Reconcile
Since I never did much about Post-Nort Sora, I wanted to make this prompt. Not too angsty this time, though it’ll seem like that at first.
******
“You’re afraid.”
Sora gripped the Kingdom Key tightly. He looked up at the Darkside looming above him.
“You gave up all that power…and for what? To be weak and afraid?”
The island was falling apart all around him, just like the first time. He took a deep breath and started running towards the massive Heartless. He avoided the balls of darkness it had summoned by either dodging or smacking them away.
“Such a waste. You truly are an insignificant speck in the grand scheme of things.”
The Darkside drove its fist into the ground. Sora watched as a black sludge manifested all around him. It started to become difficult to walk as his shoes got stuck in it. Sora gritted his teeth as several Shadows began coming out of the dark pool.
“You might as well join those creatures. Such a pathetic form would suit you.”
Sora blocked one of the Shadows as it lunged at him. He smacked it away, making it disappear.
“STOP IGNORING ME.”
Something shot out of the pool at incredible speed, making it impossible for Sora to see what it was. Sora raised his keyblade defensively, only to find that it was flying towards the Darkside. In one fell swoop, the Darkside was destroyed by it. Sora finished off the Shadows just as the sludge faded away.
He tensed up at the dark creature floated down to the ground and landed on its feet. It looked like the shadowy version of him that Riku had created all those years ago…
The creature cracked its knuckles. Its dark appearance slowly started to fade away, replaced by a figure he knew far too well. He hummed, dusting off his black coat as his golden eyes were fixated on Sora.
“…I gave you power, and you shunned it. Such disregard for respect.”
“I cast you out. I’m not you anymore.” Sora bared his teeth. “…Why are you still here???”
“You didn’t cast out anything. You gave in. Get it through that thick head of yours.” The other him crossed his arms.
“…If it weren’t for those useless friends of yours…you would still be me.”
“They aren’t useless!!!” Sora exclaimed. He charged at the other him, only to be swatted away with ease.
“Darkness could have been on your side forever. But you’re too much of a coward to go through with it.”
Sora scrambled backwards as the other him began to approach in a menacing manner. Sora froze as he teleported, then reappeared right in front of Sora. The other him grabbed him by the face and raised him up into the air. Sora struggled to free himself.
“You will fall again. I’ll still be here…waiting for that moment. You can’t escape it forever.”
The other him let go. Sora fell onto the ground with a loud thud. Sora looked down at his hands and began to tremble, seeing the all-too familiar black gloves covering his own. He attempted to pull off the gloves and coat, but they wouldn’t budge. Sora choked back a sob as his head dropped. He felt his mouth beginning to move on its own.
“You will embrace the darkness. I want MORE.”
Kairi’s head shot up from her bed, waking up to the sound of screaming. She headed out of her room and saw that Riku was up as well. They stared at each other for a moment, then nodded. Kairi and Riku went to Sora’s room and rushed inside. They saw the boy wrestling with his bedsheets as he cried. Kairi went to Sora’s side first. She gently pulled the covers down and shushed him. Kairi pushed his bangs back and touched his forehead. He was burning up.
“Hey, it’s okay…” Kairi whispered. “You’re safe now…”
Sora sniffed. He reached out and hugged her tightly. Kairi sighed and caressed his head. Riku approached cautiously and watched them in silence. There was extreme concern written all over his face.
Kairi smiled faintly. “…Don’t worry, Sora. We’ll protect you.”
*******
“And this is when we flew for the first time!”
Goofy pointed at an entry inside Jiminy’s Journal. Jiminy himself was peering down at his book from atop Sora’s shoulder. Donald snickered.
“You really wanted to show Kairi that you could fly!” Donald nudged the boy, who seemed a bit flustered by the comment.
“Ya don’t need to tease him!” Jiminy waved his index finger. “You would get the same way if we talked about Daisy, after all.”
Donald’s eyes widened.
“OH NO! I FORGOT ABOUT OUR DATE! DAISY’S GONNA KILL ME!!!”
Goofy, Jiminy, and Sora started to laugh at him. Donald groaned, slumping his shoulders.
“Hey, what’s with all the yelling?”
The trio looked over at Ventus, who had approached with Aqua. He grinned and waved.
“Hi, Sora! How’s it going?”
Sora quickly averted his eyes. He winced a little, saying nothing in response. Ventus tilted his head in confusion, wondering why Sora had suddenly gone quiet. Aqua placed her hand on Ventus’ shoulder.
“A-hem!” Jiminy cleared his throat loudly. He hopped off of Sora’s shoulder.
“Say, how’s your other friend doin’? He’s alright, I hope?”
“…You mean Terra?” Aqua said.
Jiminy nodded. “That’s right!”
Aqua raised a hand above her mouth with an bright gleam in her eyes.
“He’s doing just fine. He’s just resting for a little bit. I’m glad to see that you’re up and about too, Sora.”
“…Thanks.” Sora rubbed his arm.
“I’ve got an idea!” Ventus chimed. “Why don’t we pull out that board game we always used to play?”
Aqua tapped her foot.
“…I don’t think Yen Sid has a copy of it, much less the original…but I can ask. I’ll be right back.”
Aqua turned and began to head upstairs. She stopped abruptly for a moment.
“…Oh, and just to point this out…I’ve never lost.” She smiled and winked at the boys.
Ventus huffed. “Well, one of us is gonna beat you this time!”
“I doubt that. But have fun trying.” Aqua snickered as she continued heading up the stairs.
“Ok!” Ventus smiled. “Which one of you wants to join? It’s a three-player game.”
“…I need to go…and maybe Daisy will only chew me out for being late. If I don’t show up at all…” Donald gulped.
Goofy patted his shoulder.
“Gawrsh, Donald! If you’re that worried, I’ll go with ya and help explain what we were doin’!”
Donald nodded, feeling a bit of reassurance with Goofy’s words. He glanced at the small cricket on the floor.
“…Jiminy, you can stay with the boys.”
“Roger that!” Jiminy saluted.
Donald and Goofy ran down the stairs to head for the ship. Jiminy put his arms behind his back.
“I guess this means you two are playing with Aqua. Are ya gonna come up with a strategy?”
“I’ve already got one. Wanna hear it?” Ventus asked.
Sora looked to the side. He nodded, running his arm awkwardly.
“Great! Now here’s what we’ll do…”
Ventus began whispering his plan to Sora. Jiminy sat down and took off his hat. He smiled, happy to see that they were getting along.
******
“You okay, man? You’ve been spacing out ever since you got here.”
They had decided to visit Twilight Town after Sora mentioned he wanted to see Hayner and the gang again. He felt Kairi gently nudge him. Hayner crossed his arms, waiting for an answer.
“Cut him some slack. Kairi said he’s still recovering. He’s been sick!” Olette huffed, looking over at Kairi and Sora.
“…What kind of illness did you have again? The flu? A fever? The common cold?” Olette inquired. “…I could think of a few remedies, like some honey, or cough medicine, or plenty of water…”
Pence rolled his eyes. “You’re not his mom, Olette. And if he had the flu, he wouldn’t be here.”
“…Besides, I think they’ve got it covered. Right?”
Sora nodded in agreement. “Right. I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.”
“…What have you guys been doing?”
Hayner shrugged. “Same as usual. Seifer and his gang are still as much of a pain as ever. But I guess I kinda respect how dedicated he is.”
“You’d better.”
Hayner spun around to see Seifer, glaring at them with his arms crossed. The law enforcer eyed Sora and Kairi skeptically.
“…You two again. Been keeping up with training? Or have you gone soft?”
He smirked, slamming his fist against his other hand. “I’d be willing to have a Struggle match with one of you. I’m kinda bored right now.”
“Knock it off. They just came to hang out with us!” Olette protested.
Seifer rolled his eyes.
“Then let’s see what they have to say about my offer.”
Sora’s face twisted into a look of frustration. He took a deep breath, shutting his eyes. He turned around and headed towards The Usual Spot.
“…I need a minute.”
Kairi reached out to Sora as he walked past her, but she hesitated. Once he was out of sight, she closed her hands into fists. Kairi looked over at Seifer with a scowl.
“We came here trying to avoid confrontation. Do you really want a fight that badly?”
Seifer raised his hands defensively.
“Whoa whoa, chill. I wasn’t all that serious. I do need to be the tough guy for this town, though. Hayner can relate.”
Hayner shrugged. “He’s…got a point, actually. Never thought I’d say that.”
Kairi’s anger faded. She tilted her head.
“…You really mean that? You’re not just messing with us?”
Seifer shook his head. “I’ve got no reason to be mad at you guys. He kept all the residents of Twilight Town safe when I couldn’t, after all. I just figured you and him wouldn’t be against a friendly spar.”
“Seifer’s not always the bad guy, you know?” Rai chimed in.
Fuu nodded in agreement.
“Undoubtedly.”
“So, since we’ve got this all settled…now what?” Pence rubbed his head.
Kairi tapped her finger on her lips, thinking. Should she check up on Sora to see how he was doing? Or give him some space?
Seifer coughed loudly, snapping Kairi out of her thoughts.
“…What about you, then? You wanna have a Struggle match with me?”
Kairi blinked, a bit surprised by the sudden question.
“Really? Even though I’ve never done it before?”
Seifer looked to the side, his face turning slightly red.
“I mean…I could teach you. It’s easy. B-but only if you want to try. Not like I’d force it on you or anything….”
Kairi smiled faintly. She put her arms behind her back.
“….Well…”
Kairi jumped a little when she felt a hand touch her shoulder.
“I changed my mind.”
She glanced upwards to see Sora, staring at Seifer with an unreadable expression. Seifer grinned.
“You’re on.”
*******
The two boys stood on opposing sides, holding the blue bats in their hands. Kairi curved her lips as she watched from the sidelines with Hayner and the gang, along with Rai and Fuu.
“Rules are the same as always. The one who has the highest amount of points when time runs out is the winner.”
Seifer gave Sora a taunting sneer.
“…Hope you’re ready to lose.”
Sora smirked. “Don’t count on it.”
Kairi bit her lip.
Sora, be careful….
Seifer charged at Sora first, who sidestepped out of the way. He dodged a few swings for his his head and arms, then jumped back as Seifer lunged forward.
“Quit dodging, will ya?” Seifer gritted his teeth. “It’s starting to get on my nerves.”
“That makes two of us.” Sora raised an eyebrow as Seifer gave him a confused look.
Sora finally went for an attack, leaping up and slashing at Seifer, who narrowly avoided the hit by bending backwards. Sora, not fully expecting Seifer’s quick reaction, got hit square in the chest from underneath. Sora stumbled from the force of the blow, doubling over as his clutched his shirt.
“Well, would you look at that. I’ve got more points than you, and time is running out. Seems like you’ve lost your touch.”
“Seifer, don’t antagonize him…!” Kairi said with a warning tone.
Seifer looked over at Kairi for a split second, but his attention went right back to Sora. He blocked a hit, then realized he was beginning to get pushed back. Seifer grunted as both their arms began to shake, his slightly more than Sora’s. He couldn’t see Sora’s face very well since it was lowered, bangs obscuring his eyes.
Seifer saw a flash of yellow when his bat suddenly snapped in half. With a single blow, Seifer was knocked out of the ring. He groaned as he lied against the ground.
“I win.”
Seifer opened one eye to see Sora standing above him, keyblade in hand. He gritted his teeth as Sora pressed down with his foot against Seifer’s chest. An unnerving smile had formed on his mouth.
“SORA.”
He felt someone grip his arm tightly. Kairi squeezed a little.
“That’s enough. The match is over.”
Sora’s eyes darted from left to right. He quickly backed away from Seifer, commanding his keyblade to disappear. The eerie golden glint in his eyes faded.
Rai and Fuu rushed over to help Seifer stand up. He dusted off his coat, glaring at Sora with a furious expression.
“…Not. Cool.”
Sora turned his head in shame.
“I-I….I’m sorry….”
Seifer’s hard gaze softened a bit.
“…You know what? It’s fine. Guess you weren’t really ready to handle a fight.”
“Oh, he was definitely ready for one.” Hayner approached, then stopped beside Sora, Seifer and Kairi. Hayner crossed his arms. “…You’ve got a lot of pent-up anger. I know it’s not my place to ask…so you should probably work that out.”
Sora nodded sheepishly, rubbing his arm.
“I’m trying.”
Sora’s face turned slightly red.
“I guess…I got a little jealous when I heard you and Seifer talking. I’m sorry, Kairi.”
Kairi couldn’t help but giggle a little when he gave her a look resembling a sad puppy. She placed a hand on his shoulder.
“It’s okay, Sora. I understand.”
Seifer rubbed his head, groaning in irritation.
“Well, I don’t! I wasn’t asking her out on a date or anything….” Seifer lightly punched Sora’s arm.
“You need to chill out, man. I don’t steal people’s girlfriends.”
Sora’s jaw dropped in shock.
“G…g-girlfriend?! I-we’re not-did it really sound like-!?”
Kairi sighed, covering Sora’s mouth.
“I think you broke him. Try not to use that word too liberally around Sora. He always gets like this.”
Pence snickered. “Good to know some things never change, right?”
The small group laughed as Sora covered his face with his hands, unable to form a coherent sentence.
….You guys suck…
********
Riku was seated at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the starry sky. He waited patiently, drumming his fingers against the steps on occasion. He glanced back as he heard the doors to Yen Sid’s tower open. Sora stepped outside, along with a few other friends that wanted to spectate. Even Terra seemed to have recuperated enough to see the match. Yen Sid seemed mildly curious as he poked his head past the half-open door.
Riku stood up. He smiled faintly, putting his hands on his sides as Sora approached.
“…You sure you’re ready to fight for real? You’ve trained a lot, and that’s really good, but…”
Sora winced. “C’mon, Riku. You understand better than anyone. This is something I need to do.”
Riku closed his eyes for a moment.
“…Kairi told me what you did in Twilight Town.”
“It was a small slip. It won’t happen again. I’ve been trying really hard to keep my feelings in check.” Sora looked down.
Riku opened his eyes, frowning a little.
“You shouldn’t keep that all bottled up inside, either. You just need to learn to control it.”
“Then help me do that already instead of lecturing me…” Sora said.
Riku let out a small sigh. He summoned his keyblade.
“…You’re right. Let’s start, then.”
Riku and Sora charged towards each other. Kairi watched with a bit of unease as their weapons clashed, sparks flying into the air. Riku formed a dark barrier when Sora threw his keyblade like a boomerang. It bounced off the shield uselessly. Sora caught it in midair just as Riku dropped the barrier and rushed him. Sora shut his eyes for a second as Riku’s weapon hit his. The young master took the opportunity and kicked Sora’s legs, making him fall over. Sora’s eyes snapped open as Riku’s blade stopped inches from his face.
“You hesitated.” Riku buried the tip of his keyblade into the dirt. “You stopped fighting me.”
“…A decision like that, in a real battle…would get you killed. You already know this, Sora. So why?”
Sora averted his eyes.
“…Why did you stop? Just tell m-”
“Because I thought I would hurt you again, ok?!?” Sora gritted his teeth, placing a hand on his chest. Riku’s eyes widened.
“I’m scared. I’m scared all the time, and I hate it. I’m too afraid to even be in the same room as anyone...” Sora placed a hand on his head, breathing in and out shakily.
“….But….But I still force myself to, because you’re all my friends. What kind of a friend would avoid the people he cares about…?”
Riku tensed up. Aqua covered her mouth with her hands as Ventus stared in astonishment. Kairi started tearing up.
“…Sora…” Riku reached out to him.
“NO!” Sora yelled. “JUST STOP! I already know what you’re going to say…”
“…’Everything will be fine, Sora. You don’t have to be afraid. It’ll pass. You’re the hero, so you can handle it.’ Got it pretty much on the nose, right?”
Riku was at a loss for words. Sora lowered his head.
“…None of you…get it. You and Kairi never even noticed when something was wrong…“ Sora’s voice cracked.”
“…Maybe…some of you do get it. Just not in the same way. Gradually losing more and more control over yourself. Having your memories erased or rewritten like it was some kind of sick game. Fighting so hard to keep myself from drowning in the deepest, darkest abyss…just so I could see all of you again.”
“…And in the end…I’m left with nothing. Completely powerless to help any of you. Always needing to start from the ground up.” Sora looked at his hands, then closed them into fists. Donald and Goofy seemed deeply concerned for him. Namine gripped the ends of her dress tightly. Roxas and Xion exchanged guilt-ridden looks while Lea appeared to be incredibly uncomfortable.
Sora’s arms dropped. He turned around and headed back to the tower.
“…I want to be alone right now. Please don’t follow me.”
Riku and Kairi both stepped inside the tower as he ran up the stairs, slamming the door to his room shut.
“….Gawrsh….” Goofy sounded confused, but mostly sad.
“I know what he said….but I think one of us should talk to him.”
“Ohhhh….” Donald squeezed his eyes shut. “He won’t listen to any of us! Not when he’s upset like that! You know what he’s like, Goofy.”
Goofy sighed. “Yeah. I know.”
Yen Sid put his arms behind his back with a grave expression on his face.
“I believe…this calls for something a bit more unexpected.”
Yen Sid looked at Terra, who seemed shocked by the master’s silent decision. He nervously pointed at himself.
“…Me? Are you sure?” Terra rubbed the back of his neck.
“…I think, out of everyone here…I’m the least qualified to give advice.”
“That’s not true.” Aqua shook her head. She took his hand.
“Out of everyone here…you’re the only one who fully understands what he went through. At least try talking to him?”
Terra rubbed his eyes.
“…Okay.”
******
…I shouldn’t have yelled at them. They all just want to help…
Sora face was buried into his knees as he laid his back against the corner of his bed. He sniffed, digging his hands into his disshelved hair.
…I’m an idiot. Maybe they’re better off without me…
Sora flinched when he heard the sound of his door creaking. He heard footsteps as someone came inside. Sora slowly lifted his head up, blinking the tears out of his eyes.
“…Hi.” Terra waved awkwardly. “…Mind if I join you?”
Sora shrugged. He rubbed his eyes as Terra sat down next to him. Terra inhaled sharply, attempting to put his thoughts into words.
“…So. You’re having trouble with readjusting.”
Sora laid his cheek on his knees.
“……“
“…You know there’s nothing wrong with that, right?” Terra stated.
“Are you just here to give me a pep talk?”
Terra’s face went blank. Sora clutched the sides of his head.
“I’m sorry. If I’m not scared, I’m really angry. I don’t know why. I’m worried I’ll hurt someone if it gets worse.”
Terra stared out the window, noticing how nice the sky was. He expression became more solemn.
“…When I…was first taken over by Xehanort….I did everything in my power to fight back. Like you did.”
Sora’s eyes turned to Terra.
“…But it wasn’t enough. Even though I defeated him, he still took my heart and my body. There was nothing I could do except remain an empty shell of who I used to be.”
“I was left all alone, with nothing but my own troubling thoughts and memories. It was then…that I realized my biggest mistake. Bigger than trusting Xehanort.”
Terra closed his eyes.
“If I had just listened to my friends and my master…no. My father, and my family. If we had just taken the time to talk and figure things out together…none of this would have happened.” Terra pushed back a strand of his long, brown hair.
“…I was selfish. I did want more power, even though I refused to admit it. Even though I really only wanted more power to make everyone proud of me. I didn’t realize what I already had…until I lost it all.”
“But you, Sora….” Terra turned his head towards the boy with an intense glare.
“You’re so very different from me in that aspect. You never pushed people away. You brought them all together. You knew what you had, and you were willing to give it all up for anyone in need. So while I didn’t care enough…you cared too much.“
Sora felt his insides twist. He remained silent as Terra continued.
“By the time I had that same sentiment…it was already too late for me.“
Sora watched as Terra stood up, then approached the window. He noticed the glowing railroad and the train, still a fair distance away.
”…I didn’t come here to give you a pep talk. Not exactly.“ Terra rested his hands on the windowsill. “I know you’re more than just a kid, so you deserve to be treated as such. As an equal, who deserves honesty.”
“…There’s no guarantee that everything will automatically be okay tomorrow, or any day after that. But if you’re still willing to not give up…”
He glanced back at Sora, giving him a tiny smile.
“…Just know that we’ll be with you every step of the way.”
Tears started streaming down Sora’s cheeks. He shot up from the ground and hugged Terra. Startled by the sudden reaction, Terra’s hands were raised up at first. He eventually lowered them, patting Sora’s head.
Sora let go after a few minutes. He felt a bit embarrassed.
“…Sorry…”
“I think you’ve apologized enough for one day.” Terra grinned, ruffling his hair. Sora chuckled nervously.
“…I should go and check on Aqua and Ven. Hopefully they didn’t start another game without me. Take it easy.”
Terra headed for the door to Sora’s room. He opened it and took a step outside.
“…Hey.”
Terra looked back. Sora smiled a bit more enthusiastically.
“Thanks.”
Terra nodded, feeling a rush of relief. It went a whole lot better than he expected.
“No problem.”
Terra left, leaving the door open just a crack. Sora had a determined look in his eyes as he made a decision. He pushed the door forward and made his way back downstairs.
…I can do this. Not just for my friends…but for me, too.
