Chapter 4 – Lingering Sentiment

Sora and Kairi blocked Luxord's path, trying to buy Aqua some time. Vanitas had disappeared from the battlefield, and Donald and Goofy were still fighting Xigbar.

The armor spoke. Its voice was ghastly and metallic, and Kairi shuddered at the sound of it. Could that thing really be what was left of Terra?

"Aqua…"

"It really is you!"

The armor shifted its gaze from her to their general direction. "Xehanort…"

"Kairi!" Sora grabbed her and vaulted out of the way. They landed nearby, whirling around to get a better look at what was happening. Sure enough, Terra's armor had attacked Luxord. It quickly became clear that Luxord on his own was no match for Terra's hatred-fueled rage. The man did the sensible thing and retreated, disappearing into a cloud of swirling darkness. Xigbar followed soon afterwards.

"Terra?" Aqua asked again when the dust had cleared, her voice unsteady. She approached him slowly, cautiously. He looked towards Sora and Kairi, and Sora flinched and grabbed a hold of Kairi again, speeding them even further away. She put a barrier up in case Terra decided to attack.

"Aqua, tell him we're not here to fight him!" Sora said.

"Terra, listen! Those are my friends! Sora saved Ven, and Kairi—"

"Ven? Where's… Ven?"

Aqua faltered. "He – he's not here. He's training, back on Radiant Garden."

"Is he safe? Are you?"

"Yes." She took a halting step towards him. When he didn't react, she reached a tentative hand to his face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. The armor shifted again, and Sora and Kairi feared the worst. But he surprised them all by wrapping his arms around Aqua instead.

"T-Terra?"

"Don't apologize. What happened is my fault. Aqua, I swear to you and Ven, I will make this right."

She hesitated a moment, then hugged him back. "I know you will, but we want to help. Do you know where your heart and body are?"

"Still under Xehanort's control."

Aqua's grip around him tightened. "Do you know where he is?"

"Coming… He's coming." Aqua pulled away and stared up at him. Donald and Goofy exchanged nervous glances, and Sora grabbed a hold of Kairi's hand. "My body and heart are with him—how? He wanted to keep them away from you—he was worried seeing you again would make him lose control over me—"

Luxord returned, and this time he had even more company. Six hooded figures were with him. Kairi and Sora summoned their Keyblades, and Donald and Goofy held their weapons at the ready. This wasn't going to be an easy fight. Each of these people would be difficult enough as it was one on one.

But then Terra appeared, and Xehanort right after him. Ansem and Xemnas were with him, and they grabbed Terra and held him hostage. He struggled viciously against them, but it was as pointless as if he really were fighting two versions of himself at the same time.

"Terra!" Aqua cried. His eyes were still golden and his hair silver, but at the sound of her voice, he looked right at her.

"Aqua! Get out of here! You're outnumbered!" He winced, as if the very act of speaking was painful.

"No, I won't! I won't abandon you, not again!" She charged, the hulking suit of armor right behind her. Sora and Kairi took one look at the way the armor mowed everything down in its path and plunged in after her.

We have to save Terra. We just have to. They didn't have any kind of plan, and in the back of Kairi's mind she knew this was a bad idea. But what else could they do? Their mission was to save Terra, and how could they do that if they ran away?

"Uh, guys?" Goofy said. "Maybe we oughta—"

Donald shouted and joined the fray. The whole place transformed into a frenzied battlefield. Kairi lost track of where Sora was as she parried attack after attack, trying to get in a few of her own. Her white magic was her only advantage, and she used it as much as she could. But she couldn't keep up this frenetic pace forever. She would tire, sooner or later.

"Kairi!" Aqua grabbed her hand. Kairi lent her her remaining white magic, and with her help Aqua created her most powerful chains yet. They wound around all their enemies in the vicinity except for Xehanort, who was still fighting Terra's armor. Aqua struggled to keep their enemies bound, her arms trembling from the exertion.

"Take him! Take him and go!" Aqua shouted.

"No, we won't leave you!" Sora and Donald joined together to cast a round of powerful Sleep spells that knocked their foes out cold. Except for Xehanort. Geez, was the man immune to everything? Kairi kicked off Goofy's shield and attacked one of the hooded figures. Unconscious or not, the more damage they did, the better—

Xehanort landed a heavy blow on Aqua. She staggered to the ground, her chains shattering.

"That's enough!" There was a loud crash, and everyone turned to look. Terra was recombining with his armor at long last. His golden eyes blazed with fury for a brief moment, then his helmet snapped into place. He held his Keyblade in one hand and summoned Xehanort's in the other.

In that moment, Kairi understood why Sora had been so terrified of him. He was not the sort of person you ever wanted to make angry. He used the same golden chains Aqua had to create a barrier, sealing himself, along with Xehanort and the rest of his Seekers, away.

"Still you resist me!" Xehanort shouted. "You fool!" He sent a dark wave of energy at Terra, who blocked it and clutched his head.

"Aqua, I can't – I can't come with you. Not till he's completely gone from my heart. You have to leave, I can't hold him off much longer—"

Aqua dragged herself off the ground and slammed her fists against the barrier. "Sora, hurry! Connect to his heart!"

Sora didn't hesitate. A surge of warmth pulsed through Kairi as Sora's heart came into contact with hers. Aqua's heart was connected next, and thoughts of Terra filled Kairi's mind. The flood of memories gave her an idea of the sort of person he was when he wasn't in his current rage-fueled state. Or at least, how Aqua saw him.

There was an unmistakable feeling that tinted all of her memories of him, one that Kairi had already begun to suspect after today's battle and Aqua's stories of her life growing up. Whether Aqua recognized it for what it was, she didn't know; but Sora used it as a guide as his heart searched for Terra's.

When he finally found it, Aqua gasped. The darkness shrouding it was nearly impenetrable, and its sickly tendrils traveled down the links Sora had created and wrapped slimy fingers around their hearts. Kairi swallowed, knowing what she had to do next. Time was of the essence; if she took too long, Sora would have no choice but to break the connection in order to protect them.

She thought of Sora and focused on her feelings for him. His heart responded in turn, and the light from her heart traveled across the links and reached Terra's, driving away enough of the darkness to create a window.

It wasn't enough. They needed more light. They needed more time.

They were interrupted. "What's this? My oh my, what a useful ability you've gained, Sora. Mind if I see how it works?"

A blast of darkness came careening their way, targeting not their bodies but their hearts and minds. Kairi was completely unprepared for the attack, but she soon realized who its target was. She counteracted as quickly as she could, but the darkness was powerful indeed.

She turned to glare at who she knew the source was. "You Leave Sora alone!" But Xehanort was relentless and paid no attention to her words.

I can't hold out much longer. "Sora, break the connection!"

If he didn't, Xehanort might try to—

"Terra—"

Terra was struggling to hold Xehanort and the others back, and it was taking all of his strength.

"Aqua, I'm sorry, I can't—"

"Terra! We'll save you, I promise!"

That would have been the ideal moment to dissolve the connection. But Sora hadn't said anything. His eyes were wide and unfocused, and his breath came in shallow gasps. She put a hand on his arm and he didn't even react.

You can save Terra, Xehanort said.

How? Tell me how! What do I have to do? Sora's voice was in her mind, clear as if he was speaking out loud.

You already know. Your heart understands, even if your mind does not.

"Sora! Stop! We need to keep you safe!" Aqua waved her hand in front of his face, the panic in her voice rising.

"Sora, break the connection!" Kairi grabbed his shoulders. "I can't – I can't hold Xehanort off—"

For the briefest moment, there was a strange look in his eyes. Then he focused on her and it went away.

"Xehanort, that's enough!" He echoed Terra's words from earlier, and light burst forth from his heart long enough to hold the darkness back as he broke the connection. "C'mon, we've gotta get out of here!" he shouted. Soon he and Kairi were whizzing away, moving so quickly it was making Kairi dizzy. Donald and Goofy were following after them, but Aqua still remained.

"Sora, wait!" Kairi warned. He stopped and turned back, finally noticing Aqua wasn't right behind them. Donald and Goofy kept going at his insistence.

"Terra, I'm sorry!" Aqua cried.

"Just go, Aqua! Soon, I'll be free! I'll come back to you and Ven, I promise!"

Aqua finally joined them. Together they retreated to the Gummi Ship, Sora carrying Kairi along in rapid, graceful movements to save time, and Aqua teleporting from one area to the next.

When they were safely inside, Sora nodded at Donald, who sat in the pilot's chair and started up the engines.

"He was so close," Aqua whispered, taking out her Wayfinder. Her fingers closed around it, knuckles turning white and lower lip trembling as she fought back the tears. Sora hung his head. After everything they'd been through, he needed comforting just as much as Aqua did, but that would have to wait until later. For now, Kairi pulled Aqua into a hug, grateful when she noticed Goofy putting an arm on Sora's shoulder.

"I'm sorry. If I'd been stronger, I could've banished all the darkness from his heart," Kairi whispered. If she'd had more time, maybe she could've—

Aqua hugged her back. "It's not your fault. You did everything you could to help. It was reckless of me to make you stay as long as we did. We should have left the first time Terra told us to. I'm sorry, Kairi."

"It's okay. I understand. If that had been Sora, I would've done the same thing." His gaze met hers for a moment, and then he looked away. Okay, he really needed comforting. He was doing that thing where he pretended he was fine when he really wasn't. He'd gotten slightly better at it, but he was failing right now, and that meant something was very, very wrong.

His voice was low when he spoke. "Aqua, we'll save him, no matter what." There was a determined glint in his eyes, and his fists clenched at his sides. "Xehanort's had him long enough."

"Yeah!" Donald and Goofy said.

Aqua wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Thank you. You're all so sweet. You barely even know Terra, and yet—"

"That's what friends do, Aqua. You're our friend, so of course we'll help you get Terra back," Sora said. "What I told you before hasn't changed. I want you and Terra and Ven to all be together again. I'll find a way to make it happen, some way, somehow. I promise."

She hugged him, and he staggered backwards. Then his expression softened and he hugged her back. Kairi felt a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. He still wasn't used to surprise hugs, not even after all this time.

"We all will," Aqua finally said, pulling away to smile at him. "All of us working together will figure out how to save him. I just know it."

He attempted a smile back. "Yeah. Together, we can do anything."

"And besides," Goofy said, "I think Terra's real close to breakin' free of Xehanort himself. I bet if we give it a little more time, the next time we try to rescue him, we just might succeed."

"Yeah! You shoulda seen his face when he joined with his armor! I wouldn't want to be Xehanort right now," Donald said. That got a weak laugh out of everyone. Terra really was, well, terrifying when he was angry.

They were approaching the Warp Hole, and Donald turned his attention back to driving. Sora disappeared below deck, and Kairi fiddled with her necklace, trying to decide if she should follow after him or give him his space.

Aqua placed a hand on her shoulder. "Go talk to him," she whispered. "We've got things under control up here."

Sora was sitting by the big circular window below deck when she found him, gazing out at the stars. She placed a blanket on his shoulders, then grabbed a blanket of her own and climbed up onto the windowsill across from him. If he wanted to talk, he would. What was important was that she was here for him.

"Sorry about today," he said at length, pulling the blanket closer. "I hadn't transformed into that… that form in ages. But all it took was seeing Vanitas attack you to—"

"It's okay. You just wanted to keep me safe. I know you weren't trying to hurt me."

"Yeah, but I could have."

"Which is why I thought of an excellent strategy to keep that from happening." She cracked a grin and nudged his shoe with her toes. "C'mon, you've gotta give me some credit for that."

"Yeah, you were great." He smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Do you… do you think we might be able to help Vanitas? There for a moment, I thought that maybe…"

He leaned back against the windowsill and sighed. "It's hard to say. Sometimes, I wonder about him and the other Seekers. But Xehanort's hold on their hearts seems too strong. I wonder… I wonder what it would take to break it."

Kairi fiddled with her necklace, pursing her lips. "Well, we have to figure something out for Terra at least." She sighed. "We were so close to saving him today."

"I know, but we didn't. All because I—I failed." He hung his head, and even his spiky hair seemed to droop. Of course he was blaming himself. It was like he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders sometimes, and she wondered how long he could do it before it broke him. She shifted her weight to her knees and took his hands in hers.

"Sora, what happened wasn't your fault. If anything, it's on me for not having enough light to drive Xehanort out of Terra's heart. And neither of us could have predicted that Xehanort would try to sabotage the whole thing. What was he even talking about when he said you could save Terra?"

Sora shrugged. "I don't know. He didn't say before I broke the connection."

"Was he taunting you? Trying to get you to act without thinking?"

"Probably."

"But then you froze up. Why?" She hadn't forgotten that strange look in his eyes.

He sighed again. "Kairi, I've faced him before. It… didn't go well. He tried to possess me, and my mind kept flashing back to that. It's why I failed my Mark of Mastery exam the first time. But then I heard your voice, and I remembered where I was and what I could do." As he spoke, his usual resolve returned, though his voice still had a deep heaviness to it. "You protected me, Kairi. Thank you."

It wasn't enough that Xehanort had stolen Terra from them. He'd tried to take Sora, too, and the mere thought made Kairi's blood boil. She would keep Sora safe. It was why she had trained so hard with Merlin and Lea. She was sick of watching him and Riku put everything on the line. Those days were over now. She had the power to help them, and that started right here, right now.

"Of course," she said. "I'm always here for you, okay? I'll protect you, Sora. I won't let Xehanort or anyone else hurt you."

"Yeah. With you around, I know Xehanort doesn't stand a chance of taking over my heart. You're my light in the darkness, Kairi."

Kairi nodded, a warm feeling spreading through her chest at his words. "I'm just happy to help. Whatever you're dealing with, Sora, you don't have to face it alone."

He regarded her for a long moment, then pulled her lucky charm out of his pocket. It was still in good condition despite all of his travels.

"I know. I haven't forgotten our promise."

She smiled. "You still have it." It had felt like ages since she'd last seen it, but he'd kept it with him all this time.

"Yeah. It always brings me back to you."

Well, of course it did. Her magic was in the charm, after all. She had a feeling the strength of her magic was related to the strength of her feeling, and since she'd given it to him, her feelings had only grown stronger.

She had an idea. "Here, hand it to me."

He raised his eyebrows, a question on his lips.

"The threats we're facing are stronger now, so I want to make the magic stronger," she explained. He nodded and placed it in her hands. She brought it to her lips and kissed it, light emanating off the charm as she did. "There. That should do it."

She handed it back to him and smiled. He looked from her to the charm, an unreadable expression on his face. Then his fingers closed over it, his hand shaking.

"Sora?"

"I'm fine, I just— no matter what happens, Kairi, I'll never forget my promise to you. And now you've made the magic stronger. Thank you."

Alarm bells went off in Kairi's head. Something was wrong. "Sora, what's going on?"

"Nothing. It's just that— after all the worlds I've been to, I've realized something. When I was searching for Riku, I kept thinking about how much I wanted to find him and bring him home. But it wasn't Destiny Islands I wanted to return to. It was you. You're home, Kairi, more than any place ever was or could be. So long as we're together, I know I'm home."

He gave her the most beautiful smile, then squeezed her hand and jumped off the window. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm really tired. I'm gonna try to get some sleep—"

She followed after him, putting her arms around his waist and resting her cheek against his back. "Talk to me," she whispered. She wished she could see his face right now, see what kind of expression he was making. "Tell me what's on your mind," she pleaded.

"Kairi," he said at last, his voice heavy, "there are some things talking won't fix."

Her grip tightened. "Isn't there anything I can do to help?"

He paused. "Yes. Just… stay with me." He turned around and pulled her close. She snuggled next to his heart and sighed. That, at least, she could do.