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It’s always about her.
A small self-reminder you tell yourself constantly.
You didn’t even realize when you started to feel something for the spiky-haired brunette. It may have been early on; from when he saved you from a horde of heartless back in your home world, or even when you decided to tag along on his journey in search of strength to fight for the light. It may have happened just recently; when the two of you were dancing happily together with Rapunzel and Eugene, or when you even caught yourself staring at his awe-stricken face as he watched the lanterns fill up the night sky.
Regardless, you have feelings for him.
But...It’s always about her.
You, Riku, Mickey and Sora are standing just below the cliff where Master Xehanort stood. You watch as his eyes gleamed, a twelfth key appearing before him, joining the other eleven in their circular motion around the old man. The four of you were pushed to your limits; heavily breathing, barely able to keep your guards up.
“Twelve keys we have now,” Xehanort proclaims, the keyblades circling him at a quicker pace. “Leaving just one more!”
The Master summons his keyblade and raises it to the sky. Your eyes follow as a dark orb forms at its tip, shooting a ray of darkness into the clouds above. You fixate your gaze higher as the clouds part, revealing a small but warm light underneath. It seems so long since you’ve seen light in this cold, unforgiving wasteland.
You soon snap out of it as Master Xehanort speaks, the grip on your keyblade tightening.
“Now, Sora,” he begins, raising his head up to the light above. “Darkness and light’s final clash.”
Your ever moving eyes land onto Sora. Even with his back towards you, there’s an aura of anger surrounding him. You didn’t need to see his face to know that he’s tired–not only physically, but emotionally. You knew he was tired of everything Xehanort and the darkness had put him through. He simply wants things to be over.
You hear the brunette gasp.
Your attention turns back to Master Xehanort, and you release a small gasp as well. Kairi’s unconscious body is floating beside him.
“Kairi!,” Sora exclaims, as the redhead moves in front of the old man. Sora leaps, making his way up the cliff where the two were.
You gasp again as Xehanort draws his weapon back.
“Kairi!” You cry, raising your keyblade and pointing it at the helpless girl. Immediately a small ball of light emerges from your weapon, making a beeline towards her. The ball expands, encasing her in an orb with hexagons around its circumference.
You’ve casted a barrier spell.
Time then seemed to slowed down.
Your eyes are glued to Master Xehanort’s movements; his arm swings forward to slash at Kairi’s back, which would have just hit the barrier instead. Your ears wait for the faint click as your proof, but it never comes. A single second has never felt this long in your life. You hold your breath, and blink just once.
Immediately, your eyes widened as you suddenly realize three things:
One, Master Xehanort has disappeared.
Two, a wisp of cold wind tickled your back, sending chills down your spine.
Three, instead of the click you hoped to hear, you hear a faint chuckle behind you.
In this split second you tried to turn around, but you were just too late.
You feel a numbness surge through your chest as Xehanort’s blade stabs right through you. You arch your back slightly, shock causing this reflex. Your once tightened grip loosens from your keyblade, causing it to fall to the ground with a clang. Your lungs burn as you take in a deep breath, Xehanort unsheathing his keyblade from inside you before disappearing once again.
Your vision clouds and your ears ring. You fall onto the ground face first, a faint cloud of dust and sand rising into the air from being disturbed. The burning heat you once felt throughout your body is now ice cold, but the numbness stays and continues to grow.
You attempt to raise your head, but your body fails to respond. You shut your eyes as a wave of helplessness rushes through you, feeling just as weak as you did before learning the ways of the keyblade. You hear someone shout, but the ringing in your ears stops you from understanding what was said.
You suddenly feel someone pick you up. You slowly open your eyes, your gaze met with blue eyes as deep as the ocean.
“Sora...” You call softly, your breathing becoming shallow. You glance to the side as you notice Riku suddenly move, him now leaping towards Xehanort in order to grab Kairi’s body. The two had switched places, it would seem.
“Everything’s gonna be alright, okay? I just need you to stay strong for me.” he replies, gently laying a hand near the wound.
He begins to murmur what seems to be a healing spell, but his attention is caught by Riku. Both of you look towards him, now watching as he gently shakes Kairi’s body and calls out her name. The King is also by the Princess of Heart’s side, watching helplessly as the silver haired man attempts to wake his fallen friend.
You pull your eyes away from the scene nearby to look at Sora, his face now filled with pain and confusion. The brunette’s mouth is slightly agape, probably lost in thought as to what to do. You watch as he glances down at you and at Kairi, his gaze shifting back and forth.
You then notice tears begin to well up in his eyes. You can feel your throat begin to dry as tears form in your eyes, choosing to fight through them for now.
You wished that Sora would focus on you, just this once. You wanted him to look at you and only you; to have him comfort you as you slowly faded away, to have the chance to tell him what it is you truly feel.
But you knew that it was never meant to be.
With what little strength you have left, you raise your hand and gently touch his cheek.
He sharply turns his head back at you, the tears now streaming down his face. You muster up a soft smile, gently rubbing your thumb on his cheek to wipe them away. He truly has a heart of gold; that was something you’ve always loved about him.
“It’s okay.” you barely manage to mutter, your vision blurring due to your own tears. You didn’t want him to have to make the choice; You knew the answer.
It was always about her.
In that very moment, you begin to feel lighter. You could see a faint glow emit from your own body, and your vision slowly begins to turn white.
“Sora, ” you call his name once more. His lip trembles slightly as he tries to stop crying, the hand once on your wound now gripping the back of your hand on his cheek.
“I love you.”
You exhale one last time as you confess your feelings, a single teardrop rolling down your cheek. Your body disappears as small balls of light dissipate into the air, Sora’s hands now empty.
He lets out a cry that pierces through the land.