AN:

The more I've been thinking about writing a lemon for this story, the more I'm dreading to do it... I'll probably put up another poll asking you guys whether or not I should write one. In the voice of Oogie Boogie, ON WITH IT!

Chapter 3: The Thirteenth Wielder

Riku didn't say anything. He didn't do anything. He didn't even look like he was breathing. Mickey was worried for him, expecting a bigger reaction than this.

I think I'd prefer it if he was screaming at me... I can't handle the silent, blank look.

"Riku? Are you still with us?" the mouse asked cautiously. Riku's eyes flickered to life and bore into the tiny King like a diamond drill. His left eye began twitching, face contorted in rage. His voice was the polar opposite.

"You allowed Sora to go with Kairi wherever they wanted, when both of them don't even know the danger they're in?" Riku questioned quietly. Mickey nodded his head.

"Yes, Riku. I did. This kind of darkness takes time to manifest, Sora won't suddenly be swallowed whole by it," he informed. "As you know, there are 7 wielders of light, and 13 of darkness. I have reason to believe that Sora will make a descent to the dark side," Mickey continued, still very cautious of his choice of words. Riku's head twitched. Unshed tears began to form in his eyes, yet his voice remained as still as ever.

"Sora... is a wielder of darkness?" Riku muttered. "How is that possible?" he pondered, voice straining to remain calm. Mickey sighed, rubbing his eyes to distract his over-churning mind.

"In theory, it's quite simple," the King explained. "Sora was born with a heart equal in both light and darkness. I know what you're thinking, if he's equal in light and dark, how could he be a wielder of darkness? Am I right?" Mickey questioned the distressed boy. Said boy simply nodded his head in a jerking motion, tears having yet to spring from his eyes.

"In reality, when a heart is equal parts dark and light, it becomes extremely easy to split. Have you ever heard the tragic tale of one of my older friend, Ventus?"

Tears welled and flowed freely down the young Princess of Heart's face. The wielder of the keyblade was there to wipe away every tear with his thumbs, gently cupping her cheeks with his hands. "Sora..." Kairi sobbed, eyes bloodshot and makeup washing down the side of her face. And yet, Sora still felt as though she was the most beautiful woman to walk the stars. Sora raised her head parallel with his own with the utmost delicacy.

"Shh...Kairi it's okay. I don't expect you to return my feelings yet. I just wanted to let you know that I care about you more than anything in all of the worlds," he cooed. He tilted his head skyward, feeling the weight being lifted from him once again, this time even stronger. Sora returned his gaze back to his love, brushed her hair back, and met her lips with his own. Kairi gasped with wide eyes before succumbing to the inevitable, pure pleasure coursing through each of their bodies. While as short as it was, more passion was inserted in that single act than anything Sora has ever done for her in his entire life.

Sora pulled back from her enticing lips, opening his eyes after he pulled away completely. Kairi was simply dumbstruck, caught completely off guard. "I love you. I could say it a million times, but the meaning is never any more or any less," Sora continued, abandoning his usual bubbly persona. Kairi simply gaped like a fish out of water. She came to her senses a few moments later and pulled Sora into a crushing hug.

"So Xehanort split Ventus into two beings of light and dark?" Riku echoed in his usual stoic voice, already having regained his normal composure. The King nodded. "Precisely," he confirmed.

"But Mickey, why hasn't Sora split already? You said that Ventus was immediately split into halves," Riku interjected, shaking his head.

"Yes, but Ventus never allowed anyone into his heart at that point, unlike Sora. You see, Sora's heart has been connected with so many friends, that it slows down the process. Xehanort needs time to unweave all of his friends' hearts away from Sora's darkness in order to split him into two beings," the mouse continued. Riku was dumbfounded, shaking his fists at his side.

"Isn't there anything we can do? We saved him from becoming the thirteenth vessel once, why can't we do it again?" he cried, abandoning his seat. Mickey simply sighed and returned his gaze to the floor.

"You know it's never that simple Riku. He's already begun the process, there's no way of turning it back, even if Xehanort was defeated. The heart is fragile, just like memories. When you unravel one memory, the rest go with it. When Xehanort severed a few ties to the light, the rest will happen naturally. Sora is... already doomed to become the thirteenth vessel."

AN:

Oh yes I did. Just to make this clear, this is primarily a ROMANCE fic, this one is just to set up for the next fic which will be more actionish. Also I'm sorry for the length of this chapter, I wanted to get out a few juicy details as quickly as possible because I won't be able to use my computer for a couple days, it's going on the fritz. Until then, this chapter will be abysmally short, but I'll make it longer later. Hopefully I'll find a workaround! Peace!