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pred1059 · 8 months

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A King's Thone - Sokai Day 2023

Kairi had a comfortable chair in the Mayor’s office. She’d replaced the old one when she was elected, her father’s seat having long since passed its prime. Her new one had a sturdy frame, but also cushy padding, perfect for Kairi to work through the day. The swivel was set just right, rotating as needed so someone could turn their attention to anything on the desk with ease. Even though he’d only sat on it a few times since it was brought in, Sora swore it was one of the best seats he’d ever sat in.

Sora had his own work as her secretary answering questions and listening to the people’s feedback that kept him from her office normally. As comfy as his own chair was at first, all too quickly it became mundane. The routine work wearing out the initial novelty. Not that he was too jealous. Kairi’s work was busy enough with hearings and committees that she had the privilege of using the chair whenever she wanted it or needed it.

Of course, he was probably more drawn to Kairi herself when work was over, rather than the chair. The smile on her face after work made everything worth it. Even the few times she had to make him wait while she was on a meeting call were filled with anticipatory glances at him. He just knew it was the same way for her as she could hardly wait to join him.

Both of them looked forward to two of them walking home hand in hand, talking about their day or their plans for the evening. Plans for dinner, for trips, or nights spent together whispering sweet nothings. All the things a couple dearly in love after years would do.

After everything they had been through, being torn apart, flung across worlds, fighting with their keyblades to protect all they knew and loved, Rescuing one another, they had certainly earned that much at least. On one hand Sora was certainly happy for the freedom to live their lives together. And yet…

As he saw the empty office, Sora’s smile fell as he realized he had to wait. One of Kairi’s hearings probably was taking a little longer than expected. He moved behind her desk and sat down, sighing at the plush feel of the cushion. Given how hard he worked, the comfort of a fine seat was appreciated. Even if desk work wasn’t as demanding as fighting with a keyblade

Not to mention a faint but familiar scent he cherished: a hint of Kairi’s perfume, stirring up memories of moments together. Of reunions, of dates, of a long awaited wedding. Memories that Sora wouldn’t trade for the world.

Even if there was one he might have liked to have. A small silly idea, not worth really getting bent out of shape over. Honestly, it was something that would never really happen no matter what he did.

Still…

“Look at you, sitting there like you’re king.” Kairi’s voice roused him from his thoughts as he met her own adoring gaze. She was standing in the doorway in her violet suit with a smirk.

Sora shrugged and shifted himself up from the slouch his daydreaming left him in. “You’re the mayor, I’m just married to you.”

Shaking her head, she walked up to where Sora was seated and brushed her fingers against his. “Don’t sell yourself short. You do a great job figuring out what people need.”

“Thanks Kairi.” Taking her hand, Sora caressed it as she gave a light giggle. Though the comment earlier stuck slightly in his mind. As it was a bit closer to the mark than he would have expected. Still, if anyone would figure out his unspoken fantasy it would be Kairi. Sora looked to the side with a sigh and a smile. “Still, after everything I’ve been through with an adventure involving saving a princess…”

“Usually that’s the point where the hero becomes King.”

Kairi hit the nail on the head with her guess as Sora mused, “You hear so many versions of the story growing up, the idea sticks with you a little bit.” Bedtime stories of the hero returning triumphant over his trials, wedding the princess, and ascending the throne as the new king. “I can’t say I didn’t think about it when I first got the keyblade. Learning you were a princess of heart also didn’t help.“

Kairi giggled as she leaned forward. “Sounds like the perfect setup if you ask me.”

Sora’s smile fell as he gave her hand a tight squeeze. “But I wouldn’t want you put in danger just so I can get a reward.” Sora never wanted to see Kairi’s life put in jeopardy again after what they had been through. “Not to mention how everyone else was at risk too. It wasn’t just us.”

“But we made it,” Kairi said to him as she reached out with both hands to gently stroke his cheeks. “You did save everyone, and we finally got home.”

“I know. I’m not complaining too seriously,” Sora whispered as he relaxed at her touch. “A title might be nice, but living with you is more than enough.”

Kairi gave Sora a pat on the cheek as she offered, “You know, people would say being mayor is more or less royalty, and we are married.”

Rolling his eyes with a smirk, Sora pointed out, “But I don’t have royal blood. So even if you were queen, I'd be…some title.” He furrowed his brow with a nervous smile as he tried to recall the proper term…

“Prince Consort.” Kairi nodded at him.

Yes, that was it. Sora shrugged with a grin. “Doesn’t sound quite as impressive,”

Kairi moved closer to Sora as she murmured, “Well, you’ll always be a king to me.” With that proclamation, Kairi met Sora’s eyes with hers and whispered, “My king.”

Smirking, Sora ran his hands up Kairi’s arms and murmured,“Then will the queen kiss his majes-” Only to stop as he stumbled on his words, looking aside and muttering, “Your majesty? Her majesty?”

Giggling, Kairi turned his face back to hers and answered, “Yes, she would.”

As his lips met hers, Sora’s heart couldn’t help a small flutter. Years had done nothing to dull the love between him and Kairi. A content hum came from them both, as Kairi gently sat on his lap. He didn’t need to be told to hold her closer as they continued to make out.

Pulling away however, Sora saw that Kairi’s smile had taken on a more wistful look. “I get it, you know?” She gave a small sigh as she recalled, “We pretended who knows how many times that I was a princess to be saved. Learning I was a real one made me think of it.” Leaning her forehead against his, Kairi mused, “Living in a castle, ruling wisely and justly. The king that saved me at my side.”

Sora closed his eyes as he simply felt the warmth from her. “You’ve saved me just as much, you know.”

Kairi let her hands fall from Sora’s face as she agreed, “There’s a lot that goes into a happy ending that stories and games can’t quite get across.” The trials and tribulations they both had faced had pushed Sora and her to the brink. Hugging Sora, she leaned her head on his shoulder. “I’d make you a real king if I could. After everything you’ve done you’ve earned it and more.”

Returning her embrace and patting Kairi’s back, Sora assured her, “Hey, I’m the one who recommended you to run for mayor. You’ve got more of a head for administration and paperwork than me.” Title or not, he couldn’t regret the decision for their campaign as Mayor of Destiny Islands. Not when they worked so well together.

Sora couldn’t see her face, but could imagine the smirk Kairi had as she chided, “Don’t you think home would be a better place to sweet talk me?”

It was a fair point, the sun was already beginning to set. Though Sora couldn’t help himself as he began to grin. “But you’ve got such a nice chair.”

Pulling back in their embrace, Kairi grinned at Sora. “I’m sure we can find a more suitable throne at home, my king.”

Sora nodded as he gave her a gentle squeeze. “Then lead the way, my queen.”

A/N: Special thanks to @currantlee for taking the time to beta read this!

#Kingdom Hearts #Sora #Kairi #Sokai #sora/kairi #sora x kairi #kh sora #kh kairi #sokai day #sokai day 2023 #my fanfiction #kh fanfiction #sokaiday2023

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maggot92 · 1 year

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#Kingdomehearts #favorite games #sora/kairi

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vandalia1998 · 6 months

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passive-t-u-m-b-l-r-user · 1 month

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Y'all make fun of the outfits from Kingdom Hearts (2002), but fail to realize that they were PULLED FROM THEIR HOMES on a day that they were playing at the beach.

They HAVE normal clothes. They were wearing beach attire. Imagine being pulled through a dimensional portal while you're swimming and building sandcastles. Congrats! Your only clothes are these now:

#kingdom hearts #sora #riku #kh #kairi #kh1

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kennycrows · 2 months

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KINGDOM HEARTS 3 x FFBE

#kingdom hearts #final fantasy brave exvius #riku kh #kairi kh #sora kh #khgraphics #khedit #gamingedit #ffbeedit #gif #sora #riku #kairi #flashing gifs

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haido · 3 months

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Destiny Islands 🌴⭐

(project time: 7 weeks)

#kingdom hearts #khgraphics #destiny islands #kh #kh3 #sora #riku #kairi #paopu fruit #blitzball #ffx #cgi #3d art #3d animation #square enix #haido3d #I spent sooooo long on this trying to perfect it ughh

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phoenix-downer · 5 months

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I Really Could Stay Chapter 1

I Really Could Stay: ~1700 words. Sora and Kairi are starting to feel the strain of endless battles and missions on their relationship. Neither of them are sure they want to settle down and give up their life of adventuring for good, however. But a looming separation on Christmas makes them both think about what they want for the future.

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Set Post-Canon. Alternating POVs. Established Relationship. Light Angst, Romance, Fluff, Mutual Pining, Hurt/Comfort, Healing, Christmas.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Sora was in one of his moods again.

Riku had known Sora his entire life, and his best friend had never been particularly good at masking his emotions. Not that he was really trying to at the moment. He was currently gripping the controls of the Gummi Ship with a scowl on his face so fierce that it would’ve been intimidating if it were directed Riku’s way.

Long gone were the days when Sora’s scowls made him look like an angry puppy. Riku was always going to be taller and bigger than his friend, but Sora had finally hit his adult height about a year ago and had the strength and fighting prowess to show for it.

Lucky bastard. He was just the right size to still move quickly while also packing quite the punch, as their sparring session earlier today had proven. Riku was stronger but not as fast, and he had a bruise on his arm from a well-aimed Keyblade blow to prove it.

“What’s wrong?” Riku asked, lounging on one of the nearby seats. He took a swig of his green tea and tried to keep reading his book. High school had to get finished somehow, and Riku was already two years past the normal graduation date. Twenty years old and still a student, how lame. At least he’d be graduating soon.

“I’m fine,” Sora ground out, though his tone made it clear he was anything but.

“It’s Kairi, isn’t it?” Riku didn’t even have to look up from his book to sense the change in Sora’s demeanor.

“It’s already been a week since I last saw her,” Sora said, his voice charged with emotion as the Gummi Ship lurched to the right, “and now I get sent on another last minute mission without any break? And right before Christmas too. What if I miss Christmas with her? How are we supposed to have a relationship like this?”

“You’ve managed this long,” Riku pointed out. A week or two weeks of separation was nothing compared to an entire year.

The Gummi Ship bounced up and down, and Riku’s tea splashed on him. He sensed more than saw the daggers Sora was glaring at him.

“Eyes on the skies,” he wryly remarked as he surveyed the damage to his clothes.

“Things are different now, Riku. We’re not kids anymore,” Sora said with just the note of petulance in his voice that made him sound like he still was one. Riku supposed his friend still had some maturing to do. They all did. It wasn’t like any of them had had normal growing up experiences. In some ways they were far beyond their peers; in others, far behind, and times like this made that very, very clear.

“Then stop moping and whining and ask Kairi to marry you already,” Riku said as he mopped up the spilled tea. His friends would have a lot more official recognition and the perks that came along with it if they would just tie the knot. They’d been dating for several years at this point. Why not just seal the deal already?

Sora groaned in frustration, running a hand through his spiky hair as he began the landing cycle. “But that would be even worse! Being separated from my wife all the time? I’d be a deadbeat husband.” He sighed and examined his hands, still tightly gripping the controls as he steered the ship. “We couldn’t bring kids into that mess either. I don’t want to be a deadbeat dad. I’m already a deadbeat boyfriend.”

Riku returned to his book. “Then you’ll have to make a choice. Do you keep traveling the worlds as the hero of the Keyblade, or do you settle down with Kairi?”

“I can’t make that choice yet!” Sora cried, his eyes flashing. Riku grabbed a spare scrap of paper to use as a substitute bookmark. This was going to take more than just a half-assed conversation to resolve. He waited patiently as Sora landed the Gummi Ship.

“If I don’t stop,” Sora continued once the ship’s engines had powered down, “it’s gonna drive Kairi and I apart! But there are still so many people out there who need my help. How can I turn my back on them?”

Riku sighed deeply. When they’d first started this adventure, things like marriage and family and long term commitments had seemed far away. Now those things loomed closer and closer. He didn’t have an answer for Sora because he didn’t have an answer for himself. And Kairi being a Keyblade wielder too made things more complicated. She was often sent out on missions as well, and even the times when Sora was on a break, there was no guarantee she would be too.

“The hero’s dilemma,” Riku told Sora at last. “We’ll never have normal lives, Sora. If you want a normal life, you’ll have to give up all of this,” he said, gesturing to their surroundings. “And no one can make that choice for you. Someday, you’ll either have to sacrifice your relationship with Kairi or your life as a Keyblade wielder. She’ll have to make that same choice if you want to make a relationship work long-term.”

Sora’s head jerked back at hearing the words “sacrifice” and “Kairi” in such close proximity to each other. But he was silent. The only noise was the faint Christmas music playing from the Gummi Ship’s speakers. It took a moment for Riku to notice the teardrops splotching onto Kairi’s lucky charm gripped in Sora’s palm.

Riku hated seeing his best friend cry. It made him uncomfortable because he couldn’t easily fix the problem.

“Listen, I’ll call Master Yen Sid tonight and ask if we can go back early if we finish the mission quickly,” Riku said. It was the best he could do under the circumstances. Maybe they could still make it home in time for Christmas.

“That sounds good,” Sora said, wiping his eyes. “I just wanted to be with her on Christmas. But I feel like Master Yen sends us out on missions on purpose when I’m more agitated and aggressive. Like he thinks I’ll fight better.”

That was entirely possible. Master Yen Sid was a good man overall, but he was also very calculating and would 100% figure out when each of them was in peak fighting condition.

“Well, do you?” Riku asked.

“When it’s between about four days and ten days of being separated from her, yeah, I do fight pretty well. After that I’m so irritable I’m worthless.” His eyes dropped to his hands. “And before that I’m too lovesick to be at my best,” he mumbled.

“With calculations like those, maybe you missed your calling as Ienzo’s research assistant,” Riku wryly replied as he opened his book again. It was surprisingly interesting and far less revolting than discussing Sora’s love life, and he really did want to know how it ended.

“What else am I supposed to do when I’m bored and frustrated?” Sora whined, flopping dramatically on the seat. “If I know when I’m in peak fighting condition, I’ll also know when I’m not. And that means I know what steps I need to take to avoid getting hurt—”

Riku scoffed. “You, be careful? You and Kairi both love to rush into danger, and then I have to fish you out of it. Imagine if you did get married and Master Yen Sid sent you on more missions together. My job would get a lot more stressful.”

“Hey, I’m trying my best here.” Sora scowled and his eyebrows did their best to express his sass, but then he sighed and rested his head against the back of the seat. “Do you think that’s why we don’t get to go on more missions together?” he asked in a small voice.

“You can’t concentrate to save your life when she’s anywhere nearby. You fight really well together, but the moment she gets so much as a cut, you panic and lose your focus.”

“So it is my fault.” Sora’s head drooped and his eyes were pained.

“I wouldn’t look at it like that. Keyblades make things more equal, sure, but you’ll always have certain advantages over her during combat. Magic can level the playing field, and she is a better mage than you—”

Sora pouted, and Riku rolled his eyes.

“—just barely, don’t look so offended. You’re never going to compete with the light in her heart and you know it. And she and you are both better mages than I am. But even with that advantage in one area of combat, the natural differences in raw physical strength between the two of you are still there. And that goes for any guy she has to fight. It’s only natural you worry about her.”

“Xemnas nearly broke her arm,” Sora whispered, resting his face in his hand. The haunted look in his eyes told Riku the memory might as well be from yesterday instead of four years ago. “Like he was just snapping a twig. And even when it’s just me and her…I’m not a big guy, but it still surprises me how much stronger I am than her sometimes.”

“But you know how to properly use and restrain that strength,” Riku pointed out, “and that’s what matters.”

Sora was silent.

“And did you just admit you’re not that big?” Riku asked, changing tactics. “Someone has finally given up on ever hitting six feet tall.”

“Hey, I made it to five ten, that’s pretty dang good for a runt!”

One look at Riku’s face made them both burst out laughing.

“Okay, okay, five eight and a half,” Sora amended.

“Who knew you had it in you.”

“Doesn’t matter, you’ll always be taller than me.” Sora was so mournful and melodramatic about it that Riku burst out laughing again. Sora grinned, and it was a welcome sight. Riku promised himself he’d complete this mission as soon as possible so his friends could be reunited in time for Christmas.

Sora was right. Riku teased him, but all those separations from Kairi couldn’t be good for their relationship. Helping his friends be reunited in time for Christmas was the least he could do.

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A/N: This story is based on some ideas Alja and I brainstormed together earlier this year about how Sora and Kairi would handle being separated from each other frequently, and this is both a very belated birthday present for her and a Christmas present all in one. Happy belated birthday and Merry Christmas, @angel-with-a-pipette ❤️

There will be five chapters total, and I'll be updating daily until it's done.

Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

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sokaievents · 2 years

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SoKai Day 2022

SoKai Day is September 17, 2022, and the theme is Sora and Kairi's wedding! 💍 🔔 A big thank you to @thebestfemale for the beautiful promo art ❤️

ソラカイの日は2022年9月17日です！テーマはソラとカイリの結婚式です 💍 🔔

#sokai #sokaiday #sokaiday2022 #sora #kairi #sora x kairi #sora/kairi #sokai day #sokai day 2022

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keytrio · 2 months

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i miss the trio ever

#kingdom hearts #sora #riku #kairi #destiny trio #kh #woahhhh 2 posts this is the most active u will see me ever #I LOVE KH I MISS THEM #My art

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mr-foods · 7 months

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kingdom hearts

#kingdom hearts #sora #riku #kairi #xion #roxas #namine #vanitas #my art #fanart

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pred1059 · 1 year

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Runaway Wind Chapter Forty Two

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“You require failure.”

Behind him.

The darkness was behind him.

Where Kairi was.

“No…!”

Sora turned to see the shadow using magic in one hand to bind her hands and legs. And the other pulled back, a blade of light crackling from his hand.

Her eyes were wide, she was shaking as she whimpered. “S…Sora?”

The darkness pulled back its blade with a smile.

NO!!!

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Sora began to run. His voice cracking as he screamed,

NO!!! KAIRI!!!

But he couldn’t reach her.

As soon as he arrived, the shadow vanished with Kairi in a blur. Sora crashed through the double doors, stumbling to his knees. He could hardly breathe, hardly think, he just knew he had to find them! He ran through the castle, corridor after corridor, room after room. Door after door.

Was it this door?

No, that can’t be it. The door’s locked, maybe down the hall. He ran, footsteps on the carpet.

Wait. What was he thinking? He had the keyblade! He turned around to find her voice again, back the way he came. Turning at the fork in the hall…

No, that wasn’t right, there was a door…

“Sora?”

He heard her voice, a whisper, a whimper. He had to follow it, had to find her, had to save her. He turned toward it and saw a silhouette in the light. Her light.

His feet ran but he wasn’t getting closer. He tried to answer, but nothing came from his throat. What could he do?! She was right there! Something rose from his chest, a scream clawing away at his breath!

“Kairi!”

But as he jerked up from his sleeping bag, it came out as a startled murmur as realization dawned on him. The nightmare scenario he witnessed again was just that, a nightmare. A dream. Even so, Sora hung his head in his hand as the uncomfortable questions nagged at him again. An uncomfortable series of ‘what if’s’.

What if Kairi wasn’t there to stop Zexion?

What if Donald and Goofy had gotten trapped in that book?

What if he really lost—

No. Kairi was fine, sleeping in one of the sleeping bags from the camping kit, Xion in another beside her. Donald and Goofy were napping away next to an alarm clock Donald had set. Everyone was fine, everyone was safe.

But repeating that truth to himself did nothing to quell his fears.

Sora groaned and tried to shift into a comfortable position in his sleeping bag. But his effort to get a little more rest stopped as he saw Kairi looking at him from her own sleeping bag. Her brow furrowed, she whispered, “Can’t sleep?”

Managing a smile, Sora propped himself up on his elbows and mumbled,“Hey, it’s better than being a lazy bum, right?”

Kairi sat up as she shook her head and answered, “Not if it’s giving you nightmares.”

Sora winced, smile fading as he acknowledged the weight of his journey. “After everything that’s happened, fighting the heartless, beating Ansem, I thought that all we’d have to do is save Riku and the King.” Just one last task before they could go home. Before he could return to her. “But now there’s these people in black robes, that are after you, me, and who knows what.” Looking away, he crossed his arms and muttered “I just wish I knew what to do.”

Kairi looked aside, grimacing as she admitted, “Sometimes, there’s not much you can do. Sometimes, you just need to wait for your chance to fix things.”

Any other time, Sora would try and joke about how he hated waiting. Yet he couldn’t even manage that, only voicing the fear that had been gnawing at him since facing Zexion. “But what if the time comes and my best isn’t enough?”

Sitting up now, Kairi faced Sora as she quietly responded, “I’d say trying is better than doing nothing. Even if you lose, you get to learn from your mistakes.”

He had to admit it was a good point. Taking his lumps losing to Riku was how he started getting good enough to beat him when they were play-fighting. But things had gone far beyond fun and games now. Sora’s hands gripped the sleeping bag as he muttered, “What if me losing means you get hurt for it?”

The room was quiet, Kairi wincing as she answered, “If I get hurt, we’ll find a way to get through it. We found a way to bring you back from being a heartless right?”

Sora furrowed his brow as he heard a hint of fear in her voice. That moment in Hollow Bastion, where he faded away in front of her. Did Kairi blame herself for that? Having to hide her heart in his, leaving her unable to do anything as he sacrificed himself? Then his eyes widened as he realized he missed one important detail.

“Kairi, why were you up?”

“Sora!”

She came to with a start, watching as he stumbled back with the keyblade dissolving from his chest.

Kairi ran to him, the terror at what she knew would happen burning away any drowsiness. For a brief second, she could feel her fingers hold him again in his arms.

But a second later, no-one was there.

But hadn’t this happened before? Kairi wasn’t sure. She looked around, wasn’t Sora traveling with someone else? “Donald? Goofy?”

But no-one was there.

“Riku?” He was just here! Even if he was possessed, he couldn’t have gotten far! She ran down the carpeted steps, trying to find someone. Barging through the door, she looked around the white halls of Castle Oblivion. Her voice echoed as she cried out, “Hello!? Anyone?!”

But no-one was there.

“I was having a little trouble sleeping too,” Kairi admitted as she pulled her knees to her chest.

Sora slipped out of his sleeping bag and shuffled closer. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Kairi looked over to him before she shuffled out of her bag and faced him. “I was alone climbing up Castle Oblivion. When I was fighting to see you again, it was easier not to think about it.” The one hand still lingering on her pillow gripped it as she muttered, “But now that I’m with you again, all I can think about is how I don’t want to lose my friends again.”

Quietly, Sora made his way next to her and placed his hand atop hers on the pillow. “I’m sorry you had to go alone,” he said to her as his blue eyes met hers. It wasn’t quite something he had to apologize for, but he wanted to say it nonetheless. Though a second later, he realized just what he truly wanted to say.

“I’m sorry I left you behind.”

Kairi gently wove her fingers with his as she shook her head. “I’m not sure it’s much better than seeing friends attack me. Or being told everyone was going to forget you.” Sora nodded, a hint of guilt coming over him as he recalled her horrified face when he explained the illusions he confronted through the castle. Then again, there wasn’t much point in measuring their pain. If Kairi was hurt, Sora would do everything he could to—

Sora’s train of thought came to a halt as he felt her pull on his arm. He watched with surprise as Kairi reached over and pulled him into a hug. “Kairi? You’re—.”

“Please.” A quiet murmur from her was enough to stop his questions. “I just want to know this is real.”

Sora wasn’t going to argue, as he let his arms wrap around her as well to return the embrace. The reassurance that she was here. That they weren’t alone or forgotten. Feeling the beat of her heart slow with his, matching in rhythm. A moment of solace in the conflict they’d found themselves in.

They still had to find Riku and Mickey, and understand what those men in black wanted. But right now, they were content to recover their spirits together.

Pulling away, Sora saw Kairi had relaxed, a gentle smile on her face that seemed to match his own. “Do you think you can get back to sleep?”

And that was the moment Donald’s alarm clock went off, ringing as it rattled across the floor. The two yelped as they shot to their feet at the sound, though neither seemed to want to let go. Instead, it was Donald who groaned and brought his hand down on the clock to silence it. “Morning already?”

Stretching with a yawn, Goofy mumbled,“Well, let’s make some breakfast and get outta here!”

Xion slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. But she paused as she looked at Sora and Kairi. “Are you okay?”

Kairi looked at Sora, the two still hugging and slowly let go with a nervous chuckle. “Just had a hard time sleeping.”

Wincing, Xion fiddled with the zipper on her sleeping bag. “I’m sorry. Are you feeling better?”

Sora’s hands lingered with Kairi’s for a few seconds as he nodded. “Yeah, we are.”

Seeing Kairi nod in Agreement, Xion got out of the sleeping bag with a satisfied smile. “Then let’s help with breakfast.”

They had set up camp at the Sanctuary before the first floor, their journey out much quicker as the illusions were gone. Just a quick trip down an empty collection of memories. Though not a quiet one, as Xion asked questions about the many sights.

Yet as they opened the door out of the castle, there was a sight that made them wonder if there was one last trick.

On the shadowed rock leading away from the castle above the abyss stood two figures. A fat cat in a red and purple outfit. And Maleficent, alive and well.

Donald squawked at the sight of the sorceress,“What the?!”

“It can’t be!” Kairi took a step back, Xion hiding behind her.

Gritting his teeth, Sora called on his keyblade and settled into a fighting stance. “Maleficent and…!”

Only to realize that she was being accompanied by a rather large figure he had never seen before. “Who are you?”

At the lack of recognition the cat sputtered, “WHAT?! Don’t tell me you two didn’t tell them about the great and mighty Pete?!”

As Pete pointed to him and Donald, Goofy grumbled “We sure woulda told them if we knew you joined up with Maleficent!”

“How are you even back?!” Donald pointed his wand at Maleficent as he pointed out, ”We beat you back in Hollow Bastion!”

The questions only made the sorcerer chuckle as she brought a hand to her chest. “Unfortunately, I am very hard to kill. More to the point, you are barring my path to true power.” Sweeping her hand forward, she pointed to Castle Oblivion. “One of the last few bastions of keyblade wielders was said to lie between light and dark. I can think of no place better than this that might house the secrets of χ-Blade.”

Sora furrowed his brow at the speech. “Keyblade wielders? Key…blade?” It made no sense. Nevermind how she came back, why was she talking about keyblade wielders from the past? Why in the world was Maleficent emphasizing the first syllable in keyblade like that? Was she slurring it?

“How fortunate that I called on some assistance for such a reunion.” Raising a hand, Maleficent conjured a dark portal that grew larger and larger. Stepping forth from the shadow came a large beast, yellow eyes glinting as it stared down everyone before Maleficent. The air thickened with heat for every step the large heartless took. Snapping her fingers, Maleficent ordered.“Take the girls, both of them!” At Maleficent’s words, the beast's eyes began to glow.

Sora barely had enough time to defend himself as the creature’s eyes flashed, causing an eruption of flame around it. Glancing back, he saw Donald had gotten behind Goofy and his shield, while Xion had remained behind Kairi as she used her keyblade to blunt the force of the blast.

A sight that caused Pete to take a step back. “Wait, she’s got a keyblade!?” Looking at Maleficent, he tugged at his collar as he asked, “She wouldn’t happen to be one of the princesses we’re after, would she?”

Watching as Kairi held her ground defending Xion, Maleficent muttered, “Unfortunately, she is. This complicates matters.”

“Alright, Riku. We’re almost out!”

Then a voice from behind Sora caused everyone’s attention to turn to the doors of Castle Oblivion.

A voice that Sora had heard only once before, but Donald and Goofy had recognized in an instant. “Your Majesty!”

Though to Sora and Kairi, their attention was focused on the one who limped behind Mickey. “Riku!”

“You!” A snarl from Pete put an end to the cheer as he began to stomp his feet in fury. “You little punk! What’re you doin’ here!? Maleficent said you were gone!”

“Pete?!” The shock from Mickey's face was quick to pass as he called on his keyblade. “Don’t tell me you’re using the heartless!”

Maleficent held a hand in front of Pete to keep him back and scowled, “Enough. The circumstances have clearly changed.” Yet her face softened as she saw Riku again. “But perhaps there is still hope, my boy. If you might aid me again.”

Riku winced, and clenched his fists before shaking his head. “No. Never again.”

Conjuring a portal, Maleficent spat at him, “Then take your weakness and rot in it. Pete, we will return later.”

Sora chased after them, trying to weave his way through the flames. But that was enough to slow him down and keep him away while Maleficent, Pete, and the heartless creature they had summoned vanished into shadow.

Silence hung over everyone. So much has happened, not just in the past minute, but over the past few months. Questions of what had happened, and how people were here seemed to be gathering in everyone’s minds. Even as Sora and Kairi walked towards Riku, he couldn’t bear to look back. Donald and Goofy were stuck looking to where Maleficent had gone and Mickey had arrived.

But eventually the silence was broken.

“Hi, I’m Xion. Who’re you?”

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