I cannot say I am sorry enough. So much of RL got in the way then there was no inspiration and... I AM SO SORRY!!! We were almost at the end too!! I have left his on a cliffie for nearly a year and I am so digusted with myself for not finishing it i am determined to finish it. Only about one more one more chapter left... isn't this so sad? like the end of an era. Though I bet those of you who read this will be glad seeing as I've been so horrid and left it like this.
Incidently, if Tragedy is reading this please tell me you're alive! I've been trying to contact you to no success so this chapter is un-beta'd and will be riddled with mistakes but please try to make sense of it.
Chapter 18
Riku cocked his head to the side, probing out with his still new to him powers of light, trying to sense any forces of darkness in the area. He frowned, he could sense nothing but the other soldiers around him and a vague darkness but that was from the landscape that was forged of darkness, like background radiation.
Vincent glanced at Riku who shook his head and they continued forwards, Vexen safely moving between them.
Still not trusting the lack of dark activity around them Riku whispered to Vexen, "So, what do you know about these children Sora and Cloud mentioned."
"Nothing about what they know but I am familiar with genetic experimentation and from the knowledge that these are from Sephiroth whose work I am also familiar with then I can presume much." Vexen whispered back. "When Sephiroth finds something that works then he likes to exhaust the resource until nothing more can come from it. You are also aware that not long ago he created the thirteen children now named the Children of Darkness, correct?"
"Yes… but I don't see-" Riku began.
Vincent's eyes had widened in an uncharacteristic display of horror. "You mean he's-"
"Most likely. It is Sephiroth's most probable direction of use for the DNA of his successful creations. No doubt he has manipulated the already unstable DNA further and combined them to create hybrids and more children." Vexen sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"More… children?" Riku said dazedly. "That fucker…"
Suddenly the sky rumbled and the castle ruin they neared shook violently, its remains beginning to crumble further. The bleak sky became pitch black; clouds of equally dark material thundered across the sky, broiling like molten tar. The land trembled with something and began to creak and crack beneath their feet.
"Shit… this can't be good." Riku muttered and broke into a run, Vexen and Vincent following him with a similar suspicion fueling their pounding footsteps.
"This land is bound to Sephiroth!" Vexen yelled at the other suddenly.
"What the heck does that mean?" Riku demanded, throwing an arm out in time to shove a low hanging branch out of the way before it took off his face.
"It means-" Vincent yelled before ducking under the same branch as it swung back to take him down instead. "-that the land is responding to Sephiroth."
"'Responding'?! It's gone psycho!" Riku screamed. His face faltered before creaking out into a grin. "Then this could mean Soku and Everent won?!" He wanted to dance with joy but Vexen's next words made him freeze.
"It could… it could also mean he's so happy the land is expressing that which would infer that… well, you know. But… it could mean he's dead and his final action is to take us all out with him. This is not good!" Vexen cried out desperately. "We have to get out of here now; something tells me this isn't just an earthquake."
Riku growled. "Not without my son and Everent."
Vincent said nothing and the three of them, raced towards the castle. As they broke out of the tree line they saw the rest of the army do the same, the hordes soldiers not hesitating as they all charged the ruins, eager to fight and defend.
Riku was at the forefront, his sense out as he leapt over rubble and into the gaping crumbling walls of the castle and further in. He raced onwards, desperately trying to recognize anything but all the walls had collapsed and thus nothing looked the same and even less so as the sky opened up and rain fell down, soaking the already dark stone to shades Riku would not be able to akin to the ones he knew from memory.
He stopped, Vexen and Vincent who had not stopped following him halting also, he let out an angry howl and kicked a fallen torch bracket hard, ignoring the stinging in his foot as he shouted again. "FUCK! We'll never find them in this!"
Around them the soldiers were scouring the ruins diligently at Mickey's directions but there was more beneath and they would not be able to cover the top and the lower levels fast enough, the two princes could well be dead by that time. Blocking out the mouse king's loud orders, the pounding of the rain and the scraping noises as the soldiers moved things around as they looked, Riku tilted his head again.
Sending his mind downwards he searched and searched and then…
THERE!
He gasped, like a fading ember he could barely feel the glowing pulse of his son and the dark shadow of Everent, neither of whom appeared to be conscious.
"Down!" Riku screamed as he brought his mind back. Vincent and Vexen looked at him and then at the floor. "They're in the basement level below us and about 100 yards forward! AH! There's no way we'll get through that in time!"
No sooner had Riku finished screaming then Vincent had griped the edges of his cloak and pulled it up like dark red wings, lunging forwards and pulling Vexen and Riku against him, beneath the folds of his cloak, and then they vanished, Mickey and the soldiers crying out in alarm as the warrior, scientist and king disappeared.
"Soku?" A soft voice called his name.
Soku frowned, it was difficult to open his eyes but he did, his lids heavy. He felt so safe and warm, held in the arms of someone gentle and serene.
He was on Destiny Island beach, his body small like an infants and held securely by a woman. She smelt nice and the sun low in the sky casting a soft orange glow around them gave her skin a slight tanned tinge. She was almost glowing.
Turning away from the sunlight to better see her he found his whole body reluctant to move as if he was in water. Eventually he could see her. She had shoulder-length dark hair with some light brown highlights. She had blue eyes like his own and exactly like Sora's. She smiled at him with the wisdom of years and the sadness of loss.
"W-who…?" It was difficult to speak, the words wouldn't come, his thoughts were sluggish and his body felt as though it were made of lead. He could feel pain but was somehow distanced from it. It felt as though he were wrapped in cotton wool, protected from everything but still able to feel its presence within him. He wanted to sit up but he couldn't even make his fingers move let alone raise them to help push himself up. Instead he just gazed up at the strange woman in whose lap she held his shrunken form lovingly.
"I'm you're grandmother. Rinoa." She said, her voice as soft as the hands around him and every bit as soothing. Soku didn't want to move from that spot ever. "You're dying Soku." Strangely this face didn't bother the tiny male, he knew it should have but he was so at peace and he could feel the pain dulling, as if were pulling away from it. Rinoa ran a hand through his flowing hair and she sighed sadly. "You have a choice to make, beloved." She seemed so sad and lonely. Soku vaguely recalled memories of tales his fathers had told him about his grandparents. No one other than Riku's mother had died therefore Rinoa must be sad she was all alone. It must be difficult to watch your family grow and become happy while you're all alone.
Soku smiled happily. "I want to stay with you!" He cried. He couldn't shake the feeling he'd forgotten something but all he wanted was for his grandmother to be happy. She was family, part of his family. She was important.
Rinoa shook her head. "Haven't you forgotten someone? The reason you are dying is because Everent, the man you fell in love with, combined his essence with your own and you, being Sora's son and all, did the typical martyr thing and took all of Everent's injuries into yourself." She caressed his face. "You can't say you wish to leave him all alone."
"Everent…" The name sounded familiar. It was bothering him immensely when suddenly teal eyes flashed through his mind, searing his mind on contact and making him spasm. He cried out and Rinoa tightened her hold.
"It's okay, you have to remember. Return to him."
"But grandma! What about you?!" He demanded.
Suddenly another person faded into view and Sora recognized the silver hair. Aquamarine eyes crinkled as the beautiful face smiled down at him, a long fingered hand pushing back his hair to stare into his blue eyes. "I knew Riku and Sora would have beautiful children…" She murmured.
"G-grandma?!"
"SOKU!!!" A shriek tore through their peace and Soku's head snapped to the sound, the pain intensifying but he couldn't turn away.
"W-what was that?"
"Everent's pulling you back." Rinoa explained. "You have to go to him, you haven't lived yet. Be with the one you love and live a happy life, enjoy every moment." She kissed his forehead. "Don't live with any regrets."
"What about you two? I don't want to leave you alone." Soku declared.
"We'll be fine." Rinoa smiled, linking hands with Riku's mother. "We'll have each other until you join us. But its not time yet. There will be plenty of time but not now."
"SOKU! DAMMIT, WAKE THE FUCK UP!!!"
Rinoa giggled. "I think its time for you to return to him."
The pain was coming faster and faster, like water rushing and flowing over his body and making every atom of his existence ache. He wanted to say something, anything to give his grandmother a final note of his love for her, a promise he would return to her but nothing would leave his lips. They were sealed with the shock of pain and he could feel the scene before him melting and fading away, slipping from his mind and it was only comparable to jumping into a pool or the sea and landing completely horizontal on the water. It hurt.
Then, through the fog and vice like grip the agony had on him, teal eyes creased in fear were hovering over him. "Soku! Please, just stay with me!" The surroundings shook violently but neither felt it, Soku too numbed to anything but his body and Everent too fearful to acknowledge it. "You have to stay conscious! I-I… p-please!" Soku found he disliked the helplessness in his lover's voice but he could do nothing about it so he said nothing and decided to do as requested.
"E-Ever…r-rent…" Soku rasped. Everent's face showed more distress so Soku shut up. He was only trying to comfort the other but his harrowed voice was obviously not the way to do it.
The dark prince didn't know what to do. Soku's body was unmarked except for the slight scrapes and scratches that was obviously not the reason he could sense the little prince's life waning. He'd woken up as if he'd just been knocked out to find there was no trace of the wound Sephiroth had given him, not even a scar, and Soku was pretty much dead on the floor. Reaching out a hand gingerly the dark haired teen gripped Soku's hand firmly and ran his blood covered hands over Soku's clammy face, the sweat and exertion of fighting the pull of death showing on his face as the skin began to chill. His lips were beginning to tinge blue, the stone floor not a good place to lie at any time never mind when one is half-dead, and his skin whitening. Soku's hair was knotted and matted with blood and dirt, his clothes torn and filthier beyond repair and yet Everent had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.
"I love you, S-Soku." He bowed his head and pressed Soku's limp hand against his face, his eyes never leaving the half-lidded blue ones that watched him so tenderly. Though the other prince was unable to reply the cobalt orbs shone slightly bright, life slipping minutely into them before the shut slowly. "No! Soku! Open your eyes! Look at me! Dammit, you open your eyes and look at me NOW!" He gripped Soku's shoulders and shook him roughly. "SOKU! SOKU!! DAMMIT, SOKU!"
"SOKU?!" Riku gasped, Vincent pulling back his cloak as they and Vexen stood on the basement floor. Riku ran forward immediately, eyes only for his son as he skidded to his knees, his grieves scraping the floor loudly. One look at Soku's cold face and a brief probing of his mind and Riku's heart all but stopped. "Vincent!" Riku cried, his head snapping up to look at the mysterious gunman. "Take my son back to Ansem and Merlin, please!"
Vincent nodded, his pointed boots clacking quickly as he hurriedly stepped over to the fallen prince of light and before Vincent could lay a finger on him Soku's eyes snapped open.
Except they weren't blue.
They were completely white.
And glowing.
They all gasped, inching back a bit as the previously comatose prince sat up, his movements seemingly sharp yet sluggish, each one purposeful but leisurely made. Slowly Soku rose to his feet, as if he were floating, and began to rise further from the floor until it looked as if he would hit the ceiling. Lifting his hands forward he flicked his wrists and, though nothing seemed to come from Soku, the ceiling exploded outwards.
The entire ceiling.
Everent stared, mouth agape as Vincent's eyebrows rose almost to his hairline. Vexen was speechless and Riku seemed about ready to collapse.
"Holy shit…" Was all that left Riku's mouth.
Outside of himself and at one the energies of the Light Soku felt himself disapate into nothingness and everything as he let himself flow into the heavens where he felt Sephiroth's energy pulsate. Of course Sephiroth was still alive; there was no way something that powerful could be killed that easily.
Halting his movements he opened his eyes and found himself stood in a white… nothing. Every direction there was just white, no up, no down, no anything. Looking forwards he saw a dark shape manifest itself and he was faced with a grinning Sephiroth.
"Well, this has been a very exciting dance." His low baritone vibrated with energy it hadn't had before. "No one has ever protected Cloud to this depth before."
"We're protecting everything, every person, every world and everything good in this existence." Soku said defiantly.
"And you're job would be infinitely easier if you would only hand Cloud over to me."
"Never."
"Then I will never stop killing everything he touches until he is mine." A sharp laugh broke the dead air. "Countless people will die, children shall be orphaned and love will not be able to grow for the fear I will rip it asunder. Everything you cherish in this world, everything 'good' you and the Light and that stupid, ignorant rat of a King strive for I will turn to dust."
With a wave of his hand Sephiroth changed the surroundings to show a castle hall. It was Mickey's castle; he'd seen it in photos and paintings in Mickey's quarters on the ship. There in the image Sephiroth had conjured stood the two thrones, side by side, with two skeletons rotting away in the seats. Littering the floor were more decaying remains. Soku guessed the two atop the thrones were King Mickey and his wife Queen Minnie, goodness knows who else were sprawled on the ground.
"Every world…" Another flick of his wrist.
This time it was a town, with broken, unlit neon signs. A welcome sign with dried, flaking paint had long since become unreadable but Soku felt as if he should know that place. He'd never been but the light within himself called out to the dead world, singing as if to breathe life into the hollowed out buildings and empty streets.
"Every home…"
This time Soku was stood on a pier. A crumbling stadium at his back and an endless sea before him he saw a curled up skeleton lying at the end of the dock just behind Sephiroth, a faint echo of whistling on the wind and an ache deep inside his heart of love never to return.
"Every heart…"
Stood on a rocky cliff overlooking a gaping desert another body lay at his feet, eagle spread and gaping at the sky eyeless sockets stared to the heavens and a rusted sword just behind the corpses head. A brave man had fallen here, fallen defending what he loved. Fallen in the hopes of giving life, fallen in vain.
"It will all be crushed."
Finally they stood on a beach. Soku gasped at the black sands and the jagged rocks unnaturally jutting from the sand beyond the shore. Whirling about he looked up and saw the house he had grown up in on the hill not too far away, its walls torn down and the house's gutted remains open for the world to pick at and destroy. Soku closed his eyes and turned away, he would not look anymore lest he see a corpse he might recognize.
"Give me Cloud and you can stop all of this. You can stop me if you give him to me." Soku closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped. Sephiroth stepped towards his back, wrapping strong, leather clad hands around the slim shoulders and keeping them fixed back to chest. "Its so much to lose for just one person…"
Soku's eyes snapped open. "Cloud isn't 'just one person'. No one is." Turning around and wrenching himself free of Sephiroth's grasp he glared up at the green-eyed elder. "Everyone has a right to be protected and loved and no one is worth nothing."
Sephiroth laughed. "You would condemn thousands of people for one man?"
"You would not destroy the worlds even if you did have Cloud. There is no promise or deal you could give me that you would not break and you may want Cloud but you want to crush everything more." He stepped back and looked at the King of Darkness levelly. "You only want Cloud so you can show him as you squeeze the life from every world and snuff out every light that ever flickered so that you can watch him break."
Sephiroth clapped. "I'm impressed. You're not easily fooled are you?"
Blinking his blue eyes they flashed to white and Soku stepped forwards. Sephiroth's smirk fell and he drew Mesamune from the darkness. Soku summoned his Keyblade and the two blades struck against each other with a dull scrape. Everything seemed muffled, a rising static sound clawing at the air as the two entities hurled their weapons again and again, black eyes glaring at white, each weapon slicing through the air with a screaming protest, good and evil fighting so forcefully existence itself seemed to cry out for them to stop.
Ducking under Sephiroth's long sword Soku went to stab the elder when the blade fell from his hands with a shudder. Looking down shakily he saw Mesamune's hilt pressed against his chest and glancing over his shoulder he saw the rest of the long blade arching out from his back.
"You lose." The older silveret laughed.
Soku smiled. "No. You lose."
Sephiroth looked down to see the younger's hand resting flat against his bear chest, cool fingers glowing with Light and pushing the repelling energy into his body, destroying him and tearing him apart.
With a shriek Sephiroth pushed back and urged his Darkness into Soku, the ebony light creeping up the young silveret's arm. As it reached his shoulder Soku gasped and reached out with his mind, pulling every light from every corner of the world into himself.
The soldiers helping the 13 new children of darkness into the medical ward, overseen by Vexen suddenly fell to the floor. The young children cried out in alarm and looked to the scientist for help but had had collapsed as well. In the other ward Sora, Cloud and Leon had all fallen unconscious as well. Mickey and Ansem who had been watching over them were on the floor as well, out on the castle ruins all the remaining soldiers were on the floor as well, Riku and Vincent slumped near by each other, the sky above them crackling with lightning and rumbling with thunder.
On Destiny Islands Shelke had put her sleeping baby into her cot when she had sprawled onto the floor, the infants eyes closed as well but not in slumber. Downstairs Yuffie was over the arm of the sofa limply. Across the island everyone had just slumped to the floor in unconsciousness except for the Children of Darkness. Marluxia stared in alarm as Tidus just dropped to the floor beside him as they were walking in the garden. He heard Namine scream and she ran outside to him. "Kiari just collapsed!"
"So did Tidus."
Their confusion went unanswered as every world was drained of all its Light until only the dark or those of the dark were left. Similarly a cry for the Darkness went out and the evil creatures of creation fell as well.
Axel frowned as he sat beside Roxas on the sofa, Roxas dozing and Axel reading. He snapped the book shut and looked down to see Roxas previously closed eyes staring wide in shock. "Do you feel it?"
"Yes."
Larxene looked up from where she had been working on her car. Xigbar and Xaldin came running out of the house they shared and over to her.
"It's calling us!" Xaldin cried.
Xaldin nodded. "However, we are not simply being pulled…"
Xigbar and Larxene stared at the large man. The blond looked down pensively. "It means we got a choice in the matter."
Demyx clutched at Zexion's arm. "Zexy what do we do?"
Zexion stared at the floor in confliction. "Do we answer the darkness that borne us…"
Luxord stroked his chin while Laexaus watched him silently. The blond murmured, "… or do we go to the Light we strive for?"
In an instant the Children of Darkness were unconscious, their Darkness turned to Light and their minds made up. They knew where they belonged. They were made for Darkness but by choice and determination they had created themselves a body of Light. Narxia and Ami were slumped facing Tairi who was also on the floor.
Back on the castle ruins Everent felt the darkness call also and shook his head. "I guess I already know where my loyalties lie…" He closed his eyes with a smile and fell to his knees.
Soku's skin became aflame with bright white light, pushing the darkness out of him. "You have no power over the good, Sephiroth!" He cried a thousand voices of defiance in one. Sephiroth snarled and tried to tear away from the hand against his chest but it was on him like a brand, the cool touch scalding his skin like fire. "No one will bow to you while they still have hope, no one will yield to you!" Stepping forwards Sephiroth fell to his knees and Soku looked down at him though he wasn't that much taller than the elder even when kneeling down. "You can destroy things all you like and the Light will never give over to you! All you will ever be is a child have a tantrum."
Pressing hard against the firm chest Sephiroth closed his eyes and roared as the light tore his body in two, dark matter fleeing into the forgotten corners of nothingess as the Light exploded around them and Sephiroth vanished like dust.
Soku swayed on his feet, vision swimming with a thousand sights, head pounding with a thousand thoughts. Light poured off him like a God, aching and clawing at his insides to get free again. But he couldn't let go. Sephiroth had survived once before, this couldn't be over. He'd spent so long fighting, this couldn't be the end.
"Soku." His head jerked up and between the darting eyes of so many he could make out the blurry vision of a dainty woman in a pink dress walking slowly towards him. Her hair bounced in soft brown curls and his heart felt immediately warm and comforted by her presence. "It's okay." She smiled. Putting her arms out in an open gesture she laughed. "It's all okay. You can let them go. It's over."
Without complaint he felt his body relax, all the energy rushing free of him like water. He frowned at the woman curiously. "Mother…?" Falling forwards his mind went black.
Okay, I hope you enjoyed that I am HOPING to get the next chapter written and up soon. But i won't make promises since I'm hopeless at keeping them. Time for explaining now. When Sephiroth is showing Soku all the worlds he is going to destroy (well, some of them) they are worlds you should know but I couldn't describe them all because Soku had never been there and didn't know what they SHOULD look like. So, in order: Disney Castle and though Soku's never met them there is (in my head) Donald and Goofy and all those lovable disney characters skeletons on the floor of the throne room. I love ruining childhood memories for everyone. The next world was Traverse Town. The Third was the Dock at Luca where Yuna stood whistling for Tidus at the end of FFX. The fourth was the cliff Zack died on in FFVII Crisis Core. Hope you are a little clearer now.
Any more confusions just ask me and I'll clarify.
lots of love, Akaiba. xxxxxxx
