Guardian Angel
Maybe this was the way that things should be? After all, he wasn’t sure that he would have accepted any other way to go out, to die, other than in battle and protecting those that he loved. He needed to get everyone out and safe and that was all that mattered to him. It didn’t matter what happened to his body and soul as long as those he cherished were safe. It was their final fight. Their biggest enemies teaming up against the Guardians of Light in the fight that would decide whether the universe would fall to ruin or be bathed in the light. They had won! They had finished the battle! And with it all finished, the Guardians had taken a moment to breath and recuperate. They had let their guard down and it was in that moment that the final blow from the fading dark was dealt. Only one Guardian had seen it coming and it was coming for all of them, so he only had a moment to decide. Of course, for him, there wasn’t much to decide. With his mind and heart made up, he jumped and took the blow for them all, shielding them with everything he was and taking all the damage that was meant for them. Thunderstruck, he fell before their eyes, darkness and magic eating away at his heart.
“Sora!”
“Sora, no!”
“Please don’t!”
The voices all screamed at him as his vision faded in and out. He knew he was dying. He knew that this was the end, but he couldn’t help but smile, even as his body was wracked with pain. His vision cleared for a moment as a vaguely familiar clear blue sky came into view.
Oh….
He was home.
For real, this time.
He smiled again before his vision was filled with the fuzzy shapes of his friends. The silver hair of Riku, the red hair of Kairi and Axel, the twin blonde heads of Roxas and Ventus, the bright blue from Aqua, the deep brown of Terra, and the midnight black of Xion. They were all there and they were all safe. Mickey, Donald and Goofy had sadly been away from this battle, but he was grateful for that. He didn’t think he could bear to see their sad faces along with these ones. Sora tried to wheeze as much, but he couldn’t hear himself, his voice was so soft that it was barely a whisper.
“No, no, no! Stay awake, Sora! You’re not allowed to sleep this time!” Riku yelled, desperation in his eyes and the green of Curaga casting a sickly glow on his skin.
“You just came back to us! You can’t leave us again!” Kairi sobbed, putting pressure on his wound, but the blood came out too fast for her to stop and the magic wasn’t working.
“Come on, kid! You can’t just go out like this! Not after everything that’s happened!” Axel yelled, grief already etched on his face.
“No...Sora….no…” Xion sobbed, feeling the memories he held within him slowly slipping away and it broke her heart to see him this way.
“Please, Sora! You have to pull through!” Aqua called out, using every bit of her magical ability to keep the one in front of her from fading, but it wasn’t enough. This was a fight they were losing.
“You’re not done yet, Sora! Not yet!” Terra yelled ferociously, helping Kairi keep pressure on the wound. From either side of Sora, holding his hands, Ventus and Roxas held tight, using every bit of their energy to keep a hold on Sora’s heart, willing it to stay where it was but they could feel it fading. Sora was slipping from their grasps and he didn’t even have the energy to fight for himself.
“Sora…Sora, please…. This can’t be the end… Please don’t say that it is….” Ventus pleaded with the brunette, reaching out with his heart to try and heal the damage done, but it felt like as soon as one crack was repaired, twenty more sprung up.
“Don’t you dare give up, Sora! Fight to stay with us!” Roxas yelled, tears staining his face as he gripped the hand in his tightly. He was holding on just as tightly as Ventus, as tightly as the rest of their friends, to prevent Sora from slipping away, but it was no use. Roxas could feel in the depths of his heart that there was nothing they could do, and it was infuriating to see that stupid grin on the other’s face.
“…so…rr…y…” Sora whispered, bright eyes clouding even as he did his best to face them all. “s…so…ha…ppy…yo…u’r…e…s…afe….” He wheezed and was met with Riku trying to keep him quiet to conserve his energy, but Sora continued on anyway, feeling the cold lingering in his chest.
“I…lo…ve….yo…u…all….” he whispered and they all felt their hearts break, tears streaming from their faces as they spoke of their love and appreciation for him, even for those that he knew the least or for the shortest time. He had done so much for them, and now there was nothing they could do in return. Sora felt like he was floating now, the warmth from their hearts filling him with so much light, he wasn’t sure what to do with it all. But now he could say that he could go without regretting it.
“So….wa…rm….” he murmured as he gazed upward, his eyes dulling as his vision finally faded to black.
‘The Destiny Islands…what an odd place…. If the shores of this place connect to the Realm of Darkness, could the skies connect to the Final World, I wonder…?’ Sora thought quietly as the image of the sky faded to nothing….
…and then there was silence.
“SORA…!” they cried in agony as their grip finally broke and the light was snuffed out leaving a void where a heart used to be.
*
The never-ending sky and sea stretched out, welcoming its new arrival in the form of a shimmering transparent star. It was a being that was familiar with the Final World and knew of what it held, yet…the soul did not pass on, but stayed, marking it as one who had something left to do that they didn’t before arriving. If one could ask the soul their reason for staying, it would reply,
“I just want to continue protecting everyone…”
And so, in sympathy for the one who crossed the boundary so frequently in life, the wheels of fate turned and the soul disappeared, moving not beyond the Final World, but back, though not where he originally was. The will of the Heart was strong and the wish would be granted…
*
Blue eyes opened to see the shining light surrounded by the black of the Station of Awakening, a place he had been to many times, but the light within him was duller, flickering weakly, the glass mural under his feet not as vibrant as every other time that he had visited.
“How am I…here?” Sora asked himself as he looked around. He should be dead, right? Maybe he was and this was what his afterlife held for him? He stretched his senses out to the hearts he was connected to but was met with nothing but silence. It was such a lonely feeling. He hugged his chest, determined not to cry, but the tears welled in his eyes anyway, threatening to spill over. He wasn’t sure what he expected from death, but it wasn’t this. It wasn’t an emptiness that he wasn’t sure he could escape from. He didn’t regret his decision, not at all, but he didn’t anticipate how much it would hurt to leave them behind and cut those connections for good…. He shuddered a bit at the feeling of nothing before he sat down, willing himself to relax. It was no good to let himself sink into his sadness. His friends wouldn’t want that for him. Calming down, he let out a breath and tried to focus on what to do now since, as far as he knew, he was now stuck there forever, but just as he did, he felt a tugging at his heart. His eyes snapped open and he looked around for the source, trying to find the connection, though it didn’t feel like anyone he knew.
“Hello? Are you there?” he called out, helping the soul that was attempting to connect with his and a quiet voice called out, echoing within the area.
“Help…please…” it called out. It was a woman’s voice. Sora looked around frantically for any sign of the female, but she did not appear.
“Where are you? How can I help? Are you in trouble?” Sora asked worriedly. There was silence for a moment before a small light came into view, drifting to him. Sora reached out and held the light gently in his hands.
“Were you the one talking to me?” he asked and the light burned brighter for a moment before dying down, a constant sound of whispering emanating from it. In confusion, Sora leaned down to catch what it was saying.
“Please save him. Save my son. He needs help. They’ll kill him. Please help.” The woman’s voice whispered. Sora felt shock course through his veins. Kill someone? What? He couldn’t let that happen! But…what could he do? He was dead….
“Please…” the woman pleaded and Sora sighed and nodded, his heart filling with strength. He looked at the light in his hands and nodded.
“I’ll help. Just tell me what you want me to do.” He said and he felt the heart in his hands glow brightly, bathing him in starlight and a flood of emotions that weren’t his own took over his senses. Memories washed over his brain and he saw through the eyes of this woman all the love she felt for the son she had died protecting and the situation she was in. He knew all she knew as the memories went through him, though only understanding snatches of all and after what felt like a lifetime, she pulled away from his heart and Sora was left feeling dazed. As soon as he regained his sense of self, the Keyblade Wielder looked at the light in his hands and he smiled determinedly, nodding.
“I don’t know how, but I’ll help him. You can rest easy.” He vowed and the light glowed brighter briefly in response.
“Thank you…” she whispered before the light flew up, flying off into the black. He watched the light disappear and he nodded, closing his eyes and concentrating. He wasn’t sure that he would even be able to help, but he was determined to try! He traced down the fading connection he felt from the woman to her son and held on tightly when he found it, willing himself to find the boy. He felt a tugging sensation as he focused but dare not open his eyes until the sensation was gone. When he did, he found that it was dark and he was in front of a house in a residential neighborhood. The night was cool, though it didn’t really affect him since he didn’t have a corporeal body. Shaking his head, Sora cleared the thoughts from his mind and turned around, feeling shock run through him. There in front of him was the smoldering remains of a house. The roof of the residence was entirely blown off with an additional segment of the corner wall crumbling away to ashes and debris. The smoke of destruction left a bitter tang in the air, marking the event as recent, but oddly enough there were no other people or police officers or anyone else milling about the area to look at the house in curiosity. If there was one thing that Sora knew about situations like this, it was that there were always spectators.
But he didn’t have the time to think any more about it as a force seemed to drive him towards the house and he remembered the promise he made to the woman. Was her son inside? He supposed he must be if he opened his eyes here, but why would he be in a wrecked house? He was taken out of his thoughts as his body floated through gates of the garden and through the very walls themselves before ascending the stairs, unable to resist the sensation. As he floated further, he felt his heart pounding in his chest, getting louder and louder with every step, but so did another sound. It sounded like a weak cry, like…that of a baby…. With a start, Sora realized that this was the son of the woman he had promised to protect. With that, he quickened his pace and soon made it to the least damaged part of the house. Looking around, he vaguely registered that he was in a child’s room, the toys and decorations suggesting that they were that of an infant, but Sora’s eyes went immediately to the crib where the vague form of a child lay, the whimpering getting weaker and weaker. Rushing over, he peered inside and saw a baby with pale skin and black hair, his eyes closed.
“Are you the one I’m looking for?” he asked quietly as he reached out to touch the infant but passed through him with ghostly arms. The baby didn’t seem to register his presence, but Sora continued to try and communicate with the baby anyway.
“Your mom sent me to protect you! So please don’t cry! I’ll be here for you now! I don’t know how I’ll help or how to take care of kids, but I’ll try my best!” the Keyblade Wielder said enthusiastically, and the baby started to quiet down. Sora smiled, thinking that he had managed to communicate with the infant, but as he looked down at the baby, he could tell that there was something wrong. The baby was paler now and the cries were weaker, his movements losing all energy. In worry, Sora tried to feel the heart of the child and was startled to find that the light inside the boy was fading and the thought struck him like an enemy attack.
The boy was dying.
He was dying and Sora couldn’t touch him!
Sora couldn’t help him!
“No, no, no! There has to be something that I can do!” Sora muttered frantically, calling out to his magic and finding that nothing was happening. Of course, that should be expected considering that he wasn’t in a flesh and blood body, it was just his heart, his soul, drifting along and right now it was proving to be a hindrance to his purpose! But what else could he do? There was nothing he could do to help while he was like this, but he couldn’t fail the woman that he had promised! He had seen her memories of her son and the love that she held for him and he couldn’t just let that all go to waste! Desperate panic and fear filled his body as he watched the little boy helplessly.
Was this what his friends felt as they watched him die in front of them?
He tried to block out the memory as it threatened to overwhelm him and instead tried to think of a solution. Frantically, he thought back to his friends and how Riku had jumped inside Sora’s heart to wake him, or how Ventus had taken shelter within Sora to heal. Or when Sora himself had opened his own heart to release Kairi from it all those years ago. Or even just those moments before his death where his friends clung to his heart with everything they had to keep him with them…. Maybe he could do the same now? After all, he was just a soul….
With that, Sora closed his eyes and reached out his two ghostly hands to place them on the infant’s chest, directly over his heart. He focused on reaching out his heart to the child’s, connecting it with his own and letting it be absorbed by the infant to give him the strength he needed to keep fighting to stay alive.
‘Please don’t go. You still have so much to do and experience. Your mom loved you so much and wanted you to live so…please don’t give up!’ Sora wished feverishly, sending all his energy through the connection of their hearts. The very air around them seemed to brighten and before he knew it, a warm feeling completely engulfed him as he gave all that he had to give. For a moment, there was a feeling of nothingness, then the different feeling overtook him and he opened his eyes to reveal that he was somewhere new. It was a Station of Awakening, but it was different from his own. The glass-like mosaic disk beneath him shone a bright gold and red and an image of a boy with black hair was upon it. Surrounding the boy, there were symbols that Sora couldn’t understand and the images of a few other people behind him that looked to be about the same age as the boy. These people must be important people to him, like all Sora’s friends were to him. He looked around the area for the boy’s heart and found a small shining heart being smothered by a swell of darkness and Sora’s heart leapt into his throat in fear for the child.
“Get away from him!” he yelled, his Keyblade suddenly appearing in his hands, surprising him briefly, as he flew over and beat the darkness away from the heart, standing protectively in front of the heart. The darkness swelled in anger and attempted to attack Sora instead, but Sora blasted a Fire spell at it, knocking it away, but it was still coming. Sora continued to defend against the darkness, casting spells at it as well as physically beating it away from the heart, but nothing was working and as he glimpsed at the child he was protecting, he knew that the light was still dimmer than usual. He needed to end this now, but the dark entity was relentless and didn’t seem to be taking any damage! Well, if he couldn’t destroy it, maybe he could lock it away? Sighing, he launched the entity away a larger distance before raising his Keyblade, watching the beam of light shoot into the entity and stopping it in its tracks. With it immobilized, Sora contained the entity, locking it away with his power with the intent of never letting it hurt the heart of the boy it resided in. As the light of the beam faded away, Sora heard the sound of a lock clicking into place and he let out a sigh of relief, watching the darkness dissipate into a condensed ball of inky blackness the size of a marble that clattered to the mosaic floor. Sora breathed a sigh of relief and picked it up, looking at it curiously before tucking it away and rushing back to the dim heart of the child.
“Are you ok? Can you understand me?” he called out, cupping the small heart in his hands gently and looking it over. Other than the dim light, there seemed to be no signs of damage. The heart in his hands pulsed slightly, the voice of a child emanating from it.
“Mummy…? Dadda…?” it called out quietly, exhaustion and fear still tinging it. Sora looked at the heart sadly.
“No, I…I’m not your mom or dad, but your mom did send me here. Is that okay?” he said gently, cradling the heart close, feeling relief as the glow brightened over time. What surprised him was when the form of the infant materialized in his arms, but he got over it quickly and held the boy close.
“Mummy?” the boy murmured again, snuggling into the Keyblade Wielder’s chest and Sora felt his heart swell with warmth for the tiny child in his arms.
“Yeah. I’m sorry they won’t be here for you anymore, but I promised that I’d be here for you in their place, ok? I promise that I’ll protect you.” Sora vowed and strengthened the link between their hearts, sending comforting feelings to the child. The boy settled verdant green eyes on Sora’s ocean blue and an understanding seemed to pass through the two. The moment then ended and the infant’s eyes slipped closed, sleep taking hold of him. Sora sighed and cradled the boy in his arms close, a fierce protectiveness settling over him.
“Don’t worry, Harry. I’ll protect you.”
*