Sora and the Beast of HB ch14

"Riku? R-Riku what's wrong?" Sora began to worry. Those injections! They were affecting him! "No no Riku don't close your eyes! Stay with me!" He cried out, helping him back up and taking him from the room. He limped, dragged, and hobbled down endless hallways and corridors to get Riku to the garden he wanted to be in. But why the garden of all places? The boy didn't get it but still, he kept his word. The garden was soon in sight. Both weary boys trudged into the moonlight of the beautiful garden not realizing a shadow had followed them. "Riku...h-here we are...Riku?" His eyes were closing, fighting to stay open. "What did they do to you?!" Sora cried out shaking him. "Riku please stay awake!"

"The...lotus..." The Beast mumbled, looking over the brunet's shoulder. "Where is...my...lotus..."

"L-Lotus?" Sora sniffed, looking around and saw the single solitary beautiful lotus in the middle of the water in the center of the garden...with one petal left on its core. "I-I'm sorry, it's dying-" At his words a weak groan of anguish fell from Riku's lips. "Riku..."

"Well well, what do we have here?" A voice came from the shadows behind. Sora looked up and frowned as the other just weakly raised his head up. "Pretty successful saving that monster there, weren't you?"

"He's no monster, you are!" Sora hissed, holding the other tightly. Seifer frowned then laughed it off.

"You are still going to be mine, Sora." He reached into his pocket. "I'll make sure of that." The brunet's eyes widened in horror as he saw what the other had pulled from his pocket. A syringe. "Once the beast is gone, who else will you have?"

"I certainly wouldn't have you." Sora glared. That was it. The blonde launched himself at the two, holding the needle high."No! Leave nh us...alone!" Sora cried out as he held Seifer's arms at bay, as Riku stumbled back. The elder grinned and suddenly wrapped his arms around the other and pressed his lips to his neck, moaning out. "Don't touch me!!" At once Seifer was jerked from the other and met with another claw to the face.

"I believe rnh, he said not to touch him..." Riku panted, danger locked into his eyes.

"Riku!" Sora squirmed, rubbing his neck free of the lecherous kiss.

"All I have to do is to get rid of you." Seifer laughed, staring Riku down with the same animalistic look Sora feared.

"Riku run!"

"Nowhere to go, Beast..." Seifer walked closer.

"Riku!!" Riku stumbled back as Seifer walked closer the needle poised to attack. He kept hobbling back until he reached the balcony just as Seifer sprang in for the kill. "RIKU!!" The metal was pierced in, right inbetween his shoulderblades. Sea green eyes widened in near madness. What was that?! It stung! He threw his head back and let out a roar, unfortunately for the blonde, while injecting he had clung to the Beast and had been thrown over the edge of the balcony and into the darkness. Riku stumbled back to the center just as Sora ran to him. "Riku, Riku are you okay?"

"So...Sora..." He couldn't. He couldn't keep his eyes open anymore. "I'm glad...I saw...you...met...you..." And Riku collapsed halfway into the water of the small pool, unbreathing.

"No Riku, no!" Sora shouted, turning him over onto his back. "Riku stay, stay with me you have to, please..." He begged. His blue eyes teared up and that annoying lump tied up his throat. Axel and the others came into view at the entrance and gasped. They were too late. Sora's tears dripped down his face as he stared into the face of the other. He let out an anguished cry and threw himself on top of him and clung to him, ignoring the fact those strong arms would never hold him again, ignoring the fact he couldn't feel the nervous heartbeat, or feel the pulse in his body. Small waves broke out over the water and the light left the brilliant lotus as the last petal fell away and landed silently in the water. "I-I love you...Riku..." He mewled out. "I love you I love you!" He sobbed, buring his face in the still warm chest.

"Oh no..." Aerith cried, nuzzling Olette. Axel's flames died out as Roxas leaned into him. Everything...looked dead.

A light shined in the water, making the others look up and stare in awe. Sora wiped his face and gave a gentle sniff as he too looked up, eyes widening. Lines of light leaked from the center of the water, connecting as a flame would crawl up a line of a firework, to the fallen petals of the lotus. The snow white flora was drawn in by the light and connected to make the lotus once again. The same lines rushed out, illuminating the still Riku and pulled him into the center to meet with the lotus.

"Look..." Marluxia's eyes widened.

At once the petals grew and grew and grew. Large white and transparent almost. The giant lotus took in Riku's body and closed tightly. At once Sora began to panic but his body was frozen with a bit of fear and shock. As intense the light was, the brunet still struggled to see what was happened. Something was going on inside the flower, but what? Mere moments later the flower burst open letting out streams of blinding light to resonate all around the garden and beyond. Sora uncovered his eyes and was stunned speechless by what he saw.

A boy.

A boy around his age with the softest looking silver hair, strong arms and a handsome face. The lotus remained as large, radiant, and brilliantas the boy fell forward into the shallow water on his hands and knees. A small groan left his lips as he looked up, his eyesight focusing.

"Who...who are you?..."

The mysterious boy gasped softly and looked down at himself, at his hands and chest, holding himself then looked up and smiled at Sora. "Sora...it's me." The brunet's eyes squinted as he looked at him. "Me..." He smiled.

That voice, that sweet rough voice. Those...eyes, the color of the sea. "..R-Riku?" He whispered. That smile the other had broadened as he nodded. "RIKU!" Sora cried out, making splashes as he ran out into the warm water, taking Riku into a strong hug and vice versa. Sobs racked the smaller's body as he buried his face in his chest, still he didn't let go.

"Shh shh, don't cry." Riku whispered, cupping his face, wiping away tears with his thumb.

"R-Riku, I-" Sora mewled.

"I know." He whispered, tipping the boy's face up looking into his eyes. He loved the sky...He loved that blush that spread on that sweet boy's cheeks...He loved Sora. Both leaned in, the sea and sky met, and their lips melded into a sweet affectionate kiss.

"He's okay!" Axel cheered.

"He's alive!" Roxas clung to Axel happily as everyone shouted out. A light suddenly enveloped Olette.

"Olette?" Aerith gasped.

"M-Momma what's going-" She was cut off as a little girl stood in place of the tiny teacup. Then the same light wrapped the other appliances, persons slowly taking their place.

"Oh my god..." Axel laughed flexing his fingers and looking at himself.

"I don't believe this." Marluxia gasped holding his shoulders.

"Believe it!" Axel whooped and grabbed Roxas into a hug, then dragged the small blonde over to the couple in the garden.

"A-Axel?!" Sora smiled, watching everyone run in with bright smiles on their faces.

"Axel!" Riku cried out and hugged him, looking to Aerith and Marluxia pulling them in for hugs too. Sora threw his arms around each one hugging. Xemnas tapped his shoulder looking down at him.

"How did you find out?"

"About what?"

"Who the most precious person to you was?"

"Heh." Sora smirked. "Because my mom was as healthy as a horse." He leaned in and hugged Riku tightly, looking out seeing the sky turn pink and orange way out on the horizon.

Somewhere down at the base of the castle, a cameraman and reporter finish their recording. "Did you get that?"

"Got it all." The guy answered back.

"This is sure to get us good ratings." He grinned.