Chapter Text
“We’re really doing this,” you stated in awe as you sat with your friends, staring out at the sunset over the waves.
“Tomorrow, we see it all,” Riku grinned. His arms were folded across his chest as he leaned back against the ramshackle-yet-sturdy raft the four of you had pieced together.
“I can’t wait!” Sora bounced on the balls of his feet and Kairi giggled at his excitement.
You watched as Riku’s grin quirked up a little higher at the light sound of her small laughs and Sora beamed at her. Silly boys. You rolled your eyes.
They were both almost twenty and neither of them could bring it upon themselves to talk to her about their crush on her. You had watched them watch her since you were all old enough to play together without adult supervision, some seven or eight years ago. That’s not the only thing that had lasted that long. The four of you had promised to see what was out there besides Destiny Island one day. Turns out that day is tomorrow.
“If we’re going to head out early tomorrow we should probably get some sleep,” you added thoughtfully.
Sora’s head fell with a groan and you fought another eye roll.
Riku sighed before nodding. “C’mon, Sora. I’ll race you back.”
“I don’t want to go back.”
“So you think you’ll lose…” Riku prodded Sora while glancing up at you with a smirk.
“What!? No way, you’re on!”
They both ran back to find their beds first and you were left with Kairi.
“Are you ready for tomorrow?” she asked you, head tilted at you curiously.
“I think so,” you answered slowly. “I mean it’s not that I don’t like Destiny Islands, this place will always feel like home, but I want to know what’s out there.”
“Yeah,” Kairi smiled at you. “Me, too.”
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You found yourself awake in the middle of the night. Sometime before that you had fallen into a shallow, dreamless sleep, still excited for the next day. Now, though, you were staring up at a very dark corner of your ceiling.
“Ah!”
You jumped. That had sounded like Sora, but it had come from your open window. He hadn’t sounded scared so much as panicked and labored, like he was trying to hit something really hard. You sat up and looked toward the window, eyebrows knitted together in worry.
Where was the moonlight?
You stood and looked out at the beach. Sora was out there, surrounded by darkness and strange creatures with large, unblinking yellow eyes.
They were trying to hurt him.
“Sora!” you called out to him, but he couldn’t hear you.
You needed help. Should you get Riku? Or Wakka and Tidus? You didn’t think you had time. You grabbed the old wooden sword you used to spar with Sora and Riku with from deep under your bed before turning and running down the stairs and outside.
“Sora!” You almost couldn’t see him from ground level, but his spiky brown hair bobbed here and there above the darkness. Your shout alerted a pair of creatures near you and they turned to scurry over in you direction. You clenched your jaw and widened you stance. Hopefully you could fight them off.
Hopefully.
Your grip on the wooden sword tightened and you swung. Their yellow eyes vanished and your breath caught in surprise. A moment later they sprung up on either side of you, attacking simultaneously. You hissed as a claw caught your left arm, but you managed to block the other one. You swung at the stunned creature you blocked, the movement taking you away out of the reach of the other small monster. Your sword hit the abdomen of the creature but bounced off with a short ringing sound. You grunted and swung again, but the outcome was the same.
How were you supposed to fight off all these monsters using only defense? It was time for a tactic change.
You jumped back after blocking another swing to observe the horde in front of you. Maybe if you could block your way to Sora, you could both find a way out and flee. You set your stance before beginning forward momentum into the mob of black bodies.
Sora’s back was turned to you, but he must have finally caught your movement because he turned and saw you after you were a yard from him.
“[NAME]!” Sora’s eyes widened in fear.
“Sora!” you called back. “We need to-” you paused to swing at a monster “-fight our way out!”
Sora’s face set sternly and he nodded, turning toward you fully. You noticed the giant key in his hand.
“Wha-” you turned your confused eye from the key to the small creature that had launched itself at you. Your sword came up to block, but the force from the creature knocked the old piece of wood out of your hand. It was flung into the horde and lost.
“Ah!” you cried out in pain as the beasts surrounding you tore at your arms. You had raised them in defense, the only defense you had left.
Sora suddenly cut through the creatures and you took a deep breath, thanking the currently nonexistent stars for your friend.
“Are you okay?” he asked, fending off more foes.
You grunted an affirmative before turning to watch his back. Maybe you could kick the little monsters down.
“Look out!” you called as three jumped to attack the both of you at once. Sora spun and clocked one before driving his large key through the second. The third, however, was flying directly toward your face. Your arms flew up in defense again.
I could really use a key… blade like his.
You felt metal in your grip and opened your eyes in time to see the creature gorge itself on the giant key in your hand. Sora glanced at your new weapon before grinning. You took a deep breath before joining in the battle again.
It didn’t seem to take long after that for Sora and yourself to clear your way. The two of you did more than clear a path, though. You had taken out all of the little monsters.
“What were those?” you were out of breath.
“I don’t know,” Sora was grinning, “but we kicked their-”
The ground started to shake and something began to rise from the shadows. You found two huge yellow eyes and realized it was a ten-story shadow man.
“Sora…” you breathed.
You saw him square himself. You were stuck, arms hanging loosely at your sides and head tilted up. Your eyes were wide. And then Sora charged.
“Sora!” you called out after him, holding up an empty right hand as if you could pull him back. Your weapon had somehow disappeared again, but you didn’t think too hard on that because if you could call Sora back you might have the chance for escape. “Sora!”
You realized he wasn’t going to run from this. He must be crazy, but there was nothing you could do about that now.
The giant shadow man bent down to touch the ground a couple of yards away from you and you could feel the world shake as his fist seemed to try to consume the little light left and a cloud of darkness burst outward. It knocked you off of your feet and you landed in the sand with a cry of pain.
“Ah!” Sora shouted as he struck at the hand.
You had to fight. Or… Sora and you could both die. You realized this as you stared up at the monster. What was that weapon you had used? What did you call it? A keyblade…
You felt cool metal in your right hand again and stood, preparing to rush forward. You charged and swung at the hand. Your keyblade cut into it and you wrenched it out before striking again. You fought with Sora for what seemed an endless amount of time before the monster started to slow and groan.
“We can do this,” you realized out loud.
“Yeah!” Sora cheered in agreement.
You glanced over at him briefly with a small smile. Your enjoyment was cut short when the giant swung its other hand downward, colliding with your body. The air was knocked out of you before you could scream. The ground came hurtling toward you too fast.
“[NAME]!”
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Sora turned from your motionless form and charged at the giant. He put everything he had into his next attacks, knowing that he had to get rid of this guy before he could check on you. The monster finally groaned for the last time. Sora ran as the ground shook, his feet sometimes slipping in the trembling sand. He slid down next to you, cradling your head in his lap carefully.
“[Name], [Name], please wake up!”
Then the world fell away.