Riku's eyes stared back at him, soulless and empty. It was also getting harder to ignore the heavy feeling growing in his feet. They were like sponges that had soaked up far too much water and were now sloshing around at ten times their normal weight. Every new scratch against his skin burned, and he turned his eyes up helplessly at his friend.
Pleading again wasn't going to do anything.
Sora tried to pretend it was just like one of their regular sparring matches, but it was so hard to ignore the twisting weight in his chest and the unnerving silence between them. Normally Riku would be spouting off advice or even a snarky comment or two whenever they did this sort of thing. At least the pain Sora felt in his heart motivated him to keep going, but dealing with the quiet was...difficult. It only confirmed the taunts echoing in his ears that everything that made Riku, Riku, had truly been buried away somewhere. Sora tried interjecting his own conversation, hoping it would stir his friend to his senses. His every forced comment dropped with an almost audible thunk as Riku refused to answer anything.
The silence only grew.
He knew his friend would never forgive himself if his body was used as a tool to do something... irreversible. Sora was doing his best to prevent that from happening, but the attacks from the dark sword were intense, each blow nearly making his elbows and shoulders rattle as they struggled to absorb the overbearing force. Nothing was held back.
If there was ever a time to end this fight, it was now. And while he wasn't sure where to start, he still couldn't shake the feeling that fighting this darkness and pulling Riku out of its grasp: all of that was something he had done before, a long time ago. Maleficent had even confirmed as much. She had said he had 'meddled'. But for the life of him Sora couldn't remember ever doing that. Surely something that dramatic would stick in the mind without much trouble. Racking through his mind, he tried to recall the foggy memory that was humming softly, just barely prodding at the edges of his consciousness with a familiarity like something he couldn't be sure wasn't merely a dream.
There were a few holes in his memory, especially around some of the more traumatic parts of his past, but the most suspicious of them all was one whole week gap he couldn't remember all the way back before he had even moved into his mom's house the first time. It was a small space of time, evaporated away to nothing, but it left a somewhat glaring hole. It had never really bothered him too much before, but...maybe...
Sora concentrated, reeling backwards through time until his thoughts settled on it: the first solid memory after that mysterious solitary week of fuzzy nothingness. Luckily, that memory in particular was shining and clear. It had been the exact morning Riku had finally lowered the cold wall he had built up around his heart, and finally seemed to accept him as a friend. It was not something he was going to forget, if ever.
The two of them had been just kids when they met, and Riku hadn't exactly given him a warm reception. Riku had even refused to use his name, calling him 'stray' or 'kid' or something equally demeaning...
It was an...admittedly bumpy start to their relationship, but that particular morning had been different.
Sora had woken up, nauseous and groggy like he had caught seven colds at once, to see Riku peering up at him from over the edge of the covers. Startled, Sora had scooched himself backwards so fast he abruptly tumbled right over the edge of the bed with a yelp. The sudden exertion sent him into a massive coughing fit that only exacerbated his raging fever and throat that felt like it was an inside out cactus. He moaned into the floor, miserable and confused. Everything hurt, and his head was so inexplicably jumbled he could barely even figure out which way was up. The last thing he could recall was walking into the dark woods, standing out by some old stump with his hands clamped over his eyes, struggling to remember how to count to one hundred and failing at it. Then, suddenly, he was back at the house feeling absolutely terrible, covered in bruises with Riku worryingly and uncharacteristically fretting over him.
It was the first time Sora had seen his face filled with an emotion other than cold indifference or frustration. Sora still had no idea why that morning Riku had done nothing but endlessly apologize over and over. He just kept saying 'it's my fault, it's my fault you're so sick'. But it really shouldn't have been that big of a deal. It was just a cold.
Sora finally had to tell him to knock it off with saying sorry so much. The truth was, Sora had actually been happy about the whole situation. The way he understood it, if Riku had gotten him sick, that meant the two of them must have been hanging out close enough to get each other sick in the first place. It was a sign they were becoming friends. After Sora had finally managed to groggily explain that to him, well, that had also been the first time he had actually seen Riku cry. But more importantly, from that morning on Riku only ever called him by name. The two of them started to do practically everything together, and Sora couldn't have been more happy. And a few years later, when Riku finally started giving him dumb nicknames again, there was nothing demeaning about it.
Sora had never cared that much before that he didn't know exactly what had happened in the woods and by that stump, but that time must have the answer he was looking for. If he could only remember, he might be able to figure out how to help now. With Kairi's light to help, maybe this time could be the last they ever had to deal with all this dark nonsense.
He took a deep breath and concentrated, remembering what Kairi had told him.
'Find the thread...connect with his heart and then my light will follow…'
Sora wasn't sure how to find Riku's heart in all this mess, but he did the only thing he could: he focused on that one precious memory, and how it felt. It was never good to feel sick, and boy did that particular cold that morning feel terrible, but he could overlook all of that because he knew the pain was only proof the two of them were starting to become family.
It felt the same now. The heaviness in his legs and arms was growing unbearable. It hurt, but it also made him all the more determined. Hopefully someday they could both look back on this and laugh.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could almost feel Riku struggling to reach out to him from whatever dark abyss was keeping him trapped. The memories of that week might be gone, but maybe, just maybe, his heart still knew what to do.
We are all connected in the river of life. Our memories are also part of the same flow. How else could they have such power over our hearts?
Sora blinked, confused. Was...someone talking to him? In his head? He debated for a moment if he should answer back. Before he could come up with anything more coherent than a baffled 'huh?', the voice had already returned.
Consider this partial repayment.
His body froze beneath him and all he could see was a sudden churning rush of bubbles before his eyes, popping and bursting like sparks of light through the abyss of the ocean.
Wha-
Kairi's arms felt like they had been plunged into ice water, stinging and numb. The shield of light that she had so desperately been trying to maintain began to flicker even more in and out of existence. She could still hear Seifer coldly snickering.
She knew she was reaching the end of her rapidly dwindling energy. Her vision clouded, fading in and out of black.
Sora, please hurry…
As she briefly checked on her knights in the corner she was only filled with terrified horror. Darkness was pooling at their feet, streaming from out of Riku's body and collecting around their ankles. Rather than stepping out of its reach or trying to escape, Sora was swaying as if transfixed, right in the thick of it. Waves of inky smoke clawed their way up his body, the dark pool below threatening to yank him into its depths.
N-no...
Desperate, she took one hesitant step in his direction and suddenly felt the cave spin.
The ground flew up to hit her in the face and she gasped, accidentally inhaling bits of sand. Coughing, she tried to pull herself upright, but her arms were nothing but dead weight on her body. She could only shakily roll to the side enough to peek at the hazy world around her as it melted and faded in and out of focus.
The shield of light that was keeping Seifer trapped flickered and burst. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't muster up a single spark to keep it going. Her whole body felt paralyzed and stiff, tears just barely squeezing their way out of the corners of her eyes in spite of her exhaustion.
Seifer burst into gleeful laughter, taking a step towards the two knights. While Riku had at least temporarily halted the furious swinging of his sword, she knew nothing good could come from the stream of darkness still pouring out. Sora was also still frozen right in the thick of it in some kind of daydream-like haze, utterly defenseless. Trapped. Why wasn't he trying to escape? What was he doing!?
"N...ot...op..."
She tried to choke out a warning, a desperate plea, something, but it only fell garbled into the sand. But despite the incoherence, Seifer understood. He didn't even have to respond, just sneer in her direction to taunt her as he slowly raised his arm. The swarming torrent of darkness, by Seifer's command, shot towards Sora's ensnared body like a shower of spears.
She had nothing left, all her energy already spent. Pinching her eyes shut, she uttered one desperate plea into the invisible nothingness around her. Somehow she could still feel the coursing pull of that wonderful yet invisible river.
In her mind she imagined herself plunging her hand into the trickling waters of a forest stream that coursed unabated across the surface of the world, unstopping, unchanging. She could feel its energy surging between her fingers, pulsing with the emotions of everyone connected to it.
Please...I can't do it on my own...
To her surprise, she heard a voice crystal clear answering her back, as light and cheerful as a chirping sparrow.
'Miss Kairi, you really needn't worry so. Just because you haven't seen me doesn't mean I'm not here. I'm quite fond of you all, and would be quite miserable to idly sit by and let fate play its hand without the tiniest bit of interference...'
Kairi nearly inhaled a gasp full of sand once more and coughed.
That voice...you're-
'It's no wonder you are fond of that boy. He is something quite special, isn't he? I've given him a way in, and I trust he will make the most of it. Until then, please take a well-deserved respite.'
All at once something golden shot into the air from Seifer's general direction, bursting in the air with a shower of sparks like some kind of firework. He stumbled away, yelping in surprise. Temporarily distracted, the spear-like vines he was controlling slumped to the ground and wiggled about without direction like worms squirming under a noon sun.
Maleficent only curled her lips into a smile and said nothing.
The sparks in the air shimmered and reformed into the shape of a magnificent golden sparrow which swooped straight towards the two knights half consumed in the blackness. As it fluttered through the air, bright golden feathers tumbled from its body, scattering themselves through the air where they drifted gently in place, refusing to fall. It took Seifer only a moment to recover from his surprise, but as he once more tried to launch his assault, the various scattered feathers floating through the air reacted to the dark tendrils. Each time as one rose up to strike, a feather would charge towards it and burst into a shower of light, instantly dissolving the reaching finger of darkness that threatened to draw closer.
In awe, Kairi watched as the sparrow darted between the vines, shedding more magical barriers in the form of those small golden feathers.
"Kairi! Don't give up!"
A new voice echoed through her head, one she could immediately recognize.
...Namine?
Her cousin's soft voice was trembling, far less sure, but its sincerity was clear.
"Yes. We are all here, wanting to help. I know it isn't much, but in this brief time while our hearts are connected, I'll give you all the strength I can. Save them, please!"
Kairi could feel the wind on her face, as if she was that sparrow, darting across the sky, freedom just under her fingertips. Ever so slowly, the warmth softly crept back into her cold, heavy fingers. The feeling was still faint, but even the smallest amount was a relief.
Would there be enough time for this gift to turn the tides? She wasn't sure, but all she could do was trust in the others for now.
...please...
"Hey punching bag, you got some blood on my shoe. Maybe I should make you lick it off. Whaddaya think, guys?"
Snooty laughter filled the air, and Riku knew from the sound immediately who was going to be in that clearing. It was that gang of miscreants lead by the Leblanc brothers. While Riku picked fights with nearly anyone who stood against him, their group was always the most obstinate no matter how many times he had to teach them a lesson. Not only that, but they were never against using underhanded tactics. Cheaters and losers, the lot of them.
Were they going to be in for a nasty surprise. With his new power there was no way they would stand a chance against him.
H-huh?...what is...? Riku?
Riku moved towards the edge of the sandy pit, immediately seeing the gang circled around something in the center of the clearing near the old stump. They were taking turns kicking it, laughing like it was all wholesome good fun. But Riku knew better. He ducked behind a thick fern and listened closely, trying to read the situation.
One of the two Leblanc brothers, the much portlier Ormi bent over, howling with mirth. "Give it up, twerp! He ain't comin' to save ya. So you might as well cooperate. Go on, tell us. You gotta know somethin'! What is his weakness?"
"Cause it sure as hell ain't you!" A wheezy voice snickered like he had told the most brilliant one-liner of his life.
No one else found it amusing, apparently, and the wheezy-voiced brat began to sulk.
Ormi's brother joined in on the grumbling. "It sucks. Thought we could use this scrawny thing as blackmail, but it really seems like he got trashed. If we can at least get him to squeal about something, then all the time spent in this creepy place won't be a total loss."
There was the distinct sound of a boot striking something solid and more laughter from the gang of cronies. "Come on you useless lump, I don't wanna come back out here again. Three days is enough, I'm sick of these woods."
"I can't believe he never runs away. Maybe he likes gettin' beat up."
"Maybe he's just stupid."
"Hah! Yeah." The sound of another kick, harder this time. "Had enough for today? Why are you protecting that punk anyway, huh? He sure don't care about you! He threw you out like garbage!"
For the first time, Riku heard his voice. Even though it was raspy and weak, Riku knew immediately who it belonged to.
"He's my friend...promised..."
"You really are as dumb as a rock. Idiot!"
The last kick sounded harsher than all the others, and Riku had finally heard enough. He had a fairly good idea how exactly how many were in the clearing now, and more than anything he wanted to test out his new strength.
"Hey. Leave him alone."
While he knew from the sounds of it, things hadn't been going well for the little stray, he hadn't expected it to be so gut-wrenching to look at. Flecks of blood covered the ground along with what definitely looked like a baby tooth or two. Collapsed on the ground, clothes ripped and soiled, his face was absolutely covered in smears of mud and tears. Riku swallowed, feeling an unfamiliar rage burning inside.
How dare they. That was his idiot.
Wait, is that...me? This must be the past.
And if I can hear Riku's thoughts...does that mean this is his memory?
But how am I inside his memory?
I already told you. It's a partial repayment.
Well, sure but that doesn't exactly...it's still kinda weird...
Sora, dear, you need to stop questioning things so much and just observe.
Wh-...o-okay...
"Would you lookit that, Logos? Riku did actually show up!"
The ringleader scoffed and narrowed his eyes. "Took his sweet time. Don't tell me you are actually here for the wimp? Because he's ours now."
Just to accent the point, Logos stamped his boot down on the vulnerable head next to him, pressing it into the dirt. The stray tried to speak, but the ground muffled his words. Instead of being able to talk, he miserably coughed, sending a little cloud of gritty sand away from his mouth.
Riku did his best to keep his face as stiff and emotionless as possible, not sure why it was so hard.
It had never been so hard before.
"What is he to you, anyway?"
"He's trash." Logos stomped his boot down harder, eliciting a faint whimper from his victim. "But he might tell us something valuable, you never know. Everyone has a breaking point."
Riku paused to look at him, feeling another ping of something heavy and clenching inside his chest but he shelved the emotion to instead focus on the Leblanc brothers. His enemy. It was time to make them regret all of this.
"I'd be more concerned about your own breaking point right now. You see, I was chosen to receive a very special gift. I could tell you, but it will be so much more fun to show you. Watch this."
Lifting one arm, he concentrated, drawing on the bubbling fountain of rage now boiling inside of him. Inky black darkness poured out from his fingertips, easily ensnaring the wheezy-voiced boy from earlier around the neck and lifting him up into the air.
The darkness hurled him effortlessly against a nearby tree and something audibly cracked. The boy tumbled to the ground, moaning, clutching his now strangely bent arm close to his body. Riku stared at his own arm in wonder. It had been so easy. So, so easy.
None of them stood a chance against him. Not a single one of them.
He almost wanted to laugh.
No...
This has to be a dream...it can't be real, right? It's too terrible...
Riku strode forward with a deathly serious glare on his face, waiting for the next kid to get in his way. When none approached, he instead directed his attention to the ashen faced wispy boy just to his right and sent him crashing through the bushes without a thought. All the others were gaping back, wide-eyed and terrified.
And in a split second, the gang scattered like ants from under a suddenly uplifted rock, leaving the stray behind in their wake. As they fled, they called him all sorts of things: a demon, a monster, but none of it mattered. They were just jealous.
It felt good. Really good.
Slowly, the injured boy sat up out of the dirt and locked eyes with him. Riku expected him to be sobbing, gratefully blubbering his thanks for being saved. It wouldn't be that bad to get a little praise again about how impressive his new powers were, too. The kid always did like fawning over him like a little puppy.
What Riku wasn't expecting was the steely expression glaring back at him without the faintest trace of fear.
The more I see, the more I...
It's all too...familiar. This can't just be a dream.
Riku faltered at the piercing blue gaze burning into him, and suddenly found his voice caught. He had to clear his throat to unstick it enough to speak.
"H-hey."
There was a light dribble of blood leaking from the stray's mouth down to his chin, but he made no effort to wipe it away, or even make a move.
Guilt bubbled up even stronger inside of his throat and Riku swallowed. His throat had run dry. Suddenly, it didn't seem so fun anymore.
"Did you seriously stay here this whole time? For six days? Even when those guys started...why didn't you run away?"
There was no response to any of Riku's questions. The kid just kept quietly blinking, his eyes slightly furrowed as if struggling to do some sort of calculation in his head.
Riku paused briefly before reluctantly offering the kid his hand. "Anyway, I rescued you so let's head back to-"
"No."
Wheezing, the tattered and bruised boy attempted to stand, grasping for a very broken stick with the whole upper third dangling uselessly off the end. He must have been using it earlier to unsuccessfully defend himself. All his efforts to stand were wasted as he slumped heavily to the ground in an instant. Grunting, he tried again, and once he had successfully gotten to his feet, began raising up his flimsy stick like a weapon.
Riku narrowed his eyes, equally confused and impressed that the kid could even do that much in his condition.
"What? Don't you want to come with me? I thought you hated being alone."
The boy's eyes trembled and he shook his head furiously, struggling to take a step towards Riku with his small and broken stick still raised as if it was going to even do anything.
"I do hate it. I hate being alone so much."
"Then why are you trying to fight me? Is it...because you hate me? You hate me after what I did to you?"
The boy shivered and a different sort of rage started to simmer inside of Riku's heart. He knew it. That kid was just like all the others after all. Everyone always ended up hating him in the end. This is why he had decided being alone was always easier.
"That's it, isn't it!? You hate me more than being alone! Just admit it!"
Riku...you were so scared to trust anyone...
The stray shook his head rapidly back and forth, scattering small drops of blood across the dirt from the wounds he still refused to tend.
"I don't hate you! Y-you just need some sense knocked into you, you big dummy!"
Big talk, for someone so pathetic. Riku scoffed and crossed his arms, not even moved by the threat. "You have some nerve, calling me that."
"O-only a dummy uses that dark stuff to hurt people! If you keep using it...it'll change you. And Riku won't be Riku any more. So..." The stray gripped his useless wooden excuse for a weapon and tried to look fierce, but it was obvious he was struggling to stop his tears. "So I'm gonna do whatever I can to knock that bad stuff out of you!"
Ugh, this kid really didn't understand anything. The 'bad stuff' was Riku's weapon to control. It was going to serve him. It was his destiny, the sorceress had said. Besides, how often was beating problems down with a stick useful?
"And you really think that's going to accomplish something?"
"I...I dunno, but I have to try!"
He rushed forward, but Riku deftly sidestepped and watched him crash to the ground with a heavy thud. Not only was he clumsy, his injuries were making him even slower than normal.
Riku leaned down to look him in the eyes. "Hey stray, I've got a question-"
Picking himself up out of the dirt, the boy yelled and charged again. This time Riku stuck out his foot and tripped him, watching him roll head over heels before settling into the dirt with a groan. Riku expected this to be the end of it, but the kid once more rose back up to his feet. It took less than no effort at all to trip him yet again.
Riku rolled his eyes at how lame he looked. He was nothing. Worthless. Riku had no idea why he had even bothered coming to find him in the woods in first place. It would have been better to have just left him to rot.
This is a little hard to hear...
I know it's before we were really friends, and he doesn't really mean it, but still...
Do you want me to make it stop?
No...
It's hard right now, but...I need to see this.
Besides! Like I said, it's obvious Riku is a little mixed up inside right now.
I'm not taking it too personally, don't worry.
I wasn't worried.
Oh...
Because I have every confidence in you.
I...think that's a compliment, so...thanks! I guess...
The fight, if it could even be called that, dragged on and on. No matter how many times Riku knocked him down, the kid always kept struggling to his feet to charge again. He was more stubborn than an angry centipede, but unlike a centipede he had absolutely no control over his own legs and was tripping himself up almost more than Riku was.
"Just stop it already."
"No!"
Riku rolled his eyes again with a groan. This was starting to get annoying.
"Look, I just want the answer to one question then I'm out of here. Why is it that you insist on chasing me around everywhere? It's pathetic!"
The kid coughed, winced and shakily got back up, but tumbled over his own feet. For a moment only he gathered his breath, propping himself up on his hands and knees.
"I...know how awful it feels...to be all alone." A few loose tears splashed down to the sand and he sniffed. "But then I learned how great friends could be. S-so I wanted to help you. That's why. Because you were...you are really lonely, Riku. And you don't want to be. No one should be lonely."
They were simple words, but all at once Riku felt like something heavy had just dropped into his stomach. The realization was like something gripping him around the chest, constricting it. He wanted to try and laugh it off, but realized nothing was coming out.
"T-that's a lie!" He forced the words out. Ripped them from his throat. "I don't need anyone! Especially not you!"
Riku...
The boy shook his head again slowly, attempting to rise from the ground one more time. His bright blue eyes, marred by pain, were still shining back so earnestly.
How long ago had Riku buried those feelings? Stuffed them so far down he could forget they were even there? And yet somehow this idiot of a kid had taken one look at him and had seen it all. From the very beginning, this whole time, that idiot wanted to befriend him just so that Riku wouldn't have to feel lonely any more?
It had to be a joke...
It was...
"T-that's why you're being a big dummy!"
Gawking, Riku was taken by complete surprise as the kid hurled his useless stick to the side and pounced on him like some sort of feral animal, sending them both rolling across the dirt. Every time Riku pushed back or tried to sit up, he was immediately yanked and shoved down to the ground by the spiky haired ball of seemingly endless energy.
"If you keep using the dark stuff it'll take you over completely. I've seen it happen before. Then you'll just be lonely forever and ever!"
Riku finally let himself be pinned down for the last time, both of them dusty now from all the mess kicked up in their struggle. Even though the boy's frail body wasn't very strong, it felt like the weight of the entire sky was bearing down on him and Riku gulped, stunned.
"I...is that true?"
"Of course it's true! Do you really want a future like that!?"
"But I need it so I...so I can be the strongest..."
"You already are strong! But no matter how much you fight it's never gonna be good enough for you." The tiny body thumped him hard into the ground again. "I think you are so lonely you think if everyone respects you it'll make you feel less alone. That's why you keep running around all over the place trying to beat all those other kids up but that's never gonna make you feel good no matter how many fights you get into!"
Riku felt his words rain down on him like a torrent, not moving once. "I..."
"You aren't looking for strength, you're looking for a friend. And I wanna be your friend so stop trying to push me away!"
"My...friend..."
"Yeah! I'll do whatever it takes to get that message to you, even if I have to fight you myself to finally get it into your head!"
While it was a harsh scolding, there was a pervasive warmth to it, and a kindness that Riku couldn't ignore. All at once the guilt of the past six days all bubbled to the surface as he realized exactly why he had been anxiously waiting for the kid to return, and why he set out looking for him when he didn't return. Riku had tried telling himself it was annoying how endlessly cheerful he was, but that bright smile had been so comforting it was almost painful when it was gone.
How long had Riku been all alone, jealous of those who could so easily make friends? How long had he been left standing, idly waiting for friends to call his own as that jealousy and loneliness compounded more and more into anger at the constant rejection. Everyone eventually found him mean, or cold, and inevitably left him behind. He had tried to tell himself it was just because those people were simply inferior and not worth his time. Eventually he just stopped trying.
Until suddenly an absolute nobody had dropped in on his life, shockingly eager and excited to be a part of it. It had frightened him even more. Of course this one would give up like all the others. Of course. In anticipation, Riku had only ever treated him like the mess of dirt that now nearly covered them both.
How utterly wrong he was.
"...You don't have to fight me. I get it."
He felt the pit in his stomach growing larger and he could only turn his eyes away from the sky blue ones still gazing down at him.
"Sora, about the promise I made you...I'm sorry...I lied, back then."
There was no way after everything that this kid would ever forgive him, and he pinched his eyes shut in shame.
"I wasn't planning on ever coming back for you. The whole time I was going to leave yo-"
"I know."
Riku's eyes popped back open. "You...knew!? And you still stayed here!?"
The guilt weighed even heavier now.
As improbable as it was, the kid actually laughed. But Sora always did seem to laugh even at the most improbable of times. "I promised I would. Promises with my friends are more important to me than anything."
Sora sat up a little, finally unpinning Riku's arms, offering him a huge smile.
"That, and...I figured you'd come back eventually. You might do rude stuff now and again 'cuz you wanna look cool, but I think more than anything you wanna try to do the right thing."
What really was this kid? He was kinda dumb, sure, but he wasn't dumb about everything.
Riku gaped up at him in shock.
Heh, I guess I'll take that as a compliment...
Sora laughed again, bright and cheery, and did his best to bounce up to his feet. It took a few tries. Once he got his balance, he reached a heavily dirt-smudged hand down to his friend and burst into a wide grin. For the first time that day, Riku felt a wash of relief sweeping across his body like the cold refreshing rush of jumping into a river on a hot summer day.
Maybe, just maybe, he really could reject the loneliness that had for so long clawed at the inside of his heart. Maybe this time...
Riku reached up towards him. Something fluttered past his vision like the shadow of a raven.
And just as suddenly, it was all so, so wrong.
Riku didn't remember even trying to call the dark energy back out, but horrible dark vines had already twisted their way up his arm, constricting around their target mercilessly. Sora's eyes popped open wide in shock as thin wisps of darkness acted like a predatory snake, tightening around his neck. He choked, struggling and kicking to desperately rip their hold off of him. Nothing was working. Tears streamed down his face as he slowly began to fall limp, crushed almost effortlessly under the force of hatred assaulting him.
"R-Riku, h-hel..."
That's right. I remember now.
My memory blinked this whole time out...
I'm so sorry.
Huh? Why are you apologizing?
...
"S-stop!" Horrified, Riku dug his fingers into the squishy tendrils with his fingernails, desperately trying to dislodge them. "Let him go!"
Riku had always prided himself on staying cool and calculating even under stress, but just seeing Sora so suddenly having the life ripped from his body was only filling Riku with the worst panic he had ever felt. He struggled to gain control over his terrified thoughts, screaming at the dark monster inside of him.
Somehow, something in that darkness begrudgingly acquiesced and hurled its prey down into the dirt. Sora gasped, fingers clutching and dragging weak lines through the dirt as he took a few labored, rattling breaths. Riku felt the panic return as he struggled to dismiss the darkness seeping from his arm.
It wasn't listening to him anymore. It bubbled and shot out from his fingers, pain surging up to his elbow. His whole hand went numb and Riku trembled, terrified.
"W-what's happening to me!"
The vines hissed and once more snatched the boy lying limp on the ground. Almost gleefully they continued to try and squeeze the life out of him no matter how much Riku shouted at it to stop.
Sora coughed and trembled, his eyes starting to cross, hazy and unfocused. The one arm he was using to try and fight off the grip around his neck fell listlessly to his side.
When it was gripping me like that, I remember feeling this horrible loneliness everywhere.
It felt like Riku's fear of being rejected had come alive to attack me.
I think it wanted me gone because I was offering him friendship.
I suppose that's the one thing that can destroy that loneliness, right?
...uh, voice lady? Are you still there?
...
A voice, dark and amused laughed in the back of Riku's mind.
"Loneliness is a wonderful source of power. You don't have to share it with anyone. Besides, being alone isn't so bad, is it? I thought you preferred it. It's quiet. Peaceful solitude."
Wait, Riku! Don't listen to that voice!
"Get out of my head!" Riku clawed at his own arm once more, feeling more hot tears pricking the edges of his eyes. "I never asked for this! I don't want it!"
"All the power of the world and you'd reject it for a little pest? Wasn't he only ever a nuisance anyway? A loser? Isn't it better to do his pathetic existence a kindness and just erase him from the world?"
Keep fighting it! I'm right here with you, too!
Riku could feel the loneliness calling out to him as it desired nothing more than to smother the one person who could actually pull him up out of its thrall. Swallowing heavily, Riku glared at his own arm, wanting nothing more than to tear it off. Tugging and ripping at the sticky mess bubbling around his shoulder, Riku screamed, feeling it yank on his core as if it was rooted into his heart.
"For the last time I don't want this kind of power any more! Leave Sora alone! He's my friend and I won't let you hurt him!"
The darkness rattled as if injured, loosening its grip ever so slightly. Still dangling within the twisted vines, but thankfully at least able to breathe, Sora also seemed stunned at his dramatic assertion. In the brief window of opportunity, Sora pried at the vines around his neck.
"D-don't worry, Riku. I'll help you!"
Everything was filled with the smell of rust, and a pervasive sense of hopelessness. Darkness, it seemed, smelled quite musty. Riku turned a desperate expression up at his friend. Despite the despair, there was something else that Riku could sense; something far more pleasant. It was like a soothingly warm breeze. Relaxing and so mundane it almost slipped beneath his radar. Riku wondered if this was what it felt like to feel the comfort of another person reaching out to aid him amidst the putrid stench of loneliness.
Sora was wincing, as if in pain, and somehow the darkness began starting to shrink and shrivel away. It was only then that Riku realized exactly what Sora was doing.
Writhing in pain from it, Sora was letting the very darkness hold him captive begin to seep into his own body. He took huge gulps of the stuff, cramming as much of it in as he could and Riku gawked.
"Stop it! Are you crazy!?"
"Loneliness...growing into pain..." Sora sagged, gasping for air. "Friends can share pain with each other...to make it...better..."
That's right...no matter how horrible the days of Darkfall were...
Without my friends I would never have made it on my own.
We helped each other through the worst of it, even though it hurt to relive painful things again and again...
In a complete reversal, rather than fight and push against the darkness, Sora was hugging it in an even tighter embrace, trying to force it into his own heart. Squirming, the darkness tried to slither out of the boy's tight grip but he was absolutely smothering it.
The scent of summer, like a faint sea breeze comforted him, and Riku could finally sense the outer fringes of the darkness. In his mind he could almost feel himself grasping it with his fingers, tearing the saturated roots away from his heart.
"I have a friend now! I don't need you!"
With one final exhausted roar, Riku sank down to his knees, the darkness sending searing pain across his whole body. It offered its own cry of despair before fading to nothing. Riku collapsed, but refused to succumb to sleep. As his eyes shakily focused across the ground, he searched for where Sora had fallen.
He was lying like a broken doll on the sand, breath rattling in his half crushed lungs, already bruised and beaten from days of torment. With whatever remnants of energy left, he began retching out globs of sticky darkness into the sand.
Riku tried stumbling to his feet but crashed into the ground, sudden fatigue making his feet drag behind him. His entire body was also covered in small paper-thin cuts, but he didn't care about that right now.
"Hey! Are you okay!? Answer me! Sora!" Riku yanked him up by the shoulders and tried to shake an answer out.
Sora's head flopped a bit to the side and he weakly gasped, the faintest of smiles on his face.
"You said before you didn't care about...my name..."
There was a horrible looking injury on his shoulder where the thorns had pierced his skin multiple times. Thankfully each strike hadn't been all that deep, but after all the other injuries it was obvious that Sora was suffering and barely staying conscious.
"You called me...by my..."
Riku gritted his teeth, doing his best to hoist him up. "Come on, let's go."
Thinking further on it, he paused, then decided to correct himself. "Let's go home together this time...Sora."
Hearing his name again seemed to bring him an inordinate amount of joy and he cheered, sagging into his friend with a sigh.
"You aren't...lonely any more?"
"No."
He felt even breathing against his side. Riku wasn't even sure if Sora was still conscious anymore. He was mumbling softly, but somehow, despite all his injuries there was a light smile on his face like he had no cares in the world.
And quite a lot of things in Riku's world made far more sense.
"I promise...I won't ever push you away again. I mean it this time."
I know.
The twittering sound of a swallow could be heard echoing from some distant place.
Sora stared out into the void of nothing in front of his eyes, wondering if he was still looking through Riku's memory, or if his consciousness was nowhere altogether.
"Sora...? Is that you?"
Hearing his friend's voice prompted him to try and look around to find where Riku was, but the action itself was pointless. There was nothing to see. He had never considered before what nothingness would look like. It wasn't black, it was just...nothing.
"I...think so?"
"You think so? Aren't you the one in my head? If either of us is deserving of an identity crisis right now..."
Sora couldn't help but laugh. Even though nothing made sense, at least Riku was still Riku in this place.
"Yeah, sorry...I'm just confused about what's going on. Did you see the same thing I did? That memory and stuff?"
"Yep. So that confirms to me, at least, that you really were creeping on my past memories just now. I distinctly remembered that scene with far less...commentary."
"I didn't mean to!"
There was a slightly heavy silence for a moment, and Sora once more heard the light twitter of a bird somewhere, slightly closer this time.
"...After that time in the woods...well, it was pretty obvious once you woke up back at my house that you had somehow forgotten nearly everything that happened in the forest."
"Sorry..."
"It's fine. To be honest, I had been kind of glad about that. I should have told you, but it was...hard. I did my best to forget it myself."
"Riku, it's okay."
"No, it's not really. I used to think some...horrible things about you. I really didn't deserve half of the compassion I got."
Even though Sora couldn't see him, something about the way the atmosphere shifted made him aware exactly how guilty his friend was feeling about it all. But dwelling on past mistakes wasn't necessary, especially not when they had darkness to take down.
"I'm not mad about any of that past stuff. Trust me, you've more than made up for it already. The important thing is to figure out how to stop this thing controlling you now."
"I...even though I never wanted to hurt you again...I promised myself I would always be there to keep you safe."
Riku always tried so hard to be strong. It was something Sora had always kind of admired about him. And now, hearing his friend's voice actually break slightly in this invisible void only motivated him even more. If Riku was asking for help, he couldn't back down now.
"Well this time I'm gonna help you! That's why I came here! Er...wherever here is...not that I actually know how I got here either, but uh..."
"Heh. Some things won't ever change with you, will they?"
It was good to hear him laughing, even just a bit.
"I dunno if I'm right or not, but from just seeing that memory I remembered the feelings that came with it. The darkness felt so full of pain. I think those seeds grow and gather energy using the pain of whoever it takes over. I'm not sure what it might be feeding off of you this time, but..."
"Guilt." Riku answered so succinctly it sent a shiver up his spine.
"I already told you, it's okay! We're gonna work this out together!"
Sora felt the atmosphere tremble around him, and the mysterious swallow suddenly stopped singing.
"I think...when someone is completely steeped in pain it's hard to see the way out. And no matter how much I might wanna save you, bashing my head against it isn't really going to accomplish much but get us both tired. But even the worst pain, if shared between friends, could become something manageable. That's how we beat it last time, right? So that's what I'm gonna do this time, too."
You've found it. That's the answer. I'm glad this power of mine could be helpful in the end.
The twittering of the bird sounded as if it was right next to his ear.
"Hey! It's you again! Who are you, anyway?"
A light giggle.
You really don't know? My, my...
Nevertheless, remember this:
All it takes is a friend to step in and share in the pain.
Perhaps that combined strength may be enough to tip the scales.
For now, and for the near future.
Sora tipped his head to the side, wondering if it was actually someone speaking to him, a bird, or some kind of magical spirit being. Perhaps it didn't matter. But for some reason, even though he couldn't see what it looked like, he still had the distinct impression it was swallow shaped.
Wherever the source, a little bird had passed along her message loud and clear.
Riku once more wrestled with the dark chains holding him hostage. Trapped in his own heart, unable to prevent what was happening to the world outside as he felt his body being twisted and manipulated out of his will. Once more a wave of guilt rushed through him and as much as he tried to swallow it back, the darkness bubbled out of him all the more.
But even in that place of hopelessness, Riku sensed that same peaceful sunlit breeze on the air, and knew he wasn't alone.
Ripping at the chains that bound him, Riku could once more feel the light breeze of comfort that Sora's presence had brought with it. Not only that, but sweeping along side it was the warm sense of light close behind. It played warmly across his face, gentle and soft, with the barely discernible floral scent of roses drifting within it. The chains faded under the gaze of the light, like they were nothing more than a mere shadow dissipated by the sun.
Not only was the darkness spreading thin, the mysterious light that accompanied the change was erasing every trace of that cursed seed from inside of him, burning it from the inside out.
He felt his consciousness drifting upwards, rising from its slumber, and he couldn't help but smile. No matter what anyone ever said about Sora being worthless merely because he had no fancy title to his name or because he failed his exams once or twice clearly didn't understand a thing.
None of that mattered in the slightest.
Sora felt the sand, coarse against his cheek and shifted his face to the side, trying to get a fresh gulp of air that wasn't laced with little gritty bits. Darkness still pooled in rancid puddles around him, his arms still a bit sticky from where it clung to him. His chest still felt tight and the heavy sense of dread and guilt was still weighing him down. It also felt like something had seriously pulled the muscles in his neck and he winced as he tried to sit up and check on everyone.
Riku was in much of the same position as him, struggling to shake the final dregs of pain and guilt from off his body. Silently, he reached over and patted Sora on the shoulder, his face nothing short of exhausted relief.
Brushing the last bits of pesky moist sand off his face, Sora noticed several feathers of an unnaturally bright gold color scattered around them. There was the slight flutter of movement and out of the corner of his eye he briefly saw the shape of a bird rustling off towards the sky somewhere before fading away in a spark of light.
He didn't have much time to contemplate it.
From the back corner of the cavern, Sora could hear infuriated spluttering. Seifer was kneeling in the sand, gawking at the two of them with an ashen expression.
"No, no, no...how!? That bird was...it was my..."
Rather than speak, Maleficent also had her eyes locked on them. It was unnerving as she stood there, saying nothing but smiling strangely.
It took Sora a moment to realize that Kairi's light was no longer sealing the darkness off around the two of them and he panicked, scanning the surrounding area.
Where is she? Where, where, where...
Just like nearly everyone else, she was collapsed on the sand in an exhausted heap. It was far too soon for his already punished body to even contemplate standing, let alone running, but he forced it anyway, rushing to her side.
Somehow he made it, tripping across the uneven ground almost more than he took actual steps. Cold. Ice cold. Sora couldn't even describe how much he hated how cold her hand was, and he gripped it tightly, wishing his own wasn't so dirty. He gathered the rest of Kairi's body up under his arm so he could very gently jostle her while calling out her name.
"Kairi, wake up, please..."
In immediate response, Kairi's eyes fluttered open and settled on him, a faint smile bringing the lightest spark of life into her tired expression.
He brushed the side of his face against his sleeve to dry it as fast as possible so he could see her eyes clearly once more.
"Kairi, I was...I'm sorry I took so long, I..."
"Riku is...?"
"He's back. We're both okay."
Her eyes slipped back closed for a moment as she nodded, her sigh soft, yet full of so much relief.
"I almost used too much...but Ellone and Namine, they helped... If I can only have another minute to rest, I think I'll be able to..."
Sora wasn't sure what she meant by Ellone and Namine, since he was pretty sure they were still up in the castle, but it didn't bother him too much not understanding. She was okay and that was all that mattered.
"Don't worry, just leave it to us for a little bit. After all, Riku is better now! He'll help me out."
"Wow, thanks for asking me first."
Sarcasm was a sure sign that Riku was feeling better.
Happy to hear his friend back in normal spirits, but not wanting him to get away with that kind of remark completely, Sora shrugged jovially back over to him. "Oh? You don't wanna swoop in to save the day? That's new. Aren't you supposed to be 'the Dawnbreaker' or something?"
"Tch, watch it. Are we forgetting that you're the one who has always loved being overly dramatic? I could remind you of a few times if your memory is too hazy."
Laughing, Sora gave Kairi's hand one more reassuring squeeze and laid her back down onto the sand so she could rest more easily.
"I know you're just messing with me, but when this is all over I wouldn't actually mind sitting around chatting about all the stupid stuff we used to do. It's embarrassing, but..."
Kairi shifted a bit in the sand and smiled up at him. "That's what friends are for?"
"Yeah!" Sora cast a quick smile back over his shoulder at Riku who was finally stumbling his way over to meet them, but his mood immediately crumbled when he saw how noticeably sullen Riku's expression was.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
"You've already forgiven everything so easily, but...I still-"
Sora was already poised to interject, but before he could even start Kairi jabbed a very exhausted hand out towards Riku's direction, forcing him to lean back a bit to give her room. She seemed just as furious to retort, so Sora let her take the floor.
"Stop it right there, you. We are all here together now, that's all that matters. Every single one of us has made mistakes that could have cost us everything. But we are all still here because each one of us refused to let the others fall. I was always the one trying to suppress my heart, refusing to accept the truth around me, and since I've known him Sora is always off rushing headfirst into far too much without thinking..."
She cast her eyes over in his direction and mouthed a quick 'sorry', but he laughed it off with a shrug.
"It's true." He tipped his head to signal that it was okay for her to continue.
"The way I see it, Riku...perhaps your mistake was once being blinded by pride or greed for power, but that isn't so terrible. It was just a mistake. You've never once stopped supporting us because of our mistakes, so of course we can forgive yours, don't you think?"
Riku sighed, his face starting to relax, thankfully no longer awash with guilt.
Grinning, Sora jabbed Riku in the stomach with a grin. "She's right. But if it makes you feel any better, I'll accept exactly one pastry from Claire's bakery as repayment. No more, no less."
Riku swatted his hand away, smiling ever so slightly. "Fine. But if I'm buying I get to choose the flavor."
Oh...that wasn't good. Probably meant he was going to pick something disgusting with dried fruits in it. Sora frowned, trying not to look too disappointed.
"So, uh...I know you already agreed to it but can I add a teeny little revision on the deal? No raisins?"
Riku chuckled and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes upward dramatically, as he pretended to consider. "Hmm..."
Meaning no.
Sora pouted a bit, but jerked a bit in surprise when a hand lightly bopped the top of his head. He glanced up and blinked a few times just to be sure. It was actually kinda rare to see Riku smile like that.
"Just this once, I'll allow it. No raisins." Riku then flicked a quick gesture over towards Seifer's sword, which was still stabbed point-down in the sand where he had left it. "One thing we gotta sort out first...and I don't suppose you have another weapon other than that one lying around?"
"...Nope." Sora shrugged and pointed to the lone blade in the sand. "Coin flip to see who gets to use it?"
"...seriously?"
Kairi giggled into the back of her hand at the two of them. It was good there was at least some cheer still going around, given the circumstances.
There was still Seifer to save, and still the darkness to stop. Hopefully that little songbird was right, and having them all there together would be enough this time.
Stand together, and face the torrent of darkness hand-in-hand. It wasn't the most detailed plan, but Sora liked the sound of it very much.