Salve, amici! You dudes did pretty good on the reviews! 22 of them, I am impressed. ;) Without further ado then, here is your reward for your hard work. ^^
Thanks to everyone who took the time to write me a note: DieChan, Chronos Mephistopheles, Reno-is-a-Turk, Ivy J., Dust to Dusk, Wicked the Bones, Aindel S. Druida, Ultima Eagle, NiffStral, XfallenXshadowX, andhearts, Mirror and Darkling, Sexy-Tacos-Emo-Waffles, A-chan, Purple Sox, Shinimegami7, XxsneakydevxX, CloudedMirror, FlurryDivider, yasu-yasu, Arear, 73n5Hl.
It was fun to read all of the comments, so, thanks! ^^
O
Chapter 13
On his hands and his knees, a wave of nausea overwhelmed Riku before he could even get back onto his feet. His head was spinning. The events which had just taken place replaying over and over again in front of his eyes and making him physically sick.
He had hurt Sora.
He might have even killed Sora.
He could still remember in vivid detail how Sora's blood had bled out from the wound. The memory and trace scent of blood still hovering around him sent his queasy stomach over the edge and he just barely managed to pull his hair back before he vomited into the nearest bush. His body trembled as it emptied itself and after coughing up the last of it he could only messily wipe his mouth and try to get his breathing back. But it was as if even his lungs were refusing to work properly after what he had just done.
He was no better than his father after all.
But his father couldn't have felt this much pain after killing the king. The Guardian side of Riku was literally in pain, he could feel the hurt of Sora's wound in his chest. And it was punishing him for his betrayal. His father couldn't have felt this way. To Riku it was as if the world had just ended. Because he was a Guardian and his world was Sora and he had hurt Sora.
Clutching his head, Riku shut his eyes tight and tried to pull himself together, tried to push away the memory of Sora collapsing into his arms. He had to think clearly. He could only be thankful that Xehanort's Heartless was keeping quiet; perhaps Riku's horror had been enough to send the demon back to the confines of his inner mind for the time being.
He needed to get back to the spirit world.
Gritting his teeth, Riku forced himself up onto his knees, wavering a little as he tottered onto his feet. His whole body ached. Not only from the sick feeling of betrayal but from the bloody wounds Xemnas had given him and the general stress of the fight on his muscles. The cuts were freezing cold but he could still feel them bleeding. He knew the more they bled the more trouble he would be in, but he had nothing to stop the bleeding on his person.
Stumbling through the tropical foliage, he slowly started walking in one direction. He had no idea where he was going, but he needed to find help. He had expected to be walking through the rainforest-like flowers and trees for a while, so was surprised when his foot landed on something hard and flat. Stepping through the last bit of tall flowered bushes, he found himself standing on a road.
The black tar of the road looked foreign to him. It seemed like it had been forever since he had seen an actual road. A cracked laugh spilt passed his lips when he looked down the street to see the same tunnel which Axel had led him through to bring him to the spirit world. He was less than five feet from where his car had stalled. Shit, it was like the entire thing had been a dream. If it wasn't for his wounds and his shattered state of mind, he would have thought that it really had been all just been some disturbing hallucination.
Speaking of his wounds, he was beginning to feel lightheaded from the blood loss. Riku let out a quivering breath then slowly lowered himself down onto the side of the road as his vision swam in front of him. He could feel himself losing consciousness. His thoughts were becoming more disconnected, less coherent. But he needed to find someone that could get him back to the spirit world.
As he sat down onto the ground he wiped a layer of cold sweat from his forehead. He just needed a moment. Just a few minutes to rest, to get his energy back.
Screw it, he had to face facts. He was fainting. He could only hope that someone would drive by.
He had only closed his eyes for what felt like a few minutes before he heard a strange roaring noise. It took his slowing mind a few moments to realize that it was actually the sound of a car. He wasn't used to that sound anymore. How long had he been in the spirit world?
The roar became louder followed by a metallic slam. A car door opening?
A few seconds later footsteps were crunching along the blacktop. Then Riku felt a shadow crouch over his face.
"Riku?! Oh man, Riku! Selphie, get out of the car and get over here!"
He knew that voice. It was one of the people that hung around him in high school. What was his name? He had said Selphie. That name rung a bell.
"Oh my god, it's Riku! What happened to him?"
Tidus. That was his name. He played on the blitzball team in their high school. He and his girlfriend Selphie hung out in his group. He had never bothered to pay them much attention before but he was glad to hear them now.
"I don't know."
Riku felt himself wince as fingers peeled back his shirt from the bad wound on his shoulder.
"Shit, he's completely covered in blood. We've got to get him to a hospital!"
Riku would have loved to hear the rest of the conversation, but he couldn't hold on to his unraveling consciousness anymore. As he slipped into blackness, he felt hands picking him up.
When he came to again, the first thing Riku heard was a soft rhythmic beeping. Shifting, his eyebrows furrowed when he felt a slight twinge on his arm. His eyes blinked open to see that he was lying in a small cot. The beeping was from a machine hooked up to his finger, recording his heartbeat. The twinge was an IV in his arm. The rest of his arm was covered in bandages that ran across his chest and onto his other arm. They really had brought him to the hospital.
He blinked as the sunlight from the open window hit his eyes. It had been so long since he had seen sunlight that the bright glare of the Destiny Island sun nearly instantly blinded him.
"Riku…you're awake."
Riku blinked, his eyes slowly shifting over to the door of his room to see Namine. He blinked again, just to make sure that he really was seeing his little sister. Just as it seemed strange to see a road again, it was strange to see a member of his family again. Especially after having learned everything he now knew. Actually, he still knew nothing about Namine. She looked the same as ever in her favorite white dress, although now her delicate features held a small frown, but he still felt strangely detached and alienated now. Despite this new revelation though, he still was relieved to see her, even if their perfect family history and actual family really were just well-orchestrated hoaxes.
"Nami…"
She walked over to his bedside, her small hand reaching up to stroke his bangs back from his forehead. "Father went on a business trip so I was the one who received the phone call. Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz were asleep, but I felt obliged to leave them a note about it and to call Father. He's probably on his way here as we speak."
Riku closed his eyes, letting out a low sigh and leaning back onto the small hospital pillow. The fake paper fabric was worse than the itchy wool blankets at the palace.
"You and Axel have been missing for three days now. Your abandoned car caused quite a stir among everyone here on the island. You're probably going to be facing a lot of questions."
Riku snorted, turning his head to the side. "Whatever. I'm used to being the center of attention. I'll manage."
Namine pursed her lips, her fingers curling away from Riku's skin to rest against her chest. At the loss of touch, Riku lifted his gaze to her face. Their eyes met. For what might have been the first time, Riku saw absolutely no family resemblance between the two of them. He could sense her difference; she wasn't a dark elemental. As he scanned her features for any traces of familiarity, she tilted her head to the side then murmured gently. "Riku…you really have been through a lot, haven't you? How much do you know?"
"Enough." He paused, his eyes dropping back down to his sheets. He couldn't even imagine how it must have been for Namine, living with the Jenovan family. "…I'm sorry."
Her eyes widened but just as she was about to reply, the door to his room burst open to reveal Kairi, Tidus and Selphie close at the redhead heels. When she caught sight of him lying on the cot, she teared up then ran to his side. "Oh my god, Riku! You're okay! Everyone was so worried!"
Riku flinched as she grabbed his hand. She felt so…human. He had never noticed it before, but after having lived completely among spirits, the lack of magic inside her was obvious. She still looked cute, but she, Tidus, and Selphie appeared almost dull. Their features lacked a certain gleam, they had no real presence. Maybe that was why he had never paid much attention to any of them before.
"-Riku!"
"Hm?" Riku blinked, coming back to focus on Kairi as her brows drew together with concern.
"I asked if you were okay…?"
"Sorry, I'm fine." He really didn't want to deal with Kairi right now. Before, he would have probably smirked and grabbed her close for a kiss, but now, the thought of kissing her only made him queasy. It wasn't her, it was just that, when he thought about it, his mind flashed to thoughts of kissing Sora. And thinking about Sora instantly sent a jolt of anxious panic through his body. Hearing his heart monitor speed up to shrill beeps, Riku forced himself to take a deep breath to calm himself. When he opened his eyes, he managed to send Kairi a thin smile. "Hey, Kai, can you, Tidus and Selphie give me a second? I need to talk to my sister about something."
"A-Alright. I'm really happy to have you back though. I'll come back a little while later, if you want."
"Sure."
Kairi looked a little lost but when Namine straightened up a little, she seemed to snap out of her daze. Giving Riku a little smile, she clenched her hands to her chest, paused, then walked out of the room. As she and the others left, Riku let out a small groan and pushed himself up into a sitting position. Namine was instantly at his side to help him sit up. "Careful. You've lost a lot of blood."
"And you don't know a simple Cure spell?"
Namine started for a second then smiled, her amusement reaching all the way to her eyes. "It has been a while, so I would be a little rusty. Besides, it would only confuse the doctor's if you were suddenly perfectly healed."
"True." With a soft frown, Riku reached down to rub his bandaged arm. The cuts hurt and itched; it had been a long time since they hadn't just been healed up in seconds. His senses weren't used to the throbbing pain of recovery any more. Glancing up at Namine, he saw that she had a strange expression on her face. His frown deepened. "What are you staring at me for?"
"You're very different." Crossing her legs delicately, Namine tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I know that time stretches differently between the two worlds, but to us here, it seems as though you have changed a lot in only a few days."
"What are you talking about?"
"You've grown up, Riku. I've never heard you apologize and just now you said 'sorry' twice in only a few minutes. Even your face is more mature." She giggled lightly. "I think we're all wondering where your ego went!"
"It was beaten out me every damn day I was there." He scowled then reached out to grab her hand. "You need to help me get back, Namine. I have unfinished business there."
"What happened?"
"Our party was attacked. And I," he swallowed. "I hurt Sora. I can't leave it like that. I need to get back."
"The Prince is still alive?" Namine smiled happily when Riku nodded sullenly. The prince had been alive anyway, though maybe not after what he had done. Damn. If Sora was dead then he was going to go insane. "That's wonderful news!"
It was strange talking to Namine about this stuff. Actually, they had never really talked about anything for so long. He had always just left her in her little fairy-tale world. But now he was part of that world. It was kind of nice to finally be able to understand her, in a strange sort of way. Now that he knew what she was talking about, she was actually interesting to talk to now.
"It's not so wonderful if I ended up killing him." With a sigh, Riku looked down at his hands. He swore he could still see traces of blood on them.
"I'm sure that he is not dead. Undoubtedly you would have felt it by now. The pain would have probably been far worse."
With a frown, Riku's eyes shot back up to Namine's face. "Tell me what happened when Father killed the old king then."
Namine sighed. "Riku…it wasn't the same then." When Riku failed to avert his languid stare she knit her fingers together. "I don't know the whole story, all I can tell you is what I saw. I was a young member of the royal court and so at the time I was with the two young princes. Ah, you were with us that night too."
"I was?"
"Yes, though you wouldn't remember it. Sephiroth suddenly burst into the play room. He was bloody. He was in a hurry, but calm. He grabbed you then took me too at the last second. I didn't really know what was going on, but somehow he gathered your brothers and then made me make a portal to this world. Later on, after everything settled down, he had me change your memories, because you were young enough to have a cloudy memory anyway." She sighed then leaned forward, resting her fingers on his forehead. "I apologize for that."
"Why would he do that?"
Namine shook her head. "I couldn't tell you that. I only did as told, because that's all I could do. And I thought it would be better for you…not to have to carry those memories."
Riku shook his head, letting out a deep breath. "So we kidnapped you and then my father threatened you into doing his bidding. That's why my brother's never acknowledge you, because they know who you are, that you aren't a member of the family." He paused for a moment as realization hit. "Father needed you to make a portal because he couldn't. You're an animal sprit then."
Nodding almost shyly, Namine wrapped a strand of her blond hair around her finger. "Yes. Arctic fox spirit to be precise."
"Then you can open a portal back to the spirit world!"
She bit her lip in concern. "I'm afraid that it's more complicated than that. I've been in the human world for too long and nearly all of my power was taken when I brought your whole family here in the first place. I nearly killed myself trying to refix your memories…the best I could do for you would be to find the portal, but I don't think that I have the capacity to get you through."
"That's fine. I can get through the portal myself. I only need you to open it."
Namine smiled a little though it was a sad expression. "I'm not sure that you could manage to travel through the portal yourself, but I have a feeling that you will not have it any other way." She swallowed then leaned over and took his hand. "Once you have recovered from the blood loss, we can check you out and try to find a portal. But I won't have you moving about until then, do you understand me?"
Riku tisked, a twitch of a smile flickering onto his face. "What are you, my mother?"
"Well someone has to take care of you. And since the butler isn't allowed to take care of you in the hospital, I suppose that I'm just going to have to stay with you to make sure you don't go running off before you're properly healed. After all, someone half-dead wouldn't be much use to anyone in trouble."
"I guess I have no choice but to rest then."
"No, I don't think you have a choice. Get some sleep. In a few hours you should be fully recovered."
The advice sounded good to him, so he dutifully slipped back into the paper-covered cot. As he got comfortable, Namine stood up. "Hey, before you go, shut the blinds. That sun is blinding."
"Hm, and it's cloudy today too. But alright. I'll tell Kairi and the others that you're resting as well." She pulled the blinds shut then walked over to the door. She paused at the door, her fingers on the handle. "Riku. I really was worried about you, so I'm glad to see that you did well in that world. I wasn't sure if you would. I suppose I should have had more faith in you but I'll make sure to help you get back to the spirit world to make up for it. So get some sleep, we'll help Prince Sora and the others then."
Riku nodded. He really was still feeling weak, hell, sitting up had been hard enough. And the more that he rested, the sooner he could get back to the spirit world. The sooner he could get back to Sora and the others. He needed to know that he still had another chance to make up for his mistakes. Letting out a sigh, he slowly felt himself fall back asleep, the steady beating of the heart monitor lulling him to sleep.
"…Riku."
Riku frowned, turning around. He was surrounded by pure darkness. He couldn't even see his hands in front of his face. But that had been Sora's voice. Relief flooded his body.
Sora was alive.
He had never felt more relieved in his life.
"Riku!"
"Sora?!"
Riku ran blindly toward the sound of Sora's voice. He had to find Sora. Suddenly he tripped over something hard, sending him tumbling to the ground. Letting out a low curse, he drew himself back up onto his hands and knees, shaking his head to clear it before he heard a soft whimper to his side. "Is…is that you, Riku?"
"Yeah, it's me." Reaching out, Riku touched the thing he had tripped over. It felt like a leg. His voice was hoarse as he fumbled blindly, stopping when he found Sora's face. He clearly remembered the feel of the prince's soft skin. What he wasn't used to feeling was two damp tear lines training down Sora's cheeks. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know. You, you disappeared then everything went dark. I can't even move! I'm so scared about what happened to everyone else!"
Frowning, Riku clumsily wiped at Sora's tears. "I'm sorry."
"No, this wasn't your fault!" Sora said it so emphatically that Riku almost laughed. He swallowed it though, because it probably would have sounded a little hysterical. Sora really was too trusting for his own good. "It was Xemnas, and Xehanort's Heartless. I know that it wasn't you…" Sora trailed off for a moment then murmured quietly. "Where did they take you, Riku?"
"Back to the human world. I'm in a hospital right now."
"Are you okay?!"
Swallowing, Riku brushed his thumb against Sora's chin in order to orientate himself to where the prince actually was in the pitch black. "I'm fine. I just bled out a little. I'd be more worried about you and your wound."
"I can't even feel it, so it's fine."
Couldn't feel it? That wasn't good. He didn't want to think about that wound though. Maybe it was a good thing that they were surrounded by blackness after all. Thinking about it brought back images of. Soul Eater dug deep into the prince's side. He was starting to get sick a second time. He never wanted to touch that cursed sword again. "You really can't move though? Do you have any idea where you are?"
"No, I can't move. I've tried really hard, but I'm either tied up or, or, something else. I don't quite know where we are. It's so dark though, the dark magic must be really strong. I can't even shed a bit of light. I hate this, the dark's really heavy. I've, I've never been afraid of it before, but I don't know anymore. It would be better if I just knew where everyone else was."
"Hey, it's going to be okay. I'm coming to find you." Leaning forward, Riku pecked Sora on the lips. Just the slight touch sent a trill down his spine. "I promise. I'm going to make this up to you. Stay strong and wait for me."
"A-Alright. I'm counting on you, Riku. Please."
"I know. I'll come as soon as I can." Riku frowned as he felt a twinge in the back of his mind. He was waking up again. With a soft hiss, Riku paused then leaned forward again, pressing their lips together. He was starting to get addicted to the feel of the prince's lips, and couldn't help but move closer, trying to memorize that taste of Sora's lips. And with his eyes closed, it didn't even matter that it was pitch black…wait. Sensing a light on his eyelids, he opened his eyes to see Sora's face glowing in front of him, the light just enough to cut a few inches into the darkness to illuminate his head and shoulders. Smiling, Riku tapped Sora's forehead, making the prince's eyes flutter open. "See, it's not hopeless. You just needed a little…encouragement."
Sora blushed before his eyes suddenly widened. "Riku, you're disappearing!"
"I'm probably waking up. Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."
The last thing he saw was Sora giving a small nod before he was whisked back into the blackness.
Riku woke up to a darkened hospital room. He had been sleeping for a few hours then. As he gathered his thoughts from that last dream, his gaze landed on a shadowed form leaning over the foot of his bed. Too used to Heartless, he gave a start of surprise and sprung back, fists tightening and ready for an attack when the shadowy figure straightened up and reached for him. "Wait, Riku, its okay, it's just me!"
Pausing, he narrowed his eyes in confusion. "Kairi?"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to surprise you like that!" Kairi walked around to the side of his cot for the light switch and a second later, artificial lighting lit the room. It really was Kairi. The girl looked mortified as she clutched her hands together. "It's just, you were sleeping and I didn't want to bother you with the light so I kept it off!"
Riku let out a long breath of relief, his hand unclenching as he relaxed. He had almost been able to feel the weight of Soul Eater in his hand. And right after he had decided not to use it anymore. It really was too instinctual. Running his fingers through his hair, which he was disgusted to find felt slightly tangled and dirty, he glanced up at her. "It's alright, I just wasn't expecting anyone to be here."
Kairi nodded, her cheeks tinting pink. "Namine said she had to leave for a few minutes, but the doctors let me stay because…because I'm your girlfriend. I, I really missed you, Riku." She leaned down and pressed a light kiss to his lips.
The kiss felt like all of their kisses usually felt, but he lightly pushed her away anyway. Something was definitely missing. Her lips were soft but they didn't quite fit right to his, not like Sora's did anyway. The contact didn't send a spark through him either, it just sort of happened. Damn, he really had it bad for that little prince of light. "Kai…wait."
"What's wrong, Riku?"
Riku sat forward, pursing his lips together. It's not that he had never done this before, but usually he had long gotten tired of his girlfriend before this moment had to come. He almost felt a little guilty. "We can't do this anymore, Kairi."
"What?"
"I can't date you anymore. I'm sorry." He glanced up at her to see that she was staring at him with a strange expression on her face. "It wasn't anything you did. I just…don't want to force myself to continue a relationship that was going to end badly anyway."
"So…you're dumping me because you still like me?"
"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Don't worry about it though. You'll find another boyfriend in no time, someone who can actually treat you right."
Kairi bit her lip, tears beginning to collect in her violet eyes. She sniffed lightly then shook her head. "What happened to you Riku?"
"Hm?"
She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand, trying to stop her crying. "You're so different. Ever since you came back, you've acted strangely. I, I can't even imagine what you went though, and I know Namine told me not to ask you about it, but truthfully, I-I was kind of happy when I saw you a few hours ago. That's really awful, right? But you just seemed so much softer when you looked at me. I guess I was hoping to help you through this or something, and get to know this new you better, even though I knew I wasn't that special to you." Taking in a shaky breath, she visibly pulled herself together as well as she could and nodded. "This, this is good though. Whatever happened, I think you became a better person for it. Now you can start over, right?"
"That's right." Riku looked at her face closely for any hint of malice. There was none, only a sad resignation. She really was a good girl. And strong. "I'm sorry, Kairi."
"I knew it was going to come sooner or later. I suppose it's good that it happened while you still liked me enough to apologize." She smiled shakily. "I knew coming into this that our relationship wouldn't last long. I wish it could have lasted longer but…I can't say that it wasn't unexpected." Reaching down, she caressed his cheek tenderly. "But when you do find that person you want to stay with, I want you to introduce them to me, okay? Promise me that and we'll be okay."
"I'll try my best to arrange it."
"Okay." She sniffed then nodded again, more resolutely this time. "I'll keep you to your word then."
Riku looked down his sheets then back up at her. "In the meantime, can you go get Namine for me? I need to get out of this room before I go insane."
She shook her head, her lips pulling up at the corners in a sad amusement. "You're so demanding. But, okay. I'll go call her."
As soon as Kairi had left the room, Riku sat up all the way, tossing his covers back. In a second, he had pulled his heart monitoring device off of his finger and shut the machine off so that it wouldn't sound any alarm when the monitor flat lined. With a wince, he pulled out his IV next, holding his thumb over the bit of blood coming up to stop the flow. Taking a breath, he then slipped out of bed, a little unsteady for a moment before he regained his footing. He was healthy enough; he didn't have enough time to rest any longer anyway.
"Riku! What are you doing?"
Riku turned to see Namine in the doorway, her eyes wide before she hurried forward to support his arm. Snorting, he shook her off. "I'm fine, I'm standing up on my own, aren't I? Why did you leave the room?"
"What, I have to look after you all the time?" When Riku only sneered, Namine smiled a little, though her eyes were still a little worried. "But if you must know, I was taking a chance to call home while you rested."
"Home?" Riku's expression hardened. "Why? What's happening at home?"
"The butler told me that your brothers had already left the house. They were dressed in their usual clubbing outfits, but I think we should still be careful. If you really think that you're recovered, we should probably leave."
Riku nodded then looked down at his body and flushed. He was dressed in a hospital gown. At least he was slim enough to have it wrap all the way around him. But his pale skin did not look good in baby blue hospital gown. "Namine," he ground out.
"Yes?"
"Go find my clothes."
She giggled, "I was wondering how long it would take you to notice. While I do that, your should hit the bathroom. Your face is dirty and your hair could use a good wash."
Riku paled and hurried to the bathroom adjacent to his room. A quick look in the mirror sent him scrambling for the sink; how long had it been since he had had a decent bath anyway? That swim he had taken to save Sora did not count. If there was one thing he missed about this world, it was shampoo. Sure, Demyx had had soap, but it was some hard chuck of pressed herbs and god-only-knows-what.
Splashing his face, he quickly wet his hair down, combing his fingers through to get rid of the tangles. It had actually been a while since he had seen his reflection in a good mirror. Frowning, Riku leaned over the sink, inspecting himself. His hair had grown out a little, his bangs were almost completely covering his eyes. It also looked as if he had gotten paler, though that was to be expected when his skin hadn't seen light for weeks. Pursing his lips, he straightened back up, trying to see what the others meant when they said he looked different. He didn't see any change. Perhaps he was a little more self-aware of himself, but really, he didn't see what all of the fuss was about.
"Riku!"
Riku straightened up at the anxious cry, senses immediately peaked as he shook his wet hands off and ran out of the bathroom. What he didn't expect was to get a face-full of a new pair of pants and shirt. The next second, he felt Namine's hands undoing his hospital gown. "Hey, watch it!"
She ignored his outburst and pressed a pair of shoes into his hands. "This is really bad, we need to hurry!"
Pulling on his pants before the hospital gown dropped off, Riku shook out his shirt, just barely taking the time to not that she must have brought a new set of his clothes from the house. "What's the matter?"
"Your brothers are trying to get visitor passes!"
"What?"
"I saw them talking to the receptionist desk. I don't think they saw me but they'll be here in a matter of seconds!"
Cursing, unzipped his shirt, actually, it was more of a vest than a shirt. He was definitely going to be freezing when he went back to the spirit world. But there was no time for a wardrobe change, they had to leave now. He quickly slipped on his shoes and tied the laces, enjoying the feel of a new pair of shoes after walking around in his old pair for so long.
Once he was fully dressed, Namine grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the room. She seemed to know where she was going as she tugged him down the hall. "We'll try to go the long way to the exit-"
Her voice cut off with a gasp as a black shape flashed passed them. Riku pulled her back to him as Loz suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Well, well, Ri-ku. Where have you been the last few days?"
Riku spun around to see Kadaj right behind him, Yazoo standing just at his shoulder. Grimacing, he backed Namine up against a wall, blocking her from his brothers. He threw out his arms to protect her as Kadaj chuckled low. "So defensive. It's almost as if he thinks we'll hurt him, isn't it, Loz?"
The largest of his brothers chuckled. "Yeah."
"But why would we hurt our dear baby brother?"
"Leave us alone, Kadaj."
"Oh, he's talking back to us now." Kadaj sauntered forward a few steps, his eyes brightening with a strange glint as his voice lowered to a cold whisper. "I know where you've been. I can feel the magic on you now." He grabbed Riku's arm hard, fingers tightening over still-healing cuts. Riku hissed as Kadaj leaned closer. "How does it feel, Riku, to know you have dark magic? To know that you're better than those disgusting humans? To know just how much we could hurt you if we actually tried?"
Riku's breath caught in his throat as black sparks rippled over Kadaj's arm, the chill of dark magic washing over him as they hit his skin. "Don't be an idiot, Kadaj, we're in public. Don't make a scene."
"I can make a scene if I please. No one will say a thing against it." That certainly was true. The Jenovan's held the power on Destiny Islands, and no one would dare to interfere with an internal fight. "In fact I think we should teach a lesson as to how to respect your elder brothers. Loz."
Loz cracked his knuckles, dark sparks shooting off of his fists. There was just a second's warning, a shift of his feet, before the burly Jenovan rushed forward. After having trained so long with Cloud though, Riku caught the giveaway movement and he threw his hands in front of his face. "Dark Shield!"
The magic felt different rushing through his body in this world, almost more resistant, but the shield managed to form in time to rebuff the punch. Crying out as his fist hit the shield, Loz shook his hand out, falling back as Kadaj strode forward, anger clear on his pretty face.
"You think we're playing around here? A mere Dark Shield isn't going to stop us. Just because you've learned a few tricks, it doesn't mean that you have skills even close to ours. We've lived with our magic for years, we were the top of our ranks at the palace."
The hallway around them had darkened at this point as all three of his brothers surrounded him and Namine. Riku stood his ground, he had no where to run anyway, so he might as well fight back until the end. "They must have forgotten to make loyalty part of your training then."
Kadaj's face contorted with anger. "Who needs loyalty when you can have power, you little brat!" As he pulled his hand back, a glowing black orb formed in his palm. Bringing his hand down onto the shield, the orb came into direct contact with the shield and shattered it on impact. Riku didn't even have time to think before the wind was knocked out of him from a fierce blow to the stomach by Loz. He would have collapsed onto the ground if Kadaj hadn't caught him by the collar, dragging him close to his face.
"You're not so mighty as you think, baby brother. I could kill you with the snap of my fingers."
Grimacing, Riku grasped at Kadaj's hands. "…Sure. It's easy to fight when it's three against one. Coward."
"Why you-!"
"Kadaj."
Time seemed to freeze at the deep voice. Then, Riku's head turned to the sound of the voice as Kadaj released him with a fierce scowl. Their father was standing in the hall, dressed in his business clothes and a trench-coat, his expression hard and unreadable. Riku swallowed, his eyes scanning his father's imposing appearance. So this was the man who had killed Sora's father. Who betrayed his Guardian instincts and had actually killed his charge.
Riku had never been more angry nor frightened of his father.
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