Rhiannon: It's been brought to my attention that the lines to switch the scenes haven't quite... been there. I kinda blame ff for this considering that the edit/preview function likes to erase them. I promise to try to catch this better in the future. Anyways... on with the story!
Chapter 16—Xaldin the Whirlwind Lancer
Riku's last opponent for the final match was tall with long black hair. His face always a mask but what stuck out to Riku the most was his clothing. His black cloak to be exact. He was a member of the Organization. He stood on the far side of the arena a smile on his face as he took Riku in, probably judging him as weak.
"And now folks, for what you've been waiting for. Riku the keyblade wielder against Xaldin the Whirlwind Lancer! And now it's time that I unveil the prize for the Hades Cup… One keyblade master." A large bird cage appeared beside and him and Riku squinted his eyes in the glaring sun but it was Sora all right.
His blood boiled.
"Let the match begin!"
Riku swung his blade in one hand waiting, it was obvious that Xaldin hadn't won the previous matches on his good looks alone so there had to be a weapon somewhere. He was disappointed when a lance appeared in his hand. Long range fighter... this should be fun. He ran forward only to nearly impale himself on another lance. He jumped back and then rolled to dodge yet another lance.
"Fuck… how many of those things does he have?" He mumbled under his breath.
He found himself turn and dodging the lances over actually fighting his opponent. All the while Xaldin stood on the far side of the ring watching him almost as if he was one of the spectators. The silver haired teen could only manage the occasional glare at him as he was forced to continuously dodge.
"You're going to get tired soon Riku… and then my lances will tear you apart. Why don't you just forfeit the match?"
"Because that's my friend up there!" He managed to break one of the lances in his anger, sending the pieces flying into the barrier.
"I'm offended… you broke my lance." The tall man murmured.
"I'm going to break more then that." Riku stated arrogantly before almost lazily dodging a diving lance.
"Oh?" Xaldin seemed more interested in attacking now.
Riku smiled and jumped, landing on a speeding lance, his weight forcing it down against the ground where it broke from the force. Now the black haired nobody was furious. He came running at the silver haired teen, a lance in hand. The smaller man rolled and whacked his opponent with the flat side of the blade sending him sprawling forward before it stabbed him through the shoulder with his blade, missing his intended target. Riku pulled back and dodge a lance or two before he realized that he now had the advantage. In his pain Xaldin couldn't focus on all the lances.
He charged forward, blade out in front of him feeling the lances whip against his skin and it hurt, but it only added to his focus before he stabbed his blade straight through his opponent and looked up at him. Xaldin stared at him, eyes wide with shock and then Riku groaned in pain as a lance slid through his shoulder and Xaldin's chest. The nobody collapsed backwards dissolving into darkness.
Riku stood slowly, the lance in his shoulder dissipating into darkness as well as the others and turned to focus on Hades, the source off his pain and anger. He lifted a hand to clutch at the wound, keyblade dissolving.
"I believe that I've just won the Hades Cup." He called up to him.
"Unfortunately." The God of Death muttered and sent the birdcage with Sora in it forward. It landed on the ground before him, growing until it was almost as tall as him and then Sora emerge, immediately running up to assess his wound. "This isn't over."
"Not by a long shot." He returned, groaning in pain as Sora begin to apply a potion to the wound.
"Riku?" Sora asked as the boy began to tremble. They were suddenly surrounded by people cheering and cajoling them for words or comments.
Sora but his lip as he held a near frantic grip on Riku and the wound he'd been pouring potion over when a firm hand landed on his shoulder and pulled. He held tight to Riku and soon they were pulled out of the crowd and behind the bleachers by none other then Hercules. With the blessed moment, Sora finished working the potion into the wound before the demigod picked up the unconscious boy and took him to the warrior barracks and laid him on a bed.
"I'm… gosh, I'm really sorry about this Sora." He whispered.
"Just… just go find Leon and the others." The brunette murmured as he sat beside his friend watching him carefully and hoping for the best.
"Is he gone?" Riku asked in a low voice once Hercules footsteps had faded.
"Yeah…" Sora murmured and paused. "You were faking!"
"How bad is it?" Riku asked rolling his head to look at his friend.
"Not bad… straight and clean by the looks of it. The potion has already started healing the edges, but it'll be a nasty scar." He murmured as he prodded the wound gently.
The silver haired boy nodded and closed his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately. Sora smiled softly at him and decided to not bother him. He moved to go talk to the others as he heard them arriving. He was pretty sure the general consensus would be to leave as soon as Riku was ready.
Axel stretched his arms up above his head and opened a portal of darkness. He knew that this was exactly what he shouldn't be doing, but he figured with the death of Xaldin that he could get away with it. Radiant Garden was just as broken and post apocalyptic as he remembered as he walked the streets. He could feel Roxas close by and was secretly grateful that he was on patrol. He walked around the half destroy building and saw Roxas sitting by himself on a surprisingly untouched bench, head tilted up towards the sun. He looked almost like he was sleeping but Axel knew Roxas too well for that.
"Sleeping on the job eh? I don't think your new friends would like that too much." He called as he approached him.
Roxas was standing in the span of a few seconds, blades out watching him warily. "Did Xemnas send you?" He asked quietly.
"Of course not. I'm here of my own accord… why?"
"Um, in case you missed it… I betrayed the Organization." Roxas admitted almost sheepishly.
"Seriously? Kick ass." Axel walked forward and sat on the bench, long legs stretched out before him. "So I take it you met Sora?"
"Yeah… and Axel… I'm not going back." He whispered looking at his friend with sad eyes.
"I figured as much." Axel gave him a sly grin. "Don't give me that look. I'm all up for a little betrayal here and there… as long as you and I stay true to each other. All right?"
"Deal… and thank you." Roxas leaned against his end of the bench. "But why did you come here?"
"I… I wanted to see you." Axel admitted softly. "I thought… that I had killed DiZ but he's not dead and…"
"He wants me to merge with Sora." Roxas laughed lightly. "Well, it won't work. Sora and I not only met but we even connected and as you can see, I'm still here!"
"Naminè can make it so that you two merge… she's a witch… A very special witch." He gave Roxas a small smile. "You stay safe all right?"
"Why don't you stay and make sure of it yourself?" Roxas stood up as if to stop him from leaving, Axel merely shaded his eyes as he looked up at the smaller boy.
"Because I'm not done yet. Keep a spot warm for me all right?" Axel stood up and ruffled his hair in the way he knew annoyed Roxas to no end. "I'll be back. Promise. We'll see each other again."
"If you break your promise I'll… I'll…" Roxas shook a fist at the retreating nobody.
"I'll hold you to that." Axel gave him an easy smile and opened a portal to darkness. I think I could love you… if I had a heart.
The next planet they landed on luckily enough lacked gods, demigods and blessedly left them in their human forms. Leon looked around at the bamboo thicket that they'd been left in. In the corner was the swirling orb that they had exited from, he assumed that they would be what sent them back to this ship. Not to worried about it, he looked over at his companions and noticed that they all were luckily enough, just fine.
Riku was off to the side, looking out through an opening in the thicket, staring at a burning village. He slowly pulled back and shoved the bamboo back into place and walked over to the others, stuffing his hands in his pockets.
"So? What shall we do?" He asked and Leon couldn't help but wince as he saw the wicked scar on the teen's shoulder, barely hidden by his shirt.
"I guess we should get out of this thicket and then we can figure out what to do from there." He shrugged and started walked towards the exit.
The formed a line as they walked through the thicket and found their way to a rather large encampment of an army. Looking at each other they shrugged and entered the encampment only to be stopped by a man and woman with wicked looking Chinese swords. They both sported thick black hair but hers was down while his was swept up in the style of a Chinese warrior. Even though her clothes were modest it was obvious that she was a powerful warrior.
"Who are you?" The woman asked, clearly the leader.
"Um…" Sora smiled at them bright and introduced them all and gave a brief story of who they were and what they were doing. Luckily enough the woman believed them, well a little.
"I am Fa Mulan and this is Li Shang. We are honored to meet the keyblade master and his company." She bowed at the waist as did the man. "The King told us about you."
"The King was here?" Leon asked cocking his head to the side.
"Only for a brief amount of time unfortunately. However, there Emperor has had dreams of late about a man in a black cloak. I was wondering if you could stay and help us apprehend this villain?"
"Of course." Kairi replied. "But if this is an army encampment, where is the rest of the army?"
"They are up the mountain, holding back the Huns." The black haired woman stated turning away form them and sheathing her sword. "It grows late. We should rest and then tomorrow we will head up the mountain. The villain is probably in league with Shan Yu."
They spent the night in close quarters of two to a tent, Kairi sharing with Mulan as they waited for the sun to rise so that they could ascend the snow covered mountain. They next day they approached the mountain path and found the way plagued with Heartless. With a grim look they plunge ahead but Sora was visibly worried. How could a country under attack protect themselves not only against their own enemies plus the Heartless as well?
The pass itself was a dreary dust and stone ravine that opened into a snow covered valley in which the village was built. The village itself was empty save for the soldiers guarding it and now them. Leon slowly separated from the others and walked out of the village and up the past to where the opened hill of almost waist high snow stood. The pass was a high risk factor in itself. The Huns had all the advantage.
"Shan Yu will cross here, this is our front line."
"Somehow I would feel better if we were the ones at the top of that mountain." The brunette pointed out quietly.
"We don't have much of a choice."
"And all you have are trainees? Many of them will lose their lives at this rate."
"They won't if I have any say in it." A clipped female voice stated firmly and he turned to see Mulan standing behind them with determination burning in her brown eyes. "I have a plan."
"Why is it every time that you have a plan It leaves me with a feeling of dread?" Shang asked quietly and she smiled at him brightly.
"Trust me." Her smile was soft and fond. "After all, I helped to stop him once and I can do it again."
"I know." He whispered and Leon wondered idly if they were more then just partners before deciding that it was none of his business and headed back to camp.
Sora was still at odds with himself over the events in the Underworld as he wandered aimlessly around the small village. Finding a low roof he climbed up on it and used it as leverage to climb up on to the expansive wall that surrounded the village on all sides. He called his keyblade to him and studied the Sleeping Lion, idly wondering why, out of all people that he was the keyblade master. He hadn't been very effective in the Underworld. Riku and the others had did all the work. All he'd done was get captured.
"You're thinking too hard." He remembered Riku uttering those words to him and he sighs softly, closing his eyes and trying to think about something in the future or in the past to bring back his happy demeanor so that when they gather for dinner he could be loveable Sora again.
"There you are! Who would have thought there'd be so many hiding places in a small village?" Riku climbed up beside him with a grace that Sora envied.
"I wasn't hiding." Sora replied and laid his head on his arms where they rested on his knees.
"What'cha thinking about?" The older boy asked throwing an arm around his shoulders and tugging him close.
"Nothing." Sora murmured even though Riku most likely would see through the lie.
"You're lying." Aquamarine eyes were on him watching carefully and waiting him out. Sometimes Riku forgot just how stubborn Sora could be.
"Let's just sit here." He decided to find a middle road; he was too tired to fight. Riku didn't reply, just kissed his temple and looked out and up at the large wind swept valley of snow that created the mountain pass.
Neither boy was willing to break the peaceful silence that had settled over them and Sora couldn't resist shifting in Riku's arms until his was resting rather comfortably against him. Sora knew he was going to ruin the silence but he tried to hold onto it as long as possible before he opened his mouth and inserted foot.
"Riku… what are we?" He finally asked because his mind had started to run a hundred miles per hour and his heart was frantic in his chest.
"We're what we've always been Sora." The silver haired teen replied and Sora was surprised to feel his heart sink. "You and me."
"But in Radiant Garden…"
"I rather like to think of it as natural progression." He arched a fine eyebrow. "After all, we're too pretty to be straight."
"Speak for yourself!" Sora cried indignant.
"Sora… you like sticking your tongue in my mouth. You're gay." He tilted Sora's head up and pressed their lips together before he could reply. They stay that way, slowly kissing, Sora unsure and Riku consuming before they pulled back breathless.
"That's… not a fair… way to win an argument." The cinnamon haired boy whispered as he laced their fingers together.
"All's fair in love and war." Riku replied as he pulled Sora back against his body and looked back up at the pass. "Maybe we should go catch up with the others. Tomorrow's going to be a bitch."
Sora nodded and slowly stood, reaching a hand out to the older teen. Riku reached out for it and Sora saw the mark on his shoulder and cringed with guilt, that mark was his fault.
"Come on Sora… before it gets cold." He tugged the younger boy alone and hoped that maybe one day Sora wouldn't feel so guilty about the scar. After all, he'd go to hell and back for Sora.