Chapter 7:

Consequence

A/N: The ending to the last chapter was a bit difficult to read I'm sure. I'm not going out of my way to make any of the characters bad guys or anything like that, but there is a certain amount of internalized emotion that they all have to overcome, it's a big part of the story at this point. I hope I didn't turn anyone off the story too much, but as this chapter unfolds it'll make more sense. Thanks for reading.

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. That's it for now.

Summary: Everyone has to deal with the consequences of their actions. Will and Riku are no different. Their loyalty is questioned, motives analyzed and ultimately they have one chance to redeem themselves in the eyes of their companions.

Special Thanks: CrystalMeltdown for your review of the last chapter and Jade-Eyed-Jinchuriki for your support.

Sighing Riku shifted slightly as he leaned against the splintery wall. No one had believed Riku and Will's story from the second that they began telling it. Apparently, Squall had caught a glimpse of Riku being chased by Marluxia and assumed that he had done something to the pink-haired man, which was the complete reverse at the time. There was also a third girl in the house Will had been in, Yuna seemed to be her name, she was shorter than Aertih with medium brown hair and eyes.

'It wasn't right. Was I even in control?' Riku wondered as he stared down at his bindings. A simple rope bound his wrists together tightly, he was getting burns from the friction and could feel the growing tingle of numbness slowly work its way up his fingers. His ankles were similarly bound. He replayed the look of disbelief and distrust in Sora's eyes when the others had made him tie Riku. Zack had handled Will, he hadn't said a word just stared blankly. Then they were thrown in what appeared to be an old barn. It was dusty, and there were rusted nails and tools all around.

"Will?" Riku asked as he leaned his head back against the wall. He could feel the shifting of the burned man as he turned to look at Riku. They had been tied together and shoved in the barn. They had crawled their way across the room to a wall so they could lean up. Neither was sure of what their fate would be.

"Yeah?" Came the hoarse reply.

"We shouldn't have done that."

"No, but we did. Now we have to live with it." Will closed his eyes and coughed lightly.

"It didn't feel real. It was like someone else was controlling me."

"Welcome to my world."

"Huh?" Riku's face was contorted in confusion.

"You think those two are the only ones I've done that to?"

"You mean...?"

"Yeah. I'm a serial killer." Will stared straight at the silverette.

"I...don't believe..."

"Its true. I've killed 88 people counting those two." Will raised his hands to scratch his face. Riku shuddered in terror.

"Why?" Will cocked his head to the side as if to question the question but instead inhaled.

"Punishment. Theirs and mine."

"What do you mean?"

"I told you that my family was murdered."

"Yeah..."

"I never said by who."

"You didn't."

"I did. I came home from school and there was some rumor about me being caught with a guy. My father lit into me. He was angry I know but none of the others said a word in my defense and he wouldn't listen to a word I said. He hit me. I felt something overtake me, I know now it was pure fury. I wanted to burn them all alive. I...never thought it would work."

"You lost control."

"As I looked down at their smoking, charred corpses I understood why my father was so angry. The guy that they thought I was with was 19 and I was 12. There had been nothing going on we simply knew each other because I was friends with his little brother. That's when Fenrir came."

"Fenrir. What did he do?"

"He couldn't kill me. So he cursed me. Made it impossible for me to kill myself by fact. I try every morning, with knives, guns, electrocution and so on, I even held a lit pipe bomb once. Nothing. Anyway, he made me see true pain."

"True pain?" Now Riku was interested in a macabre fashion. Will wiped his eyes with his palms.

"He made me see and feel the suffering of the others. Children abused and molested. Rape victims. The murdered, robbed and abandoned. At first it didn't seem real. But it overtook all my thoughts I couldn't think much less sleep. The only reprieve I could get was by killing those who caused the pain. The first few times I was foolhardy and nearly got caught. After that I began reading up on forensics and investigative procedure. My grandma thought I was going to become a cop so she didn't question it."

"You started killing people at twelve?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't be too surprising, there's thousands of kids in Asia, Africa and South America that start killing people even younger. Child soldiers, y'know?" Will leaned forward and pulled his knees to his chest.

"So you kill people who deserve it?"

"On some level I guess so."

"How about those other two?"

"Oh. The older one was a burglar who killed a fifteen year old boy about three weeks ago in Sacramento. The younger, her cousin, poisoned a high school cafeteria in protest of some animal rights bullshit or something like that. About twenty kids died."

"Jesus... And the mutilation?"

"That was just my own anger and frustration. It becomes...possessive at a certain point. Much like what happened with that pink haired faggot."

"Ahem."

"Err...sorry. Bastard."

"That's better. Continue."

"I felt what you did. Saw it. Relived it all at once. I guess we both became possessed by our pain and reacted in a terrible way. I wish I was different, I really do."

"Oh but you are." A third voice sounded. It was smooth almost silken but carried a cold mysteriousness. At first there was no one in the barn to go with the voice but in short order there was a figure cloaked in white before the two.

"Fenrir." Will spat angrily. Riku looked between the two with concern.

"This is something I would expect from you," Fenrir pointed at Will, "but not from you. What were you thinking?" Fenrir asked his voice venomous.

"We weren't. Now get lost." Will answered. A second later they both found themselves in the air being pushed toward the ceiling, a great weight on their chests. Riku could feel his breath being forced out and struggled to breath and he heard his ribs begin to crack. Blood spurted out his mouth and his eyes rolled back into his head. Then the weight was gone and they crumpled to the floor shuddering. Will wasn't moving and made no quips. Riku was seemingly left to deal with Fenrir alone.

"Please stop..." Riku rasped, blood streaming down his face. The cloaked figure regarded him stepping closer. Laying a hand on Riku the crunching of ribs sounded in the air. It was a much more painful form of healing than he had experienced before so he couldn't fight back his gasps and groans. Panting heavily Riku moved to a sitting position and woozily held his hands out defensively. Fenrir chuckled.

"I'm not going to hurt you again. However, you must be taught your lesson. You were doing quite well before this. Now you shall be marked." Fenrir laid a hand on Riku's forehead and a burning spread across the flesh, it was worse than the healing had been and Riku struggled in the grasp of the figure. Moaning in pain Riku dropped his head limply when Fenrir retracted his hand. The sickly sweet smell of burned skin hung in the air for a moment, nauseating Riku.

"I was doing well?" Riku grunted.

"Yes. You had finally accepted your failures, your anger, your pain. Accepting is the first step." Fenrir paced in front of the pair, his whole being resonating dominance and resignation.

"Okay. I'm sorry for what I did to Marluxia. I was just so angry." Riku felt tears slide down his cheeks.

"Yes. And before that you were angry at yourself. I know all too well what you've been through."

"Then you saw everything?"

"Yes. I can't judge. When I was a mortal I lived quite foolishly myself. Regardless, a simple apology is not sufficient. You were consumed by the dark parts of your spirit. Continue down that path and you will be no better than Marluxia was. William should serve as an example, for his all consuming anger, pride and egotism has left him bearing the scars of his actions."

"Tell me can he be healed?" Riku begged.

"Perhaps. If there are people who care for him greatly enough and are wise and powerful. I'm not sure you are either."

"I don't care. I promised him."

"Even knowing he is a murderer?

"He was the entire time. I was a whore. I'm sure Sora has some big secret too. It doesn't matter anymore. This whole thing has given us all another chance." Riku stared determined.

"Hmm. You have fight in you. Good because second chances are not given freely. They are earned. You must fight and overcome yourself before you can begin to lay claim to a new life. You are the furthest along this path. For that I shall reward you." Fenrir's hand emerged from the cloak with a sheathed sword. It was smaller than Bak'frelm, overall two and a half feet perhaps. There were similar runes on the hilt, they seemed to be a strange mix of Cyrillic, Chinese and the Runic language of the Norse. They were strange indeed and glowed a gentle blue color in Riku's presence. The hilt itself was only long enough to accommodate a single hand, clearly it was a one handed sword where Will's was a two handed. Fenrir laid the blade down at Riku's feet then a flash of golden energy embraced Riku.

"Thank you. What did you do to Will?"

"He's fine. Just silenced, he'll recover upon my departure. You care greatly for him. I can see that. Perhaps you can heal him after all. This sword is known as Yggelmir, Way to the Dawn. This blade has been forged with the specific purpose to fight darkness and can reveal the source of a person's evil. You will see yours when you take it, it will whisper to you. I have granted you the power to freeze your enemies in stone, use it wisely and carefully, it should come naturally to you in a few moments, simply concentrate. Now for the reason I came."

"Which was, my lord?" Riku found the words escaping his mouth without realizing what he'd done.

"There is a great force coming this way. Minotarus, Zombies, Harpies and Cyclopes are but the lower levels of foul creatures that once plagued the world. In centuries long past I and my kind fought far worse to keep our people safe. Now they are free as the prophecy foretold. There is a creature known as a Del'ka that is with the group heading this way. It is a dragon like creature but humanoid. They are very powerful and none of you are ready to face one."

"What do we do then?"

"You must escape. You have only moments before the attack begins. Your friends are in a large house a mile to up the road. Yggelmir will guide the way. Move quickly. There are also two vehicles behind the house, they have enough fuel to get you halfway to the compound. Sora knows the way. They found a phone. Trust your instincts and each other. Now go!" With a flick of the wrist Fenrir cut their binds and vanished. Will recovered enough to cough loudly. Riku snatched up Yggelmir and was immediately overcome by every memory of his life he'd suppressed over the years.

"Fear." Riku faintly heard the sword whisper to him. He couldn't believe it at first. Without waiting Riku grabbed Will and forced him to his feet then all but pushed him out the barn. After stumbling roughly fifty feet they adjusted to the night and broke into a dead run. Riku was the only one that was armed but he wasn't very concerned since Will seemed to have no problem with fighting barehanded. Will's trench coat fluttered amid their running and Riku thought of how Will would look when he was healed, not if, when.

"We should just shoot both them motha fuckers!' Tidus shouted in from his spot opposite Sora. They were seated around a rectangular table at opposing sides. Tidus' crew had already said they would go along with whatever he decided and Zack and Aerith simply sat on a couch in another room quietly, they seemed to have given up, eyes dulled and expressions dark. Sora was the only one who was arguing for their safety, he had known they were hiding something evil. He wasn't much different, what he had done for Kairi was a whole lot worse than what they had done to Yuffie and Shelke. He had no idea what they did to Marluxia but somehow Sora knew it wasn't entirely undeserved.

"I'm telling you they aren't bad guys. They probably just lost control." Tidus looked at his friend sideways. He couldn't comprehend why the brunette was defending a pair who were very obviously psychotic and highly dangerous. Killing someone was one thing, but cutting their corpse into pieces was entirely another. And anyway there shouldn't have been a reason for Will to kill either Shelke or Yuffie. As for Marluxia, they had found him tied to a burned log, his charred corpse cracked when they tried to move him, so they left him there. There was a suspicious amount of blood and what appeared to be semen on some of the vegetation nearby. He didn't know what went on but it was nothing good.

"No. These two psychos got to go!"

"Goddamn it, no! They're my friends too. I won't let you just execute them."

"And what will you do to stop us?" Squall chimed in from the corner he was leaning in to Tidus's right. Wakka sat between Sora and Tidua mostly to keep them apart. They had come to blows when they began arguing and the black eye that adorned Tidus' right eye was proof that Sora was not going to just let him do what he wanted. It was only because Tidus respected Sora that he was even listening. Their friendship was strained as it was but it was quickly becoming hostile.

"Whatever I have to. Besides, they both are good fighters and strong. They can move stuff and I know Will can make bombs."

"Why does that not surprise me?" Squall replied arrogantly.

"Listen Sora, they are dangerous. They could turn on us at a moments notice." That made Sora very angry. The last time someone thought Will was turning on them he was making a potion to heal them and got lit up like a Christmas tree. Sora tore his shirt off to bear his mark, the shield glowed blue. Then Sora focusing let a ball of ice form in his hand and willed it toward the candle on the table. It froze, the flame shimmering and curving in the air. All three males who were bearing down on him stared befuddled.

"Zack thought the same thing of Will. He shot him for it. In reality Will made a potion that healed our wounds, except my eye, and removed our radiation poisoning. He ran down the hill side and fought an army of Minotaurs, they overtook him and burned him. We came to save him after Riku tried the potion. We save him with one. The only reason any of us are here is because of Will and Riku. I will not allow you to kill them. You know what I did in L.A. and you aren't calling for my death, why?"

"They deserved it." Tidus shot defensively.

"Maybe the others did too."

"Not a fucking-" Before Tidus could finish the window burst open and an enormous pincer snatched up Wakka. Grabbing their weapons Sora, Squall and Tidus tried to shoot the creature. It was red, about fifteen feet high and some odd cross between a centipede and a crab. It was hideous and at least forty feet long. How they had not heard it was a secondary point at that moment. They shot but it didn't appear to do anything. Screams from Selphie, Yuna, Zack and Aerith sounded across the house and the loud crashing of wood giving way was heard.

"Help me!" Wakka shouted struggling in the creature's clutches. Sora remembered Bak'frelm leaning against the wall beside him. Fetching it up he unsheathed it and struck at the creature's pincer. Screeching it reared up taking of the roof. The loose parts of the house crashed down on top of them. Buried, Sora struggled his way up. He was forced to use his spirit energy to amplify his strength. Feeling drained and tired he held the sword up as best he could. The creature seemed to accept him as his new prey and clenched it's pincer cutting Wakka in half. Blood was strewn all around coating Sora, Tidus and Squall. The latter two froze in shock as the twitching legs of their companion landed on the floor before them.

"What do we do?!" Tidus hollered.

"Run!" Squall answered. Just as he turned Zack and Aerith stormed into the room they were in. They were coated in a black ooze and nursed several new wounds. Yuna and Selphie came from another direction coated in the same ooze but the latter limped and had burns on her face. Tidus rushed to her side and hugged her closely. The creature descended. It was met by a brilliant flash of light and howled, backing off about a hundred yards. In the tense silence they heard creatures closing in from the South, Sora knew the hoof beats of the Minotaurs and the shuffling of the zombies, but there were louder footfalls and wing beats that he had never heard.

"You must flee!' Sora became aware of a figure at his side. She was beautiful, seemingly carved out of porcelain. She wore flowing robes and carried a staff adorned with an eagle. She handed Sora a sword. It was a katana. It glowed blue when he touched it. He looked up confused.

"I am Isis. This is Oly'be'nas, the Gatekeeper. This sword can send these creatures back to their foul realm. Now you must go!" Isis shouted. Her brilliant golden eyes shone and she let another lightning bolt fly from her staff. Sora found himself hesitating, he wanted to remain by her side and face this creature. She had obsidian hair that fluttered wildly with the intense wind that came.

"I'm staying right here!' Sora shouted defiantly.

"Are you insane Sora?!" Tidus shouted back. Isis turned to Sora.

"You must go. A Del'ka is on its way here. You cannot face it, yet. I will be fine. I am a guardian after all." She smiled softly to Sora. A group of minotaurs rushed at the house, they were nearly to the opening when a golden orb smashed into one of them and exploded turning all of them into stone. A few seconds later a minotaur axe raced across Sora's vision and smashed through them crumbing them to bits. Those responsible quickly jumped into the house. Sora was overcome with joy to see them both. Riku far more-so than Will but he still ran forward and hugged them both tightly.

"Hey. Leggo!" Will said shoving the brunette off. He snatched Bak'frelm from Sora's hand and belted on the sheath. They were being rushed by an even larger group and they readied themselves. Then the ground split open and the advancing minotaurs were swallowed up. Fenrir appeared at Isis' side. He did no have the cloak on this time. Instead he wore a black armor, it was plate and bore the strange runes all over. The runes were inlayed with gold into the armor. His face was soft, not unlike Riku's, more defined and angular but still similar. His hair was down to his waist and was bloody red as were his eyes.

"We'll handle this. Isis a gift for the third knight." Isis simply nodded and placed a hand on Sora. He flinched away from the burning sensation at first but quickly accepted it. She smiled to him again after it was over.

"This is the power to conjure allies. Their spirits will come to fight by your side for a short while." Isis explained.

"What about Riku?" Sora asked. Fenrir lunged and felled a dozen creatures including a Cyclope.

"He has the power to turn creatures to stone. Now go!' Fenrir shouted. The house shook and the group raced out the opening and around the back as Riku ordered. The found a pair of black SUV's around the back, they had gone unnoticed by the creatures and the leapt in. Sora, Riku, Will and Tidus leapt in the first one. Sora found the keys in the ignition and the SUV rumbled to life. Will was in the front passenger seat and unrolled the window. There was a pair of black cloaked wraiths charging at them, devilishly curved blades in hand. Will held out his right hand and from it came an orb of fire. They were consumed instantly and crumpled to the ground screeching.

"Time to go!" Will shouted. They took off as fast as they could. Sora evaded the diving attacks of harpies and the rocks that Cyclopes were throwing. It was a tense and dangerous ride before the group found their way onto the road but the danger was not past for next to them appeared hounds. They were purple and had flames on the tips of their tails. The were as big as the SUVs were and they knew they couldn't let them smash into the vehicle.

"Do what you gotta just keep 'em off me!' Sora shouted. Tidus jumped into the back and opened the door and shot Sora's rifle at the hounds surrounding the second SUV. Guns were out the windows of that vehicle too and gunshots flashed in the night. Riku opened his door behind Sora and holding onto the frame of the SUV with his left hand he slashed and thrusted at the hounds with Yggelmir. Will did the same on the opposite side with Bak'frelm. The drove past the wreckage of abandoned vehicles and lost a few of the hounds in the process, but there were still about a hundred on their tail.

"There's no end to them!" Tidus shouted. A rough bump had him nearly falling out of the back. Riku had to dive over the seats and grab his arm to keep him from falling. With a mighty heft Riku brought Tidus back into the vehicle. The smaller male was left mumbling a quiet thank you to the silverette. A hound smashed into the side of the SUV at that instant sending it spinning wildly. Regaining control Sora saw that he was lined up with a section of road that was no longer there. There seemed to be a huge gash in the ground running perpendicular to the road.

"Close the doors and hang on!" Sora shouted. The others did so and he put his foot to the floor. The SUV lurched picking up even more speed. Will watched the speedometer pass 100 mph and braced himself. At first when they left the road there was a delay in realization. Quickly thought they felt the weightlessness of their jump and whooped wildly. The next section of road what fortuitously lower than the section they jumped from and they laughed. As they got closer however they knew they were going to fall short. They began rocking back and forth hoping to somehow gain a few extra feet.

"Oh, shit" Sora groaned before impact. The front tires hit below the road and sheared off, the force flipped the SUV end over end. Six times. Glass flew everywhere and the grinding of metal on pavement was a momentary reprieve to the sound of the second SUV roaring at them. They had apparently made the jump but could not slow down in time and ended up hitting the side of the first. There was a long silence and the hours ticked away.

At roughly dawn a door was forced open from the flipped over vehicle and Riku rolled his way out. He bore cuts to his face and neck and a large bruise on his arm but he was able to stand on his feet albeit shakily after a few moments. He went to the driver's side door and tore it open. Sora groaning fell into Riku's arms. Riku brushed Sora's limp hair from his face and examined the bumps on his head. The smaller male let out several groans and curses as he did so.

"Fuck that hurts." Sora grumbled. Will shoved his way past the two and trying to stand fell to the ground. He vomited up a small trickle of blood then let his head fall to the ground.

"Here. Rest up." Sora said motioning to his lap. Will stared at him for a moment but the smirk on his face suggested he was being serious. Will crawled over and laid down, the back of his head resting on Sora's stomach. It was much more comfortable than asphalt. One by one the others began stirring and moving out of the crumpled SUVs. Riku had fallen asleep leaning forward onto Sora, who in turn leaned into Riku and slept. Will didn't sleep but he was content with the warmth of another person and rested well.

"Everyone okay?" Zack called emerging from the second SUV. It was well into morning now and the sun hung well above the mountains. Each person that was able to let out a call of their well being. Most shot sarcastic remarks his way but Riku said that he was feeling just fine. There were two voices that were not heard. Selphie and Squall. They jumped up and looked at the horrifically smashed front end of the second SUV. Squall had been driving. Aerith placed a hand on his neck checking for a pulse.

"He's alive. Let's get him out. Support his neck and move him gently." Aerith instructed. She directed Zack and Tidus carefully. After a few moments he was on the road next to the mangled vehicle and his neck was determined to be broken. Weakly he opened his eyes and let out a choked sob. He was wounded all around his face, neck, chest and legs. Aerith dug through her bag searching for the proper equipment.

"We don't have time for this shit!" Will yelled striding up to the wounded man from his resting place. He formed a red ball of energy in his hand and forced it into Squall's body. He screamed in agony as the wounds were sealed up. It was over in a moment and he panted heavily, shaking off offered hands of assistance he rose to his feet on his own power. Aerith replaced her equipment that she'd gotten out. Zack patted her on the back and laughed softly.

"What...was...that?" Squall asked in shock.

"A fire based healing spell. Gets the job done fast but it hurts like a bitch. You probably won't be able to fight for awhile but you can walk." Will supplied returning to Sora and Riku. It was only a few more minutes before they departed. Selphie had smashed her head open on the windshield and was quite obviously dead. Tidus sobbed loudly, she was all he had left. He had to be dragged the first mile by Riku and Sora. Now the group was divided into two. Will, Riku, Sora and Tidus led the way. Zack, Aerith and Squall were following. They left about fifty feet between the two groups.

"How much farther is it to this compound anyway?" Riku asked.

"About fifty miles northeast." Sora grumbled.

"Hey, at least we got some company now." Will chuckled.

"I guess so. But its still a long way." Sora replied.

"How can you guys still joke around like this?" Tidus asked.

"What else would we do? Sit around crying?" Will scowled. Tidus shook his head.

"I don't know. Pretend you actually have emotions."

"We do. But we learned a long time ago that they just get you into trouble if you let hem rule your life. This is a new world. One we can make. We control our lives and I fully intend to live a good one." Riku answered. He looked far into the sky a soft smile graced his lips. Just a couple of weeks ago he would have been disgusted with going a day without bathing at least twice. Now he was absolutely filthy and he didn't care one bit. He was different that he was then and wasn't going to let anything stand in the way of that.

The group wound their way through the hills and following the road found a new companion. He name was Tifa, she was quite voluptuous and had gorgeous brown hair and eyes. She carried a shotgun with her and had a few cans of food. She was a welcome addition to the group. She had called out from her hiding place in a ditch and announced her intent to come out. She made no move of aggression and had ultimately been welcomed among their ranks in short order. She joined the second group gladly and chatted with Aerith and Zack. Squall occasionally talked to her but he was mostly silent as always.

"So how is it that your brother's fudge packer has this big ass compound in the middle of nowhere?" Will asked abruptly while they crossed a small bridge.

"You really can't keep from using derogatory terms can you?" Riku asked incredulously.

"Sentence enhancers. That's what they are." Will chuckled.

"Rude is what they are." Tidus shot back.

"It's okay. Honestly I feel the urge to call people shit like that all the time and honestly I'm a bit used to his sayin' that shit at this point. But to answer the question I have no idea. Honestly the one picture Rox sent me made me think Axel was a fuckin' prostitute or some shit." Sora said absently kicking a rock down the road.

"Femme boy huh?" Riku asked.

"Like you?" Will rebutted. Riku laughed and made a kissing noise at Will.

"Worse from what I hear. And actually he's the bottom of the relationship. I never thought Rox had it in him. So to speak." The others laughed at him. He had to laugh too. Honestly, it had been difficult to accept Roxas. It had been a sudden revelation and Sora had been caught entirely off guard. At first he had rejected Roxas and pushed him away harshly. A few weeks of awkward meals and Roxas being harassed left Sora backpedaling frantically. Raxas had been glad to have his brother's support finally but that didn't change the fact that Sora still liked to give him a hard time like brothers do. Roxas was quite sensitive much of the time.

"There's Lebanon." Will said absently as after they rounded a bend in the road. Sora lifted an eyebrow at that. He was certain that Tidus said that they had come from Lebanon earlier. He pondered for a moment then remembered that it was Leon who had been found in the small town. They signaled for the others to regroup. It was only a moment before they rejoined the others.

"You know this place better than we do Squall. You lead the way." Sora said. Squall shook his head.

"I don't know this town. I'm from Portland. I was heading over to Idaho for my job and got stuck in the town when all this happened." The group let out a collective sigh. They had no idea what lay ahead but they needed supplies and shelter. They had to take the risk.

"Alright. Zack you and Aerith go right. Tifa and Tidus go left. Squall, your with me, Sora and Riku. Let's go. Shout if you see anything." Will said decisively. No one was quite sure when he became the leader of the group but at the same time they didn't question him. He seemed to have it together so they broke up into their teams and moved slowly down the road into the town. It was little more than rubble. Where buildings once were, there were piles of broken wood, plaster, metal and cement. Fires raged further on and pale grey smoke bellowed into the air. The road was cracked and uneven at points they had to lower each other down.

"Jesus. Was this town this fucked up when you left it?" Will asked.

"Not quite. But still pretty bad. I can't even recognize it compared to what I saw the first day I was here. There's nothing left from when it was still inhabited." Squall replied. He slipped on a rock and had to catch himself. They came to an intersection a short time later. Will had them hold where they were and moved toward an abandoned car. It was in suspiciously good condition considering everything else.

"Careful Will." Riku called. The burned man shrugged off the warning. He was about twenty feet away from the car when there was a flash. Every thing spun and he found himself on the ground. He looked back at the others who were being held at gunpoint. They had not fully recovered from their earlier escapades and could not utilize their powers. They were disarmed, bound and shoved into an awaiting truck, it appeared to be a military supply truck. He saw Zack and Aerith being given the same treatment. That was five of his companions captured, Will struggled to his to get to his feet, but fell. Someone ran up and stole his sword, leaving him lying in the street. Will could feel the blood run down his face and chest.

"Wait for me!" In Will's peripheral vision he saw a small blond male running toward the truck that now sped away. Will grabbed his legs, tripping him and in a rage he was on top of the slight male strangling the life out of the bright blue eyed youth.

"Where are they going?!" Will shouted. The blond struggled to answer, he was choking and couldn't respond. Relaxing his grip Will allowed only enough air into the smaller male's lungs for him to respond.

"They're going to the hideout. It's in the woods. Xigbar will wanted us to get some new 'test subjects'." The blond choked out. Will growled and punched the road next to his head.

"You work for that son of a bitch!"

"No. It's just easier to do what he asks. Kept me from getting my ass raped in prison." The blond murmured. Will growled and drug the male to his feet.

"Name?"

"Demyx. Demyx Deveroux. Please don't hurt me. I didn't do nothing." Demyx begged holding his hands to his face. Will dropped him in annoyance. He heard his name being called and turned to see Tidus and Tifa running toward them.

"What happened?" Tifa breathed.

"The others got captured. I couldn't do anything." Will snarled.

"What do we do?" Tidus asked. His eyes were even duller than before and he looked down at the ground.

"We're going to go get them. No one gets left behind. Lead the way." Will said shoving Demyx in the direction the truck had gone.

"Okay. Geez. Don't be so rough. I'll take you there just promise not to kill me when we get there. I want to come with you."

"Why?" Tidus asked.

"You guys seem to be a lot better company than a bunch of escaped cons. And I really want to get back at Xigbar anyway." Demyx replied.

"Fine. But you better hop that nothing happens to them." Will threatened darkly.

Riku's head rocked to the side with the motion of the truck. His arms and legs screamed at him from the bindings. He had the worst feeling in the pit of his stomach that something terrible was going to happen to them. He looked to Sora who mirrored his dread. There were guns in their faces the whole way and they watched the sky brighten as the sky reached its zenith. The truck came to an abrupt stop and they were thrown to the ground.

"They will do nicely. Bring them down to the basement. I'll begin with the silver haired one." A man with an eye patch and dark hair said. Riku stared at the various scars on this face and arms. He looked terrifying and sadistic. He smiled when a kick was given to Zack's back. Riku tried to work free of his bindings but they were far too tight. The dark haired man stomped Riku in the face, his vision went red and blurry. As he passed out he heard someone reply to the man's order.

"Sure thing Xigbar."

A/N: Well things are getting a bit more interesting no? I should warn you all in advance the next chapter is going to be very graphic and violent. Thanks for reading everyone and reviews are always welcome. Thanks everyone.