Upfront I will say that Riku threatened me with a flashlight, a hatchet, a chainsaw, and a rubber band. Then he pulled my hair, and when I still didn't update, he arranged for me to wake up to Ursula and Jafar having sex on my bed, and that's a sight no one should ever, ever have to see. So I updated, and now he's probably going to mess up my room with the chainsaw because the chapter's too short. Love is such sweet sacrifice…
Riku: Love? What do you—!
Dai: XD
Riku: … (runs)
Dai: (chases)
Moribund
My Other Half
'I trust you more than anyone.'
The Oblivion stopped only inches away from Riku's face. I felt my eyebrows drawing together as Damon frowned. "What was that?" he demanded sharply. "What did you do?"
When there was no response, he frowned down at Riku's eyes, open and glassy. "He's supposed to be dead by now," he mused. "But he's breathing—not moving—the pain appears to have stopped…" Shaking his head in confusion, he bent and seized Riku's wrist. "No pulse! What in hell—?"
"Hey, idiot," Riku called from behind us. Damon whirled to see him standing there, hands on his transparent hips.
"I see," my other half said after a moment. "You've thwarted death, too. Something must have happened between you two—maybe as a result of the stupid fruit." Damon narrowed my eyes, pointing the Oblivion at Riku. "But that won't help you much now."
"Won't it?" Riku walked forward until the Oblivion passed through him harmlessly. "Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes glimmering.
Damon stared as he backed away and began to pace about the room. I can see why Sora likes him, the thought flowed through my mind. He's really—no! I'm not thinking that!
I felt the familiar heat on my cheeks as Damon's emotion caused a blush. He shook my head fiercely and began to chase after Riku. "This won't last!" he shouted, swinging the Oblivion at him in desperation. "You have to solidify sometime!"
Riku didn't show any sign of concern, merely continuing to walk. 'Sora, there's a back door,' came his voice in my ears. 'This way.' It felt like someone took my hand and led me to a place in my mind that it seemed like I had always been before, and I realized just how squeezed I had been. Damon was suddenly aware of me.
"What did you do?" I heard him saying, more frightened now than anything else. "Get out of my mind! You're ruining everything!" He swung at the apparition before him.
"Oh, be quiet," Riku told him lightly, drawing closer seductively. "I only did what's necessary for my survival. Funny how everything you feel is apparent to me now." He smirked. "But I guess that's what happens when someone else's heart joins with yours."
Damon froze. "That's what you did?" he managed in a choked whisper.
"That's right, Damon," I told him, seizing control over my body. I only had the right side of myself, but that was enough ground for the moment. "I remember what this was like with Kairi. I couldn't tell what she was thinking and feeling, but she could definitely tell how I was feeling."
"Dammit!" Damon clenched my left fist. "This isn't fair!" He grabbed for the Oblivion, but I held it away from him. We must've looked stupid doing that, though, since Riku began to chuckle quietly. With a low growl, Damon pulled us both down to seize the Oathkeeper.
I threw the Oblivion as far away as possible. "Too bad I've got your better hand," I mentioned to Damon, waving my right hand.
He raised an eyebrow. "I wield two Keyblades, you idiot. Don't you think I'm ambidextrous?" With that, he swung at Riku again, only to have the Keyblade slip easily through him. This was short-lived, though, as an idea suddenly dawned on him and he seized control of my other leg, forcing us both over to Riku's body. "This," he proclaimed triumphantly, "will take you out of me for good, and you'll only die after that." He raised Riku's Keyblade and slid it into his own chest.
A thousand possibilities flashed through my mind. This was the same way I had gotten Kairi's heart out of me—but that action had caused Damon's existence. Would this cause a third shadow to pit itself against the both of us?
But apparently that didn't happen, and I was left with two hearts in my hands. Because my own heart was still in my motionless chest, the Keyblade had failed to remove my spirit from this body.
I looked at the two hearts, trying to ascertain which was Riku and which was Damon. But since I had until recently inhabited the right side and Damon the left, it was only logical that Riku's heart was on the right. It was with this that I reanimated Riku's dull-eyed body. "Riku?"
Groaning, Riku looked up at me. "Is he gone?"
"Not exactly." I exhibited the crystalline heart that was Damon's.
"Great," Riku muttered, getting to his feet. "Let's go find a hungry Heartless to feed it to."
For a moment I considered the heart that shimmered in my hand. There was very little darkness in it all, although there was a spot critically close to the core. But, I realized, that was what made Damon who he was. If I took part of that away he might become another me, and if I took all of it away he could turn into someone too pure for the dark world around us. "No, I don't think that's the best idea," I said quietly. "He's only upset because I ignored him for fourteen years—even though I had no idea he was ever there. It's my fault he turned out like this."
"Sora," Riku groaned, shaking his head. "You preach to me about how everything isn't my fault, and now, when his existence has only just come to your attention, you blame yourself."
My cheeks glowed. "I didn't preach!"
"Whatever you did," he said easily, pulling me close to him. "You're not responsible. But I see what you mean—Damon is a victim of circumstance, so he should be treated lightly." He smiled. "I'll go get your body. You still look like your and Damon's lovechild."
I steamed at him as he left, then turned toward the stairs. Up there was the light that would reunite me with my body. But what would it do to Damon's body? Would it be incinerated, because his heart had that darkness? But I tried not to think about this as Riku approached with my body in his arms.
We scaled the staircase in silence, the only sound being the occasional metallic ring caused by an article of clothing. Once we reached the top, the hum of the light revibrating from the room above us, Riku seemed to shy away. "Be careful up there," he said quietly. "The light can be just as dangerous as the darkness. Believe me, I know."
"I know," I told him in what I hoped was a reassuring tone. "I won't leave you again." Taking my body from him and staggering under the weight—this body was only marginally stronger than I was—I proceeded up the steps to the light.
It looked as though a few Heartless were gathered near the light, glowing with the intensity but not incinerated. Upon closer examination, though, I realized that they were the white Heartless Donald had mentioned. But why were they here?
I got my answer seconds later when they swarmed toward me, claws reaching out for Damon's heart. "Stay away!" I shouted, kicking out at them. They seemed to get the message, retreating so that they were only a few feet away from the bright orb before me. Swallowing hard, I approached it, nearly tripping under the weight of my own body. Throwing Damon into light would be like throwing myself into darkness, but it was hard to determine what the result might be. "Here goes nothing," I murmured softly, leaping just high enough to slip inside the light.
l…l
(It looks like we've been separated again. I told you this wasn't going to work.(
)Yeah, yeah. Look, we need to sort this out.)
(Sort what out?(
)Once they wake up, yours isn't going to like mine very much. After all, we've done some pretty irreparable damage around here.)
(I see. But, my friend, choices have consequences.(
)Indeed they do. You chose to separate me from you to keep him from falling into darkness, isn't that right?)
(I should've known you were going to make this my fault.(
)One who knows nothing can understand nothing.)
(Shut up. Fine. What do you want me to do about it?(
)Only make it clear to him. Since his actions are noble and he has chosen to enact them, then it's only natural that his opposite would enact evil without choosing to do so.)
(You've certainly taken care of things to the letter, haven't you?(
)I'm only protecting him and myself. Will you do it?)
(I'm definitely going to make an effort.(
)Very well. I can't protect him any more—I have to remove the veil.)
(Will he remember anything?(
)Everything. There's not much I can do about that.)
(Pity. Someone will have to pull him through it.(
)Someone will. I'll make sure of it.)
(Then this is farewell.(
)Indeed. May you fare well with your new half.)
l…l
"Are you okay?"
I groaned an answer, trying to open my eyes. At some undetermined point in time, it looked like the light had gone out. Something heavy was draped over me, and I soon realized it was some sort of clothing. "What happened?" I asked, starting to sit up.
"Uh—don't do that," Damon said quickly, looking away and blushing furiously. "I tried to cover you up because, um…you're naked."
"Oh," I said, feeling a blush rise to my cheeks as well. I frowned. "But Damon, you're a guy, why would you…?" Slow comprehension dawned on me. If Damon was a part of myself, that must mean… "Oh."
"Don't start."
"It must have something to do with coming alive again," I realized, pulling on my clothes again. It felt so much better to be back in my own skin. Which, I remembered, had also been dead for at least twenty-four hours. "Let's get out of here. I smell like dead," I said to him, starting for the door.
"But…Riku's going to tear me to bits," Damon reminded me awkwardly. "After what I…that girl…I can't believe…" He began to tremble violently.
"I already explained to him," I told him quietly. "Things are going to turn out okay. I just don't want you to be a victim of the darkness anymore." I turned and started down the stairs.
An exhausted Riku was leaning against the wall near the window when I came down, but then his eyes lit up and he ran forward, seizing me in a tight embrace. "You had me so worried, Sora. I thought I'd lost you."
The familiar pain bit through my side, but I ignored it, if only for him. "Riku…"
Riku slowly, unwillingly broke the embrace, and I saw why when I looked up at the stairs again. Damon was leaning heavily against the railing, his eyes distant and tortured. From the look of it, he was still remembering what happened to Kairi. He suddenly ran past us and was sick violently in the corner. Riku observed this with palpable concern.
"Um, what is he…?"
"The veil was removed," I explained, not quite sure why I knew this. "He didn't fully realize what he was doing—and he didn't choose to do it." The exact opposite of me. That made sense, in a warped way.
"That explains it," Riku replied with a hint of sarcasm in his tone.
I chose to ignore him, going to Damon's side. "Are you all right?"
He nodded, shuddering. "I think so." Although, he looked like he was about to faint, and I felt strangely worried about him—for some reason, he seemed very close to me. There was the strangest sense of familiarity, as though we'd shared a thousand conversations sometime long ago.
The three of us made our way down the winding staircase while Damon and Riku enjoyed my constant chatter. It seemed like neither of them were willing to speak to one another just yet, but that didn't keep me from trying. If Damon could just—no, not Damon. "Kite," I said to him. "That's your name, remember?"
Frowning, Kite hesitated. "Yes," he said finally. "Faintly."
"Kite?" Riku repeated with surprise. "For some reason that sounds familiar."
"Probably because you know Sora so well," Kite replied. "After all, aren't you two…?"
Riku and I both stopped walking, blushing and exchanging glances. Kite snickered. "Can't blame you," he said to me, jabbing a thumb in Riku's direction.
"Took you long enough," Cid remarked when we reached him. "I was about to go in there and—" He stopped abruptly, eyeing Kite. "Isn't he…?"
"Cid, this is Kite. Kite, Cid," Riku broke in abruptly, seeing the flicker of emotion across Kite's face. "We've all got our brains sort of scrambled right now, so it'd be better to explain once we get some rest."
Even though he looked like he'd rather argue, Cid nodded and let Kite onboard with a hint of apprehension. Riku and I sat down in the living room of Cid's expansive ship. Kite, who apparently was going to join us to try to sort through the hectic events of the day, sat down on the couch and promptly passed out.
"Side effect," I surmised. "When he wakes up," I said to Riku, "I'm going to need some time alone with him."
Riku's eyes were narrowed and his hand was locked around my wrist. "You're going to be exceedingly lucky if I let you go to the bathroom by yourself anymore."
"What about sleeping?"
"What do you think?"
I shot him a cunning look and poked his manly scar.
That didn't happen to work, though—the damn thing was healing. So I spent fifteen minutes wheedling my way out of being fettered to him for the remainder of the day, and he was just winning when I heard a soft groan from Kite. I exercised a few tricks I'd learned from Kairi and Riku left begrudgingly, calling from the doorway that he'd be keeping an eye on me lest I spontaneously combusted.
The question begs to ask what would he do about it anyway, but that's beside the point.
A strange thing had happened to Kite even as I watched him. It seemed as though his features had shifted and pushed and generally put up a row until they rearranged themselves into a face I could recognize—the face of someone I knew very well, although I still couldn't imagine where I'd seen him before.
"Kite?" I said to him as he opened his eyes, hazily registering my image above him. I smiled. "It's been awhile, hasn't it?"
He returned this with my own lopsided smile. "You recognize me. Excellent!"
l…l
Riku: (measures for the fifteenth time) It's too short! It's supposed to be at least six pages, Dai! AT LEAST!
Dai: Yes, well…wait, why is my cat licking the bedsheet again?
Riku: oO
Dai: I need to take him to rehab. Damn cat's getting high off the sheets… (And he seriously does this, I still can't figure out why!)
Sora: Your cat's weird, Dai. (starts licking the sheets too)
Review Replies:
Ranma Higurashi: NU! RIKU! UPDATE SOON!
Dai: Hee…soon…ehhh. But I appreciate your enthusiasm! So does Riku, but that's not particularly important…
DieChan: OO Nu! Riku can't die! Not after Sora did! That's not cool! I will be anxiously awaiting the next chappie! (sites at computer, staring at screen)
Dai: Yes he can. XD But it's bad form, so no. Um…you've been staring at the screen all this time? T.T Sorry it took so much time…hospital, you know…
Reina-183: gr...why'd ya kill off Riku? BRING HIM BACK TO LIFE NOW! I don't care how adorable Sora is, Riku's just hot! Kove it and update soon!
Dai: (intimidated) Uh, he didn't die (and is not going to!), I promise! And not only is he hot, but he's adorable, even if Sora is adorabler. (dodges hatchet thrown from Riku's general direction)
Angel: I love this story! It's one of the best KH fanfics I've read in quite a while. Update soon! (bribes Dai with cookies)
Dai: (flattered) Well, actually, I've grown to hate the damn thing, but…COOKIES! (grab)
Riku: (punch) NO. These are for SORA, because you KILLED him. (pauses) And for me, but only because I'm hotter than he'll ever be. X3