Chapter 24: Numb

His breath was coming hard to him. He sat there, gasping for air. His heart felt like it was going to explode.

I don't get it, he thought bitterly. Riku uses darkness all the time, what makes me any different?

"Sora!" Riku shouted. "I'm pure data. My mind, my body, my heart, the darkness in my heart—it's all data. I don't think I could change it if I tried, okay? I didn't get a choice in the matter. Nothing about me is even real! You, Sora, however, are. You're real and so is the darkness inside of you. And, from the looks of things, it's eating you from the inside out."

He clutched his chest, gasping as the pain became unbearable. I thought he was just bluffing. But I guess… maybe… maybe Riku was-

"That was a reckless use of your dark powers," Maleficent scolded, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Shut up!" Sora gasped, glaring up at her.

"Just remember," Maleficent said. "Relying too much on the darkness could cost you your heart."

"Hmph," Sora growled. "You think I don't know that?" he sneered, slowly rising to his feet. "But at least I got rid of Riku! Now he won't be in our way! Can we just get started with the plan already?"

Maleficent raised her eyebrows, obviously not liking the tone Sora was taking with her. However, she said nothing about it. "Very well," she said instead, leading the way to the Grand Hall. Sora followed behind her.

Kairi was already in the Grand Hall, having been told to wait there. She felt numb, like she was dreaming. She hoped she was dreaming. After that battle between Sora and Riku-

She shuddered. That battle was the worst thing she had seen in a while, even if she hadn't stuck around to watch it. She had ducked back into her room shortly after it started, but hearing it take place had been worse, because her imagination came up with it's own images to place with the noises. She had sat there, growing more worried as the battle wore on. Riku's screams of pain had grown louder and more frequent, Sora had begun to laugh, as if he was enjoying Riku's pain.

I must be dreaming, she told herself. There was no way this could be real.

The door opened and she turned to look. "Sora," she said, relieved to see him. Some part of her just wished that he'd tell her that she had just been dreaming. That all of this was just a figment of her imagination. But the rest of her knew. She wasn't dreaming.

He ran over to her. Her heart plummeted, still seeing traces of darkness in his eyes, still seeing bitterness on his face. She closed her eyes, holding back tears. She wouldn't cry. Not now.

I just need to tell him, she thought, and then said: "Sora, I really don't think this is a good idea-"

He laughed and grabbed her hand. "It's going to be fine!" he said.

For a second she believed him. She wanted so badly to believe him. To just let everything be alright. But she couldn't.

"But, Sora, I-"

She never got to finish that thought. Maleficent, who was ignoring them, had just flung her arms into the air and commanded in a powerful, booming voice: "O Purest of Hearts, reveal to me the Keyhole!"

A blinding light filled the room. A still silence pervaded the air, broken only when the light faded. A single streak of light remained, like an arrow, pointing to the Keyhole.

"Aha!" Sora laughed, his excitement scaring Kairi. He turned to her, a grin on his face. "Hold on," he said, letting go of her hand and starting to run off. "I need to-"

"No," Kairi said, catching him by the arm. "You don't."

"What?" Sora asked, tugging his arm away. "What are you talking about?"

"You don't have to do this, Sora!"

He looked at her, something close to a glare in his eyes. She stared at him, and swallowed. She could see the darkness clouding over him.

"Yes, Kairi, I do," he said coldly. "Maleficent helped me find you, I said I'd help her with this. We had a deal."

He acted as if it was just that simple. But Kairi knew it wasn't. There was something more to this. There had to be something more to this. "Why are you doing this!" Kairi asked, frantic.

He turned away from her. "I just- I need to!"

"Sora!" Kairi shouted in disbelief. "You aren't listening to me! There is nothing that's making you do this!" But as soon as she said it she knew it was a lie. There was something forcing him to do this. The darkness. It was controlling him. It had been controlling him for a while now.

"Sora, please!" she called desperately, not to him, but to the light inside of him. "There's still light in you! And you know somewhere deep down in your heart that what you're doing isn't right!"

Sora refused to look at her. "I have to do this," he whispered, running off.

She watched him in shock. Her heart tore itself in two, and a tear slowly rolled down her cheek. "Sora…" she muttered.

He glanced back at her only once. Guilt stabbed at his heart, and he paused. In that moment, he wanted to just run back and apologize. He wanted to run back and-

His darkness wouldn't let him. It made him turn. It made him keep going. He stopped only when he stood in front of the Keyhole.

"What'll happen once I unlock it?" Sora asked Maleficent, almost nervous.

"The heartless will overrun this world, and the darkness will take over," Maleficent replied. "But no need to worry. The darkness holds no power over us."

He glanced at her skeptically. Even with the darkness strong in his heart, he found it hard to believe her. Nevertheless, he pulled out his blade.

Nothing happened.

Sora raised his eyebrows.

"Impossible!" Maleficent gasped. "The Keyhole isn't complete!"

"What?" Sora asked, confused. "But- how-"

"It must be her," Maleficent, turning and looking at Kairi. Sora was taken aback.

"What!" he asked, the darkness in him being shoved down by his worry for Kairi. "How dare you suggest that Kairi's the problem?"

"She is the only princess conscious," Maleficent said. "She must be holding back her power somehow."

Sora scowled. He didn't really like the tone Maleficent used when she had said the word "princess". She said the word almost loathingly. Slowly, he took a step away from her, but didn't take anymore.

"What can we do?" he asked quietly, regretting saying it as soon as he did.

Maleficent took a second to consider this. "Only the princesses' hearts are required…" she said slowly, turning back around to look at the Keyhole.

"What!" Sora shouted, shocked. He took a good three steps backwards. "Are you suggesting that- No! We- no!" he stuttered. "Forget it! There is no way you're taking Kairi's heart!"

He stopped. Maleficent turned to him, and she knew. Sora had no idea what to do next. After what he had just said to Kairi, there was no way he could do anything.

Sora turned and ran, right then and there.