A/N: I know… you all get a HUGE apology for the insanely delayed update. I AM SORRY!!! School is kicking my ass already and I've been busy studying for my boards… so again, I'm sorry!
Darkness and Light
Darkness and light... One can not exist without the other, nor can one exist in the presence of the other. A delicate balance maintained harmoniously, yet effortlessly, through natural preservatives of equilibrium. But what happens when the scale tips? What happens when the balance is disrupted? Calm enlightenment turns to rage and love to anger.
In the depths of Sora's mind, a battle raged, a war between the polar ends of Sora's shattered heart. Light and darkness... Good and evil… The two were synonymous, existing in the same heart at the same time and in the rage of his vengeance, Sora and Shadow had finally become one. But recovering the balance in Sora's heart would not be easy… But just as light is shadowed and swallowed in darkness… so is darkness peeled away with the brilliance of light's radiance and warmth…
He stood eerily still, the sands swirling softly at his feet. The darkness pooling around his body gleamed forebodingly in the harsh sunlight that bathed him and he shifted uncomfortably in its warmth. Onlookers watched intently as he closed his eyes, breathing in slow steady breaths, the rise and fall of his chest coinciding perfectly with the pulse of the sandy whirlwinds that danced at his feet.
The winds shifted softly as he channeled his energy into listening for that one still voice… That melodic hum that had plagued his thoughts and besieged his dreams…
It was what drove him, fueling his anger and hatred. But in the end, it was also be what saved him… For it was that menacing voice that grounded him back to reality as it rang in his ears…
"It's time to end this… only one thing stands in the way now…"
Before he knew what he was doing, Sora was walking towards the arena exit, his body acting without his mind telling it to do so, the Oathkeeper charm still gripped tightly in his hand as he disappeared into the shadows.
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Kairi tried her best to ignore the sharp pain that radiated through her chest as she stumbled towards the arena battle grounds. Riku and Shai's cries of reassurance were lost to the darkness that surrounded her and all she could hear was the beating of her own heart as it thundered in her ribcage. She peered through the foggy veil that still clouded her vision, searching intently for any human outline that might prove to be Sora.
Her spirits fell as she neared the battle grounds and found the sandy arena deserted…
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Her hair… its crimson waves reminded him of blood… Her unusually pale skin contrasting sharply against its scarlet radiance…. The sun's rays gleamed off her red locks brightly as she kneeled in the sand under the lone ray of sunshine in a sea of darkness. Once this was all over, he assured himself that he would never forget the way she looked under that beam of light… with her beautiful blood-red hair.
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As her eyes focused in the sun's warmth, she felt calmed by its presence. But, it was the sharp broken edge of a certain lucky charm that sent a heavy weight to deepen in her chest. It felt cold in the palm of her hand, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked upon it.
"Kairi, you've got to wake up… Sora's in trouble!"
Kairi shut her eyes tightly, a single tear escaping her long thick lashes. "Sora's in trouble…" she repeated Shai's words from earlier as she closed her fingers around the precious talisman.
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Sora was unsure of the steps that he took as he re-entered the arena… but he took them nonetheless, unquestioning of his intentions as he neared her. He felt calm, relaxed, and unnaturally at ease in the darkness that surrounded him. Perhaps his calmness originated from the fact that soon this would all be over… he was convinced of that as the Shadow in his heart reassured him that only one thing stood in his way of freedom… And soon, that one thing would be gone.
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"Don't cry my Princess… Soon, this will all be over and you can go home."
Sora… Kairi's eyes shot open at the realization as she felt a cool hand grip her shoulder softly. Instantly a natural smile spread its way across her lips as she turned towards the sound of his voice. "Sora!"
But what she saw was enough to intensify the pain in her chest to the point that she couldn't even breathe. Sora stood over her, the smoke and fire trailing down his body shrouding him in a cloud of darkness, his black eyes and hair contrasting harshly against pale white skin. She opened her mouth to scream, but she couldn't even muster the breath… so she sat wide-eyed and silent in his black cold stare.
He smiled eerily as he extended his hand to her. "It is time, Princess…"
She shifted her eyes uncertainly, suddenly wishing very much that she had allowed Riku and Shai to follow her to the arenas. "S-Sora?" Her wide cerulean eyes met with his shallow black and a shudder ran down her spine. "What's going on? What… what happened to you?" she choked past the lump quickly forming in her throat.
A deep darkness settled in his eyes as he answered, "Come with me Kairi… It's time to go home…" He once again extended his hand to her, encouraging her with his eyes.
Kairi drew a deep unsteady breath as she timidly took his hand, unsurely allowing Sora to pull her to her feet. Her fingers itched with anticipation and the knowledge that she would no-doubt need to defend herself with her Keyblade… but the only question was, who would she be defending herself against? The Shadow? Or Sora?
Sora still had a tight grip on Kairi's hand when a cloud of darkness began to pool around his other arm, shaping and morphing into his new Keyblade of Shadows, its black and violet blade igniting and gleaming forebodingly in the sun's light.
"Sora?!" Kairi pulled from his grip, stumbling backwards in the sands. "What are you doing?" she asked numbly as she stared at the smoky black blade.
He slanted his eyes at his weapon, the silence around them deafening. He seemed almost in a trance, his lips curling ever so slightly into a faint grin as he stared at his blade. Kairi's heart thundered in her chest, her breath coming in short steady bursts as small tears pooled in the corners of her eyes.
"Sora?" Her voice, meek and emaciated, barely escaped her lips before he turned his cold eyes back on her.
"It's time, Princess…" he growled, his voice dripping with a dark resonance that reverberated in the space surrounding him. Kairi barely had time to turn and run before he grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him, using the Keyblade of Shadows against her side to enforce his determination.
She struggled against his grasp, her weak whimpers burying in the lump in her throat.
As she stood slumped in his strong grasp, she couldn't tell what hurt worse… The Keyblade at her side? The numb ache in her head that still clouded her vision? Or, the deep pain in her chest that seemed to intensify with each rattling beat of her breaking heart? It was then, as she was pondering her predicament that it hit her. There was only one way…
She set her jaw in sudden determination as a bright light escaped her palm and morphed into her Keyblade. With one swift motion, she ran her weapon along the blade of Sora's, hot cinders cascading to the ground as she freed herself from its lethal grip. Sora didn't seem surprised by this, and he gripped his Keyblade with both hands and dropped into a low fighting stance, a menacing gleam playing in his chilling eyes.
"Whatever you are... You are not Sora!" Kairi shouted as she twirled her blade nimbly in her fingers, "And whatever you've come here for, you're shit out of luck! Because today you go back to the Hell you came from!!"
A newfound fire ignited in Kairi's chest, filling the aching beat of her heart with power and hope. Her muscles burned with strength she had never felt before as Sora's blade collided with hers in a shower of sparks and flames. She blocked his attacks with resolve set in her eyes, her colorful Keyblade the only thing between her and a gruesome death.
She sidestepped as his blade came crashing against hers again, a new quickness propelling her forward. He lashed out at her ruthlessly, and she fought back, attacking in a powerful series of combos that left Sora out of breath and bleeding. As she stood with her Keyblade skillfully in front of her awaiting his retaliation, she paused as his eyes briefly flashed sapphire blue before dulling once again to charcoal black.
Sora grabbed at the side of his head, a feral growl forced between clenched teeth, before he set his Keyblade of Shadows back into a fighting stance. He swung his weapon at her, the black and violet blade coming only inches from flesh. Kairi advanced on him, gaining strength and accuracy with each hit and it was all Sora could do to block them.
A well timed spell sent Sora to his knees, clutching his head in between his hands as his mouth curled into an earth shattering scream. Kairi found new hope in the intensity and effect of her spells and she brandished her Keyblade high over her head and conjured her magic for another light spell.
However, this time, it did not have the same effect, and the position of her weapon over her head only left her vulnerable for attack.
"That won't work this time, Princess. For… you see, Light and Darkness have become one. And you're the only thing stands in the way of complete transformation!"
Sora snapped to his feet, the Keyblade of Shadows landing across Kairi's middle with such force that it knocked her backwards the full length of the arena. She collided into the back wall, splintering the boards behind with the momentum of her body.
Kairi crumbled to the sandy floor, a pile of bruises and shattered optimism. She stumbled to her feet, wiping the blood sprouting from her lip as she muttered a quick healing spell and readied herself for another attack. She promised herself silently that no matter what happened, she would not give up…
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Each step he took seemed to put him further and further into the twilight eeriness that had engulfed his heart. He searched, peering through the haze trying to find a path… a way out…
This wasn't what he wanted, and as hard as he tried… he couldn't even remember how he got here. It all happened so quickly, and before he knew what had happened, the darkness in his heart had taken over, completely swallowing what little light was left… casting his consciousness into this twilight haze that he couldn't find his way through. But somewhere through the fog, he knew that he would find her… his light…
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As Kairi braced herself for another attack, Sora's black and violet blade getting closer and closer with each step he took, she prayed silently that it would be over soon… and somehow she would find the strength to save him…
As he neared her, his blade dripping with cold darkness, she suddenly knew what she had to do… The only way to bring Sora back, the only way to save him…
Say it for me, Say it to me
And I'll leave this life behind me
Say it if it's worth Saving Me
As he closed in on her she locked eyes with him, warm wet cerulean pleading with cold unrelenting black. "Sora… Please… Don't ever forget… No matter what happens, I'm always with you… I love you"
With those words Kairi fell to her knees as the Keyblade of Shadows delivered its final deadly blow.
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I love you…
Love… Stronger than any force, and more powerful than any spell… Love was what split the darkness in Sora's heart, and as the light left Kairi's eyes it found itself born anew in Sora's heart.
Deafening howls peeled at the darkness that surrounded the arena as Sora ripped the dark shell from his body… the Shadow's torrid screams evidence of its demise as the darkness dissipated from the air and seeped into the sands. Light flooded the Coliseum, illuminating the battle arena in a brilliant radiance that banished the darkness and welcomed warmth and glow. As the last bit of darkness from the Keyblade of Shadows soaked into the sands, Sora opened his eyes… the light burning his vision at first sight. But, soon the warmth was welcoming and comforting, and he felt invited into its presence.
But, as his eyes focused and grew accustomed to the brilliance, his face soon froze in terror at the sight of Kairi's bloody and broken body collapsed in the arena sands.
"Kairi!" he yelled as he scrambled over to her side and scooped up her lithe frame in his arms. "Kairi, NO!"
Her body felt cold and stiff in his embrace, and as he pulled her sticky red hair from her face, he screamed in agony at the dull lifeless glaze in her eyes. He clutched her tightly to his chest, rocking her body back and forth as he sobbed uncontrollably into her soft crimson hair. "What have I done!! God, please NO!!"
Time seemed to stand still as he held her lifeless body in his arms, trying every spell and potion that he could think of to bring the life and spirit back to her cold dull eyes. The footsteps of Riku and Shai went unnoticed and their cries of woe feel on deaf ears as he gently rocked back and forth, crying softly into her hair. What would life be without her? What would it be without her smile, her laugh, her touch…? What would it be without her light?
As dusk began to fall on the Coliseum, Sora faintly felt Riku nudge him to his feet before gently taking Kairi out of his arms to carry her out of the arena. The three friends remained silent as they made their way out of the arena… afraid to disturb the silence that they each felt so comfortable in. Because, what can you say when you've lost someone? What words ease the pain?
As Sora walked in his dreamlike state, dry tears plastered to his chapped face, he suddenly felt something hit his foot. He paused, and looked down to see what had struck him.
The broken corner of the Oathkeeper charm lay perfectly still in the sand, the outline of its shattered edge barely visible in the faint sunset. Sora gently kneeled down while he dug in his pocket for the other half of the charm. As he pulled it out, something else came out with it…
The light orb from Disney castle that the King had left to him… It was still wrapped up in its protective cloth packaging, and it felt warm and heavy in the palm of Sora's hand.
"Riku!" a smile suddenly spread its way across Sora's face, but Riku continued walking on, unaware of Sora's calling. "Riku!! Come here!!"
Riku stopped in his tracks, still carrying Kairi and turned around to look at Sora. He exchanged a shrug with Shai before walking back to where Sora was still kneeled in the sand, the two pieces of the Oathkeeper charm in one hand… the wrapped up light orb in the other.
Riku kneeled down in front of him, laying Kairi out gently in the sand between them. "What is it Sora?" he asked numbly.
Sora looked up at Riku, his sapphire eyes gleaming with hope. He didn't say anything, just looked at Kairi's ashen face, and then to the contents of his hands, and then back to Riku. Riku wrinkled his brow, but before he could voice his confusion, Sora leaned down to whisper something in Kairi's ear.
"Remember Kairi, I'm always with you too! I love you…"
With that… a brilliant white light flooded the space around them as Sora ripped the covering from the light orb. The friends shut their eyes tightly against the harsh radiance as the warmth invaded every crevice and corner around them. White hot light blinded their efforts to see through the glare… and all they could do was wait…
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A/N: Long chap! It had to be… it is the last one:)
Well…. Except for the little ending finale to follow that will somewhat mirror the prologue that I hope to post tomorrow. Hm… so…. Think Kairi will make it???? hehe