"Sora!" Riku's anxious voice reverberated around the surrounding night and wooded area he faced. There was no answer. The wind was beginning to pick up making it difficult to discern any sounds possibly made by his best friend.
He tread farther into the dark greenery shouting his friend's name; the smell of rain was in the air. Anxiety was beginning to set in. There was a flash of lightning that lit up his surrounds for half a second. He stopped in his tracks and felt the blood drain from his face. A hulking figure was standing just a few feet in front of him.
There was a significant drop in the amount of noises that pervaded the air. Everything was impossibly still. An intense feeling of trepidation coursed inside of Riku that made his stomach do several flips. His breath came in shallow gasps and his eyes were immensely wide as if it would help his sight in the darkness. He stared unseeingly into the spot before him.
Two yellow, piercing eyes blinked into existence.
His heart fell into a gripping iciness. He stopped breathing. A low growl emitted from where the yellow eyes resided.
"Sora," he barely breathed. The growling became more pronounced. He resisted crying out in alarm. Sensing movement from the shadows, he unconsciously took a step backwards. His foot fell back on something that gave a wet snap and he couldn't help but turn his head at the sound. As soon as his eyes were torn from the moving darkness, there was a blur just out of his line of vision making him start. Within the split second of looking away and back, the figure he had glimpsed had appeared right in front of him. His breath stuck in his throat; he was face to face with the creature. He dared not move an inch while the thing stared him down with an intrigued expression. His plan of stillness proved fruitless when the dark figure let out another growl and slashed at him with clawed hands.
His breath was completely knocked from him and all he could do was allow his body to fall back limply. He landed hard on the soil and roots. Through his hazy thoughts, he could swear he could hear his name being shouted from a short distance away. He winced in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to regulate his breathing. Opening his eyes again, he noticed a swirling darkness above him. The yellow eyes appeared again, staring down at him with an almost child-like malice. A hand came forth from the giant shadow floating above him, inching towards his face. As Riku was losing his last bit of consciousness, he heard something that chilled him:
A soft chuckle in the voice of the Keyblade barer.
Tears both from physical and emotional pain streamed from his closing eyes. The last things he remembered were the voices he had heard getting closer and the yellow dots blinking back to nothingness.
0000
'I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this, for instance.'
His own voice reverberated around within his head, making it ache ever more. These words started it all.
Pain was what woke him. He was in pain, in every sense of the word. He felt hopeless, something he'd never really had experience with before. Even when his heart had been swallowed by darkness, he never truly felt out of control. This was entirely new to him.
Something alerted him; a presence very near to him. Without opening his eyes just yet, he tried discerning where he might be.
Something felt very tight on his chest. Remembering the events from before, he guessed that bandages adorned his torso where he had been struck. He could also tell he was in a bed, though it was unfamiliar to him. He wasn't at his house. A hospital maybe? So who was visiting him? Unfortunately, he couldn't completely guess just from audible implications. He slowly opened his eyes to take a look around.
His guess was correct. White seemed to be the one prevalent color in his room. Looking up at the different medical instruments nearest to him, he saw the splash of red amidst the white; blood. His heart thudded rapidly for a second at the sight of it. But once his wits were gathered about him, he realized that the blood was hanging from inside of a clear bag. A transfusion? Had he been injured that badly? The memory that someone occupied the room with him resurfaced. He turned his head and spotted another burst of red.
He and Kairi stared one another down for a moment. It was evident to him that she was very unhappy. It didn't even look like she had the capacity left for her to be worried about him. Not that he was surprised by this. He couldn't remember how long it had been since she stopped caring about him.
"Riku," her voice was deceptively concerned. Her eyes betrayed her. There were hard, cold.
"What's up?" he asked in a croak.
"Sora's missing." He knew she would be more concerned about him. He eyed her for a moment longer.
"How long?" He tried to sound more firm and less like he just woken up in a hospital bed.
"Two days." She said. Then her voice turned cold to match her eyes. "The same amount of time you've been in here."
She thought he had something to do with it. It wasn't strictly untrue. He felt suddenly uncomfortable but he wouldn't show it.
"What happened?" he asked, diverting the subject slightly.
"You were found in the woods by Sora's house. You nearly died of blood loss." He could hear the tears forming in her words. "Riku, what happened to Sora?"
He couldn't tell if she thought he had been attacked like he had, or if she knew the truth. Either way, he wasn't about to reveal what truly happened. He couldn't.
"I don't know." He said softly. Kairi suddenly stood so quickly that her chair slammed into the wall behind her.
"That's a lie!" She cried, tears were beginning to pour from her eyes. He winced a little. As much as she hated him now, he couldn't stand to see her like that. And it was all his fault. All of it. Sora. Kairi. Everything was his fault. His head was swimming. He heard her yelling again. "Tell me where Sora is!" She shouted.
She didn't understand what she was asking of him. The guilt of losing one friend was bad enough, he couldn't bare losing another no matter the amount of hatred she had for him now. He couldn't tell her what happened for he knew she would try to find Sora. And he would lose her too.
His vision was blurring over and he felt a great stinging in his chest. He groped blindly around on his hospital bed until his fingers brushed against a panel of buttons. He pushed as many as he could while Kairi continued to yell at him.
He heard someone barge into the room and through his haze he saw a man in a white coat enter the room. Some words were exchanged and Kairi left. The man approached Riku then had an urgency about him.
"He's seizing. Get me a sedative before he injures himself." Those were the last discernible words he could understand. He remained conscious for as long as possible until more people in white entered and messed with the I.V. connected to his arm, then he knew no more.
0000
His eyes fluttered open, this time fear and trepidation running through him. In his unconsciousness, he couldn't move, couldn't breathe. He was trapped. In his waking, he gulped in great breaths of air greedily. He put his hand that was slick with sweat to his forehead, trying to calm down. All this being passed out stuff was useless, or rather, it was making him useless. He had to do something. He needed to get up.
It took a lot of effort, but as soon as he was up, his head cleared and he was able to breathe normally once again. He let his feet dangle over the edge of the bed before attempting to stand, he wanted to revel in the stillness of the room. It had become dark and there weren't as many people around. That suited him well. He wanted to take a walk on his own without someone fretting over him. Looking to his nightstand, he noticed someone, his mother most likely, had left a change of lounge clothes for him to change into. At that point anything was better than a hospital gown. He was able to get his pants on easy enough but once he lifted one arm slightly to try and pull the top over his head, he knew he would be going shirtless that night. The bandages were thick enough and covered most his his front to keep him warm.
He pulled the needles from his skin and placed his feet on the floor. Just as he was adjusting to the cold tiles of the ground, a presence revealed itself. He froze, listening to the wind beating against the window that showed the darkened sky. He felt the presence coming from just beyond the glass.
Just as he thought it, a shadow that had cast over the room before whipped out of sight. He caught a glimpse of a familiar spiky head before it was gone. It was about time for that walk Riku was planning.
Outside of his room, the hallway was dimly lit and devoid of people. Good. Another advantage was that the hospital was fairly small and his room resided on the first floor, he could see the exit from where he stood.
It looked as if most of the staff were gone for the night. When he reached the entrance, the automatic doors slid open to allow cool night air to play with his silver hair.
He wasn't in too much pain as long as he didn't make any sudden movements. The tight bandages made any overly gesticulative movements impossible anyway. He began his trek down a path that followed the right side of the building. He took slow measured steps and kept his senses alert. After a bit, he found himself in a garden-like courtyard. For the most part, it was serene and peaceful. There was just the feeling at the nape of his neck that was making him uneasy. He was being watched.
The tingling about his neck intensified as a small breeze picked up and whisked around the foliage around him. He knew his predator was closing in on him. His eyes were wide as they searched the moonlit ground around him.
He saw it; those yellow eyes again. They pierced straight through him as he stared back. He dared not to move for fear of eliciting another attack. He found himself asking why he had been so stupid as to come here alone.
Something was strange. Different. The creature didn't appear as hostile as it did the first night he was attacked. There was more of an air of curiosity surrounding it. He relaxed the slightest bit and swallowed.
"Sora?" He asked softly. The thing reacted so quickly, Riku was caught off guard and stumbled backward. He landed hard and couldn't breathe, tears stinging his eyes. He had squeezed them shut momentarily from the pain. When he opened them again he sucked in a surprised breath, his brain thankful for the oxygen. The yellow eyes were mere inches from him now, simply staring with an interested cock of its head. Riku subconsciously scooted backward away from it but didn't get very far. Cold stone prevented him from getting away. He was cornered against the building by the creature.
When no violence was forthcoming, Riku calmed himself. He looked back into those curious yellow eyes with trepidation.
"Are you Sora?" He breathed. The thing looked like it smiled! He wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but couldn't bring himself to do it. As comforting as it was to know his best friend was right there in front of him, it was all too demoralizing to see the state of him.
In the dim lamp light, he saw a being completely engulfed by shadow, barely distinguishable from the darkness of night. He could make out Sora's form when he concentrated but he found it easier to focus on the glowing orbs.
"What's happened to you?" He choked. He didn't need to ask this question. He knew what was happening. Guilt prevented the complete revelation from coming to the fore front of his mind. He shook himself.
"Are you alright?" He asked softly. A better question than the last but not by much. Sora looked downcast for a brief moment then nodded his head. "I'm glad," he really was, but it also hurt so much. He furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm trying to find a way to save you. I just hope it doesn't take me too long. I don't want you to have to go through this any longer than you have to." Sora gave him another mute smile.
Suddenly the air shifted and the hair on the back of Riku's neck stood straight on end. Sora looked very worried about something.
"What is it?" Sora looked around himself for a second, then locked his gaze back on Riku. A clawed hand shot out and grasped Riku's arm. He reeled back a bit but Sora's group was tight.
'Riku,' he heard his name. 'Please, get away from here. It's coming.'
Overcoming the shock of hearing his best friend voice inside his head, he glared back at him.
"No, I won't leave you." Sora looked upset.
'Please, Riku. I'll hurt you again.' There was fear in his voice and it was breaking Riku. 'I'll be okay.'
"No, I'm staying here." He said resolutely. Sora had the saddest eyes Riku had ever seen but then they were quickly replaced by fright.
'Riku!' His anguished shout faded all too quickly. Then something else took over his features. The clawed hand gripped him more tightly and dug its nails into his arm, drawing blood. He felt a giddy manic laugh from within the creature.
'It's so nice to finally reunite with you,' a voice, no longer Sora's innocent tone but rather a twisted and demonic version of it, filled his head until it pounded uncomfortably. 'Master.'
"You." Riku growled. His teeth were clenched from the pain of struggling to get away. He was far too weak however.
'You sound so delighted. I'm very happy to get to talk with you once again.' The Shadow taunted. 'Let me tell, this heart your friend has is the most delectable morsel I've ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Even more so than yours.'
"Let go of him!" Riku shouted. The monster grinned a toothy grin.
'I called you 'Master' but I don't take orders from someone who no longer controls the darkness.'
Riku struggled to breathe from the pain he felt. He was losing Sora. He felt a warm wetness spreading across his chest that could only be his wounds reopening. He began to feel hazy. He heard laughter from the Shadow.
'Are you going to die so easily?' It cooed at him. He didn't have the strength to respond...
A scream interrupted them. Through his tears Riku saw a nurse had come across the scene. She ran off calling for help. The Shadow 'tsk'ed.
'I know you won't die yet. Come play with us again, Master. We won't disappoint.'
Blackness enveloped his visage. He was being swallowed by darkness again and he felt terrified. He could do nothing to stop it. He felt powerful somethings grabbing at him and he started to panic. He jerked about attempting to get the things to loosen their grip but they only tightened instead. He was being restrained. He felt sick. He felt like he was adrift at sea, his body being pushed about wherever the waves willed.
"Get an I.V." These words he could not comprehend. He tried opening his eyes and immediately wished he hadn't. Blinding light flashed sequentially above him as he was pushed along to somewhere he could not know. Eventually the flashes stopped and became one constant beam right overhead. Something grabbed at him one last time and he yelled out. He felt a tiny pinch in the crook of his arm and gradually the world faded away and he was left to the confines of his mind.
0000
'Sora...'
Falling…
'No…'
Falling…
'No, please. Not again.'
Into Darkness.
Riku shot upwards. But he was no longer on his cot. He couldn't see anything around him, just a faint glow from his own body. He was wearing his normal clothes again and not any bandages. No pain from his chest either. He was dreaming.
Someone was calling his name. A voice he recognized very well.
"Riku!" That melodious voice called. Then his own voice, cruel and merciless, crowed.
"I've picked up a few other tricks as well. Like this, for instance."
No, not this again. He had relived this so many times, so many nights while he slept.
The memory disregarded his feelings and sprung forth from the darkness around him. His younger self raised a gloved hand and a Shadow of his best friend lifted out of the ground. He watched the real Sora stare at it in astonishment.
Please, stop it, he begged, but it went further still. He was in a cabin, just about to leave when Sora rounded a corner.
"Riku, wait!"
No! Don't look at me like that. I can't stand it. But he ignored Sora and once again summoned the Shadow in between them. He shouldered his way out, watching through the closing crack as Sora faced the dark version of himself before he locked the door.
No more. He repeated these words to himself and tried closing out the pain.
He made many mistakes during his journey but he didn't find out until much later which was the worst. His creation. The Shadow. It had rooted itself inside Sora, turning him. It was devouring him.
"I'm so sorry, Sora," he cried. He was curled up as the emotions overflowed. He'd never get to say these words to the one they were meant for.
"Sorry for what?" That innocent voice of his 14 year old best friend filled his ears and he felt the sorrow wash over him.
"I'm sorry for doing this to you. It's my fault this happened. It's my fault for being weak." He hugged himself tightly wanting the world to just go away. He was finished.
"I forgive you."
Riku's eyes opened wide as the onslaught ceased all at once. The voice had been so close. He let go and turned to face what he feared most; the ghostly image of Sora, before they began their journey, in his white t shirt and khaki shorts. He breathed out slowly.
"You would forgive me. As stupid as you are." The image placed a hand on his hip.
"Well that's not very nice," though he said it with a grin.
"That's me. You're not-so-nice friend who's always getting you into trouble." He sighed and closed his eyes.
"Don't you mean 'best' friend?" Riku looked back up at that young Sora and felt the tears welling up again.
"Yeah, that's what I meant." He faltered. He was caving in again.
"What is it, Riku?" The image dropped it's cheery demeanor and looked worried.
"I want to talk to you. I want to tell you how sorry I am for hurting you. I want-" he placed the heal of his hand to his brow and bit his tongue. He wanted it all out. "I want my best friend back. But I know you'll never want to see me again because of what I did to you." The pain seared in his chest as he held his breath.
"That's not true," Sora yelled out. "You're still my best friend. And I don't blame you at all for what's happening."
Riku laughed in disbelief. Was he so desperate to hear Sora would actually forgive him?
"Please, don't torture me any more with this illusion..."
Sora walked toward Riku with a set expression. He stopped right before him and held out his hand. Riku eyed his hand warily, wondering what new torment the image had in store for him. He almost didn't even want to touch him, but then he looked into Sora's eyes. They were pleading with him. He could never turn away from that look. Riku placed a shaking hand into Sora's.
A great warmth flooded him. He was so surprised he actually gasped out loud. A light emitted from where their fingers touched. He looked into Sora's eyes, an impossible revelation shining in them.
"Sora?" He breathed. The boy smiled sheepishly.
"Hey," was all he replied with.
"How are-? What is-? I-" Riku couldn't complete any single thought so Sora decided to go ahead and explain.
"You have always had a piece of my heart with you. We're connected. Your heart feels safe to me. So I," He dropped his hand. "I wanted to see you." He looked sad at this and Riku was finally able to grasp the situation. "I don't want you to hurt anymore. I want us to work together to beat this." Riku listened to him and for the first time in a very long while, felt content.
"Okay," he said gently. Sora brightened considerably. They shared the warmth a moment longer, then the ferocity returned to Riku's eyes.
"How are we going to save you?" Sora looked up at him thoughtfully.
"I'm only myself while it sleeps." He said. "It feeds on my heart, and right now it is weak." Riku felt a wave of anxiety enter his heart and knew Sora felt it as well. They were running out of time.
"I will do everything I can to get you back." Sora smiled at him. "It's time for me to wake up. Will you stay with me?" The boy gave him a determined nod.
0000
He opened his eyes to a dimly lit hospital room. Judging from the lack of pain in his chest, it had been a few days since his last awakening. He felt the best he had since before Sora's disappearance. He sat up and looked around at the empty room, spotting his clothes. The silence reminded him.
'Sora?' his lone thought echoed forlornly. His heart dropped with each passing second of silence. Then…
'I'm here,' Sora's dulcet tones reverberated back to him. He let out a small sigh of relief.
'Where are you?' It was another second before an image of Sora's bedroom window from the outside swam into his mind's eye. He gave a nod and headed towards the door leading out of his room. He was halted, however, when he became aware that the door had been locked from the outside. He made an impatient noise and materialized his keyblade in his hand. He brought the weapon down and destroyed the entire mechanism. He looked up and down the hallway. Deserted. Perhaps they assumed the lock would be enough to contain him. How wrong they were.
'You could have just unlocked it, you know.' Sora teased. Riku shushed him.
Once out of the hospital, he took off down the road at a sprint, hoping to catch the Shadow off guard. His hopes were dashed when he heard Sora's next warning.
'It knows you're awake. It's on the move. Hurry.'
Riku nodded his understanding, wondering if Sora could even tell he did so. He dismissed his questioning thought and raced down the road to their neighborhood...
The wind was beginning to pick up making it difficult to discern any sounds possibly made by his best friend.
He tread farther into the dark greenery: the smell of rain was in the air again. He quelled the fear that was building up in his chest. He felt Sora's worry and shushed it away. He wouldn't be afraid this time. There was a flash of lightning that lit up his surrounds for half a second.
'It's there,' Sora said and Riku stared into the place he gestured. Sure enough, those glowing yellow pinpricks emerged from the surrounding trees.
'Riku, I can't…' Sora's voice was beginning to fade. Riku couldn't say he didn't expect it. It just drove his determination even more to what he was going to do.
'I'll get you back, Sora. I promise you,' the last inklings of his friend's consciousness ebbed away. A bark-like laughter pervaded the air.
'If you keep making promises you don't intend to keep, you'll just end up letting the darkness overrun your heart again.'
That mocking other-worldly voice replaced the innocence of Sora so completely, he almost lost sight of the boy's light. He knew it was there, still shining as bright as it could in the center of all the darkness. Sora had always been strong in that way.
Riku took an offensive stance, his Way to the Dawn in hand, signaling he is readiness for a fight. The Shadow laughed again and without another word lunged at him.
Riku didn't make any moves, just stood resolutely staring down the monster that had a hold of his best friend's heart. He was patient, he could wait. Just when Riku felt the Shadow couldn't back down, he withdrew his weapon and gathered its light in his hands.
He met the attack head on. The force of the impact pushed him back several feet, his heels digging into the earth. He grabbed the shadowy arms and held him fast. Sora and Riku's hearts linked together again immediately at the touch.
The Shadow could feel Sora's heart shining, resonating with the light that came from Riku. It began struggling to try and free itself of Riku's grasp, but the older boy had always been the more physically fit one.
'So, what's your plan? You cannot overpower me. I will simply reclaim this heart. It was all too easy the first time,' he could tell the Shadow reveled in telling him this, regardless of it being truth or not. Riku felt anger flare within him, the dark intentions surfacing momentarily. The Shadow guffawed. 'You can't even keep your own darkness in check!'
"No, I can't. Especially when it comes to being unable to protect those I love." Riku stated through clenched teeth while still maintaining his grip on the Shadow. "I know when I am beaten."
The light from Riku's keyblade diminished. Almost at once, dark tendrils began snaking their way up his arms. He had left his heart open on purpose. The Shadow lost it's mind.
'Back to square one?' it shouted mockingly. Riku wasn't listening to him. He was concentrating on the Shadow's slithering tendrils that are crawling from Sora onto his arms and engulfing them, inside and out. It's an uncomfortable and painful process. But he was determined to see this through. This was the only way Sora could be freed.
'Riku, no!' Sora's voice was within and all around him. He watched the image of Sora inside his mind's eye. 'Please, don't!' he cried. Riku grit his teeth and tried desperately to keep the sadness Sora felt just then from overtaking him. All the while, the roaring laughter was intruding into his head and he did nothing to stop it. 'Don't do this...' the voice had adopted his fourteen-year-old, prepubescent higher pitch. 'Just stop...' a five-year-old Sora was sobbing within him. That alone could have halted him but his love of the boy was strong and he held it all back. He wouldn't apologize for this.
"Sora, you're always saying I'm the one saving you. That isn't true. You're always there pulling me out of my stupidity." Sora hadn't said anything else, just continued wailing. "Well, now I'm going to live up to your expectations." A small, sad smile graced his lips.
He was ready to accept his fate...
"Riku, I'm not allowing you to give yourself up so easily." Riku looked towards the Shadow he was holding to see it slumped, looking nearly unconscious. A light erupted from between them and it took the shape of a translucent Sora. "Never again." He said so softly, but he could have sworn the voice was no longer within the confines of his mind. It was a very audible sound.
Then Sora's apparition leaned into him, and it felt so real Riku lost all sense of concentration.
He could feel Sora. The weight of the boy pressed into him and he had to take a step back. The figure that had previously been translucent was now very visible. His spiky headed friend had him in a tight embrace that left him breathless. It was this gesture that made Riku lose his grip on the Shadow. With the loss of contact on the Shadow, Sora's form vanished from the world again. All the energy it had taken him to keep it within his grasp was released, violently flinging him away from Sora quite a ways where he landed on his back.
Still in shock, he picked himself up to look back up at the Shadow. It seemed to be writhing in pain. It was like a balloon being squeezed and the air trapped inside could only go so many directions. It was screaming in agony. What was happening?
Then with one last aggravated yell in defeat towards the heavens, the darkness was dissipating. Within moments, the stuff had left Sora completely. He looked normal again. He was still wearing that simple tee shirt and khaki shorts, though they were torn and ragged. Scratches covered what he could see of him and his bare feet were the worst for wear.
Sora began to lean forward, unable to hold himself up any longer, his eyes drooping closed.
"Sora!" Riku yelled as he rushed forward to catch his falling friend. He caught him, sure he strained or sprained something but was completely uncaring of his own well being. He had him by the shoulders and turned him around with his back resting against his leg. He wrapped an arm around him. "Sora, please wake up." He said gently. Sora groaned quietly.
"Riku," he uttered weakly. "I'm okay."
"That's great, Sora," Riku said happily.
"Did you see me kick that shadows butt?"
"I did," Riku choked out. "You were amazing." He started to shake.
"Riku what's wrong?" Sora asked. Riku couldn't reply that time. He simply leaned forward into Sora's chest and wept freely, yet still trying not to shake Sora too much. Sora took great effort in bringing up his hands to hold Riku's head.
"I'm so sorry." He wheezed. Sora smiled.
They stayed like that for awhile. Both enjoying the quiet of the moment. Then Riku sat up abruptly.
"You need hospital." Sora wanted to laugh at Riku's near incoherent statement but felt he didn't have the strength for it. Riku maneuvered about and got Sora into a piggyback position, then started his walk back to the hospital. Sora felt an overwhelming urge to talk.
"Riku?" Sora said. He felt the older boy hum at his word. "I want to tell you something. Something that I remembered pretty recently."
"What's that?"
"I remember everything about when I lost my heart a year ago."
Riku was very silent for a long while. Then, "What do you you remember?" he asked. Sora was glad he replied. Now that the moment had arrived for him to actually say what he wanted to say, the courage he had had earlier suddenly left him. His fingers fumbled weakly around Riku's neck.
"I remember..." he breathed out slowly. "When I was losing who I was. I had lost you. I had lost my life. Everything about me was fading away. Then... I heard you. You called to me."
Riku remained very quiet during this exchange but kept up his pace.
"I had thought it was Kairi who brought me back that time. But now I think differently. I think it was you." The silence from Riku made Sora nervous. "It is true?" he whispered.
A single nod.
Sora nestled his face into Riku's shoulder and smiled warmly.
"You'll stay by my side, right Riku? Until I die?"
He nodded once more.
"Until you die."