Summary: In a world destroyed by the Heartless, Sora enlists in the military to fight the every growing enemy. Between the mental and physical battles, Sora struggles to survive. As secrets are unearthed, Sora realizes he's in serious trouble. RikuXSora AxelXRoxas M for later chapters.
Author's Note: Honestly, I just want to finish this one. I'm losing motivation to write this one so I am just going to end it. I really didn't want to leave it unfinished, so here you go, though it is a bit rushed. Also a fair warning, I still suck at writing fighting scenes. Thanks for reading though!
Chapter Seven
Roxas stared down the hallway with a blank expression. Axel rounded the corner and rolled his eyes.
"There you are! I've been looking for you everywhere. The boss gave us the day off. Want to go snag some ice cream?"
The blond didn't move. He stayed, frozen as the screams continued down the hall. With a frown, the older Nobody walked in front of Roxas.
"I guess you have not heard anyone get interrogated yet. Come on, let's go," he said trying to drag Roxas away.
"We did our job perfectly, but I don't feel right. Axel, I don't think they're just interrogating him anymore. Why was that guy trapped in that soldier? I know I have a connection to...Sora. I still feel his emotions sometimes. I thought they would go away once Vanitas emerged. I did everything t help make that happen. Right now...I feel nothing. What is my purpose?"
Axel walked closer and wrapped his arms around Roxas. More screams echoed. Axel put his hand under the younger male's chin and tilted it up. The bright blue eyes focused on Axel's emerald ones. He leaned down to whisper in Roxas' ears.
"It's going to be fine, Rox. Master Xemnas is going to restore our hearts. Vanitas is still not able to leave Sora. He's actually working on getting him back out now. So, please don't worry about it. Come. We're getting ice cream."
Axel hesitated before leaving a light kiss on Roxas' lips. The blond smiled.
"Thank you, Axel."
XxXxX
Riku kept his eyes shut as he began to wake up. He could tell he was back in the cell. His entire being hurt. Slowly, he opened his eyes and assessed the damage to his bruised body. He winced as he tried to stretch his legs. A pain shot up his right leg telling him it was broken. Blood covered much of his skin. Memories flooded through his head as fear began to wake him up more.
"You're awake," the blond Nobody muttered as he unlocked the cell. Riku didn't respond.
"I'm surprised...I could hear your screams throughout most of the castle," said Roxas as he brought over a bucket and rag. He frowned at the prisoner and bent down. "Xehanort wants you cleaned for tonight and I get the unfortunate pleasure of doing so."
Riku froze at the name. Shaking seized his entire body. Roxas ignored it as he soaked the rag in water. Squeezing the water out of the rag, he placed it on Riku's skin.
"Where's Sora?" breathed Riku as he flinched with every touch.
"Not my business to say," he said as placed the red rag in the water.
Riku groaned as Roxas forced his leg straight. "Why do you work for someone that's just using you?" The more he talked, the more his mind wandered away from the pain.
Shrugging, Roxas replied, "Master Xemnas is going to restore our hearts with the hearts you soldiers have been releasing."
"Hearts? Releasing?" A sharp intake of breath came from Riku as Roxas cleaned his side.
"Every Heartless you have killed has released a heart that we trapped. Vanitas has the ability to help the boss with that."
Riku let out a small laugh, but immediately stopped as he felt another sharp pain in his side. "Do you really think Master Xemnas did all of this to restore your hearts? He's not returning them to you...he's creating an army."
Roxas paused and stared at the soldier.
"What gives you that notion?"
"It's happened before. Done by the same man. Xemnas."
A door nearby opened. Roxas returned to cleaning him without another word as footsteps echoed down the hall. Riku's jaw stiffened.
Not Xehanort. Maybe Xemnas?
Roxas nodded to his boss as he approached the cell. Riku glared at Xemnas.
"Lying to your own? I know what you're up to! History always repeats itself," Riku huffed. He saw Xemnas hesitate slightly. Did the other Nobody catch it?
"Oh, Riku, I couldn't have lived that long ago. Besides, I'm not too different than your own leader. Would you be surprised if I told you he sent you here for a reason? He knows exactly what he's doing. You and your friend are his biggest threat right now. Though, I can't say it's that much of a threat."
Riku shifted slightly. His mind was spinning. "Where is Sora?"
Xemnas smirked and began walking out of the cell. "You'll see. Roxas, you may finish." he said with a laugh before leaving. Riku stared out of the cell, then turned to Roxas.
"He's lying to you."
Roxas wrung the rag out and continued to clean him. "He's the reason I'm alive. He's going to rip Vanitas out of your friend, then restore me, Axel, and everyone else, including Saix. I'm sorry, you know him as Isa."
Riku shook his head. "Do you even know what happened before?" Roxas responded with a shake of his head so Riku replied, "If you can get back to our base, there is a book hidden behind a shelf in the building nearest to the training grounds. It'll tell you everything you need to know about Nobodies and the man responsible for creating them. Sora must have stole it from the classroom before he graduated."
"What makes you think I'll believe you?"
"If you don't, you and your red-headed friend are going to disappear...forever. You've sent two people to their deathbed. If he kills Sora, he'll kill you since you were created from him. You can't even put hearts into Nobodies."
Roxas kicked the broken leg as he finished the last of the wipe down. He scowled, then left the cell. "You're wrong. Just you wait," he muttered.
I wonder what Axel thinks? Roxas thought to himself as he wandered in search of his friend.
XxXxX
"Where am I? Is this the Realm of Darkness?"
Sora looked around, though there was not much to see. There was only one path, so he started walking. Darkness covered everything around him. He didn't know how he knew he wasn't dead. Something made his heart ache.
Riku...I have to find my way back.
His blue eyes caught sight of a door at the end of the path. "I have to reach it."
Dark balls materialized as he made his way through. He begged his Keyblade to come out. To his surpise, it did.
"Okay, I still have my blade. I can do this," he whispered to himself as he charged at the Heartless.
XxXxX
Days passed and the same routine plagued Riku. Wake up. Clean. Rest. Xehanort. His body and mind were wearing down, yet Xehanort continued relentlessly.
"Riku?"
Roxas walked into the cell with the usual bucket and rag. He could hear Riku muttering to himself. As he approached, he heard names being mumbled and noticed a blindfold around his head.
"...Dilan...Olette...Selphie...Cid..."
The numerous names were repeated in the same order. Riku's pace in muttering the words remained the same as the Nobody cleaned him.
"Would you like help?" Axel asked as he rounded the corner.
Roxas shook his head. "He's...out of it today."
Axel had heard the screams all night. He hadn't been able to sleep, so he wandered around. Roxas had told him what Riku had said after the first day. That very night, Axel had snuck out during a patrol and visited the camp. The book was exactly where Riku had said. He was hoping it was a lie.
Axel had stayed up numerous nights to glimpse at the book. Most of it was useless information he already knew so he skimmed through the beginning half. However, it got interesting once he made it to the middle.
The redhead knelt down to get a better look at Riku. He cursed his bad luck. After his read last night, he wanted to talk to Riku.
"Master Xemnas is separating Vanitas today," he mumbled to the younger Nobody.
Roxas kept his head down. He literally could not believe he would be getting a heart soon. The boss had been far too happy. Lately, he had spent most of his day locked in a large room with Vanitas, discussing plans.
"Riku?" Axel pleaded. It was as if Riku had not even heard him.
Did Xehanort break him?
With a scowl, Axel stood and kicked the air. "Dammit! Roxas, I'll catch up with you later. I've got some things to do."
The redhead ran out of the cell, leaving Roxas to finish his job. He felt lonely. Axel had been disappearing. The past visits to Riku were pleasant for him.
"Roxas, can you do me a favor? I...I really just need normal conversation."
The Nobody sighed. He examined the bruised and bloody body then grabbed the rag.
"How are you still alive? I've cleaned so much blood off you. The cuts you had are healed and it seems like even your bones are back to normal."
Riku chuckled. "Your boss...created an injection to speed up the healing process your body goes through. The man you helped escape has been making sure I am...ready for the next time."
Roxas watched as Riku shifted uncomfortably. "Have you ever been in love?"
"No...I don't know...Have you?"
"Yes. I never got the chance to admit it either."
Riku held on to the general conversation in order to stay coherent. Most of the pain vanished during those times. Roxas also enjoyed hearing about a life lived by someone who experiences emotions easily. He learned they both enjoyed sea salt ice cream and that their favorite type of food was seafood. Roxas wanted to learn more.
With every touch, Roxas could feel Riku flinch. The names from Riku's mouth turned panicked as the Nobody rubbed the blood off his thigh.
His mind wandered to Vanitas and Sora. How was separating them possible? Would Sora die in the process? A nearby door opened to the white room. Roxas stood, unsure of how to react to Vanitas while he stopped in front of the cell. He had changed out of the militry uniform to a tighter, dark piece. Roxas wondered if it was due to the immense speed Vanitas could fight at.
"Hey Roxas! You ready for today? I'm ready to have my own body. This one is rather weak. Anyway, would you please excuse us? I have some things to discuss with this one before we move him to watch."
Roxas gave s nod, but replied, "He's not that responsive today. Good luck." The blond walked out of the room with everything he had brought. Vanitas waited until he was gone to turn back to Riku. The mumbling continued as Vanitas paced the small cell.
"I would ask how you're doing, but I can see Xehanort has taken very good care of you. I think it was nice of him to try that healing concoction on your frail, human body. You ought to thank him later. Anyway, I just wanted you to have the chance to say goodbye to Sora. In a couple of hours, his heart will be used to unlock the true power of his Keyblades. Soon, so many heartless and Nobodies will cover this world that your arrogant kind will be wiped out. It was your kind that created the Nobodies and tried to make me into a heartless that would fight for mankind."
Riku continued muttering as Vanitas sighed.
"I just basically told you my life story and you aren't even listening. No worries, I'll bring you back for a little bit." Vanitas knelt next to Riku and stabbed a needle into Riku's neck. Vanitas slowly pumped the orange liquid into his veins. Riku screamed before coming to.
"Sora," he managed to say as the pain of everything started to come back. Vanitas smirked.
"Ah, there we go. Now will you listen to me? I am trying to be nice to you and you keep ignoring me!" he said as he kicked Riku.
"Your buddy here is going to completely disappear after today. He's going to be key into unlocking the true potential of your weapons. Get it? Key?"
Riku grit his teeth as he realized it was Vanitas next to him. The fog in his head prevented him from forming words.
Vanitas smirked. "If you're lucky, Sora's body won't break don't really know what will happen to him. I wouldn't mind sending you to the Realm of Darkness with you lover boy, but Xehanort wouldn't have his precious pet to play with every day."
As if on cue, Xehanort walked up to the cell.
"Come, Riku. I'm bored. Oh, hello Vanitas. I will be taking the boy over to the viewing room once we're done. Don't worry. I am sure he wouldn't want to miss it for the world. Have you contacted my brother?"
Vanitas scoffed at the thought of playing peasant. "No. Axel took care of it and he should be here soon."
Xehanort nodded and took Riku off the wall restraints. "Time to go."
XxXxX
Axel burst through Roxas' door to his room. Shocked, Roxas jumped to his feet. Axel gripped Roxas' wrist and dragged him out of the room, running.
"Where are we going?" Roxas asked as Axel continued.
"We need to save him to save Sora," Axel said as he looked around corners. Roxas froze and jerked his wrist away.
"Save Sora? Why? He's supposed to allow us to have hearts."
Axel shook his head and looked around. He wanted to make sure no one was coming. "Roxas, please trust me on this as we don't have much time. The book Riku mentioned. I...I read it. Xemnas doesn't want to restore our hearts. He wants to turn us into mindless Nobodies for his that happens, all we'll know is how to kill. You can't put hearts into Nobodies. It's already been tested. Xemnas wants to make the ultimate weapon to unlock everyone's hearts. In order to do so, he'll need Vanitas and you. If that happens, you'll die, Roxas. Sora is the only one that may be able to destroy Vanitas."
"Book? How do you even know it's real? It could just be some made up shit. We could feel things, Axel! We could feel what it's like to be hungry. We could feel emotions more or some emotions we never knew existed. We could be human..."
Axel sighed and hugged his friend. "Roxas, there are other ways we may possibly get a heart. This is not one of them. I don't want to lie to you. I don't know that they will work. However, my instincts are screaming at me, telling me this is not it. Please just trust me on this. Because if you die, I'll...miss you."
Roxas closed his eyes as everything swam through his head. Axel had no reason to lie. He had helped him survive and even feel a few emotions. Either way, he had a high risk of dying.
"Fine. Let's go."
XxXxX
Silence.
Am I even alive anymore?
"Of course you are," came a young voice.
Riku looked up and saw a boy covered in bandages and bruises. A cast covered one of his arms. Shame filled Riku as he looked away into the never ending, white room. He couldn't bare to remember his younger self before the military.
"Why are you looking away?" came a slightly older voice. Riku turned to his right and saw himself covered in blood. He knew it wasn't his own blood. It was the blood of his old squads.
"I just want to die," he muttered as he looked at the other two.
"Why?" the blood-soaked soldier asked.
"Everyone around me is dead. I feel completely broken. What purpose do I even serve anymore?"
The younger boy sat next to him on the ground. He examined his arm and innocently asked, "What about Sora?"
"He's dead too."
The soldier put a hand on Riku's shoulder. "You don't believe that."
"If he's gone through anything like this, I hope he is. He deserves better than to be a toy for someone."
"What makes you think you don't?" asked the boy.
Riku scoffed and replied, "I've let so many people die. I'm despicable. I deserve every bit of this."
The soldier forced Riku to look him in the eyes. Riku glared into the familiar, empty aquamarine eyes. Sadness covered the soldier's face. "No. That's what Xehanort said. The Riku I remember tried to resuscitate your second squad for an entire night. It wasn't your fault the Heartless overran the area."
The boy smiled and pointed to a space in front of Riku. The soldier moved out of the way to show an image of Sora in a hospital bed. Riku recognized the room from Dr. Leon's office. The boy stood and walked up to Sora.
"You managed to save him."
"Only to have him brought down in this mess. I have no idea what they even did to him. Would he be the same Sora if he escaped?"
The soldier shrugged as an image of gold eyes appeared. "No one knows their fate, Riku. What would you do if you had the chance to rescue him?"
"I suppose I would take it and do everything to make sure he was safe."
"Even if it meant your death?" the boy asked, turning to Riku. The images of Sora disappeared.
"Yes."
"Why?" the soldier asked as he turned back to Riku as well.
"He rescued me from a path I didn't want to go down."
"Is that it?" The boy asked, grinning.
"I love him."
"Truly?"
"Yes."
The two past Riku's smiled at each other and both replied, "You know what you need to do now."
"Riku, you're bleeding out on my floor. Don't tell me you passed out," Xehanort muttered as he approached Riku. He could still feel the blindfold cover his eyes, but felt the rush of adrenaline and energy flow through his body.
A smirk crossed Riku's face as he headbutted Xehanort. Riku concentrated his focus as he transformed into his Final Form. Before Xehanort could move, Riku summoned a new Keyblade and knocked him into the wall. Oblivion. He could feel Xehanort struggle beneath his hold.
"Thank you," Riku whispered as he slashed the Keyblade across Xehanort's neck. He could hear Xehanort choke on his own blood as the life left his body. Riku turned as the door slammed open. He raised his weapon, knowing who was at the door.
Axel stopped Roxas from walking in by holding his arm out. Blood covered the room, though he was unsure of who it belonged to.
What the hell happened here? the redhead thought as he turned to Riku, who grabbed a nearby Nobody cloak.
"Axel, Roxas, where is Sora?"
Roxas turned to Axel who offered, "Follow us. You may want to take your blindfold off."
Riku ignored the last comment and walked out of the room, leaving his emotions behind.
"I take it you read the book?" Riku asked as he followed the Nobodies' footsteps.
Axel pointed to turn the corner. "I did and I really hope you're right. Otherwise, you've put both of us at a great risk."
"If you didn't think it was true, you wouldn't have found me," Riku replied. Axel snuck a snarky expression before stopping in front of the large door. He looked at the other two and sighed.
"This is it. Riku, do you have a plan?"
Riku scoffed and walked past the two Nobodies. "Of course I don't. About 30 minutes ago, I wanted to die. I didn't care what happened. Yet, I remembered Sora could be saved. No matter what happens, I'll make sure that is done before I kick off. I know you are both risking a lot for this. You don't have to continue if you don't want to."
Axel rolled his eyes and replied, "I'm sure Xemnas already knows anyway. He has eyes and ears everywhere. We're in." Roxas nodded in agreement, unsure if Riku knew. Whether or not Riku knew, he nodded back and unlocked the door with his white and black Keyblade.
If this is my last mission, I'll be okay as long as Sora is okay.
Riku pulled his Keyblade up in time to block an incoming attack from Vanitas.
"I'm surprised you're alive, Riku. I thought for sure Xehanort killed you this time."
Axel and Roxas ran past them and summoned their own weapons. "We'll find Xemnas!" Axel yelled as he ran off.
Riku could feel Vanitas speeding up and began to match it. Keyblades swung everywhere in the large room. The two jumped to avoid each other's attacks. It felt as if hours went by. The room was getting destroyed by them. Old paintings fell on the floor, cut from the Blades. Books littered the floor, pages strewn everywhere.
Riku smirked as Vanitas pinned him to a wall.
His attacks are very similar to Sora's.
Riku ducked as Vanitas thrust the Keyblade into the wall where Riku's head was seconds before.
Hesitation?
"Sora! I know you're in there!" he yelled as he stopped another attack.
"He's gone, you idiot. When will you learn!?" Vanitas countered. Riku summoned his other Keyblade, initially unsure if he could maintain the energy to hold the Form with both. He had to use both to defend himself.
"Sora, fight it! Please," he begged as Vanitas' attacks grew more rapid and aggressive. His energy was already beginning to wear. Defensive moves always took it out of Riku. More time passed as Riku dodged and blocked oncoming attacks. His body was beginning to hurt from the abuse it had previously gone through.
"Getting tired, Riku? It's starting to show. You're getting sluggish."
I have to end this soon.
Riku searched his mind for an answer, but found none. Sweat dripped off his forehead. Blood dripped from the multitude of cuts from Xehanort. Vanitas saw an opening and stabbed Riku in the abdomen. Riku grunted as he fell against a nearby bookshelf. As his head hit the shelf, his blindfold fell off, onto the floor. The bright light irritated Riku's eyes. He could hear Vanitas walking over to him.
I guess I fucked up. One last look.
Riku opened his eyes and stared at Vanitas. Though his armor had changed, he could still see Sora. Could still feel him.
"Technically dying by Sora's hands...it's not so bad when you think about it that way. I'm sorry, Sora," he said between breaths of air.
XxXxX
Sora could feel the turmoil in the Realm of Darkness.
Riku?
Sora ran towards a white door he had spent days trying to get to. He was tired, but knew he had to keep going. A day had passed before he lost count of the number of Heartless he destroyed. Heartless blood covered his Keyblade, sweat covered his body. He approached the door and stared at the handle. He had no idea where it lead, but his heart was telling him he had to do it. Sora gripped the handle and pulled as hard as he could. It wasn't easy to open, but he didn't care. He was done being in the dark. He had to find Riku. Light flooded the darkness.
"Riku?" he said as he looked around the white room.
"Down here...I was hoping you'd make it back..." Riku whispered. He was out of his Final Form, trying to conserve his energy.
Sora looked down and saw Riku against the wall, eyes peering into Sora. They were gentle looking. Sora knelt down and reached for Riku's wound.
"Sorry I'm late," Riku muttered as Sora began to heal the wound.
"I'm not sure if you're being an ass or genuine. I'm the one late here. If I would have opened that door sooner, this wouldn't have happened."
"What door?"
Sora shook his head and concentrated on healing. "Don't worry about it. What did they do to you?" His voice was sad as he looked over Riku's body.
"Just taught me a few things. You need to kill Xemnas. Vanitas is still inside you. Since Xemnas controls a part of him, once he dies, Vanitas should too."
"What about you?"
"I'll be fine. I just want to sleep. Go help Axel and Roxas."
Sora knew Riku was weak, but didn't know what had happened. He was surprised to learn Riku had made allies with them. Before Sora could stand, Riku pulled Sora down and gently kissed Sora's lips. When he let go, he grinned at the brunet.
"Welcome back. Finish the job."
XxXxX
Sora found the door from the loud clanging. He peered inside to find Xemnas holding off both fairly well.
"I could have made you powerful. You could have gotten anything you wanted." Xemnas stated as he blocked Roxas' attack with a Keyblade. He spun and shot lightning at Axel, who jumped away in time.
"We wanted to be human!" Roxas tried to jump behind Xemnas to slash his back, but was met with a block.
"You do realize it was the humans who helped create you, right? They wanted an emotionless killer to fight for Heartless were getting more powerful and the weak humans could not handle them."
Roxas hesitated as he was thrown against Axel. Roxas looked up to see Sora lunge at Xemnas.
"There you are! I was wondering when you would show up."
Sora grit his teeth as he went into Valor form. He could feel the anger churn inside, but knew to calm it down. Roxas and Axel had stood and charged back at Xemnas. Magic flew around the room as the Keyblades hit each other. Xemnas protected himself with a magic barrier to avoid Axel's flames. No one was landing a hit. The brunet backed away as he began to feel different. He was beginning to get extremely ligtheaded.
Vanitas...If this keeps going, I won't have the strength to keep him away and fight...
Roxas and Axel continued throwing their weapons as Sora looked down at his Keyblade.
Vanitas and Xemnas are connected...
Sora let out a sigh, content on his decision. He turned to face his Blade against himself. Xemnas saw Sora and shoved Roxas and Axel to the ground. He ran towardss Sora and reached out to stop him. Sora smirked at the man as he shoved the Keyblade into himself.
Axel stared, shocked to see the darkness leave Sora and disappear into nothing. Roxas lunged himself over Axel and thrust his Keyblade as hard as he could into his old boss' back. He gripped the second Keyblade and slashed it as hard as he could. Blood fell to the floor as Xemnas' body became lifeless. Roxas stabbed him one more time before the body fell to the floor. Axel walked over and summoned fire onto the body now that there were no magic barriers around him.
Roxas turned to Axel as he muttered, "It's over."
Axel shook his head. "We have a couple more things to do first."
XxXxX
Paper littered the ground back at the Keyblade Corps base. Reports made by Xemnas and General Ansem plastered every wall.
Cloud looked around as Leon approached him.
"So, he always wanted us to kill the Heartless to produce the hearts needed to help control the Nobodies...How despicable..." Leon said with a frown.
Cloud turned to Leon with a sigh. "Well, we don't have to worry about it any more. We killed him weeks ago and burned his body. He never stood a chance against 100 pissed off soldiers. The sacrifice those two boys made will be remembered forever."
"Who will lead us now?"
"I believe everyone has cast their vote in. While soldiers may not be needed as much now, we still need someone to guide the people."
Leon nodded and looked at his watch. "Time to go check up on a few of my patients. Come visit me some time...It's been a while."
Dr. Leon walked back to his medical facility and opened the door. The halls were quiet as he found the room he needed to go to.
He opened the door and nodded to Roxas and Axel, who stood from their seats. They had helped get the information spread so the general could be take out. Once the general had realized Xemnas and Vanitas was gone, he silently allowed the mob of soldiers to kill him.
Leon turned to the two beds with a gentle smile.
"Glad to see you guys awake. How are you feeling?"
Sora raised an eyebrow and looked down at the bandages covering his chest. "I have a gaping hole in my chest with my friends at my side. I've never been better, really."
Riku, in the bed next to Sora, chuckled softly. "Same."
"Good. Sora, I'm sick of seeing you in this place. Please try not to do anything reckless from now on. Riku, please keep an eye on him."
Sora waved Leon away. Riku smirked and leaned his head back against the pillow with a sigh of relief. A month had passed since Roxas and Axel brought them to be helped by Leon. Both were in critical shape and the doctor was unsure if they would even live.
"We're going to head back for now. The rest of the Nobodies are confused as to what's going on. We'll need to help them integrate with everyone."
"Thanks for everything!" Sora exclaimed with a grin. Riku nodded in agreement and stopped Roxas from leaving. "Roxas, thanks for keeping me sane." Roxas turned and shrugged before leaving the room.
As the door shut, Roxas reached up and kissed Axel on the lips. "When are you going to tell them?"
The redhead returned the kiss with a deeper one. "I'm sure they'll figure it out. I'm not even sure how it emotions though...I have no idea how people control themselves."
Roxas shrugged as the two walked out of the building. "I guess we'll have to learn."
Sora watched the two from the window near his bed. He would never be able to thank them enough for everything. Sora frowned when he turned to a sleeping Riku. Riku had begrudgingly accepted his new position as General. The ceremony would take place some time after he would be released. Sora knew the healing process was going to take a long time.
Riku began to scream. Sora stood and lightly shook him awake as he had done numerous times before. Riku refused to tell him what had happened during their time as prisoners.
"I'm sorry, Sora," he said between gasps of air.
Sora laid down next to him and grabbed his hand. "For? We got this far, we'll keep fighting. Besides, I'm here to help."
"How many times are you going to have to save me?" he asked as he kissed Sora's head.
Sora shrugged. "As many times as I have to."
Riku smiled and looked at his reflection in the mirror. He would never be able to fully recover, but knew his life would be much more tolerable with Sora.
End Note: Sorry for the rushed ending. I really just wanted to finish this. I still have a few people following after all these years and figured I owed everyone an ending. Thanks for reading if you made it this far!