Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Future Tense, Unspoken Emotions ❯ Confrontation and Discovery ( Chapter 7 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
7.

Two sets of eyes snapped open simultaneously. Sweat trickled down their terrified faces. Hair stuck to their heads in damp stickiness.

“W-what the fuck was that?!” Both yelled out.

They looked over at each other in sheer panic. “Y-you saw it too? What was it? Was that our….”

Riku stilled his harsh and erratic breathing. He could still feel the agony and torture of the dream….no….it was not a dream. It was a memory, burned into his subconscious. A memory created right before his very own creation.

“Ok Sora….what exactly did you see?” Riku questioned the slowly calming down brunette.

Sora took a deep breath before recalling what he could of the nightmare. “I-I was in Cloud’s body….no, not his body. I was in his mind. I saw what he saw, felt what he felt. At times, my emotions seemed to control him. When I attacked Sephiroth….that was when I seemed to completely take over.”

Riku stared wide eyed before he too took a deep breath and spoke. “I too, was there. I took up residence in Sephiroth’s head. As Sephiroth, I felt I knew Cloud from somewhere….but just couldn’t place it. I had a sneaking suspicion it was you but….I just couldn’t be sure. Did you feel what happened to us?”

Sora dipped his head slightly before nodding ever so slowly.

“Project R.1.K.U. and 5.O.R.A. that’s what that experiment taken from Cloud and Sephiroth was called….coincidently, our names. What I don’t get is how and when the two of them became enemies and why I do not have any memories of either of them being around us when we were children….”

“Well, I for one do not have any childhood memories as such. My first memory was waking up on the island with you unconscious beside me when we were about….what….5 or 6? What happened to us before that?”

“There is only one way for us to find out Riku. We have to try and find them.”

“How do you propose we do that Sora?”

“They came to us last time….remember? When you tried to….kill yourself….anyway, maybe it will happen again.”

“I hope so. I want to know why the both of them abandoned us and why Sephiroth tried to kill you!”

“Twice!”

Sora seemed to ponder something for a good few minutes before he turned to face Riku once again. “Say Riku? If the two of them are such mortal enemies….why did we see them both inside and outside your house that night months ago? And….how the hell do they remember us? How did they know where to come? Has something similar happened to them that has happened to us?”

“Too many questions Sora! Do I look like I have the faintest clue what’s going on? Lets just try and get some sleep. Maybe you’re right, maybe they will come to us again….”

Riku reached out and latched his arms round Sora’s waist, pulling the two of them to lie down again. He buried his face in the back of Sora’s neck.

“It really was déjà vu wasn’t it?” “Yeh.”

------

Hours later, both males squirmed in discomfort under the alabaster moonlight. Sweat trickled down their faces. Droplets of the salty fluid gathered on their naked bodies and slid onto the darkened sand. Both youths eyelids flickered violently. Nightmares plagued their thoughts, minds and dreams once again.

White light surrounded them.

------

They were poised in the air. Swords ground together sending small sparks dancing off into the blackened atmosphere. Aquamarine and cerulean locked together trying to figure out the others next movement.

Both males dropped to the ground and circled each other agonisingly slowly. Silver hair swept around the taller male as the cutting wind swept through the barren ruins of the ShinRa building.

The shorter, blond male stopped in his tracks and raised his sword indicating he was ready to strike. The blade, comfortably his height and twice his width glinted dangerously in the setting sun.

“You’re mine Sephiroth!”

Sephiroth bent his knees slightly before both males charged at each other. One mission on their minds. Death.

“STOP!”

Keyblades clashed with swords as the two youths leapt into the fray. Sora struggled against the blond’s inhuman strength, sparks flew from the Buster Sword and Ultima Weapon. Sora would not give up.

Riku stood firm against the taller silver haired male. His muscles bridled under Sephiroth’s strength. Masamune and Way to Dawn ground together almost painfully.

“Move aside boy!”

“No Cloud!” Sora shouted, “You must stop this!”

Sephiroth glared at the silver haired boy in front of his before opening his mouth to speak. Riku however, cut him off before he could start, “Back off Sephiroth….”

Both males went wide eyed and backed away a few steps from the youths with startling resemblances to the two of them.

“How do you know us?!” Cloud yelled at the two teenagers. “Move aside! I have to kill him!”

Sora snarled at the blond male, “Why?!”

Cloud went silent. He seemed to think deeply about Sora’s abrupt question. His hands gripped his head, “I don’t know why! I just have to!”

“Do you know why Sephiroth?” Riku calmly asked the older male.

Sephiroth too went silent before narrowing his glowing aquamarine orbs.

“Move aside boy.”

Riku however, stood firm. He refused to move under the threat of Sephiroth. He knew his father wouldn’t kill him. He couldn’t.

“If you do not move child, I will remove your beautiful head from your shoulders.”

Riku still didn’t flinch despite the malice and sincerity present in Sephiroth’s cold voice.

Cloud finally found his voice and movement again. Determined to finish this battle with Sephiroth once and for all, he shoved Sora aside like rag doll.

“Get lost child. I know my life’s mission and I will not justify myself to anyone, least of all you!”

Sora jumped back up and shot in front of Cloud, blocking his way yet again.

Cloud drew his Buster Sword and pointed it right at Sora’s throat, “MOVE!”

Sora however, did not. Both himself and Riku were back to back trying to stop the two males.

“Fine. You two die first.”

Cloud and Sephiroth simultaneously jumped back and charged the boys.

“Fuck! What do we do Riku?!” “Fight!”

Both youths charged towards their older doubled half heartedly. Blades clashed and crashed together, echoing throughout the eerily silent atmosphere. Riku ducked under a powerful swipe of Sephiroth’s Masamune. If he had been a second later, his head would have been removed. He swiftly rolled over and swept his right leg out at Sephiroth’s feet. Stumbling forwards a few paces, Sephiroth roared at the younger male and grabbed his hair on the way by. Riku found himself hurtling through the air, straight towards the side of a building. Before he could even hit the unforgiving concrete, Sephiroth grabbed him again and ground him into the side of the dilapidated ShinRa building, tearing through the skin on his back.

“Fuck!” Riku screamed out as pain tore through his back like millions of electrical jolts.

Sephiroth dragged Riku up the side of the building until their faces were level and mere millimetres apart.

Riku could feel Sephiroth’s hot breath bounce off of his face. He opened his eyes and stared into Sephiroth’s twin aquamarine orbs.

Cold metal at his throat caused Riku to try and shrink further back into the building.

“You have caused me enough trouble boy. Now, your life must be extinguished.”

Sora’s Keyblade crashed against Cloud’s sword once more. Both held the same fighting moves and couldn’t outsmart the other. Sora finally dodge rolled past cloud and sent a sharp blow to the base of Cloud’s spine sending him lurching forwards in pain.

“That’s it!” Cloud roared as he crouched further forwards and let out an almighty guttural roar. Blood poured from his left shoulder as the skin slowly cracked and tore open. Cloud cried out loudly as his huge raven wing emerged painstakingly slowly from the mangled bloody wound.

“You forced me to do this boy!” Cloud yelled as he swirled round at the speed of light, grabbed Sora by the throat and launched him against the same building Riku was being cut down against.

Masamune lightly grazed Riku’s throat, drawing out the painful torture as long as he could, Sephiroth sneered at the silver haired youth.

Riku never let his gaze falter from Sephiroth. He stared into those piercing eyes.

“The same as mine….”

“Silence!”

Riku gagged slightly as Masamune pierced the creamy flesh on his neck, blood running from the hairs breadth wound. The blade felt like it was on fire. The heat was so immense.

Sora fought against Cloud’s iron grip as he turned his head to the side. His eyes blazed bright green as he saw Riku being mutilated less than 5 feet away from him.

“Riku! No! Let go of him you bastard!” Sora screamed as he felt an unknown power surge from deep within.

Sephiroth and Cloud both halted their actions as the ground shook under them slightly. Neither had time to gasp as white light exploded from Sora’s body sending them hurtling backwards.

Sora cried out in agony as something burst out from his left shoulder. He dropped to the ground, opened his eyes to see blood and feathers spattered all around him.

Sephiroth and Cloud gained their footing and stared wide eyed at the brunette youth. Sora crouched low to the ground, eyes blazing mako green as his wing flexed threateningly at the two males.

“What the hell?! That’s the same as mine!” Cloud yelled.

Sephiroth dropped his sword and slowly took a few steps towards the younger silver haired male now lying beside Sora on the ground.

“R-Riku….I know that name….I feel like I should know you.”

“Get away from him Sephiroth.” Sora seethed as he gathered Riku up in his arms. Riku coughed, sputtering blood as he struggled to regain a breath. His eyes glazed over as he found his voice, “Sora….leave h-him b-be….for me….”

Sephiroth turned his head slightly to regard Sora. “I feel like I know you too….have we met? Fought maybe?”

Sora?” Cloud finally whispered. “Why do I know your name. deep down it is rooted in my soul.”

“You do know me Cloud. We have met in the past. We battled each other once and fought together to defend Hollow Bastion during the siege by the Organisation.”

“I cannot remember anything like that….”

Sora looked up at Sephiroth. “Tell me Sephiroth. Why did you refrain from killing Riku when you heard me call out his name?”

“I don’t know! I just feel like I know him!”

Sora bristled, hackles rising, temper flaring. “He is your son!”

Sephiroth pales. He backed swiftly away from the two youths. Sora looked into Cloud’s eyes. “You know the truth don’t you Cloud?”

He stared right into Sora’s eyes before looking over at Sephiroth. Both glanced at each other before voicing the only question in their minds, “How?”

Sora turned away from them and spoke softly to Riku. Green light flowed from Sora’s outstretched hand as a powerful Curaga washed over the fallen Riku.

“Can you stand Riku?”

“Yes. What Sora says to the both of you is true.”

The two teens walked over to their fathers and stood a couple of feet in front of them.

“How can you be mine Sora? I do not remember ever being….with a woman. I prefer my own sex.”

“As do I.”

“Don’t the two of you remember anything?” Sora groaned at the two infront of him. “Hojo experimented on the both of you. We felt your pain and suffering. We were the end result of those horrifying experiments! From what our dream told us….we were grown in simulation wombs. Bred to be exact replica’s of the two of you. Bred to be the most powerful SOLDIER’s once we grew and matured. How can you not remember? You two were lovers before it happened.”

“Take our hands if you don’t believe us.” Riku whispered at the two gob smacked males infront of him.

Slowly, Cloud and Sephiroth linked hands with the youths.

“Close your eyes.”

Both submitted and let their eyes fall closed. White light seemed to engulf their blackened vision.

------

“When I fought you….I knew that….”

“That I would be yours.”

“Stop Sephiroth!”

“Say you cannot do this and I swear I will kill you Cloud.”

“I could stay like this forever.”

“No Cloud! Please! Don’t dare die!”

“Both R..1.K.U. and 5.O.R.A. will raise me atop the glory I deserve!”

“Please! Just take me! Sephiroth is too weak!”

“Hah! A little blood loss and a few broken bones are nothing for the great General of ShinRa. However, you will come down from that Cloud pretty quickly Sephiroth!”

“I’m sorry Cloud.”

------

Sephiroth’s eyes snapped open.

“Now I remember. They took us away after we were tortured. They healed out wounds. The poison from the mako had almost completely wiped our memories. All except parts of Cloud’s. our minds were filled with lies. I took Zack, Cloud and Reno to Nibelheim. Cloud and Zack knew it was a fated mission. I being General called the shots. The mission must be completed. Reno vanished. I found the old lab in that basement of the ShinRa mansion. I felt compelled to read every single book on one Jenova Project. I went mad from the lies about my birth. I….I killed Zack….tried to kill Cloud. Burned Nibelheim to the ground. Then….I fell….”

“I remember being stationed in the labs before that mission. I watched over both projects. I gave them the mako which was potentially fatal for their tiny bodies. Little did I know….you were mine. If I had known. Then, nothing, I was to go on that mission….I….forgot about the existence of the two projects.”

Riku let go of Sephiroth’s hands as he voiced his next question. “Tell me Sephiroth? How would the two of us ended up on Destiny Islands if no one took us there. Both myself and Sora woke up there as children with no memories. Nothing we held dear except each other.”

“I don’t know. Perhaps fate was not finished with the two of you. Perhaps she has other things planned.”

Riku looked away from his father. He decided not to tell him about the death which was the fate for the four of them. Both Sephiroth and Cloud would find that out for themselves soon enough.

“Riku! Look!”

All four males looked towards the sky. White light hovered above them, pulling Sora and Riku from the ground.

“Wait! How can we find you?!” Cloud shouted to the retreating youths.

He saw Sora shout out something but being too far away, Cloud could not hear.

Dust settled. Darkness filled the atmosphere. Palpable silence filled the evening sky. Both Cloud and Sephiroth looked at each other.

“If we ended up in their world….in their time….we must find a way to get back.”

“Back to where?!” Cloud shouted at Sephiroth

Before Sephiroth cloud answer, a loud explosion erupted from behind them. Both whirled round to see darkness spreading like wildfire through the city of Midgar. Neither spoke a word but knew what the other was thinking. Retreat.

Both finally took to the air, hoping the darkness wouldn’t swallow them up if they go high enough.

“We have to try and find them Sephiroth!”

Darkness overtook them. Ripping at their flesh. Falling into nothingness, Sephiroth chanced a pained glance at Cloud. Tendrils of dark energy swirled round the younger male, trying to bury it’s way into his tanned flesh.

“I’m sorry Cloud. I wish I had known sooner. If I had….I may have been able to change things.”

Cloud’s pained cried diminished as green healing light swiftly wound it’s way around the two of them.

“I know this light. It’s the life stream!”

Green and light almost suffocated them and pulled them from darkness’s unforgiving grasp.

Both males fell hard and fast onto a concrete path.

------

Sephiroth pulled himself to his feet, clutching at his slightly bleeding side where his coat was torn and his skin torn open by the crude landing.

Cloud followed suit but clinging onto his right arm.

Sephiroth lightly touched Cloud’s arm. Both looked around them. Buildings stood on all sides. A pitch black, peaceful night sky hung high above them. Glowing streetlights lit the way in the dark through dozens of twisting and turning alleyways.

“Where are we Sephiroth?”

A small but recognisable voice from behind them shook the two males from their confusion.

“Welcome to Hollow Bastion Cloud, Sephiroth. I am so glad I could finally save everyone.”

“Aerith?!”