It was amazing how still the barren soil of the Keyblade Graveyard was. How quiet the wind was as it drifted along the scars of battle, graves of fallen Keyblade wielders, and the scattered Guardians of Light who had just proven triumphant against Xehanort and his Darknesses.

Riku's white hair was dyed red or pink in places from blood. His legs- which everyone, including himself, believed could always carry him forward -were ready to buckle. He was gasping for air as if he suddenly gained asthma. He was ready to cry, not from pain, but from joy. They did it. There was so much uncertainty in victory, so much doubt in their hearts that they'd make it out, but they did it.

He fell forward, Kairi rushing to catch him, "Hey, easy, easy..." She'd come out relatively unscathed, but it was clear her dress would need a little work and she stood awkwardly on her ankle.

"Kai...?" Riku said, but it came out as more of a panting question.

Kairi looked around, trying to support Riku in a way that didn't hurt her foot, "Hold on, I'll find someone..." She waved, "HEY! DONALD! GOOFY! YOUR MAJESTY!" She smiled when the blots on the horizon began rushing to her and Riku. She patted his back, "They're coming. We can find everyone else when we group up."

...

Elsewhere, Aqua tenderly ran her hands over Terra's cheeks. Her eyes were wide and glimmered with a hope she had almost lost, and her expression caught between joy and shock. She pulled a hand back to cover her mouth as she laughed, "T-Terra?"

Terra smiled and began crying himself as he held the hand on his cheek, "That's my girl... Thank you."

Aqua smiled, crying herself. She didn't know what to say. That is, until Roxas collapsed a few feet away from them. Aqua had completely forgotten Roxas was helping her find a way to Terra. She rushed over. She ended up dragging Terra with her; she couldn't bear to let go of his hand, "Roxas! Roxas are you okay?"

Roxas was splayed on the ground and staring at the sky. There was a duality of lucidity and insanity in his gaze. He was mostly uninjured with only snippets of wounds exposed, but there was some immense pain in the rigid hold of his body and his stare.

Terra knelt next to Aqua, who started to hold Roxas up, "Roxas? Who's-?"

"Ve-" Aqua stopped herself from the moment of déjà Vu. She then shook her head and said, "Roxas, are you okay?"

Roxas didn't turn to her, and shook his head. "Not..." He whispered, "Not me..."

"Not me?" Aqua asked. If it was Roxas saying the problem wasn't with him... Aqua didn't like such implications of that interpretation of his syntax. Maybe he was saying he didn't push himself too far, telling her a foe had gotten him. It had to be that, right?

Terra asked his own question again, "Who's Roxas? Isn't he-"

"Long story, Terra." Aqua said quickly. She pressed her ear to his heart, frowning, "His heartbeat is all over the place-" she backed up abruptly when Roxas violently coughed.

The hand he used to cover it fell limply to the ground, stained with so much wet and glistening blood it might as well have been a carved piece of ruby.

...

Ventus was missing his opportunity of full reunion with his friends. He knew he would when he chose to team up with Sora. At the moment he was equal parts glad and horrified at making such a choice.

Sora was standing with a vacant look at the horizon. There was a hole in his jacket and hood that was starting to darken and moisten with a dark liquid. Ven knew every implication of it, and ran for Sora, "Sora!"

Sora fell to the ground with no sense of grace, as if someone cut the puppet strings holding him up with no warning. He didn't make a sound at the pain of impact against the hard soil, but shortly after spasmed and twisted with a horrible, wet, choking noise slipping from his lips.

Ventus turned him over, seeing a purple stain forming on Sora's shirt from a wound right in his heart, "No..." He said it again, louder with the word ringing all over the world, "NO!"

Sora's hand shakily went to the wound while blood poured out of the side of his mouth. He made small whimpering noises, attempts a speech, but he was too shocked to say anything. Hs hand spreaded out from prodding and the injury to feeling for anything else. After a moment he held his hand up. In its grasp was the chain to his beloved necklace, red and broken, and its crown was nowhere along the stained links.

His hand fell back to his chest, applying light pressure to the literal hole in his heart. He looked at Ventus, "V... Ve..."

Ventus was downing an ether. He wiped his lips and held his hands out again, "Cure!" Nothing happened. He used another ether, yelling, "CURE DAMN YOU!"

Sora shook his head, "No... Go... od... Try...ing"

Ventus stopped, pressing his hands to Sora's chest for the most basic of care while he waited for the others to find them, "What did you do?!"

Sora's pained frown smiled, "Sav...ed... The... Day..." He tapped Ven's hands, "χ-Blade..." Ventus stared at him. How on earth was this a day saved?

Sora said again, "χ-Blade... Stopped... By us..."

"What?" Ventus asked.

Sora's hand held Ven's, "I... Thought... Of you... Kairi... Riku... Islands... Donald... Goofy... Every... One." He closed his eyes and sighed, "I... Wanted... To... Stop this..." He smiled, "And... I did."

...

Kairi and Riku were patched up thanks to Donald, and currently everyone was touching base with each other and trying to find out where the others were.

Of course, finding Terra, Aqua, and Roxas wasn't too hard, since the three rushed for their companions. Roxas looked surprisingly small in Terra's arms. He had a wide eyed look with his hands covering his mouth while his front was covered in red. Terra looked confused and distraught in equal shares as he yelled, "Hey! We need help!"

Kairi turned to Riku, who had turned as white as his hair's normal shade. He then moved away from Kairi, walking at first towards Roxas, then veering off towards where he guessed Sora would be in relation to them and gained speed.

...

"Sora open your eyes right now!" Ventus demanded, "I'm not having you die on me!"

Sora did as he was told, his frown fading, "χ-Blade... Shattered... By my heart."

Ventus felt everything in his expression pulling into a desperate and broken frown. He saw it all, didn't he? Sora had ran right in front of him to block the χ-Blade with his Keyblade, and then there was an explosion of light and darkness that stopped him from seeing anything else.

He assumed it was a mistake. His blade had caught in the wrong spot and accidentally guided the point through his heart. It was all a rookie mistake caused by disorientation from all the constant fighting. It was only now- when his hands were soaking in the blood of the boy he now considered a son -that Ventus realized Sora was thinking of a much more powerful weapon to shield those he dearly loved.

He looked away, "You're an idiot... Using your own heart?!"

"Love... Is..." Sora replied softly with another heaving breath, "Strongest."

Ventus turned back to him, about to yell. He stopped himself and finally let himself cry. He was helpless. Completely helpless. What kept him from crying and breaking during his pointless fight so long ago was the fact he could do something, but now he was powerless. Why didn't his spells work? Why didn't he have an elixir, or even a potion at least? Blame piled right on top of the grief, and buried any thoughts of victory.

"I dunno..." Sora whispered, "Why-" Whatever he was going to say was lost to a sudden cough accompanied by his body twisting and writhing. Whatever pain he was trying to hide reared its head. The smile he held suddenly revealed just how fake it was.

Ventus decided to ignore Sora, just for a moment, and screamed out to the heavens, "SOMEBODY! ANYBODY!" He couldn't continue. The tears that had a stranglehold on his heart held him back. He barely managed to say, "Please, help..."

Sora looked like he wanted to say something, but only continued gasping and shaking as more blood fell from his lips, practically drowning on himself. Ventus noticed this and gently positioned Sora so he could have an easier time breathing, "Don't die... Don't die... Please don't die..."

He stopped. It looked like some kind of darkness was pouring from the wound alongside the blood. He checked the back. Fragments of light shone among the dark reds and browns. Ventus's magic was doing nothing because the remnants of the χ-Blade were literally destroying Sora. For every cell healed, more were destroyed. χ was indeed a letter of endings, a letter of death.

"I take my statement back." Ventus said, "You're an absolute moron!"

"SORA!" Ventus looked up to see Riku running at full speed towards them. He held out his hand, "Curaga!" The spell washed over them, but Sora's condition barely changed. Riku knelt next to him, "What on earth happened?" He looked at Ventus, his face furrowing with anger, "What happened?!"

"The... χ...Blade..." Sora wheezed, "Made... With hate..."

Riku held out his hands again, trying to heal Sora up, "Not dying today and understanding what you mean you be very nice." He ignored the cries of the others discovering the horrific sight- a mix of several healing spells going off at the same time and alarm -and listened to what Sora had to say.

"Jealousy... And greed." Sora began explaining, his breaths a little more even now, "That's what... caused the last war... right?"

Riku slowly nodded. He could hear Kairi trying to stifle her crying behind him. "He's going to die, isn't he?" was barely heard.

Sora was staring at the sky now, "People weren't... They weren't... happy. They wanted... More. The χ-Blade."

"And your point?" Aqua asked, "This is an absolutely suicidal act!"

Roxas had passed out, and Terra gently set him down next to Sora. Sora gasped, but whether it was from shock or another tremor was unknown. Riku said quietly, "Your choices have consequences." Silence fell. Sora took in another ragged breath, prompting Riku to say curtly, "You take a rest, bud. We'll patch you up for a bit and then you can explain to us exactly what you're doing scaring us as close to death as you are." It was clear that was supposed to be a joke, but it was strained.

It was at that point it really hit Ventus everyone else had found them. He looked up to see Aqua and Terra, and it seemed at that point they realized Ventus was there, too. Ventus was sad to see Terra stubbornly turn away from him, failing to realize that Terra didn't want this to be the first time he saw Ven again. Not when he was crying, covered in blood, and hysterical with grief.

Aqua noticed this and whispered, "Terra,"

"What?" He replied.

Aqua held his shoulder, "I know it's not the perfect time, but it's the first time in forever for him, too."

Terra a only bitterly remarked, "He's pulling those eyes, isn't he? Huge and pleading and full of despair. The ones he used when he... he..." Terra couldn't say it.

Aqua looked at Ventus, who looked at her back with a plain question written in his gaze: "he hates me now, doesn't he?" Riku, meanwhile, was encouraging Sora to stay conscious and continuing to try and fix him up while giving him a rest.

"Terra, please, just at least give him a sign you're still his friend." She said, "He's already hurt." Terra looked back at Ventus. Ventus started looking away, but not before catching a reassuring smile from Terra.

Ventus smiled a little, but frowned the moment Sora began talking again, "I can feel it..."

"Feel what, Sora?" Riku's asked.

Sora's hand tapped at his heart, "I was right... The χ-Blade... is full of hate." He laughed, wet and sickly, "Maybe it came... Because it was jealous..."

"Jealous?" Riku scoffed.

Goofy- who had been trying to console Kairi until this point -cut in, "Well, Keyblades are kinda weird like that. Maybe this χ-Blade is, too..."

"Maybe..." Sora said, trying to look over at his friend and only leaning right back in pain. He shook his head, "It's... The power that everyone... Wanted. They weren't happy... Being friends in the true... light." He suddenly smiled "So I figure... Why not get rid of it... Forever? With... love?"

He then tried sitting up, prompting Ventus to hold him down, "Sora you are in no condition to move!"

Sora looked at him, and his trembling hands removed Ven's, "I... I'm fine... If I can still see you guys."

"DON'T YOU DARE!" Kairi had had enough, and marched right up to him. She pressed her hand against Ven's right back against the blood and open tissue, "I am not letting you die! I'm not letting you die! Not when you still gotta take me to Never Land! To Atlantica! To all the worlds just like you promised!" She broke down into illegible sobs again, "N-not when... N-not w-when..!"

Riku followed the gesture, getting right behind Sora and letting him sit up in his lap, "Who's gonna keep you in line and on your toes if you die?"

Terra and Aqua knelt and joined them, "I still have to thank you for heading the attack that freed me."

"And for helping Ventus."

Mickey, and Donald, and Goofy, "We won't let you go, Sora!"

"Come on! Stay strong!"

Sora began crying. He smiled wide and laughed. His head weakly fell back into Riku's chest, but even then he could still see everyone. "You're all my friends... No doubt about that." Sora said. Shortly after, his eyes began closing, and his shaky breaths began slowing, "I... Love you guys..."

...

Sora felt himself stirring. Something was fishing him out of numb darkness and back into consciousness. He opened his eyes. Slowly, like a child coming into the world.

"Good, I thought you were dead." Sora turned his head sluggishly to see Axel- or maybe Lea as that line to distinguish them had been blurred -but he looked far from relieved. Sora was greeted with a slap, "I was wondering if I could ever do that."

Sora was too tired and disoriented to respond much besides holding a hand to his cheek and asking, "...huh?" He looked past Axel and saw Roxas asleep on another hospital bed.

"You're lucky you both pulled through or I would've brought you back to kill you." Axel leaned back in his chair. Sora chuckled. He then held a hand to his heart, groaning. "Yeah, you weren't in good shape." Axel remarked, "I think you're pretty lucky to be alive."

Sora nodded, smiling. He looked over at Roxas again, "... He okay?"

Axel looked over at Roxas. He quietly brushed aside his bangs, checking his temperature and doing the general acts of doting on a loved one, "He's been passed out longer than you. Terra said he blacked out while you both were still at the Keyblade Graveyard." He sighed and scratched at the back of his head, "Gosh he was a sight... Both of you were. Even passed out."

Sora blinked slowly as the memory came back, "Oh yeah..." The hand against his heart curled in, "The χ-Blade-"

"You're really lucky to have so many people caring for ya." Axel cut him off, "It took a whole lot of work to get the bits and pieces of that outta ya."

Sora looked at Axel, "What?"

"We removed it." Axel said. Sora shot right up, only to double over in pain. Axel rubbed his back, "Don't get ahead of yourself, you're still recovering."

Sora coughed a little, and he noted that the blood that came up was significantly less than before. He sank back into the pillows. He was intending to die with that last, desperate move, "But..."

"I know, they explained your idea." Axel ruffled Sora's hair, "We all thoroughly agreed you're an idiot."

Sora frowned, "What about the fragments-"

Axel rubbed his shoulder, "They're scattered."

Sora frowned even deeper, "It's gonna happen again, isn't it?" He banged his hand against the bed, "That's why I did it! I let myself do this so it wouldn't-"

"Yen Sid made sure those fragments are a long way off from each other." Axel said, "And we'll make sure that records survive so that if and when this happens again people will know what to do."

Roxas stirred. Axel backpedaled on Sora and held Roxas's hand, "Dude, you okay? Can you hear me?"

Roxas opened his eyes, "Ax...el?"

Axel bowed his head, "Oh thank god."

Roxas laughed, "Being a little... lovey-dovey there, aren't ya?"

Axel raised his head and his voice, "Well hey it's not like you arrived with daisies and sunshine! You had blood all over you and have been passed out since ya got here! You try not being concerned when your best friend goes through that!"

Roxas looked over to Sora, who was smiling, "What're you lookin at?"

"Nothing." Sora said, "Just the couple of lovebird-"

Roxas and Axel rapidly scooted from each other with disgusted cries:

"I'M YOUR AGE!"

"Woah there! Think of the age gap!"

Sora chuckled, and watched as others came in to the ward to check in, their faces brightening one by one. His bed and Roxas's were swarmed by relief and love from everyone. Although it wasn't without Riku and Ventus slapping Sora or punching him for "being such a goody two shoes" in their own form of worried care. Kairi peppered his face with kisses and her own worried titters and Terra shook his hand with profuse thanks.

Sora closed his eyes and laughed.

Honestly, maybe he was happy to be alive.

Here's your daily dose of sad rising from this headcanon of mine that the injuries inflicted by χ-Blade counter healing magic and potions so much that they do diddly squat