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 stop 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!"

Don't Be a Gentleman: Violet Armageddon

Okay, so you know when you're fighting someone and the person you're up against starts spouting ridiculous monologues or random catch phrases?

Like, "I will defeat you!" or something else lame like that?

Yeah...chances are that person is scared and probably screaming internally for their life.

And isn't that what most jives are for? Why do we really taunt our opponents? Why do we insist on wasting good ole oxygen just to bring the other person down?

Answer: because it is supposed to distract them so that you can get a hit in, generally speaking.

Ahem, now listen closely to what I say next, it's crucial.

Are you listening? Got your ears checked?

How about this, why don't you go find yourself a nice secluded area...like a closet or something. Your own room works fine too (unless you share it with a sibling, in which case you might get a little sidetracked).

Okay...are you ready? This stuff is golden right here, it could save your life.

Do I have your attention now? Is your pen rapidly scribbling over some blank note cards?

Well, here it is: Insults and retorts do not, I repeat, DO NOT work!

...did you write that down? I'm serious, get it on your hand or something.

Now, the real question you should be asking yourself is why I'm asking you this in the first place.

Heh...well, the funny story is...oh, the heck. I admit it...I actually tried the whole insult thing. Yes, I'm a hypocrite. Yes, I paid the price for my mistake.

So, learn from me. Don't waste time trying to make yourself feel better with retorts. It's really, really a bad idea and-

Aaaagh! Urgh... "Darn it!" I clasped my hands over my leg, doing my best to cover the oozing wound that was swelling up my left ankle.

I bet you're all probably wondering how that happened. Well, I would happily spill the gory details, but honestly it's too embarrassing. You'd all be rolling your eyes and then I wouldn't have an audience to rant to. Furthermore-

Oh god, what was that? I covered my mouth, cutting off any further sounds as I heard light footsteps coming towards my direction.

Oh right, I haven't told you where I am yet. Well I am currently hidin-excuse me, planning in Sora's basement. He was close to stabbing me in the heart with his black Keyblade before I did a pretty complex fire spell that sent us both tumbling through the wall. By this time, I had come to realize that my insults were having no effect (apparently, my voice isn't enough to wake Sora from the creepy hold the darkness has over him) and I knew I needed to come up with a new plan.

The problem was, I...kind of had a hard time attacking Sora. You see it's still his body, and well...

Please don't judge me on this, but...oh, this is hard to explain.

Ugh! Well, the main point is that I need a new strategy. I can't face him like I am now. He'll-

My thoughts were interrupted again as he literally got within five feet from my position. I held my breath.

"Kairi...I know you're in here..." Sora chuckled, twirling his Keyblade amiably as he leaned against the wall directly opposite of me.

I continued to hold my breath while my mind rapidly went in random zig zags, forming and destroying more plans. Come on, think! Think, think, think...

"Aw, where did all that bravado go? I thought you were going to make this interesting." He laughed again, still spinning his weapon like it was some sort of toy.

By the light, I hated this. It's just so infuriating to hear my Sora's voice through that monster...even the way he's speaking it's like we're just practicing. Like a game between two friends...

But I know it's not. This is life and death, he knows this. What's worse, he's not really even trying.

It's all just fun in games, whoever this guy...or thing, whichever one it is, he's been going easy on me the whole time.

I mean, seriously, does a guy lounge around when he's overexerting himself?

I would have gladly said, "You make me sick!" but I couldn't, because that would give away my position and I'm not quite done planning yet.

Sora stopped playing with his Keyblade, lifting his head up. His black eyes zeroed in on me, as if he could see through the barricade I had created for myself.

I swallowed as chills ran up my spine. It changed that fast. One minute he's goofing off and the next he's being serious, ready to impale me in the chest.

He doesn't just sense my presence, he knows.

If he can see me how come he isn't attacking me? I shifted slightly in my hiding place.

A voice in my head laughed bitterly. Please, you know the reason. He's drawing this out...

All of a sudden, I had a hard time moving. This was no fair fight...not only has he been holding back, but he's been doing all this on purpose.

It's all a distraction. If he wanted to he could have killed me by now.

The thought struck home and I swallowed, timidly lifting my head from the box I was in, stepping out slowly.

Sora didn't move, he only stared at me, the small smile never leaving his face.

I frowned. "This...this isn't right..."

Sora raised an eyebrow but he remained silent.

I scowled, going off on a tangent. "You're not really fighting...you're just keeping me occupied."

His eyes flashed for a second but it went away immediately as his trademark smirk appeared. "That so? That's a pretty heavy generalization."

I shook my head. "No it isn't." I raised my Keyblade. "What kind of trick are you trying to pull? Are there others like you?"

Sora's smile only grew wider. I shivered. "What do you think, Kairi?"

I growled. "I won't play anymore of your games! At least respect me enough to give it your all!"

Sora lowered his head, chuckling. "I guess you're right...I should have ended this long ago..."

I narrowed my eyes as I saw the threads around his body pulse, frays of strands tangling before reforming around his body.

Sora's expression darkened. "He's very strong...a lot stronger than I anticipated..."

I smirked. "Of course he is. Sora's light can overcome anything."

"Maybe against the heartless. However, we operate differently." He stared at his hand curiously as droplets of blood sprinkled off of his fingers, dripping in plops against the dirty floor. "I guess he really does...love you. You're a lucky girl, Kairi."

I glared at his hand. "What are you doing to him?"

Sora crossed his arms, his mouth set in a firm line. "I'm not doing anything. He is simply resisting...every injury you see has been caused by him."

"No, it's happening because of what you're forcing him to do!" I had to keep myself from spitting.

Sora laughed. "How interesting." He took a step closer towards me. "Do you really want to know the truth?"

"What?" My voice wavered at the end of the sentence as he walked closer.

He smiled at my uneasiness. "I've been trying to kill you for a long time, actually. I believe my first attempt was...two weeks ago?" He tilted his head, his eyes never leaving my face. "The time doesn't really matter...what matters is that every single time he found a way to get away from you, to escape my grasp..."

He was only a couple inches from me now. I flinched before speaking. "What's your point?"

"Even now...he's still trying to keep me from attacking you." He stared at me.

I tried again to get away but all I ended up doing was tripping on my own legs. I glanced at them in horror as I saw the strings clouding my feet. When did they get there?

Sora laughed, his Keyblade towering over my head. "It is rather hard to move with him getting in the way...but, it won't change a thing. By the end of this day one of us will be dead." The tip of his weapon pressed against my head. "I guess we'll find out together, shall we?"

I grunted, pulling my legs back in one snap as his Keyblade soared through the air. I rolled over just in time to avoid the teeth. It impaled the ground with a scraping sound, like a saw cutting into plywood.

I jumped up, only having enough time to block as he brought his sword back up, jamming it against my side. I bit down hard into my bottom lip to prevent from screaming as my ribs protested. I gripped my side only to slam into the ground after taking a sharp kick to the stomach. I coughed, spitting out pooling saliva. I couldn't repress the shiver that went through me as red mixed in with the clear, acrid puddle below.

I sucked in a breath, lifting my head up. A vague shape zipped by in the corner of my vision before I felt a jarring force practically twisting my face to the side. My mouth opened up on impact, moans escaping in free fall while my hands rubbed my swelling cheek. My fingers twitched, moving away from the spot that drew in nothing but pain.

Sora's voice broke through my reverie. "...and you asked me to give it my all." He made a tsking sound, crossing his arms. "Typical."

I hissed, getting back up, exerting more pressure on my good ankle. "I'm not finished yet..."

With my Keyblade supporting most of my weight, I stood up straight. I huffed before swinging in an arc, running toward him with my weapon raised. I didn't get very far when his hand gripped my hair, pulling with brutal force.

Yelping, I tried in vain to hit him, but he kept sidestepping, pulling me in random directions. After spinning in too many circles to count, he released me. My body hugged the wall, slamming hard enough to make a dent. My wrists were sore from all the futile attempts at scratching while my legs shook like a pair of dominoes.

"Poor, poor, Kairi..." His hand was pressing against my waist, keeping me glued to the wall. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

I knew whatever he had to say was only going to make the situation worse, but I asked anyway. "What are you talking about?"

His breath hit my ear. "Don't you just hate being the damsel in distress? The one that always got in the way..?" His lips brushed past my earlobe to my neck, biting into flesh. "So soft and vulnerable...the cause of so many wars..."

"Shut up!" I fought the urge to whimper.

One of his hands was back in my hair, scratching roughly at my scalp. "It's true, isn't it?"

It was impossible to inch away from him when we were already so close, but that didn't stop me from trying. "No...you're wrong."

He chuckled, pressing something hot into my back.

I screamed, holding my forehead into the wall as his Keyblade gouged a hole in my back. I felt a tear slide down my face.

"That's it, go ahead and cry. It will be over soon."

I scrunched my eyes shut, bending my head down lower. With as much strength as I could muster, I shifted my right leg back, aiming between his legs. I hit home, as evident by the sharp thump behind me. I whirled, turning rapidly and kicking him repeatedly in the chest. "If you think-" I paused in order to kick again, "-I'm that easy to take down, then you are even more stupid th-"

His hands caught my leg, twisting. I cried out, falling to the floor as he pulled.

He had me pinned by the wrists, a feral grin spreading across his face. "Nice move."

I brought my knee up. He blocked it with a low hit to the joint. The panic started rising in my chest as he maneuvered himself over me, harsh purple eyes shining with amusement.

I don't get it. Does he even feel pain? "Get...get off of me."

I felt the tip of his Keyblade sinking into my chest before his voice reached me. "I may consider it if you ask nicely."

I glared at him, biting the inside of my cheek to stop the whimpers. Despite his cocky attitude and threats, the overwhelming screen of blood shedding from his body seemed to contradict him. It wasn't natural, he should have been keeling over.

I gulped. "You're...hurt."

Sora smirked. "I feel just fine."

I growled, punching him in the chest. "Quit being a coward! Fight me for real already!"

"You're such a bad listener, Kairi. I already told you..." He kept a leg on my chest, holding me to the ground while leaning on his Keyblade. The teeth of his blade twisted deeply into my chest. I cried out. "Sora will continue to feel pain as long as he resists..."

I coughed, grimacing as red liquid spilled past my dry lips. "So..if he keeps doing that..."

Sora shrugged. "He'll die."

I swallowed the bile threatening to escape along with more blood. It was true, there was no denying it.

The real Sora would keep fighting...until there was nothing left. All for me.

And yet, what have I done to deserve such a sacrifice?

I kissed Riku, I invaded his private space, practically stalked him in his own home, acted like a jerk when he just needed time alone...

He had been stressed and I only made it worse.

I sighed, shuddering with conviction as a deadly thought surfaced. "Sora..."

He raised an eyebrow, a puzzled look coming over his face. His eyes flashed blue for a millisecond.

I continued, lifting my head as much as I could. "Sora...I know how things have looked right now."

He glared, shaking his head rapidly. Suddenly, he was up and running to the other side of the room, shaking violently as the strings suddenly snapped out like whips. Flecks of blood jumped erratically from his skin and he screamed.

I flinched at the sound before pulling his Keyblade out of my chest. "Sora, I need you to do something..."

"NO! I know what you're going to say, and I'm not..." He yelped as a thread sliced through his ankles and legs, wrapping around like snakes. "Oh, god...Kairi please..."

"No Sora. You need to listen." I stood calmly, holding a hand to my chest. I mumbled a small healing spell, one that would at least stop the bleeding. "I want you to let go."

Sora was glaring at me, the scratches on his face prominent as he narrowed his eyes. "No."

"Sora..."

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!" He slammed his fists against the wall. His knuckles were bleeding now. "Please, just go!"

I frowned. "You're not going to die for me. Not like this."

"Yes, yes I will die..." He shivered, his eyes flashing multiple colors before going back to blue. "I'm not...I don't want to kill you."

I smiled. "You won't."

He glared at me. "I don't understand. If you're so sorry why aren't you leaving now?"

"Sora, do you trust me?" I asked, deciding to skip to the point.

"I-I...what?"

"Do you trust me?"

His expression darkened before he lowered his head.

After a couple seconds passed with him twitching against the wall I sighed. "Look, I have no right to ask. I understand that it will be a hard thing for you to do..." I stared at the strings warily. "...but I think I know a way to cut them."

There was a dim flicker of light in his eyes. "Really?"

"Yeah, but in order for me to cut them I need you to give in." I wiped my minor injury that had stained my shirt, rubbing away the excess fluid on my pants. "Control. Give it all up. Stop resisting."

He practically spat at me. "Kairi, are you insane?"

"Nope. I'm trying to save you."

"Well, stop!"

I stomped over to him, hardening my gaze. "This is the only way I can help get rid of this...whatever type of darkness that's stuck in you! I can get it out if I cut the strings, and the only reason the strings are so strong is because you keep fighting back!"

"What?"

"I saw the strings growing, Sora! It's like they're...feeding on your strength or...I don't know!" I lifted a finger towards a thread, watching it slash against Sora's face. "If you just give in...just let your whole body be consumed the strings won't have anything to restrain. I'lll be able to cut them...and then your body should be free, right?"

"Kairi...can you even last long enough to do it?" His tone was serious. He wasn't mocking me, it was only genuine fear clouding his face now.

I sucked in a breath. "Yes."

His expression turned thoughtful. He then turned towards me, his eyes piercing. The look was so harsh that I took a step back. He gripped my shoulders, his eyes flashing. "Promise me. Promise me you won't die."

I gulped as his grip turned painful. "I swear I won't."

He shoved me away, breathing heavily as a dark purple substance traveled up his toes. "Kairi..."

"It's okay, let it happen." I watched the darkness continue to crawl up (could I even call it that anymore?). It was touching his knees. "Just let go, Sora."

"At least get a running start." He moaned, twitching as the presence got to his waist. "Oh god...I'm scared. I'm so scared, Kairi."

"It's okay, I'm not going anywhere." I have to make sure you pull through with this. You have to go all the way.

"Kairi...please..." He was crying now, looking at me with desperate eyes as the substance coated his chest.

"Just a little more, Sora. You'll be free before you know it." I smiled at him, trying my best to hide my apprehension. It will work, it has to work...

He blinked once as his neck turned purple. "Kairi?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you," He said, giving me a breathtaking smile.

It was the widest smile I had ever seen, the widest I'd seen in a long time. Even though it was forced, it was still beautiful all the same. It was my Sora's smile.

"I love you too. Always will."

He laughed. It was high and painful. "I love you more." The substance covered his mouth and his eyes widened. I could see his hands sharpening into claws.

I didn't say anything because I knew it was true.

I will never fully deserve Sora's love, but I would spend the rest of my life making up for it. I would earn it all back the right way once I released him, once I destroyed the beast coming between us...

That is if I survive...

I squashed the thought, shaking my head instantly. "No, I'll stay alive. I promise..."

His entire face was black and his eyes had grown a little wider, the pupils disappearing completely into the whites.

I smiled sadly before jumping back, avoiding a swipe to my poor chest. I smirked, ready to put my new plan into action. Let's set the battle stage first before we get serious...

I narrowed my eyes, inhaling sharply in order to supply my body with enough oxygen. I shouted at the top of my lungs. "Catch me if you can!"

With that said, I ran.

Hah, this one took a little longer than I was expecting...whew...

Well, I hope you all liked it. I felt pretty good about it.

Thanks for any reviews and alerts sent my way! I really appreciate it guys! XD

I'm happy to say that I have some really interesting things in store for this story coming up, so stay tuned.