The completed version of this story is on Archive of Our Own under the same username and title.

Part One: Brought Back

They'd been fighting for close to an hour, and Sora was growing frustrated at his inability to catch his opponent. For a short time, it had seemed they might be evenly matched, that he might have a chance. But now he realised his opponent had been holding back.

To the hooded man, this was not a battle, but a game. A chance to finally play with the shiny new toy he'd been wanting for so long. Sora was the most formidable fighter he had encountered in decades. But he was still no threat, especially not in this place. He was bored of spending months tormenting Sora from a distance, tired of waiting for him to accept Rage and the darkness. It was time to force his hand.

And the arrival of these four intruders had provided the perfect excuse to do it.

So many times Sora had closed in on the cloaked figure, thinking he would catch him with his next swing. But then the man would simply vanish and appear another roof away, laughing and goading him. Every now and then he would circle around and strike Sora hard in the side or leg with an invisible weapon, but never quite hard enough to take him out. Sora tried to ignore the occasional crack he felt when the attacks connected.

He had been conserving his magic for healing, but it was rapidly running out. He was tired, and the robed man could tell. He laughed at him yet again.

"I thought you wanted to end this Sora?"

As his opponent grew cockier Sora finally found a clear opening. The man stopped and floated before him, pausing to continue his taunts, but this time he had stopped too close. Sora leapt into the air and flipped over the man's head, twisting around and raising his Keyblade, ready to crack it down on his back.

Beneath his hood, the man smirked. Before Sora could attack, a jagged dagger cloaked in black flame appeared in the man's hand and he turned. He drew the blade upwards, slicing Sora from navel to sternum, and blinked away.

He was just too fast. Sora never had a chance to strike.

He landed hard, barely managing to stay on his feet, and doubled over, clutching his stomach where the cut was deepest. Blood and smokey trails of darkness seeped between his fingers. Gasping, he raised his Keyblade and used the last of his magic to try and heal himself, but knew it was pointless. Even at full strength, his magic could never heal a wound like this. At least it numbed the pain a little. He straightened back up, getting into a fighting stance.

"Wow, still standing? I must admit, I'm actually impressed," the hooded man drawled.

I'm not going to win this fight, Sora thought. He was yet to land a hit on the man, and it was clear he saw him as no threat at all. He could feel the dark energy he had been stabbed with spreading through him like poison.

I can't win this.
This is where it ends.

The thought didn't fill him with anxiety or fear. It was merely a fact at this point, one he was resigned to. One he had resigned himself to days ago. He'd known before this battle began that there was only one possible outcome. He would keep fighting though. He would keep standing back up until he could stand no longer. He wouldn't give the man in the black coat the satisfaction of seeing him give in to Rage.

He ran forwards, throwing caution to the wind. All he wanted was to land one hit before the end, to inflict on the man just a scrap of the pain he had caused him. But he simply glided away, forcing Sora to keep chasing him from roof to roof. They were drawing closer to the crossing, and finally, the man stopped at the top of the building with the glowing 104 sign. As Sora leapt onto the roof the man taunted him again.

"Come on Sora, haven't you had enough by now? Aren't you ready to give in?"

"Shut up!"

Sora charged forward, but his enemy was unfazed. He extended his arms out to his sides and then upwards, as though lifting a weight above his head. Sora stumbled as the building shook. He heard wrenching metal and smashing glass as the flashing remains of the 104 sign rose behind his enemy.

"Just call on the darkness one last time Sora, you know it's your only hope."

He clenched his fists and the steel beams and glass split into hundreds of pieces of shrapnel. Sora saw what was coming and summoned a barrier just in time. The man threw his hands forward and sent the fragments of metal and glass flying at Sora like bullets. He deflected most of the bombardment, but his strength was almost gone, and he couldn't hold it long enough. The barrier broke and though most of the debris missed him, several pieces nicked his arms and a metal bar cracked him hard across the temple.

His vision flashed white as he stumbled back and fell to his hands and knees. The blow had left him dazed; all he could do was concentrate on not being sick or passing out from the pain, as he waited for the world to stop spinning. The robed figure didn't attack though. He needed Sora to give into Rage, and to do it willingly. Striking him while he was down would be a pointless and dull ending, so he gave him a minute to recover.

"I wonder if your friends will put up as much of a fight as you, what do you think Sora? How long do you think they'll last?"

The fire in Sora's skull was nothing compared to the fury now boiling in his chest. He staggered back up and turned to the man. The side of his head was coated in blood and he was unsteady on his feet, but his eyes were focussed and blazing with anger. The man started clapping.

"Sora, you continue to amaze me!" But then he sighed. "It's such a shame you have to be one of the sacrifices"

Sora was sick of the man's cryptic words and of trying to question him. He was sick of that voice. He roared and charged forward once again. Before he could close the gap between them his opponent tutted and lazily lifted a hand. A silver chain shot from it and wrapped around Sora's right arm, wrenching him high into the air.

Sora clawed at it with his left hand, trying to free himself, but the man slowly closed his fist, and the chain tightened. With a sickening crack, Sora's Keyblade disappeared from his hand, and he screamed. The man threw him towards the ground, releasing the chain and letting him land hard on his right side and now broken arm, leaving deep cracks in the concrete roof. He skidded to the opposite side of the building, stopping just short of the edge.

Far below, two people were sprinting towards the tower. They'd been slowly closing in on the sounds of a fight and yelling, playing cat and mouse with the sounds of battle as the fight above had moved from roof to roof. They'd been searching this city for what felt like hours, but now they saw him.

They could barely make him out, but Riku and Kairi were both certain it was Sora.

Atop the building, he had staggered once again to his feet. His right arm felt like every bone was shattered and wouldn't move. He couldn't summon his Keyblade, though he doubted he could still fight even if he had his weapon. He clutched at his stomach, attempting to staunch the bleeding. Breathing was becoming difficult. The man descended slowly to the roof, laughing again.

"I think it might be time to end this Sora. Without your weapon, I think this battle may quickly become dull, and I don't want to remember our time together like that."

"You- ugh…"

He wanted to retaliate, but pain pulsed through his chest and he fell to one knee, gasping and coughing. A few drops of blood fell from his mouth.

"But you can still save yourself Sora. You know how."

Sora wouldn't consider it. He had vowed that he would never go into Rage form in this place again. He had barely broken out of it last time and he knew this man wanted him trapped in it again. He lifted his head and glared at the man, making his answer clear.

"What a shame... Well, I hope at least your precious friends will be just as entertaining as you."

The man's voice was suddenly a whisper in his ear as he appeared beside him. "Would you like me to say hello from you when I find them?"

Sora lashed out with his still-working arm and met nothing but air, as the man reappeared in the centre of the roof. He doubled over and howled with laughter as Sora overbalanced and crumpled to the ground. "Did you really think you would ever see them again? That you could ever actually get back to them? You're all alone Sora."

Sora's vision was going hazy. He knew this was it. He pushed himself up once more. If he was going to die he would die on his feet, facing his enemy.

"It doesn't matter… what you do to me" he panted. "You won't win in the end."

He may have lost this fight, but even if this monster did make it to his world he had faith in his friends to stop him. They were strong, they wouldn't lose like him. They wouldn't give up like he had. The cloaked figure laughed once more and raised his hand.

"Goodbye Sora, it's been fun."

A jet of black flew from it, colliding with Sora's chest and knocking him backwards off the side of the building. He felt a massive force cracking against his sternum and brief, searing pain.

And then it was gone.

Everything faded. The pain, his vision, his hearing. Everything simply faded away, as he felt that familiar sensation of falling, falling, into darkness.

A blast erupted from the roof above them and Kairi's heart dropped as she saw Sora start to fall. They were running as fast as they could, but there was no way they would make it in time for Riku to catch him.

Raising her Keyblade, she cried "Air!" and a whirlwind burst from the ground directly below Sora and as they ran they saw his body slow down as it caught him. He spun through the air briefly, and the wind lowered him gently to the ground.

"Sora!"

Riku reached him just as he landed, skidding to a stop and dropping down to Sora's side. He slid an arm under his shoulders, lifting his upper body off the ground. "Sora, can you hear me?"

His eyes were closed, and the left side of his face was coated in blood from a deep gash across his temple. Several large sparks of dark energy shot up and down his body, like forks of red and black lightning.

Riku looked down and saw his shirt was torn and he was bleeding heavily from a long cut down his torso. He placed his free hand on it and pressed hard, trying to slow the bleeding, and gave Sora's shoulders another shake. "Sora! Come on! Sora!"

Kairi dropped to her knees on his other side, trying to assess his injuries, eyes jumping from the blood on his face to his chest to the horrible bend in his forearm. These were far beyond her magical ability to heal, perhaps even beyond Master Aqua's and Donald's. It could be dangerous to even try right now, his body might not be able to tolerate the accelerated healing process.

"Kairi, can you heal him?"

She shook her head. "No, I might be able to slow the bleeding a little but it would be a risk… I don't know if his body will cope"

"Well if he keeps bleeding like this he'll die so I say it's worth the risk!"

In his panic, he spoke more harshly than he intended, but she felt the same desperation she heard in his voice and understood. She held her weapon out and cast a healing spell. The familiar green lights appeared and rained down on him, but as they fell more streaks of purple and red crisscrossed Sora's body, blocking the healing magic before it could touch him.

"What?"

She stared, confused, and cast the spell again. "Heal!" Again, it seemed to be blocked and Sora's injuries were unaffected. She and Riku exchanged horrified looks. She shook her Keyblade and cast the spell again. "Heal! HEAL! It's not working. Why isn't it working!"

As another set of sparks shot across his chest, Sora groaned faintly and Kairi dismissed her weapon. She placed her hand behind his head and lifted it, calling out to him. "Sora? Can you hear me?" He didn't respond immediately but, after a few seconds, they saw his eyes begin to move beneath his eyelids.

Riku swallowed, his throat dry. "Sora?"

Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared blearily up at their faces through half-closed lids. It took a moment for him to focus, but when he did he saw his friends staring down at him anxiously.

"Kairi? Ri… ku?"

His voice was weak and barely audible but they were overjoyed to hear him speak. It had been over a year since they had last heard his voice. Riku let out a sharp sigh of relief. "Yeah, it's us,"

Kairi beamed down at him, eyes shining with tears. "Sora…"

Sora smiled weakly, feeling truly happy for the first time in months. They were here, they were actually here. He had no idea how this was happening, and he didn't care. He had given up all hope of ever seeing them again, resigned himself to it. And now, inexplicably, here they were.

But dread suddenly gripped him as he remembered where they were, and who else was here with them. His expression became panicked.

"No… no you can't be here.. you have to... leave… run..."

They looked confused.

"Sora it's OK, we're going to get you out of here" Kairi tried to reassure him.

"No!" He spoke between sharp shallow breaths. "Just go… don't worry… about me… please run!" He couldn't let them stay, he couldn't let them get hurt.

Riku furrowed his brow. "Sora, we aren't leaving you here," but as he made to lift him a massive boom sounded from behind them.

His head spun around and Kairi leapt to her feet, Keyblade back in hand. A robed man stood before them, 20 meters or so away, dust settling around him. The road beneath him was cracked from the force of his landing. Riku took his bloody hand away from Sora's chest and summoned his Keyblade as well, holding it protectively over him.

"Who are you?" He yelled, fury in his voice.

The man laughed maniacally, their anger hilarious to him. It was clear he was the one who had done this to Sora.

"N-no… run," Sora murmured weakly.

"Shut up, we aren't leaving you here," Riku muttered back.

"So, after all of that, someone has actually come for him. What a wonderful surprise!"

"Riku, get ready to run. Get Sora back to the portal," Kairi said to him out of the corner of her mouth. She was tensing up, preparing to charge. Riku opened his mouth to tell her to stop, that they only had a chance if they attacked together, but before either of them could make a move the man spoke.

"Uh-uh-uh, none of that," and with a snap of his fingers, both of their Keyblades' disappeared, reappearing in the air behind him.

"No," Kairi whispered in disbelief, staring at her empty hand. She tried to summon her weapon back to her but it stayed where it was.

"Well well, it looks like I'll get to kill your friends sooner than I expected Sora." Sora wanted to get up, to face him again and let the others escape, but he could barely hold his head up, let alone stand. "Unless there's something you want to do about it?"

Maybe he should do it. Maybe Rage could stop this monster? Or maybe he would just lose control again and attack the others instead. He didn't know what to do. His brain felt so clouded...

"Come on Sora, just give-"

"Leave him alone!"

Kairi cut him off and stood defiantly in front of the others, fury in her eyes. This man had tortured Sora enough, she wouldn't let him taunt him anymore.

The man's lip curled beneath his hood. He had hoped if Sora failed yet again he could force the darkness into one of these friends of his, compelling him to accept it in order to save them. But these two were clearly a lost cause. The pure light emanating from this girl was palpable, and the other boy... he could sense darkness there, but also the perfect control he had over it.

He sighed dramatically and put his hands on his hips. "Well, I guess it's up to you now Sora."

It was time to throw caution to the wind. If killing these two was the only way forward then so be it. If Sora wouldn't change to save them, the guilt of their deaths would surely be the final agony that broke him.

"Please... run," Sora croaked, putting his hand on Riku's chest and trying weakly to push him away.

"What do you want with him?" Riku shouted, ignoring Sora's pleas.

The man laughed. "I'd love to chat and drag this out a little more..."

He lifted his hand.

"But it's time to end this."

Dark purple and red sparks began condensing in his palm.

Riku wanted to take Sora and run but without their Keyblades, there was no chance of the three of them getting away. He looked around frantically, searching for anything they could use to escape, but he didn't know what to do. They were trapped.

"I guess at least you won't be alone anymore Sora..."

Kairi clenched and unclenched her fists, thinking hard. What could she do, what could she do?

The sparks were gone, forced together into a ball of raging dark energy. Lighting cracked from the orb and tore at the pavement surrounding him, leaving deep gouges in their wake.

"…because I'm sending your friends with you."

He released the spell from his hand.