Kingdom Hearts:
The Wanderer and the Heart
Chapter Two
He had seen temples before - he couldn't he not have, with all the worlds he went to? - But never anything like this. It was huge! When he saw the building he was awed. It towered over the large trees! Sure, buildings - tall skyscrapers, even! - were common in other worlds, but in a world like this? How long would it have taken to build it? Years, if they didn't have any machines to assist them! Maybe even decades! But it was truly a work of art. Even he could appreciate it, and he didn't understand one thing about art and the such. Olette giggled at him as Sora hurried them inside, but he barely noticed. The pillars were never just pillars. They always had decorative vines of flowers wrapped around them. The walls were never just walls. They were too white and beautiful to be 'just walls.' He could barely describe it.
He was sure that the inside would be even better. But, instead of being able to enjoy it, he was pushed and shoved as soon as he entered the doors of the temple. He had to grab onto Sora's shirt so he wouldn't he dragged away. The place was a mad house! The room - which was huge, make no doubt about it - was filled with all sorts of people, buzzing and gossiping about the arrival of the Seraphim Roxas. Sora glanced behind him, grabbing Riku's wrist, and dragging him along, through the crowd. Although he was sure the crowd would've protested and whined about how they were cutting through, no one made a peep about them, and even moved to let him through. He found that puzzling. But he didn't have time to focus on it as he was dragged through. They had long lost Olette, but Sora hadn't noticed. It seemed to be a miracle he hadn't forgotten Riku!
Soon, though, sooner than Riku could've ever predicted them to cross such an expansive room, they reached the 'stage'. Well, that's what he would call it, anyway. It was really just a raised section of the stone floor, edged with stairs - he wouldn't call them that, since it was only two steps. While Sora bounced up the stairs with ease, the Wanderer nearly tripped down them, only staying upright because of the person holding his wrist. He muttered a thank you, although he doubted the boy could hear him. He doubted he could hear anything besides the roaring caused from his excitement.
Before he could examine any more of the stage, Sora stopped abruptly, not budging an inch as the silver-haired man ran into him from behind. No, he had no attention to anything besides the being standing in front of them, the source of all of the buzz and interest. And, with one look, Riku could see exactly why.
He wasn't old - in fact, he looked like he would be around their own age - but he held himself in such a way that even he, a complete stranger to this world, would give him the respect he almost commanded. But, for all the regal air he possessed, he also had a friendly and welcoming demeanor. Even now, in all the mannerly traditions and formality he wasn't probably forced to endure, he was wearing an easy smile. He was probably the kind of person it was impossible to hate. And he hadn't even to begin to take in his looks! Blonde hair, blue eyes... The perfect image of an angel. Riku, as non-believing in religion and angels as he was, might've gotten down on his knees in worship if it wasn't for one detail that almost made him shy away from the welcoming individual.
This man - or was boy more appropriate? He was in the difficult transition between the two terms - had a pair of ebony wings attached to his back. They were lovely, the feathers looking as smooth as silk and as soft as anything. They were also large! If he stretched them out, they would probably be a span of eight feet! If it weren't for the color, he would've possibly believed in a higher power. Maybe.
When he traveled with the Wanderer's Troupe, there was an old woman, named Flora. Everyone agreed that she was senile, unstable, and just unbearable, but no one had the heart to abandon the old hag. Riku had no real problem with her, but then again, he never had a problem with any of them. She would always tell him that any creature with black was not to be trusted at all, as it was a color of demons. Ravens, bears, dogs, cats. Any other color of animal was fine, but a black one was untrustworthy and likely to kill you once the chance arrived. Women. Any woman with the demon color was just a seductress, dealing in all sorts of sins. While the others in the troupe laughed at her and told her to keep her badgering to herself, he couldn't help but listen, and take some of her advice in. And why wouldn't he? He was only a young boy then, oblivious to the dangers of the world. So he couldn't be content or at ease with this new individual, with his wings - which should've been such a holy thing - such an evil color.
"Why hello there, Sora," the boy/man said lightly, glancing between the brunette and the silver-haired Wanderer, "And just who might this be? I've never seen him before. He looks like a good, faithful man, though." He gave Sora an easy grin, which the brunette returned with ease. Riku didn't like the connection between the two. He didn't like it at all.
"Oh, this? This is Riku, my new friend. He's... new here, and unused to our customs," Sora explained, before pulling Riku up beside him, "Riku, this is the Seraphim Roxas. Roxas, this is Riku. There. Now you're properly introduced." Roxas seemed to be very curious about him, even to the point of circling around him, his evil wings trailing behind him. He stopped after once around, though, frowning even more.
"But... how can he be unused to the customs?" he murmured, more to himself than to anyone else. Not that anyone was close enough to hear anything the three of them could've said. They gawked and stared at him, but apparently only Sora could get close to him. The others stayed a reasonable distance away, which confused him. Why was Sora so special? "The whole world is blessed by our beloved Daughter... Why wouldn't he know? There's not a part of the word we haven't cared for..."
Riku nearly paled as the Seraphim started questioning his origin. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was just something that was telling him that he shouldn't reveal where he had come from. Especially not to the black-winged 'angel.' Now he was thankful he hadn't mentioned it to Sora yet. The brunette probably wouldn't betrayed his secret to this Roxas without batting an eyelash.
"Of course. If it was anyone besides the baby-faced, precious Roxas, there wouldn't be such a party," a voice said above them, and it seemed as if the entire room looked up. Only then had Riku noticed that the entire ceiling was glass, with part of it just open, obviously to let such winged beings into the temple, as it would be hard to land anywhere else with the forest surrounding the place. And it was indeed another black-winged Seraphim that was swiftly soaring towards them. This one, Riku could tell as he came closer - how high was that ceiling? - was much different from the young and seemingly carefree Roxas. Even from the distance that he was at, although he was getting closer every second, he was easily larger than Roxas. His wing span made the blonde Seraphim's look small and childish, as did his physic. He was huge, with strong muscles that even showed through the white robes he wore. The room immediately fell into silence as he entered, everyone struck in awe by this Seraphim. Even Sora looked impressed. When he finally landed next to Roxas, though, the younger one scoffed.
"Well, what do you expect, Lexaeus?" he asked airily, raising an eyebrow, "You're terrifying! I've heard infants scream because you entered the room! 'Silent Hero', indeed." He huffed, and glanced the other way, as this Lexaeus rolled his eyes. Obviously the two weren't on good terms. But the newcomer quickly glanced at the two closest mortals, raising his eyebrows in interest.
"Oh... yes... Sally, was it? I was never good at names," he said in a bored tone, as if he didn't really care to listen to Sora speak. But the brunette smiled warmly at him, and shook his head.
"Sora, Seraphim."
"Ah, yes, Sora, now I remember," he said lightly, before chuckling, "Don't he look a lot like his father, Roxas? Jus' the spitting image of him, really." He laughed boldly, and both of the teenage boys glowered at him. Riku didn't understand why, and said nothing. Thankfully the large Seraphim hadn't noticed him. He felt this one would be much less forgiving. He glanced behind at the crowd, watching them stare at the two 'angels' in awe. It apparently wasn't often an angel visited them, and now they had two in one day! That must've really been a treat to them.
"Anyway, I don't really care," Lexaeus went on, turning away from the two and back to Roxas, "I really hate this wimpy town, and I wouldn't have come if anyone else asked me, but here I am. I have a message for you, our little 'Key of Destiny.' Really, could she have chosen a worse name for you? You're no better than your disgrace of a father, and-"
"Thank you, Lexaeus," the blonde said icily, snatching up a letter the "Silent Hero" had held out for him, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm in the middle of a visit here, and I'd like to do it in peace."
"I don't think you understand," he said, rolling his eyes, "That letter's from her. She wants you to come back right now. She says it's urgent. I wouldn't keep her waiting if I were you. You know Nymphy would have your hide. Well, she probably would, anyway." Roxas narrowed his eyes, and opened the letter, scanning over the piece of paper quickly. Riku couldn't read it from the distance he was at, but he could see the delicate handwriting and watched as Roxas's facial emotions changed. Who was 'she', anyway? The Daughter?
"My friends!" Roxas suddenly called out to the crowd, looking weary now, "I must apologize, but I can stay no longer! I wish I could... You have no idea how I long to stay and wish you all well, but the Daughter has asked for me! Farewell!"
"Her will be done!" was the general response from the crowd as they cheered and waved, a couple of well wishes in the midst of the noise. Lexaeus rolled his eyes, and took off, nearly blowing Riku back with the force of it. Roxas laughed lightly, and glanced at Riku and Sora, sighing.
"I'm sorry, my friend," he apologized, glancing at Riku for a moment, "But I must leave. Maybe soon we'll all be able to have a nice chat. Until that time, stay well, and may Kingdom Hearts pour out its blessings upon this place." He gave one last friendly smile, before following his fellow Seraphim's example, gone almost as fast. Riku frowned, not sure what to make out of what had just happened. Before he could ask Sora anything, the brunette turned to him, his smile a little more sad and droopy. Obviously he wanted more time to converse with the 'angel.'
"Come on, Riku," he said lightly, holding out his hand, "I'll go introduce you to the Twilight Gang."
-o-O-o-
"I have to admit - you always did have a way with words," a voice teased, and Roxas spun around to find its owner, although he had that voice burned into his memory. When catching sight of him, however, he grinned.
"Well, someone has to make a good impression. It might as well be me, don't you think?" he responded, shrugging and continuing on his flight back to Destiny Peak. Why would the Daughter summon him so suddenly? She knew that he had gone to Twilight Town to make the people happy. She had given him her well wishes! Had something happened? Was she hurt?
"Don't worry your pretty little head. You'll wrinkle," his friend said, his usual sly grin gracing his face. Roxas couldn't help but laugh. While many of the Seraphim he couldn't stand, he had found a dear friend in the Flurry of Dancing Flames, the Seraphim Axel. At first, he was unwelcome by everyone, simply because he was the youngest and newest Seraphim, but soon, the peculiar man befriended him. He looked so... unreal to Roxas. His hair, it was like fire blazing behind him - which fit him, of course. And his eyes were as green as any he had ever seen. His wings were a good size, and he was almost always seen flying. It suited his personality to fly free. He was as fickle as a mortal woman, maybe even more so.
"If I wrinkle, it'll be because I'm busy keeping you in line," Roxas retorted, and they both shared another grin. Smiling and happiness was impossible not to have when they were in each other's company. They were two peas in a pod, two birds of a feather!
"Listen... I think She's worried about something," Axel said after a moment, his tone different. Instead of the almost mocking voice he usually used, his voice was soft, hesitant. Roxas could tell he was really worried about Her. He was as well. "It started last night. Marly was there, too, but he wasn't paying... well, he was doing what he was usually doing." Roxas nodded knowingly. They both knew well how Marluxia felt about Her, and how sinful and wrong it was. They both warned him, as did many others, but his unhealthy attraction just would not be stopped.
"Then we'll pray for Her," the blonde Seraphim said 'matter-of-factly', "There's nothing else we can really do. She's the Daughter. She can handle anything."
-x-X-x-
He was sick of angels. He was sick of mountains. He was sick of this place! Every day he passed another of those blasted Seraphim, always having to be polite to them when they treated him like dirt. Didn't he matter at all? He was the brother of the Daughter, after all! Didn't that couldn't for anything? Apparently not enough for the 'wonderful' Seraphim. Everyone adored them so, but they never say what terrible people they could be. Of course, they were much better than many men of the world, but... really! The Seraphim Luxord would never stop gambling, Xaldin had a drinking problem, Xigbar enjoyed women far more than a holy man should, and he didn't want to start on any of the others! And still, day in and day, all he heard was "Long live the Seraphim!" or "Kingdom Hearts bless the Seraphim!" It was enough to drive anyone mad!
Of course, as much as he wanted to, he couldn't just leave. He couldn't abandon his sister! She needed him! Not to mention he didn't trust a few of the Seraphim unsupervised around Her. Then again, some of the other, almost likable Seraphim had that idea as well. But still, they were all a plague. Why did the god let such terrible people help rule and comfort the common folk? He sighed. It was only a few days until Kingdom Hearts would come again, and he could be comforted. Maybe he could write to her, as well. She was probably so bored and lonely in Hollow Bastion. And all the others back in Twilight Town.
He stopped at one of the large, ornate windows overlooking Dusk City, and he scowled. He hated that place, almost as much as he hated the Seraphim. Really, he hated everything around here, except for his sister. Sure, the god and all that blessed Dusk City, but there were also the shadows of the place that even Kingdom Hearts could not reach. Those were the disgusting places he never hoped to see again. He would have to remember to mention those dens of sin to his sister one of these days. Well... maybe when she was a bit relaxed. Recently she had been so on edge, and she couldn't tell anyone way. Maybe the god was telling her some distressing news. Maybe their world was in danger! Maybe she was in danger! He scowled at the city, still alive and dancing with their lights at such an hour, and turned towards his sister's private quarters. Maybe a visit with her would do his mind well. She had always been gentle and understanding, and that's what he needed right now. Maybe, if she could assure him she was in no danger, he could go visit the others in Twilight Town or her in Hollow Bastion. How long had it been since they had been together?
"Sister...?" he asked hesitantly as he creaked the door open to her private study, where she was sure to be. Perhaps she was conversing with the god, or writing a prophecy, or reading over old texts. When he came in, however, she was doing none of the above. She was just sitting in her chair, her face buried in her hands. She barely acknowledged him as he came in.
"Are you alright?" he asked, daring to break the silence that had fallen after she had not responded. She looked so tired... She had been tired a lot these days. He was so worried.
Her head snapped up at his question, and her eyes darted around, tense, as if expecting an attack. When her eyes landed on him, however, she relaxed, and sighed.
"Oh. It's you," she said, her voice weak as just as tired as she looked, "Please.. come in, sit down. I always feel better when you're with me... Cloud."
-o-X-o-
A/N: Woo! I actually finished it. Longest chapter of.. anything that I've written. But it was fun. Introduce new characters and stuff, and yeah. Oh, in case anyone was wondering, I probably will be finishing this, since my buddy really likes it. (And yes, Time, I lied. They do have wings.) So, thank you for reading this, and please review, etc. etc. Sacrifice your newborns up to me(Kidding, kidding!), you know the deal.