Nobody's Somebody

It was agony, pure and simple.

Watching Riku and Kairi kiss, and cuddle, and giggle together - Sora wasn't a jealous person by nature, but there was only so much of seeing the person he loved with someone else that he could take before it couldn't be taken any more.

He could have even contented himself with everything if it had been Kairi he still loved - he could have simply moved on to another girl, they were a dime a dozen.

He watched Kairi's fingers pour through Riku's silvery hair and choked back a gasp. Why not me?

He'd done everything he possibly could have to rescue him - them - and in the end they'd repaid him with nothing less than betrayal. Deep in his mind, he could feel Roxas, sad for him, but sad for himself as well - Axel had mysteriously returned, wearing nothing but a stolen pair of jeans and wandering the beach. Sora's mother had taken him in - he was reminiscent of the older brother Sora had lost at a young age. With Roxas caged within Sora's consciousness, they couldn't even reunite.

Sora tore his eyes away from the sight of his former best friends, and waded out into the ocean, intending to swim to the play island where they'd spent so much time as kids.

-Sora, don't kill yourself!- Roxas murmured in his mind. Sora paused.

-Wasn't going to,- he argued quietly. I can still swim out there if I have to.

-...- His nobody was silent, and for a moment, Sora was grateful that they couldn't read eachother's thoughts. He didn't know what he was planning to do - just that it involved being away from them, away from everyone.

I can't die - not with Roxas here and Axel so close. It wouldn't be fair to either Nobody if he were so selfish as to kill himself. Kairi and Riku wouldn't be happy either, and he would miss Donald and Goofy and the King.

The swim to the island took more out of him than he'd thought, and he collapsed onto the sand, staring up at the darkening sky. He flopped over onto his stomach and sketched "S+R" in the sand before outlining it with a heart.

He laughed at his own childish antics, and then sat up. "Roxas." The sensation of something pulling apart from him was strange, but familiar. A moment later he was staring at a transparent image of his Nobody.

"I can't take this any more," Sora whispered. Roxas touched his face and hair gently.

"It gets easier as time goes on-"

"It won't," Sora argued. "That's why... I have to do this." Roxas' eyes widened.

"Sora, if you kill yourself --"

"I won't die-"

Sora closed his eyes, and felt himself dissolving. Roxas grabbed at him, but his hands went through the other boy. "SORA!"

Sora willed his body forward, and felt himself condensing. -Axel has a heart now, remember. Don't break it.-

"SORA!!"

He was alone on the beach suddenly, wearing the clothes from Twilight Town. Staring down at the familiar hands with familiar rings and the long pants Sora had never worn -

He choked on a sob, knowing Sora was somewhere within him. "How could you do this?"

Something in his pocket vibrated, and he realized Sora's phone had simply transferred itself to his pocket.

Riku flashed up on the view screen, and he tugged it open.
"Hello?" he asked disinterestedly.

"Sora? Hey. We were wondering where you'd gotten off to." Roxas felt his chest constrict at the easy-going tone of Riku's voice. "My mom's making pizza; you wanna come over tonight?"

"Sure. But... Riku..."

"Sora are you okay?" Riku's voice turned sharp, concerned.

"He... I'm fine. But you have to come get me on the play island. I've got something to tell you." Roxas closed the phone and turned it off before Riku could respond.

I'm really here. It sank in slowly; Sora had practically sacrificed himself for it, but he'd been given another chance!

As predicted, Riku was visible on the water moments later, rowing quickly. "He'll always be your hero," Roxas murmured to his Somebody. There was no reply from within, and he turned his attention to Riku.

"... You!"

The generally pleasant boy was scowling fiercely. "Where's Sora!? What have you done with him?"

"Riku, listen," Roxas started, and Riku cut him off with a fist to the jaw.

"Okay, I probably deserved that. But listen - Sora's still here, okay? He's fine. This... this was his decision anyway."

Riku swung again, and Roxas ducked. "Hear me out!"

Sora materialized looking fuzzy and transparent in front of Roxas. "Riku - It's okay. I wanted it this way, okay?"

Riku stopped. "Sora - Why?"

Sora vanished again, and Roxas knelt down, one hand on the ground. "That's ... tiring," he murmured. "I'll explain if you're calm enough to listen to me," he added, looking up at the irate boy.

"You have five minutes. Talk."

"This is going to be difficult to hear," Roxas cautioned.

"I'm listening," Riku bit out. Seeing his best friend like that had shocked him straight to his core, and it was only his tightly controlled fury that was keeping him from lunging at Roxas with a keyblade.

"Look, Riku. Sora has... ... well... he love.. loves you. He's been in love with you for a long time and when he came back to find you with Kairi... well... he didn't take it very well. Okay?"

"So he practically killed himself?" Riku's control over his anger was giving way, and his volume inched up with every syllable.

"NO!" Roxas shouted back. "Think about it you darkness-damned freak! How would you feel if you loved Kairi with EVERYTHING YOU WERE and you had to spend day after day after day WATCHING her with SORA - your BEST FRIEND. They're doing couply things all the time, and kissing, and suddenly how hard you worked for them doesn't matter because you're just a third wheel." Roxas' voice quieted to a whisper. "Everything's hard - just getting up in the morning feels like a wasted effort. There's no point to doing anything because the people you did everything for have forgotten you existed."

"I never forgot him!" Riku bit out, tears shining in his eyes. "Why didn't he tell me how he felt?"

"When would he?" Roxas asked rhetorically. "When you had your tongue shoved down Kairi's throat -"

Riku pushed him down into the sand, fist raised to hit him again.

Roxas barely flinched. "Go ahead, do it. Sora can't feel it right now - he's so far inside me that I can barely feel him any more. Besides, if it'll make you feel better, then you can do anything you want."

"Ch." Riku picked himself up. "You look too much like him. I almost feel bad." Roxas climbed to his feet afterwards.

"Just give him some time. If he was able to give up his body for me, I should be able to give up my body for him."

---

Kairi was waiting on the shore when they returned. "So-... Roxas!? Where's Sora?" She looked over their shoulders at the island, trying to see if he'd been left behind as a joke.

"Sora's still here," Roxas said. Riku tied the boat up with an angry twist of the rope and said nothing.

"Come on, Kairi. My mom's waiting." He grabbed her hand and started pulling her away from the beach.

"Wait, Riku! Hey! Where's Sora? Why isn't Roxas coming with us? Riku!?" She looked over her shoulder at Roxas, who waved sadly, and then shoved his hands into his pockets.

"I don't know anything about being a Somebody," he muttered.

---

TBC

This was originally intended to be a one-shot, angsty little piece in which Sora sacrificed himself for Roxas. Then... it demanded life. I'll be writing more for this when I return home from work. Reviews will be met with cookies and love!!