In case anyone's wondering about Sora's wacky dreams, Kairi was representing death and Riku was representing life. Just in case you didn't pick up on that. ;)
Disclaimer: Considering that if I owned Kingdom Hearts Sora would have died and I would have been murdered soon after by other crazed fans like myself, think about it.
Moribund-
Afraid of the Darkness
"I thought things would be different," Riku murmured to the silent body in his arms. "I thought...the paopu fruit...I thought you couldn't die..." His voice cracked and he rocked slowly back and forth, his cheek pressed against Sora's chocolate brown hair. "The Lighthouse," he managed softly. "You're right. We'll both go. Maybe...just maybe..." His unspoken hope lifted from him like a bird, darting out the window and rising higher in the darkened sky.
l...
Just like that, it was over. Everything was gone. The long life I'd meant to lead, spotted with trips to other worlds, wasn't possible anymore.
It was a very familiar feeling—the falling, complete with that strange, dreamy sensation that fogged the edges of reality. It seemed like I hit something, a strange numbness spreading throughout my body. I was lying on a hard surface, although there was water all around me—warm water, with an invisible sun shining from all directions. The soft sound of water droplets hitting the ocean echoed around me, oddly sounding like a creature conversing with itself. And, quite suddenly, the water arched in a huge wave that gently deposited me back into the air. It felt just like when my mother would say, "Not now, honey, I'll call you in a minute."
Suddenly I could see as I swept over strange, distant lands that seemed strangely familiar. A jungle here, a sea there—wait, was that the Cave of Wonders? But then it was too far gone behind the tumultous landscape. A tower loomed in front of me and, almost without thinking, I extended one glowing appendage and seized it.
The world around me screeched to a shuddering stop, a blinding darkness filling my eyes. Or were they still eyes, I wondered. I suddenly realized that I was still clinging to something that wasn't the tower with appendages that felt like hands. When I opened my eyes, as they seemed to be some semblance of eye, I realized that I was clinging to the edge of one of the stairs on a winding, corkscrew staircase.
I was at the Lighthouse.
The floor was perilously distant, but such a length meant nothing to me. I released my hold on the stair, landing soundlessly on the marble floor, and took a moment to inspect what I had become. My form certainly resembled my human one, although it seemed to be transparent and didn't respond to normal forces of the physical world.
Without completely realizing it, I was certain I had to get Riku to come here. I looked up the staircase, remembering that this was a lighthouse and therefore there had to be a light at the top. Riku was sure to recognize that kind of beacon, considering. For a moment I was annoyed that I had let go after being so high up, but it turned out to be of no moment. I simply floated to the door at the top of the staircase in a state very much like flying at Neverland.
The room inside was still spattered with blood from our fight so long ago, mainly because no one was interested in the Lighthouse enough to clean it. From what Cid had told me, it sounded like it was a relic from a long time ago, when it served by its color to tell Gummi ships where they were.
I ascended the steps that led to the smaller room at the top, spherically designed with inviting buttons and levers that at one time controlled something that was no longer there. At first I wasn't sure just what to do, but gradually an answer came to me. According to popular legend, a human heart had its share of light. There was no reason now why I couldn't use some of mine for this purpose.
Leaning over the device, I saw two circular depressions that seemed to be the plug for a power source. With boyhood faith, I spit on my hands, rubbed them together, and placed them firmly in the depressions. There was a minor pull as it extracted a bit of light for activation, and then the machine did the rest, illuminating in a great sphere that filled the room. I stepped back to allow it to move, sending a rotating beam of light over the worlds nearby. Smiling and satisfied, I started downstairs again.
l...
Cid muttered incoherently to himself at the controls of the ship. Riku had suddenly voiced a desire to take Sora's body to the Lighthouse, for whatever reason. So they were on Highwind now, geared in that direction, although Cid honestly had no idea where to go. Donald and Goofy, having brought the two wounded boys back from it, had only managed to get home through random warping and dumb luck. It was a mystery how they'd managed to get there in the first place.
The hardened blond cast a sympathetic look at the silver-haired boy who still sat with his cheek rested against Sora's forehead, staring off into space. "I hate to say it, kid, but it'll be better for you if you try to let him go," he told him in a heavy voice.
Riku's eyes closed and he shook his head. "No. Sora and I grew up together—we're so close we can almost sense one another's emotions from miles away. It's a big deal to me...and I'm going to bring him back, no matter what I have to do."
This was usually the time when Cid either laughed heartily and scoffed at the speaker's words, or when he somberly reminded them of the reality around them. But something about the determination in Riku's eyes, and that strange, serene calm about him, made the shopkeeper think twice about this.
"He's okay right now," Riku explained in a slow, hypnotic tone, stroking Sora's temple. "He knows we're coming."
Cid sighed, returning his attentions to driving Highwind. "It's gonna be hard to spot—this Lighthouse of yers," he said gruffly. "Maleficent had all the ones out here deactivated long ago, seven of 'em. Interfered with her plans."
Riku nodded distantly, only half-registering this comment. He was more concerned with the sudden silence that had gone through the space around them—a sudden jerking, as though something impossible had happened. Almost as if, he reflected fondly, a captured piece had just hopped back up on the chessboard.
The blond at the controls shivered suddenly. "Feel that? Just got a chill," he muttered. "The hell's goin' on around here...?"
A faint hum passed through reality itself, barely evident to anyone who wasn't listening for it. Cid had stopped, motionless at the controls. "That's what it sounds like when someone turns on a Lighthouse," he said quietly.
Riku felt something light, like a breath of sunshine against his cheek. "There," he said suddenly, pointing to the shifting luminescence behind and to the left of them. "That's the light. Sora's light."
l...
I pulled the hood up over my hair as I waited, scuffing absently at the ground and watching as the stones didn't move. They were shrapnel, remnants of my crash here. It had only been a few weeks, but it seemed like years since that happened. I traced my path with my eyes, recalling how I'd gone up the stairs and fought with that blond boy. It was there that Riku saved me, bringing me back safe and sound to Traverse Town. At the End of the World he saved me again, taking me to the intensive care ward at Disney Castle. I smiled fondly. What was Riku talking about, me saving him? I was a constant liability. But still, it was nice to think of myself as his equal, if only for those few moments.
I had to prepare mentally for his arrival, though. I wasn't sure how to communicate to him, since it seemed like I didn't have a voice in this form. Once he got here, he couldn't just approach and fuse me with my body again—that could easily be catastrophic, resulting in my permanent death. No, I had to be put back together with the aid of something that would heal me, or else the wound would only kill me again. Like, I considered, glancing upward; a great big light.
There was a sound from nearby, and I looked up to see Highwind's familiar hull coming closer to dock. I watched it for a moment, then, in the most dramatically mysterious way possible, I turned and went inside. Riku had had his fun when I was following him around, so the least he could do now was play chase in reverse. We had to go up there anyway, and after all, it couldn't do any harm, could it?
I can't believe I was that stupid.
Of course, I can't really blame myself. At the time, there was no way I would have counted on who I might meet if I hung around the Lighthouse long enough.
You never know who you might run into next, as they say.
"If it isn't Sora," he said in that voice that was so chillingly similar to mine. His dark eyes narrowed as he drew out the Oathkeeper. "I've been waiting for you."
I glared at him, fumbling for the Ultima, but it wasn't there. Nonetheless, there was no fear in my eyes when I surveyed him challengingly.
"This is new," he remarked, circling me and poking at my transparent form. "You've gone and gotten yourself killed now, haven't you? I'd really much rather you hadn't, but it looks like you're here, and that's all I need." He considered this for a moment. "In fact, that may be just what I need right now. I'm different from when I was when I faced you last, Sora. Then I wasn't fully developed—I didn't have a complete self. But now I do," he added, smirking. "My name is Damon now, and I'm just as much of a human being as you were when you spawned me. I was a part of you then. But now that I'm Damon, things are going to be just a bit different."
He prodded my form again, beginning to look excited. "You see, if you were a full human and we combined, we would both probably spontaneously combust. But you're only a harmless spirit."
Just a few more moments, I thought fervently. Just let him babble for a few more moments, and Riku will burst in and cast something devastating on him. My eyes shifted toward the door hopefully, waiting for the moment that someone would burst in.
"This time," Damon said slowly, pointing the Oathkeeper at my chest, "you're going to be a part of me."
Now, I thought in Riku's direction, feeling stressed and shocked and finally afraid, deeply afraid of the darkness. Come in now. I need you.
Nothing happened, though. Well, actually, I'm wrong. Something did.
The Oathkeeper passed through my chest and I felt pain again, watching in horror as my form began to solidify. Damon took advantage of this, reaching out and seizing my wrist. It sounded like he was chanting something in a low, guttering tone, and blood began to run from my arm where he touched me. But that didn't matter when I looked into his eyes and my subconscious joined with his.
(My other half.(
)Ah, you recognize me. Excellent!)
(It's been quite a while, hasn't it?(
)Too long, my friend.)
(I've missed you.(
)Truly? I'm flattered.)
(Cynic.(
)Let's not point fingers so soon, now. We have a lifetime to spend together. To begin with, I believe we need to state the boundaries.)
(I'm sorry, but I don't have much time to spend with you. I've found a better fit elsewhere.(
)Then you've replaced me?)
(Yes, you could call it that. You can't help but see how we don't fit. We're two exact opposites. Now how do you explain that kind of unity?(
)You're right. It seems that one of us should dominate, as usual.)
(Interesting, almost like one allele over the other. It's not that one ceases to exist, you only fail to realize it's there. Shall we have it like before?(
)No, not exactly...)
There was a rushing noise, and then I viewed the world from where Damon had been standing. I struggled to move, hoping to see where he'd gone, but my body didn't obey my command. Against my will, I bent and picked up the Oathkeeper that had clattered to the ground. Even though I struggled with every motion, I crossed to the center of the floor and waited there.
See how it feels, I wondered to myself. Or wait, was that me? Those thoughts weren't mine, but they continued to flow. You're not aware of me, are you? Just like I'm not aware of you, aside from knowing that you're there. It was just like this before—I had to watch while you made me do everything I didn't want to. It's agony, really. You'll learn very quickly.
A flurry of questions floated about my mind, but Damon didn't answer any of them. I almost forgot, I—no, he—mentioned suddenly. I can't hear anything you try to say. I've been trying to get your attention for fourteen years, but you never heard a word of it. Fourteen years, Sora. Can you imagine? But now I'm going to punish you. I'm going to make you wish you had listened.
The door burst open and Riku entered, breathless. Outside, I could just see Cid taking care of some aspect of Highwind before the door slid shut again. Riku's eyes were confused. "Sora?"
"I'm right here, Riku," Damon greeted him in my voice.
Riku studied me carefully. "Um...you look...different. A little like that blond kid."
My own laughter rang out and my vision shifted as Damon clasped my hands behind my head. "I just died, Riku. Of course I look different." At first I wondered how he so easily replicated my style, but then I remembered bitterly that he'd been watching me for fourteen years, listening to my every thought. Of course he knew how to act.
I watched in anguish as Riku visibly relaxed, smiling. "Well, c'mon then. We'd better hurry back before the others get worried." He turned to go.
"Wait," Damon said quietly. "Come here. I wanted to show you."
Riku raised an eyebrow, but he drew closer. "Show me what, Sora?"
"The light." Damon pointed to the staircase. "It's so beautiful, Riku. I'd just die if you didn't see it."
Cid cracked the door open. "Riku, we're ready to go when you are." He spotted me and raised an eyebrow. "Uh..."
"It's Sora," Riku explained quickly. "I'll be out there in just a sec."
Shrugging, Cid swung the door closed again. There was a strange, ringing tone of finalty in that action. Damon turned my eyes on Riku and I desperately tried to do something, tried to tell him to run away. But I couldn't move my own body now, so I wasn't the one who gestured toward the stairs. "You first."
Riku looked surprised at that, since it was characteristic of me to run ahead and call to him to follow. Nonetheless, he started toward the stairs. Damon began to follow, stopping suddenly and placing both hands on Riku's back. Damon's thoughts roared through my mind in maelstrom of fury. Feel fourteen years of my suffering!
With a choked cry, Riku stumbled away from me. "Sora...!" he managed to say, staring at me in horror.
"Interesting, isn't it?" Damon remarked, drawing closer to him. "I create just the right amount of pain in the right place—" He placed my hand on Riku's shoulder firmly, not allowing him to escape even as the pain visibly flowed between them. "—And your body begins to shut down because it thinks it's dying." A twisted smirk crawled across my face as Damon let go and stepped back a ways.
"What have you done with Sora?" Riku demanded, stepping back with one hand clasped tightly over his shoulder.
Damon rolled my eyes toward the ceiling, shrugging. "He's here. Somewhere in my head, no doubt. Probably getting a bit riled up by now." He smirked again, drawing the Oathkeeper. "You know, Riku, this reminds me of a time in Traverse Town not so long ago when I was looking for your friend here."
Riku's eyes flashed. "Kairi," he murmured.
"Was that her name? That's an incredibly stupid thing to name someone, wouldn't you say? Anyway, she was very stubborn. She made it sound like she knew something, but she wouldn't tell me what it was."
I suddenly remembered that she'd read Axel's letter to me. She would have known that I was at the End of the World.
"Hacking off a few important things didn't seem to loosen her tongue any, so she finally died from loss of blood." Damon wrinkled my nose. "Very stubborn girl. I almost wish I didn't have to kill her—she would have made a very loyal lacky."
"Not to you!" Riku shouted, drawing his Keyblade and attacking. Damon raised the Oathkeeper and defended, pulling the Oblivion from its place. Riku released the hold between Keyblades, dashing back to avoid the Oblivion that passed through the air where he had been standing.
Damon started forward menacingly, swinging both Keyblades on either side. "You haven't forgotten who I am, have you? I'm what has resulted by Sora's binding to me. His strength and speed have only enhanced mine. I don't see how you can hope to have a chance when you're fighting both of us."
Riku hesitated, and I realized that the pain must have intensified due to movement. His features grew pale as he leaned against the wall for support.
"This brings to mind a very curious word," Damon mentioned casually to Riku as he leaned against the Oblivion. " 'Moribund.' Have you ever heard it spoken? Probably not, since it's almost obsolete by now. It's supposed to mean something that's dying out, either like a word such as itself which is no longer used, or like the last few children in an orphanage that has been subject to an epidemic." His eyes glimmered softly. "Both are dying out, and will soon no longer exist. It seems strangely appropriate, doesn't it? The light has become moribund."
"It's not," Riku managed through gritted teeth. "Sora's still in there somewhere, and as long as he's alive, there's still some light left."
"Perhaps." Damon negligently tossed the Oathkeeper aside, and I could hear him thinking about what was going to happen next. I observed this with a strange, dreamlike feeling, almost as if I didn't care and it couldn't affect me.
"He's still there," Riku was murmuring, his voice becoming faint. "He has to be..." One hand reached out for me imploringly, his eyes filled with pain. "Sor..." But then he grimaced, sinking to his knees on the floor. His chest hit the marble with a solid sound, delicate silver strands bouncing slightly from the impact before they rested motionless against his face. He looked too pale to be alive.
A terrible yearning tore at me. I wanted to run to him, save him—all that I wanted to when I foresaw this happening not so long ago. He couldn't be dead. No—I'd worked too hard to keep him alive. You can't die now, Riku!
But instead, I felt my feet moving toward him at a slow pace, the Oblivion heavy in my hand as Damon raised it above my head. "This ends here," he stated in a chilling voice, allowing the Keyblade to fall.
l...
Riku: You're killing me! I'm gonna die! Do you have ANY idea how low your reviewer satisfaction rates are going to fall? And another cliffhanger! You idiot!
Dai: Actually, I'm well aware of that. Would you just be quiet and get ready for the next scene? If you don't, there may not be a next scene...
Riku: (grumble mutter curse)
Sora: Can you get me out of Damon's head now? I have to go to the bathroom.
Damon: Duh, Sora, that's because I have to go to the bathroom. What part of "subordinate being" do you not get?
Sora: ...What?
Reviews:
ShadowSora65: evil cliffhanger! anyways, this is a great fic that u must continue soon! Plz! ...ill give u a cookie
Dai: I think this is the last cliffhanger…not sure yet…COOKIE! (chases you in circles wildly)
Rike-sama: You WILL update. Riku's not the only one who can do very painful convincing... XD And don't you DARE to let Sora stay dead - you'd make me cry. (sniff) We don't want that to happen, do we? (full-force puppy eyes)
Dai: (holds hands up feebly) Riku's bad enough! I can't take much more abuse! …And Sora's just damn adorable. (wonders if it's odd to hear a guy say this about another boy) He can't stay dead—it's not physically possible.
SeekingRedemption: Hello again, since you asked so politely for a review. This here is what we writers call "constructive criticism," so don't take it personally. To begin with, the way you write doesn't sound at all like what Sora would really think--provided he's still fourteen. Some critical grammatical errors are there, but that's mainly due to free expression in the first-person department. If you're running out of ideas already it looks like you lack a fundamental element I like to call a "plot," because you have way too much to fix before you end this bad boy. I would suggest that you in fact think a little before you write so as not to randomly come up with so much stuff that needs resolving--such as, what's going to happen with Maleficent and Ansem? You don't really think you can just say "The end" without bringing all these side events to a close, do you? (Note: This is not to say that I think you're ending it already because I've read the next chapter and I KNOW what needs fixing.) There wasn't a whole lot of angst when it came to the death scenes, and you know it would have been better if you'd spruced it up a little. And you do realize you said it was Maleficent's heart that Riku threw into the void, right? Critical error, Dai. But for the most part I'm niggling about the plot, because, according to you, there's not much else you can do to make ends meet. Did I leave anything out? ...(faves)
Dai: XD I knew I could count on you.
Ranma Higurashi: WAH! Sobbing Cliffhangers are so EBIL! UPDATE SOON!
Dai: Yes, they are. I promise…I mean, I'm fifty percent sure…I mean…well, darn it, I don't even know, but I don't think there'll be many (MANY) cliffhangers in my next story. If I ever finish this one.
Thanks for reviewing, and please enjoy the story. If you don't, you can click a button and be fifty bazillion pages away from here, so don't reply with anything nasty. XP