Chapter 5 – Here I Come
"Sora! Where are you?" Yuffie called. She searched the hotel room with Aerith, but he was nowhere to be found. They asked all around town for the strange Heartless wearing a necklace, but no one had seen him.
Dejected, they returned to their house to tell Cid and Leon the news. But to their surprise, Sora was already there, perched on the dresser.
"Sora! When did you get here?" Aerith asked. Yuffie went to scratch his chin like he was a cat, and Aerith could have sworn he gave her a slightly disgruntled look.
"He came in not long after Donald and Goofy and Kairi left," Cid said. "He's been waitin' here ever since. Leon's getting supplies, he'll be back soon."
"Oh, okay." Aerith turned to Sora and smiled. "We're here to take you to Merlin's. He's going to watch over you till they get back."
Yuffie bobbed her head up and down in agreement. "Yeah, Donald and Goofy asked us to! We'll be leaving soon, so it's the least we can do."
He followed them to Merlin's house. They wished him the best and said goodbye, knowing they were leaving him in good hands. What they didn't notice was his shadow sneaking past them on their way back. They didn't see him slink towards Cid's Gummi Ship and slip inside. He hid himself so well that they didn't even realize he was there when they took off.
Kairi, I'm coming.
oOo
They were stranded on a lonely and alien world. Dark rocks jutted out of the water. Sky and sea met in a purple mist, and in the distance, an unearthly glow beckoned. It was like a dying star, the way its light spiraled into the horizon. The Heartless here were powerful. The darkness in this realm was great, and the further they went, the stronger it became. Kairi felt sick to her stomach, knowing they were drawing ever closer to the heart of great evil.
Still, they carried on. They had to. The worlds were counting on them. Sora and Riku and the rest of their friends were counting on them. And Kairi had made a promise. She had to fight, she had to win, and she had to return to Sora. She couldn't stop until she did.
Sora, wait for me.
oOo
The other Heartless were cruel. They knew something was different about him. Their claws tore into him, leaving gashes and sores. Their kicks sent him reeling. Black smoke oozed from his wounds, attracting even more of them like vultures to their prey. His only escape was to sink into the ground. He had no way of healing himself, and it was all he could do to carry on.
But at long last, he found a Heartless ship. He limped onboard, willing it to take him where he needed to go.
Kairi, I-I'm coming.
oOo
Ansem was a difficult opponent. He fought Kairi in the ruins of her home. He taunted her about Riku. He mocked her about Sora. His Guardian caught her over and over again, his master's shouts to submit ringing in her ears. Donald and Goofy did everything they could to help, but after their first fight with Ansem, a barrier cast them away. She'd faced an enormous Darkside on her own, and now Ansem and his Guardian were back.
There was no way Riku's heart and soul were still here. Otherwise, he would have stopped Ansem long ago. Riku might have changed, but he'd never let someone hurt her like this.
Riku… I hope you're okay…
She was getting tired, exhaustion settling over her and slowing her movements. Ansem's next attack sent dark orbs rushing after her. One of them caught her square in the chest, and she stumbled to the ground.
No… I can't give up now. She healed herself and struggled to her feet. Dodging his next attack, she checked her pocket. She only had one ether left.
"Submit!" Ansem's Guardian had her again. She thrashed and struggled, trying to break free from its grasp. He laughed in her face. "Did you really think you could stop me? You're weak!" He grabbed her and sent her flying. She landed on the ground with a crash and groaned.
He's right. Why did I ever think I could win? And without Donald and Goofy's help…
But then she thought of Sora and Riku. For their sake, she would fight until the very end. She used her last ether and stood.
"Still you resist me! You foolish—"
Ansem stopped and stared at something behind her. She knew better than to turn around and look, but she couldn't help herself.
A lone Heartless stumbled over the ridge. Ansem's barrier had no effect on it. Its antenna had been ripped, the torn portion dangling low over its face, and one of its yellow eyes was swollen shut. Black smoke oozed out of wounds all over its body as it drug itself along, and it held tight to something in its claw. Kairi gasped when she saw what it was. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out.
It wasn't enough. Ansem noticed, a cruel glint filling his eyes. "Attack her!" he commanded.
Sora stopped and stared at him for an agonizing moment. Then he continued his slow, pained crawl to her side. When he finally reached her, he didn't attack. He simply held up her lucky charm instead. She threw her arms around him, her eyes filling with tears.
"You came back," she whispered, hardly believing her own words. But he was really here, torn and beaten and barely able to move, but here. Even after she'd left him behind, he'd found his way back to her side. She was so moved by what he'd done that everything else seemed to pale in comparison. He was here, and that was all that mattered.
Ansem was displeased with Sora's lack of cooperation. "If you will not submit," he shouted, "then you will be destroyed!" Kairi whirled around, only to see more of his dark orbs come hurtling towards them.
"Sora!" she cried. She shielded him with her body, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the worst.
oOo
It was cold. Sora had been in pain for some time now. Only his drive to see Kairi had kept him going. Now that he'd found her again, he grew calm and his mind cleared. Ansem ordered him to attack her, but it didn't matter. If turning into a Heartless couldn't get him to hurt her, nothing in all the worlds would.
He made his way over to her. Just – a little – further. There. He'd finally done it. He handed her her charm, carefully guarded even after it had been ripped from his neck. There was no way he'd lose her precious gift. He'd protected it with his life.
Kairi, I'm here.
She gave him another one of her hugs that he'd grown to love so much. Her heart beat warm and steady against him as he melted in her embrace. Then she let go, and Ansem attacked, and—
She stayed. She protected him, putting her life at risk for his sake. Emotion welled up deep within him as he realized what her selfless act meant.
Kairi, I…
What she'd done enacted the most powerful magic there was. Her voice called out to him in the darkness. He followed it, followed the light of her heart as she led him back to her. His own heart swelled with warmth as it connected to hers, and that warmth coursed through him, breathing life back into cold limbs and spreading all the way to his toes and fingers.
He was overwhelmed by pure, unadulterated joy. Did she even realize what she was doing? He had the urge to laugh, amazed by her ability and overcome by the affection filling his heart. He wrapped his arms around her. They were his arms, finally strong enough to hold her tight again. Never had he been so happy to be alive, to be human.
And now his voice. For too long he'd been without one, with no way to express his thoughts, no way to scream or cry or laugh. But that was all behind him now. His first words would be dedicated to her. He took a deep breath and spoke.
oOo
The attack Kairi had braced herself for never came. Instead, she felt light burst forth from deep within her, and then her face was pressed against something warm and familiar. A steady beat thrummed against her cheek, and strong, sturdy arms wrapped themselves around her.
"Kairi, thank you."
His voice was the most wonderful sound in the world. She said his name and looked up into his eyes, not sure if she was imagining the whole thing again. What if it was just like all those other times? What if he was still a Heartless?
But then he smiled, and that's when she knew. It was really, truly him. She took in every inch of his dear face. He gazed down at her, such warmth and gratitude and tenderness in his expression that her heart was filled to the brim.
"Sora!" Ansem's barrier had collapsed, and Donald and Goofy were back. They hugged their friend, then scolded him for making them worry so much, then finally apologized for leaving him behind. Kairi did, too, sorry that she'd ever agreed to being separated from him in the first place. At least they were all together again now. But their happy reunion couldn't last forever. Ansem still needed to be defeated. When they looked around for him, he was nowhere to be found.
"Must be deeper in the darkness," Goofy said. "We gotta keep movin' forward."
"Here, you should have this," Kairi said, summoning the Keyblade and handing it to Sora. He let it disappear and then made it rematerialize, satisfied that it recognized his call once more.
"But Kairi, how will you fight?" he asked.
She drew Merlin's wand from her pocket. "I've still got this, remember?" She forced a smile, but even she thought the wand might not be enough. She'd learned a lot of magic, but it wasn't the same as having a Keyblade. She sighed, and the puff of air that escaped her mouth sent her bangs flying. "But I wish I had a Keyblade of my own. That way I could still protect you."
Sora put his hand on hers. The warmth from his touch traveled up her hand and reached her heart. There was that strange tugging from before. Her arm felt heavy, and a blade materialized in her hand.
The shaft was a blend of yellow, orange, and red. Flowers like the ones she used to pick for her grandmother grew off the blade, and the heart-shaped hilt swirled into an ocean's wave. A paopu charm and chain were attached to the hilt. She stared at the Keyblade in wonder. It was like Radiant Garden and Destiny Island had been joined together as one.
"Woah," Sora whispered. He summoned his Keyblade and held it next to hers.
It's… it's beautiful. She ran her hand across the smooth metal, marveling at its balance and weight.
"See, Kairi? What'd I tell ya?" Goofy put a hand on her shoulder.
Donald was bouncing up and down. "Now both of you can fight!"
"Yeah." She let the blade disappear, then rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled. "I did use my last ether though. Guess I'll have to make the most of the magic I have left."
Donald and Goofy insisted she take their extras. Sora dug around in his pockets and placed one more in her hand, along with her lucky charm. She took the ether but handed the charm back.
"Sora, I want you to keep it until we get home."
"Are you sure?"
She nodded. It was her charm, of course, but she'd really made it for him.
He smiled. "Thanks, Kairi." He attached it to his Keyblade, and it transformed. The blade shone silver and gold and blue, the end twisting into a heart entwined with the symbol for light. A paopu charm was attached to the hilt of his Keyblade, too, a poignant reminder of the home they'd both lost. Sora waved the Keyblade in the air, testing its balance and swing.
"Looks great!" Donald said, admiring the weapon. He took out his staff and nodded at Goofy.
"Ready?" Goofy asked, his shield in hand. Ansem still waited, after all, ever deeper within the darkness.
Kairi's Keyblade was in one hand, her other hand in Sora's. She turned to him and smiled.
"Yeah," he replied, smiling back.
They were in the heart of darkness, awful and twisted and bleak, but seeing his smile again calmed her heart and gave her hope. Together, she knew the four of them could take on Ansem and restore the worlds. Riku and the king were still out there, and they'd find them, she knew they would. They set off, ready for whatever the future might hold.
oOo
A/N: A big thank you to all my readers! As always, I appreciate the time you took to read the story and hope you enjoyed it. It was a lot of fun to write, especially Goofy's conversations with Kairi. Sora as a Heartless was interesting to work with, too - I kept imagining what he would say and do as a human to help shape his interactions with Kairi, to show that he was gaining more and more of his humanity back as time went on.
And thank you, Mr. Spinner, FandomChanger, Chirithy564, lady, Lumiere D'Amour, 3DegreesOfFreedom, miano53, and Guest for your reviews! Your support means a lot.
I passed the 50,000-word mark on the sequel to Dear Sora this weekend. The rough draft for the first twelve chapters is finished. There will probably be around 16-18 chapters total. I'm thinking it'll be ready to start posting by about January or February, but we'll see. Stay tuned!