Chapter 30.

Lea had been quick to return with the supplies Mickey asked for. Minnie had even looked all over for the strongest painkiller they had- nearly giving up, as most of the medical supplies had been sent to Twilight Town- where the injured were being tended to- when the pair of them found a dusty vial lying- just visible- under the bed in a spare room.

It was the same medicine that Yen Sid had used to ease Riku's pain that night after Xigbar stabbed him, and they both wondered if it would be enough for Sora, considering the sad state he was in at that moment. Minnie sent him on his way, telling him to send Mickey her apologies if it wasn't enough.

Mickey used highly concentrated Fire magic to cut away as much of the metal protruding from Sora's stomach as possible. The intense heat traveled down the length of the blades, disinfecting the metal and cauterizing the wounds, however the heat caused the boy intense pain. A series of loud, agonized shrieks echoed across the landscape, and Kairi did whatever she could to distract him from the pain, taking his hands in hers and gently caressing the back of them with her thumbs, while she whispered soothing encouragements into his ear.

Sora was in tears and shaking by the time Mickey finished. The pain had lessened to a dull burn, as Lea had remembered the vial in his pocket and administered a drop of the medicine into each wound. But they all knew the worst was far from over. Sora was still impaled on the Keyblade remnants, and they had come to the point where he would have to be lifted off of them.

Kairi lifted the boy into a sitting position, as Lea and Goofy carefully grabbed him below each knee. Donald and Mickey spread a thick blanket on the ground beside him- Minnie had insisted that Lea take it with him after he had described what they were going to attempt, saying it'd be downright cruel to lower him onto cold, filthy ground after subjecting him to such an ordeal.

"This isn't going to be easy, but I promise we'll make this as quick as possible..." Kairi whispered into Sora's ear, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly. "Just stay strong, it'll be over soon!"

"You three... don't draw this out any longer than it needs to be, just lift him straight up on my count!" Mickey ordered. "Ok..."

"Get ready, sweetheart..." Kairi whispered.

"1... 2... 3!"

XXXXXXXX

Riku's eyes shot open, a resounding scream of agony coming from his mouth. Aqua shot into a standing position, clearly alarmed by his sudden reaction, and raced from the room.

They made it to Twilight Town in a few short hours, where they were directed to a makeshift hospital built in one of the many larger buildings. As more casualties made their way in, Aqua began to wander around more and more in search of any friends or companions, yet felt an obligation to remain at Riku's side until Kairi could see him again.

She was surprised with who the first healer she encountered was.

"Master! What are you doing here?"

Yen Sid looked at Aqua with his signature piercing gaze. "I simply will not sit by idly while so many suffer. I may be old, but that doesn't mean I've lost my abilities. Now why are you here?"

Aqua explained how she had been allowed to join them, both as a healer and as the one who had been keeping one of them alive up until their arrival. She had been staying at his side almost constantly, but had run out of the room when he started screaming, hoping she could find someone to alleviate his pain.

"Let me have a look at him..." The old wizard said in answer.

XXXXXXXX

Ven had been taken care of pretty quickly and was now insisting that he be allowed to go and help the others. Aqua had insisted he stay put and rest, making the boy protest that he could still help out with a broken arm, yet Aqua's stern look made him relent. She knew Ven had an ulterior motive- he wanted to see Terra, but she didn't think he would take well to seeing him in his current state.

He had managed to sneak out of his room, now wandering the halls of the large building, which has an air of abandonment. Any room he passed that was not currently being occupied was filled with neatly-stacked furniture, all coated with a thick layer of dust.

He was startled to see who was occupying one of the first rooms he passed. Though he had to get used to the startling fact that the two looked so similar initially, Ventus had grown to respect the youth lying on the small bed in the room, shirtless and covered in bandages, the clear tube of an IV emerging from his hand. It was Roxas, the last person Ven expected to find in his current state.

"It can't be..." Ventus said as he rushed to the boy's side, taking his hand. Roxas stirred and opened his eyes slightly.

"L-l-lea?" He asked weakly.

"Uh... no... it's me... Ven!" He said hesitantly. "I don't think he's here, but if you're here, he should be soon, if not already."

"I hope so..." Roxas said, turning his head to the side and closing his eyes again. "I need to see him..."

"Let me look for him then!" Ventus said. "I'll bring him right here if I see him!"

"I'd like that..." Roxas muttered as he fell asleep.

XXXXXXXX

"You poor thing..." Yen Sid said as he gently prodded the deep gash that ran from Riku's shoulder to just above his hip. Turning to Aqua, he asked: "Do you have any idea how this happened?"

"No..." Aqua said. "Kairi and I just found him in this state..."

"I see..." Yen Sid said, laying a hand on Riku's forehead, summoning a mass of soft blue magic. "maybe our young charge can give us an idea..." he added, closing his eyes as he began to scan Riku's memories. He suddenly looked up, withdrawing his magic, a look of disbelief on his face.

"I don't believe what I just saw..." He said, stunned. "I never thought I'd see such brutality from Sora of all people!"

"What?!" Aqua exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you sure it wasn't one of those replicas?"

"The way he reacted at the end of the battle was not the behavior typically displayed by a replica... Sora must hate himself right now!"

XXXXXXX

It was over. Sora had let out a horrible, strangled scream as they lifted him off the metal remnants, passing out from the pain before they even lowered him onto the blanket. Lea carried him as Kairi tagged close to his side, making their way to the spot where they were instructed to take the wounded, dismayed to see that the Gummi ship was no longer there.

"Don't worry, they're going to keep coming back until there's nobody left on the battlefield, wounded or safe. They won't be long!"

"Just hold on a little bit longer! We're gonna get you taken care of!" Kairi said to the unconscious figure in her arms. She had insisted on holding him as soon as they arrived, which Lea was more than happy to comply with. Despite being as skinny as he was, Sora was not light.

"There it is..." Mickey said, as the bright lights of the Gummi ship illuminated the sky, landing a short distance away from where the group stood. The group quickly crowded onto the ship, where they awaited the arrival of the final group of wounded and otherwise stranded warriors. Making a final confirmation that nobody alive remained in the Keyblade Graveyard, the group finally took off for Twilight Town.

End of Chapter 30.