Chapter 4 – Parting
It was always night in Traverse Town, but Donald and Goofy insisted on keeping a regular sleep schedule anyway. Their little group was resting at the hotel in the Second District one more time before setting out. The Heartless mostly stayed in the halls and kept out of their rooms, but even still, Kairi couldn't sleep. All she could think about was her impending separation from Sora and the battle with Ansem. She tossed and turned for hours, unable to get a moment's rest.
"Sora?" she whispered. He was standing guard by the window. He'd been staring out of it for what felt like ages. At the sound of her voice, he turned and looked at her. "I can't sleep again," she finally admitted, hoping he would understand what she really meant.
He waddled over and jumped up on the bed, curling up beside her. She smiled and thanked him. His yellow eyes glowed bright in the darkness, and she lifted a hand out from under the covers to touch his face.
"I haven't forgotten what I said before," she said softly. His little claw grabbed onto her hand and held it tight. She felt a pang of guilt at what she knew she had to do. He didn't deserve this. "Sora," she choked out, "I won't let the darkness take you from me. I'll find a way for you to be human again."
He tilted his head. No doubt he was trying to figure out what had caused her sudden outburst. She hadn't told him, but she also wanted to make it clear that she wasn't abandoning him. He'd understand when the time came. Her eyes traveled to the necklace around his neck. She reached down and touched it, willing it to bring them back together no matter what. A soft light glowed as her magic worked its way into the charm.
"There." She smiled. "Wherever you go, I'm always with you."
Sora regarded her for a long moment. Then he nuzzled her cheek before settling into the crook of her neck. She hoped the darkness hid the way her face burned. Especially since she'd been thinking about how nice it would be if he were actually—
Kairi, stop, she commanded herself.
It didn't work. She could practically feel his spiky hair under her chin.
It's a good thing he can't read your mind. She readjusted the covers so he was tucked in beside her. She was about to put her arms around him when something stopped her.
Why – why is my heart pounding?
Then another thought occurred to her. He-he's a Heartless, he can probably tell!
Great, now I really am embarrassed.
Oh, stop. This is Sora. There's no need to be ashamed. You had camping trips and sleepovers all the time when you were kids.
Yeah, but we're not kids anymore! We're—
She looked at the dark creature nestled beside her.
We're a human and a Heartless.
The reality of their situation sank back in. It was just too cruel, what had happened to him. She hugged him tight and cried, her tears soaking the pillow. He wriggled out of her grasp and gave her a concerned look.
"I'm okay," she sniffed. "I'm just crying for you."
For a moment, she thought she saw tears glisten in his eyes. But it couldn't be. Heartless didn't cry. No matter how much they might want to. All the same, she pulled him back into her arms. He clung to her, and her whole body shook as she cried for them both.
Afterwards, she went to go blow her nose and wash her face. No use trying to sleep with her face all puffy and snot smeared everywhere. When she returned, he was still in her bed, his chest slowly rising and falling.
He's… asleep?
She couldn't believe it. Heartless weren't supposed to be able to sleep, right? He hadn't been able to, not since he'd become one. Yet here he was, his eyes closed and his breathing even. She leaned over to tuck him in. Sure enough, he only briefly stirred as she climbed back into bed beside him. Seeing him so relaxed helped her relax, too. It wasn't long before she found herself joining him, slipping into the realm of dreams.
oOo
Kairi…
Her back was to him, her red hair shining in the late afternoon sun. She turned around and smiled. He loved the way her smile lit up her face and made her eyes shine.
"Sora." She held her arms wide, and he ran to her. But when he tried to hug her back, he cried out in shock at the arms attached to his body. They belonged to a Heartless, not to him. How had they—
He looked at Kairi, and she stared back at him with a mixture of horror and pity.
"No! This isn't me. Kairi, can't you see?!"
This body was all wrong. He had to get rid of it. He clawed at it, hoping that might free him from it.
"Sora, stop! You'll hurt yourself!"
But he couldn't. He couldn't bear it anymore. He wanted to be able to eat again, to feel the wind blow through his hair and the ground solid beneath his feet. He wanted to see Riku, to argue with Donald and ask Goofy for advice, to experience Kairi's warm embrace instead of the icy cold and slight pressure touching anything gave him.
He wanted to laugh and cry and scream. He wanted to be human.
He woke with a start, bleary eyes blinking open. He was still in the bed in the hotel in Traverse Town. The blanket was tucked carefully around him, and his head rested against the pillow.
Was I… asleep?
He'd felt so safe with Kairi that he'd let his guard down. After that first night, he'd been hoping she'd ask him to stay with her again. He took any excuse to be near her. Every time they hugged, he remembered what it was like to be human. She saw him through his Heartless form, saw the boy trapped inside that wanted nothing more than to be himself again. He wanted to hug her back, to hold her safe in his arms and tell her that he didn't blame her for what happened, that he'd still make the same decision if he were given the choice.
He knew what it was now, the thing that had driven him to sacrifice everything for her sake – not because he valued his own life so little, but because he valued hers so much. He was beginning to suspect she felt the same way. It was just his luck that he'd figured that out when he had no way to tell her how he felt. Hugs could only go so far; he wanted words.
He rolled over. Kairi…
She wasn't there. Where could she have gone? He searched the room, and Donald and Goofy's, but no one was there.
Did something happen? Did they—
He ran down the hall as fast as he could, but his legs just wouldn't let him move as quickly as he wanted to. He shrank into the floor and sped up, his shadow racing across it. Emerging outside, he searched for any sign of them. Nothing.
Back into the ground. His shadow continued on, going to where the Gummi Ship was parked. He was just in time to see it take off. For a fleeting moment, he saw Kairi through the window. Her eyes met his, and the sadness and guilt in them confirmed his fears. Then the ship blasted off, disappearing through the Warp Hole that had opened up.
He hung his head. She's gone. Suddenly, her behavior the previous night made sense. He'd wondered if something like this might happen, but he'd pushed it out of his head, not wanting it to be true.
She'd known she was leaving, and she'd kept it from him. Betrayal coursed through him at the thought. His mind clouded, the darkness encroaching and threatening to take over.
No, no, I can't give into the darkness. Then another panicked thought entered his head. What if I lose myself now that she's gone? She had brought him back to consciousness. What would happen without her there?
As if in response, the necklace around his neck glowed bright. "Wherever you go, I'm always with you." He looked back up to the sky. The remaining stars shone bright as ever, twinkling like diamonds.
There should be more. The sky looks so empty now. What would happen if they were all gone? What would happen to Donald and Goofy and Riku and Kairi if—
He knew what he had to do.
Kairi. Wait for me. I'll come back to you, I promise.
oOo
Kairi didn't want to leave. When Donald and Goofy came to wake her up, Sora was still sound asleep in her arms. All she had time to do was tuck him back in before they whisked her away. They raced to the Gummi Ship, knowing it was only a matter of time before Sora realized what had happened.
Sure enough, he found them as they were taking off. When she looked into his eyes, his appearance flickered, and the look of utter betrayal and despair he gave her broke her heart.
"Donald, wait!" she cried. But it was too late. They traveled through the Warp Hole and were thrown into an asteroid field, rocks flying at them from every direction. Donald sped full speed ahead, expertly weaving in and out of them to the next Warp Hole.
"Please, can we go back? I saw him, and it was like he wasn't even a Heartless anymore. He was himself again!"
"Wak!"
"Kairi, what're you sayin'?" Goofy asked. Donald dodged an incoming projectile, and the ship went spinning.
"Weren't Aerith and Yuffie supposed to take him to Merlin's? Why was he by himself?! Please, you have to take us back!"
A huge chunk of rock crashed into them. A loud beeping sounded, and Kairi eyed it in alarm.
"Uh-oh, those are the shields, aren't they?" Goofy asked, putting his hands over his mouth in his nervous tic.
"Hang on," Donald said. "Let me see if I can—"
A swarm of Heartless ships descended upon them. Donald muttered a string of disgruntled rants under his breath.
"Hold on!" Goofy braced himself, and Kairi did the same. Donald tried to navigate them back to Traverse Town, but the Heartless had completely cut off the route. They were pushed closer and closer to the Warp Hole.
"Donald!"
"I'm sorry, Kairi, I can't—"
One last Heartless ship collided with them and sent them flying through the Warp Hole.
"No! Donald, we have to go back!" she begged. She couldn't get Sora out of her head. Something was wrong. It had been a mistake to leave him alone.
"The ship's too damaged, we need to find somewhere to land!" Donald maneuvered through the sky, searching for somewhere, anywhere they could do repairs.
"There! Up ahead!" Goofy pointed to a world that had suddenly appeared on their map. A violet miasma swirled around it, blue lightning emerging from its core to strike the nearby sky. Looking at it, Kairi felt something was terribly wrong. She almost warned Donald not to land there, but really, they didn't have much of a choice. The ship was already crashing. Controlled crashing, thanks to Donald's efforts, but crashing all the same. Kairi braced herself for the inevitable landing.
Sora… Riku… wait for me, okay? I'll find you, no matter what.
oOo
A/N: Hey everyone, thank you for reading! That was the penultimate chapter. Only one more to go! And thank you Chirithy564 for the review on Chapter 3! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, too.
I'm going to be traveling next week with limited computer access, so the date for the last chapter will be December 3rd. See you then!