Archive of Our Own

"You'll love Arendelle!" Sora exclaimed, bouncing on his toes and linking his arms with Kairi and Riku's, leading the way as the Gummiship disappeared from behind them and a great castle came into view. "It's so much fun here!"

"Yeah, be it a bit cold…" Donald scowled, rubbing his arms and trying to conserve as much warmth as he could. 

"It's summer, Donald!"

"The palace is covered in ice, Sora!"

"It's fine!" Sora said, waving him off and glancing in Riku's direction. He let himself be lead to the castle, a peaceful smile on his face as he took in the sights. Riku looked his way and smiled at him. It was brighter than the last. Ignoring the teasing smile Kairi gave him, Sora looked away with a small grin of his own.

Focus, Romeo.

They walked onto the bridge, dodging people as they walked past. It was crowded outside, much more so than before. If Sora remembered correctly, he barely had seen anyone here at all in his last visit. They must have been all hiding from the storm Elsa's fear had caused. Now, there was barely any sign of fear running through the city. Children ran past and people laughed and dozens of people were gathered over the water. Huge ships and small family boats floated over the water, not a single sign of ice. It was spring, and that was the first thing Sora noticed when he had stepped off the Gummiship.

When they reached the other side of the bridge, the blue lining the top of the walls and towers could be seen more clearly. Sora gave a short whistle at the sight of the ice coating everything in light sheets. It looked both controlled and beautiful at the same time, even if it was such a simple sight. Well, simple to people who hadn't lived on islands their entire lives. Even after the dozens of worlds he's been to, Sora didn't think he could ever get over how different each one was from the last.

"Woah…" Riku breathed. "I don't think I've seen proper ice before."

"Oh, not at all, our dear Snow White?"

"Hush up, Kai."

"He has a point, Kairi! Snow has black hair. Riku is more like the Snow Queen." Sora said, nudging Riku's side. Riku let out a snort, rolling his eyes. Sora dropped Riku and Kairi's arms and turned on his heels. He spun in a circle, ending up behind Riku and pushing him forward with both of his hands. The act looked a bit childish, but what could Sora say? It was one of his better qualities. "Come on! Don't be a slowpoke!"

"Oh no, it feels… as if… gravity… is increasing on me!" Riku said, not even glancing back at Sora before he began to lean all of his weight backward. Kairi stepped to the side, pulling out her phone and angling the camera their way. He ignored Sora's frantic shouts ("Wait, no!") and fell with a wide grin. Sora sighed heavily, twisting as much as he could to push Riku off of him.

"Oh, get off of me!" Sora said, trying to mask the smile on his face with a tight frown. He pushed, but Riku didn't budge. He instead turned his head to look at Sora with a smug smile on his face. Sora could only stare, blinking, feeling his heartbeat a little bit faster with each second he lay there. He could stare into those green eyes for the rest of his life. Sora would have kissed him, but then he remembered that Riku thought he was being funny, and decided to try to push him off again. "Kairi, help me!"

"Absolutely not. You got yourself into this, Sora. Plus, I promised I'd get good pictures of our vacation."

"What, am I too heavy?" Riku asked. He propped his arms up behind his head. Jerk. A cute one, but a jerk nonetheless.

"What, do you need a life alert?" Sora jabbed back, pushing helplessly at Riku, who only laughed in return. "You are going to kill me with how heavy you are, I swear-"

Unamused tapping snapped the two of them back into reality. Kairi snickered from behind them, tapping away at her phone. Sora looked back to find Donald waiting impatiently and Goofy standing next to him, laughing quietly. Donald narrowed his eyes, expression seeming to ask the two of them, "Are you done yet?"

Riku picked himself up, dusting off his clothes once he got to his feet. Sora took the hand that he offered, scowling at him and paying no mind to the way his stomach did flips. Once he was back on his feet, turning his back to both of his traitor friends, Sora opened his mouth to apologize to Donald and Goofy, but a shout interrupted him before he even began to speak.

"Sora! Donald, Goofy! Hey!" Sora turned towards the voice calling out to him, watching as Anna ran down the bridge and towards them. At her side, and pretty far off behind, Olaf ran with her. Sora waved excitedly back to her. From behind him, Donald and Goofy did the same, yelling out greetings to her as well.

When she finally stopped, pausing for a moment to catch her breath, she spoke as quick as she had when Sora first met her. Without hesitation, as if she had recited every word beforehand and committed it to memory. At least some things never change. "Didn't think I'd run into you three today. And-- and your friends! Hello, I'm Anna!"

Anna held out a hand towards Riku, who in turn shook it hesitantly. She didn't seem to notice and instead chose to give him a bright smile. She did the same with Kairi, but there was a considerably less amount of tension between the two. She always did make friends quickly.

"Riku. Nice to meet you."

"Hey, I'm Kairi!"

"And I'm Olaf! Your hair is very pretty Riku, it reminds me a lot of Elsa's. Do you have ice powers too? Oh! And you, I love your dress. Pink is a very nice color on you." Olaf spoke quickly, without much space in-between each question he asked or whatever comment he made next. Riku answered them a bit sheepishly ("Uh… thanks? I… can't really control ice, no. I can wield a keyblade like Sora though." "Hm… I think I like Sora's keysword better." "Just between you and me… I do, too.") and Kairi got along just as well as she did with everyone she met ("Thank you! I'm sure you'd look good in pink, too!")

From off to the side, Sora watched the four of his friends talk to Anna and Olaf. Kairi laughed along to a few jokes, nodding along to the conversation at hand. Next to her, Riku listened closely with a small smile on his face. He could feel the dopey smile he had and he probably looked like an idiot but Sora didn't mind. All he really seemed to pay attention to at that moment was the kind smile Riku had and the way he seemed to simply… just… glow. 

Anna clapped her hands together, snapping Sora out of his daze.

"Well, Kristoff and I are busy out of town today. We need to head up to the mountains, and that means we need to get going while the sun still lasts!" She exclaimed, slamming her fist into her empty palm.

"Oh, I'm sorry we held you up," Goofy said. Kairi voiced her agreement.

Anna waved them off. "Don't worry about it. Are you going to see Elsa today? I'm sure she would be delighted to see you!"

"Well, we were just going to show Riku and Kairi around the kingdom, if that's all right."

"Yeah! We're showing them all of the wo-" Sora winced, inching away from where Donald stepped on his foot and hissed 'Order!' into his ear. He amended his words as quickly as he could without any suspicion. "We're showing them all of the places we've been to!"

There was a skeptical look given to Sora from Anna. He gave her a smile, hoping it was enough to fool her. A second later, when Olaf gasped, any attention given to Sora seemed to shift. Thank God, it hadn't seemed like it was working.

World order this, world order that. Sora just wanted to catch a break. Which was the entire point of this vacation. Coming back from the dead apparently wasn't enough for the world. Mocking him was.

"Oh! Maybe you can show me one day! I've always wanted to explore the world." Olaf said, clapping his hands together absent-mindedly like a child. Nobody brought up the fact that 'always' meant the last few months he has been alive for. Sora answered in kind anyway.

"Well, anyways, you must stop by and see the queen!" Anna said, placing both hands on her hips and stepping to the side to glance towards the castle. Riku sputtered, glancing furiously between Sora and Anna. Kairi had a similar reaction.

"Wait, the queen?"

"We really don't want to impose-"

"Nonsense!" Anna interrupted, pulling both Riku and Kairi by the arm and linking them with hers. She looked forward and dragged the two along towards the palace. "In fact, I'll take you to see her right now!"

The rest of the group followed in suit, Donald and Goofy quietly chatting away as they walked. Sora didn't listen too much, distractedly putting his two cents into the conversation now and then. In front of them, Riku talked to Anna nervously. He and Kairi both quickly learned that there was simply no way of getting out of a situation when Anna had set her mind to it.

They walked through the town, Donald and Goofy having to push Sora forward every time he stopped to take in the sights and check out anything even remotely interesting. It was almost as pointless as trying to get Olaf to stop smelling every flower they passed. 'No breakdancing' they had said. 'What a bummer,' Sora had thought. It hadn't mattered much, their adventure through town was short. Anna guided them through a shortcut. The town seemed so big from the bridge they had just crossed, but Anna made it look as if there were barely any streets to get lost in.

Without the raging snowstorms and the ice covering every inch of the kingdom, if he hadn't known better, Sora would have believed he was in an entirely different kingdom. He could see flowers and birds and color, more so than he had last time. If he walked past the right building he could smell fresh bread, and if he stood in the right places all he could feel was the warm sunlight on his skin. The only reminder of what had happened to Arendelle was the ice on the top of the town exterior. It was a unique touch-- one Sora absolutely adored. It wasn't just beautiful, it was further proof that Elsa now fully trusts herself and her powers.

A glance towards Riku and Sora thought about how she wasn't the only one.

They've come a long way from the two kids playing with wooden swords on the beach of a small island, and even further from the falsely chosen keyblade wielder and his misguided friend.

The palace gates came into view, and Anna stopped, spinning on her heel and taking Riku and Kairi with her. Riku stumbled, sending a glare Sora's way when he failed to hide his laughter. Kairi laughed along with him, spinning like a clutz yet smiling all the same.

"Here we are!"

"It's a lot bigger up close…" Sora marveled, taking in the sight of the palace and the walls that surround it.

"You mean you've never been inside?" Riku asked. He crossed his arms, smiling with amusement that could even be heard in his tone of voice.

"Uh… not really? We were a little focused on not letting the Heartless kill Elsa."

"Oh! You'll love the inside. It's so big, and warm, and pretty, and like… like a castle." Olaf said, his thoughts trailing into nothing. Donald gave him a skeptical look and whispered to both Sora and Goofy, but neither of the two really had answers to whether or not Olaf knew what being warm meant. Could a snowman get warm? Could a magic snowman get warm?

"Well, there's a first time for everything!" Anna said, finally letting go of Riku and Kairi. She turned, ready to talk up another storm when someone called out her name. She turned again and waved to someone inside the town. With a glance back, Sora noticed that it was Kristoff. "Well, that's my queue. We've gotta go, but, please! Enjoy the rest of the day-- oh! And don't forget to say hello to my sister!"

"Bye Sora, bye Donald, bye Goofy! Oh, and bye Riku! Bye Kairi!" Olaf said, waving as he walked.

She ran off without another word, Olaf close behind, leaving the group to wave to the two as they left. When Sora turned back to the gates, Riku was tapping a finger against his jaw, eyebrows furrowed and eyes set onto the street.

"Sister?" He asked.

"Yep! Anna's a princess." Goofy said. Donald snickered, watching Riku try to put the puzzle pieces together. It didn't take long for him to quickly turn back to where he last saw Anna, but it hadn't mattered. Not only did she already leave, but Sora was already pulling Riku and Kairi through the gates.

The temperature dropped dramatically, and Sora felt a chill go up his spine. Maybe Donald was right, it was a bit cold. Either way, he did not want to freeze to death, so he pulled his jacket closer to his chest. Not…that it mattered. Short-sleeved jackets weren't exactly made for warmth.

He could hear Donald teasing him now. Islander.

Stepping through the gates and towards the palace, Sora didn't notice the ice that covered the ground. He stepped forward, stepping to the side to walk next to Riku and Kairi, only to stumble forward. He slid, waving his hands wildly and hoping for the best. Riku fell backward nearly as soon as he stepped onto ice, reaching out helplessly to grab onto anything nearby. Compared to Sora and Riku's unsuccessful venture onto the ice, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi simply shuffled forward. They looked as if they were gliding as they walked. Skating? It was kind of similar…

"Ugh… ouch." Riku groaned. He squinted, peering around the courtyard. It wasn't just them on the ice. Around them, groups of people slid skated with each other, far more graceful than Sora and Riku had been.

"Well that wasn't very successful, was it?" Sora said, his lips curling into a teasing smile. Riku rolled his eyes.

"You were just as bad as him, Sora."

"Donald!"

"Yeah, just… a little… neater."

"Oh, come on, guys-"

Sora frowned, crossing his arms as everyone around him laughed. He didn't know if it was at him, or at Riku, or simply at everything that had just happened, but it didn't matter much. Riku laughed with them despite himself, and Sora's heart seemed to jump into his throat. It was suddenly quite hard to speak, and the way he laughed left Sora stuttering. Riku didn't seem to notice, though, and instead held up a hand.

"Help me up?"

For a short moment, Sora nearly insisted that he didn't. After all, Riku had the audacity to laugh at him even after his failed attempt to walk on ice, too. But Sora grabbed his hand anyways, ready to help Riku up, only for him to pull Sora forward. He scrambled, yelling out in surprise. Sora reached out for anything to catch him but instead fell straight onto Riku. Despite the embarrassment creeping into his chest and the way his face heat up, Sora lifted himself up. The ice underneath his hands was slick and cold and it burned his skin. His face was only inches from Riku's, and his smirk annoyed Sora almost as much as it made his stomach twist.

"You… jerk." Sora tried to hide his laughter by speaking louder, playfully hitting Riku's shoulder. Riku only threw Sora off of him in response, sliding a bit backward. Donald scrambled, slipping as he tried to get out of Riku's trajectory. He fell after his failed attempt and nearly took Goofy down with him. Though Riku uttered half-hearted apologies, it didn't sound like Donald had forgiven him.

Sora certainly wouldn't have, even if he wasn't just thrown back onto the ice. He drifted with almost no hope of stopping. The only thing that slowed down his movement was when he crashed into Kairi, her feet slipping and giving out under her when she took a wrong step. Sora winced, watching her cross her arms as she slid helplessly away. She didn't stop glaring at him until she bumped into another person that stood behind her. Before Kairi could properly apologize, Sora gasped and tried to stand up, stumbling forward before he could do so. Now laying on his stomach with a bruise on his chin, Sora waved excitedly ahead.

"Elsa! Hi!"

"Hey, Sora," Elsa said once she had turned around, laughing quietly behind her hand. "Need a hand?"

With a flick of her wrist, Sora was being brought back up to his feet. The ground underneath him was still slippery, and he struggled to remain upright. He waved his arms wildly, finally coming to a stop after he drifted a little ways away. Elsa did the same for Kairi and Riku before she walked over to the group with a small wave.

"Hi Donald, Goofy, it's good to see you again."

"Good morning Elsa."

"How has Arendelle been fairing? No more heartless I hope." Goofy said, his head tilting slightly to the side. Elsa bristled, taking a glance back at Sora.

"You mean... that's not why you're here?"

Sora crossed his arms. "Not really? We came on vacation."

"Are the Heartless bothering you?" Kairi asked, sliding forward. Her movements were messy and she nearly tripped again, but Elsa caught her before she slid too far away.

She thought for a moment, gathering her thoughts. A finger tapped at her chin while she hummed. She opened her mouth to speak before closing it again, eyebrows furrowing. When she finally decided to speak, she turned to look at everyone as much as she could with everyone spread out as much as they were.

"Well, why don't we talk inside? I bet you're tired from your journey here," Elsa said, clapping her hands together and putting on a convincing smile. Sora noticed the way her hands shook anyway.

The castle was bigger than he thought it would have been. The halls were endless mazes, twisting and turning at every angle and making him lose their way as they walked. Sora absentmindedly followed Elsa through the castle, choosing to pay more attention to the decoration that was displayed. Elsa had commented on a painting here and then, had said who the people in the picture were, but those words went in one ear and out the other. He wasn't much interested in that kind of stuff. Sora did, however, pay attention to the little tells she had when she spoke. The way her voice wavered on certain subjects, or how she played with the ends of her sleeves when it got too quiet. He had gotten better at paying attention to these things, and he hoped to use them for the better.

Before they could finish walking up another flight of stairs, someone called out from behind them. Sora turned, switching the grip he had on the railing. Though he could barely see past Riku's head, he could make out the figure of someone running towards them. Their movements were sloppy and heavier on one leg than the other. When they made it to the bottom of the stairs, Sora heard them take an exaggerated breath of air. It was clear they had been running after them for a while, but how far, Sora didn't know.

"Your- your majesty… I… have dire news." They said, leaning against the wall for support and looking up at the group. From behind Sora, Elsa moved forward and around the group. He only got a glimpse of the expression on her face, but it was far more unsettling than he wished to admit.

"Have they come back?" She asked, taking another few steps towards the guard.

"Have who come back?" Kairi said, asking her question before Sora even got a chance to open his mouth. He paid close attention to Elsa and the guard, a frown on his face. In front of him, Riku had one to match.

The guard ignored her. "Yes, your highness. They were found in the courtyard but a significant number of them escaped into the ballroom."

They spoke a little too fast for Sora to fully keep up with. He blinked, confusion painted across his features. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could voice his thoughts Elsa went rapidly down the rest of the steps and motioned for the rest of the group to follow her.

"Elsa-"

"What's going on?"

"Is something-"

"Yes! Something is wrong." Elsa said, exasperated. They ran through the castle, twisting through the same halls they had taken to get where they had been previously. She glanced back to the group and to the hall in front of her furiously. "It won't need explaining! Just- keep up."

Running. Running was easy. Sora's done that his whole life. The out of context conversations and the bad guys and whatever the heck was going on with the organization- that was all Riku's job to remember. 'Something is wrong-' that’s easy to remember, too. Beat bad guys up, saving friends, running. Sora could do that. That was easy. But when they all came to a stop just outside the ballroom Sora had to do a double-take.

"Heartless?" He yelled, turning quickly to face Donald and Goofy. "I thought we got rid of all of them?"

They didn't get to respond. Instead, Goofy rushed in front of them and held up his shield, a blast of lightning reflecting off of the surface. It seemed talking would have to wait until another time.

The monsters crowded around inside the ballroom. The second they had gotten within eyesight, their yellow beady eyes trained onto Sora and the rest of the group. It didn't take long before they shot forward and began attacking. Magic was sent flying their way. Sora bolted, dragging some of their attention towards him. He held out his hand and his keyblade materialized out of nothing. It barely weighed him down, and he continued running. Elsa and Riku were close behind.

He rushed forward, swinging his keyblade through two unaware Heartless. They were lucky shots-- now they began to fight back. They were weaker than he thought they would be, most going down in one or two hits. Sora didn't let that distract him, though, and simply took out as many as he could.

On the other side of the ballroom, Kairi, Donald, and Goofy were back to back with Heartless surrounding them on most sides. Behind Kairi, a clearing stood just out in front of the door to the courtyard. She remembered what the guard had said before they had left him behind, but her friends were separated from them. She didn't want to make that separation worse. But as soon as Sora caught her eye, she knew she didn't have a say in the matter.

That was fine, there were other people that could need her help anyway. She didn't need to babysit Sora and Riku, either. Not this time.

Sora struck down another Heartless, turning as quickly as he could. "Go! We've got it here-- go help in town!"

"But Sora-"

"Go!"

Despite Donald's protests, Kairi managed to drag him and Goofy off towards the town. Him, Riku, and Elsa were enough for the palace. If anything, Riku alone could handle this. They weren't super strong, easily defeated with a few hits of his keyblade, but there were many of them. The Heartless surrounded them. Kairi and the others disappeared from view entirely, leaving Sora with Elsa and Riku to face off at least two dozen of the shadows ahead.

The three of them remained still, waiting for the Heartless to make their move. They all stood back to back in a small clearing in the center of the room. If he listened close enough, Sora could hear Elsa's panicked mumbling and Riku's deep breaths.

A heartless moved, but Sora moved quicker. His keyblade swung into its body, and it disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The next few moments blurred into static. Everything moved at once. The three of them struck through a crowd of monsters that fought back with more venom than their small bodies should be able to hold. The Heartless fought ruthlessly, but the three of them were too.

Sora swung his keyblade at the coming enemy, watching Heartless after Heartless disappear into black smoke. From the side, another came after him, and Sora ducked out of the way quickly. He felt his keyblade disappear in his hands, a new one left in its wake. The Shooting Star felt light in his hands. It blurred as he spun it in his hand, the blade morphing into an entirely different form. The keyblade disappeared, and in its wake Sora held two arrowguns tightly. With a smile, Sora rolled to the side, shooting Heartless as they passed. When he was in a clearance, he jumped into the air and let time slow down. Both arrowguns were held out in front of him. With his tongue stuck out in concentration, one eye held shut, Sora took aim.

Thanks, Ventus, Sora thought, as he pulled the trigger.

Time flashed forward. Magic arrows shot out of his two arrowguns, dozens of them hitting their target and turning them into dust with just a single hit. More than half of the crowd of Heartless was diminished in an instant. Sora fell to the ground, rolling forward and letting his arrowguns return back into their normal form. It disappeared, and the Kingdom Key once again weighed heavily in his hands. He felt a twinge of relief before he went back to the battle at hand-- different keyblades still made him feel a bit queasy. The nausea in his gut would go away, Sora knew that. For now, he could swallow it down. God, Sora could hear Riku's voice now. Recovery takes time. Thanks, Doctor Phil, your advice does wonders.

In front of him, as Sora got back to his feet, Riku turned on his heel and covered Elsa from behind. Heartless after Heartless disintegrated into smoke with every hit that he cast. His heart beat wildly against his chest, his lungs aching for any solace of air. Riku distantly heard someone call for help. Before he could turn and assist them, something at his side kicked him to the floor. He rolled, not bothering to figure out who it was before taking it out with a fire spell. Another hit was aimed at his side, but Riku easily dodged. When he turned, quickly shaking the hair out of his eyes, he stood face to face with a Heartless nearly twice the size of him.

God, it felt as none of this was going to end.

These Heartless weren't strong. Not in the least bit. They went down after a few measly hits, their strength not even enough to break through skin. Every attack was blunt, a hit that would only leave a bruise, maybe not even that. It all felt too easy. With what little strength they had by themselves, however, was multiplied when in groups.

Riku made a note to ask Sora to teach him the technique he had just used later on.

There was barely a second to react before the Heartless moved forward and brought down its arm to attack. Riku easily moved to the side. He countered an attack with his keyblade, slicing off one of its arms. It shrieked, the sound sending chills up and down his spine. Riku didn't waste another second. He stepped forward and ducked underneath another attack. Spinning to keep himself from falling to the ground, he cut the Heartless clean across the chest, the remains of it disappearing right before his eyes.

From behind him, Elsa was surrounded. They were easy to take out, nothing more than simple pests. Her magic took care of them easily, and before long she could count how many of them remained on one hand. But before she could finish them off, she was knocked forward from a blunt hit against her back. She reached out in front of her, searching for something to grab onto lest she fell, but her hand only grabbed air. A blast of ice left her hand, flying forward. The shock written on her face said more words than she could manage.

"Watch out!"

It had been an accident.

Sora turned around, and the world froze.

It happened in an instant.

Nothing in his mind registered anything before he began to move. It was all too quick, all too fast. Sora felt his legs move-- in fact, he bolted. Faster than he had ever run before. He didn't even realize he had been running until his body slammed into the person in front of him, pushing them out of the way and into the floor. They called out his name, but Sora only had a single second to look away from Riku's frightened eyes and towards the ball of ice hurtling towards his chest. He didn't have time to dodge out of the way, didn’t have time to say any words. Not a single breathe had been taken, not even a blink of an eye.

Barely a second had gone by before Sora felt something hit him square in the chest.

Ice sunk into his skin, twisting into his veins and leaving a trail of hot-cold fire in its wake. Sora was fine, however, for a few seconds, simply gasping for air. He racked his brain, trying to think about what happened. At his side, his fingers twitched. Riku hesitantly called out his name. The world was silent, still, unmoving.

But something pulled at his heart.

He felt it crack, freezing over like a lake on a winter's night. Sora grabbed at his chest, nails not able to dig into his skin solely because his shirt was in the way. He couldn't figure out what was happening, only knowing of the pain that spread through his chest. He squeezed his eyes shut tight, taking in a strangled breath and begging for everything to stop. His heart beat wildly against his chest; like it was a call for help.

It felt as if his heart was being twisted and crushed and drilled into dust. Sora clawed at his shirt and gasped, wishing for the pain to go away and wishing for even the smallest glimpse of air to enter his lungs. Stumbling back, he swayed on his feet, unable to keep himself upright. His knees gave in and he fell to the floor, skin burning as it slid across the ground. Sora was unable to hear the people calling out his name and he couldn't see the Heartless chasing after him but it didn't matter, not right now. He only cared for the cold to stop spreading throughout his body and he only wished for everything to, for just one moment, stop.

A voice in the back of his mind croaked out what he didn't have the courage to ask.

Am I dying?

So much for not being in mortal peril.

The firm hold on his shoulders shook him out of his stupor. He blinked, gasping for air as the pain in his chest subsided into a slight chill. Riku kneeled in front of him, breathless and exhausted but the sight of Sora finally responding to his voice made his lips quirk up a little. It was a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Sora could only blink again, his hand absent-mindedly moving to grab at his heart again. The pain was no longer there. It was only a phantom that haunted him now. "You blacked out for a while."

"What… happened?"

"You were hit with Elsa's ice magic. Don't you remember?"

"I…" he paused. His mind was still reeling, blurring in and out of focus. After another pause, Riku looked him over for any other injuries. There weren't any, not on the outside, but that didn't stop him from casting Cure with whatever magic he had left. The scrapes on his knees disappeared and the dents in his skin from when he dug his nails into his chest went away. It wasn't much, and certainly wasn't in need of a magic spell. Sora appreciated the gesture anyway.

"Sora!" Sora looked up and watched Elsa run over to the two, stopping just a few feet away. He noticed how she fiddled with her hands nervously. "Oh my god, Sora, I'm so sorry. Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

A chill went up his spine. He ignored it.

"I think I'm fine, it only hurt for a second. It doesn't anymore, so maybe-"

Riku interrupted him, his voice barely above a whisper. "Sora… is you're hair turning white?"

Upon first hearing that, he thought about how ridiculous that was, Riku was the one with the weird hair color, not Sora. In fact, this entire situation was absolutely absurd-

And then he glanced to the side and saw his hair. Instead of brown, his hair was a ghastly white, dusted with snow as if he had just been in a light snowstorm. The only problem with that was it was the middle of summer and he was nowhere near the North Mountain.

Oh, yeah, and his hair was turning white.

"Okay," Sora said, drawing out his words with a long sigh. "Okay. This is fine, we can fix this. We can fix this, right, Elsa?"

When he looked at her, his mind backtracked. Maybe he shouldn't be so sure. She had only stared, and she didn't exactly give him the most convincing look. Her eyes were telling a story, painting a picture, but he couldn't figure out what. He saw sadness, and confusion, and regret and guilt and horror but no matter how much he racked his brain he couldn't figure out why.

Another chill swept over him, and an old memory popped up into Sora's mind.

"Is this the same thing as what happened to Anna?" Riku asked hesitantly, voicing the same concerns that Sora had just thought of. Sora had told him a little bit of what happened before they got here, but they had both been hoping it would have all remained as just that-- a story. "Wouldn't she know what to do?"

Riku peered to look at the newly white streaks in his once fully brunet hair. Sora did the same. He couldn't figure out why, but a sickly cold feeling kept him from looking away. Elsa was the only one who could. She nodded slowly, closing her eyes. When she opened her mouth to speak, he tried not to focus on how unsettling her tone was.

"She should be getting back by now. Let's go find Kairi and the others, too."

The weakness after he had been hit was only momentarily. In fact, Sora felt as if he could take on a hoard of Heartless by himself, now. Maybe they had all been overreacting a bit. The other two obviously were, but Sora didn't mind and instead let Riku help him up, and pretended not to notice the nervous glances Elsa gave him. He could walk just fine, he felt just fine. The only thing that was even bothering him was how chilly the room suddenly got.

They ran through the palace halls, Elsa leading the way as she slipped through shortcuts and led them to the palace gardens. From there, the sounds of a fight were close, and when they walked a bit further ahead, Sora realized that the other three had never made it past the front gates.

Kairi led the attack, getting rid of Heartless after Heartless. Her movements were quick, melee attacks combined with a mix of magic. She was like a blizzard of action, standing with Donald and Goofy covering her from behind. The two went together, attack after attack seeming to make the swarm of heartless shrink into nothing. After another few seconds, Kairi raised her keyblade into the sky and let out a shout. Bolts of lightning raged down from the sky, killing the last of the Heartless without any trouble.

Once the sky cleared up again, Sora ran forward. He didn't need to turn to make sure Riku and Elsa were behind him; he could hear their footsteps quite easily.

"Hey!" Sora yelled, pulling himself to a stop once he made it to Kairi, Donald, and Goofy. "Nice job! I don't think I've seen anyone use Thunder to that extent before."

Kairi turned, opening her mouth to reply, but closing it again and taking a step back once she laid eyes on Sora. Or, more accurately, Sora's hair. Donald let out a yell, nearly jumping out of his feathers, bumping into Goofy when he took a step back.

"What happened to your hair, Sora?" Goofy asked, peering closely at the offending color. Sora took a moment to think, racking his brain for an answer that didn't sound like he was in mortal peril. Again.

"I accidentally got hit with Elsa's magic," Sora said. At Donald and Goofy's worried shouts, Sora quickly amended his words. "No! No, don't worry, I'm fine. Just a little chilly."

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder, and Sora turned to see Riku glancing back at him. Sora couldn't help but give him a small smile. "Just a little chilly could mean anything with you, you aren't exactly known for telling us how you feel. We just need to fix this before it gets any worse."

"Jeez, Riku, I'm glad you're being so positive on this."

"It's one of my more better qualities."

Sora scoffed, turning away from Riku's smile before he ended up staring. "Tell that to past Sora back in Shibuya."

"What? I was happy to find out my best friend wasn't dead-"

"So that's what you're going with?"

"-and we agreed to never speak of that again-"

Kairi cleared her throat, pushing past the two and facing Elsa. "If the married couple is done arguing, may I ask how you reversed this last time, with Anna? Sora told us a little of what happened on our way here."

Whereas Riku sputtered, assumingly at Kairi's comment, Sora decided to ignore her. He could think about those things (and probably die of embarrassment) when he wasn't close to turning into a block of ice. Probably. He wasn't sure if that was what was really happening, since he didn't exactly get an explanation of what happened to Anna. But he had time to fix this. There was still a way.

There was a pause in-between the time it took for Sora to fully turn around and Kairi's question. Elsa tugged at her sleeves, focusing between the question at hand and whatever was going through her brain. "Well-"

Before she could even begin speaking, Riku pushed her to the side with a loud 'Watch out!' at the same time Sora noticed fire being launched there way. For the first time that day, his feet were glued to the ground. He didn't know why, but the only evidence towards anything being different than before was the way his body temperature dropped.

From next to him, as Kairi grabbed Sora's arm and pulled him out of the way, she watched as more of his hair turned white.

There was barely enough time to mutter out a quick thank you before they were surrounded once more. They weren't the same Heartless as before. Different variations were around them, scattered throughout the air and on land. Sora's keyblade materialized in his hand, and he held it out in front of him. Not another word was said between the group. They each took a step forward and another fight began.

The Heartless from before were easy to beat. They were weak, barely anything to be worried about. Their damage was minimal and every attack they had managed to hit was blunt. Sora was able to get rid of most of them with a single attack, and that was one of the most abnormal things about the day. Not the talking snowman, not the ice in the middle of summer, and definitely not having his hair turn white. No, the weirdest thing was facing off against weak variations of a monster he has been fighting for years. They haven't been so weak since the very beginning of his adventure, and even this was pushing it.

But now? They were monstrous.

Their eyes glowed a mix between a bright red and yellow. At times they would change, their attacks varying between each new color. The yellow-eyed variations were easier to handle, even if they were definitely stronger than before.

One of them landed a hit against Sora's unguarded arm. Yep, definitely stronger than before.

Yellow eyes were calmer, he remembered. They were easier to manage, easier to get rid of. Their power wasn't at its peak just yet, even if their strength said otherwise. If they were stronger in number before, then everything then had multiplied. Hits were harder to dodge, even if he could manage. Their attacks hurt and broke skin with ease. They were fast enough to move out of Sora's strikes and smart enough to predict his next.

Still, this fight wasn't impossible.

Sora ducked underneath a fireball, sending a wave of icy air towards the three Heartless that attacked him from the air. They froze immediately, crashing to the ground and exploding into pieces. The remains dissolved into smoke, just as another Heartless ran up towards him and jumped. He rolled out of the way barely in the nick of time. He didn't pay much attention to where he was going. The only thing Sora knew was where his enemies were, and how he could defeat them.

Piece of cake, right?

That is, until the red eyes showed up.

They were feral. They moved without thinking, their actions quicker than before. They were absolute monsters. But Sora's dealt with them before, and he can deal with them again.

"Donald!" Sora yelled, skittering to a stop just behind him. After the launch of another spell, Donald only nodded before siding up next to Sora. Concentrating his magic into his keyblade, Sora pointed it into the sky and yelled, "Flare!"

The sky lit up with color, magic flying past him and into any Heartless in direct sight. They disappeared and disappeared, leveling the playing field greatly. From afar, Goofy gave the two a thumbs up before turning and covering Kairi's weak points. When the light disappeared and the sky went dark again, Sora turned on his heel and gave a quick thanks to Donald before rushing back into the battle. The spell had been strong, but the Heartless were still great in number.

Sora moved to cast another spell at the three Heartless in front of him, but before he could his body shivered. A chill swept over him and knocked the wind out of him. He was left gasping for air while his body gave out under him and his keyblade disappeared. Before he could even touch the ground the Heartless made their move. He was knocked across the courtyard in seconds, hitting the pavement like a rag doll. Sora couldn't tell if he was unconscious or not. The dizzy spell that was cast over him gave him the answer, however, and he shut his eyes tightly to try and halt his sudden nausea.

"Sora!" Another moment passed. He didn't respond. "Kairi, cover him!"

"On it!"

Kairi cast another spell to knock the Heartless around her back. It was just enough for a path to be made, and she bolted. Even with her keyblade weighing her down, Kairi made it to the other side of the courtyard in seconds. The muscles in her legs burned and her lungs ached for air but she kept running. The only thing in her sight was Sora curled helplessly in a ball and, even though there was barely a dozen of them left, the Heartless moving closer and closer towards him.

With her keyblade raised in front of her, Kairi skittered to a stop and took aim. "Blizzard!"

Magic pulsed through her veins, channeling through her body and into her keyblade. Shards of ice shot out of the end of the blade and flew through the air. They chased after the Heartless surrounding Sora with deadly precision. Hit after hit, they fell back. With shrill sounds that could only be described as screams, they disappeared into smoke.

The second the Heartless disappeared once again, Kairi ran as quickly as she could over to Sora's side. The nightly chill made it harder for her to breathe, and her lungs ached, but she didn't care. She didn't pay herself a second thought. Instead, the second her eyes lay on Sora, all of those thoughts went to him.

Almost half of his head of hair was white.

"Sora," she hissed. Kairi shook his shoulder, trying to get him to move. She waited. A second, half a minute, yet no response. He looked unconscious, but at the same time, his body was tense. Shoulders up, arms holding himself tightly. He looked… scared.

"Sora. It's me, Kairi. I'm- I'm not going to hurt you." She would be lying if she said her voice didn't break on those last words. After another second, she had thought it was hopeless to talk to him, but the tension in Sora's body seemed to relax and he peeked an eye open.

"'airi?"

"That’s me. You alright?"

"Mmm… wha' happen'?"

"You were hit. You might have a concussion, hold on…"

Kairi pushed Sora onto his back and watched him blink wildly up at the sky. She leaned closer to him and tapped his cheek, the 'look at me' going unsaid. When his head rolled to the side, Kairi didn't need to look at his eyes to figure out that he had a head injury. They were backup proof, she guessed.

Sighing, she pulled out her keyblade again to cast another spell, only to be interrupted by someone calling her name. When she turned around again, Kairi saw Donald and Goofy running over to them as fast as they could. Riku and Elsa covered them from behind, the remaining Heartless gathering together to form what could only be described as a tower of darkness.

Devil's tides. More annoying than both Sora and Riku combined. Though, she knew for a fact, she did not love them despite their annoyance as she did with her two friends.

"Is he alright?" Goofy asked as the two stopped just behind Kairi. She looked up at them, and back to Sora, and back to them again with an unsure shrug.

"He has a concussion, I was just about to heal him-"

"I can do it." Donald interrupted.

Kairi thought about it for a moment. "Your magic is stronger than mine, but I don’t want you to waste your mana. I can still fight without it, you, though…"

The sounds of Riku and Elsa fighting started to get closer. Kairi could see them struggling to finish off the devil's tide. If the Heartless' eyes turned red, and Sora was still here, still hurt, they would have a problem. A big problem. Sora couldn't get hurt any more than he was. That would result in…

Kairi shivered. She didn't want to think about it.

She looked towards Donald. They were eye to eye.

"It's not a waste if it's for Sora."

Nobody could deny that. Kairi only nodded, her lips forming into a small smile. It didn't quite reach her eyes.

It took less than a second for the four of them to be surrounded in a bright green light. Kairi recognized it almost as soon as it was cast, as she had used it dozens of times. When the green light touched her skin, all of her pain melted away. In front of her, the cut on Sora's arm disappeared, the skin healing over as if it had never been broken in the first place. A small soft appeared on Sora's face, and he visibly relaxed. Kairi wasn't sure if she would have been able to heal him so quickly without using a lot of her mana. But the spell worked, and that's all that mattered.

Kairi sighed, finally feeling the tension in her body disappear a little bit. "Thank you, Donald."

"Your welcome, though its Sora who should be thanking me..."

"He's still out cold... " Goofy said, leaning closer and poking Sora's cheek. There was no response, Sora's head only tilted back to the ground. "I wouldn't be expecting a thanks from him any time soon."

With a glance back to the battle behind them, Kairi knew trying to keep Sora here would be pointless. He would only be distracting, more or less. The only option she had was to get him out of the courtyard. It was probably the safest option, too. So Kairi let her keyblade disappear, grabbing Sora's arms and swung them around her shoulders. She held him as tightly as she could. When she picked him up off the ground, she turned to Donald and Goofy once more.

"I'm going to take him to safety. Can I trust you to keep an eye on those two?" Kairi asked, nodding her head towards Riku and Elsa. They turned to look at the two for just a moment before turning to face Kairi again. She noticed how their eyes lingered on Sora before nodding. Donald turned around quickly, racing back into the battle. Goofy hesitated for a moment, half-turned away. He looked at Kairi again.

"Keep him safe."

"I will."

The thing that had woke him up had been a scream. It caused his eyes to snap open, for him to wake up the exact opposite of groggy. He was alert and watchful, the only thing disturbing him at that moment being the shivers that racked his entire body. Sora blinked, waking to see four people in front of him turned to face an open door. It must have been where the scream came from. Kairi poked her head out the door, looking down both sides of the hall.

"I don't see anything, but- Sora!" When she turned around, her face lit up into a bright smile. As if the scream had never happened in the first place, everyone turned their attention to him. Near the window, Donald and Goofy looked relieved, each relaxing when finding that he was okay. Beside him, Riku was kneeling down next to him. Sora looked around the room again and opened his mouth to speak before closing it again, eyebrows furrowing.

Riku nudged his shoulder. "Good morning sleeping beauty."

"D-don't insult Aurora like that." Despite the chill, Sora couldn't help but laugh. In fact, it was probably the only thing he could do without stuttering. He could barely keep himself sitting up, not to mention doing anything that would actually strain his body. When the alertness settled and his adrenaline subsided, Sora was left exhausted. He had to blink every few seconds to keep his eyes from closing, and it took all the strength he had to keep himself from falling back into the couch. He was so tired, but the second he saw their worrying looks he decided to play it off with a smile.

Though they didn't seem to buy it, they didn't ask him any questions. Even then, however, Riku didn't leave his side. When Sora spared him a glance, it was then he realized that Riku was missing his jacket. After a few seconds of searching the room, Sora didn't find his jacket until he looked down and found it on him. How he didn't realize it sooner, he didn't know.

Before Sora could comment on it, Kairi pushed herself back into the room as quickly as she could. All eyes were on her. For a brief moment, Sora thought she had seen another Heartless, but that was until Anna rushed in quicker than Sora had ever seen anyone run. When she got within eyesight of the five of them, she nearly collapsed. Kairi helped her remain upright, but a second later Anna pushed herself away. Her breathing was harsh and her legs were shaking, that much Sora could see from across the room.

"Please- Elsa's- hurt." Was all that she could say without diving into a coughing fit.

"Hold on, you're exhausted. Take a breather." Kairi said, ushering her over to a chair. Anna only shook her head, walking back towards the door and nearly tripping over her feet in the process.

"No! Don't mind me. Get... my sister."

They didn't get an explanation. They didn't get to know what was going on. There were no more words said by Anna. Instead, she stood by the door and looked at the five of them with pleading eyes. There was no explanation, but everyone in that room knew exactly what they had to do.

Riku turned to look at Donald and Goofy. "Stay here with Sora. Keep him safe."

"Wait-"

"Kairi, you ready?"

"Wait-"

Kairi nodded, her keyblade already appearing in her hands. Sora looked between the two, watching Riku stand up and walk over to Kairi. He opened his mouth to speak again, but before he could even find the words he wanted to say, they were out the door and down the hall.

Everything was moving slower for Sora. He didn't register what was happening until something new had already started. He couldn't find words to reply to someone's question until his moment to speak had already passed. His head felt groggy, filled with a fog that was keeping him in the dark. It was slowing him down. Even his movements were slower. It took him forever to gain the strength to get off the couch. But the second he did his legs gave out from underneath him, and he was left trying to pick himself off the ground.

Donald and Goofy rushed over almost as soon as he fell. They each took one of his arms and picked him up, dragging him back onto the couch. But Sora wasn't having it. He was not going to just sit here and do nothing while Riku and Kairi fought with their lives on the line. He wasn't useless, was he? He could still fight. He just had to focus. He had to push aside the weakness in his knees and the cold that made his hands ache any time they moved. Sora could do this. He couldn't just sit here-- he could do this.

The second he tried to stand up again he fell right back into the carpet once more.

"Sora, you can't-"

"Don't!" Sora yelled, his hand balling into a fist. "Just... don't. Please don't say it."

There was silence for a second before Goofy began to speak. "You're hurt, Sora. You should be resting."

Not while Riku and Kairi fought with their lives on the line.

Sora only shook his head. He took a deep breath.

I can do this.

With all the strength he had, he pushed himself onto his feet. His legs shook underneath him. He swayed on his feet. Shaking away the hand that was on his shoulder, Sora straightened his posture as much as he could manage. He hoped the way his body shook wouldn't show, nor would the shivers that went up and down his spine. He knew he looked hopeless, with his hair almost entirely white and his skin turning ashen, or with the flurries that painted his skin or with how his breath shown with every exhale. Sora knew he looked worse for the wear, but he wasn't going to let that stop him. Instead, he took another deep breath and a step forward. And another, and another. Right, left, right, left. He didn't let himself trip over his own feet. Nor did he let the stumbles stop him. Sora was going to leave this room whether Donald and Goofy liked it or not.

"Sora!"

"We won't let you get hurt even more!"

"Then c-come with me." Sora turned back to them, grabbing the doorway for support. "I'm leaving whether you come with me or not."

They looked at each other, exchanging opinions without even speaking. Sora was used to this-- in fact, he almost learned how to decipher them completely-

The castle shook. Nobody said a word while the ground underneath them began to move violently. Sora already had enough trouble standing on his own; now the earth underneath him was fighting for him to stay down. He stumbled into the wall, sliding down against it and trying to hold onto whatever he could find. Donald squawked, hopping from one foot to another. Behind him, Goofy waved his arms out wildly to keep his footing.

It passed before any of them could really take a grasp at the situation. They were left staring wide-eyed at each other, that is, just before there was a loud crash coming from the floor beneath them.

Sora's eyes went wide, and a single thought graced his mind.

Riku.

Sora fought to his feet again. He gripped the wall behind him while he stood back up, legs furiously shaking underneath him. He felt as if he couldn't take a step without stumbling, but he did it anyway. And again, and again. Back to the doorway. Out into the hall. Nothing was going to stop him from getting to Riku. When he glanced back to see if his friends were staying in the room, he was pleasantly greeted with the sight of them following him. Goofy nodded, giving him a thumbs-up, the more positive reaction of the two. Donald only rolled his eyes, but the smile he had didn't go unnoticed. So Sora walked as fast as he could, moving through the halls with whatever swiftness he could manage.

The castle's twists and turns weren't the worst things to happen. No, instead, the worst thing out of the entire trip to the first floor was the fact that Sora had to listen to the distant sounds of a fight without being there to know what was going on. He couldn't tell if the yells were victorious, nor could he tell if the sounds of spell after spell good or bad. He was left to listen to the sounds of battle without any indication as to who was winning. Or, what was going on, for that matter.

When another chill racked up his spine, it took all Sora had not to fall to his knees. He tripped over his feet, stumbling sideways into the wall. At his side, Donald and Goofy asked him questions, probably on whether or not he was okay, but Sora brushed them off. He shook his head and continued walking. He leaned against the wall for support, not letting whatever was overcoming him be the end of his journey. He could do this. He could keep going. Walking was simple. It was easy, and it required almost no energy at all, right?

But when Sora made it to the room where Kairi and Riku were, he was utterly exhausted. His eyes begged to close shut, and his body wanted nothing more than to shut down. The edges of his vision blurred together. He kept blinking to clear it up, but it was no use. It took all he had to keep himself from keeling over.

For a long while, Riku was too busy fighting the Heartless to notice Sora's appearance. He ducked under another attack. Swinging his keyblade in retaliation, he spun around. Another attack, another jump to the side. Riku let his mana channel through his body and into his keyblade, shouting 'Water!' and letting the spell come to life. Three Heartless in front of him fell back. Smoke appeared and then disappeared once more. When Riku turned around to see where Kairi had gone, his eyes met Sora's instead.

"What are you doing here?" Riku yelled, eyes focused entirely on Sora. "You have to get where it's safe-"

Sora didn't have time to tell Riku to watch out. From behind him, a Heartless jumped at him, but with the way things were going Riku would get hit. He was not going to let that happen. Sora whipped out his keyblade and let the adrenaline guide him, pointing his keyblade ahead and shouting "Aero!"

The Heartless was blown away with a gust of wind, flying to the other side of the room. Riku glanced to where the Heartless went, and then back to the trio. He was at a loss for words. Sora let his keyblade disappear.

"I'm n-not leaving until you're safe." He said, his grip on the wall now tighter. Riku pursed his lips, pausing only to give a quick nod of his head. There was no arguing Sora after he set his mind to something, especially when it regarded the safety of those he loved.

It was clear to anyone in the room how exhausted Kairi and Riku were. Their moves were sloppy. They struck with their weapon as if they simply wanted to get it over with instead of thinking of a strategy as they normally did. Kairi's magic was off-center, her aim barely hitting its mark. Every step she took was strained, and even from across the room Sora could see how tired she was. Riku was similar, in which he moved slower on his feet than he normally would. His attacks were uncoordinated and messy. Everything was entirely off-- they had been fighting for too long. And Sora could do next to nothing to help.

When the crowd of Heartless lessened, Sora took a chance and ran forward. He stumbled on every other step and could barely keep upright but he wasn't going to leave everyone else behind. Not when Elsa was-

Elsa.

Where was she?

Everyone froze at the sound of a strangled scream. Even the Heartless were paralyzed, they didn’t move a single inch. Distantly, Sora could hear someone talking, but he couldn't figure out who it was. At his side, Riku took a shaking step back, and Kairi nearly dropped her keyblade as she gasped. Sora turned around slowly, eyes widening at the sight of a Heartless standing nearly four times his height. It was entirely black, save for the ends of its claws where they were covered by a thin layer of frost. Barely five feet in front of it, Anna stood helplessly. She didn't move, even as its eyes settled on her.

She said something again, but Sora still couldn't hear her. He wasn't even sure if he could have focused on her words if he wanted to.

"Get out of there!" Kairi yelled, already taking action and aiming her keyblade at the heartless. Anna turned around, and with another gasp, ran straight towards Kairi. As she prepared to use one of her spells, Anna tackled her to the ground. Sora barely had time to step out of the way before Anna pushed past him.

"Don't!" Anna said, quickly pushing herself up and paying no mind to Kairi. "That's Elsa! Don't hurt her!"

Sora looked back at the Heartless, which had finally sighted the six of them and began to walk slowly towards them. Its steps were heavy and left Sora stumbling. His entire body felt weak and, if the ground continued to shake, Sora might not be able to keep himself up on his feet.

It was cold. It was really cold. His entire body was shivering. What looked like snowflakes and frost-covered his skin. Sora looked worse for the wear, and he didn't know if there was any way to fix it. He didn't even think he could keep focus long enough to save Elsa. But his friends needed him, they can't fight this thing alone. He was tired of being useless. He had to step up and help, no matter his situation.

The edges of his vision blurred. Sora felt as if he wasn't looking at anything at all. Instead, all he could focus on was the ice stabbing at his skin and the harsh air burning his cheeks. His hands shook, but he didn't know why. Everything felt as if it was closing in on itself, leaving him to crumble underneath the dust. It was exhausting, and it made his heartache. Sora felt his breathing pick up, he felt his lungs burn, and at that moment all he could register in his head was how tired he truly was. There was a word for that, if he recalled correctly. Lost in thought.

Someone shook Sora's shoulder. He blinked. The world came back into focus.

At his side, Donald pulled at his hand. "We need to get you and Anna out of here."

"I…"

"Sora, we don't have time to wait."

He was tired of being useless.

His friends were exhausted. He was exhausted. There was barely anything left in any of them for another fight, let alone one against such a powerful Heartless. Kairi and Donald had nearly used all of their magic. Donald, Goofy, and Sora all barely had enough energy to keep themselves on their feet. They had been running for too long. And for what? For all of them to die because of how helpless they all were? He couldn't think. There was no sensible way out of this situation.

The only thing he could hear was his heart beating wildly against his chest and the blood rushing through his ears. They tugged at his arm again.

They wanted him to go, to get to safety. They wanted him to leave the fight to them. Sora knew it was a reasonable request, he knew he should listen. He knew that he would only get in the way. If he stayed, Sora knew that someone would get hurt because of him. He could get hurt, even more than he already was. But something else drowned out all of the reasoning. It killed any sensible thought, it drained him of any will to do as they asked.

All Sora could think about was how they didn't need him. He was useless, powerless. Worthless. Without them, he wasn't anything important. If they didn't need him, then he wouldn't do any good by staying.

He thought he had stomped out this part of him after he had saved Kairi. But it was still there, eating him alive, trying to drown him in thoughts that weren't his. This part of him was what was slowly killing him-- it was the root of all his problems.

But he couldn't get rid of it.

He was tired of being useless.

Sora took a step forward and faced his friends --faced Riku-- with as much strength as he could muster. "No."

"What-"

"This isn't something you can argue over-"

"No!" Sora repeated. "I'm done with being u-useless. And… I…"

The ice creeping its way into his heart was all too obvious now. His teeth were chattering, he couldn't stop his stuttering. His fingers were an icy blue and he felt nauseous just looking at the snowflakes that covered his skin. All of his joints felt like they were frozen over; simply breathing hurt more than he wanted to admit. But Sora held back a wince and kept his tears at bay. He took another step forward. Riku didn't look away.

Sora took a deep breath.

There was barely any distance between them. Sora was painfully aware of everyone watching him, and he was painfully aware of the limited time he had, but he didn't care. The ice in his heart and the Heartless behind him could wait, even if it was just for another second. He needed these last few moments, because he knew they were the ones that counted the most. He knew this was no time to waste, even if there was the potential he could make it out of this alive.

It went unsaid that he didn't think he would.

"I hope y-you can forgive me."

It wasn't what he wanted to say, but it would do.

So Sora grabbed the collar of his jacket and put his lips against Riku's. It felt as if his shivering stopped, as if the ice in his heart had melted. It was cliché, yes, but Sora felt warmer than he had then since he stepped foot into Arendelle. The kiss was sloppy and quick and everything he hoped his first kiss wouldn't be, but it was all he had in the time he had left. It was the only way he could figure out how to say I love you without the words.

But it was over in barely a second before Sora pushed himself away harshly and held his keyblade out in front of him, finally letting his tears fall as he said, "Stop."

And everyone in front of him froze.

Kairi had stepped forward, her arm reaching out to try and get him to stop what he was doing. Next to her, Donald was nearly jumping out of his skin, terrified and angry and scared, all at the same time. Goofy was looking up, an arm ready to reach out to try and stop Sora, just like Kairi had. His shield was frozen in the air just as he dropped it. Anna could only stare, but whether or not it was directed at Sora or the Heartless behind him, he didn't know.

And Riku. Sora couldn't get himself to look him in the eye.

Without another moment to spare, Sora turned on his heels and looked up at the Heartless. It stood across from the room, still stalking forward. Now that Sora had a better look at it, he noticed how slow its steps were. They were also strained, as if something was holding it back.

Sora held up his keyblade.

It was pointed directly at the Heartless' chest. He pushed his shoulders back and wiped away his tears. Now, there was no room for crying. There was no room for weakness. He only felt the loss swelling in his chest, settling right beside the freezing ice. He felt his body shiver and shake, legs nearly giving out underneath him. He felt the strength that poured from his heart, and he felt the determination he had overtake everything else. Sora took a deep breath.

There was barely any time, but Sora sent a wish to whatever God was watching. Maybe Hercules could put in a good word for him.

Before Sora could even ask himself if this spell would work, he felt the last of his mana channel into his keyblade. Light gathered around his feet, and the few smaller Heartless that remained shrieked and shriveled away. Sora took another breath, opened his eyes, and looked directly at the Heartless towering above him.

And he whispered, "Faith."

Light erupted from the ground. The entire room was filled with bright light and the sound of Heartless screaming. They disappeared, not even a single speck of smoke that remained. In front of him, the Heartless screamed.

Sora couldn't move his feet. It was oddly cold.

The last time he used this spell, he had someone to help him. Queen Minnie was not here, however, and the only thing Sora had to help channel the magic was the keyblade and his own light. He didn't know how long it would last, nor if it would even finish the Heartless off, but he had hope. He believed in his power, in the power his friends gave him, and wished for the best.

He could do this. He could do this one last thing.

When he felt the ice spread up to his fingers, to his chest, Sora took a deep breath. His last breath. A cold inhale, an icy exhale. His body was completely frozen over, covered in ice. The end of his keyblade still remained pointed at nothing, his other hand resting at his side. Sora stood like a statue guarding over his friends. Though his eyes were iced over and his heart was frozen solid, he still stood tall, like a guardian. A protector.

The Heartless screamed again, now the only thing that remained in the room that could still move. It stumbled forward, darkness casting a shadow over the air that surrounded it. It screamed again, one last time. With a final step forward, the darkness exploded into hazy black smoke and a limp body fell from the center, just as the spell cast on the remaining five was undone.

The second time resumed and Anna's eyes caught the person struggling to move to their feet, she began running. She didn't notice anything else in the room except for Elsa, who once again fell into a heap onto the ground.

Riku shook his head, still a little hazy. After a failed attempt of looking around without being extremely nauseous, he settled with staring at a single spot on the ground. He was confused, disoriented, his body feeling of heavy static and lead. Kairi stumbled into his arm, apologizing quietly and holding onto him while she also tried to find her footing. It was strange, they all felt fuzzy. All of their heads rushed. Riku could hear the blood rushing through his ears, and he could hear his heartbeat beat against his chest wildly. He didn't know why everything felt so off. The last thing he remembered was…

Sora kissed him.

Through the heat rushing to his face and the anxiety welling up in his chest, Riku looked up. He wanted to search for Sora, to find out what the hell he was thinking and what the hell happened, but he didn't have to look far. The second Riku lifted his gaze he spotted Sora. Standing directly in front of him, only a couple of feet away, stood Sora, one arm outstretched in front of him with his keyblade pointing ahead and the other resting at his side. He instantly felt hollow. Sora was unmoving, not breathing, still as a statue. He was quiet, not a single sound coming from him. But the thing that stood out the most was the bright blue ice covering him head to toe.

Still as a statue. Unmoving, still, ice cold.

Riku could only stare. His throat was dry. There was no voice for him to find, not to mention there weren't any words he could say to make it matter.

No, that was wrong. There was one word that mattered.

"Sora?" He choked out, tripping over his feet as he stepped forward and around, staring Sora face to face. While Riku knew he wasn't going to get a reply, he wished with everything he had that he would. Just one word would have been enough. Instead, Sora stood frozen, eyes staring straight through Riku, as if he wasn't there at all. His eyes were vacant, empty, lifeless. Completely lifeless. The spark he once had was gone.

The sob stuck in his throat wouldn't go away. Riku tried to keep it together. He really did. But his façade was falling, his walls were breaking. He couldn't keep it up for any longer. He couldn't keep his eyes from tearing up and he couldn’t keep those tears from falling. He couldn't keep his breathing steady, nor his heartbeat from speeding up. He couldn't stop his walls from crumbling down into nothing the second he reached up and touched Sora's cheek, feeling the ice burn his fingers and replace the warmth that had once been there.

That's when he couldn't stop his tears.

"Sora. Sora- you- you idiot." Riku held back another sob. "Come on, Sora. Sora."

The hand on his shoulder was what grounded him. It was there for comfort, but the only thing Riku felt at that moment was grief and sadness and anger that wasn't really anger, more like a misplaced grievance that struck him so hard in the gut that it twisted into something it shouldn't have. There was no comfort that could reach him. Nothing could. All he could pay attention to was him and Sora-- they were the only people in the room. So he balled his hands into fists, leaning his forehead on Sora's shoulder and punching the ice as hard as he dared. Sora didn't budge.

"I'm supposed to be the one saving you. Not- not the other way around." Riku said. His voice was barely over a whisper.

Nothing else registered until someone pulled at his sleeve. Riku stood back again, not bothering to wipe the tears in his eyes. At his side, Kairi's hand was still holding tightly onto the sleeve of his shirt. Her eyes were locked onto Sora's, her other hand fidgeting at her side. She opened her mouth to speak and closed it again before rubbing at her eyes helplessly. The tears fell anyway.

There was nothing to say. She stood there, trying to find the words, but the only words that came to her weren't important. He's gone. It'll be okay. He's okay now. No, none of it mattered. None of those words really mattered. It didn't take a genius to say whether or not Sora was gone, that much was easy to tell. It wasn't okay. No matter how many times this happened or how many times he gets himself hurt or disappears it'll never be okay. Not until he's safe, until they are all happy and together and not in so much pain. And… he wasn't okay. Not anymore. Not like this.

There were no words to say, but she had to say something.

Instead, Kairi hugged herself, backing up with a stumble. Her legs shook with every half-step she took. The tears in her eyes kept falling no matter how hard she tried to suck it up. Get ahold of yourself, she thought. Nothing could blink away the tears. Get ahold of yourself. This isn't anything new. You've seen this before. Riku hasn't-- he has it worse.

But he was still my friend, too.

When Anna and Elsa stepped forward, Kairi almost let herself get distracted. But she knew that if she did, it would only be worse later. So she let herself cry, hoping that if she pinched herself hard enough she would wake up from this terrible nightmare.

Before anyone could say anything, Riku whipped around to face Anna and Elsa. Elsa was leaning into Anna's side, eyes focused onto Sora and his iced-over body. She had no words, nor did she have any tears. There was silent resignation in her eyes as if she had known this was how it was going to turn out all along. She wanted to apologize, but her throat felt tight and her voice felt like it wasn't really there after all. Riku spoke before she had the chance to, anyway.

"There has to be something- we have to save him." He said, his tone bordering more on pleading rather than as strong as he tried to be. The waver was still there and his voice cracked on louder syllables. At that moment, he wasn't strong. Not then. His walls weren't there anymore. There was nothing left to hide.

Elsa only stared into Sora's eyes. She remained silent.

"There- has to be..." his voice trailed off. His eyes met Sora's again. But this time, he couldn't take it. He couldn't take it this time. Riku tried to take a step forward, but his legs wouldn't move. His hands covered his face, as if trying to wipe away the tear streaks on his cheeks, before he grabbed fistfuls of hair and pulled.

Wake up. This is just a dream. You have to wake up.

But he didn't wake up. When Riku opened his eyes again, the scene was exactly the same as before. With Kairi mumbling to herself as she cried and with Anna and Elsa holding each other and staring ahead like their gazes could change everything. With Donald pulling at Sora's hand and Goofy covering his face with one of his hands, the quietest out of all of them. Riku didn't wake up, and right then and there it truly felt like he was stuck inside of a nightmare.

The only thing he could do was shake his head. Riku tried to take a step forward, towards Sora, but his legs gave out underneath him and he was left holding himself up as he cried. The second his tears began to fall again, they wouldn't stop. He could feel his heart shatter, along with any hope he had that they could all get out of this unscathed. The room felt small, even if it really wasn't. It felt like the walls were caving in on him. And he waited for them to do so, because that would be far less painful than this. Far less painful than realizing that this was all real. It was far less painful than realizing that Sora was gone.

The hand that had been on Riku's shoulder earlier returned, only for it to disappear again and be replaced with someone hugging him tightly. He wanted to hug back, he really did, but there was something stopping him. He couldn't move. Instead, he cried into their shoulder and listened to them speak quietly. The second they started speaking, even with the way their words were obscured by the sobs that tore at their throat, Riku knew who the person was. Kairi had always been the hugger of the three of them, this was no surprise.

"It's- it's okay-" no it isn't, it really isn't. "It's okay. It's okay."

Her words trailed off into sobs, no longer being able to speak actual words. Against her better judgment, Kairi looked back at Sora again. She couldn't see much through the tears in her eyes, and her vision was blurry, but the second her eyes laid on him her crying only worsened. Her cheeks burned and her lungs yearned for a solid breath of air, but she couldn't stop. She couldn't figure out how to stop the tears from falling. The only thing she could do was hold Riku tighter.

From behind the two of them, Anna stepped forward with Elsa close by her side. Her gaze moved between Riku and Sora.

"But, I thought..." she began. "I thought... they kissed. Sora should be- don't you-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Riku pulled away and turned towards Anna. His eyes glared daggers, the frown on his face twisting into something bitter, heartbroken. He pushed away from Kairi and stood up on shaking legs, letting himself taking only a moment to breathe before swallowing his sobs and forcing himself to stand tall.

"If you're implying that I don't love him then you're wrong," Riku said. His crying had stopped, be it only for a moment, allowing him to talk without falling apart. He knew it wouldn't last long.

Somebody gasped. He only continued to speak, ignoring the incredulous looks that Anna and Elsa gave him.

"I loved him. He- he was what was most important. He was my light. Don't- don 't ever think otherwise." Riku clenched and unclenched his fists, his throat tight. He didn't think he could speak again even if he tried. He was beyond tired, and the hollow feeling in his gut remained. He didn't think anything would make it go away. So he turned around only to be greeted with a bright blue light.

Like a miracle, the ice around Sora's body began to disappear. Riku couldn't believe his eyes. Like a breath of fresh air, the ice disappeared into wisps of dusted snow. His clothes were no longer covered in crystallized snowflakes, nor was his skin ashen and edging on blue. His eyes were bright again and his hair returned to its normal color. Everything was okay again-- he was okay again.

The second his breath came back to him, Sora looked down at his hands. He couldn't believe it. He was-- he was alive. His fingers were no longer bright blue and icy at the tips. When he glanced to the side, he couldn't help but smile when he saw that his hair finally went back to its normal color. He was alive.

Sora only got a moment to breathe again before Donald slammed into his side, hugging him as best as he could.

"I'm alive," Sora breathed.

"You're alive," Kairi said, her voice beyond cold. Sora didn't notice, too caught up in the fact that he was alive.

"I'm alive!"

"You're… an idiot. And you'll be dead when I get to you-!" Kairi said, rolling up imaginary sleeves and stomping forward. Sora's head snapped up and he backed up, tripping over his feet and falling backward onto the floor. Goofy stepped forward, trying to calm her down. He held her back as she took deep breaths, only relaxing slightly. Donald, however, stepped to the side, silently agreeing with her, even if he would never admit it. He did care, after all. Sora was just an idiot.

Despite himself, Sora laughed. It was quiet but it was real. He was real. And for a while, it was all he could think about, until he glanced up to look around the room. Instead, Sora's eyes met Riku's.

For the longest time, it was silent between the two. They only stared at each other, as if they were the only people in the room. They were still, quiet, and just as Sora was about to speak, Riku rushed forward. In a blink of an eye, he had sunk to his knees and enveloped Sora in a tight hug. It was... the warmest Sora had been all day. It was cliche, yes, but in Riku's arms, Sora felt safe. The safest he had in his entire life. And it didn't take long for Sora to hug back. It took all he had to keep himself from crying, however. For Riku, that wasn't the case. He dug his head into Sora's shoulder and cried. Sora felt his body shake, and he heard the quiet gasps for air. Whether it was to keep everyone else from seeing him cry, or whether it was because he simply wanted to hold Sora close, he didn't know. Sora only hugged him tighter.

"I thought you were gone," Riku whispered, shaking his head. "I thought I had lost you."

"I'm sorry. But... I don't regret it. I'd save you a hundred times over."

"Why'd you do it? Why'd you-" Riku stopped, taking a deep breath. He still held Sora close. "Why'd you save me?"

Sora pulled away, only slightly. He made sure he could look Riku in the eye. A small smile was on his face, and Riku couldn't look away from Sora's eyes. "People do crazy things when they're in love."

This time, Riku smiled. "Yeah, well," he scoffed, "don't ever do that again."

Despite the way his voice cracked and how stupid he sounded, Riku meant his words. He understood. He really did. If he ever had the chance, he would have done the exact same for Sora. No hesitation. But... that didn't mean he wanted to see Sora so close to death ever again. In fact, as long as Riku lived, he would make sure that nothing like this ever happened again. 

I lost him once. I'm not going to lose him again.

They were both quiet for a long time. They probably looked like idiots, sprawled out on the ground and hugging each other in a room with only five other people in it, the ballroom no less. But Sora had just died and come back to life. Riku had just lost and found the person who's most important. They could take this chance to hold each other as close as they could. They could take this chance to forget everything that had happened in the past day because they all knew it would haunt them later. This one chance was all they wanted. It's all they asked for.

So at that moment, Sora ignored everyone else around him, and instead chose to hold Riku as tight as he could.

After another moment, Riku spoke up again. His voice was soft, barely over a whisper. "Sora?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too."