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Sora was breathing hard. They both were.
Riku, on the far end of the glossy white hallway, now slick with their sweat and blood, was trembling with exertion. From the fight, Sora wondered, or from what he still held back?
Sora couldn't read Riku's face. He'd lowered his head, and his silver hair shadowed it.
But then he shifted, just a little, enough to reveal the jagged curl of his lip, and he spat, “You didn't jog my memories, Sora. You should try hitting me a little harder.”
Sora wasn't planning to fall for his stupid bait—
but then he smirked, full on, his head lifting, his eyes like green fire, his expression bitter and awful and cruel.
And Sora didn't even feel his legs pumping until he'd slipped, until he was careening at Riku, until he'd shoved the both of them to the ground.
Desperate, Sora pushed his hands onto Riku's shoulders, holding him down.
Riku stared at him, his expression broken with shock. Once he'd gathered himself, he pushed, and Sora sprawled, his stomach throbbing with the impact of Riku's hands. Sora struggled backward, but Riku had already clambered atop him, slamming him onto the floor.
Sora tried to swallow. His throat was almost completely try but for the faint aftertaste of blood. His nose streaming, he sniffed hard, then fought against Riku's weight, but he'd pinned Sora good.
Suddenly, they were throwing their full strength against each other, growling, clawing, wresting for purchase. Sora was on top of Riku, and then Sora was on the floor again. Rolling, rolling, back and forth, again and again. He couldn't even keep the fight straight in his head. He thought he'd caught Riku at last, and then his lip stung from a swipe, and his eyes couldn't settle. Riku was under him, on top of him, shoving him, knocking his head into the ground. Sora blinked, and he saw three different Rikus. He was everywhere.
Sora eyes welled up. Squeezing them shut, he pushed with all his might against Riku. He was struck by a memory that hadn't erased yet, of the demigod Hercules, of a strength that rivaled a train at full speed. Before Sora could fully examine the memory, it was gone, like everything else in Castle Oblivion.
But when his mind cleared again, he was atop Riku, and they were both panting, shaking from the bruises and cuts they'd opened on each other.
Riku was finally down, too focused on breathing to fight back. Sora trembled with his triumph. He'd bested Riku. He felt like—he could only just grasp onto the sensation, like an echo of a memory—like he'd never been strong enough to beat Riku, like he'd always been lagging behind.
Sora's blood surged. Finally, finally, finally, yes, look UP at me. Look at me. Look.
Riku was, his eyes pale between strands of his knotted hair.
Their chests were pressed flush to each other, and now Sora realized he could sense Riku's own heartbeat beneath his own, too fast to keep up with. As Sora leaned on him, one of the cuts on Sora's face welled, and the blood dripped from his cheek down onto Riku's. Riku tensed a little at the strike of his blood.
They both stared at one another, silent, wordless. Sora began to ache with an emotion he couldn't name, tight and hot and desperate for a release.
Now that all was silent, Sora could hear something down the long hall.
No: someone. Calling after him.
Sora? Where did you go?
One of his friends, maybe. Or—Naminé? Was that her..?
Sora looked down at Riku. A wave of revulsion overcame him. He scrambled off of Riku, wiping his sweating hands on his shorts. He—He—He needed to save Naminé. He was getting distracted. He was letting Riku distract him.
He knew fighting wouldn't work. That's all Riku ever wanted to do was fight, fight, fight. Of course it wouldn't be enough to save him.
Sora's vision had glassed over again, giving his surroundings blurred edges. Riku moved like a shadow, pulling himself up to his feet, hesitating a moment, then sprinting down the far hall, fading into nothing.
Sora closed his eyes. He could still hear his pulse roaring.
Shame burrowed into him. He was just as bad as Riku.
He'd just—wanted Riku to stop—wanted—
Riku—