Chapter Text
Adventuring with Donald and Goofy was great, but the missions Sora got to go on with Riku and Kairi were always his favourite, especially when it meant taking them to worlds he had visited before and introducing them to the friends he had made in his travels. It was a pity their visit to the Kingdom of Corona didn't line up with the Lantern Festival on Rapunzel's birthday. Then again, he doubted they would've had much time to enjoy it anyway, considering the reason they were there.
The return of Nobodies to the areas beyond the castle town had been a shock to them all. With Xemnas long gone and Organisation XIII a thing of the past, coordinated attacks by Nobodies were something they hadn't expected to see. There had been a degree of panic amongst their wider group at first. What if this meant Xemnas had returned? Or a new adversary was about to emerge from the shadows? Lauriam had assuaged their immediate worries though. He had a fairly good idea of why the creatures he had once commanded as Marluxia were there.
They hadn't fully understood his explanation of why the Nobodies might be back. It was something to do with how they were transported there the first time, about the dark corridors from the World That Never Was and how one may have reopened. He theorised the Heartless he himself had turned Mother Gothel into might have something to do with this, and that maybe she had left behind some kind of presence as well. Mother Gothel had lived in that place for a very long time. It was possible some connection to her heart was keeping her clinging to that world.
Even if none of them were quite sure of the reason, Sora was pretty confident he knew how to deal with it. Smash some things with his Keyblade, then find and seal another creepy door. That was something he and the others could definitely do.
And so, the three of them had arrived in Corona the previous evening. Leaving their gummi ship concealed at the edge of the forest, they had made their way to the castle town to spend the night, gathering all the information they could from Rapunzel and Eugene about what they were likely to encounter the next day. A good night's sleep, and they delved into the woodlands.
At first, their trek through the trees and forest groves had been fun. They came across many more rabbits and birds than they did Nobodies. Kairi was entranced by the bluebirds Sora befriended, and both she and Riku laughed loudly when a few of the birds became a little too friendly and decided to nest themselves in Sora's hair. Sora had not been impressed.
The forest animals didn't hang around for very long though. As they began passing through canyons and mines the Nobodies made their presence known. They were the same ones Sora had fought here before. Their petal-like limbs and scythes slashed out at them violently each time they came across them, but they fell easily to the three experienced Keyblade wielders.
They weren't the only enemies they encountered though. Once they cleared the mines and re-entered the woods, they found Heartless blocking their path forward.
They were surprised by this as well. Heartless rarely appeared in this area anymore. They suspected the return of the Nobodies had affected them too, because they came thick and fast, making the journey slower than the three of them had anticipated. Just like the Nobodies, individually the creatures weren't much of a threat. Their sheer numbers were gradually becoming a problem though, and the further they delved into the forest the more Nobodies appeared as well.
They followed the growing number of enemies and Sora soon realised where they were leading them. Towards Rapunzel's Tower. Laurium's suspicions that these were linked to Mother Gothel's Heartless were seeming increasingly likely. By the time they arrived at the hidden tunnel that would lead them to the tower, they were all beginning to feel tired.
"Reckon we'll make it back to town tonight?" Riku asked the others, as he sat down for a short break before pushing forward.
"We better," Kairi grumbled, dropping down onto the ground beside him. "I need a sleep in a proper bed after this."
Sora flopped back onto the thick grass, putting his hands behind his head and grinning up at the sky. "This is the perfect place to camp though! The stars will be amazing out here."
"You can stargaze all you want back at the castle," Kairi told him, nudging his side with her foot. "Let's leave camping for another night."
"But we can't waste this weather. Look how clear the sky is!"
"I wouldn't bet on that lasting," Riku said, pointing to another patch of sky. Sora followed his finger and groaned. He hadn't noticed the grey clouds gathering in the distance.
He sat up. "Guess we should get this done fast then, let's not get stuck out here in the rain."
They allowed themselves a few minutes more rest before Sora led them through the tunnel, and into the valley where Rapunzel had once lived. Kairi and Riku marvelled at the view. They didn't have much time to take it in before a wave of Nobodies came flooding out of the Tower window high above. "Ready?" Sora looked back at them with a determined smile. They gave him a nod, and together they charged.
With their enemies defeated, and the portal they had been emerging from at the top of the tower closed, the three skidded down the side of the building, all feeling rather pleased with themselves. Worn out, but pleased, and looking forward to getting out of the forest. The dark grey clouds were advancing fast.
"Still feel like camping?" Riku asked, wrapping an arm around Sora's shoulders as they walked.
"Hmm, maybe next time." Kairi and Riku chuckled, but their cheerful banter was interrupted. "Oh come on, give us a break!" Sora moaned, as yet more Heartless sprung up before them, blocking their way into the tunnel. With little choice in the matter, the three summoned their weapons once again.
If they hadn't been so drained already the battle would probably have been simple, but the lunging Powerwilds and Puffballs made dodging the projectiles of the Archers and Chief Puffs difficult. Each foe they struck down was quickly replaced, their numbers just as high as they had been before. Even so, they would have been able to take them down, if it weren't for the new form of Heartless they hadn't been prepared for. Sora paid no mind to the different puffs with pale purple skin. It turned out to be a mistake.
Riku was the first to be hit by the sleep spell. He dodged most of the pollen-like gas the Heartless belched out, but the edge of the cloud caught him. It sent him reeling, the world around him fuzzing in and out as he tried to fight off the sudden overpowering sleepiness.
"Riku, you OK?!" Riku couldn't make out where Sora was through the gaps in his spinning vision but called back in the direction of his voice.
"Sleep magic!"
"What?" Kairi called out from another end of the battlefield.
"They've got sleep magic!" His words were slurred, but he hoped the others understood. He tried backing up, away from the Heatless as he shook his head hard to try and clear it. "I'm fine! But watch out for-" He was cut off as the second spell hit him. He hadn't seen it coming, and this time caught the full brunt of the attack. He went down at once.
"Riku!" Sora sent a healing spell his way but it made no difference. Kairi threw her Keyblade and warped to his side. While Sora did his best to distract the remaining Heartless, Kairi stayed near to defend Riku.
"He's OK!" She called out when Sora shot her an anxious look. "Watch out for that magic!"
Sora did all he could to keep the Heartless away, soon gasping for breath and his magic close to exhausted, as he conjured yet another whirlwind to pull the Heartless near Kairi towards him. Kairi wasn't in much better a position. It was as if their enemy knew which of them was most vulnerable, as they lunged at her and Riku again and again. But their numbers were fading, finally they were getting to the point where none appeared to replace those they had struck down.
Sora's legs were trembling, his arms screaming at him with the effort of swinging his blade, but they were almost there. Just a little bit more and they would be done. Just a few more to go and they could shake Riku awake, tease him for slacking off, and then he and Kairi could collapse and rest.
But then another Chief Puff emerged from the air behind Kairi, and this time she didn't have a chance to shield herself from its spell. The magic hit her and she staggered, eyelids already sagging.
"Kairi!" Sora tore through the last of the Powerwilds and broke into a sprint. Through the sleepy haze, Kairi somehow managed to summon the remains of her magic. She raised her weapon once more and sent off a Firaza spell that engulfed their final enemy in seconds, before her Keyblade vanished, and she crumpled to the ground.
Sora dropped down when he reached them, sprawled on the grass beside each other. Relief crashed over him as he scanned them both for wounds and found nothing. He felt far less relieved when he shook them both, and neither woke up. "Oi! Riku, Kairi! Guys, wake up!"
But his yells fell on deaf ears, and he sighed. He'd seen sleep magic in the past and expected it would be a while before he managed to wake them up. "And you guys call me the lazy one, guess I'm stuck waiting for you two to wake up this time..."
A faint rumble of thunder told him the rain was coming soon. He slipped his arms under Kairi's shoulders and legs, intending to lift and carry her into the cave (he wasn't looking forward to attempting to drag the much heavier Riku there) and away from the incoming rain. He was distracted by another loud rumbling though. It was far closer than the thunder.
He turned and felt a wave of dread. There, streaming from the tower window, were the unmistakable trailing silver and black streaks of an incoming Nobody. This time a flood of them didn't appear though. Only one monster emerged, but this one was growing, expanding outwards from the window and into the sky, and he recognised it. A silvery version of the Heartless created from Mother Gothel's heart as it fell to darkness.
He was exhausted, all magic gone, no items left to replenish that or his strength. This was going to be difficult. As the Nobody advanced towards him, Riku, and Kairi, he felt a wave of cold fury. He wasn't letting this bastard touch them.
With a roar, he launched himself forward, and let the darkness of Rage engulf him.
Rage, his last resort, always gave him access to his deepest energy reserves, able to push himself farther than any other time. Even with Rage though, this would be a difficult battle. Rage came with a price every time he used it, a few minutes in it and he'd lose half a day or so to the exhaustion, the aches and pains, the heavy fatigue. A few minutes meant recovery time, but not much.
This fight was going to be much longer.
It was the drumming of rain on her face that eventually woke Kairi. Opening her eyes, she saw a grey sky high above, framed by leaves and branches of tall trees. She shivered. Her brain was sluggish from sleep, but she vaguely registered that her clothes were wet through. The rain was gentle, how long had she been out in it to be this drenched and cold?
The pattering sound of the rain filled the air, but other sounds rang out over it. Clanging metal and loud thunks. The sounds were familiar. She didn't understand, why was she on the ground? Pushing herself up onto her elbows, she tried to remember. She peered around, recognising the opening of the hidden tunnel beside her. They must still be in the Tower valley. On her other side, she found Riku lying just a few feet away, unconscious. He was stirring as well, brow furrowing as his eyes roved beneath their lids. Why had they both been asleep? And where-
Heartless. Fire. Sleep spell.
She sat bolt upright, recognising the sounds of battle. "Sora?" she yelled, looking around wildly as she got to her feet. Her stomach dropped at the scene before her.
The enormous Tower was no longer reaching up towards the sky. Something must have sent it crashing down, its stones scattered across the ground, just the base of the structure left where it used to stand.
Floating high above that rubble, was a monstrous creature. As she watched, it screeched and dove towards the ground, smashing into the stones below, and a dark figure shot into the air, leaping backwards away from the attack.
"Sora!" She stumbled forward and watched as the Nobody reared back up to continue its attack. Sora, cloaked in the darkness of Rage form, flitted back and forth, trails of red and smoke following his every move. She couldn't make them out from this distance, but she knew once she drew closer she would see red, pupilless eyes in his face.
She summoned her Keyblade. She doubted she had the strength to fight for long, and her magic was completely drained, but she was going to help him however she could. But, before she could join the fray, Sora leapt and lashed out at the monster one final time. He struck the Nobody with enormous strength, and the sound of breaking wood echoed off the valley walls.
With a piercing screech, the Nobody came crashing to the ground. Sprawled out in the stream, it dissolved away. Sora landed hard in the ankle-deep water, as the final wisps of his enemy disappeared in front of him
Kairi watched him push himself upright and smiled with relief as the darkness fell away from his skin and he transformed back before her eyes. It didn't matter how much she reminded herself that Sora was still himself when he was in Rage form, it scared her whenever he used it.
"Sora!" She jogged forward, but her smile faltered as she watched him. He didn't turn, or return the yell. He was leaning to the side, arms hanging heavy and shoulders slumped. His Keyblade fell from his hand before disappearing. As Kairi drew closer she caught sight of blood. She broke into a sprint. "Sora!"
This time he heard her. He turned slowly, staggering a few steps sideways as he tried to keep his balance. He stared at her with bleary anxious eyes in a chalk white face. "Are you guys OK?" he croaked when she reached him. His voice was raw and faint.
"Yeah we are," she told him quickly. He obviously wasn't though and she grabbed his shoulders to steady him. "Where are you hurt worst?"
Sora didn't answer. He just beamed at her, relief washing over him. They were OK, Kairi and Riku were both OK. They were all safe now.
"That's good..." He swayed and Kairi tightened her grip.
"Just hold on, I've got-" She was cut off as Sora's eyes rolled back and he collapsed into her arms. Holding him tight, she dropped to her knees and yelled over her shoulder. "Riku! Help! Help!!"
Riku had just finished pushing himself up onto unsteady feet, head and eyes still clouded from the double hit of sleep spells. At Kairi's yell, he shook his head hard and lurched into an ungainly run, following her voice to where she was crouched in the stream. It wasn't until he staggered to her side and knelt down that he realised why she had sounded so desperate.
Sora was slumped against her with his head resting on her shoulder, eyes closed and face tense with pain. His breath came fast and shallow, wheezing as though he had been inhaling smoke. His body was littered with wounds, blood seeping from slashes in his skin and rapidly soaking into Kairi's clothes as she held him up. Riku put a hand on his cheek but he didn't seem to feel it. "What happened?"
"Another Nobody, huge, he must have fought it off by himself," she explained quickly. Riku gave her a fearful look. She nodded. "He was using Rage form when I woke up." Which means it was a bad battle, they both knew without needing to say it aloud. Rage was always Sora's last resort.
"Can you heal him?" Riku asked. His magic reserves were dry as well.
"I'm out of magic." She jerked her head down and her leg. "But I've got an Elixir." Thank goodness she'd brought an emergency one with her, though she cursed herself mentally for not stocking up on extra potions as well.
Riku retrieved a small bottle from her pocket and placed a hand on Sora's shoulder, taking care to avoid a gouge in his upper arm. He gave him a small shake. "Sora?" As Riku shook him, Sora's awareness began trickling back. If he'd been given the choice, he would most definitely have stayed unconscious. His bones were aching. Every inch of his skin stung like it had been burnt. "Come on Sora, wake up."
Sora really did not want to be awake right now. Not able to form the words, he groaned his objection. The hand on his shoulder gave him a squeeze. "Can you open your eyes for me?" Riku sounded scared, so Sora resisted the urge to protest again. He dragged his eyes open. He could just make out Riku's blurry image, and the bottle of golden liquid he was holding out to him. "You need to drink this, do you think you can do that?"
He nodded and closed his eyes, the effort of keeping them open too tiring. The rim of a bottle touched his lips as Riku carefully tilted the Elixir into his mouth. He drank.
The sharp pain of multiple cuts swiftly dulled as the magic willed his skin to knit back together. He sighed with relief and leaned more heavily against Kairi as exhaustion dragged him down. He wasn't sure how much longer he could stay awake. It seemed any energy the Elixir replenished was being drained away by the healing process as quickly as it came, and Kairi felt his strained muscles relaxing. His bones still ached beneath his skin, but at least some of the pain had faded.
He opened his eyes again, not wanting the others to worry. Riku could see how hard he was fighting to stay conscious. He smiled at him. Sora didn't seem in immediate danger anymore, letting him sleep was probably a good idea. He took his hand and squeezed it gently. "You can rest, we've got you."
Sora felt Riku's hand close around his, while a smaller one started brushing through his hair. Kairi's soft voice came floating through the sleepy haze. "Yeah, you're safe with us."
Sora gave a weak smile, that faded from his face a moment later as his eyes fell shut, and his senses slipped away.