Chapter 1: Severed Starlight
{Sora}
Blue.
The crystal-clear waters of the Destiny Sea reflected the evening sunlight; the rays twinkled like diamond chips on the cresting waves.
Sora sighed. It feels good to be home. The sound of the ocean lapping at the pristine white sand of the beach was like a soothing lullaby; he might've fallen asleep if he didn't have so much on his mind.
Try as he might, Sora just couldn't bring himself to truly relax.
Something was wrong.
Sora was sure of that. He could feel it in his bones, as surely as he lived and breathed. Despite the fact that he and Riku had just saved the worlds again, something was still off.
When they returned to the Island, Kairi had found a letter with the King's seal on it. The contents were...stirring to say the least. The first time he'd read it, he'd asked Riku and Kairi to give him some time to think, and he still hadn't decided what he was going to do about it.
Sora fished the folded sheet of paper out of his pocket again, opening it to pore over the contents once more:
I wanted to tell you right away,
About memories from the past that sleep within you.
About the pieces that will tie you to your future.
Sora, Riku, Kairi,
The truth behind the Keyblade,
has found its way through so many people,
and now I know that it rests in your hearts.
Sora, You are who you are because of those people,but they're hurting,
and you're the only one who can end their sadness.
They need you.
It's possible that all your journeys so far,
have been preparing you for this great new task that's waiting for you.
I should have known that there were no coincidences,
only links in a much larger chain of events.
And now, the door to your next journey is ready to be opened.
-Mickey
Sora fought the urge to crumple the paper into a ball, to rip it to shreds, to cast it into the ocean and be done with the King's cryptic message. It wasn't that he wasn't grateful. He knew that he was indebted to the monach, more deeply than he could ever repay, but seriously:
Would it kill His Majesty to explain things in plain English, rather than leaving the Chosen Keyblade Wielder with nothing but a guilt trip and a few enigmatic verses about his 'next great task?'
As irritated as he was at the fact that he was going to have to leave again, despite his promise to Kairi that they would be together every day, he also understood that as a Wielder, he had to put others before himself.
And so, he was going, despite his reservations.
Terra, Ventus, and Aqua were depending on him.
Sora knew one thing, the people he was rescuing, whoever they were, had better be damn grateful when he got to them.
Maybe, once that was accomplished, he'd have a chance to be normal for once.
Pfft. Who am I kidding? I don't even know what normal is anymore. Sora shook his head to clear it of the uncharacteristically spiteful thoughts, then glanced over his shoulder at Riku.
The silver-haired teen was standing a respectful distance away, waiting patiently as he leaned against the wooden shack that protected the steps to the bridge from the elements.
A little futher away, Kairi was sitting at the water's edge, letting the surf lap at her heels.
Sora grimaced when she looked up and waved jauntily at him. She's going to kill me. Taking a deep breath, and making his peace with his life in case Kairi did in fact decide to murder him, he nodded at Riku,
The muscular youth waved to Kairi before crossing the bridge to join Sora at the base of the Paopu tree.
"Your mind's made up." Riku allowed slowly. It wasn't a question.
Sora nodded. "Yeah."
Kairi came to stand beside Riku, and Sora felt certain that his heart was trying to batter its way out of his chest.
Sora slid off his perch on the bent trunk of the Paopu tree. "Kairi..." he couldn't finish. He didn't have the words. Didn't have the heart to tell her that despite his promise, despite everything they'd been through together, he was leaving her again.
Kairi nodded encouragingly.
"It's just...they really need me. I have to go."
Kairi's brow furrowed in disappointment, but she said nothing.
Sora pressed on, fully aware of the fact that that his life could end at any second if he didn't offer sufficient explanation for his leave-taking. Or, he could irreparably damage his and Kairi's relationship.
He wasn't sure which was worse.
"I am who I am, because of them."
Something flashed in Kairi's eyes, but it was gone before Sora could be sure what it was. The beautiful young woman swept her cranberry hair out of her face and nodded, pressing her thalassa shell charm into Sora's hand. "See you soon."
Sora reveled in the warmth of her touch, the heady rush of her skin on his.
Too late, Sora realized that something was streaking toward his face at an incredible rate of speed. It was funny, the object almost resembled Kairi's hand...
Crack.
The sharp sound of skin-on-skin contact was unmistakeable.
Sora reeled, his face was on fire, the skin smarting and stinging and twitching where Kairi had slapped him.
"You promised!" Kairi's tone was equal parts hurt and righteous indignation. Her fiery red hair dropped into her eyes again, making her look that much edgier. An enraged flush crept up her cheeks and her fist whipped toward Sora's face.
Oh, shit.
The impact was a burst of white fire behind Sora's eyelids; dimly, he could feel the blood spilling out of his lip. The coppery tang of blood turned his stomach and he fought back the nausea through sheer force of will.
Riku stepped in then—looking a little too amused for Sora's liking—and restrained Kairi from pummeling Sora futher.
Sora wiped the blood from his lip calmly, unable to ignore the surge of guilt at the sight of the angry tears dripping from Kairi's chin.
"You promised that we'd be together every day, Sora. And now you're just gonna leave? Just like that? You'd better have a damn good reason for this." She raved, struggling futilely against Riku's restraining embrace.
"It's okay," Sora panted, trying to get his thoughts back in order as his brain finally stopped rattling around inside his skull. "Let her go Riku,"
Riku was clearly fighting a smirk; his expression clearly said: It's your funeral.
As soon as she was free of Riku's hold, Kairi charged at Sora again.
The spiky-haired young man tensed for the flurry of punches he knew was coming. Needless to say he was thoroughly surprised when the young woman seized his jacket and pulled him to her, hugging him desperately.
What the hell? Sora was completely lost, unsure if the embrace was a ruse, wondering if she'd take advantage of their closeness to wreak havoc on his family jewels.
Dimly, Sora realized that Riku was waving, and then the older boy went back across the bridge, headed toward the beachfront café in the distance.
Sora felt Kairi shudder against him, her slender frame wracked with sobs. Sora held her close, rubbing her back gently. He reveled in her intoxicating closeness, the enthralling scent of her cranberry tresses, the warm suppleness of her against him, the way she seemed to fit against him just so. His chest vibrated as she mumbled something into his shirt.
"Hmm?" Sora wondered quietly.
Kairi pulled back, sniffling. "I said 'I'm sorry.'" She clarified. "I didn't mean to hurt you. Are you okay?"
Sora smiled. "No worries. I'll live."
"I really am sorry Sora," Kairi's breath caught, and Sora held her just a little bit tighter. "It's just...When you were gone...it was awful. I couldn't handle it. I had no idea if you were alright, if you were safe...Hell, I didn't even know if you were alive. And so I waited, and I waited, praying to gods that it wouldn't just be Riku coming back. That I wouldn't have to sit here when he told me you were dead..." She was crying in earnest now, but she pressed on. "I knew that if you did die, you'd go down fighting, for the greater good, making sure everyone had their best chance to live a happy life...I can't go through that again. Please...don't do this to me."
Damn. Guilt much? Sora reflected.
Kairi looked at him earnestly, fervently, and Sora wanted nothing more than to kiss her, right then and there.
"Let me come with you." Kairi proposed.
"No," Sora's response was as reflexive as breathing. He absolutely refused to be responsible for bringing her to harm. He would put her before himself every time. Even if she hated him for it.
"Bastard," Kairi muttered.
"Let me explain," Sora replied, taking her gently by the shoulders before she could launch into another triade. "There are things that happened while I was out there. Things that I had to go through, that I wouldn't wish on anyone. I don't want you to suffer like I did. And you won't. Not while there's breath left in me, and not while I have the power to make sure you never have to know that pain." Sora's heart twinged at the memory.
He would rather suffer a thousand deaths, face a million clones of the Organization XIII members alone in pitched combat, than he would suffer again the emotional agony he'd experienced in the maw.
Kairi seemed to pick up on the agonized sincerity in Sora's voice. "What is it, Sora? What happened to you?"
Sora took a deep breath, clamped down on the emotional turmoil that threatened to consume him, and then he spilled his guts:
He stood on a blue slab of rock in the Maw. The King had just disappeared into a portal of darkness after Xemnas.
Axel had just finished explaining what the Organization wanted with the Keyblade.
And the he showed up.
Saïx.
Rotten little bastard.
Sanctimonious little son of a bitch.
"We'll ensure he recieves the maximum punishment." he said as Axel disappeared into a portal of darkness.
Like that fixed anything. Like that made it okay that Kairi was stuck in the realm of Darkness with no way out and that Riku was still nowhere to be found.
Rage burned.
Searing his veins and scalding the back of his throat like acid.
"I don't care about any of that! Just let me into the realm of darkness, okay!"
"If it's Kairi you're worried about, don't. We're taking very good care of her." Saïx's condescending tone let Sora know that the Nobody was in complete control of the situation and he knew it.
"Take me to her!" Sora commanded, knowing that he really wasn't in a position to be making demands.
Sora forced himself not to call the Keyblade back into his grasp. He was that close to separating Saïx's head from his body.
He wanted to, but he knew he couldn't.
That wouldn't get him any closer to Kairi.
"Is she that important to you?" Saïx posed.
Sora couldn't deny that she was. She was his reason for living.
His strength.
His light.
His life.
His everything.
"Yeah. More than anything."
Saïx's grin was preadatory, full of malice. "Show me how important."
Desperate times called for desperate measures. Brute force wouldn't get Sora what he wanted. But he knew what would.
Fealty.
Sora got down on his hands and knees. And then, he begged, pleading with his entire being in one word.
"Please."
"So, you really do care for her. In that case...the answer's no." Saïx sneered.
"You rotten-" There were so many horrible things that Sora wanted to call him; all of them to friendly for a monster like him. Sora leapt to his feet, fighting with everything he had not to slaughter the Nobody in front of Donald and Goofy.
He couldn't give in.
He wouldn't.
Because Kairi needed him.
Kairi needed him.
Sora wasn't overly surprised at the fact that the tears that spilled out of his eyes at the memory. Even now, he thought the death that Xemnas had suffered was too merciful. He'd have preferred to kill him slowly, one excruciatingly slow cut of the Keyblade at a time. All while he held the Nobody's heart just out of his reach, denying him his happiness.
It took Sora a moment to realize that Kairi was hugging him. Her embrace was secure and tight, and supportive. Sora allowed the headiness of her touch, the softness of her skin, the strawbery-vanilla scent of her hair to calm his aching heart.
"I'm so sorry Sora." Kairi breathed.
"It's okay," Sora gasped; the pain of memory would never really go away. "You're here now. That's all that matters."
"Well," Kairi began, gaining conviction as she spoke. "If I was with you, you wouldn't have to worry so much."
Sora sank down onto the sand, defeated. He stared up at the stars, searching the cosmos for a valid argument. "I know." As his sky-blue eyes searched the celestial bodies, he noticed that one was shining far brighter than the others around it. The shine flared for an instant, and then the star imploded, leaving behind a horrible black stain, a smudge on the great expanse of cosmic perfection.
Kairi's sharp intake of breath told him that he wasn't the only witness to the demise of a world.
Before the two teens could even begin to mourn the loss of a world, a sleek black Gummi ship skimmed low over the sand, landing a few short paces away.
Kairi shivered, and Sora instictively stepped in front of her, the Oblivion appearing in his hand with a flash of lightning.
The landing ramp descended with a whine, and a black armored figure sauntered down the gangway, an opaque visor obscuring his face.
"I have a message to deliver." His voice was as cold and black as death, his tone sent shivers down Sora's spine.
"Then speak." Sora snapped, his Keyblade slowly coming up into a guard position.
"The Door to Darkness has opened. Surrender your heart or forfeit your life."
"Drop dead." Kairi snarled from behind.
The blow came from nowhere.
Only Sora's reflexive block saved him from being decapitated as the armored man swung a deadly-looking Keyblade at his neck.
The young Keyblade Wielder backpedaled under a furious onlsaught of blows, his blade spinning and whirling as he fended off the assault, each blow a potentially fatal one.
Sora slipped a blow with a frantic hop-step, the assailant's weapon slammed into the sand in a great spray of fine rock particles.
The dark Wielder chuckled humorlessly as he deflected a strike from Kairi, lashing out with a blow that Kairi barely managed to dodge.
Sora charged forward and tackled the armored man to the ground. He gasped as a heavy armored boot sent him flying through the air. He landed in a heap on the sand, winded and badly bruised. His vision swam, but he shook off the bleary smears and went on the offensive, his Keyblade wheeling through an impressive flurry of blows.
The assailant's defense was flawless, he turned Sora's blows aside with maddeningly little effort.
And then he faltered.
He pitched forward onto the sand, blood leaking from his inert form.
Riku stood over the body, Way to the Dawn slick with blood.
"I could've taken him," Sora panted, still bent over as he tried to gain his breath back; he was pretty sure that at least one of his ribs was cracked. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Sure you could've," Riku's voice wasn't quite patronizing, but Sora could tell he was fighting a smirk. "With all that racket, I had to come make sure Kairi wasn't still trying to kill you." That time he did chuckle. "Who was that guy, anyway?"
"Not a clue." Sora was grateful for the mirth in his friend's tone; it made the whole situation seem a little less horrible. He heaved himself back to his feet, groaning in pain as his injured ribs were strained.
Kairi was by his side in an instant. "You okay?"
"Never better," Sora grunted, forcing a smile.
Kairi rolled her eyes and wrapped Sora's arm gently around her shoulders to help him stand. "Don't be so macho. You don't have to impress anyone, Sora." she chided gently.
Riku groaned good-naturedly. "If you two are finished making eyes at each other, we can use that Gummi Ship to go ask the King if he knows anything about what's going on." He suggested, gesturing at the now-ownerless vessel.
Sora slipped out of Kairi's grip and started forward, determined to make it to the ship under his own power.
"Well, shit." Riku muttered behind him. "Here we go again."