a/n: i can't believe i finally got to this point like wow this is crazy
i hope you all enjoy the epilogue of this shitty little story, it was fun to write c:
a-far-off-memory
Sora walked down a long tree-lined, sunlit path. Birds chirped from all around him, filling the otherwise silent air with their songs.
This is so peaceful, Sora thought to himself, toying with a low branch of a giant willow tree. He wasn't sure how long he'd been in this place, only that it had been a while. He had no idea where he was or why he was there, but he felt content just being there.
Except...he had the feeling he was forgetting something. Something important was missing, and he couldn't for the life of him figure out what.
"Why can't I remember...?" he questioned under his breath, laying his palm against the trunk of the willow tree.
"Because you don't want to, Sora."
Letting out a squeak of surprise, Sora turned at the sound of the voice. He found two boys who looked to be his age—one, a shorter spiky-haired blond with cobalt eyes, the other a taller black-haired boy with eyes like molten gold.
Why did he feel like he knew them?
"Remember us, Sora," the blond pleaded, blue eyes soft. "This place...it wants you to forget so that you'll stay, but you can't do that. Come on, Sor..."
The black-haired male let go of the blond's hand in favor of moving closer to Sora, moving slowly so he didn't spook him.
"Don't tell me you forgot your big brother already," he said in a teasing tone. There was pain in his gentle golden eyes, pain at being forgotten.
"I...my big brother...?" Sora inquired, eyes squinted in confusion. His head began to throb, and he raised his hands to clutch it. "You're making my head hurt, Vani." As soon as the name escaped him, he gasped and clapped his hand over his mouth. Where had that come from?
"Remembering is gonna hurt, Sora, but you have to do it," the blond told him in a gentle, soothing tone.
Another name popped into his head. "Ven..." He whispered, the throbbing intensifying.
"There you go, Sora, you're doing really good," Vanitas encouraged, reaching out to lay a hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Can you remember anything else?"
"I...I..." His eyes widened. "I remember Kairi! And Naminé, Roxas..." He grit his teeth against the pain that kept growing, continuing to wade through the fog in his mind. "Axel, Demyx, Zexion..."
"Who else?" Vanitas urged, giving Sora's shoulder a squeeze. "Picture him in your mind, Sora...tell me what you see and feel."
Closing his eyes completely, Sora tried to remember while ignoring the pain splitting through his skull. In his mind's eye, he saw a tall boy with long silver hair and muscular arms. His back was turned, making it impossible to distinguish anything else, but Sora knew him. He knew this person was very important to him.
"He...he's really tall," he began, struggling to keep picturing him. "His hair is really long, and it's such a pretty silver. He...he has his back turned to me though...I feel like he's someone important."
"Keep trying," Ven told him, sounding closer than he was before.
In his mind, the tall boy turned slightly, revealing half of his face. His nose curved out gracefully, not too big or too small, and his mouth was tilted up in a small smirk.
And those pretty aqua eyes...
"Who are you...?" he whispered, fists clenched.
The boy in his head chuckled, and the sound was like the most beautiful music to Sora's ears. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already, Sor. Come on, think a little harder."
The pain in his head was growing to a fever pitch. It was getting hard to concentrate on anything.
"His voice," he grit out, shaking. "I know his voice. It's a...soothing voice. And his face...I only see half, but I know him."
"Good, Sora," Vanitas praised.
"Show me who you are..." Sora pleaded softly. It felt like someone was slicing his head open.
"Oh, I suppose I can," the boy sighed jokingly, turning to face him fully.
Those eyes.
They looked at him with so many emotions. Love, happiness, yet also sadness. He didn't want them to be sad...
"Remember me yet?"
The name danced on his lips, wanting to form but being unable to. "R...Ri..."
He fell to his knees, the pain unbearable.
"Come on, Sor, you're almost there," all three voices promised.
Shaking from the pain, Sora looked into those aqua eyes again. And just when he thought he was going to give up, a single whisper escaped his lips.
"Riku."
Just like that, everything stopped hurting. He sagged, opening his eyes, meeting golden ones.
"You did so good, Sora," Vanitas murmured, stroking his hair and hugging him tight.
"I...why am I here, Vanitas? Where is here? My head is a mess..."
Sighing, Vanitas looked up to Ven, who simply nodded. "You've retreated into your heart, Sora. On the outside, they're calling it a coma. You've been here for a while...this is the first time we've been able to reach you."
Eyes wide, Sora raised a hand to his mouth. "I'm in a coma?" Flashes appeared behind his eyes. Flashes of running, of being chased, of an old house...of jumping out a window. He remembered his body twisting through the air, and then his legs snapping beneath him...and then nothing.
He couldn't breathe.
"Sora!" Ven and Vanitas exclaimed in unison. "C'mon, don't do this, you gotta breathe!" Vanitas growled, rubbing his back.
"Calm down," Ven soothed, looking him right in the eyes. "Just focus on my face right now."
Slowly, as he looked into Ven's clear blue eyes, his chest became lighter and he found it easier to breathe.
"What did you remember?" Vanitas questioned, voice soft.
"I...I jumped out the window," he whispered, eyes filling with tears. "Why did I do that?"
Sighing softly, Ven looked down. "You were being chased, Sora. You had no other option."
"What do you remember about the house? And please, don't freak out again," Vanitas pleaded, pain in his eyes.
Slowly, it began to come back to him. They decided to spend a night in the creepy old house that everyone said was haunted so that they would have a cool story to tell at school. And then they started splitting up, and then...
A sob escaped him as he remembered Kairi's lifeless body, eyes open yet unseeing. "Kairi..." he whispered. Then, he saw Ven smile as he took his last breaths, held by Vanitas...which led to the image of him helping Vanitas to sit and then leaving him behind.
"Oh god," he sobbed, burying his face in his hands. "Ven, Vanitas...you're dead, aren't you?"
"Yes," Vanitas whispered.
Sora met his brother's eyes, crying harder. "Vanitas, I...I left you to die alone!"
"Shh." The black-haired teen pulled him in for a tight hug. "I wanted you to keep going, Sora. And...I wasn't alone. Riku, Naminé and Roxas found me before I died. They stayed until I was gone." He kissed the side of Sora's head, pulling away and smiling. "Don't worry about me, Sor."
That placated him a little, knowing that Vanitas didn't die alone. "But, Vani, Ven...I'm gonna miss the two of you..." he said quietly, looking down.
"Hey...when everyone got out of the house, we said our goodbyes to them. But your heart...it beckoned to us. Your body was weak, and we knew we could help. So you don't ever have to miss us, because we'll always be right here in your heart."
"What about Kairi?" he questioned.
"She's with Naminé." Ven bit his lip, taking a deep breath. "There's something you need to know now, so that there are no surprises when you wake up. Demyx and Zexion...they didn't make it out," he said softly. "They died together, because Demyx fell and broke his wrist and he couldn't carry Zex anymore."
"Oh my god..." Sora breathed, eyes wide. "What about everyone else?"
"Injured, but alive," Vanitas replied, sighing. "We don't know how they are right now, since we're with you, but they were all in pretty bad shape. Nami was stabbed in the leg, Roxas was nearly choked to death, most of Axel's ribs were broken and Riku...Sora, he was clawed in the face, and I don't know if he'll be able to see out of one of his eyes anymore. Plus he was almost crushed by that black thing that killed Kairi."
"I need to...I need to see if they're all okay," he whispered, clenching his fists.
"Then you need to wake up," Ven told him, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm. "Go back to them, Sora. I'm sure they're worried about you."
"What about you guys?" he asked, voice small.
Vanitas chuckled. "We'll always be here if you need us, little bro. Don't forget that, okay?"
Slowly, Sora nodded. "How do I wake up?"
"Just...close your eyes," Ven murmured. Sora did as he was told, and he felt two kisses on his eyelids. His body began to feel very heavy, and the last think he heard before retreating into darkness was Vanitas telling him he loved him.
"Still no changes?"
Riku looked up at the sound of Naminé's voice, tearing his eyes away from the sleeping Sora, who was swaddled in countless blankets. He looked so small, so fragile...
It broke Riku's heart to see him like this.
Ever since he'd found out a month before that his boyfriend had fallen into a coma due to trauma, Riku had barely left his bedside, aside from when it was necessary.
Riku watched her through his glasses as she took the seat beside him, waiting expectantly for an answer. She walked with a slight limp, remnants of the stab wound she'd suffered in her left thigh.
They all had scars, residual damage from that night. Axel still found it hard to breathe without pain, Roxas was in therapy for nightmares and his frequent nervous breakdowns, and Riku himself could only see out of one eye, not to mention the three jagged scars that stretched from hairline to the top of his lip.
Naminé had perhaps the strangest reminders of all.
Aside from her limp, one of Naminé's eyes had changed from its light, crystal-like blue to the deep violet that Kairi's eyes had been. Also, her once platinum blonde hair held a strawberry tint now. It was certainly strange, but it made sense in a way. Kairi was part of her now...which made Riku wonder if Sora would be affected by something similar when he woke up, since he'd absorbed Ven and Vanitas...
"No," Riku replied after a moment, looking down. "No changes."
A small, delicate hand rested over his, which was clenching the chair so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. Meeting her bicolored eyes, he let out a deep breath and released his death grip on the chair.
"Have Zack and Aerith been here yet?" she asked, voice soft.
Sighing, he nodded. "They just left about ten minutes ago. They had to work," he replied. He sighed again. "Naminé, we're all worried. He's shown no signs of waking up, none at all...I thought Ven and Vanitas were gonna take care of him from the inside..."
Eyes determined, Naminé let go of Riku's hand in favor of taking one of Sora's cold ones. Her eyes fell shut, and a slight glow began to emanate from her.
"Nami, no, don't do that," he murmured, laying a hand on her arm.
Ever since channeling their friends that night, Naminé had been...different. Something fundamental had changed within her, and it was worrisome. When she'd asked Kairi about it, she'd been told that while she had a wonderful gift, every time she used it, it took a piece of her away and weakened her. She could see spirits just fine without any ill-effects, but when she gave them form, that's when it affected her. Or when she actively sought them out, like she was trying to do now.
"Riku, just let me do this," she said, not opening her eyes. "We need some peace."
Sighing, knowing it was useless to fight the girl who'd gotten Kairi's stubbornness, Riku let his hand fall.
"I...I see them, 'Ku," she breathed, a smile tilting up one corner of her mouth. "Oh, it's beautiful in there..."
"Are they saying anything?" he asked, eyes widening.
Her brow furrowed. "They said that they haven't been able to reach him. He's locked away somewhere they can't find..." Suddenly, the glow around her intensified.
"What are you doing now?" he questioned, worried for his friend as he saw her put more energy into what she was doing. It just wasn't healthy for her to do this...
"I'm going to find him and guide him to them," she replied, biting her lip.
"Take my hand, then," he offered, holding a hand out. He didn't want her doing this alone, not when she could take some of his energy.
Knowing not to dispute it, Naminé took his hand. Riku immediately started feeling the drain, and he wondered how she'd been doing it alone before. He knew she was strong, but...this was a tremendous strain.
"I think...I think I've got him," she told him, breathing heavily. "He's been drifting, Riku...we need to get him into the light of his heart."
"Take what you need, Naminé," he said resolutely, letting his eyes fall shut. He'd do whatever it took to make sure Sora woke up.
Suddenly, the drain stopped, and Naminé let go. Riku opened his eyes to find her leaning back in her chair, looking tired but satisfied.
"Ven and Vanitas will take care of the rest," she announced, taking a deep breath. A chuckle escaped her. "You should hear Kairi yelling at me."
"Nami, you can't strain yourself like that," he murmured, taking her hand. "You aren't invincible."
She sighed. "The way I see it, I was given this gift for a reason. It's be a waste not to use it, Riku—not when I can use it to help. And maybe it's hard and it takes a lot out of me right now, but I'm sure it'll get easier over time."
Shaking his head, Riku let out a sigh that turned into a chuckle. "Then I guess there's no use trying to fight you on it, then. Kairi's eye isn't the only thing you got when you merged with her...you're just as stubborn as she was now."
Naminé giggled. "I'm glad you can't hear what she's saying about you right now."
A small grin pulled at Riku's lips. "Aww, Kai, you know we all loved your stubbornness. Don't get all pissy about it," he said with a chuckle.
"Wow, I think this is the first time I've seen you smile and laugh since...well, since that night," Naminé murmured, voice soft. "I've missed it, 'Ku. We all have."
He let out a long breath. "I don't have much to be happy about these days, Nams...I don't sleep at night, not with the way I worry about Sora...not to mention the fact that when I do sleep, I just have nightmares." He gazed upon Sora's peaceful face, sighing. "Plus I worry about what he'll think when he sees me."
"What do you mean?" she asked in a gentle tone.
Shutting his eyes, he pulled the dark lenses off his face. Turning to face her, he opened them again, jaw clenched.
"Look at me, Naminé," he muttered, running a hand through his long silver hair. He knew what she'd be seeing: one perfectly normal eye and unblemished skin on the left, and a scarred mess on the right. His iris in his damaged eye had gone to a pale, almost white blue, and a scar stretched across it. The most he could see when he closed his left eye has a bit of light and very blurred shapes. He was defective now.
"What am I supposed to see? Because I only see my friend Riku," she told him, bicolored eyes soft.
"Look at this, Naminé," he ground out, pointing to the right side of his face. "It's...disgusting." He looked down, only to be forced to look back up when the blonde girl grabbed him by the chin.
There was a quiet fury in her eyes as she looked at him. "Riku, don't you ever say that again. Scars or not, you're still you. And Sora loves you for who you are, not what you look like." Her voice lowered as she let go, toying with the hem of her shirt. "Plus, scars aren't something to be ashamed of. I don't think they detract from your looks, in fact...I think they make you look even more handsome. So I don't want to ever hear you say that again, Riku, because it isn't true at all."
Riku sighed. He knew he was being stupid and irrational, but he hated his scars. He hated that he'd gotten them because he was weak...because he'd tried to give up. That's all that they served to remind him of.
"I know what you're thinking," she said softly, reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze. "You were grieving, Riku. No one blames you for that. I mean...you'd just seen Sora throw himself out a window. It doesn't surprise me that you reacted the way you did."
"I was weak, Naminé," he whispered, a tear slipping from his dead eye. "I almost got myself killed because of it."
"Riku, that whole night...you were so strong. You were strong when none of us could be, and finally...you needed a moment to be weak and let us be strong for you. Don't be ashamed of that," she murmured, tone gentle.
Taking a shuddering breath, he let himself be drawn into an embrace. Naminé held him tight, rubbing his back and stroking his hair to soothe him as he quietly cried.
"It'll be alright, 'Ku," she whispered, kissing his temple.
Suddenly, more arms joined the embrace. Axel and Roxas hugged Riku tight, knowing he needed it.
"Ax? Roxas? When did you come in?" Riku asked, sniffling.
"Just now," Axel replied, pulling back. He drug another chair over and sat down, making room for Roxas to sit on his lap.
"How are you holding up?" Roxas asked. He had deep bags under his deep blue eyes, eyes that had lost a little of their shine. Roxas was a mess—he'd developed severe anxiety, and suffered from frequent panic attacks. He saw a therapist regularly, though, and it seemed to be helping.
Riku sighed, wiping at the tears on his cheeks. "Not very well, but that's not really a surprise..."
"Any improvement with Sora?" Axel questioned, emerald eyes soft. Pain flashed in them as he inhaled too sharply, but it went ignored by him.
Riku looked to Naminé, who cleared her throat. "Well, I contacted Ven and Vanitas, because I was worried." This was met with some disapproving looks, but she paid them no mind. "I found out that they haven't been able to contact him at all, so I went looking for his life force...I found him floating in the darkness of his heart, so with a little help from Riku, I got him to Vani and Ven. They're probably looking after him right now," she finished.
Roxas looked over at her, swallowing hard. "Was Ven okay when you talked to him?"
Smiling softly, she nodded. "He's happy, being there with Vanitas."
The barely noticeable tension in Roxas' shoulders dissipated then. Axel kissed his cheek, rubbing his back.
"So...he should wake up soon, then?" Axel inquired.
"Well, I'd like to think I helped," Naminé responded, sighing. "But only time will tell."
Their eyes all fell on the brunet then, who looked no different. Riku bit his lip, willing himself not to cry again.
C'mon, Sor, open your eyes, he thought to himself, reaching out and taking his limp hand.
Suddenly, Sora's expression changed. Instead of being blank, he looked almost...pained?
"Oh my god," Roxas breathed.
They all watched with bated breaths as Sora's expression changed more and more. "He looks like he's in so much pain," Naminé whispered.
Just as she said it, his face smoothed out again.
"What...what was that?" Axel questioned, brow furrowed.
Riku stroked the hand in his grip, squeezing it lightly as he reached over to brush tawny hair from his boyfriend's face. "Sora? Sor, can you hear me? Please..."
The brunet's face twitched, scrunching up, and his eyelids began to flutter open. Riku felt the worry that had been hanging heavily on his mind melt away all at once as Sora's eyes opened, wheeling around the room before settling on his face.
A small smile pulled at his lips. "Hey, 'Ku," he whispered, voice scratchy from disuse. His eyes moved to the other three in the room, and the smile grew. "Nami...Rox...Ax...you're all here. You're all okay." Those beautiful eyes filled with tears. "I'm so happy you're all okay..."
Riku brushed the tears away, stroking his cheek gently. "You had us so worried..."
A hand came up to trace along the scars on his cheek, and Riku felt his breath catch as he realized he forgot to put his glasses back on. "Oh, Riku...does it hurt?"
The taller male shook his head. "Not anymore. It's healed now..." He looked down. "I know, they're repulsive. My eye is disgusting..."
He felt that same hand tilt his chin up, and he found Sora smiling softly. "I don't think that at all, Riku. You're still you, and you are neither disgusting nor repulsive. You're my boyfriend whom I love no matter what. Don't be a doofus."
It was like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Gently, Riku leaned down and kissed him, cupping his face as their lips met for the first time in a month. "I love you, Sora..." he whispered, tears pricking his eyes.
Slender fingers carded through his long hair. "I love you too, 'Ku. Don't you forget it."
Smiling and wiping at his eyes, Riku sat back down in his chair. Sora turned his attention to Roxas, who looked like he was burning with a million questions.
"Ven wants you to stop worrying, okay? He's okay, he's happy," he told the blond, whose shoulders immediately began to shake. His head lowered, and tears fell from his eyes to his lap.
"I guess that's all that matters, right?" he asked rhetorically, voice cracking. "As long as he's happy, I'll be okay too..."
Axel kissed the spot just below his ear, holding him tighter, and Roxas sunk into the embrace gratefully.
The brunet looked to Naminé next. "And...Kairi is okay?" he questioned nervously.
With a quiet laugh, the blonde girl nodded. "She's just fine, Sora. She's happy she could protect you."
Eyes falling shut, Sora sank into his pillow, sighing in relief. He still felt terrible about her death, but knowing that she was okay and that she wasn't mad at him...he felt so much better.
Yes, they all had scars and reminders from that terrible night. But they also had each other for support and love, and with that, they knew they'd eventually heal, that those reminders would eventually fade.
a/n: that's it, folks c:
thank you all for coming along with me on the journey that is this shitty story, i can't even begin to express how much it means to me to know that people enjoyed it. this was my first multi-chaptered fic i ever posted on here, and now 8 months later, it's actually done ^_^ (if i hadn't been so lazy it would've been done a looooong time ago...oops?)
i hope you all stick with me in the future! make sure you check out my other stuff!
thanks again, guys.
for the last time in this story, afom out~