A/N: I promised content warnings, so here they are. Please skip them if you don't want spoilers. Also, my author's note discussing the chapter's inspiration and development will be combined with next week's note instead.
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SPOILER Psychological torture, human experimentation, mentions of blood SPOILER
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Chapter 15 – Sacrifice
The darkness was a living, breathing thing; it seeped into Sora's very heart, sending a chill down his spine. He fought every impulse to run, resisted every urge to fight. He was here for one reason and one reason only, and it did not require a Keyblade.
He put one foot in front of the other, each step leading him further away from his friends and closer to the heart of the enemy's stronghold. He knew where it was now, thanks to Aqua and Ven. No one stopped him; no one begged him to come back or forbid him from moving forward. He was completely and utterly alone.
When his feet hit a staircase, he stopped. The light here was dim, and it was hard to make out much other than the dark shapes illuminated by a sickly orange glow that lingered over everything like some kind of disease.
"Xehanort!" he called, his voice echoing across the empty expanse. At his words, he felt rather than saw countless eyes rest on him, watching his every move. "I'm here to make a deal!"
Mocking laughter was his response. Sora stiffened at the noise, but otherwise stayed put.
"I'm not the bargaining kind," Xehanort's voice echoed back.
For a moment, Sora's courage failed, his heart faltering. If he couldn't get Xehanort to listen to him, this would all be for nothing.
No, he couldn't think like that. He would succeed. He had to.
"It's an offer you won't be able to resist," he added.
"And what would that be?"
Good. He had Xehanort's attention. He chose his next words carefully. "I want to bargain for Terra's freedom."
Xehanort scoffed. "His freedom? He has been my vessel for years, serving me well. What could possibly equal the value of that?"
Sora swallowed, his body tensing up. Either Xehanort would like his offer, or he wouldn't. He stopped himself from summoning his Keyblade. It wouldn't help.
"Me," he finally replied, his voice sounding much smaller than he would have liked. There was a pause, and then Xehanort's golden eyes gleamed down at him from the top of the stairs.
"Go on."
Sora fought the deep sense of dread welling up inside of him and thought of Aqua and Ven instead, thought of how much they wanted to see their friend again, what it would mean to them to have him back safe and sound.
There. Picturing their smiling faces helped him find his voice again.
"If you set Terra free, if you take your heart out of his body and return him to how he used to be, if you swear to me that he'll reach my friends safely and you won't ever possess him again, then you have my word. I'll let you do whatever you want with me. I won't fight you, and I won't ask my friends for help."
There. He'd tried to be as specific as possible, not wanting Xehanort to exploit any loopholes that might screw Terra over. His heart pounded in his ears, and his breath, the only sound in the room, echoed loudly for everyone to hear. Never before had he felt so vulnerable, so exposed.
Xehanort was silent for what felt like an eternity before he finally spoke. "Agreed."
Sora's jaw dropped, but he soon recovered. "That's not all. You're after Kairi too, right?" he asked.
"Well, yes. She is a Princess of Heart and a Guardian of Light. I need her for the χ-blade either way." Xehanort considered something. "Although with all the people you've saved lately, maybe not. I'm flexible. So long as the components fit the criteria, I don't care who the components are."
"Yeah, I figured. I have one last request. If you don't agree to it, then we don't have a deal."
"And what would that be?"
"Kairi's safety. You don't try to hurt, kidnap, or possess any version of her, past or present, with or without a heart or body."
Sora knew Xehanort could time travel. A version of him had been present the night Destiny Islands fell. What was stopping him from going back to the moment Kairi had lost her heart and stealing her body for his dark purposes?
I'd rather die than let that happen.
"Agreed," Xehanort said. "Are you sure you don't have any more requests? This deal does seem heavily skewed in my favor. I wouldn't want you to feel I'm being unfair."
Well, so long as Xehanort was asking, he might as well push his luck. "Fine, then. Leave all of my friends alone. Stop attacking them."
Xehanort laughed again. "Oh, that won't be a problem. Something tells me they will come after me."
Sora felt a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. In spite of everything, he still took comfort in knowing that even if his friends did come, they could beat Xehanort. Together they would win, he knew they would.
He wanted them to win, even if he was no longer on their side.
"Do we have a deal, then?" he asked.
"Yes, I think we do. When will this all take place?"
It was his last chance to turn back. There was still time. He could summon his Keyblade and make a break for it. His odds of getting away weren't bad, either.
"Is Terra here?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain steady. Now was not the time to show fear, though his heart recoiled at what he knew was about to happen.
"Yes, he is."
"Let him go. I promise I won't run or attack. If I do, the deal is over."
"Very well."
It took every ounce of strength and courage left in his body to stay rooted to the spot. Footsteps made their way towards him, and his whole body tensed, not knowing who was approaching in the dim light. When the tall, hulking figure spoke, it was not with Xehanort's voice. Two strong hands gripped Sora's arms, fingers wrapped so tightly around them that he could feel his skin bruising.
"Sora, I won't let you do this! What happened to me is my fault and mine alone. It isn't your burden to bear!"
Sora sighed in relief. Terra really was here, just like Xehanort had said.
I can save him. I can keep my promise to Aqua.
"No, Terra. It's Xehanort's fault," Sora said, his voice low. "Now go, before he changes his mind."
He couldn't be brave much longer. Each moment he had to wait, his stomach churned and his heart cried out at what was about to happen to it.
Terra wasn't about to give in that easily. He fought Xehanort, he fought Ansem, he fought Xemnas, he fought Xigbar, he fought every last person sent after him. But in the end, Xehanort's control held, and he wasn't above to give Terra any further say in the matter.
By the time it was all over, Sora's legs had turned to mush and he had to stagger against the steps behind him for support. Terra loomed above him, his face cast in shadow from the strange orange light as he held Xehanort's Keyblade high in the air.
"Sora, no! I won't do this to you!" His arms trembled as he struggled to lower them.
Sora grabbed the Keyblade and steered it towards Terra's chest. "Aqua and Ven are gonna be really glad to see you."
Terra groaned. "You think they'll be happy once they found out the price you paid?"
"Sometimes, sacrifices have to be made."
Sora hoped Terra couldn't hear the trembling in his voice.
"Do you really have no regard for your own life?" Terra hissed. "You have no idea what hell it is, to not have any control over your own heart and body, to watch helpless as that monster uses you to hurt the people you love. I've been fighting him all these years. I've regained control little by little. You don't need to do this. I can overcome his possession, I swear. I have my mind back now. I have a plan. It won't be long before I can—"
Terra cried out. Xehanort had grown impatient, plunging the Keyblade into his chest and pulling Xehanort's heart out with it. The glow cast by the heart illuminated Terra's face. His hair returned to its natural color, and the yellow left his eyes as they went back to their original blue.
After years of torment, his heart and body were free at last. Sora smiled briefly at the proof of his success. Xehanort had held up his end of the bargain so far. It was time for Sora to fulfill his.
Terra was panicking now. He lunged at Sora, only for Luxord and Xaldin to block the way. "Sora, no! You can't do this! There has to be another way!" he shouted, trying to get past them.
"And just watch as my friends get hurt or captured?" Sora asked. "Watch them try to carry out an impossible mission that could cost us everything? I can't let that happen. I can't."
He'd found a way to free Terra and keep Kairi safe without any fighting. This was the best deal the Guardians of Light were going to get. They couldn't afford another loss, not when they needed as many people to fight Xehanort as possible.
Terra was dragged away by Xigbar, Xemnas, and Ansem, cast out so that he couldn't interfere with what was about to happen. It was just Sora, Sora and a room full of people who considered him their worst enemy. Sweat dripped down his face and he closed his eyes. All it would take to end this, right here and now, was to connect his friends' hearts to his and call them for help. They would come save him; he knew they would.
But no, he couldn't. He shouldn't. If he failed to keep his part of the deal, Xehanort might go back on his word. For Terra's sake, for Kairi's safety, he had to see this through to the end. He could only hope the end would come quickly.
"It's really too bad, boss. Does this mean we don't get to kill him?" Xigbar asked.
"Death comes in many forms," Xemnas said. "There is physical death, in which the body and soul are separated from one another. The splitting of the body and heart could be seen as another form of death, but it is a death that creates new life, the Heartless and the Nobodies. And… there is death of the self, in which one loses oneself, only to be reborn as something greater."
"In other words, Xigbar, no. I am not denying you your revenge, not at all." Xehanort smiled, and a chill went down Sora's spine.
With a sickening feeling, he realized Xehanort was dragging things out intentionally, relishing the fear and terror he felt. The longer it took, the more agonizing the wait became. Which was probably the entire point.
Maybe he needs me to be afraid for this to work. Maybe he needs my heart to be filled with bad feelings.
His lip curled. "Just get it over with already."
"Did I hear myself correctly?" Xehanort asked, crossing his arms behind his back and walking around Sora in a slow, deliberate circle. "Are you begging me to make you my final Seeker?"
Sora balled his fists. It wasn't enough that he was about to give himself up; no, he had to be humiliated, too.
He fixed Xehanort with a glare. "I'm not doing any of this for you."
Xehanort stopped. "This is about your friends again, isn't it? You think I don't know what it's like to have them. Really, Sora, you should take a look around you." He gestured to the people who were closing in on them, little by little. "You will soon by joining their ranks."
Sora had to laugh. "You call these people your friends? They're your pawns, and you'd throw away each and every one of them in an instant if it meant reaching your goal."
This was the man who was willing to cast away his own body, if it meant furthering his plans. He'd proven time and again that he didn't care about people or their hearts, so long as he got what he wanted in the end.
"And yet here you are, throwing yourself away for one of your friends," Xehanort said. "Tell me, how is that any different from what my Seekers have done for me?"
Sora's arms dropped to his sides, and he stared at Xehanort in disbelief. "It's completely different! However afraid I may be right now, however much I may dread what you're going to do to me, I made my decision freely. I wanted to save Terra. None of these people here had that choice. You don't have any friends, just tools."
Xehanort scoffed. "Let's see how you feel about your noble sacrifice after I'm through with you."
He gave the Seekers instructions on what to do next. Luxord and Xaldin grabbed Sora and dragged him up the stairs to an ornate black throne. After they'd chained him to it, Xehanort gave the Seekers only one rule. Sora had to be in fighting condition when they were done with him.
In a universe filled with magic and healing potions, that left an awful lot of room for injury.
Sora tried to ignore how tightly the restraints dug into his skin. Escaping at this point would be difficult, if not impossible. But it didn't matter; he'd given his word, and he was going to stick to it. He would see this through to the end, even if it meant—
"Vanitas," Xehanort said.
"Yes?" Vanitas answered. He emerged from the shadows, the light and dark flickering across his unmasked face.
"Perhaps you would like to go first?"
Vanitas glanced at Sora. An expression that was almost like pity flickered across his features, then it was gone.
"No thanks." His voice had a harder edge to it than normal, almost bitter. Sora couldn't believe his ears. Vanitas was giving up his chance for revenge?
He searched Vanitas's eyes, and a moment of understanding passed between the two of them. Xehanort might be his master, but it was still his fault his apprentice had become half a person. Vanitas still blamed him for that.
All he wanted was to be whole again. No wonder he lashed out at me for taking Ven out of my heart.
Xehanort was not pleased with this development. "Vanitas, I am disappointed in you. Perhaps you need a reminder about the importance of an apprentice's loyalty to his master?"
Vanitas's eyes filled with fear at the threat, and Sora felt sick to his stomach. Kairi had been right. Had anyone ever shown Vanitas kindness or compassion?
"Stop." Chained to the throne though he was, Sora couldn't just watch Xehanort inflict whatever punishment he had in mind on Vanitas. "Xehanort, this is between you and me. Vanitas has nothing to do with this."
Xehanort turned his attention back to Sora. "I will be the judge of that. Vanitas, summon the Unversed. They will prey on the fear in his heart."
Vanitas paused. "I won't. You don't need them. You can torture him yourself just fine."
In that moment Sora had the awful feeling Vanitas was speaking from personal experience.
Xehanort was silent for a moment as Vanitas stared him down. Then he relaxed and even allowed himself a small smile. "Very well, Vanitas. If you insist. We will speak of this more later."
He turned to the Riku Replica and made him the same offer, only to receive a similarly lukewarm response. Even Vexen looked uncomfortable with what was about to happen, commenting on the excessive brutality of it with a hint of disapproval in his voice.
"As interesting as the data we might glean from such an endeavor might be, hurting Sora any more than is necessary is counterproductive to your goals, Xehanort. You wish him to be able to fight, do you not? He can't do that if he's too damaged."
"Don't worry, Vexen," Ansem said. "You are correct. His body needs to be in fighting condition, and we will ensure it remains that way. All we have to do is get his heart to succumb."
Xehanort nodded. "Are you sure you want no part of it?"
Vexen nodded, and Isa, too, was reluctant to hurt Sora, when before he had relished the chance to break his heart. What Lea had said to him must have had more of an effect than Sora had thought.
He was touched in spite of himself. Maybe Xehanort's iron grip on his Seekers wasn't as strong as he'd thought. They still seemed to have wills of their own, at least.
Xehanort's eyes twitched. "Very well, I will do it myself. I hope this isn't a sign that you all have begun to doubt our goal."
The threat hung in the air, and no one said anything. Sora's heart sank. I should've expected as much, and yet—
He'd wanted someone, anyone to speak up. But it wasn't surprising that they hadn't. Any dissent would be crushed with a vengeance. And Xehanort still had his loyal inner guard who were more than willing to help him hurt Sora. They all had plenty of reason to, after all.
As Sora stared up into Xehanort's eyes, Xehanort leaned close and gave him that awful smile again. "You really aren't going to fight back, are you? I must say, I'm impressed. You're a man of your word. Foolish and naïve, perhaps, but loyal to the end. Just like Terra."
Sora closed his eyes and clutched the armrests of the throne as it began. Terra. I hope you get to see Aqua and Ven again soon. Say hi to them for me. And… if you see Kairi, tell her I—
Darkness in and of itself wasn't evil, but surely Xehanort's darkness was an exception. The man was completely without remorse and had thrown away even basic human empathy. Maybe once he had felt compassion for other people, but he'd chosen to rid himself of it in his search for Kingdom Hearts.
His heart was so opposite to what everything Sora stood for that feeling it encroaching upon his own made him sick. He coughed and gagged, his body violently rejecting such an awful heart.
"Hmmm, he's not ready yet," Xehanort said. "We need to prepare his heart more."
Whatever physical abuse they inflicted upon him didn't compare to the emotional and mental anguish he suffered. For Xehanort had taken all of Sora's natural empathy and compassion and figured out how to use it against him. He tapped into Sora's connections to his friends and drew from their memories to supply his material.
Xion's anguish when she fought Roxas and everyone forgot her. Riku's guilt and self-loathing when he realized what he'd done to his friends. Naminé's loneliness and abuse at the hands of the Organization. Roxas losing Xion and being made to feel like he didn't deserve to exist. Lea's despair as he lost his future and then his friends.
The pain Ven felt when his heart shattered. The violation and rage Terra experienced at having his heart and body stolen from him. Aqua wondering if she was going crazy in the realm of darkness, her self-doubt and isolation breaking her mental fortitude little by little.
Sora's mind was filled with horrible images, of everything his friends had already suffered through, of all the things Xehanort planned to do to them. His heart ached for them. The hurt of those he had sheltered in his heart came back to him full force, and there was no one to help him bear the pain this time.
He had to do it all himself, and it was breaking him, piece by agonizing piece. When he thought he was past the breaking point, Xehanort proved him wrong by piling on more.
"Your ability to handle all of this is really quite impressive. But surely there is a limit to how much you can bear."
But they still hadn't hit it, and Sora was beginning to think he might die before they did. His heart was crying out in agony, begging him to put an end to this. It had never been pushed this far before, past the breaking point and yet refusing to be broken. He almost wished it would. Then maybe Xehanort would finally stop.
"Let's see what happens when I do this." Now, on top of his friends' pain, Xehanort started adding that of his Seekers. Sora screamed. His back arched, and his head slammed against the back of the throne. The restraints dug into his arms and wrists and rubbed the skin raw as the room swam around him.
Isa. Experimented on till his heart and body had split. Vanitas. Forcibly removed from Ven. Not once had anyone shown him love or compassion since, not till Kairi had tried. Even the Unversed brought him pain when they were destroyed. And the Riku Replica's heart had been taken hostage and forced into a new body after he had tried to find peace.
Life after life after life, all ruined for the sake of one man's obsession. Sora's anguished screams filled the air as the tears in his heart went deeper and deeper, reaching his very core.
Xehanort regarded Sora with fascination. "You're holding it all. Incredible. Are you sure you're human?"
Sora couldn't answer. It just hurt too much. For the first time in his life, he wanted to die. Death would be a sweet release from this horrible nightmare.
The darkness was being poured into him now. It crushed him under its weight and engulfed him in its cold, suffocating grasp. Ugly thoughts filled his head and poisoned his heart. He wanted them out, but they refused to leave. His mind slowly slipped out of his control as his heart and body succumbed.
Your friends don't care about you. Otherwise they would have come to rescue you by now.
No, it's not true! But the sting of abandonment and betrayal coursed through him all the same.
You sacrificed everything for them, and this is how they repay you.
He shook his head, trying to block out the doubt and sorrow filling his heart. He'd asked them not to come. No betrayal had taken place. No abandonment had occurred. That was just his heart playing tricks on him, frightened and scared as it was.
You feel compassion for some of the people here now, and not one of them has lifted a finger to help you.
They can't! Xehanort will hurt them if they try. It's not their fault!
That's what you want to think. Face it, Sora. There's no way to save these people. They're too far gone. And so are you.
It wouldn't be long now. The strain on his heart was too great.
"Kairi doesn't love you," Xaldin's voice said, foggy and far away. But it pulled Sora back from the brink. He lifted his head and spoke, his voice hoarse but unwavering.
"Like I'm supposed to believe that?"
He thought of her, of her kind smile and beautiful eyes, of her determination to do what was right and help others no matter what. He thought of the way she threw herself into danger to protect the people she loved. He thought of how she teased him, how she was always giving him gifts made just for him.
And the way she looked at him, with such tenderness and adoration in her eyes – his heart swelled with love and affection as he thought about how much she loved him, too.
"When you told her you loved her, she didn't say it back," Xehanort said, accessing his memories and using them to taunt him.
But the mocking had the opposite intended effect. Sora scoffed instead. "Is that really the best you can come up with? She doesn't have to say a single thing. I know how she feels about me."
When he'd connected their hearts together for the first time and she'd healed him – he knew what it was he'd seen and felt. No amount of taunting from Xehanort could shake his confidence.
But then Xehanort smiled, and a stab of fear pierced him to the core.
"Ah, yes. Tell me, how will she feel when she sees you again?"
Cold dread wrapped its way around Sora's heart. "I'm not going anywhere near her. And neither are you. We made a deal, remember?"
Xehanort laughed. "Oh, I know. I won't lay a single finger on her. The sight of you in my possession alone will be enough to break her heart. Her pure, precious Sora, her knight in shining armor, her hero, twisted into my image, the very picture of evil in her mind."
"What are you talking about?" Sora asked, even though he wasn't sure he wanted the answer. Xehanort was her enemy as much as everyone else's, but this sounded different.
This sounds like there's something I don't know.
"She never told you, did she?" Xehanort said.
Sora's heart pounded and his stomach lurched. "Told me what?"
"You've seen your friend's memories, Sora, but how will you react to mine?"
Before Sora could say or do anything else, a new memory forced its way inside his heart and mind. He found himself inside a dimly lit lab. A great tank filled with swirling gases was attached to the nearby wall and ceiling by a series of metal pipes. With a start he realized he recognized this place from the End of the World. If he had to guess, it had probably once been a part of Radiant Garden.
He wasn't alone. A young girl with red hair was there, too. She wore a small lab coat over her normal clothes and clung to Ansem's, no, to Xehanort's, hand.
"Where's my grandma?" She looked up at Xehanort, her big violet eyes filled with concern, and Sora's heart froze.
Please, no.
The tank towered above her, and Sora could see now that there was more than just gas inside. It was filled with Heartless. They were scratching and scraping at the walls of their cage. No doubt searching for hearts, searching for the very lifeblood of humanity and the world itself.
"Don't worry, you'll see your grandma again soon," Xehanort said. He untangled his fingers from Kairi's grasp and strolled over to an ominous-looking machine that was hooked up to the tank. Leaning over, he typed a series of commands into its keyboard.
Kairi frowned and looked at the tank. An Emblem Heartless regarded her with its soulless yellow eyes, and she shrank away from it and inched towards Xehanort, towards the only other human in the room. "What's that? I don't like it. It's… it's bad."
Xehanort said nothing. Instead, he pulled down some sort of contraption from the wall. "Here, put your arms in this."
Kairi, too young to understand, too trusting to know otherwise, did as he asked. Next he attached various wires to her body to monitor her vital signs, and then he wrapped a cord around her waist. It had to be looped around twice because she was so small.
"Kairi, no! You have to run! You have to get away from him!" Sora tried to wrench the awful wires and cords off of her, but his hands went straight through them. She didn't hear his warning, either, and Xehanort hoisted her into the air. Her short legs dangled over the opening of the tank, and panic filled her face.
"I don't want to go in there!" She looked at Xehanort, eyes wide and lip trembling. "I want my grandma! Please!"
Sora couldn't take this anymore. "Stop! Don't do this to her!"
"This won't take long," Xehanort said, ignoring him and inputting a few commands into the nearby machine. Sora could only watch as the apparatus slowly lowered her into the tank. She kicked and screamed, tears streaking her chubby cheeks as she called for her grandmother. Her tiny fists pounded against the glass of the tank, and the creatures swarming below her took interest.
"Stop, please," Sora begged, his own fists pounding against the outside of the glass to no avail. His eyes burned and the room swam around him. He tried to stop the machine. Tried to input a sequence, any sequence that might lift her up and out of that awful tank filled with Heartless and into his arms.
When that failed, all he could offer was his heart to suffer along with her. "Kairi," he called. "Kairi, I'm here!"
But she couldn't hear him. She couldn't even see him. He might as well be a ghost for all the effect he had. He could only watch as the Heartless leapt at her feet and tried to sink their awful claws into her skin. Each one of her terrified screams hurt worse than the Keyblade that had once pierced his heart to free hers.
"Put me in there instead," he pleaded. Surely Xehanort could hear him and would take him up on his offer. "Tear my heart out, torture me, force me to relive a thousand terrible memories. I don't care what you do to me, just let her go."
"This is in the past, Sora," Xehanort said. "All of this has already happened. There is nothing you can do to change it."
It was pointless to try, but Sora did anyway. He called out to Kairi till his voice was gone. He fought the cold grip around his heart to try to reach her, to break into the memory and save her.
But he couldn't. There really was nothing he could do to stop it, just like Xehanort had said. All of this had already happened, long ago, and he was nothing but a spectator, a bystander, forced to watch as the person that meant more to him than anything suffered with no hope of reprieve.
He wished with all of his heart that he was the one inside that tank instead. That would be easier to bear than this current torment. Every tear that she cried, every scream that escaped from her tiny body, every Heartless that clawed at her skin, was carved into his heart and seared into his memory.
Just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, he glimpsed a crimson trail of blood dripping down her leg. Something deep inside of him came undone, and he slumped to the ground. The sight of her blood, blood that should be safe inside of her body, sustaining her and keeping her alive, not oozing out of that awful gash, was too much. It was horrible and wrong and he couldn't make it stop.
When he was sure the Heartless would succeed in their mission to tear her heart out, a great light finally drove them away. No, she drove the darkness away, just like she always did. At last Xehanort had the proof he wanted so badly he would drop a child into a tank full of Heartless. With a shudder Sora wondered how many of those other Heartless had once been children.
Then Xehanort lifted her out of that horrible tank, and Sora wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and comfort her. The edges of her coat were shredded and her legs were still bleeding. He wanted to heal them, to reassure her that he was here and he knew what had happened and he was sorry he couldn't make it stop but he would protect her from now on and—
"Protect her?" Xehanort scoffed, tearing Sora out of the memory and back to reality. "She doesn't need your protection. She's quite capable of taking care of herself, as you just saw. And even if she wasn't, you're hardly up to the task. You couldn't protect her from this. You couldn't protect her from losing her heart. You couldn't even protect her from getting kidnapped."
"Shut up," Sora spat, his voice so hoarse it was barely even there anymore. "I don't care what you do to me. I will protect her from you."
"Oh you will, will you?" Xehanort said. "Face the facts, Sora. Your heart belongs to the darkness now, and you can no sooner protect her from it than you can protect yourself."
"That doesn't matter. I won't let you hurt her."
Xehanort's eyes gleamed. "You still don't understand, do you? Then let me spell it out for you. I don't have to lay a single finger on her to keep my word to you. You are about to become the very thing she hates. The very man you just watched experiment on her. Seeing you in my image alone will be more than enough to break her heart."
"No… no…" Even as Sora denied it, he knew it was true. The last fragment of his heart, which had held out so strongly until now, finally broke for her. He didn't want to become the person who had brought her such torment. He didn't want her to see him like this. He wanted to spare her the pain she would feel because she loved him so much.
Before he'd taken comfort in her love, and now it was the very source of his agony.
He knew how he would feel if their roles were switched, how she would soon feel, and empathy dealt his heart the final blow. The pain in it leaked out, finding physical form in every tear that he wept. Then the dam burst. The waves spilled over and swept him up, drowning the light from his eyes and the life in his heart.
"Kairi, I'm sorry," he whispered between shuddering sobs that wracked his entire body.
Xehanort saw his window of opportunity and took it. The darkness invaded, choking out everything else. Sora broke the restraints, crying out as they tore into his skin. He clutched his throat and gasped as Xehanort's iron grip squeezed its way around his heart.
Cold… It's so cold…
Kairi, what's happening to me? I can't… I can't feel the light anymore…