Title: 100 Steps To Somewhere
Fandom: Kingdom Hearts
Claim: Cloud/Riku
Theme: 017. Friend
Word Count: 3,618
Rating: M
Summary: Riku goes one step too far.
Spoilers: For KH1 Hollow Bastion. I guess. Just to be safe. But if you haven't played through the first game, I wonder why you're reading KH fanfic to begin with.
Disclaimer: Cloud and Riku aren't my toys. I'm just borrowing them without permission. They belong to Square Enix and Disney and other cool places that have enough money to make sweet little video games.
Author's Note: I sat down several times to write this. I intended it to be longer, but what I cut from this will be in prompt 19. That at least gives me two extra prompts to fill up 100, right? Anyway, this was hard to write. The emotions were crazy, all over the place, and I ended up erasing everything I had on the first attempt. The second attempt left me as co-author to my best friend's amazing novel idea. The third attempt ended up with me taking a nap. This is the fourth and final attempt. It became easier after I watched my sister play Hollow Bastion.
Step Seventeen: Friends and Rivals
Maleficent and Ansem said nothing upon Riku's return. She didn't raise an eyebrow; he didn't bother to voice the obvious assumption on whom Riku had gone with. He walked to his room without interruption or interrogation and closed the door.
Sitting on his desk next to the first Keyblade Maleficent and Ansem gave him was another one. Another Keyblade. The only sign that he'd ever been gone in the first place. Next to it was a note telling Riku that the new Keyblade was to be his new weapon, to dispose of the toy sword, and that it was called a Soul Eater.
A Keyblade to unlock hearts and a Soul Eater. Fantastic.
He sat in the chair before his desk, tapped his fingers on the top, and stared. Riku pulled the phone from his pocket, found Cloud's number in the menu, and was about to press send when he shook his head. Cloud couldn't help him with this; Riku had burdened him enough. Compared to everything that had already happened this new Keyblade was inconsequential—just another black mark on his heart.
Riku opened the bottom drawer and dropped the phone inside. He'd call Cloud again once everything with Sora was settled.
Riku propped his chin on the heel of his hand and stared toward the window.
----------0----------
Sora didn't arrive the following day. Riku filled his hours handling the Soul Eater, practicing his fighting, and getting used to holding it in his hands. He preferred it to the previous Keyblade; it held less of a dark aura. The old Keyblade reeked of the darkness, the smell so pungent it made his stomach turn.
Ansem appeared to him sometime in the late evening. Riku supposed he was growing stronger. Though he wasn't quite corporeal, there was a transparent figure to accompany the voice, dressed in a plain brown robe. Ansem kept his hood up. This detail set in his heart, unease growing like the blackness already there. Ansem commented on his fighting, pointed out techniques, and Riku tried to push away the familiar smell of darkness that radiated from him.
Maleficent walked into his room even later in the evening.
"Have you decided what you will do when that wretched boy arrives?"
Riku sighed. He should have known this was coming.
"I'm going to let the Keyblade choose its master. If it isn't mine anymore, I won't be able to keep it from Sora, anyway."
"The boy won't allow that. He's very foolhardy and pigheaded."
Riku snorted.
"He used to be my best friend. I know what he's like."
"He's changed. He isn't the boy you used to know."
"Maybe I'm the one that's changed."
"You are the true Keyblade master. He doesn't have the skill or determination to save that girl."
"And you think I do?"
"You've come this far in the face of the boy's disapproval and treachery, and you've done it alone. The boy has the King's lackeys at his side. Without them, he'd be nothing."
"But he has come far. All the way to Neverland the last time I saw him. He'll be here in Hollow Bastion."
"He'll be here to deliver you the Keyblade. That's all he is—your delivery boy. Mark my words."
Riku stared at her, and his fingers moved toward the Soul Eater. Maleficent laughed.
"Don't think you'll use my own gift against me. You let that Keyblade choose. I assure you, it will abandon him. The Keyblade is needed to open the door. You will be the one to do it."
"What's behind that door, anyway?"
"Infinite wisdom, as I've already told you. Not only the ability to save the girl's heart, but to save your world from the Heartless. They obey you, after all, not the boy. The hearts of those who have lost them, and the ability to restore them. The powers to obtain everything you've ever wanted. Powers to find people you've lost."
"I'm sure."
"Behind that door is everything you've ever dreamed of, and everything you could never dare to think. The fate of the worlds lies beyond the door, and he who holds the Keyblade will hold that fate in his hands. Make sure it's the right person."
"You mean me."
"The boy doesn't have what it takes."
Maleficent left the room. Riku rubbed his thumb across the top of his desk, pushed the Soul Eater back against the other Keyblade, and picked up the toy sword. Riku slashed it through the air; without the presence of Heartless, it failed to transform. Riku tightened his grip around the hilt.
Riku feared Maleficent told the truth about what was behind that door. It would explain why she was so determined to open it. Worse, though, Riku thought she might be correct about his rightful ownership of the Keyblade. If she really wanted to get through that door so badly, why would she pick him? If there was no way for Riku to do it, he'd be worthless to her.
Riku pushed off the urge to pull the phone from the desk drawer and climbed into bed.
----------0----------
Riku fastened the Soul Eater to his belt around noon the following day. Sora still hadn't arrived, and Maleficent's words replayed in his thoughts. His body felt jittery and restless; Riku shifted his position in his bedroom seven times before he decided to practice his fighting. Back on the Islands, fighting was always a great way to burn off tension, and the tactic held true despite how things changed.
He was about to leave his room when the toy sword caught his eyesight. This morning, he sat by his window for a long time, swinging the wooden toy. He'd left it there, lying propped against the wall under the window. Riku walked across the room and picked it. He would have returned it to the desk, but Riku glanced out the window before turning.
Outside, the Beast wandered the perimeter of the castle. Riku frowned. He was unusual, having followed Belle here without assistance. Riku wondered how he did it. Belle must be very lucky or very good to have someone care so much about her. Riku assumed it must be the latter, being a Princess of Heart, and that the someone who cared so much was a rather stupid and ugly beast.
Riku slid the toy sword on his belt next to the Soul Eater and headed outside. He found the Beast just where he'd been through the window.
"What are you doing out here?"
The Beast turned to Riku and growled. Riku sneered.
"You're the Beast, right?"
"You're with Maleficent."
Riku shrugged and raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe. So what if I am?"
"Where is Belle?"
"Is that why you're here?" The Beast growled again, and Riku frowned. His fingers found the Soul Eater's hilt. "It isn't my business to tell you. She's needed. That's as much as I can say."
"I won't let you hurt her."
"I'm not going to hurt her. I don't have anything to do with her."
"I don't believe you."
Riku narrowed his eyes and closed his fingers around the Soul Eater.
"I'm intrigued. No vessel, no help from the Heartless . . . So tell me, how'd you get here?"
"I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!"
"Take her if you can."
The Beast growled and leapt at Riku. Riku jumped back and drew the Soul Eater. If it was a fight the Beast wanted, Riku wouldn't back down. He couldn't get Kairi's heart back without Belle, and the Beast was going to have to wait. It wasn't like she was being harmed. He swung at the Beast, who caught the Soul Eater in his claws, but Riku pushed back against the force.
He was strong, but Riku had darkness on his side. He knocked the Beast off-balance, and swung again. The Beast howled in pain. It wasn't until then he heard the footsteps. Riku's eyelids fell closed. This was already going down in flames. He tried to push the anger and adrenaline away. Best to make it quick before he gave Sora more ammunition against him.
"Stop!"
Right on cue. Riku turned.
"So, you finally made it," said Riku. Sora frowned. "About time. I've been waiting for you." Riku looked to Sora's Keyblade. "We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you."
"Riku . . ."
"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters."
Unless there were three like Cloud said, but Maleficent seemed to know more about these matters than Cloud, and . . .
"What are you talking about?" said Sora.
Just do it, thought Riku. He's going to hate you, anyway. Just do it.
"Let the Keyblade choose . . . its true master."
Riku held out his hand, not sure what he was doing. Cloud, Maleficent, and Ansem all talked of 'calling' the Keyblade, and though wasn't sure how that was done, he concentrated his energy on ignoring the odd stare Sora directed at him, and beckoning the Keyblade. Nothing happened. It wasn't working. Then, the Keyblade yanked from Sora's grip, disappeared, and reformed in Riku's hand. He stared.
It hadn't been a lie . . .
"Maleficent was right," said Riku. "You don't have what it takes to save Kairi. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door . . . and change the world."
"But that's impossible. How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"
"You were just the delivery boy," said Riku, trying to hold back a laugh. "Sorry, your part's over now."
Riku fingered the wooden sword and looked at Sora. Sora's face grew redder by the second, his eyes narrowed, and Riku couldn't fight the anger rising in him. When their positions were reversed, Riku never looked at Sora like this. He tossed the wooden sword to Sora. Riku fought with it; now Sora could see what it was like on the other end of things.
"Here, go play hero with this."
He walked away from Sora before he could respond and back toward the castle, stepped into the lift, and turned around to find the duck and the dog.
"What are you doing here?" said Riku.
"We're supposed to follow the key," said Goofy.
Riku considered stabbing all three of them with the Kingdom Key.
----------0----------
"You aren't coming in my room," said Riku, staring at Donald and Goofy. "You wanted nothing to do with me before—"
"Before you took the key from Sora," said Donald. He tapped his foot (?), crossed his . . . wings (?) . . . and glared at Riku. "That wasn't very nice."
Riku glared back.
"I did what I had to do. The Keyblade is mine, or it wouldn't have come to me."
"He has a point," said Goofy.
"I don't care," said Donald.
It took a great deal of reserve not to bash the duck over the head.
"I see it went well," said Maleficent, walking up to them. She looked at Donald and Goofy. "Your new companions?"
Donald made a loud, squawking sound. Riku hoped he didn't make that sound often.
"We're supposed to follow the key," said Goofy.
"Of course," said Maleficent. "Now that you have the Keyblade, there's only one task left before you can open the door."
"What's that?"
"Dispose of the boy."
Maleficent walked off down the hall. Donald made the squawking sound again.
"Don't talk to me," said Riku. He walked in room and shut the door. The Kingdom Key joined the Soul Eater and the dark Keyblade on the desk. He pulled the bottom drawer open, found Cloud's number in the menu, and pressed the send key.
The phone rang a few times and then Cloud's voice came over the line, a little out of breath.
"Are you okay?"
"Hey," said Riku. "I think I should be asking you that."
"I just . . . haven't heard from you."
"You in Traverse Town yet?"
"Just got there. Walked into the house, phone rang, and I ditched my friends."
"Sorry. Bad timing, huh?"
"No. I'm glad you called. I'm sure Leon's covering for me."
"It's helpful having him know."
"Isn't it? Sora show up yet?"
"Funny you should ask that. He just got here."
"Have your confrontation yet?"
"The Kingdom Key is sitting on my desk."
"It picked you."
Riku sighed.
"Yeah, but just so you know, the Keyblade comes with Donald and Goofy."
"Oh, Riku, you killed them, didn't you?"
Riku laughed.
"Not yet. But they're hanging outside my bedroom door right now, mostly likely freaking out because Maleficent just showed up. Told me I've got one more task to do now that I've got the Keyblade."
Cloud sighed.
"I don't like the sound of that."
"Yeah, well, you shouldn't. She wants me to kill Sora."
"Riku . . ."
"Don't worry. I doubt I'd be able to even if I put my heart into it. I mean, I guess I'll have to confront him, and yeah, I've got the Keyblade and all . . ."
"How is Sora going to fight you without the Keyblade?"
"Um . . ."
"Riku . . ."
"I gave him the toy sword . . ."
"Riku!"
"I probably acted like an asshole, too."
"Probably?"
"Okay, I acted like an asshole, but he was . . ."
"Upset you stole his Keyblade?"
"It chose me."
"You stole the Keyblade."
"It chose me."
"It chose you, but you made it choose you."
"It's for Kairi, right? It's not like . . . I mean . . . I didn't do it to be an asshole. I just acted like an asshole."
"So you're going to fight Sora?"
"I guess I have to. I mean, he's pretty mad about the Keyblade, and Maleficent wants me to kill him. A fight is inevitable. Don't worry. I won't kill him, and I'll get out of there before he gets pissed off enough to try and kill me. I don't want Sora dead; I just want him out of the way."
"Why don't you just tell him? Then you can get Kairi's heart back together."
"I think we're past the point to just kiss and make up."
"Maybe you should just make up and leaving the kissing to me."
"Kiss Sora and I'll kill you next."
"Very funny."
"I just wanted to call you and let you know . . . about the Keyblade. And that I was probably going to fight Sora. Just so, you know, when Sora gets out of Hollow Bastion and you hear all about how I tried to kill him, you know the truth."
"Call me when this is all over, okay?"
"As in when? I think it's just starting."
"As in when you open that door. Your fight with Sora is over. Whenever. Just call me when things settle down a bit. I want to know you're okay."
"I will. I have to go."
"Don't kill him, Riku. You'll regret it forever if you do."
"I won't. He's . . . my rival. My best friend. I don't want him dead."
"I know you don't, but I also don't want you to let your anger get the best of you. Or your hurt."
"I'll try. I love you."
"I love you, too. Call me later."
"I will."
"Talk to you then."
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Riku pressed end and dropped the phone on the desk. He picked up the Kingdom Key and Soul Eater, and walked out of the room. Donald and Goofy stood across the hall, Donald's angry squawks reverberating off the walls. Riku raised an eyebrow, cleared his throat, and Donald fell silent. He glared at Riku.
"If you're coming, then come, but I'm not going to wait for either one of you."
Riku walked off. He heard their footsteps scurry behind him. The worry and disappointment in Cloud's voice was still in his mind when he walked into the Entrance Hall.
The Beast's growl caused Riku to look up. He walked down the stairs, flanked by Donald and Goofy, and faced both Sora and the Beast. Didn't Sora just make friends everywhere he went?
"Quit while you can," said Riku. Sora glared.
"No. Not without Kairi."
Anger filled Riku's heart. Sora wouldn't leave without Kairi when it was Riku who'd been helping her all along?
"The darkness will destroy you."
He felt himself shift into his darkened form.
"You're wrong, Riku." Sora looked hard at him, more defiant than ever. "The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"
"Really . . ." said Riku. "Well, we'll just see about that."
He mustered a ball of dark energy and thrust it at Sora. He thought Sora might just dodge it, but he stayed rooted in place, and it clanged off Goofy's shield. Goofy had rejoined Sora on the other side.
"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" said Goofy.
Riku almost rolled his eyes.
"You'd betray your king?" said Riku.
"Not on your life! But I'm not gonna betray Sora, either, because he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together! See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the king I'm really sorry?"
"Hold on, Goofy! We'll tell him together," said Donald, running across to Goofy and Sora. All the better. While Riku didn't plan on killing Sora, he wouldn't mind taking out those two. "Well, you know . . ." said Donald. "All for one and one for all."
Goofy nodded. Riku almost lost his lunch.
"I guess you're stuck with us, Sora," said Goofy.
"Thanks a lot . . . Donald. Goofy."
"How will you fight without a weapon?" said Riku.
Sora turned toward Riku, his eyes flashing.
"I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart."
"Your heart? What good will that weak little thing do for you?"
"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then . . . if they don't forget me . . . then our hearts will be one. I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!"
Friends. Friends that didn't include Riku. The fierceness in Sora's eyes and voice, the image of Kairi's empty body, the disappointment in Cloud's voice, crashed down on him. The Keyblade disappeared from his hands and reappeared in Sora's. Riku drew the Soul Eater.
It was like on the Islands, yet so different. As they clashed, attacked, parried, and knocked each other around, Riku realized just how much better Sora had gotten. This was more than the Hercules Cup; Sora wasn't playing, and being on the other end of his attacks was more menacing than only watching him battle. Riku threw every attack he had at Sora only to be batted away. Even with his enhanced powers, he found himself heaving for breath. True, he was emotionally battered before the battle started, he used an unfamiliar weapon, but simply put, he wasn't matched with Sora anymore. Cloud never stood a chance during that Hercules Cup.
Riku fell to his knees, hunched over, and panted. He felt the dark form fade until he was fully Riku again. His heart felt weak. Riku stood and looked at Sora, who paused, Keyblade ready for attack, but Sora didn't make a move. Riku took a step back and ran up the stairs. He headed for the lift, and his bedroom.
----------0----------
Even the familiar surroundings of his room held little comfort. Riku left two cigarettes later, and wandered Hollow Bastion. His breath was shallow, his eyes stung, and Riku kicked the wall. He turned around and headed down another corridor.
"Why? Why is he always better?"
Riku turned another corner.
"Friends? Yeah, right. I was his friend, but he threw me aside the second I walked away in Traverse Town."
Riku walked up a flight of stairs and turned right.
"He had no right to get so angry about the Keyblade. What? He can't take being on the other side of things?"
Riku walked through a doorway into another corridor.
"Why? It was mine."
"Know this," said Ansem. Riku stopped and turned. The fuzzy figure stood there again, this time a little more solid, glowing a little brighter. "The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade."
"What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?"
"For that instant, it was."
Riku shook his head and looked to the ground.
"However," said Ansem, "you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness and your heart will grow even stronger."
Riku hesitated. He went deep enough into darkness. Sora hated him. He let Kairi down. Cloud was disappointed. He ignored the stench of darkness pouring off Ansem.
"What should I do?"
"It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself."
Riku didn't have the strength to fight as Ansem lunged toward him and Riku felt his heart stop.
I apologize for not responding to my Chapter 15 Reviewers. I usually check my email for review alerts and since I didn't receive any, I didn't realize I had Chapter 15 reviews until after I posted 16. So, to all recent reviews, since this is once again in order:
seiza: I love you, too. I don't know. I've always interpreted Riku this way, and as for Cloud, I just took what I saw from Advent Children and the games as I've never played FFVII. And since Kingdom Hearts is kind of an alternate Cloud universe, I took upon myself to play with him. Don't worry about them breaking up just yet. There's going to be 100 parts to this and I'm only at 17. Only 83 to go!
WeirdoWithIssues: Thank you for the compliment on the sex scene. I was very nervous about it, and so satisfied when I finished I thought I might be setting myself up for disappointment. Honestly, I don't know why I've always seen Riku as a smoker. Maybe cause he's the "bad" friend. I also never purposefully planned on writing it into the story, but I am a smoker, I was craving a cigarette, and since I imagined Riku as a smoker since I played the first game, he craved a cigarette, too. As for the KH storyline, I spent hours searching YouTube, transcribing the cutscenes, watching them over again for the segments, and I get to do it all over again when I get to KH2, cause I haven't even transcribed them yet. I'm done with Chain of Memories, though, so I should be okay for the next few weeks. Seriously. Plan on this following all the games to date.
Koji Inari: Yeah. When I got your MySpace request, I went to look at your profile and go so excited. I was like, "Wow. We have so much in common. This is so cool!" I had no idea you found me through this story. When I finally figured it out, I was so flattered. I also saw you were writing a CloudxRiku story, and though I haven't found the time to read it yet, I plan to do so. Thank you so much for all your fabulous comments. For the record, I don't care for dogs, either.
Romantic Puck: I'm unsure as to whether you are this far in reading to even get this response, but thank you for the compliments. As you'll see once you get this far, I switch between POV every chapter. I don't know why I do it this way; it just kind of happened. I fill in the blanks because I want to tell Riku's side of the story. That's about it.
Anonymous Subscriber (Yexi): I'm sorry you didn't care for the beginning of Chapter 14, but I'm glad you liked how it ended up. I'm just following the prompts, my storyline, and the alternating POV. As I said in Chapter 14, I didn't intend for it to come out that way, but I guess that's the way the prompt led it. I feel I'm starting to lag on my updating, but I will have more time to pick it back up now that the holidays are over.
Lapse-Raevn: Heh. I didn't mean for it to be so cliffie, but it felt like the appropriate place considering the next prompt was where I wanted to pick up with Cloud's storyline again. As there will be 83 Chapters after this (yes, 83 chapters, and yes, I'm out of my mind), you don't have to worry about a sad ending yet. Actually, you don't have to worry about any kind of ending for a very long time. I'm not sure how good that is for either one of us, but hey, what can you do?
Thanks to everyone who read and didn't review. All feedback welcome and appreciated.