No words could describe the chaos staining the usually light blue sky, breathless, Sora immediately sprinted out the front door and toward the pier. "Kairi. . . Riku. . !" Sora's mind was buzzing with thoughts of his two closest friends as he bolted down the wooden board walk, and leapt onto the wooden row boat tethered there. The other boat, "Riku's boat,"was already gone, a sinking feeling bloomed in Sora's chest, shortening his breath.
Frantically Sora loosened the rope attaching the boat to the pier and pushed off with his foot, soon enough he was rowing at a steady clip toward the smaller island off the shore of the mainland. His breath continued to grow shorter until he was gasping for air. Sora's skin felt wrong, as if it was growing too tight over his lean frame.
He could feel things beginning to move just under the surface, squirming against the layer of his skin, barring their exit from his body. It was as if all of his fear, all of his anxiety and frustration, was building up inside of him and was attempting to burst from him to manifest in the physical world.
Dropping the oars onto the slats of the boat, Sora stopped rowing and took a moment to center himself, shutting his eyes he began to slow down his breathing little by little. His heart rate began to slow, the uncomfortable wriggling sensation under his skin began to alleviate.
"Pull it together," Sora uttered under his breath, his hands shaking as he took up the oars again, resuming his rowing toward the island that seemed to be the center of the roiling black clouds and the harsh ocean storm. "You need to be calm, to be strong. For Kairi, for Riku. . . Remember what you promised. That you'd never leave them alone, that you'd always be together."
Resolve stiffened Sora's spine and strengthened the pull of his arms against the tide pushing the oars. Landfall, completely bypassing the dock on the opposite side of the small islet, Sora struck sand on the eastern side of the beach. The force of impact jolted him from his seat, without a thought to what the situation was he leapt from the boat, feet kicking up sand as he ran toward the cave behind the falls. A secret place that the children had always gravitated to, a home away from home, where their friendship began to bloom, since before they knew what friendship really was.
Sora's steps echoed across the cavernous entrance, his sharp breaths punctuating the intermittent silence. "Riku?!" He yelled into the dim cave, not slowing his pace, it continued to grow darker, the light being absorbed by the blackened cave walls.
"Kairi?! Please. . . Answer me guys!" The cave opened up from its tunnel like entrance into a larger chamber, this was where the trio would regularly hang out.
The first thing to draw Sora's eye was the door situated at the far wall of the cave, the door which had never been there before. It was an ornately carved metal door, completely out of place, standing imposing and tall, framing Kairi in its shadow.
There stood Kairi, her back to Sora, her arm outstretched with her palm resting against the doorway. Feeling his heart rate spike again as he took in the scene before him, Sora began to slowly inch forward towards Kairi, her red hair was the brightest thing in the darkened room besides the large door, which seemed to glow with an ethereal light.
"Kairi," Sora gasped, pain lanced through him unpleasantly, his limbs became heavy and they began to writhe slightly out of his control. The feeling had returned, it felt as though creatures were inside of him, pushing against his skin, struggling to escape his body. Sora fought down a scream that rose in his throat, swallowing the sound, his body was shivering with the effort of continuing to stand. Glancing down at his right hand the boy felt his eyes widen at the horrific and unbelievable sight before him, dark tendrils seemed to be wiggling under his skin, curling around his muscles and joints like ivy.
"Sora. . ." Her voice was weak, her words broken apart and oddly spoken, it was as if she hadn't spoken at all. He almost couldn't believe it as his eyes left his own body and found hers in the steadily dimming light still inside the cave. Sora nearly jumped when he realized that instead of his gaze meeting the back of her head they instead met Kairi's eyes, they were a bright cobalt color and seemed to be burning through him like twin spotlights. He began to walk again, his jittery movements were difficult to control but he powered through, reaching out again as he made his way to Kairi. "Sora. . ."
"Kairi, what. . ." He was cut off, a rumbling shook the cavern, the double doors behind Kairi began to throb and flash, every flash seemed to grow dimmer and to come faster. From the corner of his eye Sora could see darkness beginning to close in, the corners of the cavern becoming unknown to him, the darkness began to seem almost alive as it slithered towards the two of them. Wrapping itself around rocks and stalagmites littering the ground, like the tentacles of some great sea creature, left alone to feast and grow, neglected, until it was too late.
He was so fucking close, Kairi had reached her hand out also now, her fingers splayed, her hand trembling. It was as though she was desperate to touch him, but her feet never moved, her gaze never strayed, it seemed to plead "hurry." Sora pushed himself, his limbs finally bending to his will, obeying his commands as his body lurched forward. Sora's outstretched fingers touched Kairi's for a brief moment, time seemed to slow, a pained smile flashed across her face.
Sora saw her open her mouth and utter something, but he couldn't hear her, a ringing noise filled his ears, the doors stopped glowing, he watched, stricken, horrified as the life left Kairi's eyes.
The doors burst inward, a wave of Dark wind burst from its entrance along with an all encompassing emptiness. Sora gasped as Kairi's body was snatched up, and pulled through the door's gaping maw, before it snapped shut once more.
Sora stood deathly still, his lips quivering, he attempted to speak and choked on a sob, for a moment there was silence, then the moment ended, and he was upon the door. Raving, raging, like a beast, screams tore from Sora's throat, his fists pounded the metal doors, skin tearing from repeated violent contact. Unnoticed by the grieving teen, hordes of shadowy beasts tore from his back, fleeing into the growing shadows of the cavern. Finally, he stopped, throat raw and mind empty, Sora turned and stumbled out of the cavern.
As he slowly made his way out of the cave, not paying attention to his steps, Sora was suddenly wrenched from his dark thoughts as a misstep deposited him in the pond at the base of the falls, near the cave entrance, hidden from sight. He surfaced gasping, dragging cold fresh air into his lungs with every breath, he hadn't noticed how musty and stifling the cavern air had been until this moment. Coming to his senses, the exhausted teenager wasted no time, within a minute he had tiredly dragged himself out of the pool of water and onto the sand.
The darkness was still there, only a layer below his skin, pulsing and writhing but somehow the discomfort had disappeared. Sora shook his head to clear away the depressing thoughts. He didn't know what had happened to Kairi in that cave, or what had taken her away, but he would find her eventually, whatever it took. Nodding to himself, Sora made his way down the beach towards the surf, drawn against his will towards the east side of the island, towards the old wooden bridge.
Vaulting onto the roof of the shed so he could make his way atop the cliff side easier, soon enough he was crossing the bridge, coming upon the image of Riku, standing tall, a lone monument on the smaller islet where the duo had so often tested their swordsmanship against one another. A weak smile made it's way onto Sora's face and he picked up the pace, the bridge creaking loudly, alerting the other teen. Riku was a year older than Sora and Kairi, his silver hair was long and was blowing wildly in the harsh gale coming from the storm, Sora could instantly feel a shift in his surroundings.
The sounds of the storm faded away and pools of blackness, blacker than a starless night sky, began to form on the ground surrounding the two boys. "Sora, You finally arrived, took ya' long enough." Riku's voice was loud in the sudden void of sound, he wasted no time in turning so that he was facing Sora, the older teen's steel grey eyes cut him like glass.
"Riku what the hell is going on?! I woke up and all I find is an empty house, an empty town; My two best friends and their families missing. Then there's this creeping darkness, this disgusting black goo is devouring everything in sight!"
"Sora," Riku's voice comes out strong and with a tone of finality, his face hints at nothing but a calm demeanor. Sora instantly feels his throat close at the sound of his name from his friends mouth. "Sora, where's Kairi?"
"What?" His head is spinning with the silver haired boy's question, "Why are you asking me that? If anything I thought you would know where she's disappeared to." Sora winces as his emotions begin to roil again out of control, a pounding sensation begins in his forehead, right behind his eyes. Instead of the familiar writhing or squirming sensation he'd come to expect, pain abruptly erupts across Sora's arms and shoulders. Yelping in pain he bends at the waist, his screams soon morphing into a roar as creatures begin bursting from his skin.
Panting harshly, Sora feels his frustrated and panicked emotions leaving him as an unsettling emptiness and exhaustion settles in its place.
"Incredible, Sora. . . Look what you've done."
Sora glanced up and stumbles backward startled, horrific evil looking creatures had appeared all around them, creatures of darkness. So similar to the dark puddles gathering all around them and yet completely different at the same time. These creatures were a deep dark blue, with dark red eyes. The difference between the two beings was similar to the darkness of space versus the darkness present at the bottom of the ocean. A bundle of emotion gathered within Sora's heart; anxiety, fear, disgust, defiance. Again pain came like a hammer, a blunt force overwhelming his senses, just like before the darkness swelled within him and burst forth from his body. The dark creatures poured out from his body as easily as sweat passing through his pores; from his back, his arms, his chest and stomach.
Some of the creatures were small and swift, with pinched and agitated features, they dashed from him on all fours en mass; a flood of dark beasts. Others were large upright creatures, varying greatly in size, with spindly clawed limbs and shivering gaits. There were bright red balls of fiery energy, with dangerous yellow eyes that seemed to dare anyone who would come near; and large gelatin like monsters made entirely of some sort of goo, so dark that they were impossible to find once leaving Sora's body. Finally the onslaught stopped, once again leaving Sora drained, empty, numb; and that's when the connection was unconsciously drawn in Sora's exhausted mind, that these creatures of darkness were somehow tied to his emotions.
"Amazing, I always thought that Kairi was exaggerating when she said you had "shadows" living inside you. I thought she must have had a nightmare and confused it with reality, but it's all true, there is darkness inside you."
"Shut up," Sora grasped desperately at his chest, his fingernails scraping at the exposed skin, his heart threatened to feel again. To boil with unfiltered emotion and create more of these creatures, somehow Sora knew that he could not allow that to continue. "Deep breaths," Sora unconsciously said out loud as he breathed deeply through his nose and out his mouth.
He stood up straight, spreading his feet into a sturdy stance, his clothes in tatters, his skin painfully prickling as the darkness continued to move inside of him.
"Even if that's true Riku, I'm still me, you know that, right?" Riku's gaze was dull, almost as if he was staring through his best friend and not at him. Yet hidden in that gaze was a gleam, a dark gleam that caused a spike of fear to pass through Sora's heart that he immediately squashed.
"Join me Sora. . . Join me in leaving this place. . . The Destiny Islands have already fallen to darkness. . . We can find Kairi together." Riku slowly reached out his hand, a gesture for Sora to take it. Simultaneously a puddle of darkness appeared under the silver haired boy's feet and began dragging him down into its depths.
"Riku!" Sora leapt forward a few feet, his left foot landing squarely in the darkness underneath Riku, Sora grabbed his friend's hand and began to desperately pull, even as he himself began to sink. "Please! Riku, I can't go with you, not like this! Not into the darkness, come on Riku fight!" Sora felt as a few tears leaked from the corners of his eyes, he blinked quickly to clear his vision, allowing him to catch his friends sad smile. Riku made no effort to escape the darkness, he was already past waist deep in the black goop, the older boy sighed before opening his eyes and giving Sora the first genuine smile he had seen from him in a while.
"I'm sorry to hear that Sora, I guess we won't be together then for this adventure. See you soon. . ." Sora doubled down, his right leg was almost completely submerged as he pulled with all his might. It was no use, a moment later Riku was submerged in the darkness and disappeared along with the dark portal, leaving Sora alone, sitting on the ground, his face wet from his frustration.
"Dammit!" He punched the ground, indulging in his emotions for a moment only to push it down quickly as a few more of the angry red orbs burst from his back painfully. He was alone, his friends had both disappeared, one taken against their will, and the other running off to other realms and other worlds like they'd always dreamed, without him. "Fuck that!" Sora leapt to his feet, determination and hope burned within him like a fire not even the sun could rival.
"If they think it's okay to just leave me here alone then they got another thing coming!" A wavering yet determined smile unwillingly burst across the brunette's face, "I'm coming for you Kairi, Riku!" He threw his hand in the air, his call out into the universe received a response in the form of the Kingdom key arriving in his outstretched hand. "Woah!" The impact of the key appearing from no where shocked Sora, causing him to drop the weapon as he stumbled back a few steps, the Keyblade dropping unceremoniously to fall tip first into the sand, standing upright where it had fallen.
"Pick it up,"
Sora perked up as he felt the voice resonate within him. "Hello?"
"Pick up the Keyblade you moron, it chose you, don't let it sit there in the dirt!"
"Hey! Don't call me a moron, you don't even know me! Where are you anyway?!" No response, only silence answered Sora's confused and frustrated shout into the void.
Without reason his gaze was drawn back to the strange object, still sitting upright where he had dropped it, as though it was waiting.
"A Keyblade, huh. . ." Suspiciously he took one more glance around, as if someone would leap from the darkness and charge him from behind if he let his gaurd down for a moment. A noise caught his attention, one of the smaller more feral looking creatures he had spawned was near the Keyblade. It seemed to be sniffing the object, soon it stopped and sat back on its haunches to stare at the illusory object.
Soon all of the creatures moved to gather around the Keyblade, all seemingly mesmerized by the object, and yet none of them moved to touch it, as though they regarded the object as awesome and fearsome in equal measure. His curiosity now bubbling over, Sora began to walk toward the Keyblade, making sure to step carefully and keep his hands in view as he approached the horde of gathered creatures.
"Unversed," The voice responded to his thoughts, "They won't attack you."
Sora appreciated the voices assurances, but took it with a grain of salt as he reached out and grabbed the hilt of the Keyblade carefully raising it until the blade was level with his chest, parallel to his body.
"It comes, hurry form the connection, escape from here."
Sora's body tensed, he could feel a presence forming behind him, a large dangerous presence. In front of him the creatures began to move agitatedly, their eyes narrowing at something over his shoulder.
"Too late, don't be afraid, you can win."
He turned to face his fate, his shoulders set, his spine stiff with resignation, a breath caught in the boy's throat at the sight before him. Viciously he squashed any emotion of fear or anxiety within him, Sora could feel more creatures eager to get out, he could feel the darkness bubbling and writhing underneath the skin of his back in response to the evil facing him. Solemnly, the boy crouched slightly, turning so that his dominant arm was behind him as he raised the weapon over his head, the tip of the blade angled so it was pointed directly at his adversary.
"Good, be calm in the face of battle, or your emotions will over run you. You can win Sora, now fight!"
His body launched into action, dodging any attacks aimed his way. Fluidly moving between the giants legs and behind his Gaurd to deliver a powerful aerial blow, He will fight and he will win.