RL: Ok, my second attempt at writing a songfic. Let's just hope that this one is better...
Riku: Am I the bases of this one, too?
RL: Actually, no. It's Sora.
Sora: WHAT!?! Don't tell me something bad's gonna happen!?!
RL: Um… Would you like a white lie?
Sora: OH, NO!
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or the song Lithium. Those belong to Evanescence and Square Enix.
In the End, I Guess I Have to Fall
By: RikuLuvr
Two teen boys stood in the middle of a vast battle field. They had been fighting for nearly three days strait. One of the teens had gravity-defying burnet hair and the other teen had long silver hair. The two teens were none other than the two key blade wielders; Riku and Sora. The two teens had lost most of their comrades: Leon, Cloud, Yuffie, the Gull Wings, Aerith, Goofy, Donald, and the King. They were fighting an unknown enemy. Whoever the adversary was, he was more powerful then anybody the keybearers had ever encountered. All they knew about him was that he called himself "The Cleanser".
Lithium - don't want to lock me up inside
Lithium - don't want to forget
How it feels without
Lithium - I want to stay in love
With my sorrow
Oh but God I want to let it go
Sora and Riku were losing, badly. The Cleanser was very powerful and had many tricks under his belt. Sora and Riku were being tossed about like a pair of toys. Currently, the teens were in a stand off against The Cleanser. The stand off had lasted at least five minutes. The stand off was soon broken when The Cleanser suddenly dashed towards the duo.
"Prepare to die, fools!" The Cleanser yelled. "You'll soon be joining your friends!"
"Brace yourself for impact, Sora!" Riku said to his lifelong friend, putting up a defensive pose. "He's goin' all out this time!"
"I got ya!" Sora replied, also putting up a defensive pose.
But when they thought The Cleanser was going to attack, he vanished before their eyes. The two keybearers looked around, dumbfounded. Not soon after had the Clearnser disappeared, he reappeared behind the two. The teens turned around and tried to defend against the attack, but they were a second too late. The Cleanser's sword connected with the gut of Sora and the arm of Riku. Sora, having gotten the worst of the attack, went flying nearly 100 yards and then skidded another five. "Sora!" Riku yelled, wincing at the pain surging through his arm.
Come to bed, don't make me sleep alone
Couldn't hide the emptiness you let it show
Never wanted it to be so cold
Just didn't drink enough to say you love me
When the pain subsided from his arm, Riku gazed over to where Sora had fallen to see him laying there motionless. "Sora!" he yelled, but there was no response. Again, Riku yelled Sora's name, and still, there was no response.
"Give up, boy," The Cleanser smirked, "he's already joined the others."
"No…" Riku looked back over to his friend. "He isn't…. He can't be…"
"Oh, but he is. No one could survive that. I should know. I've killed several of thousands of men by that strike. And, you shall also fall by my Severing Strike!" The Cleanser then charged again in the same way he had before. Riku tried to defend, but his sword arm was the one damaged. So, he stood there waiting for the impact.
I can't hold onto me
Wonder what's wrong with me
Lithium – don't want to lock me up inside
Lithium – don't want to forget
How it feels without
Lithium – I want to stay in love with my sorrow
But the impact never came. When Riku didn't feel the cold blade of The Cleanser's sword swipe against his bosom, he dared to open his eyes. Though, Riku regretted ever opening his eyes, because, before him stood Sora. He had tried to block the attack, but his reaction time was a bit slow. His key blade had been knocked out of his hands and was shattered on the ground a few feet away. The Cleanser had a look of complete shock on his face. Riku could hear him mumbling about how the hell that kid was alive and strong enough to block his attack. "Sora…" was Riku could say as he stared at the back of his friend. Riku was going to say more but the he noticed his friend waver and then slowly fall. "Sora!" Riku caught Sora just in time but they both ended up on the ground.
"Sora, Sora, are you ok?" Riku held onto Sora and gentle shook his friend. "Sora, can you hear me?"
"R…Riku…?" Sora slowly opened his eyes.
"It's ok, Sora. I'm right here. Don't worry, I'm right here."
"Are you…cough…alright…?"
"I'm fine. I'm more worried about you."
"I've…had better days…" Sora coughed again.
"Oh, how touching! Hadn't really expected that little trick that your friend pulled, but we always see something new everyday, now don't we?" The Cleanser sneered and cleaned off his sword. "I've seen very few people live through one Severing Strike, but not two. I'm amazed. Let's see if you can handle three…" A smirk appeared on The Cleanser's face as he prepared to go for another round.
"Shut up. No WAY am I gonna let you hurt Sora anymore. Prepare to die. This is going to be your final resting place! I'm not just gonna kill you for hurting Sora, I'm gonna murder you for killing ALL my friends!" Riku slowly and gently laid Sora on the ground, seeing as he had passed out, and stood up to face The Cleanser.
"Are you mad because I killed your friends? Well, you shouldn't be! My job is to take down people who deliberatly kill others. They don't call me "The Cleanser" for nothing."
"But what have we done?! Nothing, I tell you!"
"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, Riku. You and your friends have committed several different attempts at genocide!"
"WHAT!?! Are you mental? My friends and I have been fighting for the goodness of the Light. When have we committed genocide?"
"When you obliterated the Heartless and the Nobodies! By killing off them, you were destroying two entire races! And my job is to kill the people who commit genocide. Who do you think took out Hitler? People said he killed himself, but it was I, The Cleanser, who killed him! And once I kill off you and your little friend over there, my job will be done. So, prepare to meet your maker."
"But," Riku started to protest in a last ditch effort, "if you kill me and Sora, you'll be killing the last of the keybearers, so, you yourself will be committing genocide!"
"Ah, I see what you're trying to pull. But reverse physiology won't work on me. If I kill you, I won't be killing off the keybearers. Oh, on the contrary. Your work has been fulfilled, so you are obsolete. And if another disturbance between the words occurs, the Light will just chose new, more worthy, keybearers to do the job. So, it actually would be in your best interest if I killed you off now then let you die a natural death. It'll be much swifter and less painful." The Cleanser readied himself for another Severing Strike when he was suddenly hit in the chest by a maxed out Dark Aura. The force of the attack alone sent The Cleanser soaring through the sky and crashing down to earth. "Wha…But how?" The Cleanser tried to stand up but couldn't. Riku causally walked over to him, grabbed his collar, and placed his key blade against the throat of The Cleanser.
"If you hadn't been flapping your jaw a mile a minute, you would have seen me powering up my attack. And, the longer you took to explain, the more time I had to power up my Dark Aura. Now, like I said before, you're gonna die." And with a swift swipe, Riku cut the throat of the so-called "Cleanser". Within seconds, Riku felt the body of the man turn cold, so he dropped him to the ground. He heard a soft groan behind him when Riku remembered that Sora was still back there. "Sora!" And Riku ran to his friend.
Don't want to let it lay me down this time
Drown my will to fly
Here in the darkness I know myself
Can't break free until I let it go
Let me go
Riku ran up to the now coughing Sora. He slowly picked up his friend and placed him in his lap, resting Sora's head against his chest. "Sora, Sora, can you hear me? Sora?" Riku slowly rocked his friend hoping it would further wake him.
Again, Sora slowly opened his eyes, but only halfway. He gazed up to the piercing green eyes of his friend, only to see that his eyes were softer and that tears brimmed them. "R…Riku… Is…that you…?" Sora uttered in a weak voice.
"I'm right here Sora, don't worry."
"And…what about t…the Cleanser?"
"I took care of him. Now just try to rest while I go find some help. I promise I'll be right back, ok Sora?"
"No…Riku. Don…don't leave me…here…please." The teen had a look of desperation in his eyes.
"But it's the only way I can get you help." Riku saw the look in Sora's eyes and couldn't bear it, so he shifted his gaze.
"I…I don't wanna…be…alone. Riku…I…I'm scared. I want…you to…stay."
"Alright, Sora, but if I stay here, I…I can't get you help. And I don't have anything that'll help. If you don't get help soon, you'll…you'll…" At this point, Riku started to cry. "I don't want to lose you, Sora."
"Riku…it's alright. If I…if I die, it...won't be in vain. I…would have died…protecting someone…who I care…about."
"But if you…you die, you won't be able to see h….home again. How will I tell K…Kairi?"
Sora soon started to shiver, and Riku held him closer. "Kairi'll…know that I died…protecting people whom I love…and care about. And, it's ok…if I don't see…the islands…again. I can still remember…the way it smells…and how if feels. And, as long…as I'm here…with you…it feels…like I'm home…" Riku could feel Sora slowly getting heavier in his arms, and he started to cry harder.
"S…Sora…" Riku closed his eyes as the tears became harder and he lowered his face onto of Sora's head. "I'm…I'm…sorry…"
"Don't be…Riku…" Sora's breathing was becoming more ragged and forced.
Darling, I forgive you after all
Anything is better than to be alone
And in the end I guess I have to fall
Always find my place among the ashes
"But it's my fault. If I had protected myself better, you wouldn't be like…like this…"
"D…Don't blame yourself…Riku. I just…want you…to know…that I think…of you more than…just my friend…I think of you as…my brother…"
"B…Brother…?" Sora slowly nodded his head. "Sora…"
Sora's breathing became shallower and more forced, but he still spoke on. "Ever…since we meet…I always knew…that we would be…the best of friends…and be together…until the…end…"
I can't hold onto me
Wonder what's wrong with me
"Sora…please…no…" Riku was now crying even harder than before. "I don't know what I would do without you here…"
"Just promise…me that you'll…not dwell in sorrow…about your…loss. Just…promise me…that."
"I…I promise…Sora." Riku opened his eyes to see a smile cross his dying friend's face and a tear fall from his cerulean eyes.
"Thank you…Riku… Goodbye…" And with that, Sora's eyes slowly closed and his head lolled into Riku's bosom. Soon after, dark rain clouds appeared and it started to rain.
Across the battlefield, the bodies of the others started to stir. Leon was the first to get up. "What in the worlds…?" He started massaging the side of his head. "Why do I have this headache?" That's when Leon noticed the others starting to get up. Yuffie was the closest to him, so he helped her up. "Are you ok?"
"I'm fine, Squall," the great ninja replied. "Other than this splitting headache, I'm dandy." She stood up and dusted herself off. "I thought we were dead back there, though." She pushed her hair out of her face. "Ok, what's with this rain?"
"I don't know…but I have a feeling that it's why we're alive."
"Huh? What do ya mean?" Yuffie tilted her head in confusion.
"Think about it, Yuffie. That attack that The Cleanser used cut across our chests should have punchered our lungs and killed us, yet here we are, alive and breathing."
Yuffie was now confused more than ever. "Squally, what are you getting at?"
"I'm saying that we shouldn't be alive!"
"Oh…" Yuffie looked down at her feet. Leon saw her face and mentally cursed himself. "Don't take it the wrong way, Yuffie, but it just doesn't make sense…" Leon explained. The others soon gather around the two and there was a buzz of talk.
"Wait," Mickey pointed out, "where's Riku and Sora?" Everyone looked around but Goofy was the one that spotted something.
"Over there!" Goofy pointed to two figures off in the distance. The group ran off to where the two figures sat.
When they approached, they all gasped. Before them they saw Riku, crying over the still form of Sora.
"Now I understand the rain," Leon uttered.
"You do. Then what is it?" Yuffie asked.
"Sora's tears."
Rikku and Yuna both fell into Pain's arms; Yuffie clung to Leon as Aerith clung to Cloud. Goofy and Donald fell to the ground and bowed their heads, silently weeping, while the King just turned his head away in sorrow. Leon and Cloud could only comfort the girls that were weeping in their arms. The great Key blade wielder Sora was no more.
Lithium - don't want to lock me up inside
Lithium - don't want to forget
How it feels without
Lithium - I want to stay in love
With my sorrow
Oh but God I want to let it go
Sora: ARG! –rips up story- -turns to RL- I. Hate. You.
RL: And this is new how?
Riku: She does have a point.
Sora: Riku, why are you siding with her!? You're my friend!
Riku: I wasn't siding, I was agreeing. There's a difference.
Sora: Oh, I'll show you a difference… -tackles Riku-
RL: ----' Well, R&R plz…