Author's Note: So, here's the new Creeping Death chapter. Just one or two more to go. I don't think I can drag this out any longer. I never really even intended it to be long anyway. Thank you all for reading this story. A lot happens in this chapter, starting from Namine's PoV and ending with it as well. Enjoy...

P.S. Forgive my use of the word "retarded" later in the chapter. No offense is meant by it, just thought it would fit with how Kairi's mood at the time was. She uses such a strong word for a reason.

Namine's PoV:

John drove for hours until Besaid was nothing more than a distant, traumatic memory. I rode in the back seat by myself as Kairi was asleep on his shoulder and John was paying attention to the road. I reflected on the events of that day as the sun set out the window. Yuna, an innocent victim, Tidus, the man who loved her, and the baby that would never see the light of day, they were all killed by the same monster who took my husband from me! I was so angry that I was seeing red and was afraid I'd burst a vein.

I could have sworn I'd seen Riku's face in the window, smiling back at me. "Riku…" I whispered.

"Did you say something, Nami?" John asked with concern in his voice.

"What, oh, it's nothing," I lied. I started crying, and knew the charade wouldn't work for long. "Wait, I lied. I'm just taking Riku's death so hard. John, will I ever get over this depression?"

"I can't say for sure," he said. "But I believe it will get easier every day you're alive. I'd be the same way if Kairi died and I'm sure she was the same when Sora died."

"She didn't even get to grieve until after she and Xion killed Slenderman," I said. "Xion, she sacrificed her own life to buy Kairi enough time."

"Xion was an amazing girl," John said. "I dated her, myself, years ago. I just can't believe she's dead."

"Really," I asked. "She never mentioned she knew you."

"Things were a little complicated, and we broke up," he said. "She probably just didn't want to talk about it." I took that excuse at face value. I honestly didn't feel like probing deeper into the matter, and also, I thought it was hard for John to talk about it. He didn't show it, but I knew that it had to hurt him at some level, knowing she was dead and that he never got to say goodbye. "Hey Nami, any idea where we're going?" he asked, chuckling to lighten the mood.

"No clue," I said. "I guess we keep going until we run out of gas?"

"Sounds better than anything I could think of," he said.

I sat there for a minute, but decided to speak up. "Wait, what are we doing? Is running really going to do any good? I mean, eventually we'll get tired and slip up. Then, Xiorgan will just be waiting to kill us." I looked at Kairi and saw something sticking out of her pocket. "What's this…a page from Yuna's book?"

"What does it say?" he asked.

"It's the instructions on how to forge Ultima Weapon!" I said in amazement. I looked at my best friend's sleeping form and smiled. "I love you, Kairi!"

Kairi's PoV:

I was awakened from my deep, dreamless sleep by the sound of a car door slamming. My eyes fluttered open to see John walking over to my door. He opened it for me and helped me out through my drowsiness. "Hey, beautiful," he said, kissing me on the lips gently.

"Where are we?" I asked. I saw an abandoned shack in front of us and Namine was already heading inside.

"We're somewhere safe," he said. "Namine found the paper in your pocket. We're going to read it and find out what we need to forge Ultima."

We entered the musty, broken-down house and horrible memories entered my mind. It reminded me of the old witch's house where I summoned Slenderman. I never wanted to be in another place like that again, but there I was. This place wasn't doing anything for my mental stability. I wanted so badly to go out to John's car and take one of the sedatives that I'd hidden in his glove box, but I knew I needed to be sober in order to survive. If I became stoned now, I'd surely die.

I sat with Namine and John on the floor as Namine unfolded the paper and used her iPod as a flashlight. "Ok, this says we need to choose one of us to bear the Keyblade," Namine said. Her eyes scanned the text, memorizing every live-saving word carefully. "We'll need some ingredients, one of which will be a cupful of the bearer's blood."

"A whole cupful of blood," I asked. "Won't that make the person extremely weak if it doesn't put them into a coma?"

"For a moment, yes," she said. "But the instructions go on to say that Ultima will endow the wielder with more power. The way it describes the Keyblade, it will give whoever uses it more power than Void Gear would." Namine started to say something, but her voice choked up. I feared for what she read, knowing it couldn't have been good. "I should have known this kind of power wouldn't be free. It mentions a…sacrifice."

Both mine and John's jaws dropped as low as they could. "What kind of sacrifice?" I asked reluctantly, not really wanting to know, but more out of necessity.

Namine swallowed hard and a tear fell from her left eye. "A…a human sacrifice," she said. "The person closest to the wielder must kill themselves for the ritual to be complete. One of us has to die."

John started to speak up and stood up. "So, if I bear the Keyblade, Kairi will die," he said.

"And if I use it, John will," I said.

"And if I do, Kairi will die," Namine said. "Looks like I'm the only safe one."

"John, you take it," I said.

"No, you take it, Kairi," he said defiantly. "I don't care to die again!"

Namine and I looked at each other then looked at John again. "What did you just say?" we asked simultaneously.

John looked like a deer caught in the headlights of a semi-truck. He started to speak, but tripped over his words. "Well…I…ok, I guess it doesn't matter anymore," he stuttered. "I have a confession to make. I'm not who I said I am."

I scooted over closer to him. "Just tell us," I said. "Who are you really?"

"Kai…it's me. I'm Sora," he said.

I immediately stood up, blood boiling because of his insane claim to be Sora. "You liar," I said in a low tone. My anger caused me to lash out at my fiancé. I drew my hand back and slapped him across the face, leaving a red, hand-shaped mark across his left cheek. "John, how could you say something so retarded? I watched him die!" I took off my engagement ring and threw it at his face, the tiny band hitting him square between the eyes. "How dare you, calling yourself Sora. I ought to beat the crap out of you, but you aren't worth my time!" I stood up and stormed out of the house. It was dark outside, but I didn't care. I sat on a log that was lying outside the house and hung my head down is anger and sadness.

I felt a hand tap my shoulder. I looked up to see John's long, black hair hanging down in my face. "Kairi, please…you have to believe me," he said. "I can tell you things that only Sora would know. Like the time when we were fourteen. We sat on the docks at Destiny Islands while visiting your grandparents. We watched the sunset together, the first time I ever started to see you as more than a friend. But then you and Demyx got together, and I was left alone. Xion and I dated, but all that time, I really wanted you! That night on the docks, you made me promise I'd never change, that I'd be the same Sora forever. Well, I may be in a different body, but my heart is still the same, and I still love you Kairi!"

I gasped and my heart nearly stopped. "How did you know that?" I asked.

"Because it's me, Kairi," he said. "It's Sora, and I came back to help you."

"How did you come back?" I said, darting upward to embrace him tightly. "Slenderman killed you!"

"I spent two years in Heaven," he said. "It was…so much more amazing than you could ever imagine. There aren't words to describe its beauty. Kairi, the only reason I left was because they told me you were in danger. When Michael, the Archangel, told me that I was being sent back, I refused at first, but when he told me that I would be there to help you, I couldn't refuse anymore. The thought of something happening to you was unbearable. They said the demon that was after you had the ability to take you to Hell, regardless of whether you were good or evil. Kairi, I couldn't let you be taken there! I saw that dream, and I know that it was exactly like that or even worse. I can't let Xiorgan take you to Hell."

"Oh, Sora," I said, not loosening my hold on John/Sora. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again." I cried my eyes out. I was happy. Even amidst this Hell, my heart was full of joy, finally having my Sora back. Well, I'd had him for two years, but I'd not known it was him.

"I'm here, Kai," he reassured. "I'm here." He held me for a few minutes, letting me feel the familiar embrace. "It's been killing me to not tell you, but I had to keep it secret as long as I could. Michael told me to keep my identity secret unless it was absolutely necessary. I do believe this counts as being necessary, don't you?"

"I…Sora," I said, not knowing words to say. "I can't let you die! I just got you back!"

"I'll go back to Heaven if I die, he reassured me of that," Sora said. "This wasn't a full reincarnation, they don't do that. This was just a short return so I could help you."

"But I can't let you…I," I said, but he hushed me by placing his finger on my lips.

"I'll see you again," he said. "It may be years, but I will see you again. I came here knowing that there would be danger, that I would probably have to give my life for you, and I'm not afraid to die if I'm dying for you. Let's go back inside. I'm sure Namine is scared to death being by all by herself." I pulled away from him and kissed him once more before taking his hand and following him back inside the house.

Namine's PoV:

I just couldn't believe that John was really Sora. Though I didn't have much evidence, I strangely believed him. There was always a familiar air around John, but I'd have never guessed it was Sora. I prayed that Riku would get the same second chance, but I knew it wouldn't happen. There had to have been a good reason for him to come back, otherwise Sora would have stayed in Heaven forever, not that that would be a bad thing, of course.

I thought I saw something move out of the corner of my eye. I turned to look, but nothing was there. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Kairi and John returned, hand in hand, and sat down next to me. "So, I take it you believe him now, Kai?" I said.

"He's told me things that no one besides Sora would know," she said. "I just can't accept that he's anything other than what he said he is. Namine, do we have what's necessary for the ritual?"

I bit my lip. "Yes, but…I'm not about to lose either one of you," I said, hiding the tear that fell from my eye with a lock of my blond hair. "We've been together since this all started and I can't stand the thought of us being separate. I definitely couldn't live with myself if I was the cause of Kairi's death."

"I know," Sora said. "But we have to. It's the only way to stop Xiorgan. Kairi can do the ritual; I'll give my life up. I came here knowing full-well that this was only temporary. When this was over, I'd be going back to Heaven anyway. Just do the ritual on Kairi and we'll be able to end this nightmare with both of you still alive."

I set up the circle for Kairi and John/Sora to stand in. Kairi stood there, John's pocketknife in hand, ready to slit her throat for the forging of Ultima. The blade was supposed to appear in her hand as soon as a cup of blood had drained from her wound. Hopefully, the wound would close before she died. The spilling of her blood in the circle would then rip John's body to pieces. Special provisions in the instructions said the wielder could look away as the person they loved most died. Whoever designed this spell at least had a heart about something.

"Are you ready," I asked, handing Kairi the paper with an incantation on it.

"No, but I don't have a choice," she said. She walked over to John and gave him one, last passionate kiss. She reminded me of how I would kiss Riku. In less than an hour, Xiorgan would be getting exactly what was coming to him!

"I love you, Sora," she said.

"Love you too, Kai," he replied. "See you later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later," she said. She walked back to her spot and read the incantation from the paper. I couldn't understand what she was saying. It wasn't even really her consciously doing it about halfway through. All light was snuffed out save for a blue and gold glow from the circle she and Sora stood in. Sora's face held an expression of dread, dread for the pain. He knew that this was going to be unbearable, being ripped apart. Kairi finished the spell, took a final, pained look toward Sora, and then turned her head. She raised the long, steel blade of the knife to her throat and her jugular poured crimson at an alarming rate. A little blood made its way over to me. And some hit Sora right in the face.

Sora started to scream like a man on fire. It was like every nerve ending in his body had been set to "pain." I dared to take a peek, and was disturbed that I couldn't look away. His clothes and skin melted away like he was over a pyre. His muscle was exposed and I could see his blood boiling under his veins. He held a hand out to me in desperation, but I didn't reach mine out. I only cried and tried to hold on to whatever mental stability I still possessed. His eyes shriveled up in their sockets and he collapsed to his knees. Kairi's neck stopped spewing blood around that time while everything of Sora except his bones burned away. A long, blue Keyblade appeared in her hands as her eyes started to glass over. She regained her strength in almost an instant. Actually, Kairi looked even more radiant than she already had. There was a bright glow around her that enhanced her natural beauty. She looked like a goddess, though she may have actually been one.

She stepped out of the circle and walked to me. "Namine…it worked," she said. We both looked at Sora's smoking skeleton with pain in our hearts. "But was it worth this price?"

"Sora chose this, Kairi," I said. "He knew what would happen and did it anyway because he loved us so much. But he especially did it because he loved you and couldn't stand to see you die if he or I used it."

She held up the blade. It was long, blue, and had the same white aura Kairi possessed. A crown on a heart made up the teeth of the key while interweaving strands of gold, silver, and blue metal snaked down the length of the blade. The guard was two crowns on a circular guard. "You're right, Nami," she said, "but I still despise Keyblades."

"I know, Kai," I said. "But now that we have this, we can avenge the people we loved who Xiorgan took away from us!"

She took one more look at Sora's charred bones. A tear escaped from her eye. "Let's end this, Namine! Let's do it for Sora, Kadaj, Riku, Tidus, and Yuna!"

Author's Note: Surprise! John was Sora. I'd had people ask if John wasn't really who he said he was. I think one even asked if he was a bad guy. I've planned this since I started the story. Notice all the times that he knew things like the details of Sora's death. I tried to drop hints that he wasn't who he claimed to be. It's just sad he had to sacrifice himself. But something as powerful as Ultima wouldn't be free. It would have to cost something dear to you.

Next chapter will be the climactic final battle between Kairi and Xiorgan, so stay tuned. Thank you, Dragginninja, for allowing me to use Xiorgan before you even used him yourself lol.