Sleep falls completely out of Riku's reach as fingers grasp at his silver hair, yanking him up from the cot as he gives a sharp yelp, unable to keep it in. A harsh demand to 'shut up' is all he gets in return as the grip on his hair is let go. Instead, two grunts grab at his arms, proceeding in dragging him out of his now dark cell, eyes useless in trying to find out who any of these people are. Riku tries to get his feet under him but they're moving to swiftly, fingers digging into his arms as they drag him down the hall.
"Let me go dammit!" suddenly rips from his lungs as he tries to slow down these thugs from taking him any further.
But they ignore him and keep going, turn after turn until they're standing before that door from earlier. Except this time Lucrecia isn't the one standing before the door, that other man is, Hojo. The grimace on his countenance tells Riku that Lucrecia doesn't know about this at all. These men don't question him when he opens the door and gestures for them to shove Riku in. Which is exactly what happens, causing Riku to stumble into the dim lighted room as his eyes struggle to readjust. The silver haired Angel spins around only to see Hojo in the doorway. "Either kill him or die. Understood boy?"
"What do I get out of doing it?" Riku sneers back.
"Freedom."
Riku steps forward only for his palms to slam against the solid door, chuckles heard from the other side. He leans his forehead against the cool steel of the door as a growl burns at the back of his throat. Dragging a hand up through his hair, Riku turns back around, searching for the outline of the only other person in the room. He walks forward until his bare feet touch at another foot, causing him to look up to see crimson eyes staring back at him through the darkness. A deep and cracked voice resounds in his ears, "Are you going to kill me?"
Not sure of what to say, Riku simply kneels down beside him. He could do as Hojo wants, but he knows that won't gain his true freedom back. He can't find it in himself to let his wings out, because they took them from him, which means he can't ever go back to the life before. It would be pointless to kill. "No."
"You should."
Riku stares at the face masked by the shadows. "Why?"
"I'm rejecting your cells. Your light. If you don't kill me, I'll end up killing you." Vincent sits up onto his knees, still towering over Riku who is sitting back on his legs, hands at his side. He reaches out to place a pale, slender hand against Riku's chest, before shoving him backward. Vincent leans over Riku, his red eyes completely emotionless as he stares down at Riku. "She thinks she saved me." Those eyes that stare down at him are locked tight, no secrets or emotions of any kind slipping past.
"Dr. Crescent?" Riku prods, trying to keep some form of conversation going to keep himself alive.
Vincent nods. "My mother. She focuses on me, Hojo on my brother."
"He's your Dad?"
"No. She had an affair, I was the result and he hates me."
Riku sheepishly looks around the cell, having not known any of the twisted secrets twirling around this lean man. As he goes to ask Vincent another question, to keep him talking, the door to the cell falls open, parts of the wall around it crumbling to the ground as well. Light spews into the room and Riku turns his head to the echoing noise followed by a semi-familiar voice. "Do you have to make an entrance? We don't even know if that's the right one."
The one responsible steps into the room, a grin on his sun kissed face. Sharp blonde hair fans outward from his face that houses sapphire eyes that glitter with confidence. "But I found Riku!"
"Tidus, we're looking for Cloud not- Riku?" Another appears at the blonde's side, short silver tresses framing his face while the longer parts are held back by a piece of leather. Their attire of pure white seems to catch Vincent's attention as well as Vincent's dark clothes catching theirs. Riku reaches up and pushes against Vincent's chest, relief flooding through his weary body. The lunar haired Archangel steps forward, "Get away from him, Demon."
Vincent's attitude completely changes from stoic to angered. "I'm far from a Demon."
"Then what are you?"
"The holder of this Angel's power."
"Firion wait!" Tidus yells as Firion sprints forward, arms snatching Vincent away from Riku and into the wall, a dagger pressed to his neck. Tidus runs over to Riku and sits him up, eyes searching his back frantically. "Firion … there's no wings, just a dull glow."
With his peaceful calm cracking, Firion tightens his grip on Vincent's arms, trying to get his eyes to focus on himself rather than Riku, trying to indicate that he'll kill if he has to. "What do you mean, 'holder'?"
"Demons absorb the power until the Angel dies, but a holder is only a vessel."
The alarm outside of the room begins to blare and whirl, shades of red coating the hallways, the lights flashing to alert the workers of this facility. Tidus helps Riku to his feet before striding over to Firion, getting him to take a step back and let go. "Then I guess we can't get rid of you yet." Firion shakes his head slightly and strides over to Riku. "Can you summon you weapon still?"
Riku holds his arm out and closes his eyes, but nothing comes, not even a whisper of air or a sparkle of light. Tidus hops backward and to Firion's side as Vincent strides over, grabbing Riku's wrist and making Riku places his hand on his wrist. "Concentrate." Riku does as he's told and tries to focus on the sword he'd normally wield in times of battle. He opens his eyes and finds them widening slightly. In Vincent's grasp is a elegant triple barreled gun with engravings curling along it. Riku looks up at Vincent to see him inspecting the gun, probably just as surprised as he is, even though he doesn't show any signs of it.
"We need to get going." Firion reassures, nodding to the crimson hue flashing out in the corridors.
Tidus shakes his head, "We have to find Cloud first!"
"He can handle himself, no use in trying to drag him out of here before he has what he came for."
Tidus rolls his eyes as he tugs on a pair of worn, brown leather gloves that have the fingers cut out. The hilt of a sword begins to materialize in his left hand followed by a blade of transparent cerulean, appearing to look like water. "Well I'm going to find him." The blonde runs back Vincent and Riku while a guard stands in the doorway, baton held out at him. Tidus jumps forward into a handstand before letting velocity continue to carry his feet forward as they slam into the burly man's chest, knocking him to the ground. He turns the corner and out of their site, Firion shouts for him falling on deaf ears.
Riku's attention is stolen away from the unconscious man lying in the doorway as Vincent scoops him up in his arms, bracing Riku's back in the crook of his left arm. He doesn't have to be prompted to loop his arms around Vincent's neck, definitely not wanting to be left behind here. As Vincent works his way into the hall Firion follows, not summoning his weapon in the least as he turns to the way Tidus went. A knocked out man dots here and there, a trail being left behind the blonde as he had ran. Covering up the rear, Vincent shoots at the three men coming at them from the other way, each shot varying from chest to limb.
After what seems like hours of turning down new hallways to find the leftovers of Tidus, Riku squints his eyes as they turn the nearest corner, spotting flashes of blonde in the middle of the intersection. Firion notices as well and continues walking forward to them even as Vincent turns around, crippling two more guards. By the time that the two have caught up to Firion, Tidus and the other two are gone from sight. Riku raises an eyebrow, "Where did they go?"
"We're splitting up. It'll be harder for them to detect us if we go in two groups of three. Once I get you both into a place to hide, I'll report back to the Archangels and I'll send someone to find you for further instruction." Firion takes his gaze from Riku and directs them at Vincent, "If you can morph his weapon into your own, can you take the form of his wings as well?" Before either can answer, several sets of guards begin towards them from three directions, giving them only one exit. "Just be ready to try then."
Not even bothering to shoot at them all, Vincent runs behind Firion, keeping his grip tight around Riku as he does. In no time they come to a dead end with a door already flung wide open, proving that Tidus got the others out safely. The second Firion is out the door he's in the air dozens of feet in the air. Vincent looks down at Riku, an order seeming to be sent through their eyes. Not quite understanding Riku does as he had earlier, placing his palm against Vincent's shirt, concentrating on the wings he used to have. Riku looks over Vincent's shoulder only to see a simple pair of wings, except his aren't pearly white like his were. These are a deep, musty gray with a crimson hue to them.
"My … your wings why aren't they like mine?"
Riku keeps his aquamarine eyes focused on the curve of Vincent's jaw as Vincent keeps his own eyes locked on Firion, careful not to lose him after soaring past all the buildings and factories. "Angels are pure and clean. I'm a human; about as clean as dirt." comes the grate yet honest reply, causing Riku to sew his lips shut and be silent till they're where Firion plans to hide them.
The whole way to their hiding place Riku feels his eyes dropping shut before shooting back open, telling himself that he can't simply fall asleep, not right now. Yet he feels he could sleep a couple days straight as Vincent touches back down to the ground beside Firion, wings and weapons gone from sight. Firion opens the large metal door. "This is a school scheduled for destruction in the next week, so you'll both be safe here for the next couple nights. Whatever you do, do not leave."
Riku gives a small nod to Firion as Vincent carries him inside, Firion shutting the door tightly behind them. The air is humid from all the rain of coming spring, making this gym where they're staying hotter than usual. Thankfully the windows at the tops of the towering walls are open, cracked, or shattered, giving airflow and a warm breeze. Vincent carries him over to the shadowed area by a door for storage and the bleachers, carefully letting him get his feet on the ground. However, the second Riku gets steady on his feet the wave of exhaustion crashes over him and his world tilts sideways, vision blacking out.
x.x.x.x.x.x.x
^^ So I tried a new trick to see if I could make things longer and bigger paras. :D See~ See~! It's so hard to write for this after 3K for CAA, but I'mma keep at it. Thanks to all that read!
