Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.
Dawn will always rise chapter fourteen: Dark Warrior? Light Warrior? Both.
A figure almost completely obscured by Darkness stood where Kairi had stood minutes ago, the figure was facing Kairi and she could make out the faintest of details. The figure had golden eyes with the whites completely blacked out, the figure had tan skin and had long black hair slicked away from his face. "Hello Kairi." A deep, vicious voice was heard and Kairi recognised it from somewhere. As the figure spoke dark wisps appeared in front of his face and the Darkness surrounding him pulsated. "Told you I'd be back."
Kairi could feel the blood drain from her face and she felt her body freeze. The figure walked towards her but stopped ten feet away. "I told you I'd kill you, and now that Sora's out of the way I can. Goodbye Kairi." The figure shot forward with a blade of Darkness held to the side, Kairi was still frozen and she could only watch as her death approached her. She heard a clash of metal and she saw Ukitake had blocked the blade of Darkness. "Kairi, go! I'll keep him busy." Kairi unfroze and rushed forward, the masked figure raised his other hand and she was thrown backwards, she felt her bones crack as she struck the wall. She gasped and spat out blood, she fell to the ground and stood up again. She rushed the figure again but she was thrown back again.
Kairi kept getting back up but the masked figure kept smashing her into the wall. Before she could feel herself lose consciousness she felt someone catch her as she was pushed into the wall again. She looked up and saw that it was Kenpachi. He lowered her to the ground and drew his blade. Kairi looked around and saw all the other captains assembled, even the captain-commander. Yamamoto approached her and lifted her to her feet. "Keyblade master, protect yourself, we fight for you." He let her go and raised his staff into the air, the wood vanished and he grasped a sword. The majority of the other captains drew their swords and stood in front of her.
"We fight. As one." Ukitake jumped back and joined the ranks. Yamamoto stepped forward and glared at the masked figure. "Who dares to harm an innocent woman so?" The masked man laughed and raised his hand. He clenched it into a fist and everyone saw the golden eyes, the keyblade, the black hair. It was Danny, the latest keyblade wielder. "My name is Danny, and I claimed her as my own when she tried to kill me in cold blood." Danny's voice echoed strangely and Kairi saw the Darkness once again begin to pool around him.
Kairi stood up and plunged herself into her inner Light. She began to glow with a bright blue Light, not unlike the Light Sora and Kairi's joined power created. 'Of course, Sora's crystal.' Kairi drew the crystal from her pocket and closed her fist around it, she drew all the power from the crystal and she began to shine with silver Light. She stepped forward and dismissed her keyblade. "Danny, you have no right to want revenge. I protected you and you betrayed me. And you threatened the balance of your world, now you threaten the balance of all worlds. Unless I stop you." Kairi rushed forward and formed a single blade from her inner Light, the blade flared into existence and she saw it being refined, beginning to look like metal. In seconds she held a silver blade in her hand, broader and longer than her keyblade, shining with silver Light.
Kairi clashed with Danny and he brushed her attack off like it was nothing, she drew more heavily upon her Light and saw Danny stumble back. "Very good Kairi. But you forget, I use Darkness and Light." Danny began to shine with white Light and his attacks grew drastically in strength. Kairi was thrown into the wall again but this time it crumbled around her, she tried getting back up but found that she couldn't.
Ukitake saw Kairi struggle to fight Danny and saw her fall to his might. When he moved in to finish her he stepped forward and he saw Shunsui join him. They both rushed Danny but he easily countered his attacks. Ukitake fell to the ground, bleeding from multiple wounds and saw Komamaru take his place. And so it went, for each captain that fell another took his or her place. Soifon and Kenpachi lasted much longer than the others but they fell nonetheless. When everyone had fallen except Toshiro and Yamamoto they stepped in front of Kairi and guarded her. Danny attacked but Toshiro blocked it with a blast of ice. Danny attacked again but Toshiro held his own. While Toshiro and Danny fought Yamamoto stood in front of Kairi with his sword still sheathed.
Kairi saw her new friends fall and she tried with all her strength to get back up but her body refused. She was lying in a pool of her own blood, struggling to breath. She called out within herself to the only person she could: Sora. 'Sora help me! Please!'
On a dead world covered in Darkness someone moaned in pain and sadness, all Light that illuminated the gloom was the silver glow of his eyes. He continued keeping the one sliver of Light left within him alive, not tainted by the Darkness. He could feel his will leaving him, leaving him weaker than before. The Darkness attacked his body and heart anew and he screamed in pain, his body wracked with shudders and his back arching above the cold stone. He could feel his resolve weakening, he tried to stay strong but his own Darkness drowned him in doubt and pain.
The mysterious person heard the worlds conversing, different people talking about different things. He had tried focusing on a single voice but it was drowned out by the others. He tried ignoring them but they grew louder until they deafened him. He suddenly heard a shout of pain and felt a muffled sense of Hatred. "Sora help me! Please!"
Sora shot upwards from where he'd been for the last four days and heard Kairi's voice calling out to him, calling for help. He tried going to her but his Darkness restrained him, reminding him as to why he'd left her in the first place. 'She can't see me like this. And the Darkness forces me to stay. She'll have to find a way on her own.' Sora settled back down onto the ground and heard the Darkness whisper in his ear. 'Give in and we shall allow you. Give in and you have free will once more. For seven minutes we will comply and obey.' Sora considered the words of the Darkness and knew he had to help Kairi. 'If her voice reached me she needs my help.' Sora closed his eyes and let the Darkness into himself, he could feel it taint and change but he cared little, if it meant saving Kairi he didn't care what happened to him. 'It is done. Our power is yours. Use it wisely.' Sora nodded and opened his eyes, he looked around him and saw red, wherever he looked he saw the colour of blood. Sora opened a corridor of Darkness and rushed through.
Kairi looked up at Danny and saw him lift his keyblade into the air, ready to cleave her in two. All around her the captains that had tried to protect her were on the ground, lying in on the ground with their blood staining the ground. Ukitake was crawling toward her and Yamamoto was stuck against the wall with shackles of Darkness. They both struggled to stop Danny but they knew they knew they wouldn't, couldn't save her.
"I will release you now Princess. From the burden of this world and the throne of Radiant Garden. Die!" Danny swung his keyblade down and she closed her eyes.
Kairi waited for the final blow and heard Danny hiss in annoyance. Kairi slowly opened her eyes and saw Danny standing in front of her, his arm held still with a tendril of Darkness. Kairi followed the tendrils length and saw a corridor of Darkness open twenty feet behind Danny, but felt nothing about who had opened it. She waited and saw a hand appear, the tendril leaking from its fingertips with the rest of the body following behind it. But she didn't recognise the figure. Like Danny the figure was completely enveloped with Darkness, Kairi frowned in confusion and still felt nothing, like the man wasn't there at all.
Kairi saw the man close his hand slowly and saw Danny pulled towards him, struggling to stand his ground. Kairi looked at the man and saw that his Darkness was different from Danny's: It was tainted with crimson and was much darker and denser. The figures eyes were aglow with a dull burgundy, muddled red smoke lifting from in front of his eyes. When Danny struck out at the figure Kairi felt a disturbance in the air but still felt nothing from the figure.
Sora pulled Danny away from Kairi and saw Danny plant his feet into the ground below him. Danny threw an enormous amount of Darkness toward Sora but he merely crossed his arms and looked at the Darkness and forced his will into its bond with Danny. The Darkness stopped in midair and vanished into wisps of dark smoke. Danny raised his keyblade and severed the tendril of Darkness that restrained him.
Kairi looked at Danny and saw him begin to charge power into his hands, the power charging the air with electricity. Danny threw the Dark Thundaga towards the mysterious figure and saw it collide with his chest. The Darkness fell from the figure and Kairi saw the familiar features muddled with rage and pain: it was Sora. His skin had been darkened considerably by the foul influence of the Darkness, his hair standing wild with his eyes still glowing a brilliant crimson.
Kairi gasped in shock and sprang to her feet, she ran to him but then he looked at her and she froze mid-stride. His eyes were dead, no emotion within their depths. He raised his hand toward her and he hesitantly took a step toward her before his face darkened in pain. He pushed her away with a wave of his hand and turned back to Danny.
Sora faced Danny and saw him prepare to attack, Sora in turn raised his one hand and drew upon the power Darkness had given him: a black orb shining with red light appeared floating above his palm and he willed it forward. As the sliver of Darkness moved through the air the combination of Light and Darkness that made up the world was disrupted, the Darkness draining into the earth and the Light disappearing, leaving a blood like trail behind.
Kairi looked at the sliver of Darkness and saw it destroy the bonds within the world. The Darkness drained into the floor and the Light vanished but she felt both powers still present. She felt the Darkness within the world roil and rise up, forming pillars of Darkness from the ground and thunderbolts within the sky. Kairi could feel the worlds Darkness being moulded by Sora and yet she still felt nothing from him. 'What's happened to him? He would never endanger the world if he doesn't need to. And why can't I feel him? No matter how far apart we are I can always feel his heart entwined with mine except now I don't feel anything. Why is that? Is it the Darkness or has he abandoned me?' Kairi looked at Sora's face and saw him frown, he turned to her and she saw the faintest touch of sadness touch his face, as if he had heard her thoughts.
Sora felt the doubt rampaging within Kairi's heart and he tried consoling her. 'No. We have given you power, in return you must abandon her. That was our deal. Now respect that deal. Kill him and be done with it.' Sora looked away from Kairi and turned his dead eyes upon Danny, he sneered at him but Sora didn't react.
"So Sora, you have abandoned your 'holier than thou' rule. How's it feel? Having the Darkness consume you? Does it hurt so good or does it scare you?" Danny roared with laughter but Sora didn't even react.
"The Darkness will never consume me. I have a reason to fight, a reason to die fighting. And that protects me from the consuming hatred. I have no need to fear the Darkness, it should fear me. Because it knows that if Kairi dies because of it, I will never stop until I have destroyed it." Sora could feel his Darkness roil within him but paid it no heed. "You have two options Danny. Option one; fight and die at my hand in the next four minutes which my Darkness is willing me to do. Or option two, leave this place and hope I never find you." Sora closed his eyes and waited for Danny's answer.
"How about this; I kill you and take Kairi for myself. Or you leave and I take Kairi for myself. It's a win win situation. You stay alive and I get what I want." Danny sneered and raised his keyblade in anticipation. "C'mon Sora. Decide quickly. Or I'll decide for you." Danny counted to ten and Sora still hadn't spoken. "Three, two, one...Die" Danny charged forward and surrounded himself with his Darkness and Light. He set his keyblade ablaze with power and slashed downward.
Sora heard Danny charge towards him and he sighed, raised his hands above his head and brought the Darkness from the world into play. The Darkness collided with Danny and everything went dark. Sora felt the Darkness surrounding him and felt it shift as he looked around, looking for Danny. He saw Danny run toward him with keyblade drawn and Sora did the same, they clashed and both were thrown back.
Kairi walked around in the shadows Sora had used and stumbled on objects underfoot. She wandered around, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm herself. She kept stumbling into thing and stopped when she felt something give way beneath her, she heard a muffled curse and she looked down. "Ukitake? What are you doing?"
Captain Ukitake was crawling around on his hands and knees, looking lost and confused."Kairi? Where are we? And why is it that man tried to kill you?" Ukitake sounded tired but excited. "Oh Ichigo would love this. Fighting to protect you where all others have failed, he'll fight even if his body can't even function."
Kairi reached down and pulled him to his feet. "C'mon, we'll go help Sora fight Danny." Kairi pulled Ukitake to his feet and they walked through the Darkness. They spoke little but when they did they noticed that their voices echoed multiple times, as if they were standing on the end of a long tunnel. Kairi tried her best to follow her heart to find Sora but Ukitake soon noticed that they were walking in small circles, therefore not moving at all but he didn't say anything. They walked for minutes but to both Kairi and Ukitake it felt like days or months. Kairi stopped midstride when they struck the eleven minute mark, hearing faint whispers followed by the clashing of metal. They continued walking and they stumbled into a clearing, filled entirely with pure white light.
Kairi waited for her eyes to grow accustomed to the light and when she did she locked her gaze upon the two forms of Sora and Danny, locked in combat. Kairi stepped forward and summoned her keyblade but Ukitake pulled her back. "It's his fight. A fight of pride, to protect you and avenge your honour." Kairi nodded and dismissed her keyblade but stiffened each time Sora received a wound, which was often.
Sora was fighting Danny with all the power he could spare but he still couldn't get the decisive blow in. Sora charged his blade of Darkness with his power and slashed Danny from shoulder to hip and prepared to finish it but Danny merely jumped to the side and slashed his arm open to the bone. Sora dodged Danny's blows but they still cut into his skin, no matter how fast he moved. 'At least Danny can't block my attacks either.' Sora slashed at Danny again and felt a sick satisfaction when Danny's blood splattered over his face. Sora cut Danny again and again but still couldn't bring him down. Danny dodged enough of the attack to avoid serious wounds while Sora relied on his healing factor and reflexes. Danny himself wasn't doing to bad in healing his wounds, each wound healed inside of a minute, while Sora's took less than thirty seconds. 'His defence and power has improved from the last time I've seen him. At the rate we're fighting now the victor will be decided by the last man standing, and I'm not sure I'll be able to be that man.'
Sora knew that the clock was ticking against him. The Darkness had given him seven minutes, and while Sora has found a loophole in that promise he knew he couldn't fight forever. 'I've slowed time to a standstill while I remain in the worlds Darkness. But the second I step out the lost time will return at once. I've already been here for over twenty minutes but only around two minutes time has passed.' Sora also knew that his power over time was weakening the longer he fought. He could only keep time at a dead stop for little over thirty minutes before it started to slowly creep forward again.
Sora was shook from his thoughts when Danny shoved his keyblade through Sora's gut. Sora looked down and pulled the nuisance from his body, the wound healed in less than a second but it cost him dearly. It had taken a great amount of strength to keep his body from not collapsing under the strain of the amplified healing. 'Great, now I only have six minutes before time starts ticking again.' Sora retaliated the gut wrenching experience by breaking all the bones in Danny's right arm by collapsing the air around it with Darkness and squeezing it with the Darkness. Sora grimaced at the sick, wet crunch it made but continued his attack.
Sora disarmed Danny and dismissed his own blades, he pounced on the unarmed warrior and began beating his face in with his fists. "Give up. Give up! Give up!" Sora continues beating Danny to a pulp and moved on to more gruesome methods. He crashed Danny's skull into the ground and by shoving his fist into Danny's sternum, forcing him to take shallow breaths. When Sora saw Danny's eyes flicker he pulled him to his feet and turned him around and grasping his arms by the wrists. He kicked Danny's back and began shoving with his foot. "You want to touch Kairi? Try doing that without arms, you bastard!" Sora shoved with much more force and felt Danny's right shoulder snap under the strain, followed closely by the already weakened bones in his right arm. Danny screamed in pain and thrashed against Sora but Sora just pulled harder, starting to hear Danny's left shoulder crack.
"STOP!" Kairi couldn't take any more, she opened her mouth to scream but Ukitake's roar of disgust and anger beat her to it. "What do you think you're doing? Killing him? Causing him the same misery he caused you?" Sora turned his face to the silver haired man that somehow reminded him of Riku. "All your doing is fuelling your own blood-lust. Your killing him, that much is true but you're doing it in a sick manner. Ripping his arms off? That makes me sick." Sora looked down at his arms and slowly released his grip on Danny's wrists but couldn't seem to stop himself kicking him in the ribs, breaking at least four. He turned to Kairi and turned his back entirely to Danny, not in the least afraid.
"You don't know what you're talking about. He would have devoured this world if I didn't intervene. He would have taken Kairi, and that is something that scares me more than death itself. I'll fight Thanatos himself before I let him touch her. The Darkness itself will die before I let her be harmed. Now stay out of my way before I kill you too." Sora turned back to Danny and say him fall through a corridor of Darkness, but not before he threw a dozen bolts of Darkness on a deadly course towards Kairi. Sora moved to take the bolts in her place but he was too late, seven of the bolts pierced her chest and the rest flew harmlessly past her.
Kairi saw the bolts approaching her and she tried moving out of the way but she found that her body was frozen in place, she could do nothing as she felt the blots pierce her flesh. She felt herself fall but the movement was lost to her, her vision and other senses were fading fast, it was all she could do to make sure she didn't fall face first. She felt her eyes flutter but she didn't see anything anyway, everything was a black and white blur. She felt her heart skip a beat and slow, leaving her even weaker. She felt herself fall into the blackness of unconsciousness, feeling something flutter over her heart.
Sora rushed to Kairi's side and shoved the poor man already beside her away. He felt the worlds Darkness recede and he felt the last of his Darkness fade away, leaving him weak and filled with anguish. He looked down at her and saw her eyes flutter closed, leaving her still and pale. Sora reached down and grasped one of the bolts protruding from her chest, the bolt burned his skin and he drew away, leaving his palm blackened and bleeding. He saw the wound begin to heal but quickly stop, leaving it as it was. Actually all his wounds were still on his body, not a single wound he's received has healed, leaving him bloody and scarred. He saw his blood leak from his wounds and saw it pool below his and Kairi's bodies, leaving the pure white tiles stained red.
Sora tried healing Kairi's wounds but his battle with Danny had left him weak, also the white haired man beside him was mumbling something about the fourth division which was annoying him. Sora tried stopping Kairi's bleeding but the wounds were so numerous he couldn't even begin to stem the bleeding. He told the man to go away and he mumbled something about getting help but Sora wasn't listening. Two minutes passed and Sora felt his time on this world coming to an end. He began to panic when his Darkness started to pull him away, but he clawed at the ground and kept stopping his lovers bleeding.
'Your time is done. Leave this place.' Sora's Darkness hissed in his ear and he felt a wind scrape over his wounds. He knew that he had given his word to leave within his time limit but he felt that his oath of love to Kairi was far more important than his ill-fated oath to the Darkness. 'No. I will not leave her until I know she'll be alright. Punish me if you want but leave me alone now.' Sora could hear his Darkness mulling over his thoughts but he gave it no heed.
Sora reached down and continued pulling the bolts of Darkness from Kairi's body, the wounds they had made hissed when they were removed. Sora felt the flesh on his hands begin to drip blood and begin to tear but he ignored the pain and poured all the remaining power he had into her wounds, keeping her alive. When Sora began to feel faint he felt a small vibration in one of Kairi's pockets and he fumbled with her clothing. He pulled out the object and saw that it was the crystal he had given her, abundant with Light. Sora closed his hand and crushed the crystal, pouring the broken pieces over Kairi's wounds. The Light filled fragments fell from his hand and touched Kairi's Darkness riddled wounds. The wounds glowed a bright blue and her wounds healed slightly, stopping most of the bleeding but left enough damage to keep her life in danger.
When Sora's vision began to fade to blade Ukitake returned with around a dozen people, they immediately began assessing Sora and Kairi and erected a tri-directional barrier around them. Two of the new people walked through the barrier and tried pulling Sora away from Kairi, but he held onto her and refused to let go. When they continued to struggle against Sora Ukitake himself walked through the barrier and pried Sora away from Kairi.
"Sora, they'll take care of her. Let go. Let them treat her wounds and yours." Ukitake spoke gently, pleaded actually but Sora continued to hold onto Kairi, pouring his power into her. "Leave us alone. I can heal her! Now let us go." Sora swung around and struck out at Ukitake, throwing him twenty feet away. Sora turned back to Kairi and tapped into a power he thought he would never use again. 'Thorn, help me. Please.' Sora could feel wind rushing through his hair and he opened his eyes again.
Sora looked around and saw that he was again standing on top of himself, in his Station of Awakening. His image showed him cast into shadow, with a light shining from his right side. Sora looked down at the light and saw that it was the runes covering his hand, glowing with a deep silver colour. Sora stared at his image and saw that Kairi was directly below him, lying on the ground with her eyes closed. Light shone from her right hand and illuminated her face, leaving the rest of her in shadow. Blood tears rand down Sora's face and dripped from his cheeks onto Kairi's lips, which were closed in a sad smile.
Sora looked up from the tragic image his Station of Awakening showed and saw Thorn floating in front of him, blue eyes blazing and scales shining. "You have abandoned us all and now you expect help! How dare you! We gave you our power, all of it and you threw it away for your own Darkness. Give us one reason why we should give you our power. If it is good enough you shall receive my full power, not the small portion you already received." Thorn flew up into the air and circled above, leaving Sora to think of a good enough reason.
Sora thought it over and paced, from one end of his image to the next. Seconds or hours passed but Sora gave it no heed, thinking of a way to save Kairi. When he finally got an answer he lifted himself into the air and stopped in front of Thorn, leaving the dragon to stare at him in anticipation. "Have you reached a sufficient answer?"
Sora nodded and opened his mouth to speak, frowned and closed it again. "Why do I need a reason? You are a part of me, not the other way around. And didn't I prove that I'm worthy when I defeated you all last time? Your my familiar, you're supposed to protect me." Sora smirked when he saw Thorn squirm uncomfortably and look away from Sora.
"All true, but you still abandoned us, without reason and without cause. You betrayed our trust when you began to use that foolish Heartless power. You betrayed Kairi when you gave in to the Darkness, you are weak and without honour. You deserve a fate worse than death." Thorn drifted back and took in a deep breath.
When Thorn bathed Sora in cursed fire he didn't react, he knew Thorn was right, he had betrayed them and proved himself weak when he began relying on his Darkness. He simply closed his eyes and let Thorn have his way, allowing the great dragon to roast him alive. Thorn burned Sora alive for over a minute before he finally stopped, examining what he'd done. He roared in disbelief ay what he saw.
Sora opened his eyes and looked down at himself, gasping in surprise when he did. Instead of Thorns flames burning him they had healed his wounds, leaving him glowing with a fierce blood red. "I guess my allegiance has remained with you, Wielder of Chaos. You have my blessing along with my power, as well as the power of the others. Go now and fulfil your Destiny!" Thorn roared and breathed fire upon Sora, filling him with incredible power. He blew him away with a breath and Sora was back into his body.
Sora screamed in pain and felt his body burst into fierce fire, covering him completely in its red blaze. Sora felt his body burn but he didn't feel his body being harmed, actually he was being healed, his body and heart being filled with power beyond words. He opened his eyes and raised his arms into the air, forcing the people trying to heal him and Kairi away. He floated upward and drew the incredible power into his heart, leaving him aglow with power. He settled back on his feet and picked Kairi up from the ground and drained an condensed ball of Inferno into his right hand, absorbing it into his rune. He placed his glowing rune over Kairi's faded one and felt his strength drain away, merely to be replaced with more, much much more.
Kairi opened her eyes and felt something enter her heart and body, leaving her warm and comforted. The pain she had felt up until then faded away and she looked into Sora's beautiful silver eyes. "Sora...What happened?" Kairi yawned and sagged in Sora's arms, feeling exhausted. Sora chuckled and took her into his arms, bridal style. "Don't worry about it. Kairi, I'll be back. I promise, in three days I will return, with my Darkness under control. Sleep well, love." Kairi felt her eyes closed and she felt Kairi kiss her cheek. She drew herself upward and kissed him on the lips, forcing a chuckle from him. "I love you Kairi. I'll be back. I swear. Goodbye..." But Kairi was already gone, wandering the realm of dreams, a smile on her face knowing that Sora loved her.
Sora looked up from Kairi's face and into the white haired man's. "Protect her while I'm away. The Darkness will consume me again within minutes so take her now." Sora passed Kairi to Ukitake and stepped back, opened a corridor of Darkness and stepped inside. "I will return at dusk of the third day. Tell her to wait for me. Guard her well Soul Reaper, for if you don't, your soul will be welcomed by Thanatos." Sora closed the corridor and saw understanding cross Ukitake's face.
'He loves her. That's good, everyone deserves to be loved and love in return.' Ukitake turned on his heel and began walking away, intent on keeping his unspoken promise to Sora. 'I will guard her with my life. How can't I? She's so sweet and innocent. A pure soul among the foul Darkness.' Ukitake walked into Kairi's room and laid her atop her bed, walked outside and settled down on the floor opposite her door. He closed his eyes and went into a deep mediate state.
Kairi woke up at the sound of scrambling feet outside her door, she opened her eyes and slowly got to her feet. Memories surged in her mind and she remembered familiar silver eyes. "Sora!" She walked out her door and saw Ukitake sitting against the wall with Rukia, both of them looking up when the door opened. "Welcome back Kairi. We thought we'd lost you for a second there. Good thing Sora saved you when he did." Ukitake rose to his feet and smiled at her when he finished speaking. "How do you feel?" Kairi shook her head and rubbed her temples, trying to rub away the headache throbbing in her head. "Fine, just sore. Where'd Sora go?" Ukitake shook his head and quietly sat down again. "He's gone, but before he left he said he'll be back in three days. At dusk." Kairi sighed and sat down beside Ukitake, they sat there for a while until Ukitake asked if she wanted to go watch the sunset. Kairi nodded and they went on their merry way.
An hour before dusk on the third day Kairi was sitting on the edge of the mountain towering over Seireitei. She looked down at the small figures of the Soul Reapers scrambling below and sighed. 'Three days, three whole days and I barely remember any of it. It all blurs together, just fun and excitement. No true memory. Just three days of waiting, waiting for Sora to come back to me.' Kairi sighed and closed her eyes in shame, realising that her new friends had tried their best to keep her busy and entertained, but she had obsessed over the time spent away from Sora. "I'm a bad friend. I won't be surprised if they kick me out soon." She muttered below her breath but she still felt embarrassed to say it aloud.
A voice broke the silence on the cliff and Kairi jumped to her feet, barely keeping herself from falling over the edge. "No we won't. We'll be sad when you leave. But Kenpachi may be upset that he couldn't fight you before you left." Kairi looked at the figure and saw the familiar straw hat with pink kimono, it was captain Shunsui. "You think we'd throw you out? Clearly you underestimate our moral value." Shunsui sat down on the edge and patted the ground beside him.
Kairi sat down and looked into Shunsui's deep grey eyes. 'Eyes that has seen much, eyes that hold fun and knowledge.' "Your right. I do underestimate you, all of you. Your all trying to keep me occupied while I wait for Sora to come back. That's kind of you all. But I know what Sora said. To guard me while he's away."
Shunsui cleared his throat and looked away. "Yeah. But you forgot the part where he said Thanatos will welcome us if we don't." Kairi looked confused so Shunsui explained. "Thanatos is the Greek god of death. Thanatos literally means 'death.' It's quite ironic actually, Soul Reapers are servants of death. We were quite surprised when he said that he'll stand between you and Thanatos. Sora's brave, I'll give him that. But he'll never be able to stop death itself." When Shunsui was done he settled onto his side and pulled out two small cups along with a jar. "Sake?"
Sora stood up from the floor of the cave and slowly felt his Darkness recede. 'Finally finished. Now I can truly be myself, without fear.' Sora drew a deep breath and opened a Dragons Tear, he stepped through and into the square he had first appeared, causing multiple Soul Reapers to confront him. He just walked through their ranks and pushed them away, he could feel Kairi's Light in the air and he followed it from the sky. He flew through the air and soon found Kairi, sitting on a cliff talking to a man wearing a pink kimono. Sora floated far above them and gave them their privacy. He floated through the air and let the gentle breeze blow away the stink of Darkness, enjoying its feel on his skin. Sora kept his eye on Kairi and saw her stand up about ten minutes later, looking around, waiting for him.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next chapter: Weakness
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