"You go girl!" After the exclamation she continued clapping loudly, alerting everyone in the joint of my mission.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, smiling sarcastically. "Thank you so much."

"No problem, now shoo!" She waved her hands, indicating that it was time for me to settle what had plagued me for...I don't know, five hours? Yeah, I'm still impatient...

"Got it." With one last wave, I ran out. I was about to make the corner when Selphie shouted at me from behind.

"Kairi! I expect to see you and Sora together and in each other's laps in time for my party next week! Don't forget!"

Is she crazy? "One week?"

Guess I'm not the only one being impatient. Ah, well, it's the thought that counts.

Thank you, Selphie. I won't let you down.

Don't Be a Gentleman: The Reign of Darkness

Drip.

Drop.

Tick, tock...this is surely a clock...

Pendulum swinging, while my body is shaking...

My heart burns, could be a good or bad sign...

Well, it's probably a better experience than hearing me rhyme...

...

...

Have I lost you? Anyone still here? Hello?

Hmmm, well if you're still unfortunate enough to withstand my presence allow me to apologize. I know, Kairi what were you doing spouting random sentences like a...ah, what's a good name...hmmm, some famous poet...

Whatever. Forget that. Just, erase the last couple of sentences, please.

Okay, now here's the real explanation: When I get nervous I make up poems. You got that? Weird, right?

It's another one of those quirky habits from a good place called school. I have a sort of love-hate relationship with poetry. It was my least favorite part of English. The poems confused me, I didn't understand the authors, every single line was like a brick in my face, blood gushing out of my poor pores...

You get the picture. I sucked at poetry. Even Sora could write something more meaningful than me, contrary to popular belief.

Since I loathed the art form so much I spent a good deal of time cursing the wretched subject before my English teacher had a talk with me about the issue. In order to keep from lowering my precious grade into the 'B' range, I settled with becoming a bitter master of the sonnet, freestyle, and any other wacky combo to boot.

My mind is automatically accustomed to filling my head up with empty, floral language when I'm preoccupied (and not in a good way). This is why I approached Sora's house for the third time with an abundance of dark metaphors and pompous vocabulary as my hand twitched, eager to bring out my Keyblade.

I directed my hand instead to the door, knocking softly though my body screamed to just barge in right then and there. I was tired of procrastinating, I had already spent the past fifteen minutes staring at the place from afar. As I waited impatiently for the door to open, my mind was quickly scheming over various battle strategies.

Keep it simple, Kairi. All we need is a simple hit and run, pull the darkness out then retreat to give him space. You'll need to be fast because, let's face it, he does have more upper arm strength...

Unfortunately, all this leaves is the power of your legs and magic. Preferably, his family jewels would be an ideal target, otherwise things could get ugly really fast...

Not to mention there's the possibility of the darkness trying to take you over. Going to have to guard against that with a lot of refleras or something...

My lips chattered, moving in a raging vibration that elicited a whimper from the hollow base of my throat. I sounded like a dead animal. I swiftly shot my hand up, covering the sign of weakness as I darted my eyes back to the door. The knob twisted slowly, increasing the level of tension by a power of ten. I shivered before pulling myself up, tall and straight. Intimidating, reserved, powerful.

I am a rock, I won't budge.

My hands support my statement, laying at my sides ready to form into fists if need be. I was ready.

The door opened, revealing the frail form of Sora's mother. She looked even worse than before, body shattered with multiple uneven folds curtsy of her dreary white blouse and beige skirt. Her eyes were hollow, foreboding and dark.

I swallowed and cleared my throat, making sure my voice didn't waver. "Hello, Mrs. Wilmington. Is Sora home?"

She took a very long time responding, as if she seriously had to contemplate the question. "Yes."

"Good, I have something really impor-" I couldn't finish my speech because I had to spend the next second prying her hands off of my throat. I wheezed, panic making me rigid and slow. "Mrs...Wilmingto-ergh!" I gagged, flinching inwardly as she squeezed tighter. "P-please..."

She smiled, an eerie turn of the lips that had me frozen in fear. It wasn't right that such a natural, normal person could perform an act so evil. "Sorry, dear. I don't think Sora wants to see you right now..."

"Let...go..." I pretended to faint, secretly having my hand positioned to bring out my Keyblade. She must have caught my gesture though because the next second was spent with me coughing my lungs out as my back gracefully made contact with a wooden desk. I moaned, Keyblade in hand. "I...don't want to hurt you..."

She laughed. Her body instantly turned purple, shaking with dark waves of unconstrained rage and violence.

She wasn't Sora's mother, wasn't even a woman.

"No, not you...you can't be a heartless." I mumbled this out loud, to stricken by the image to do anything else.

She lunged at me, forcing me to block as her hand went up to scratch my face. She was very strong, a given since the darkness was obviously adding to her stamina. Being around Sora probably had a major effect on her.

I frowned, bringing my sword up and hit her in the head, then the temple. It wasn't a killing hit, I had just been aiming to knock her out.

But even if she is a heartless, Mrs. Wilmington is no warrior.

As she fell, I placed the tip of my Keyblade on her chest, making a small dome of light to encase her. It was a higher level of healing that I had recently learned in the past month. Hopefully, this will take care of the darkness in your heart. I'm so sorry...

I quickly nodded, showing my respect before grimly walking up the stairs. I had to keep moving forward, the main objective was to stop Sora. Otherwise, this would just be happening all over again with some other innocent civilians.

The trek up to his room was strangely alluring. I could sense the Darkness growing stronger with each step, as if the atmosphere was visibly turning black the higher I went. His door itself was glowing ominously, chilling me to the bone in the time it took to stand in front of his room. I sighed and kicked the door down (which actually hurt like hell. Don't believe what you see in the movies, it actually takes a certain amount of force just to get the door off its hinges, let alone getting it to fall). I instantly had my Keyblade up in an offensive position, ready for anything and everything.

My breathing was controlled, my legs posed to kick, my arms tensed up for blocking...

I was completely prepared, and as such, I was solely unprepared.

You see, no matter how much we'd like to believe otherwise, you can never truly prepare yourself for the inevitable. That one moment where it either makes it or breaks it for you...

Sure, advanced notice gives us an edge, but for how long? I had been toning my body, exercising like crazy over the week of my imprisonment (aka grounding). After my ruthless defeat at the beach, I was ready for Sora's blindingly harsh uppercut, his brutal side thrusts, his bruising foot sweeps, and his raging Keyblade swings. In fact, I wanted it to be hard, to be challenging because Sora deserved no less than for me to give it my all, fight to the death if need be. It wouldn't feel right, fighting to my utmost ability if he didn't do the same.

So...I was completely shocked to see him curled up on his bed, crying over a crumpled up blanket. He still had his pajamas on, the light blue ones that hugged his chest tightly as he heavily breathed between sobs.

That wasn't what scared me the most. No...what scared me was that I couldn't see a speck of darkness on him. Nothing.

Sure, I could feel it. My radar was buzzing all over the place, the powerful force pressing into me from all sides. It was so thick and menacing, I felt like I was going to start gagging again.

I stood there stupidly, working to control the bile rising to in my mouth. I swallowed and grimaced as the acrid sludge went down before I spoke. "Sora?"

He stopped crying, looking at me with a bewildered expression. "...Kairi?"

"Yeah, it's me." Even though he was talking in a normal tone his eyes were as dark as night, even deeper than his mom's.

I hesitated before lifting my Keyblade. Sora glanced at my hand, as if he hadn't seen the weapon when I first entered the room. It was a false gesture cause I know he's not that oblivious. His face twisted into this bitter shape before he lowered his head, a silver line trailing down his cheek. "Are you going to kill me now?"

I gasped. "No, of course not. I just need you...just stay still, alright?"

He didn't listen, getting up on the balls of his feet, swaying lightly. He stretched before walking towards me, his mouth set in a sad smile. "It's okay, I understand now..."

My Keyblade remained in the air, even when he was less than a yard away. "Stop it, not a step closer."

He ignored me, touching the edge of my Keyblade and closed his eyes. His hand wrapped around the teeth, hard enough to draw blood. I was about to pull it away when he yanked the weapon from my hand, sending it to the bed.

I cursed myself inwardly for letting my guard down as I brought my leg up, aiming for his torso. His hand caught my leg midway and he spun me around like some messed up ballerina. I grazed his cheek with my knuckles before I crashed into the floor. He landed on top of me, sending our foreheads smashing together in a hard thump.

I hissed, groaning audibly before attempting to punch his face again. It nearly hit home, brushing by his ear before he slammed my hand down, holding it by the wrist. He quickly did the same thing to my other hand, firmly keeping it pressed against the ground while he straddled my hips. His knees were digging into my legs, making it almost impossible for me to kick him from the angle I was in.

Fully aware of the dangers of such a position, I thrashed and turned wildly, huffing with the effort. Sweat blossomed on my forehead almost instantly and I could hear my breathing hammering erratically from my lips. I growled, unwilling to give up though the struggle seemed futile now.

After five minutes of wiggling and twisting, I sighed, keeping my eyes shut and frowning. It was all just a display now, inside I was tittering into the world of pain and remorse. I was going to fail, by the light, I was going to fail...

I trembled before huffing, keeping my body in check.

It was silent for the span of four seconds in which I sort of held my breath to prevent a treasonous whimper from escaping.

A low, whining sound nearly made me jump as a small voice as broken as cracked glass entered the air. "...Kairi?"

His voice was so desperate, vulnerable. It didn't make sense given the position he was in, and how I was the one failing him, failing everyone important. I opened my eyes, gawking at the set of purple-blue orbs piercing me. He looked scared, no not scared...

He was terrified...and trembling.

"Sora? W-What is it?"

I could see the sweat coming off his brow as he lowered his head. His teeth cut into his bottom lip, muffling his words.

I strained to hear, tilting my head. "What?"

"...just look."

Huh, what a strange thing to say. Well, I'm looking...at his soft magenta eyes (the combination of purple and blue really doesn't mix well), tan skin that glows in sunlight, his taut arms, muscles popping with tension...

Okay, this was a very bad idea. My cheeks flushed, confirming the point. "Uh...nothing's happening." Except the slow murder of my fragile heart, that's something.

Sora frowned. "That wasn't the right answer..."

"I guess not." I could feel the statement breaking off at the base of my throat as his face towered over mine. He blinked once, bringing himself closer with each passing moment. Goosebumps were forming along my arms and back as his mouth touched my forehead. I squinted my eyes shut as his kisses traveled down my face, pausing at my neck. No, no no no! This isn't happening, please tell me it isn't...

A warm puff of air rushed against my neck. "Kairi...how can you fight it if you can't see it?"

"What?" I opened one eye. "What are you talking about?"

I gasped, hunching awkwardly to the side as his hands thrusted me forward. His lips pressed against my neck in a hard, firm kiss. Well, more like he was sucking the life out of my skin. A flicker of pain washed over me before the numbing sea returned, swathing my neck in its cool embrace. I moaned as the pleasant sensations spread into my arms and legs. "S-Sora?"

He glared at me, his eyes shining with disappointment and desperation. "You've been marked."

Uhhh...that doesn't sound good... "Marked," I repeated dumbly.

He shook his head, moaning. "Please, open your eyes Kairi..." Even while he was talking his face was coming closer, his lips were just a couple of centimeters away.

I swallowed. "They are open."

Sora laughed, a cold and bitter chuckle. He shouldn't sound like that. My Sora doesn't sound like that...

I tried again to get out from underneath him, but he just held me tighter. "You just don't get it, Kairi. You really don't..."

I snarled. "Then help me understand! Let me take the darkness out of you!"

He gasped, as if I had stabbed him in the chest. He opened his mouth, a flurry of unspoken words never making it into air as I jolted upward, slamming my lips against his in one angry motion. I broke off, panting into his chest. His abs were jutting out from his cotton shirt, smoothing out my hair. "Please, let me take it..."

His chest was suddenly a freezer, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere around me as his arms circled around my waist like a vice. He breathed into my hair. "It was never mine to begin with."

I nodded. "It belonged to Riku, right?"

"Most of it." Sora was kissing my forehead again. "But some of it was new...some of it has never experienced the luxury of having a host."

I couldn't repress the unvoluntary tremble that racked my body, stopping at his butterfly touches that centered my cheeks. The mouth would be next. "So, this kind of darkness is different than what we've seen before?"

"Yes, can't you see it?"

I frowned, ready to make a retort when his mouth brushed against my lips. Dang, blank again...

It only got worse as he continued kissing me. He cupped my face with his hands, leaning over as if he were shielding me from the world. I tried to speak again and again, but his lips silenced me every time.

It was different than his usual approach. Sora always acted cocky and tough around outsiders, but in reality he was very gentle with me, too gentle.

But this...it was surreal. He was kissing me as if the world was ending. Very raw and full of passion, rough around the edges. It was borderline, approaching the level of violence. His nails were digging into my hair, scraping my scalp as he pushed me closer. His kisses were accurate and hit the mark, and he even managed to slip in his tongue somewhere in the mix when I had attempted to speak.

He explored my mouth greedily, not leaving any area exposed. I vaguely had a strange urge to combat the foreign force overwhelming my mouth, but I stayed passive.

Why? Because I was enjoying it far too much. Participating would just send me into sensory overload, see? I'm not falling for it again.

Even if he's touching me the way I've always dreamed, even if every ounce of passion being poured out is genuine, I won't...I won't...

Darn it! My body behaved impulsively, melding myself with him. My hands were free now, but instead of pushing him away my fingers were grasping at the folds of his shirt. Stupid, filthy, traitors...

I opened my eyes. Vague flickers of darkness assaulted my vision but I still couldn't see what was going on around Sora. He released my mouth, giving me a couple moments to regain some oxygen as he placed his forehead on my shoulder. The flickers grew stronger, transforming into tentacles.

It was becoming clearer...yes, almost there. I squinted, focusing on the energy surrounding his chest and worked my way out, focusing on the problem outside his heart instead of inside his chest like I had been before. I gasped, completely shocked by the new images clouding my orbs.

Sora lifted his head up, smiling at me. There were scratches all over his face, down from his cheeks to his vulnerable neck. His magenta eyes were outlined in black and his hair was a darker brown than before. "You see it?"

I nodded, unable to to do anything else. His entire body was wrapped in these tiny, purple strings. Every little corner, shoulder, between the legs, ankles, legs, chest, neck, hands...they were everywhere. Here exists a puppet...but there was no visible master. The strings ended five yards away from his body, flying through the air in spiral patterns before twirling back to his body, tugging at his hands. In one deft, natural motion his fingers went up towards my cheeks. Another random pull of the binds sent his nails in my cheeks, drawing blood.

I flinched. "Oh."

"Yeah." His bitter smile returned as his hand stripped a line through my face. He grimaced, pulling his hand back in one single jolt. The strings snapped, sending specks of blood off of cuts from his wrists, splattering my face.

My eyes widened. "How long has this been going on?"

"I'm not sure, they could have been forming ever since I returned from the other worlds. I don't know how long...I just noticed them today..." Sora's hand started shaking, as if he were trying to get it to go in two different directions at the same time. "It hurts, hurts a lot...but I've been able to keep myself inside...where I can't hurt anyone..." Tears blossomed as he lost the battle, his hand reached into his shirt. "I can only keep it here, keep this monster here...but you...you're here and I..."

I stood up, finally able to break from his grip now that he was struggling to keep his fist inside his shirt. I summoned my Keyblade from the bed and took a few steps away from him. "Don't worry, you can stoop fighting. I'll cut the strings."

"No, I can never stop. I can't..." The desperation was back in his voice along with fresh panic as his hand came out. In his bleeding fingers was a large kitchen knife.

I froze. "You had that with you the whole time?"

He laughed bitterly as the strings forced him to get up. "...the whole time." He raised the knife. "I knew you would come...the darkness knew you would come..."

"Sora..."

"No! Just stop trying to help and save yourself!" He growled, shaking violently. I could see the blood...all that blood.

"I'm sorry, Sora, but I can't." My Keyblade was posed, ready to strike. "I owe this to you, and Riku, our parents...our Island..." The Keyblade was glowing, burning my hands. I grunted through the pain. "I have to do this..."

With that said, I blasted my lover with a plethora of white spears.

I swear to you, Sora. I will save you from the darkness, no matter what!

His knife transformed into a dull black Keyblade, dissipating the white chaos with one swipe. He narrowed his eyes that swirled with pain and insanity. They shifted between blue and purple before settling into a dark abyss. He gave me a small lopsided grin, though his whole demeanor was now brutal and cold.

My Sora was gone, now replaced by the puppet master itself. I smirked, curling my empty hand into a fist. "Your reign of darkness ends here!"

And...there it is. :)

Yeah, I caught the school bug like most people out here. *sighs* sorry for such a long wait, I literally had this chapter planned but the computer is basically forbidden to me except on weekends. Two days is not a lot of time to type, obviously.

But, I'm trying my best to work around it. Thank you so much for the support and patience! You guys are what keeps me going! XD