#good other

[fatedcipher]

It crawled through his veins like a sickening plague just looking at the sight of it all. One by one all of his friends being torn apart or away in the name of protecting 'him.' His damn powerlessness was leading them to the demise one by one against Xehanort and it's with a heavy, breaking heart and searing tears did Sora helplessly remain on his knees. The will to fight was being drained from his soul quicker then ever. "Please.. Please not like this.. Is there anyone that can help.."

     The deck was stacked from the start.  The old man made sure of that.  Time travel, body snatching, cloning, and a dozen other half-baked plans that never should have made it past lift-off; he must have the devil’s luck to be in the position he is now, having our hero locked in checkmate.

     He draws his strength from his friends, so that’s who the old man targeted first.  Picked them off, one by one, exactly when they’d be at their weakest.  He was too cowardly to face the kid head on, so he decided to use all of his cronies to slowly whittle him down.  I bet even now the kid could take him, but he’s just too distraught to even raise his sword.

   Losing the people you care about... it tears a hole inside you, worse than any wound you could suffer.  How you react to it shows a lot about you, tells you what you’re really like underneath it all.  I hate to admit it, but Ansem was right about him.  He’s just too nice for his own good.  All this hurt, it’s only made him grieve.  That’s just who he is, the empathetic and all-loving hero, a guardian.

      Me on the other hand?  I’m no hero.  I’m just a warrior, someone who lashes out in anger at what’s wronged him.  Feeling this loss, this hurt wounding my other self so deeply, any sorrow I could feel is evaporated by the incensed rage burning in my chest.

     The hurricane of shadow creeping towards the hero stops in its tracks, dispelled by a fantastic pillar of light.  Against his antithesis, our enemy can only recoil in shock.  When the radiance clears, yet another cloaked figure appears in its wake, a pair of black and white swords bared.  Tossing his hood back, a messy head of blond hair reveals itself.

     “Come on, Sora.  I thought you were stronger than that.”

     I plant my white sword in the earth for a moment, using my freed hand to help my fallen other to his feet.  I look him in the eye and give him a reassuring nod before flourishing my wrist to summon my off-hand blade to me once more.  The battered and broken wasteland lies before us, covered in the weapons of those who came before us and fell.  This place won’t be our grave, nor will it our allies.  We’ll make sure of that.

     “Look sharp!  We take them down one by one and pick up the others as we go.  Now, let’s move!”

     The two charge into battle as one, the might of their blades only surpassed by the strength of their hearts.  I’ll be the warrior who destroys his enemies so he can be the guardian who saves his friends.  If it’s my role to play his shade, then it’s an honor I accept gladly.

     Y’know, I really do have a good other.

[fatedcipher]

Deep Dive

@hxartsmith

     His memories flow through me, mixing with and overpowering mine.  At least, that’s how it was.  It used to be, I felt like a ghost walking through someone else’s life, like I was just the reflection in a mirror.  Now, it’s different. He’s still there, but I know I am too.  The mirror’s cracked and broken now, the both of us existing together.  Of course, that’s still not where it needs to be. I have to be myself, same as he needs to be himself.  That was why we did all this.

     “Roxas?  Are you sure you’re alright?”

     Namine speaks, bringing me out of the depths of my thoughts and back into the reality of the mansion’s still, white room.  Concern is evident in the curve of her frown.  I smile into the bright blue of her eyes, hoping to chase the worry from them.

     “Yeah.  Just thinking.”

     She can’t delay this for my sake.   We’ve created all of the memories we needed.  All that’s left is to take the plunge.  It’s time.  I can’t put it off any longer.

     “I’ll be fine, I promise.  Whenever you’re ready, we can start.”

     Her hesitation is visible, but she closes her eyes and nods a moment later.  “Okay.  Lie back and we’ll get started.  This may take a minute.”

     Following her instructions, I recline in my seat and stare up at the ceiling.  The white void above me appears to stretch on endlessly, seemingly defying the roof that must restrict it.  Slowly, my eyes begin to droop closed as the sound of Namine’s sketching pulls me into unconsciousness.

     As soon as my eyes shut, I feel myself fall.  The sensation would normally prompt me to jerk myself upright, but I can’t find the power to right myself.  The pull downward is too powerful.  It’s worse than a simple fall.  It feels as though I’m being dragged into the depths of an infinite sea, never drowning, only sinking deeper.

     Memories drift through my mind as my descent continues.  My life and his play out before me, so bizarrely familiar, yet fundamentally different.  My experiences traveling to different worlds with Namine, creating memories of my own to displace his, they surge up within me until his vanish entirely.  For the first time in forever, I feel like myself.  I feel whole.

     And then the descent ends.

     Righted without even trying, I slowly drift onto some unknown surface, relieved just to find solid ground.  Before I can find my bearings however, the darkness beneath me erupts into brilliant light.  What appears to be a flock of doves springs into existence from the nothingness, fluttering away into the endless expanse and revealing the massive stained glass portrait beneath my feet.  The image is exactly the same as it was last time.  A boy holding a key shaped sword, framed by his home and his friends.

     “Sora.”

     Across from me on the same platform, he’s there. The source of my existence, my other, the keyblade’s chosen one; Sora is here with me. I’ve come to meet him and separate us once and for all.  This is the only way I can unchain his memories from mine.

     I summon my swords and ready myself to face him.  “It’s time to end this.”