Awaken

Author's Notes: I first must apologize for the slowness in updates. I've been extremely distracted lately due to personal issues in my life. Before I begin this chapter, I first wish to send my condolences to those who's family members have suffered in the recent tsunami. I encourage all of my readers to contribute in some way. I, myself, will be giving blood and I assisted with my school's drive to collect funds to send (Me makey purdy bracelet! ) . With that note of solemnity over, on to.... uhm.... more angst, drama, and Riku/Sora romance. Disclaimer still applies.

Chapter 6: Fears For Stars

Oh holy man, when you return

How will you heal my heart, it burns, it's

Full of him, it's full of me

Please bring my baby back to me

("Martyr's Tune", Mascott)

Riku had felt himself go numb at seeing his prize slip away from him, his Sora falling into the emptiness of the cave with the Paopu. He'd passed out at the eerie sensation of a shock. He was paralyzed, his body frozen on the cold, damp ground. He could barely feel the Heartless writhe under the sand, but as all the feeling returned to him, he felt a blast across his nerves of writhing worms, and screamed as he realized he was sinking in. He managed to jump to his feet, seeing Sora whirl around at his scream. Sora clutched weakly onto Riku, whispering in a desperate, shaking voice;

"She wants our souls."

"No, I already have yours, Sora." Eiya groaned, using its own emotionless, genderless, indistinct voice. "I want Riku's."

"You said souls." Sora argued.

"Well.... uh.... yes..." Eiya stuttered, shuffling its feet.

"You don't have Sora's soul." Riku growled suddenly. "I do." At this, he grabbed the tiny, glowing keychain from the air, where it hovered still over them. "This is Sora's soul in essence!" Riku claimed, his voice echoing across the skies. "This is hope!"

"Hope, Riku...?" Sora blinked.

"Sora.... it makes sense..." Riku whispered, half-crazed, half-genius, and cradled Sora to his chest. "I chased after you, because you were the only hope I ever had in that terrible, black, dark place. And you're hope to me, and since this is my mind Eiya uses, within and without, your soul is, in this realm, Hope itself. Do you follow?"

"Y-yes, Riku, I follow. Now, you're scaring me." Sora whispered, as Riku pressed Sora's face to his chest. Riku released Hope back into the air.

"So, she's not getting your soul... not so long as I stand!" At that second, Riku pushed Sora down into the sand and flew fiercely at Eiya. From somewhere in that heart-driven boy came the reckless, uninhibited violence fit from only a madman. He screamed out in lunacy, as he forced himself through the mirror of Sora. Eiya cackled, as he flew right through it, crashing onto the ground. It lost its form, and vanished.

"Is that how you wish it? I'll let you play your battle out, little boy. Try battling your own mind!" Eiya screeched, its voice echoing over the island. Riku shuddered on the ground for a moment, catching his breath, before standing straight up. His spine was shaking, his entire body quivering. Something was wrong, Riku knew now. There was something in his mind he didn't want. A flash before his eyes; he lay Sora's body on a funeral pyre. Sora's eyes, full of blood and pain. Screaming filled his ears. Riku felt only pain, and as he kept seeing these terrible things, these horrible screams echoing through his ears, it all came from that which gave his heart light and hope. He turned to Sora.

"I have to get you out of here." Riku breathed. "It's not safe for you."

"Riku, what do-" Sora was completely confused, but not as confused as when Riku began to speak almost rhythmically.

"I've seen it all, I've seen the dark, I've seen the brightness in every last spark, I've seen what I chose, I've seen what I need, I've seen enough to know there's no more to see..." Riku covered his face, but Sora had already seen his cheeks wet.

"The one you love?" Sora questioned, his voice trembling. "The home you will share?"

"To be fully honest, I don't fucking care!" Riku screamed, tears streaming down his face. Blackness surrounded Riku's vision, and he closed his eyes.

Sora felt everything grow dark, and a fissure formed between them, the ground breaking, and crumbling under Riku's feet. It was the exact same way that he'd lost Kairi. "RIKU!" Sora screamed, stretching a hand out towards Riku. His cowardice wouldn't separate them. "RIKU! THE PAOPU!"

"Paopu..." Riku murmured. It burned through his mind. He saw him holding it, offering it to Sora, then snatching it away, as Sora cried... "STOP IT! I DON'T WANT TO SEE IT!"

"Riku! It's ours to share! It's ours! Reach for it, grab it!" Sora cried, trying to reach Riku across the broken beach. Riku held out a hand.

"Give it to me, I'll break it."

"Riku... Hope...." Sora hissed. "It's... It's Eiya's mind in yours! It's all Eiya! Push it out, it's still in your mind, it's still your battle!" Sora held out his hand, and found, suddenly, the Paopu in his hand. "What....?" Sora thought. Sora was hope to Riku, and up until now, Eiya was using Riku's mind. If Sora was still hope, then he held hope within him. He tossed the Paopu into Riku's hand, and suddenly found himself holding Riku's hand. Riku opened his eyes.

"You." Riku whispered, eyes wide. The darkness subsided, and the beach became exactly as it was before; still dark, still full of evil, with rain pouring down and cold, empty winds blowing across it. They held the Paopu, hand in hand.

"Riku, Eiya's got its own fantasies in its mind. That's all." Sora smiled, mumbling softly, but looking Riku directly in the eyes. Riku felt warmth from Sora's deep blue eyes, and felt a compelling urge for him, forgetting the terrible images. His voice, that sweet, innocent tone, spoke through Riku's mind, reassuring him, "Look, see, Riku? I'm right here. No matter what Eiya showed you, I'm always right here." The light of Hope floated above them still, growing brighter and brighter. Riku let go of the Paopu. Sora looked between the fruit and Riku, and slowly took a bite off the edge farthest from the leaf, and offered it back to Riku, swallowing heavily. "It's sweet."

Riku took a bite out of it. "It's.... bittersweet." He murmured, through a full mouth, and swallowed. Sora giggled softly, his voice heavy, almost thick, to Riku's ears.

"I guess that means that we're together." Sora whispered softly, pressing his chest to Riku's. Riku instinctively wrapped his arms around Sora.

"Minds, bodies, souls, all are as one."

"All is full of love, Riku." Sora purred, looking up at Riku, his eyes glimmering. Hope's light grew brighter, as Sora kissed Riku again, lips and tongues meeting in mutual affection and caring. They fell to the ground, sprawled across each other, but bound, even if for only that moment, in purity and love.

Eiya watched them combine.

TO BE CONTINUED...

End Note: SUPER SECRET DELETED SCENE!

Due to FFN's child-friendly rules, I am not allowed to post certain material that was originally to be included in this story. The aforementioned scene contains graphic description and action that would merit an NC-17 rating. However, I have kept the scene in my personal files. If you would like to read it, thus enjoying the full effect of the end of this chapter, please e-mail me at . I will e-mail it to you, as long as you include the answer to a trivia question that I will post under this note and a confirmation that you are old enough to view this material. DO NOT REPORT ME FOR VIOLATING THE SITE RULES. I WILL NOT BE POSTING IT ON FFN, AND THERE ARE NO RULES SAYING THAT I CANNOT DISTRIBUTE IT OFF OF FFN TO CONSENTING READERS ABOVE 17.

At the beginning of Chapter 4, the lyrics for the chapter came from a musical. Name another song from this musical.