Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Dirge ❯ Teach Me ( Chapter 11 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

: Dirge

Pairing: CloudXRiku!

Rating: M

Warnings: Yaoi , and violence, and bad language, lots of language.

Music: HIM - Soul on Fire

Prompt: Sin


“No wonder you got so beat up, you were holding the sword all wrong.” Cloud took the blade away from Riku a swung it lightly through the air with one arm. He had an amazing amount of control, allowing the blade to slice neatly through the air and come to a stop less than an inch from the tip of Riku’s nose.

Riku didn’t even flinch. He knew Cloud wouldn’t hurt him, and after his display during the night he wanted to show Cloud that he too could be strong.

“Look, here’s the first thing you did wrong.” Cloud walked over to Riku and pulled up his arm till it was parallel to his own, then he placed the sword gently into his hand, molding his fingers around the handle in just the right position.

“When you showed me how you held it before you held it with both hands with your arms outstretched and your elbows locked. If you do that, you lose the maneuverability that comes with such a light sword. You’re handling it like you would a broadsword, something heavy, this sword is thin and short, it’s designed for speed.”

“But that was how I saw Sora and Roxas hold their weapons.” Riku replied. “Wouldn’t it be the same?”

“No, Sora uses a keyblade, it’s designed basically as a sharp club. It’s heavier than your sword too. It’s meant to strike heavy blows, this weapon is designed for quick, slashing, jabs.”

“Like Tidus. He was moving so fast I couldn’t block him very easily.”

“Yes, but your sword should be faster. It’s smaller, making it a bad blocking weapon. So don’t even try to block incoming attacks, try to dodge them. Any attack you try to block still has a good chance of catching you. Now, hold the sword like this and wave it through the air, using the blade to cut through any resistance.”

Riku slowly began to move the blade, letting his arm bend and rotate naturally. With a few corrections from Cloud, he soon found that the sword could act as an extension of his arm, with his wrist as a second elbow. The more he thought about it like that, the more naturally the movements seemed to come.

“See? You’re doing great.”

“Yeah, but my arm’s getting tired.” Riku complained. “When I use two hands it doesn’t get so tired.”

“But you lose the speed, and without the speed this weapon is practically worthless. You don’t have much in the way of muscle yet, when you get stronger, your endurance will grow and you’ll be able to hold the sword longer.”

“Whatever, I think it would be easier just to club stuff, like with the keyblades.”

“Here, let me see the sword.” as soon as the blade left Riku’s fingertips, Cloud moved away from him to the center of the roof. They had decided to talk up there to get out of the stuffy building, and because Squall would have had a fit if he knew Cloud was goofing off with Riku instead of doing his work.

Cloud stood still for a few moments, and Riku saw Cloud’s gaze turn stony and cold. His face became hard as granite as he focused on an unseen target.

Without warning Cloud slashed out, the movement was so fast that Riku couldn’t even see it, all he saw was a blur as Cloud slashed time and again at the unseen target. He even allowed the blade to move from hand to hand, fluidly, as if the blade were a part of him. It was like the feeling Riku had sensed earlier, only on a much higher level.

Cloud continued to dance, his black clothes combined with the black blade made him look much like a shadow. He would weave, in and out, twirling to face another invisible opponent. As Riku watched he felt he could almost see the attackers, almost like a story told only through Cloud’s movements. It was a beautiful, fluid sight.

The performance ended with one last slice, straight down into the heart of whatever demon Cloud was facing. The blonde wasn’t breathing hard, didn’t show any symptoms of fatigue, and just plain looked hot . Riku didn’t even realize his jaw was hanging open.

Cloud stood up slowly, his entire stony demeanor gone. He walked over silently, until he was directly in front of Riku, and ruffled up the younger boy’s hair. “Don’t look so surprised.” Cloud chuckled. “I told you this weapon was built for speed and maneuverability. It’s much more elegant than a club.”

“That….was amazing!” Riku continued to stare at the older man in utter amazement. “Where did you learn how to do that??”

Cloud plopped himself down on the roof and smiled at the younger boy. “Zack taught me, a long time ago, when I was a little older than you. And you know what? I asked him the very same questions you asked me.”

Taking care not to crack open any of his wounds, Riku limped over to Cloud and sat next to the man. “Really?”

“Yeah, I was really curious back then. It was that curiosity that got me in trouble a lot.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“Fights mostly. I couldn’t take an insult, and unfortunately, when you grow up a House boy, you get a lot of insults, have to swallow your pride a lot.”

“You….you were a House boy?”

Cloud nodded. “Ansem picked me up shortly after I got convicted and kicked out of the city. Just like he did you. Zack eventually bought me out of the House after Squall had….er….seen me there.”

“So Squall was the one who found you?”

“Well…..uh….he was the one who slept with me….he was one of my regular clients….He thought that if Zack got me out of the House then he and I could well….date. He liked me a lot.”

“So….are you and he?….”

“No. When Zack got me out of the House I refused to date anyone. I was bitter from everything I had been through. I hated everyone. Eventually though, I began to come around. Zack and I grew close, but about 2 years ago he died, in a territory fight. He died saving my life.”

“So that’s how he died.”

“Yeah. But enough reminiscing. There are other things you would do well to learn besides the past.”

“But I like hearing about your past. Well….not like… I uh…”

“It’s ok, I know what you mean.” Cloud responded as he gently ruffled Riku’s hair. Riku blushed some and turned away from the older man. “Well…” Cloud continued. “I guess I should probably tell you about Tidus’s gang now…just so you know why he attacked you guys.”

“You know why?” Riku asked, surprised. “I though it was just cuz he’s a jerk.”

“Oh he’s a jerk, but that isn’t why he attacked you guys.”

“It was about territory right? That’s what he said when we were there, he said we were on his territory.”

“Well, he thinks it’s his territory. Tidus is a dangerous boy. He used to work in the House on the East side until he got into a major fight with the owner. He got punished severely and then kicked out on the streets.”

“Punished? How could he be punished worse than being in the House? I would think putting him on the streets would have been better, not worse.”

“Well….” Cloud paused a moment, the heat rising to his cheeks. “Well, to uh….to punish him, they er….fixed him…you know…like a dog?”

“They cut his balls off?!?!?!” Riku yelled in horror. “You have got to be fucking kidding me!!!”

“Shhhh!!!!!” Cloud slapped a hand over Riku’s mouth and pulled him down. “Not so loud….Anyways, yes, they castrated him then kicked him out. He grew angry and made his own gang out of boys he knew back in the House. But they aren’t like us, they don’t know loyalty or friendship. All they know is anger. Like in the fight you had with Tidus? If we had been there everyone would have mobbed Tidus at once before he could get more than a blow in. But his gang is ruled by hierarchy. They’re constantly squabbling with themselves over who’s the leader, and their as dumb as a sack of potatoes, and not worth anywhere near as much. But they have brawn, they’re strong, and not anyone you want to mess with. Tidus especially hates me because he tried to assimilate his way into my gang, and I wouldn’t let him.”

“So that’s why he was so mad at me.”

“What do you mean?”

“He asked me if I had to sleep with you to get into the gang. He got really mad that I was in and he wasn’t.”

Cloud blushed slightly at Riku’s words. When Riku had said “sleep with you” it had brought an image into Cloud’s mind, one he shouldn’t have thought. Embarrassed, he tried to shake the thought away, but it seemed to want to stay in the front of his mind. ‘That’s just wrong.’ He thought. ‘Riku’s just a kid, that thought is wrong…’

“Cloud?”

Cloud jumped, startled by Riku’s voice. They boy was looking at him strangely. “You ok Cloud?”

“Yeah, I’m fine…”

“Oh…ok…” Riku looked away again, back out over the other buildings. Cloud let out a small, mental sigh.

Cloud studied Riku’s motionless form for a few moments. He seemed frail, and Cloud was struck yet again with how lonely he seemed. Even inside the gang he wasn’t truly accepted yet. Cloud’s mind began to slowly drift back to the words Riku had shared with him that morning.

----------------
“Riku….do you wish you were back Inside? You know, inside the city?”

“……….No.”

“No?” ;

“No…because…because if I hadn’t been trapped out here, I wouldn’t have met you….”

“Just me?”

“Mostly you. Though I don’t know why, you were rarely here. I never saw you…but when I did, you showed more open compassion and sympathy for me than my father ever did.

----------------

‘He just wants to be loved. He’s still a kid, he needs the attention and understanding of someone who loves him. He wants so be accepted, but he’s confused and doesn’t know where to turn. He reminds me so much of me, back when Zack first took me in. Alone, scared, and isolated, but still trying to be strong.’

Cloud let his thoughts settle as he watched the silver-haired teen in beside him. ‘I don’t want him to go through what I did.’ Slowly, hesitantly, Cloud reached out to Riku. He was going to pull the boy back into his lap, but the idea, mixed with the thought he had had earlier, made him afraid of coming off as too friendly, so he gently laid his hand on Riku’s head again, so he could rub the boy’s soft hair.

Riku didn’t even stir.