without hesitation. Sora backed himself into the wall, his first mistake.
"What are you doing in here?" he blurted, having half a mind to cross his arms over his chest. He wasn't sure why, especially after what transpired between them already. There was nothing on his body that the shifter hadn't seen now.
When Riku stepped forward and reached out a hand past his head, Sora immediately threw his hands up in reaction. The chest beneath his palms moved steadily, the rhythm slowing as the seconds passed by. It wasn't until he felt something brush against the back of his neck, causing a shiver down his spine, that he lifted his eyes and looked at the shifter's face. His second mistake.
Even as his heart thumped wildly in his chest, Sora didn't move as the silverette leaned toward him and claimed his mouth. It was softer and gentler than it had been the previous times, almost as if Riku was testing the brunette's willingness. Sora knew it wasn't a fluke at this point; he was drawn to the man before him. Apparently, it seemed like it was the same for the shifter.
"Getting clean." The words Riku muttered were low and husky, and hinted to everything but the act of washing. Fingers curled into the brown locks and pulled gently until the brunette's head was tilted back and his lips just barely parted. The shifter moved forward and continued what he had started. Once the spark of desire had been ignited in Sora, there was no hesitation and no clouds of doubt. It was purely chemistry this time. What was supposed to be a quick ten minute shower turned into nearly an hour long.
When they finally emerged from 17B and headed into the foyer, a group of six waited for them. He was wearing his jeans and a borrowed shirt that hung a bit loosely over his smaller build, whereas Riku had chosen simple cargo shorts and a shirt that hung openly around his collarbone. The brunette had noticed the two puncture wounds, already on their way to healing, that sometimes peeked out under the fabric and wondered if he was trying to show everyone. A few looks were exchanged as they got closer, but not a word was spoken to Sora's relief.
Until Axel opened his mouth.
"It's basically a Walk of Shame. You owe me twenty bucks," he said, bumping Roxas' shoulder with his hand.
"It is not. They're walking together. And he's wearing his shirt. You owe me twenty," he rebuked haughtily as he crossed his arms over his chest.
"As if! He's embarrassed! Just like you were for the first few weeks."
"Because you wouldn't walk me back to my room, you twat. Of course I was embarrassed," Roxas hissed vehemently.
Before Axel could reply back with his witty remark, Riku had stepped behind him and grabbed his arm, yanking it hard in an upward position. A yelp resounded through the nearly empty foyer, turning the heads of the few people who were walking through.
"If you value any part of your body, you'll just shut your damn mouth and pretend there's nothing to talk about."
Namine linked her arm with Sora and led him through the giant double door entrance to the outside while the minor altercation subsided. The brunette glanced over his shoulder at Riku, but the shifter didn't seem to be phased by it one bit since he was too busy handling Axel.
"Okay, so I did as Ven asked and I waited. I can't wait to tell you this. It could be a major breakthrough," she said with excitement, her hands moving animatedly as she spoke. He felt his body pulled to the right as she walked and, once he realized they were headed toward the waterfall and the hill, began walking more comfortably next to the blonde. "Remember how he explained the Terran Genomes?"
"Um, sort of. They were weapons of destruction?" he replied, his mind still muddled from the extraneous activities of the night.
"Well, not that part. How they were a man-made race. Humans had to create a type of vessel to inject the artificial intelligence into. They're... real enough, at least. They can't consummate or have children, though. And some of them sort of seem more like an A.I. than a real being," she explained.
"So, what does this have to do with anything? What does it have to do with me?" Sora asked slowly. Namine took a long breath.
"I've studied the drawings that I made, the ones for the vision, and I remember some parts that I didn't draw. Everyone in this group makes it to that rooftop. Except you. You are no where to be found, and the only theory I can come up with is that, somehow, that demon possesses you. That's why he looks like you." Namine paused as she brought a hand to her head, exasperation clouding her features. "I just don't understand how you're seeing him. I don't know any demons who can only show themselves to one person, or even over a long distance. We're missing something."
As they crested the hill, the witch stopped and faced him, lost in her thoughts. Ventus came into Sora's view just over the girl's shoulder, locking eyes with him and understanding immediately what he was thinking. They were the only two that knew the truth, as the brunette hadn't told them the whole truth of his situation. As quick as the thought had come to his mind, he opened his mouth. But Ventus was quicker with his words.
"What she's failing to inform you of is that we have people at the Radiant Garden research lab, thanks to Ienzo, figuring out a way to make a replica body, but it's going to be more than a simple vessel. It'll have the capacity to basically house a soul. So when the demon does possess you, we can attempt to extract him out without causing you harm. The problem is, we haven't figured out how to do that yet."
Sora released a breath as he realized the the nightmare walker was covering up the fact that Vanitas was already inside of him, a part of him. Was he hoping that it would simply be a waiting game? All they had to do was keep Vanitas passive long enough to figure out a way to pull him out. It sounded simple, but as he had warned Ventus before, the demon was a loose cannon. Anything could happen at any moment.
"Not only that, we don't know when it's going to happen. It could be tomorrow or months from now," she said sullenly as she pulled her arm from his. Sora glanced over as the rest of the group sat, their laughs and yells reaching toward them like an invitation to forget what they were talking about.
"Who's Ienzo, anyway?" he asked, returning his attention to Namine and Ventus.
"Remember how I said there were two chimeras here? Ienzo is the second one. He was born and raised in Radiant Garden. Because of his level of intelligence and his...rarity, he was recruited by Ansem at a young age. Since then, he's been a part of that team. The Headmaster brought him up to speed on the situation and he reached out to his mentor for help," explained Ven.
"He goes between here and Radiant Garden a bit, so you haven't been able to see him, probably. But he's really nice, even if he is the quiet type. But if you see a guy, maybe around your height, with silvery blue hair covering his face, that's him." Namine patted Sora on the arm as she noticed the passive look on the brunette's face. "Well, you're up to speed now. I figured it would cheer you up, but...maybe not?"
"No, yeah. It's just a lot to take in. I appreciate it, Namine. You're a really good friend," Sora said quickly, giving her a brief smile. She waited another minute before heading over to the others and taking her spot among them. Ventus lingered, however, his arms crossed over his chest.
"I should tell them, Ven. It could end up hurting us in the end."
"No. I've talked to him twice now, and if I just play my cards right, I should have something here soon," the blonde replied sharply, drawing a confused look from Sora.
"Twice?" he asked, thinking for a second before shooting a look toward the blonde. "Yesterday?"
"Yeah. Don't you see these things when you get your control back?" Sora furrowed his brows and dropped his gaze down to his feet, his mind suddenly troubled.
"He's learned to block me out from that time I was talking to you in Twilight Town. Shit..."
"Do you think he knows what I've been trying to do, then?" Ventus asked, shifting his feet as he turned toward Sora. Panic was in his voice, but Sora heard him release a breath when he shook his head.
"No, I made sure that part of the conversation was tucked away. I just didn't go back far enough. If anything, he at least knows that I'm trying to hide something. Better than both of us, though, but you should be careful. What happened yesterday?"
"Not a lot. I ran into him in the forest. We had a little sparring match and he mentioned something about being trapped in hell for a thousand years before you. He explained how demons are created. Nothing that would really help us."
"You guys fought?! Ventus, what the hell!"
"It wasn't like that. It was more like... I don't know, fun and games. Good-natured stuff. Nobody got hurt," Ven said, holding his hands up. Sora glared at the blonde.
"There's nothing 'good-natured' about a demon. He's planning something, so don't let your guard down. Even if he acts friendly, there's a motive behind it," the brunette hissed quietly, so as not to draw attention. Ventus only dropped his hands and sighed loudly.
"Whatever you say, Sora. Trust me when I say I got this. I'm not easily fooled, you know."
Ventus walked away, leaving Sora to stand and mull over his thoughts. He had to remind himself to keep his faith and trust in the few friends that he had, but something didn't settle right with him. His gut twisted with worry the more he thought about it. With Vanitas now blocking him mentally, he could only assume that something wasn't right. He only hoped Ventus was right.
