Fan Fiction ❯ Own Me ❯ Encounter ( Chapter 8 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
Disclaimer: We do not own anything Kingdom Hearts related. Except PB's Riku blow-up doll. (PB: WHAT?! O.o)
(#)- see bottom for more information
Own Me
By: PeachBerry
Chapter Six, Encounter
How many times have I woken up to see nothing? Darkness wrapped around me like a cold blanket. The smell of dusk and the sense of emptiness stand still in the darkness. And what is there left for me? There is nothing…but the shadow…but the night. The perpetual black, the forever nightshade, the quiet dimness. It echoed throughout my body, creating numbness. I was without feeling, without awareness, without sensation. I was simply…gone…
Sora couldn't count the times when he woke up to nothing but the dark. A week ago, when he opened his eyes, and saw nothing, panic raced throughout his body. But now, he has grown used to waking up and seeing no change. From the back of his eyelids to the black empty room which was his living quarter's, that's what he woke up too for the past seven days.
When he could see a sliver of light come from under the door, he cherished every short second of it. Sora didn't want to forget what the sunlight looked like. He leaned against the wooden walls, head drooping down to stare at his hands. Or where his hands would be if he could see them through the veil of darkness.
The rickety of the ship sailing over rough waters has ceased since the night before. Luckily, Sora didn't get too woozy during the trip. But it didn't help the fact that Sora was still sick. Not physically sick, but more of a lonely illness. No one had come to visit after that one night. The night Ansem had acted strangely and practically threw Sora out of his quarters. The night Sora saw Ansem kiss, no, devour Riku with his mouth, hungrily take the boy as his own.
Ever since that night, Sora was all alone in his little cell of a room. No light besides the small slivers from beneath the door. At the base of the door there was a latch that opened a small portion of the door up to let one of the crew members slip Sora some food, but that was about as much contact he got. Otherwise, he was just so utterly alone.
It was hardly silent though, in Sora's little cell. Sometimes he could hear the splash of the waves against the side of the ship or the soft singing of the crew. Other times, Sora thought he heard clicking sounds from bugs or whistling sounds from the wind. But what scared him the most were the voices. They would frighten Sora, whenever he heard them. The dark chuckle of the shadows, laughing at him. Almost too quiet to hear, but loud enough to think you heard them.
Sora thought he was going crazy.
Movement came from underneath the door and then it swung open, flooding the room with sunlight. Sora heard the clinking of boots across the wooden floor as a figure approached him. When Sora's eyes recovered from the quick change of light, the blurry figure shifted into that familiar face. Riku.
“We're nearing land,” he said simply.
Sora gulped a little bit, anxiety and nervousness overpowering him. He couldn't find it in his strength to stand and stumbled getting up. Riku caught the boy before he could collapse and helped him to stand up straight.
“Err…thanks,” said Sora, unsure of himself. Riku only bowed his head and gently grabbed Sora's arm, helping him up the flight of stairs to the top deck. Sora felt himself blushing a little bit at the contact. It surprised him that Riku was strong enough to be able to hold him up while climbing stairs. But then again, it could have been that Sora hadn't had any form of human contact for nearly a week. And Riku was pulling Sora around like he was made of clouds.
When they reached the top deck, the first thing Sora saw was blood. Or, at least it looked like blood. On the other side of the ship, the wood was stained a dark red. It was splattered, randomly stretching as far as seven feet across. Sora froze for a moment, studying the blood. Or was it? It could've been paint. The color was far too dark to be blood. It was almost black…
“Stay clear of that area of the ship boy.” Sora jumped, clinging a bit onto Riku as a tall, slim man garbed in loose baggy clothing came up from beside him. He was one of the crew members.
“Excuse me?” asked Sora, still slightly surprised.
“I said you stay clear of that part of the ship, boy! That's where one of `em shadows went rouge and took their kill. Poor fellow, didn't see `em comin'. Gotta be careful on this here ship. `Specially with Lord Ansem aboard. He got a hot temper like one of `em Red Dragons you hear about way down South. I betcha that's where that man came from. Southern region is known for its Barbarians.” (1) The man laughed loudly, ruffling Sora's hair before walking away. Sora stood there stunned for a while before he noticed Riku was still holding him slightly and so straighten himself up. He faintly remembered seeing a group of the sailors crowding around on that one night. On that night that Ansem had seemed angry…
“What was that man talking about, Riku?”
“You'll see,” he answered. Sora made a face, but didn't press the older boy. Like it would matter. Riku wasn't exactly the expert conversationalist. Without warning, a hand fell lightly onto Sora's shoulder. Sora turned to see who it was and shivered at the sight.
Ansem was smiling down at him.
“It's been so long, Sora. Nice to see you again.” Sora didn't reply and the man ushered him to the edge of the ship, away from the strange black blood. When they reached the railing, Ansem took his hand off Sora's shoulder and gripped the handrail.
“This is your new home, Sora,” grinned Ansem. “Welcome to Infernis.” (2)
Despite the way Ansem presented this territory with admiration and perhaps a bit of longing, there wasn't much to be impressed by. From what Sora could see, the port they were sailing toward was hardly anything but ordinary. Besides the fact that there were no other ships in sight and a thin sheet of fog blurred everything into dullness, the port was just like the one they had left from. As they sailed closer, Sora began to feel nervous. He could clearly see the port's town now, its small grey buildings scattered here and there. Yet, it was completely deserted. Not a single soul was in sight.
They finally docked at a pier and began to disembark, starting with Ansem in front, Riku close behind him. Sora followed Riku, and behind him one of the crew members lead Ansem's black horse. Having his feet on solid land made Sora a bit unsteady at first, but it was also somewhat relaxing.
What Sora had seen from afar he could inspect more clearly now that they had landed. A heavy fog coated the small port, giving it a dreary appearance which was far from welcoming. Speaking of welcoming, where was everyone?
“Sora.” The boy turned to see Riku was motioning him closer.
“Yes?”
“Do not leave my side, understand?” Riku's voice was stern, commanding, leaving no room for argument.
“Y-yes,” whispered Sora. Riku then nodded and continued forward through the fog, to Ansem's side.
If I stay by your side, does that mean I must stay by His?
“My home is not far from here, my dear Sora. Half a day's ride. I can not wait until you see it. Such beautiful land! And wait until you see the gardens. The loveliest in all of Infernis. Do you know why?” Ansem flashed Sora a smile as he climbed atop his horse. The boy shook his head. Where is he going with this?
“Because the flowers bloom year round,” said Riku weakly. Sora glanced at Riku's face and noticed something different. He wasn't sure if it was the fog, or if the older boy's eyes seemed to misted over. As if he was remembering.
“Don't you think that it is absolutely lovely?” asked Ansem.
Sora didn't know what to think or say to such a question, so he simply nodded his head. Suddenly, Sora felt movement behind him and swerved around quickly. He jumped at the sight of a large horse standing tall in front of him, Riku holding it's reigns. It was a strong creature, with a shiny black coat and a white nuzzle. The horse's mane was trimmed short, its ears were relaxed and laying back. Deep black eyes stared past Sora, seeming to think he wasn't really worth it's interest.
“This is Oblivion. He won't bite.”
“Oh…” Despite Riku's words, he still felt nervous around the large animal. Sora watched as Riku lightly patted the face of the horse. Oblivion shook his head slightly and nuzzled Riku's hair. Sora repressed a laugh when the creature nibbled on a lock of sliver hair.
“Stop that…” said Riku, smacking the horse lightly on the neck. Sora stepped forward, and reached out to pet the horses cheek, but Riku's hand darted out and grabbed the boy's wrist. “You shouldn't pet his face until he's comfortable with you, but here…” Riku led Sora's hand to the Oblivion's side, and the younger boy stroked the horse's flank. Sora seemed to relax a little, his fear subsiding after coming in contact with the large creature.
“You ready then?” ask Riku.
“Ready for wh-AHHH!” Riku had lifted Sora from the waist, and seated him ontop of Oblivion. The horse snorted softly, eyeing the new passenger on his back. Riku mounted the horse as well and sat behind Sora. He wrapped his arms around the other boy and grabbed the reigns. Sora's face flushed a light pink, half from the close contact of Riku's chest to his back, and half from being so high off the ground. When Riku lightly kicked his heels into Oblivion's side, the horse began to trot and Sora feared he would fall off.
“Wait I'm not ready!” Sora leaned forward, grasping the horse's neck.
“Don't choke him Sora.” Riku used one hand to pulled Sora up, and he whispered softly into the boy's ear. “There's nothing to fear, I will not let you fall.” Riku sat up a bit straighter, and made Oblivion walk a few yards, getting Sora used to the bumpy ride. He instructed Sora to hold onto the horn of the saddle, and they went into a canter. (3)
“I see you've never ridden a horse before?” Ansem rode up beside them, his horse almost identical to Riku's, except for the white nuzzle.
“No, I haven't.”
“Well, no worries. Our destination is not far off, quarter day's ride at the most.” Ansem reached over from his horse to pulled Riku towards him and then whispered foreign words which Sora did not understand. The Lord noticed the boy's puzzled expression, but offered no explanation and only smiled. Ansem gave his horse a kick, Oblivion following his lead, and they set off.
Sora thought to ask Riku what Ansem had whispered, perhaps he had just misheard. He changed his mind when Oblivion started to gallop, gripping the saddle's horn till his hands turned red. An arm slinked around the boy's torso holding him firmly. Riku again bent low into Sora's ear to remind him of what he said before.
“I won't let you fall, I won't let them take you.”
I won't let them take you?
Sora did not reply, but simply nodded his head. He wanted to whisper a thanks, but a swift movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was ever so slight, but it seemed the shadow's in the shade of the trees were shifting. Small quick movements that went against the wind. Before Sora could focus on any distinct shape, the shadow dispersed revealing nothing there.
I must be seeing things, he thought. Despite his attempts, for the rest of the journey Sora kept his eye out for any other abnormal movements.
By the time they finally stopped, the sky had grown darker, with only faint red and orange light shining over the western horizon. They were atop a small hill, over looking their destination. Standing tall and strong down at the bottom of the hill was a three story mansion. Ivy grew along it's walls and the front gardens were made up of mostly wild greenery that grew and overlapped each other. A path lead from the front gates to encircle a fountain that no longer ran water. From the far distance, Sora could see that the building and surrounding were very old. Even pieces of brick were chipped off and large black smears were scarred across front. The black stains looked oddly familiar.
“Welcome to your new home.” said Ansem. The words were like a key that locked away all of Sora's hopes. This is where he will become one of those lifeless humans who take the beating. Through Ansem's admiration for his home, Sora only saw his prison.
Ansem demounted his steed, and Riku did the same. The elder boy assisted Sora in dismounting, and then they set off for the grounds, leaving the horses behind. Sora felt strange just leaving them behind, what was stopping anyone from stealing them?
“Riku, what about Oblivion and…”
“Oathkeeper. They will be fine.” (4)
They approached the front entrance. The gates were high and black. Thick metal stood in rows, eerily, and they seemed to laugh at Sora. He looked up to the top of the black gates and saw the sharp spikes glisten in mockery of him.
Heh…hehe…
Sora stopped short. He stared at the gates fast approaching as he heard a soft scratchy sound. They were laughing at him. He could hear their cold hearted chuckles. They enjoyed the future that lay before his feet.
“Sora.”
The boy was released from his thoughts as Riku's voice reached his ears.
“Sora, let's keep moving. We're almost to the gates.” Sora didn't take a single step further. His eyes downcast, Sora picked up a low voice.
“They're laughing at me,” he said quietly, merely voicing his thoughts. Riku stood there silently. He must think I'm going insane for saying such a thing.
“They tend to do that.”
“You hear it too?” Maybe I'm not going crazy.
“Yes. The heartless only do it to rile you up. Don't let it bother you too much. It provokes them.”
Wait a second… the heartless? Sora glanced back at the gates and gasped at what he saw. What seemed to be a black smoke curl up from in front of the gates. The boy watched in awe and fear as the black gas slowly glided up to form a large figure and with one final twist of smoke, its head appeared… and then its body and arms and legs. Finally, the creature revealed bright pupil-less eyes, glowing a breathtaking golden-yellow. Sora almost went under a trance when he looked into those eyes. They made him feel empty…as if they were sucking every feeling he'd ever felt right out of his eye sockets, leaving him a shell of himself. The wide yellow eyes glanced away and Sora snapped out of his trance.
The creature had taken the form of a giant beast of dark blue armor with the heart insignia Sora has grown to fear. It held up a large shield, a lion's head engraved into the face of the shield. Then Sora heard it. It started with a small growl, emitting from the back of the beast's throat, and grew into a chuckle.
This is a heartless?
TBC
[1]- Errr…yes. The Red Dragons. A band of barbarians that ruled part of the Southern Region before Ansem took over. (they still exist, they're just in exile) But for future reference and to not confuse the people who actually take the time to read my live journal, ANSEM IS NOT FROM THE SOUTH. He just rules over it and that sailor has no clue what he's talking about. Trying to act smart I guess. What a loser!
[2]- Weeee! I created a Latin word! /laugh/ I sorta combined the two words `inferus' meaning Southern, and `finis' meaning a boundary or limit, but in my case, Territory. So together it's Southern Territory! I also like how it kinda sounds like `inferno' which reminds me of HELL which is kinda where Ansem is leading Sora to. Hohoho..everything I write has a meaning! (Ack! I got major writer's block after writing that line! Nuuuu….)
[3]- I hope all this horse talk isn't too confusing. For people's information, the saddle they're using is western style, because I have yet to see an english style saddle that can hold two people. Again, my half-assed research does nothing for my writing…
[4]- HAHA. Ansem's horse is named after the keyblade Kairi gave Sora. (in the game) What does this mean? O ho ho! KAIRI IS EVIL!!! /bash/ Naaaw, I just wanted to name the horses after keyblades, but `Divine Rose' and `Wishing Star' and all the rest sounded weird…not that Oathkeeper is any better! It's my fic I can do what I want! /rawr/
PB: Oooo I love heartless. Hope you enjoyed…though this chappie was very very lame…filler/important crap. xD
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