Chapter 26.
Riku cast Curaga over his wounds, not wanting to give any other opponents a blood trail to follow.
He crawled to the edge of a clearing, to be immediately horrified by what he saw. The clearing led to a vast, deep ravine. The place closely resembled a swarming insect's nest, with the hundreds or even thousands of people within in frantic battle. He knew his friends were in that ravine somewhere- some of them might have already perished.
Flashbacks continued to crash over Riku like waves, many of them surfacing memories of the physical traumas he endured throughout his journey as well as the emotional, causing him to double over and scream or cry. The sight of the battle before him now triggered many of the memories to return- all in horribly vivid clarity.
"I can't deal with this anymore! It's too much!" He screamed to the heavens as another memory resurfaced. He had been able to make out the glow of Ethereal Blades in the distance- his right side flared with stabbing pain as he relived that moment where Xemnas struck him. He had taken that blow for Sora, who was gone now. For a brief instant, he wondered if everything he'd been through was really worth it.
"Riku?" A hauntingly familiar voice broke through the turmoil, and Riku looked in the direction of it's owner. His eyes widened in disbelief when he saw who it was.
"No... it can't be... Sora?"
XXXXXXXX
Lea and Roxas fought furiously against Saix, but it was becoming increasingly apparent that Roxas was starting to wear down. After a flurry of blows, he was forced to halt and catch his breath, leaning against a rock formation for support.
Saix saw the opportunity and took it. Leaping into the air, he slashed his weapon downward with a powerful swing, smashing everything in the vicinity to pieces. Roxas was thrown backwards by the impact, where he landed, not moving, in the rubble.
"ROXAS!" Lea charged at Saix with newfound energy, using both his Keyblade and Fire abilities to try to breach Saix's defenses. He was getting nowhere.
XXXXXXXX
Kairi, Donald, and Goofy were quickly reunited with Mickey thanks to the aid of the Dream Eaters, who had quickly fought their way through the endless swarm of dusks. A Meowjesty quickly took a shine to Kairi, and now fought alongside her as a guardian. Nearby, Myde and Lumaria led groups of citizens from other Worlds on their own separate attacks.
Aqua and Ventus were surrounded by a formation of Moogles, who had used their magic to generate an aura shield around them. Ventus looked on helplessly as a possessed Terra tried to breach these defenses. The Moogles were warned not to allow this one individual to come to harm, but they were forced to go on the offensive to keep Terra and his companions at bay. He was starting to look beaten up.
"What if they kill him, Aqua?" Ventus asked wildly.
"There are some things worse than death, Ven..." Aqua replied sadly, watching as her former teammate continued his frantic assault on the Moogles. Terra would never have allowed them to come to harm.
XXXXXXXX
"I can't believe you're here, Sora! Is it really you? I thought you died!"
The look on Sora's face quickly turned from curiosity to rage in a matter of seconds. Summoning Kingdom Key, he swung it savagely at Riku, who quickly blocked it.
"Sora... wait... it's me! What are you doing?" Riku asked wildly.
"You're not Riku!" Sora snarled, trying continuously to get through Riku's defenses.
"That's madness Sora! I'm standing right here in front of you, clear as day! Why would you say that?" Riku asked as he continued to block Sora's attacks.
"LIAR!" Sora shrieked, working harder to get through Riku's defenses. "The real Riku would know I can't die that easily!" He continued to strike a series of desperate blows at Riku, who just continued to block them, not having the heart to fight back and hurt his friend- if that really was Sora.
I probably have no choice but to fight back... Riku thought as Sora's assaults increased in strength and frequency, making it more apparent to Riku that whether Sora was real or not, he was fighting with intent to kill. If this is the real Sora... how can I convince him that it's me... before it's too late!
It was at that moment that Riku miscalculated his maneuvers, leaving him open to a swift strike across the back. The teeth of the Keyblade tore through everything- clothing, skin, bone, and sinew, and Riku could only stand there, stunned, as Sora dismissed his weapon and stood upright, relieved and at the moment unaware of what had actually happened.
"You win... Sora..."
Sora's moment of relief was cut short by the sound of a harsh gurgling cough, followed closely by the sound of liquid splattering on the ground. He turned around in horror to see that Riku had coughed up a substantial amount of blood and was beginning to fall to his knees.
Something's not right here... replicas... don't bleed! Oh no! Sora was at Riku's side instantly, cactching him before he hit the ground. Sora could feel blood beginning to soak through both his and Riku's clothing as he cradled him.
"Oh, Riku! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" Sora sobbed frantically, burying his face in Riku's shirt. The older boy tried to lift his hand to stroke the younger's hair, only to find that it wouldn't move, instead hanging limply at his side.
"Shhhh... I know Sora, I know... what they've done... to all of us. It's okay... I understand... Sora... listen to me... no... matter what happens... you... have to... stay strong..."
"No! No, don't talk like that! You're gonna be ok! We'll get you patched up... and we can go back home together! Please, Riku, don't leave me!" Sora sobbed even harder , gripping the hem of Riku's shirt as the older boy made a soft sound almost like he was humming.
"I'm... just... glad... you're... safe..." Riku was barely able to get the words out before his body went still in Sora's arms.
End of Chapter 26