[Trying to move after they tossed him into the cell was hard thanks to the paralysis not!Jun had inflicted on him earlier. All he do was watch as a copy of his friend handed him over to the soldiers. The paralysis had not stopped the pain that radiated through his head when that button was pushed but at least he blacked out so he didn't have to feel it for very long.
When he woke up in the white room, it was a slow process trying to move. At one point Sora reaches for his throat where he almost expects a collar to be around his neck in the color of gold. Except its not there and they still probably sealed his powers. No Dream Eaters to help him, no healing magic so all he can do is lay for there hours and slowly move each limb until feeling comes back to them.
Eventually he manages to sit up and leans his head back on the wall, just waiting for someone to show up.
Shame that they seem to be making him play the waiting game. Being alone is something Sora hates so it's a good chance for them to examine him when he's the most talkative. When he doesn't pass the time sleeping, he's singing or talking to himself. Sometimes he just lays on the floor with his feet resting on the wall and stares up at the ceiling. Other times Sora talks to whoever's watching, sure that they're watching.
He'll say "You know, this is nothing compared to that week I spent in computer Val's pod. She'd electrocute us or let us only sleep for a few hours before waking us up with loud annoying sounds." Or "This food is actually kinda good compared to what I used to eat." Or "You'll have to try harder to make me bored, I once spent an entire week in a closet."
By the third day, he lost track of time. With no windows or real sense of time, it was easy. Especially when meal time came at random. So when a group of people finally came, he had no idea just how long he'd been there already and figured that in the end, it wouldn't really matter. They wouldn't let him go until they were satisfied.]
[The last thing he remembered was a group of people standing outside his cell and then he hit the ground. Now he was strapped down to a table and a different sort of people were there. This time people wearing lab coats. There are wicked looking instruments nearby and he knows that this is going to hurt. It starts off not so bad, a few cuts here and there - enough to draw blood and Sora barely makes a sound.
The scientists seem fascinated with the collection of scars he already has. "How could a human being take this much pain?" must be the question of the day because they're poking and prodding the old scars. They also appeared to be intrigued with the little warped barcode that's mixed in with the scar over his heart. At least that's how things start off.
Eventually they wander away from the small and old stuff, moving on to new unblemished territory. Their goal seems to be to inflict pain in every region, whether that means cutting him open or breaking a bone. These aren't just exploratory cuts either. They're intended to inflict the most pain, so they happen in sensitive areas. They discovered that injuring his hands where his gloves usually cover is much more painful than cutting across his shoulder. On occasion they actually open him up and then come the electric shocks. Especially after they discover that he takes them to the skin like a champ.
Every time he's on the table, they don't stop their exploration until Sora passes out. Then they patch him up just enough that he won't die on them and start all over when he's conscious again. He doesn't know how much he spends on that table compared to the darkness that comes after it. But suddenly Sora's very glad that he doesn't dream in those moments. Seeing them place organs into metallic bins is something that will haunt him even when he's awake. And he's pretty sure the scientists kept a couple of them.
Nothing he couldn't live without, of course. Chances were that they were going to be kept for further examination seeing as how he was different from others. There weren't exactly a lot of clones in this place. Not ones that were created by some alien group that was specifically made for experimentation anyway.
In all of that time, Sora never really says a word - nothing beyond screaming. It never affects the scientists so he doesn't even bother trying to talk to them.]
[When they finally haul him back to the cell, he just lays there against the floor until the darkness takes him once again. Blood stains the remains of his clothes and has the chance to harden by the time he wakes up. Though Sora's never awake for very long, he manages to get some water into himself. He can't really manage to eat much before he's throwing it up.
Moving is pretty much out of the question since everything hurts so he doesn't do much of it. Instead he just lies there in the most comfortable position - which just so happens to be curled in on himself to protect his abdomen.
Sleep is bliss. Sleep is escape.
Even if he'd rather it be him than any of his friends in this place, him suffering instead of them. It's better this way and Sora would do anything to protect them from this sort of torture. Physical pain is something he can deal with. This is the easy part is what he's told himself since he ended up on that table. In his conscious moments here on the cell floor, he continues to say it to himself - out loud now that people aren't directly hovering over him with sharp instruments.
The last time he manages to stay awake for any amount of time, Sora drags himself over to the seat. Though he doesn't attempt to get up on it, preferring to rest his back on it gently instead. His left hand dangles at his side uselessly and he takes a deep breath. They might have stitched his bigger wounds back up so he didn't die from blood-loss but they didn't seem to care about the fact that they broke his wrist and several of the fingers on the same hand.
But he did. If he didn't set it now then it would heal wrong and it would be even more painful to have to break it all over again to fix it. With his right hand, he peels off his shirt - careful of the shirt sticking to his wounds. Putting part of it in his mouth, Sora yanks until it rips. It's ruined anyway so he might as well use it some other way. This is harder than when he used to turn bed sheets into bandages but he doesn't have any scissors to help. It's no cast but hopefully this will be enough to mostly immobilize the limbs.
One piece stays in him mouth, just to make sure that he doesn't bite his own tongue and he lifts his left arm. Sora places his hand in his lap and probes the first broken finger. Without machines was how he first learned how to deal with broken limbs so he's right in his element. Luckily all of them feel like clean breaks. Something he can deal with as is without having to go in and fix.
First the fingers. One-by-one, he forces three out of the five back into place with a muffled sound. It hurts about as much as it did when they were broken but now he knows they'll heal right. Sora wraps them them all together, using the unbroken fingers as a sort of splint. With that he feels his wrist, trying to figure out how to deal with it. Funnily enough, he didn't have to deal with a lot of broken bones in Fac. There were other tortures to handle and his magic generally took care of it. But even he had to set bones before just trying to heal it. This way when he did get his magic back, he wouldn't have to worry about setting his bones.
Before he can think about the pain to come too much and psych himself out, Sora jerks with every bit of strength he has left and forces the bone back into place. It's accompanied with a scream that would have made the scientists proud had he still been on the table. For a long moment, he doesn't move. Just sits there bent over his lap and hand, cradling it and waiting for the dark spots to disappear from his vision. He doesn't know how long that takes but time hasn't mattered for a while now. When he can think about something other than the pain, he wraps his wrist with the remains of cloth. There's still some mobility which isn't too good for his wrist and the pain moving causes but it's better than nothing.
Not that he has any plans of moving any time soon. The longer he can just lay there - the better.]
[The words he's been telling himself suddenly come true when he wakes up inside of a padded room. They've given him back the remains of his clothes, neatly folded in a pile beside his head. Sora slides on the pants and puts on his sweater though he doesn't bother to zip it up. Right now he's kind of glad that he hadn't been wearing the clothes he arrived in because whatever's going to happen, isn't going to be pleasant.
It's the lack of scientists that tell him that. If they were going to torture him physically, they wouldn't have given him such free reign. That's when he feels a heavy weight in one of the pockets of his sweater. He reaches in with his right hand, still being careful with the left and fingers curl around the hilt of a dagger. Pulling it out, he doesn't need to touch the blade to know that it's dull. The rust covering it tells him all he needs to know about the weapon.
What he's supposed to do with it though, that comes when he looks up and suddenly there's a very familiar redhead in front of him. "Lavi" stares back at him with his one eye before lunging towards him, hammer swinging to knock Sora off his feet. He takes the first hit ungracefully, accidentally breaking his fall by putting all of his weight on his left arm. Sora struggles to sit up and looks over at Lavi.]
S-stop. [He croaks out in a hoarse voice, broken from days of physical torture. Honestly, Sora's not even sure if it can be heard its so weak but he keeps trying.] Lavi, it's me.
["Lavi" doesn't appear to hear him and Sora isn't sure if this is the real Lavi or not. He's faced fakes in the past and knows the redhead the best out of everyone. All of it is right on from the bandages to the expression. Either this really is Lavi and he thinks he's fighting something other than him, or its an extremely good fake.
He scrambles to his feet as quickly as he can when he sees the hammer start to swing again. But no matter how fast Sora tries to dodge it, there's no escaping the hammer that can extend at will. His back ends up slamming into the wall hard enough that he'll have large bruises blooming at some point. "Lavi" mumbles something under his breath that he can't hear and moves closer, keeping him pinned to the wall with the hammer. Close enough for Sora to just reach out and stab him with the dagger if he tries. Sora squeezes his eyes shut tightly and his grip on the dagger turns his knuckles white.]
I'm sorry. [He's especially sorry if this is the real Lavi. Which is probably why the first attack is done to a non-vital area. It isn't very deep thanks to the dull blade. It's the lack of reaction that tell him that this isn't actually Lavi. Lavi's smart, he'd back away and deal damage from a distance if he knew his opponent could only hurt him up close.
But it doesn't stop Sora from seeing this as his friend - his brother. It feels too real to just be in his mind and suddenly this is like Time Week all over again. That week when he had to kill copies of some of his friends. "Lavi" is suddenly gone and Sora has to open his eyes to see where the copy is. They aren't going to let him get away with closing his eyes for this. They want him to watch all of them die - copy or not. Maybe they somehow know how much it hurts even to do this. These copies might not be the real things but then again...neither was he. The copies could be someone.
Another attack comes and Sora rolls under hammer, already knowing that some of his wounds have re-opened. But he keeps his injured left hand pressed against his largest stomach cut while he moves, protecting both of the worst of his injuries at the same time. The roll lands him at "Lavi's" feet and he jabs the dagger upwards, into the copy's gut. It doesn't go deep enough for a mortal blow but the copy does stagger back, nearly dropping the hammer. Already Sora's tired, days of torture and not really eating have taken their toll on him but if he stops now - he'll end up dead.
At this point he believes that the scientists won't care if he dies in their little torture box. They purposely kept him alive during the torture and the longer he survived, the better their observations but if he died - then oh well. On to the next one. So rather than stepping away from "Lavi" he moves forward to strike again with the crappy weapon. Another shallow blow, not enough to kill him.
It continues like this - Sora dealing small injuries while he collects more bruises from that fierce hammer. Not once does he see any of Lavi's other abilities, ones he's sure could end him if this were the real Lavi using them. It's clear who they want to win - even if they probably don't particularly care if he dies. The only reason they want him to win is so they can keep going. Eventually Sora manages to gain the upper hand by bodily throwing himself into "Lavi", knocking them both over and causing the copy to lose his grip on the hammer.
Out-of-breath, he can't afford to just lay there. So he forces himself to sit up and bring the dagger down right where the heart lies protected beneath the ribs. It takes most of his weight for it to go all of the way in and every second of it feels like an hour. "Lavi" watches him, shock and horror spreading over his expression so perfectly that Sora has to wonder if he made a mistake. Maybe it is the real Lavi. It's too late to think about it because the redheaded man goes limp beneath him, eye staring back accusingly and betrayed even in death.
Sora scrambles off of him without care for his own injuries, leaving the dagger where it protrudes from the other's chest. He backs himself into a corner and pulls both legs up to his chest, then proceeds to bury his face in his knees and cries. No matter if it was Lavi or not, he still killed someone. Again. There's no forgetting the feeling of the life leaving someone and Sora definitely felt it in that moment. He killed Lavi.
The body didn't disappear, it just laid there - mockingly. No one came to collect him in the hours that passed, they didn't even bother giving him food and water. Which was good because he was sure that he'd just throw it back up. Sleep doesn't come this time, he doesn't let it because Sora knows that it will be filled with nightmares of Lavi's death. In fact, he doesn't even move except to look over at the body, checking to see if it's gone yet.
Eventually a sound comes, the shifting of clothing and footsteps. It's followed by a way-too-familiar voice.] Sora! What-- What happened?!
[Riku's voice fills the quiet of the room and the boy in the corner flinches at it. Like it hurts just to hear it. He doesn't bother getting up or even looking at his friend. He hears Riku move to Lavi's side, checking to see if he's alive or not. Then Riku moves towards him and Sora finally looks up. Riku starts to reach for him and for a minute Sora almost believed that this was real - that his friend had come to rescue him. That's why there seems to be a door open across the room. That's why it hurts more than any of the torture when Riku suddenly pulls back in disgust when he sees the dried blood covering Sora's right hand. They both know who's blood it is, that he was the one responsible for killing Lavi.
Riku starts to move away, his expression hardening and his eyes full of contempt. It hurts so much more than anything he's suffered through so far. When Riku speaks, his voice is full of disdain.] What did you do?
[The minute Sora starts to move, a flash of light tells him that Riku just summoned his Keyblade. Honestly, he doesn't blame his friend. His movements are so stiff that he'd compare himself to some of the lesser Nobodies, his own expression turns blank and he's covered in so much blood - both his and Lavi's. Not to mention the weapon he suddenly found by his side is now in his hand, unconsciously picked up when he moved.]
R-Riku. [It's just as quiet as the words he spoke to Lavi before. He fixes his gaze on his friend so intently that it would only add to that feeling of unease anyone would have when suddenly faced with this person. Sora does seriously look like he might have gone mad in here.] Are you real?
Of course I'm real! I came to get you out of here. The others are waiting outside. [Riku certainly seems real, waiting several feet away but his weapon pointed down towards the floor - not poised to attack.]
Tell me. Tell me about the last time we saw each other. [He can't believe it, not entirely.]
We don't have time for this, more soldiers were on their way here. Come on, we have to get out of here. [Now finally, Riku moves towards him and lightly grabs Sora's right elbow - trying to get him to leave the room and he goes without a protest. He really wants to believe that this is real. That he won't have to use this weapon against his best friend. The closer they get to the open door, the more that hope grows.
Right up until the point when he suddenly feels a shock of pain running down his back. He knows what it is without having to look. Riku's sharp Keyblade was just turned on him. The light from the "door" disappears and Sora falls to his knees. He buries his face into his hand and starts laughing.]
Of course it's not real. None of it is real.
[One of "Riku's" feet plants itself in his back and force Sora to the floor. The other moves to crush his right hand, trying to make him drop the metal pipe. He doesn't let go and instead twists, nearly wrenching open his stomach wound in the process. But the move is successful in unbalancing "Riku" and the copy stumbles to the side. Not very far but far enough that he can get to his feet again. This time when that blade swings towards him, Sora meets it with a block from the pipe. There's nothing but pure hate etched on every inch of "Riku's" face.]
Your friends aren't out there somewhere. They're all dead and it's all your fault. You weren't strong enough to save or protect them. You aren't even strong enough to save yourself. You know that you died back there so why are you still fighting? Why are you still living?
[Sora doesn't answer the questions - partially because answering would give the scientists the satisfaction of getting what they wanted and because honestly, he didn't have an answer. It really doesn't help when "Riku" suddenly changes in front of him. His hair becomes longer and his left arm is replaced with a familiar robotic one. Sora's crown necklace hangs from "Riku's" neck and it's almost enough to throw him off-balance. Standing in front of him is his Riku, the one he left behind. Sora mumbles what he's been saying to himself "This is the easy part" the entire time. He has to pull back first, not nearly capable of overpowering "Riku" head-to-head like this. It's become hard to breathe, so he's panting heavily and practically slouched over in his stance. Giving up would be so easy. Just let himself to fall to the floor with the help of gravity, his legs are threatening to give out on him soon anyway. "Riku" would finish him off easily enough.
But he can't leave all of his friends like that again. He's died once in this place and Sora doesn't intend to die for a very long time. Certainly not at the hands of some fake "husband" they created somehow. So he moves in, ducking out of the way of the slicing blade and his shoulder impacts with "Riku's" stomach, he flips "Riku" over his shoulder. A move taught to him by Leon a long time ago. With "Riku" flat on his back, Sora brings the pipe down across his head. The first hit is enough to disorient "Riku" - the second knocks him out. Being able to stop would be great but before he can realize that the other is unconscious, the pipe comes down a third time.
A sickening crack sound fills the room. Blood starts to pool and soak silver hair at a rapid rate. That's when Sora drops the pipe with a clatter and sinks to his knees beside his "husband". He leans forward until his head rests against the fake's chest and starts sobbing when there's no heartbeat or movement of breathing.
Sora must have fallen asleep after that because when he became aware of his surroundings, there was someone humming softly. His head was pillowed on someone's lap and their hand was moving through gently through his hair. It was enough to lull him back into a fitful sleep. When he woke next, there were hands wrapped around his neck way too tightly and he was struggling to get air. His eyes open quickly and he's looking up into the smiling face of "Kairi". That good hand comes up to grab at hers but her hold is too tight to pry off. She just keeps smiling at him -- a sweet smile that she used to give him back before everything fell to darkness -- the smile that used to make him blush uncontrollably and was part of the reason for his crush on her.
It wasn't until his nails dug into her skin, drawing blood that he was able to pull her hands off of him. He coughs and attempts to catch his breath even as "Kairi's" hands start for his neck again. There's no weapon this time and the one laying by "Riku's" body is too far away.]
No. [He begs whoever might be listening.] Please...don't make me.
[Sora seriously wishes that this wouldn't be the first time seeing Kairi choke to death but isn't. He watched Riku do this once not too long ago. Or maybe it just felt like it wasn't long ago. But it was the only option unless he was going to let this fake kill him. Wrapping both hands around her neck isn't possible, there isn't enough strength in his left one for that. However, she's easy to knock off-balance. It seems even easier to place his arm around her neck and pull tight. He feels her hands claw at his arm but Sora turns his head away from her.
He doesn't have to watch this -- he can't watch this. Except everywhere he looks there seems to be a mirror, all of them reflecting the scene. Every single one shows someone else - Kairi, Naminé, Xion, Shiki, Rhyme, Rei, Kisa - every single innocent girl he's ever known or met, the ones he's tried to protect in the past. All of the ones from the Facility anyway and he closes his eyes when he can't take anymore. Sora thought that he didn't have any more tears to cry after "Riku" but he was wrong. His throat feels so dry that swallowing feels like he's eating glass. He can feel the life drain out of her slowly, feel her attempts to get free become weaker and eventually her body slumps against his. There's no need to check if she's still alive because her pulse stopped beating where his arm touches her neck.]
[Slowly, gently he shifts so that he can lay her on the ground in front of him. She's blurry in his eyes but there's no doubt in his mind that it's just "Kairi" now. Except he will never be able to stop himself from seeing her as all of those girls. Maybe that's what they wanted. Sora reaches over to close her eyes and brush her hair from her face. Then he just proceeds to sit there saying I'm sorry in a hoarse whisper.
No one else "comes" after that but no one leaves either. They just all lay there motionless. To continue their torment, replays of the deaths are done over and over. Almost like holograms and he has to suffer through their deaths countless times. On occasion other scenes are thrown in, more deaths or torture sessions of people he cares for. He honestly doesn't know if they're real or not and he doesn't want to right now. Every time the hologram death repeats, there's a new real body. A body of one of his friends added to the room. A shock of white hair that belonged to Allen - his Nobody, Axelea, Leon, Link, Alma all joined the others. Just everyone he's ever known, piling into the room like it was a mass grave. Some of them didn't look anything like the three originals - some looked like their hearts had exploded out of their chest, or they were decapitated, some were slashed by a large sword. Just every sort of death that he's ever seen experienced.
Several times he moves over to a corner and retches. There's nothing in his stomach so it's just a mix of bile and blood. It got especially bad when the stench of the bodies start filling the room. This was the part of death that he's never had to deal with. People usually disappeared shortly after they died - even in the Facility. Robots would take them away to be burned in the incinerator but not now. Now they were all just lying there, piled on top of one another like they were trash. It was all he could do to stay away from the pile before he was part of it - before he was the only living thing in the tangle of limp limbs.
He doesn't sleep, just watches the pile grow until he can't remember what happens after that.]
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skyofreverie) wrote2015-02-13 02:39 am
First Trip | 01.27-02.13.15 | CW: Gore, violence
January 27th - 29th
When he woke up in the white room, it was a slow process trying to move. At one point Sora reaches for his throat where he almost expects a collar to be around his neck in the color of gold. Except its not there and they still probably sealed his powers. No Dream Eaters to help him, no healing magic so all he can do is lay for there hours and slowly move each limb until feeling comes back to them.
Eventually he manages to sit up and leans his head back on the wall, just waiting for someone to show up.
Shame that they seem to be making him play the waiting game. Being alone is something Sora hates so it's a good chance for them to examine him when he's the most talkative. When he doesn't pass the time sleeping, he's singing or talking to himself. Sometimes he just lays on the floor with his feet resting on the wall and stares up at the ceiling. Other times Sora talks to whoever's watching, sure that they're watching.
He'll say "You know, this is nothing compared to that week I spent in computer Val's pod. She'd electrocute us or let us only sleep for a few hours before waking us up with loud annoying sounds." Or "This food is actually kinda good compared to what I used to eat." Or "You'll have to try harder to make me bored, I once spent an entire week in a closet."
By the third day, he lost track of time. With no windows or real sense of time, it was easy. Especially when meal time came at random. So when a group of people finally came, he had no idea just how long he'd been there already and figured that in the end, it wouldn't really matter. They wouldn't let him go until they were satisfied.]
January 30th - February 6th
The scientists seem fascinated with the collection of scars he already has. "How could a human being take this much pain?" must be the question of the day because they're poking and prodding the old scars. They also appeared to be intrigued with the little warped barcode that's mixed in with the scar over his heart. At least that's how things start off.
Eventually they wander away from the small and old stuff, moving on to new unblemished territory. Their goal seems to be to inflict pain in every region, whether that means cutting him open or breaking a bone. These aren't just exploratory cuts either. They're intended to inflict the most pain, so they happen in sensitive areas. They discovered that injuring his hands where his gloves usually cover is much more painful than cutting across his shoulder. On occasion they actually open him up and then come the electric shocks. Especially after they discover that he takes them to the skin like a champ.
Every time he's on the table, they don't stop their exploration until Sora passes out. Then they patch him up just enough that he won't die on them and start all over when he's conscious again. He doesn't know how much he spends on that table compared to the darkness that comes after it. But suddenly Sora's very glad that he doesn't dream in those moments. Seeing them place organs into metallic bins is something that will haunt him even when he's awake. And he's pretty sure the scientists kept a couple of them.
Nothing he couldn't live without, of course. Chances were that they were going to be kept for further examination seeing as how he was different from others. There weren't exactly a lot of clones in this place. Not ones that were created by some alien group that was specifically made for experimentation anyway.
In all of that time, Sora never really says a word - nothing beyond screaming. It never affects the scientists so he doesn't even bother trying to talk to them.]
February 7th & 8th
Moving is pretty much out of the question since everything hurts so he doesn't do much of it. Instead he just lies there in the most comfortable position - which just so happens to be curled in on himself to protect his abdomen.
Sleep is bliss. Sleep is escape.
Even if he'd rather it be him than any of his friends in this place, him suffering instead of them. It's better this way and Sora would do anything to protect them from this sort of torture. Physical pain is something he can deal with. This is the easy part is what he's told himself since he ended up on that table. In his conscious moments here on the cell floor, he continues to say it to himself - out loud now that people aren't directly hovering over him with sharp instruments.
The last time he manages to stay awake for any amount of time, Sora drags himself over to the seat. Though he doesn't attempt to get up on it, preferring to rest his back on it gently instead. His left hand dangles at his side uselessly and he takes a deep breath. They might have stitched his bigger wounds back up so he didn't die from blood-loss but they didn't seem to care about the fact that they broke his wrist and several of the fingers on the same hand.
But he did. If he didn't set it now then it would heal wrong and it would be even more painful to have to break it all over again to fix it. With his right hand, he peels off his shirt - careful of the shirt sticking to his wounds. Putting part of it in his mouth, Sora yanks until it rips. It's ruined anyway so he might as well use it some other way. This is harder than when he used to turn bed sheets into bandages but he doesn't have any scissors to help. It's no cast but hopefully this will be enough to mostly immobilize the limbs.
One piece stays in him mouth, just to make sure that he doesn't bite his own tongue and he lifts his left arm. Sora places his hand in his lap and probes the first broken finger. Without machines was how he first learned how to deal with broken limbs so he's right in his element. Luckily all of them feel like clean breaks. Something he can deal with as is without having to go in and fix.
First the fingers. One-by-one, he forces three out of the five back into place with a muffled sound. It hurts about as much as it did when they were broken but now he knows they'll heal right. Sora wraps them them all together, using the unbroken fingers as a sort of splint. With that he feels his wrist, trying to figure out how to deal with it. Funnily enough, he didn't have to deal with a lot of broken bones in Fac. There were other tortures to handle and his magic generally took care of it. But even he had to set bones before just trying to heal it. This way when he did get his magic back, he wouldn't have to worry about setting his bones.
Before he can think about the pain to come too much and psych himself out, Sora jerks with every bit of strength he has left and forces the bone back into place. It's accompanied with a scream that would have made the scientists proud had he still been on the table. For a long moment, he doesn't move. Just sits there bent over his lap and hand, cradling it and waiting for the dark spots to disappear from his vision. He doesn't know how long that takes but time hasn't mattered for a while now. When he can think about something other than the pain, he wraps his wrist with the remains of cloth. There's still some mobility which isn't too good for his wrist and the pain moving causes but it's better than nothing.
Not that he has any plans of moving any time soon. The longer he can just lay there - the better.]
February 9th - 13th | CW: Clone!Character death
It's the lack of scientists that tell him that. If they were going to torture him physically, they wouldn't have given him such free reign. That's when he feels a heavy weight in one of the pockets of his sweater. He reaches in with his right hand, still being careful with the left and fingers curl around the hilt of a dagger. Pulling it out, he doesn't need to touch the blade to know that it's dull. The rust covering it tells him all he needs to know about the weapon.
What he's supposed to do with it though, that comes when he looks up and suddenly there's a very familiar redhead in front of him. "Lavi" stares back at him with his one eye before lunging towards him, hammer swinging to knock Sora off his feet. He takes the first hit ungracefully, accidentally breaking his fall by putting all of his weight on his left arm. Sora struggles to sit up and looks over at Lavi.]
S-stop. [He croaks out in a hoarse voice, broken from days of physical torture. Honestly, Sora's not even sure if it can be heard its so weak but he keeps trying.] Lavi, it's me.
["Lavi" doesn't appear to hear him and Sora isn't sure if this is the real Lavi or not. He's faced fakes in the past and knows the redhead the best out of everyone. All of it is right on from the bandages to the expression. Either this really is Lavi and he thinks he's fighting something other than him, or its an extremely good fake.
He scrambles to his feet as quickly as he can when he sees the hammer start to swing again. But no matter how fast Sora tries to dodge it, there's no escaping the hammer that can extend at will. His back ends up slamming into the wall hard enough that he'll have large bruises blooming at some point. "Lavi" mumbles something under his breath that he can't hear and moves closer, keeping him pinned to the wall with the hammer. Close enough for Sora to just reach out and stab him with the dagger if he tries. Sora squeezes his eyes shut tightly and his grip on the dagger turns his knuckles white.]
I'm sorry. [He's especially sorry if this is the real Lavi. Which is probably why the first attack is done to a non-vital area. It isn't very deep thanks to the dull blade. It's the lack of reaction that tell him that this isn't actually Lavi. Lavi's smart, he'd back away and deal damage from a distance if he knew his opponent could only hurt him up close.
But it doesn't stop Sora from seeing this as his friend - his brother. It feels too real to just be in his mind and suddenly this is like Time Week all over again. That week when he had to kill copies of some of his friends. "Lavi" is suddenly gone and Sora has to open his eyes to see where the copy is. They aren't going to let him get away with closing his eyes for this. They want him to watch all of them die - copy or not. Maybe they somehow know how much it hurts even to do this. These copies might not be the real things but then again...neither was he. The copies could be someone.
Another attack comes and Sora rolls under hammer, already knowing that some of his wounds have re-opened. But he keeps his injured left hand pressed against his largest stomach cut while he moves, protecting both of the worst of his injuries at the same time. The roll lands him at "Lavi's" feet and he jabs the dagger upwards, into the copy's gut. It doesn't go deep enough for a mortal blow but the copy does stagger back, nearly dropping the hammer. Already Sora's tired, days of torture and not really eating have taken their toll on him but if he stops now - he'll end up dead.
At this point he believes that the scientists won't care if he dies in their little torture box. They purposely kept him alive during the torture and the longer he survived, the better their observations but if he died - then oh well. On to the next one. So rather than stepping away from "Lavi" he moves forward to strike again with the crappy weapon. Another shallow blow, not enough to kill him.
It continues like this - Sora dealing small injuries while he collects more bruises from that fierce hammer. Not once does he see any of Lavi's other abilities, ones he's sure could end him if this were the real Lavi using them. It's clear who they want to win - even if they probably don't particularly care if he dies. The only reason they want him to win is so they can keep going. Eventually Sora manages to gain the upper hand by bodily throwing himself into "Lavi", knocking them both over and causing the copy to lose his grip on the hammer.
Out-of-breath, he can't afford to just lay there. So he forces himself to sit up and bring the dagger down right where the heart lies protected beneath the ribs. It takes most of his weight for it to go all of the way in and every second of it feels like an hour. "Lavi" watches him, shock and horror spreading over his expression so perfectly that Sora has to wonder if he made a mistake. Maybe it is the real Lavi. It's too late to think about it because the redheaded man goes limp beneath him, eye staring back accusingly and betrayed even in death.
Sora scrambles off of him without care for his own injuries, leaving the dagger where it protrudes from the other's chest. He backs himself into a corner and pulls both legs up to his chest, then proceeds to bury his face in his knees and cries. No matter if it was Lavi or not, he still killed someone. Again. There's no forgetting the feeling of the life leaving someone and Sora definitely felt it in that moment. He killed Lavi.
The body didn't disappear, it just laid there - mockingly. No one came to collect him in the hours that passed, they didn't even bother giving him food and water. Which was good because he was sure that he'd just throw it back up. Sleep doesn't come this time, he doesn't let it because Sora knows that it will be filled with nightmares of Lavi's death. In fact, he doesn't even move except to look over at the body, checking to see if it's gone yet.
Eventually a sound comes, the shifting of clothing and footsteps. It's followed by a way-too-familiar voice.] Sora! What-- What happened?!
[Riku's voice fills the quiet of the room and the boy in the corner flinches at it. Like it hurts just to hear it. He doesn't bother getting up or even looking at his friend. He hears Riku move to Lavi's side, checking to see if he's alive or not. Then Riku moves towards him and Sora finally looks up. Riku starts to reach for him and for a minute Sora almost believed that this was real - that his friend had come to rescue him. That's why there seems to be a door open across the room. That's why it hurts more than any of the torture when Riku suddenly pulls back in disgust when he sees the dried blood covering Sora's right hand. They both know who's blood it is, that he was the one responsible for killing Lavi.
Riku starts to move away, his expression hardening and his eyes full of contempt. It hurts so much more than anything he's suffered through so far. When Riku speaks, his voice is full of disdain.] What did you do?
[The minute Sora starts to move, a flash of light tells him that Riku just summoned his Keyblade. Honestly, he doesn't blame his friend. His movements are so stiff that he'd compare himself to some of the lesser Nobodies, his own expression turns blank and he's covered in so much blood - both his and Lavi's. Not to mention the weapon he suddenly found by his side is now in his hand, unconsciously picked up when he moved.]
R-Riku. [It's just as quiet as the words he spoke to Lavi before. He fixes his gaze on his friend so intently that it would only add to that feeling of unease anyone would have when suddenly faced with this person. Sora does seriously look like he might have gone mad in here.] Are you real?
Of course I'm real! I came to get you out of here. The others are waiting outside. [Riku certainly seems real, waiting several feet away but his weapon pointed down towards the floor - not poised to attack.]
Tell me. Tell me about the last time we saw each other. [He can't believe it, not entirely.]
We don't have time for this, more soldiers were on their way here. Come on, we have to get out of here. [Now finally, Riku moves towards him and lightly grabs Sora's right elbow - trying to get him to leave the room and he goes without a protest. He really wants to believe that this is real. That he won't have to use this weapon against his best friend. The closer they get to the open door, the more that hope grows.
Right up until the point when he suddenly feels a shock of pain running down his back. He knows what it is without having to look. Riku's sharp Keyblade was just turned on him. The light from the "door" disappears and Sora falls to his knees. He buries his face into his hand and starts laughing.]
Of course it's not real. None of it is real.
[One of "Riku's" feet plants itself in his back and force Sora to the floor. The other moves to crush his right hand, trying to make him drop the metal pipe. He doesn't let go and instead twists, nearly wrenching open his stomach wound in the process. But the move is successful in unbalancing "Riku" and the copy stumbles to the side. Not very far but far enough that he can get to his feet again. This time when that blade swings towards him, Sora meets it with a block from the pipe. There's nothing but pure hate etched on every inch of "Riku's" face.]
Your friends aren't out there somewhere. They're all dead and it's all your fault. You weren't strong enough to save or protect them. You aren't even strong enough to save yourself. You know that you died back there so why are you still fighting? Why are you still living?
[Sora doesn't answer the questions - partially because answering would give the scientists the satisfaction of getting what they wanted and because honestly, he didn't have an answer. It really doesn't help when "Riku" suddenly changes in front of him. His hair becomes longer and his left arm is replaced with a familiar robotic one. Sora's crown necklace hangs from "Riku's" neck and it's almost enough to throw him off-balance. Standing in front of him is his Riku, the one he left behind. Sora mumbles what he's been saying to himself "This is the easy part" the entire time. He has to pull back first, not nearly capable of overpowering "Riku" head-to-head like this. It's become hard to breathe, so he's panting heavily and practically slouched over in his stance. Giving up would be so easy. Just let himself to fall to the floor with the help of gravity, his legs are threatening to give out on him soon anyway. "Riku" would finish him off easily enough.
But he can't leave all of his friends like that again. He's died once in this place and Sora doesn't intend to die for a very long time. Certainly not at the hands of some fake "husband" they created somehow. So he moves in, ducking out of the way of the slicing blade and his shoulder impacts with "Riku's" stomach, he flips "Riku" over his shoulder. A move taught to him by Leon a long time ago. With "Riku" flat on his back, Sora brings the pipe down across his head. The first hit is enough to disorient "Riku" - the second knocks him out. Being able to stop would be great but before he can realize that the other is unconscious, the pipe comes down a third time.
A sickening crack sound fills the room. Blood starts to pool and soak silver hair at a rapid rate. That's when Sora drops the pipe with a clatter and sinks to his knees beside his "husband". He leans forward until his head rests against the fake's chest and starts sobbing when there's no heartbeat or movement of breathing.
Sora must have fallen asleep after that because when he became aware of his surroundings, there was someone humming softly. His head was pillowed on someone's lap and their hand was moving through gently through his hair. It was enough to lull him back into a fitful sleep. When he woke next, there were hands wrapped around his neck way too tightly and he was struggling to get air. His eyes open quickly and he's looking up into the smiling face of "Kairi". That good hand comes up to grab at hers but her hold is too tight to pry off. She just keeps smiling at him -- a sweet smile that she used to give him back before everything fell to darkness -- the smile that used to make him blush uncontrollably and was part of the reason for his crush on her.
It wasn't until his nails dug into her skin, drawing blood that he was able to pull her hands off of him. He coughs and attempts to catch his breath even as "Kairi's" hands start for his neck again. There's no weapon this time and the one laying by "Riku's" body is too far away.]
No. [He begs whoever might be listening.] Please...don't make me.
[Sora seriously wishes that this wouldn't be the first time seeing Kairi choke to death but isn't. He watched Riku do this once not too long ago. Or maybe it just felt like it wasn't long ago. But it was the only option unless he was going to let this fake kill him. Wrapping both hands around her neck isn't possible, there isn't enough strength in his left one for that. However, she's easy to knock off-balance. It seems even easier to place his arm around her neck and pull tight. He feels her hands claw at his arm but Sora turns his head away from her.
He doesn't have to watch this -- he can't watch this. Except everywhere he looks there seems to be a mirror, all of them reflecting the scene. Every single one shows someone else - Kairi, Naminé, Xion, Shiki, Rhyme, Rei, Kisa - every single innocent girl he's ever known or met, the ones he's tried to protect in the past. All of the ones from the Facility anyway and he closes his eyes when he can't take anymore. Sora thought that he didn't have any more tears to cry after "Riku" but he was wrong. His throat feels so dry that swallowing feels like he's eating glass. He can feel the life drain out of her slowly, feel her attempts to get free become weaker and eventually her body slumps against his. There's no need to check if she's still alive because her pulse stopped beating where his arm touches her neck.]
Part 2
No one else "comes" after that but no one leaves either. They just all lay there motionless. To continue their torment, replays of the deaths are done over and over. Almost like holograms and he has to suffer through their deaths countless times. On occasion other scenes are thrown in, more deaths or torture sessions of people he cares for. He honestly doesn't know if they're real or not and he doesn't want to right now. Every time the hologram death repeats, there's a new real body. A body of one of his friends added to the room. A shock of white hair that belonged to Allen - his Nobody, Axelea, Leon, Link, Alma all joined the others. Just everyone he's ever known, piling into the room like it was a mass grave. Some of them didn't look anything like the three originals - some looked like their hearts had exploded out of their chest, or they were decapitated, some were slashed by a large sword. Just every sort of death that he's ever seen experienced.
Several times he moves over to a corner and retches. There's nothing in his stomach so it's just a mix of bile and blood. It got especially bad when the stench of the bodies start filling the room. This was the part of death that he's never had to deal with. People usually disappeared shortly after they died - even in the Facility. Robots would take them away to be burned in the incinerator but not now. Now they were all just lying there, piled on top of one another like they were trash. It was all he could do to stay away from the pile before he was part of it - before he was the only living thing in the tangle of limp limbs.
He doesn't sleep, just watches the pile grow until he can't remember what happens after that.]