FicWad

Disclaimer: Me no ownie Disclaimer: Me no ownie...

AJ: There's a lot of mystery shrouding Riku, isn't there?
Tenoko: Mystery always adds some interest to the story.
AJ: Sephiroth better kick some @$$ when he finds out whose responsible for Riku's curse.
Tenoko: Everything will probably turn out fine; I normally end my stories with a happy ending.
AJ: Probably? You're not sure.
Tenoko: Are we every really sure about anything??
Tenoko: Everyone needs to go read the manga series Othello!!
AJ: Reduced to shout-outs, are we?
Tenoko: Shut up.

Cursed

"I know you're in here..." A cracked voice sang eerily, the door to Riku's chambers opening slowly. Riku grabbed a dagger he kept under his pillow, raising it up to throw once the person appeared in full view. Squall stuck his head in the doorway, smirking in amusement at Riku, "Sup?"
With an irritated sigh and roll of his eyes, Riku set the dagger back down.
"Geez, Squall. Are you trying to get yourself killed?" He demanded in a hushed whisper so as not to wake Sora.
Squall quietly approached the side of the bed, titling his head as he quietly observed the vampire and slumbering boy.
"How long has he been asleep?"
"Almost two hours." He told him softly.
Squall shook his head.
"It isn't safe to keep him in one spot for too long, half starved vampires are nearly tearing the castle apart looking for him, not to mention people like Seifer who are after him just for kicks."
"Seifer is after him?"
"And Seymour." He stated with a nod, then shrugged. "There may be more, those are the only ones I know of at the moment. Right now, Cloud and I have been working to lead them on a goose chase, even LuLu is helping out, but they'll probably come looking for you eventually, like I did, knowing that most likely the two of you are together."
Riku sighed heavily, leaning his head back against the wooden headboard.
"Why would they think to look for me?"
"It's common knowledge that you're in a relationship with him."
"Why is LuLu helping out? And how? She's never been human, so I wouldn't think she has any underlying feelings of loyalty to them."
Squall shrugged.
"Lulu's softhearted, despite her harsh exterior. She has a bunch of shadow puppets running through the castle, leading everyone on all kinds of goose chases." He motioned to Sora, "Just make sure to keep him moving. I'd leave here pretty soon if I were you. If I thought to look in your room, others will too."
Riku nodded.
"Alright. I'll let him sleep a few more minutes, then I'll wake him, now get lost; if there are vampires congregating in one place, others are bound to show up."
Squall nodded, and quickly left the room. Looking down at the slumbering brunette, Riku ran his fingers through the younger boy's hair, not wanting to have to wake him, but Squall was right, they didn't need to stay in one place for long amounts of time. Leaning over, Riku gently kissed Sora's cheek, running his lips over the tender flesh,
"Sora... you have to wake up, baby..." Sora frowned in response, his bottom lip jutting out in a cute pout, causing Riku to chuckle in amusement. Riku gently shook him, "C'mon Sora, you have to wake up, we need to get moving. I'll let you take another nap later."
Groggily, Sora forced his eyes open, lifting his head to stare at Riku in confusion,
"...Riku? What are you doing here?" He mumbled sleepily, rubbing one eye with his knuckle.
"We're in the Underground, remember?" Riku asked softly, attempting to jog his memory. "Sephiroth forced you to play a game of survival."
Frowning, Sora ran a hand through his hair, looking around,
"Are you sure that wasn't just part of my dream?"
Riku laughed,
"I'm sure." He pushed Sora towards the edge of the bed, "C'mon, we have to get moving. Squall and the others are trying to cover for us, but they can only do so much."
"Others?" Mumbled Sora, obviously not fully awake and comprehending all that Riku was telling him.
"I'll explain it all when we get somewhere safer." Sora merely nodded, his eyes drifting shut again as he leaned heavily against Riku for support. Riku couldn't say that he blamed him, the guy hadn't even gotten two hours of sleep in almost thirty hours. Pressing a solid object into the boy's palm, Riku told him, "Take this. You're going to need it if we're going to make it through this."
Sora frowned down at the object in his hand and then at Riku,
"This is a stake." He said dumbly, frowning in confusion.
Riku nodded.
"Yes. Though I can help you, I can't kill another vampire," He shook his head, "Only under certain rules could I, and we don't fall under those rules."
"I'm not marked." Sora stated quietly with a nod of his head, causing Riku to frown,
"Where did you learn about that?"
"The other Rikku." He told him with a yawn. "YuRiPa kept warning me not to let you mark me, I didn't know what it meant, and they explained it. Gippal marked Rikku because she was willing to become a vampire in order to stay with him."
Riku paused as he opened to the door to the hall, frowning over his shoulder at Sora, and then snorted, "Guess I was so distracted by what she was telling me I didn't notice." He paused. "So Rikku is marked, huh?" Turning to Sora, he reached out to cup the side of his face before dropping his hand down to his throat and finally to his shoulder, gazing thoughtfully at the area as he gently caressed it with his thumb through the fabric of Sora's shirt. "I had hoped to explain 'marking' to you myself..."
Sora frowned, covering Riku's hand with his own.
"Why?"
Riku softly kissed him, before smiling affectionately.
"It was my job, I think, to... educate you about marking. It's a sacred act between lovers and binds the two souls together for all eternity. It would mean you belong to me, just as I would belong to you." He smiled sadly. "You and I are involved, so it should have been me that told you."
"Did you plan on marking me?" Questioned Sora softly, causing Riku to smile fondly, touching their foreheads together,
"Dummy, it isn't something you plan, it just happens, usually in the heat of the moment."
A blush tainted the brunette's cheeks as he averted his gaze.
"Oh."
Riku stepped away, taking Sora's hand and intertwining their fingers as he turned back to the door, placing a finger to his lips in a silent message to the younger boy behind him. Sora nodded in understanding and they stepped cautiously out into the hall, Riku leading the way. They headed to the end of the hall, turning left onto another corridor with heavy wooden doors lining both sides. Sora took the time to take in the details of his surroundings, trusting Riku to keep him safe. All the suits of armor were black, something like Sora had never seen, the metal surfaces polished till he could see his reflection in them as they passed. There were several statues in every hallway, ranging from the basic form of a person to an elaborate portrayal of two creatures locked in an epic battle. He supposed that the figures of people were leaders of the past that had died or martyrs for the Underground league of the undead. They were all stunningly beautiful, even the men; Sora was beginning to realize that everyone in the Underground had an unearthly beauty about them, unlike anything he'd ever seen or even been able to imagine.
Perhaps it was a cruel irony, they appeared as though they were descendants from gods, but lived as though they were the spawn of demons. One woman caught Sora's eye, causing him to gasp in surprise and stop in his tracks as he gazed at her fragile beauty and mournful expression. Her long hair was in disarray, flailing about her wildly as though tossed in the wind, as she clutched a hand to her breast, covering her heart and holding her cloak firmly around her. Her full lips were parted in a whispered prayer, a tear trailing down her cheek as wide eyes stared out at him in fearful resolution.
"Her name is Desdemona." Riku whispered to him softly, stopping to gaze of the marble statue as well.
"She's beautiful." Whispered Sora; eyes never straying from that of the woman's. "Was she an Elder or something? And that's why there's a statue of her?"
Riku shook his head,
"Of course she wasn't an Elder, she was human."
Sora turned to him sharply, eyes wide in surprise,
"What?!" He glanced back at the stone woman, brows drawn together in confusion, "B-but... why have a statue of her if she was human?"
"She died protecting a vampire." Riku informed him softly, "Whenever a person dies for a vampire, they are memorialized in a statue. Humans that die are portrayed in white marble, and vampires that die for the sake of another vampire, or even for the sake of a human, are portrayed in black marble."
"But why?" Puzzled Sora. "I don't understand? Why make a statue of a human?"
Riku turned to him, regarding him seriously,
"It's one of the things that we respect deeply, the giving of one's life for another. Life and death are sacred to the undead, because our lives revolve around them both." He shook his head, pulling on Sora's hand as they starting walking again, "Elders aren't made into statues, they have portraits hanging in different halls throughout the castle. A statue is an honor in memory of someone who made a sacrifice; portraits are merely for respect and historical purposes."
"So, it's a greater honor to die for a vampire then to be the leader of them?" Questioned Sora, and Riku nodded, before suddenly disappearing from sight, causing Sora to whirl around in confusion, where had he gone?!
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Riku glared angrily at Sephiroth, who smirked at him in amusement.
"You tell me not to interfere, and yet you do so yourself. Doesn't that fall under breaking the rules of the game?" Demanded the silver-haired boy.
Sephiroth released a bark of laughter, before narrowing his gaze at the boy,
"I initiated this game; I make the rules. I've interfere all I want, I'm simply making certain that you are not interfering in my game. I told you not to take the boy anywhere he could hide."
Riku crossed his arms over his chest,
"I didn't take him anywhere and hide him, I took him somewhere so he could get some sleep before having to run again. You can't expect him to win if he can't even get some sleep. I hardly think a two-hour nap falls under cheating. We were found out, after all."
"You have more allies rallying to your cause then I would have presumed." The older man told him casually, flicking his wrist. "Why, aside from you, there are four other vampires that are attempting to help your little pet survive and win my game." He frowned. "Should he win, what fun is there in it for me?"
Smirking cockily, Riku tilted his head to one side,
"What? Not getting enough sick pleasure out of watching an innocent boy be hunted like an animal? You must be more twisted then I thought."
Sephiroth glared at him, sitting up straight and leaning forward.
"You forget your place, boy." He snarled as invisible hands forced Riku down on to one knee, his head bowed. "I am your Elder, one who decides your fate from one day to the next, you dare to mouth off to me when I have so generously given you and your pathetic human the chance to prove yourselves? To have the chance to continue on in your relationship when it is /forbidden/? You ungrateful whelp!"
"I apologize!" Exclaimed Riku; the words ripping out of his mouth before he had the chance to stop them. Normally, Riku wouldn't apologize even if his own life were on the line, but things were different, Sora's life was on the line and if Riku made Sephiroth mad, things could go from bad to far worse in the blink of an eye. Hell, Riku would grovel and kiss the man's boots if that's what it took to keep Sora alive. "I meant no disrespect; I should not have said those things. My liege, forgive me, it is my own weakness that makes for me to lose my head and forget my tongue."
Appeased, Sephiroth reclined back casually, an amused expression once again sculpting his features.
"Good. Your apology is accepted." He waved Riku away. "Go back to your lover, but remember you can only help him so much." Riku stood, backing slowly out of the room with his head bowed, stopping when he heard Sephiroth's voice again. "Oh. And Riku?" Riku glanced up at him through lowered eyelids, noting the malicious grin stretched across them man's face. "Should you implore any of the other vampires for assistance, the deal is void and you and your lover lose the game."
Riku lowered his eyes again.
"I have asked for assistance from no one. Any that is given is given freely and voluntarily."
"Keep it that way."
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Sora came to a screeching halt as a man in a trench coat stepped out of the shadows, smirking in amusement at him. Involuntarily, Sora took on step away from him. The man with blond hair and a scar crossing over his face held up his hand,
"Relax. I'm a friend."
"I hardly consider a vampire to be a friend." Sora spat.
The blond man sneered and tilted his head to one side,
"Then what do you consider Riku, I wonder?"
Sora narrowed his gaze at him, "Riku is an exception. Who are you and what do you want?"
The man smirked, giving a mock salute,
"The name's Seifer, and I'm simply here to offer some help." He told him, holding up a small apple. Sora frowned at the fruit, and the man continued. "Now, I can't just give this to you, as that would be interfering, but I can leave it for you to get yourself. I hardly think you'll survive three days if you don't eat something." At the mention of food, Sora's stomach growled loudly, causing him to blush in embarrassment as the other man laughed outright. Seifer set the apple down in front of him, "It isn't much, but it'll help. Food is hard to come by in this castle, given the fact that no one here eats it." He winked at Sora, before turning away, "See ya around, kid."
After he was gone, Sora warily approached the apple, noting nothing unusual about it. He picked it up, staring at it as though expecting it to explode or grow fangs and attack him. The apple did nothing. He tossed it from one hand to the other for a moment, but still the apple simply remained an apple.
"Hm. I guess all vampires aren't so bad after all." He stated, tucking the piece of fruit into his oversized pockets, and giving it a pat. "Since food is hard to come by, I'll save it for later when I'm really in need of food."
"You..." A female began, causing him to whirl around in surprise. "must be the human everyone is scrambling around for."
Sora gaped at this dark woman whose beauty he'd never dreamed could exist. Her long black hair was up in a bun, long braids hanging down from it and tinkering hair ornaments decorating her inky tresses. Like all the other vampires, she was dressed in mostly black, a black dress that fell off the shoulders and had fur around the trimming, long sleeves with delicate lace on the ends, and the front of her skirt was held together with a massive amount of belts. The only truly odd thing about her appearance was the small stuffed animal she held to her side, cradling it as though it were a child. His eyes riveted to her face, and he frowned in confusion.
"Who are you?"
Her lavender colored lips curved in the barest hint of a smile.
"My name is Lulu. I, too, am attempting to assist you in this game of Sephiroth's."
He nodded, for once not doubting the words coming from a vampire's mouth. He pointed to the stuffed animal she held,
"What is that?"
She glanced down at the object, frowning as though confused.
"What's what? The moogle?"
Sora made a face.
"A moogle? What the heck is a moogle?"
She looked at him as though surprised by the question.
"You don't know? Don't they have moogles Aboveground as well?" Sora shook his head. "Oh. Pity. Moogles are magical creatures shrouded in mystery. They're shy around the living, but playful nonetheless. This is my..." She frowned, looking at the ground. "Oh, what's the word?" With a shrug, she lifted her gaze to his. "It's what I use to channel my energy through and cast spells. I'm a mage as well as a vampire."
Sora nodded. Sounded strange, but made perfect sense, in a weird sort of way. Why wouldn't she be a mage? Heck, he was in the world of vampires, so surely magic existed as well. He frowned at her just as she did at him,
"You... you've never been human, have you?" He asked quietly, and she shook her head.
"No, I haven't. I've been Aboveground one or two times, but decided not to go back after meeting a horrible man by the name of Henry VIII."
"The King of England?"
She nodded,
"Yes. Do you know him?"
Sora snorted,
"Of course not. He died some five hundred years before I was born. He's from the 1500's, I think, and I live in the year 2oo5. You'll find a lot has changed since your last visit Aboveground."
She shook her head,
"If they are still burning witches at the stake, I dare not attempt going about."
Sora laughed, shaking his head,
"They don't burn people at the stake anymore, it's illegal. And if you're a witch, you're a witch. Most people don't really believe in them because there's no such thing as magic Aboveground, but there are some people that believe they are witches. We still don't burn them at the stake."
She tilted her head to the side.
"Does your king still attempt to seduce young maidens?"
Again, Sora shook his head,
"There aren't any kings where I live. I live in the United States of America, where the people vote on what happens- it's called democracy. The people decide as opposed to a select few."
"You jest." She told him, narrowing her eyes in disbelief.
Sora shook his head.
"No. It's true. Ask Riku or Cloud or even Squall, they'll tell you."
"What happened to the monarchy?" She asked curiously.
"Well, other countries, like England and France, still live in a monarchy state, some live under dictatorship and communism, and others..." Sora frowned. "Those are the main forms of government I'm aware of. I know there are more but I can't think of them."
Lulu continued to frown at him,
"If Henry VIII is dead, how fares Cleopatra?"
Sora's jaw nearly hit the ground. Cleopatra?! Wasn't she from the B.C. era?!
"Cleopatra?! THE Cleopatra?"
Lulu nodded as though she found nothing at all odd about her question.
"Yes. I believe she was Cleopatra XXVII, I could be wrong." She tilted her head to one side; "She took a lover by the name of 'Caesar', does that help any?"
Sora stared at her completely incredulous.
"I know about her, yeah." He admitted finally, scratching the back of his head. "But, Cleopatra's been dead for longer then Henry VIII, she died a LONG, LONG time ago, like millennias ago."
Lulu raised a skeptical brow,
"Are you sure?"
"Lu, she was human." Riku stated, appearing beside Sora suddenly. "Humans have short life spans, remember?"
Lulu sighed, brows knitting together.
"So I've heard, I just find it hard to believe that they only live for such short amounts of time. I mean, at most they live a hundred years, but even then they are useless. It's sad really; they have no choice but to lead such fragile lives."
Riku bowed respectfully to the black mage,
"We appreciate your help, Lulu, surely we would not have lived this long had you not interfered, which you didn't have to do, considering I didn't ask you to."
She waved at him.
"Nonsense. I decide for myself what is just and what should be done. Human or no, love is love, I will fight to protect such a sacred emotion, even if my assistance is not requested." She walked past them, further down the hall. "If you need me, give a whistle."
Sora watched in silence as the dark beauty disappeared into the shadows of the torch lit corridor, the echo of her footsteps fading into the silence. Sora turned to Riku, frowning,
"There are some interesting people in the Underground."
Riku laughed, taking him by the hand.
"You don't know the half of it."
Maybe it was sleep deprivation, but suddenly, a wild mood overcame Sora, and he couldn't help himself as he grabbed Riku, shoving him in a small alcove in the wall and kissed him as passionately as his body would allow. Riku didn't hesitate but for a moment, before grabbing Sora and kissing back, his tongue sliding into the younger boy's mouth, causing a moan to slip past his lips. Riku switched their positions, pressing Sora into the wall as he kissed him relentlessly. Sora's hand crept under Riku's shirt to caress well-toned muscles, the tips of his fingers brushing over Riku's nipple causing him to groan softly, grinding his hips against Sora's. The two of them were quickly growing frantic in their movements, impatient hands searching, groping, and fondling, and mouths met and tongues dueled.
"God, I want you..." Riku gasped finally, breathless and painfully aroused. Sora was clinging to Riku's body, moaning as they ground against each other, his thighs tight around Riku's hips, eyes dilated in desire. They were making love but for the clothes that restrained them.
"Riku... uh, please..." Sora begged, causing Riku's arousal to heighten. He smirked, nibbling on the younger boy's ear.
"What is it?" He whispered, hand slowly making its way down to the zipper of Sora's pants. "What do you want?"
"Ugn... you. God, I want you..."
That was a phrase Riku had dreamt of hearing spilling out of Sora's lips from the first day he'd met him. This was how he'd pictured him, panting for air, eyes dilated with desire, begging for Riku to end his sweet torture and make love to him. Who was he to deny his boyfriend's request?
'If he wins, you'll have no interference from us... If he loses, however... he dies...'
Sephiroth's words hit Riku like a bucket of cold water and he suddenly stopped his administrations, causing Sora to groan in frustration. Riku shook his head.
"We can't do this, at least not yet."
Sora looked at him as though he'd lost him mind.
"What?!"
Riku shook his head.
"Think about it, Sora. There are people hunting you, if we get into it right here in the hallway, we're most likely both going to die. Baby, I swear to you, that after this is over and we get to go back Aboveground, I'll take you home and make love to you till neither of us has the strength to move, but until then," He placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "You have to be patient so we can focus on winning."
Sora's head fell back as he groaned in irritation,
"Kill me now, just kill me now..." He lifted his head to look Riku in the eyes. "I don't know if I can take this, Riku, its like all of a sudden, making love to you is all I can think about, like if I don't get to touch you, feel you... I'll die. I need you that bad."
Riku narrowed his eyes, suddenly stepping away from Sora.
"It's Sephiroth."
Sora frowned in confusion.
"Huh?"
Riku turned away, running his hands through his hair and attempting to forget the image of a moaning, panting Sora beneath him.
"Sephiroth is messing with your emotions. Blocking your restraint so that your desire is no longer under control."
"So he's messing with my head?" Demanded the brunette, confused.
Riku shook his head.
"Not exactly. What you feel is real, your own emotions, own desire. Sephiroth only takes away your ability to restrain them, to keep them in check." He laughed, "Which is the reason you almost just jumped my bones a minute ago."
Sora narrowed his gaze at him.
"You didn't seem to be fighting me off any."
Riku shrugged.
"Why deny it? I want you just a bad as you want me."
Sora groaned again, giving Riku a pleading look.
"Then why do we have to wait?!" The brunette whined, causing Riku to chuckle. He was never going to let Sora forget this moment, how he had jumped him and then practically begged Riku to make love to him right then and there, not caring if someone happened upon them.
"Because..." Riku began slowly, "making love heats the blood, the blood flows faster... vampires are attracted to hot blood, it would be like sending them an invitation to come and attack you, they could home in on us in a second.
"Alright, fine." Sora spat, crossing his arms over his chest, then sighed in defeat, dropping his head. "But now I've got a problem..."
Riku laughed, taking his hand and pulling him along after him.
"On that note, we're in the same boat, lover."
Sora scowled at the back of his head.
"We aren't lovers yet, Riku. You just denied me, remember?"
"For your protection, my pet." Riku stated, throwing Sora a cocky smirk and a wink over his shoulder. "And besides, everyone keeps referring to you as my lover, why shouldn't I call you that?"
"Because I'm not? Let's try that one on for size." Stated the brunette dryly.
Riku turned on him quickly, taking him in his arms and tilting his head back to gaze deeply into his eyes.
"But that's just it, Sora. As soon as we get back Aboveground, I intend to make us just that. I'll take you to my room and ravish you till you can't take it anymore." He smirked, running a hand through Sora's chestnut locks. "And then I'll do it again. And again. And again. And unless you tell me to, I won't ever stop."
Sora laughed.
"Are you that much of a sex addict that you could do it day and night nonstop?"
No, I'm in love... Riku thought silently, but simply smiled and shook his head before releasing the younger boy; remaining quiet as they continued down the dark hallway. Riku hadn't expected for that simple confession to come to his mind, he hadn't even considered it an option to fall in love with Sora. Yes, in the back of his mind he knew he was destined to do so and had been falling for the boy since the first time he met him. Riku hadn't wanted to do so because he knew how it would end. Sora would die. All humans die, and Sora was no exception. While Sora died, Riku would live on... forever. Could Riku really bear to fall in love with Sora, only to end up losing him? Could he bear not to fall in love with him?

TBC

AJ: Aww... Riku's in love! How sweet!
Tenoko: Yeah, well, it is a romance fic.
AJ: Shutup! It's still sweet.
Tenoko: Ah, yes, but the thing is, is Sora falling for /Riku/?
AJ: Of course he is! Sora nearly begged for them to get it on in the hall!
Tenoko: That's lust, sweetie, there's a difference.
AJ: Well, why wouldn't you consider it love?
Tenoko: Remember how Rikku said that vampires are unintentionally seductive? You don't have to be in love with someone to want them.
AJ: (/scowls/) You would tell me that...