A/N: So, resisting the urge to squee about this game and everything about it, a couple of the earlier scenes with Sora really struck me. "I can take it," he says in one, rather unconvincingly. "I know hurt," he admits in another. Now that he has the Gummiphone, there's nothing to stop him from talking to his best friend whenever he wants to, so I thought I'd play with that. Enjoy.

Warning: Trigger warning for panic attacks. Please care for yourself if you struggle. This may not be a wise read as the description is fairly detailed.

From Dusk to Light

It was late in Twilight Town. Not that you could tell from the sky. The constant rays of orange and purple shimmered through the clouds in a perfect sunset that never faded away. Goofy always said it was comforting to him; the colors and shimmers, lightness always peeking through no matter how dark the clouds turned.

For Sora, though, it was ominous. As he leaned over the inn's balcony railing, he couldn't help but lose himself to his own unease. Goofy, Donald, and Jiminy were sound asleep in their shared room behind him. Without their cheerful words to build him up, he found that he simply couldn't fight against it: when he looked at the sky here, all he could see was Dusk.

It was the time of day when darkness crept in from all sides, slithering its way through tendrils of dying blue and yellow to a dark blackness edged in the purples and reds of the Dark Realms.

He shivered against the breeze, suddenly freezing even though his mind told him it wasn't really cold.

His heart ached. Absently, his trembling hand rested over his chest. He felt...so weak. So afraid. The strength he possessed before Xehanort's attack seemed like only a far off dream.

For a moment, as drips of panic oozed over his soul and nerves bunched up inside his veins, he thought of calling to his friends...but...no, he couldn't wake them. It had been a long while since they've been able to rest in beds in relative peace...he wou-couldn't take that from them.

So he stood there, eyes closed, focusing too hard on his breathing for it to be coming up so fast.

He knew this feeling. This blind anxiety. It ripped through him like a heartless tearing at his soul. His heart beat faster than he could hear. He was letting everyone down for being so weak...letting Roxas down...Kairi...Ri—

And suddenly he was aware of the weight of the Gummiphone in his pocket. His hands moved on their own accord, his mind acting on pure desperation.

He held the phone in one shaking hand, leaning it against the rail to keep it steady. His gaze was focused on the screen, forcing out every bit of the darkened sky he could.

Then— "Hullo Sora!"

Oh no. That wasn't who he wanted to answer. Quickly, he fought with himself to grin and bite back the vomit of hurt overflowing from his bones. "M-Mickey! Hi! Uh-h-how are you?"

"All good here, Sora," of course Mickey saw through him. The mouse saw through everyone. His face was edging on worry. "Are you ok?"

Sora's grin faltered. "Um..." he tried so hard to keep strong. So hard to live up to what everyone needed him to be but... "I-is Riku around?"

Mickey's expression was soft and kind. "'course," he nodded then turned away for a moment. Sora could hear him calling his best friend from the speaker, and then something else he couldn't quite make out as Mickey turned the screen away.

Sora's heart pounded when he saw a glimpse of Riku's foot on the screen. He was losing his grasp, shaking so much he had to grip the rail just for the strength to stand. The darkness was crushing him, he could feel it.

"Sora? What's wrong?"

Riku's voice sounded so far away then. Sora's head shook but he couldn't see, couldn't think. Everything was grey and dark, eating him alive from the inside.

"Sora. Breathe with me, it's okay. I'm right here," the elder boy's voice was uncharacteristically gentle; a tone only saved for his closest of friends. "Just breathe."

Seconds passed like hours as Sora listened to Riku talk, listened to his best friend breathe over the phone. The pain in his chest felt like a stab through his ribs, but ever so slowly, the weight clasping off his lungs eased and light nestled in somewhere around the frame of his eyes.

"That's it," Riku smiled gently. "You're okay," he sounded relieved himself, like he'd been barely restraining himself from flying across the galaxy to comfort the younger boy at that very moment.

"Y-yeah," Sora's voice finally leaked out, small and choked, but there nonetheless. "I-I'm a-alright."

He wasn't, not by a long shot, but the pain was fading now. His eyes opened, glassy and blurred. He blinked and rubbed at them for a moment until he could see again. He found himself sitting on the balcony, back against the railing, gummiphone held tight in his hands, hidden against his knees curled up almost to his chest. He was aware of the tears drying on his face, but it didn't matter.

All he saw was Riku's warm smile and protective sea-green eyes. He took a deep breath, and leaned he head against the rail behind. "I can take this."

"Of course you can," Riku agreed. Sora could feel Riku's heart reaching out to him even from afar, holding him up, slowly ushering him back to light. "You're our light."

He said it so firmly, so steadfastly like it was the most certain thing in the universe. Sora's vision blurred again unbidden. Tears brimmed over his thick lashes as he shook his head. "I don't feel like a light," he whispered brokenly.

Riku sighed. He'd settled himself in a quiet corner of Radiant Gardens, grateful that Mickey had left him alone. "Now you sound like me, squirt," he teased, love creasing the corner of his eyes as he smiled. "Remember all those times you've told me that I'm not lost to the darkness?"

Sora sniffed. "Y-yeah..."

"Well, if I can fight for the light, what makes you think you can't?"

Sora shrugged, feeling every bit the young teenager he actually was. "I just...I..." shame cascaded over him, and he suddenly couldn't even bare to look at Riku's face. "I hurt Riku. Everything hurts."

He could hear Riku's sad sigh. "Sora," came his voice, firm and unmovable. "Sora, look at me."

Slowly, he tilted the phone back to his face and met Riku's knowing eyes.

"Sora, you are the reason I still have light, you know that?" Riku's voice was so quiet, like he was admitting his most cherished secret. "Without you, no one would have pulled me out of the dark. I know it hurts. And I-I wish I could take that away. But I can't," the silveret paused and an easing smile pulled to his eyes. "So I need you to hold on to the light for me, okay? We'll get through all the hurt, all of us, together. Can you do that for me?"

Tears dropped from Sora's cheeks, but when he gripped the phone, his hands were steady and heart beat strong. "But what if I fail again? Like last time?"

"You won't. You know why?"

"Why?"

There was a pause, then Riku beamed a rare, genuine grin. "Because next time, we'll face it together."

Sora's eyes lit up, glowing in the dimming sunset. "Promise?"

"I promise you, Sora."

And just like that, the darkness lifted from Sora's soul. He leaned back, grinning when the sky burst with color against his eyes. "Wow, Riku you should see the sky here right now. It's so bright!"

Riku chuckled, relaxing himself against a bay window. "Yeah, here, too. Time to get some rest, don't you think?"

Sora nodded, still grinning that cheek-splitting smile. "Yeah. Think so," he paused, grin falling a little as he wiped the last remnants of tears from his cheeks. "Hey, Riku?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"Anytime, Sora. Never forget. We're in this together. Always."

Sora nodded and clenched a fist. For the first time in days, he felt like maybe he could be strong again. "Right. We'll do it together. G'night, Riku."

"Night, squirt."

When Sora ended the call, he felt like Hercules had lifted a milestone from his chest. The relief spreading through him was tantamount to elation as he stared up at the endless swirls of color above. "So," he murmured to himself. "That's what Goofy sees. It's…beautiful."

Hours later, when Donald and Goofy stirred from their rest, they had to laugh at their odd little companion. "That kid can sleep anywhere," chuckled Goofy.

There, on the balcony, Sora sat snoring into the railing, happy smile on his face.

Donald snickered before grabbing the Gummiphone from Sora's loose grasp. "I've got'ta take a picture," he quacked with a grin before calling back to the room, "Jiminy, how do you send photos on this thing?"

End.