A/N: This chapter has dark themes and violent moments. If you want a more specific content warning, here it is. Please skip it if you want to avoid 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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Chapter 17 – Rebirth
The desolate mountain that loomed before them was just as Aqua and Ven had described. Smoke floated out of its cone-shaped summit, hinting at the beast that dwelt inside. They were safely tucked away inside the forest, but as soon as they left their cover…
Naminé grabbed Roxas's hand. He squeezed back, and a warm feeling settled over her heart and steadied its racing beat.
"I'm here," he said. Just like he'd promised. Truth be told, Naminé's heart had been pounding and her throat tight ever since they'd arrived. She had her Keyblade, but that wasn't the real reason she'd come here. Everyone was counting on her to use her powers. But she wasn't sure she really wanted to. Not after what she'd been forced to do to Sora.
But… she also wanted to save him. She had to. And if that meant using her powers, then so be it.
"Naminé, can you… can you sense Sora's heart?" Kairi asked. Her face was deathly pale. Out of everyone, she'd taken the news of what had happened the worst. When Riku had brought her to the rest of them, her face had been all red and puffy, even while she insisted on coming with them.
"…Not yet. Sorry, Kairi."
She didn't have the heart to tell her that she could, in fact, feel Sora's presence. It would have been impossible not to. He was connected to every single person here, and—
"Everyone ready?" Terra asked. He, Riku, and Aqua had taken charge of planning the rescue mission. Naminé's role was to sabotage the efforts of the Seekers by strengthening the connections in their hearts, like Kairi had suggested. Roxas, Xion, and Lea had been charged with guarding her. If she fell into enemy hands again, it would all be over.
"Ready as we'll ever be," Lea muttered. He hadn't been happy to hear they'd be fighting a firebird, of all things. "Why does this always happen to me?" had been his exact words. His natural fighting style would be completely useless in this battle. At least he'd been able to give them all pointers on not getting singed. That, combined with Aqua enchanting their bodies and clothes to be fire and heat resistant, was at least something of an advantage.
"Hang in there, Sora. We're coming," Riku said. He summoned his Keyblade and charged, Kairi right at his heels. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy followed close behind, and Terra, Ven, and Aqua went on ahead of them on their gliders.
"C'mon, let's go," Lea said. He took off with Xion following closely behind him.
"Naminé?" Roxas stopped and turned to look at her.
"I… I lied." She clutched her heart. "Roxas, Sora is here. I can feel his heart."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
She chewed her lip, trying to decide if she should tell him the truth. He studied her carefully, his eyes were filled with concern.
"Naminé?"
"I suppose it is, but Roxas…" She closed her eyes and tried to stop her lip from trembling. "He's hurting."
Roxas gave her a sad smile. "I know. That's why we're here. When we were lost, he saved us. Now it's our turn to do the same for him." He offered her his hand, and she took it. "Naminé, I know you're scared. But I'm here. I'll protect you, I swear."
She nodded. "I know you will." She summoned her Keyblade again. "I'll do what I can to keep you safe, too."
Together, they followed after the others. There were so many hearts here, and they were all connected to Sora. Naminé pictured them in her head. Sora was at the center of them all, link after link coming out of his heart and chaining him to each and every one of them. The thickest connection was to Kairi. In the time since Naminé had put Sora's heart back together, the link had grown even stronger.
But it wasn't the links to those near and dear to his heart Naminé sought. It was those of their enemies. Those connections were different but no less important. She carefully fussed them out and began her work.
Ven still couldn't quite believe Terra was really, truly here. He sped ahead of them on his glider, and they followed close behind. As soon as they'd gotten the news that Sora was in Xehanort's hands, he had spent every spare moment coming up with a plan for infiltrating Xehanort's lair to save Sora. Insider knowledge was one of their few advantages, and he was making sure it was put to good use.
United at last, and they couldn't even enjoy the moment. Sora was in trouble, the person who saved all of them now needing saving himself. Ven wanted to kick himself for not noticing the signs. Sora's behavior the night of the party should have been warning enough. And if not that, then Ven should have realized the source of the strange pain he'd felt in his heart earlier. It continued even now, a dull throb pounding its steady, insistent thrum inside of him.
Well, they were here now, and they were about to face down that firebird again. Aqua was grimly determined to rescue it this time. Faster, faster they climbed the mountain, till at last they had reached the summit. The throbbing in his chest had grown slightly stronger, which meant they must be getting closer.
The ground shook and smoke billowed out of the volcano's cone. The firebird emerged in a burst of flame and scoured the mountainside with its hot, lava-spewing breath. Ven went tumbling to the ground, transforming his glider back into his Keyblade and dodging the lava now seeping down the mountain. He threw his Keyblade at it. Water Raid, Blizzard Raid. The first attack didn't connect, the second did.
The firebird doubled down on him, and he barely leapt out of the way. Aqua's barrier went around him all the same. Her magic hit the firebird over and over again till she'd built up enough power for a Waterza spell. Terra summoned pillars of earth, and they pummeled the firebird just as Aqua's Waterza hit it.
The firebird was in a frenzy now. It shrieked and whirled around, its fiery feathers catching everything in its wake. Ven glanced behind him. The forest was on fire now. Orange flames licked the night sky, illuminating everything in a suffocating glow.
Kairi and Riku had finally made it. So had Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. Donald didn't waste any time in casting water magic, and Goofy and Mickey shielded Kairi and Riku as they picked their way around the lava, freezing it and searching for a way inside the volcano.
The firebird turned its head towards Kairi. Ven lunged at her, catching her just in time, and she put a shield around them as they went rolling. Kairi regained her balance and helped Ven off the ground.
"Ven!"
"I'm okay! You gotta keep going!"
She nodded and took off in the direction where Riku was headed. Ven hit the firebird with more Water and Blizzard Raids and noticed Lea and Xion had arrived. He watched, amazed, as Xion transformed into a giant armor-like creature and began pummeling the firebird. He'd never seen anything like it before.
"Roxas, what are you doing?" Terra shouted. "Summon your Nobodies!"
"Roxas, she's not going to disappear!" Naminé said. "She's fighting, that's all!"
Roxas snapped out of his funk. He stopped staring at Xion long enough to do as Terra commanded, and his Nobodies began to go after the firebird, not caring when it singed them or even when they got stuck in rivers of lava. They pulled at its wings, brilliant red feathers falling off it onto the ground. Ven recognized them and gasped.
"The feathers of a phoenix!"
"Ven, not now! We can't get distracted!" Aqua shouted. Still, it would be useful to have some of them. Such a waste that he couldn't pick up any. Each one would have made a powerful potion.
The firebird blew another column of flame, and Ven had to dodge to get out of the way. He dug his hand into the rock to stop himself. Lifting his head, he saw Xion try to drive the firebird away from the entrance. But just as she managed to lure it far enough away for Kairi and Riku to slip through, it returned to its usual spot.
"Terra, Ven! Together!"
Ven's attention snapped to Aqua. She lifted her Keyblade high in the air, and Ven summoned the most powerful wind magic he could. Aqua combined it with a blast of water, and huge chunks of ground flung it high into the air as Terra joined in. The force of the attack was enough to send the firebird reeling.
A group of Nobodies jumped it, and Xion pinned it to the ground. Goofy threw his shield at it, over and over again. Mickey and Kairi combined forces to hit it with purifying light magic. The flames in its feathers were flickering. Donald doused it with another round of water, and Riku and Lea hit it with a flurry of physical attacks.
The poor creature groaned, and Ven felt sorry for it. It had never asked to be turned into a Heartless, after all. Was the only way to save it to defeat it?
"Sorry," he whispered. "We're trying to help, I promise." Against every preservation instinct, he reached out and touched the firebird's smoldering wing, wishing he could do more to comfort it.
He looked up, and his gaze connected with Naminé's. Her eyes were watering. Perhaps she could sense that the firebird was suffering, too. In her hand she held her Keyblade, but she wasn't really using it.
"Riku, Kairi, now's your chance!" Terra shouted. The firebird was stirring again, and that wasn't a good sign.
"Go! We'll be right behind you!" Aqua prepared to attack again.
Riku grabbed Kairi's hand, and Ven watched as they disappeared into the volcano.
"Donald, Goofy, Mickey, you go next!" Terra and Aqua had trapped it with the combined power of their golden chains. It struggled against them, and sweat dripped down their faces as they held it down.
"Ven!" Ven joined together with Mickey one last time to hit it with Holy magic, then Mickey, Donald, and Goofy plunged into the volcano.
"Everyone, together!" Terra called.
"Just like we practiced." Aqua lifted her Keyblade high in the air, and Ven followed suit. A new group of Roxas's Nobodies rushed past and went after the firebird. Ven stole a glance back at Roxas. Heavy bags were forming under his eyes, summoning so many Nobodies in one fight draining him.
Careful there, Roxas. We still have a lot of fighting up ahead.
The firebird made one last explosive stand, flames shooting out of it and covering the mountain. They doused it with a huge wall of water, and it staggered, whimpering and sighing as its body hit the rocky ground with a loud thud. Naminé ran to its side and placed her hand on its head, and Ven joined her. It wouldn't be long now.
Its eyes flickered open. Ven used what white magic he knew to try to soothe it, to purify it from the darkness that had claimed its heart. Naminé stroked its feathers and whispered comforting things.
Ven heard Aqua kneel beside him. "It's okay. You can rest now." She put her hand over the firebird's eyes, and with one final sigh, it was gone. Its heart fluttered into the dark sky. Bit by bit, its body disintegrated, leaving behind only a handful of feathers.
"I thought… I thought firebirds were supposed to be reborn when they died," Ven whispered. He had hoped that they would be able to save it, but it had disappeared, just like every other Heartless.
Terra put a hand on his shoulder. "I think it will be."
"Hey, what's that?" Lea had joined them, and he was pointing to something in the ashes. A small puff of down and fluff raised its tiny head and squawked. Ven smiled and put his hand out. It wobbled and pecked lightly at his hand, then hopped onto it.
"Naminé," he said, offering his hand. "Here, I think you should keep it for now." Her mouth opened in surprise, then a weary smile spread across her face. She took the little chick from Ven and brought it up to her cheek. It nuzzled her face, a small spark shooting out of its little tail.
Xion and Roxas were here now. Xion had transformed back into human form, red and blue armor back into skin and clothes and hair. She and Roxas supported each other, bodies worn out from the strain of the fight.
"It's a sign," Roxas said.
Xion nodded. "Yeah. Like our very own good luck charm."
This obstacle to saving Sora had been overcome. They were ready to continue on, to press forward and find him, no matter what. It was with that thought that Ven plunged into the volcano after Terra and Aqua.
Kairi held tight to Riku's hand as her stomach flip-flopped and the wind whistled past their ears. After what seemed like an eternity, they finally reached the bottom. He released her hand and plunged into a roll to break his fall, and she slowly lowered herself to the ground with a gravity spell. He had already summoned a ball of flame to light the way by the time her feet touched the ground.
"Left, right, jump over the boulder, climb up the wall to the right, go under the crevice to the left—" Kairi recited, recalling Terra's careful instructions. According to him, this whole place was a maze, and only the people who Xehanort wanted to find it would.
Shadows and Neoshadows sank up from the ground, their yellow eyes lighting up the dark interior of the volcano. Kairi sighed, and together she and Riku attacked.
It was going to be a long, hard path to get to Sora.
But perhaps that was a good thing. If she had to focus on fighting, she had no time to think about what had happened to him. No time to think about her dream and what it might mean, no time to think about the hurt in his heart, no time to think of the darkness Xehanort must have used to choke out the light, no time to think about how much he must be suffering right now—
Kairi, stop. She was emotionally compromised; unfit to really be on this mission. But no one had stopped her from coming, and she had to prove that their trust wasn't a mistake.
Why wasn't Riku affected? No, that wasn't true. He was affected. There was a set to his jaw and a tired, anguished look in his eyes as he fought.
He's just a lot better at controlling his emotions than I am. C'mon, Kairi. Pull it together.
She wiped the sweat from her face and pictured unplugging her heart from her mind. There. She was a machine now, cold and mechanical, doing what had to be done. Thwack. Hit. Boom. Over and over again, plowing through Shadows and Neoshadows as she and Riku continued forward.
There were so many of them. Why were there so many? They were getting in the way. She had to get rid of them all.
Riku glanced her way, a disturbed expression on his face at the change in her demeanor. She didn't care. She had to save Sora, no matter what.
Shadow after Shadow after Shadow. She couldn't take it anymore.
"Get out of my way!" There was an explosion of light that came from deep within her, taking out all of their enemies except for one.
It turned to look at her, and it wasn't a Shadow anymore. It was Sora. It was the Heartless he'd become to save her. It was his heart, taken over by the darkness. She screamed and dropped her Keyblade.
"Kairi, what's wrong?" Riku put a hand on her shoulder to steady her.
"It's Sora! He… he—" With trembling fingers, she pointed at the Shadow.
Riku gave her a look filled with pity. "Kairi, that's not him. It's just another Heartless." He attacked it to prove his point, and its heart floated away into the air.
"But he looked at me," Kairi whispered.
"Xehanort didn't turn him into a Heartless. You know exactly what he's done to him."
She sank to her knees, the rocky ground hard beneath them. The truth was still too much to bear. "I wish he was a Heartless. Then at least I could save him."
"Kairi, snap out of it." Riku pulled her to her feet. "You are going to save him. We're going to do it together."
Searching Riku's eyes, she looked for anything there she could cling to. Any shred of courage, any flicker of hope. "How?"
Riku hesitated. "I don't know. But I believe in you, Kairi. I believe in us. And you know who else believes in you?"
"Who?" Kairi asked, her voice very small. She knew the answer, but she wanted Riku to say it. Something about him saying it out loud would make it more real.
"Sora does. He believes in you most of all. He'll always come back to you, Kairi. Whatever Xehanort has done to him won't change that. It can't."
Kairi sniffed and wiped her nose. "He believes in you too, Riku. When I was worried that we'd lost you forever, he knew you'd come back to us."
"See?" Riku said, allowing himself a small smile. "He's always had faith in us. Now let's have some faith in him. He'll do whatever he can to reach us. It might not be much, considering what Xehanort's done to him, but—"
"We'll just have to meet him halfway, then. Or maybe… two thirds of the way." Kairi choked out a laugh. An inappropriate reaction, considering the circumstances, but stress had a funny effect on the mind and heart.
"Or three quarters of the way."
"Or nine tenths."
If they could joke at a time like this, then maybe, just maybe, there was still hope. This area was clear of Heartless now. It was time to move on. Every step took them that much closer to Sora, and that was what Kairi clung to as she fought.
But as time went on, as they fought enemy after enemy after enemy, she began to wonder. Where was Sora? Had they made a mistake? Was he really not here? Had all of this been an elaborate ruse designed to draw them in and trap them?
She paused to catch her breath. She couldn't let herself run out of energy when they hadn't even run into any human enemies yet.
"Kairi, wait up." Riku caught up to her, and it was clear the strain of the day's battles was wearing on him, too. His face was pale, and sweat dotted his upper lip and brow. He slashed away at a Heartless that appeared, then turned to face her. "They just won't stop coming! We won't find him in time at this rate."
"Don't say that! He's here, he has to be!" Even as Kairi said the words, she wondered who she was trying to convince. She had no idea how the others were faring, split up as they all had been. Maybe this really was as much of a suicide mission as Sora had warned them it would be.
She and Riku continued on through another maze of corridors. A flash of black caught her eye. But when she turned to look, it was gone, as if she had imagined the whole thing. In the next room, she thought she saw a glint of silver. But again, nothing. The slightest noise, and she glanced in the direction it had come from. No one was there.
Am I going crazy? First I think some random Heartless is Sora, and now—
They reached a grand hall, and she put a hand on Riku's arm to stop him. The ground beneath them was smooth black marble, and rows of ornate pillars lined the hall on each side. A strange orange glow emanated off everything, almost as if they were inside the magma of the volcano itself.
"You can sense it too, huh?" Riku said. They both had their Keyblades out, ready for whatever surprise might lie in store.
Or so they thought. A figure cloaked in black hopped down from up high to the ground in front of them. It landed with an easy grace, one leg bent, the other outstretched with one hand placed between the two to steady itself. It lifted its head, the black hood falling down to reveal its face.
Kairi placed a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. She'd known this was what awaited her, but even that knowledge hadn't prepared her for the shock of seeing Sora like this.
His warm brown hair had turned icy silver. It felt wrong to see his spikes that shade, like someone had leached all of the color out of them and thrown it away. His beautiful blue eyes were a sickly gold now, and that wasn't even the worst of it. They were bloodshot and puffy with dark circles underneath. The black coat covered most of his body, but it couldn't hide the cuts and bruises on his neck and face.
A vague memory flitted into her mind, of someone else with silver hair and yellow eyes, and she forced down the gnawing unease that came with it.
Her grip on her Keyblade tightened. "Sora?" She took a step towards him, her footsteps echoing across the vast hall, and he straightened and gave her a dead-eyed look.
Riku grabbed her arm. "Kairi, don't." His knuckles were white, his mouth pressed together in a tight line and his eyes filled with sorrow. The three of them just stared at each other for what felt like an eternity.
"You know," Sora finally said, "he didn't want you to come for him. He didn't want you to see him like this. He knew how much it would hurt you, and he was right."
His voice was wrong. Not just because it was scratchy and hoarse. It was lower, influenced by the voice of the heart that didn't belong inside him. He clutched his chest and staggered forward.
Riku reached out a hand to steady him. "Sora, if you can hear us—"
Sora flung Riku away with an unnatural strength. Riku went tumbling backwards, just barely managing to land on his feet. He moved his Keyblade into a battle stance, and Kairi did the same. Sora smiled, a horrible, twisted grin that bared his teeth.
"You should have listened to him. And you," he pointed at Kairi, "you have no business here. Part of our agreement was that I wouldn't lay a hand on you." He opened a portal for her. "You are free to leave this place. Now go."
Kairi didn't move. "I won't. I won't leave until Sora's free!"
"Foolish girl, you know nothing. When I made Terra my vessel, Aqua came looking for him. Do you really think you will succeed where she failed? If Terra cannot escape me after over a decade of my control, do you really believe you can take Sora away from me?"
"Yeah, I do," Riku said, his voice growing more confident with each word. "We've saved him before. When he needed us, we were always there for him. And do you know why?"
Sora raised an eyebrow.
"Because he'd do the same for us."
That was right. Riku's rousing speech reminded her that she was fighting for Sora, not against him. She had to remember that.
"It's true!" she said. "Sora loves us. I don't care what it takes. We will save him!"
Sora laughed, a horrible, empty sound. It was a mockery of Sora's natural laughter, and Kairi hated it.
"If you refuse to leave, then I'll have no choice but to fight you," he warned.
"If I have to fight you to save him, then I will!"
"Bring it on!" Riku added. "I feel like punching Sora anyway, after the stunt he just pulled."
"Well, if you insist. Tell me, what do you think he'll say once he realizes what I've made him do to you?"
He summoned Xehanort's Keyblade, blue eye in the hilt and all, and charged.
Kairi had always marveled at how graceful Sora's movements were when he fought. It was like watching a deadly, elegant dance, the way he spun and jumped and flipped and twirled around.
Of course those attacks had never been directed at her before, but now that they were, she realized just how difficult of an opponent he was. He was impossibly fast. Getting a hit in on him was a challenge. And he hit hard, his natural strength amplified by whatever Xehanort had done to him. His magic was powerful, too. Kairi almost felt sorry for all of his previous opponents, now that she was in their shoes. Almost.
She attacked, he blocked. She used white magic, he canceled it out with dark magic. She put up a barrier, he waited till it was down to close in on her. He matched her every movement, and Riku was even worse off. They'd been fighting together, both on the same side and as opponents, for years now. Deflecting Riku's attacks was practically second nature for him.
"Riku! We have to change up our fighting styles!" Kairi said at last, seeing this was getting them nowhere. She could try using more powerful white magic, but after her fight with Vanitas and especially after her dream about Sora, she was afraid to risk it. The odds of hurting him were too high.
"Easier said than done." But Riku switched to a more defensive moveset, and she went on the offensive to make up for it. After fighting beside Sora, she could predict some of his current movements. They were a combination of Sora's fighting style and what she assumed to be Xehanort's, so maybe, if she paid close attention—
Riku successfully guarded one of Sora's attacks, and he stumbled backwards. Kairi knew this was her chance. Instead of her preferred magic, she darted in and landed a powerful blow. He fell backwards, landing on his back and sliding across the marble floor. Riku closed in and hit him with attack after attack, a grim expression on his face.
Sora cried out at the onslaught, and he didn't sound like Xehanort. He sounded like himself. Riku was holding back, trying to subdue him with as little injury as possible, but all Kairi could think of in that moment was that he was hurting Sora and she couldn't bear the thought.
"Riku, stop!" she cried. "This isn't working!"
Riku and I… we're at a disadvantage. Even with their superior numbers, Sora had the upper hand. Empathy and compassion were doing them no favors.
Sora took Riku's momentary distraction to send orbs of darkness hurtling towards her. She ducked behind one of the pillars just in time. The darkness ate into it, and she looked, horrified, from the ruined pillar, mottled as it was with holes, to Sora. He had a blank expression on his face, which was a lot more unsettling than a show of emotion would have been.
That attack was meant for me. That could have been my face, scarred and filled with holes like that pillar.
If he's trying to hurt me so casually, then he really has lost himself.
She shook her head. No, I can't think like that. We're here to bring him back to us.
"Kairi, change of plan," Riku said, putting up a Dark Barrier to protect her. "Let's try reaching his heart."
"Right." Fighting him wasn't getting them anywhere, so getting his heart involved, whatever state it might be in, really was their best bet.
"Sora, we don't blame you for this," she said. "If you can hear me, I just want you to know that. We know you never wanted to hurt us."
Sora shot a blast of dark magic at her, which deflected off the barrier. "He can't hear you. It's pointless to even try."
"Yeah, but it was pretty stupid, running off on your own like that," Riku said. "You got upset with me for trying to do everything on my own, and then you went and did the exact same thing. Hypocrite much?"
Sora charged, an attack Riku easily parried. He counterattacked and got a few hits in before retreating.
"Sora," Kairi said, "when we get you back, I'm going to—"
Sora had her.
"Kairi!" Riku shouted. Sora sent a large barrier crashing towards him, knocking him off his feet and into one of the pillars. Then Sora leaned in to whisper in Kairi's ear. She tensed, reminded of all the other times he'd been this close. This was a twisted mockery of that, and she hated it. She longed for him, for his real self.
But it was still his body beside her now, even though it was warped by Xehanort's heart. Her mind could scream at her all it wanted, but there was no denying what her heart and body knew. Xehanort wouldn't be standing this close to her. Some part of Sora, deep down, was reaching out to her. She had to do something. She had to find him.
"You're going to what?" he said. "Don't you see now, this heart belongs to the darkness!"
He had a crazy glint in his eye, taking gleeful delight in this fact. His face was only inches away from hers, and she had an equally crazy idea. She knew it probably wouldn't work. In fact, it was more likely to get her killed. But until their backup arrived, she didn't know what else to do. He was right here, so why not try? He wasn't expecting it, so if nothing else, at least it would buy them some time.
"Sora, come back to us," she whispered, then caressed his face and pulled it down to hers. He froze, his breath hitching as their lips met at long last. His were dry and cracked. He had to be dying of thirst. And there was a slight metallic scent lingering on his mouth, too. Blood. Who had made him bleed? Without thinking, she ran the tip of her tongue across his lower lip, some urge to comfort and soothe and sate his parched mouth taking over and overriding everything else.
A strangled noise sounded from his throat. She opened her eyes, and his were wide, big as saucers. Reason set in, demanding what had gotten into her, screaming at her to get back, to get away before he retaliated, and she released him. He staggered backwards and stared at her, his Keyblade clattering to the ground.
Riku struggled to his feet and looked between the two of them. His mouth was hanging open, equally impressed and horrified that she had tried such a thing. Well, this wasn't what he'd meant, exactly, when he'd said she should try kissing Sora herself.
Sora's hand flew to his lips, ghosting over them as if he could feel the lingering imprint of her on him. His chest heaved and his breath came out in loud, panting gasps.
Her heart was pounding, her nerves pulled taut. Did that actually work!?
He blinked, and she thought she saw a flicker of blue in his eyes. A sigh escaped her lips as the tension left her body.
Then he laughed, that same awful mocking sound from before. It started deep in his belly till the sound filled the hall and bounced off the walls. He wiped his mouth on his hand, his face ghastly in the orange light.
"Did you actually think that would work?"
No, but Kairi couldn't help it when tears pricked her eyes. Maybe… maybe her bond with Sora really wasn't strong or deep enough to save him. Maybe there was no bringing him back, not without another sacrifice. Terra hadn't broken free until Sora had switched places with him, after all.
"Not even the kiss of a Princess of Heart is enough to take him away from me," Sora continued. "You foolish girl, I told you: this heart belongs to the darkness!"
Kairi put her hand over her heart. "Then take me instead. You need me to create the χ-blade, right? I'll hand myself over, just let him go!"
Her offer distracted him. Riku got him, and hard. He slumped to the ground, and Riku pinned him down with his Keyblade.
"Kairi," Riku said, "don't listen to him! That kiss did something. Didn't you see his eyes? We have to keep trying. I know Sora's still in there, deep down. You don't have to hand yourself over to Xehanort to save him." He turned to Sora. "And you. Is that any way to treat Kairi? I told you to take care of her. Pull it together, idiot, and fight back! Don't let this monster use you to hurt her any more than you already have!"
Sora snarled and lashed out, striking Riku full in the chest with his Keyblade. Riku screamed and crumpled to the ground.
"Riku!" Kairi raced to his side, then shielded his body with her own as she whirled around to face Sora.
Fear was something she had never felt around him before. He was her sanctuary, her shelter from the cruelty that had followed her her entire life. But as she looked up into his eyes, the simple fact of the matter stared her in the face.
She was afraid. Whatever Xehanort had done to him had changed him so drastically that she hesitated to even call the person before her Sora anymore. And yet, his heart had to be in there somewhere. Some part of him had to be aware of what was happening.
Then why hadn't he stopped Xehanort from hurting Riku? Was he really lost to them for good?
No. She refused to believe that. His heart was still in there. It had to be.
"Sora, I know this isn't you."
And that was the key to everything. Fighting him wasn't the way to save him. But there was another way. And if the Sora she knew and loved was still inside of the person before her, it was the only way she could win.
Too bad the cost might very well be her life. But if it meant saving his, it was worth it. It was with this thought that she stared him down. No, stared Xehanort down. She was sick of being used against Sora. The pawn was about to take back control and make Xehanort regret ever treating people like pieces in his sick game.
"Make him hurt me," she taunted. "See how long your control lasts over him then."
She didn't flinch when he lunged at her. She didn't stop him from wrapping his fingers around her neck and hoisting her into the air. But then her survival instincts kicked in, and she struggled against him. It was pointless, of course. Even before his transformation, she was no match for his strength. Her hands went over his, trying to loosen his grip as it constricted around her throat.
"Sora, please…" she choked out. She stared into his golden eyes, appealing to the heart she knew must still be in there somewhere. The room swam around her, and black spots speckled her vision. Air. She needed air. Her hands went limp. With the last of her strength, she brought one of them to his face.
Wet. His face was wet. Why was it… wet…