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Eclipse Realm
Chapter 7: The Hand That Feeds
Chuya leaned forward a little, resting her chin on folded hands as her arms and the rest of her body quivered with the after-effects of the massive energy she had expelled. She thought not of her own exhaustion, but of what she had come here for and had yet to do; she needed to find Merlin, as Auron had told her. She would do so after just a moment. She was curious as to see what would unfold between the three people in front of her.
She was mainly watching Riku's expression, but her eyes did avert to the man before him. She knew that it was this man who had been that creature that had stood atop that building only moments ago; neither she nor Riku had seen him, but he had apparently moved with extreme speed.
He had saved her from the clutches of that beast when she had been snatched away from Riku, but the arrival of that horde of Heartless that had been after him separated them and left her to fend for herself. She had done that quite well, but she had noticed that in the midst of that man fighting the large Heartless, the beast had attacked suddenly and swallowed the man whole. A few instances later there was a piercing scream that didn't sound human, but it hadn't come from the Heartless. Soon after, just as her magic had become significantly weaker, Riku and a woman had joined the battle.
Chuya had a mild interest in the man at most because of how he had turned into a different being. She gazed at him calmly, noting the differences between him and Riku. The man was taller than Riku, and his hair was black and longer; most of it fell past his shoulders, and the rest stood wildly out of a scarlet headband. He wore a cloak that matched his headband and partially obscured the lower half of his face, secured with small belts at the front. The rest of his attire was black, though she couldn't see all of it. The most intriguing details were the golden claw of his left arm and the heeled boots with the same sort of armor on them.
Presently, the man stood with his weapon – one Chuya didn't recognize – held in a black gloved hand and pointed in Riku's face. She wondered why he hadn't attacked Riku if he was going to. Was there something wrong with it? If so, why didn't he just use the one attached to one of the two belts on his right leg?
However, despite the physical differences, there was still something about him that reminded her of Riku. The same almost applied to the woman, in other ways.
The mage let her gray orbs trail to the woman who stood a little ways behind Riku, though was now walking forward. Her hair was very long, with distinct prominent twin bangs, and pale like Riku's, but somehow had more luster. Her skin was pale like his – Chuya had noticed that all three people before her shared this quality – and though she couldn't seem them clearly, Chuya guessed this woman had light eyes probably the same color as Riku's.
The woman's entire outfit was black, all made out of the same material as Riku's own sleeveless shirt. She wore a tight corset that, despite having a zipper up the front, was bound with two belts, and was held up by the thick straps over her shoulders that also had buckles. Her fingerless gloves that stretched to her below her shoulders were separated at the elbows, most likely to allow better mobility. The top part of the gloves had two belts each that bound them to the woman's arms, while the lower parts had smaller ones sewn into each glove.
Underneath the corset was a long skirt that almost reached the ground, and billowed like a cloak. Her right leg was exposed, but the skirt was secured by two little belts high on her hip and a single, longer belt slung across mid-thigh. Her boots reached to her knees, and like the corset had a single zipper bound with three, wide belts. The front of the boots had plates of silver armor – much like the man's, but rounded rather than pointed.
Though they were strikingly similar physically, something about the woman made her not quite like Riku, not as much as the man in scarlet. Chuya supposed it had to do with how her lips were curled into an expression she couldn't identify. That, plus her tall stature, reminded her more of Rowena.
As she walked, the woman sheathed her sword into the decorative scabbard attached to the wide belt around her hips. She halted just behind Riku, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Vincent," she said, her attention on the man in front of Riku, "I'd like to say something to him first."
"…Very well." Vincent put away his weapon and turned towards Chuya. She was more focused on Riku's reaction; judging from his expression, he wasn't too pleased with Vincent walking away from him like that. He began to go after him, but the woman's hand stopped him. He whirled on her, and began to say something…
"May I ask of your name?"
Vincent was standing over Chuya when she noticed him again. She first saw that even with the shadows playing over his face, his eyes were still very evident in the dark, crimson as his cloak.
Riku had been wary of him, but Chuya could see no reason to be. Vincent's presence was very much like Auron's. "Chuya."
A slight change overcame Vincent's features. "I see… You've exhausted all of your magic energy. You should rest."
"No…" Chuya shook her head, her mahogany locks in mild disarray around her face. "I must find Merlin. I…" Her head dropped slightly, and she placed her fingers on her forehead. "I must."
She pushed herself off the fountain, but swayed as soon as she stood. Vincent steadied her with his normal arm. "As you wish-"
"Hey! What's going on over there?"
The voice had come from the woman, who had her hands on her hips and was staring intently at Vincent and Chuya. Riku was quiet, and his Keyblades were gone. Though he wasn't facing Chuya, she could tell that his head was down.
"There is nothing for you to be concerned about, Jophiel." Vincent turned with Chuya towards the silver-haired woman, his arm around the mage's shoulders. "Chuya is simply adamant about meeting with Merlin before recovering her strength."
"Chuya?" As Vincent walked with Chuya towards Jophiel, the mage could now see that her eyes were indeed the same, glowing color as Riku's. They were widened, all traces of her former expression gone. "Her name is Chuya?"
"Yes. It's all starting to come together, isn't it?" Vincent had looked down at Chuya, but she only gave him a brief glance before returning her eyes to Riku.
Jophiel muttered something Chuya couldn't hear, then said, "Well, if you're going to see the old man first, this should tide you over." She activated a mild healing spell; a red aura flashed around her for an instant, the large particles of what looked like glowing, white dust washed over all four people present. Vincent hesitated; he must have noticed, too, that Jophiel had suddenly looked away. But Chuya didn't move when Vincent did; she was still looking at the Keyblade Master.
"Riku?"
His response came quickly. "What?" Riku had turned his head a little, but Chuya couldn't see his face. He directed his gaze in front of him after a moment, and crossed his arms. "Go with Vincent. Do whatever you need to do."
Chuya felt Vincent's hand tighten slightly on her shoulder. She glanced up, thinking he wanted her attention, but saw instead that his red eyes were fixated on Riku. His expression mirrored the one Riku usually had; his brows were draw together a bit. Chuya noticed that Jophiel's brow had arched, her attention also on Riku.
"Let us be off," Vincent said quietly, starting towards the alley to their right. Chuya moved listlessly, now disinterested in her surroundings since Riku wasn't there and due to her own fatigue. She didn't even notice that she could barely stand upright until Vincent shifted his arm to her waist.
"Chuya," he said softly as he pushed open the doors that led to the next district, "how long have you known Riku?"
"For about… two days now."
"And how are you acquainted with him?"
"… We are friends."
They arrived at what Chuya vaguely recognized as the same area of the town that she and Riku had battled the hordes of Heartless. She dimly noticed that there was no sign of any damage, confirming the theory she had made when she and Riku first arrived; that someone had placed a spell that had put them into a different dimension. The lights in the area glowed brightly, flickering occasionally.
"Friends?" Vincent was carefully leading her down some steps that had been to their right.
"Yes… He said that we should be friends, since we were going to be together for a while. I… I guess that means we won't be when we part ways here."
Vincent was silent. Chuya, seeing that they had now stopped, looked up to see a door emblazoned with an emblem of fire at the end of a short alley before them. Pale green energy began to flare; she heard Vincent quietly say a spell, then lift his golden clawed arm and cast Fire at the door.
The emblem glowed briefly, then dulled. Vincent sighed, then carefully cast a well-controlled Firaga spell. This time the fire-emblem glared brightly and the door slid open.
As they made their way through and into a natural cavern, sleep tugged at Chuya's mind, but she wouldn't allow it. Instead, she struggled to stay awake and seek the truth of a question that had come to her.
"Why are you and Riku so alike?" she asked Vincent quietly.
The tall man actually paused and gazed down at Chuya questioningly. Looking up, Chuya could clearly see a small detail in his eyes that made her not doubt his similarity to Riku.
"You act differently towards him than the others – the Elder and Rowena – did," she continued, "and you look much different, too, but somehow… you are like him."
"…You're very perceptive." Vincent continued down the stone path, his arm not leaving Chuya's waist as she seemed to grow increasingly tired, yet still went on. "Riku and I are alike because... we are connected in many ways. I'm afraid you wouldn't understand, however."
"Are you also a friend of his?"
"I suppose, and much more, though Riku himself isn't aware."
"So what does that mean?"
"At the moment, nothing, I'm afraid."
Vincent stopped again, and Chuya lifted her head to view the small lake and strange dwelling that sat in the middle of it. Several obviously enchanted boulders led to it; Vincent, though, simply held Chuya against him and floated over them. Whether or not he had used magic she wasn't sure. The building – if that's what it was supposed to be – looked to be in pretty bad shape. The door was blocked off by rubble, so Vincent led her to the left side of the building where there was a hole in the blue brick wall. He let her go first, making sure she could stand on her own, and ducked in after her.
The inside of the building wasn't very large, and all furniture and various books were in disarray around the circular room.
"Merlin," Vincent called not too loudly, his deep voice penetrating in the quiet dwelling. After a brief pause, Chuya could make out what sounded like a mumbling voice coming from above.
A section of the roof suddenly descended, landing on the elevated platform in the middle of the room. Atop it was an old man with a trailing white beard and blue robes with a matching pointy cap.
"Vincent? Why are you-" Merlin halted as his eyes came to rest on Chuya, which soon grew large. "You!" he gasped, then said with a quiet harshness, "You are the one called 'Chuya', are you not?"
Chuya nodded, not understanding why it seemed Merlin was surprised to see her when he had been expecting her. The old wizard's eyes snapped back to Vincent.
"What is the meaning of this, Vincent? I was expecting Auron, not a Valentine! I swear, if that man is involved-"
"No," Vincent interrupted calmly.
"So, it was you and that meddling woman-!"
"No," Vincent repeated, then added slowly, "but she came with someone you despise even more… or should I say fear?"
Merlin's face went chalk white. Chuya had never seen anyone's face lose color so quickly. The wizard stammered incoherently, then regained his composure and turned his attention back to Chuya.
"Well? Have you anything to say for yourself? …No, I suppose you wouldn't."
"So, is there a problem?"
"Of course there is a problem!" Merlin screeched at Vincent, waving his staff violently. After a few moments he calmed down, readjusting his hat and robe. He focused on Chuya, and she could faintly see the aura of his magic working.
"Bah, it's already clinging to her like filth," he spat as the aura dissipated. "She will have to be cleansed of even this little bit… Maybe Spira has a… or was it near Aquios…?"
As Merlin continued to mumble to himself, Chuya felt Vincent's hand squeeze her again. She glanced up at him, meeting his eyes.
"Is there anything you need to ask Merlin about?"
Chuya remembered one of the items Auron gave her and nodded. Stepping away from Vincent, she produced the Jade Flash, which she had kept in a pocket on her dress rather than in her now missing cloak. "Merlin…?" When the old man gave her his attention, she indicated the stone in her hands.
Merlin waved her off impatiently. "You'll need the Fairy Godmother for that. She's over there."
Chuya went to the area on the floor Merlin indicated. She found a pale colored… vessel of some sort sitting on the floor. As she tried to determine what it was, sparkles of light began to emanate from it, and soon in a flash of magic an elderly lady appeared in a blue hooded robe.
"Why, hello there, dear! And who might you be?"
"… Chuya."
"Chuya…?" The Fairy Godmother grasped what looked like a wand close to her chest in one hand and reached out to touch Chuya's face with the other, causing the younger girl to lift it up.
"Well, I'll be… So, how may I assist you? … I see, what have we here?" The Fairy Godmother took her hand from Chuya's face and picked up the Jade Flash. She held it close to her face then said, "The soul of a most loyal companion rests in here. Though his world was destroyed and restored, he remains a spirit separated from his master. However, he will assist you with unyielding devotion." She tapped the star-shaped tip of her wand to the stone, and though it vanished in a glimmering gold and green flash, Chuya could feel the magic of the gem flow into herself. "His name is Kogoro; call him and he will aid you in battle."
Chuya nodded, then her eyelids grew heavy. Now that she had met with Merlin and could use the Summon Gem Auron had given her, she felt her purpose had been served for now. She didn't fight the cloak of black that washed over her.
"Oh my!" the Fairy Godmother exclaimed. Chuya swayed, but before she could hit the floor Vincent caught her falling body.
"Vincent! How delightful it is to see you again," said the Fairy Godmother.
"And you are looking lovely as ever, dear Godmother," Vincent said smoothly, causing the Fairy Godmother's cheeks to flush.
"How can you be happy to see him?" Merlin screeched again. "You know with him here that he and his whole wretched family are most likely going to-"
"I do not take kindly to those who would insult my relatives," Vincent said in a mockingly sinister tone as he laid Chuya down on the single bed in the room. He did not have to look to see Merlin's face blanch once more.
"E-hem! Yes, quite." Merlin coughed and cleared his throat. "And what is with her condition? Has she already been infected?"
"Surely you are aware of the spell that had been cast over the town? Chuya exhausted all of her magic while battling with what was born of the power that cast that spell." He looked at Merlin sternly. "They almost got her, you know."
"And how do you suppose that happened, hm? Keep her away from that… that scourge of that boy, and we'll all be… What are you smiling for?"
Despite Merlin's words, and the meaning Vincent knew very well behind them, a wry smirk was evident in his eyes.
"We could all be doomed! How can you smile when you know that is true?"
"That may be, however… You underestimate the will of those who choose to walk in darkness. I believe… I know Riku is the one who will succeed in finishing this once and for all."
"You know how he is now!" Merlin continued to scream. "At this rate, he'll only be the cause of death and destruction again! And not to just a select few, this time."
"Riku won't let that happen again-"
"How can he be sure of that when he doesn't even remember? Bah!" Merlin threw his hands into the air. "It's hopeless whether he remembers or not!"
Vincent gave a short, rare laugh. "You think all the cards are already laid out before you, but… there is a wild card that you haven't considered." The scarlet clad man glanced over his shoulder at Chuya.
"No. Oh, no, no, no, no!" Merlin again thrashed his staff about. "As if things weren't dire enough, with that power coming into contact with him, all of our fates are sealed!"
"I agree-"
"Don't argue with me- What?"
"I said, I agree," Vincent repeated calmly, crossing his arms. "Whether intentional or not, they have already begun to impact each other. Their meeting will affect the fates of us all, just as Riku's bonds with the others already have."
"You act as though their lives are changing, but see for yourself! There!" Merlin pointed a long, gnarled finger at the girl who lay silently. "There is no life there!"
"You're wrong." Vincent began to walk to the exit, but still said to Merlin, "Her life has just begun. Now, if you'll excuse me. Riku and I need to become… reacquainted."
With Vincent's departure, the small dwelling grew quiet, with barely a sound until Merlin's robes shifted against each other as he moved. He folded his arms within his sleeves and cast his eyes down.
"Don't they realize," he said much more quietly than he had in the last few minutes, "that not all of us wish to live in the shadows?"
"Do you believe that's what he wants?"
Merlin looked over to the Fairy Godmother, who had remained silent through the whole conversation. She was smiling, gently and warmly as always. "Now, don't think so glumly! It's far too soon to determine what lays in store for us, and we can't say it will all end happily ever after, but… but I believe these events will be passed down and become great tales of legend. You see…?
"Lives are ending, lives are beginning; but life itself will never fade away. This applies to hearts as well as memories. Even if something is lost, it is never truly gone."
After all the crap he'd been through, it could end right here, right now, with a movement as simple as pulling a trigger. One 'bang!' and it could all end.
He hated being this powerless, and hated that the man in front of him knew that his life was not in his own hands.
Why doesn't he just finish me? Riku's eyes narrowed as his grip tightened even more on the Keyblades. He has the power… So why?
Riku tensed even more when he heard the footsteps of the woman behind him approach, and it took more restraint than he cared for to not flinch or immediately spin around when he felt her surprisingly strong hand clamp down on his shoulder.
"Vincent, I'd like to say something to him first."
"…Very well." And just like that, this Vincent guy lowered and put away his gun – spinning it in the process – then turned around, headed towards Chuya.
He just dropped Riku like a boring subject he didn't want to discuss any longer. No way in hell the Keyblade Master was going to be insulted like that.
Riku began to start after Vincent, but that woman's hand held him in place. He spun around, shrugging off that hand and glaring fiercely at her.
"Who the fuck do you think you people are-?"
"Your superiors, plain and simple. What's the matter? Don't like the fact that you're not in control here? Face it; with the state you're in right now, I've got more power in this finger-" To emphasize her point, she placed an elegant forefinger close to his face, so that the holy magic she had conjured could be seen glowing clearly on the tip of her finger. "-than you have in your whole body. Same goes for Vincent over there.
"So…" The warrior crossed her arms, smirking in a way that almost made Riku shudder; it reminded him of his own from what seemed like another lifetime. "What can you hope to accomplish when you have the power of two Keyblades, yet you're easily overpowered by two new forces? Some 'Master' you are."
Riku bristled, and was about to lunge to prove he was not as powerless as she claimed he was, but stopped. His muscles uncoiled, his arms grew lax, and both Keyblades vanished as he realized…
She was right.
"Heh." Riku could sense the woman plant her hands on her hips and lift her head to look over in Vincent and Chuya's direction. Then he sensed her tense for some reason. "Hey! What's going on over there?"
"There is nothing for you to be concerned about, Jophiel. Chuya is simply adamant about meeting with Merlin before recovering her strength."
"Chuya?" There was a pause, and through his angry and darkening thoughts Riku's curiosity peeked, and he dimly noted that this woman called Jophiel sounded surprised. "Her name is Chuya?"
What was the deal with that? It was just a name, not anything important enough to be shocked about when there were other pressing matters at hand, like saving the worlds from the very power he wielded, and… and…
"Yes. It's all starting to come together, isn't it?"
What the hell were they talking about? Dammit, why was it that he always seemed to be the one to never know what was going on? The one always left out?
"I don't fucking believe this, just our luck," Jophiel muttered somewhat darkly, then said more loudly, "Well, if you're going to see the old man first, this should tide you over."
She used some sort of healing spell on everyone, but rather than think of how it felt familiar, he thought of how once again it seemed like someone else had to care for him, as he could only succeed in screwing himself over and over again-
"Riku?"
"What?"
He snapped at her, he knew he did, but at the moment he didn't really give a damn about Chuya. Some friend he was to her, but it wasn't as if she really cared about him. No one did.
He had almost turned his head to her, but instead glared at the ground in front of him, crossing his arms. Looked like Chuya needed direction from him yet again, like some empty, obedient drone. Whatever, as long as he didn't have to deal with her.
"Go with Vincent. Do whatever you need to do."
There was a hesitation; it seemed both Vincent and Jophiel had their attention on him, and he tried his best to ignore their looks.
"Let us be off," Vincent said, for some reason quiet; his voice was so monotone, so controlled that Riku couldn't tell if he was enraged or disappointed. He left with Chuya, and everything was quiet, until Jophiel's soft laughter was heard.
"Well, I'll be damned," she said, that smirk evident in her voice. "That's my boy; you're becoming a real pain, just like your mom. Though I must say, I would have given some sort of apology for my behavior."
"Shut the hell up," Riku snapped, meeting her cool – similar – gaze with his glare. "That's a load of bull. You're not my mother."
"Oh? And what do you remember of your mother?"
It should have been a hard blow; Riku found that he couldn't even think of why he said that. He hadn't even thought of his true mother in so long, couldn't even remember when he recalled that the woman who had raised him on Destiny Islands wasn't his birth mother. But the memory tugged at him nonetheless, and he felt an almost overwhelming desire to protect it, though it was covered with anger.
"She was a gentle woman," he said shortly, "and not some conceited bitch."
That set off something. Something sparked in that woman's gaze, and her smirk wavered for a second.
"Ah, the brat has balls," she said thinly.
"Same to you."
Now she did twitch, soon drawing her sword. Riku likewise called forth Oblivion.
"You trying to start something?" Jophiel said through clenched teeth, clutching her katana tightly.
"No, I'm trying to end it," Riku replied, smirking though his eyes blazed as he held one hand out in front if him, Oblivion raised high near his head. "But you people keep getting in my way!"
He did lunge this time, Jophiel also springing forward to block Oblivion with her gleaming blade, one palm firmly against the flat of it to better brace against the much wider Keyblade. Using the leverage of the locked weapons, Riku vaulted above Jophiel's head, swinging Oblivion to deflect the strikes she aimed at him above her. He landed behind her at quite a distance, and turned to immediately attack her, but just barely stopped himself short.
Jophiel had not turned to face him; judging from her crouched position, a familiar stance, she had sheathed her sword as an outline of energy glowed briefly around her. Then she drew her sword at inhuman speed, slicing around herself so many times that only the energy from her blade could be seen. At the end of each strike, energy flowed to the tip of the blade to erupt in a small blast, but each blow was so fast that it looked like multiple miniature suns were exploding around her, a sound like that of bells and drums being caused.
Riku had barely reacted fast enough to avoid jumping straight into this attack, but was still singed by the magic of it. After a few seconds Jophiel's attack stopped, her sword sheathed again with a hiss as it smoked, as did the ground around her momentarily.
Riku snorted, and proceeded to commence his own attack. The technique had been impressive, but since he was not caught in it, he could see it was done with an arrogant power that left her wide open afterwards. She had just used it so as not to waste time turning to him, instead choosing to attack almost blindly all around her.
Jophiel dodged Riku's strike, but was caught in the side when he twisted and brought his boot around in a kick. She staggered and cursed as she did so, but braced herself on the foot on the ground and drew her sword again, pushing off with that foot in a series of sweeping, graceful strikes aimed in front of her.
They continued for only a few more minutes, Jophiel making brash but beautiful moves with her sword while Riku attacked more aggressively, fluent with his own style even if it was not at graceful. Jophiel's anger began to subside, so much so that in powerful swing Riku managed to knock her sword from her hand and high into the air above. He smirked, and hurried forward to finish the fight, but she held out her hands in front of her, murmuring and conjuring a Holy spell.
Riku stopped and began to prepare a technique of his own subconsciously; he was a bit more focused on channeling his anger, so he wouldn't be affected by the sudden look of desperation in her startlingly familiar eyes.
"What is wrong with you?" she asked in a hoarse voice.
"Isn't it obvious?" Riku's dark energy began snaking in tendrils of deep violet and blue around him. "I am sick of you people fucking with me! I'll put an end to this…" His energy enveloped him, and Riku lifted Oblivion in both hands near his right shoulder, using his power to propel him over the ground in a supernatural dash with his Keyblade ready to go through this woman who impeded him. "…starting with you!"
Jophiel's holy magic vanished for a second as she caught her falling sword, only to return in the next when it surrounded her body. She appeared to be mimicking Riku's attack in the opposite magic as she too was driven forward by energy alone.
Riku was almost blinded by rage rather than the light of Jophiel's Holy attack, and a defying roar almost made its way past his lips. However, something clicked in his mind, and he abruptly stopped himself when he was moments away from colliding with Jophiel; he had avoided running into the spray of gunfire that had come between the two combatants.
Jophiel likewise halted, and she ignored the energy still emanating around her and Riku to look at the one who had stopped them. The Keyblade Master followed her gaze, which landed on Vincent stepping from the shadows, his pistol still smoking.
"Vincent, I…" Jophiel's voice was suddenly weaker and hesitant. Vincent returned her gaze calmly; in the gloom and because of the dark color of his eyes, it was hard to see if he was angry or sympathetic with her.
Sympathetic? Riku wondered for a moment, then grit his teeth and looked away briefly as he shook his head, closing his eyes at the memory that had come to surface. Vincent and Jophiel had looked at each other the same way Kairi and Sora would after one of the more serious duels the brunette would have with the older boy.
"Don't you see?" Jophiel asked, breaking through Riku's thoughts, but when he opened his eyes he found she had been addressing him.
See what? That you pity me? That you're in my way? That I can barely stand to look at you 'cause of what you're doing… and because your eyes are too damn familiar and look… predatory?
Riku shook his head again as that last thought struck him as odd, but true; at this proximity, he could see that not only were Jophiel's eyes nearly the same color as his and glowed and looked so goddamn familiar, but her pupils were slit like a feline's.
What bewildered him was that he realized they didn't strike him as odd, and only then did he began to think of them as such.
"Riku…" Jophiel's holy aura had dropped by now, as did her sword arm, and she began to walk towards him, raising her other hand.
"Stay the hell away from me!" Riku growled, his aura which had dimmed beginning to flare again as he gripped Oblivion tightly in front of him.
Jophiel stopped and frowned in what turned out to be a pained expression, and looked like she was about to say something when a slender hand on her shoulder quieted her.
Her eyes met Vincent's briefly before she stepped back and allowed him to stand before her. The scarlet clad man had put away his gun, standing before Riku with what looked like only that golden claw to defend with. But who knew what else he was hiding under that cloak?
"You would attack someone who no longer wishes to fight?" he asked coolly, his deep, smooth voice not betraying anything.
"Tch, she started it. Our fight isn't over," Riku spat back, his eyes snapping dangerously. He wanted to make Jophiel pay for her words earlier, for making him think of his mother and so many other things he didn't wish to have on his mind. "So get outta my way!"
Riku did roar this time as he tried to overtake Vincent in a jumping slash. Much to his surprise though, the older man merely raised his claw and held off Oblivion by taking the blow and holding its blade. He did this without any strain or effort needed on his part, and with a shove powerful for his slight frame, he pushed Riku off.
The surprised Keyblade Master landed quite a distance away, landing painfully on his back and skidding. He lay there stunned by the fact that as he was in the air for a moment, held up by Vincent gripping his Keyblade, his aura had abruptly dissipated; Vincent had dispelled it with some unseen force.
He heard Vincent's boots approaching, soon followed by his voice. "If it is a fight you desire…"
"Bring it!" Riku finished, wind-milling his legs as he spun Oblivion under him, twisting his body so he ended up spinning on his shoulders and rolling backwards to spring to his feet.
Vincent had easily avoided this maneuver, jumping backwards to put some distance between himself and the teen, then stood, waiting for Riku to make his move.
Knowing he would need more power to overtake the unpredictable man, Riku began to gather energy for some technique he knew could accomplish that, though he couldn't name it. However, his eyes suddenly widened, and Riku leaped aside to dodge to spray of bullets Vincent sent his way.
Dammit… Long range is his specialty; he won't give me the time to perform a technique.
Riku frowned as he continued moving to avoid the gunfire, making his way towards Vincent with deadly intent. With his speed, surely the man wouldn't have the time to put away that nasty-looking rifle he was using to shoot powerful bullets at him with.
Time seemed to slow down for a second when Riku moved in low on Vincent; their contrasting eyes locking for a moment before Riku let loose with a three-hit combo that Vincent matched blow for blow. The last clash of Keyblade-on-claw left Riku staggering, and the scarlet-clad man knocked him away quite a distance with an invisible attack; Riku could have sworn he saw very air ripple around him before being struck.
The next thing he knew he was painfully picking himself up, using Oblivion as a crutch and wondering who had torn up the ground; there was a shallow crater around where Vincent was standing calmly, and a ragged but shallow trench that led from him to where Riku was.
The silver-haired Keyblade Master shook his head and grit his teeth as his dark surroundings came into focus again, then tried another attack on his opponent. This time after Vincent was done clashing with Oblivion, he knocked Riku up into the air and suspended him with that unseen force that warped the air around them before throwing him to the side. Riku forcefully collided with a low wall with a cry of outrage and pain, then landed on the hard ground.
Why?
His world was dark with random crimson bursts of pain, red as the man who was before him.
Why am I losing…?
A heartbeat suddenly became evident, and only continued to grow in volume. He recognized it as his own; when was the last time he had listened to his heart?
No! I refuse!
His eyes snapped open just before a small burst of power enveloped his vision.
I won't lose again!
Riku was then aware of himself hovering about a foot in the air above when he had lain only moments ago, hearing the dull shots of Vincent firing at him; but the bullets were being stopped by the black-and-violet aura that has surrounded him. He let loose a cry that sounded remotely like himself, then the world was a blur of colors, dark with flashes of red as he speared towards Vincent again and again, never touching the ground and vanishing only to appear and attack again. After his series of quick strikes, he stopped and crossed his hands at the wrists, aiming them and Oblivion at the ground as dark bolts struck it in stark violet bursts in every area he had appeared in.
Riku stood panting, his body quivering in the strain of the aftershock. He didn't wonder too much about what exactly he had just done, since it seemed it allowed him to finish off Vincent; the cloaked man was no where to be seen.
Catching a movement out of the corner of his eye, he snapped his head to Jophiel, who was emitting a soft green glow – where had he seen that before? – from where she sat perched on a wall, her long hair waving in the aura of magic as she cast a spell on Riku.
He growled once more and was about to make his way over to her, to finish their earlier bout, when she made an indication with her head. Riku stopped cold, then whirled around to meet Vincent.
He was close enough to see Vincent's eyes go from crimson red to flash the bright color of fresh blood; close enough to see the ironic words engraved on the rifle…
Death Penalty…
A large burst of vivid red energy was fired from the rifle to hit Riku at point-blank range.
He wasn't even knocked back. The full force of the shot enveloped him, and he could do nothing but stand there and take it in. The pain was so intense that his body went numb after a moment, though he could still feel that horrid energy rip through every part of him.
Demonic… Demon…
Oblivion retreated back to the shadows that sheathed it when its wielder fell backwards to the ground.
A chorus of "why?" echoed through the blackness Riku thought he was trapped in again, until there was a sudden scarlet that answered,
"Because you let us."
Riku blinked as his eyes came back into focus; the adrenaline rush was gone, replaced by a slow regaining of his energy that he didn't understand. When their gazes met, Vincent continued.
"You let such things stand in your way because you make your own distractions. You are not even sure of what exactly your goal is, nor have you thought of how to achieve it."
Fuck you… Riku frowned and looked away, not wanting to let Vincent's words sink in; he was having a question he didn't even know he had asked aloud answered. But Riku ended up looking straight ahead, which happened to be above from where he laid spread on the ground. He was met with the sight of the stars; the pinpoints of light enveloped in the soft, deep blues of night, not blackness; the worlds that were in danger again.
"Your answers will not be just given to you. You have to offer something; just what that offering will be, you have yet to choose."
"…Enough of this," Riku suddenly said, then braced his palms by each side of his head and kicked his legs out to bring him to his feet. He stood calmly, one hand on a hip as he brought back Oblivion in a smooth gesture and pointed it at Vincent.
He saw the man in a different light – for lack of a better term – and now considered him a mystery to question some other time. Same thing for the silver-haired witch.
His mind was cleared, for the moment, at least, and Vincent's words had at least given him an idea. He would meditate on what else he may have gained from his words at some other time.
"What can I offer? I dunno about offering anything…" Riku smirked. "But I have something someone's looking for. And they'll have my answers for sure.
"But just you wait; I'm not done yet with you or your long-haired wench-"
"Hey!"
Riku ignored the indignant cry as he made a slicing motion with Oblivion, then felt the effects of a power he never thought he'd use again. As he expected, he found himself in Merlin's dwelling only a few seconds later. Ignoring the wizard's curses and his own body's quivering from exertion, he went over to Chuya and shook her shoulder.
"Hey, Chuya. C'mon, wake up; we're leaving."
"No, don't you dare! Unhand that girl this instant! You must not go near her!"
Not getting a response besides incoherent murmurs, Riku took up Chuya in his arms, noticing that she had to release the covers which she had been clenching tightly. He wondered for a moment just how he would explain his presence when she awoke, but he pushed that thought away. Best to think about it when the problem arose.
"Don't you realize what this will do?"
Having made his way to the glowing magic portal on the floor that would lead to the Gummi ship docking bay, Riku shifted Chuya in his arms and answered Merlin's screeching with a select finger. He smirked as the portal whisked them away, and even he wasn't sure why he did.
"It is all for the best," Vincent answered, his voice mellow.
"Yeah, if only he'd realize that. Ungrateful brat…"
Hearing Jophiel's voice break, Vincent uncrossed his arms and turned towards her. "Jophiel…"
"You saw how he was…" Jophiel had turned her head away; her long hair – a bit unruly after her tussle with Riku – draped over one shoulder and concealed her face from him. "If you hadn't come when you did, I… I'm not sure what we would've done. I almost screwed it up again… We could have lost even more…"
Vincent came to stand in front of Jophiel and swept back her hair with his right hand, causing her to look up at him when he kept his hand near her face.
"Forces are at work here that neither of us have control over," he said levelly, keeping his scarlet gaze on the jade Mako eyes he had grown accustomed to looking into. "We can only push him in what we believe is the right direction, and hope all will be well."
After a few heartbeats of silence, Jophiel managed a small grin, a bit of her usual self. "'Push him'? More like kick his ass in the right direction."
Vincent allowed a slight smile of his own. "I only did what needed to be done."
"Right, in your usual no-nonsense flair, huh?"
"Of course," Vincent replied, tilting his head towards hers.
"Hm?" Jophiel's eyes were directed upwards, and Vincent followed them in time to see what looked like a shooting star vanish into the night sky.
"Well, now's he's off… Wait a sec…"
He sensed her twitch, and wisely stepped away, knowing what would happen next.
"That damn little-! He took my baby! Ooh, when I catch up with him…!"
Jophiel began to chase after Riku, but Vincent's words halted her.
"He's taken our ship," Vincent calmly reminded her with a cough and a fist in front his mouth, hiding his evident smirk. "We have no way of catching up with him at the moment."
"… Dammit!" Jophiel unsheathed her legendary katana, Hihiirokane, with a huff and began to run towards the doors to the First District. "Where the hell is Cid, anyway? I swear, no one's ever friggin' around when you need 'em…!"
Vincent just shook his head in amusement, then strolled after Jophiel's receding figure and voice, mindful of the skies above him, which night would never release.
But darkness still held two imprisoned, and to her, it might as well have been her whole world that was still trapped.
However, she kept her eyes, the color of the troubled sea under a clear sky, on the endless expanse that they were named after. After hoping and praying for so long, she knew she had finally heard right. It wasn't in her mind; she wasn't going crazy.
She saw beyond the beach, beyond the ocean; heard past the distant laughter of the others and the waves as they touched against the land.
She kept her hands clasped in front of her heart, hoping, praying there would be a chance for her to answer the voice of the one that meant more to her than words could tell.
He was calling her, and though she couldn't understand the entire message, she knew he wanted her with him.
Riku finished off a few Heartless in front of him with a large cross-slash from Oblivion and Oathkeeper. The enemies weren't much of a challenge, but they came in large numbers, and he was growing increasingly frustrated as he felt he was getting no where.
The Valentine Legacy's coordinates had been set for some other destination, but while passing one planet some Heartless had attacked in the form of specialized ships. While he didn't have much experience using the weapons of a gummi ship, Riku managed to use (and have a little too much fun, it seemed) the powerful artillery available to him; but not before the Heartless landed a critical blow that forced him to land.
A screen had read that he had landed in the area of a city called Station Square, and upon opening the hatch and looking around, he had found he was in a hanger that also housed a small plane he guessed was the 'Tornado', as the words were painted on the side along with two bushy yellow tails. His first thought was to find the mechanic who owned this place and see if he could get the gummi ship repaired.
Next, sensing how the air practically oozed with darkness, he wanted to know the source of the Heartless here; he knew the hated creatures were attracted to the darkness in people's hearts, and for once he wasn't the one they were drawn to.
Neither was Chuya. She had yet to regain consciousness, so he had left her on a couch in a living area of the hanger, along with his coat. He had wanted to get a basic idea of their location before going back and making sure no one had taken her.
Once he was in the streets of the seemingly deserted city, glowing in the soft warm colors of the afternoon and growing darker with each passing moment in the coming night, the Heartless had commenced to attack him. They weren't so bad; only Neo Shadows and a few Darkballs, but there was so damn many of them.
At this rate, I won't be able to get rid of 'em before nightfall. And if that happens… Riku had no doubts that something worse would come out once night took up its reign, and they would be after Chuya. I should have waited until she woke up. Her magic would have been a big help; and he wouldn't have to worry about her getting snatched away.
Other than that, he was in good shape. He found Jophiel had used some sort of spell that healed him gradually over time; it had worn off a while ago, but he was revitalized enough to fight.
Riku frowned and became more aggressive towards the Heartless he was hacking away at as his thoughts began to stray, thinking of when was the last time he had truly worried about something – or someone – and just what was his connection with the man and woman he had met in Traverse Town.
He lost his concentration, and staggered as he was hit by a flailing Darkball. He cursed as he realized he wouldn't have time to recover before a group of Neo Shadows advanced on him.
"Watch yourself!" A foreign voice suddenly called out, followed by a bellow and a rumbling sound as the very asphalt furrowed in large chunks in a straight path right by him, striking the Neo Shadows and continuing on into the midst of the horde. This was followed by a reddish-orange streak that dashed into the Heartless, and Riku could make out the sounds of combat that used no weapon save for the fists of the aggressor.
A few seconds later, what looked like a large bright blue ball streaked in a fast circle around him, clearing out the Heartless so that there was a reasonable amount of space around the Keyblade Master. Riku gripped his Keyblades tightly, prepared for anything, but not quite expecting the sight he was met with.
The 'ball' came to a stop in front of him, and revealed a boy that seemed to be younger than him due to the pitch of his voice when he spoke.
"Geez, I thought you were better'n than that! How could you zone out in the middle of a fight?"
"And just who the hell are you?" Normally Riku could have cared less, but he wanted to at least know the name of this brat whose ass he would beat later for daring to question his skill…
…and had one of the craziest sets of spiked hair he had ever seen, which was blue with matching ears to boot; little, triangular ears on the top of his head.
The boy looked back at him over his shoulder with bright green eyes, flashing him a toothy grin and pointing a thumb at himself.
"I'm Sonic, Sonic the Hedgehog!"
So, just what will the next chapter hold? Lots of fun with Team Sonic! All your favorites will be making appearances, along with some surprises. And just what is Riku planning to do with Chuya?
The next chapter has been underway for years, but I lacked the inspiration to finish it until now. The bulk of it needs to be rewritten, but expect an update before the end of this year.
If you are curious about Jophiel, you can check out two other stories I've written that feature her: "Masamune & Hihiikrokane", and "Waltz of the Snowflakes".
I'll see you guys soon.
