"You're late Sora."
Sora winces beneath Riku's scrutinizing glare. The leering green lenses fill his stomach with guilt.
"Yeah, but only by, like, seven minutes."
Riku shakes his head.
"Hurry up and stretch so we can get started."
Sora sees Kairi chatting with Olette on the opposite sideline doing their own stretches. He windmills his right arm while striding onto the court.
"I'm already warmed up."
He grabs the ball from Riku as he passes and squints to stare him down.
"So let's get started already."
Riku rolls his eyes.
"Whatever you say."
Hayner and Pence share a look.
The whole team works through their usual fundamental drills and follows with practicing their plays. As the demanding minutes tick by, a nagging fatigue grows in Sora's muscles. He struggles to even keep pace with Pence's pudgier physique. They stop for a quick break. Sora's hands clamp his knees as he bends over and huffs for air.
"You okay man?" says Pence.
Sora twists to look at him. Sweat drenched tendrils of hair slap his face. Anger and embarrassment burn in his chest. He glances at Kairi who might be watching him from the corner of her eyes while sipping from a water bottle and listening to Riku.
I see through your fake concern, thinks Sora. Trying to look good when I'm down? Pathetic.
He takes two controlled breaths and straightens his body.
"Yep, I'm good. Rough night was all. I probably shouldn't even be at practice, but I can handle it."
"Oh man what happened? Are you okay?"
Pence's round gaze opens wider, welcoming him.
"It's nothing. Never mind."
"Okay. But be sure to take an extra break if you need to and stay hydrated."
"Yeah, yeah."
The comforting words annoy him but cool his shameful heat to a gentle warmth. He chugs some water and stretches his sore legs.
As they get going for another round of practice, thoughts of Naminé take hold of his focus. Images of her sad expression when she talks and her standing alone against the behemoth will not relent.
He misses a pass and chases down the ball while the others wait. He stumbles on a dribble to start the next play, scraping his knee on the ground.
He sucks saliva as he rolls onto his butt and examines the shaved flesh. A dozen tiny dots of blood worm their way to the surface.
"Come on Sora, what are you doing?" says Riku.
He shoots a glare at him, but Kairi steps between them.
"Cut him a break, Riku. He had a lot going on last night. He didn't get much sleep."
Riku crosses his arms and turns away to sulk.
Sora smiles at Kairi. She returns a halfhearted nod and goes straight to her spot on the court. Sora's cheeks sink back to neutral and he does the same.
Finally the miserable practice session comes to an end.
Sora waves and opens his mouth to call Kairi's name. He swears she sees him, but she calls out to Olette before he can speak.
"Hey, want to go to the mall?"
"Uh, sure," says Olette.
"Yay."
Kairi laughs and wraps her arm around Olette's.
Sora's hand droops to his side as he watches them saunter away.
Hayner slings an arm around Sora's neck.
"Hey man, let's all go to the arcade."
Sora gags and strains to look after Kairi as Hayner pulls him in the opposite direction.
"Hey, let go."
Sora slips out of the hold and gives Hayner a little shove.
"I kind of have something else going on, so I don't know if I can."
"Come on man," says Hayner. "You owe us for being late today."
Sora sticks out his lower lip.
"Yeah," says Riku. "Plus we've got to show those losers we're still the best Kung Fu King players. They're starting to think we're weak."
I need to check on Naminé, Sora thinks. But I already let them down once today.
"Alright, fine," he says. "But I can't stay too long."
"No sweat. We'll slap their butts a few rounds, and we'll be on our way," Riku says.
Hayner turns to Pence.
"And I heard someone topped our high score in Space Millennium."
"Then we'll just have to take it back from them!" says Pence.
As they get on their bikes, Sora looks back, but Kairi is nowhere to be seen.
Along the way, Hayner pulls off the sidewalk and dismounts. Pence stops beside him.
"Hey, what's the hold up?" says Riku as he and Sora ride by.
Hayner bends over and back up while raising his arms.
"I found a couple pop cans. Two more nickels for the arcade!"
"Whatever dude," says Riku, calling back. "Hardly seems worth the trouble. See you slowpokes at the arcade."
Hayner stuffs the cans into his gym bag and hurries with Pence to catch up.
###
Kairi and Olette sit at a food court table in the mall. Wadded up food wrappers litter its top. A couple shopping bags rest at their feet.
"It's just … how could he not tell me about her," says Kairi. "I'm so mad at him. And I feel so stupid. I thought he wanted to tell me something important, but maybe he just wanted to tell me he had a girlfriend and chickened out."
Her cheeks flush red.
"That is really upsetting," says Olette. "It's not fun feeling lied to. What do you want to do about it?"
"Honestly I feel like I never want to talk to him again."
Kairi looks Olette in the eyes. Comfort in the form of an understanding smile reassures her.
"But that's not really it either," Kairi says. "Am I being stupid?"
"Of course not," says Olette. "Maybe it's worth trying to talk to him at least once. You've always said he was a really good friend to you ever since you got here. Maybe he made a dumb mistake."
"I'm sure you're right. I'm just not ready yet."
"Oh of course. I'm not saying you should right away. Whenever you're ready."
"Well, well, if it isn't Olette and Kairi."
Both turn to find the girls swim team captain and two of her lackeys. She tosses her blonde hair over her shoulders. Her eyes fixate on Olette.
"I heard you started playing strikeball after your shameful departure from the swim team. But you just couldn't help yourself and had to bring poor, innocent Kairi with you."
Olette looks down at her lap.
Kairi slams her hands on the table and shoots to her feet. She stares the captain straight in the eye.
"What's wrong? Don't look good enough in your swimsuit? You insecure Olette has a better figure? Or maybe you're just jealous she was a better swimmer when you were supposed to be number one. So that's why you started that nasty rumor about her. Honestly, you're pathetic. You should be ashamed of yourself."
The captain's shocked expression grows wider with every accusation.
"It … it's not a rumor. It really happened. And I didn't start it. Someone else did."
"Save your excuses. Either way, you should have acted like a real captain and stood up for your teammate. Instead you let your ego cost you your best swimmer. So it's your fault the swim team didn't win regionals."
"I, I. Hmph. Come on girls. We don't have to stand for this."
The three stumble off on their high heeled shoes.
"Thanks for standing up for me Kairi."
Kairi drops to her seat.
"Of course. You're too wonderful of a person to be treated like that."
"Thank you. I hope you don't believe what she said about me using you. It's not like that. I don't want you to have a bad reputation for hanging out with me."
"Oh I know. It's cool. Let other people think what they want. I'm your friend. I support you no matter what."
Olette sips the straw of her drink.
"Did you mean what you said about me having a better figure than her?" she says.
"Duh, obviously. You are gorgeous. Honestly, sometimes, I'm a little jealous."
Olette blushes.
"Don't be, you're beautiful."
"Thanks."
They both laugh and pick up their bags to leave.
###
Sora and Riku join a crowd gathered around the Kung Fu King arcade cabinet. Riku suggests starting a tournament which excites everyone.
They all pay an entry fee to the arcade clerk, and he sets the cabinet to free play mode. Lots are drawn, and the tournament begins. Sora and Riku buy some food from the concession stand while they wait for their turn.
Hayner and Pence place their snacks on a table next to Space Millennium. They plug in some tokens to start their adventure. Their deft inputs slide their fighter jets around the screen avoiding a hail of enemy fire. Strategic switches between collected power-ups and careful ammo management allow them to adapt to each wave of enemies. They keep an eye on their scores and go for every kill and collectible they can to push it higher. The final boss explodes in highly pixelated visuals that flash frame by frame.
The high score screen shows up asking for initials at the number one spot. Pence inputs their usual team name. They do a jumping high five.
"Back on top!" says Hayner. "Nice moves today."
"We still the best," says Pence.
Another voice joins their conversation.
"Give it a rest Hayner. You just get carried by your partner."
They confront their instigator. The biggest bully from the next grade towers above them.
"Oh I'm sorry," says Hayner. "Was that your name all the way at the bottom of the list? Sorry we stomped all over it."
Pence lowers his head and steps back as the bully advances upon them.
"If I had your fat loser friend as a partner, I'd have the high score too."
"He's not fat you asshole!"
Hayner rises up on his toes to press his chest into the bottom of the bully's ribs.
The refutation of Pence's weight causes his cheeks to rise. His eyes peek up at his friend.
"Why don't we step outside and settle this with our fists instead of our fingers."
"Sure, I'll kick your ass at that too."
Pence moves between them.
"You know what," he says, "how about I just partner up with you sometime, and we'll set our own high score."
"Pfft, whatever nerd."
The bully rams his shoulder into Pence's and walks away.
"Hey, what you'd step in for?" says Hayner. "I could have taken him."
"I know, but I didn't want my best friend getting hurt."
Hayner smiles.
"Sure thing. Oh look! Riku and Sora are still in the tournament."
Sora plays with half focus in his semifinal match. Chunks of green rip from his health bar as his character gets pummeled.
"Come on Sora, I know you can play better than that."
Riku's voice lifts his heart. He parries the next attack and applies pressure with his fighter. He turns the match around and wins. The next game starts, and he opens aggressively. His opponent panics and resorts to guessing rather than reading his inputs. Sora punishes each mistake and wins the game and the match.
The crowd cheers, but Sora does not notice. His eyes find Riku's. Riku smiles and steps forward to the console. They stare at one another as the crowd settles.
Sora's distracting thoughts melt away as a quiet calm takes hold. Their hands find the controls without ever really looking at them. Their cursors glide over the character select menu while watching each other from their peripherals. The announcer calls the starting cry. Their eyes lock on the screen, smiles lagging behind them.
The precision of every input leaves the onlookers oohing and aahing. The clack of the buttons and the bumping of the joysticks echo between the peaks of the jubilation.
Sora strikes first and initiates a combo to take a chunk from Riku's health bar. Riku rallies in response, but cannot break the pressure. His health bar slides to zero and the game is lost. The crowd cheers.
Riku stretches his neck side to side and relaxes his shoulders. The announcer yells start. Riku and Sora trade strikes and blocks. Riku attempts a feint. Sora inputs a block, but Riku cancels the attack animation before the move can fully start up. He switches to a throw to penetrate the guard for free.
Sora reacts with a throw break input to match Riku's character's most dangerous throw. To his surprise, a quick choreography he rarely sees plays out. His character tosses around like a rag doll. He wonders why Riku would pick a throw that does so little damage and barely gives any animation frames of advantage.
Is he just trying to be unpredictable? he thinks.
Sora holds block as the enemy character flashes while winding up another strike. A heavy hitting foot crushes his guard leaving him stunned.
Riku steps in.
Sora tries to anticipate the move.
Another throw.
Sora inputs, but it is the same one from before. He watches his character's helpless throes. When the animation ends, his character gets pushed to the edge of the arena and slides off into the abyss.
"Ring Out!" cries the announcer.
"Oh man, I didn't expect that."
"Yeah," says Riku. " I've been messing with some of this character's lesser used moves and found that throw is really good for positioning the opponent where I want them and can even knock them out of the ring."
"Damn, nice one."
They go again, and Sora can feel stiffness in his hands. His nerves are tight. He misjudges his distance and takes a hit. Panic sets in as Riku moves to capitalize. The throw animation comes out.
Is it the damaging throw or the new one?
Sora guesses the new one.
Wrong!
He takes a big chunk of damage and is left wide open for nearly every move Riku has. He tries a sidestep, but a sweeping attack knocks him off his feet. As he gets his character up, Riku inputs a special move.
Lightning strikes from above leaving Sora paralyzed. Riku dashes his character across the screen and delivers a game winning combo.
"Match!" says the announcer.
The roar of the crowd drowns out the game.
Sora's hands slide off the controls, screeching along the plastic cover. He turns to Riku, eyes glancing aside. They shake hands. Then Riku turns to the crowd and raises his arms. They cheer louder.
Sora lowers his head and walks away. He steps out of the arcade.
"Hey Sora!"
He turns around to find Riku catching the door behind him.
"That was a good match. I'm not sure I would have won if you weren't so distracted. Bring your best next time, alright?"
Sora smiles.
"Yeah, I will. I think you were still too good today though. I wasn't ready for that new throw you were using. But I'll be ready next time."
Riku smiles.
"I look forward to it."
He goes back in where he gets some pats on the back.
Sora watches him through the glass. A cool breeze tickles his skin. He looks to the sky and finds dusk creeping in.
"Naminé!"
He starts for his bike. A foul odor on the wind stops him. The decaying chemical smell is one he has only experienced once before. It is the same stench from the night he met Naminé.
"There's a Heartless somewhere in the city," he says.
He swallows the saliva welling in his mouth and rides towards the source.
###
Naminé wanders the walkways between the neighborhoods of Traverse Town. She stops at a crossroads far from the sight of any houses and listens for the sounds of people. Only the rustle of the surrounding foliage reaches her ear.
She holds out a hand before her. Her fingers grasp for an invisible doorknob. Her hand shakes as it fights resistance to twist. The tension works its way up her wrist. Fatigue numbs her forearm.
A bead of sweat forms on both of her temples. They grow in size until their weight sends them down the sides of her cheeks. Her breath breaks from her body leaving her gasping for air.
"Why? Why am I so weak?"
She wipes away the droplets. A male voice startles her.
"I thought I sensed a wounded rabbit."
Naminé finds the man down the pathway behind her.
His height towers over her. A single exposed eye stares from within the wrappings of red bandages obscuring his face. Two black belts are strapped in an X shape at the buckles over the left eye.
He strides forward followed by a flowing cape. It flutters with the same dark red as the bandages. Three pouches slung from a hip to the opposite thigh jostle as he walks. They appear intended for thin books. The sash they hang from secure tight, black robes to his body. His legs swish within the robes that brush the ground and cover his feet.
"You can't open the corridors can you?"
His uncovered mouth twitches the bandages around it as he speaks.
Naminé steps back.
"Wh-who are you? What do you want?"
"You may call me DiZ," he says, stopping before her. "I was just investigating the strange presence I've been noticing lingering around. You see, I'm very familiar with the smell of a Nobody. They are supposed to pass in and out of this world unnoticed, so why haven't you? You don't look injured, so why do you lack the strength to return home?"
"I-I don't know."
DiZ laughs. One of his hands slithers from beneath his cape to reach for her shoulder.
Naminé backs up on rusty legs. Her eyes cringe at the anticipation of the touch.
"Why don't you come with me? Somewhere safe."
Spidery fingers reach past her neck and brush the fringes of her hair. The hand stops and hovers. Naminé opens a squinting eye. DiZ stares off down a path. His hand retreats.
"It seems some Heartless have appeared. I suppose you should run along and deal with them. I'd hate for your superiors to discover you're not doing your job. The punishment for such failure is oblivion after all."
Naminé stares at him. His gaze returns to her. She backs up further, and twists to scamper down the path. A glance over her shoulder reveals an image of the man turning to leave.
###
"Sora!"
Sora spins around to find an out of breath Naminé.
"What are you doing here?" she says.
"I sensed a dark presence. And someone's Heart is fading."
"You're right, but why are you here? This isn't your responsibility."
"I know, but I won't sit back and let someone get hurt."
"That's stupid. Why risk your life when you can't even fight back?"
"Maybe I can't. But if I do nothing, the Heartless win for sure. So I have to at least try."
"No! You can't win just because you try hard enough. I told you before, only a spiritual weapon like a Keyblade can hurt the Heartless."
A man runs from around the corner of a building. He hugs the brick wall as he scrambles along the sidewalk. Sweat trails down his face in frantic streaks. He trips and crashes to the ground.
The evening shadows bend against the will of the light that casts them. They reach with sharp claws from the ground and wall to pin him down.
A spark sprouts from his back. A heart shaped crystal glowing with fiery reds and oranges pops forth. The hungry darkness breaks free of its two dimensional prison and devours the heart in a nebulous dusk.
Arms and legs spawn from the cloud as a vague humanoid shape takes form. Before it completes the transformation, the whole thing implodes like a black hole and warps out of existence.
"No!"
Sora charges towards the lifeless man. Shadows swirl in around him.
"Look out Sora!"
Six Heartless peel up from the ground in a circle around Sora. His body avoids toppling over itself as it careens to a stop. He pans the enemies as their little antennae set their mark on him. Movement from behind startles him.
A body crashes against his back, knocking him to the ground. Beside him lies a bleeding Naminé. Blood stains her dress along the edges of its torn tatters. Sora cradles her side and pulls her close.
"Why did you protect me again?"
A dark figure leaps upon them. Sora swipes a desperate arm. Light flashes, and a Keyblade knocks away the predator.
Sora marvels at it.
"How can you still summon a Keyblade?" says Naminé. "That power should have been temporary. My powers must have transferred to you somehow. That's why I can't use my abilities."
Sora rises to his feet in the black cloak and stands guard before Naminé.
"Then stay behind me. I'll protect you this time."
He extends a hand to her. She uses it to pull herself to her feet.
A darting imp closes in. Sora raises his weapon to strike.
"Wait Sora!"
He smashes the weapon down from above his head. The shadow flattens to the ground and merges with the pavement. Sora's blade ricochets off the cement, sending jarring pain through his wrists. Two more shadows flank him from both sides. One slashes his left calf and the other jumps to cut his right shoulder. Blood splashes from the wounds.
Sora staggers for balance against the burning agony.
"You need to listen to me," says Naminé. "I'll guide you through the battle."
Sora looks at her, eyes wild with fear. They soften as her calming focus settles his anxiety. He nods.
"Face forward!" she says. "Watch your sides. Keyblade always at the ready."
Sora does as instructed. Three shadows charge from the front, the other three are nowhere to be seen. He gulps.
"They use stealth attacks. They won't get close to a threat by themselves."
The words do nothing to quell his terror as the sharp claws and teeth close in.
"Use defensive swings to ward off these three."
Sora brandishes heavy two handed strokes one after another at each of the Heartless. All three leap back as the whoosh of his silver blade beats the air before them.
They separate, and he steps towards the nearest one to single it out.
"Stop Sora. Behind your right foot."
He spins to find a crawling shadow near his ankle. Its head and arms lift out of the street. He raises the keyblade over his left shoulder as the gremlin prepares a strike. Sora yanks the golden bracket down as the claws lash out. The end of his weapon crushes the space between the yellow eyes of the foe and squashes it beneath the Keyblade. Smoke fumes rise as the body evaporates and surrenders a heart crystal.
Adrenaline hits his bloodstream. His mind races on the high.
"Above you! Keyblade ready!"
He repositions the weapon while searching for the enemy. He catches sight of it over his left shoulder. He brings the keyblade between himself and the assailant.
The black body slams against it, pushing him back two steps. His left hand slides along the back of the sword and braces. He shoves the shaft and hilt, throwing the shadow away. Before the foe can hit the ground, Sora cleaves it in half. He inhales a deep breath.
"You're doing great," says Naminé. "Stay alert. They're likely to try the same thing."
Sora scans for attackers, but finds none above ground or skimming its surface.
Where'd they go? he thinks. The only other place they would go is…
"Naminé!"
By the time he looks at her, the remaining four have her surrounded.
So the last attack was actually a diversion to go after me, thinks Naminé.
She studies their positioning.
Sora charges to her rescue.
The first shadow feints inward and then retreats. Two more pincer her from the sides. She cannot escape, and she knows Sora is too far away.
Naminé slides one foot beneath a leaping enemy to enter a low split stance. As it comes down on top of her, she thrusts her torso down to the side and pivots around the extended foot. She switches places with the shadow, and uses the momentum of her maneuver to land a spinning kick against its back.
The shadow collides with the one approaching from the other side. They tumble to the ground in a single mass.
Sora leaps and drives his weapon straight down upon them. They explode in a black haze. He looks up and finds Naminé in the same position as before with the remaining two flanking her once again.
Sora gasps for air as he recovers from the last attack. Naminé remains off balance as well. She raises an arm as one of them rushes her.
Its teeth and claws rip into her flesh. Crimson lacerations split the skin. The second shadow strikes from behind.
Naminé embraces the shadow ripping at her and lunges away from the one at her back. It misses her vitals by inches. She spills across the cement. The clinging imp pins her to the ground and continues its relentless rending and tearing.
Sora sprints past the shadow who failed to land its attack. He swings a low to high swipe hoping not to strike Naminé. His aim is good enough to knock the heartless senseless, sending it sprawling.
It shakes its head and merges with the pavement. Instead of coming towards them, it vanishes. Sora checks for the other one, but it is gone as well.
Sora kneels by Naminé unsure of what to do as blood pours from her wounds.
"How can I help?"
She tries to sit up. Sora cradles an arm behind her for support since she cannot use one of her own. Blood stains his hands when he lets go of her back. His gloved fingers stick together with the red liquid.
"I'll be alright. I've suffered worse than this."
"But your back and arm look really bad. You need to see a doc—"
Her good hand covers his mouth.
"Do you sense that?"
Sora's pupils dash about. He nods. Her hand leaves his mouth.
"You need to leave," she says. "You're too tired to fight this new heartless."
"No way. I'm not leaving you."
"This thing feeds off of Hearts. It only came back because of how strong yours is. I don't have one. If it gets me, then it won't get stronger. But if it gets you, more people will be in danger from its hunger."
Sora gazes into her stern face. He smiles.
"You keep thinking it's okay to sacrifice yourself like you're not worth anything. But I already told you, you're important to me. That's worth fighting for."
As he stands up and readies his keyblade, Naminé feels a warmth wash over her as his power bolsters.
Where is this extra strength coming from?" she thinks.
A terrifying shock splinters down her spine.
"Over there!"
Sora turns just in time to block the kick of a humanoid heartless as it spins from a dark portal. The stringy tipped boot slams his weapon against his chest, knocking him to the ground.
The foe stands upright over him. Glowing yellow eyes stare from within a medieval style helmet. Gloved hands rise above its head. Red talons several inches long point from the tips of its fingers. They race down to skewer him.
Sora twists sideways and pushes off with his feet for a one handed cartwheel. Sharp stings rip across his back and right thigh. He creates some distance and squares up to the enemy. His injured leg cannot support him, and he drops to his right knee.
"Sora, you need to watch out for its spinning kicks and its leaping drop kick. Those are the soldier type's most powerful attacks."
Sora nods without letting his eyes leave the target. He heaves for air until the soldier approaches once more. Using the keyblade for support, Sora regains his feet.
"Soldiers aren't like shadows," says Naminé. "They attack aggressively."
The foe charges. Its blue bodysuit swishes as the legs brush together and the arms swipe its sides. Sora panics and cleaves the air before him. A set of claws catch the blade after it misses. The soldier shoves the keyblade aside and scrapes down its shaft toward Sora. Burning flares along his torso. Two claws skim his ribs while two more rip his fleshy abdomen.
Sora crumples forward as the heartless passes by. It turns to stab him in the back with the other hand, but Sora staggers ahead a few feet to avoid it. Blood squishes free with every step. He succumbs to the pain and falls to his knees.
Sora twists to view the opponent, wincing as his wounds stretch. The soldier crouches and coils its body. It launches, covering the distance between them in a single twirl. An extended foot clobbers Sora's chin. As the adversary continues to spin, the boot comes around again and again. Bruising blows crush his ribs and slap his intestines. Sora tumbles into a heap of limbs.
"Sora!"
Naminé dashes for him.
"Stop Naminé!"
Her heels skid to a halt. She watches as he rolls over onto his forearms and stomach. His head hangs low as he inhales with pained wheezes. Blood runs down his cheek, its source obscured by the hood. It traces the side of his chin and drips to the cement.
"You don't have to do this Sora. It's not your responsibility."
The heartless whips its talons to fling off the blood. It raises both hands for the next attack.
"I don't want the ones I care about to get hurt."
He struggles to get a knee under himself.
"So if I have the power to prevent that…"
His other leg comes up beside the first and rests on the ball of its foot.
"Then I'll give it all for them."
Sparks follow the tip of the keyblade as he drags it in front of himself and digs it into the ground. He pulls on the hilt until he stands once more.
Sora draws the edge of his hood further down his face and brandishes the weapon for the next skirmish.
Naminé clenches a fist and holds it over her hollow chest. A small reverberation meets her fingers before vanishing.
Sora sprints and raises the keyblade over his right shoulder with both hands.
"Sora, it's too dangerous to try a frontal attack! You'll be wide open if you miss."
Sora swings his keyblade down across his body. The heartless judges the distance and does not flinch. The weapon misses, and the soldier storms in.
Sora spins on his heels, following the keyblade's path. He lifts it above his head as his back turns to the enemy. He bends his knees as he does.
Naminé's face lifts from its despair.
Sora launches above swiping claws. The keyblade drops down his back as he ascends. His knees curve over his head to complete a backflip. His feet realign with the ground, and he smashes his elbows down to his sides.
The end of the keyblade crumples the enemy's helmet in a shower of sparks. The weapon embeds deep enough to obscure the teeth. Inky darkness spills out of the mangled metal. The rest of the body withers to dust and blows away with the wind.
"Sphere shot!" says Naminé.
Sora holds out a thumbs up. He wavers and falls over backward.
Naminé rushes in and catches his head in her lap. His unconscious face still holds a smile. She brushes aside a sweaty, bloody tussle of hair to look upon it.
"Honestly Sora. You're too much."
A rosy red heart surfaces from the evaporating darkness. It floats on a breeze to the motionless man and inserts itself in his body. His chest inflates with air and begins to rise and fall in rhythm.