Kingdom Hearts: Slave of Love Revised

Ch.12 Riku Appears

Sora stretched his arms over his head, stifling a yawn as his half-closed eyes followed after Kairi. The redhead led the way towards town quite energetically, something that mildly annoyed him since he wasn't a morning person. People had called him lazy for sleeping too much and he never corrected them, he loved sleep and when he didn't get enough he turned into some kind of zombie that just followed whoever was in front of him.

This time it was Kairi he was following and, in his level of tiredness, only managed to find out that she was going on an errand for her brother. He didn't know where they were going exactly but he didn't put up a fight, having enough sense to be nice to Kairi since she had given him a place to sleep.

'A really comfy place to sleep…' he thought to himself with a dreamy sigh.

Kairi glanced behind her after hearing the sigh to see Sora smiling dreamily with his eyes closed. "Maybe we didn't have to leave so early…" she trailed off while Sora mumbled something.

The rest of the way remained pretty much the same, Kairi leading the way while Sora did his best to follow after her with his eyes half-closed. He had stumbled a few times but they finally made it to town and more importantly, the shop that had Leon's package. She didn't know what the package was but seeing as he had helped her out, it wouldn't do any harm to repay the favor.

Kairi and Sora approached the blue-stone shop that sported a sign that read 'Merlin's' above the entrance. Though her brother had taken her there a few times before, she never really knew what exactly the old man at the shop sold. They were always there for a few minutes and she couldn't see anything but strange old-looking things. In the end she guessed that the place was an antique shop but that couldn't be right as Leon wasn't an old-fashioned kind of person.

"Ah, Ms. Kairi. I suppose you're here for Leon's purchase," an old man with a long white beard greeted the redhead and her companion as soon as they entered his shop.

Kairi smiled politely, "Yeah, I'm not really sure what the package is but-"

"Whoa! Are you some kind of old and wise wizard?"

Kairi froze after hearing Sora's exited voice, she quickly turned to glare at him, "You can't talk to Merlin like that."

"It's no problem," Merlin chuckled as he looked at Sora in curiosity, "And who might you be boy?"

Sora grinned, all signs of sleep gone from his face as he leaned over the counter in excitement. "I'm Sora," he introduced before looking around the shop in wonder, "So, do you sell magic stuff?"

Merlin stroked his beard in thought just as Kairi pushed Sora away from the counter and looked at him apologetically. "Sorry about that," she looked back at her companion and gave him a glare, making him stiffen before she turned back to Merlin, "Can I just have the package? We really have to get going."

"Of course, I'm sorry about keeping you here," Merlin reached under the counter and took out a brown box, "This is it right here, make sure to tell him that we're running low."

"Will do," Kairi nodded as she made her way to the door with Sora following behind her.

"Wait up Sora," Merlin called out.

Sora looked back at the old man just in time to catch a small box he had thrown his way, "W-What?"

Merlin smiled, "Just a gift from an old and wise wizard."

The teen only nodded in response and followed after Kairi, who had already gotten out of the shop. Once stepping outside, he instantly stiffened when seeing the way Kairi was glaring at him.

"Did I do something wrong?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "Next time we go somewhere, please behave yourself. You can't just call an old guy 'old' just like that."

"Yeah, that came out before I could help it," he admitted in slight embarrassment before holding out the small box on his hand, "But look at this. He couldn't have been all that mad it he gave it to me, right?"

"What's that?" Kairi asked in wonder, her anger gone.

He shrugged in response and opened the box with an exited look on his face. "Huh?" A lion shaped keychain was in the box much to his puzzlement, "Why would I need this?"

"I'm not sure, but let's get going for now," she responded, "Leon didn't say when he would be coming to pick this thing up so we should stay in the school and wait for him."

"Right," he nodded as Kairi led the way down the street leading directly into the long dirt path that would take them back to school. "Why couldn't your brother come get this by himself anyway?" Sora placed his hands behind his head, "Merlin's is way closer to where he is, right?"

Kairi shook her head, "Leon is sometimes moved to the other gates. There's also times when he's sent to places outside of here." She smiled to herself when seeing the wistful look on Sora's face, "Is that something you want to do?"

"Hm?"

"Travel around the world," she answered as she gazed at the sky, "I really want to do it one day, get out of Radiant Garden and visit all sorts of places."

Sora grinned. "I want that too. There's all kinds of people in Hollow Bastion and I met a lot of travelers there," he paused before his eyes lit up in excitement, "Did you know that there's a place completely dedicated to Halloween?"

Kairi laughed at this, "You can't expect that to be true. It'd be too weird."

"No way, I heard it from a reliable source!"

She quirked an eyebrow, "Who?"

Sora smiled, "This old man that sold stuff in the market. He even told me that he saw a mermaid once."

"Now I know you're lying," Kairi rolled her eyes and pressed forward, leaving a frowning Sora behind.

"Hey! It's the truth!" He chased after her but was forced to come to an abrupt halt in order to avoid bumping into Kairi who had stopped walking, "What's wrong?"

Sora looked at the girl oddly before following her gaze and spotting a teen with silver hair standing on top of a small hill. He looked at the teen in confusion, the guy's arms were crossed and he had this annoying smirk on his face.

"Riku, one of the top students of our school and the son of Sephiroth," Kairi stated after seeing the confused look on Sora's face. Her eyes narrowed in obvious distaste, "What is someone like you doing here?"

Riku smirked in response, throwing a nod in Sora's direction, "This filthy slave attacked my own." Kairi tensed up at the accusation, already knowing full well just what Riku was planning. "I don't take well to having my things damaged, even if I've already gotten rid of it," he turned his gaze to Sora, "I'm going to put you in your place."

Kairi knew they were in trouble. Riku wasn't at the top of their school just because of his family's name. He was known as the best combatant in the whole school who didn't show mercy to anyone that crossed his path.

"Look Riku, there doesn't have to be any trouble – "

"Who do you think you are?" Sora interrupted with a glare.

Kairi's eyes widened in disbelief as she turned to face Sora, "Don't say anything idiot! You don't know who you're messing with!"

The comment only seemed to edge Sora further as he raised his right arm and pointed the palm of his hand at Riku. "It doesn't matter who he is… I can't just sit by and let him talk to me that way," the keyblade appeared with a flash of white light on his hand, drawing an amused smirk from Riku, "You better be ready, because here I come!"

Riku summoned his own keyblade, a black one with the blade resembling a bat's wing, and held it at his side calmly, "Then come."

Infuriated, Sora charged in at Riku.

"Sora!"

He ignored Kairi's screams and leapt at Riku, swinging at his left side but being blocked almost instantly. His eyes narrowed as he reversed the grip on the blade and swung it upwards but his opponent only smirked and sidestepped the swing, leaving Sora completely open. Riku took this chance and slashed at Sora's left arm, making a deep cut on his forearm before kicking at his chest, knocking him back with a grunt.

"Is that all you've got slave?" Riku taunted.

Sora gritted his teeth and jumped to his feet, "Shut up!"

Kairi watched from the sidelines in worry. Sora was way out of his league, he'd only gotten his keyblade yesterday; there was no way he could win, which is why she wouldn't let him fight alone. They were friends now and what kind of friend would she be if she stood by while he was hurt.

With that in mind she drew her wand and joined the fight, casting a wind spell to push Riku away from Sora, completely catching both by surprise.

"What are you doing?" Sora demanded almost instantly.

Kairi grinned and stood by his side, "Helping you of course." He prepared to argue but she spoke before he could, "There's no way I'm letting you do this by yourself. It's either this or no fighting at all."

He still didn't think it was safe but decided to shut his mouth and give her a firm nod.

"I should've known you'd join in, Ansem's daughter," Riku glared at the two, "Don't think you'll catch me off guard again. That was a once in a lifetime hit."

Sora's grip on the keyblade tightened before he felt it again, the same energy radiating from the keyblade the first time he had gotten it. The energy flowed into him, making him relax his stance and loosen the grip on the blade. He shook his head and turned back to Riku, confident in the fact that he would have the keyblade helping him again.

With a new sense of determination, Sora broke into a run towards Riku, with Kairi behind him getting ready to attack as well. He couldn't help but grin as he drew closer to the arrogant teen, he didn't know where this sudden rush came from but he would be using it to his advantage.

Riku lashed out with his blade as soon as Sora was close enough but, much to his shock, the slave rolled under his swing and came to a halt right behind him. Not one to be underestimated, Riku quickly spun on his heels while slashing towards the annoying slave but this time he ducked under the swing before he pushed upwards and landed a solid head-butt on his face. Tears welled up in Riku's eyes from being hit in his now bloody nose but he quickly blinked them away and leapt away from the slave's incoming slash, unknowingly heading straight into a blast of wind, courtesy of Kairi, which met its mark and knocked him back several feet.

"Once in a lifetime hit, huh?" Sora couldn't help but quip with a grin, making Kairi sigh and move to stand next to him.

"You'll pay for this…" Riku growled as he rose from the ground, bringing a hand to his bloody nose and wiping some of it away.

"Sora, try to keep him occupied for as long as you can. I think I can probably hit him with a spell to give us an opening to escape," Kairi instructed.

Sora nodded before breaking into a run once again. Riku gritted his teeth and charged in at the rushing slave, using his momentum to swing as hard as he could just as Sora did the same, resulting in a powerful collision between the two blades. The two teens were in a deadlock, their blades grinding against the other and emitting a few sparks. Riku firmly planted both feet on the ground and eased the pressure on Sora's keyblade which instantly broke through the deadlock but, with Riku being prepared, he quickly lashed out with a swing that caught Sora in the torso.

Sora fell on his back, his keyblade disappearing as he clutched his chest in pain. Blood flowed freely out of the wound and, if that wasn't enough, his whole body began to numb in pain.

"Now to end this," Riku smirked as he approached the fallen Sora.

"Wind!"

Riku was completely blindsided as a powerful torrent of wind struck his chest directly, making him cry out in pain as he was blown several feet away before he finally crashed on the ground in a painful thud.

"Sora!" Kairi cried out as she ran to her fallen friend. She knelt beside him and checked on his wound in an obvious state of panic. "Oh no! Oh no! Sora, you..." Her hands trembled when she realized that she couldn't do anything. Healing spells were far beyond her capabilities which meant that she couldn't ease his pain. She couldn't just go get help either since Riku could get up and hurt Sora again.

She bit her quivering lip as she could only watched helplessly as Sora's eyes shut and blood continued to flow out of his chest.

"Sora… I can't –"

"What's going on here?"

Her eyes widened in surprise as she turned around to see none other than Cloud, her brother's friend.

"Please help Sora!" Kairi instantly cried out, "He's losing a lot of blood! Please help!"

"Okay, just calm down," Cloud moved to kneel before the bleeding teen. The wound on his chest, though messy, wasn't too deep and would heal with a simple spell. "Heal," he muttered as a green glow emitted from his hands and enveloped Sora's chest, closing the wound instantly. Cloud checked on the wound, just to make sure it closed okay, before nodding at his work and giving Kairi an affirmative smile. "There, that should do it. He's lost a bit of blood but he'll be back to normal in no time."

Kairi nodded in reply but kept her eyes focused on Sora's still form. Tears stung her eyes, hands balling into fists.

It'd all been her fault. If only she'd been stronger then she could've healed Sora herself instead of letting him faint on the ground. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt at all if she had just been a little more helpful during their fight.

"What about him?"

Cloud's voice startled Kairi, having been too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice him. She frowned when seeing that Cloud was referring to Riku, who was kneeling with a hand on his chest.

"He attacked us, I don't care what happens to him," Kairi replied coldly before her eyes settled back on Sora. "Do you think you could help me take him home? I won't be able to carry him all the way there."

"No problem," Cloud assured before turning to Riku and frowning, "You're Sephiroth's son, aren't you?"

Riku scoffed, "What of it?"

"Just stay away from them, you got that?"

Riku glared at the officer. "I don't take orders from you," he rose to his feet and turned away from the group but not before adding, "Tell your slave not to get too comfortable. No matter where he hides, I will find him and make him pay."

With that Riku left, leaving Kairi and Cloud looking after Sora's unconscious form.

Despite Cloud reassuring her that Sora would be okay, Kairi couldn't help but worry about him. It was almost dark out and Sora had been unconscious on her bed ever since Cloud brought him in. His torso had been bandaged and he looked relatively healthy but she wouldn't stop worrying until he woke up.

It was all Riku's fault, Kairi decided with a frown. She'd heard about him before from other students, he was known to be prideful and stubborn, making a dangerous combination with his strength and intelligence. It wouldn't be the last they would see of him, she was sure of that, but she didn't think that they'd be able to get away again.

One thing was for certain though, she promised herself to work harder in learning more magic spells. Instead of focusing all her time on history and other subjects, she would go out of her way to master her magic. That way she wouldn't allow Sora, or any other of her friends to get hurt.

At the thought of Sora she looked down to him in sadness. Why couldn't he just wake up? Cloud said he was okay. Why was the idiot making her worry so much by staying unconscious?

And most importantly…

Why was Sora having such an effect on her?

Aqua rested against the back of her chair, her expression one of tiredness. She'd been working nonstop ever since she found out that Sora had been taken into Radiant Garden. Roxas had been adamant in getting him back and had even gathered all of their friends, as well as a good amount of munny. There was no doubt that Roxas been serious and while she didn't want him to go, another part of him wanted him to.

Sora was very important to her, she'd been looking after him for so long that it was as if he'd always been with her. His disappearance made her feel as if part of her was missing, she couldn't rest until he was back home. Her days were filled with worry because she, like many others in Hollow Bastion, had heard rumors about what they did to prisoners.

"Please be okay," she glanced outside her window, looking at the moon wistfully, "We'll get you home soon."

'Where am I?'

It was Sora's first thought as he opened his eyes. A bit of panic swelled in his chest when remembering that he'd last been outside in the middle of the day and was now in a dark room.

He sat up slowly, wincing as a stabbing pain throbbed on his chest. His eyes closed as he took in a short breath, trying to calm himself before glancing to his side to see Kairi sleeping on a chair next to the bed he was in, her head resting on a pillow near his arm.

He smiled wearily, not exactly knowing what happened but touched that Kairi was worried about him. "Good night…" he muttered quietly as he laid back down on the bed and closed his eyes, just now realizing how tired he was.

Ch.12 End