Destiny came awake and raised her head. She scented the air and growled dangerously.
"Destiny," Sora whispered softly. "What is it?"
The Keyblade wielder was still tired but he sat up and rubbed his eyes trying to clear the sleep from them. He ran his fingers through the fur on her neck gently. Sora couldn't explain exactly why he always did that but it seemed to calm the youkai down.
"As soon as the others return we need to return to Destiny Island."
"Why?"
"I need to start your training," she replied absently.
"Training?" the teen said nervously.
"You need to learn the ways of a youkai."
"To help me help you?" he asked hopefully.
"I'm not always going to be here to protect you Sora," she said carefully. "And I need you to be able to at least hold your own for awhile until someone can help you."
She stood up and looked towards the sky. Her eyes became distant as she stared unblinkingly up towards the cloudless sky. Her tail flicked back and forth. It brushed past Sora's nose causing him to sneeze. Destiny laughed softly at his cuteness. Moving forward she presented her back to him. With a huge smile he hauled himself up on her back. His clawed fingers ran through her fur before fisting gently allowing himself to get settled on her back. She pivoted and moved back towards the village.
"Destiny is there a reason you chose this place?"
Her ear flicked backwards to show him she was listening while the other was trained forward. Her steps slowed considerably before she stopped in front of the gates of the town.
"One day I'll explain why I chose this place but not now."
"Okay," he said softly while reaching forward and touching her ears.
He heard her groan softly before she moved forward swiftly. With a quick dash and sudden halt Sora tumbled forward landing him in the dirt to stare at the familiar boots of his best friend. He looked up and laughed nervously while scratching the back of his head. Sora sat up and smiled at his friends. The teen gave them that heart warming smile that made you want to melt. The smile faded when he saw the look on Kairi's face.
"Kairi?" Sora asked in concern. "What is it?"
She huffed and went back into the Gummi ship without a word.
"Destiny," Riku began. "Were do we go from here?"
"We head back to Destiny Island."
The silver haired teen nodded his head before getting back on the ship waiting for the pair. Jack and Sally came to wish them luck in their ventures. Sally whispered something to Destiny before placing something in her mouth and walking back to Jack's side. With a bow she followed in Riku's steps. Sora followed. Destiny moved towards the back farthest from her human companions and lays down. She spits out what Sally gave her and places it under her paw as Sora sits down and leans against her. He reached up and stroked her ears gently. Kairi huffed softly before pouting in her seat at the closeness of the youkai and Sora. Riku looked back and noticed Sora had drifted to sleep leaning against the youkai.
"Kairi you need to give her a chance."
"She'll hurt Sora again."
"You gave up the right to voice your protest the day we started sleeping together," Riku said calmly.
He saw Destiny's ear flick showing him that she as listening and awake. "Sora is old enough to make his own choices and if they lay with Destiny then so be it."
"She'll hurt him again," she said softly. "He looked so lost."
He knew that Sora looked that devastated when he found out about their relationship he was sure of that one. Somewhere deep inside of him Riku hoped that accepting the relationship with the youkai that he'd in some way make amends for the wrongs he had done. He's help the two of them in anyway he could even if it brought the ire of his girlfriend down on his head.
On Destiny Island
Destiny stepped carefully out into the water on the beach. Her tail made a flopping sound as it hit the bluish green sea water. She was in her humanoid form. Her youkai heritage very pronounced. Her tail was showing which she hide more often than not when in humanoid form. People had a nasty habit of wanting to touch it when it was out so she took to hiding it. With a heavy sigh she looked down at her clawed hand and then up again at the horizon. Tomorrow she'd begin Sora's training. She wasn't looking forward to it. With the training she'd have to become as ruthless and unfeeling towards her Master. That's what hurt her the most. He would take it as rejection instead of what it truly was.
Destiny didn't even make a move when she heard the soft pad of feet on the shore behind her. Lifting her head up slightly, she scented the air.
"Dinner is ready," Riku said softly.
"I'll be in soon," she said as she gazed up towards the stars.
"After dinner can I speak with you alone?"
"Speak now Riku."
She heard him sigh and the sound of shifting cloth told her he had just shifted from one foot to another.
"Destiny I'm sorry about…"
"Don't worry about it Riku. If I had been you I would have reacted no less."
"Sora is trying to mend his broken heart and I was succeeding in trying to drive you two apart."
"In the end you would never be able to do that because if he truly loves me then he'll hang on."
She sighed heavily before continuing. "There will come a day however when our bonds will be tested and tried but whether we come out of it together or not remains to be seen."
"Do you love him?"
"To explain to you a human the extent and ferocity of youkai emotions would take to long to comprehend."
"That doesn't answer my question. The King told me that youkai mate forever. That if Sora would go to someone else besides you before you gave him the bonding mark that it would hurt you but there would be nothing you can do about it."
"The King was right about that subject anyway. Youkai do mate for life."
"Wouldn't that require some form of love to dedicate yourself to one person for all eternity?"
"When I was a child I never understood the human emotion called love, but being among them for so long I've come to realize what its like."
"How so?"
"Awhile ago I fell in love with a human. He was a friend of my Master at the time. He kept declaring that he loved me. I told him that I didn't know how to love someone. He couldn't put into words what love was."
Riku was following her thus far. "To experience it I had to let him in my heart. In the end I paid the price for it."
"Did he die?"
"No, he betrayed me."
She turned her head to the side and looked at him through her bangs. Destiny turned fully to the silver haired teen. He watched her lift her shirt to reveal a dark scar running diagonally from just under her left breast to her right hip. What caught his attention was the fact it ran over her stomach.
"Human's don't often accept what is different, especially hanyous."
It took him a moment to realize what she meant. "To prevent the child from coming into the world and bringing disgrace upon his family he tried to kill me with my master's permission. I lost the child and ended his life. If that's what love is I don't want it but I know that what Sora offers is a pure love from his pure heart."
Riku was amazed at the depth that the youkai had to feel in order to love someone. He knew love didn't always come easy.
"What are you going to do now?"
"Train him as much as he can handle. I need him to be stronger to face the Kage Samurai."
"Will you train the rest of us?"
"Kairi will never accept the training of a youkai and the end of it she'll get hurt. However if the others are willing to learn then I will not object to training you but not all of you at once."
"Alone time with Sora?" Riku asked playfully.
Destiny turned her hard gaze on the silver haired teen. Her eyes were not playful. They were glacier cold.
"Sora's training will be more dangerous. I'll run him till he drops from exhaustion."
"Won't you train all of us like that?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"By the end of his I won't have the energy to compete like that with all of you."
"I don't understand."
Destiny turned full around her eyes started bleeding crimson. Riku stepped back. There was something unnerving about the way she was looking at him. A soft growling came from behind him causing him to whip around. There was a large black and white wolf behind him. Both of them were able to rest shoulder to shoulder with him. Their eyes were just as crimson. The whooshing of air past him made him start until he realized that Destiny was standing protectively in front of him.
"What would the wolf clan being doing in Kitsune territory?" she snarled to them.
"We wolves can go where ever we want," the black on growled clearly female.
Both were circling them like they're waiting for a weak point so they can go for the kill. Riku flexed his hands and The Way to the Dawn appeared in his hands ready for battle.
"What brings you here then?"
"A vendetta against the Kage Kitsune Clan," the white male growled.
"How cliché and typical," Destiny growled.
"The human can go," the black wolf growled.
"That's kind of you. Riku go to the house and make sure Sora doesn't come out here."
"But…"
"Riku this battle won't end well and I need all of you to stay away."
She didn't even look at him. Her claws were flexed ready to fight. The Keyblade vanished in his hands and he headed past the wolves into the house. Destiny turned her gaze back to them. A heavy sigh escaped her. Changing into her beast form she faced the pair. Her head was bowed.
"You know hanyous aren't widely accepted by youkai, Destiny," the black wolf began.
"I know and Riku isn't him. The humans here are not to be messed with."
"Deal," the white wolf growled.
Both wolves lunged for her at the same time. Destiny didn't even fight back. She felt their claws and teeth digging into her black fur and skin. She bit back the yelps of pain. The tore up her body until it was covered in cuts and her blood leaked out. With one last kick Destiny was send into the ocean. She lay there despite the fact the salt water was causing so much pain. The pair vanished from the shore line leaving her in the water. A crimson cloud spread through the water as she bled. Before she blacked out Sora and Riku were leaning over her calling her name.
