Ooooook so uh... Looks like I gotta pepper in another warning before another chapter of Keys because I can't stop myself from writing incredibly sad stuff! Same warning more or less applies here as it did two chapters ago. This chapter delves into some VERY heavy subject matter, so tread carefully if you're dealing with depression or anything of the like here. Also warning for some slight graphic imagery and descriptions of, uh... death in here too! Anyway with that out of the way lets get hit in the honey nut feelios all over again! Enjoy!
Chapter 43: The Other Promise
Everything is just fine
But if you're gonna think twice
I don't wanna know, baby, I don't wanna know
"What do you mean he left?"
"He just… did," Kairi huffs, disgruntled. She grips her phone as she makes her way into Twilight Town's central square, ignoring the city's usual bustle in favor of her ongoing conversation. "And I haven't heard anything from him since. I've called him who knows how many times now, left him a ton of messages, and he just… won't answer. Axel said his phone could be lost or broken, but… I don't know. Wouldn't he still try to reach out to you or me, just to tell us he's ok?"
Riku stays silent for a long moment on the other end of the call, his mouth pressed into a thin line and his teal gaze thoughtful as he glances away. "I haven't heard from him since we were all together back at the tower a few days ago…" he admits, his voice strangely quiet.
"Well, that makes it even worse!" Kairi exclaims, her voice hitching in frustration. Whether that frustration is aimed at Sora himself or her own inability to solve the mystery of his sudden disappearance, she has no idea. "I would have thought he'd at least touch base with you if he was going off on some… secret side mission like this. Axel seems to think he's here in Twilight Town looking for that Key to Return Hearts, but if he was going to just put everything else on hold to go do that, why wouldn't he reach out to you first to ask about it? You are the leader now, and I thought he finally started to accept that. But I guess he's still just as stubborn as he's always-"
"Kairi," Riku interrupts her rant, his tone far more steady and calm than hers. "The last time you saw Sora, did you notice anything… off about him?"
"What? No, of course not," Kairi shakes her head, failing to see how such a question is relevant. "He was fine that morning; we went to grab breakfast at a local cafe, explored the city for a bit, and then we split up, and he promised we'd meet back up with him a day or so later. But the only one Aqua and I found when that time rolled around… was Ven."
Riku takes another lengthy pause, seemingly ignoring the annoyed sigh Kairi lets out over his continued silence. Mostly since he needs to take his time in trying to piece this peculiar mystery together, in trying to figure out where Sora might have gone and why. "Ven said Donald and Goofy were with him when he left that world?" he finally asks, what feels like a lifetime later to Kairi.
"Yes."
"Where did Ven say they were going?"
"He told us they were going to try and get the Key back they'd lost to Luxord," Kairi explains, reiterating an excuse she still doesn't necessarily believe. "But… I guess they got sidetracked with looking for the Key to Return Hearts? Ugh," she groans, running a hand through her hair and not even caring about how she might be disheveling it in the process. "None of this makes any sense!"
"No, it doesn't…" Riku agrees, a hand perched against his chin. "Did anything else strange happen while you guys were in that world? Stranger than usual, I mean."
"No, not that I-wait," Kairi stops herself short. Her eyes widen as a crucial detail, largely lost in the shuffle of everything else, finally lands at the forefront of her mind once more. "Luxord said something to me and Aqua, something that bothered me so much that I called Sora about it right after. H-he said… he said that 'Xehanort's been keeping a close eye on Sora'."
"What?!" Riku instantly bolts upright in his seat. Somewhere in the background of the call, Kairi can hear Mickey curiously call his name from elsewhere in the cockpit. Riku pays him little mind however, in favor of focusing on the incredibly alarming statement he'd just heard. "What else did he say?" he demands, his former calm composure completely gone now.
"That was it," Kairi admits, hating how intentionally vague the gambler had been. He'd given her just enough to fear, both then, and now, for something so concerning, yet something so unclear all at once. "Like I said, I called Sora right after, and he said it was nothing to worry about, but… now I'm not so sure. Riku, what if… w-what if something bad is happening to him? Something neither of us even know about…?"
Riku closes his eyes, forcing his racing thoughts to slow, his rising dread to fall back under the surface. He's fallen prey to thinking in terms of the worst case scenario before, his pessimism a longtime trait he's been trying to work on reigning in. Worrying over something that might not even be true won't get them anywhere, he knows that, especially with as little evidence as a mere foreboding statement from a single Organization member to go off of. And yet… after the promise he'd gotten, not once, but twice that Sora would be honest, that he'd tell him the truth if anything was even remotely wrong... "Sora, I swear, you'll be luckier if Xehanort himself finds you before I do…" he mutters, so quietly that Kairi can't even really make out what he's saying. He pauses for another beat or two, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lets out a long, exasperated sigh before addressing Kairi once more. "Ok, let's… not jump to any conclusions here," he tells himself more than her. "As long as he's still with Donald and Goofy, then I'm sure he's safe. But before we do anything else, we need to find him."
"Right," Kairi soundly agrees. "That's why I'm here. As soon as I meet up with Axel, we'll-"
"You called?" Kairi let out a surprised squeal as someone suddenly taps her shoulder. She quickly eases up upon spinning around to find Axel standing behind her, offering her a wry grin of greeting.
"Hey there, former fellow classmate," he says casually. "You get enough sleep last night? 'Cause you look like you're just a little bit on edge today."
"You have no idea," Kairi sighs, sending him a small smile all the same.
"Kairi?" Riku speaks up over the phone.
"Oh! Sorry, Riku," she quickly glances back at the device. "Axel just got here, so we should probably get going-"
"Right, y-yes," Riku interrupts. Kairi frowns when she hears his tone waver, something so slight and small that certainly no one else would have been able to notice it. No one, save for someone who's spent such a long time at his side like she has. She doesn't even have to wonder if the stress of this situation is already starting to get to him like it's reached her; she can tell, just from the shadows cast over his usually bright eyes, the tension drawn up in his shoulders. She'd hug him if she were on that Gummi Ship, hug him and hope that she alone could even come close to being enough to fill the void of the one they're both missing. "The two of you look around there. I'll fill Mickey in on what's happening and we'll see if we can find any sign of them in any other worlds we come across, just in case they might have left Twilight Town already."
"Ok, we'll call you as soon as we find anything out," Kairi assures. She stifles a smile when he lets out a small sigh of relief. "But… here's hoping Sora is the one to call either of us first."
"I feel like that might be a bit too much to hope for at this point…" Riku half-jokes. "Be careful out there, Kairi. The last thing I want is you going missing on me too."
"Hey!" Kairi protests in faux offense.
"Don't worry," Axel cuts in with a playful smile. "I'll make sure to keep an eye on her."
"Hmph, more like I'll be the one keeping an eye on you," Kairi shoots back, lightly elbowing him in the side.
"Well, as long as you're both looking out for each other, that's what really counts," Riku chuckles, amused. "Good luck out here. I'll talk to you both later."
"Bye, Riku," Kairi returns warmly as Axel waves his own farewell. After the call comes to an end, he's the first one to speak to their new shared mission.
"Sooo," he begins, leaning up against a nearby building. "What's the plan?"
Kairi bites her lip, glancing away apprehensively. "I… was sort of hoping you had one."
"You came all this way hoping I had a plan to find your missing boyfriend?" Axel arcs an eyebrow. "You know I'm already here looking for a way to help Roxas and Naminé, right? Last thing I need is to be tracking down a third kid on top of those two."
"I know…" Kairi sighs, rubbing her arm. "I'm sorry for coming here to distract you; I want to help Roxas and Naminé too, but… I just… can't shake the feeling that Sora might really need my help right now even more..."
Axel properly stands, genuine concern filling his features as he looks his former classmate over. "Is it the same feeling you had when he was captured by Maleficent?" he asks, his tone serious.
"It's… sort of like that…" Kairi lightly skims her heart with her fingertips. "But it's nowhere near as strong as it was back then. It's almost like… his heart is still calling out to mine, but it's getting fainter… like it's harder for me to hear his voice. Like the connection between his heart and mine… is fading…"
"Tch, I find that hard to believe," Axel notes with a smile. "The connection between the two of you seems like it's stronger than ever, especially what happened at the ball."
"I thought it would be stronger after that too, but… our hearts don't lie," Kairi shakes her head, her gaze set on the ground. "Something's wrong, something Sora isn't telling me about. And I need to figure out what that something is."
"Well, if you're that dead set on getting to the bottom of all this, I guess I could spare a little time to give you a hand," Axel says, giving her a coy, yet supportive grin. "After all, it's not like Roxas or Naminé are really going anywhere anytime soon, right?"
"If only they could…" Kairi sighs, her hand still resting over her heart. Over where Naminé is still stuck, still in need of a release she doesn't know how to begin searching for. "Still, I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help, Axel."
"Aw, don't mention it," Axel waves his hand. "You'll just owe me a favor next time I need one. Got it memorized?"
Kairi laughs, elbowing him once more. "Just as long as that favor isn't anything too extreme then yeah, consider it memorized."
With this, the pair sets off down the sunset-soaked street, though they don't get very far before Axel stops short upon spotting a familiar trio standing just a block ahead. "Hey, there's those kids I mentioned over the phone," he diverts Kairi's attention in their direction. "They're the ones who told me Sora, Donald, and Goofy were here. Might be worth it to ask them if they know anything else."
"Wait a second," Kairi pauses upon getting a better look at the group. "I know those three…" She pushes ahead, calling to them as she waves them down. "Hayner! Pence! Olette!"
The trio's former conversation is immediately broken as they all turn to face the familiar girl running toward them. "Whoa, no way!" Hayner exclaims, surprised. "Kairi? Is that you?"
"Wow!" Olette grins, hurrying forward to hug the other girl. "It's been so long since the last time we've seen you!"
"I know," Kairi admits with a small laugh as the hug disbands. She offers a cordial nod to the boys as Axel arrives to join them. "It's so good to see you all again. How have you been?"
"Busy, to say the least," Pence says, grinning. "We've been seeing a lot of familiar faces today; first Sora, Donald, and Goofy, and now you. What are the odds of that?"
"Not that low, when you think about it…" Axel mutters, aside.
"Speaking of Sora," Kairi says, getting right to the point. "I was hoping you guys could tell me when the last time you saw him around here was. Axel and I are trying to find him-it's… important."
"Oh, he passed through here not too long ago, actually," Olette says. "Donald and Goofy weren't with him, but he did have that Key to Return Hearts we've all been looking for."
"Any ideas about where he was headed?" Axel inquires curiously.
Hayner nods. "The old mansion, just outside of town. He didn't really tell us how-something about the virtual Twilight Town or whatever-but he said he was gonna use it to finally help Roxas and Xi-"
The conversation comes to a grinding halt as a sudden, shrill scream sounds through the surrounding streets. A scream that tears itself raw out of Kairi's throat before her mind can even process the pain that comes along with it.
She falls to her knees, her vision darkening as her hands fly to her chest in a panicked attempt at pushing back against the incredible, inexplicable pain pouring through it. It rips through her, boiling in her blood while freezing her thoughts in place. It's a searing, stabbing kind of agony that targets her heart above all else, its source unknown but undoubtedly familiar. She can barely feel Axel's hand land upon her shoulder, can't barely make out Hayner, Pence, and Olette's blurry forms crowding around her in equal concern. The only thing really registering to her, even as her screams shift into uncontrollable sobs, is that pain so profound that she fears it could very well crush her body, heart, and mind alike.
Yet even amidst all that she still somehow manages to hear his voice, faint and fleeting and filled with remorse. She receives his message meant for her, one that thrills and terrifies her all at once as it flashes in and out of her anguished heart far too fast:
"I love you… and I'm sorry…"
And just like that his voice is lost but the pain remains. Another scream escapes her as she feels something be torn from her, a piece of her very own heart broken away by something far beyond her control. It manifests in the form of a bright light, one that's swiftly drawn out of her body by some unseen force. Kairi barely sees it, but Axel does. He's unable to hold back a stunned gasp as he watches that light, that heart that had once been held safely inside of Kairi's, now somehow seemingly leave it altogether.
"Naminé…?" he whispers incredulously. He isn't able to do much, however, as that heart abruptly shoots into the air, far out of his reach until it disappears into the dusk-painted skies above. For as worried as he is by what he's just seen, Axel quickly shakes his head to clear it before turning his attention back to the still-suffering girl sitting before him. "Kairi," he grips both of her shoulders to make sure she remains upright. Her breathing is harsh and heavy, tears streaming down her cheeks as she hangs her head low and keeps her hands held over her heart, as if to keep anything else from unexpectedly escaping it. Even so, her screams have finally fallen into silence, so Axel finds himself hoping that the worst of whatever this is, is finally over. "Kairi, can you hear me?"
Kairi slowly nods, her eyes still wrenched shut as she tries to will away the lingering ache in her chest. Behind her, Hayner, Pence, and Olette shoo away the congregating crowd of concerned townsfolk as politely as possible, largely for giving her the space and privacy she needs at a moment such as this. "Can you tell me what just happened?" Axel asks her, his tone steady and grounding when really nothing else is for her.
"I-I… don't know…" she chokes, her voice rough from screaming. "S-something's missing… I can't feel…" She shudders, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as she looks up at Axel tearfully. "H-his heart's gone again… I-I can't hear it calling anymore… My connection to Sora… I think it might be broken…"
Axel frowns, unsure of what to say to this at first. His silence weighs all the more heavy as Kairi breaks down into another round of sobs, born of grief rather than pain this time. After exchanging a tentative glance with the trio still gathered around them, he makes an awkward attempt at comforting her all the same. "H-hey now," he coaxes, allowing her to lean against him for a much-needed hug. "Just because you can't feel him, doesn't mean we still can't find him. After all, we still tracked him down last time this happened, didn't we?"
"W-we did…" Kairi acknowledges morosely. "But… when we found him back then, he was… he'd fallen into darkness…"
"And maybe that's happened to him again," Axel notes, not wanting to lie to her. For as stressed as she already is by this situation as a whole, the last thing she deserves as any sort of falsehood right now. "But that just means he's out there somewhere, waiting for you to pull him out of it, just like you did before."
"You think so….?" Kairi wonders. A spark of entirely new pain bursts through her heart at the thought of Sora, engulfed in the deepest of shadows, lost and alone in that monstrous, mindless form. But then that spark is quelled as she remembers he's not alone, that Donald and Goofy are certainly still with him, that they'll be there to help him until she can make it to his side. That he's not entirely out of her reach yet, that there's still a chance to mend the seemingly shattered bond between them both.
"Hey, the two of you always manage to find your way back to each other somehow, don't you?" Axel stands, extending a hand to help her up.
"Yeah, we do," Kairi nods, finally smiling as she accepts his help. With a newfound sense of resolve, she turns back to Hayner, Pence, and Olette, all three of them hugely relieved to see she's feeling better. "You said Sora was heading to an old mansion-can you take us there?"
"Yeah, of course," Pence readily agrees.
"We'd better hurry," Hayner says, his tone serious. "Especially if you think Sora really is in trouble."
"At this point, I know he is," Kairi confirms, her tone fretful, yet determined all the same. To both solve the mystery behind Sora's sudden disappearance, and if possible, to bring him out of the darkness and back into the light where he belongs, back to his place beside her, where she longs for him to be. "Which is why we have to find him." "Before it's too late…" her heart echoes the fear that her mind refuses to make known. The fear that this time, he may be so lost that she won't be able to find him, that no one will.
With this, the group sets out, their pace quick and their hearts hanging heavy with worry and woe. But as they begin making their way toward the mansion on the outskirts of town, they only narrowly miss crossing paths with another pair rushing through the city, looking for the same exact person as they are. And in doing so, none of them see Donald and Goofy desperately searching the sunset streets for Sora, tirelessly hoping that it's not too late to save him… without even knowing that it already is.
The first time he did this, it had been agonizing. It had brought on a pain so intense, so incredible, that nothing he's felt since has ever even come close enough to compare. That is, until now, when he does it all over again.
The Key to Return Hearts slides into his chest far too easily for comfort. It runs through skin and blood and tissue, a pale white light bursting from it the moment it makes contact with what lies beyond them, when it so much as skims the surface of his heart. To his credit, he doesn't scream, he doesn't make a single sound. He knows he could, knows no one would be around to hear him here if he did. But some stubborn part of him still wants to die hanging onto whatever small shred of dignity he might have left all the same.
In many ways, this time it's so much worse than it had been when he'd done this before. Back then, he'd only done it to set one heart free from his own. This time, there's two, and the Key itself seems to know that as it doubles the white hot agony pouring through him as a result. His limbs grow numb and cold, his hands falling slack at his sides as the Key remains hanging in his now-open chest, running his body all the way through. He can dully feel his own warm blood trickling down his torso, and somehow, despite everything else, he manages to find that strange; after all, he didn't bleed a single drop the first time this happened. But that hardly matters, as long as this works; it has to work, because if it doesn't, then there will be no chance at trying it, much less anything else, again.
For what feels like years, nothing happens. The Key continues to remain in place, haloed in its almost teasing glow as he stands there in unspeakable anguish, his heart painfully pierced by a weapon that doesn't seem to be doing what it's supposed to at all. An entirely new set of tears start to fill his eyes as he stares down at it, wondering if he did something wrong, wondering if the Key was never the right tool to begin with, wondering if Roxas and Xion are already too far gone to be released to begin with.
But then… in a sudden, blinding burst, the Key vanishes, exploding into countless glittering, fast-fading shards as its work truly begins. Two vibrant lights softly and silently emerge from his chest, the last two hearts finally released from his own. He watches in wonder as one of those lights flies away, drifting off into the sky until it seems to blink out of existence, or at least out of the world of data he now stands in, entirely. But the other remains, hovering just a few feet away from him as line upon line of unintelligible code begins to converge around it. His vision blurs, his now hollowed-out chest aching horribly as he struggles to remain standing, struggles to observe what's happening, struggles to stay alive in general. He grounds himself as much as he can, as a silhouette begins to take shape around that remaining light, code and data coming together to create a body where one had been lost before.
He can barely just make out a black coat and a head of blonde hair as that body fully takes shape. But that's all he gets to see before he falls, unable to withstand the unbearable pain a single second longer. Unable to welcome his long-lost Nobody home like he's always wanted to.
Roxas is used to feeling powerless, as much as he might hate to admit it. He was powerless when he'd been in the Organization, he'd been powerless when he'd been forced to surrender his own existence, he'd been powerless even against the darkness he's spent the past several months trying to ward off within his other's heart. But he's never felt as powerless as he does right now, as a shimmering Key slices through his unintentional home… and tears him out of Sora's heart entirely.
He doesn't feel a single ounce of pain when it happens, isn't able to feel much at all really. His vision is white, silence echoing all around him for long enough that it soon starts to become deafening. Yet just as he's starting to wonder if this is the empty fate he's now to be condemned to, something shifts. Suddenly, there's ground beneath his feet, feeling in his hands, air in his lungs. A beating heart in his chest.
He draws in a small, involuntary gasp when he opens his eyes. The sky above him is streaked in the warm colors of sunset, not entirely like the one he'd gotten used to before Xehanort had so viciously violated the peaceful sea that had once been Sora's heart. But Roxas knows this sunset even better, recognizes it from so many hours spent sitting atop a clock tower surrounded by it. He knows the old, abandoned mansion he's standing in front of, the very same place he'd first appeared the day he'd been brought into existence. And, as he glances down at his gloved hands, at his black-coat covered body, Roxas realizes that this body he's now standing in is completely, unquestionably his own.
For as much as a miracle as that might be, his mind barely has any time to register it. Because only seconds after he opens his eyes, the perfectly still silence surrounding him is suddenly shattered when something abruptly falls into the grass behind him with a dull thud. Startled, Roxas turns… only to find a sight that makes his newly-returned heart practically stop altogether.
"Sora!" he somehow finds his voice, somehow works through the unsteadiness in his legs to run to his fallen other's side. The grass surrounding his prone form is stained red as blood continues pouring out of the gaping hole in his chest, his body silent and unmoving, even as Roxas rushes in to kneel down next to him. His hands are trembling as he carefully pulls Sora in closer, shocked by how rigidly cold he is, how alarmingly light his body seems to be, both sure signs that he's lost far too much blood far too quickly. "Sora, I-y-you're not-" Roxas sputters, unsure of what to say, even more unsure of what to do. He briefly considers summoning one of his Keyblades to cast a healing spell, but he's painfully aware he lacks the sort of skill that could even come close to mending a wound this severe. Not too many of the old Organization's members had dabbled in life-saving magic, after all. "S-Sora," he starts again, trying to say something actually coherent this time. "Please, y-you can't-"
He cuts himself off the second he hears a low, barely audible groan. He turns his attention away from Sora's deadly wound to focus on his face, forcing himself to ignore his whitening hair only to be just as caught off guard by his eyes when he slowly opens them. The gold within them seems to shine in the darkening shadows of twilight, overtaking whatever blue might remain within them. Still, they rest half-lidded, bleary and unfocused until they eventually manage to land on the figure fretfully hovering over him.
"R-Roxas…?" he barely manages to speak. His voice only comes out as a feeble whisper, his chest heaving for air it no longer has the capacity to receive. "Is… is it really you…?"
"Yes…" Roxas sighs. He doesn't know how he's managing to be so tired so soon after being brought back into his own existence, but he is, to the point of downright exhaustion really. "It is…"
To Roxas' disbelief, Sora smiles, choking on something between a sob and a laugh as tears continue streaking down his paleing face. "I-it's you…" he says, his voice and expression brimming with unbridled joy that Roxas doesn't understand, much less share at a moment like this. "It's really you! It worked… You're here… You're back…"
"Yes, I am," Roxas sighs again, this time out of frustration. Because even as afraid as he is for Sora's clearly fading life, anger still finds a way to permeate that fear all the same. "I'm back because you decided to something reckless and stupid. What were you thinking, Sora?! You won't last much longer, I-I can't heal you, I-"
"T-that doesn't matter…" Sora interrupts, still smiling softly. "I-I wanted to save you… a-and I did… Whatever happens to me… i-isn't important… a-as long as you're free… Besides… it'll be better for everyone… even for you... after I… d-disappear…
"No, it won't!" Roxas argues sharply, grabbing one of his stiffening hands and holding it tight. "Don't say things like that! It's not true!"
"I-it is…" Sora's smile finally fades as he glances away guiltily. "Once I'm gone… Xehanort w-won't be able to use me like he wants to… I won't have to worry about hurting anyone… l-like I hurt Donald and Goofy… a-anymore… E-everyone will be safe… and… I'll be free…"
"You'll be dead!" Roxas yells, absolutely livid as tears start welling up in his eyes. He glances around the surrounding area, his mind racing to come up with a plan or an idea or anything that could stop the inevitable from happening. "I-I have to get you out of here. We'll get you to someone who can help you, s-someone like Kairi, she can-"
"Roxas…" Sora cuts him off once more. That smile, that infuriating smile, is back and Roxas hates Sora for it, hates him every bit as much as he wishes he could save him. "I-it's ok… this… this is what I wanted… All I ever wanted… was to stop the darkness from ruining you… l-like it's already ruined me…"
"Do you even hear yourself?!" Roxas snaps, gripping his hand like a vice as he glares down at him, his pressing tears finally falling. "You're not ruined! There may be darkness in your heart, Sora, but that doesn't mean you're anywhere close to the same level as Xehanort! You're still you, and you're still a good person-no, you're one of the best people I've ever known!"
"I wish that were true, R-Roxas…" Sora mutters as he tries his best to keep his eyes open. Something that's quickly starting to become an arduous task as his already waning energy quickly begins to drain out along with his blood. "But it's not… A-at least I'm finally getting what I deserve… b-by giving you what you've always deserved… a second chance…"
"Sora…" Roxas shakes his head, his anger finally faltering into grief upon hearing this.
"Y-you… told me before that… i-it had to be me…" he whispers, barely hanging on at this point. "B-but it can't be… not anymore… R-Roxas… i-it has to be you…"
"N-no," Roxas takes in a broken breath as he pulls Sora's cold, largely unfeeling hand close to his own heart. "Sora, please… you have to hold on, j-just a little longer. I'll get you some help, I promise, just please don't… P-please…." he trails off on this plea, unable to get anything else out, unable to do anything else but cry. Unable to feel anything else other than the immeasurable wave of despair washing over him, drowning him more and more with each passing, fleeting second Sora has left.
"Y-you know," Sora manages another weak smile, one that only makes Roxas' heart ache even more than it already is. "I-I'm glad… I got to see you… one last time… Take care of them… w-while I'm gone… ok?"
Roxas doesn't even need to think twice about who Sora's referring to. Of course some of his final thoughts would be focused more on his friends than on himself. Even so, Roxas nods, knowing that if he can't do much else for Sora now, at the very least, he can do this. "O-ok…" he vows sadly, solemnly. "I will… I-I promise…"
Sora's smile widens somewhat at this, his eyes finally slipping shut as his last few words come out quietly, yet contentedly. "Thank you, Roxas… for everything…"
His already sparse breathing slows to a stop only seconds after he says this, his final sentiment hanging heavy, both in the air and in Roxas's heart. He doesn't even need to check and see if Sora's heart is still beating; by all accounts it's a miracle that it managed to keep him going for this long after how badly he'd damaged it. Roxas releases his hold on his hand, watching morosely as it falls limp and lifeless into the grass at his side. And then, for what feels like a lifetime, he just sits there, staring at Sora. He stares at the deep shade of now-dull crimson staining so much of body that it's hard to find a spot that hasn't been soiled by it. He stares at his face, pallid and still, his eyes shut to never open again, his mouth set in the slightest ghost of a smile that refuses to leave him, even in death. He stares at his fallen other, at the boy who kept his heart sheltered for so long, at the hero who had sacrificed everything he had to save him. He sits there and stares … and stares… and stares…
And then he screams.
His heartbroken cry echoes through the digital world, his hands digging into the blood-soaked grass in the space between him and Sora as hot tears pour from his eyes to drip down into it. He continues wordlessly yelling, rage hitching into his voice alongside the grief already filling it. He shouts and screams until his throat is sore, until his voice breaks and he can't make another sound. When it finally does fail him, he falls to pieces, drawing his knees to his chest and wrapping his arms tightly around them as his shoulders heave with silent sobs that simply refuse to stop coming.
It's not fair; that's the thought that keeps returning to him time and time again, gnawing at his mind, eating away at his heart. It's not fair that Sora had to suffer so much, that he'd been brought so low simply because of the selfish ambitions of one cruel, twisted man alone. It's not fair that man's invasive darkness had led him down this path, that it made him feel like he had no other way to escape it, no other way to stop it, no way to save his life in the slightest other than ending it all together. It's not fair that Sora felt so obligated to save him, to free him from himself, to salvage the heart of someone who'd been so ready to spitefully destroy him before in a foolish attempt at claiming a life that had never belonged to him to begin with. It's not fair that Roxas had fought so hard to save him, to rid him of the darkness he couldn't hope to stop on his own, to set something that had been made so wrong right… only to lose him anyway in the end.
It's not fair that Sora is dead… and it's not fair that once again, Roxas finds himself completely powerless to do a single thing about any of it.
He doesn't know how long he stays there, or how long he intends on staying there. Some small part of his mind is telling him to get up, to go back, to find Axel or any of the other guardians of light and let them know what's happened. But every other part of him can't bear to leave Sora here, cold and stiff and alone. Roxas doesn't know much about what happens after death; after all, he didn't really "die" in a traditional sense to begin with. But he still wonders why Sora's body hasn't faded away yet, why his own heart hadn't emerged when Roxas's own did, why he hasn't been reduced to nothing more than a mere Heartless by now. He supposes it doesn't matter, and finds a strange sense of sad solace in the idea of Sora getting a proper, honorable burial instead of becoming one of the lowly creatures he once strived to stand against. And yet, Roxas still can't help but find something undeniably strange about his lifeless body lying just a few feet in front of him. Something that becomes even stranger when he glances up… only to notice Sora suddenly move.
Roxas jumps, immediately sitting upright when he sees Sora suddenly jerk, his chest thrusting into the air with an unnatural amount of force. His back arcs as a result, his hands now digging into the soil beneath him as his mouth splits open, an agonized scream pouring from it.
"Sora!" Roxas shouts, hopeful and horrified as he jumps to his feet. He reaches a hand out toward his other, only to immediately retract it as thick, shadowy tendrils burst out from the gaping wound in Sora's chest. Or more accurately, from his heart.
The darkness spreads so quickly that Roxas doesn't even have time to think about trying to stop it. It covers Sora like a shroud, painting his skin in its sinister shade, blanketing his clothes in blackness, completely corrupting him from head to toe. He continues screaming as the darkness overtakes him, but those screams soon shift into wild, inhuman howls as his mouth is forced to split wider, his teeth turning into a deadly maw of razor-sharp fangs. He pulls himself upright, doubling over as he continues screeching in agony, his hands pressing against his head, even as his fingers sharpen themselves into long, crimson-tipped claws. His eyes open wide, now large, golden glowing orbs that stare nowhere and everywhere all at once. He briefly turns his attention over to Roxas, watching his horrific transformation unfold. And with the last small shred of humanity he has left, he reaches out toward him, his clawed hand trembling as he roars out a wordless cry for help that his Nobody doesn't know how to provide.
Unfortunately, the transformation doesn't stop where it usually would. Instead, it keeps going, forcing Roxas to continue watching as Sora turns more and more into a monster with each passing moment. His hands become bigger, making his already massive claws even more so as the scarlet coating them creeps up his arms. His clothing shifts, becoming simpler, lined with stark white designs to contrast the darkness coating them, and his undershirt disappears, showing off his scar, a brightly shining sigil sealing over the deadly wound beneath it. Even his shoes disappear, revealing his feet, just as red as his hands, now malformed and flattened into an odd, mangled shape Roxas swears he's seen on some sort of Heartless before. His blackened hair becomes wild and unruly, its spikes sharpening immensely as several of his tips lengthen and bend, reddening as they shape themselves around his largely featureless face, a few of them cresting the top of his head to take on the vague shape of a set of horns. He lets out a particularly pained howl when a pair of small, sharpened wings burst out of his back, and he continues writhing in agony as his entire body begins to grow as a whole, his size nearly doubling as a result. His shoulders become broader, his arms gain an unwieldy amount of length and muscle while his knees buckle and his legs thin out disproportionately, yet he still manages to stand upon them all the same. By the time his transformation is done, he towers over Roxas, standing at least 7 feet tall, if not even taller than that. And when it's all finally over, all that's left is something that barely even resembles Sora, much less anything really resembling a human being, at all.
For a moment or two, Roxas remains still, frozen in fear as he takes in the sight of the horrendous monster that used to be his other. The creature glances over its surroundings, its haunting yellow eyes shining starkly against the darkness engulfing the rest of its body. But soon enough, it's piercing gaze lands on the only living thing remotely in its radius: Roxas himself.
It lets out a fearsome roar, swiping a clawed hand out to strike Roxas outright. As stunned as he is, he doesn't have the wits about him to dodge such an attack; five sharp claws rake across his side, tearing into his coat to leave a thin set of bleeding marks behind. Roxas is unable to bite back a heavy cry as the force of the attack throws him against the wall surrounding the mansion, the back of his head bouncing painfully off of its brick surface. The edges of his vision darken for a moment, but he's still able to feel the monster pin him against the wall by his shoulder, roaring ferally as it leans in closer to him. Despite the pain lancing through his injured side, Roxas can't help but search its nearly-featureless face in the hopes of finding any tiny trace of Sora that still might remain.
Roxas has never gotten to see Sora when he's like this; the most he knows of this nightmarish form of his is how it feels for him to fall prey to it. He'd tried more than once while in Sora's heart to spare him from the mindless brutality it brings upon him, to quell the sparks of rage and hatred that fuel it into a devastating, uncontrollable blaze. Very rarely had he ever been able to stop that blaze before; he'd always inevitably end up overwhelmed by the sheer, unstoppable darkness, dragged down into the unknowable shadows right along with the other two until Sora slowly managed to claw his way back to the light. And now that he's out, no longer able to fight for Sora from the inside, Roxas knows he's even more hard-pressed to save his other's heart and mind now, if there's even anything left of either of them to save at all.
The monster narrows its glowing eyes at him, its claws lightly digging into his shoulder. Roxas can feel his newly-returned heart racing in his chest, his body trembling with a kind of terror he's scarcely ever felt before. He's never been the type to shy away from a monster, Heartless or Nobody alike; but when faced with the monster that mutilated, violated Sora's barely-cold corpse to use for its own sadistic purposes, he can't ignore the sharp spike of fear coursing through him. Fear… mixed with the deepest kind of fury imaginable.
"Y-you…" he whispers, his voice shaking as he glares at the snarling beast holding him down. "You don't get to take what's left of him, not this time!"
In an instant, Oathkeeper and Oblivion flash into his hands. He swings both Keyblades up hard, striking the monster right in its face. The creature reels back with a piercing screech, finally freeing Roxas from its grip as it stumbles backward clumsily. For his part, Roxas stands firm, quickly casting a healing spell over his injured side as he stares the monster down coldly. The tips of his Keyblades cross as he holds them steady in case the creature tries to come in for more.
"Hasn't he already suffered enough?!" he shouts at the monster, as if it can actually comprehend what he's saying. Roxas fights back pressing tears as he catches the creature's attention once more, hating how much it still looks like Sora… and how it looks so disgustingly twisted at the same exact time. "He's already dead! Why can't you just let him pass on peacefully like he wanted?!"
The sick irony of what he's saying isn't lost on him. Roxas knows he'd willingly, readily give or do anything to bring Sora back from the icy, empty throes of death. He also knows doing so would be going against one of Sora's final wishes; he'd said so himself, death was exactly what he wanted, what he believed he deserved. But right now, Roxas couldn't care less about what his other might have wanted; because all he wants is to take the despicable creature that has distorted and disfigured his remains out once and for all.
A furious shout tears itself out of Roxas' throat as he rushes forward, deftly swinging both Oathkeeper and Oblivion out wide and fast. He catches the monster by surprise when both weapons slam hard into its chest, throwing it back into the surrounding forest. Even so, the creature is quick to retaliate, charging forward on all fours with an unhinged roar. Roxas counters its claws evenly, blocking its next swipe with his Keyblades before shoving it away from him with an unforgiving kick to the stomach. As soon as it's a safe distance away, he casts a powerful lightning spell, several bolts hitting it and burning its darkened form with their electrifying light. The creature cowers away from it, hissing hotly as its glowing eyes fix Roxas with a hateful glare. But even so, he's far from finished yet.
If the monster isn't pulling any of its punches, then Roxas certainly isn't. He races for the creature before it has any time to attack him first, slamming his Keyblades into its side over and over and over again. It's a violent, aggressive torrent, one that's accompanied by a tearful shout of sheer rage and grief. But Roxas lets the monster bear the full brunt of both as he takes out his fury on this beast, imagining that its the Organization, imagining that its Xehanort, imagining that its anyone who might have hurt Sora in any way before. Including himself.
The monster's only able to get in a few minor swipes and scrapes against him before he beats it down to submission. He combines a wind spell with ice to knock the beast over and keep it pinned to the ground, though he goes a step further by stomping his foot onto its chest. His gaze is livid, every bit as deadly as both of his Keyblades are as he aims them both at the monster's face, ready to finish the job. But not before he lets a hint of remorse permeate his anger, a small sigh escaping him as he forces himself to look away from the monster that's stolen Sora's face. As he forces himself to not think about what will happen to that face once the shadow controlling it is finally gone. "Sora, I know you probably can't hear me…" he closes his eyes, wondering how he still has any tears left to shed at this point. Yet plenty more still come all the same. "But if you can… I'm sorry. This should have never happened… b-but if it has to be this way… then I'm going to give you what you wanted. I'm setting your heart free…"
Roxas raises Oathkeeper and Oblivion high, preparing to do exactly that. Yet just before he can bring them down, a sudden voice, low and rough, and barely distinguishable, stops him.
"Heart…" it's a voice that Roxas somehow hears, somehow recognizes. Even if it scarcely sounds like him at all anymore as it rings out solely through his mind alone. "Lost heart… m-must have heart…"
His Keyblades vanish, a sharp, stunned gasp escaping him as he stares down at the monster below him in disbelief. "W-what?" he dares to whisper. He wonders if this is a trick, if the monster is merely using his voice just like its using his body for its own bloodthirsty devices. But then…
"Heart… gone…" the creature roars in something almost akin to longing, its yellow eyes oddly doleful as it stares up at him unblinkingly. Its vanished mouth still doesn't move, yet its message is still brokenly communicated all the same. "E-empty… need new heart…" Roxas doesn't move as the monster manages to pull one of its hands out of the ice he used to bind it to the ground. It moves much slower than it had before as it lightly skims its claws against Roxas's chest. "Fresh heart… new heart… m-must have heart…"
Roxas jolts, quickly shoving the monster's hand away from him as he lets Oblivion, and only Oblivion, form in his hand once more. "There's no way I'm letting you take my heart too!" he shouts crossly. His former fury sparks up again as he points his Keyblade at the monster once more. Only for the monster to not make any sort of movement at all.
"P-please…" it begs instead, letting out a small, audible whimper. "S-starving… fading… W-will die… without heart…"
"Shut up," Roxas hisses sternly. "You can't fool me; not when I know… t-that Sora's already dead…"
"S-Sora?" the monster tilts its head, seeming to recognize the name. "Sora… not dead…"
"Yes, he is!" Roxas yells, forcefully wiping his tears away. He presses his Keyblade even closer, grief overwhelming him as his voice hitches with it when he keeps going, unable to stop himself now. "I know he is because I watched him die right in front of me, and I couldn't do anything to stop it! He's dead a-and the only reason he died in the first place is because… because he gave up everything to save me!"
The monster stays silent for ages as Roxas lets out a miserable, guilt-ridden sob, hating this pitiful creature and somehow hating himself even more. Because if it hadn't been for him, then this wouldn't be happening. If it hadn't been for him, then maybe Sora might still be alive after all, living a life that he deserves to have far more than his lowly Nobody ever did.
Eventually, the monster's voice reaches him again, softer and sadder than it had been before. Roxas thinks he must be going crazy amidst his sorrow, because it sounds even more like Sora now, something that only serves to break his heart even more. "R-Roxas…" He stills when he hears it speak his name, his breathing still harsh and heavy as he meets its empty gaze squarely. "Sora… here..."
"Stop it," Roxas tears his sights away from the creature as Oblivion falls out of his grip. He steps away from the monster, not wanting to be anywhere remotely close to it, wishing he was anywhere else but here. Wishing he could somehow be set free from the despair weighing him down like a heavy anchor in an endless sea of sadness. "Stop pretending to be him… Y-you're not him, you never can be! H-he's gone… and he's never coming back… a-and it's all my fault..."
"N-no…" the monster sits up, prying the rest of its misshapen body out of the ice encasing it. Strangely, it still doesn't try attacking him, instead stepping closer to him slowly, carefully almost. "R-Roxas… Sora not gone… Sora here…"
Roxas shakes his head, barely even listening to the monster's mindless rambling as he wraps his arms around himself, shuddering with sobs that he can't stop even if he wanted to. "H-he's gone…" he repeats, largely lost in the mire of his own misery. "He wanted this… h-he wanted to die, but I…" He covers his eyes, letting out a bitter laugh that's wracked with yet another despondent cry. "I'm selfish enough to wish he was still here anyway…"
"Sora… still here…" the monster coos quietly, reaching a large, clawed hand out toward him. Roxas weakly shoves it away, wondering just how much longer this monster intends on torturing him for.
"He's not…" Roxas whispers morosely, closing his eyes as he tries and fails to accept that fact. "P-please, just… leave me alone…"
"Roxas…" The monster pauses for a moment as he stares at the weeping human standing before it, at this "Roxas", as it contemplates itself, as it thinks about "Sora". It doesn't have much of a mind, isn't able to truly understand who either of them really are. And as it stares down at its own grotesquely clawed hands, it realizes it barely understands what it is either.
Sora… his own voice echoes back at it from somewhere unseen, somewhere unknown. You are Sora…
"Sora…?" the monster wonders, mystified that it has a name at all, much less what that name might mean. "Sora… here… I… I am... Sora…?"
Yes… his voice tells him gently, his more monstrous instincts slowly starting to melt away as it continues to explain. But I'm not… this isn't… I-I'm not supposed to be like this… I… I can't…
"Remember…?" the monster fills in, still inspecting its claws, its darkened body as a whole. Realizing for the first time ever just how terribly wrong it is to look like this to begin with. How wrong it is that it even exists at all.
Where… did I go…? He muses, his voice wavering with fear. What… happened to me…?
"You… died…" the monster explains, not quite knowing what that means either. It's something it heard from the other human, what he keeps claiming "Sora" is. And upon hearing this, "Sora" seems to acknowledge that fact too.
Yes, I… I did… he admits glumly. I wanted to… I had to... I thought… it would be better if I…
He trails off when the monster glances up, watching as Roxas continues pouring out his unbearable grief to the point that he can barely even remain standing. R-Roxas…? His tone fills with palpable concern. He looks so sad… Why… why is he crying?
"Roxas… wants Sora…"
Me? He questions the monster, his voice incredulous. But…. no. He's free; he should be happy now. I died… so he can be himself again. This is… this his how it should be…
"You… disappear…?" the monster presses almost curiously.
Yes, I should, I need to, but I… he pauses as the monster keeps its gaze fixated on Roxas. He studies his Nobody's face, every inch of it wrenched in sorrow so profound he can practically feel it just by looking at him alone. Roxas… did I… Are you crying… because of me…?
The monster stays silent this time, unable to answer a question that isn't posed to it. Instead, it stares down at its claws again, waiting, wondering, watching to see what he'll do next. I... I didn't want this… I didn't want to hurt you! He laments, guilt pouring into his still unseen voice. Why do I keep doing this?! Why can't I stop hurting the people I love even after I'm gone?!
"You… hurt self…" the monster points out as it sifts through their shared memories.
Because that's what I deserved, Roxas doesn't- he stops short, catching himself as an integral realization strikes him. Roxas can't move on, won't move on from his death. And if Roxas can't move on, then maybe…. He's not quite ready to move on either. Roxas! He shouts as the monster steps forward. Please, you have to hear me! I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry! I thought this would fix everything! I thought we'd both finally be free, I didn't think-
He cuts himself off, knowing that he needn't say anything more. He didn't think, and that was the whole problem. He didn't think about how badly his death would hurt Roxas, how much it could hurt Kairi or Riku or Donald or Goofy or any of his other friends or family for that matter. He didn't think about anyone other than himself.
Roxas… he begins again, and this time the monster makes his voice known.
"Roxas…"
For his part, Roxas doesn't bother glancing up, doesn't even hear the beast at this point as his tears continue falling without end. The monster approaches him, finally stopping when it stands, towering over him, still following the direction of the voice that's slowly starting to become its own.
It'll be ok…
"It… ok…" the monster translates roughly. Roxas flinches when he feels its claws touch him, and he finally snaps his gaze up at it, harshly pushing its hands away with his bare hands.
"Get away from me!" he snaps, more than ready to call upon his Keyblades again if need be. Yet even so, the monster persists, its words becoming clearer as it slides its strong arms around him.
"Sora… here…" it repeats once more as it manages to lock him in a secure embrace. Roxas struggles against its hold, unable to pry his hands free to summon his weapons to separate them.
"Let me go!" he demands hotly. "I told you to leave me alone!"
"Sora… is here…" the monster tells him regardless, its golden eyes slowly sliding shut. "I'm here..."
Roxas freezes stiff the moment he hears the monster's voice shift, the darkness lifting from it as it takes on a far more familiar sound. "S-Sora…?" he whispers, daring to hope in something he knows isn't true. His better senses are screaming warnings to him about the obvious trap this must be… but some other part of him decides to foolishly cling onto that dim ray of hope all the same.
"Yes…" his voice confirms, ringing loud and clear in his heart now. "Please… don't cry anymore… I'm here…"
"T-then come back to me…" Roxas pleads, glancing up at the monster's still-shadowy face. "Please, I… I don't know how to help you, I'm not-"
"Light…" he explains as the monster bows its head, accepting its fate. "My heart needs the light that it lost… H-hurry… before it fades away… forever…"
"Light," Roxas echoes as he wipes his eyes dry. He nods, knowing that's something he's more than capable of giving his other, knowing that for once he's not as powerless as he always feels.
Oathkeeper appears in his hand, its tip sparkling with pure, golden, healing light. The monster still maintains their embrace, and Roxas allows it as he guides his Keyblade to gently rest against its chest. The moment it touches its body, the monster lets out a single scream that soon fades into silence. The light blooms and blossoms, engulfing the entire area in its warm and blinding glow. Roxas closes his eyes as he lets that power flow out of him, as he uses it to call Sora out of the shadows, to bring him back to himself, back to life. It drives away the darkness, purifies his corrupted body, frees his addled mind… and even begins to repair his shattered heart.
Yet even the light isn't enough to fully fix it. Even amidst the light, small specks of darkness still remain, weaving their way back into his heart and holding on tight. Darkness that will no longer have any opposition now that his heart's been hallowed, now that the ones that had once stood to stop it have finally been stripped from it. The darkness is what repairs his ruined chest, sealing up the grave wound his life had been previously lost to. After all, what good is a vessel if it's dead? What purpose could a heart of darkness serve if that heart is no longer beating?
When Roxas opens his eyes moments later, the monster is finally gone. And the only one remaining in its place… is Sora.
Roxas gasps, awestruck when he realizes Sora is still loosely embracing him. But before he can say or do a single thing, he soon feels his other suddenly collapse against him. Roxas nearly falls as the sudden weight catches him off guard, but he does his best to keep both himself and Sora stable as he moves closer to the nearby wall. He gently rests him against it, and when he does, he sees the once-fatal wound in his chest is gone, all traces of blood banished from his body and even his clothes mended from where the Key had run him through. But even beyond that, Roxas realizes in emerging relief, Sora is breathing, his chest softly rising and falling despite the fact that he's still all but completely unconscious. But against all the odds, even against death itself, he's here, he's alive, Sora is alive.
And for Roxas, right now, that's more than enough.
Exhaustion finally starts to set in where adrenaline had once been as he sits against the wall alongside Sora. He closes his eyes, more than intent on resting alongside his other for a bit… but right before he can slip into a short nap, a quiet groan beside him startles him awake.
"Mm… R-Roxas…?"
Roxas opens his eyes and glances over at Sora tiredly. Only now does he notice that more of his hair has shifted from brown to white, the shadows on his arms now stop at his elbows, and his eyes, even as half-lidded and unfocused as they currently are, now seem to be more yellow than blue. But he's himself again, he's human again, he's alive again, and after thinking that he'd never get to see him be any of those things again, Roxas finds himself softly smiling as he offers him a simple greeting. "Hey."
Sora says nothing in return. Instead, he suddenly lunges forward, clumsily falling against Roxas as he throws his arms around him almost desperately. "I'm sorry," he mutters into his shoulder, heaving on a heavy, guilt-ridden sob when Roxas slowly returns his embrace. "I'm so sorry for making you feel like that. I-it was so selfish of me, I should have never-"
"Selfish?" Roxas asks incredulously as he pulls back a bit. "Sora, what are you talking about?"
"When I used the Key," Sora says, his expression and tone equally remorseful. "I didn't even think about how you might have felt about it. I-I was just… I just… I wanted a way out… It didn't matter to me what might have happened a-after…" He trails off, glancing away as he refuses to meet Roxas's earnest gaze.
"You really think stabbing yourself in the heart to set someone else free is selfish?" he asks, still absolutely baffled. He sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose when Sora offers only a glum nod in response. "Sora… why are you like this…?"
"L-like… what?"
"So… so selfless!" Roxas scowls, directly countering what Sora had claimed himself to be just a moment ago. "Why does it always have to be about everyone else?! Why doesn't it matter to you that you could have died permanently, that you could have been gone forever?! Why don't you ever just care about yourself for a change!?"
"Because there's no point," Sora shakes his head. "Why should I bother caring about myself? I'm nowhere near as important as you or Riku or Kairi or-"
"Why?" Roxas presses, his blue eyes sharp and severe as he stares Sora down coldly. "Why do you think that?"
"Because it's true-"
"No, it's not!" Roxas snaps, gripping his arms tightly.
"Yes, it is," Sora argues as he pulls out of his Nobody's hold.
"If it is true, then you need to tell me why it is right now," Roxas warns, his voice dangerously low. "You need to convince me that it's true like you've already convinced yourself, because if you don't then I will never believe that you're not every bit as worth saving as anybody else out there is."
"B-because I… I shouldn't need saving," Sora says. Roxas doesn't believe a word of it though, between the complete lack of conviction in his tone, to the way he still won't look him in the eye. His other is lying to him, to hold back the real reason, the actual truth that he can't bring himself to say for some reason. Yet like always, he keeps on lying all the same. "I-I should be able to stop this, I should be able to save myself but I can't! The Key was the only way I could think of to finally put an end to all this… and it didn't even work… Because even after all that, I'm still here, and I'm still-" He cuts himself off as he looks down at his hands, horrified by how much they've managed to change in such a short amount of time. Because now, poking out past his gloves is no longer the set of fingers he's used to; instead, they're sharply-pointed, crimson-tipped claws, a holdover from the monster sleeping once again under the surface, a sure sign that he won't be able to contain that monster for too much longer before it emerges all over again.
Roxas notices Sora staring down at his new claws, his expression awash in despair as he drinks in the sight of his own disfigured hands. He sighs in defeat, knowing the last thing he needs right now is to feel worse than he already does. Which is why he decides to let this argument finally die as he sits against the wall once again. "You're still here," he says calmly, quietly as he closes his eyes once more. "That's all that matters."
While Sora doesn't necessarily agree, he soon joins his Nobody, sitting alongside him against the wall. They remain in a dense, mellow silence for quite some time, awash in the empty world of digital twilight surrounding them, neither of them knowing where to go or what to do next. Eventually, they'll both have to return to reality, but for now, they're content to just be exactly where they are, to give themselves a moment of peaceful rest after all the strife they've both seen in the past several hours alone.
Sometime later, Roxas is the first to speak up. "Hey, Sora?" he begins, glancing over at him.
"Yeah?" Before the word is even fully out of his mouth, Roxas reaches over and abruptly smacks Sora against the back of the head. "Ow! What was that for?!"
"For being such a reckless idiot!" Roxas hisses hotly. "Don't ever do something like that ever again. And if you ever scare me like that again, I swear I will make you regret it."
"Aw, what?" Sora flashes him a small, wry grin. "No 'thank you' for setting you free?"
"Oh yeah, sure, thank you, Sora, for giving me the 'privilege' of watching you bleed out in my arms," Roxas huffs, his tone likely too sardonic for his own good. And yet, Sora still lets out a small snort of a laugh, despite just how grim that bit of humor had really been.
"Still," Roxas simmers down a moment later as he stares up at the warm skies above. "It is nice to be able to see the sunset with my own eyes again… It's funny…" he holds up his hand, taking his glove off to inspect it with a small smile. "I almost forgot what it was like to just be myself, I guess…"
Sora looks away from his Nobody once more, guilt still hanging heavy in his heart as he poses a question he knows he shouldn't ask. But he can't help but be immensely, foolishly curious all the same. "Roxas? What was it like? I-Inside my heart, I mean…"
Roxas's smile widens somewhat at this, something akin to nostalgia washing over his expression. "Sora, your heart was a paradise…" he explains earnestly, honestly. "It was safe and warm and bright and filled with so much love that it almost got obnoxious sometimes," he laughs and Sora slowly finds himself smiling too when he does. "It looked just like your home, the Destiny Islands, completely with the shore and the sunset and a sea that stretched on and on forever. And… even though none of it was actually real, it still felt like home to me… Until…. He showed up…"
"...Xehanort?" Sora guesses, not entirely sure he wants to know this much. Even so, Roxas solemnly nods as he goes on.
"He swept in like a hurricane, covering the island in darkness and forcing us into some other part of your heart," he says, his entire manner shifting into something far more bitter. "He tried ripping us out completely, and when that didn't work, he tried outright destroying us instead. That's when we started to fight back, for ourselves… and for you."
"You should have never had to fight for me," Sora says morosely, stealing another glance at his hands-his claws. "You should have never been forced into my heart to begin with. You should have always been free, Roxas, right from the very start. You're not just some small part of me, you're your own person! And I never had any right to take that away from you…"
"You didn't take anything from me," Roxas counters, placing his hand over Sora's to draw his gaze away from it. "You were my missing piece, Sora; you made me whole, just like I did for you. Don't you see? Even now that we're apart… we'll still always be a part of each other… We'll always be connected, no matter what."
Upon hearing this, Sora finds he can't contain the rising tide of emotions welling up within him any longer. He pulls Roxas into yet another unexpected hug, a far happier one this time than the last two had been. "Thank you…" he whispers, tears streaming down his cheeks once more.
"Anytime," Roxas assures as he gently returns his hug. When they part a moment later, however, his smile is quick to fade into something dour and dry. He calls upon Oathkeeper and Oblivion, holding them both aloft as he observes the fading sunlight drift through their metallic shapes. "You know what? When I see that old man in the flesh for the first time, I'm gonna run him straight through with both Keyblades for what he's doing to you."
"R-really?" Sora winces apprehensively as he wipes his tears away. "That's… a little extreme, don't you think?"
"So you're saying Xehanort doesn't deserve it?"
"Oh, no," Sora readily shakes his head. "I think it's safe to say he definitely does at this point…"
Another small bout of laughter passes between both boys at this, one that soon fades when Roxas stands up. "How are you feeling anyway?" he asks, glancing down at Sora.
"Mostly ok," Sora replies honestly. "My chest still hurts a lot though…"
"Considering what it's been through today, that's not surprising," Roxas deadpans with a bit of a smirk. "But at least you're not bleeding anymore. Do you think you can walk or do you still need more time to rest?"
"No, I should be good," Sora assures, leaning against the wall as he starts to pull himself to his feet. The resounding ache in his chest holds him back, however, to the point that he nearly collapses all over again. At least until Roxas rushes in to catch him.
"Right, so you'll definitely need to take it slow for a bit," Roxas notes, slinging Sora's arm around his neck to support him. "But I think we should still be able to make it back like this. We can figure out what we need to do next along the way, and maybe we can-"
"Go back?" Sora interrupts as Roxas guides him toward the mansion gates. "R-Roxas, I can't go back to the real Twilight Town. Not after… what happened. Donald and Goofy are still there, and so is Axel, and I'm sure Kairi's made it there by now too. I-I just… I can't be around any of them… not anymore, not like this…"
"Hey, it's ok," Roxas assures him patiently. "You won't have to face them alone. I'll be right there beside you, every step of the way."
Sora hesitates, still dreading the very idea of being around any of the people he ran all the way here to escape. Even so, he finds a small sense of comfort in the steady smile Roxas sends his way as he continues to lean on him for support, in so many more ways than one. "You promise?"
"I do," Roxas nods wholeheartedly. "And you know what else I promise? That even now that I can't protect you from inside your heart, I'm still going to do everything I can to help you from the outside until you're finally safe and finally free."
"Roxas…" Sora sighs, unable to meet his Nobody's confident smile. "I already told you, you shouldn't have to-"
"I don't have to anymore," Roxas points out knowingly. "But that doesn't mean I don't still want to anyway. And nothing you say or do is gonna make me change my mind about it, so you might as well just shut up and accept that because I'm not about to argue with you again."
Sora laughs in spite of himself at this, amazed by how easily Roxas manages to lift his spirits even when they're at their lowest. He still has plenty of doubts and fears resting deep within his heart when it comes to his future, a future that not very long ago, he thought he wouldn't even get to have. But perhaps with his loyal, dedicated Nobody by his side, he really can get through whatever unknown awaits him on the other side of that transporter. Be it the worst the darkness has to offer… or the lights, finally seeing him for what he truly is now.
"Well, since there's no changing your mind…" Sora begins with a small, somewhat wavering smile. "Lead the way."
Roxas nods, still letting Sora lean against him as they pass through the nearby gates. They walk in slow steps alongside each other, but soon enough they make it to the mansion itself, exchanging a small nod of solidarity as they prepare to venture inside. Yet just as Roxas reaches for the doors, an entirely new voice stops both boys dead in their tracks.
"That was quite a touching reunion the two of you just had," Xemnas's already steady grin widens as both Sora and Roxas spin around to face him in equal shock, neither of them even remotely prepared for his sudden, completely unexpected appearance. "And what a miracle it is to see you both in the same place; the Organization's thirteenth members, both old and new…"
Oh nooooo another cliffhanger! And on top of an already short chapter? Man, aren't I just the meanest? Either way you can expect the next chapter to be a good bit longer given what I have planned for it. Because with Roxas back in the picture, we're still missing Xion... :3 But anyway, as usual if you like what you see please please PLEASE REVIEW! Each review I get brightens my day and puts a big ol smile on my face, so if you wanna see that happen (or like envision that happening) be sure to drop one my way! Until next time!