Chapter 2:
Scars
A/N: From what I was able to gather the previous chapter was at least decent so that's good. This one is going to set up a bit more of the character relationships. By the way the recipe that Will uses at the start of this chapter is one I came up with. :P
Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or any characters used therein. The character Will does belong to me however.
Warnings: Blood, Gore, Violence (duh), Sexual Situations, Sex (Possibly), Offensive Language, Nudity, Torture, Objectionable Political Views, Rape (Implied) and Dark Humor.
Pairings: Zack Fair x Aerith Gainsborough (Found the right spelling for Aerith's name). That's it for chapter 1 and 2, I'll expand the list as the story progresses.
Summary: The group remains in hiding and prepares to move in two days time. Secrets bubble to the surface and tension in the group starts to occur.
Special Thanks: The Critic League forum for giving me advice on summary writing and pointing out flaws in the previous chapter. And to Jade-Eyed-Jinchuriki for your support.
Will sat fidgeting with his Glock. He heard Sora in the kitchen digging through the cupboards and fridge in search of something to eat. The brunette grumbled irritably, he couldn't find anything that really spoke to him, saying "Eat me! Eat me!". Dejectedly he grabbed a box of Chex from atop the fridge and tossed the half gallon of milk on the table.
"You don't want that do you?" Will stood in the archway of the kitchen. He was clutching his empty beer bottle, flicking cigar ash into the mouth. Sora gave the blonde a quizzical stare and eyed him. He stood about 5'10 and was probably 260 pounds or more but Sora noticed the suppressed emotion in Will's eyes. He couldn't make it out clearly and he had almost missed it, Will was good at hiding his true thoughts that much Sora knew and he adjusted himself uncomfortably.
"Couldn't think of anything else. Not like I'm a chef or anything." Sora grumbled taking the plastic cap of the milk jug. Will strode to his side and replaced the cap on the jug. Discarding his cigar in the beer bottle he walked past and opened the back door and threw the bottle over the back fence. He turned back to Sora with a grin.
"I can cook a bit. Sit down I'll make some of my famous peach and orange chicken." Will motioned to the wooden chair Sora had already half pulled out. Will grabbed a large sauce pan and turned on the stove. Reaching into a cupboard above the Will grabbed a bottle of olive oil. Will took a knife from the counter top by the back door and a cutting board and grabbed a large bowl from the fridge. He began cutting the chicken breasts up into roughly one inch squares.
"Peach and orange? Never heard of it. This something you came up with?" Sora asked watching intently. He got a nod from Will and smirked. Will washed his hands and added the olive oil to the sauce pan. Grabbing two medium size bowls Will filled one halfway with flour and the other with and egg and milk; whisking them together. Will grabbed a deep-fryer from underneath and the inset shelves near the living room and turned it on to 375 degrees.
"You could talk more y'know." Sora tapped his fingers impatiently as he watched Will add minced garlic to the saucepan, the aroma radiated through the house and Sora found himself salivating. Grabbing a jar of peaches Will poured about half the liquid into the pan which emitted a loud hiss and Will stirred the mixture vigorously with a wood spoon.
"Talk about what? How you're hiding something?" Will shot back zesting two oranges and squeezing the juice out. Sora frowned deeply anger bubbling to the surface.
"You don't know shit about me! So don't sit there and think you do. Not like you're not hiding something too!" Sora shouted. He didn't care if Riku heard them argue, this was a personal attack on his character after all. Will paused a brief moment and added a touch of cumin, salt, black and red pepper, and ginger to the pan and mixed it in.
"Mind stirring this for me?" Will asked completely unaffected by Sora's outburst. Sora was dumbfounded, he had expected Will to yell back maybe even hit him, but he simply walked past the brunette and started dredging the chicken.
"You're right I don't know a damn thing about you. But I do know what pain looks like. When you said you could shoot, you had this look of guilt and hate on your face. I just wanted to know what it was about." Will replied calmly and began adding chicken to the fryer. Washing his hands again Will stood by the sink barely an arm's length from Sora.
"That's not something I want to talk about. It's in the past and it's gonna stay there." Sora spoke coldly. Will raised an eyebrow, but hesitated to say anything.
"The past never stays there. It'll come back to bite you on the ass. So the sooner you 'fess up the easier it'll be. Don't want to find out you're a rapist or somethin' in the middle of a life and death situation." Will sighted cracking his neck. Sora mixed the contents of the saucepan slowly, methodically his anger slowly building.
"Same goes for you. What are you hiding? You could be a terrorist. Hell, you coulda started all this!" Sora accused, though he knew he was being ridiculous. Will crossed his arms and inhaled deeply.
"Touche." Will breathed at length. Sora shot him a look of confusion but didn't say anything.
"We got our secrets. All of us. It's just better for the group as a whole for everyone to trust each other. Hard to do when we're all carrying baggage. But then again, I can't make the rest of you share your secrets and not share mine. I'm not ready to do that with you or Riku yet. So I won't ask you to do the same. Anyway-". Will was cut off by a soft rapping at the front door. Will snatched his Glock from his waistband and motioned for Sora to follow. Another knocking, the heavy metal door thudded hollowly.
"Who is it?" Will demanded firmly. There was a pause.
"It's me jackass." Came the reply. A tad more depth emanated from the voice suggesting it was and older male. Will opened unlocked the door and sure enough there was a tall black haired male standing on the porch. Spiked hair reached into the sky and blue eyes regarded Sora curiously. The man was dressed in a black leather jacket, black t-shirt, blue jeans and boots. He was a about the same height as Riku but quite a bit broader and thicker.
"You gonna let me in?" The male asked.
"No." Will shot unfazed. The male pushed past him and headed for the living room.
"Not the time to be an ass." The male grumbled plopping on the couch. A moment later a slender brunette woman entered nodding respectfully to Will she followed the male to the couch. Her mahogany hair was tied back with a red ribbon, leaving bangs hanging. She wore a white lag coat and khaki slacks. She had a large shoulder bag with her.
"Sora. This is Doctor Aerith Gainsborough and her a-hole fiance Zack Fair." Will indicated unceremoniously. Sora waved to the pair and Zack rose and snatched his hand in a vise-like handshake. Sora nearly cried out when Zack grabbed his hand but he squeezed back as hard as he could anyway.
"Firm shake. Good to meet ya." Zack chortled. Sniffing the air Zack made his way into the kitchen.
"You making peach and orange chicken?" Zack asked excitedly. Will crossed his arms and glared at the older male.
"That's a yes! I'll leave it be." Zack held up his arms in surrender and made his way back to the couch. Sitting with a sigh Zack stared at the Sora expectantly.
"What?" The brunette asked.
"Never seen you before. When did you meet Will?" Zack asked shrugging out of his jacket. Aerith shifted slightly.
"Like two hours ago at the UO campus." Sora supplied sitting in the recliner. Will went back to the kitchen secretly glad that no one was bothering him while he was cooking anymore.
"And he invites you into his house just like that?" Zack asked incredulously.
"Well, we were there when the outbreak started and he found us and told us to follow him." Sora explained. Zack eyed him a moment then laughed.
"Sounds like Will. Tryin' ta be the hero." Zack teased.
"Up yours, Fair." Will called from the kitchen. A sweet aroma of peach filled the house and Sora became concerned.
"Hey, won't the zombies be able to smell this stuff?"
"Trust me, you couldn't smell a fresh pile of dog shit if your nose was buried in it out there. That pepper mix crap he talked about using overpowers everything. Only thing you can smell is pepper and vinegar." Zack concluded. Sora sighed in relief. Behind him he heard a door squeak open and the soft padding of bare feet on carpet. Turning to look behind the chair Sora watched a very nude Riku hobble to the kitchen.
"Damn, Will! You open a brothel recently?" Zack teased.
"Yep. Got a special deal goin' too: buy one get one half off." Will shot back laughing.
"Um...Riku you should get dressed." Sora stifled his laughs with his hands though he felt a peculiar heat move through his body. Aerith sat silently shaking her head at Zack's antics, a small smile gracing her light pink lips.
"Hm? S'okay. I got my own cookies." Riku mumbled, shuffling to the table and sitting on the hard wood chair with his back to the living room. He began playing with his hair, braiding it along the side of his face. Will set a mug of fresh coffee in front of him.
"Is that chocolate milk?" Riku asked childishly. Sora rose concerned for his friend. Placing a hand on Riku's shoulder he found himself immediately in a tight embrace.
"I looked everywhere for you!" Riku called only inches from Sora's face. A quick slap from Will rattled the silverette. Clutching his head Riku wobbled to his feet with a groan.
"What the hell just happened?" Riku asked in wonder. The other four stared at him. Exchanging looks Will and Sora sat Riku back down in the chair. Sora felt Riku's forehead for a fever but he felt normal.
"You came out here actin' like a stoned male hooker." Zack chortled from the couch. Receiving a glare from both Will and Aerith he quickly quieted himself.
"Oh. That happens sometimes. It's my medicine. Side-effects, just needed a bit of a smack to reset." Riku supplied sipping his coffee.
"What medicines?" Aerith asked now at Riku's side. The silverette was flush with embarrassment and dreaded to answerer. He knew what it would mean if he told the group what he was taking. He looked down ashamed and Aerith put an hand on his shoulder motherly.
"Listen, I'm a doctor, if you're not comfortable sharing in front of everyone we can talk in private." Aerith offered. Riku rose and headed back to the room he had occupied. He noticed a clean set of clothes in the corner where his soiled ones had been and dressed in them. White t-shirt and black cargo pants. Sighing he sat on the bed, a moment later Aerith appeared and shut the door behind him.
"I won't screw around with this." Riku began running his hands through his hair. Aerith nodded expectantly but did not pressure the male.
"I'm on Fluoxetine, Paroxetine, Sonata, Orap, Retrovir, and Combivir." Riku shook worriedly. Aerith took in the information for a moment then pursed her lips.
"Those are very serious medications. How long have you had-?" Riku held up his hand to halt Aerith, the doctor was accustomed to being cut off by patient and simply smiled softly.
"Please don't say it. Every time I take one of those pills it's like a kick to the balls, reminding me of how much of a fuck-up I am." Riku explained with a hollow voice.
"I see."
"It is a very strong strain."
"How long...?"
"Forty five days with the meds. I only have a two week supply for that though." Riku chuckled wryly. Another motherly touch from Aerith had Riku looking into her eyes the way a son would.
'I've never heard of these side-effects before.' Aerith thought to herself.
"How have you been hiding the symptoms? People should have noticed something."
"Sora suspects that something is up but he doesn't know. I've been using weed, methadome and oxycodone to mask the pain as much as I can. I got that stuff illegally though."
"I'm very sorry. I'll be sure to look for anything that'll help you."
"Thanks. Y'know...The reason that I wanted to befriend Sora was because he was alone when he got here too. I figured that two people who have nobody that really understood them would make great friends, maybe even more than that. I'm such an idiot."
"No. You've made mistakes. I believe that everyone can get a second chance if they really commit to changing. Miracles are real Riku, Zack and I know that from personal experience." Aerith smiled and gave Riku a soft hug.
"Don't worry this will remain between us. Doctor-patient confidentiality." Aerith whispered and left the room. Riku sighed heavily before exiting himself. Returning to the kitchen he found a plate of chicken with a brownish-orange glaze coating it. A large salad lay next to the chicken. Mysteriously, no one else was in the living room or kitchen. Shrugging Riku began eating, finding the chicken to have a sweet and spicy flavor but neither was particularly strong. They were subtle flavors that played with Riku's tastebuds. Riku smiled in enjoyment temporarily forgetting the painful topic from just a few moments ago.
The door to the garage opened and Will, Zack and Sora emerged. The oldest of the three held a long case in his hand and smirked as he talked to the other two. Will carried a large wooden box while Sora had a pair of duffle bags slung over his shoulders. The trio moved into the living room and placed their bounty on the floor. Riku quickly finished his meal as they began rustling through the containers, pulling out packs, gas masks, tactical vests, knee pads, elbow pads, face masks, tinted goggles, boots, and military style fatigues.
"Are we going to war?" Riku asked incredulously. The trio looked up at him and Zack gave a smirk of confidence.
"Technically, yes. Ultimately war is all about survival and we need the tools to survive, so..." Zack trailed off as he motioned with open hands to the gear that lay on the ground. Sora had begun assembling his ensemble from the mixed clothing, making sure he selected the appropriate sizes for his frame. Meanwhile, Will snatched up clothes intuitively, he knew exactly what clothes fit him.
"Here. They're size 12's." Will said as he tossed a pair of black, shiny boots to Riku who let them fall on the floor with a dull thud. Riku stared in shock for a moment and even Sora and Zack had stopped what they were doing to look at Will. The large male simply carried on nonchalantly.
"How the hell did you know my shoe size?" Riku demanded. Will shrugged.
"Lucky guess." Zack grabbed the blond by the shoulder and yanked him up. Will glared at the black haired man who simply scowled back.
"That's a damn good question. I didn't notice at first but there's five full outfits here. Masks, boots, vests, all of it. I know you got stuff to fit you, me, Aerith and Sora apparently. You got stuff to fit the pretty-boy?" Zack growled. It occurred to Riku that the two had not been properly introduced.
"I do."
"That ain't luck. You knew. How?" Zack cocked a fist ready to beat the information out of Will.
"My name is Riku Thorsen. I'm from Odense." Riku cut in abruptly. Zack looked at him confused and let Will out of his grasp. Zack scratched his head.
"What the fuck does that have to do with anything?" Zack asked now calm.
"We haven't been introduced and I really didn't want you to hit Will in the face." Riku gave a light chuckle as Zack regarded what he said for a moment.
"Name's Zack Fair. I actually come from Brooklyn. I's a Ranger for nine years til my knee got fucked over in a fire-fight in Afghanistan." Zack spat. He turned to glare at Will once more.
"I'm Sora Minamoto. Born and raised in L.A. I was just a regular kid." Sora laughed goofily making Riku and Zack laugh with him. Will remained silent his eyes fixated on Zack, anger surged through his veins and he did his best to suppress it. Aerith emerged from the garage a moment later carrying a large black bag around her shoulder.
"What's going on?"
"Oh, we're just introducing ourselves." Zack stepped over to plant a kiss on Aerith's cheek.
"Oh. Well, I'm from Anchorage, Alaska. Moved to Oregon to live with my father after the divorce and I always liked helping people so I became an ER surgeon." Aerith smiled brightly as she took her seat, setting the bag down.
"What's in the bag?" Sora asked.
"Medical supplies."
"So Will where are you from?" Riku asked. The mundaneness of the conversation distracted him from the overall disparity of the situation at hand. All eyes on him Will shut his eyes and gave a small scowl.
"William Alexander Ivankov. Lived here all my life. Son to murdered parents, brother to murdered siblings and uncle to murdered nieces." Will spoke coldly, deliberately. Riku hadn't seen this aspect of Will's personality, disconnected and guarded. True, they had only met recently. Still, Riku wouldn't have believed that Will could be this cold if he hadn't seen it for himself. Their earlier conversations had no hint of any animosity, anger or even negativity and to see this drastic a change in the blond sent chills down Riku's spine.
"Your middle name is Alexander?" Zack asked giggling, trying to lighten the mood. Will's eyes darted open and for the first time Riku saw Will's soul. His eyes had a dark green outer iris that became a golden color the closer to the pupil it got. In those eyes Riku saw hatred, guilt, fear, longing and pain. The others gave a jump at Will's sudden death-glare and sheepishly tried to change the subject. Riku looked straight into Will's eyes and Will looked back at his, a silent message rippled through the air. Riku didn't know what Will was communicating but he felt a part of him longing to know more about the blonde.
"Hey Will, why don't you go get the weapons?" Zack suggested after a few tense moments. Will looked to Zack and gave a slow nod. Will walked past Riku bumping into him in the process, Riku noticed a frown on Sora's face and that he was about to yell. Riku held up his hands to quiet Sora before he started something. On a whim Riku followed Will to the back room.
Entering behind the large blond Riku found the room to be a soft cream color. There were several posters of heavy metal bands on the walls. There was a large safe in the far right corner and a work bench next to it. There was a vise and equipment that is used for reloading ammunition affixed to the bench. A very uncomfortable looking plastic and metal chair was placed behind the bench. A stack of wooden crates lie between the safe and the bench.
"What is all this?" Riku breathed.
"My study." Will replied. Riku noticed that his voice was fatigued and strained.
"Well let's get to it then."
"That isn't why you came."
"No."
"You want to know how I knew."
"Yeah. It's troubling."
"I saw it. Years ago I saw all of this."
"What?"
"It's true. Why do you think I have so much shit. I prepared for what is to come."
"And what is to come?" Riku asked skeptically. He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt.
"Pain, terror, hate, forgiveness, love and so many other things I can't even describe."
"You see it all?"
"No. Bits and pieces. I wish I was just a normal guy like you lot. But I'm not. Never was, never will be. I can't escape my fate."
"Your fate?"
"You'll see for yourself soon enough."
"Still doesn't answer how you knew."
"I know. Best answer I have though. God I just want to sleep."
"When did you go to bed last night?"
"I didn't."
"Um...The night before?"
"No."
"When was the last time you slept?"
"November fifth," Riku pursed his lips and went to speak but Will continued,"of 2006." Will concluded opening the safe. He began placing weapons on the table. Riku recognized them, the distinct polymer construction, accessory rails, and black color gave them away as M-4 carbines, the sort used by the US military. Riku counted three of them. Then will set a larger weapon on the table it looked similar to the M-4's but was larger and enough of the shape was different for it to be a completely different weapon. An oversized AK-47 joined the others it's orangish wood stock and forestock standing out among all the black and blued steel.
"That's been eight years." Riku doubted aloud. Will placed several pistols on the bench before he turned to look at Riku.
"I know."
"How is that possible?"
"We all got secrets. Scars on our souls that refuse to heal. Maybe that's what this si all about, healing." Will thought vocally for a moment. Riku felt a tinge of guilt worm its way through his chest, he knew exactly what Will was talking about.
"I can't sleep. Not a wink."
"Sorry. If it makes you feel better I'll be dead in less than a month."
"You're sick." Will stated flatly. Riku felt the blood drain from his face. How this stranger could know his darkest secret he didn't know.
"Aerith didn't tell you."
"She didn't need to." Will whispered. Riku hung his head in shame. Unexpectedly he felt Will's strong arms wrap around his thinner frame. Riku returned the hug and let a few tears slide out of his eyes, but he didn't cry or sob. The pair stood like that for a few moments neither unsure of how to end the contact and at the same time wanting it to continue.
"You two butt-fuckin' back there?" Zack called from the living room. Riku walked past Will and scooped up an armload of weapons and walked back to the living room without another word. He placed the weapons on the floor in front of Zack who eyed them carefully.
"Got my M-4. Will's M-14. The Saiga, M-60, couple more M-4's and an M-203, that would be the grenade launcher for you kids that don't know." Zack sing-sang. He grabbed his rifle, it was painted with black, tan and greens, patterned after a tiger's stripes. It had a short scope and a vertical grip under the forestock. Zack extended the stock all the way out and checked the rifle's action.
"It's a good start." Zack stated. The three around him could only nod their agreement.
It was night now and Riku rolled restlessly in the bed he now shared with Sora. He was glad for the extra warmth and the company, especially since they were going to stay overnight and had spent the hours leading up to dusk putting a canopy on Will's dodge. It took all four males to get it on. Then came weapons distribution, Zack carried the M-4 and M-203 not trusting the rest of the group with such a dangerous weapon. Sora had gotten an M-4 as had Aerith. Will took the Saiga which was the oversized AK that was surprisingly a shotgun, and his M-14 rifle Riku had made note of the nicks in the wooden stock and the scratches on the barrel. He had the M-60, which was heavy, about 20 pounds when loaded as Zack had informed him. Aerith had tried to ask how they had acquired all this but Zack deflected the question with a vague answer about how he knew some people that helped him out.
Zack made it a point that everyone disassemble and reassemble their respective weapons including their sidearms in less than a minute. He showed them how and then made them. He corrected any errors they made in his usual casual manner. Riku had picked up on the workings of his M-60 fairly quickly, though he couldn't imagine actually using a belt-fed machine gun on a regular basis. Sora had decided to keep Gast's revolver but Will gave Riku his Glock saying that he got it off a dead campus cop. It had been Will who volunteer for first watch. That had been four hours ago, Riku knew Will wouldn't wake anyone else to relieve him.
Will could sense that Riku was awake as he sat in his chair. In the dark he held his father's M1911 pistol in his hand. The heavy pistol fit like a glove in his hand and he had long admired the slight angle to its grip and the stainless steel frame and slide. Will thought of his family long dead and sighed. Giving a glance over his shoulder he considered for a moment that this group may become his new family and that he had to protect them no matter what, which was why he had rigged the front and back doors with pipe bombs. In the event that something came through either door the explosives would go off, killing whatever came through and alerting the others, he hadn't told anyone but Zack what he did.
The metal door thudded hollowly. Will silently rose to his feet and readied his Saiga. Another thudding, someone was knocking on the front door. He heard hushed voices, panic lacing them. Will didn't move or say a word, he had no interest in letting them in. He felt a presence behind him and turned to find Riku standing curiously, he had grabbed his M-60 which by Zack's order was to be kept loaded at all times. Soon enough the other three filed out of their rooms to stand in the small hallway waiting.
"Let us in!" A deep voiced man shouted kicking the door. He was hushed by another man.
"Please, we have a child." They heard a woman plead, voice cracking. No one moved not even Aerith. Zack and Will had made it clear that they let no one in the house, no matter what. It didn't sit well with Riku or Aerith but they understood that the situation demanded they be cautious.
'Just go away.' Riku thought. They heard a loud metallic clanging.
"Open the fuckin' door or I'll break it in." The first man shouted. Will motioned everyone back. Three sets of eyes fell on Zack who nodded and motioned as well. The man had started counting down from three.
"You don't want to do that." Will called out quietly. The man stopped for a moment, but thinking the warning was a challenge he struck the door anyway. The first simply made the door ring almost like a bell, the second broke the top hinge.
"Get down!" Will and Zack shouted in unison before the third blow came. In an instant the room was filled with smoke and dust. A loud ringing resounded in the group's ears. Riku rose to his feet shakily, when he looked up he saw that Zack was yelling at him and pointing the gaping hole in the house. He never heard what Zack said but he assumed that he wanted Riku to use the machine gun so he did.
Zombies had started clamoring toward the house, the smell of gunpowder and dust masking the scent of pepper and vinegar. Riku began firing and immediately he was seized by something deep in his mind, memories flashed through blurrily. To his amazement he fired the M-60 not only accurately and to great effect but superbly, almost as if he had done this many times before. Sora and Aerith joined his side when a second explosion sounded at their rear knocking everyone to the ground. Riku sprang to his feet and fired on the zombies that now swarmed the back door.
"Time to go!" Zack shouted tossing Riku his pack. The group, packs in hand now raced outside. Aerith climbed in the passenger seat and Will moved to get in the driver seat, but was stopped by Sora.
"I'm a great driver. Got away from LAPD in a high speed chase. Let me. Trust me." Without hesitation Will handed over they keys to the smaller male then threw him into the cab of the vehicle. He climbed into the bed of the Dodge with Zack and Riku closing the tailgate behind him. Sora expertly flipped a u-turn in the small gravel driveway and ran over any zombie that was in his way as he maneuvered down the narrow street.
"Well, so much for the plan." Zack grumbled making Will chuckle darkly. Riku felt suddenly invigorated, as if he had been missing out on something. He stared at his hands for a moment not sure where his earlier skill had come from but he was glad for it.
"Funny thing about that..." Will trailed off as he watched the house he had grown up in burst into flame, denying the zombies occupancy. There was no turning back now, nowhere to go but forward. He just hoped that wherever that was it would be better than what he left.
A/N: So here's chapter 2. It actually took longer to write than I had planned but that's good because I went from a chapter where the group just met and planned to a chapter where their troubles begin to permeate out so I hope everyone liked it. Thanks for reading.