A/N: This chapter features a higher level of violence than normal and describes several physical injuries. It also features dark and potentially distressing material. Read at your own risk.

Chapter 33 – The χ-blade

The Keyblade Graveyard was largely unchanged from when Eraqus had last been there while he was still inside Terra's heart. The old rusted Keyblades still stuck out of the ground, the dust still got in his eyes and mouth and nose, the foreboding sense of gloom still hung over everything.

The only difference, really, was the presence of the person who stood before him. It went against all natural law, to be so displaced in time.

"Eraqus. So we meet again at long last."

It was Xehanort, but not the Xehanort that matched Eraqus in age and experience. Nor was it the Xehanort from his youth. No, this was Xehanort in his prime, in peak physical condition and fighting form. He was clad in his Keyblade armor with only his helmet removed, and Eraqus pushed down thoughts of how often they used to spar in their armor together.

"You speak as if you don't know exactly where I was all this time," Eraqus said, glaring. "As if you weren't the one who struck me down and forced me to take refuge inside Terra's heart."

No doubt Xehanort's slow takeover of even his previous selves lent them access to his memories. And at what point did his Seekers cease to be themselves and become a new person entirely?

The wind blew up clouds of dirt around them that made Eraqus cover his nose and mouth, but Xehanort just smiled. "You misunderstand me. This is the first time I've spoken face-to-face to you in years."

"And it will be the last," Eraqus said, coughing to clear his throat.

Xehanort raised his eyebrow. "You think you have a chance of winning."

"I know we will."

"Still as idealistic as you were as a boy. We are bound to our fates the same as everyone else, and your fate is to expire along with the light."

Eraqus shook his head. "No. After what you did to Master Junia, after what you did to me and my pupils, I have no choice but to fight fate and to fight you."

"You still haven't figured out the truth, have you?" Xehanort said. "Not even after all this time. I am not the one who drove Master Junia to her untimely demise."

Eraqus lowered his hand to his side. "What?" All this time, he'd thought Xehanort had been the one to do the deed. The darkness, the flecks of gold in her eyes – who else could it have been?

"I had my doubts, my hesitations. I wasn't sure how I felt about my fate, all because of your influence." Xehanort hesitated, his eyes flickering to the ground for a moment before they met Eraqus's once more. "And… I did care for Master Junia. Her death and our ensuing separation brought me great grief."

Eraqus's heart pounded. Could it be true, or was it just more lies?

But then the Xehanort of current times strolled up and put his hand on his younger self's shoulder. "He speaks the truth. I interfered because I had to make sure I stayed on the right path."

Eraqus just stared at them both. Just when he thought Xehanort couldn't sink any lower— only to find out that he was the one who had damned himself, who had cursed his younger self to be like this with no hope of change—

"You— you went back in time just to ruin Master Junia's life? To ruin my life? To ruin your own life? All so you could—"

"I didn't ruin my own life. I created it," his younger self said.

"I was fated to stand here before you for the final clash, and now here I am. I have succeeded, Eraqus."

Eraqus's heart sank. Xehanort had ruined many lives, but his first victim was himself. And while the others had been saved, there was no hope for a victim who could neither recognize his own plight nor even wanted to be rescued.

"You are beyond reason," Eraqus said. "There is no fate except that which you have created."

Xehanort dismissed his younger self, who disappeared into a swirl of darkness, and it was just the two of them. The wind howled through this lonely, empty place, as if the ghosts of Keyblade wielders long gone still haunted the ground where they had been slain.

"Does that bring you grief, my old friend?" Xehanort asked.

Eraqus's fists clenched at his side. "I was never your friend. You used me, time and again. I was just a tool to you, another pawn in your game."

"That is where you are wrong. You're not one of my pawns, you're my opponent. I told you, Eraqus. I won't lose to you again."

"Maybe you won't," Eraqus said. "But you will lose to the people you looked down upon and treated like pawns. You will lose to Sora and his friends."

Xehanort laughed. "You think Sora is heir to the true power of Kingdom Hearts? You have said many foolish things, but that is the most foolish of them all."

"He has accomplished what you have tried to do time and again but could never achieve."

"You mean his power to connect hearts. It is a very useful power, but it is not any different from what I have achieved in creating my vessels. I put my heart in them, and he brings their hearts into his. The end result is the same. The boy and I are not so different, Eraqus."

"Maybe we aren't," came a voice from behind Eraqus, and he turned around. Sora had arrived along with the rest of the Guardians and their friends. He was composed, his steady gaze fixed on Xehanort as if only the two of them were really here, though Eraqus could sense the darkness and turmoil swirling within him.

"But there is one thing that sets us apart," Sora said, his voice unwavering.

"And what would that be?" Xehanort asked. One by one swirls of dark smoke appeared as Xehanort summoned his Seekers to the battlefield.

Sora gestured to the people surrounding him, to his friends at his side. "I offered my heart as a refuge for my friends. They needed someone to mend their hurt, the hurt you caused, so I took all their pain into my heart because I wanted to help them."

He put his hand over his heart, his eyes closing for a moment before he opened them again.

"Together... it wasn't as bad. Together we could bear it. But you just forced your heart inside of your vessels. I guess you think there isn't a difference. You think it doesn't matter, because we're all just going to follow the roles destiny has in store for us anyway."

Xehanort was silent, but Eraqus was impressed all the same by how well Sora understood him.

"But that's where you're wrong," Sora said. "It does matter. Even if we die stopping you, we'll die knowing we did the right thing. We chose to come here and face you. Fate didn't make us do that. And fate didn't make you do all the terrible things you did. You chose to do them, and that's why we're going to stop you."

Sora had grown impassioned by his speech. Wisps of black smoke were coming off of him, and yet he still did not give in to the darkness in his heart. He remained perfectly in control of himself, his eyes boring into Xehanort's as if he could see straight into his soul.

"The darkness is radiating off of you," Ansem remarked. "Why won't you give in to it?"

"Because there's more to a heart than just darkness." Riku gave Ansem a cold, hard glare. "It doesn't matter if the heart begins and ends in darkness. If that's all you think a heart is made of, you really don't know anything."

Ansem laughed at him. "So now the boy wants to speak philosophy with us."

"Xehanort, this is your last chance," Mickey warned. "You don't have to do this." Donald and Goofy backed him up, and the three of them stared Xehanort down.

"Oh, I know. But it's either you or the Princesses of Heart. Take your pick. Either way, I will create the χ-blade."

Terra stepped forward, and Eraqus's heart swelled with pride at his student's initiative. "It doesn't matter what you do to us," Terra said. "We will stop you."

"Terra," Xaldin said, fiddling with one of his lances. "The man who was too weak to break free of Xehanort on his own. Not even with his fallen master's help could he escape."

Eraqus felt like sighing. Had Xehanort's cronies really sunk so low as to stoop to such base insults?

"You should have heard the screams of the one who gave himself up to save you," Luxord continued. "Or felt the anguish of the woman who was trapped in the realm of darkness so that you could stay in the realm of light. It is easy to speak of sacrifice when you are not the one who has paid the price."

Aqua and Ventus both grabbed onto Terra to make sure he didn't attack Xaldin and Luxord, right then and there. But while Eraqus could see the anger in Terra's eyes, Terra remained in control of himself and said nothing. He had grown, matured. In better circumstances, Eraqus would have been tempted to give him the title he so clearly deserved right then and there.

"I see you are not as impulsive as you once were," Xehanort remarked, also noticing the difference. "Perhaps the feckless youth has gained some wisdom after all." He looked to Ventus, and Eraqus put his hand on Ventus's shoulder. No longer would he allow Xehanort to meddle with his student and ruin his life.

"Ventus, my wayward apprentice," Xehanort said. "It has been far too long."

Ventus was fuming. "Shut up. I'm not your apprentice. And you're the worst teacher I ever had." He jerked his head towards Eraqus. "Master Eraqus is my real teacher. You're nothing but a sham."

Xehanort seemed merely amused by this outburst. But then he looked to Aqua, and a frown crossed his features. "You are still as misguided as ever, Master Aqua. Will you throw yourself away for your friends again, or did you finally learn your lesson?"

"You're the one who's misguided, Xehanort," she retorted. "You're going to lose. We failed to stop you before, but we won't let you win again."

"What makes you think you can stop me?"

"Because we've got Sora," she said, gesturing towards him. Sora's eyes went wide, and then his expression softened as she continued. "And not just him. Riku and Kairi, and all the other people you've screwed over in your obsession to take Kingdom Hearts for yourself."

"Such passionate words." Vexen summoned his shield and held it in front of him.

Young Xehanort had his Keyblade at the ready. "My older self was unwise to underestimate you," he said, and Xehanort Prime and Xemnas nodded their agreement.

"Well, Sora?" Roxas said, coming up beside him. "Are we gonna fight them or what?"

"All you have to do is say the word." Xion was on his other side, her Keyblade in hand and ready to fight. Naminé was beside her, similarly armed, and when Sora looked her way, she nodded.

Everyone was waiting for Sora to make a decision. Eraqus couldn't help but smile to himself. How could Xehanort fail to see what was staring him in the face?

But Sora said nothing. He looked at Kairi as she steeled herself for the fight, next to Riku and ready to charge. And the look he gave her— well, Eraqus had lived long enough to recognize that look. Of all of Sora's friends, she was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. No doubt Xehanort would try to exploit his feelings for her again.

"Well, Sora?" Xehanort asked. "Thinking about making another deal?"

"No," he finally said, his voice sounding out loud and clear. "This time, we're here to fight you. That's the only way we can put an end to this."

Sora closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and Eraqus felt the warmth of a multitude of hearts connect to his, Sora's at the center of it all. It pulsed with light, its strength amplified by every heart beating in unison with it. Energy surged through Eraqus, renewing his strength and filling his heart and mind.

Sora's eyes flew open, and that was everyone's cue. Eraqus summoned his Keyblade, and great clouds of dust kicked up as both sides charged at each other.

The Second Keyblade War had begun.

Sora had never tried to stay connected to this many people at once for so long before. Their thoughts and feelings poured into his head and filled his heart till it was all he could do to keep the chaos going on around him straight.

But that was okay. It wasn't his job to fight. Not this time. It was his job to connect, to support, to heal, to protect. To strengthen and encourage. And so long as Aqua's barrier remained around him, the one she'd created from a Phoenix Down, the one that made him pretty much invulnerable, he was safe.

He raced to the highest point he could find, a tall cliff, and sprung up it. Clumps of dirt tumbled to the ground below him, and he scrambled to his feet. Surveying the field, he saw Roxas making sure Naminé was safe. Roxas earned an understanding nod from her before taking off and running towards an outcrop of rocks to the left. Sora took a deep breath and focused completely on him, and it was like he could see through his eyes, hear what he heard, felt what he felt.

"Axel!" Roxas called, racing towards his friend, heart pounding in his chest and pounding in Sora's chest. He summoned a swarm of Nobodies to guard him so no one could get through.

But someone did, someone on their side and very determined to help. Of course. Xion. Sora focused on her too, focused on giving her the boost of strength she needed to fight. There. It was like he was getting sensory feeds from two different people now.

He gagged as his body adjusted to the sensory overload, bile surging up his throat until he forced it back down. His own eyes and ears and hands and mouth seemed disjointed, far away. Roxas and Xion's were the real ones. His body was just a dream, an illusion.

"Roxas, you aren't fighting him alone! I'm here!" Xion was right behind him, and together they charged.

"Axel, we're here to help!" she called.

"C'mon, you have to snap out of it!"

Lea regarded them with an expressionless look. His eyes were still yellow. Sora knew from their earlier conversation that he was still in there. The question was how to reach him.

Roxas, Xion, you have to appeal to his heart! he said. Remind him of what he means to you!

When Xehanort made you hurt Kairi, you broke free, right? came Xion's thoughts. It hurt too much and you fought back. What if we did the same thing?

Yeah. If that's what it takes to help Axel, then I'm ready, Roxas added.

Panic rose in Sora's chest and rose in their chests. No, no, don't do that!

"I can hear you," Lea got out, his voice strained. Roxas and Xion exchanged hopeful glances as he continued. "This isn't like what happened with you, Sora. That was a full possession, this is—" He clutched his head and swore. "—more hit and miss."

"Axel…" Xion started, reaching a hand towards him.

Careful, Xion, Sora warned. Don't let your guard down. That's how Riku and Kairi got hurt.

Lea moved away from her. "Unfortunately, I do have someone else's will stuffed inside of me, so it makes it a bit hard to—" at this his Keyblade appeared in his hand, "stay in control."

"Axel, we don't want to fight you," Xion said. "But we will if we have to."

"Yeah, you're gonna have to. Sorry, guys. I thought about running away, but—" more swearing, "—he won't let me."

"We understand." Xion transformed into her armored form, the harsh sun reflecting off its glinting surface. Pain stabbed through Sora's chest and he staggered to his knees. The rocks on the cliff cut into his skin even through his pants. It took him a moment to collect his thoughts enough to concentrate and stand again. Seeing her like that still brought Roxas really painful memories and sent him into panic mode.

Roxas… use your Keyblade, Sora barely managed. The Nobodies… they're starting to drain me, too, and… your heart, I know it hurts, but you have to—

Right, sorry, came Roxas's thoughts. Sora just gritted his teeth and focused on healing as much of the hurt as he could.

Thanks, Roxas said. For most of his fights lately, Roxas had been using his Nobodies. But this one needed the Keyblade. He summoned it now and moved into his attack stance.

"Xion, together! Axel, we're gonna save you! Hang in there!"

Lea smiled. "I know you will."

Roxas was about to charge when someone blocked him.

"Saïx?"

The man's golden eyes were blazing with fury. Roxas struggled to parry the blow from his Claymore.

He really hates me, Roxas said sadly, his arms shaking and Sora's shaking too as he lent Roxas as much of his strength as he could spare. He thinks I stole Axel from him. I guess, in a way, I did.

You didn't, Sora said, trying to reassure him. He drove Axel away himself.

"Don't you touch him!" Isa hissed. "You have hearts and bodies of your own now, but that doesn't make you human!"

He pushed Roxas back so that he had to flip backwards to keep his balance, and Sora felt dizzy, too. He nearly stumbled off the cliff before gaining his bearings again.

"Especially not when you attack your so-called friend," Isa continued. "You're just as heartless as you were when you were a puppet and a Nobody!"

"Saïx, stop," Xion's voice echoed, the armor twisting and warping it. "We're only trying to help!"

She used one of the giant Keyblade-shaped swords in her hand to land a heavy blow, then turned her attention back to Lea. Sora's arm fell limply at his side. This was exhausting. He called on the strength of the others, because he couldn't keep this up much longer without their help.

"Take a good look around you," Roxas said, spitting dust out of his mouth and standing up. Sora reflexively spit, too - no actual grains of dirt, of course, but it still felt like there were.

"Axel stayed with you when he could've just run away," Roxas continued. "If you think he doesn't care about you, you're wrong."

"He chose you over a real friendship with me. We were friends when we still had hearts. But you, you were just an empty shell, and that—" he said, gesturing to Xion, "was a puppet. If he really cared, he wouldn't have chosen you and that thing over there over me."

Roxas was boiling inside, and white-hot rage and fury spilled into Sora. The darkness inside him spiked to dangerous levels. Smoke swirled off his skin, and he felt the telltale signs of an impending transformation.

Roxas— he tried to warn, but Roxas was beyond reason.

"Shut up!" Roxas shouted. "Xion is not a thing! She's a girl, and she deserves to exist as much as you do! She deserves to have friends just as much as you do! She's got memories and feelings and a heart!"

He rained down a hail of electricity that left Sora exhausted, then darted in close for a heavy blow.

Has Saïx learned nothing? Roxas wondered. Axel wants to save him, but maybe it's impossible.

Roxas, we can't think like that, Xion said. But before she could do anything else, flames licked their way around the area, eating at dust and finding nothing to burn.

"Isa," came Lea's voice, loud and clear. The flames died down, and they were all left staring at each other and at Lea's fury-filled face. "You're my friend. But don't you dare call Xion that ever again."

His eyes were flashing green.

"I'm going to save all of us, got it memorized? You're my friends, and I won't lose any of you." He looked in Sora's direction, though they were in reality a good ways away from each other. "Sora, Naminé needs backup. I can handle this."

Sora didn't have to be told twice. Naminé was in trouble. After reassuring Roxas he'd make sure she was okay, he turned his attention to where she'd stumbled over a rocky outcrop in the center of the battlefield.

Her Keyblade was in her hand as she tried to block her attacker, but he was a lot stronger than her. Sora focused on her and took a deep breath. There. He was seeing through her eyes now. The strength of his arm went into hers, and she managed to push him away.

"Riku?" she asked, wiping dust from her face.

Not that Riku, Sora said.

Right. Not the original Riku.

"You," the Riku Replica said, tilting his head and glaring at her.

"I'm sorry, Riku," she said. "I'm sorry I—"

He rained darkness down on her, and she tried to cartwheel out of the way. But one of his orbs caught her in the leg, and she cried out and stumbled to the ground. A sharp rock scraped her shin, and Sora likewise cried out and clutched his leg. It didn't matter if his skin wasn't really cut – it might as well have been.

This whole heart connecting thing was overrated. It took a whole lot of effort to keep the connection going and bear Naminé's pain. Thankfully, she was quick to heal herself, and Sora's leg felt better again.

"I never forgot my promise to you," the Riku Replica said, "and you abandoned me. You gave me all these fake memories, and I stayed loyal to you till the end! And how did you repay me?"

"Please, just listen to me!" she cried, staggering to her feet.

"You're a bigger fake than I ever was," the Riku Replica accused. "You didn't care about me. You only cared about him," he said, jabbing a finger in Sora's direction.

"That's not true! I'm sorry for what I did! I really did care about you!"

But he couldn't be reasoned with. Maybe he would listen to her if he was himself. But Xehanort had hijacked his heart and body and taken the worst of his impulses, fears, and regrets and cranked them up to eleven.

She gritted her teeth. Fighting while using my powers isn't going to be easy.

You can do it, Sora said. I'm here and I can help.

Her powers came from some combination of him and Kairi, after all.

I'll boost your powers as much as I can, he told her. You just focus on him.

She nodded. "Riku, remember. Please."

And with that, she began. Sora saw through her eyes, saw the chains linking everyone's hearts together. He lent her as much of his connecting power as he could, and it surged through her. She turned her attention to the Riku Replica's memories and focused on freeing him from Xehanort.

Oh, and fighting him. Because while he was slowing down, she had to run around this way and that to avoid his charges and diving attacks.

Sora helped how he could, and her memory manipulation plunged deep. At last the Riku Replica staggered to the ground. Confident that she had everything under control, Sora turned his attention to where Ven and Vanitas were fighting on the other side of the battlefield. At some point in the battle Ven must have knocked Vanitas's helmet off. His face was fully visible, his golden eyes flashing as he attacked Ven.

"Vanitas, please! You have to talk to me!"

Ven rolled out of the way of the flurry of Keyblades Vanitas had directed right at him. They clattered to the ground with an awful clanging noise, and one of them struck Ven's arm. He winced, and Sora grabbed his arm and winced, too.

"There's nothing to say, Ventus. Soon we'll both be stuck as parts of the χ-blade, and there's nothing we can do about it."

A shockwave went through the earth beneath Ven, and Sora gave him his remaining energy so he could dart out of the way just as mounds of earth went hurtling into the air.

Sora collapsed to the ground. The barrier protected him, but…

I'm slowing down. I'm getting too sluggish. I have to—

Sora, are you okay? came Ven's worried voice.

I'm fine! Sora staggered to his feet. Focus on Vanitas!

"Even if Xehanort creates the χ-blade, my friends won't let him win!" Ven cried as he scrambled to his feet, kicking up clouds of dust in the process. He kicked the old Keyblades aside and tried to get closer to Vanitas.

Vanitas just shook his head. "You really think they can stop him? You're as naïve as ever. He's about to gain cosmic powers, idiot. What can your friends do against that?"

He tried a diving attack, but Ven countered him and jumped back, sweat stinging his eyes. "They want to help you! Kairi knows there's good in you, and Sora even told me you refused to hurt him."

Sora nodded out of instinct, even though he was pretty far away. Vanitas just rolled his eyes.

"Kairi this, Sora that. Tell me, Ventus, what do you think? You and I are the same, after all."

Ven shook his head. "No, we're not. We used to be, but you deserve to be your own person as much as I do! You have memories that I don't. You have experiences and hopes and dreams that I don't. And that's proof enough that you have a heart of your own now!"

Vanitas stopped and stared at him. "Tch, that's the first time you've said anything like that. Since when have you seen me as anything other than something that has to be destroyed?"

Ven smiled. "I guess Sora's started to rub off on me. If he can find a way for Roxas and Xion to exist alongside him, then surely we can both exist too."

I… inspired you? Sora asked. But… you were the one who always inspired me. I am who I am because of you.

I think you've got that backwards, came Ven's voice, and Sora could have sworn he sounded proud. I am who I am because of you.

To prove it, Ven offered his hand to Vanitas.

"Vanitas, all this time you wanted to join with me. But did you ever think that maybe what you really wanted was someone who cared? Someone who wanted to be your—"

Vanitas sneered. "Don't you dare say the 'f' word."

"Oh, fine," Ven muttered. "But you need one all the same."

Isn't that the truth, Sora thought. Kairi showing him even a little bit of compassion had led to him latching onto her like a drowning puppy.

"You're offering to be my friend?" Vanitas cackled and gestured to the ruined landscape around them, to its rusted Keyblades and dusty earth and rocky crags. "Take a good, hard look around you, Ventus. We're in the middle of a war."

"That doesn't matter! It isn't too late. Vanitas, please!"

"It is too late! It's been too late for a long time."

"No, it isn't! Now stop before we're both destroyed!" Ven pleaded, desperate to get through to him. His eyes stung, either from all the dust in the air or from the urge to cry. "I don't – I don't want you to die."

Vanitas's eyes went wide. "What?"

"I said, I don't want you to die. You have to live. Siding with Xehanort won't help you. It's just gonna get you killed."

Vanitas laughed again, but it was without any sort of joy. "You know what? I don't want me to die, either."

"Then join with me."

Ven offered his hand again, and Vanitas hesitated.

C'mon, Vanitas! But then a noise from behind Sora startled and distracted him. Whirling around, he saw that Xehanort was staring at him and smiling. Not attacking, just smiling as he watched the chaos unfold.

Sora tensed. Ugh. Xehanort was going to try something, no doubt about it, and Sora had to make sure that didn't happen. He just couldn't directly attack him. He hadn't forgotten Axel's warning to avoid engaging all the Seekers at the same time.

Sora, be careful! came Master Eraqus's voice. Don't listen to a single thing he has to say, and stay on your guard.

Trust me, I know not to listen to him, Sora said.

"I see your power continues to grow," Xehanort said, breaking through his thoughts. "It's like I told Eraqus. You and I are not so different." He crossed his arms behind his back and slowly circled around Sora. "But I'd say my way is more efficient. I still control my Seekers, but I don't feel what they're feeling. They feel what I feel instead. You're at a great disadvantage, you know, putting your heart and body on the line for them."

He swung his Keyblade at Sora, but it simply reflected off of Aqua's barrier. On instinct Sora's Keyblade appeared in his hand, but he stopped himself from using it.

"Is that a barrier created from a Phoenix Down?" Xehanort asked, touching it. His finger bounced back. "It is indeed. Oh, you're untouchable now. Between this and that barrier Kairi put around your heart, there's no way for me to get to you."

"Yeah, I know," Sora said. Wisps of black smoke were coming off his arms now, making him forget all about how tired he was.

Kill. Destroy. The yellow-eyed creature inside him was more demanding and bloodthirsty than ever.

No. That's what he wants. He wants me to lose control of myself and transform. I'm better than that. I won't give into the darkness. I'm in charge. I won't let it control me.

Sora didn't move. It was taking all his focus to keep himself from transforming. His friends needed him to be Sora right now, not Anti-Form Sora, so he had to stay in control.

"I suppose it's only fitting, after all you went through to save them, that they would protect you for once," Xehanort said. "However, it means I can't clash with you, and that's a problem. Until I join the battle, we will be short of the required materials for the χ-Blade."

Good, Sora thought. So long as we keep it that way—

"We do have extras on your side that we don't need," Xehanort said, gesturing at the battle unfolding below them. "And I may not be able to get to you, Sora, but I can still get to her."

Xehanort smiled, and Sora's stomach dropped. Xemnas, Ansem, Xigbar, Luxord, and No Heart disappeared in swirls of black smoke from their locations on the battlefield below them. He knew where they would reappear right before it happened.

Young Xehanort had been careful to isolate Kairi. She was in a different area where none of the rest of them were fighting. He'd used some of his time magic, too, catching her in some weird time loop.

There wasn't time. The others wouldn't react in time. They weren't feeling what she was feeling. They couldn't see what she saw.

But Sora could.

He tasted her fear, he felt the violent pounding of her heart, he sensed her brief moment of resignation as she realized what was about to happen.

The barrier protecting him now was created from a Phoenix Down. He could protect her. He would protect her. He drew it off himself and cast it towards her. With all his heart he willed her to be safe as it went hurtling towards her.

A red glow enveloped her and a great barrier of light blasted her attackers backwards. Sora sighed in relief. She was safe. Switching the barrier like that had probably destroyed it after its brief moment of protection, but she'd be okay. Aqua and Riku were with her now.

"Thank you for that, Sora," Xehanort said, breaking his focus. "You're right where I need you to be."

Oh. He didn't have the barrier anymore. He was teetering on the edge of the cliff and Xehanort's Keyblade was right there and he shouldn't fight back, that was a recipe for disaster.

That was okay though. So long as his friends won, whatever happened to him wouldn't be so—

"Don't you touch him!" Kairi screamed, leaping in front of him and holding out her Keyblade. It collided with Xehanort's with a loud clang, sending shockwaves in every direction as light shimmered in the air.

"Kairi, how—" How had she gotten up here so quickly? Then he remembered. She'd mentioned in her letters that Aqua had taught her how to teleport.

Everyone just stared up at them, aghast. It was like this moment had been frozen in time, and Sora could see everything from everyone's viewpoints all at once.

Including Xehanort's look of absolute triumph. He grinned wickedly at Kairi.

"You foolish girl, in saving him you have damned them all."

Before this moment, only twelve of the Seekers of Darkness had been engaged in combat with the Guardians of Light. Now all thirteen were. Sora clutched his chest, his heart sensing what was about to happen. Magic older than the worlds had taken over, and nothing could stop it.

Some unseen force lifted him and Kairi into the air like they weighed nothing and sent them flying off the cliff. He cared nothing for straightening himself or balancing or having a safe landing. He just wrapped his body around hers to cushion her fall.

She managed enough wind magic to soften the blow. But there was still a loud cracking in his leg when they landed and it hurt and he couldn't— he couldn't move his leg, it hurt too much. He couldn't move much of anything, pinned down as he was.

But Kairi was here and that was all that mattered. She was in his arms where she belonged and he clung to her like his life depended on it.

"Sora, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry—" she sobbed, her hot tears falling onto his cheeks and washing the dust away.

He just held her tight. Words weren't good enough at this point.

He couldn't stop what was happening, but he wanted to anyway. A huge whirlwind had kicked up with Xehanort at the center, and awful magic that made Sora sick with dread targeted her. Ribbons of light shot out from the whirlwind and wrapped around her legs, trying to tear her away from him. She was slipping from his grasp till all he could hold onto was her hands. The χ-blade, no, Xehanort, wanted her and he would have her.

Sora's grip was strong, but her hands were small and delicate compared to his. She wasn't wearing gloves, either. It was weird how he noticed little things like that at a time like this.

"Kairi…" Everything, all wrapped into one word. I'm sorry. I love you. I'll make this right, I promise.

Her face scrunched up, her lip trembling as she looked into his eyes. "Sora, I—"

Then she was torn away from him. His arms hurt, like someone had tried to wrench them out of their sockets. He saw what happened next through both her eyes and his own. He watched the weapon suck her into the whirlwind and felt her heart and body ripped away and thrown into some unknown realm.

It was dark and cold, and vines covered in sharp thorns wrapped their way around her arms and legs. Something pierced her chest and his chest ached, too. He felt her loss as his loss, and his own shock and grief piled on top of it and buried him in its horrific waves. He stared at his empty arms where she had been just moments before. The barrier protecting his heart shattered and that was when he knew.

She was the very first piece of the χ-blade.

A scream escaped his throat, a horrible, terrible scream that clawed its way out from deep inside of him.

All around him the same thing was happening to his other friends. His heart was connected to theirs and he could feel what they felt. He saw it happening but was powerless to stop it. It was like Xehanort's torture all over again, watching as they said goodbye and made peace with their fates while he couldn't do a single thing about it.

Why them? Why not me?

He sensed the χ-blade tugging at Ven, sucking him towards where it was forming in Xehanort's hand, and Vanitas gave Ven a rueful smile. "See, what'd I tell you? We're all still doomed anyway. But thanks, I guess. Thanks for never giving up on me."

As Ven faced the inevitable, he returned the smile. At this point he didn't even care that dust was getting in his mouth and eyes.

But Sora did. Sora didn't want him to accept such an awful fate so calmly. Not after he'd shattered his own heart to stop Xehanort before. But when Sora tried to stand and go to him, his injured leg screamed in protest. He collapsed back onto the ground, tears springing to his eyes.

Magic. He had to use magic. But it hurt too much, it hurt too much and he couldn't move and his magic was—

"You know, it's funny," Ven said, as tendrils of light shot out of the whirlwind and wrapped around his arms and legs, squeezing them tight. "I know this is the end of everything, but all I can think about is how this isn't all that different from last time."

"Nah," Vanitas said as the darkness wound its way around him. "Last time we hated each other's guts."

"So you don't hate me, huh?"

Vanitas made a clicking noise. "How could I hate my better half?"

He took Ven's hand at long last, and Ven didn't say anything, just held tight as they were both pulled into the χ-blade before disappearing in a flash of light and darkness. This time as one, truly united. They were cast into that same realm as Kairi, and there was an awful pain in their chests as they were pinned to the ground with Keyblades.

The last thought Sora sensed from Ven before he was gone was that right now he and Vanitas would have made a pretty decent fake χ-blade.

Kairi and Ven and Vanitas. The lost connections felt like they'd been torn out of his heart. Who was left? Sora searched his heart for someone, anyone. There. He was looking through Riku's eyes now. At least he was still—

"Mickey!"

Riku held tight to Mickey's hand, digging his feet into the ground so he could keep himself rooted to it and his friend from flying away. But the whirlwind Xehanort had created was pulling Mickey away from him, the light wrapped around his feet yanking him towards where the χ-blade was forming.

"Riku, let go, or else you'll get sucked in too!" Mickey cried.

Riku just gave him a sad look. "Then we'll go together. Whoever's left, I trust them to defeat Xehanort."

Hear that, Sora? came Riku's voice. This is in your hands now. Don't you dare give up. We're all counting on you.

Mickey nodded, a sad smile on his face. "Yeah." He looked to Donald and Goofy one last time. "Donald, Goofy, it's up to you now."

The last thing Sora heard through Riku's ears was a chorus of heartbroken "Your Majesties!" as he and Mickey were pulled into the χ-blade and trapped inside. A terrible pain pierced their backs, and then two more connections were ripped out of Sora's heart.

Riku, Your Majesty—

Sora dug his fingers into the dirt. He hardly noticed how badly it hurt when dust forced its way underneath his fingernails. The pain in his heart overshadowed any physical discomfort he was feeling.

Why didn't I do that when Kairi was taken from me? Why didn't the X-blade take me with her?

Sora searched again, fearing the worst. Doing anything else just hurt too much, and he couldn't bring himself to break the connection. Not when this might be his last chance to—

There. Naminé was still left. The Riku Replica shielded her from the wind and the dust kicking up around them. It lifted them into the air, and she clung tightly to him as light wrapped around her and darkness around him.

"Where's Roxas? Riku, what's going to happen to us?" came her voice over the wind.

As Sora looked into Naminé's terrified eyes through the Replica, it struck him that this was the first time she had ever asked that question. Usually she was the one telling everyone else what was going to happen, or what had happened and why.

She knew what was going to happen as well as everyone else. But in that moment, she was just as frightened as the rest of them. Not even her powers could keep her from being scared.

The Riku Replica pulled her close. "We're going to stick together, that's what. No matter what happens, Naminé, I'm always with you."

He felt he owed her that much, at least, after she'd tried so hard to restore his memories, to free him from Xehanort. But soon he could no longer feel her warmth in his arms. It was cold, cold and dark. He felt like he was stuck in the realm of darkness all over again, and Sora felt cold and dark, too. It just hurt too much and everything was swimming around him and—

Lea was still left by some miracle.

"Roxas, Xion!" He whipped his head from the cloud of dust enveloping everything and everyone and back to his friends. Their horrified expressions confirmed what he already knew.

Isa and I are doomed, Sora. But I can still save Roxas and Xion.

Please, Sora begged. They, at least, could be spared.

"Take care of each other." Lea gave the two of them one last smile before casting a flaming barrier around them, summoning a Corridor of Darkness, and shoving them through it.

Sora saw their faces through Lea's eyes right before the Corridor closed, screaming and crying and begging him not to send them away. Roxas even called for Naminé. But Lea refused to let them become a part of Xehanort's weapon. The man had ruined their lives enough as it was. This would be his parting gift to them and to Sora.

He turned to Isa and grabbed his hand as the darkness wrapped its inky black tendrils around them.

"Together."

Isa nodded.

It's nice, seeing his real eyes one last time, Lea mused even while Sora's heart recoiled at what was about to happen.

"You know," Lea said to Isa, "green suits you a lot better than gold."

Isa smiled, and then they were gone. The pain was worse than Sora had expected. He was unable to speak or even move. All that came out of his throat was an awful strangled noise.

This wasn't the first time in his life he'd wanted to die, but this was worse than the torment Xehanort had put him through before. Why—

Wait. Someone had broken through the clouds of dust. Someone was here with him, someone wearing Keyblade armor.

Sora recognized that armor. He'd fought that armor before.

"Terra?" he asked, woozy with pain and shock. Terra was going in and out of focus, like someone had stuck a blurry camera in front of Sora's face and told him to look through it.

Terra gathered him in his arms and stood. "You saved me, Sora. Now it's time I returned the favor."

Terra moved fast for someone so big. Sora's leg throbbed and his heart throbbed and his head throbbed, but at least he wasn't alone. At least Terra was still here. At one point he stumbled and his headpiece got knocked off, but he just kept going till at last they'd reached their destination.

"Aqua!" Terra called. She emerged from the clouds of dust, a look of pure relief on her face at the sight of them. It didn't take long for Sora to figure out why Terra had brought him to her. She made quick work of Sora's injuries, fixing the funny angle his leg was at and soothing the pain everywhere and restoring his body if not his heart.

He cleared his throat and tried to speak. "Aqua—"

They looked from him to each other, and Terra smiled sadly.

Sora's heart froze. No, don't you dare, don't you—

Aqua leaned forward and kissed Sora's forehead. "It's up to you now, Sora."

Terra brushed a strand of hair out of Sora's face. "Succeed where we never could." Slowly, gently, he set Sora down on the ground, then turned back to Aqua as she cast a barrier around Sora that kept him from stopping them.

Sora tried to destroy it all the same, his fists slamming into it over and over again until the skin on his knuckles had been rubbed raw.

As the magic swept them up and towards the χ-blade, Terra took her in his arms. They looked into each other's eyes, then spent their last moment together stealing back one last kiss.

Xehanort could allow for this small happiness, at least.

When they were torn from Sora's heart and trapped in a flood that submerged them in its icy waves, he couldn't even manage to cry out. Aqua's magic hadn't fixed his heart after all, just his body.

He needed Kairi for that. Kairi. All of the losses cut him to the quick, but hers hurt the worst of all. He'd failed her again. He couldn't protect her. He couldn't keep her safe. He couldn't keep any of them safe. They had all protected him instead, and for what? This?

He looked around him. The dust had finally settled.

In Xehanort's hands was an enormous Keyblade. It looked like someone had combined Sora's Keyblade with the King's, and its sharp blade could probably pierce anything. Light reflected off its shiny surface as Xehanort admired it. Sora had never seen him look so awestruck before, but for Sora it was a thing of horror.

The King. Terra, Aqua, Ven, Riku, Kairi, and Naminé. Lea. They were all gone. They were all in that awful weapon Xehanort held. He had no idea where Master Eraqus or Donald or Goofy were. Only Xion and Roxas had been spared, as far as he knew. Even the Seekers were all gone.

This is my fault. If I hadn't let my guard down, Kairi wouldn't have jumped in front of me to protect me. It's because of me that my friends are—

The wounds from Xehanort, which before this awful fight had finally begun to heal, had been ripped open again. And this new pain pierced him deeper still and broke his heart into a million pieces. He was hemorrhaging all over the place, his heart spilling out on the ground for everyone to see.

And he thought it had hurt before. He would take what Xehanort had done to him over knowing what had just happened to his friends.

He wasn't alone though. Donald and Goofy raced to his side now that the dust had cleared and Aqua's barrier was gone along with her. Master Eraqus clutched his Keyblade, fury written all over his face as he faced down Xehanort.

"You fool!" he shouted. "You don't know what you're dealing with!"

Xehanort strode over to him. "I think I do, Eraqus." He pointed the χ-blade right at his heart, painfully sharp-looking blade and all, but Eraqus didn't even flinch.

"You'll never win," he spat. "There are things you don't know, things you could never imagine. There is a magic greater than yours, and that magic will put an end to you and to your plans."

Xehanort hesitated a moment, as if considering his words. But then he said, "Goodbye, my old friend." And with that a portal of darkness opened up in the ground and dragged Master Eraqus down into it.

"We won't be needing you anymore either," Xehanort said, turning his attention to Sora.

But Donald and Goofy stood in his way.

"You're gonna hafta go through us to get to him," Goofy said, holding his shield up.

Donald cast all kinds of protective magic over Sora. "Yeah! Don't even think about laying a finger on him, you big palooka!"

Sora's throat closed up. Touched as he was by their protection, he knew it was pointless. "Please, don't—"

Without a word, Xehanort pointed the χ-blade at them both and cast them deep into the darkness.

Sora didn't say anything as Xehanort turned on him. There was nothing left to say.

"In your current state, you won't be able to fight me," Xehanort said. "It's impressive you're even conscious, considering all the pain you're carrying in your heart. Still, I can't have you interfering with what I'm about to do. Be cast into the abyss. See for yourself the true nature of reality."

And with that, Sora was sent hurtling into the darkness. The last thing he saw and heard was Xehanort holding the χ-blade aloft and saying, "χ-blade, break down the barriers created by the light. Bring the worlds together into One World, just as in the days of old. Bring me Kingdom Hearts."

A/N: Next week's chapter will have content warnings. Feel free to read them or skip them as you see fit, because they will have spoilers.