Oh my gawd, look who decided to show her face in the e-world! How long's it been? Forever, I'm sure. I had computer difficulties, then a rough patch in my life, and then I just couldn't write anything. I felt so horrible though, looking back on all of the reviews and favorites I got! So I decided I'd revive this story, since I was getting good feedback on it. I'm sorry to the people that wanted updates faster, and I'll try to do that. Like, really really try. Thank you so much for all of the reviews; they really boosted my self-esteem (and I needed it).
Now, I'm not too happy with this chapter, because it just feels...off. Maybe it's just me? I'm half-done the fifth chapter, so hopefully that comes out soon. Thank yous to Ichiemay, sain-kookie, drarythoughts, Tinker16, Whitefleur, F.E. Light, Koneko Hoshi, skyinthenightslove, XxXmaximuM-RideRXxX, and kez-chan. I love you guys, and everyone else that read up thus far. I'll answer two questions I got, since it's only 1:29 in the morning and I have no life (It's been so long, do you guys even remember your reviews? XD)
drarythoughts: Thank you for pointing that error out! ;3 Oh, you'll find out how they knew later in the story! I can tell you now, though; they did and did not know when to wake Sora up. A certain possessive someone (Who will be revealed in this chapter) is quite obsessed with Sora... They're a sneaky bunch, that organization. XD Thanks for the review.
kez-chan: Lol! Yes, you may hug Sora. I think he would like that (That is, until Riku claims him all possessive-like. Then Sora'd be suffocating under the heavy atmosphere.). I'm so happy that you like my concept. ;3
Because I feel like I should explain, the reason behind Sora's childishness with Riku and his more mature actions with Roxas is kind of a "the less he knows, the better" case for Riku. Sora's acting like he knows practically nothing (Which, in terms of earth languages and the ways of humans, is actually true.) because it'll stop Riku from questioning him, and thus learning too fast and getting the wrong ideas. And I'm not sure if I went over this, but the reason Sora understands some English, but can't speak it is kind of like when you hear a word, know what it means, and can say it in your mind, but can't say it aloud. His mouth isn't used to forming the words and speaking with the dialect, so it's kind of hard for him. The unusual attachment to bear is also explained (But it goes deeper than that, actually.). But enough of my babble.
Well, onward readers! Ignore my spazz-tastic writing style in this.
Of Fallen Angels And Porcelain Feathers
Chapter Four (!!!!)
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Sora blinked as items of clothing were laid before him. There was a pair of those…whatever they were; they had two tubes, made of some tough blue cloth, attached to some thing that went around ones waist. Then there was a shirt; he noticed that (He remembered from last night.). It wasn't the monstrosity he had worn last night. This one was of a softer fabric, and more stretchy. But he wondered how he was supposed to get his wings in there. Then there were those things you put on under the…blue tube leg cover things—which Sora thought completely defeated the purpose of putting them on in the first place if you were just going to cover them up—and then there was a bigger version of the shirt, with longer sleeves and a thicker fabric.
Why weren't things as easy down here as they were up there? Last he was up there, people could wear white togas and be happy. But oh no, not here. "Need help?" Riku smiled. Ah, yes. In the midst of his mind-rant, he'd forgotten almost about the silver haired boy (and Sora, in terms of age, could call Riku 'boy'. He had Riku beat by some hundred years.).
And what had happened earlier…Sora nearly grimaced thinking about the earlier events. He and Riku had just stood looking at one another, unblinking. And suddenly, Sora felt this connection to Riku. He noticed it immediately—a type of telepathic connection angels had with the human they were guarding. But Sora didn't recall anyone telling him he was Riku's guardian angel… Still. Sora tested the link (he wanted to be sure if it was the one he thought it was) and he supposed this scared Riku because he felt the slight fear, and the seemingly older male had blinked and thus broken the connection. Sora decided to play this off as he had been doing with everything as of late—the less confused Riku became the better, but Sora knew deep down that the damage was done. And Sora also knew he felt the pleasure Riku was giving off from their connection. Still, Sora wasn't sure if he could ever do that again. At least, not for a long while. He didn't want to risk hurting Riku. It actually took a lot of energy from the both of them if Sora did that too often.
Thinking about Riku brought up thoughts about that bear…he really loved that bear. He felt motherly instincts come over him whenever he was holding it. He didn't know why. Even when he wasn't holding it, he realized, when he felt a warmth in him as he looked at the 'slumbering' bear. It was probably his instincts as an angel, which explained why angel parents were so good with their and other people's children. And Riku…Riku had even given it a kiss, and helped him tuck it in. Riku was something else, that was for sure. Not only did his personality betray all that Sora had learned about humans, his appearance was not disappointing (In fact, in angel folklore, most humans were ugly creatures, but could change their appearances to look beautiful and lure others into their evil clutches. Again, why would they be guarding something like that?). He couldn't get over those silvery locks and those bright aqua eyes. Riku had soft, pale skin—Sora remembered the feel from when he had let his fingers ghost over it lightly the night before.
But this was strange. Sora had never had feelings like this before, ever, about anyone. He wasn't completely clueless, though—he recalled stories his others told him and stories he overheard about the feelings he'd been having, the words 'lust' and 'love' being said many times, but he had never experienced it. It almost scared him, but curiosity and fascination overcame fear.
"Sora?" Riku's worried voice broke his thoughts. Sora smiled up at him. "Do you need help?" He asked again. Sora, ignoring a strange part of him that wanted to say yes just to feel Riku touch him, shook his head no. How hard could this be?
A few minutes later found Sora on the floor, the shirt half over his head, the weird bottoms—jeans, Riku had called them—tangled about his legs and feet, and somehow, the neck of the longer-sleeved shirt—Riku called that a sweatshirt (Sora knew why, it made him feel hot.)—was at his waist. And to top it all off, the 'boxers' as Riku explained, were on his head. Riku was in a corner of the room, and Sora swore he heard cackling and sobbing at the same time. He pouted, sitting down harshly on the floor. This was too hard! A while later Riku stumbled over, giggling madly and wiping at his eyes. "Okay, Sora. I'll help you." Even through his giggles, he smiled softly.
Sora winced as Riku tried to pull the shirt over his head. "Sorry." The taller of the two smiled apologetically. When he pulled them off, the boxers slipped off also. Then Riku moved down to his legs, slowly untangling the jeans. Sora held in a gasp as he felt Riku's hands graze his skin lightly, face heating up. He looked up and saw Riku was in no better shape, his face as red as a cherry. Sora didn't understand…was this supposed to feel this good? Why did he want…more? Why did he want to feel Riku touch him more than this? And why did his body feel so hot?
"Okay, I think we've got you untangled. Ready to try this again?" Sora was snapped from his near frantic thinking by Riku's voice. He smiled, pushing the thoughts from his head. He'd think about that later. But for now, he had to try to figure this out.
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"Zexy…" Zexion looked to the timid voice. "Yes?" He asked gently. It was so unlike him, but in the presence of the blonde male beside him, he couldn't bring himself to speak any other way.
Demyx shifted his gaze nervously from the floor to his lover's eyes. It didn't matter to him what anyone else said about him and his emotional capabilities; he loved Zexion, and that was all that mattered.
"Zexy, when can we…" He trailed off. He couldn't speak of such things out in the open. Sure the hallway was empty, but their leader had ways. Zexion sighed. "Demyx…"
"I want to help them! I don't…I don't want to keep doing this, Zexy…" Demyx looked down. Even with the thick black coat, he felt…cold. He hugged himself, trying to warm his arms. He had no need though, when Zexion's arms wrapped around him and a strong chest pressed into his back. Blue hair fell over his shoulder, and he leaned back into Zexion.
"Demyx, you know we can't yet…" Zexion tried to coax Demyx out of his current way of thinking. The blonde was so heartbreakingly adorable in his kind-hearted ways. Zexion hated that he had to deny the blonde this one thing. For now, at least.
His attempt at reasoning, like the others, was in vain. "We were friends, Zexy…best friends. All three of us. When they told us what we'd been doing…what we're still doing… I don't want to do this anymore. I'd…I'd rather be a fallen my whole life! It can't be worse than this…" Demyx sniffled, sighing when Zexion wiped the tears from his face. He looked up at Zexion, eyes pleading. "Please…I can't wait anymore." Zexion sighed, averting his eyes from Demyx's. But it was too late, and he had already been hit with a pleading look that had his resolve crumbling faster than a milk-dampened cookie.
"…We have to be discreet about it, then."
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Riku laughed as Sora spun around, giggling childishly. His eyes seemed to grow as wide as saucers, trying to take in everything at once—and they were only on an empty street. Sora constantly pointed to things, asking Riku what they were. Rather, he pointed to them and looked at Riku expectantly. House, car, and tree were among his favorites so far.
"That's a flower." Riku smiled, as Sora ran over to examine someone's yard. The red plant swayed slowly in the light breeze that passed. "A flower?" He repeated, still looking excited and curious. Riku chuckled and nodded. "It's pretty, isn't it?" At this, Sora nodded vigorously. "Pretty!" He repeated happily, pulling Riku along by the arm.
Suddenly, in the midst of his happy skipping, Sora stopped. He began to back up slowly until he was almost hiding behind Riku. His grip on Riku's sleeve tightened. "What's wrong, Sora?" Riku asked worriedly; Sora was acting strange… Sora's eyes, shining with fear, looked straight ahead, and Riku felt the smaller boy's body tremble. Riku looked up too, only to see a tall, hooded figure. All that was visible was the person's mouth, which was drawn into a smirk. Riku raised an eyebrow; why was this guy scaring Sora so much? And why was the guy smirking at them?
"Roxas was nosey, he got what he deserved." At this, Riku glared. "Who are you? And what did you do to Roxas?!" He moved Sora further back behind him. The person chuckled. "Who I am is of no importance." The smirk turned into a mere line, like one's lips would be if they had an expression of indifference. "Just know that Roxas got what he deserved, and so will you if you don't give Sora to us. We do need our…key very badly." The figure crossed his arms. Now Riku was confused. Roxas called Sora a weapon…yet this person called him a key... Then it hit him.
"You're from that organization, aren't you?!" He glared harder. The man laughed. "You catch on quickly…maybe you'll be of use later. If you're compliant. Now hand it over." He held his hand out. Riku's rage swelled, and he made to push a fear frozen Sora over, only to spit at the man's feet. "Go fuck yourself." He hissed. The man drew his hand back, shaking his head in mock sorrow. "Pity…I was hoping I could avoid killing you, but…" The guy held his hand out and suddenly, a swarm of white creatures rose from the ground. Riku gasped, backing up. What had he gotten himself into this time?
"The nobodies need a workout…" The man chuckled. "Bastard—" Riku was cut off by one of the creatures pouncing at him, clawed hand drawn back. Riku immediately grabbed Sora in an attempt to protect the boy. But instead, Sora pushed Riku away and rushed at the creature with…
A key?
Not just any key, Riku noticed. The key was huge, and Sora held it just like a sword. Sora slashed at the creature skillfully, twisting and twirling the mysterious weapon. His eyes were narrowed into mere slits, lips parted to show his clenched teeth. Riku never would have guessed that Sora wielded a weapon so well… The creature—a nobody, he assumed—faded into nothing after a final slash, and Sora landed in a semi-crouch, looking…deadly. Riku himself nearly felt scared, and Sora wasn't even looking at him. His glare was directed to the man, who merely smirked in satisfaction. "Yes, embrace your anger…feel it. Become it. Submit to the darkness…"
A swirling portal of darkness opened up behind the man, and he stepped back into it. Sora growled—it sent shivers down Riku's spine at how…scary it sounded—and lunged after the man. But as soon as he got to it, it closed up in front of him. Sora cut into the air where the portal once was, collapsing just as the key he was holding seemed to burst into dozens of tiny, bright lights.
"Sora!" Riku ran over to the brunette, kneeling down at his side. Sora's eyes flittered open and he looked up at Riku with a smile. "Riku!" Then he paused. "Is…Riku alright?" He seemed as if he wasn't sure if he phrased his question correctly. Was this really the same Sora? The Sora that had oh-so-skillfully fought with that…key-like blade, and killed one of those creatures?
Riku smiled lightly nonetheless, nodding. He was still too shocked to correct Sora's questioning. "I'm…fine. Are you okay?" Sora nodded also. Then he gasped. "Roxas!" He exclaimed, hopping up. The man's words came back to Riku suddenly, causing him to gasp and begin to run. Sora followed Riku as they ran, Riku praying silently the whole way to the shelter.
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Sora ran into the shelter, only panting lightly. Riku, on the other hand, was very much out of breath. He looked around, hearing the excited barks and whimpers of the canines in the building. Riku ran over and went through one of the doors, and Sora followed curiously. He blinked at the sight he saw.
A man with bright red hair had Roxas pushed against a wall, his arms wrapped around Roxas and his face buried in his neck. He must have been doing something very good, because Roxas was letting out small noises and sounds that made Sora wonder just what in the hell they were doing. Apparently, Roxas was getting what he deserved, and he was loving every second of it. Sora just watched with curious eyes, glancing over to Riku. The silverette had his arms crossed, shaking his head disapprovingly. He muttered something suspiciously close to "Doin' it on the job, too…"
Roxas' eyes opened momentarily, seeing Sora and Riku. His brain obviously failed to register that they were actually there, because they slipped back closed. They quickly snapped open again though, and Roxas shoved the guy—he assumed that was the Axel that Roxas had once told him about—away from him. "S-Sora!" Roxas covered his neck with a hand. Sora was curious as to what they had been doing—he was no fool, so he had a guess—but he was too happy at the fact that Roxas was unharmed to care. He pounced on the blonde, sending them both to the floor.
"You're alright!" He hugged Roxas closer. "Of course I am. What happened?" Roxas asked, frowning. Sora looked nervous, and looked over at Riku expectantly. "Riku, what happened?" Roxas tried again. "We were on our way here…and we were attacked." He explained.
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Roxas was confused. "Attacked? By who?" At this, Riku shook his head. "I think it was a what. This cloaked guy—I think he was part ofthat organization. He…I don't even know what he did. He called these things up! I've never seen anything like them…and they attacked us, but—" Riku cut himself off. "But…?" Roxas urged. "But I stopped them." Sora finished. At this, Roxas blinked. "How?" He was hoping Sora didn't mean…
"I used the only weapon I had at the time." Sora replied simply. "Sora! You know you can't just use the keyblade like that! Every time you use it, you're closer to becoming—"
"I don't care. Riku was in trouble." Sora cut Roxas off. Roxas was speechless at that. He sighed, putting a hand to his head. Of course, Sora didn't care what happened to him so long as everyone else was safe—Riku especially now. As worried for Sora and as frustrated as he was, he knew he would have said the same.
"Uh. Do you think we could get the shorter, translated version of all of that?" Axel asked, arms crossed. Roxas looked up, he had almost forgotten about the two of them. "And an introduction would be nice." He added.
Somewhere in the shelter, a dog whimpered loudly.
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"Wait, wait. So, that was a…nobody?" Riku raised an eyebrow. "Yep. And the members of the organization can all control them." Roxas said, wiggling from atop the box he was sitting on. It wasn't safe yet to leave the shelter, so they went to the only safe place to talk—the basement. "Okay…but how did they find Sora and I? We were a good way away from the—Sora, don't do that!" Riku's eyes had shifted to Sora halfway through his question, only to find the brunette poking at a medium sized black spider. Sora poked it once more before pouting and crossing his arms, leaning against another box. It was obvious the childlike boy was bored. Roxas was stifling a laugh.
Axel nudged Sora, who blinked. "Wanna touch 'em?" He pointed to his wildly spiky hair. Sora nodded profusely, poking at the spikes with fascination. "Continue." Axel grinned. Riku shook his head with a chuckle, looking back at Roxas. "But, yeah. We weren't near the house, so how did they find us?" Riku finished. Roxas paused. "See, there're lots of ways they coulda known. They might have tracked Sora by his energy, maybe they put a tracer on him…but maybe…" Roxas trailed off, seeming to go into his own thoughts. "Maybe…?" Riku prodded.
"Oh, it's nothing. But you two should be fine for now, if you just stay here." Roxas turned to Sora and began to speak in that language. Sora nodded in reply.
"So they said they did something to me?" He asked Riku, voice curious. Riku nodded, frowning. "Yeah…he said you got what you deserved. You were nosey." Riku wrinkled his nose, blinking at the worried look Roxas and Axel exchanged. "I see. Riku…they won't do anything to Sora; he's far too valuable to damage. What they did earlier…that was a test. To see how much you meant to Sora. Now they know, they should leave you alone. Take Sora and hurry home. Don't open the doors, keep the windows closed. Axel and I will be there as soon as we can." Riku felt like a little kid being told what to do by his mother, but nodded nonetheless. Sora's safety was more important. Roxas smiled thankfully, and turned to Sora. "Sorry, but you can't see the dogs today." Sora pouted.
"Well, what are you guys waiting for? Hurry along, children." Axel snickered.
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"Home sweet home!" Riku sighed, falling back onto the mattress. He and Sora had all but sprinted back home, the brunette somehow managing to beat him here and not even have broken a sweat. The very light panting Sora was doing was the only indication to Riku that the seemingly younger boy wasn't on steroids.
Even then, he had his doubts.
"Riku." Riku jumped, still getting used to Sora saying his name. He looked to the boy on the floor, that teddy bear in one hand and a movie case in the other. He held the case out to Riku. "Huh? Do you want to watch it?" Riku questioned, cocking his head. Sora nodded vigorously. "Yes! Watch!" Riku couldn't help but laugh. Sora was eager to learn; he probably wanted to be able to talk more with everyone. Riku looked at Sora for a long moment, then blinked.
His ribbon...it must've fallen off.
Sora didn't seem to notice that the ribbon was missing from his neck, and Riku wasn't about to point it out. He didn't want the boy to get upset. He'd just get another later, and say that he found it.
"Okay, then. We'll watch it." He fought a sigh as he sat up, feeling his back cracking. That couldn't be good… Sora shot him a worried look at the noise. Riku waved a hand to dismiss his worries. "I'm fine, don't worry about it." Sora didn't look like he believed him. Riku shrugged it off, making his way down the stairs. Sora followed like an obedient puppy, plopping onto the couch with his legs folded under him. The bear was against his chest, and Riku was surprised that Sora hadn't named the stuffed animal yet. Maybe Riku would help him with that later.
"I guess angels don't get leg cramps!" Riku chuckled, but Sora only tilted his head in confusion. Riku chuckled sheepishly; he kind of forgot the fact that Sora didn't quite understand him yet. He busied himself with turning the movie on, and debated on getting popcorn. He decided against it though; a hyperactive angel, a bear, and a bowl of popcorn didn't seem like a good match. His parents were only out of town; if they came home to questionable stains on the floors, then he'd best kiss any chance of him staying home alone good-bye (Sora was pushing it as it was, and blaming it on the bear wouldn't bode well he was sure.).
The movie on, Riku took his spot beside Sora (this was all seeming a little familiar) and couldn't fight the bubbly feeling in his chest he got as he watched the brunette cradle the bear as he gazed thoughtfully at the television. He was like a little sponge. A little information-soaking sponge. Riku only felt all the more responsible for Sora learning the right things.
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"You're back from your mission."
"Hn."
Xemnas only smirked, leaning forward on his white desk. One hand supported his head lazily, the other was outstretched. A red heart, swirling with shadowy black tendrils, hovered slowly in his palm. He only gazed at it with yellow eyes, lips still set in his smirk.
"Did you have fun?"
"..."
Xemnas wasn't fazed in the slightest by the silence comming from his...what would his underlings be considered as? Puppets? Dolls? Either way, they got the job done and were far more sufficient than legions of Dusk that couldn't tell left from right even if they looked at a compass. Alas, there were downfalls to their mental capabilities. Being able to think dependantly was quite bothersome. Roxas was proof of that. But that was long over, and as sad as it was to lose such a strong member, it only slightly hindered their plans.
"I found something you might want."
A blue ribbon was thrown onto Xemnas' desk. He raised an eyebrow, looking at the ribbon curiously. The heart in his hand dissipated and he picked up the ribbon with his now free hand, examining it. "And this is...?" He questioned, failing to see just what was so special. The second occupant of the room only 'Tsk'ed.
"It's the gift wrapping for your little present. Your newest toy's packaging. I thought you'd want it." And the cloaked figure slipped out, a portal of darkness engulfing him and leaving only an empty room.
Xemnas' lips tugged up in a dark smile, and he lifted the ribbon to his nose.
"Oh, my little key... You smell so sweetly innocent. I can't wait to take it all away."
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After a while, Sora was so into the movie (could he understand it at all?), that he leaned forward, hand on the remote. "Audio: French" flashed quickly across the screen in green letters but Riku took no notice, too busy with his own thoughts and looking at Sora's intent features.
Riku had so many questions still, and he wasn't sure if Roxas would answer them. Riku figured he'd do the 'It's not time yet.' crap, so that would be kind of useless. He was so lost…not to mention he was still a bit caught up on earlier that afternoon and, as much as he hated to admit, maybe even a bit scared of Sora, but…
It wasn't until he heard a loud, "Bonjour, Madame!" that he sat up with a start.
This movie didn't have a lick of French in it. Unless…
"No…no, it can't be…" Riku grabbed the remote, which was beside Sora's hand, and clicked the info button on it. Dread filled him when he saw that the language had indeed been set to French.
"Sora's a really fast learner." Roxas's words came back to him, and he shuddered a bit. Maybe...maybe the boy hadn't been listening, and he was just...watching the screen?
He turned slowly to Sora, gulping. He uttered a silent prayer before, "Sora…?"
"Oui?"
…Oh, shit.
Well, there it is. Unbelievable, some of you are probably thinking. This is actually a completely different ending than what I originally planned...v.v; As I said, this chapter makes me mad. D; i don't know why. I snuck some Sora and the bear in for everyone (since some people really seemed to like it...), and it was really a last minute addition. XD Maybe it'll make up for eveything (maybe...?). I spent so long re-re-rereading this chapter, out of nervousness. It was supposed to be out on the second, but...v.v;
Thank you for reading! ;3