Disclaimer: (In regards to the entire story.) Kingdom Hearts and all related characters of the game are property of Square Enix. However, I do own the idea for this story. Plagiarism will not be tolerated. If you see a story that's clearly taken off from mine, please tell me. :D
Warning(s): yaoi, violence, language.
Opening Notes: Eee, thanks for such wonderful reviews! Without them, I probably wouldn't have gotten to work on this chapter for ages. (Even though it's been way too long as it is. This chapter gave me so much trouble that it's not even funny.)
So, thanks a bunch, everyone! (Especially Mandeth! This chapter's totally for her.)
One last thing. (Honestly!) This takes place after the first Kingdom Hearts game. The Nobodies don't exist. The Organization doesn't exist. I probably won't be using any of the characters from Chain of Memories or the second game. Sorry! D: But I might change my mind later...
'Hope you like this. I'm actually not too happy with the chapter. Bleh. I blame Aerith. It's all her fault.
Wolfsong
by Oblivion Sky
II. Lullaby for the Wolf
Leon drifted in and out of a hazy, pain-fogged state, everything blurry and confused. For whatever reason, he couldn't break through the barrier of consciousness. A part of him knew that something was keeping him from doing so, but the other part couldn't comprehend the fact, focusing only on the constant pain traveling through him.
Most of the time, though, dreams occupied his mind. None of the dreams were pleasant, nothing but terrifying nightmares that made him want to scream. They were filled with twisted shapes and snarling creatures, and always, the light of the full moon was beating down upon the shadows.
The pain was always worse after the nightmares. He could feel himself thrashing wildly outside of his comatose condition, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. As it was, all he could do was allow his mind to wander aimlessly as his body tortured itself, his shoulder searing incessantly with something short of agony.
'I need to wake up, dammit... Why can't I wake up?'
---
"Sora!"
He was running down the streets of Traverse Town, Keyblade in his hand, footfalls resonating through the empty area. The cry came out of nowhere, but he immediately recognized the voice, eyes widening as he skidded to a halt. The other's tone was fearful, panicked - why is he scared? - desperate, pain-filled...
"Leon, where are you!"
He took off running again, ears listening for the reply, anything at all that would indicate where his friend was. It came a moment later, seeming to be from the alley just ahead of him.
"Sora, they're-!"
And quite abruptly, Leon's words became a piercing scream.
Sora ran faster, rounding the corner and ducking into the alley, frantically searching for Leon - where is he dammit where is he! - anywhere, anything, gaze finally landing on the shadows at the end of the alley. He could faintly make out Leon's form, pressed up against the brick wall, surrounded by writhing black shapes. And then those shapes began to separate, becoming figures, animals...
Wolves.
One of the beasts leapt at Leon, Sora darting towards it and unable to do anything as its gleaming fangs dug into Leon's throat. Blood sprayed like a fountain, but Leon didn't make a sound, his previous scream dying away.
Sora screamed for him, letting go of the Keyblade and trying to wade through the wolves, crying out as they snarled and nipped at him, shoving him to the floor of the alley so that he had to fight to regain his footing.
He managed to get to Leon, who was now curled up on the ground. He was shaking and before Sora could say anything, he had started writhing, convulsing horribly. The screaming started again, the wolves behind them echoing it with chilling howls.
Leon changed.
In the man's place was a large wolf, and it snarled at him, its growl growing louder to compete with the howling. Sora backed away, breath coming in gasps, a strangled sound escaping him when the other wolves blocked his escape.
Leon stalked closer.
The wolves dragged him to the ground again, pinning him, leaving him utterly helpless. Sora struggled despite that, panic overwhelming him, blue eyes filled with terror, the color glittering with tears.
Leon attacked.
Sora awoke with a shout, eyes flying open as he bolted upright. The second he did so, a jolt of pain traveled through him, forcing him to relax. The injury in his stomach still ached tremendously, a burning sensation spreading through him before it faded, settling to a dull throbbing.
Slowly, the fear left by the nightmare began to ebb away, allowing him to relax back into the chair he was sitting in. His eyes remained open, though, focusing on the bed that the chair was next to. Specifically, the figure lying in the bed.
It had been a week since the attack, and Leon hadn't woken up.
Sora was, to put it simply, terrified. Not even Aerith, the group's healer, knew what was wrong with him. Her magic hadn't worked on the man's wound, and the most they could do was wrap it tightly in bandages in an attempt to keep the bleeding down. It didn't do much, as the white material was always stained a deep, dark red color within a few hours.
Excessive bleeding wasn't the only complication, of course. Leon's temperature would soar during the night, and it usually took the sacrifice of a few hours of sleep to nurse him through the raging fever. When his temperature returned to normal, he was always soaked in sweat, and the blood always flowed faster from his wound.
What terrified Sora the most were the seizure-like fits that Leon endured. They occurred at random and without warning. Some lasted only a minute or two, but several had lasted for over ten minutes. Regardless of the duration, all of the fits had Leon twisting wildly on the bed, screams of pain leaving him as his fingers attacked the wound, almost clawing at it. One time, Sora would've sworn that he'd heard the man howl, a sound so primal and livid that it had left him shaking while Aerith wiped the sweat from Leon's forehead.
Most of the time, Aerith was in the room tending to the man, but Sora wasn't sure what she was doing when she left every day in the afternoon. She would only disappear for three or four hours at a time and would return before the sun had set. Until then, Sora was left alone to care for Leon.
Even with Aerith's protests that he should be resting as well, Sora had volunteered -- or rather demanded -- to help the older brunette recover from the attack. Outwardly, he told himself that he just wanted to see his friend through such a brutal injury, but the truth was that he felt partially responsible for what had happened. He knew he was being foolish and that it was the creature's fault that Leon was in such a state, but the notion remained in spite of the logic.
He'd taken up living in the once-vacant house so that he'd be able to stay with Leon at all times. He would sleep in the chair beside the bed or curl up on the floor, not caring how uncomfortable both choices were as long as he could keep watch over the other. Aerith would bring him food and a change of clothing during the hour or two that Leon was calm and truly sleeping, but other than that, he was on his own.
The door opened abruptly, jostling Sora from his thoughts. He turned his head to see Aerith entering the room and offered her a small smile as he lifted his arms to stretch. "Back so soon? It's not even six yet."
The woman returned the smile half-heartedly, walking over to him without shutting the door. The action caused Sora to frown, but he didn't say anything, taking notice of the unusual look in her eyes as she spoke. "We might've figured out what's wrong with Leon," she said, skipping over a greeting.
If possible, Sora's frown deepened. "Wait, 'we'? Who're you talking about?"
Aerith sighed loudly, and if Sora hadn't known her so well, he might've thought that the sigh had been one of exasperation. "Merlin. I've been going to his house to research Leon's condition. I figured that he'd be able to help find out what those things were because he's a wizard..."
She smoothed her hands over her pink dress, brushing at imaginary dirt. "We just had a break-through," she continued, but her jade eyes didn't light up with excitement, as they should have. "I think you should come to see what we found out."
Sora bit his lip, glancing between the woman and Leon's prone form. He didn't want to leave his friend alone in such a state; what if he had another fit?
Aerith seemed to sense his hesitancy. "It won't take long, Sora. He'll be fine for half an hour, I promise."
Trusting her, the younger of the two nodded, the indecision replaced with a biting anxiousness. Eager to hear what Merlin and Aerith had discovered and why the flower maiden suddenly looked so grave, he headed towards the open door.
"If anything happens to him, I'm entirely blaming you," Sora said jokingly, a small attempt at lightening the unexpectedly somber air that had settled between them.
Aerith just smiled weakly.
---
His mind was no longer his own.
There was something lurking within its depths, no more than a shadow in his delirious state, but sometimes that shadow would grow fangs and claws and snarl at him as if he was an enemy. Other times, though, it would speak.
Like it was doing now.
Humanletmeout.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Leon answered mentally, knowing that it was the only way to communicate with the growling voice that echoed through his head. "I don't even know who you are."
Iamyourbeast.
"My beast?" he reiterated, telepathic voice taking on a confused tone. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
The shadow didn't give him a clear answer, instead returning to its first statement. IamtrappedwithinyouandIwanttobeletout.
In any other situation, Leon knew that he'd be angry at this point, that he'd be downright furious. However, all he felt was weariness, possibly indifference, and the reason for such was unknown to him. "You're not making any sense."
YOUINCOMPETENTHUMAN.
Leon immediately recoiled, taken aback by the sheer animalistic rage filling the shadow's voice. It continued even as he felt the anger flood through his physical body, causing his bite wound to flare up in pure agony.
RELEASEMEFROMTHISPRISONIWANTTOBEFREE.
The pain increased sharply, and he knew that he was screaming, but the shrieks couldn't be heard within his mind. All that he could hear was the shadow, the furious snarls mixing in with the barely coherent words as it refused to stop shouting at him, its wrath enough to terrify him.
LETMEOUTLETMEOUTYOUDON'TEVENKNOWWHATYOUHAVEBECOME.
Leon didn't have time to ponder the end of the shadow's statement, too distracted by the mixture of imaginary and real pain. He was having trouble separating the two, unsure of whether the claws tearing through him were actually there, or if the blood spilling from his mouth was just his imagination. His head was aching from the shadow's yelling, a sharp throbbing starting right behind his eyes. Fire seemed to be racing across his skin, followed by a sensation of fierce cold.
Gradually, Leon was lost within the chaos of his mind, forgetting what the shadow had said under the onslaught of torture. All he could think of was the pain, and as such, he didn't even notice when he once again fell into the abyss of unconsciousness.
---
Out of all the places Sora had ever been, Merlin's house was still the strangest of them all. The location itself was peculiar; the house was built on a tiny island in the center of a small lake that was hidden in a cavern off the Third District of Traverse Town. Inside, it was nothing but a cluttered mess. Spell books were scattered over the floor rather than in the bookshelves that lined the wall, while chairs and other pieces of enchanted furniture moved about as they pleased. A bed was shoved into one corner, hardly looking to be slept in at all save for the unmade covers. In the center of the room stood a miniature podium, a dingy table set up on top of it.
Sora found himself standing beside the table, looking down at the books and pages of notes that covered the surface. He couldn't read the handwriting on the parchment that Merlin was so fond of using, but he could tell the difference between Aerith's feminine script and the wizard's haphazard scrawl. Other than that, he relied on the two of them to translate the writing.
Aerith stood next to him while Merlin sat in the ornate chair placed in front of the table, shuffling papers and setting out books. Both had yet to say a word to the boy, and Sora was about to break the silence when Merlin spoke. "I trust that Aerith has told you we've discovered something about Leon's condition?"
At Sora's nod, the wizened mage continued. "When we first came to the conclusion, I did not believe it. As such, I think it would be best to break the news to you slowly-,"
"Wait," Sora interrupted, unable to stop himself from worrying as he heard those words. "Leon's not going to die, is he? It's not that bad, right?"
He didn't allow the terror he felt to show in his eyes. If Leon died, Sora had no idea know what he'd do. The man meant more to him than he knew was healthy. The prospect of Leon no longer being there shocked Sora to the very core, sent a thrill of fear through him as he awaited Merlin's response.
The wizard's gravelly voice betrayed his hesitancy to answer, only plummeting Sora's mood further. "Well... It is a possibility, I can't deny that. Nevertheless, I'm certain that with Leon's strength and sheer will, he'll be able to overcome it."
Sora could feel Aerith's concerned gaze on him as he inhaled sharply, but he didn't turn to look at her, instead concentrating on the elderly man. "Overcome what? You still haven't told me what's wrong with him."
"Sora, I need you to tell me exactly what Leon's been going through over the course of the past week," Merlin stated, effectively avoiding the boy's question.
The brunette let out a frustrated sound, but he did as he was told. "His temperature gets really high at night, and he's had... seizures a lot. The bite on his shoulder won't heal, either. It hasn't stopped bleeding, and Aerith's magic won't work on it."
Merlin waved a wrinkled hand, nodding his head at the same time. "Yes, she's told me that. Has there been anything else that's happened?"
Sora bit his lip, shifting uncomfortably under the wizard's piercing gaze. Nothing came to him at first; other than those symptoms, nothing else seemed unusual. Disregarding the fits and abnormalities of the wound, Leon just appeared to be sick...
But quite abruptly, it hit him, and his gaze snapped back to Merlin. "He howled. It sounded like an animal, I guess, maybe a..."
Sora found himself trailing off, some part of him not wanting to say the creature he was thinking of. The dream from half an hour ago was still fresh in his mind, memories of the attack joining it. The sight of the creature transforming, the eerie chorus that had risen from the others... All of it was flooding back to him at once.
"A wolf, Sora?" Merlin's voice cut through his thoughts, but he looked up at Aerith before he could see the boy's startled expression. "Do you remember hearing this, Aerith?"
The flower maiden was frowning as she glanced at Sora in curiosity. "No. I've heard him scream something awful, but I've never heard him howl... It would make sense, though."
Merlin lifted a brow. "And what of the fact that only Sora could hear it?"
Aerith shrugged, riffling through a handful of the papers as Sora watched their discussion with growing confusion. "He was hurt by them, too... His injury won't heal completely, either, so maybe it's given him a few of their attributes-,"
"Could you just tell me what's wrong with Leon?" Sora spoke up abruptly, not particularly caring if he was being rude. 'Why can't they just get it over with? They brought me down here to talk about it, so why are they stalling?'
Merlin sighed heavily, leaning back in the large chair. His gaze fixed itself on Sora's as one hand smoothed through his thick beard. Immediately, Sora felt a sense of fear, the same one that had risen only a few minutes ago. He didn't want to hear what Merlin was about to say, didn't want to know what was happening to Leon...
"Sora, we believe that Leon's become a werewolf."
Silence followed the statement, filling the small house as Sora tried to process the information. When he did, he let out a sharp laugh, the sound seeming much too loud in the otherwise quiet room. "I'm not that gullible, Merlin. But seriously, what's wrong with Leon?"
The wizard made no notion that he had been joking, no twinkle in his eyes or quirk of his lips. He merely regarded the Keyblade Master with a saddened expression. "I'm afraid that I'm being completely serious, Sora. We've studied everything that has happened to Leon, and all of it points to the werewolf."
Sora shook his head, previous grin faltering into a frown. Werewolves didn't exist. Everyone knew it was a legend based on human fears, that it was a monster created for children's bedtime stories. A man couldn't transform into a murderous beast purely from the light of a full moon. They simply didn't exist.
"Werewolves aren't real, Merlin," the brunette repeated, "Neither are vampires, demons, goblins-,"
"Demons are very real, Sora," Aerith interrupted, and he was somewhat surprised to hear how tense her voice was. "I once knew a man that had four of them living in his head. They could take over his body at will, and they nearly drove him insane. He tried to kill himself several times, but Cid or Cloud always stopped him..."
The woman exhaled deeply. "No, demons are real. And so are werewolves and vampires. How else would you explain what's happening?"
Sora fell silent, unable to think of a way to reply. He didn't have to think long as Merlin spoke again, his voice so solemn that it scared the boy. "What Leon is currently going through are the effects of the curse settling into his body. He'll need to adjust to living with the instincts of a wolf, as well as the actual thing."
Before Sora could ask what he had meant, the mage continued, answering the unspoken question. "Leon will be sharing his mind with the wolf, much like the man that Aerith was talking about. It will always be there and will most likely take over his body during transformations until Leon learns how to remain in control."
Aerith took up the explanation, leaning over the table and picking up a certain sheet of parchment that was covered in calculations and notes. "He'll stay in this condition until the next full moon, which is exactly twenty-two days from today. On that day, the curse will be complete, and..."
"...He'll turn into a wolf," Sora finished for her. He sounded distant to himself, as if he were hearing the conversation from far away. This couldn't be happening, could it? Leon couldn't really be a werewolf, could he...?
But despite how much he longed to protest it, how his mind wanted to rebel against the idea, Sora knew it was true. Somewhere deep inside of him, he knew it. He may have known it all along, his brain ahead of him and adding up the clues while he struggled to understand the situation.
'Leon's a werewolf... He... Even if he lives until the full moon, he'll still transform into... into some kind of monster...'
If Aerith and Merlin were speaking, Sora didn't hear them. He could feel the sting of tears in his eyes, all at once realizing how one simple bite was going to change his friend's life. Leon wouldn't be the same, couldn't be the same...
'He isn't even human anymore. He's a... a wolf, an animal...'
Something was nagging at him amidst his inner turmoil, a drumming beat in the back of his head. His watery blue gaze flicked upwards to look at Aerith, cutting off whatever she was saying to the wizard as he spoke. "What did you mean earlier? About me being the only one that heard Leon howling. You said that they gave me their attributes."
There was a frantic quality to his voice, one he didn't like at all. But he was worried, worried about what the flower maiden would say, what conclusion she'd come to...
Aerith displayed the same hesitance that Merlin had at the start of the meeting, though she replied in an even voice. When she didn't meet Sora's eyes, his panic grew, recognizing the beating as the pounding of his own heart.
"The lycanthrope curse isn't passed only through bites. It's almost like a disease that's transferred by injuring another person. Their saliva carries the poison, but it's only active when they're biting something, kind of like a snake," the woman explained, glancing down at another book momentarily to check her information. Before continuing, she let out a small sigh, and that worried Sora more than ever.
"It's also been determined that werewolves carry a... lesser version of the venom in their claws," she murmured, and the boy was certain that her eyes traveled to the bandaged wound in his abdomen. That action alone sent a wave of nausea through him, stomach twisting in nervousness. Like before, he knew what she was going to say, mind figuring it out long before he could come to terms with it.
"So... You're saying that I was... infected, too?" he asked tentatively, words dripping with the anxiety he felt.
It was as if the ground had fallen out below him when he saw Aerith nod, looking quickly to Merlin in order to confirm it. The wizard was nodding as well, eyes hidden behind his glasses as he tilted his head downwards, hands folded in the lap of his midnight-blue robes.
His heart seemed to have leapt into his throat, but Sora forced himself to keep talking. If he stopped talking, it would be too real. And right then, he didn't know if any of it was real or not.
"But... Why isn't it affecting me the same way? Why is Leon practically dying when I've never felt better?" he asked, attempting and failing to control his breathing. It was uneven, quickening as his stomach continued to twist and bend.
Merlin didn't say anything, allowing Aerith to answer the question. "You weren't bitten, Sora. You'll probably only gain half of the werewolf's abilities, so the curse isn't as strong as it is for Leon..."
"A half-werewolf, per say," the mage reiterated, stare fixed upon the table. "You won't transform, and you won't have a wolf living within you... Basically, we believe that you'll only have heightened senses, and you'll obviously be able to hear things that we humans cannot, if that howl is anything to judge by..."
Sora felt himself nodding, but it was like watching the scene play out from somewhere other than his own body. He didn't feel himself leave Merlin's residence, couldn't remember walking through the Third District on the way back to the house. Everything was dreamlike, and he could feel Aerith's troubled gaze on him, but he did nothing to reassure her.
It was impossible to accept. He didn't feel different; he wasn't different...
He was Sora, just Sora...
---
He could hear someone speaking to him. He couldn't place the voice, yet it was so familiar, soothing the pain running through his head and numbing that of his physical body. It was submerging him in a pleasant state, the tranquil feeling washing over him in cooling waves.
There was the silky touch of fingers brushing his forehead, but Leon could barely feel it. The ghost of a tingling sensation was all that reached him. In spite of that, he was still calmed, the growling of the shadow subdued for the time being.
He couldn't make out the words that were being said. However, the fondness in them was clear, but it was coupled by several notes of sorrow and apology. Regardless, it helped immensely, keeping the shadow at bay and allowing him a chance to recover.
His body refused to wake up, though, and as the gentle whispering persisted, Leon felt himself sinking back into unconsciousness, back into the haze of dreams and tinges of pain.
At the last moment, the name occurred to him, but there was nothing he could do to act upon it as he drifted, lulled to sleep by the comforting voice.
'Sora...'
The dreams were pleasant this time.
- tbc.