Chapter 18 - Reality

Sora immediately recognized his surroundings. He wasn't sure exactly where he was, but the smell of the ocean air and the warm sun and sea breeze on his skin let him know he was home. Back at Destiny Islands.

He could not see, because he was blindfolded, but he wondered for a moment exactly how important sight was, anyway. Riku was able to function without it. Maybe if he could see the Light and Dark in everything, too...

Dyne lay back in bed, a pillow over his eyes to shut out the daylight that was a constant in Elysium. Did anybody ever sleep there? Only the five outsiders did, and it was very hard for them to do so, being that none of them were comatose any longer. And they weren't staying much longer anyway. Sora had insisted that they leave as soon as possible.

Then Dyne began to see things. The darkness of the pillow swirled, became brighter. He groaned in protest, but couldn't be sure of whether his body had groaned or his spirit had groaned. He was becoming aware of Sora's dream sequences, of his memories, as well.

This dream was so much worse than before. Not in the way one would think; these dreams were not nightmarish or frightening, but Dyne was no longer feeling simple instinct over Sora's feelings, was not only being sent impressions of his emotions. He was seeing Sora's dreams, being a part of them, in them, being just as much a part of Sora's memories every time Sora thought.

"I know you're out there," Sora called in a sing-song voice, grinning from ear to ear.

Dyne tried to go back to sleep, in this dream, but could not. He was already on his feet, watching this strange, hazy sequence take place. Everything was so much brighter, the air so much foggier, everything was echoed and in slow motion. The dual wielder almost felt sick.

Four people stood on an islet connected to the Childrens' Island by a rickety old bridge. A paopu tree grew on it, as did several pine trees. Sora was in the middle, blindfolded, his hands waving through the air, smiling sublimely.

Two girls were toying with Sora. Kairi stood opposite of Lilka, laughing. Lilka was giggling warmheartedly. Sora and the two girls seemed to be playing some version of Marco Polo, or maybe a simple game of keep-away. It was obvious that Sora was getting dizzier and dizzier as they spun him around.

Then it hit the blonde- Sora was trying to chase the two girls. He had to catch one, but both were out of his reach as all time. He had only their giggling to guide him.

"Awww, no fair! You guys better not be cheating!"

"Sooooora!" called Kairi, pushing at the back of Sora's head. The boy whipped around, threw his arms out to get her, but there was only air. Lilka poked him in the back, and Sora tried to catch her then- but met with no success.

"Okay, now I know you guys are cheating!"

"You have to pick one, Sora!" the girls called in unison. Sora's lips turned down into a little pout.

"But I don't want to pick."

"Come on, Sora! Pick me!"

"No no, pick me!"

"Pick me!"

"Me!"

Sora's expression began to turn a little scared, and most obviously confused. He began to stumble away from the girls, arms waving before him, away from their bickering in his head. Why were girls so mean to him, anyway? He just wanted to have fun...

Dyne took a step forward, eyes going wide. If Sora didn't slow down, he was going to go toppling into the waters.

"You don't need to pick," called Dyne, wondering how he was going to wake the boy. "You're gonna die, anyway."

"I'm gonna-"

Dyne shot up from his bed, eyes wide and alert, his expression one of alarm. He threw the blankets off of himself (though with the constant room temperature, blankets weren't necessary) and rushed up the hall. Sora was screaming.

The dual wielder threw the door to Sora's room wide open.

"HAHAHAHAHA! STOP, PLEASE STOP!" squealed Sora, laughing harder as Lilka tickled him harder. He flailed, but Lilka kept the boy under wraps, and when he finally cried 'mercy', she stepped back and placed her hands on her hips, smiling broadly.

Sora, gasping for breath, launched his most furious pout in Lilka's direction. He threw the blankets over his head in a childish display of displeasure, and glared.

"Oh, come on. I couldn't help it."

"Sure you couldn't," responded Sora. "Tickling isn't fair."

"You look so cute when you're pouting," giggled Lilka.

"I'm not cute."

"Oh yes, you are. Absolutely adorable," Lilka reinforced, planting herself on the bed right next to Sora.

No sound from the boy in the sheets.

"Oh, come on. If it helps... I'm ticklish, too."

There was silence, again, from Sora. Lilka frowned, and shook her head, hopping up off of the bed.

"Fine, fine. I'll leave you alone, then. Get some rest," said the girl, leaving the room.

Sora loosened his grip on the covers. In his guise of anger and displeasure with Lilka's unfair perspective on the subject of tickling, he was shivering inside. Goosebumps had ran all along his body when the brown-haired young woman had announced that Sora was... cute. To her, at least.

Dyne sauntered into the room, looking back at the doorway. The blonde's gaze then turned to Sora.

"Did she kiss you again?" asked Dyne offhandedly, intending to get Sora's blood boiling. It worked.

"No! Why are you asking, anyway?" responded the Keybearer, tossing the blankets off and moving toward the one large window in the room, the one that allowed him a few of Elysium and the dark sea they were destined to cross.

"I guess that's a yes, then."

"She did not!" exclaimed Sora in response, yelling over his shoulder and, moodily, staring back out the window. He saw his own reflection, looking at it from several angles, frowning. He wasn't seeing this cuteness Lilka spoke of.

Dyne took a breath, and moved across the room, leaning against the wall. He looked at Sora from the side. The Keyblade Master said nothing.

"Sora, if you could..."

The blonde took a deep breath, closing his eyes, gaining control of himself. It was a very heavy question he was about to ask, but he had been wondering since the destruction of Halloween Town.

"If you could go back, so that you never got the keyblade... would you?"

Sora stood still for a moment, then pulled away from the window. The Keybearer sighed, shook his head, and looked to Dyne. He was struck, again, by how strange it was to be, essentially, looking at himself. Answering questions that his look-alike had asked.

"Sometimes I think I would. But, then I figure, if I didn't do it... who would?"

"Riku. Or King Mickey. They have keyblades. They... they'd do it," said Dyne, a little more enthusiastically than he had intended. "Sora, why don't we stay here? You, me, and... Lilka. There's... there's a library here, and a restaurant and this house, and there's no Heartless. We'll only need to worry about ourselves! And... and there's this observatory I haven't even checked out yet, and-"

Sora placed a hand on Dyne's shoulder, turning to face him. He spoke in a calm and even tone, beginning to see something about Dyne, about his motivations. About how he really felt.

"There's another reason why I don't regret having the Keyblade. If none of this had happened, I'd have never met so many great people. I met Donald and Goofy, Leon and Yuffie and Tarzan and Ariel and King Mickey-" he spoke, finally interrupting himself with a lopsided grin. "You know, I dreamed all my life of having a great adventure, and now I'm living it. I got to see other worlds. What would I have to show for myself if I'd have stayed on the Islands? I'd have just been plain old Sora. Besides, I feel as if... as if I've lived my life. I've done everything I always wanted to do. I can't really ask for more."

An expression that Sora had never seen before on anybody's face came over Dyne. It was a mix of awe, of frustration, of surprise, of alarm. How could Sora not want to stay? How could he have come up with such a strong response? He knew Sora's nature- it was to protect. He met all those people, and now he knew he had to protect them. It must have torn the Keybearer up inside to know that while he was in Memoria, the worlds outside were being destroyed systematically by the Darkness, and the only way to counteract it would be to find the Door.

Dyne bit at the bottom of his lip, then reached out and grabbed a hold of Sora's hoodie. With one powerful swing, he hurled Sora into the bathroom (Sora was lucky enough to have his own), pulled the door shut, and held the doorknob tightly. Sora wouldn't be able to turn it easily.

Sora, stunned, looked at the door. There was no window out of the bathroom, so his only choice was the door Dyne had blocked.

"What are you doing, Dyne!"

Lilka heard Sora's cries, as did Riku, and the both of them immediately made their way upstairs to Sora's room.

"Sora... I'm... I've taken you as far as I can, okay?" said Dyne, facing the door, as if he could see through it to the black-clad Keyblade Master.

"What are you talking about! Don't make me blast this door down. This is dumb, Dyne, just let me out!"

Dyne's hands were shaking terribly.

"Sorry..."

The blonde whipped around and darted toward the exit of the room, but Lilka was then in his way, blocking the doorway. Dyne summoned the Oblivion, and placed it at Lilka's neck.

"...w-wha? What're you-"

"Move it!"

"DY-" called Sora, opening the bathroom door and freezing at what he saw. Dyne holding Lilka at swordpoint. He gritted his teeth. "Stop it! Don't hurt her!"

Riku simply stood in the hall, unsure of what to do. He would let things take their course until they got out of hand; this was Sora's matter, and anything he did may set the blonde-haired kid off..

Dyne rolled his eyes at Sora's request, and slashed at the air, turning and pointing the blade at Sora's face. Dyne's eyes, Sora's eyes, were narrowed on the Keyblade Master.

"Why would I do a thing like that? Just... don't follow me!"

"If that's what you want," muttered Sora, glaring.

"I don't have to want a lot of things. But that doesn't mean I have to carry them," spoke Dyne quietly, looking at the Oblivion in his hand.

"What's... going on?" asked Lilka timidly, backing off from the doorway.

"Blondie's leaving us. Apparently, we're not good enough for him anymore," spoke Sora to Lilka, before training his eyes on the dual wielder. "Whoever it is you're really working for- Caejan, Ansem, whatever- they're real jerks."

"I'm working for you!" cried Dyne, teeth clenched. Then, in shock, his anger was replaced by surprise. He had made a revelation. A frightening one.

"With friends like you, who needs enemies?" said Sora, under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief at Dyne's nerve.

"And that's why I'm going," responded Dyne, wondering why Sora still bothered to care.

Sora only stared at Dyne, and then turned to face the window, sighing. The blonde's breath began to come faster and faster. His fury, his frustration, his confusion, was all about to erupt as he would reveal to Sora what his revelation had revealed.

"What do you want from me! You've already taken everything from me!" exclaimed the dual wielder, launching himself at Sora, bringing the black keyblade over his head in an attempt to cut into Sora's back, to make him feel pain.

The Keybearer turned in time to realize what was happening, and rolled out of the way. The Oblivion came crashing down into the window, shattering it, spraying glass into the grassy ground below. Dyne was far from finished, but his rage would be taken out on inanimate objects in the room.

"My town!"

Dyne smashed a vase and the small table it sat on.

"My friends!"

Dyne smashed the Oblivion into a picture depicting a sunset beach, bellowing.

"My... my FREEDOM!"

Dyne smashed Sora's nightstand, stumbling back, his breath coming in sharp wheezes. He turned to Sora, turning the Oblivion upside-down in his hand, and launched the keyblade as if it were a spear in Lilka's direction. Sora yanked her out of the way, and the end of the keyblade sank into the wall.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Dyne! Just calm down and talk to me, please!" called Sora, his eyes as big as saucers. Dyne was going insane.

The blonde did not respond, instead breaking into a weeping fit. Between sobs, the boy coughed and hacked, a hand at his chest. Blood was coming up with each cough.

Sora did not run to his side immediately, unsure if the blonde was faking it or not. Finally, uttering the boy's name, Sora creeped his way to Dyne, dropping to a knee in front of him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Dyne, please... tell me what's wrong. I don't know about anything you're talking about. I'm sorry if I did something to hurt you, but I... can't help you unless I know what I did."

"Sora," said Dyne, finally, after getting a hold of himself and the coughing under control. He looked to the Keybearer with bloodshot eyes. "I'm here to protect you. But I can't. I'm too weak... too weak..."

Sora frowned. It was Dyne duty to protect him? Protect him from what? He half-stepped, still on a knee, to Dyne's side, eyes full of concern and not a little disbelief.

"Then stop," Sora said quietly. "Just stop. You never had to do anything for me. That's not what I want. I just want to be your friend, that's all I wanted."

"It's not that easy," responded the blonde, looking as his own coughed-up blood on the floor. He wasn't fully healed. He knew he was being foolish, knew that he didn't want to face his destiny, that he was childishly taking it out on the only person he knew to blame.

"Then we'll find a way," responded Sora. He still did not understand Dyne, but knew that Dyne was a part of him, like the Id was to Asher.

"Sora... I'm so sorry..."

With all the graciousness Sora's massive heart was capable of, he responded.

"It's alright."

Asher was waiting for them at the docks. He felt compelled to run back to the house, to make sure everything was okay there- but he already knew. He knew what was happening. He knew Sora's thoughts. In some faint, subliminal way, he knew Dyne's thoughts, as well. He was concerned, but understood that everything was going to turn out okay.

The black-haired boy stood and stepped to the boat he had procured, got down into it, and began to examine it for faults. It was not a large boat; it was barely enough to fit the five of them. The sail in the middle was a little worn, but there were no holes in it. Asher was familiar with the functions of and how to work with a boat. One of the jobs he had been forced to do in his youth was pilot a boat from floating garbage heap to floating garbage heap to search for valuable pieces of scrap as well as food.

He preferred to be alone, at least right then. He had had a great deal to think about, and a lot to be afraid of.

(take this burden-)

Asher pulled his knees up against his chest and wrapped his arms around his legs, placing his chin on his knees. He was afraid. It was his nature, but not his will, to hurt Sora. That was the decision he made.

(one friend without a price)

He smiled despite the brooding thoughts. What would happen to him, after it was all said and done? Would he be able to help Sora, in the end? Or... would his decision destroy him?

"Asher, you got a boat!"

The ebon-haired Unknown got to his feet, smiling broadly. At least Sora appreciated him. The Keybearer approached, grinning, stopping finally at the side of the dock, looking over the boat.

"Are you guys ready to go?" asked Asher, but he already knew. It was time to face their destiny.

"Yeah. Riku and Lilka and Dyne just needed to get a couple things together, they'll be here soon."

"Sora, I need to ask you a question."

"What's that?"

"Are you afraid?" questioned Asher, moving out of the boat to sit beside Sora, who was sitting on the dock, his feet dangling over the boat.

Sora was quiet for a little while. He glanced at the sea they were to cross. Black clouds hovered ominously right above the sea. It was as if Elysium was perfectly isolated from everything else.

"Yeah, I'm afraid. I don't know what the Fates are going to say, or if they'll even let me through or not. I don't know if my friends outside of Memoria are okay. I can feel them, in my heart, but... I don't know. And..."

"And what?"

"I haven't told anybody, but... when I channeled the Light in the Fortress, I was more scared than I ever had been. Deep down inside, I mean."

"Why?"

"The Light hurt. It burned. I felt myself getting lost in it, so that I was going to forget who I was in exchange for remembering everything else. It felt like... like I wasn't Sora anymore."

Both Sora and Asher sat without saying any more for a long while. Asher wasn't sure if he could say anything to comfort Sora, and Sora wasn't sure if he had anything more to say. The raincoated young man with the crystal samurai sword over his back knew where Sora's real turmoil came from.

The Light he had served so faithfully, the Light he fought for, had almost destroyed him. It threatened to rob him of who he was, no different than the Darkness would. Sora was beginning to question whether the Light was much better than the Darkness in that sense. After all, the people of Elysium lived in the Light constantly, and they were all zombies. They lived eternally, in paradise, but could not think for themselves, suspended in memory forever.

"Sora...?"

"Yeah, Asher?"

"When I was on the Destiny Islands, I talked to Kairi. It was hard to say anything to her... she was so... afraid of me," said Asher, frowning. Afraid wasn't quite the word for it. Terrified was a little more accurate. "She gave me this, to give to you."

Asher dug into his raincoat for a moment and withdrew a small, folded up piece of paper and handed it to Sora. The Keybearer looked completely shocked. Sora took the piece of paper as if it were the greatest gift he had ever been given, and unfolded it.

I love you. I'm still waiting.

"I couldn't bring her with me. Not with Nemesis and Memoria ahead of me. But she's safe, Sora, and she's still waiting for you. She knows what your duty is. She's waiting."

Sora nearly began to hyperventilate. Asher reached out to place a hand on his shoulder, then retracted it, knowing what would happen.

"What are you two doing out here?" smiled Lilka, her light footsteps carrying her along the dock to where both Sora and Asher sat, and Sora froze. Asher hopped into the boat, and proceeded to deal with the ropes nonchalantly. He wanted to get moving.

"Uhhh... I'm just... waiting for Asher to finish getting the boat ready. Uh, where's Dyne and, um, Riku?"

"Why are you so nervous, Sora?" said Lilka, squatting down next to Sora, eyes concerned. The Crest Sorceress began to get a churning feeling in her stomach. It wasn't just butterflies, it was a hurricane. She frowned. "Whatcha got there in your hand?"

Sora felt powerfully compelled to show her the paper, but instead simply stammered, his mind reeling. He liked Lilka; that was for certain. She had even... replaced Kairi somehow in Memoria, held strong through all of this, kept Caejan from killing the Keyblade Master in his sleep. He didn't know if she was infatuated with him, and so it might injure her to show her the paper. Then again, it would be presumptuous to assume that she liked him, that he would hurt her feelings by showing her the paper and telling her that somebody who loved him was waiting for him back home.

Fortunately for Sora, he did not have to make the decision. Asher, who had been working the ropes on the boat, froze. His gaze traveled beyond Sora. He saw Riku and Dyne, coming over the hill and approaching, but there was a much more imminent threat closer by. Sora took this moment to very hastily stuff the paper into one of his red pouches while Lilka wasn't looking, and then turned to see.

A silver mane flowed backward from this man's bronze-tanned skin, combed into three horn-like formations at the top of his head, the rest trailing down to his mid-back. Twin, eerie orange oculars, fire eyes, were locked on Sora. White tunic beneath a long overcoat. Black boots. White gloves.

It was Ansem.

Sora reacted instantly. The boy was at his feet in a blur, both the Oblivion and Oathkeeper in his hands. Quickly placing himself between Ansem and his friends, his lips curled back into a snarl.

"You!"

Dyne was fastened in place, though Riku stepped past the silver-maned man, to the docks. Dyne knew something was very wrong, while Sora looked on at this all-too-familiar 'Seeker of Darkness'. Something was missing from his ensemble, however- the Heartless crest.

Ansem, unflinching, folded his arms across his chest, belligerent. That voice, which always boomed with a snobbish superiority that drove Sora up the wall, echoed out from Ansem, but Sora was able to pick something underlying it, something that was not quite the same as it was before their last duel. Sora heard a faint tone of disappointment, humility.

"So here we are. We find ourselves on even ground, at last. You know as much about this place as I do. The both of us are blind fools. But are you so certain you wish to go forward?"

There was an intense suspicion in Sora's eyes, paired with the fading, initial anger. Curiosity was beginning to creep into the Keybearer, but Ansem was a venomous enemy, and Sora had not yet gotten over what he had done. Sora's stance remained threatening.

"This is where you ended up, huh! Here in Memoria, in Elysium, while you sent Riku to Kingdom Hearts! This is too good for you, you bastard!"

"Perhaps you've forgotten who your real enemies are," spoke Ansem, moving past Sora, face still supremely confident. "Our little... quarrel... is petty compared to the real war you're fighting. But you already know that, don't you? The Darkness."

"What about it!"

"A dirty little secret you'd like to sweep under the rug," Ansem punctuated his last statement with a little flicking motion with his wrist. "You would rather stay here and be happy, wouldn't you, while the Darkness swallows the realm you left behind?"

"This is all your fault! If you hadn't toyed with people's hearts, none of this would have happened! You changed our lives, you made us into what we are! You turned Riku into an empty shell! You destroyed my home, made me leave Kairi all alone, you... you... you made me be-" stammered Sora, blood boiling like liquid fire. It took every ounce of self-control he had to keep from flinging himself from Ansem and beating him senseless.

But Ansem only laughed.

His laughter was deep, and Sora would almost say it was honest. His chuckles became bellows of gut-busting laughter, and as he managed to regained control of himself, he turned to face Sora.

"Maybe I did it. Or maybe it was just Fate guiding my hand while I sent your beloved Kairi to you, would have made Riku the Keyblade Master but instead gave him what he always wanted... to see beyond his tiny prison, as I once had. And you! Didn't you always sit in your little house and dream of grand adventures? You wouldn't have met any of your 'friends' without me. Is that really how you want it to have been?"

Riku stood on the edge of the docks, his back turned to the fire-eyed seeker of Darkness. Ansem glanced to the platinum blonde, smirked, and looked back to Sora.

"It's one thing to dream about it," snarled Sora. "It's another thing to be forced into it! We could have made it on our own. We could have reached other worlds all by ourselves, we never needed you! Everything would have been alright, if you would have just let it be, let things be the way they're supposed to be!"

"...yes. I suppose you're right. You would have been very happy together, drowning out in the vast ocean in your tiny raft."

"Doesn't matter. We'd have been together, but you wouldn't understand that," responded Sora, pivoting and moving onto the boat. Lilka was already sitting there. Dyne and Riku approached.

The blindfolded young man regarded Ansem coldly, silently, and for a long time before he got into the small vessel. Dyne moved past Ansem without saying anything.

"Let's go, Asher," said Sora, and the black-and-red haired boy sliced the ropes with his sword. They weren't coming back.

"I hope we see each other again," called Ansem as their boat floated off. Sora was too far away to do anything except watch as a pair of Shadow-sized creatures came to Ansem's side. They were clearly mechanical creatures, humanoid, hunched over. Each arm terminated into a razor-sharp scythe. In the center of the mechanical horrors were heart-shaped crystals, Darkness swirling within each. "There's so much more I want to show you."