Part 4
Down, down, Riku sank as if through thick mud, clawing ineffectually at the darkness. He didn't dare open his mouth, but he was running out of air. How much farther could he fall? He tried to create a door out to Sora, to the castle, to anywhere, but the shadows swallowed it up every time.
Somehow he'd gotten turned upside down. He was falling faster, he was sure of it, but not fast enough. His lungs burned. The back of his head tingled for lack of oxygen. He gave one more frantic twist trying to find an end to the darkness, then grew still as everything went fuzzy. His eyes half-closed and his lips parted--
Air.
Freefall.
For a brief second he was free, and his raggedly drawn breath cleared his head. Then his body jerked to a stop in midair, caught by thick strands of shadow like tar. Held awkwardly like a puppet, he hung coughing and gasping. He knew he should try to get free, but he let himself catch his breath first.
"Ah, there's my dear boy. My, you look just as I left you. The darkness suits you."
Riku tensed. He didn't have to see who was behind him. He knew that voice. But how had she survived the destruction of the City That Never Was? How was she here at all?
Wait. Where was here? He looked around as much as he could with strands of darkness twisted in his hair--stones and long corridors all blocked off by steel bars, glimmering in the weak green light of the torches. Water dripped and trickled in the distance. Cold, still air. A dungeon beneath Hollow Bastion?
"No greeting in return? I'm hurt."
Riku had to glance out of the corner of her eye to see her. Maleficent looked the same, black robe, pale complexion, but--he flinched as she stroked his cheek with fingers that ended in claws. Her eyes were pure white as she leaned down, her face pale green in the fire light. On her chest lay the blood red symbol of the heartless.
"Ill mannered boy," she scolded. "I took you in like a son. But perhaps you're merely surprised to see your mother--"
"You're not my mother," he snapped.
Her slap followed instantly, a burning sting on his face that turned into a sharp, thin trickle of blood. Her claws had left a slice just under his eye.
"Watch your tongue," she warned him. "My good will is all that keeps you alive. Bait doesn't have to be alive, after all."
"'Bait'?" he echoed.
"Your keyblade master will come for you," she said, turning her back to him. "And when he does, I'll collect his heart. It holds the secret to regaining my own."
"Taking his heart won't help you at all," he said, yanking at his black strings and growling in frustration when they didn't give. "There's no way to--"
"Silence," she said idly, waving her hand.
Flowing over his throat, the darkness crept up his face, covering his mouth like a muzzle. He swore, he screamed, he ranted and cursed--nothing escaped except muffled moans. She didn't even look at him again. He summoned his keyblade, but his hand was trapped at an odd angle. Trying to force the blade over himself only ground the bones in his wrist. He let the keyblade disappear again.
A wave of self-loathing washed over him. He'd destroyed Xemnas and Ansem--why couldn't he yank his way out of these strings? He craned his head as far as he could and looked at himself. His eyes widened. Where the darkness touched his uniform, the two came together seamlessly. When he struggled, he only cemented himself further.
Long minutes passed. He hung limply in place, only shifting when he felt his shoulder start to go numb. There was no sound except the water flowing somewhere close. The torches didn't even crackle.
A keyblade slicing through heartless.
Riku's head snapped up. Had he imagined it? No, he heard it again--the whisper the wind made as Sora swung his keyblade, the satisfying snap as it sent a heartless flying. Sora was coming. Even though the sound of the fighting echoed from far away, Sora was coming for him.
Growling in frustration, Riku thrashed against the darkness one more time, wearing himself out with a long groan. Held captive, dangling like bait on a hook--he looked at Maleficent and wished he could rip her apart with his bare hands. He couldn't even shout a warning to Sora.
Lightning and fireballs flashed in the gloom. In the brief afterglow, he saw Sora's silhouette bringing the keyblade down on a dragon's head, heard him call out spells and shout which way to go. His heart leapt as Sora finally came out of the shadows and into Maleficent's green firelight. At his side--
Riku stared in surprise. Kairi held her own keyblade, nodding once at him before facing the sorceress.
"Riku!" Sora yelled. "Are you all right?"
Riku could only nod, and then Maleficent stepped in front of him, blocking them from view.
"Maleficent," Sora said. "Let Riku go!"
"Are you sure she's who you think it is?" Kairi said in a whisper. "You never said she was a heartless."
"Yes, heartless," Maleficent said, touching the emblem on her chest. "I propose an exchange. I give you Riku, and you give me your heart. Otherwise I burn you all to nothing."
"Get out of my way!" Sora yelled, keyblade high as he charged.
Green flames burst from the floor like a bonfire. Riku squeezed his eyes shut against the heat and tried to turn his head. He couldn't back away and the fire spread out in waves.
Maleficent's wings fanned the flames into a firestorm roaring around them. Sora's keyblade flashed as he struck, sending light over the walls and dazzling Riku's eyes.
Behind the gag, Riku growled as adrenalin soared within him. He felt each swing, felt the deep drag of Maleficent's breath and the wind of her wings. Every instinct drove him to fight at Sora's side. He felt like he'd tear himself in half trying to get free.
Maleficent looked over her shoulder and drew a breath, ready to spit one last mouthful of fire right at him, but the next sound was not a fireball but a keyblade slicing through her scales. The fight had turned in their favor and her wings reflexively drew back as she reared away from the keyblades.
The dragon, the green flame and the shadows whirled into a tight ball and streaked past Sora and Kairi, disappearing down the tunnel until the echo of her magic faded away. Riku'd hoped that her retreat would take the darkness with her, but he still hung from the ceiling like a prize. While Kairi cast a handful of healing spells, Sora ran up to Riku and cupped his head in his hands, staring into his eyes.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Riku nodded and let his eyes close. Sora's hands were so warm, his presence by him comforting in the cold dungeon air. Sora's fingertips traced the darkness covering Riku's face.
"Geez, this stuff's like ice," Sora said. "No wonder you're shivering."
Shivering? Riku hadn't noticed.
Sora drew his keyblade and backslashed the darkness holding him in place. It faded away, sloughing off his face like water. Riku landed on his feet, but his legs wobbled and gave out. He fell against Sora, who stumbled back a step as he caught him.
"Gotcha," Sora breathed, putting his arms around him. "Just lean on me."
"Like old times," Riku said as he forced a smile.
Riku put his arm over Sora's shoulders, wincing as his shorter lover held him at an awkward angle. But he wasn't about to let himself be carried, and as they walked, each step felt a little stronger. Kairi held a potion to his lips, but the draught only took the edge off his weakness. She put his other arm over her shoulders, and together they slowly made their way down the hall.
Without Maleficent, the torches glowed normally again, warming the damp dungeons. Skin to skin with his friends, Riku started to feel how cold he was. His suit only gathered the darkness to him, and the darkness was like icy ink.
"How'd you find me?" he asked, whispering when he couldn't keep his voice steady.
"Leon told us you got dragged down here," Sora said. "So we came running and there was no one in the castle, so we came down here."
"Jumped down here," Kairi corrected. "Sora took a running leap off the edge and scared me half to death."
"Sorry," Sora said, but his smile didn't look sorry. "Habit, I guess."
"Yeah, I keep forgetting you can fly," she said. "Which totally isn't fair, by the way."
"We have to visit Neverland again," Sora said. "Tinkerbell might give you pixie dust, too."
Riku let himself drift within their voices. After hours dangling like a puppet, his raw nerves were slowly soothed and he relaxed enough to lean his head against Sora's, closing his eyes and walking blindly. Maleficent was gone, at least for now, and he didn't have to worry about any heartless about.
"You could probably learn to run up and down walls," Riku said softly. "When you get stronger with your keyblade."
"You really think so?" she asked, smiling as she readjusted his arm on her. "It looks so cool when you guys do it."
"It's easy after you get used to it," Sora nodded. "Hey, when you learn how to do it, we can have three way races on the island."
"Oh, that'd be cool," she said. "No more keeping score for me."
Riku snorted. "Don't trust him. He's faster when he flies. He wants to win against both of us, that's all."
Kairi clucked indignantly and Sora just grinned wider.
The walk back to Radiant Gardens was long and slow going, especially since Sora refused to let Riku simply open a door for fear he'd disappear into the darkness. Even more so because Riku refused to be carried. By the time they reached the crystal cave, Sora was bore much of his weight that Kairi quietly stepped out from under Riku's side, letting him lean completely against Sora. The sun had set while Riku waited for rescue, and they walked under the cover of stars.
"You still awake?" Sora whispered.
"Mm...wha'?" Riku's eyes fluttered open, then closed again and his head drooped heavily on Sora's shoulder.
"At least he isn't shivering anymore," Kairi said softly.
Sora nodded once. Whether it was their shared body heat or the walk, Riku was warmer, but he still looked pale. The walk was taxing the very last of his reserves, and Sora didn't want him to overexert himself. Bending slightly, he put his free arm under Riku's legs and gathered him up, stumbling to the left a step as he compensated for Riku's greater height.
A muffled protest followed as Riku grumbled, and Sora froze, expected Riku to wake up and snap at him. Instead his lover yawned again and put his arms around Sora's neck, holding him while still asleep. Kairi giggled behind her hand.
"I hope he doesn't wake up any time soon," she said. "He'll never live it down."
"He's just stubborn," Sora said. "It's worse when it's about his balance."
"You mean between the light and dark inside him?" she asked.
Sora nodded and didn't explain. The walk back was much faster now, and they crossed the bailey and the town wall with no problem. Sora didn't bother with the stairs, stepping off the wall and floating down to a gentle landing. The town was awash in the gold light of streetlamps and windows still lit from inside.
"Sorry," Sora whispered to Riku. "I know you didn't want to see anyone, but there's no where else to crash for the night."
As he carried Riku to the house next to Merlin's, he nodded his thanks to Kairi as she opened the door for him. Aerith's home was simple with lace curtains and the scent of roses. The house was quiet, so Sora took Riku up the stairs to the guest room and the spare bed. To his surprise, the blankets were already turned down, and he lay Riku down, making sure his head was pillowed. He leaned over him for a moment, smoothing back the hair that had fallen in his eyes. Riku looked unguarded in his sleep, or maybe it was because Sora was nearby.
Sora closed the door for modesty's sake, then summoned his keyblade and aimed it at Riku. This time he controlled the power in his weapon, holding some back, and when Riku's dark gear melted into the air, his normal yellow and blue clothes remained.
"Phew," Sora sighed. "He never would've forgiven me if I zapped those again."
"They still need to come off."
"Gah!"
Spinning around, Sora found Aerith standing in the doorway, her smile gentle as always. She came inside and looked over Riku, lightly touching his face, then bent over the nightstand and fished out a candle and a holder.
"Kairi said he was cold, but if he was covered in darkness, then it's deeper than that. You need to warm him up."
As she spoke, she lit the candle and set it well away from the bed. Its orange glow filled the corner, steadily burning and giving off a satisfying scent of wood and herbs. She must make her own candles, Sora realized, and again he was glad he'd asked permission to bring Riku here. There was no safer place in Radiant Gardens.
"How do I warm him up?" Sora asked. "Even if I cover him, he's too cold to get warm."
"Skin to skin is usually how it's done," she said, and her smile turned a touch mischievous as Sora blushed. "I'll bring dinner in a few hours. He should be feeling a little better by then."
She walked out, quietly closing the door behind her. Sora went to the window at the far wall and drew the curtains, making the candle's glow the only light, and unbuttoned his shirt. Stepping out of his shoes, he draped his clothes over the foot of the bed, then undid Riku's shoelaces and pants, drawing them off without waking him. Taking off his shirt was harder, and he had to put his arm under Riku and lift him slightly, tilting him and adjust his arms.
"Mm...Sora?" Riku's eyes half-opened, but he didn't move as Sora tossed his clothing aside.
"It's okay," Sora said. "Go back to sleep."
"Where are we?" Riku asked.
Sora climbed into bed and lay down on top of him, dragging the blankets over them. Riku felt like he had slept in snow, but little by little, the skin underneath his warmed and regained its color.
"We're in Aerith's house," Sora said. "She's my friend."
Looking more aware, Riku blinked and glanced at the room. "I don't remember coming here."
"Um.." Sora smiled. "That's 'cause you fell asleep and I carried you here. Don't worry, no one saw you but me and Kairi."
Riku groaned and turned his face toward the wall. "At least that hero didn't see me."
"What hero? Leon?" Sora laughed and hugged Riku close. "He said you were really rude. Did you have to snap at him like that?"
"He aimed his gun-sword thing at me," Riku argued.
"Oh, so he started it?"
Riku half-smiled. "Yeah. Totally not my fault."
Still sore and weary, Riku closed his eyes, putting one leg over Sora's. His lover was warm, cutting through the cold that had chilled him to the bone.
"So did you find anything in the library?" Sora asked.
"Not much," Riku said. "Just more of what we already knew. There's only been one keyblade master who gave himself to the darkness...and the keyblade master of light had to kill him."
Sora held him a little tighter.
"That won't happen," Sora whispered. He looked at him, leaning up on one elbow when Riku didn't look back. "You're not gonna die."
"If I lose myself--" Riku started, but Sora interrupted.
"Then I'll bring you back." Sora gave him a stubborn look and lay down again. "Besides, you got possessed by Xehanort's heartless. And he's gone now."
Riku couldn't argue with that. He remembered the picture of the boy kneeling before that blazing keyblade, surrendering himself to execution. But Riku didn't want to die. More importantly, he didn't want to put Sora through the pain of having to kill him.
"I did find a book about the princesses here in Radiant Gardens," Riku said, changing the subject. "But I didn't have time to read it."
"Princesses? You mean like Kairi." Sora nodded to himself. "She never talks about it. When all this is over, we should come back and find out about this place. Leon never mentioned anything about a king. Well, except for King Mickey."
King Mickey. The more Riku thought about it, the better it sounded. Mickey always seemed to know what was going on, and if he didn't, he knew how to find out. Best of all, he wouldn't have to meet any of Sora's friends who only knew him as Sora's shadow, the boy whose heart was weak enough to fall prey to the darkness.
"We should visit the king next," Riku said. "He'll know why the heartless are back."
Sora nodded slowly. "And he has his own library. It might have more information than Hollow Bastion."
"Great," Riku said as if it was decided.
He yawned and put his arm over Sora, not noticing how Sora's stare was troubled, how he held Riku not just to warm him but to keep him trapped in bed.
Sora knew his lover better than Riku knew. He thought Riku was too dramatic and too hard on himself, and his discovery of what happened to the other dark keyblade users fit easily with what Riku thought of himself. Sora couldn't chain himself to the other boy, but he was sorely tempted to try.
As Riku's breath evened out in sleep, Sora lay awake for a long time, lost in thought.
TBC...