A/N: The italicized phrases in the beginning are from the encounter in the gummi ship, Sora is not "hearing voices"… as tempting as it was to give him schizophrenia...
Surrender
I am born of all the darkness you have kept in your heart over the past two and half years….
The shadow's words raced in torrid circles in Sora's head as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. Although his body was exhausted, his mind refused to give in to the sleep that he so desperately needed.
Anger, hatred, fear, lust, guilt, jealousy...
I know all your heart's hidden secrets…
He scowled as he tossed and turned, burying his head in the blankets in an attempt to drown out the words echoing off his skull. However, his attempts were futile, as his brain continued to replay them in a continuous loop.
Ah, I see that the darkness has already started its tear on you…
Annoyed and defeated, he pushed the covers back irately and rolled out of bed. Deciding some fresh air would do him some good, he opened the double doors leading out to the balcony and instantly caught a familiar scent on the night breeze.
We are one in the same, you and I. I suppose I have you to thank for my existence…
Intrigued, he leaned over the balcony railing, intently searching for the source. Normally, such a stench would leave his senses tingling and his reflexes awaiting ambush. But, for some reason… he felt… strangely calm.
It feels good, doesn't it? To be able to use your hatred to fuel your control...
An eerie silence filled the space around him as he looked out over the black gardens below him. He could barely make out the faint outlines in the night's bleakness, but a pair of unmistakable yellow eyes did not escape him.
Let the hatred running through your veins do it. Give in to it… It only makes you stronger…makes me stronger
He smiled wildly as he summoned the Oathkeeper and the dark keyblade. Already, the power surging from the dark weapon fueled his intent as he surveyed his surroundings. This time, Kairi was not there to stop him. This time, he would not show mercy. "This time, you're mine," he growled before leaping to the balcony railing and spiraling down at the shadow, both keyblades stretched out in front of him, leading his attack…
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Riku sat perched on the edge of the tall building, shrouding his face from the cold wet raindrops as his piercing emerald eyes overlooked the dark skyline of the World That Never Was. The cool chill of the night air brushed his face and he filled his lungs with it, deeply inhaling the aroma of the city. Musty… metallic… damp… It truly was the most depressing place he had ever been. Who would want to live in a place where it's always night time and it's always raining? He silently smirked at the irony that he would have ended up here… of all places…
He frowned as he thought about his friends back on Destiny Islands. He longed for the sandy beaches and sunny skies of his tropical paradise home. His frown deepened as he contemplated his recent subjection of himself to such harsh environments and questionable characters. He had never much been one for self persecution, but since being engulfed in darkness, it didn't seem so farfetched. He had quickly decided that whatever misfortune fell in his lap, he deserved it.
What he didn't understand was how easily Sora had turned away from darkness. Sure, he had briefly entertained the idea of staying on the shores of that dark beach after defeating Xemnas, agreeing with Riku that "we could be the darkness". But Kairi's note was all it took to open the Door to Light and change his mind. Or maybe, the note really had nothing to do with it at all… Perhaps, Kairi was the answer all along. Maybe, he had turned away from darkness for her.
Kairi. Truthfully, she was Riku's inspiration for something totally different. Quite the opposite, really... He had surrendered to darkness gladly to save her heart… He loved her, and if returning her heart meant sacrificing someone else's, he didn't think twice before summoning his dark keyblade and ripping that heart out of their chest… even if it meant his best friend's chest. He shuddered as a familiar guilt lay heavy in his chest. After staying behind in the realm of darkness, he had decided to do whatever it took to help Sora. So when he met Diz and was told to retrieve Roxas from the Organization, it seemed natural to ask no questions and immediately obey. Of course, his first battle with the Nobody was a complete failure. So he had sacrificed his identity selflessly to defeat Roxas and help Diz retrieve Sora's memories. Although he considered his debt repaid, he couldn't quite bury the guilt that comes along with betraying your best friend, even if it was for love…
Riku had long since come to terms with the fact that Kairi didn't return his love for her, at least not in the same respect. She was a Princess of Heart, possessing only light in her pure heart, and he had lived in darkness and been a slave to its power. As hard as it was to let his feelings for her go, he did it knowing that her heart belonged to Sora… quite literally actually… Truth be told, he was actually happy for his friends. As oblivious as they were to each other, he cared immensely for them both… obviously. If Sora could make Kairi smile, if he could make her happy, then that was good enough for him…
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The pale moonlight showered though the large windows, illuminating her bedroom in a soft pastel glow. After her shower, Kairi had actually found it near impossible to fall asleep and she sighed heavily as she ran her fingers across her brow line and through her hair. She couldn't stop the barrage of thoughts and memories that had plagued her sleepless nights for the past two and half years.
She sighed as she traced her fingers along the edge of the sheets. Despite growing up without parents or knowing where she was from, she had always considered herself lucky. Perhaps it was because she felt that with Riku and Sora, she didn't need a family. They were her family… She knew when Riku left the island a few months ago, that he would come back. She even knew when they were all split up, each battling darkness in their own way, that they would be together again. She always had been the optimistic one of the group…
However, as she lay in bed, thinking about her two best friends, her heart ached. Actually, the continuous familiar throbbing in her chest was something that she had gotten used to over the past few weeks, and it was only when she was very still and concentrating hard enough that she could be reminded of its presence. The pain that stabbed at her chest the other night in the "Secret Place" was case in point…
The ache in her heart intensified as the images of Sora struggling against the darkness flooded her head. Somehow, she had known that this would happen. She could sense the darkness growing in Sora's heart since Riku's absence. She tried to convince herself otherwise, but there was certainly no denying it now. She didn't really understand why it was that she was so perceptive to darkness' presence… Maybe it was because she was a Princess of Heart. But then again… she hadn't had the same intuitions when Riku was slowly being possessed by darkness. Perhaps it was because she and Sora shared something that she had never shared with Riku… a heart.
As her mind raced, Kairi sighed… Surrendering to the fact that sleep would not be taking her anytime soon, she decided some fresh air might help clear her head.
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"This time, you're mine," he growled before leaping to the balcony railing and spiraling down at the shadow, both keyblades stretched out in front of him, leading his attack…
The clashing of Sora's keyblades filled the night air as he come crashing down on his prey, fury gleaming in his sapphire eyes. The shadow was quick, expecting the attack, and its black face split into a manic grin as its long claws pierced the skin across Sora's face, leaving blood streaming from three long gashes. The copper taste filled Sora's mouth, but his rage hid the pain as he raced at his foe, expertly swinging both keyblades and landing a series of combos. The shadow was quick to retaliate and dug its claws into the flesh behind Sora's shoulders and sent him soaring through the air after a few lightening fast blows to his stomach.
The rotten stench of blood and darkness filled the air around them as Sora airily recovered and crossed both keyblades in an "X" shape in front of him as he relentlessly lashed out at his attacker. The dark keyblade's power flowed through his veins and sent waves of adrenaline crashing though his body as he landed blow after blow across his foe. He could feel the attacks getting stronger and his adversary getting closer and closer to death with each hit, and it fueled his rage. The world around him was a complete blur as he honed in on his target, his prey…
The figure lashed out at him senselessly, but its attacks were easily blocked with the keyblades. Sora sneered as the Oathkeeper pierced the shadow's stomach and blackness began oozing from the open wound, leaving a black bloody pool at the shadow's feet. He raised the blade of his weapon and was entranced as he watched the black substance drip down the blade and ooze across his knuckles. It was cold and slippery in between his fingers and as it dipped down his forearm and off the end of his elbow, he struggled to resist the urge to flick his tongue across his blade, just to see what the darkness tasted like.
He quickly turned his attention back to his wounded prey that was now lying in a heap a few yards away, a trail of black blood connecting it to Sora. Sora's eyes flickered wildly as he took a few long strides and planted one foot on top of the figure's chest, both keyblades pointed at its throat. "This is it… It's over…" he hissed as he glared at the shadow through the scarlet veil of blood covering his eyes. "After tonight, my darkness is gone. You're gone."
Kairi watched in horror from her balcony window as Sora's keyblades pierced the shadow's throat, black blood gushing from the fatal wound. She opened her mouth to scream, but couldn't find her voice against the familiar thin air encompassing the gardens. A whimpered yelp escaped the lump in her throat as she collapsed against the balcony railing, tears blurring her vision of the gruesome scenery below her. She gripped the slender columns of the railing as she struggled to block out the sounds of the devilish laughter that was ringing throughout the courtyard.
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A/N: Soooo… let me know what you think. REVIEW: )