AN/ I completely forgot to mention like two chapters ago and I'm so so so sorry for that but thank you so so much for the nice reviews on ch231. Thank you so much. I expected to upset a lot of people with it and getting the exact opposite of what I expected was really, really nice. Thank you.

Chapter 234: CHAPTER TITLE THAT MAKES YOU GO OH NO

Riku slid back as the light burst from Kairi. The attack looked powerful, and he wondered briefly where she'd learned it—she'd obviously learned it in the last month or so. It was raw, and unrefined, but he supposed as long as it did the job…

He readied himself to strike, but hesitated. The idea of striking Namine with his blade… drawing blood… it made him sick. He'd have to do it, sooner or later, if he hoped to win, but that didn't make it any more appealing. He gritted his teeth and tried to steel his nerve. He had to do something, and he couldn't be such a baby about it.

He summoned darkness to his fingers, jumped back. The darkness solidified into Dark Firaga, and he aimed. Fired.

Kairi jumped back, landing on Riku's left. Namine stumbled a little, then straightened, grinning.

"You say friends don't give up on each other," she called. "But you gave up on Sora."

"I did not!" Kairi shouted back. The way she tensed made Riku think she wanted to punch Namine in the face.

"Kairi, try not to listen to her," Riku said, preparing another blast of darkness. He'd wait to attack with his blade. He'd wait.

"You didn't?" Namine completely ignored Riku. Her attention was all on Kairi, and that was a bad thing. "Hmm… because I seem to recall that you spent three months sitting on the islands with me, wishing that he'd come back."

"How does that sound like giving up?" Kairi scoffed. Her voice isn't nearly as strong as before, though, and the light that surrounded her was growing weaker. Riku hoped she was just worn out the attack. It had been incredibly flashy. Hopefully Larxene—Namine—wasn't getting to her.

"Kairi," Riku warned. Namine sent a murderous glance at him. With a flick of her fingers she sent a jolt of electricity at him, effectively cutting him off. He choked back a shout as his body trembled. Plunged his blade into the floor to steady himself and maybe ground the electrical current.

He refused to scream. Refused to let this incapacitate him. The moment he went down to a single lightning bolt was the moment this battle was lost.

When he came to his senses again, Namine was in the middle of a sentence.

"—occurred to you to get off your butt and go after him, for starters."

Kairi was pale and shaking. Her fists clenched. She chewed her lip.

This really was getting to her. Riku had to speak up, stop Namine, something—but he didn't trust his legs to move and words didn't want to leave his mouth.

"How's that sound for not giving up on your friends, hmm?" Namine laughed. "If you cared about Sora so much, why didn't you—"

"I WAS SCARED!" Kairi screamed. Namine looked surprised to be interrupted, but then she smirked. Riku growled in annoyance, but he still didn't trust himself to move. Kairi continued:

"I was scared that what I'd find wouldn't be him. I was scared that I'd look for him and wouldn't be able to find him." She shook her head. Tears fell from her cheeks. "It's just like why Riku thinks you're a lost cause who can't be saved—he's not given up on you, he's just given up on hope, because the situations that have ensnared you seem too much for him to overcome."

Namine rolled her eyes, still smirking. "That still sounds like you've given up to me."

"You don't understand—or if you did, you've forgotten. It's harder when it's someone close to you." Kairi's voice was quiet. "Sora's like my brother. Riku thinks you're the best thing in all the worlds. When you have someone that close to you, you fear losing them so much—you fear it more than you fear losing yourself. Your life stops mattering, because what's it supposed to be like without them?"

Riku's heart seized in his chest. That was exactly what it felt like.

"It still took you three months—" Namine began.

"Five," Kairi corrected. "It took me five. I counted the days, hated myself more every one for thinking that sitting by was the better option." Her voice shook, and her whole body trembled with pent up emotion. "But you don't know what it's like… seeing someone you love… seeing them look at you and spit in your face. Seeing them look at you and threaten to harm you. Seeing them look at you but all you see in their eyes is darkness."

The words tugged Riku's heart. She was right. That feeling was horrible, and it pressed in on him. Every moment he looked at Namine. The girl he loved, out to kill him…

"But don't you see, Riku?" Kairi's voice cracked, but she sent a smile at Riku anyway. "Sora came back. Sora came back, after all that happened to him. So I refuse to believe Namine's lost too!"

She prepared for an attack.

Riku straightened and raised his blade.

"You're wrong."

Namine's voice was so quiet Riku hardly heard her.

"Huh?" Kairi asked.

"I do know what it's like," Namine whispered.

The images washed over Riku—brief, but potent.

The walls of what looked like Castle Oblivion, stained black with darkness.

Himself, cloaked in darkness. Bathed in the stuff as it writhed and snaked around him.

He looked happier than ever.

At first Riku was a little disturbed, but then he saw it. A figure cowering in the corner, below him. A figure that looked remarkably like Larxene.

The grin from the image echoed on his own face.

"I won't let you!" Namine shouted.

For a moment she sounded lucid. Like herself. It was enough to break Riku's trance, just slightly.

She looked scared. Absolutely livid with fear.

"I WON'T LET IT HAPPEN!" she screeched. "EVEN IF IT MEANS KILLING YOU HERE BEFORE YOU HAVE THE CHANCE."

Her blade pierced his cheek.

The spell broke.

Riku stumbled back, shoved her blade away from his face. Before he could retaliate, Kairi pulled him back. She linked her arm through his, glowing with light again.

"Follow my lead," she instructed.

"Uhm?" Riku swallowed, sending a glance down at her, then over at Namine. Why did she seem so frightened? Why did the string of images bother her so much? He tried to tell himself it was just the Rewrite, but that didn't make sense. Fear wasn't a logical emotion to program into anyone, not when you had the option to Rewrite them entirely. What was it about those images that scared her enough to—

"Riku!" Kairi hissed.

He shook his head, looked down at her again. Right. Attack. Combo attack.

"Uh." He blinked rapidly, trying to get his mind to shift gears. "Uh- I. I can't do light."

"No duh. Use darkness, you big idiot."

"Right."

Riku summoned the darkness in him, relished in it as it poured through his veins.

"Wait," he said. "Is it gonna hurt her—"

"RIKU NOW ISN'T THE TIME!"

"Right. Right. Sorry."

They attacked.

Strength filled Riku—much more strength than darkness alone could supply him with—as he and Kairi both leapt forward. They attacked Namine with alternating strikes. Alternating hits of light and darkness, then they separated and jumped back.

They only exchanged one glance, but somehow Riku knew what to do.

They leapt into the air in unison and hit the ground at the same. Light erupted from Kairi. Darkness from Riku. The blasts hit each other in a glowing wave, and then bowled Namine over.

She screamed.

It wasn't a frustrated, furious scream. It was a cry of pain. She was hurt. Namine was hurt.

All the world seemed to blur around Riku.

"Riku!" Kairi grabbed him by the arm, distracting him. "It's fine. She's probably hurt, yeah, but there's no way that killed her. She'll be fine."

"Riku!" Namine cried. "Riku please this hurts this hurts this hurts!"

She was on the ground, clutching herself, rolling in pain.

The sight of it nearly broke Riku's heart.

"Namine!"

He started to rush to her, but Kairi held him back.

His heart pounded in his ears. The world fuzzed around him. All that mattered was Namine.

"Don't listen to her!" Kairi said. She tightened her grip on Riku's wrists. "She's not hurt that badly, trust me, and if she is it's a good thing."

Riku snarled. How could Kairi say that? Namine was hurt—

"Riku how could you do this?" Namine sobbed. Her words were choked, distraught. "How could you do this? I thought you wouldn't hurt me Riku please—"

Riku tore himself from Kairi's grasp.

He went over to Namine.

Cradled her in his arms.

"Namine I'm sorry," he gasped. "I'm sorry I'm sorry."

He wasn't even thinking.

"Riku you idiot get away from her!" Kairi screamed.

Riku didn't hear her.

He just ran a hand through Namine's hair, held her close. She was bleeding.

"Kairi, please." Riku looked up. "Please she's hurt I can't do Cure to save my neck."

"Riku are you even paying attention she tried to kill—"

"KAIRI!"

There wasn't time for this chitchat. Namine was hurt. She was hurt!

"Do it yourself!"

Riku grit his teeth and turned away. Of course Kairi'd be this stubborn. Fine. He could Cure Namine. Really. He knew how to. Focus his energy. Wish the wounds healed. Focus.

The energy left his body in a flood, and his head spun briefly. But then Namine buried her face in his chest. It'd worked.

"Riku thank you," she gasped, clutching at him. "Thank you so much. I thought I was gonna die. I thought I was gonna—"

"No it's alright, I've got you. I've got you." He held her tightly. Buried his face in her hair. It was okay. He had her. He had her, he had—

—a blade through his abdomen.

The realization hit him hard. The world solidified around him again, and then went cold. Namine'd stabbed him clean through. And it was his own damn fault.

"RIKU!" Kairi screamed.

Namine laughed. It started off as a soft giggle, but soon escalated into thrilled cackling.

Riku swore under his breath. Coughed blood.

Everything started swimming around him.

He registered Namine pulling her blade out of his chest.

He registered falling backwards, to the ground.

How could he have been such an idiot? How could he have fallen for it? She'd probably been faking, and the worst part was, in retrospect, it'd been obvious.

The sobs: forced.

The words: not hers.

It was all his fault.

His vision went black.