Battle Stance, a Kingdom Hearts fanwork: Armory Challenge by RoseOfADifferentColor, written by Raberba girl
The Next Life: Rejection of Fate (theme 73) [rough draft]
PART 1
Summary: Riku and his young replica will make a good family - once they figure out how to stop driving each other crazy.
o.o.o
"HAH!" A black-clad, silver-haired figure dropped out of a tree and straight into Riku's path.
Riku wordlessly side-stepped him and continued marching up to the house.
"OI! Riku!"
"Hello," Riku said brusquely as he shoved open the front door.
"Where are you going?!" Kadaj yelled, forced to run after his younger brother.
"Kadaj, we don't have to fight every time we see each other."
"You have to fight if I say you have to, and I'm saying you have to! I'm bored!"
"I'm not here to entertain you."
Kadaj impatiently swung at him, and Riku reached up without even looking, Keyblade materializing in his hand to block the strike. "Kadaj, I'm serious. I am not in the mood to play with you."
"What's your problem?" Kadaj shouted.
Loz came bounding in from the backyard. "Is Riku here?" he asked eagerly.
"Yeah, but he's being STUPID," Kadaj pouted.
Ignoring them, Riku climbed up the stairs, passing Yazoo, who had curiously poked his head out of his bedroom. "You're back, Riku."
"Not for long."
All three of the triplets froze. Then Kadaj and Loz rushed to catch up with their brother, and Yazoo came out of his room to follow.
Riku was moving around his own room, shoving things into his backpack and into the suitcase he'd dragged out from under his bed. 'Forget clothes and toiletries, I can just buy new ones or borrow from Sora. Don't need anymore school crap since I'm taking the HSE exam instead, though I need to at least return the textbooks from sophomore year...' Most of it was the few sentimental items he still cared about and which his brothers hadn't destroyed, a few old CDs, games, and figures that were now difficult to find at reasonable prices, the few photographs he owned, and a few necessities that did fit.
"What do you mean, 'not for long'?" Kadaj was demanding.
"Are you leaving?!" Loz cried in alarm.
"Yeah. I'm moving out."
"Whaaaaat?!" Kadaj and Loz shrieked.
"Why?" Yazoo asked. Though his tone was casual, his eyes were fixed on Riku, intently following his every move.
"Because I'm 17 years old and ready to leave home. What other reason do I need?" Riku snapped. He flung the backpack over one shoulder, picked up the suitcase, and pushed past his brothers.
In the bathroom, he started shoving things like toilet paper and first aid items into the backpack. If Dawn somehow got into trouble before Riku could go shopping, these were the things he'd probably need most.
"You're not supposed to leave!" Kadaj yelled. "Now that you're grown up, you're supposed to HELP!"
"I'm not interested."
"Something happened," Yazoo said shrewdly. "You weren't like this when you came home from the war. What is it that you're willing to defy Mother for?"
"It's none of your business." Riku tried to shove past them again, but Kadaj seized him in a chokehold and Loz gripped his arms and Yazoo pointed a gun at his chest.
"You're not leaving," Kadaj hissed. "You're not allowed to leave."
'Which is why I can't stand it here,' Riku thought. He abruptly shoved back against Kadaj, bracing himself so he could kick the weapon out of Yazoo's hand. Kadaj yelled and dropped him, but Riku was expecting that. He twisted his arms out of Loz's grip, simultaneously falling even father, too low for Kadaj's swinging sword to make contact and low enough to swipe his leg to the side and knock Kadaj's feet out from under him. He surged up again to jab an elbow into Yazoo's throat, summoning his Keyblade at the same time so that he was able to smash the tip of it into Loz's face before Loz could complete his punch. Then he dealt a few more strikes with the Keyblade, to incapacitate his brothers while they were still reeling and couldn't defend themselves.
When all three were either unconscious or groaning, showing no sign of getting up soon, Riku dismissed his weapon. He picked up his luggage again and walked out.
"Were you boys fighting again?" his mother called irritably from the study as Riku stalked into the kitchen.
"Yes." Riku packed a few snacks for Dawn, again as an emergency stash in case something happened before he could shop.
"You come home and don't even have the respect to greet your mother?" Jenova snapped.
Riku stalked into the study. "Hello, Mother." He knelt, but not at her feet as she seemed to have expected. It was so he could reach the lowest file cabinet drawer, which was locked.
"What are you doing?" she demanded.
"I need my records."
Riku summoned his Keyblade again and pointed it at the lock. There was a clacking sound of release.
His mother seized a fistful of his hair. "I don't like this attitude of yours, Riku."
"With all due respect, I don't like yours, either." Even with his head captured at an uncomfortable angle, Riku managed to get the drawer open, pull out the folder with his name on the tab, and slip it into the outside pocket of his suitcase.
"I am getting angry," she hissed.
"I've been angry for a really long time." Riku slipped a knife from a hidden sheath and swept it by his head.
She let go with a gasp, as locks of severed silvery hair dropped to the ground. "Are you trying to cut my fingers off?!"
"I'm trying to cut off my hair." Even the suggestion was enough to elicit a pained hiss from her. "I don't appreciate you using it to jerk me around," Riku continued as he kept slicing away, rapidly shortening his hair until there were no longer any strands long enough to grasp hold of. "But if I happen to catch some of your fingers in the process, I could care less."
Jenova rose to her feet, eyes flashing, her hair beginning to drift ominously around her like tentacles.
Riku sheathed his knife, grabbed his bags again, and walked out as if he hadn't even noticed.
Sephiroth stood in the living room, regarding Riku silently, blocking his way to the door.
The triplets were dragging themselves down the stairs. "Father! Mother!"
"Riku's-!"
"WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR?!"
Riku did a double-take - it was so rare for Yazoo to lose his composure at all, but he now looked almost hysterical with horror as he stared at Riku's shorn head.
"What is the meaning of this," Sephiroth asked, with absolutely no expression. It was anyone's guess as to whether he was angry, approving, or indifferent.
Even Riku couldn't treat the imposing figure rudely. He swallowed and said in a quiet voice, "I cut my hair to show that I'm cutting ties to this family. I am not one of you." There was a pause. Then Riku tried to move closer to the door.
Masamune was thrust across his path, bringing Riku to a halt. He kept his eyes on the blade barring his way to freedom, as Jenova's long silken hair came curling around his limbs and neck, tightening, holding him fast. Kadaj bounded over to seize his arm possessively, and Loz came and held Riku's other hand, fixing anxious eyes on him. Yazoo leaned against Riku's back and wept softly, fingers moving delicately across the pitifully short strands, grieving over Riku's lost hair as if it was a dead pet kitten.
Held prisoner by every single member of his family, Riku glared at Sephiroth, trying to convey the depth of his resentment and frustration. 'I WILL be free, but it's up to you to decide how much damage I'll cause on my way out.'
"What is it that's become so precious to you?" Sephiroth asked.
"You expect me to tell you, so that you can go crush it?" 'I'll kill you before I let you touch Dawn.'
"I expect you to tell me while you still have the capability of doing so."
The hair around Riku's throat tightened further, making it hard to breathe.
"Mother," Loz said in alarm.
"Better talk, Ri," Kadaj advised, his tone gleeful but his expression agitated.
"I will make sure," Riku gasped out, "that he'll never have to grow up the way I did."
"Who?" Loz demanded.
Riku struggled to get the words through his constricted throat. "My...little...brother."
The hair slackened, and there was another pause. "No!" Kadaj suddenly shouted. "No! No! You're the youngest, weakest one, you're the little brother, you're not supposed to have-! You're not allowed-!"
Riku cast Firaga. A ring of flames burst out to encircle him, and Jenova screamed as the house filled with the odor of burnt hair. Kadaj, distracted by the fire, didn't see Riku's punch coming in time. Yazoo listlessly stumbled backward when Riku shoved him, showing no interest in fighting. Loz watched in distress as Riku dodged the wave of hair their mother shot at him and charged straight at her with his Keyblade. Jenova was ill-suited for fighting in close quarters, and was hampered by focusing so much on protecting her hair, which Riku deliberately targeted in order to prevent her from attacking with it. He managed to get in a couple of hits by multi-tasking at every opportunity, but then he was alerted by Kadaj's yelling, and avoided his brother's attack just in time.
Now it was mostly a matter of fighting Kadaj while dodging Jenova's hair; he didn't have attention to spare for any other opponents, and was therefore glad that Loz and Yazoo weren't participating. Sephiroth, though...
Riku, in flipping out of range of Kadaj's sword, found himself landing in a crouch at his father's feet. For an instant, their eyes met - Riku with his blood roaring in the heat of battle, Sephiroth impassive, choosing his moment. 'I'm dead,' Riku thought. Then he had to Dodge Roll away from another attack and focus again.
Half a minute later, Kadaj was screeching in pain, and Jenova was on the verge of defeat. Her desperate, wrathful cry seemed to drive Riku on as he leaped to deliver a crippling blow.
Before he could descend, Masamune pierced straight through his abdomen, jabbing into the ceiling. Riku screamed, instinctively dropping his weapon and seizing the blade that impaled him, cutting his hands as he tried to stop himself from falling any further down the length of it and injuring himself even more. There was a pause. "Father," Riku sobbed in agony, arms trembling from the strain.
Sephiroth jerked the sword free and flicked his wrist, sending Riku flying across the room. Riku crashed into the wall and passed out for a second. The next thing he knew, Loz was cradling him, begging, "Riku, stop, just stop, stay with us, you know you can't escape, just be good and don't get hurt anymore..."
Riku, fingers slick with blood, struggled to get out an Elixir. Loz gently took it away. Riku bit him so viciously that the bottle dropped to the floor. He seized it again and dragged it to his mouth to gulp desperately at the dregs still left inside, groaning in pain as he forced himself to roll over. His worst wound landed directly on the pool of Elixir that had spilled, and he gasped in relief as healing and renewed strength started to rush through him. He was struggling to get his hands and knees under him in order to get back to his feet, when Masamune came slashing through his abdomen again. Riku screamed in almost as much frustration and outrage as pain.
"How many Elixirs do you have left, Riku?" Sephiroth asked conversationally.
"As many as it takes," Riku hissed through gritted teeth.
Kadaj flung himself to his knees beside him and, unable to grab his hair anymore, pressed a hand against the back of his neck to hold him down. "Give up. Give up. You can't beat us. You belong here, why don't you get that?!"
'Dawn. Sora. Kairi.' Had to remind himself why he was doing this, why he couldn't just take the easy way. 'Help me.' It was such a struggle to speak. "I...will never...belong here...and neither...will he." Riku allowed himself to collapse in the pool of his own blood, which began gushing out in earnest when Masamune was removed. Kadaj let go of him to help Loz dig through his pockets, removing all the healing Items. An egg-shaped Item they weren't familiar with got tossed aside, rolling almost right into Riku's palm. He grasped it, squeezed until it popped open, and licked up as much of the ice cream as he could reach.
His brothers yelled in surprise and jerked away when six crystal swords burst from Riku's back like wings. Riku seized two of the blades and jabbed them into the ground, using them to brace himself as he climbed to his feet. He stood, unsteady but upright, glaring straight at his father, blood splashed on the wall behind him and pooling at his feet and still streaming from his wounds.
Sephiroth surveyed his youngest son for a moment. Then he turned away. "Continuing this battle is meaningless. We have no use for one so weak."
Everyone stared at him.
"You can't be serious!"
"Father?"
"No!"
Riku felt his MP suddenly finish reloading, its speed boosted by the small portion of Elixir he'd managed to absorb. "Curaga," he said raggedly, and gasped in relief as his injuries healed themselves completely, the pain vanishing.
Sephiroth's back was to him. "Get out of my sight."
Riku took a step.
"I will not allow this!" Jenova cried. Another wave of hair lashed out and encircled Riku, pinning his arms tightly to his sides and dragging him to his knees. 'I hate hair,' he thought. 'I hate this hair, I hate that we were all born with it and I can never get rid of it, I hate it.'
"Jenova," Sephiroth murmured, his tone dangerous.
"I didn't say he could go! He is MINE, to do with as I please! He was created for the sole purpose of carrying out my will!"
"We neither need nor want him."
"I want him," Kadaj said hotly.
"Me, too," Loz echoed plaintively.
"Why did you cut your hair," Yazoo lamented softly, "it looks terrible...it used to be so beautiful...you cut it when you came back, and now you've murdered it...I hate you..."
Riku simply stayed silent and waited for his family to decide whether he would be able to walk out peacefully or have to fight further.
Masamune came swinging down. Riku, having so recently been hurt by it, couldn't help flinching, but this time the weapon sliced through his mother's hair rather than his own flesh. Jenova gave a shriek of shock and fury as Riku struggled free of the mass of silken, silvery strands wrapped around him.
"How dare you! How dare you!"
"I don't take kindly to defiance," Sephiroth said coldly.
"You brazen creature! It's you who should be bowing to me...!"
Riku was used to tuning out the familiar old argument. He brushed the last strands off his arms and stepped toward his blood-splashed backpack.
"Don't think you can sneak off when Mother and Father are distracted," Kadaj snarled, brandishing his weapon.
"If I'd intended to sneak out, I would be long gone already."
"Riku," Loz begged, "please don't leave. I promise I'll be nicer. I promise."
"I've been wanting to escape this house since I was four years old, Loz. Nothing you do or say can make me change my mind."
"Riku!"
He had to fight his brothers again, but only briefly. Then Sephiroth struck Kadaj across the room and held his sword to Loz's throat, freezing him in his tracks. His eyes met Riku's. "Leave."
In that shared gaze, Riku saw dismissal, regret, and pride, perhaps even a small bit of compassion. He could practically even hear his father's thoughts, connected as the two of them were by shared otherworldly cells. "It seems your destiny lies on a different path than the one we chose for you. Get stronger. Do not fail and shame who we are."
The support from his father was unexpected, and Riku had to force back tears as he bowed formally. "Thank you, Father. Sayônara."
"Nooo!" Kadaj howled.
Riku retrieved his things and turned to the door. Loz ducked under Masamune and ran to wrap his arms around his younger brother's shoulders. "You can't just abandon us!"
Riku laid a hand on Loz's arm and lifted his head, craning back until their eyes met. "I'll come play with you sometimes, Loz," he promised softly. "Just a little, so you won't be so lonely. But I have to leave now. Let me go." He allowed Loz to cry for a minute, then pulled free of the desperate embrace and continued on.
"I hate you!" Kadaj screamed after him. "I hate you!"
"Good-bye, Kadaj," Riku called without looking back.
"Go out there and die like the miserable worm you are," Jenova hissed. "He's right - you're no loss. The humans have ruined you."
"Love you, too, Mother."
"Don't you dare come into my sight until your hair's grown out again!" Yazoo shouted.
"Will do."
"Come back," Loz sobbed.
"I hate you! Come BACK!"
"I changed my mind! I don't care how ugly your hair is! I don't care!"
Riku walked on. Out of the house, down the porch steps, down the road, until he could no longer hear his brothers' cries or sense his mother's fury or his father's gaze. The peace of the islands crept around him, the shushing of the wind and the murmuring of the ocean. After seventeen years, he was finally free.
To be continued...
Author's Notes: For those who haven't played BBS, you can use ice cream in battle. XD It gives you temporary special powers, which vary depending on the flavor.
Riku actually gets along with Sephiroth about half the time. Seph was a jerk here because he had divided loyalties during the fight, and because he's pretty ruthless about forcing his kids to get stronger. *sweatdrop*
I actually love Riku's long hair, but it's so fascinating to experiment with it in my writing (i.e., cutting it all off *sweatdrop*).
Sayônara means "farewell" in Japanese, and often has the connotation of being for a long time or forever (as opposed to something like "Jaa, mata!" which is like "See you later!").
I could already tell that this fic was going to be long, but I wasn't sure yet whether to hope it would stay less than 10,000 words, or whether I would have to or ought to break it up into a multi-chapter. Then, on January 13th (yesterday), I happened to glance at my calendar and realized that the next day was Riku/Xion Day 2014, so I very randomly decided to jot down a drabble for them.
...Well, for reasons I will explain later, I ended up having to type and post what I have so far of Rejection of Fate very last-minute, so tonight you're getting the first two parts of an incomplete Riku/Dawn multi-chapter, and a failed Riku/Xion Day drabble. ^^; I have no idea when I'll be able to finish Rejection of Fate. Probably not for a long time. :/ I still have thirteen bullet points left on my outline, I have several higher-priority projects that need finishing, and I'm pretty sure that my busy life is about to get even busier...