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S A C R I F I C E
x;; Kairiku collection
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oo3 ;; light
Sora. SoraSoraSoraSora.
The name bounced and echoed off invisible dark walls, swirling menacingly with grays and blacks while he stumbled halfheartedly down a pathway to nowhere. Words cluttered his mind, though none of them were his own. Perhaps the dark realm he blindly crawled through was offering kindness by letting him hear them; but he felt more as if he were being tortured, for he knew that their hurt and sadness was fueled by the mistakes he had made – and he was sure that being forcefully connected with Ansem had something to do with it, which was frightening nonetheless. Pseudo sand or snow dusted over the top of his shoes and scratched at his toes while he dragged his feet, always seeming to be one step behind him. The darkness worked like a liquid; no breath was deep enough to bring in a sufficient amount of air while his cold heart murmured and his lungs clogged with thick, black oxygen. His eyelids constantly fluttered, dropping shut then forcing open again and again through utter exhaustion.
Sora! Come back, Sora!
He stopped, breathing heavily and nearly panting while disarrayed silver locks clung desperately to his damp face. Gloved hands were raised, eyes closed and palms pressing into the sockets while he rubbed against pain and tiredness. Pinwheels of light and color exploded beneath the dark covers, and he could almost imagine them as the faces to the shouts he kept hearing: a dog and a duck. Two dimwitted companions he had spent a whole ten minutes with. And then there was Kairi – dear Kairi, on the verge of tears for something he had started. He pressed his hands deeper into the hidden pools of aquamarine, pressure building on them until he felt as if they would burst; but a numbness that radiated from his empty chest disregarded the soreness for something that, no matter how cliché, let him know he was still alive.
Dying was only his second worry.
Sora, are you really-- no. It can't be. I won't let him go!
He felt chilled by her determination, cold fingers and bare arms shivering uncontrollably as if a wind had ripped through the darkness, aiming for the lost boy who had invaded its home. He sneered indirectly at the unnatural breeze as it seemed to turn his sweat to frost, blurry vision locking on the gray-white particles beneath his feet when his hands slipped back to his sides. For a moment he wondered, almost selfishly: Would you let me go, Kairi?
Do you even remember me?
Why don't you wonder if I'm dead?
I was the one who wanted to save you.
Even if Maleficent had lied to him before, Riku still wanted to believe that Sora didn't love her, too; he greedily hoped that his suicidal sacrifice had been performed because he had to, not because she was dear enough to him. He held onto the idea that Sora cared about a puppet more than their redheaded friend – and he knew it was only adding to the coldness in his heart, but kept the fight going like their never ending rivalry and his overwhelming number of victories scribbled in the brunette's head. He spitefully wondered if he would see him drifting in this same darkness, and wrapped his arms around himself as he quivered again.
So, you have awakened at last, Princess.
The voice nearly made the hair on his neck stand up on end; the sickeningly deep, smooth, persuasive tones that he had once confided in. He immediately felt an anger rumbling inside his throat, vocal cords straining to let out sound, as if he believed that they could hear him, too. But how horrible it would be if that were the case – he couldn't even breathe correctly, let alone talk to Kairi and get her out of there. The teen cringed, head lowering in defeat; Kairi would lose her heart again to the darkness because of him. It seemed that every time he wanted to help her – if he just wanted to see her alive or hear her voice again – she paid for it. If Kairi disappeared and Sora was gone (no matter how much he hated him right now, they were still friends somewhere), Riku knew that he would be lost as well. It was all becoming an inevitable chain of events, and the dead Keyblade Master wasn't the holder of Destiny this time – Riku screwed everything up.
Ansem continued his assumptions and Riku's shivering became harsher, to the point where his body seemed to convulse. He hadn't realized it at the time, but his shaking was caused by a lock in his throat as sobs tried to push their way through, pounding against his chest and voice for freedom. But Riku didn't cry, he was sure – even if he was about to lose sight his light, he wouldn't let his emotions tear him apart.
He blinked at the revelation, acting as if it were the first time he ever realized it – and in truth, it probably was.
You might not know this, Kairi – but you're my light.
He had never forgotten her while walking through the darkness; he never forgot what he did to her, or what he never had the chance to do. Perhaps, if she was his light and she would let him keep believing it, there was still a bit of hope. There's still a light in every darkness – I see it when I think of you.
So if he let her die, there would be no silly road covered in white left to travel. There would be no voices or faces in his eyelids. There would be no will to keep going through the darkness, and no one would have the chance to get back home again. He couldn't keep that away from her just because he was scared.
He desperately remembered her while he felt something trickling through his blood; a bit of warmth, maybe, so foreign and painful and beautiful to the previously cold heart resting in his chest. Something white flickered in the distance – light, his light, enticing him to walk. But another step wasn't necessary, as seconds later he seemed to be consumed by the supernatural force. His breath caught in his throat while colors splashed into a previously monochrome world; no longer was he standing in a realm of complete darkness, but on the solid ground in an all too familiar castle. It strained to move an inch, and for a moment he wondered why – as if he had forgotten his mission, he believed he might have been dead all over again and was buried beneath mounds of sand and dirt. But he breathed and realized that he could still feel his heart beating quietly in his chest – and when he looked over at her, it began to beat faster.
He felt so empty, and at the same time, complete; he was a transparent image derived from the light in his heart, no matter how much he refused to believe that any was left.
"Impossible," The tan man boomed behind him as Riku flickered into existence again.
"No," He responded while forcefully spreading his arms on either side of him, creating a shaky blockade between the two groups. "You won't use me for this!"
"Riku?" He watched her hesitantly take a step forward, seemingly oblivious to everything that had happened before her revival. Her eyes immediately brightened as they fluttered over his see-through body, overturning a hidden candle of hope and relief – for she might have witnessed part of Sora's death, but Riku was still here. Even if he was trembling from the dark force behind him and the golden aura around him was anything but natural, he was with her.
What he would have given to see her so alive only hours ago.
But Sora woke her up this time, he knew it – and that made his decision hurt a little more.
This would be it; he might never see her again. But he would make that sacrifice, if only for her benefit.
"You've got to run," He started, voice loud but cracking all the same. "The Heartless are coming!" Without seeming too afraid – without letting unwanted tears crawl into his eyes or a sob in his throat – he tried to urge them along with panic and pressure.
But their eyes inevitably locked and he was afraid he would lose it.
Blue-violet irises laced with worry dived into his, searching for some sort of explanation or plead to stay and help. And that was his fear: if he let her see that he couldn't handle this alone, she would stay behind, and she would lose her heart again. Shadow Heartless began to rise from the ground around them, eerily swinging bug-like antennas around while they twitched and reached towards the girl and animals. Kairi glanced at them offhandedly before giving a strong nod, hand resting on her chest – her heart – while she confirmed to her escorts that they were to listen to the light projection.
So, with a white duck screaming maniacally beside her, she left her friend behind but let him keep her light for a little while longer. He watched longingly as she disappeared into the dark corridors of the castle, and suddenly his arms began to twitch again as Ansem gained back power. He could almost feel the smirk that curled along his dark lips, and grimaced as he noticed a familiar iciness in his chest.
"You interfered for her?" He began as Riku flinched. "How touching. But, I think it's time you went back to darkness."
He thought of Kairi while he opened his jaws in a silent scream, the golden light instantly extinguished as if it were a fire.
He felt cold again.
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a u t h o r s . note ;;
This has got to be a record with updating for me. And that was much longer and yuck than I thought it would be o.o;
I've got the next one pretty much planned out, so that should be up soon as well.
And another thanks to readers and reviewers, because you're too nice D: