The Next World

Author's note: This story returns to being told from Sora's point of view







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I woke up to the smell of meat cooking. I opened my eyes and screamed at the first thing I saw.





Riku was laying on the ground next to me. His clothing was covered in blood as well as his face. I crawled over to were he was slowly and fearfully but when I got closer to him I saw that he was still alive.





"He came back a few hours before the sun came up." Kage said.





I looked over at him and saw that his face markings were gone. My first thought was that he looked really cute. I pushed that thought aside and smiled at him.





"I was afraid you found his dead body while you were out hunting for breakfast and drug him back here for me. I'm glad he survived." I said.





Kage gave a nod and said "All three of us are going to survive this and then we'll go to were ever it is that you and Riku are from. I have no clue what it's like but it must be better then here."





I sat next to him in front of the fire and said "We live in a place called Destiny Islands. It's a nice and warm island chain by the ocean. It's really warm and there’s a lot of wonderful people there. Nobody has to hurt anyone because everyone is friends with everyone."





His eyes grew wide and he smiled. "It sounds like a paradise." He said.





I gave a nod and said "I've been to so many worlds but I never found one I liked better then back home."





"You forgot to mention my island." Riku said.





I looked and saw that he was awake and sitting up smileing at me.





"It's not your island. It's everyones island." I said to him.





"Nobody's ever been able to take it from me so it's mine." Riku said with a smirk.





"Just yours?" I asked him.





"Well ours. I suppose I can share it with you two but nobody else." he said.





"I thought you said everyone got along." Kage said in a teasing tone.





"We do all get along but all of us younger ones sword fight and Riku is the best. There’s this small island were a fruit tree that grows a special fruit is on and Riku spends a lot of time on that small island and everyone tries to sword fight him and knock him in to the water but it doesn’t happen very often so he says it's his island." I told Kage.





"Can we build a house on it?" He asked.





"No room. It's really tiny." I said.





"Then why fight over it if it's so small?" Kage asked.





"It's like a game." Riku said.





Kage smiled and said "Sounds like a nice place."





Riku and I just gave a small nod in agreement.





Kage looked at the meet that was cooking and said "Breakfast is done."





He handed me and Riku each a peice of meat. I took a large bite out of mine but Riku looked at his uncertianly.





"What is this?" Riku asked.





"Not sure what it is. It's animal an I've never seen before that attacked me while I was out hunting this morning. How does it taste Sora?" Kage said.





"It's fine. It's tender, juicy, and has a good flavor." I said with a mouth full of meat.





Kage smiled and started to eat his large piece of meat. Riku stared at his before he finially bit in to it. The three of us ate breakfast with small talk made occasioanlly throught the meal.





We were sitting around talking about Desteny Islands untill the sound of someone clearing thier throat interupted us. I looked to see Reikila standing in the cave.





"So we meet agian." Kage said to the tall elf with malace in his voice.





The murderous creature just smiled and said "I suppose we do. We must be bound by some kind of fate. We always meet on oposet sides in battle yet neither of us has been ever to slay the other. I've killed every opponent I've come across and I'm sure the same has been true for you."





"What do you want?" Riku asked, moveing between me and Reikila.





The elf laughed and said "You think you'll be able to protect your little boyfreind from me forever? He has to kill me in a duel for the two of you to go home which means we have to have a one on one fight to the death. You won't be able to save him from me."





"Does it really have to be a duel? Your pateners you picked were ones who had strong bonds and intentions with me and Riku. Zoul wanted to kill me no matter what for me killing my father who was his brother and acted alone to try it." Kage challenged.





"Ansem always preferred it to be just me and him when he would force himself on me and he tired it before I killed him. He would of come for me alone even if he didn't have to." Riku added.





Reikila smiled and laughed. I was chilled by the sound of his laughter. He walked over to Riku and puched him in the stomach with no warning.





Riku fell to the ground and Reikila stood right in front of me. He put a foot on Riku's chest so he couldn’t stand up and looked him in the eyes.





"You can't save him from me so don't try. I'll kill you and let him live if you get in my agian." The elf said as he took his foot off of Riku's chest.





Riku stood up and got beside me and took my hand. He glared at Reikila who just smiled and calmly said "You're freinds have both made good points but I want you to do me a big favor and think about a little something for me."





I looked up in to his eyes and said "I'll never do anything for you."





The elf smiled and said "If you freinds are right they'll be able to help you fight me but you still have to land the killing blow if you're able to with that weak heart of yours to spill the blood of a liveing creature. If I'm right and they help you then you and Riku will be stuck here forever."





"You admit I'm you're equal don't you?" Kage asked Reikila.





"As much as I hate to say it to a human child I will in your case because you've earned it. Nobody has survived one encounter wiht me and you've lived through several." The elf said.





"Sora beat me in a sword fight." Kage told him.





He laughed and said "You're still alive so he didn't beat you in a fight. He bested you in a play session. You humans fight with each other for play some times never even wounding your opponent. Every time an elf fights another it's to the death. Once two elves begin a fight if one ends it with out the death of his opponent both are slain. It's a disgrace to end a fight without the death of an opponent."





Kage smiled ad him and said "You must be quite the disgrace then. At least three times we've fought each other that we know of, probably more where we were both wearing full armer with our faces covered so we didn't recognize each other, and we're both still alive."





The elf turned his attention from me to Kage He walked over to the youngest of us and looked down at him. He towered over Kage by at least a foot.





"I may be young but I'm no child. I've been stared down by men bigger then you are and killed them in battle. I'm not afraid of you at all." Kage said as he looked up at Reikila's face.





Reikila leaned down and kissed Kage on the cheek. "You're so attractive for a human. Maybe that's why I've kept you alive." He said.





Kage had a look of disgust on his face and said "Say or do whatever the fuck it was you came here for and leave."





Reikila smiled, looked at me and said "I came here to kill you Sora."





I froze. I had my life threatened before but never in such direct terms and I never thought it could be stated so calmly.





"Don't have a heart attack boy. That would ruin my fun." Reikila said.





"Before we fight I have a few things to ask of you incase you kill me." I said.





"You're a cowering weakling who I'm disgusted by but as in the human culture the elfin culture allows one who will be dying one thing as their last request." Reikila said.





"Probably the only thing we have in common." Kage said quickly, as if without thinking.





Reikila gave a nod and said "So Sora what will the one last thing be? One last time in the arms of your boyfreind?"





"Since this will be a fight to the death and we aren't sure who will win I'm going to tell you what I want and I want to know what you want so I can honor your last request if I win. Those are the two things."





Reikila's expression changed from cruel and taunting to surprised. He smiled at me and said "I'll let you have today to spend with Riku and we'll fight tomorrow. What is it you want from me?"





"I want to know how to open the portal back to our home with the swords. We were never told that by Tenchi." I said.





"When the three of you are the masters true masters of the swords, which is done by killing one you have two connections with, the tree of you must at the same time say the name of the world you want to travel to and swing the swords from over head to the ground. That will open a door to the world that will close whenever the three light bearers step through it." Reikila said.





"Thank you. Now my question is this. What do you want?" I asked Reikila.





"I'm an aged warrior. My natural life will probably come to an end in less then a decade due to my age. I'm not expected to live much longer by the finest elfin doctors. They say I should of retired a century ago but I'll never retire because I wish to die in battle with one who is able to best me." He said.





"You have the appearance of a forty year old human man so you must be a few hundred years old." Kage said.





"I'm five hundred and twenty six years old." Reikila said.





I let out a small sound of surprise at hearing this. "No way." I said.





Reikila laughed and said "I'm far more experianced then you but I'm in my last natural years of life so you may have a chance if you can rise above your fear of spilling blood."





I drew out sunlight and cut my finger open on the blade. I wiped the blood on his cheek and asked "Does this remind you of anything?"





Reikila laughed once more and said "I'll look forward to our fight tomorrow. Keep in mind this could be your last day and cherish it as such. I never hold back in a fight. Every one of my strikes comes with no mercey, just killing intnent."





I felt that fear rise up inside of me but I was able to hide it behind a nod. I watched as Reikila left. When he was finially gone Riku let out a low growl and said "I want to kill him."





"That makes two of us." Kage said.





"Three and I'm the one who's going to do it." I said as I sat down.





Riku looked at me with surprise and I said "He's not a human and he has no heart. He's a heartless evil being. I'll have no problem wiht killing him."





Riku gave a nod and said "He wants it anyways."





I shook my head and said "He doesn't want to die or he would of killed himself already."





"You're wrong and Riku's right. He wants to die but he wants to die by someone who is better then he is in battle. Me and him are equals but you're better then I am with the sword. You'll kill him, three of us will go to Desteny Islands, and this hell of a world will fade out of existance. I can't think of any better outcome." Kage said wiht a smile.





I let out a sigh and said "Yeah I just wish I knew I was going to survive this." as I stared at the finger I had cut open. I put it to my mouth and sucked on it for a second before I spit the blood out on the cave floor. I healed the wound and shook my head.





Riku laughed and said "That's gross Sora."





Kage laughed too and said "I can't believe you do that."





I looked at the youngest of us and said "You did it too."





He laughed and said "You said it was gross when I did it and here you are doing it after you cut yourself."





I just shook my head and said "Don't know why I did it."





The three of us all suddenly started laughing for a long time. We sat around and continued to laugh until Kage suddenly stopped laughing and asked "What the hell are we giggling about?"





I shruged and Riku looked at me. I met his eyes with my own and looked in to them. I saw they were full of worry. I looked to the other side and saw Kage looking at me with a bit of worry as well.





"I'm going to fucking die tomorrow. He’s going to kill me and there’s nothing I can do to save myself from him at all. I've never been more afraid in my life. I wish he would of killed me right now. Today is going to be spent just wondering wine he's going to come tomorrow. He's going to kill me. I know he is. I don’t stand a chance." I said beginning to panic.





I felt a sharp hit on the side of my face. I looked and saw that Kage had his hand raised. "What was that for?" I asked him.





"If you think like that you are going to die. Be positive. You can take that sick fuck Sora. You can take him out and we can all leave this hell of a place." Kage said to me.





"Everyone back home is counting on us and we're counting on you. Everyone is counting on you. You've never let anyone down before so why start now?" Riku asked me.





I looked in to his eyes and although the words themselves were slightly harsh his eyes and tone were reassuring and comforting.





I turned my attention to Kage who smiled at me from behind Riku. He had that same encouraging look in his eyes.





I looked at him and said "I've come so far. Too far to turn back. I will only go on."





He smiled and said "On in to victory or defeat but no matter what still I will go on."





Riku gave a nod and said "May my might keep breath me but if I should fall let the land take my body.”





The three of us all said the finial line of "This is the life fate has made for me. I shall fight for the worlds purity."





Kage looked at me and said "It seems that you're ready for your fight tomorrow then. Just watch the dagger his left hand."





"Dagger in his left hand?" I asked.





"He'll throw one at you sometimes. You have blood mithirl but he's an aged elfin warrior who was around in the oldest days of mithirls use. The old way of purifying it is far more effective. I've seen his sword cut through a man's blade, shield, armer, and body in a single swing."





"So then my armer won't do me any good? Why am I wearing it?" I asked Kage.





"That man had steel equipment. What you have on will keep you from being killed in one swing is all. It will save you but only once." He said.





"So then he'll die if Reikila aims for the head or he'll get his leg cut off if he goes for it." Riku said.





"Reikila isn't the type to go for anywhere that’s not fatal. When he fights he fights to kill you as fast as he can so that he can move on to the next opponent. He enjoys killing humans and sometimes pretends to be one to be hired for battles. He's a foul and evil piece of work but he does have a sense of honor and gives a quick, merciful death to everyone he kills." Kage explained.









I gave a nod and said "I can take him. I don't know how but I'll do it. I'll swear on my life that the three of us are leaving here for the islands after I fight Reikila tomorrow."





Riku looked in my eyes and said "If it's resting entirely in your hands then I have nothing to worry about." as he took my hand and pulled me in to a hug.