Conquest

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this fic, with the exception of a few rooms I created, and my theory on how Sephiroth (and any other dead-ers) happen to be around for Kingdom Hearts.

Author’s Note: By popular demand, I bring you another Sephiku story. It is likely to be darker and more explicit than Wings. I’m getting into Sephiroth’s head here, after all.

Conquest

The day had started off as many others. The winds were strong enough for flying, and the skies were clear. There weren’t many things I could say about Ansem, but I appreciated his sense of location.

Three years had passed since I drew my first breath of this world’s air. One of Ansem’s lackeys had been charged with providing “competitors” for a tournament, and the realm of the dead was packed with likely applicants. The fact that I had a history with some of Ansem’s enemies simply made his choice easier. I did not mourn his defeat.

After Ansem disappeared, the others took over his castle. Mostly, they occupied themselves researching the Heartless. I returned here as well. Of the worlds I had seen, it was most like the one I had last called home.

And, as I said, I had a history with some of them.

I stepped out onto the roof of Hollow Bastion. The wind greeted me, swirling through my hair and feathers. The inherent magic of this region enveloped me as I launched into my morning flight, easing the strain on my wing as I soared over towards the Falls.

I hardly expected to see anyone. Rising Falls wasn’t a place to go for a casual stroll. I glided lower, watching as the stranger struggled towards the floating platform. As he climbed above the clouds of spray, his silver hair announced his identity.

Riku.

He was older, naturally, but not beyond recognition. Ansem had brought him here before, and he had disappeared at about the same time. From his appearance, the years had not been easy ones. Still, he had survived.

I circled above him, keeping my distance as I watched. I didn’t worry about being seen. His attention was on his goal, allowing me to focus on mine.

I veered off as he boarded the floating platform. My next move depended on how he was received at the castle. I landed and returned to my aerie.

Waiting was not something I enjoyed doing. It was a necessary thing, however, and I had grown accustomed to it over the years. The prize would be worth it, though, if what I saw in Riku could be brought to the surface. As the battle was not yet joined, I would occupy myself with the strategy.

* * * * * * *

Dusk crept over the landscape with no sign of a departure from the castle. They had decided to let him stay, then. I wondered which of them had been behind that unexpected choice. Unexpected, but not unwelcome. He would be close. The only thing to discover was – where.

A distant flash caught my attention. A shift in the wind confirmed the coming storm. It would be a while before it reached the castle. I decided to take advantage of the rising winds to scout the outer parts of the building. There were few places in Hollow Bastion that I couldn’t reach easily, which was very disconcerting to those who knew me before. My own quarters did not connect to the lower floors for a reason.

I took to the air again, circling the castle slowly and silently. The lights inside were beginning to go out, responding to the late hour. A few rooms had the yellow glow of candle-lanterns, but they were all familiar locations. I continued my patrol. It wasn’t long before I found what I was looking for.

He was standing at the edge of one of the balconies, oblivious to my approach. The look on his face – I knew that look. I watched as he spread his arms, embracing the wind. I knew that motion. The storm swirled, and I saw him sway against the railing. An unconscious smile, wistful with delight, touched his features. I landed, still unseen, near the wall. I knew his thoughts.

“If only you had wings?”

The look on his face was one worth remembering. It looked as if he was reaching for something. Then I remembered. He was another one that could wield the mystic Keyblade. I had chosen to leave my Masamune in my quarters, but even if he attacked, I had no doubts about the outcome. Regardless, his blade did not appear.

“Sephiroth. Why have you come here?”

Why have I come here? I smiled as I thought of the coming entertainment.

“Didn’t you know? This place is as much mine as it is theirs.” Not that this was any kind of claim. Hollow Bastion didn’t belong to any of us, but it was certainly better than the other choices. “By rights, I should be asking you that question.”

Ocean blue eyes met mine, but he couldn’t stare me down as he wanted to. He leaned sullenly against the railing, pretending to be interested in the terrace floor. “Seemed like a good enough place to visit.”

The wall he put up was predictable. Now, to test his defenses. This room was the most remote he could have chosen, and I was sure he had chosen it for a reason.

“Nothing better to do? Or, nowhere else to go?” That got a reaction. The look in his eyes told me that I had hit a nerve. “I thought as much.” I walked away from the stairway, stepping out into the force of the rising wind. I had seen his private desire, and it would be my advantage.

I sensed his confusion. Opportunities for attack and retreat had been presented, and he was faced with a decision. Not that it would matter. I could intercept him easily no matter which option he chose. The wind swirled around me, and I extended my wing to claim it. The silence behind me told me all I needed to know.

“You feel it in your blood, don’t you.” It was a statement. I had seen the look on his face as he had embraced the wind earlier. “There was a reason you were drawn here, to this world, this terrace.”

“I told you –“ His denials were becoming tiresome. In the space of a wing-beat, I had him backed up against the railing.

“You told me the same things you tell yourself, thinking that I’d believe them more than you do.” My voice was cold and level. I had the advantage, and he knew it.

“I’m not – I’m not with Ansem anymore.” His voice was tight, as if he thought that would surprise me. I smiled. One less tie to deal with.

“No one is.” I had suspected that Ansem had been defeated for some time now. I had seen his lackeys defeated one at a time. The convenience of my resurrection did not earn him my loyalty.

Defiance rose in his eyes, and I saw him press closer to the railing. “Hollow Bastion doesn’t mean anything to me.”

“And yet you came here, instead of someplace that did.” I wasn’t going to accept his evasions. He would have to decide on a course.

“That’s my business,” he shot back. The sky grumbled as the storm drew nearer. His defiance was briefly softened by something – another crack in his defenses. He covered it well, but the tension was beginning to wear on him. I knew that he would make his move soon. I watched his eyes, waiting for the decision to surface.

Lightning speared down from the heavens. He glanced away for a moment and I saw the choice in the way his weight shifted. As sound followed light, I moved to intercept him. Before the echoes died away, my fingers were clenched in his hair and he was at my mercy. The fear in his eyes was a familiar delicacy, and I savored it as the edge of the storm reached us.

A single drop of rain struck his vulnerable throat, and I felt him tremble as the cold liquid tracked across the line of his pulse. Resolve replaced fear in the ocean depths and he closed his eyes. I knew what he was expecting.

I struck, savagely crushing his mouth with my own.

The shock and confusion was even headier than the fear. His cry of surprise was trapped beneath my lips. Eyes that expected the darkness of oblivion opened to meet mine. The potential I sensed earlier was almost tangible now. I ran the length of a flight feather along his jawline, watching the reaction in those eyes, then pushed him towards the stairway.

There was a moment of hesitation before he sprinted back into the castle. I made no move to stop him. There was no need. He had nowhere to go.

The storm broke in earnest as I flew back up to my rooms. I hung my coat up and left my boots by the door. A crimson bottle waited in its stand and I poured myself a glass as I waited for my feathers to dry. The light from the candle lantern gave the wine the light of a fine jewel, which I savored almost as much as the fine vintage. I raised a solitary toast to my new quarry.

“We are more alike than you think – fledgling.”

Author’s Note: This is a really – interesting headspace to work in. Many thanks to my beta, who is helping me keep Sephiroth in character.