Chapter 18 – Heartbroken
Memories of lazy summer days spent sneaking around the castle. Naminé focused not just on the memories but the feelings that came with them. Warmth. Friendship. Trust.
There. Strengthen the chains connecting Isa's heart to Lea's. Strengthen their bond. Make it stronger than Isa's connection to Xehanort.
He's wavering. He wants to be with his friend again. He wants to—
Naminé paused. What was that sound echoing throughout the hall? For a moment, she thought it was coming from Roxas. But no, it was Ven.
Ven was screaming.
Roxas and Xion clutched their chests. Roxas let out an awful strangled sound, and Xion's eyes were wide.
"Riku…" she whispered.
Lea whirled on her. "Riku? What's wrong with Riku? Xion, what's going on?"
She couldn't make any answer, and he had to dodge out of the way of one of Luxord's cards. It whistled past Xion's ear, but she stayed rooted to the spot.
Aqua ignored Vexen's barrage of ice and put her hand on Ven's arm. "Ven talk to me, what's wrong?"
"Sora—"
Naminé hardly noticed her Keyblade slip from her grasp and fall to the floor. There was more screaming that sounded like it was coming from her, but she couldn't be sure.
Everything around her was blooming red, leaking everywhere and covering everything and everyone. She staggered backwards, and there was a loud metallic crunch. Broken chains. Her eyes followed the sickening trail to their source.
Someone had ripped them out. Ripped them out and torn the soft tissue around it and left it to bleed and die.
"What did you do to him?!" she shrieked. Aqua took one look at her and panicked, doubling down on Ven.
"Sora? What's wrong with Sora? Ven, please, tell me what's wrong!"
Ven didn't answer Aqua's question. He screamed again, and this time his screams sounded like he was saying a name.
Kairi's name.
Naminé's heart froze. She looked at Xehanort, standing on the stairs above them near an ornate black throne. He was smiling. How could he smile? How could he be happy about whatever it was he'd just done?
This was worse than anything she had ever seen. The memories surrounding the event – she was afraid to even look at them. But they crashed into her all the same, and a choked cry escaped her lips. She put her hand over her mouth in horror.
She didn't understand. How could anyone be so cruel. How. The planning, the scheming involved, carefully and willfully designed to do maximum damage to the victim, to cause ultimate suffering to someone so good and gentle and caring. To someone who had shown her nothing but kindness and understanding and empathy.
And that throne – she knew it now. She knew what it was, what it meant, what those torn pieces of material lying on the ground near it had been used for.
Oh, she was going to make Xehanort pay. She was going to make all of them pay. Before, she'd never wanted to take anyone else apart. It was wrong to do that. It was wrong to use her powers that way.
But some people, some people just deserved it.
She lifted her Keyblade in the air. She'd never tried to target this many people at once. But she was done. Done with holding back. Xehanort was about to regret ever hurting Sora. Xehanort was about to regret what he'd made Sora do. Xehanort was about to regret what had happened to Kairi and Riku.
She would show him no mercy. And that went for all his allies that had the misfortune of being here, too.
Deep inside Sora's heart, Xehanort smiled. "We've done it, my boy! We've won. Even together they're no match for us."
Not even a Princess of Heart and a Keyblade master fighting together could stop him. Or Sora, for that matter. Choking Kairi had been risky, but he'd needed to reassert his control over Sora and neutralize the threat she'd posed.
All because of one simple kiss. It annoyed Xehanort greatly, to think that all of his hard work had very nearly been undone by that silly girl. For the boy had come dangerously close to regaining control of himself. His animal desire to take her in his arms and make her his was more powerful than Xehanort had expected, but then again, Xehanort had no interest in such matters unless they could be used to further his plans.
He would not make the same mistake again. Kairi may have had the advantage before, but he'd taken the necessary steps to convince her that her wiles had no effect on Sora, even while the boy had fought with everything he had left for the chance to drool all over her.
Leave it to the meddlesome Riku to try to undo Xehanort's attempts at damage control, though. Oh well. The matter had been taken care of, and he now had such complete control over Sora that he could make him do things he normally never would.
He put his hand on Sora's shoulder. "You may not have been chosen by the Keyblade, but I can see now that that doesn't matter. You are truly special."
His host wasn't in nearly such a celebratory mood. He wrenched himself away from Xehanort's grip, a look of utter horror in his eyes.
"Come now, is that the way to act in our moment of triumph?" Xehanort asked. "You are reaching your full potential. You should celebrate your success."
Sora ignored him. He clutched his head and screamed, his anguished cries reaching far beyond their current location. There was nothing quite like the noise a heart made when it broke. It also ensured further resistance was unlikely.
"You can see the damage, can't you?" Xehanort paused a moment to look through the eyes of his vessel's body. Kairi and Riku's limp forms were lying nearby, and Sora had collapsed to the ground. He even reached a hand towards Kairi before Xehanort commanded the disobedient arm to return to where it belonged.
The boy's protective instincts really would be quite useful if Xehanort could ever manage to turn Sora's loyalty his way.
"Don't worry, you didn't kill them," Xehanort said. "There may be extra players in the game, but your friends are truly irreplaceable. Wouldn't you agree?"
Xehanort knew better than to actually let Sora kill them, of course. Kairi in particular was far too important to die. But Sora was acting as if he had, in fact, killed them, and his reaction was so over the top it was almost comical.
"That wasn't me!" he cried. "I'd never— You did this to them!"
What was this? Resistance? Xehanort turned back to face the boy's heart, and sure enough, he had his Keyblade pointed right at Xehanort's. His hand trembled and his eyes were filled with tears, but he didn't back down. Xehanort sighed. This was all so unnecessary.
"I may have been the one directing everything, but it was you who struck Riku, and it was your fingers wrapped around Kairi's neck. She looked into your eyes and saw your face as you choked the life from her. And after she kissed you, too, the poor girl. Memories like that make quite an impression on the heart. Do you think she'll forgive you for what you've done?"
Sora's hands were shaking so badly that he nearly dropped his Keyblade. "It wasn't me! I—"
"Ah, but none of this ever would have happened if you hadn't made your deal with me. Face it, Sora, you are as much to blame for their injuries as I am."
"No… " Sora whispered. He bowed his head and closed his eyes. The tears streamed freely down his face now. Good. Xehanort had already broken him once, and now he was very close to breaking him for good. That meant their union could be made complete. A broken vessel provided no resistance, making it easy for Xehanort to mold and use as he pleased.
"You broke our deal." Sora's voice was so low Xehanort had to strain to hear it.
"Hmmm?"
"I said," Sora continued, his voice slightly louder, "you broke our deal."
"I did no such thing," Xehanort replied. "Your friends came to this fortress and attacked my Seekers. We simply defended ourselves from you."
Sora's voice grew stronger. "Wrong. The terms were, 'Stop attacking my friends. Leave them alone.' That applied to you and you alone. And you used my body to attack Riku before he attacked you. He and Kairi wouldn't have fought me if you hadn't! And now… oh no… what have I done!? What did you make me do!?"
Sora was hit by a fresh wave of tears. It was pathetic, really, how when his friends were in danger, he became completely undone. He was quite easy to manipulate.
"Technicalities, my boy, technicalities."
Sora's Keyblade was now inches from his face. "Shut up! Did you forget about the part where Kairi wouldn't get hurt? You forced me to—you forced me to choke her! After everything you showed me, after everything you did to her as a child, how could you make me do something so horrible? It wasn't enough to take her out of the fight. No. Not when she had defied you, and all – all for my sake."
Sora had to pause for a moment because his voice was choking up too much for him to continue.
Such a sentimental fool. Can't he see that his heart is his greatest weakness?
"You didn't like that," Sora finally said, "so you just had to make her suffer. No, you wanted to make her suffer! You broke our deal and you know it!"
"I offered her the chance to leave, and she refused. What else was I supposed to do when she attacked you?"
Sora just glared at him, and Xehanort shifted uncomfortably. He really hadn't intended for the girl to get hurt, at least not at first. That had simply been the easiest way to control Sora and reduce the threat she posed at the same time.
But there was no use explaining that to Sora. There was a fire blazing in his eyes now. Xehanort sighed. Why did they always have to make this so difficult? Terra had been the same way. It all would be so much easier if they would just submit.
"Ah, there it is. You just don't know when to submit, do you?" Xehanort said. "You want to fight me, even though together we've become more powerful than you could ever be on your own. You'd throw away your own heart, but heaven forbid anything happens to your precious friends!"
"You won't use me to hurt them anymore!" Sora shouted.
Xehanort summoned his Keyblade. If it was a fight Sora wanted, a fight he would get. "I don't think that's for you to decide anymore. Your heart belongs to the darkness now."
"No. I know my heart is shrouded in darkness right now, but the light is deeper still. It doesn't matter what you do to me. That light will never go out." Sora moved into a battle stance and charged. "Get out of my heart!"
Chain after chain after chain. There were so many chains and Naminé snapped them, one after the other. The metallic clink of each one breaking was like music to her ears.
Her enemies collapsed to the ground and writhed at her feet. Good. That was where they should be. That was what they deserved.
She looked at Xehanort. His smile was gone, and he was struggling to remain standing.
Even better.
She was vaguely aware of Terra's voice shouting instructions to the others. "Mickey, Donald, Goofy, go! Go find them!"
They took off, but Naminé didn't pay them any attention. The people at her feet were shrieking now as the chains in their hearts came undone one by one.
It wouldn't be long now, before she was through. Before they were through. They didn't stand a chance against her. The mere thought was immensely satisfying. No one would ever have the power to hurt her or her friends ever again. Not after this.
She thought of Sora's beautiful smile. She wouldn't let anyone else hurt him. No one would tear up his heart and gloat about it ever again. And Kairi, always targeted, always sought after and chased, their enemies wanting to use her for their own dark purposes. No one would ever be able to capture her or hurt her or imprison her or torture her or—
"Naminé, that's enough!" Aqua's voice was faded and far away, as if it had to travel through a great fog to reach her.
Terra's face briefly floated into view. "Naminé, don't do it! Don't give into the darkness!"
"Naminé, cut it out! You're hurting Isa too!" She had never heard Lea so angry before, but it didn't matter. Isa was a part of Xehanort. Isa hadn't lifted a finger to help when Xehanort had tortured Sora right in front of him. Isa deserved it. If Lea tried to get in her way, she would stop him, too.
"Stop it! You're killing them!" came Ven's panicked voice. He was on the ground next to Vanitas. It didn't matter that Vanitas's face was contorted in pain. No, that made it even better. He had enjoyed shattering Sora's heart before, and now he was getting what he deserved.
"Naminé, you have to stop! Please! You're hurting yourself!" Oh. Xion was right. Her body was covered in sweat and she was shivering and it was cold and she felt lightheaded and sick. But it didn't matter. She wouldn't stop until she was through. She couldn't.
"Naminé, this isn't what Sora would want."
Naminé froze. Roxas's hand was on her arm, and he was looking at her not with anger or fear but with disappointment. For a moment she didn't see his face. She saw Sora's instead.
He didn't want her to do this. She looked at the people scattered on the floor around her, clutching their heads and groaning. Luxord and Vexen. Isa and Vanitas and the Riku Replica, too, the very people she was supposed to try to help.
She'd hurt them. She'd done this. She was the source of their pain and suffering. How was what she had just done any different than how Xehanort always behaved?
She looked at her hands. Terra had tried to warn her, and he was right. Darkness was oozing out of them.
She looked at Xehanort. He was smiling again.
What have I done? What have I become?
Roxas was right. Sora didn't want this for her. She didn't want this, either.
She dropped her Keyblade, and the tears started to come. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I never wanted to— I didn't mean to—"
Roxas put his arms around her, and she buried her face in his shoulder and cried. "I just… he was hurting, and I—"
Roxas's grip tightened around her. "I know."
She didn't know how much time passed as Roxas held her. But then Xehanort's voice broke through and the moment was over.
"Foolish girl," he said, and Naminé let go of Roxas to face him. Somehow he had managed to regain his composure.
"You have the power to undo every single person in this room," he continued, gesturing to his Seekers sprawled out on the ground around Naminé, "and yet you hold yourself back."
"Is that all you think my powers are good for?" She wiped her eyes and lifted her Keyblade in the air again and thought of Riku, thought of all the things he'd taught her, of all the things he'd spent so much time practicing with her. She thought of Kairi's words, about how she'd encouraged her to use her powers for good instead of evil. She thought of Sora, bringing life and healing wherever he went.
That was what she wanted to do, too. She wanted to live up to their example.
"Terra, Aqua, Ven. Go find them. We can handle this." She whirled towards Xehanort, knowing Roxas and Xion and Lea were there to back her up. "You're about to see just what I can do."
Kairi's bleary eyes blinked open. She groaned and rubbed her neck. Her breath came in raspy gasps, and she wondered if it was possible for windpipes to bruise. But at least she was still alive. When she groggily examined her surroundings, the cold marble floor was there beneath her.
How… how long was I out for? She healed herself enough to repair the worst of the damage to her windpipe and neck. There. That was better. The magic soothed the aching in her throat, and she staggered to her feet.
"Riku!" He was lying on the floor nearby, absolutely still. The orange glow from the magma cast his skin in an unearthly light, and his face was pale and his lips were blue. She ran to his side and collapsed next to him. Pressing two fingers against his icy neck, she searched for his pulse.
It was there, but it was weak. His breathing was shallow, too, each breath coming at longer and longer intervals.
She tried healing him. It didn't work. Dread clutched her heart in a vice grip and squeezed.
"Riku, no, oh no oh no oh no, don't you dare die on me!"
Think, Kairi, think! She rifled through her pouch. Potion, useless. Ether, useless. Elixir, maybe? She tried it, but nothing happened. Back to the pouch as her panic grew. She stopped. There. Her hand closed around the little flask filled with the swirling red liquid inside that Merlin had given her. The potion made from a firebird's feathers.
"Save it for a time of great need."
Well, if this wasn't a time of great need, she didn't know what was. She lifted Riku's head into her lap. Then she uncorked the flask and brought it to his lips with one hand and forced his mouth open with the other. The red liquid poured down his throat. She watched his face and waited, praying Merlin's gift would work.
"Riku, please wake up. I can't—I can't lose you too."
She huddled over him and fought back the tears. She'd already lost Sora. If something happened to Riku too, she really might—
He groaned.
"Riku!"
The color returned to his cheeks. He coughed and sputtered, his eyes fluttering open.
"Kairi, what happened?" His voice was strained, and she healed him again, just to be safe.
"Um, don't take this the wrong way, but I… I wasn't sure you were going to pull through." She winced, waiting for his reaction, and he frowned, an understated response considering their current circumstances.
"You mean I… I almost died?"
"Well, your pulse was weak, and your breathing was irregular..."
"That… does sound pretty bad. I don't remember anything after Sora got me. It all went black." He sat up, his gaze flickering to her neck. "He got you too, huh?"
Kairi's hand flew to her throat, and sure enough, the skin there was still tender to the touch.
"How bad does it look?" she whispered. Her rush healing job earlier must not have taken care of everything.
Riku's mouth pulled into a tight line. "Pretty bad." He held his hand out and made a grasping motion with it.
Kairi got the message loud and clear, and so did someone else. Sora was slumped on the ground nearby, and his strangled cry sent chills down her spine. His breath came in shuddering gasps, his hands shaking as he buried his face in them. He was crying, his whole body wracked with sobs. Her own heart broke at how completely he'd been broken.
"Sora…"
He took one look at her throat and gagged, spit and snot mixing together and leaving his body as if that could remove the impurity tainting his heart.
It worked. He's fighting back, even if it's only his body that can reject Xehanort right now.
He's… he's doing it for us.
She had been right. Her gamble had paid off. Attacking Riku had been the first step, and hurting her went against his nature on such a fundamental level that it was breaking Xehanort's control over him completely.
But oh, how she wished there had been another way. She wondered for a terrible moment if she was just as cruel as Xehanort. Because now Sora would have to live with the fact that he had hurt her, that he hadn't been able to stop Xehanort from hurting her, for the rest of his life. All because she'd chosen not to defend herself in an attempt to force Xehanort's hand.
She'd won, but at what cost? It didn't matter that she knew Sora wouldn't ever choose to hurt her. That fact is what she'd gambled both of their lives on, even. But she couldn't shake the terrible feeling that this would haunt him for as long as he lived.
"Riku, we need to get inside his heart," she said grimly.
"Yeah, but what do we do about our bodies?"
Good point. They had to save Sora, but they also couldn't just leave themselves vulnerable to attack.
She scooted over and tried to touch him, but he flinched away from her as if she'd burned him.
He was hyperventilating, and his face contorted as spasm after spasm coursed through his body. His eyes were going haywire, flashing yellow and blue and everything in between. He hacked and coughed, heaving over and over again as his body revolted against what it had been forced to do.
Kairi looked to Riku. "We can't just leave him like this." She bit her lip to keep from crying, and he gave her a similarly pained look. She was about to try using white magic on Sora when a familiar voice greeted them.
"Need a hand, fellas?"
"Mickey!" Riku cried. A smile lit up his face, the first in what felt like ages. Help had finally arrived. Kairi breathed a sigh of relief. They had a chance of saving Sora now. No, they would save him.
"Thank goodness," she whispered.
"Naminé's powers are really somethin'," Mickey said. "The others are all helpin' her, too, but gosh, her memory manipulation is in a league of its own." He frowned, and Kairi briefly wondered just what exactly Naminé had been doing.
Donald and Goofy took one look at Sora and raced over to him. Their heartbroken reactions to his current state nearly pushed Kairi over the edge again, too, and all thoughts of Naminé fled her mind.
"There now, it'll be okay. You just cry as much as you need to, Sora." Goofy patted his head and swallowed. Donald had latched onto Sora's arm, warbling a nearly incomprehensible string of sounds combined with Sora's name, over and over again.
Sora hardly seemed to notice. He raked his fingers through his silver hair, his flashing eyes and labored breathing indicating he was still fighting against Xehanort's control.
Riku grabbed her hand and took a deep breath.
"Ready?"
"Ready."
They knelt next to Sora. When they put their hands on his shoulders, he screamed and thrashed. Donald and Goofy could only try to comfort him as Riku and Kairi dove into his heart.
Black smoke enveloped them as soon as they started their dive, and it was so thick Kairi could hardly see. She held tight to Riku's hand and trusted him to guide them where they needed to go. The further they went, the thicker the darkness became, and the worse she felt.
Riku noticed, too. "No wonder you were having so much trouble fighting back," he said softly. "Sorry for chewing you out. I didn't realize how bad it was."
At last their feet landed on solid ground. The darkness here was so thick that it was choking the life out of her, out of them both. She could only imagine how Sora felt. Summoning her Keyblade, she channeled as much light from her own heart into it as she could, illuminating the area around them and keeping the darkness at bay.
Riku had to let go of her hand so that he could summon his own Keyblade. He stayed close beside her as they continued forward, drawing ever closer to the source of the darkness. Each step that they took sent ripples of light and color up ahead of them. Kairi clutched Riku's arm, because the alternative was to break down crying as she realized what it meant.
Riku had noticed, too. "His heart knows we're here," he said. A memory floated by, twisted and warped by the darkness. He caught it and examined it, then grabbed another one. The glow of green light emanated from his hands and restored the two memories to their rightful state.
"We're coming, Sora." Kairi bent down and placed her hands on the ground, moving them back and forth in a gentle caress. The whole area pushed back the darkness and lit up in response, and she choked back tears. This was how it should be. Sora's heart belonged with his friends, those who would cherish it for the treasure that it was. Not the monster who had made it like this.
Still, she took a small amount of satisfaction in knowing that Xehanort had no hold over it in its natural state. He'd had to so fill it with darkness that it nearly choked out everything else before his possession could take hold. So much for all his pomp and posturing.
She shifted her weight to stand again, but Riku stopped her. "Keep doing that. If you can get rid of Xehanort's darkness, I think that'll help him fight the possession himself."
She looked around them. There should be more light here, but Sora's heart wasn't like hers. It wasn't all light.
"Riku, I can't do this alone," she said. "His heart has light and darkness in it. He needs both. He needs you as much as he needs me."
"Right."
Kairi provided the light, and Riku the darkness. Kairi was repairing one of the pathways between two of Sora's Heart Stations when a Darkside dove at her. She put up her Keyblade to parry its attack, but before its arm swiped at her, dark coils snaked around her feet and yanked her down, down, down into the darkness.
Riku stood on top of one of the platforms, putting the dark parts of it back to their rightful places. Another Darkside swung at him, and something beneath his feet launched him into the air. He somersaulted and launched off of its face, then landed on a pool of inky blackness and sunk into it.
Ever deeper they continued, going further and further through each layer of Sora's heart. They removed Xehanort's darkness like doctors treating an infection, replacing it with the light and darkness from their own hearts. As they went along, Kairi realized that Xehanort's darkness must cut to the very core of Sora's being. There was no other explanation for why they were going so deep.
At long last, they made it to the deepest layer of Sora's heart.
"Hang in there, Sora! We're coming!"
Never had Naminé tried to put anyone back together so quickly. But she had to succeed. It was her fault the three people most likely to turn sides now had far less of a reason to do so.
She had to fix what she'd done. She had to make it right.
More of the Seekers came. Ansem and Xemnas and Xigbar. Seekers that were in full fighting condition.
They were badly outnumbered. Roxas surrounded her with his Samurai Nobodies. He was determined not to let them get through. Xion's armored form was good for knocking them back, as were Lea's flames, but they could only hold out for so long all the same.
Kairi, Riku, hurry. Hurry and help him, before it's too late.
Tired. Sick. Wrong. I never wanted to hurt them. Cold. Thirsty. Why did I hurt them? This feeling in my chest. It's like my heart's frozen. The darkness has gotten to me, too. I feel sick. Have to get it out. Have to get the sickness out. What's wrong with my body?
As Sora's battle for control of his heart waged on, disjointed thoughts floated through his mind.
Too strong. Xehanort's too strong. On my own, I can't beat him. Can't win. No. I have to try. Guard, counterattack. There. Kairi. Riku. I never wanted to hurt you. My magic's weak. Something's choking it out. Something's choking out the light. Something's choking me. No. I'm the one choking Kairi. It's my hand around her throat. She's kicking. Saying my name. The light in her eyes is going out. The light of my life. I'm crying. If she dies, I'll die. The worlds will fall to darkness. What have I done.
What have I done.
What have I done!?
No. That had already happened. Kairi was alive. He had to fight. He needed something to hold onto, to help him regain control. What was strong enough to do that?
Kairi's kiss. That simple act of courage and selflessness was the one good thing about all of this. She was like the princess in one of her grandmother's stories, the magic from her kiss calling out to his heart and giving him the strength he needed to fight back. Xehanort's control had slipped, and he'd finally broken through.
He'd been this close to kissing her back. This close to showing her how much she meant to him. This close to breaking Xehanort's control for good. But then Xehanort had doubled down with a vengeance that had left Sora reeling. In his rage he'd lashed out at Xehanort, and—
I attacked Riku. I hurt him. Oh, no, Riku – I'm sorry, I never wanted to…
Something deep within him stirred. The icy grip on his heart loosened, melted away by the warmth of the two other hearts within him.
They were here. Even after what he did. Even after he hurt them. They were still coming for him. The love he felt in that moment surpassed the darkness choking out the light, and he fought back with all his strength.
Sora was locked in combat with Xehanort when they found him. Kairi nearly cried in relief at the blue of his eyes, the brown of his hair. At least his heart still looked like him, even if his body no longer did.
"Sora!"
"Riku! Kairi! You're really here!" His voice was his own, the way he said their names so wonderfully like him. Light burst forth from within him, looping around the two of them and wrapping them in its warm embrace as it brought them to him. Then a fine thread came out of the light and linked their hearts together. The links surged with golden swirls of light, growing stronger and thicker by the moment.
Xehanort raised his eyebrow. "I see your true power is awakening."
"You already knew that. You tried to corrupt it and take it for yourself. But that's over now."
That was their cue. They all turned on Xehanort. Darkness shot out of Riku's Keyblade and merged with the light coming from Kairi's. Sora absorbed the energy and amplified it. He pointed his Keyblade at Xehanort, and all that energy was directed at him in one huge blast of light and dark, combined in perfect harmony.
Xehanort staggered to the ground as Sora's Heart Station reformed before their very eyes. Sora was in the middle, and Kairi and Riku flanked him on either side. Sora's other friends surrounded him, both the friends he'd given everything to save and the friends who had supported him throughout his journeys.
Xehanort shook his head and laughed. His heart's presence was fragmenting, swirls of dark smoke lifting off him and disappearing into the air. "Foolish boy, do you really think you've won?"
Sora fixed him with a furious glare. "Shut up. I told you already: get out of my heart." One last swing of the Keyblade, and he was gone.
The light links disappeared, and Sora clutched his chest and staggered backwards. "He's gone… I'm free…"
He laughed, his shoulders convulsing and shuddering as he threw his head back. The sound was very different from Xehanort's cruel laughter from before. But as Kairi and Riku watched, his laughter turned to sobs, and he collapsed to the ground at their feet.
"I… I never wanted to hurt you. Kairi, Riku, I'm so sorry. How can you ever forgive me?" He covered his face with his hands, refusing to make eye contact with either of them.
Riku crouched next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "We already have. It's like Kairi said, we don't blame you for what happened."
"I know I asked you not to come for me," Sora sniffed, "but I-I'm glad you did."
"Of course. You're our friend. We'd never abandon you." Sora threw his arms around Riku, and Riku sighed and patted him on the head. "Fine, just this once. But I have to say, running off on your own, making a deal with Xehanort—seriously? What were you thinking?" He leaned back to give Sora a look.
"I just… everyone was depending on me to save them. I couldn't… I couldn't let them down. I couldn't stop, not till everyone was saved. Aqua and Ven wanted to see Terra so badly… I wanted them to be together again. And Xehanort, I knew he was after you, Kairi. I-I wanted to keep you safe."
He cared. He cared so much that he'd stopped thinking about his own wellbeing. Kairi knelt next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. He shuddered at her touch but finally looked her in the eye. The agony and guilt and shame in his expression made her heart ache.
"That's why his control over you broke when I got hurt, isn't it?" she said. She'd bet her life that it would, and she'd been right.
Sora swallowed and nodded, his eyes going to her neck again. He hesitated for a moment, then lifted his hand so he could heal it. It didn't change what had happened, but Kairi hoped it would make him feel better, at least. The memory would forever be burned into her mind, but she didn't blame him.
If only he wouldn't blame himself.
"Sora, why did you…" She paused, recollecting her thoughts. "I mean, does your own life really mean that little to you?"
Sora's voice was very quiet when he spoke again. "Give me some credit, Kairi. It's not that I don't value my own life."
"Then what is it, Sora?" Riku asked.
"I'm nothing without you guys. You're the real heroes. You were all chosen or born into your destinies. I was never meant to be a part of all of this. My heart's a small price to pay to make sure that you guys win. It's the least I can do." He wiped his eyes and continued. "And I can't—I can't bear to lose any of you. What happens to me doesn't matter. I don't care, as long as you're all safe."
Kairi felt like crying. She did care. She cared more than he could ever know. Did he really see himself like that? Exposable, dispensable, nothing special? She had to get him to see just how much he meant to her, to everyone. But before she could say or do anything, Riku spoke up.
"You almost lost us anyway with that attitude. Is this what you really wanted? To become one of Xehanort's pawns, his tools?"
Sora shook his head.
"I didn't think so," Riku said softly.
"Sora," Kairi said, taking his hands in hers, "you're as much of a hero as the rest of us. You saved me. You saved Ven and Roxas and Naminé and Xion. You helped Riku and King Mickey save Aqua. You saved Terra, too. And you know what?"
"What?"
She cupped his cheek. "Don't you think it's about time we saved you?" She smiled sadly at him, brushing the tears away from his eyes. What would it take to see his smile again?
"Kairi…" His heart reacted to her words and touch, warmth and light radiating from where they sat.
"Come back to us," she whispered, giving his hand one final squeeze. "We'll be waiting."
Naminé breathed a sigh of relief, even as the battle continued around her.
Sora was safe, and for now, that was all that mattered.
Kairi, Riku, thank you.