#;monster

Riku rolled onto his back, taking the pressure off of his now pounding forehead. The combination of his mind thinking about the previous day's events and the sharp throbs of his wound had kept him from sleeping very much. Despite the lack of sleep, his body was wired.

Early morning light colored the room in warmth as the sun started to rise. It was the morning that he was being shipped off to Shiva knows where, some private college that his dad thought was much more suitable than just allowing him to go to Midgar University. He laid in the sun's ray as he tried to think about reasons why his father could possibly want to send him away.

Midgar University, while not being a cheap school, had already been paid for through the scholarships Riku had entered and won. He already laid out the groundwork to being self sufficient and acted with adult maturity to pursuing this path. The path of being a paramedic. All his work was thrown out the window by his father, who insisted on the private college.

First, he didn't even tell him what college it was. For all Riku knew, it was a clown college- the option seemed incredibly viable with how his father seemed to treat him. Another possibility that stuck out to him was a military academy. There were times where Sephiroth would comment about his mother putting him into a military boarding school where he spent his teen life.

Second, would he even be able to still pursue his dream? The only reason why he even wanted to be a paramedic, was because of his mother. Before she died, she had insisted on his talent in music and art. It all changed when the medics couldn't save her life while she died from asphyxia while riding towards the hospital. He wanted to save lives and prevent families from loss like he had.

All this thinking made his already throbbing headache worse. Riku inched off the bed, trying hard to not flinch. His hands weren't scraped up too bad, but his fall from the tree had caused angry marks which were sensitive to touch. Quietly, he left his room, zigzagging around on the mahogany flooring to prevent the wood from creaking and possibly waking up his father and brothers.

Even with socked feet, the bathroom tiles were still cold enough to make him shiver. He closed the door and locked it behind him out of habit before starting to remove his clothing. He had gotten as far as removing his hoodie before catching sight of his 'lived in the wild like an animal' aesthetic in the mirror. Riku stopped and moved closer to his reflection, leaning over the sink to get a closer look.

Slowly he started to remove the bandage, revealing the gash in his eyebrow. The wound had started to look dry and irritated. Adding to the scratches on his hands and the blood spattered dry lips he had, the overall look he had was Grade C horror movie makeup. He would have to spray some neoproxin after the shower.

Before Riku completely stripped, he took a second to get the shower water running. A quirk of having an old water heater: iffy water temperatures. Most of the time when Riku had to shower, he either had to get up before everyone else or risk cold water. That was the major downside with living in a house of only boys. No hot water ever. Although the only one to really complain about the cold shower water was Riku anyways. The hot water was the only warmth Riku ever really experienced, especially after his mother died. Somewhere he read that the reason for people taking extremely long hot showers was the water acted like a hug for lonely people. Or something along those lines.

Just like the article, as the hot water warmed his skin, he felt like he was being given a hug. An awkward naked and covered in water hug, yet a hug regardless. As he started to lather his hair in shampoo, Riku let his mind be consumed by the shower sounds, letting it drown out any thoughts that would make his headache worse.

Wrapping a towel around most of his lanky figure, he stepped out of the shower and sat on the toilet, letting the towel soak up the water off his body. From where the towel fell away from his body, he saw dark purple to black bruising. They covered most of his thighs and in the florescent lighting of the bathroom, it only made the bruises darker than they already were.

Suddenly a few light taps of the bathroom door broke Riku out of his daze, sending his heart into panic mode.

"What?"

"I need to take a leak. Hurry the fuck up man." Yazoo. No matter how much their mother would complain about his language, he never let the fact that he had no filter bother him.

"Gimme a sec, Yaz. I'm naked." He stood up and went to the small linen closet in the corner next to the stackable washer and dryer unit, and grabbed a bathrobe.

"Yeah so? That's never stopped me before. We've seen each other naked before." His voice became unmuffled as Riku opened the door, holding the robe as tight as possible over his small frame. Both brothers matched each other in height and weight, yet Yazoo filled out his body better. Riku felt like his soul was so much more tinier than his body was fit to fill. "Ouch. What happened? Ran right into the bookcase again, lil bro?"

Riku slipped to the side, allowing his brother to pass, ignoring the comment. "Just hurry up. I still need to use the bathroom."

"Yeah whatever." He was then pushed out of the room, door closing and locking in front of him. Quickly, he rushed into his room, ignoring the floor as it creaked under his feet. If he wanted any chance to fix his face before another one of his brothers took over the bathroom again, he would need to grab his clothes and run back.

Yazoo just barely left the bathroom, as Riku appeared again, a bundle of clothes in his arms. "Seriously though, story about the cut?" He asked, blocking the doorway.

"Oh come on, Yaz. I don't have the time for this." He pouted, attempting again to strong arm his way in, but a hand pushing him back stopped him.

"What's the rush? We all know about you sneaking out last night. You're not really subtle while falling out of a tree." Yazoo smirked, watching his brother look away from him in shame. "Oh come on, don't give me the wounded animal look. Dad expected you to run away to your girlfriend."

Riku looked back at Yazoo and watched him move away from the door and walk back towards his room. 'What the hell?' He thought as he returned to the bathroom, locking the door behind him. His family was acting extremely strange and if he continued to think about it, it would only make his head hurt more.

After he had gotten dressed and applied antiseptic cream and a bandage to his eyebrow, he threw the robe into the hamper and left the bathroom.

Normally, Riku reveled in the calmness of the house in early morning slumber, but this morning was different. It was as if all the life had been sucked out of the calming air, giving him a sense of emptiness. Even as he made his way down the stairs, passing all the family photos that decorated the wall, he felt like a stranger.

Riku stopped in front of a photo, midway down the stairs and turned towards it. The photo showed a young boy with light silvery hair, smiling with a two toothed gap in his front teeth, holding out the teeth to the camera as a blue haired fairy crouched next to him. His heart nearly broke, seeing how happy he was back then. Even as a kid he had been oblivious to the pain he would later face.

Curling his fingers into his palm, nails digging into his cuts, the boy turned away from the photo. He continued down the stairs, waiting till he had entered the kitchen to unclench his hands, letting out a long breath as he did.

The room had a calm air to it, as he let go of his anger and made his way around the island and to the coffee pot. Everyone in his household with exceptions for Loz drank coffee. It was just easier to have coffee going while he was getting breakfast started.

Riku was easily preoccupied with the menial task of making the surplus of french toast, bacon and eggs, allowing his mind to focus on cooking. He had all four burners on the flat top cooking at once, keeping a steady flow of stirring and flipping while the rest of the house woke up.

"Smells good, Riku." Loz commented, opening the fridge door, being careful not to hit his brother. The youngest waited till the door was closed before turning to look at his brother.

"Thanks." He turned back, focusing on the food. Loz cleared his throat as he opened the bottle of water, leaning up against the fridge. Riku looked at his brother, seeing a look that only meant that he wanted to talk. "What?"

"I heard about the uh.. what happened..." Loz looked away and moved to sit at the island. Riku turned back to the food, choosing not to respond at the moment. Instead he flipped the food, letting the sizzling drown out his thoughts. He wasn't mad at Loz. His brother did nothing wrong and he knew that it wasn't fair that he was giving him the cold shoulder. After flipping the food once more, he turned his head towards his brother, looking over his shoulder.

"Can you get the table set?" That brought a smile back onto Loz's face as he got up and started to help set up for breakfast.

As the plates, silverware and glasses were set onto the table, Riku and Loz teamed up to lay out all the food, just as the other two brothers made their way into the kitchen.

"Poison for breakfast, Reek?" Kadaj snorted, pleased at himself for the Game Of Thrones reference as he plopped down into a chair and grabbed a slice of bacon. Riku ignored the comment, sitting in his own chair and taking a sip of the coffee he had made for himself.

"You just ate poison then, Ramsey." Sitting next to his brother, Yazoo nudged at him. Kadaj grabbed at his throat making choking noises before slumping in his chair and pointing at Riku.

"You guys really suck with keeping things accurate." Riku smirked, enjoying his brothers. Times like this made him feel like a part of a family. When even though his brothers could be royal pains in his ass, they still were his brothers. Just the thought of no longer being able to enjoy his brothers' silliness sent a stab of pain into his heart. It almost made him lose his appetite.

"At least I kept it in the same series." Kadaj retorted, about to continue with his sentence before Riku groaned flicking a piece of egg at him.

"Shut up! That was one time! Let it go!" Kadaj shook his head, swiping off the egg on his shoulder. He grabbed a piece of his own egg and threw it at his brother, hearing the footsteps of his father as he walked into the room. He knew that Riku would retaliate and get in trouble by his father. Only today Riku deflected the egg and turned to watch it fall on his father's socked foot.

The room went quiet, as the boys watched their father look down at his sock, then at all his sons. This wasnt the first time that he had walked into the start of a food fight, but this morning felt different. Sephiroth simply bent down, picked up the egg and went to the sink, dropping it down the garbage disposal.

"I could have eaten that." Loz complained, tapping the empty spot on his plate where his eggs had been. With how much energy he went through on a daily basis, Loz could have eaten it and still would have been content.

"Ew. You could have gotten athlete's foot, on your tongue." Yazoo cringed, before returning to spacing out. As much as Riku wanted to correct his oldest brother, it was for the best that he left the subject alone. He wouldn't have given two shits anyways.

"It would be just like Loz to get a foot fungal infection in his mouth." Their father stated in a monotone voice, a hint of a smile lurking on his lips. Everyone in the room started laughing, even Loz. Everything in that moment seemed perfect. One big happy family of boys, laughing at the stupid comments of one of the brothers. Moments like this made Riku believe that there was such a thing as a happy family for him.

That moment died when a knock cut through their laughter. Riku pushed back his chair and headed towards the door as his family returned to their food, a new conversation picking up as soon as his feet moved him past the archway of the kitchen. His heart rate started picking up as his fingers touched the golden colored handle, twisting the door open.

Sunlight blinded him the moment he pulled the door away from the frame, only lasting a brief second before the door revealed a lanky man in a crisp black suit.

"May I help you?"

The man extended his right hand towards the boy, giving a curt nod instead of a smile. "My name is Tseng. You must be Riku."

He nodded at the man, as their hands touched. Something about this Tseng guy gave him a chill that trickled down his back. The whole meet and greet seemed quite odd to him.

"Early as always. Care for some breakfast?" Sephiroth asked, coming up right behind his son. Riku pulled away, stepping to the side. There was no way he wanted to get back on his father's bad side, even though he was being sent away today. He wasn't even ready for it.

Tseng's dark eyes flickered from his coworker to the son, before he gently shook his head, but stepped into the large house anyways. "Thank you, but no."

Aquamarine eyes watched as the stranger closed the door behind him, as if he had been here before. Something about his presence made Riku's heart race.

"Riku." The sharp tone of his father's voice, broke him out of his current dazed state, causing him to look at him with a slightly scared look. "Where are your bags?"

"What bags?" It took him a few seconds to realize what exactly was going on, his brain clicking into place. He couldn't even believe how brain-missing he had been. "Oh, right uhm... I haven't even packed yet."

Sephiroth's lip twitched in displeasement, before he turned away and started back for the kitchen. "Don't make Tseng wait any longer than he already is." With that, he left him and Tseng alone in the foyer, rejoining his other sons.

Another long moment of awkward silence passed before he bowed slightly towards the man who would whisk him away from his family. The least he could do is be polite and not make him wait any longer than he was going to.

"I'll try to pack fast." All Tseng did was nod at him before following his father into the kitchen, leaving him alone.

Several dark thoughts climbed their way out of the walled off corner in his mind as he made his way up the steps, leaving his breakfast to sit cold on the table. Surely his brothers wouldn't put it to waste, or his dad would eat it. Maybe this is good that he was being shipped away. No one seemed to really care about him anyways, always leaving him to stand off to the side watching everyone pass by him.

Whatever schooling his dad was sending him to was probably a blessing in disguise. It would give him a chance to start over, start fresh. Maybe make some friends who he could actually spend time with. It wasn't as if he didn't have friends, but with everyone heading off to different colleges, he got lost in the fray of trying to adult.

Those dark circling thoughts kept swarming his brain as he had gotten into his room and started packing. What if people at his new school didn't like him? He was already a socially stunted, maybe there was just no hope for him to make a new friend anyways.

From his bedside table, a chocobo 'kweh' broke him out of his thoughts. He stood up and made his way around the newly made mess of clothes strewn across the floor, to grab his phone.

[Kairi: hi]

Smiling, Riku quickly typed out a reply before heading back to the spot he had been to continue packing.

[Riku: Good morning, sleepy head. How did you sleep?]

As per normal, Kairi sent back a quick reply. Conversations always went fast with Kairi 'test so fast' Evelon. For a few minutes, he ignored his phone, until another message insisted on his reply.

[Kairi: it was ok. just hella worried about u.]

[Kairi: did u sleep okay? wut did ur dad say?]

His heart skipped a beat, remembering what had happened last night. The thought did send a bolt of pain to his wound though. He'd need to apply some numbing cream to it later on.

[Riku: Dad didn't say anything to me... Well not really anything about last night. He was a little pissy when I had told him I hadn't started packing...]

There wasn't a text from Kairi for several minutes, giving him the chance to continue packing without being interrupted. He knew she was probably showering or grabbing coffee. By the time she had responded back, he was finished folding all his clothes and had grabbed his duffle bag from the closet.

[Kairi: wut a dick!!! u had no time 2 pack!!!]

[Kairi: the least he couldve done is given u time 2 pack...]

The thought of his father giving him a notice even a week before hand wouldn't have made this any easier.

[Riku: It's okay, Kai. I'm almost finished packing anyways. It's not like I was given a list of things I needed for school, so I just grabbed what I thought I needed.]

Setting his phone aside, he let the text come in while he stacked the clothes in the bag. There was still several things on his mental list to grab, but he was had just wanted to  get his clothes packed first.

[Kairi: thats dumb. i wish u were still going 2 mu w me]

Riku's heart pounded thinking about her. There she was, sitting all alone in a hotel room only a few miles away. He was so close to her, why did it seem like she was so far? Quickly he fired off a quick message before getting up and heading to the bathroom.

[Riku: Me too, Kai.]

Once in the bathroom, he quickly grabbed all his bathroom things, shoving them into a bag that he had in his drawer for when he spent the night at Sora's house. Before leaving, he took one last look in the mirror. The bandage and scratches made him look like he had lost a fight with Sher Khan, the tiger from The Jungle Book. Even though he checked it about two hours ago, he still wanted to make sure that it was healing.

Removing the bandage, Riku took a better look at the wound. It didn't look as bad as he thought. It looked like a fresh wound, open and still wet from the anti-septic gel he had applied earlier. With the gauze off, the wound was easily hidden from view with his long bangs. It also made the scratches slightly less noticeable.

Making a decision to keep it off -He had heard from his dad that small wounds heal better when not covered- he grabbed his bag and headed back for his room, where he was greeted by his brother Loz, standing over the duffle bag of clothes. Riku noticed he held one of his hands was closed, hanging loosely at his side.

"What's up, Loz?" He asked, walking towards the bag and dropping his toiletries on top of the pile of clothes. His brother extended his closed hand, waiting patiently for his youngest brother to look at him. Riku looked from the hand to his brother, before hesitantly offering an open hand.

The item was transferred from twin to twin, in a moment of silence, before Loz looked away, awkwardly rubbing his neck. It seemed like his brother wanted to speak but couldn't quite get the words out, giving Riku just enough time to look down at his hand. The item took every word, thought and breath from him.

A silver chained necklace lay in his hand, bits of the chain spilling out of his palm, with the charm sitting in the center, facing him. It had been years since he had last seen this necklace. The last time he remembered seeing it was on his mother's neck while she was lying in the hospital bed, her skin turning whiter than the sheets.

"Where..." Riku's voice came out in a shaky whimper. The charm was a silver outlined wayfinder with each of her family's favorite colours. At the bottom left was Sephiroth's with a steel blue- the same color as his wife's hair, with Yazoo taking the top slot with a grassy green. Kadaj had the bottom right with a dark red, while Loz occupied the left middle piece with a faded lilac. Leaving Riku with the right middle piece.

He remembered when his mother originally had commissioned the piece, she asked her entire family while at dinner one night, while they were all still kids. His brothers and father answered quickly, returning to their meals within the minute. It took Riku a solid week to decide what his color would be, but ultimately he went with the color that stood out to him the most. Aquamarine. The color of his eyes and the oceans of Destiny Islands, where his happiest memories were from.

"Mom wanted you to have it. She gave it to Dad to give to you before she died, but he gave it to Yaz and Kadaj, but I stole it from them. Now you have it." Loz looked out the window, avoiding looking at his brother. His voice was choked, as if holding back tears. Out of the entire family, both him and Loz were the soft hearted kids, constantly being teased for it. Once Loz hit puberty and got into sports, where he became the tank of the family, while Riku grew to be a tall string bean, the burden fell completely on him.

The youngest quintuplet reached out to his brother, resting his free hand lightly on Loz's arm. None of the Jenova kids were good with expressing their feelings, always resorting to painful punches to the shoulder or rough noogies, but in that moment, Loz turned back to Riku with tears in his eyes. Both boys embraced each other, in a hug full of sniffles, muscles and silver hair.

"I don't want you to go." Loz confessed, pulling away and returning back to the stoic facade he normally held, even if his words had suggested otherwise. Riku looked down at his mother’s- no, now it was his- necklace, before pulling apart the magnetic connectors and putting it on. Unlike where the charm rested on his mother at the top of her sternum, the necklace rested right between the ridge of his clavicle. Easily hideable under his clothes, where he slipped it under his shirt.

"I don't want to go either, but I don't get a choice." Riku swallowed thickly, trying his best to hold back tears. This wasn't the time or place. Sure, both of them had cried in front of each other, but he had to be strong for his brother. Be strong for himself.

Loz nodded, the threat of tears looming behind bright aquamarine eyes. He moved away from his brother and to the door, pausing to look back at him with his hand on the handle. "Be safe, Rikki."

Riku watched as his brother left, the image almost breaking his heart. Was this some foreboding sign that he would never see his brother again? There was no logical reason why he shouldn't, they still had their whole adult lives to be close. Out of all his brothers, Riku had the best relationship with Loz and had no qualms with being close later in life, yet the possible thought of not being able to see his brother for Titan knows long…

Another Chocobo 'Kweh' brought him out of his thoughts. He sat back down, grabbing his phone from the top of a shirt pile.

[Kairi: when r u supposed 2 leave 4 ur new skool? maybe we can call b4]

The thought of seeing her one last time before he was shipped away to this mysterious private college made a small smile crawl across his lips. He could probably call while packing, but knowing how much Kairi could talk made him realize that it would be a bad idea.

[Riku: Sorry, Kai. My ride is already here, and I don't want to make him wait any longer than he already is... Sorry.]

Setting his phone aside, he had started put the small piles in the bag and ignored the text that came in. As he had put the pants pile in, he realized his hands were starting to shake.

'No, please not now.' Riku thought, feeling the spike of anxiety, shakiness and overall feeling of being off. He really didn't want to have a panic attack now, of all times. There was only one way to stave off this possible attack, a trick he learned from his mom to handle his anxiety.

Sitting cross legged, he closed his eyes, resting his hands on his knees. Deep breathes now. In for three and hold for four. As he started the breathing exercise, he could hear his mom coaching him. She always had a calming aura around her, and having her necklace only made him feel even more connected to her. You're doing well, Riku. Now, out for seven . He had continued the exercise until he had felt his anxiety wane. He opened his eyes and checked to see his hands. No shakes.

With the possible attack deflected, Riku continued packing until he had finished. The duffle back was still a little less than halfway empty. What more was he supposed to pack? He didn't know what school he was going to, let alone knowing what he had to take with him. There wasn't anything else he wanted to take with him anyways.

Oh well.

Grabbing his phone, he checked the last notification from Kairi.

[Kairi: i understand. will u still txt me while @ ur new skool?]

[Riku: Of course. You know that I will always text you when I can.]

Standing up, he put his phone in his front pockets before turning towards his bed. From there he grabbed his charger for his phone, tossing it over to his backpack where it landed on the floor a few feet away. At least it was close. He sighed, taking the next few minutes to gather and roll up the cords for his laptop, tablet and mp3 player, before grabbing the rest of his electronics and bringing them to his backpack. He had just bought the backpack, prepared to use it for all his tech, books and notebooks for classes. At least it still was getting use.

After he packed all his things, Riku slung his backpack across his back and grabbed his duffle bag with one hand. He approached the door and took one more look around, feeling lost and empty. The room he spent most of his life sleeping in, he was leaving for a undetermined amount of time. He looked at the walls, covered in various posters, art prints and decorations. Every video game, band, anime and mementos he had gathered over his life seemed to have lost the same effect it had when he would look over them. Thinking that he wouldn't be able to see this room for some time made a pang hit his chest. He couldn't look at it anymore without wanting to break down.

Riku closed the door behind him as he headed down the hall, feeling chills as he walked through the house. He could still his brothers laughing loudly in the kitchen, arguing over who is going to do the dishes. A scene he desperately wished he could be apart of.

Going down the stairs, he avoided looking at the pictures. It would make leaving harder than it already was. Quietly he got to the bottom of the stairs and looked at Tseng where he stood next to the door, along with his father. They were both looking back at him. Tseng with his dark bored eyes, and his father with his bright unreadable eyes.

"I'm sorry it took me so long. I had trouble thinking of what I would need to bring." Riku stated as he hitched his backpack back up his shoulder. He made sure not to look at his dad, hoping that he could retaliate at him by acting like he didn't even see him.

"Are you ready to go now?" Tseng asked, nodding at him. He nodded back and went for the door, which Tseng opened up for him, and had started to walk through before he heard his name being called.

"What?" Turning, Riku looked at his father with his good eyebrow raised, waiting for him to respond. Kadaj and Yazoo poked their heads out of the kitchen, hoping to eavesdrop on the situation. Their father took a big step closer to the youngest son.

Putting a hand on his son's shoulder, Sephiroth gave him a knowing smile as he leaned down, his lips close to Riku's ear. "I know about the necklace."

Sephiroth pulled back and gave a light push on his son’s shoulder, before turning and joining his other sons back in the kitchen. Part of him wanted to chase after his dad and throw his bag at him, beating him over and over. That psychopath knew how to dig right into the core of his enemies, and his favourite target was his son.

"Let's go." Riku nodded back at Tseng and left his house. He continued to walk towards the car that was parked on the street. He couldn't bear turning back and looking at the house. The building he made the most memories under. Memories of mass birthday parties with his brothers, sleepovers with Sora, spending time painting his mother while she modeled. Memories that would make him crumble into a ball of crying fits and rage.

Tseng clicked a button on the car fob, opening the trunk for Riku to put his things. He was stunned at how sleek and cat-like the car was. It was the car form of a black panther, in his opinion. Part of him felt awkward dropping his stuff in the back of such a beautiful car.

"What kind of car is this?" Riku asked as he and Tseng got into the front seats, buckling up.

"I didn't think you were interested in cars, Riku." The man turned to him with an inquisitive look. He shrugged, resting against the fine black with red stitched leather seats.

"I'm not, but this car is kinda cool."

Tseng nodded and turned back to the wheel, turning the car on. The car quietly purred to life, before the driver put the car into gear and drove away from the house. Riku didn't think about it then, but his heart hurt not taking one last look.

The drive through Midgar was quiet, other than the sound of the car's engine. Neither of them had wanted to say anything, leaving Riku to sit in the seat, his mind consumed with thoughts and questions. He still didn't know where he was going, and something bugged him about what Tseng had said. 'I didn't think you were interested in cars, Riku.' What did that mean?

"Uhm... Mr. Tseng?" Riku turned to look at the man in the driver's seat, hoping he wasn't distracting from driving. Without even taking his eyes off the road, Tseng answered, in a calm tone.

"It's just Tseng. What can I do for you?"

"Your comment about the car... What did you mean by that?"

Tseng took a few moments to think about his answer before taking a look at the boy. His dark eyes seemed to soften while looking at him.

"Your mother used to talk to me a lot about you." Riku blinked at his answer. His mom knew Tseng? How? She worked as a materia and magic specialist at ShinRa Corps. He remembered hearing his mom talk about how she had taught Sephiroth how to use curative materia and magic, and that’s how his father met his mother but how did Tseng fit within the puzzle?

"How do you know my mom?" A small smile crawled onto Tseng's lips. It was as if he knew exactly what Riku was going to ask.

"Let me ask this question first. Do you know what a Turk is?"

Riku nodded. "An elite bodyguard for the military's president, Rufus ShinRa."

"Correct. I'm the leader of the Turks." Tseng nodded back an affirmation to Riku. "I had worked with your mother, quite extensively I might add."

His mother was coworkers with his driver. What a small world. Or a planned world. Who knew?

"Oh." Falling silent again, Riku turned to the window, watching the city pass. They had gotten on the highway and started passing downtown. The city was colored in grey like the overcast sky, making the already steel structured buildings even more bland. Watching the city pass cleared his head, giving him a few minutes of peace as he had nothing to think about. After they passed downtown, Tseng pulled off onto an exit heading towards the edge of the city.

"Where are we even going?" Riku asked as he pulled himself away from the window, watching through the front window.

"Sephiroth never told you where you were being sent to?" Tseng acted surprised at it, even though Riku wasn't. He was always the last to know anything.

"Nope."

Tseng frowned, his eyebrows knitting together. It took him a minute to respond, his eyes focusing straight onto the highway.

"I've been instructed to take you to ShinRa Corps."

His answer took Riku by surprise.

ShinRa Corps? The same military academy that his father went to? The same academy his mother worked at, and apparently so did Tseng? Nothing was making sense. Riku was a very structured individual with a boring bland record of rowdiness, and his father knew with the way his anxieties were that going into the military would probably end up breaking him.

Was that the point?

Turning back to the window, Riku slumped into his seat. Now he finally knew his father's plan. Send him away to a military school to break him. It made his anger spike. Now he wished he would have thrown his duffle bag at his father and hit him. That scheming psychopath. Sephiroth was no father to him, just a dick who he was unfortunately related to.

A chocobo wark broke him of his thoughts.

[Kairi: im gonna miss u]

She still made him smile. A sad smile, but a smile regardless.

[Riku: I want to fucking kill my dad. He's sending me to a military school, Kairi. SHINRA CORPS! I don't know what I'm going to do anymore.]

Barely a minute later, he got a series of texts.

[Kairi: WUT?!]

[Kairi: WHY THE FUCK?!?! WUT A DICK!!!!]

[Kairi: RUN AWAY AS SOON AS U CAN!!! ILL GET U]

Even angry, she was always looking out for him.

[Riku: You know I want to Kai.]

[Kairi: wuts stopn u?]

Good question. He locked his phone and looked out the window again, trying to think. Why didn't he just run away and live with Kairi? They could make it work right? He could find a job, and eventually go to school when he could. He would be so much happier if he left, but then again, he almost never disobeyed.

[Riku: I am. I can't bring myself to run away. Even when I had the chance last night, I ran right back home.]

Riku always knew he was a bit of a coward, but his text to Kairi only made his inner demons whisper their vile in his mind. You'll never be ready to come out of your father's control. Maybe you should just open the door and jump. You're going to die in the school anyways.

"Riku, we're here."

Looking up from his phone, he finally got to see the place where he was going to spend an undetermined amount of time in. The school was built into the side of a mountain, with a dusty valley at the edge of the city. It was designed with stealth in mind, no one being able to enter without passing over the mountain or passing through a series of gates that opened as soon as Tseng drove the car closer. Clearly whoever was opening the gates for him, knew who was the driver, or they knew the car.

Tseng navigated the car through the gates, up to the back side of the mountain, driving towards a concrete building, barely big enough to fit the car. The Turk parked in front of the building, leaving the car running as he got out. Riku followed suit, getting out. He put his phone into his pocket before closing the door and heading to the trunk to grab his stuff.

"This is where I leave you." Tseng stated, closing the trunk as Riku set the duffle bag on the ground.

"Wait." Riku slipped his arms through the straps of his backpack, halting Tseng's path back to the driver’s seat. "What am I supposed to do?"

Tseng nodded at the building with his head. "Get into the elevator and pull the lever. Tifa will take it from there."

With that, Tseng got into his car, speeding away from the silver haired boy, a cloud of dust picking up behind the car. He watched as the car disappeared, leaving him alone at last.

Riku picked up his bag, slinging the strap across his chest as he began the short walk to the elevator. He was starting to feel his heart race and his body shake, as another possible panic attack started to rise. No, he couldn't let it happen. Not now. Following Tseng's orders, he got inside the elevator and pulled the lever on the wall, before he covered his ears with his hands and closed his eyes. In for three Riku. You can do it. Now hold. One, two, three, four. Out for seven. Keep it up.

The elevator started to move as he released his breath. It made no sound as it lowered him to his fate. He kept his exercise up until the elevator slowed to a stop, removing his hands from his ears. The doors began to open as he lifted his head and saw who Tseng was talking about.

The 'Tifa' that Tseng had mentioned was a relatively tall woman dressed in a form fitting black dress that jiggled her tummy fat as she shifted from foot to foot. Riku tried not to stare, but had a hard time. She was extremely beautiful even though she was on the heavier set side. He swallowed hard and ducked his head as he moved to meet her.

"You must be Riku Jenova. It's very nice to finally meet you." Tifa gave him a sweet smile and held out a hand towards the new student. He nodded and shook her hand, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Tifa." Riku mumbled, cursing his anxiety. He cleared his throat, pulling his hand away to rub his neck. She grinned at him again and turned around, a door directly behind her.

"If you would follow me, I'll give you a tour of your new home for the next two years." Without a word he followed, gripping the strap of his duffle bag tightly. Butterflies filled his stomach as he passed through the door into a tunnel, strips of mild light showed them the way, etched into the wall. The light cast shadows of them as they walked, a creepy feeling filling his chest.

"You said, two years?" Riku asked, having a hard time finding his voice. His throat was tight as a sudden rush of anxiety raced through his veins. He didn't like the claustrophobic feeling, and being trapped in a hallway under piles of rock only made his stomach do flops. He wanted to leave badly. To return back to the surface and breath fresh air.

Tifa turned her head, nodding at him. Even with her heels, they were the same height, making it easier on the both of them. "Training last two years, then another five years of mission service before we place you into your permanent jobs."

Keeping pace with her, Riku looked away and at his feet as he processed it. His whole life was already being planned out for him, without a little consent. It made him feel nauseous. There just was something about being a bird with clipped wings that made him sick.

It took him a moment before he looked up. They had arrived to another door. Tifa stepped up to the side of the door where a small grid glowed rested on the wall. She took her left wrist, holding up a thin silver bracelet up to the scanner. A small chirping sounded after the scanner scanned her bracelet, opening the doors.

The world beyond the door was like a scene from the movie Divergent- one of Riku's favourites. Walls made of rock, with hastily made rope bridges stringing across paired with a sudden drop off to the left. People wandered about, climbing walls or running along the cliffs edge. It was strange to see such a beautiful room hidden away in a mountain.

"Please follow me." Tifa started walking forward, beckoning for him to follow. Even with a bunch of people out and about in the cave, no one stepped in their way. This made Riku feel slightly better but not by much. His heart rammed in his chest as he trailed behind the woman, trying to keep his breathing in check.

Tifa led him through the main cavern, keeping a steady pace even walking across rickety bridges. Neither person said a word, causing the bubble in Riku's chest continue to expand. Her words were eating at him. Two years of training, then another five years of missions before he was even able to get placed in a job. Granted he would have been in school for that long for paramedic schooling, but it wasn't a forced position. He wanted to spend seven years in school. It meant he would be well prepared to save lives. Here? He had no idea what he was even training for.

“Wait, what do you mean by mission service?” He asked stepping up next to her as she led him off into a side hallway. Tifa left his question unanswered, continuing down the hallway until they reached the door a short walk away. She turned to him and reached out, resting a gentle hand on the side of his arm. He didn’t dare look at it, instead looking down at her as she looked up. Her heels did nothing to add to her height. It didn’t help that he was freakishly tall.

“You will learn everything you need to know soon. In our line of work, patience yields focus.” Tifa removed her hand and turned to the door, giving the solid wood a few curt rasps before turning back to him. “Mr. Leonhart will get you set up with everything you need.”

She started to head away right as the door had started to open, bringing his attention away from the Dean. The man behind the door was about as tall as he was, with steel blue eyes and wispy chocolate hair. His features were rather plain with the exception of the aged scar and resting bitch face he wore.

Riku bowed slightly, biting his lip a little bit. The man kept staring at him with his bored eyes. What was his problem?

“When you’re done with whatever you’re doing, come inside. We have work to do.” Cold much? He watched as the teacher turned away from him, returning to the simple desk. There was nothing else for Riku to do other than follow him, dragging his duffle bag and backpack into the room. Out of habit he closed the door behind him.

As Riku walked into the room, there was a not a whole lot going on. A bookshelf mainly empty sat behind the small desk. A small plaque and certificate hung on the wall next to him. All in all, this room was close to a broom closet. How could someone willingly choose this as a room? He felt small just by standing in front of the closed door.

“Put your things in the corner. I need a full body scan.” Mr. Leonhart stated in a bored tone, scooping a set of gloves and a sleek pair of glasses off the desk. Quickly following his request, he set his stuff in the corner and stood where the man pointed.

Leonhart slipped the gloves and glasses on, taking a brief moment before clapping his hands together, and held them up. Riku froze, his anxiety spiking. What was going on? He didn’t understand anything and his mind raced with a thousand possibilities, none of them good.

“Turn for me. Slowly.” He did what he was told, biting his lip. After he had turned in a full circle, the teacher returned to his desk. He sat down in the desk chair, and snapped his fingers, digital holograms appearing before Riku’s eyes. There his holographic self stood, with little stars popping up around his body.

“I assume you don’t know what this is.” Mr. Leonhart looked through the image at Riku as if he had done this before. He flicked his hand to the side, having the holograph spin.

“No, sir.” The teacher brushed away his bangs before tapping on one of the stars that was next to the image’s head.

“This system is called the ShinRa Hologram Internal Technology,” he starts in a monotone, as if bored. “All the staff here use this system to keep track of every SOLDIER’s training.” The star created a little line connecting to a list. Stage One Agoraphobia. Stage Three Panic Disorder . Riku read, holding his breath. He remembered his doctor diagnosing him with those exact things. His heart started pounding in his chest. What was up with this system? Did it read his mind?

“So… What does that mean?” He asked, pointing to the words next to his holograph. Of course he knew exactly what they meant, but why they were showing up was what he was aiming for. Did the system know all his faults? Although it didn’t list that he had daddy or self image issues.

“It’s a list of important things that could hinder your training.” Leonhart tapped on the star again, having the list disappear. Knots started forming in Riku’s stomach, just as his throat tightened. Great. Not only was he unfit to be Sephiroth’s son, but his mental illness was a possible hindrance to his new school. Questions started popping up in his mind. What if he was deemed unworthy to even be in this military academy? Would he go back home? No there was no way his father would take him back, but there was no where else for him.

Mr. Leonhart swiped the hologram away, blinking as the see-through image of Riku dissipated into nothing. He took off the glasses and gloves, leaving them on the bare desk before pushing back his chair and standing up.

Quickly he went to grab his stuff and follow Mr. Leonhart out of the office, slugging the bags onto his back. Riku was used to carrying a lot more weight than this, especially when his mother had urged him into joining band. Instrument of choice? Snare drums. “Where are we going now?”