I'm floating through the air . . . but I'm upside down.
No, no wait . . . isn't this . . . water? But I can still breathe.
Far away, there's a light glowing far above me (or is it really below me?).
I don't have to worry too much. My body automatically twists through the air the closer I get to the glowing circle. Wait, not a circle . . . it's a platform.
My feet touch the glass first. A stainless mosaic more beautiful than I have ever seen. I take one step forward and beneath my feet dozens of doves circle around me before flying off into the distance.
But unlike regular doves, these were black. Or maybe they were crows, it's hard to tell. I frown, staring at the exposed work of art beneath me. The exposed nightmare.
"This is a heart . . . but whose heart?" I walk around the rim, trying to make out the pieces. I see a small sphere and Riku's face. But there's something off about it. I move closer to it and shudder the moment I can make out his face.
His eyes are yellow and the smile stretching his face is sinister. It's only a picture, but it scares me. Surrounding his portrait is a detailed vine inscription, with thorns sticking out to make a very painful looking frame.
I pass the disturbing image and keep looking around. "Hello? Is there anyone here?" The moment the question escapes my mouth hands wrap around me, smoldering my ears with a creepy series of whispers.
Leave now. You don't belong here.
I cough and gag on whatever black stuff is covering my mouth. Another voice, a familiar voice, speaks to me from my far right.
You're in too deep, Kairi. This isn't the right time, it's too dangerous for you.
I try to elbow my way out of this twisted trap, unable to see anything, as they all battle to be heard. I can't handle everything, and I can barely move.
You're not made of darkness. We have no use for you.
Fingers, claws, something starts shoving me closer to the edge. There's literally nothing else around me except for this platform. Who knows where I'll end up if they throw me off this thing. But there was nothing I could do, so I close my eyes and wait for the falling sensation to come.
Instead, I receive a boatload of screams. I cover my ears, trying to see through a small film of tears. The darkness that was clinging to me have all separated in rows, leaving me a straight path to a white set of doors in the distance.
Run, Kairi.
I take off, watching as the dark creatures get thrown back by the rays of light from the exit that appeared out of the blue. The tiles beneath me are clear, and the biggest picture I see, the owner of this heart, is a shock to me. And yet . . .
I can't keep this here for much longer. Please, hurry. I need your help.
I shiver, gripping the handle as I stare at a picture of Sora's sleeping face a few inches from my feet. "Can I trust you?" For a second, I didn't know if I had meant that question for my mysterious savior or the love of my life. The door cracks in front of me and the snarls from this infested heart are so loud that my eardrums nearly shatter from the ringing.
The light surrounding the door flickers before the voice returns. Kairi, I can't promise you that Sora will be saved. But you deserve to know the truth about how all this happened.
The door automatically opens and a pale hand pulls me forward, shutting the door just as the darkness collide in a tidal wave over the remnants of a fading light.
Don't Be a Gentleman: Fixing a Heart
The room I'm in is such a stark contrast to the place I was in before that I have to blink a few times to fully adjust to the settings. I'm surrounded by white, except for the minute flashes of chains and hearts glowing on the walls. I walk up to a white chair, staring at the boy sleeping in it. He looks like Roxas to me, but his clothes are different. It reminds me a little of Sora's outfit that allowed him to use his drive forms.
Except the boy in front of me has on a mixture of greys, greens, and blues. He looks so peaceful, way more peaceful than I've ever seen Sora or Roxas look. It's been so long since I've been able to rest like that.
I push away my sudden jealousy, sighing and grabbing his hand. "Did you save me?"
Yes, I did. Just like what you did for me. I'm Ventus.
I squeal and jump back, staring at his body. "What the . . . how . . . ?" I shake my head, groaning. After everything that's happened, why am I even surprised? "Well . . . I guess the answer to that is, 'why the hell not?'" I grip his hand again, waiting.
Sorry if I scared you. This is the only way I can speak to you in here.
I shrug. "It's a little less intimidating than just shouting in my head. I'll give you that."
Well, I'm not the one in your heart. I'm not your Nobody.
"You're not . . . another Nobody for Sora, right?" I really don't think I could handle that, and I definitely know Sora couldn't handle that either, not with everything going on.
No, I've been with Sora for a long time. Most of his life, actually.
Ahem . . . what? "Well, that's not creepy at all," I mutter bitterly.
Kairi, you're slipping. You don't realize it yet, but your heart . . . if we don't stop Sora, he's going to break it. Literally.
"What do you mean? Vanitas is the one forcing him to do this. I just have to take him out, right?"
It's not that simple. Their goal is the same. Vanitas is acting under Sora's influence. They might as well be one and the same.
"You're wrong," I growl. "This has nothing to do with Sora." My eyes widen and I grip his hand so tightly I'm surprised I don't break it. "You would know, considering you almost got him to kill me. You're just as bad as Vanitas."
Yeah, I did. But I wasn't myself then. I truly am sorry for what I did to you. I don't expect you to believe me.
I sigh, about to apologize (because, frankly, I want to move away from that topic as quickly as possible), when my eyes zero in on the red liquid seeping into the walls. I stare at the ground as red puddles push out, bleeding sharply over the whiteness around us. "What's happening, Ventus?"
I'm running out of time. I couldn't keep you safe in here forever.
A blood geyser shoots out from behind him, and I hug him tightly, shaking. "What are you talking about?"
You're not really in this room. I'm shielding you from the battle . . . but it's harder than I thought it would be. I'm going to send you back into your body.
"Wait!" I flinch as another geyser shoots up right next to me. "I . . . I still have questions! What's wrong with Sora? Why was I in his heart?"
I'll tell you. Just try to stay focused and you'll be able to hear my voice.
I nod quickly, staring warily at the shaking ceiling. "V-ventus?"
Oh, by the way, I hope you don't mind that I'm kind of borrowing your body.
I frown. "Now, wait just a second!"
Ventus suddenly sits up, opening sickening white eyes. I scream right as he reaches for my face, slamming a hand over my heart and my head.
His kick to my jaw sends me crashing through the wall and into the Keyblade Graveyard. There are no phantom Keyblade armors moving on their own trying to attack me, but the remains of the battle me and Sora had here earlier only make my rough landing more painful as pieces of broken Keyblades get stuck in my back. I wail and pull them out quickly, rubbing my jaw. I then stop and look at my hands, feeling a completely different type of hysteria. "The hell? My hands . . . what . . . ?"
Hi again.
So when you took my body you changed it to yours? Rude much?!
Well, I didn't mean to. It sort of just happened when we merged. I thought you were Sora.
Do you know how weird this is?! Namine is one thing, but this . . . I'm not going to be stuck like this, right?
"Oh, look whose back?" Sora cocks his head to the side, face about two centimeters from me, sending me into what should have been a heart attack. His hair is a twisted mixture of brown and black. One eye is purple the other one is yellow. To top it off, there's blood dripping from the corners of his mouth, which makes his crooked grin that much more grotesque. "I've missed you."
I don't even get to scream as he rams his knee into my stomach. I cough and make this horrible groaning sound, barely registering his fingers in my hair. "Don't worry. Even though you look like this, I know it's you. Your light shines so bright." He chuckles. "What I'd give to shine like that."
What are you doing? Hit him back!
I move to punch him but he kicks me to the floor, slamming and twisting his heel into my stomach. I cry out and the tears in my eyes only make me more dizzy when he hits me in the head with his Keyblade. I shield my head with my arms, wincing as he keeps striking me in the same spot.
Shit. Okay, hold on a sec.
My breathing accelerates as I jump up. Except it's not me doing it. A numbness sets over me as Ventus takes control, kicking Sora about five feet in the air before using wind magic to send him flying towards the top of the fortress. When Sora crashes into the top of the spiral tower an image flashes through my eyes. It's of the platform, of the picture of Sora surrounded by darkness.
It cracks.
And then . . . the confusion finally clears.
This world is connected directly to Sora's heart. No, we are literally inside his heart somehow. I think, or at least that what my gut tells me. My mind is too scrambled, I could be making stuff up. Or maybe I was never on that platform to begin with. But, without a doubt, there is one thing for sure that I know I'm about to lose. "Ventus, give me back control."
No. Not if you won't fight him. Don't let him overwhelm you.
"I can get through to him," I whisper as I watch Sora walk towards me, still giving me that mocking grin.
Kairi . . . he's gone. Or, at least, he's not in control. You're looking at a being made only of darkness.
"Who do you see? Vanitas or Sora?"
It doesn't matter.
"You're always on extremes, aren't you? You saved me, remember? You have to let me try it my way, too." I raise my Keyblade, preparing to block. "I'm not some helpless little girl."
No. You're pure, you're a princess of light. Like it or not, you have a responsibility to the world that is greater than this. Sora would want you to fight your hardest.
"Like you would know what he wants." I grumble just as Ventus forces my body (or his body if we're being technical) into a tailspin, kicking Sora in the ribs before whipping lashing him across the chest. It sounded like he was slicing into meat, and since Sora was only in regular clothes his shirt barely offered any protection when he absorbed the blow.
Sora fell into a back roll, crouching on the ground. His smirk is gone and his eyes darken as his mood shifts, though his tone is still calm. "I'd say this is an unfair fight," he notes coolly, swiping at the bloody gash on his chest.
Ventus gives me a little control back and I'm reminded of the pain in my stomach from when Sora almost turned my innards into a useless mesh of flesh pudding. "No one's winning here. We're both being used. This isn't our fight."
He chuckles, standing up slowly and spitting. "Of course it isn't. Believe it or not, I'm not trying to hurt you. Ven on the other hand," he purses his lips, "I might have to kill him if he doesn't back off."
This is so ridiculous. "Unfortunately, I don't think you can do both. You need to wake up, Sora. I know this is even more frustrating for you than it is for me." The numbness returns and I'm left watching as my body appears behind him, shoving my Keyblade through his thigh.
The hell?!
What? I let you talk.
That was cruel. Who do you think you are?!
I thought we were taking turns. You're still not fighting.
I can't get through to him if I'm beating him up while trying to make a point!
Kairi, we don't-
Both me and Ventus are cut off when Sora grips my (our?) throat. He growls into my ear, "I'm getting tired of this. You two need to decide how you're going to handle this." He lifts me up high, fingers digging into my neck and I struggle to hold my breath. "Not that it matters. Your merge was messy. It all ends up being easier for me, and that's just boring."
He lets go and I fall to the ground, coughing. I stare at the stab wound I gave him and try hard not to throw up on the spot. "Why? Sora, please, this is too much."
"Why are you calling me that? I'm not just Sora anymore."
I glare at him. "That's all that exists to me. That is all I will address. We're both leaving this world together, one way or another."
His purple eye gets lighter. It's closer to the color blue, that's all that matters. Ventus is silent and with my control back I try to sit up, only to be shoved back as Sora slams me roughly into the ground. My vision twists and I cough while he gets into a position over me on all fours, staring directly into my eyes. I attempt to sit up again but he easily cancels that by capturing my wrists.
This is starting to feel familiar.
I stare back at him. Even though I can't move, he's not doing anything else. The crazy, cocky glances he's been giving me have vanished. He looks more sane than when we started fighting. I swallow, trying not to focus on the growing sense of discomfort in my heart. "Wh-what are you doing?"
He blinks, his face so determined and blank that I almost feel self-conscious. Ventus, however, is extremely uncomfortable. Sora then gives me a little smile, as if he's just sensed Ventus's unease. "I'm waiting for him to leave," he says, as if he's being a casual host.
Ventus' will is so strong that for a second I feel an incredible surge of disbelief and anger. Then the discomfort disappears, replaced by hard chunks of steel. I swallow and take in a deep breath. "I don't think he's going to," I say truthfully.
"I can't do what I have to if he's inside you." The way he says it is almost playful, but there's also a hint of jealousy. He releases my wrists and black, thorny vines hold my arms and legs to the ground. He stands, circling me, eyes narrowed like a vulture. "Now, where could he have entered?"
"Sora, can you please explain why? If this is really you . . . if you're really the one behind this, then you should respect me enough to tell me what you're going to do."
He closes his eyes. From the distance I see rows and rows of heartless, dark creatures, blue red-eyed creatures, all running towards us. When he speaks his voice is low, resigned. "You're the solution. Once I figure out how your heart works, how you can function without a speck of darkness in you, then I can fix other people's hearts. I can fix my heart. We'll all be free."
My eyes widen. It's just like what Riku said, except this is ten times worse. "Sora . . . "
He tenses, muscles flexing and the creatures of darkness behind him spiral into each other, forming a massive black cloud of mist heading quickly towards us. "You are the model for our world. You are what we should all be. I just want to understand it . . . and then I'll let you go."
The heartless nearly reach us but an invisible barrier blocks them. They scurry up the invisible walls in a mad rush, but none of them get through. Namine appears, her body flickering in and out of the corner of my eyes. Her hands are outstretched towards the heartless, she's obviously keeping them back somehow. She shakes, turning only her head towards me, eyes full of desperation.
I swallow and look back at Sora who is now aiming his Keyblade at my chest, eyes vacant. He mutters, "I must find out how you do it. With your heart I can fix everything. There will be no darkness, no despair, no more possession. We'll both be free." He frowns. "But first I need to get Ventus out. He does not belong there. Even if he is pure light! I won't let him taint you with his darkness!" He gets into a stance, raising his Keyblade up, about to jam it through my heart.
And then I start laughing. Hard, rough, hysterical laughter.
Sora's eyes are so wide that I almost feel sorry for him. He looks like he's seen a ghost. "What in hell?"
I chuckle. "Ventus was right . . . this really is all you. It's so bad, you didn't even realize it was you. You've really tricked yourself. You really think . . . you really think this will work."
"It will."
Something snaps and I give him my worst glare. "I'm going to beat you so badly." The laughter is back but this time it's demented. I rip my hands through the thorns, flipping Ventus' Keyblade out and summon another one, my Keyblade. I bring them down in a slashing motion, watching as the wind sends him flying.
I don't even let him touch the ground. I teleport myself under him, hitting him repeatedly before smashing him into the ground with my fists. I then keep slamming him over and over again with the Keyblades, shouting after every single blow.
"You." Slam! "Are." Slam! "A." Slam! "Fucking." Slam! "Idiot!"
Kairi!
"Shut up, Ventus!" I grip Sora by the shoulders, screaming in his face. "Do you even hear yourself?! Do you remember what you just told Riku?!" I punch him hard in the face, then slap it back to where it was so that I can see his eyes. "Get this through your thick skull! Darkness is natural! Darkness is a part of life! THERE IS DARKNESS IN ME!"
I shudder and something in my head tries to warn me to calm down but I ignore it. "Do you know how long I've been jealous of you? Of you and Riku? I've seen you two get strong, I've seen you two survive the worst the darkness has to offer. And I couldn't fully sympathize, I couldn't be of help . . . because I'll never experience what you both went through. I will never grow in that area because my heart won't allow it. I'm stunted!"
I suck in a shaky breath, seeing a few dozen heartless break out of the shield in the corner of my eyes. "But even if I'll never understand what Riku or you have faced, it doesn't mean I'm innocent. I say bad things, I do bad things. I've pushed you over the edge countless times. I am not a good person, I am the least reliable model you could ask for, and I've been nothing but a bitch to you when you needed me most!" I slam my fist into his forehead and the ground beneath me cracks at the same time my knuckles do. "So don't tell me this was all some convoluted way to get to my heart! Don't tell me I'm the solution! And don't you dare take on anymore darkness other than your own! That includes Riku, that includes Ventus, that includes Vanitas, and that includes me!"
He stares at me wordlessly, eyes a mixture of purple and blue. His black hair disappears and a bunch of mist leaves from his chest, morphing into an identical boy with yellow eyes and black hair. That boy groans, rubbing his ears and turning away from us. I feel the urge to flip him off, but I suppress it, giving my attention back to Sora. He's not staring at me. He's staring at my hands.
I take in my bloody fingers, the shaky grip I have over my own Keyblade, watching the blood flow out like a fountain from his heart. I gasp. "No . . . no, I didn't mean . . . " Tears pour down my eyes in torrents as I try to pull out the blade, but it doesn't budge. "No!"
"Kairi," He lifts a slow, bruised hand up to my face. I close my eyes, still trying to yank out my weapon as he slides his hand down my cheek. "I heard you. It's over."
"No, no, no!" I shake his hand away. "You're okay, you'll be okay."
"I'm not . . . going to take . . . anyone's darkness. And I'll make sure . . . Vanitas doesn't want to either. It's not his fault." He takes in a deep breath. "You can wake up now."
"No!" My bottom lip trembles and I look up, barely making out Ventus sitting across from me right behind Sora. He nods once, moves over, allowing Namine to walk towards me. She's bloodied and bruised but she has a small smile on her face.
We're not on the battlefield anymore. We're back on the platform, on the surface of Sora's heart. I look down and Sora's body is gone. It's just my Keyblade, wedged deep into the stainless glass. It's stuck in such a way that if I pulled it out cracks would form along the surface of the glass. In fact, there are already cracks connected to the Keyblade. I follow the trail, seeing it stretch across the entire platform. Forget pulling it out, just trying to move it could make this entire structure break apart.
I glare at the Keyblade, stepping as far away from it as I can. I didn't realize that it was imbedded in the picture of my face. I swallow before glaring at the rest of the people here. "What?"
Vanitas rolls his eyes and Ventus, sheepishly, steps towards me first along with Namine. There are three podiums. One has a sword, one has a shield, and there's a wand on the last one. I slowly walk over to them. The podiums stand between us and I gaze at all the items cautiously. "I guess I have to choose something, huh?"
Namine gives me a sympathetic grin. "You've done a lot, Kairi. But Sora's heart still hangs in the balance. You are both currently at the hospital, and only one of you is sure to survive."
I frown. "So . . . this has all been a dream?"
Ventus shakes his head. "Your physical bodies might not have been in Sora's heart, but your souls were. He has that ability, the ability to form and keep connections. He has been using it in a weird way lately. We all know what happened because of it." He looks away from me, shifting from foot to foot. "It's my fault. My darkness only made the problem worse."
"Your darkness? Sora said you were purely made out of light. Like me."
Ventus coughs. "Yeah, well, that's because I was split from my darkness a long time ago." He points to Vanitas.
I look between the two of them. "Are you serious?"
Vanitas cracks his knuckles. "Yes, sweetheart, we are deadly serious." He smirks. "I have to say, I'm really surprised you survived long enough to keep yourself here. Either that or Sora really has a hard time letting go of his problems."
I growl. "What are you trying to say?"
He gestures towards me, as if to say my presence alone is an abomination. "Want the truth or the sugar-coated version?"
Ventus elbows him in the ribs. "Shut up." He bows toward me apologetically. "Don't mind him. He's a jerk."
"Why are you guys even here?" I cross my arms, trying to focus instead of thinking of a million ways to torture them both. "You've both given Sora hell."
Ventus had the decency to look shameful. "Well, many years ago after a battle I had my heart was stuck in the lanes between. Sora healed my heart before, he saved me . . . and without a body to return to I went back to a place that felt familiar. Where I felt welcomed . . . and Sora accepted me in. I've been here ever since then."
"Excuse me? Are you a psychopath or something? If that's true then that makes everything you've done even worse! You've been a horrible guest."
Ventus holds his hands up in surrender, eyes wide. "Kairi, I-"
"No, you listen to me. I'm tired of this. I don't care who you are, and I don't care how polite you pretend to be. I've seen what you're capable of. I think you need to get the hell out of here before I make you."
"I . . . I can't." He gulps.
I stomp over, about to claw into his face when Vanitas stands in front of him, raising a single eyebrow. "Back off, Kairi. This isn't important. You're stalling and Sora's life is about to be snuffed out. Pretty soon we're all going to be in trouble if you don't fucking calm down."
"I don't take orders from possessive bastards."
His eyes flare and he slaps me. "The only reason I possessed anyone is because of your precious little spawn from hell! I didn't want to consume anyone's darkness. That twisted idea came from Sora, not me! Now, get out of my face."
"Why you-" I jump, my hands inches from his pathetic smirking mouth before I'm pulled from behind and shoved to the ground.
Namine walks in between us, her eyes uncharacteristically cold. "Both of you stop." She glares at me and I shuffle back. She places her hands on her hips. "Ventus is a good person. Sora trusted him. He accepted him into his heart years before he met you, Kairi. In all these years he's never done anything to hurt him. He doesn't deserve your rage."
She then turns to Vanitas and even he takes a step back. "As for you, Sora may have had the desire to take on others negative emotions, but it was with good intentions. You, Vanitas, are made of pure darkness. You've tainted yourself over and over, consuming your own negative emotions. You added to Sora's misguided emotions and didn't try to stop him when he became obsessed. So, if I were you, I wouldn't say a word."
Vanitas clears his throat. "I didn't want to take on anyone's darkness. It's not like eating it feels good. Who the hell would want to do that?"
"A person who doesn't want anyone to be harmed," Namine says evenly. Her red cheeks give away her frustration.
"Well, that's stupid," Vanitas looks away, voice cracking at the end of his retort.
Namine sighs and gestures to the podiums. As she does that more cracks form on the platform beneath us. "It's time to choose, Kairi. Once this is done you will wake up and you will see for yourself whether Sora made it."
I bite my bottom lip, touching the sword first. Ventus stands behind it, looking a little more composed. "Here lies the power of the warrior. With it, you can eradicate the leftover darkness that is still clouding Sora's heart. Be warned, you will have to do this alone-"
"Wait!"
We both glance at Namine and our expressions transform into ones of disgust. Roxas stares meekly back at us, covered in a black, tar-like substance. Vanitas is shaking, clutching his stomach, looking really sick. Namine smile is wide and mischievous. She snaps her fingers and whatever was on Roxas disappears. "He'll help you fight if you choose the way of the warrior," she says with a light giggle. Vanitas is glaring at her in both rage and horror, wiping black stuff from his mouth. Roxas just shrugs, giving me a weak thumbs up.
I nod slowly and move over to the next podium just to be farther away from them. It's a shield.
Vanitas groans, walking over to this podium, giving me a rough glare before reciting his line with a bored expression. "Here lies the power of the knight. Take this shield herein and you shall be able to heal Sora through close proximity. However, if yee so chooses this option, you will first have to remove thee's weapon of mass destruction over yonder." He points to my Keyblade, then crosses his arms.
I frown. "Won't this place be destroyed if I do that?"
"That's why you'll have to stay close to him and heal him, idiot. Literally, you won't be able to leave his side for a while as your energy will be the only thing that can sustain him for lengthy periods of time . . . like an hour. But his connection to you is strong enough, since you're still here, so that means eventually your energy will fix up the cracks in his heart. There's no telling how long it would take. You two would be close though, so I guess that's a bonus."
I look between the shield and the sword, then glance at both of them. "I think you two should have switched your speaking roles," I mutter.
Vanitas gives Ventus a "do I look like I care?" stare. Ventus just shrugs. I walk over to the last podium, eyeing the wand carefully. Namine stands proudly behind it. "It's been hard, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, I must be going through some type of shock. I don't even question the logic of this place anymore," I say. And it's the truth, I don't.
"Well, it is his heart. And when it comes to those you love, people often act in ways others don't understand."
"Tell me about it. But how can a world exist within a heart?"
Namine shrugs. "Who knows. The mind is a very strange place. We must have been in a fixture between Sora's mind and his heart. I don't understand it well, and that's a little unnerving for me. It took me almost two years to fix Sora's heart before. I know how challenging it can be. But," she picks up the wand, "a little magic goes a long way."
She offers it toward me. "This is the power of the mystic. It focuses on magic, and with my help we can stitch up Sora's heart with white chains of light. It would contain the damage long enough until he naturally heals . . . but there is a catch."
Of course. "What is it?"
"Like I said before, fixing a heart takes time. Sora is used to taking in people's darkness. It's a habit. Do you know why?"
"Yeah, I do." I had seen it in his eyes. From the way he spoke, even while possessed, the fear was always there. Sora was the only one in our group who had ever become a true heartless. This fear was natural, and Riku and I should have seen it coming a long time ago. "He takes on everyone else's darkness so that he doesn't have to deal with his own. He's afraid of being consumed because it's happened before."
"Right. He already knows the end of fully accepting the darkness, and this fear has only grown with time. This magic won't cure him completely. It will bring his darkness to the forefront, forcing him to deal with it. Until his heart is completely fixed, he won't be able to avoid the darkness the same way he used to. Sora doesn't know how to control his own darkness because he's never really tried. You and Riku would have to train him immediately, otherwise hearts will be lost and Sora will become the monster he has always feared."
"Okay. So, when you say he won't be able to avoid the darkness . . ?"
"He will act out more. His temper could get worse. He'll just be more nasty than usual. I'm not sure how this will affect him physically, but I can promise you that it won't be like when he was possessed. He'll still be Sora."
I stare at the wand. Then I glance back at the sword and the shield. I'm way too tired to fight. I can feel my energy slipping as we speak. Also, judging by how fast this platform is breaking apart, we wouldn't have much time to fight so it would have to be done quickly and efficiently. That battle is not for me. I can't choose a suicidal method of fixing Sora's heart. That wouldn't be fair to either of us.
The shield seems like the easiest method, but it requires patience. Sora and I have been through a lot, and time together just to talk and recover calmly would be great . . . but we're going to need our space, too. We're not at the level where we can tolerate each other all the time yet. Forcing Sora to accommodate me being that close would probably make us both resentful.
Magic is touchy. There are many ways for it to go wrong. I don't think I fully trust it, even though its been my strongest asset. However, in order for Sora to fully heal he needs to be able to handle his fears in a healthy way. However, considering all he's had to deal with, this challenge might be too soon for him.
But will there ever be a good time? Is it fair to keep him away from this chance, a chance for him to finally be free of his greatest fear?
They're all good options, but I have to choose what's best for Sora . . . and me. I pick up the wand quickly, giving Namine an uneasy smile. "Shall we get to stitching?"
Namine grins and the light shoots out from where my Keyblade was. "Sure thing," she says before the light washes over us.
Light. So much light.
No, not light. White. I'm in a white room.
"Again!"
"Right, again in 3, 2, 1!"
A sound of something being slammed fully wakes me. Something beside me twitches.
"Dammit! Again!"
"The girl, she's waking up!"
"At a time like this? Remind me why she's here again?"
"Her father's wishes are backed by the mayor. We can't separate them."
"What the hell are they thinking?"
"We're losing him!"
"Hold on, I think he moved. Do it again!"
Somehow, despite my stiff muscles, I'm able to move my head to the side in order to see what's going on. There are three doctors in white coats. One of them is wearing blue and a mask over his mouth. He leans down, pressing two black pad-looking objects against a pale chest. The shock makes the person twitch. This person's hand is tied to my right one, and even though it's at an odd angle our fingers are still touching. His curl slightly.
"He moved."
"Checking pulse." When this doctor moves I'm finally able to see this person's face.
His hair is longer, dirty, and he looks disheveled. I watch his eyes moving under his eyelids and he frowns very slightly. His fingers curl up more beside me.
Am I really awake? Is this really Sora?
I shift my eyes to the doctors. Most of them are ignoring me. Except one, the one with the mask covering his mouth. He meets my eyes and I utter, "Is . . . that . . . Sora?"
It wasn't loud enough, none of the other doctors turn to acknowledge me. But the one doctor that is must have read my lips, because he nods, lowering his mask to smile at me. His turquoise eyes are full of relief and sadness.
I nod once back, then stretch as far as I can, fully wrapping my hand around Sora's pale fingers. I feel a light squeeze back and then I shut my eyes and truly sleep.
WHOOOO!
Alright! These scenes were bugging me ever since I posted the last chapter, so I just had to get this out. I hope you all enjoyed this! The characters obviously have a lot of recovering to do, and I have some recovering to do . . . this has been the longest chapter in a while.
I think this chapter has answered pretty much everything. It will be even more cleared up in the next one, but if you guys were seriously scratching your head feel free to complain or suggest things. As always, thank you so much to the people who read and reviewed thus far. Everyone here is epic.
Until next time.
Justice T.