Vesper's Heroes

AGAIN!
IF THE IDEA OF BISEXUALS OR GAYS BOTHERS YOU PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS STORY!

This is kind of a rough copy. No beta’s have seen this or gone over it so if there are errors or inconsistencies please forgive and let me know. I’m rating it T for now since I have a war going on but that might change. Better safe than sorry.

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Riku moved along just as silently as those did around him. After several months he blended right in, knowing all the hand signs, the outpost locations, marching formations, sword techniques, even when to not eat to the cooking. It felt good to belong even if this wasn't his world. A hand was raised and the entire squad froze, crouching down. Riku shifted, feeling Hosep rest a hand on his shoulder. The mercenary's eyes held the question that he could not voice. Riku nodded, showing he was fine as he fiddled with a loose armor strap, tucking it back into place. His partner returned the nod and crept off again. He had been given armor and fresh clothes once they learned his story, not doubt in it in the least.

“We’ve heard stranger actually,” one of the squad captains, a sharp woman by the name of Tik’va, told him. She was actually the one to take him in, looking like she could have easily passed for an older sister. She had the same odd hair color that he did, confined in a long braid down her back. Her eyes were a few shades darker than Riku’s but that didn’t matter. She looked after him like a long lost brother, making sure he understood what was going on and that he felt comfortable with everyone else.

Riku nearly missed the next hand signal as the group moved forward again, this time at a jog. Apparently the way up ahead was clear, allowing them to make up for lost time at a faster pace than the snail’s crawl they had been at for most of the night. Hosep ghosted along on his right side.

Hosep had also become rather fond of Riku, keeping a close eye on him with every mission. The silver haired boy couldn’t understand why. He had been told though that since Hosep not only actually talked to him when they first me, but that he even said more than ten words that Riku was more than welcome into the company. No one had ever heard him speak so much.

A shrill whistle rang out and everyone dropped to the ground. Overhead a flare exploded, illuminating the area of forest they all hid in. No one showed any fear since that was only helping them. The armor they all wore worked to refract light away, making them invisible. They more light in the area, the more light was refracted and thus making them harder to see. Riku had protested at first at the offer of armor and weapons, saying that armor would slow him down. But after seeing it at work, he didn’t protest again.

As he was wearing some right now, he could see anyone else that wore it as well. Someone had tried to explain the complex workings of the enchantments but even Riku couldn’t grasp it. His left hand rested on the hilt of the sword they had also provided. Even though Riku could still summon Way to the Dawn, they wanted him to have a backup just in case. A hand signal was flashed showing that they would be in place for a while yet. Riku sighed, letting his thoughts drift again.

I wonder what Sora is doing right now. Riku hadn’t seen his friend since they had both been dragged out of the World of Darkness. They had both just defeated Xemnas and were relaxing as best they could on the black sand beach, with matching water at their feet and matching sky overhead. They had both been staring ahead when a dark portal like those used by Organization 13 opened up, tendrils of energy reaching out to grasp at Sora. Before either boy could react, a light portal opened up behind Riku, grabbing at him just as the dark one tore at Sora. Both boys tried to reach out to each other but the portals were too strong and soon Riku found himself blinded by light from all directions as he hurtled toward an unknown fate.

A light bap on his head brought Riku back to the very real present. Hosep had a raised eyebrow, right hand flashing signals at him. ‘You okay? We are moving’ he flashed. Riku smiled and flashed back ‘I’m fine. Let’s move’. Hosep didn’t seem to buy it but now was not the time for questions.

The older merc took off, Riku following close behind him on Hosep’s left flank. They had their orders to stick together in pairs that had been determined before the mission was started. Part of it was to keep track of people. Part was so that everyone knew there was someone to watch their back. A third part was Riku’s case where his partner kept Riku in the here and now, not off mentally lollygaging on another world.

As they dashed through the undergrowth, it began to get more and more crowded. The squad was converging together, each person seamlessly moving into their marching position as the trees opened up around them. Riku just stayed behind Hosep, eventually grabbing the man’s belt to keep track of where he was. The halt order was flashed up and down the lines of mercs, each echoing it for those behind.

“Battle soon,” Hosep whispered in his ear. Riku shivered, and neither from the cold night air nor the threat of battle. Something about the almost elf looking man made Riku feel weak in the knees. His partner was tall and well built with short dirty blond hair. A simple headband kept it out of his shocking red eyes, eyes like blood but without the malice one would expect. He had a hollow face that was devoid of any trace of stubble or sideburns.

His left arm hung as dead weight. Riku had seen it once and would never forget that. It was black from his fingers to just past his elbow, a sign that he had been infected by the Heartless. They had tried to steal his heart but failed. Still their trace lingered on him, with the ever so slowly creeping black on his arm as proof. The limb worked fine but Hosep left it dead to help slow the spread. The healers had offered to amputate it to keep him alive but he refused, saying that he felt it would be restored someday. Everyone only hoped it was before the black spread all the way up his arm to his shoulder and chest where it would kill him. It wouldn’t turn him into a Heartless; it would out right kill him.

Whispers could be heard all around them now as people drifted in. Some moved to superior officers to report anything they may have noticed. Others just to say that they had arrived. Tik’va was a little off from everyone else, her eyes looking further on. Their squad, along with a dozen others, were all getting into place around the main Heartless encampment. Tik’va’s squad was one of the smaller strike forces that would go in after the attack started, moving between the smaller skirmishes in hopes of getting to a high ranking general and taking him out.

In short, they were a team of about 30 assassins waiting for the right moment.

The idea of killing real people didn’t bother Riku anymore. Even though they still had their hearts, they were just as evil as Xeonort, Hook, Jafar, or any of the other’s he had fought against. They had all been whole and still willing to do harm to others just to get their way.

Perhaps in a way these people are even worse. A few weeks back, their mercenary company, The Vesper Hawks, had passed through what was left of a village, and what was left of the villagers. It was clear that those infected with Heartless, while not Heartless themselves, were perhaps even more dangerous. They retained all memories and skills they had when they were normal. Add to that the almost limitless energy that normal Heartless possessed and it was a surprise that they hadn’t claimed this world already.

“Riku.” He nearly jumped out of his skin when Hosep said his name. The blonde did not comment on his reaction, only patted him on the shoulder in apology. “Sleep. We are waiting until morning.” The silver haired teen nodded, slumping against a tree. Hosep did the same on his right, falling asleep within seconds. Riku only wished he could do the same.

He tilted his head back, staring up at the tree canopy. So much had happened since he arrived in this world. Even after months of tromping through the muck and warfare, his mind would still go into a spin when left to his thoughts. He had been falling through the light portal, feeling wind rushing past him. Everything around him was pure light, so blinding that it was a surprise that his eyes weren’t damaged when he was thrown from the abyss of light into the middle of a battleground.

His head cracked against something with a wet crunch, leaving him dazed for several hours. He was sure he had a concussion during those hours he wandered aimlessly among the bodies. Of course, the rain that followed didn’t help matters either as he stumbled in search of someone to help him.

He had discarded his short white sleeveless jacket when he first arrived. It had been covered in blood and then later vomit at the realization it wasn’t his blood. That left him in sneakers, cargo pants and a zippered tank top. It wasn’t the warmest or most waterproof of clothing as he walked but he couldn’t bring himself to raid the dead for something better. Add to this the pounding headache from when he landed, and the steady trickle of blood into his left eye from when he tripped over a pike and got a gash on his forehead, it wasn’t the best of times.

That was how Tik’va’s team found him two days later, with the addition of a fever from the poor clothes and weather, dehydrated, hungry and limping from evading Heartless and twisting his ankle. He had just been so happy to see live people that he passed out right then and there.

After that it was a bit of a blur. He remembered someone picking him up, shouting for blankets and a healer. Later someone was putting a cool cloth on his forehead, stroking back his hair. Voices were always nearby telling him to hold on. Sometime after that, someone was feeding him soup. Then the bandage on his head was changed. Some was holding his hand. Someone else was singing. All of it was vague without Riku actually waking up for it. But when he did wake up, it was to tent walls and smiling faces that were glad to see he had pulled through.

Tik’va was the first to introduce herself as Captain of the 9th Squad of the Vesper Hawks. Her hair and eyes were only a couple shades darker than Riku’s with evidence of hard living on her face. With her was a bear of a man named Jamel, her second in command. He was bald as an egg with familiar gold eyes that Riku had seen before and a battle ax half his height. Healer Layla, chief medical officer for the 9th squad, was next. Her dark read hair made him think of Kairi, but those blue eyes made him think of Sora. Last was Hosep, scout lieutenant and was the one that Riku found out kept the most tabs on him while he was still unconscious.

“All right. You know our names. Care to tell us yours or can we make one up for you?” Tik’va asked as Jamel and Layla both left to tend to other things.

“I’m Riku.”

“Riku.” That came from Hosep. The first words out of his mouth that Riku heard was his own name being echoed back at him. “Interesting name. From where do you hail?”

“Some place very far away from here,” he had replied. Tik’va had nodded and seemed ready to leave it at that but Hosep didn’t.

“You are not telling the whole truth.” With that the lieutenant surprised him and got very close to Riku, staring him down with those creepy eyes. “What is the rest of the truth?” His breath smelled like coffee and cinnamon, with a hint of something else. Riku couldn’t match his gaze though, letting his own ocean teal eyes drop to his lap. Hosep then surprised him again but laying his right hand on Riku’s head, giving his now much shorter hair an affectionate ruffle. Someone had cut it while he slept so it no longer fell so far or into his eyes; it was almost as short as Cid’s back in Radiant Garden. “No matter. Rest now. We can talk later.” It was then he took his leave, giving a nod to the captain before exiting the tent.

Tik’va remained, telling Riku of this world and their war with the Heartless, the quest for the keyhole and a keybearer. Riku filled in the blanks with what he knew from fighting off world. In the end they both had a much clearer picture of the general whole.

Apparently, after Maleficent was defeated in Hollow Bastion, the Heartless here had just stopped. For several weeks they did not attack anyone or anything. The Vesper Hawks, and just about everyone else, capitalized on this and attacked them, finally winning back ground against the Heartless. They had nearly finished them all off, having worked down to just one country that was overrun when they ‘awakened’ again, led by someone in a very long hooded black coat.

“No one ever did see his or her face, but after a while he vanished too. The Heartless still fought on but it’s been a lot easier since that person left,” Tik’va added. Riku was sure it was someone from Organization 13, and would later tell them about that too. But for that night, he was left with the basic history lesson to occupy his thoughts before sleep claimed him again.

Morning came all to quickly, but Riku wasn’t let out of bed. He had been very weak and delirious when they had found him so no one was taking any chances. Hosep even mentioned how he kept mumbling in his sleep about a ‘door to the light’, people named Sora and Kairi, keyblades, and something about a king. He left it at that as he rose to fetch them both a spot of lunch, holding open the door for Layla come enter and check on Riku again.

That was when he learned that before his arrival, Hosep never talked to anyone except Tik’va and Layla.

Never.

That bit of information left him confused as to why Hosep would talk to him so much. He didn’t dare ask when the man returned though, balancing a full tray on his knee as he opened the door.

“Still not using it?” Layla had asked. He had nodded, putting down the try for Riku to dig in as he began working off his jerkin and shirt. When his left arm was finally pulled free, Riku finally learned about what they called ‘blight’. When a Heartless attacked, and failed to make a person into a Heartless, they could do a kind of self destruct that would bind the Heartless to a part of the body. It was like an infection that would spread throughout the body until it reached the heart, leading to death.

With Hosep’s arm, the more he used it, the faster it would spread. A skilled healer could just cut off his arm, thus severing the blight from his body and saving his life. But Hosep, then as he would argue again later, wouldn’t let them take it in hopes that if the Heartless were finished off and they found the keyhole, he could be cured.

Many members of the company were infected. Some had it worse, such as on their legs or torso where it would spread faster. But when their time came, and they knew it was coming, those too far gone would volunteer for suicide missions just so they could take our some Heartless with them.

Layla finished up with Hosep as Riku finished up with lunch. After that and a few more words with Layla telling him to stay in bed, he was left alone. That happened a lot, leaving him times to think and so he did. Mostly it was about Sora and Kairi and trying to think of a way back to them. Sometimes though, like that day it happened to turn to his relationships with the two of them. Over the week of forced bed rest, Riku managed to come to some realization that normally he never had time to reach.

He loved them both.

It wasn’t the sibling kind of love either but the I-want-to-marry-you-and-grow-old-together-surrounded-by-children-and-grandchildren-and-cats kind of love. And he had it in spades for both of them. Guess that makes a bisexual then. His father would have an absolute fit if he found out. And I have no idea how Sora or Kairi feel in that sense.

He groaned, rubbing at his forehead as he tried to wrap his brain around it all. In the last two years or so, he barely had time to catch his breath, much less contemplate romantics. Now he was dwelling on them, gnawing at those thoughts like a dog with a bone. He just couldn’t let them go. That was how Hosep found him hours later, still frowning at the realizations that were occurring to him with his arm over his eyes.

A light tap on his nose broke the endlessly circling thoughts. He hadn’t even heard him come in. But there he was, burdened with dinner for them both. “You are thinking too much. Relax.” Riku had sighed then, sitting up properly to eat dinner only to have it snatched away. “You have a problem that requires discussion?” One blonde eyebrow was raised along with that statement as Hosep waited for an answer.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head lightly. “Not yet anyway.”

“Good.” The tray returned. “Eat then. Tomorrow you get out of bed and into uniform.” Ah yes, uniform. Tik’va had hinted that she was willing to let Riku join their crew as a full member. Riku told her he was willing as well if that was what he had to do to fight. Dinner was a very quiet affair that night. When Hosep left to leave, he seemed to hesitate for a moment before swooping in like the Hawks they were named after to kiss Riku full on the lips. “Sleep.” And then he was gone.

Sleep was the last thing he had gotten that night.

A twig snapped, breaking Riku out of his memories as one hand flew to his sword out of reflex. Tik’va let out a soft whistle to show it was her, hand signaling him as she walked up.

‘Can’t sleep?’ she signed, a rueful grin on her face.

‘No. You either?’ he flashed back, not wanted to wake anyone around them.

‘No. But try. Still a few hours till dawn.’ She replied before walking off to check on others. He slumped back against the tree, eyes drifting to his partner. Riku had overheard what kissing meant in the mess tent a few weeks back.

A kiss on the forehead was between people you felt were like family, even if you weren’t related.

A kiss on the cheek was between good friends.
A kiss on the lips, like the one Hosep gave him so many months ago, was like saying “I really like you and would love to know you better.”

If that kiss had had any tongue though, well Riku would have been limping again for different reasons.

For some reason or another, he smiled at that thought as he slumped further to try to catch some shuteye before the assault in the morning.