Kingdom Hearts {Reader Insert}

23. Escape

The man stepped closer before stopping. His body shook and he said with surprise, "Impossible!

"No, you won't use me for this!" Riku's voice cried out and he appeared in front of the man. Riku wasn't completely solid, and his form glowed. He clutched at his chest as he fought to stay there. He flung his arms out on either side, blocking the man from stepping any further.

"Riku!" you and Kairi called in unison.

"You've gotta run!" Riku shouted frantically. "The heartless are coming!"

You glanced around and noticed a handful of heartless jumping out of the shadows, with more following. If you were to stand your ground you would most likely be trampled, and that didn't account for Ansem, who you were sure you wouldn't be able to take on your own.

Kairi glanced around before nodding to you and Riku. You all turned and ran, Donald shouting in fear as a hoard of heartless began to follow. Leon and Yuffie joined you at the doorway.

"What about the keyhole?" Goofy asked as you ran out of the room.

"Let's just get out of here!" Donald answered him.

You sprinted into the room with the princesses and collided with Cloud, who was crossing the room. "We have to get out of here!" you told him, pointing behind you. "There's an army of heartless following us." You looked behind you at a sea of black claws and yellow eyes. A brief flashback to the attack on Destiny Islands paralyzed you as you stared in fear.

Around you, your friends got the message and began to run.

"[Name]! Come on!" Cloud tugged at your arm.

Your stare was broken and you turned to run. You called your keyblade, using it to slash at any of the monsters daring enough to leap at your heels. Halfway through the castle you had lost most of the heartless, and destroyed the rest. At the entryway, everyone funneled down the stairs.

"Let's get the ship ready!" Cid called. He, Tifa, and Yuffie ushered the women out and towards the gummi ship.

Kairi hesitated at the top of the stairs.

"We have to go," you told her.

"I can't leave without them."

You knew she was talking about Sora and Riku. "There's nothing we can do right now. We need to regroup and come up with a plan."

Kairi nodded, her lips pushed together tightly in a frown, and then followed you down the stairs. As you made your way you noticed one small heartless trailing behind you.

"Hurry!" you told her, calling your keyblade and turning to face the little creature. You backed down the stairs with Kairi, watching the heartless, but it didn't want to attack. It followed you from a distance before you joined the group at the bottom of the stairs. It came around to stand in the front and then stared at you and Kairi.

"Go away!" Donald shouted at it, waving his wand in its face. "Get out of here!"

Kairi stepped around you before you could grab her and walked up to it. "Sora? Is that you?"

"Kairi, be careful!" you shouted.

Suddenly, the heartless leapt out of the shadows at the edge of the room. Your little group was surrounded. You and the others fanned out to start attacking. As you did so, Kairi stood her ground in front of the first heartless.

"This time I'll protect you," she told it.

You cut through monster after monster, avoiding claws, but more and more kept coming. A handful broke through your line of defense and lunged at Kairi.