Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ Jenova's Children ❯ Requiem ( Chapter 8 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: KawaiiNJunsui
With the help of Kadaj, small bits of Riku's past are unearthed and things begin to fall into place.

Non Anime: Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Supernatural / Drama / Adventure / Action | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 02.02.2007 | Pages: 4 | Words: 6.5K | Visits: 297 | Status: Work In Progress

Jenova's Children
By Kawaii and Junsui
 
Chapter 8
Requiem
 
“'Sorry' isn't good enough, this time.” Riku whispered coldly, “'Sorry' can never erase the scars left on a soul… the scars I left on their souls… the scars they left on mine. `Sorry' is never good enough. I give up. I carry too many scars that can never be erased. Too many blemishes that hold me to the dark.”
And with that, The Way To The Dawn came swinging down upon Cloud for one final time. Cloud calmly closed his eyes and prepared to be impaled by the thick sword. Having been done to by Sephiroth several times, he was not unfamiliar with the pain. But all and all, pain is pain, and blood is blood. But there was no pain, no blood; as a noise of metal scraping against metal caused Cloud's eyes to shoot open.
Kadaj held the Shouba with both of his hands; his arms shaking as to hold the force Riku was attempting to push onto the Keyblade. The Way To The Dawn had slid in-between the two sheets of lustrous metal and the ivory curved wing was hovering just inches from Cloud's nose.
“Oh no you don't…” Kadaj grunted, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he locked identical sets of eyes with Riku. The younger teen growled and pulled the Keyblade black swiftly, turning his focus of anger onto Kadaj for blocking his attack. He brought the blade up above his head and swung down on Kadaj, whom, using both hands- one pressed against Shouba's blade, the other holding the grip- steadied the double-katana and slid it upwards and he leapt over Riku into a tuck-jump. The teen whirled around and attempted to slice at Kadaj in mid-air, yet Kadaj was too quick and easily dodged the attack. Riku growled and felt the muscles in his legs twitch, readying himself for the slashing attack that was a perfect example of his deadly swiftness. Just as he did, Kadaj realized that there was no way he was going to beat Riku. The kid was insanely angry at the world for whatever reason and there was no reasoning, no stopping him… he was just like Kadaj.
The elder teen with the silver tresses stared deep into Riku's blue-green orbs with cat-like slits -exact replicas of his own- beyond the anger, hurt, and betrayal lay something that spoke much of his true reasons for attacking.
Fear.
Riku was afraid of himself. He was afraid of turning evil. He was afraid of killing all his loved ones. He knew it was going to happen, so he had just sped up the process… all because he was so afraid…
The wind blew Kadaj's silver tresses around his blue-green eyes at he started at the younger teen, blinking several times with a weak grimace. And for a split second, maybe even for a moment, he felt empathy for Riku. Kadaj's cat-like eyes seemed to take on a different hue, gentle jade streaked with copper color, his pupils dilated and the entirety of his eyes seemed to coruscate with sadness. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Kadaj felt… human.
The silver-tressed young man placed a hand over his chest where his heart was. He could feel it beating steadily, even from under the thick layer of clothing he was wearing. It was as if it were the first time he realized that he had a heart…
But this realization was cut short as Riku charged Kadaj and his eyes snapped up, returning to their normal shade and cat-like pupils. The young man stared at the frightened teen charging him and let the Shouba clatter to the dusty ground, running towards Riku with all his might. And the next words that came from his mouth seemed to be uncontrollable:
“OTOTOU! STOP!” The next thing Kadaj knew, he was standing dead-still with his arms thrown around Riku, his pale face buried into Riku's shoulder as tears streamed from his eyes. He'd just called Riku `Little Brother'. He barely knew him. In fact, they had hardly even had a conversation since they met. But… something about it just seemed right.
“Please… stop…” Kadaj whispered softly, closing his eyes as they tears continued to roll down his cheeks.
All the while, Riku stood, dumbstruck, The Way To The Dawn still hovering above his head. With a choking noise, Riku let go of the blade and it began to drop to the ground, disappearing in a streak of white light. “O… Otouto?” Riku repeated softly, his voice wavering, “N… Nii-san?” Elder Brother.
“Hai.” Kadaj nodded, “Nii-san.”
“Oh… God…” Riku began to shake, his eyes growing large in horror, “Oh… GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE?!” Coruscating tears spilled from Riku's blue and green orbs as he dropped to his knees, Kadaj fell along with him, still holding his younger brother close.
“Otouto, otouto.” The elder teen ushered softly, burrowing his nose into Riku's hair. “Otouto. It's alright now. Everything will be okay now.”
“No.” Riku whimpered. “I-I've… I almost!” he protested, trying to squirm away.
“It's okay. It's all over now!” Kadaj insisted, tugging his little brother back down into their embrace.
“But I -“Riku began, guilt and horror crushing down on his in a wave.
“Shhh.” There was a pause, and then a dark mutter, “I know how it feels.”
“R-Riku?” a panting voice inquired, edged with worry and slight unease. The teen squirmed until he could see Cloud hovering a short distance off, biting his lip uncertainly. Behind him stood Sora, Kairi standing beside him in his arms, pressing fingertips to the area where her cut had been. He suddenly became aware of Kadaj wiping away the heavy tears rolling down his cheeks. This time he was allowed to stand.
“C-Clo-“ He chocked out, then looked to his feet. “When do you wish me to leave?” he whispered remorsefully.
“What?!” the blonde blinked. “Riku… it was him, wasn't it? Sephiroth. He influenced you to do these things, am I right?”
“Just tell me when you want me to go.” The teen gulped, casting his gaze aside. How did Cloud know? Was it really that obvious? Was he really that weak and gullible? To be molded and twisted into a ghost of his former self. He had fallen back into shadow. Cloud was saying something now, and Kairi scooted in closer to Sora, worry swimming in her watery orbs. Kadaj was probably saying something too, but all had turned to white noise. “I'm sorry.” He whispered, stepping back into a newly formed portal, eclipsed in his misery.
 
 
“Otouto!” Kadaj cried in shock, scrambling to his feet as his little brother disappeared from sight.
“RIKU!” the blonde man stopped beside him, equally confused.
“It's the Halls of Darkness.” A voice quipped. Sora sighed heavily and lightly pushed his girlfriend away. “They can be accessed through those portals and can go anywhere. In fact -“he paused, stroking back a stray lock of brunette hair. “They connect to any world, locked or unlocked, most often those that can only be reached by Gummi.” He grimaced. “So, how are you Cloud?”
“Never been better.” The towhead replied.
“Ya.” The Keybearer sighed.
“Hey.” Kairi said softly, looking from the features of her boyfriend to Cloud. “What are we gonna do now?”
“Riku… he could be anywhere by now. We were lucky enough just to run into him here.”
“You didn't know?” Cloud frowned.
“Huh?”
“Edge is quite a ways from Radiant Garden, or Hollow Bastion as most people once thought. How did you know to come here of all places?”
“Leon.” Kairi spoke up. “We were asking around for Riku, and Leon said he helped out a kid with silver hair and green-blue eyes. We figured it had to be him, but when Leon went on to say that there was blood on his arms, we knew for sure.” The redhead explained.
“Blood?”
“Riku -“Sora broke off, exchanging a glance with Kairi. “He can get into really deep depression slumps, especially after having submitting to darkness before, and well… he cuts himself. Not all the time, I mean, but…”
“It really has us worried.” The girl beside him finished.
“I know. I've already talked to him about that. We are at an understanding, you see… I did the same thing once.” Cloud reassured them. “But after all of this, I think it's best if you don't talk to him straight away. Not that we know where he's at now, but…”
“He's at the house.” Kadaj offered at random.
“What makes you say that?” the blonde frowned.
“Where else would he go?” the silver haired teen scoffed, looking up at the weighted clouds, sagging under the pressure of the moment. “Back to the islands where he ran from? Back to that garden? Or to the castle where he was kept prisoner? Where else do you think he'd go? It's not like he's ever been out anywhere else.” He looked over his shoulder, cat slitted iris' dilating in an unusual manner.
The other three stared at him agape. “It's like you know him.” Sora finally said, cracking an uneasy grin.
“I do know him.” Kadaj snorted. “I should. I mean after all, he is my brother.”
“So, you really did mean it then?” Cloud asked. “You call me your brother, just like Loz and Yazoo. Do you mean to say -?”
“No.” was his curt reply. “Yazoo and Loz were my best friends growing up, and are brothers only in mind and through the Jenova cells we all share. By the fact that pieces of Sephiroth live within us. You are my brother in that way as well. I… I haven't seen Riku since he was four or five.” Kadaj trailed off, expression unreadable. “I'll go talk to him. Even with the circumstances, I know him better than any of you. Especially because of this.” In a flash, he had run off in the direction of Seventh Heaven.
“He sure has matured a lot.” A feminine voice whispered. The others started, enraptured in their own thoughts.
“Tifa, are you okay?” Cloud asked, striding over to his girlfriend worriedly.
“I'm fine. I stepped back and watched mostly, don't worry.” She assured him, planting a quick kiss on his cheek. “It seems like Riku learned a lot from you.” She offered optimistically.
“I really only spent two days or so with him as far as training goes. He's clever and very observant; a quick learner.” The blonde agreed.
“So, uh, Cloud?” Sora piped up.
“Hmn?”
“What do we do know? Kairi and I… where should we go? I suppose you're right, we should give him some space.”
“I want to see Riku.” The redhead said stubbornly.
“But Kai -“
“You two are welcome to stay at the bar.” Tifa said warmly.
“The bar?” Sora perked up, earning him a whack on the arm.
“Seventh Heaven, the bar I own. We live in the spaces above it. You see, it's kinda like a hotel too, I offer lodgings because there's extra rooms and they provide extra revenue. Currently though, we're a bit overbooked with friends alone.” Tifa giggled.
“Right. Tifa, and the kids -“ Cloud began, Sora raising his eyebrows suggestively. “-That we adopted; Marlene and Denzel, have been living in the actual house. Vincent and Yuffie had been staying in a spare room, but they've moved out now for, erm, certain reasons of their own. Kadaj, Loz, and Yazoo are living downstairs in the bar. Riku had a guest room, so that leaves just enough space for the two of you.”
“So… I guess there really isn't much we can do right now, huh?” Kairi asked, rubbing her arm self-consciously. She had never felt so useless in her life.
“I suppose so. We just have to trust that Kadaj knows what he's doing.” Tifa shrugged, giving her a sympathetic smile. They began to walk towards the city's edge when suddenly Cloud stopped in his tracks.
“So after Kadaj fucks up that idea, then what do we do?”
 
 
Riku sat in the corner of the bleak room, hugging his knees to his chest. He had come back to the bar. After entering the Corridors of Darkness, he had found that he had nowhere else better to go. It would take the others some time before they found him, hours if he was lucky. And by then he'd be gone. It didn't really matter where; he just had to gather himself first. He had done it again. He had submerged himself in the dark corner of his heart, fallen victim to another puppeteer. And he was sick of it. He stared blankly down at his arms, tracing each and every shining pink scar. Oh how he lingered for that pain. Because if he could feel it, then he would be real. The emptiness inside was eating him away.
“It isn't easy to fight the darkness.” There was soft tentative knock upon the doorframe. Riku's head snapped up, anger and fear spread across his face. Kadaj stood just beyond the room, an arm propping him up, the other dangling loosely. His eyes flitted up to meet his younger brother's then sprung away. Wordlessly, he entered the room and sat beside Riku on the broken down couch, ignoring the whimpered protests. The two sat in silence for a while, not so much as looking at the other.
“Why are you here?” Riku asked finally.
“I'm not gonna loose you again, otouto.” Kadaj answered, still staring fixedly at the floorboards.
“A-again? What are you talking about?” the other demanded.
“What do you remember of your childhood?” Cattish eyes slid over in the younger teen's direction.
“Not much. Why?” Riku frowned.
“Do… do you remember me at all? Or mother? Or father?” Kadaj gulped.
“I'm sorry.” Riku hung his head sheepishly. “All I've ever wanted to know was why I was so different. I had never once thought that she wasn't really my mother.'
“Who?” Kadaj asked, suddenly weary of another whom bore the title.
“The nurse that watched over me.”
“Nurse?!” The shocked teen replied, blinking slowly. “What do you mean, you were in the hospital? When?!”
“I was five, maybe four. I'm not really sure anymore. Some guy found me on the streets I suppose and took me to the hospital. But… they were afraid of me.”
One time all of the glass in the room simultaneously burst as if they had all been struck by a heavy blow. Another time, the cabinet doors flew open and all of the supplies fell to the ground. Other weird things happened throughout the whole hospital after he arrived. Two doctors and a few receptionists and nurses actually quit - they thought the place was haunted or something. Doors would open for no reason, things would go missing, all of the monitors on a certain level would be filled with static, one time a tray rolled down the hall into a closet when it had been standing still.
“How did this happen?” Kadaj asked aloud, cradling his head in his hands. Riku hesitated a moment, then scooted closer to him.
“What do you mean?”
“We're biological brothers, Riku; I'm two years older than you. Our mother took care of us and we had a happy family. Our father had enlisted to Shin-ra and soon became a SOLDIER. We idolized him, you and I. Some days, we'd follow him to work and watch him train with the other men and boys. We promised each other that one day, we'd be just like Dad, make him proud. We weren't the only kids around. Loz and Yazoo's dads were in SOLDIER too, and the four of us would have mock battles, kid fights and the like. They were older than us, Yazoo by three years, Loz by five. But we became fast friends nonetheless. The men would watch us whenever we did fight and laugh and give us small tips here and there.
“And then there was him. Sephiroth. Yes, he was alive back then. At that time, he was working his way up to the rank of General. And then there was that bastard Hojo, that scientist that always followed him around. He was his trusted ally you know? But of course, that's when Sephiroth was so greatly admired, a gentleman even. He would stop and take the time to say a word or two to us before carrying on, and Hojo would just make some disapproving noise and jot down some notes.
“One day, we were there together and I left you for a moment. I never found you since. It was almost as if you had just vanished off the face of the planet. Of course, we searched for you, and word spread around to all the men. But you never turned up. Mother was so saddened, and Dad was too busy with training to spend time looking for you. It hurt him greatly, and he promised that he'd take a reprieve after one of his recon missions. But, like you, he vanished. Mother still has his dog tags. And then we were truly alone. Shin-ra sent us money that Dad would have made to support us, and Mother made me promise that I would never leave her. Yazoo and Loz… for a while, I lost contact with them, but then came across them again. Loz's dad had retired after loosing a leg, and Yazoo's parents had split and he was living with his mother. We never found out if his father is alive or not.
“Years passed, and we gradually began to accept the fact that you were dead. And then only just four years ago, he cracked. You see, we lived in Nebelheim, the very city that he raised to the ground. That was the first time the world saw the madness behind the man. Yazoo, Loz, and I had run outside to see what was happening. People were dying, screaming, running. Mass pandemonium, and everything was aflame. We ran through the city and came to a courtyard just in time to see a corpse slide off the end of his sword. We tried to fight him, but…” he sighed heavily. “We were defeated. And that night he never made the connection between us and the little children he would send a sly smile at when we tried to match our father's training. We had grown plenty by then, of course, but still, that interaction left a sort of mark on each of us. Like he had tested us, and approving, sent apart of himself into us. We died that night, all three of us. But not for very long.
“Whatever it was that had happened, we came back, as you see me now. Silver hair, cat-like eyes that show signs of mako energy. Increased speed, senses, strength. And we were no longer ourselves. I'm not sure how long had passed between the time of our death and resurrection for we floated timelessly throughout the Lifestream, not as souls, but encaged space. Empty and mindless. He had died, you see. But not without setting things up accordingly. The pieces of himself that lived on through us attracted the rest of his being when he died, separating it into three parts. This was when he had taken Jenova's head with him and became the Lifestream, harnessing powers far greater than anyone could have dared believe possible. We were sent down for some reason, knowing only pure animalistic instinct.
“The three of us were mere vessels for the parts of himself. Those who had Jenova cells within them… when Meteorfall happened, they sensed the pull of a greater source of the cells, and traveled to the impact sight. Sephiroth had been waiting. He slaughtered each and every one of them, collecting their cells until he was nearly Jenova himself. Jenova changed it's appearance to be more in his likeness after that, and then Cloud's friend, Zack killed him. But we were reborn with that pull, to reunite with those cells. Sephiroth was clever. He knew one of us doing such an act would be enough to bring him back. Because he IS Jenova, just as he is the Lifestream.
“I guess I was that lucky one then, huh? And soon Cloud delivered us from our waking hell. We died again, finally released from that forced life. And then there was silence, and the purest light washed over us all, filling us with warmth - a feeling long forgot. And we felt unworthy. Too young to be judged and too old to be innocent, we found ourselves in a field of ethereal flowers guarded by a woman from the past, the last Ancient, or Cetra, Aeris. Heh. It's funny really. Almost sad. Of all people, she blessed us with life once more. Out of everyone else, all the innocents that died out of sad situations, we were blessed. And what a blessing it was too! No longer confined, haunting daily, constantly, by his never-sleeping presence. Our own true selves, as we remember ourselves, before he interfered with the natural course of things. The only curse to it is our appearance. We still have this silver hair, and damned eyes that mark us for what we are. People don't just forget, no matter how much we may want them to. Sure, we rebelled, but who could blame us? We had had a taste of freedom, of reckless abandon, and we were damned sure that we'd be prosecuted no matter what we did. So we abused it. And now things… things just might be alright.”
“Nii-san.” Riku whispered, the word strange on his tongue. Without a moments hesitation, he threw his arms around the older teen, the puzzle forming pictures in his head. Shadowy memories flooded his senses, simple actions. Fighting with someone, not roughly, but in play. Standing amongst a tall crowd and feeling a general sense of awe. Clutching at someone's hand when a man in a lab coat came over to him. A frequent beeping sound was the only thing that reminded him that he was living, for all his other senses were numb, over-used to the point of breaking. The cold of the metal table he was placed upon had worn away, being replaced but what little warmth his flesh produced. A door creaked open, sending a bit of light over pale blue eyes staring unseeingly into oblivion. Commencing Project R.I.K.U Jenova #1445 in e minus negative five seconds.
“I-I know what became of me.” He announced shakily. “That man, Hojo? I remember him.”
“You do?” Kadaj asked with interest.
“Ya. Him and another doctor… Lucrecia. I was lying on an operating table, completely wiped out. I'm not even sure how I was living; I was so… nonexistent. They came in, and then there were lights that turned on. Like computer screens, blue, and green too. I think there were cylinders of glowing stuff of the same color. That woman Lucrecia, she said something about how she pitied me, and Hojo reprimanded her for it, saying that pity would only get in their way. And he -“ Riku stopped and trembled, anger coursing through him as another fragment aligned itself. “He said I wouldn't be missed because I had no family! He… he LIED! He kidnapped me and experimented on me!”
“What?!” Kadaj jumped, appalled. “What makes you say -?”
“Project R.I.K.U. Jenova #1445.” The teen recited bitterly. “I thought they were only dreams, nightmares. I remember them injecting me with stuff, Jenova cells. That's why -“
“That's why we look alike!” Kadaj finished. “They shot you up with Jenova and Mako cells. Riku, we never looked like this. We had black hair. Black. I had hazel eyes, and you had blue. And Yazoo and Loz, they were a redhead and a brunette. The mako cells accounted for our eyes, all of SOLDIER had them, even Dad. But the Jenova cells is why we look like Sephiroth. I knew why I look the way I do, but I never thought that you… Jeez. I was so shocked that it was you.”
Riku nodded deafly, his throat tightening in a sickening way. Kadaj cocked his head, tresses swishing as he moved. “Hmn. You might as well tell me your name, seeing as I'm about to kill you.”
“Riku.” Was the growled response. Kadaj's cat-like eyes widened and his grip on Shouba loosened.
A small flash as another memory surfaced.
“I was just wondering…” Kadaj stood up and stormed over to him, grabbing the younger teen by his collar and standing him up. He turned to face Cloud so that both he and Riku were facing the towhead, “Why he looks like one of us!”
“I just couldn't believe that after all this time, that you never really died. I just had given up on it.” He forced a laugh. “I'm sorry for doubting you.”
“Don't be. I should never have survived through that.” Riku sniffed.
“But you did. The question is… why? Why did you survive, or better yet, how? The mako alone should have been too strong for your body to handle at that age. Maybe it was from the Jenova cells. But even those should have killed you. But why would they have done that to you? What could they have gained?”
“I don't know.” Riku shook his head regretfully. “I don't know.” There was a lapse of time, and then Riku frowned. “There's still something strange though. The project was named `R.I.K.U.' as if it was spelled out. Riku… that's not my real name, is it?”
“No, it's not.” Kadaj shook his head. “Not really. The name that you were given by Dad and Mother was Yukio. Yukio Nonaka. But the guys in SOLDIER started calling you Riku because it meant land and you had always been especially skilled in fighting land-based battles. But now that I think about it… shit!”
“What? What is it?!” Riku asked, alarmed.
“Hojo.”
“What?”
“Hojo had made mention of it to Sephiroth once, and from there on out, Sephiroth only called you by that name. Pretty much everyone at that base called you Riku, it kinda became your second name.”
“If it was Hojo, then there must be a meaning behind it. I mean, ah.” Riku sighed, slumping down in his seat. “I don't know, I just want to blame him for this. It IS his fault after all, and I swear to you if I see him, he'll have hell to pay, that's for sure. I just…”
“Heh, you and me both. I'll kill him if he so much as breathes on you. After everything that son of a bitch has done, it's less than he deserves, it really is.” Kadaj shook his head fervently.
“Hey Nii-san?” Riku began, his throat running dry.
“Hmn?”
“Is it okay if I still be called Riku? It's all I've ever known, I just -.”
“Ya, it's cool. It would be too hard to change now as it is. I don't mind.”
“I like it.”
“Like what?” Kadaj cocked his head to the side.
“Riku Nonaka.” The teen replied, a small smile appearing across his lips. “Kinda has a nice ring to it, even if my name was made up by some creepy scientist that messed up my life.” He laughed. A real laugh this time. Kadaj chuckled.
“That's very true!” They sat together, but this time smiling, because they had found each other. Because they were family. Brothers.
“Hey Nii-san?”
“Ya?”
“Thanks.” Kadaj didn't even have a chance to respond before Riku had flung his arms around him, tears streaking down his cheeks. His eyes widened momentarily, before he smiled and wrapped his arms around his little brother. And he wasn't even aware of the crystal droplets coursing down his own features.