It wasn't a far distance, but this was a really long walk. I reached out and gently nudged Kairi's hand. She wordlessly wrapped her fingers around mine, and I could tell she was still distracted. I think all three of us were pondering about the mess we were getting ourselves into, in our own ways.
All Terra had been able to tell us was that Ven had reapplied the seal around his other half just to be safe, but it seemed like he might still somehow have access to some dark abilities or...something. I didn't really understand it too well. But I guess whatever magic he was doing was definitely not coming from him, but from other source. A source Ven had never seen before and had no idea who could have given it to him.
Now Vanitas was steadfastly refusing to leave until Kairi and I came up to talk to him at the mountain lookout point. I mean, I know Ven is going to do his best to keep him from doing anything weird, but...with that weird power he somehow is able to access, who knows what this is going to be like.
He had also said not to bring Riku, or anyone else but myself but, uh...well...I glanced over at my friend. Riku was sternly glaring at the road up ahead, not saying a word. Yeah, there was no way he wasn't going to come along. Everyone else was going to be waiting at the bottom of the trail, just in case he tried to run off from us, or if things got bad and we had to send up a help signal.
...I really hope it doesn't come to that.
I also still don't really get what Kairi was trying to tell me on the way over here. That he stole my emotions or something? I don't really know how you can even steal something like that...besides, I still think I can feel things. Though, if it was something I can't feel any more maybe that's why I can't feel it? I'm so confused...
But if she says that talking things out with him will stop him from trying to sneak up on her all the time, I'll do it. As hard as it's going to be, I'm not going to give up before I've started. Though...convincing him to open up isn't going to be very fun.
We approached the small rest house just before the outlook point, and it looked so dark and lonely. Despite it still being fairly early morning, the shadows from the trees and the other mountains behind us made it feel like dusk was already approaching. It didn't help that the mountainside was so eerily quiet. No birds, no insects, nothing. Like the sound had been sucked clean away from everything.
Ven was sitting grimly on one of the small benches just outside the front door of the rest house. He stood up slowly when he saw us, eyeing Riku in particular.
"Yeah...figured you'd be coming too. I told him as much."
Riku gave him a brief head bob back, his eyes shifting a bit to the left towards the viewpoint clearing. "What right does he have to give demands, anyway?"
Ven sighed so heavily his shoulders sagged. "He doesn't, really...but I think the idea was if you didn't meet with him, he would just keep stalking Kairi forever."
I felt Kairi squeeze my hand a little tighter.
"Is he really able to..."
I got a nod in response, my question obviously anticipated. "Yeah, I put a seal on him so his Keyblade is locked, but...that weird dark power of his...I have no idea where it came from. And because of the seal it means I can't really do anything else since I'm locked as well."
So, basically, Vanitas is a dirty rotten cheater.
Riku still seemed uneasy, casting side glances back at Kairi, and I knew what he was thinking. It really felt wrong to let her just waltz right up to him, knowing she was his target for whatever reason. But I knew that she would never be content sitting back while we sort this out for her. And she certainly had the fire inside of her to fight back should anything happen. It doesn't make me any less worried, but I know there isn't anything I can really say against it. I saw Riku open his mouth and winced. Uh-oh...
"Do you think you could watch Kairi for us?"
"I'm not staying here!" Yeah...that was really not a smart thing to say, Riku. She looks mad.
Ven scratched the back of his head. "Honestly...she would be better off with you two. When I say I can't do anything...I really can't. Sealed both our Keyblades, magic, everything. It's all or nothing with us."
"And I can take care of myself, thank you very much." She glared so hard in his direction he was forced to take a step backwards and apologize.
It just wouldn't work to convince her to stay behind any more. At least, not too far behind. Maybe just a bit is okay?
"Kairi, um...do you think maybe you could still stand behind us, though? When we go up there? Just in case..."
She released my hand and crossed her arms. Uhh-oh.
"Fine, I suppose. But I'm fighting too, if it comes to that."
Oh. Phew. She doesn't look too upset about me asking.
"Let's hope it doesn't." Riku started towards the trail. "Sora, it goes without saying what you need to do."
"Mm..." I followed him, knowing that he was relying on me to help keep her safe. Kairi fell behind me and we plodded up the small trail towards the outlook. After passing a curve in the trees, I saw Riku tense and knew he had spotted him. I moved up next to him, and found Vanitas leaning against one of the wooden posts that marked the clearing.
"Gang's all here, I see." He glared disdainfully over in Riku's direction for a moment before seeking Kairi out behind me. "I guess your boyfriend is a little too pathetic to face me on his own, then."
I stared directly into his eyes, refusing to let his pettiness intimidate me. "I'm not so insecure that I would put any sort of pride over doing what keeps her safe."
...And I suppose also because Riku would have been far too stubborn to stay behind even if I hadn't wanted him here. But that sounds way less cool.
He scoffed at me. "So, if I told you I'll leave Kairi alone if you kiss my feet, you'd do it?"
"If I knew you'd keep your promise, then, yeah." Maybe that made me a loser; I don't know. But Kairi was more important than whatever he thought of me.
"You really are pathetic." He turned to walk up to the clearing, I assume wanting us to follow. Kairi gave my arm a subtle squeeze and all of us went up together.
I hadn't been up to this lookout spot in a long time. It looked like there had been some recent effort to clean it up for potential tourists, but half of the signs were so dirty they were illegible.
"Such a sleepy town. It's strange to think about all that could be seething, twisting unseen underneath its calm appearance." He reached his arm out over the town and clenched his fist. "So much pain. So much heartbreak. So much disappointment."
"Get to the point, what is this about?" Riku snapped, saying exactly what I wanted to, in harsher words.
Vanitas continued to stare out at the expanse of the town. Most of it was also still under the early morning shadow of the mountain. "You of all people should understand, Riku."
"Sorry, you'll have to fill me in."
"I'm talking about jealousy." He turned, eyes locking with my friend. "Jealousy is such a horrible emotion. But it can be so powerful in a way...it can drive people to do very extraordinary things. Wasn't that the source of your darkness?"
Riku said nothing, and I could tell that whatever attempt Vanitas was doing to rile him up wasn't working in the slightest. If he thinks manipulating my friend is going to be that easy he's got another think coming.
However, rather than looking upset that his smack talk wasn't working, I noticed a particularly smug smile spreading across his face. What was there to even smile about at a time like this? He definitely couldn't use any of his powers, Ven's seal was still holding really strong. But I could feel it rising around me. Darkness, hatred, lingering somewhere nearby.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flutter of some long white fabric and I turned to see...Ophelia? Why was she…? Before I could say anything, she started stomping towards me determinedly.
"Sora! I have something for you!"
"This isn't..." I trailed off and glanced over at Riku who was looking incredibly confused. Oh...right, I guess he's never met Ophelia before so he probably has no idea who she is.
This really wasn't the best time but I mean...what am I going to do? Tell her to just leave?
"Listen...here isn't really a safe place right n-"
"Oh, I know." She sounded so...direct, yet...calm. It seemed every time I met this girl she had such a confused sort of energy around her. As she closed the gap between us, I saw her face twist into a really horrifying sneer. Her pace quickened, determined.
Before I could ask her anything else, I heard Kairi desperately shouting my name. She came flying out from nowhere, shoving Ophelia down. A pair of trimming shears clattered across the ground. I jumped back away from them as they barely missed spinning into my shoes.
"Wha…?" Where did those—was Ophelia holding...?
Ophelia tried scrambling to her feet but Kairi grabbed her arm and yanked her back away from me. Riku pounced on her as well, holding both of her upper arms from behind.
"No! No, no! I have to—I need to—Let me go!" She tried kicking this time, but Riku still held her steady. "Let me go! You're hurting me!"
Kairi wedged herself in front of me, shaking her head furiously. "Ophelia, you're not yourself! What were you trying to do with those shears!? You were trying to hurt Sora, weren't you!"
Ophelia just shrieked, stamping her feet furiously, one of them landing right on Riku's foot and I saw him wince, but he doubled down, shouting at her to stop.
"...is that true?" I tried approaching her, but this only seemed to infuriate our classmate even more.
"You need to hurt! You need to understand how much I..." Her struggling lessened and she sagged, her anger breaking down into heaving sobs.
I felt a wave of guilt, but more importantly, I felt like more than anything she desperately needed help. Though, I have no idea if she would even listen to me, but I had to try something.
"Ophelia...I'm sorry. If I had known you were hurting this badly I-"
"Shut up!" She screeched, digging her heels into the dirt.
"Please...can't we talk about this?"
"What could you possibly say? I don't want your apologies, I don't want your pity! You rejected me and it's not fair! I'm going to make you...make you feel the way I do..."
"You were going to attack him, just because of a rejection? You're incredibly short sighted."
"Riku!" Kairi scolded him sharply, but he steadfastly refused to retract anything.
"I'm not going to entertain stupidity."
Ophelia half twisted around, her wrathful face directed at my friend. "I don't care what you think! What could you possibly know!?"
I tried reaching out to her again. "Ophelia, I'm sor-"
"If you are going to apologize, apologize for that!" She jerked her head towards Kairi, nearly shrieking again. "Apologize for being with her and not me!"
"I..." I saw Kairi's arm trembling a bit, and it seemed like she was speechless about the whole thing. I shook my head.
"I can't apologize for my heart feeling the way it does. I didn't choose for it to feel that way, and I don't regret that choice, only that you had to suffer so much because of it."
"That's not good enough!"
Dark smoky arms that looked like plant vines shot out from her body. I saw one crash hard into Riku's shoulder and he twisted to the side. Another charged straight towards Kairi. I didn't really have time to think, so I just grabbed her up in my arms and flung myself down to the ground to avoid it. I rolled just before hitting the dirt so I would bare the brunt of the fall. Kairi scrambled to her feet, offering me a hand to pull myself back up.
"What is this stuff!?"
From all around us, like the eruption of a brush fire, the entire lookout point was suddenly engulfed in these long, twisting vines that surrounded us in a living, dark cage. I guess that might make sending a help signal to anyone a little difficult. I decided to ignore that for right now.
"Tch..." Riku swatted at one near him. "It's pure negativity turned into darkness."
More dark vines were flying towards us. I sprang up as fast as I could, bashing one to the side with my blade, the other deflected with Kairi's magic. I saw Riku was fending off several of them himself, trying to circle his way back towards us after having been pushed towards the edge of the lookout point.
I could hear Vanitas laughing behind it all. "Now, what are you going to do? Fight her?"
Despite having to push back the onslaught of this darkness, I focused on Ophelia's face. She had this trembling, sorrowful look in her eyes—not unrelenting anger or hate. There was definitely a confused and scared girl in there. Maybe Vanitas had done something to channel dark energy through her to bypass the seal? I think Riku had the same idea as me because he started charging straight towards Vanitas, swiping at him.
"No, we just need to take you out instead!"
He dodged away from the strikes, still smiling. "Oh, it's not me. That darkness is all hers. I might have...pushed her in the right direction to unlock it, but..."
"How could you…? Give her back!" Kairi batted away another one of the smoky arms.
They held a powerful force of energy, but it was obvious that Ophelia hadn't quite understood how to control them. Rather than an intelligent attack, they were sort of just flailing around in our direction like a crazy octopus.
Vanitas stepped away from Riku who had stopped his advance. "Oh, so sorry, but it's out of my hands now. I'm sealed, remember?" He threw up his hands and waved them sarcastically at us and I grimaced. Why was he so horrible sometimes? Though I'm sure if Ophelia lent that darkness to Vanitas, who could properly control it...
He leaned back against the post again, smirking. "I warned you about how powerful jealousy can be. It was such a nice opportunity. And I guess my appearance made my words especially convincing to her...how lucky for me."
I called out to our classmate again, dodging closer to her so I could try to put a hand on her shoulder. "I don't know what he told you, but he's only using you. You're sad and you're hurt but I know you aren't a bad person like this!"
The dark arms trembled and smacked me back, one thrashing me so hard against my shoulder that it knocked me off balance. Kairi came up right behind me, holding up a barrier around the two of us.
"Deep down is this really what you want!?" I tried again, but Ophelia simply was refusing to listen.
She shook her head and shrieked again. "Shut up! Shut up, shut up! I'm going to cause you pain one way or the other!"
Her face twisted back to Vanitas and she reached over to him. Some of the darkness around her shot over towards him and he grinned in a sickening...horrible way. That certainly solved the question of where his dark powers came from. Vanitas immediately retaliated out at Riku, but before I could run to help, Ophelia was already sending her haphazard smoke vines back at me.
Kairi was trying to get closer, but every time she tried, Ophelia just targeted her mercilessly. I saw one vine rear back like a snake, ready to strike down at her and I pulled her out the way. Just before it struck us the snake-like vine opened up at the front and shot a hazy mist into our faces.
What the...
It smelled a bit like rotten honey. Or at least what I assumed that would smell like. I gagged and coughed, blowing the smoke away from us with a wind spell. I turned to check on Riku but my whole body suddenly felt extremely...heavy. Riku was...there were two...of him? Two Rikus?
Kairi was stumbling a bit herself, and both of us realized that this shaking in our vision wasn't from a sudden earthquake. It must be some kind of poison. Kairi seemed to be suffering from it worse than me, she couldn't get herself up off the ground. The ground which, according to my vision right now, was swimming about at eye level. I cast a curative spell on her as fast as I could, knowing that this condition was only going to make things worse. It seemed to work, because I saw her leap to her feet and try to ready the same for me.
My vision still blurry, arms heavy, but before I felt the relief of a cure, something sharp wrapped itself around my ankle and pulled me up into the air. Upside down, with everything wobbling made me feel even more sick than I had been before. I closed my eyes, rather than trying to focus on the double, even triple images dancing before me. I couldn't see anything, just a clouded, heavy haze.
I couldn't really see what was dangling me over the ground, but I could certainly feel it. I lashed out, hearing my friends doing their best to fight off more of the vines to help me down. My Keyblade must have cut through something, because I heard a snap and I started to drop down some unknown distance towards the ground that was shivering and shifting beneath me.
I landed and slid against something weirdly...sticky. I tried standing up but my foot slipped out beneath me and my face smacked into what felt like a soft fleshy wall. What is this thing? I tried a different direction but felt the same resistance there as well. There was a strange gurgle sound and a blast of sweet syrupy scented water hit my face, knocking me down again. Some of the stuff went up my nose and I tried to cough it out. My throat burned, like the water was laced with pure lemon juice or something.
At least my eyes started to refocus slightly, but that didn't help me see much better. I was completely surrounded by some bizarre, semi-transparent rubbery orange wall that bounced underneath my hand when I tried pushing against it. I could vaguely see a Kairi shaped blob on the other side of one wall, trying to cast magic at it, but everything she was trying to do was just bouncing back off at her. She kept disappearing, and I heard her fighting off more of those vines that kept trying to disturb her attempts to break me out of here. Riku was probably still struggling to break away from Vanitas who seemed to be specifically doing his best to keep him away from helping the two of us. But I couldn't be sure, I couldn't see him at all from here.
I'm not sure what this thing is, but I'm not going to just sit around in it while my friends are fighting for me. There was another gurgling sound, and I backed away from it. This time, a stream of some vaguely floral scented water started pouring down to my feet. It continued without stopping for a while so I decided to ignore it for now.
I tried whacking the wall, but every attempt I made to hit it left absolutely no mark, and only seemed to squeeze more of that weird floral water out over me. It just kept pouring out of the wall. I tried magic as well, but it was not only ineffective, it sent another gush of water blasting against me. The more I attacked, the more the sickeningly sweet water just kept coming. And, given this tiny space, that wasn't exactly ideal.
I sloshed through the rapidly rising water and tried to call out to Kairi on the other side.
"What is this thing!?"
She dodged past several strikes and raced back to where I was. "Sora, is that you!? Are you okay!?"
I stared down at the water pooling down around my waist. The rate only increasing in speed. "Uh...that depends..."
"What do you mean it depends?" She sounded terrified and I felt a little bad for being vague.
"Where am I?"
"You were swallowed by some kind of...giant plant."
"Wha...?" A plant? ...Swallowed!? Now I really want to get out of here.
Kairi had to move past an attack but quickly came back to the side of the plant to talk to me. "Sora, what did you mean it depends!?"
"I don't know, this thing is...it's filling up with water or something."
I heard her mumble back what I had just said as if she was trying to comprehend it. "How much time do you have?"
Something about her question filled me with a little dread. "Not long. Every time I attack it, it fills up faster."
"Okay, don't worry, I'll-" I heard her shriek and her voice disappeared. Panicked, I smashed my hand against the stupid wall, shouting for her, but she didn't answer back. The walls were sort of transparent, but not nearly enough for me to see what was happening outside.
I didn't care that my beating against this wall was only making the water rise up to my chest now. I needed to get out and help her.
Right. Time to break out the big guns.
And that plant definitely didn't like them. Not one bit.
I heard it squeal as I blasted into the side of it. The water inside immediately began spilling out to the ground, relieving a little bit of the imminent dread I was feeling earlier. I raced for the hole, but before I could pull myself out to freedom, some tiny feelers snagged my wrists and right ankle, smacking me back against the far wall. I tried ripping my arms free, but something else pungent squirted in my face and I felt weak again. I fought against the heaviness in my eyelids. I can't...give up. Not now...
At least with the hole in the side of the flower the rising water wasn't going to be a problem anymore.
Which also meant there was no reason I couldn't beat this thing silly.
My hands might have been somewhat trapped against the wall, but that didn't stop me from roasting it with a good spell or two. The plant rattled back and forth. I hope I'm giving you one bad stomach ache, bud.
Rather than divert the stream of water to my feet, it decided to just blast it right in my face. I spluttered, tilting my head away to try and get a breath of fresh air underneath the hose of liquid. Ugh, this stuff stinks. It's like when a girl puts on way too much perfume at once. It tastes even worse, too.
I coughed and spit out as much as I could, as I continued the onslaught of my attack. I finally managed to burn a hole through the back of the plant and I flopped out onto the ground, gasping for fresh air. The plant shriveled and retreated up into the air. While lying on my back, I watched it ascend up into the sky where it joined a whole network of twisting dark vines that covered the entire sky above us.
It was like we were in a massive cage of thorns that blocked out the sun. I was finally free of that stupid thing. But, more importantly, where were my friends!?
I tried staggering to my feet, my breath feeling a bit more shallow than normal. I must still have some water in my lungs or something. I tried to cough it out, but the heaviness persisted. My vision started to haze, but I searched. Where is...
Kairi! I saw her, but I also saw him, pinning her to the ground, leaning awfully close to her face like he was trying to... I seethed and charged towards him.
"...unfinished business. I wonder how sweet your li-"
I could barely interpret what he was saying to her as I raced up and shoved him as hard as I could. He fell hard, but took me with him. I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and suddenly found myself sprawled against the dirt. Had he kicked me? What happened?
I tried to stand up but felt even more unexpected pain pulse down my body and I gasped, clutching my chest. It felt like it was pulsing. My lungs, or maybe my heart, I couldn't tell. What...ugh...what was going on?
I fought past the pangs and tried to stand, my whole body shaking. Where was Kairi? Riku? Why was everything so...fuzzy? I think I felt Kairi's hand on my shoulder and she tried to help me stand but my knee just wobbled and I collapsed back down.
"...ra? Wh...sn't...esuna...worki...?"
What? None of that made any...
"..lling...elp...othing...tting...ou..."
What was she trying to say to me? I feel so...so tired...
I felt myself mumbling as I tried to ask her about Riku. But I couldn't even hear myself. I have no idea if she understood, or if she even answered me. I lifted my hazy vision back up, knowing that staring at the dirt wasn't going to help anything. Vanitas was laughing, again.
He's always laughing...but it's always so cruel.
I think he said something about poison. Is it Riku? Is he okay? I struggled to stand again, but got even less far this time, flopping even harder to the ground. For some reason my arms didn't catch me this time, and my face smacked right into the dirt. Why were my arms and legs so numb? I'm so confused...
It feels like when I wake up in the morning after sleeping all funny and my body isn't responding at all. But I'm not giving up yet. I'm not letting him touch her. I couldn't feel my limbs, I couldn't see straight, but if I just ignored all of that, just moved the way it felt like I should, I might be able to still fight.
Riku always said I didn't need eyesight to do it.
I took a shallow, shaky breath and closed my eyes. I don't know how he did it, but I knew that I could almost feel people by their hearts. Reaching out with a web of light instead of my eyes. If we had a connection together I could pull at those strands to figure out who I felt around me.
This wasn't an easy thing to do, and definitely not an easy feeling to describe whenever anyone asks about it. I guess it is a little bit like diving into a pool while also blindfolded and dizzy, trying to find a specific item that someone has tossed in ahead of me without telling me what the item even is. Yeah...sorta like that, I guess? I was searching for something, anything in that warm space that connected our hearts together that I could cling to that would guide me.
I tuned out everything around me, focusing only on what I could feel. I very easily detected a sensation that was sharp, but cool and refreshing, like really crisp mint. It was hovering near me, emitting a very steady warm ember-like glow. That was definitely Riku. I felt pretty relieved that he was okay, but he seemed really distressed right now.
Kairi was also just as easy for me to find. She had a really soothing feeling about her as well—almost like floating in a calm pool of water on a really hot day, the waves lightly drifting me around, surrounding and supporting me. But I had to look beyond their presence, towards anything that seemed different or hostile. I felt a very hollow echoing feeling, close to where Riku was. It reminded me of an empty library during twilight. Very sad, very lonely. I wondered if that was Ophelia. It would be good to keep i mind where she was, but right now I was looking for...
There was a very cold spiky sensation almost like when you touch an ice cube and your finger gets stuck to it for a second. There he was.
I put my plan into action, charging without really feeling the ground, swinging out at him without really seeing. It was all just muscle memory at this point. I could feel Kairi fighting next to me, her aura warm yet troubled. But the longer I focused, the more clear everything became.
I realized I was somehow seeing without my eyes. Hearing without my ears. Moving without really feeling like I was moving at all. Maybe I was seeing it all through Kairi somehow. My connection with her, or her light was filling in the sensory gaps that I couldn't handle right now.
There was still a lot that was foggy, but the clearest thing to me right now was that Vanitas had certainly not been expecting me to put up a fight like this. Riku was somehow dealing with Ophelia behind the two of us, leaving Vanitas open to our teamwork. But other than attacks, I knew we had to reach out to him a different way to get him to stop.
I was leading myself with my heart, after all. If I could only touch him...
Kairi knocked his attack away and I dodged under it, brushing my hand against his chest.
And I added his thread to the web of connecting threads around me.
I knew there was something inside of him that just wanted closure. And like Kairi said: if we could just talk, we could solve all of this.
Speaking across the gap between hearts was a little strange sometimes, but I had grown quite used to these glowing floors in that wide, expansive misty room. Vanitas was staring at me from the other side of that floor, clearly open enough to actually answer my call and speak.
"Why are you even here?" He snarled, still reluctant to let me draw any closer.
"I want to help you."
"Help...me!?" He angrily spun around, glaring out into the misty darkness stretching before him. "You should be only focused on helping yourself."
"I can't do that. I refuse to give up on a friend. And deep down, I know there is a part of you that wants us to be-"
"We can't! Go away..." He sounded far less cold than usual.
"I already said I won't. Sorry, I guess I'm annoying in that way, but I refuse to leave my friends behind."
"You...I'm not your friend! I couldn't be! No one could...I'm too..."
"It's okay to have problems, really! We'll work on them together. Then, in the future we can-"
"There is no future!" He yelled this so loudly, it felt like the room around us was shattering.
He stumbled back, severing the connection between us.
Back on the mountain, he was staying just out of the reach of my hand, not wanting to reestablish the connection. He spat to the side in frustration.
"J-just give up. You're already dead anyway."
Another one of his spiny threats, but I know there was a friend in there, somewhere.
But...something really didn't feel right inside me. My arms were starting to lose feeling too and I worried maybe I wouldn't be able to hold my weapon for much longer. Vanitas sneered at me again.
"See? You're already feeling it. I can tell. Just give up!"
I felt a hand on my shoulder and saw Kairi giving me some support as I swayed on my unstable legs. At least I think I was swaying. It was hard to tell.
"What are you talking about? What did you do to him!?" Kairi was really, really angry. I don't know if I've ever seen her this angry. Though...I suppose I'm not seeing so much as feeling.
"I didn't do anything. It was her plant." He gestured back to where Ophelia and Riku were and crossed his arms, looking quite pleased with himself. "She was targeting him the whole time. First poison, to disorient, then into the trap. Her knowledge about toxicity in nature is really quite charming, in a way. Just the right blend of chemicals..."
Kairi clutched onto me harder and I felt another restorative spell ripple warmly through my body like a breeze blowing through tall grass. But...nothing really felt any better.
"Try all you want to heal him, it's already inside. It's a deadly paralysis. It targets the body first, then the lungs and finally hi-"
"No. No, please no." I think I could tell Kairi was trembling against me, but I couldn't feel it any more.
I knew I heard what he said, but it didn't really make any sense. What was happening to me?
"There has to be a way to cure it! There has to be!" I saw the ground dropping up closer to meet me and realized that Kairi was helping to set me down.
Why was breathing suddenly such a difficult thing to do?
"Oh, there's an antidote. Just one." Vanitas withdrew some sort of vial that he had been wearing as a necklace the entire time and shook its liquid contents at her. "The real question is, what would you do to get it?"
"Anything." Kairi didn't even hesitate.
It's funny. They always teased me about agreeing to things too quickly, but there she goes...
The air felt really thin up here suddenly. Maybe the altitude is too high...or...
Everything felt so...fuzzy again. I think I could hear Riku shouting something, but I have no idea who he was even talking to. I could only really focus on one of my friends at a time. It suddenly felt like it took far too much effort to connect to them. I faltered, and the previous link I had with Kairi snapped, leaving me clueless and dizzy on the ground. I couldn't hear anything, could barely see.
I struggled to open my eyes.
Kairi was collapsed on the ground in front of me, sobs racking her body. I needed to reach out and touch her shoulder, to comfort her, to do something, but my arm was just a weight at my side. I couldn't quite focus on what she was saying, but she had a wonderful, pure light just pouring from her that seemed to illuminate everything around us.
Vanitas was glaring down at her with such a smug expression, but the longer she spoke, the more his expression changed. And his hand on the vial of medicine started to shake. Kairi stood up, her light seeming to fill him, too. I knew if there was anyone who could reach out to him, to pull the light that he had inside back up to the surface it would be her. I saw him glance down at me, but I wasn't really able to move or say anything back.
I think he looked...really sad. Or full of regret. I don't know if I've ever seen him too regretful about anything. He just liked to play things off like he was too cool to make mistakes. But this time he really did seem...
I really think he wanted to help me.
I wish I'd been able to reach out to him before all of this started. He was just always so much more resentful, angry around me than anyone else. I thought I was only making his adjustment worse. I wanted him to be able to make a friend, even if that wasn't me. I had such hope he would be able to. I really think he still can...
Trembling still, Kairi reached for the vial he was holding stiffly in his outstretched hand. Vanitas turned his sorrowful eyes to her. Then he focused back down at the vial.
And he crushed it.
I might have gasped, but my chest was being squeezed so hard by my own body I couldn't move. I watched the liquid dribbling down into the dirt, seeping uselessly into the ground. Kairi scrabbled for it, for just a drop, digging at the sand, but it was already gone.
Everything was slipping away from me. I think I was lying on my back, but it was a bit hard to tell. I couldn't see the sky above me-just those twisting black vines that reminded me of the worst candy ever. Who likes licorice anyway?
My blurry vision was at least able to focus on one thing. One wonderful positive thing. Kairi's face. She was crying harder than I've ever seen her cry before. That made me a little unhappy.
But I was glad I could see her, at least. Rather than just endless shades of blackness.
And I think I finally realized what was happening.
Maybe she really would be the last thing I saw. But...maybe that wasn't so bad.
"Kai...ri..." I recited her name slowly, relishing it's sound as it passed through me. Every last vibration as it was pulled out of me from the depths of my heart.
I really wasn't sure if I would ever be able say her name again, and I never wanted to forget it. However far away of a place I end up.
Her tear-streaked face was still indescribably beautiful, and I smiled up at it, wanting nothing more than to brush them off of her cheeks. But my arm had long since stopped moving now. I felt like I was slowly being encased into a smaller and smaller box, my chest growing tighter, breath weaker.
I couldn't hear what she was saying to me.
I couldn't hear her voice anymore.
How I wished I could.
But...I know.
Every end is just a beginning. It's only ever an end if that's where you stop looking.
I couldn't breathe anymore. I knew the little air I have in my lungs now is all I have left. I wish I could tell her, with the few words I have left in me, that I won't leave her behind, not even like this...
I stared up into the deep ocean of her eyes, flooded with tears, her mouth still crying out words I couldn't possibly understand and felt myself sinking down into the depths of those waters, comfortably, quiet. And with the last bit of voice I could manage, I whispered one word.
"Always."
Death didn't seem so bad, after all. Everyone always seemed so afraid of it, but it kind of stopped hurting after a while. Maybe because I knew at the end of it all, I had always pictured some place warm and full of light. I wasn't expecting a foggy, slightly damp forest. But I suppose it isn't too bad.
I can't really complain anyway, can I? I'm dead.
What a stupid thing to finally do me in. A flower. Made me regret ever trying to study up on those things. Riku's never going to let me live it down when I te...
Oh.
Right.
I suppose it isn't death itself that is the sad part. It's knowing that everyone else is gone away now. Or, I guess...I'm the one who has gone away, haven't I?
And that forest suddenly seemed a lot more lonely than before.
I felt the mist chill my legs, the light ferns of the forest floor rustling into me with a slight breeze. A shadow darted across the trees, but they remained still. There was a soft patch of sunlight raining down between a gap in the leaves, dissipating just a bit of the mist for me to clearly see a small door built into the side of a rather large tree trunk. I wonder where that goes.
Maybe this is like some last thought space for me to reflect on my past or something. Maybe when I open that door I'll get pulled into whatever is waiting for me. Like, a next life or something? Is that what happens?
I dunno...
But what if I don't go through the door? What if I stay here? Could one of my friends rescue me from this place? Could I...go back to them?
I don't really...
I don't want to be here.
Not yet.
Maybe some day I would be ready to walk through that door, proud of what my life had been. But I'm not ready for that yet.
I decided to call out. To see if there was anyone there I could try to bargain with about all of this.
No one answered me, but I almost heard the forest respond in silence and more darting shadows. I set my hand against a nearby tree and felt the wood bristle under my fingertips, like it was alive. Well, I know trees are living things but...alive. Like it was the back of a cat or something.
I shrank my hand away and sighed. This place was weird. Certainly not a place I really wanted to stay for very long. But I couldn't help shake the worry that if I walked through that door, I couldn't ever come back.
I decided to try again. "Hello? Listen, I...I don't know if anyone can hear me. Or...if there is even anyone there. But, I..." I felt the trees closing in to me, but I wasn't afraid. What could I possibly be afraid of now, anyway? "I won't leave her behind. I can't. I promised her I would never leave her behind again. And I don't care if I have to sit here all alone for years, decades even. I won't leave until she comes here, too and is beside me again. Even if she's moved on and mostly forgotten about me, even if she spent years falling in love with someone else, none of that matters to me because I'd have one more chance to see her happy. And the longer I have to wait the better! It means she ha-"
Light poured out across the forest, putting it into sharp focus around me. The trees retreated away from me, taking the door with them. I stood there silently, waiting in this new clearing, watched on all sides by the tall trees, leafy ferns, and darting shadows.
"He was right about you." I heard a voice quietly mumble from behind me. I turned to see a girl with two long braids sitting on a large ivy covered stone, her back facing me.
She didn't seem the least bit surprised by this place. Maybe she's waiting here for someone too.
She half turned, and I realized quickly that this wasn't just a random girl. It was Ophelia.
"Ah!-" I felt my voice trail off in surprise. "O-Ophelia? You...you died too?"
I felt a pang of guilt that I couldn't actually help her. But I was also incredibly confused how that could have happened. The last I saw, Riku had been with her. And he wouldn't have...
"No...I'm not dead, Sora. Maybe I should be. But I'm here because I needed to apologize."
In her hands I could see she was fiddling with some sort of flower that I didn't recognize, yanking the petals and flicking them out across the loam. She seemed quite sad, or ashamed, because she returned to her previous position, her back to me. "I thought he was some sort of...magic fairy like in those old picture books...he looked just like you."
"Ophelia, I don't-"
"Wait! I don't deserve your kindness yet."
Drawing her knees up she sobbed quietly to herself. I tried moving closer to her as well, but the forest trembled at me, shadows lashing towards my shoulder. It seemed like whatever guarded this forest didn't want me to touch her.
"I never wanted things to go this far. Not really. This darkness is just so terrible..."
"Ophelia, I forgive you, really. It was a mistake and-"
"I'm going to do what Riku told me."
I paused. "Riku?"
"He told me a lot of things. Trying to convince me to let you go. At least, that's all I thought he was trying to do at first. But when I thought about it...his advice really does make a lot of sense."
"What did he say?"
"He said, it's often difficult to have a measure for the kind of person we are. And often when we face adversity, it shows us things we don't want to see. We need to understand that having weakness or faults doesn't make us less of a person. It just means we now know where we need to improve. The true test of our character is how we act going forwards. Do we correct your mistakes? Turn from them in fear? Or just resign ourselves and give up? The question is not who we were, but what kind of person we want to be."
Just like Riku to say some good advice like that. I'm...really going to miss him. I never really got to say goodbye, either. What was the last thing we had even really talked about? I think I just nodded at him or something meaningless.
"What kind of person do you want to be, Ophelia?"
"I'm not sure. Everyone always teased me when I tried to express myself, so I just decided to be quiet all the time and never say anything. But that only made me unhappy. I think...I think I was drawn to you because you were able to be so free all the time. I spent so long hiding who I was inside I...don't really know who I am."
"Well I know one thing at least. I know you're a good person. And, it's really hard to figure out all that crazy stuff inside sometimes. Just keep moving forward and do what feels right. That's what I try to do." I heard her sniff a bit from over at the rock, and she turned a little to face me again.
"And at the end of the day, I'm sure the real you will come shining through. Meanwhile, if anyone teases you for trying to be yourself, don't let it deter you. If you follow your heart, eventually you'll find friends who will accept you for who you are and won't judge you for it."
She hummed, and fell silent. Maybe it was because taking advice from a dead guy isn't necessarily the best option, huh? Guess Riku wins that point.
"Riku told me that he used to like Kairi, too. But she didn't end up liking him back."
"Yeah..."
"He said he was alright in the end, because he knew Kairi wasn't wrong for following her own heart and making her own decisions. He said, if anything, it let him support the decision she does make because he knows it's what she wants. She's important to him, so he wants her to find happiness. She wouldn't be happy with him and that's that, but he isn't going to let a little temporary unhappy setback prevent him from moving forward with his life."
I really wasn't sure what to say about all of that. I felt my throat clench a little realizing just how much I wish I could have said something to Riku, too. Just to let him know what a great friend he is...was. But he already knows that...
He'd laugh at me getting choked up about it now. Or just tell me, 'hey, I already knew that dummy.'
"She really is the one who is meant to be with you. I can see that now. That look on her face when she was told about what was happening to you, the emotion I could feel pouring out of her when she was begging for your life, that cry when..." I heard Ophelia sniffing again. "I've never heard a cry like that. Tears over a bond so close, so pure, that it's just like the fairy tales..."
She abruptly stood from the rock, sliding herself down into the ferns with a thump. I watched as she approached me, her face determined despite being streaked with tears.
"What were you going to say to her? At the end?"
I thought back to Kairi, who I knew was still out there, probably crying like she said. It hurt.
But she was always so strong. I knew some day she would be okay. Her light was always so brilliant and unwavering it could cut through any darkness. She was so much stronger than people really ever gave her credit for. Unwavering, yet kind.
Maybe this was just me being naive again, or just impulsive to think so, but somehow I always believed we would be...
"I...if I could tell her..." I paused for a moment, just listening to the light whisper of wind rustling through the trees above me. "Kairi has always been..."
Ophelia seemed to be getting a bit fed up with me. "Sora, we don't have much time. Answer simply!"
Time? What does time matter? But I suppose...
"I'm sorry. I've been told that when it comes to her I always manage to overthink everything. I usually just blurt out everything I feel in such a roundabout way I don't know if anything will come across right, and I wanted to tell her so many things. About how I want to be there for her, how I trust her with all my heart, how I want her to live happily. But...if I try to take everything I feel and condense it down into one, really clear answer, she's..."
I hesitated again, but...I realized at the end of all things, it really wasn't that hard to say.
"I love her."
Ophelia's eyes closed, and a little bit more light began to stream down from the treetops. "I see. I figured as much. But I needed to hear it. I needed to know you really would fight for them, instead of just quietly fading into the night. It only confirms that he really was right about you. And I know what I have to do. I'm resolved now."
"...resolved?"
I wonder if that means she is going to be going back to where my friends were. If she wasn't dead like she said, anyway.
"Wait! Before you go!" My mind raced. "First of all, could you tell them that I-"
"Sora. Tell them yourself."
She reached out and stabbed something small and thin into my hand.
"Ow! What is...?" A...thorn? It kinda hurt, and now my hand was pulsing funny. I didn't really expect anything to hurt in a place like this.
I suddenly felt very woozy. That, or the forest was now moving in two directions at once.
"You are what gives her hope. Hope to foster that wonderfully warm light of hers. That light can save a lot of people. And she's out there right now, refusing to give up on you."
"Refuse...to...me?" I teetered, clinging to the side of a nearby tree. Ophelia, meanwhile, was walking over towards that strange door that I had seen before. The strange, glowing door...
I tried to reach out a hand to stop her, but it felt so heavy again...
My voice was all garbled, like my mouth was filled with a blanket.
Wait...
She paused, turning to look back at me. "Sora, it probably doesn't make sense now, but it should in a moment. All you need to do is listen. Can't you hear them?"
Listen...? I opened my ears, hearing only the faint breeze and the rustling of the ferns. But something stood out from that, faintly, just a whisper behind it all.
"-ora!"
That was!
"Sora!"
I could hear them! Riku and Kairi! Calling my name! Before I could joyously let Ophelia know, she was reaching again for the mysterious door.
It opened, and the bright glow of the sun consumed everything.
My face felt kinda wet.
But I felt really warm, which was nice. I hadn't realized how cold I had been until I felt the warmth again.
"-eathing!"
Huh?
I tried opening my eyes, but everything still felt kinda heavy.
"Sora! Please come back!"
That was Kairi's voice. Right next to me. I had to open my eyes so I could check.
My eyes fluttered open, the shadows in front of them slowly lifted...and it was her.
Kairi. Kairi. Kairi.
My Kairi.
The sky was bright and clear behind her, meaning we were no longer surrounded by that horrible dark heaviness was plaguing me before evaporated under the brilliance of her smile. A smile so wonderful, even through the river of tears pouring down from her face onto mine. I smiled back. I couldn't even speak before she had my head wrapped up in her arms, clutched tight to her as she rocked back and forth.
Her voice was hoarse, ragged, and her arms were shaking. I could tell she was exhausted.
What had happened? Where was this? Back on the mountain? But how?
I felt something sturdy and warm wrap around both of us. I couldn't see anything, but somehow I knew it was Riku hugging me too.
"I heard you. Both of you." My voice finally came back to me, but it was muffled under the weight of the both of them.
I felt Riku pull back and jostle Kairi's shoulder. "Give him some air, he probably needs it."
I didn't care how stuffy the air was pressed up so close to her. It was still fantastic to be breathing again. She loosened just a little, her voice still stumbling over my name through her tears. I shifted my head to the side as much as I was able to, in order to finally see Riku's face. He wiped at his eyes quickly and I felt a pang of guilt.
I'd always teased Riku before about how he never cried. I could count on a hand the number of times I'm think he did, because he always hid it. I'm really sad I had to add another one to that count.
"Riku, I-"
"You idiot. Do you have any idea what you put us through!?"
I almost wish I did, I was so confused about this whole thing.
"How did I..."
Riku sighed heavily, resting his hand on my shoulder. "Your...heart was going to stop from the poison. Kairi used her magic to keep it beating and give time for Ophelia to give you the antidote."
This just left me with way more questions that I didn't have answers to.
"Kept my heart...Ophelia...the...but it broke, didn't it?"
"While you two were fighting Vanitas I was trying to talk some sense into her. She came around, but I was too late to stop you from getting poisoned. When she saw everything...happen, she told me she had the antidote, but wanted to be sure before she gave it to you. Refused to let me see it until I connected your hearts together so she could speak with you about something. I guess your heart convinced her to heal you."
I didn't really understand it, but it almost made sense. "Riku, how did you..."
He shrugged. "Hey, I know your heart inside and out. It wasn't too hard to make a temporary link, since she was trying pretty hard to reach out on her end. I was just the mediator."
I checked my hand, noticing that there was a mark from a thorn-like object that had been stabbed into it. I guess that really was the antidote. And that strange forest was some space between me and Ophelia. I wonder what that door was, though. And what would have happened if I had walked through it initially.
"Kairi, did you really keep my heart beating that whole time?"
"M-mm..." She bobbed her head, doing her best to staunch her tears.
I wanted to say thank you, but just the words themselves felt so hollow and not nearly good enough for someone like her. "Kairi, I...I'm so sorry I..."
She cuddled me closer, if that was even possible. "You told me 'always'. And it's the same for me, too! I will always keep you from leaving me behind."
I did my best to reach up around her back to give it a soft rub, but my arms were still a little heavy. I think it's gonna take me a while to recover fully from this thing.
"Where's Ophelia? And..." I hesitated, almost worried to ask about him.
"I'm here. I'm...a little tired, but I'm fine. He won't be using my negative emotions for any more as darkness, either." I heard Ophelia, but i couldn't see her. Maybe she was behind Kairi somewhere.
I did my best to try and sit up, Kairi regrettably having to let my head and upper body go in the process. But I needed to fix things, still. I heard Ophelia's voice again, and was finally able to locate her, leaning slumped against one of the old benches.
"Sora, about that guy...he's really confused inside, too. He told me about how jealous he was that other people could have such close friendships and love one another. He said he felt this weird leftover stuff from you and even though he knew it wasn't his feeling, he was desperate to at least experience what good things were like. I...told him I understood. That's why I let him..."
I raised my hand and she fell silent, staring down at her shoes.
"You don't have to apologize again."
But she confirmed everything that I had already suspected. Vanitas just needed a friend.
Riku pointed back across the courtyard where I finally saw him, sitting still on the ground, ripping chunks of grass out of the ground with his fist.
"I'm going to go help him."
I stood up, somewhat expecting Riku at least to protest me going over there alone, but he seemed to be perfectly okay with it. Kairi seemed unstable while she wasn't holding onto me, and I think she really tired herself out more than she wanted to admit. I gave Riku a short pleading glance and he nodded, shuffling over to help support her up.
I walked over towards my dark twin, staring angrily across the outlook.
"Hey..."
The cold pair of eyes turned to glare at me instead. He was absolutely seething in unchecked rage, but he had no powers now to do a thing about it.
"Why...you always have to win, don't you?"
"It's not about winning-"
"Tch. It's about helping people, right?" He sighed mockingly at me. "It's about bringing back people's hearts. Lot of good that did me! I bet you think that was some...favor!? What's the point of having my own heart if it doesn't help with all this sadness and disappointment!? It only makes the pain hurt worse!"
I dropped down to the dirt next to him and he recoiled, hiding his face.
"If you're worried about what happened before, I forgive you already."
He shivered. "Why!? Why would you so easily forgive someone who smashed your only life saving cure right in front of you? Are you stupid!? If it wasn't for absolute luck...you'd be..." He punched the ground and fell silent.
I knew he regretted doing that.
"Yeah, maybe I am a little stupid. But I like to try and stay positive about most things. And I like letting people have more than a few chances to figure themselves out if I think they are willing to try."
Ophelia spoke up faintly from the bench. "He isn't telling you the truth, Sora."
Vanitas hissed and crossed his arms, looking away.
Ophelia continued, undaunted. "He never had an antidote to heal you in the first place. It was just colored water in a vial. A fake sugar placebo. He said he wanted to give it to you to snatch hope out of your hands and watch you suffer even more."
Kairi gasped. "But..."
I think I understood, now. He smashed it, not because he wanted to deny me a cure, but because he wanted to end the suffering. He didn't want to torture us any further.
And...that also confirms some part of him did really care about us, after all. It was buried pretty far down there, but it was a sign I was really happy to see.
"...do you know what mountain we are on right now, Vanitas?"
"Why the hell should I care!?"
I pointed over to one of the few remaining wooden information signs near the hiking trail. "It's called Konohana and it's pretty famous around here. It used to be a big volcano, apparently. But it doesn't erupt anymore. It used to be under the ocean, too. Then one day I guess it decided it was done being a lonely volcano and boom, it made all the islands here."
I knew I didn't have it exactly right, but eh, I was close enough. Besides, the details didn't matter too much now anyway.
"...I wasn't there at the time but when a volcano erupts I'm sure it's pretty scary. I've heard really big ones can turn the whole sky black for days, and it covers everything with ash and other hot stuff. A lot of things...die. But, it doesn't end there. Once everything settles, there is a new island. A new home for lots more plants and animals and even people, too."
Vanitas just sat, silently, half watching me from the corner of his eye.
"So...the way I see it, life always has two parts to it. Two sides to everything. There's going to be darkness and anger and destruction. But there's also going to be life and light and happiness. And sometimes we can't always control which of those two things we see more often, but that's why when we do get a little piece of happiness, we should cherish it all that much more. And that's why good things are worth protecting."
He sighed and hurled the frayed grass clippings in his hand to the ground. "Well, isn't that just nice and dandy for you, then. Unfortunately my life isn't exactly filled with sunshine and rainbows, now, is it?"
I pointed down over to the edge of the town that was visible from where we were seated, half overshadowed by the mountain. "See that? Right now, everything to those townspeople down there is covered in darkness. But what do you think the other side of the mountain looks like? I bet it's bright and sunny and just waking up for the morning. But it's the same day. The same sun. The same mountain. The only thing that's changed is where you're standing on it. If where you are now is filled with darkness, then do what you can to seek out the light. Because if you look for it, it will be there. You can't just be happy living on one side."
He was trying to put on a nonchalant face, but I could almost feel the pain through his eyes as he turned to me, livid. "So you're blaming me for everything after all!? Saying I didn't do enough!?"
"Of course not! It's not your fault for not finding it. It's not your fault for being overwhelmed or discouraged and unable to see past all the shadows. That's why we need friends: to help find the light for us. But if you want things you change you have to be willing to try. I'm telling you all this because I want you to know that it's always possible to find happiness, no matter who you are."
He shivered and turned away. "And...if I can't do it alone...?"
"The darkness only takes control of you if you let it. If you call out to us for help, we'll answer. You just need to trust us." I laid a hand on his shoulder, and was glad to see that he didn't try to throw me off.
"I know you're scared because darkness is all you know, and you got jealous seeing us happy, but you can be happy too. A happiness that is your own."
I have no idea what emotions were coursing through him right now, but his voice, as quiet and hesitant as it was, rang out clear enough for me to hear.
"I...need help. I want happiness. I...want forgiveness. I want...a friend. "
"You already have at least three right here!" I gestured to myself, Riku and Kairi behind me. "Why do you think we came all the way up here?"
"...because I threatened her."
I shook my head. "Yeah, maybe so. But it's because we want you to get better."
Riku finally broke his silence. "Do you really think I would have held back at all if I wanted to get rid of you for good?"
Kairi shot Riku a frustrated look and sighed. "I'm not happy about everything either, but just like I said before, I want to help you through this, too."
Vanitas stared blankly at the grass in front of him for a moment before rising back up to his feet. "I'm surprised losers like you three can be so convincing. But you're all idiots."
I grinned brightly up at him and he hissed again.
"You'd better stop smiling at me like that."
Riku crossed his arms. "Does this mean you'll be more willing to listen to what Ven has to say and teach to you?"
Vanitas scowled but didn't refuse.
"And...maybe you'll try to reach out to us a little?" I pressed, jumping up to my feet.
"I...suppose."
Aw, that totally meant yes! I think he could tell I was still smiling and he gripped the fence in front of him, rattling it a little bit under his shaking hands.
"D-don't get so excited! I'll only use that knowledge to upgrade to better friends, later!"
I shrugged and threw my hands behind my head with a laugh, glad to feel the movement coming back to them, finally. "That's fine. Just as long as you get some good memories along the way."
He growled again. "You're a stupid sappy weirdo."
I felt Riku throw his arm over my shoulder. "Yep. But he's our stupid sap. Better to get used to it than fight it."
I glanced back to check on Kairi, and saw that she seemed a lot better. She was helping Ophelia to her feet. Vanitas took a few steps towards them, but kept his distance.
"...I'll earn my forgiveness from you, later. You'd better not just give it to me out of pity. And...I'll apologize when I feel I can mean it properly."
Kairi, even through her exhaustion, gave him a weak smile. "I'll be waiting."
He looked like he wanted to say something else before simply giving up altogether, and he started walking back towards the small house where I assume Ven was still waiting for us.
She called out to him quickly. "Are you...going to be alright?"
He stood there quietly for a moment, considering her question. "I want to find my own feelings. Not cling to the residue of emotions that aren't mine. You won't have any more trouble from me."
"That's not what I was..." She trailed off and shook her head. "Just do your best, okay?"
Before Riku could help me make it far down the mountain path, I gave him a little bump with my elbow and lowered my voice. "Hey, uh...about what happened..."
Riku paused to listen intently and I sighed.
"When I was...well, I don't really know where I was, but after I thought I..." I shook my head. I was getting distracted here. "I was able to think about a few things. First, I just wanted to make sure you knew how much I-"
"I know all that already."
"Ah...yeah...I figured you'd say something like that..."
I saw the two girls heading down towards the hut, Ven, and all of our other friends already dashing up towards them to offer help. They must have been pretty worried this whole time. Kairi was doing her best to quickly explain everything. I was a bit glad I didn't have to do that, I barely understood what happened myself. I paused, knowing there was still something I needed to tell him. He noticed my hesitation.
"Sora...?"
I cleared my throat. "...the other thing I realized was about Kairi."
"Hmm?"
"I really think I love her."
Riku bonked my head, softer than usual. I guess considering all that happened today. "Of course you do. Sounds about right to me. You're going to tell her, then?"
I waved him off. "W-when I get a chance..."
"Pft. That means never."
Well, I'm glad he's in a good mood already, geez...
But I noticed I couldn't stop smiling, myself.
Xion narrowed her eyes and stared at Vanitas suspiciously. "Hmm...well, at least it will be a lot easier telling these two apart than with Roxas and Ven."
"Get out of my face." He snapped and shoved her back.
"Much easier." Lea scoffed, knocking the back of my head a bit. "Unless Sora decides to change things up a bit."
"If he hasn't changed in sixteen years I doubt he's going to start now." Riku sighed.
Aqua smiled teasingly. "Oh, I don't know about that...he's certainly at the age when things are still changing quite a bit. At least until...about 18 or so, I believe."
I frowned. "What's that mean?"
Riku just rolled his eyes. "Who knows? Maybe you might get taller."
"Wha—really!" Yes! I hate that Riku is still taller than me. Sure, I've caught up a little but it seems like every time I gain a little ground he does too.
Vanitas was looking pretty dour in the corner like he had a storm cloud brewing over his head. I saw Namine sort of shuffle over to him, clutching her notebook.
"Um...Vanitas?"
His eyes slowly traced over to her, still looking as grumpy as ever. "...what?"
"I...drew a picture of you a while ago, when I saw you once in Twilight Town."
"You...what?" His face looked like a mixture of shocked and slightly enraged.
She took a step back. "I'm sorry, I just like sitting around the plaza and sketching what I see..." She handed a paper over to him and he snatched it away from her, glaring at it.
I hoped he wasn't going to do something mean like rip it up, but instead his eyes softened and he actually smiled a little.
"You...drew this? Of...me? But...why?" It was strange seeing him so taken aback by something.
Namine smiled a little, but lowered her head a little, embarrassed. "I-I'm not sure, it was just that you looked so calm and happy being by that cat, so..."
"Wait, cat? What cat?" Roxas knocked his head to the side and tried to glance at the picture, but Vanitas quickly moved it out of the way.
Xion got a strange look on her face, like she realized something. "It was you!" She pointed right at Vanitas, laughing. "You're the one who was taking care of that stray that lives in the alley!"
He definitely didn't deny it, only looked a bit uncomfortably to the side. Somehow looking after a stray cat kind of seemed like something he would do, actually.
Ven nodded a bit in understanding. "Right...I guess that explains why I caught him that one time with a bag of food tucked under his bed."
Aqua smiled. "You know, you can always adopt him and bring him to the castle. We don't have a rule against pets."
I could tell Vanitas was still embarrassed by it, but he shook his head quite firmly. "Shadow isn't mine. He deserves his own freedom. I just...visit him every now and again, that's all."
Xion cooed. "Aww, his name is Shadow?"
"Tch. Shut up."
I gave him a small smile, making sure not to overdo it again. "You know, we have a club house in Twilight Town. There would be plenty of space if shadow wanted to come live there."
He hesitated, clearly considering it.
Kairi smiled at him too. "I'm sure I can set up a nice place in the garden for him and any of his other friends."
I could see Xion starting to get pretty excited. "Oh! That'll be so much fun! A miniature cat sanctuary!"
"...if that's what he wants..." Vanitas mumbled slowly.
"And...there should be room for you too, if you want to come." I offered slowly.
Vanitas glanced around at everyone, almost as if he was searching for someone to argue against it, but everyone was nothing but supportive.
Lea clapped him on the back and he jumped a little in surprise. "Don't worry about it. We're all weird little misfits, in a way."
Roxas groaned. "Who are you calling weird, exactly?"
Ven nudged Roxas a bit with his elbow. "I dunno, I think he has a point."
"Yeah, you're all pretty weird." Riku hummed a bit and Xion gave him a glance.
"He was talking about you too, you know."
Lea groaned and itched his head a bit. "Man, why is it every time I try to comfort someone it comes out so bad?"
"Just stick with giving out ice cream. That always works out pretty well." Xion giggled, teasing him again.
"...ice cream…?" Vanitas frowned. "What good is ice cream?"
Uh...has he seriously never had ice cream before? Judging by my friend's stunned faces I could tell everyone was just as surprised. We all glanced among ourselves and smiled. He was definitely going to get some today, that was for sure.
Kairi giggled. "Well, then...I wonder what sort of flavor he's going to like the most…?"
Ven tilted his head back and forth. "Yeah, good question. He's never really said one way or another if he likes something or not. What do you guys think we should recommend?"
"Citrus, I'd imagine." Aqua pondered. "Something like yuzu. He's always taking fruit off of the lemon tree out in the back garden."
Roxas cringed. "Wait...Vanitas, you just eat lemons?"
Vanitas narrowed his eyes threateningly. "Something wrong with that?"
"N-no...just...uh..."
Namine hummed. "We could always give him vanilla to try first?"
Ven grinned over to me and Riku. "There's a good ice cream shop around here, right? What do you guys say, ice cream for lunch?"
Riku just laughed. "Sure, whatever. I've had unhealthier things. I know just the place, too." He then gestured for everyone to follow, and we made our way down the hill towards town.
It might take some time for Vanitas to get more used to hanging around, but I have a feeling he is going to settle in okay. More importantly, I hope he can finally find a place where he feels like he belongs. Lea was right, in a way. Our group certainly isn't the most normal one out there. And we've certainly had our share of problems. But our troubled history is one that binds us together even stronger and helps us look forward to the future. There isn't any future that I want more than one that involves each and every one of them.
I saw Kairi falling back a bit behind everyone, so I waited until I could fall in line next to her. She gave me a smile, but I could tell she was probably still worried about something.
"...If you're still worried about Ophelia, I'm sure she's going to be okay. She just needed some time."
Kairi reached out and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I know. She seemed much better when we dropped her off at home."
"So...what's on your mind?"
She hummed and smiled. "Just thinking about what she told me."
"Huh? What was that?"
"She said...congratulations on your bright future. It's a bit of an odd thing to say at a time like that, isn't it?"
I could tell with the look she was giving me she was trying to pry a bit out of me about the conversation the three of us had together in her heart. As much as I wanted to confess it all to her, maybe now wasn't exactly the best time.
"I think she's right though, isn't she? I mean...the world has changed so much, and it probably still will. Every day new and crazy things happen. But I know we'll all be there to help each other see it through."
She giggled into her hand. "Well not every day. But I get what you're trying to say." We walked a few steps before she spoke up again. "Sora...do you have anything you want to happen in the future?"
"Like...my dreams? I dunno...I guess I'm happy with anything as long as I can be with my friends, and with you."
She smiled softly. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that."
"Is that...a bad answer? Did you want something different?"
"Not at all. I just hope I can always do my best to keep everyone as full of light and hope as possible. Whatever that takes, I suppose. That's my dream."
I laughed. "That sounds like you, too."
She squeezed my hand again, leaning into my arm as she walked. It was such a nice feeling, having her by my side.
"Oh! Speaking of new and crazy things: before I forget to let you know...I guess Selphie and Irvine are dating now."
I burst out laughing again, just imagining it. "I guess you did do him a favor sending him off to her for the festival planning."
"Yeah, who knew they would click that well together!"
I glanced over at Riku and sighed. "If only Riku would actually let me know who he keeps sneaking off to see. He hasn't said anything to you, has he?"
Kairi rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Always the first to butt into everyone's business but locks everything about himself up tight. Don't worry though, we're going to utilize the full team effort to crack the mystery. We'll get to the bottom of it—there's no way he can hide from all of us!"
"Not for long, anyway."
I noticed that her pace was slowing down a little, causing us to fall behind the group even further before she finally stopped and yanked on my arm to halt with her. Roxas noticed and turned his head a bit to glance back at us.
"You two doing okay?"
Kairi gave him a gesture indicating for him to move along. "Don't worry I just want to borrow him for a minute."
Roxas shrugged and spun back around to follow the group.
"What is it?" I checked her face to see if she was giving any tell about how she was feeling. All I could see was her smiling at me, looking remarkably happy considering how crazy today has been already. And it's not even two o'clock!
She put her hand gently on my cheek and held it there, just looking at me. "I'm just...so grateful I have you here. You always try to reach out and forgive people, no matter what they've done."
"It's really not that, I mean...it's just how I feel so I'm not really sure I deserve any special praise for it or anything."
She jumped into my arms again, clinging tightly. "I never want to lose you like that again. It was too horrible."
"Sorry..."
Kairi lifted her face out of my chest, smiling, her eyes never leaving mine. "But it's just how you are, right? You put your entire heart and soul into everything you do. And that's exactly why...why I always treasure every single moment we can have together, why I'm not scared of anything in the future when you're with me, why I'll never regret choosing you to be the one I want to spend that time with..."
I was a little stunned and could only smile back at her with everything I had. I was going to wait for a different time to say this, maybe sometime when we weren't exhausted and slightly battle bruised, but just seeing her face as it was now, full of light and happiness—there wasn't anything I wanted to say more.
"Kairi...this time I think I want to tell you something first..."