Shall we begin the second chapter of this lovely story?
Leon: This is not a lovely story. It's cruel and unusual punishment for absolutely no reason.
But that's what makes it so wonderful~! You should be grateful that I don't own Kingdom Hearts though.
"Father! Father!" Riku called as he ran towards the raven haired Vampire.
Vincent turned just in time to catch the young child as he jumped into his arms "Riku you little Devil, what's got you so excited?" he laughed.
The silverette giggled with a smirk "You of all people should know. And I'm not a Devil!" he said showing his baby fangs.
"Of course, and happy birthday my son. Are you ready to meet Sora today?" Vincent responded.
Riku jumped out his father's arms and bounced in place "Yeah! Let's go! Let's go! Let's go!"
Vincent couldn't help but laugh at the way his son showed his enthusiasm for going to meet the Angel he was hoped to marry in the future. Then another laugh was heard that caused the young Vampire to stop showing his excitement and took on an expression of fear. The laugh was deep and somewhat throaty, and was more of a dry chuckle.
A dark skinned Vampire with long white hair came from around a corner "My lord, really. Why in the darkness' name would you allow your son, the Prince of Darkness, to frolic with an Angel? That could change the opinion of your subjects." He said.
Riku hid behind his father's legs "It's for the good of our race Ansem. I don't need you trying to sabotage this opportunity for us all." Vincent said.
"But this plan of yours, how do you know either child will be… You know." Ansem said.
Vincent turned his back to the adviser "That is why Cloud and I are allowing them to bond now, so that we may see. Come Riku." He said and he guided his son to where three Knights were waiting so that they could go to Twilight Town.
They were Zexion and Demyx, Knights that have traveled to Twilight Town with them when the plan was first made, and Axel who was a recently turned Vampire thanks to the mullet head dirty blond.
It took a lot of will power for Ansem to hide his negativity "But sir if you succeed in this, it's possible that bringing Darkness and Light together like this could bring the world to ruin." He said.
"Shut up! You don't know anything and you're not the Vampire Lord, my father is! You can't tell him what to do!" Riku shouted.
"Heh. Powned by a kid, harsh and classic." Axel said with a smirk.
Vincent lifted his son into his arms and looked back over his shoulder to glare daggers at Ansem as if to say 'If you don't keep your tongue on a leash about these matters in the future you will be banished!' and he turned to leave with his Knights.
When they were gone Ansem turned around with a wicked grin on his lips that threatened to split his face clear in half "Why didn't I think about it before? I can claim the throne by making the Prince my mate! And I wanted to kill the boy when his birth was merely a perfect opportunity." He said and barked a laugh as he walked the halls of the castle.
Cloud, Leon, Sora and Roxas were all standing at the entrance of Twilight Town waiting for their guest to arrive. It was Sora and Roxas' first time meeting someone of another race and the twins were anxious to know who this new friend of theirs would be.
"When will they be here Oto- sama?" Roxas asked, looking to Cloud.
The older blond smiled "Be patient, they'll be here soon enough. The sun just went down after all."
"Oto- sama, are they bad Vampires?" Sora asked curiously with fear evident in his voice.
"Of course not little Sky. The lord of the Vampires has been my trusted friend for many years, so I'm more than sure that his son will be the same. You'll see in time how valuable and important a friend Riku will be to you." Cloud answered.
Leon nodded in agreement "He's right. When your father and I were in trouble during a war some time ago, Vincent and some of his Knights came to our aid. You'll have nothing to worry about when you meet them." He said ruffling his son's head.
A bell sounded from the clock tower not to far away to signal not the time, but the arrival of their awaited company. The gate opened and four winged figures landed inside the city; the twins stared in awe of all of them.
"Welcome back Vincent." Cloud said warmly.
"Thank you Cloud. We've waited a while for this day." Vincent responded kneeling on one knee to set his son on his feet "Introduce yourself." He said pushing him gently.
Riku looked at the four Angels with a shy smile "Hello, I'm Riku Valentine." He said quietly.
Cloud gave a kind smile that put the young Vampire at ease "It's good to see you again Riku. The last time Leon and I saw you, you were just a baby. These are our sons Roxas," he set one hand on the young blondes head "And Sora." He patted the other's head with his other hand.
"Hello Riku, nice to meet you." The twins said at the same time with bright smiles on their faces.
"Who are the others?" Roxas asked.
The Knights each stepped forward and introduced themselves "Sixth Knight Zexion of the Blood Court."
"Eighth Knight Axel of the Blood Court. Got it memorized?" Roxas couldn't help but laugh at the redheads ending tidbit.
"Ninth Knight Demyx of the Blood Court. You two are so adorable! I wanna take you home and keep you for myself!" the dirty blond squealed and he turned to Zexion "We can managed to raise them right Zexy?" he asked.
Zexion sighed and shook his head "If we ourselves were to ever have a child Demyx I'd rather it be our own. Besides, we cannot raise Angels in the ways of Vampires." He said.
Demyx pouted and the others laughed. Roxas looked at Axel curiously and the redhead noticed "What's got ya kid?" he asked the little blond.
"Why's your hair so red? Were you once a Demon?" Roxas asked bluntly.
"Roxas mind your manners." Leon said.
Axel laughed "Hey it's no harm done. Actually kid this is my natural hair color for some crazy reason that I'm proud of. No way was I ever a Demon before being a Vampire, I was a human."
Demyx hooked an arm around Axel's shoulders "I was the one that changed him. If I didn't he would've died from an incurable disease!" he said proudly.
"Yeah, my hero." Axel said sarcastically.
"Well now that we've got introductions out of the way, why don't we go back to the Plaza Terrace instead of standing at this gate all night?" Cloud suggested and they all began walking to their destination.
Sora and Riku walked beside each other and the Vampire couldn't help but stare at the sky "Why hasn't the sun set here?" he asked.
"That's why this city is called Twilight Town. It's neither day nor night here, it's in between." Sora answered happily.
"I've never seen the sun before; Dad said it would hurt me really bad to go out in sunlight. It's actually really pretty." Riku said as he continued to look out at the never-changing sunset.
Sora had heard from his twin before that the scene was pretty because Roxas often went up to the clock tower just to stare out at it, he was often annoyed by the blonde's perspective on things. But hearing it from Riku sounded as if he were hearing it for the first time and he felt sorry for the young Vampire "I don't see how anyone can live without the Sun." he said.
"What do you mean?" Riku asked.
"Well it's just that I was taught that the sun is the key to life itself. It helps the plants grow so that we can eat all the yummy fruits and vegetables, see the flowers that grow. Oto- sama and Oto-san told me that Vampires like black roses because it's a flower that symbolizes darkness, but even that flower needs the sun to grow." Sora explained.
"I didn't know how important it is for some. Even though it hurts some creatures it still provides life to everything huh?" Riku said.
"Yup! That's how it works. Hey come with me to meet my friends!" Sora said.
"Okay!" Riku said as he was led away by the brunette as soon as they got to the Plaza Terrace.
Cloud, Leon, and Vincent looked at each other and smiled "I think we'll have nothing to worry about if they continue on this way." Leon said.
"It's a good first step. Riku's just turned seven today so he is still developing his child mind to understand the workings of the world." Vincent responded.
"Oh that reminds me. Leon, the boys, and myself have a gift for Riku before you leave." Cloud said.
Sora and Riku went over to an ice cream shop where three other kids were eating blue frozen treats "Riku these are my friends Wakka, Tidus, and Selphie. Hey guys!" the three turned around to face the brunette "This is Riku." Sora said.
Riku gave a shy smile "Hi, nice to meet you all." He said with a small bow of his head.
"Hey, aren't you the Vampire Lord's son, the Prince of Darkness?" Tidus asked.
"Tidus don't be mean! He's Sora's guest." Selphie scolded the blond and turned to Riku "Nice to meet you too. I'm Selphie, that idiot who speaks before he thinks is Tidus, and the guy with the tidal wave hair- do is Wakka." She said with a kind smile.
Wakka glared at the girl "Why are you always on me about my hair, ya?" he demanded.
"I think it looks cool. The only other person's hair I've seen styled out of the ordinary is one of our Knights, Axel." Riku said.
"You mean that guy with the spiked- outta- control red hair?" Sora asked.
The Vampire nodded "That's him. Believe it or not that style is natural."
"Hey Sora, let's go for a flight huh?" Tidus suggested.
"Sounds cool. Want to Riku?" Sora asked his new friend.
"I would, but I haven't even begun to grow my wings yet. Vampires develop slower than Angels." Riku said downheartedly.
"But you're older than me; you should have your wings by now." Sora commented.
Riku shook his head "If I ever went flying it was with my dad."
Tidus suddenly whooped "Then how about we get one of the Guardians to fly you around with us? I'm sure Zack wouldn't mind." He suggested.
Sora got a bright smile "That's perfect Tidus! C'mon let's go find him."
"That won't be to hard, he's probably with the One Winged Angels." Wakka said.
"Good thing I know where they always are. Let's go!" Sora said and they took off.
Sora led the group to a wall in the city with a crevasse big enough for someone to walk through and they all filed in one at a time until they were on the other side that was thick with trees and lush green grass. They walked forward for a few minutes until they got to the gate of a huge white mansion.
"Now they're all either inside or in the backyard. Sephiroth! Genesis! Angeal! Zack! You guys in their?" Sora called.
From behind the house four figures rose into the air and flew their way, landing behind the children. Four Angels but three of them had only one wing. The man with long silver hair had a black wing as did the man with auburn hair. Men with black hair had white wings but the one who looked older than the other had one.
Hey Sora, what's up?" the youngest of the four asked with a cheerful smile.
"I gotta new friend. This is Prince Riku Valentine of the Vampires." The young Angel said gesturing to the silverette.
The four each bow their heads and the silver haired one was the first to speak "I am Sephiroth Crescent, leader of the One Winged Angels. This is my squad Genesis Rhaphsodos," he gestured to the auburn haired man, "And Angeal Hugely." He gestured to the black haired man with one wing.
"And this is my subordinate Zack Fair." Angeal introduced the youngest of their group.
"You won't be calling me that for long, soon I'll get one of my wings clipped then I'll be a One Winged Angel." Zack said confidently.
Sora laughed "It's been a dream of his for years. The One Winged Angels are the elite of the elite in our armies; it takes a lot to get in." He said to Riku.
"Anyway, the reason why we're here is because we wanna go flyin' ya. But there's one problem." Wakka said.
"What's that?" Genesis asked.
Riku blushed lightly from embarrassment "I haven't started to grow my wings yet." He said.
"So we were wondering if one of you could carry him since we don't want him to feel left out." Selphie added.
"I'll do it!" Zack said immediately raising his hand in the air.
"Cool! Let's go!" Tidus said letting his wings out as did the others.
Zack only had to pick the Vampire up in his arms since his wings were already out seeing as he used them earlier "Ready for takeoff?" he said.
"Yeah!" The kids cheered.
"Hold on tight now, Cloud'll kill me if you got hurt. And I don't even wanna think about what your dad'll do." He said to Riku, "Okay Angels our destination is the skies over the ocean and from there we head for the Terrace Plaza. Go!" Zack said and they lifted off into the air.
Riku looked ahead of him as the scene rushed by. He looked down at the forest that quickly turned to multiple buildings and little dark specs he immediately registered to be other Angels, that scene turned into orange died water.
"Holding up okay?" Zack asked him.
"Yeah, I'm fine!" he said happily. He was reminded of flying while in the arms of his father, the wind rushing through his hair that smelt of salt water and everything going by so quickly, it was all just amazing.
"Don't get scared now." Zack said and before the boy could ask why he was thrown up in the air while Zack did a back flip and caught him again "You okay?" he asked. Laughter was his reply.
Cloud, Leon, and Vincent were sitting on the terrace plaza looking out over the water when they saw five flying figures "Looks like Sora and his friends are out for a flight this evening." Leon said and Vincent suddenly looked panicked.
"Riku can't fly! He doesn't have his wings!" he exclaimed about to stand from his seat, ready to go out to the group.
"Riku is safe sir; he's being assisted by an Angel." Zexion said from where he stood by Demyx by a wall overlooking the water.
Cloud took a sip of his drink and said, "That must be Zack."
"How do you know who it is?" Demyx asked.
"As good of a Guardian as he may be, he's the only Angel stupid enough to toss children into the air mid- flight and manage to catch them without hassle." Cloud answered.
"What?" Vincent shouted abruptly standing from his seat.
"Calm yourself Vincent." Leon said.
"How can I calm myself when my son is out there with a Dare Devil Angel?" the Vampire shouted.
He heard laughing behind him and turned to see the group of Angels had landed "Riku!" he called and took his son from Zack.
"Um… Did I do something wrong here?" Zack asked in confusion.
"What kind of idiot throws a child mid- flight?" Vincent snapped.
"It's okay Dad, I had a lot of fun. Thank you Zack." Riku said.
"You can trust Zack, he taught me to fly himself." Sora said with a smile.
"Although, you can't blame Vincent." Cloud said standing from his seat "Riku is his only child so of course he would be protective of him seeing he's his only family left."
Zack gave a bow "Forgive me sir." He said.
Vincent nodded and exhaled deeply to calm himself "It's time we were going. Say good-bye to everyone Riku." He said setting his son down.
Riku went over to Sora first "It was great meeting you today Sora, I think you're a great friend." He said with a cheerful smile.
Sora suddenly gave him a tight hug "It was great meeting you too Riku. I hope you can come back again soon." He said.
Vincent, Cloud, and Leon couldn't help but smile at their sons "This should work without a doubt." Cloud said.
Riku said good-bye to Tidus, Wakka, Selphie, and Zack "Soon you won't need any help and we can race when we fly, ya." Wakka said.
"You're the first Vampire I've met and I like ya. Better come back soon." Tidus said.
"You're better company than these two air heads, don't let me suffer too long." Selphie said making Tidus and Wakka gawk at her as they had just been insulted.
Zack tussled Riku's hair "You know how to have fun. Next time you come we'll see if you're enough to make my friends loosen up." He said referring to the One Winged Angels.
Cloud and Leon accompanied Vincent, Riku, and their Knights to the main gates of Twilight Town where Roxas and Axel were already waiting.
"So this has been where you've been Ax? With the kid? I was close ta getting my head bit off because you disappeared like that!" Demyx exclaimed.
The redhead shrugged "Hey he wanted me to meet a few of his friends and try some ice cream. I couldn't say no to the face he pulled."
Leon gave Roxas a look and asked, "Again with the pleading pout?" the young blond nodded and half hid behind the Knight "That won't work forever Roxas." Leon warned.
"Well we're leaving now Axel." Zexion said.
"Ah alright." He turned to the Angel that dragged him off earlier "See ya Roxy. I had fun." He said patting his head.
"Oh and Riku, one more thing." Cloud said kneeling down to eye level before the Vampire "Leon, the twins, and I want to give this to you as a birthday present." He said holding out a crystal pendent that looked like an Angel's wing.
"Thank you very much." Riku said taking it with a small bow.
Vincent smiled and put the pendent around his son's neck then pick him up "Thank you Cloud, Leon. We will return in spring at the time of Sora and Roxas' birthday." He said.
"We look forward to it." Cloud said with a smile.
Seems the boys are getting along well.
Angeal: You think you're so clever.
Oh I am honey; it takes a good imagination to make this stuff up.
Demyx: She's gotta point.
Genesis: *Reading Loveless*
I won't even ask if he'll ever get outta that book.