Chapter 28

It happened quickly. In one instant, the landscape was engulfed in a flash of blinding light, and everything became eerily silent as both ally and opponent looked on. As the light died down, Kairi saw with horror that everything within yards of the source had vanished, as though it had been blown cleanly off the face of the earth, and she knew.

"Sora..." Kairi began to weep. "You were in that clash, I know it was you... please be ok!"

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Something bizarre happened to Saix the instant the flash of light engulfed the battlefield. He seemed to freeze mid-attack and collapse. Lea could hear a strong whoosh sound come from him as it happened. Suddenly Lea was forced to back away, Keyblade drawn, as Saix began to rise.

"Lea? Is that you?" Saix asked in a hesitant voice.

Lea walked closer to the other man, still trying to keep a safe distance in case Saix was playing tricks on him. As the air began to clear, Lea noticed that there was something unusual about Saix's eyes. As he knew him- Saix had these eerie looking amber colored eyes, but the man standing before him had emerald colored ones.

"Isa?" Lea began.

The sound of a soft moan distracted both men. Lea looked in the direction of the sound and ran toward the source with a cry of alarm.

"Roxas!" Lea exclaimed as he beheld the youth lying impaled among the rubble. Lea worked quickly to free him from the worst of it, but had to leave several of the other stone spikes in place, as they were piercing vital areas.

"Lea..." Roxas muttered as the other man cradled him gently.

"Easy, save your strength..." Lea said, voice shaking. "We'll get you taken care of..."

Isa looked on this display with a mixture of apprehension and jealousy. Lea had never spoken to him with this much tenderness.

"Lea, is there anything I can do?" He asked.

"Isa..."

"Don't hesitate, the boy looks like he's hurt pretty badly. Are there any medics or healers in your party?"

"I know of three personally. Look for a mouse who answers to the name of Mickey... or two girls who answer to the names of Aqua and Kairi. They'll be suspicious at first, but they should listen if you tell them how urgent the situation is. Just mention the boy's name- it's Roxas."

"Got it..." Isa said, running off into the distance.

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Mickey had ordered the survivors to scout out any wounded on the battlefield and bring them to the clearing outside the battle site, where the gummi ship was located. Kairi was escorting Aqua and Ventus to the site at that moment- Ven had taken a blow to the arm and was most likely suffering from a fracture.

The injury itself wasn't life-threatening, but Ven was showing signs of shock, most likely from watching his former teammate get nearly taken down. Terra was alive and free of possession, but was severely injured. They were forced to leave him behind with a group of healers from Hollow Bastion looking after him until he was stable enough to be moved. Kairi wasn't sure if he would make it.

Aqua wanted to stay behind with Ven but had been told by the boy himself to go back out and find more people who could be saved. That was what had them skirting the perimeter of the battlefield, looking for survivors from a higher viewpoint.

"Oh no! Oh no!" Kairi rushed to the scene before her before Aqua even realized what it was. Kairi had spotted someone lying near the edge of the perimeter, and was going to look him over for signs of life, only to break down the moment she realized who it was.

"Riku! No, please, not you too! Please wake up! Don't leave me!" She held him tightly in her arms, rocking back and forth and sobbing as she did so. Aqua walked calmly to her side, laying a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know, Kairi. It's painful to watch your loved ones get taken away from you like this. But... you know fate wouldn't give a boy like him a cruel afterlife. He's not suffering anymore. Look at his face. I don't even think he suffered in the end..."

Kairi looked at his face, as Aqua suggested. Riku did in fact look peaceful. Kairi wondered what had happened to him that would make him smile even though he was dying.

"Come on, it would be a horrible way to honor him by allowing more people to die. It sounds cruel, but we don't have time to grieve." Aqua gently lifted Riku's body from Kairi's arms, intending to at least move him to a more peaceful resting place. Riku's head fell backward as she lifted him, exposing his neck and the telltale throb of a vein under the skin.

"He's still alive!" Aqua breathed, quickly lowering back to the ground and bringing her ear to his chest, listening intently for signs of life. Suddenly she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him. Kairi looked on in disbelief.

"What are you doing?!" She asked incredulously.

Aqua had risen back into a kneeling position and now had both hands on Riku's chest and was rhythmically pressing down on it.

"You're joking, right? Raised on an island most of your life and you don't know what mouth-to-mouth is? I'm trying to keep him alive!" Aqua exclaimed as she worked on him, and Kairi quickly realized she had not been kissing him but forcing air into his lungs, alternating between the two activities at a set pace.

"Kairi, I need you to go back out there and look for more of the wounded, if you find Mickey or any of the others, send them this way quickly! I'll be ok!" she added as Kairi shot her a questioning look.

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Isa found Mickey quickly, led by the mouse's unmistakable round ears. They were both back at Roxas and Lea's side quickly, the mouse quickly but gently removing the stone spikes from Roxas' body and casting Curaga over the wounds so he wouldn't bleed to death.

"That should keep him stable for now, but the wounds will start bleeding again soon if we don't treat them properly. We need to get him to safety- find the gummi ship on the outer perimeter of the valley. I've ordered everyone to take the wounded there."

"Where's Sora?" Roxas asked weakly.

"Easy, save your strength..." Mickey answered sadly. "We still haven't found Sora... but I'll send word when we do find him... you have my word!" The mouse gave Roxas' hand a reassuring squeeze as Lea lifted and carried him away.

"Kairi! There you are!" Mickey exclaimed just as the girl approached from the same direction Lea, Isa and Roxas just left. "Has there been any luck with the search?"

"Ven was hurt, but his injuries aren't life threatening. I was more concerned about the fact that he was in shock when I found him. It seems whatever that flash of light in the distance was... it cleansed the Hearts of everyone who Xehanort possessed. Terra was there... and he was critically wounded."

Mickey's head lowered sadly. "What are his odds?"

"He could go either way... the medics from Hollow Bastion had just managed to stabilize him when I ran into you... Mickey... there's something else you need to know... it's Riku..."

"Oh no! Don't tell me that he-"

"He's alive, but he's in worse shape than Terra right now- his arm was nearly severed at the shoulder- and he had lost so much blood when I found him. Aqua was trying to revive him when I left her... I'm scared Mickey... if Sora makes it... but Riku doesn't, how will he take it?"

Mickey's eyes were sad, but still held some of the glint of steadfast hope when he spoke to her.

"Don't give up yet Kairi. Even if those two boys have given up, you can still give them enough support to bring them both out of this alive and whole! You just gotta have faith in them!"

End of Chapter 28.