Disclaimer: Not mine
For those who wanted to see what would happen with freeing Kairi's heart, here it is.
Chapter 5
Sora grimaced as Ansem hit him again and again, but he'd seen it, for just a second, Riku had been in control, had pulled what would have been a potentially fatal blow, had tried to speak to him…Riku was still in there!
Ansem stopped, moving back for something, but Sora wasn't going to give him the chance. He was hungry, he needed blood, even though he took a second to heal the wounds and stop the blood loss. He had to end the fight now! Beat Ansem and then find a way to get him out of Riku.
He took a deep breath and then he moved, drawing the Keyblade back, throwing it, a move he'd used a hundred times, putting more strength than normal behind it. He'd seen the speed and strength Ansem had given to Riku's body, the ability to shrug off wounds that matched his own. So he was utterly shocked when the blow not only connected but Ansem fell to his knees, dropping his own Keyblade. For a second, he saw Riku in his eyes again and then his body began to fade away.
"Riku!" he yelled in denial, lunging forward, reaching for him, seeing his fingers twitch and try to rise to reach back but then he was gone. NO! He slumped to his knees and suddenly Donald and Goofy were there, Donald casting healing spells while Goofy pressed a blood pack to his mouth. "He…he's gone," he choked out and then they were hugging him.
"Sora…it wasn't Riku," Donald tried, and he shook his head.
"He was still in there. Ansem nearly had me but Riku pulled the blow, he tried to talk…then he was gone again. I…I killed Riku…" he whimpered.
"Shh," Goofy soothed, rubbing his back. "If Riku was aware, he wouldn't blame ya Sora. You freed him."
Sora took a shaky breath, leaning against them, but slowly nodded. Riku wouldn't want Ansem using his body for evil, he wouldn't. He slowly pulled back and got to his feet, looking up at the strange Keyhole, they had a job to do. He summoned his Keyblade and aimed it at the hole…but nothing happened.
"It won't work! The Keyhole's not finished yet!" Goofy called and Sora dismissed the blade.
"What can we do?" he asked in confusion.
"Maybe we've gotta go wake Kairi up."
Sora looked over at where she was lying. "I think you're right," he admitted, pressing his hand to his chest. "If we can free her heart... But... But how?" Ansem's attempt to remove it hadn't worked but…his Keyblade was still there. "A Keyblade that unlocks people's hearts... I wonder," he whispered, staring at it. It hadn't been able to pull her heart from him, but could it unlock it?
"Sora?" Goofy looked at him but Sora ignored it to walk over to the Keyblade, picking it up. "Sora, hold on!"
"No, wait!" Donald yelled as he realised what Sora was planning.
Sora took a deep breath and aimed it at his chest. He didn't need to breath except to speak but he still did it out of habit. Merlin said he couldn't naturally become a Heartless, did stabbing himself with a Keyblade count as a natural method? Could a Keyblade kill a vampire?
He smiled at them, despite his fear, and then pushed the blade in, his skin being pierced far more easily than with any other weapon, but it didn't hurt.
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They watched in horror as Sora stabbed himself in the heart. His chest glowed brightly and the Keyblade floated out of him. Sora's eyes fell shut and he began to fall backwards even as they remained frozen in horror. The dark Keyblade split into six hearts that floated back into the Princesses. Another heart surged from Sora's chest and floated back to Kairi, but they didn't look at her, terrified for what would happen next. The entrance to the Dark Depths shimmered behind them, the barrier broken, and Sora glowed brightly, slowly falling.
Donald finally managed to move, rushing towards the falling boy. "Sora... Sora!"
"Sora!" a young female voice called, and Donald saw Kairi scrambling to her feet, running towards Sora as well. She reached him first, catching him as the glow faded, falling back as she took his weight. "Sora?" she shook his shoulder, but he didn't move, head rolling limply with her shaking.
"Sora? Sora, wake up!" Donald cried in alarm as he knelt.
Sora hadn't slept at all since waking from his transformation, vampires didn't sleep. He could be rendered unconscious from a bad enough injury but there was no wound, not even a tear in his clothing that Donald could see. Sora was utterly limp in Kairi's hold, not breathing, even though the illusion depicted his chest rising and falling. Those who knew the truth saw Sora's true form, the illusion a barely visible overlay to let them know what others could see.
"Sora!" Goofy wailed as he joined them, hands hovering but not actually touching the young vampire.
Sora…looked paler than normal, more like a corpse, and Donald poured magic into him, trying to heal anything that could be wrong. He had to still have his heart otherwise his body would have faded away which meant that whatever was wrong could be fixed, right?
None of them noticed the portal of Darkness that appeared on the other side of the landing, a stranger stepping out to stare at them. "So, you have awakened at last, Princess. The Keyhole is now complete. You have served your purpose. But now it's over," the unfamiliar voice had them turning, putting themselves between the speaker and Kairi who still held Sora.
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His changed body walked slowly towards Kairi and he was so happy to see her awake finally. Then he saw she was supporting a body…Sora! He lay utterly limp against her, eyes closed, chest barely moving. Her heart…had been inside him…was Sora now….No! He saw Donald and Goofy brandish their weapons, but he knew they would be no match for Ansem.
"Don't make another move!"
"Do you think we can stop him all by ourselves?"
"I don't know!"
Riku threw everything he had left at trying to regain control, to do anything to save Kairi and Sora. To his shock, Ansem began struggling to move.
"Impossible..." Ansem grunted.
Riku found himself almost floating in front of Ansem, arms out to block him even as he stared at the group, hearing Kairi gasp as she stared right at him. There was so much he wanted to say but he knew there was no time. "No. You won't use me for this!" he told the being possessing his body, he would not be used to hurt them!
"Riku!" Kairi reached for him with one hand and he wanted to reach back but he couldn't. Sora remained still against her, not reacting at all.
"You've got to run! The Heartless are coming!" he warned, pleading with them to save themselves. It was too late for him, but he couldn't bear the thought of being used to hurt them again, not now that his head and heart had cleared.
A horde of Shadow Heartless appeared, surrounding them. Kairi touched her necklace and nodded, tears in her eyes, understanding she would never see him again. Riku watched Goofy spin and scoop Sora up into his arms to run with him, Donald pulling Kairi up as they ran from the Grand Hall.
"What about the Keyhole?" he heard Goofy call even as he faded away, his last sight was of Kairi glancing back at him as she ran.
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Kairi watched as Goofy gently lay Sora down on the bench in their ship, using a harness to ensure he would be safe even as Donald pushed her into a chair and got her strapped in too. "Sora," she called but there was no reaction.
"Strap in!" Donald yelled at Goofy who scrambled to his own seat, the ship taking off.
She was so confused but none of that mattered. Riku…Riku was…gone? And Sora wouldn't wake up which scared her. She was in a spaceship and something about that felt familiar, like she'd been doing it a while, been with Sora…
"Where are we goin'?" Goofy asked.
"Merlin's." Donald answered, sounding angry.
She just watched Sora the whole trip, praying he would wake up.
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Merlin stood as Donald burst in, a young girl with him and then…Goofy ran in, an unmoving Sora clutched to his chest. "My goodness, what has happened?" he asked even as he cleared a space for Goofy to set the boy down.
He looked Sora over as they explained what Sora had done to himself to free Kairi's heart. That was a shock, how had he not sensed her heart being sheltered by Sora's during any of the myriad of exams he'd given Sora since he'd been turned? Sora was deathly still, only the illusion giving him any sense of life as it continued to breath. He would remove it except the girl didn't know and this was hardly the way to reveal the changes to her friend. His body was uninjured and yet he hadn't woken.
"Perhaps you should take Kairi to meet the others," he suggested, and she stared at him defiantly, but they pulled her away. "As soon as he wakes and I am sure he is alright, I will send for you," he promised, and they left.
Merlin waited until he sensed them leave via the district door and then carefully removed the illusion to get a better look without his own magic interfering. The first thing to check was Sora's own heart, just to be sure…and yes, it was still there. He scanned deeper since he had missed Kairi's presence and blinked in shock. What? He checked again and confirmed the result. Slumbering deep within…was another heart.
"Dear boy, how do you get into these situations?" he asked softly.
The other heart wasn't causing any damage and it seemed to have been there for years so for now he would leave it be. Hearts were not his speciality after all and for that he may have to consult Yen Sid eventually. It wasn't like it was causing any problems for Sora after all.
Ah, and there was the problem. The attempt to forcefully remove her heart had caused more damage than had been visible to Donald at the time; the following battle, and Sora then stabbing himself with a Keyblade hadn't helped either. His body had shut down in an effort of self-preservation, despite the healing magics he had been exposed to since the injury. Merlin quickly went about setting up what he needed to help Sora heal before he fell into a healing 'coma' that could keep him out for years considering everything he had been through since his home had been taken by the Darkness. It was something of a last resort for vampires of his kind and was likely the state his Sire was currently in.
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He felt so tired…he just wanted to sleep forever…
"Come now Sora, you don't want to worry your friends dear boy," a cheerful voice called, a voice he knew, and he struggled to respond.
His friends? He…what had happened? He fought to remember, to move, to wake up…and finally he blinked blearily up at a familiar ceiling. "Mer…lin," he croaked out, voice hoarse.
"There you are," Merlin leant over him, looking utterly relieved.
He tried to sit up, but he didn't have the strength to move. "Wha…"
"Hush, don't try to speak." Thin, wiry, arms moved around him, gently pulling up into a sitting position against something soft, pillows? For someone who looked so old and skinny, Merlin was surprisingly strong. "Here, you need to feed."
A mug was pressed to his lips and Sora opened his mouth, drinking. As soon as the blood touched his tongue he realised he was starving, barely able to keep his drinking civilised in any way. Thankfully, Merlin seemed to understand and kept the blood coming until finally Sora was done.
He felt more alert though still weak, looking around to find he was on the main floor of the magical house and not in the training room that had been converted for him when he'd been turned. So he hadn't been considered a risk to anyone despite how hungry he'd been… "Merlin?"
"What is the last thing you remember?" the wizard asked gently, and Sora frowned, thinking back.
They'd gone to Hollow Bastion…Riku! There'd been fights, Maleficent… "Oh," he pressed a hand to his chest, eyes wide, and Merlin nodded, explaining just how much damage had been done, and how close he'd been to either becoming a Heartless or ending up in a coma to allow himself to heal everything physical, mental, and emotional…which would have meant a long time.
"The others?" he asked.
"Donald and Goofy introduced Kairi to Aerith and the others, and convinced her to stay there. Now that you are awake you can put this back on, and I can call them in to see you when you're ready." Merlin handed him back the armband that held the illusion spell and he slipped it on, he hadn't even realised it wasn't on!
Kairi…she was in Traverse Town and awake! Thoughts of her led to ones of Riku…was he really dead? Had he killed him when he struck down Ansem or was there any kind of hope? He closed his eyes and felt Merlin pet his hair before leaving him to rest. He still felt weak and shaky but now that he was conscious he knew sleep was as impossible as ever. Still, he could rest, let his body and mind go still, as close to sleep as he could get now.
When he opened his eyes he saw Merlin at his desk, reading something by the light of a candle which meant he'd been resting for at least several hours. Sora managed to push himself up on the pillows, feeling stronger although not back to normal which was a big indicator of just how bad it had been. He'd drunk so much blood that he should be fully healed and yet he was still shaky.
"Merlin?"
The wizard turned and smiled at seeing him sitting up. "Welcome back Sora, how do you feel?"
"Better," he told him, and Merlin got up, offering him a mug which Sora took and drank, surprised to find he was a little hungry. Thankfully the one mug was enough to fill him.
"Up to visitors? I let them know you woke briefly yesterday, and young Kairi is most insistent on seeing you this morning."
"What time is it?"
"Early," Merlin patted his hand, taking the empty mug away.
Time was weird in Traverse Town, but most residents tried to follow a clock of night and day. Halloween Town sort of did something similar, at least for those residents who ever needed to rest.
Sora carefully pulled the blanket back and moved to sit on the edge of the bed, bare feet on the stone floor. The noise got Merlin's attention and he looked over, standing to help in case he fell. Sora took a deep breath and pushed to his feet, wavering, but he remained standing.
"The tub in the usual place?" he asked, and Merlin actually had to think about it before nodding. "Thanks." He moved out of the room to go soak in the hot water for a while, someone had wiped him clean of the blood and sweat of the battles, but he could still feel it and even smell it.
Soaking in the hot water gave his body the chance to relax, his wings limp down his back in the water as he floated. His mind was another matter though, continually running over the fight with Riku's possessed body…the look in cyan eyes when Riku had managed to grab control for that second, seeing the desperation and fear there. Then after…he knew it had been Riku at the end, Riku trying to move, to lift a hand to him, to reach out. He had killed his best friend… he shuddered and dunked himself fully, laying under the surface as bloody tears slipped free.
He'd known Riku all his life, they'd grown up together, always together…but in those last month's Riku had begun to change, had he already been letting the Darkness in even then? It had been the two of them before Kairi had ever arrived on the Islands…how had they let liking her grow between them like that? Surely Riku knew that he loved them both, that he would never abandon one of them even if Kairi had chosen him and that hadn't been guaranteed until Riku had started pulling away. He'd really thought Kairi and Riku would pair off one day and he'd been okay with that as long as they all remained close friends. Now it didn't matter…because Riku was gone. Would Kairi ever forgive him?
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Kairi ran into the house, seeing Sora sitting up on the bed, hair damp and dressed in clean clothing although not what he'd been wearing before. He looked up and grinned at her but there was something…dimmer about it. His grins always radiated happiness but now there was sadness and she moved to his side. She got on the bed, and wrapped her arms around him, feeling him tense briefly before he slumped in her hold, his own arms slowly wrapping around her back.
"Kairi…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he sobbed, and she tightened her grip, alarmed.
"For what?" she asked, confused, even as she rubbed his back.
"Riku…I…I didn't mean to, I thought he'd block…"
"Shh Sora," she pressed her lips to his head where he'd buried it against her chest. "You didn't kill him," of course he didn't know, he'd practically been comatose once he'd freed her heart. "He saved us Sora, he held Ansem back and gave us time to grab you and run."
"What?" he lifted his head and stared at her in confusion, so she explained what she'd seen, and Donald had explained to her later.
The thought of Riku slowly succumbing to the Dark until his body was taken over by another… he'd changed, she'd meant it when she'd spoken with Sora that evening on the raft but now she regretted it. She should never have suggested they leave without Riku, she should have done more to help him, to reach out and show him that she loved both of them, they were her best friends!
"We'll find a way to save him," she whispered because the thought of losing him forever was too much.
"We will," he tightened his hold, shifting to press his face into her hair. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Don't you ever stab yourself again!" she told him, seeing him glow and collapse like that, to have him utterly unresponsive…almost appearing dead… it had scared her more than the Heartless had! "I thought you were dead and then Merlin wouldn't let us see you."
"Hey, I'm okay now. It was Ansem trying to rip your heart free that did the main damage, not my stabbing myself…and I'd do it a thousand times over to save you."
Soon, the others joined them, and they settled in to talk and plan. She hated the thought of going back there but apparently the now completed Keyhole needed to be sealed and only Sora could do that.
When Sora got up to go and get the needed navigation Gummi, she slipped her hand in his, surprising him but he didn't try to make her stay as the four of them headed to down into the waterway.
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"Sora... Kairi... I'm sorry..." he whispered as he kept walking through the greyness. "Is this the after world?" He stumbled forward and his form shimmered, making him gasp in fear. "I'm not ready. Not yet. Not until I see Sora and Kairi one last time..." he didn't know who he was trying to bargain with, but he stopped shimmering so maybe it'd worked?
"Riku, can you hear me? I'll be there soon," an unknown voice called, and he whirled around.
"Who is that?" he demanded; a lot more wary of voices now.
"I have the other Keyblade—the one that belongs to this world," the voice answered, he was pretty sure it was male.
Riku looked around in confusion. He…he was scared, he wanted Kairi and Sora. Sora…was he even alive?
"I've been trying to get through to you, but the darkness in your heart kept me away."
"Who are you? What's happened to me?" he asked, he needed to know. Was he dead?
"Your heart won the battle against the darkness, but it was too late for your body. That's why you're here—in this place of darkness where hearts are gathered," the voice was sad and Riku felt sick.
"So what do I do?" He looked ahead down the winding road. Too late for his body…did that mean Ansem had it? Was he still there to threaten his friends?
"The Door of Darkness will open soon, but it's a door we can't enter. It has to be closed from both sides. To do this, you need two keys and two hearts. Maybe you're here for the same reason I am. Maybe it was fate," the voice explained.
"Fate, huh?" he choked, he could work it out, he was trapped in this world forever…he'd never go home, never see them again. "You seem to know everything, don't you? Then tell me, are Sora and Kairi okay?" he demanded.
"Don't you feel the echoes of their hearts? You already know the answer. Look inside your own heart."
Riku closed his eyes, reaching out, trying to feel them. He saw an image of Kairi smiling at him, Sora…where was Sora? He reached more and then he felt it and took a shuddering breath, seeing Sora for a second, standing in shallow water somewhere, looking at something. "Okay," he whispered.
If he could help keep them safe then he would do it, even if he was doomed to be trapped in the Dark forever. As long as they were alive, he could accept his fate, he'd brought it on himself after all.
TBC…
So no Heartless Sora = no Roxas. Please don't kill me?
