Well, this is my next chapter for "Kingdom Hearts: Devil May Cry." I really think you guys are going to like this one.
Riku: I'm the star of this chapter!
Me: Shut up.
Riku: Make me.
Me: (Impales Riku to the wall with Sparda). Okay, let's get on with the chapter.
Sora and Kairi: You need to do the disclaimer.
Me: Oh yeah. I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Devil May Cry. I wish I did, but I don't. How ya holding up there Riku?
Riku: MY STOMACH! OH THIS HURTS SO MUCH!
Me: That's nice. When you read, don't forget to review. I love reviews.
Riku: SOMEONE, PULL THIS DAMN SWORD OUT OF MY STOMACH!
Chapter 5: Friend of Sparda
Deep Jungle
Tarzan led Sora and the others to the hearts of the world. It was in a huge cavern that had plants growing all over. It was one of the most beautiful things that Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jane had ever seen in their lives.
Sora looked over at the wall and saw the keyhole. It was covered in glowing blue butterflies.
"Awesome. Now all I've gotta do is seal it up." Sora said as he began to walk over.
Tarzan stopped him by holding his hand in front of the spiky haired boy. Sora was confused as to why the ape-man wanted him to stop.
"Tarzan, is something wrong?" He asked, speaking animal.
"Listen." The man said in English.
Sora and the others did as they were told. Suddenly they heard the sound of water rushing. Jane was the first to say something.
"I see. The waterfalls are echoing all the way here." She said.
"Friends here." Tarzan said. "Heart."
Sora than put together what it was that Tarzan was trying to tell him.
"I see what you mean. Friends in our hearts." Sora said. Donald and Goofy didn't get what it was that he meant.
"Wait. I'm confused. What is he trying to say?" Donald asked.
"Friends are in hearts. Have heart, have friends. Clayton lose heart. No heart, no friends." Tarzan explained.
"Wait. Is that what you meant when you said my friends Riku and Kairi were here?" Sora asked.
The ape-man nodded to him in response. Sora hung his own head down in disappointment. He really thought he was going to find his friends in this world.
"Sora." Tarzan said.
The Keyblade Master looked back up at him. Tarzan was pointing his hand at his chest.
"If have heart, than find friends. If have heart, you care for friends. You find your friends." He said, now pointing to Sora's heart.
He smiled at Tarzan. He was right. As long as Sora had his heart and cared about his friends, than he would find them. He then thought about his fight with Donald earlier and turned to the duck.
"Donald, I'm sorry about earlier. I know that you need to find your king." He said.
The duck looked at Sora with his eyelids down halfway. He knew that finding the king was important. But so was finding Sora's friends.
"I'm sorry too Sora. I know that you really want to find your friends. It would hurt if you never found them. I would feel the same way about the King. From now on, finding your friends is just as important as finding the him." He said.
"Thanks Donald." Sora said.
Goofy came up to them and got them in a big hug. He smiled at the fact that his friends had forgiven each other.
"I'm so happy. I knew you two would get past your differences. No matter how stubborn you both are." He said.
"What?!" Both Donald and Sora exclaimed.
Jane was surprised by their sudden outburst and jumped back. A photo fell out of her pocket, which didn't go unnoticed by Sora.
He picked it up and gave it back to her. "Here you go Jane. Sorry about that." He told her, knowing that she was surprised because of them.
She took the picture from him and said, "Don't worry Sora. I know you didn't mean to."
"What's that picture of anyway?" He asked curiously.
Jane turned it over so he could see it. "It's a picture of Big Ben, a giant clock tower back in England." She said.
Sora studied the picture intensely. There was something about it that felt weird.
"Sora?" Goofy said. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I just get the feeling that I've been here before." The boy answered. "But I don't know how that's possible. I've never been off of Destiny Islands before now."
"Destiny Islands? Is that your world?" Jane asked Sora.
"Yes. I've never set foot off of my home, but I'm getting this weird feeling that I've been here." He said while pointing to the clock tower.
"Sora. You might want to do what you came here to do now." Sabor said to him.
"Oh right." He said as he summoned the Keyblade. He lifted it in the air, stars starting to glow around the tip.
"What's going on?" Jane asked.
"Sora's sealing the keyhole to the heart of this world. That way the Heartless can't destroy it." Goofy explained.
The half demon then pointed the Keyblade at the keyhole. A beam of energy entered it. The glowing blue butterflies got out of the way as it did. The keyhole glowed in a bright light for a few seconds and then they heard a click. The Deep Jungle was now safe from the Heartless.
"I'm really glad that we were able to get here before any serious damage was dealt. It would be terrible if this world's beauty was destroyed." Sora said.
Jane looked at him and smiled. She was glad that someone as young as him could fully appreciate the wonders of nature.
"Thank you for everything Sora, Donald, and Goofy. I'm glad I got to meet the three of you." She said.
Sora looked at her and Tarzan and said, "I'm glad I got to meet you too."
"Friends." Tarzan said.
"Yeah, I know. We'll always be friends." Sora said. He went over and hugged both Tarzan and Jane.
"Well we better get going. We still need to find our other friends." Donald said.
Goofy nodded in agreement. As he did he noticed something on the ground that stood out from everything else. It was a gummi.
"Hey guys. Look what I found." He said.
They looked at the object in his hands and were surprised by what they saw. They never thought that a gummi would be on this world.
"What kind of gummi is it?" Donald asked.
"I'll bet Cid knows. We'll ask him when we get back. Let's get going. Goodbye Tarzan. Goodbye Jane. I hope we meet again." Sora said.
"We hope to meet you again as well. Good luck finding your friends." She said.
"Hold on to heart." Tarzan said.
"I will Tarzan." The swordsman then turned his attention towards Sabor. He hoped that the leopardess would be all right.
"Will you be okay?" He asked her.
"I'm coming with you." She said.
"What?"
"You're father wanted me to come with you. Read the letter he gave you." She told him. He opened the letter and read it. His eyes got wide. Donald was gonna be pissed.
"Sora? What's the matter?" Goofy asked. The young man looked at both him and Donald with a nervous smile.
"We need to bring Sabor with us." He said.
"What!?" Donald said.
"My father wants us to bring her with us. It's in the letter he wrote." He told them, holding up the piece of paper.
"Grrr. Fine. But she better not cause any trouble." The duck said, turning away and walking out of the cavern.
Sora looked back at Sabor and said, "You're coming with us. Try not to upset Donald though."
"I won't." She said. Her head turned towards Tarzan. "I'm sorry for killing your human family when you were a baby. I'm also sorry for attacking the gorillas. I hope you can forgive me."
Tarzan smiled as he heard her apology and said, "I have forgiven you Sabor. You're actions today proved that you want to change. You have gone from being my enemy to my friend. Friends forgive each other no matter what." He told her.
"Thank you so much. Goodbye now. Take care of your family." She said. As she followed Sora and the others out of the cavern, she thought about the good she had done today. She was glad that she had finally earned the forgiveness of the ape-man and the gorillas.
Sora looked at her and than at Donald and Goofy. He smiled.
"Things are gonna get a lot more interesting." He said. A thought than crossed his mind and he turned to their new companion.
"Hey Sabor?"
"Yes?"
"How do you feel about dogs?"
As they walked back to the ship, they didn't notice a man standing high up in the trees looking down on them.
"That's good. Sabor's with him now." He said and smirked. "Good luck kid." And with that he disappeared into the jungle.
In Prydain with Riku and Diablo
A dark portal opened up in a dark forest. Riku stepped out of it with Diablo on his right shoulder.
Once the portal vanished, they took the time to observe they're surroundings. In the back of them was a forest. It was green, bright and full of life. In front of them were rocks and thorns everywhere. A few miles ahead of them, a dark castle stood. Storm clouds blocked the sky from their view.
"If I were a skeleton-like king with a lot of power I'd probably be living there." Riku joked. "What do you think Diablo?"
"Definitely." The raven joked back. "Let's get going."
They walked towards the castle. Riku pushed the vines out of their way as they did, making sure not to get cut.
As they walked they heard a sound coming from above. They both looked up and saw two giant dragons flying towards the castle. The creatures didn't attack it but instead, landed inside.
"Man…whoever this guy is he's gotta be pretty powerful to have dragons as pets." Riku said.
"Oh this is going to be exciting." Diablo said.
After and hour of walking they finally reached the castle of the Horned King. It looked scarier up close than from afar.
As Riku walked closer he could feel a dark presence getting more powerful. It was a familiar type of energy but not like Maleficent's.
"This feels almost…demonic. Like my own." Riku said. Then this Horned King was a demon.
They were screwed.
"The amount of power he's giving off would explain why he was able to figure out that Maleficent's group was spying on him." He said to Diablo.
"We'll you be able to handle him if he fights?" The bird asked, wondering if his friend could stand up to that much power.
"I'm not sure. If I do fight him then underestimating him could not only make me lose…but it could get me killed. We better not upset him." The boy told him.
Riku then jumped on the walls. He began to climb up using his supernatural strength to dig his fingers into the stone. Diablo flew up to the top looking for anyone that would spot the both of them.
The young hybrid made it to the top of the wall and jumped towards an opening in one of the towers. He peeked inside to make sure no one was in the room. Once he saw it was empty, he sneaked in. Diablo flew in right behind him and landed on the floor.
"Let's see if we can find where the Horned King is." Riku said.
They walked around the castle in search of the King who was possibly a demon. They hid from any guards that passed by jumping in the air and holding onto the ceiling. After half an hour of searching, Riku heard people cheering.
"Sounds like a party." He stated. He walked over towards the sound and found a door. He opened it and looked down. Below were men partying and having a good time. Riku and Diablo moved on to the beams to get a better look. "Whoa. Eating delicious looking steak and chicken, drinking beer…though I'm not old enough, and more food, and…uuughgh." Riku said as he opened his mouth and drooled, getting lost in his own imagination of food.
Diablo pecked him on the head to wake him up.
"Ow! Damn it Diablo!"
"You need to focus. In case you forgot, we're trying to find the Horned King. You're attention span is so short." The bird said.
"I do not have a short attention…hey look it's those dragons."
Peck!
"Ow! Okay, okay. I was just kidding. Sheesh."
"The King." Diablo said again.
"I know. Just hold-"
The raven was about to peck him on the head again but noticed the surprised look in Riku's eyes. He was about to ask what was wrong when he sensed what it was that had Riku so spooked. Something very powerful was heading into the dining hall that they were in.
Everyone in the room began to stop dancing, eating, and talking when they heard the sound of howling wind. The candles on all of the tables went out. Blue electricity began to form in the air. It began to twirl around and erupted in a flash of fire. The silhouette of someone could be seen through blue light and red smoke. It was someone with horns.
"This is him Diablo…the Horned King." Riku whispered. He was awed by the amount of demonic energy the King gave off. He could only guess that this guy used the power of darkness as well.
"His power is as terrible as Maleficent's." Diablo said.
"If this guy decides to fight me…it will be a lot harder than I expected." Riku said.
A little green creature began to walk towards the Horned King. Riku could tell that he was nervous even though he tried not to show it.
"Welcome Master." The creature said. "It's wonderful for you to join us. We're getting closer to finding the oracular pig."
Riku raised an eyebrow and asked, "Oracular pig? What kind of pig is that?"
"A pig that is an oracle. It has the power to see into the future. A very useful creature indeed." Diablo said.
"What does this guy want it for though?" The silver haired boy said.
The Horned King sat down on his throne. The little green creature followed him holding a tray with a wine bottle and a glass that was already filled. He put the tray right beside the throne. The King picked up his cup and lifted it in the air.
"A toast, my warriors." He said. "For soon…we will have the oracular pig in this very castle…and with its power…we will find the Black Cauldron."
"Cheers!" The men yelled. Before they could drank their beer the demonic king spoke again.
"Also another toast…for when we find the Black Cauldron my original power will be restored!" He exclaimed, excitement making its way into his dark voice. "And when that day finally comes…we can finally go after…the bloodline descendents…of the great Dark Knight…SPARDA!!!"
Riku froze. Did this guy really just say…Sparda?
"To Sparda my warriors!" The King shouted as he downed his wine.
The men cheered and downed their drinks as well.
As they continued to drink Riku was panicking. What did this guy want with his family?
"Crap! He's already powerful enough. I'll be in big trouble if he gets his power and finds me or…Sora." Riku said as his eyes widened at the realization of how much trouble his cousin might be in.
Then a thought came to mind.
He lightly hammered his fist into his other hand and said, "If this guy is going to get power from this Black Cauldron…maybe I can use its power to find my family."
"How?" Diablo asked.
"I'm not sure. I'm going to need to find out more about it." Riku eyes began to fill with anticipation. "Oh wait." He said as he thought about Maleficent. He still didn't trust her and he knew Diablo might tell her about this, even though he didn't want him to. Not that he blamed him.
"Diablo…go to Maleficent and tell her what we've found so far." Riku said with reluctance and a sigh, surprising the raven.
"Are you sure?" He asked.
"I know that you need to tell her about this. I understand…you are her familiar." The boy said sadly.
Diablo lowered his head and closed his eyes. From Riku's point of view it looked like he was upset. He was about to ask why when he heard the little goblin talking.
"Master, it is good to see you happy!" The green goblin said.
"Thank you Creeper." The demon said to him. "Also my soldiers…I have more good news. As you know we've had a mysterious group that has been spying on us."
The soldiers all grumbled angrily. Riku wondered where this could be going. Why would something like this be good news?
"They think they can watch us secretly and that we won't do anything about it. But they're wrong. That is because…I have found the location of one of their members." The King said with a smug tone.
"This guy has located a member of Maleficent's group? Who could that be?" Riku said to Diablo.
"Not sure. Let's find out." The raven said.
"You've found one of them my King?" A soldier said.
"Where are they? Let's grind out their guts!" Another shouted.
"Let's torture 'em until they tell us where the other members are!" A third one suggested.
"Yeesh! A violent bunch, aren't they?" Riku said. "If I had to guess, I'd say that this is how they solve most of their problems."
"Where is this member Master?" Creeper asked. He jumped up and down while clapping his hands.
"He is…right up there." The Horned King said, pointing towards the ceiling to Riku and Diablo.
Riku's gained a look of panic on his face. "Oh…I'm the member…well fu**!" The boy said while smacking his head.
"I think it's time to get out of here." Diablo said with worry.
"I agree." Riku began to run towards the door he walked through.
The Horned King lifted his hand and moved his fingers to the left, using his mind to send Riku falling to the floor… that was about twenty feet from the beam he had been standing on.
"SON OF A BI-"
SLAM! CRACK!
The young hybrid was silenced when he hit the floor. His neck snapped, along with most of his other bones in his body.
Diablo winced at the sight. "Oh he is going to be feeling that in the morning." He said, flying around in the air.
"HAHAHA! The little spy is dead!" One of the soldiers laughed
"What a fool! Thinking he could spy on the great Horned King!" Another yelled.
"You got him Your Majesty! You got him!" Exclaimed Creeper, jumping up and down with joy. He soon stopped as he noticed that his master was silent. "Sire?"
"Look Creeper." The King said, pointing towards Riku's body. The goblin looked and widened his eyes at what he saw.
Riku's arms and legs were putting themselves back into place. He opened his eyes and got up with a grunt. "Man! That hurt!" He said. He brought his hands up to his head and turned it around, snapping it back into its original position.
Diablo flew down and landed on Riku's shoulder.
"You good?" He said nonchalantly.
"Yeah." Riku said while stretching his arms. "I never want to do that again."
The Horned King was amused. He knew that he had sensed demonic energy. "Interesting…very interesting." He said to Riku. "I can feel a great power flowing in you boy."
"Good for you." The hybrid said to the horned demon sarcastically. "You wanna know what I feel? THE BROKEN BONES I GOT FROM YOU THROWING ME OFF THE CEILING!!!" He yelled.
"It's your own fault for spying on my castle." The King stated. "Besides, your body has healed already has it not? You shouldn't cry over something so trivial."
"TRIVIAL MY A** YOU SON OF A BI***!! YOU BROKE MY F***ING NECK!!"
Everyone looked at the silver haired youth with eyes as wide as the dinner plates that were on the tables. It was a surprise to see someone so young talk to the Horned King of all people in such a violent way.
Diablo resisted the urge to laugh.
"It's so funny seeing you like this. I wish that I had something to record it." The raven said.
"Shut up." Riku whispered to his feathery companion. "This is anything but funny. I've got blood on my shirt and my body feels like crap."
"As I said before, it's funny."
The Horned King was amused by the boy's theatrics. He was enjoying it so much; he was trying to think of something to make it better.
Wait…now there's an idea. He thought with a smirk. This was going to be fun to watch.
"Listen well my huntsmen." He said. They all turned to him. "I want all of you…to attack this boy."
Riku's eyes widened. He looked at Diablo and asked, "What did he just say?"
"Those guys are going to try and attack you now." The raven said.
"Great." Riku said. He rolled his eyes. "They're gonna poke holes in my shirt. I really like this shirt."
The Horned King continued his announcement. "Whoever defeats him first…will be rewarded with a whole bag of gold."
Everyone cheered at that bit of news. The soldiers turned towards Riku but stopped when they saw him smiling.
"A whole bag of gold? I'd beat myself up for that!" The boy exclaimed.
The soldiers all had sweat drops on their heads when he said that.
PECK!
"OW!!" Riku shouted. He began to rub his head and then turned towards Diablo. "I swear if you do that one more time I am going to grill you like a chicken."
"Will you stay focused and fight for your life already?" The bird said.
"Yeah, yeah."
Riku summoned Soul Eater in his hands. He kept it in his sheath and raised his hand towards the huntsmen.
"Bring it on." He gestured them towards him with his hand. Then they attacked.
Riku punched the first two huntsmen that got near him. They were sent flying across the room. He then rushed right into the middle of the mob and hit anyone that he passed by with his sheathed sword.
I don't want to kill them. He thought. So I'll settle for beating them up. That way it's fun.
Ten huntsmen were all around Riku and they were running at him. When they were close enough he ducked down and grabbed one of them by the leg. Using his supernatural strength he swung him around hitting all the other men that had tried rushing at him.
Riku saw one of the huntsmen try to stab him with a sword. He didn't move and let the man hit him.
"I got him!" The man shouted. He looked at Riku and frowned when he saw him smirking.
"Actually," the boy said grabbing the blade, "I got you." He hit the man right in the stomach with the handle of the sword as he pulled it straight out of his stomach. Riku then punched him in the face, which sent him to the ground.
As soon as the huntsman was on the floor, Riku went over to one of the tables and threw it in the air. He jumped and kicked it in the direction of the remaining soldiers. They thought it was going to hit them but it smashed into the ground a few feet away.
"He missed!" One of them said.
PUNCH! SMASH! KICK! SLAM!
Riku had beaten every single huntsman. Never unsheathing his sword. He cracked his neck on both sides and smiled.
"Well that was a good work out. Using that table as a distraction was a good idea if I do say so myself." He said. Then he turned to the Horned King. "So…are you going to kill me now?"
The old demon was silent for a moment. He was amazed at the amount of skill that the boy had shown. Yes he had only gone up against humans, but it was with such style.
"Very impressive my boy. Tell me, what is your name?" The King asked.
Riku hesitated. He heard the Horned King say he was looking for the descendents of Sparda. It was best just to say his first name.
"My name is Riku."
"What is your surname?"
Damn it! I could just lie but he would probably sense that I was lying. If I don't do as he says he might force it out of me. My options are not good. Thought Riku. He had no idea what to do.
"Well boy?" Said the King, pouring himself a glass of wine.
After looking through all of his options Riku decided it was best to tell him. "My name is Riku Sparda."
Everyone in the room was completely silent. Riku got ready to unsheathe Soul Eater if the demon king started to attack him.
The Horned King just stood still while holding his wine cup. Then his eyes began to glow red as he looked at Riku.
This can't be good. Thought the hybrid. He turned to Diablo and whispered, "Get ready for whatever he's about to do."
"Got it." The bird responded.
"Hehehe…" Riku heard. He looked towards the Horned King. He lifted his head to the sky and began to laugh. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!! AT LAST! A DESCENDENT OF SPARDA!"
The demon continued to laugh as Riku was sweating bullets. He kept waiting for the Horned King to attack him. It was killing him having to wait.
The Horned King finally stopped laughing and looked at Riku, his eyes still red. The young boy could see his skeleton like face smiling.
"I knew you had to be a descendent of Sparda. No one else would wear that pendant." The King said pointing to Riku's necklace. "To think I was going to have to go through all of the trouble finding you. Yet here you are…right in my castle no less. It's almost to good to be true." With that he drank his wine and set the cup back on the tray. He walked down from his throne with Creeper behind him.
"So what happens now?" Riku asked. His hand was still gripping Soul Eater. "Are you going to kill me? Force me to tell you where my family is? What?"
"Now why would I do that?" The King asked, walking towards Riku.
"You said you were looking for the descendents of Sparda. Why?" Riku got nervous with each step the Horned King took. The young hybrid knew that he wasn't strong enough to take on this guy.
"Well if you truly wish to know…fine." The Horned King said as he stopped in front of Riku.
Riku held his breath for what seemed like an eternity. He looked up at the Horned King and saw his glowing red eyes with black pupils.
Finally, something happened.
The Horned King bowed down to Riku.
"It is good to see that the family of Sparda is still alive." The King said. "The family…of my best friend."
Riku was shocked. What was even more startling was that every huntsman in the room began to bow down. Even Creeper bowed to him.
"Wait…what?" Riku asked in confusion.
The Horned King stood up and said, "Do you know about the story of Sparda? How he fought against the demons to save humanity?"
"Yes." Riku answered. While staying at Maleficent's castle he would sometimes go to the library. He found a history book on demons and how Sparda fought against them over two thousand years ago.
"When he decided to fight against his own kind…I helped him. Together we battled the demons that threatened the humans. We were finally able to stop them when he sealed the portal to the demon world by using his own power. This of course caused him to lose all of it, save for immortality." The Horned King explained.
"Wait a minute…you helped my grandfather?" Riku asked.
"That's what he just said." Answered Diablo with heavy sarcasm.
"Shut up." He turned towards the demon king and nodded for him to continue.
"Once the demon world was closed off we traveled the human world for centuries. Sparda eventually fell in love with a human woman named Eva."
While he reminisced, Riku thought he could detect a hint of sadness in the King's voice.
"It was wonderful seeing that he had finally found happiness. When they got married I decided to travel to other worlds and find my own happiness. I came across this world Prydain and eventually became King."
Riku could tell that the demon was reluctant to go on. Obviously something bad happened.
"Then what?" He asked.
The Horned King looked away and said, "After years of ruling Prydain I decided to visit Sparda and Eva. I hadn't talked to them in years and I wanted to see how they were doing." Suddenly the King's eyes bean to glow red again. This time it was in anger. "When I reached their home…I saw demons standing over the body of my best friend."
A dark aura began to show around the Horned King's body. For a moment Riku was afraid.
"What did you do?" He asked.
The great demon looked back towards Riku. At first he said nothing. Then he opened his mouth to speak.
"I destroyed them. I felt an unbelievable anger rise deep within me and used my power to send them back to hell."
Riku wasn't surprised. He probably would have done the same thing if someone had attacked Sora, Kairi, or Trish.
"I went over to Sparda to see if there was a chance to save him. But it was too late." The Horned King's tone grew sadder as he spoke. "He managed to live long enough to tell me something."
"What was it?" Riku asked.
"He said that he wanted me to find his wife and twin sons. He wanted me to make sure that they were safe. Then his eyes closed, never to open again."
"So that's why you've been trying to find my family. You were keeping a promise to my grandfather." Riku said.
"Yes. I spent years trying to find them. I actually managed to find both of his sons."
"You did?"
"Yes. The two of them ran a shop called Devil May Cry. They were both in the business of hunting demons that threatened humanity. You could imagine that they were a little cautious when they met me." The Horned King chuckled.
"Most likely." Riku said.
"I explained to them about my history with their father. I became quick friends with them and have even helped them on some of their missions."
So this guy was a friend of his dad and uncle too? Man this day just kept getting weirder.
"Do you know where they are now? And what about my grandmother?" Riku asked.
"I'm not privy to your father and uncle's current whereabouts. Unfortunately I could never find your grandmother. I'm not sure if she's dead or missing." The King said.
Riku's head dropped down. He found someone who had a connection with his family but didn't know where they were.
He looked back up at the demon king and asked, "Why is it that you're trying to find this Black Cauldron?"
"To regain my original power. I can no longer transform into my true self. I wish to be at my full potential."
"I see." Riku said. "How close are you to finding this oracular pig you were talking about earlier?"
"Very close. It's only a matter of time before we have the animal." The King said.
"Well I'd like to help you. I've been trying to find my family and friends for a week and a half now. I've managed to find my cousin but he's about it. But with your power we might be able to find the rest of them." Riku said with a smile.
"That is a good idea. But for now let's continue on with our celebration." The King said.
All of a sudden every single warrior in the room rushed to the tables and ate, drank, and sang. It was as though they were never injured in the first place.
"I've gotta admire their ability to shrug of injuries with out super healing." Riku said to Diablo.
"I guess when food is involved they just don't care." Diablo said.
The Horned King turned to Riku and said, "By the way, why are you spying for that group? What are they trying to do?"
Riku had almost forgot the reason that he came here in the first place. Maleficent wanted the Horned King in her group.
"There's this witch called Maleficent. She's trying to take over all of the worlds by controlling creatures called Heartless. They're the darkness in peoples' hearts. But she's also recruiting powerful members into her group to make her plan easier. That's why she's been spying on you, to see if you're a possible candidate." Riku explained.
"Can this woman be trusted?" The Horned King asked with doubt.
"I don't think so. I keep getting the feeling like she's hiding something from me. I'm pretty sure she's helping me find my friends but I still don't trust her."
"So why haven't you left yet?"
"If I do then she'll try to recruit my cousin. I doubt he'll join her but he could get seriously injured if she doesn't like his response. I also need to find out if she is hiding anything from me." Riku said.
"I see. Will this Maleficent try to attack me if I refuse the offer?" The Horned King asked.
"No. You're definitely as powerful as her and she said that she doesn't want to mess with you if you don't want to join."
"Hm." The Horned King put a hand up to his chin. "Maybe I can help you."
Riku looked confused. "How so?"
"I can join this little group. Protect you in case she tries to pull anything funny."
"Y-you'd really do that?" Riku asked.
"Of course. It is my duty to make sure that the Sparda bloodline lives on." The Horned King said.
"Thank you." Riku felt like he finally found a member that he could trust. "Now that that's settled, what say we get back to the celebration? I'm starving!"
"Please help yourself to anything." The Horned King said. He turned to Creeper and said, "Go ahead and join the party Creeper. It's a celebration for everyone after all."
The little goblin nodded his head with gratitude.
"Thank you Sire! Oh thank you so much!" Then he went off to get some food from the tables.
"Let's have fun Diablo!" Riku said.
"What about Maleficent?"
"She can wait a few more hours. There's chicken on that table and I'm going to get me a drumstick!"
Riku then rushed towards the tables, grabbed a whole chicken, and devoured it. The huntsmen cheered him on as he ate it.
"I know he's hungry, but he doesn't need to eat like a pig." Diablo said.
He turned around to see that the Horned King had gone back to his throne. It seemed he'd rather observe the party then join it. Then he noticed the wyverns from earlier and decided to go talk to them.
Riku smiled as he danced and ate without a care in the world. It had been a while since he had some fun.
"Man this is awesome! I've gotta remember to take Sora and Kairi here. They'll love it!" He said with joy.
After hours of eating and dancing, Riku went up to talk with the Horned King.
"We should probably get going. Maleficent would like to meet with you."
"I think it's best if we wait a few days." The King said.
"Huh? Why?" Riku asked, confused.
"To show her that I won't take orders from her. She will take my tardiness as a sign that I will do as I wish and not as she demands. We need to show her that you and I are not to be trifled with." The King answered as he took his wine cup and drank. "It would also make it easier to track down the oracular pig if I'm here for a few more days."
"I see. That's not a bad idea. I should probably get back though. There's some reading in the library that I want to get done." Riku said. After what happened today he wanted to see if there was any more information he could find on the Dark Knight Sparda. The library at Maleficent's castle had some books on Sparda and other demons. Hopefully he could find something there.
Riku looked over to the wyverns and saw his Diablo talking to them.
"So how long have you guys been the Horned King's familiars?" The raven asked.
"Nearly thirty years." One said.
"I tell you, it's been good. He's probably one of the best masters anyone could ask for." The second one said.
"Hey Diablo!" Riku shouted.
The bird turned his head to the silver haired boy. "What?"
"We need to get going. There's some stuff I wanna get done."
"Gotcha!" Diablo shouted. "See you guys later." He said to the wyverns as he flew to Riku's shoulder.
"Nice meeting you." The first one said.
"Come back soon." The other one said.
As they began to walk out of the castle Creeper came up to them.
"Excuse me, Master Riku." He said.
Riku looked down at the goblin and smiled. "Hey Creeper. Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Oh no. I just thought you could use some help getting out of the castle. It's quite confusing when you don't know the way." He said.
"Sure. Thank you." Riku said.
"Not at all Master Riku. I'm all too glad to help."
As the little goblin took them out of the throne room the Horned King retreated to his bedchambers. He thought about everything that he said to Riku. Once he did…he couldn't help but feel guilty.
He finally reached his bedchambers and walked in. He closed the doors behind him and then walked up the steps in his room that led to a chair.
Once he sat down he sighed.
Finally, he spoke.
"You know he will only be furious with you when he finds out the truth."
At first there was no response. Then out of the shadows, a man stepped out.
"I'm well aware of that. But Riku cannot know about what Maleficent is hiding from him. Not yet."
"True. If he does find out who knows what his reaction will be? But I still didn't feel right lying right to his face." The King said.
"You weren't lying to him completely. You were good friends with Sparda. I know you still didn't feel right but I thank you for doing it regardless. It was a very convincing act. But if Riku finds out about her I can tell you what his reaction will be…he'll try to kill Maleficent. All of us know that he's not ready for that kind of battle." The man said.
"So why don't we stop him from doing anything further for that group?" The King argued. "That way he won't be able to find out about her."
"While it's true that him staying with them unnerves me, he's still learning many things from them. He'll get stronger if he stays there."
"Very well. But I can tell that he's going to be strong enough to defeat even me, maybe you as well. When that happens and his reaction to what we tell him is that of anger…I'm using you as a meat shield." The Horned King joked.
The man laughed and said, "I doubt you'd be able to. I must go now. There's much to prepare for." The man then disappeared into the shadows, leaving the Horned King alone.
"Yes." The King said. "There certainly is."
Back with Riku and Diablo
Creeper led Riku and Diablo down to the castle entrance. While walking, Riku couldn't help but think about the events that took place today.
I never imagined that I would find someone that knew my grandfather. Someone who I know will help me find my family. This is good. But I'm still not sure I can trust the Horned King completely. He thought. He could tell that the demon was telling the truth about being friends with Sparda. But when he mentioned his father, he knew that there was something off.
"Time to call it a day Riku?" Diablo asked.
"It sure is Diablo." He answered.
"It was a pleasure meeting you Master Riku. I look forward to your return." Creeper said as the gate opened.
"It was nice meeting you too Creeper. Take care of yourself." Riku said.
"Thank you Master Riku."
Riku walked out of the castle entrance and back towards the woods with Diablo flying right beside him. When they arrived he couldn't help but notice how beautiful everything really was.
He then spotted a tree…a certain kind of tree…a certain kind of tree that had BIG, JUICY RED APPLES GROWING ON THEM!
"Yes! Score!" Riku yelled, running towards the tree.
Diablo sighed and said; "I don't know how you can still be hungry after the giant feast you stuck your face in. You ate like there was no tomorrow."
"But freshly grown apples are so much better than store bought." Riku said. After traveling to a few worlds he found many things that weren't on Destiny Islands. One of them being apple trees.
As Riku began to pick off the delicious fruit, he heard something move in the bushes.
"Diablo?" He whispered.
"I heard it too." The bird said.
Another rustle was heard. Riku turned his attention towards the bush it was coming from and slowly crept forward. Just as he was about to drop the apple and pull out Soul Eater, something furry jumped right out of the bush and hit him in the chest, sending him backwards.
"What the hell?!" Riku yelled.
"Oh boy!" The furry creature said.
Riku looked up and saw that it was some kind of…dog…creature…thing that was sitting on his chest. He also saw that it had taken the apple that he was going to eat.
"Gurgi gets crunchies and munchies! Yay!" It said. Then the small creature felt itself get picked up from the back by Riku. They were both face to face.
"What…the…hell…was…that…for?" Riku demanded.
"Gurgi wanted crunchies and munchies." It said, pointing to the apple.
"You wanted food?" Riku asked. The creature nodded. "You know there's an apple tree three feet away with a ton of apples right?" Riku said pointing to the tree behind them.
"Gurgi didn't notice." It said.
"Riiiight." Riku said disbelievingly. He wasn't sure how you could miss an apple tree that was only a few feet away. "Go ahead and keep the apple. I was going to get some more anyway."
Gurgi's face lit up with happiness as he hugged Riku at the neck. "Thank you Master! Thank you! You give Gurgi crunchies and munchies!"
"Yeah, yeah! I know! Calm down!" Riku laughed. He had to admit that this little guy was amusing. He set him on the ground. "I'm Riku by the way and this is Diablo." Riku said as he pointed to his friend.
"I'm Gurgi!" The creature said.
"Nice to meet you Gurgi. What are you doing all the way out here?" Riku asked.
"Gurgi was really hungry. So he went to look for crunchies and munchies."
"I see." Riku walked over to the apple tree and picked of a few more apples. He walked back over and handed them to Gurgi. "You can have these. I know how good apples are."
"Thank you Master Riku!" Gurgi said as he hugged the tall boy's leg. "You're so nice to Gurgi. He won't forget this. Nope!"
"Thanks. Well I've got to get going. I hope I see you again soon."
"Gurgi hopes to see you again too." The little dog-like creature said as he walked away. "Gurgi will repay you Master Riku! You'll see!" He said waving.
"I'll keep that in mind!" Riku yelled back. Then he walked over to the apple tree once again. He smiled to himself as he got more of the fruit. He met some pretty interesting people today.
"You doing okay Riku?" Diablo asked.
"Yeah." The boy said as he closed his eyes and put his head up, smelling the fresh air around him. "All of these worlds…they're simply amazing."
"What?" The raven asked, not getting what his friends was talking about.
"Don't worry about it Diablo. I'm just thinking." Riku said. "Thinking about all of these different worlds that I've seen and will get to see. About if my friend Kairi hadn't washed up on our shore at Destiny Islands, then I wouldn't even wonder about other worlds. I have her to thank for that." He ran his gloved fingers through his hair. "When I find her and Sora, we'll all go visit the other worlds. Along with our family."
That being said, he lifted his hand out and opened a portal. With Diablo flying beside him, they went back to Maleficent's castle.
Maleficent's Castle
"Isn't he back yet?!" Hook shouted, slamming his hand on the table.
"Patience pirate, he's already here." Maleficent said. Sure enough a portal appeared before them and out walked Riku and Diablo. The dark witch could see that he had a few apples.
"Where did you get those?" She asked pointing to the food in his hands.
"From a tree." He replied coldly.
"I see. Has the Horned King agreed to our offer?"
"Yeah."
"Then where is he?" Jafar asked.
"Prydain."
"Why?"
"That's where he lives."
Diablo watched the exchange and laughed on the inside.
"A serious answer, if you would please boy." Jafar said. He was getting annoyed at Riku's sarcastic attitude.
"Well I don't please. I want to go to the library, read, and eat." Riku said as he began walking away with Diablo at his side.
"When will he be arriving?" Maleficent calmly asked. Unlike Jafar she was in no way upset with Riku.
"In a few days." Riku said. He stepped out of the meeting room and closed the door behind him.
Maleficent turned her attention back towards the other members and said, "We now have another recruit. Be ready for his arrival in the next few days."
"I don't understand why he doesn't just meet us now." Oogie said.
"He's sending a message." The witch said.
"Message?" Ursula asked.
"Yes. He's telling us that he won't be taking orders from me." Maleficent answered. "But that's fine. As long as he helps us out he doesn't need to take orders."
"Then shall we get on with the next order of business?" Hades asked. "Where are we sending the Heartless to next?"
"Of course." The group then went on with their plans for ruling the worlds, unaware that they had made a move that would lead to their downfall.
A few hours later with Riku and Diablo
Riku was sitting at a table with piles of books all around him. He was reading one on the history of demons while eating one of the apples he brought with him from Prydain.
"All that's in here is events when demons attacked this world." The hybrid said to his self. He put it aside and picked up another book. "This one seems to be about different types of demons. That's something good to know about."
Diablo stood on the table as he watched his friend go through many piles of books, finding anything he could on Sparda and other demons.
"Why are you doing this again?" The raven asked.
"I need to know more about demons and Sparda than what I already do." Riku said as threw away an apple core and picked up another. "There might also be something in here about half demons. Maybe I can find a way to awaken my full potential."
"And you're going to read all of these books?"
"If that's what it takes." Riku replied without taking his eyes off of the pages. "Man there's a lot of demons in this thing. I could get a lot stronger if I fight some of these guys."
He is really getting sucked into those books. Diablo thought. He had never seen Riku so focused on anything. His heritage must really mean a lot to him.
"HELLO, WHAT'S THIS?!" Riku shouted jumping up from his chair and surprising Diablo so much that the bird flew back a few feet.
"Jeez Riku! What is it?" Diablo asked, looking a little peeved.
"There's something in here about using demon's souls as weapons. Apparently really powerful demons are able to transform their souls into weapons that are powerful enough to take down really powerful enemies. Now that is definitely something we could use to our advantage." Riku said with a smirk.
"Why do I have the feeling that you're going to do something so dangerous that even with your healing ability you could get killed?" Diablo said. He put a wing over his head. Seems like he was getting a headache.
"Because I probably am Diablo." Riku said as he smiled at the raven. "But what's the matter? I thought you liked seeing me fight."
"I do. But I'm getting the feeling that you're going to do something really stupid after reading that."
"When have I ever done anything stupid?"
"How about a few days ago when you clogged up Hook's toilet with a ton of toilet paper?"
Riku rose up his hand and pointed a finger at Diablo. "Hey! That wasn't stupid. I got away with it and Hook never found out who did it. Besides, you laughed too."
"Doesn't mean it wasn't stupid." Diablo replied.
"Shut up." Riku said as he picked up another book.
The hours went by as Riku kept going through books. Diablo had already fallen asleep but the young boy was still wide-awake. There was so much he wanted to learn and he had so much information at his disposal. He needed to take advantage of such an opportunity.
As Riku kept reading he couldn't help but think of his mother. He at least knew what his father looked. He even had the older man's amulet to help think of him. But he didn't have anything from his mother, just the memory of her beautiful, green eyes.
"I swear I'm going to find her." Riku said with a determined look in his eyes. "Even if it's the last thing I do I swear I'll find her."
He looked at the huge window near the stairs. The stars looked amazing. The hybrid decided to take a break from reading and open the window. He stuck his head outside as a cool breeze hit him.
"Soon we'll all be able to share nights like these together. My mother, my father, Sora, Kairi, Aunt Trish, Uncle Dante, and me will all sit down on the beach near a fire. We'll get to look at the stars all through the night. That's all I want, that's all I need, and I'll be damned if I never get it." Riku said as he held his hand up as if to catch the stars.
On the table, Diablo lifted his eyes after Riku finished. He had heard everything.
You will get to be with your family Riku. The raven thought. You'll get to see some of them sooner than you think. He then decided to go to sleep.
Riku kept gazing on into the night sky, letting the image of his family sitting on the beach motivate him to continue his search.
Traverse Town
Leon, Yuffie, Cid, Aerith, and Trish were all at a restaurant. They were sitting at a table outside while waiting for their orders.
"I can't tell you how many spars Sora and Riku have had against each other." Trish laughed. "It seems like they have a limitless amount of energy."
"That's definitely a quality that the two of them get from their fathers." Leon said while smiling. "Always ready to fight each other."
"I know I was pretty young, but I'm pretty sure I remember when the two of them were walking towards the other. Then when they saw each other, they got out their swords and started fighting." Yuffie said. "It was one of the most random things I'd ever seen."
"That's Dante and Vergil for you." Aerith said. "I just wish I could see them again." She sighed.
"Hey, don't get so down." Yuffie said while patting the brunette on the back. "We'll all get to see them again real soon. I'm sure that the both of them have been getting pretty lonely if you know what I mean."
"Yuffie!" Trish said with a laugh.
"Well we know it's true." The ninja said with a shrug and a smile.
"It's also disturbing to hear." Leon said while twitching.
"Oh, don't be such a baby Squall." Yuffie said, waving her hand at him.
"My name is Leon!" He replied with a little edge in his voice.
"I swear, the two of you squabble like children all the time." Trish said.
"At least you haven't had to hear them for a long while." Cid said. "Aerith and I have had to listen to this every day for practically ten years! How do you think we feel?"
"Hey!" Yuffie and Leon said.
"You know Cid, I was thinking that maybe you could teach Sora how to be a gummi mechanic." Trish said. "He's been really into vehicles since he was little. I thought he might like to learn how to build them."
"Sure, why not? Might be nice to have a little apprentice." He responded with a smirk.
"As long as he doesn't take up smoking like you he should be okay." Leon said.
"Hey, at least with his healing ability he'd be okay. Not like he can get sick."
"I still don't want my son smelling like an ash tray." Trish said.
"I didn't say I was gonna let him have my smokes." Cid said, putting his hands up in defense.
"Our food's here." Aerith said.
A waitress came over and gave them all their orders. They thanked her as she walked away.
"Mm-mm. Nothing like a good ol' stake." Cid said as he began to cut up his dinner.
"I can agree with you on that." Leon said as he bit into his food.
"Same here!" Yuffie exclaimed. She got busy ripping her steak apart.
"Slow down Yuffie!" Trish said. "You'll choke to death."
"Ya know, that's not necessarily a bad thing." Cid said.
"Shut up old man!" Yuffie yelled.
"Pipe down ya brat!" The mechanic replied.
"Calm down you guys." Aerith said. "Let's just enjoy our food." Both she and Trish began to dig into a pepperoni pizza.
"I can't believe how often you guys have had pizza." Leon said.
"It helps to remind us of Dante and Vergil." Trish said.
"Riku and Sora as well." Aerith said.
"Yeah I guess so." Leon said, digging into more of his steak.
Everyone began to talk again as they ate their dinner. Aerith was the only one who stayed quiet. She looked up at the stars and let her mind wander.
Vergil and Riku, wherever the two of you are I hope you're okay. She thought.
"Hey Aerith! You alright?" Yuffie said.
The brunette snapped out of her thoughts and looked back at her friends.
"Yes. I'm fine." She answered.
Trish put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Don't worry about them too much. They're all really stubborn remember. They won't let anything stop them from seeing us again."
Aerith smiled and nodded at her. "Thank you Trish. You're right. We'll see them soon."
Then they all went back to their dinners and talked. For now they would wait, no matter how long it took.
Location near Maleficent's castle
A man stood tall, looking out in the distance. He held his hands behind his back with a katana in them. He stared at the castle of the dark witch and his eyebrows furrowed.
"Maleficent…I swear that if you do anything to hurt Riku I will make you pay a thousand fold." He said.
"Talking to yourself again?" Someone asked as they walked up to him. He had a huge sword strapped to his back.
"I guess I am." He responded.
"I got your message. So Riku's helping out Maleficent huh?" The newcomer said as he folded his arms and looked at the castle. "Well that's just great." He said sarcastically.
"It worries me as well, but he can learn a few things from the witch."
"True. She won't harm him either. Having a descendant of Sparda she wouldn't take any risks like that."
"No, she wouldn't." He turned to the second man
"By the way, she's definitively in the castle right?" The newcomer asked, returning the other man's glance.
"Yes. Like you said she wouldn't take risks. Maleficent would most certainly hide her close by."
"So for now we can't do anything?"
"Correct." The man said with a bit of anger.
"Damn it!" The second man said as he kicked the dirt. Turning his attention back to the castle, he reached out a hand towards it and let it stay in the air for a few seconds until he clenched it into a fist. "Damn it!" He repeated. "I guess this is what people mean when they say 'so close yet so far'."
"We'll just have to be patient." The first man said. "Has Sora met Sabor yet?"
"Yeah, he has. At least that's good news." The second man said, putting his hands on his knees.
"We should get back to Prydain. There are some supplies we need to pick up from the sisters."
"Aw crap! I hate going to them!"
"Don't complain. I know their deals may seem a little outrageous but they're worth it in the end."
"A little outrageous?!" The second one exclaimed, dramatically throwing his hands in the air. "I had to exterminate a bunch of demons for them just so I could get my guns back!"
"I thought you threatened to chop their heads off if they didn't give them back."
"No! Don't you remember? That was after I was done with the demons. I threatened to chop their heads off when they said it was a test."
"Oh yes. Now I remember." The first man said. "At any rate, we need to get going."
"Fine." The second man sighed. "Let's get this over with."
The two of them walked away from the castle's direction. They wished they could go the opposite way but they knew that would only make things worse. If they needed to be patient for now then so be it. When the time came, they would be ready.
I'm finally done! I really hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Let me know if there's anything I can do to improve the story.
Riku: Can you pull this sword out of my stomach now?
Me: In a minute.
Sora: Also don't forget to review. The guy worked really hard on the chapter.
Kairi: And it hasn't been that long since he updated the last chapter. It only took him about two months this time.
Me: Sorry if that still seemed too long. I really had to think about this chapter and had to make a lot of changes.
Sora and Kairi: So don't forget to review.
Riku: Please pull this sword out of my gut already.