#and like even knowing naminé was there in castle oblivion i was like 'oh Fuck did this girl die and baby sora didnt understand it'

[dullahandyke]

Thinking abt legends of leaving destiny islands

#like im playing com rn and obvi im spoiled to fuck #but its hitting me how sora describes naminé leaving the island #'one day she was just gone. my parents tried explaining it to me but i was little so i didnt understand' #and like even knowing naminé was there in castle oblivion i was like 'oh Fuck did this girl die and baby sora didnt understand it' #and then riku in bbs talking abt a kid who left the islands for good but he doesnt know any of the specifics #add in the whole 'ansem + terra giving hope of escape to xehanort + riku' #n i think its really neat how theres a whole ominous mythology abt leaving destiny islands #and then for the destiny trio specifically entry + exit to the islands is characterised by apocalypse #what with kairi coming there after rg fell and them all leaving in kh1 #and specifically im captivated by the image of sora + riku on their raft in ddd #where even when they set out to leave the island and they did it on their own terms (raft) #it was with the knowledge that the place was going to go to hell #i heart the vaguely cursed islands

[themadauthorshatter]

... I think you guys are going to like this.

358/2 Days REWRITE Part 2

Riku is around, but he's all over the place, and he has a mission: Find and capture either Roxas or Xion, unless he CAN manage both, so DiZ can use them to help Sora recover. He's on a time limit, though, because Sora's heart is damaged and the longer Roxas and Xion are around, the less likely Sora is to waking up or even sleeping; I mean, he'll BE sleeping, but it'll be much quieter and it will be absolutely pointless to try waking him up.

For the first few days or months, he keeps his distance, trying to decide who he's picking, sadly.

Pros of bringing Roxas to DiZ: He has the closest connection to Sora, being his nobody, he's got the keyblade, Riku can probably take him one v. one, if there are any problems, he just needs to get a reaction out of 'Sora.'

CONS of bringing to Roxas to DiZ: Have fun trying to run from the remaining Organization members, he'll have to avoid Non-form or he'll get beaten all to Hell, he runs the risk of hurting his friend for reals, Roxas is rarely alone, Roxas is one hell of a runner and fighter, he'll just feel bad.

Pros of bringing Xion to DiZ: She has more 'keyblade' potential, maybe her voice will help wake up Sora(?), she looks and sounds like Kairi, Naminé gets a new friend(as long as DiZ doesn't decide to throw her away).

CONS of bringing Xion to DiZ: She looks and sounds like Kairi, she's crazy skilled, she hits hard, she's laughable when she's mad, but it's gut wrenching to see her cry or be hurt, she looks and sounds like Kairi, Naminé is probably getting Thanosed when DiZ is done with her because he's a dick right now, so giving Xion to her as a friend will mean nothing, the connection to Kairi, he'll feel bad.

As you can tell, Riku is great at making decisions(sarcasm)

While he's too caught up to do anything, let's check on the sea salt trio, who are getting closer as friends, i.e. seeing Hayner, Pence, and Olette do stupid stuff a KH equivalent of TikTok, which the trio repeats on their own without a phone recording them, eating ice cream, talking, and exploring the Disney worlds for fun, both old ones and new ones that will appear in future games.

In this time, Xion becomes a mix of Kairi and Naminé, outspoken, but careful with who she runs her mouth to, smart, but still open to learn, protective and still needs something if a protector, etc. She is also a wickedly fast learner.

We also get organization shenanigans like Demyx being lazy on missions, Roxas getting annoyed at Xigbar for calling him tiger, dealing with  Saïx, trying not to annoy Xaldin, even getting head pats from Xemnas, and, for fluff, Roxas and Xion finding Axel asleep on the floor of the clock tower and the two scaring him away for shits and giggles. 

Yes, a lot of time passes, about 9-11 months, give or take.

Roxas and Xion also become closer as well with Axel being something like their chaperone, only he reports to Xemnas and Saïx.

Speaking of Saïx, he meets up with Axel one day and expresses disdain with the fact Axel would rather be friends with an unstable Roxas and a literal puppet that doesn't even exist.

Axel, on edge already with Xemnas on his back, tells Saïx to put a cork in it. Saïx only pushes back, asking if Roxas even KNOWS what Xion is, even what HE is. To both their credit, the two are wonderful at playing make believe and Axel, being the child he is, is a great at being their playmate.

Axel shoves Saïx back, snapping for him to shut his mouth before he says something he'll regret. Saïx, losing his composure, shoves back, asking if he should because Axel can't handle the truth; he never has been good at it, so it's not surprising.

Ring a bell, someone, please, because Axel throws a punch into Saïx's cheekbone. Saïx returns with a left hook directly to the side of the neck and knees Axel, who grabs his leg under his knee and rolls, making them both fall and throw more punches on the ground, bruising and bloodying each other in full view of the remaining organization members. Maybe we get a gag of Xigbar and Luxord placing bets on who will win, Demyx worrying because they should probably be stopped, Xaldin scoffing at the immature display, and then Roxas and Xion walking in and instantly getting worried because Axel is not winning this fight, as evidenced by Saïx slamming his head into the floor.

When the two stand up to keep fighting, Roxas and Xion race between them, the boy in front of Saïx and a very nervous Xion in front of Axel, who tells her and Roxas to stay out of this or they'll get hurt.

Roxas obviously refuses, but Xion leads Axel away from Saïx, who asks if Axel really needs children to protect him.

No, he needs to protect these two idiots, especially Roxas, who hasn't moved and his eyes have gone Non-form-y, like he's about to transform.

Saïx returns with berserker eyes and smashes Roxas into the wall by his neck, daring him to try it.

It draws a gasp from EVRYONE, even Xaldin, but Saïx scoffs that they shouldn't try pretending to be worried, what with how unstable and how much of a nuisance Roxas is, not too mention weak, which he says while watching Roxas try to break free. He kicks at Saïx, and misses, but Saïx smirks and summons his claymore, wanting to see how tough Roxas really is.

There's a reason Xion pulled Axel away and is so nervous, because said reason puts a hand on Saïx's shoulder and asks him if he enjoys this façade of a life and would rather not disappear.

Yep. Xemnas is here, and everyone backs down, including the the bet making Xigbar and Luxord, who so they can have deniability.

Saïx snaps out of berserk mode in the blink of an eye and begrudgingly lets go of Roxas, i.e. lets him drop down.

Axel and Xion start toward him, but freeze when Xemnas eyes them, like scary eyes.

He has an announcement: There's an imposter and he could be anywhere. He's in a coat just like everyone else's, but his hood's usually up. When he's not wearing it, he's a silver haired teen. Oh, yeah, and his name is Riku.

Axel, Roxas, and Xion all gasp, Axel because Riku was in Castle Oblivion and probably knows where Sora is and Roxas and Xion because it brings back memories from Sora.

Xemnas sees the reaction, but only focuses on Roxas, asking softly if he's okay and if he was hurt.

He's fine and he wasn't and he shakes his head to chase away Non-form.

Xemnas still helps him up and orders everyone to keep their eyes open and report ANYTHING on this imposter because the sooner they catch and... well, just catch him, the better, that part being Xemnas not wanting to upset Roxas, make him go into Non-form, and have everyone need to knock him out to calm him down.

Xemnas takes Roxas away to be checked on, in case he was really hurt and doesn't know it, and Roxas asks what will happen to Saïx and Axel for fighting. He didn't see a lot of it, so he’s not even sure who started it.

They’ll be 'interviewed' and reprimanded accordingly, but they won't die, so relax.

What about the imposter? Who's Riku? And who's Sora??

Xemnas stops checking on Roxas and puts a hand on his head, which he doesn't need to worry about because the organization can deal with it. All he needs to do is keep doing missions and giving his 100%. Roxas sighs that he IS, hell he's giving 150% because Non-form's acting up, but he's kept it calm, even with the hallucinations of Sora, Ven, and now Non-form.

Xemnas finishes checking for any wounds and commends Roxas, saying that is why he chose him. Before Roxas can ask, Xemnas tells him to go in the lobby because he has a mission with Xaldin.

Roxas does so and passes by and reassuring Axel and glaring Saïx, though Roxas glares back.

Xemnas has the two sit down and that warmth he had with Roxas is GONE IN A SECOND, asking both of them what they were thinking, picking a fight in front of everyone and endangering the two most vital components to the plan. Saïx jabs that Axel is letting himself be distracted while Axel states he's doing his job and doesn't want either of them to get upset or angry to the point of dysfunctionality. Besides, He did not start that fight, which he didn't even WANT to partake in.

Does Axel have legs? For now he does, yes. Can he stand? Yes. Can he DEMONSTRATE that he can stand? This is getting tedious, but sure, and Axel stands. Now can he walk from where he is to the far wall? Again, this is tedious, but yes.

If he did ALL OF THAT, why didn't he actually do it?

With no words, Xemnas dismisses Axel, telling him to accompany Xion on their mission.

Axel nods and leaves Saïx to be scolded.

We cut to Riku as he watches Roxas and Xaldin fight of heartless and some knights in Beast's Castle, maybe even go toe to toe with Beast himself, who manages to catch Roxas off guard and momentarily confuses him with Sora.

Xaldin knocks him away and the two leave, Riku coming out and asking if that smaller nobody really was Sora.

Beast admits it was a spur of the moment, but he could have sworn it was Sora.

Meanwhile, Xion and Axel fight hard in Hollow Bastion, squaring off against Squall, Yuffie, Tifa, and Cloud, where we see both more of Axel's gymnastics and Xion's ability with a keyblade.

The fight ends when Xion stops who she believes is Riku the imposter and chases after him, Axel following her in case shit hits the fan.

Xion follows Riku to a cliffside and he gives her an offer and a warning: either give him Roxas or hope that they never meet face to face again. Xion arms herself and demands to know what that means, but Riku also arms himself right as Axel throws a chakram between them and tells Riku to fuck off before he gets hurt.

Riku gives Xion one last glance before falling off the edge and leaving through a dark corridor, making it look like he just disappeared like a badass. They’re both confused, but still call it a day, Xion asking if Axel is okay after that fight with Saïx, because he’s still a little banged up. He expresses he’s fine(he’s a big boy!!) and tells Xion not to worry. 

She’s going to anyway because Riku is after Roxas, and threatened her with a fight if she didn’t bring Roxas to him. Axel, although he’s shook, tells her everything will be fine.

LIES, because Xion is sent on a mission to defeat Riku. All she needs to do is knock him out and they’ll come collect him, no problem.

Xion IS strong, but not strong enough because Riku wipes the floor with her and is about to take her to DiZ when dusks, samurai, and Non-form Roxas, who also gets whooped, but at least fairs a little better. 

The two wear Riku out enough for a lance to graze his arm, an arrow/bullet to hit his leg, and a few cards to distract him. 

The rest of the organization arrive, even Saïx and Xemnas, the latter using thorn/vine things to bind Riku’s hands behind his back. 

He remarks that Riku’s a lot bigger than he thought he would be, stronger too, and we get one of those creepy manga Xemnas moments as he grabs Riku, pulls him close by the jaw, and states he’ll have fun seeing just how strong he is; he knows that Riku is hiding Sora, Kairi, DiZ, and his witch, and will tear him apart with his bare hands to know where they are.

With Riku thoroughly freaked out, Xemnas stands and everyone returns, all tired and ready to find Sora. 

Xion, however, isn’t. Because Riku said some very interesting things to her during their fight. 

She considers telling Roxas, but he’s too worried making sure she’s okay, because Riku was tough. She goes to Axel instead, knowing he has a key to the dungeons, and he’s instantly skeptical; she asked if he could take her to see Riku. Xion lies through her teeth and says she just wants to rub in Riku’s face that they won and he lost.

Axel agrees, but decides he’s going to follow her, just in case.

They arrive as Xigbar leaves, asking if they’re going to welcome the new arrival and need help in doing so.

Xion counters that she’s actually going to return a favor and would like to do it alone. 

Axel’s surprised and Xigbar whistles for her to stand down; he was just asking because she got kicked like a soccer ball, no harm in asking for help.

He leaves and Xion goes toward Riku’s cell, asking Axel to stay by the door until she’s done.

He does so and Xion walks towards Riku’s cell, where she and we the audience see Riku is banged up from being interrogated; looks like Xemnas is taking his time.

Riku asks what she wants and Xion responds with a deal:

Tell her about Sora and she’ll give the organization a good enough lie to let him go so he can help Sora. During their fight, the two had an argument, Xion saying she was going to protect her friend and Riku snapping she had no idea what friends were because she’s a nobody and a replica, and the reason Sora can’t wake up.

 Spark Notes of the deal: If Riku tells Xion about Sora, Xion will give the organization an answer that will buy Riku enough time to get back to Sora.

Fair, but he has one condition: If he tells her, she was to decide what she will do; he’s not refusing because she genuinely wants to know more about Sora.

Xion agrees and Riku tells her to take a seat, because they’re going to be here for a while.

#kingdom hearts #kh roxas #kh axel #kh xemnas #kh xion #sea salt trio #kh riku #kh saix #kh 358/2 days #rewrite #there will be a part 3 #violence tw #picking on the little guy

[ajdrawshq]

OK SO I'm here to tell yall about the rarepair I was talking abt earlier aka repliroku (Repliku and Roxas)

I,, would put this under a cut but I dont know how to do that on mobile. Apologies in advance. If someone can tell me that would be nice n I'll edit this as such,, but yeah

(Quick note that I hc repliku as nb and use they/them for them ,, anyway)

So basically how this came to be was I was in the most boring class known to man with the world's most monotone teacher (seriously if it were a competition he'd at least place third worldwide) and I was thinking about Repliku, bc this was around the time that they first slipped into my list of major comfort characters, and I thought itd be cool if they were to be informally adopted by the sea salt trio because of how their experiences relate to each other. Also like, they got those Vibes y'know. Theyd get along I know they would (although at this time I did not realize what exactly Axel did in castle oblivion and. Well. If u know u know but I need to revise Repliku's potential interactions w him now that I've played com). Also because Repliku still has self worth issues and believes themself to just be a copy of Riku, and if any group could help them adjust to life as their own person, especially from experience, it's probably the sea salt trio and it's also because Repliku needs something to do while Sora's gone and everyone else is just Here looking for him so they're getting some new friends now

And that got me wondering abt their individual relationships with each member n all that, and theres some interesting dynamics going on in there especially regarding Xion and them having similar origin stories tho with varying results and with how Axel used to be in castle oblivion with them n all but has changed drastically since, and Then. I thought abt Roxas. I'm gonna be honest I have no idea what exactly it is about the dynamic between Repliku and him that is so appealing to me but in the moment I felt like a total genius and went with it

But like...... is it the shared desire to protect, holding memories of their friends so dearly that it's what kept them going this far? And the way that they both fought so hard to prove they have a right to exist in this world even when they were never meant to be? Being told they are nothing more than the "other", enough that they thought it was true?

Is it the equally hilarious and depressing knowledge that Roxas' relationship with Riku has always been a Little Bit Fucked and now theres ANOTHER ONE (and the slow realization that hey, this kid isn't half bad actually)? (Not to mention Repliku would probably be confused by....... everything that happened when they were stuck in the realm of darkness for over a year. "So why are there 5+ Soras now? And who the fuck are *gestures at over half the cast* these people??")

Or the bastardous shenanigans they could get up to if they put their brain cells together? The way theyd absolutely team up against poor Riku for fun? (by which I mean funny lil pranks n shit not like. murder. Repliku just goes "hey wanna go annoy my brother" and u know Roxas is already halfway there)

The answer is yes to all! They have this mutual understanding of each other, with both the shit they've been through and who they are as people, who and what they value...... they Get It

So like naturally by that point I was like, oh hey, these two would be great friends tbh?

And THEN. I thought. What if they kissed.

Thus the start of me having a rarepair comfort ship that I'm pretty much the sole creator for

And a lot of this ties in with an everyone lives (but Sora's still missing) au I have where those two as well as Xion, Naminé, Vanitas n maybe Ventus form a friend group of their own bc of their shared fucked up lives. They meet up like twice a week bc it's Supposed to be like a therapy thing but they really just hang out n play games n stuff n occasionally open up abt shit and support each other thru it yknow? Basically the average gay friend group at school but like way less drama

#the one who confesses first is a toss up bc it would be whoever realizes and accepts their feelings first #so like. it would take a while for anything to happen lmao #the only way i know how to perceive ships is best friends who kiss im sorry i dont know what romance is #also neither of them know how to flirt on purpose. its funny and painful to watch #axel/lea gets a kick out of it tho #tbh u could ask any ship type question and i could probably answer. ive thought abt them for so long man #so yeah this is a funky lil kh rarepair i like please join my hell of no content except whatever i manage to make for myself #ok honestly my favorite version of their relationship is what they have in the pmd au but thats #a whole other can of. stuff. to open #and now i will proceed to pass out ive been awake for too long

[disneydreamlights]

Training Days

FFN | AO3

Summary: "Oh, and by "us," I mean me and Lea. He's really sorry for all the trouble he caused. I told him it's fine, but he won't stop apologizing. I'll admit that I was a little scared of him at first, but I've gotten to know him better. All he wanted was to help his friend. Honestly, it's hard not to like him."

A peek into Kairi's and Lea's days of learning how to use the Keyblade. Written for Step Forward: A Kairi Fanzine

A/N: I would very much like to thank @kairizine​ for letting me work on this project. You guys are absolutely amazing and I couldn’t say how much I enjoyed being a part of this zine. For all my followers who haven’t had a chance to pick up this lovely zine, a second round of pre-orders is dropping on July 5th, so you guys should check that out for sure! Also tumblr fucked my formatting press f to pay respects.

It had been two weeks since Kairi started training with Axel. Or at least, it felt like it had been two weeks. Merlin said that the world they were training in existed outside of time, so it probably wasn’t that long to everybody else. But for her at least, it was valuable time. Time where she could learn how to use her Keyblade properly, and to finally get her chance to fight.

She also had time to interact with the man who had—at one point—kidnapped her. That was something she was still coming to terms with. Axel saved Sora and apologized for what he’d done to her, but it still didn’t make it any easier to be training with him.

“Yo, Kairi.” Speaking of Axel, the redhead showed up once more, looking almost uncomfortable with the idea of having to pull her from her thoughts. If there was some reassurance to all this, at least Axel was just as bad with handling talking to his former victim as she was talking to her kidnapper. “Thought you could use some company. Merlin said you’d just finished learning about how to use Fire, and as the resident fire elemental, I call myself an expert in the subject.” If it weren’t for the fact that his hand was running through his hair, a sign of nerves, Kairi would’ve been sure his discomfort was perceived on her end given the way he didn’t seem bothered.

“I’m fine, Axel, I don’t need teaching from a ‘fire expert’”—she raised fingers, making air quotations at Axel to show she didn’t really buy it—“to learn how to use a Fire spell. Merlin has it all covered.”

“Right.” She noticed the way Axel slightly deflated at her refusal to train with him. When he spoke, his voice sounded more hollow. “Hey, Kairi, just so you know, I really am sorry. About kidnapping you, and all that. I know I’ve said it before but I wanted to say it again.” He left, and Kairi couldn’t help the unpleasant feeling that arose in her heart.

-x-

Another few weeks of training passed, Merlin said it hadn’t even been a day in the real world. Which was fair, it meant Sora and Riku wouldn’t be missing her too long, at least. And it meant another month around Axel, training. She was slowly feeling competent: Merlin had decided that it was time to start training her in using her light as a weapon. It was a sign of progress towards becoming a Keyblade Master.

What was odd was that when she stumbled upon the normally energetic pyromaniac this time, Axel seemed to be a little less upbeat than normal. He’d continued his stream of apologies, expressing how much he regretted what he’d done, but Kairi doubted that’s what had him down. Deciding it was finally time to return his interest in getting to know her, she sat down next to him. “What’s on your mind?”

Axel jumped, having not noticed her approach. “It’s nothing,” he waved her off.

Kairi frowned, looking at Axel skeptically. He raised his hands in defense of her stare. “Okay, so maybe it is something, but it’s not really something you need to worry about. Just that I can’t shake the feeling…” He shook his head, almost as though he couldn’t believe what he was saying.

“Feeling?” Kairi asked. She didn’t really expect him to give him an answer, but she wanted to know. It was obviously something a lot more important than he was letting on. When he didn’t answer after another moment, she smiled. “I didn’t know you had any of those.”

“Ha ha.” Axel gave a sarcastic laugh, but also a small smile at Kairi, grateful for the joke. “Hey, y’know I’m not a Nobody anymore. I can feel, just as much as you can!” It seemed he wasn’t willing to confront what was going on, and she couldn’t blame him for that. It wasn’t like she’d given him any reason to believe she trusted or wanted to help him.

And to be fair, she wasn’t sure that she did trust him. She may not have been mad over it right now, but despite his regret  Axel had still kidnapped her. It seemed like a good idea to not press for now. “Sure you can, just like you couldn’t when you were a Nobody.”

“I couldn’t!”

Kairi laughed at his protest. “You don’t kidnap somebody to see your best friend again if you don’t care about them a little.”

Axel sat there for a moment. “Right, sometimes I forget that even if I couldn’t feel guilt over what I was doing to you, I still felt something.” Maybe it was his way of justifying it: he couldn’t feel. He couldn’t feel bad over what he had done because he couldn’t feel. But he seemed to be feeling the regret of that now. “I know you’re probably tired of hearing it, but I’m sorry, about all of that.”

For the first time, she acknowledged his apology. “I know.”

-x-

Two months of rigorous training. Two months of her only company being Merlin and Axel. Although they still weren’t close friends, things had started getting easier between her and Axel. Kairi found herself talking to him more since she’d found him that day, or at least she was more willing to talk to him. For one, she almost believed his apologies in that he truly did regret his actions.

This time as Axel approached Kairi, he seemed slightly more at ease. “Hey, how’s training been going so far?”

“Hey Axel,” Kairi smiled. She couldn’t believe that she was at least appreciating Axel’s presence for once. “I’m pretty sure soon I’ll be ready to take you down. What about you, think you can take me on?”

“Nah, not like I have years of experience on you. Anyways I wanted to see if you were up for a bit of a break.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out two light blue bars of ice cream. Kairi couldn’t help the way that her eyes lit up as soon as she saw them. “Whenever we finished a mission, Roxas and I would go to the clocktower back in Twilight Town and share these.”

Kairi grabbed the ice cream bar, taking a small bite and wincing as the cold hit her teeth. “I like that tradition.”

“I figured we could resume it, now that we’re training together.” Axel grinned, seemingly relieved that she was willing to enjoy it. “Or at least that’s what Merlin said, starting tomorrow we’ll be training together.”

“I’ll look forward to it. Don’t think I’ll go easy on you either.” Of course, that revelation couldn’t help but make her a little nervous. But Merlin wouldn’t have her fight Axel if he didn’t think she could hold her own against him.

“Wouldn’t dream of anything less.” It seemed Axel was at least willing to go along with it. “Hey, Kairi, I just want you to know-”

“You’re sorry, I know.” Kairi smiled, leaving Axel looking at her in surprise.

“I’ve said it that many times now?”

“I think I got it memorized.”

-x-

After yet another loss to Axel, Kairi and her sparring partner decided to enjoy a treat. There were still quite a few losses in their practice fights, but she did have a couple wins to her name, and that was progress enough for them to be celebrating. He reached into the cooler, handing her an ice cream bar as they sat on the cliffside watching the sunset. Axel told some stories from the Organization to keep her entertained.

“So I mentioned how I got sent on solo missions all the time for the Organization, stuff that needed to be kept...under the radar.” He seemed hesitant to fully explain what that meant, which made Kairi all the more curious about what he was trying to explain. “See, a lot of those had me going to Castle Oblivion—terrible place by the way, more boring to look at than The Castle that Never Was and impossible to navigate, anyways—I was chasing down some chamber for our boss. Not sure what was in it, but what I do know is the Castle did not want us finding it. So this one time I was–”

“Castle Oblivion...” Kairi frowned, causing Axel to pause in his account. Sora had never mentioned the castle in his stories, and Riku had only mentioned it a couple of times in passing, yet the name brought with it a feeling of dread… “That means you know Naminé?”

Axel nodded. “That’s right. I was one of the people who was guarding her while she messed with Sora’s memories.” Before Kairi could say anything more, Axel raised his hand, stopping her. “Don’t worry, I wasn’t one of the ones hurting her! I was actually the one that helped her.”

He...what? Kairi stared at him in confusion. “Right, Sora...probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you. I was the one who let Naminé go.”

Although she couldn’t communicate directly with the blonde to confirm Axel’s story, she felt Naminé faintly in her heart, confirming Axel’s story: “He did. If it weren’t for him, Sora might be lost forever to the Organization’s trap…”

“Really?”

“I think it was because he didn’t want the Organization to win. For my freedom, I owe him, almost as much as I do Sora…”

“Hello, Kairi! You in there?” Axel waved his hand in front of Kairi, pulling her attention away from Naminé’s presence, which had once more gone dormant in her heart.

Kairi smiled. “Just getting a message to pass on. Naminé says thank you.”

Axel looked at her, and his eyebrows slightly raised in surprise. She wasn’t sure if he hadn’t expected Naminé’s thanks, for the two of them to have any form of communication, or for Kairi to pass on the message.“She did? I don’t suppose she left a message for you to accept my apology this time, did she?”

Kairi paused for a moment, as though she were conversing with Naminé once more before smiling. “Nope, nothing on that one.”

Lea laughed at her answer, and it wasn’t long before Kairi found herself laughing too at his reaction.

She was still a long way to forgiving him for what he’d done, but maybe Lea wasn’t so bad.

-x-

It became a tradition to meet up after training to snack on some ice cream and talk about whatever thoughts crossed their minds. Most of the time, conversation flowed between Kairi and Lea easier than she would have ever suspected when their training had first begun, but right now the exchange seemed more one sided than ever. Lea appeared lost in thought, and Kairi’s attempts at getting him to talk about the various details of his life were earning no results.

Normally she would have been content to leave that where it was—Lea wouldn’t have confided in her anyways. But now she could tell there was something bothering him, and she didn’t feel right leaving it alone. “Lea, are you alright?”

“Huh?” He shook his head before giving a laugh, running his hand through his hair as though nervous. “I guess I’m just distracted. I was thinking about an old friend.” She stayed silent, and after a moment Lea continued. “You know Saïx–I’m serious, stop staring at me like I’ve grown a second head or something.”

After another quiet moment, she finally managed to find her voice: “What!?” Lea was friends with Saïx? How could Lea be have been friends with him of all people? Saïx kidnapped her!

...Just like Axel had.

The realization that she’d nearly forgotten that Lea had kidnapped her was sobering, but it did manage to put a damper on some of her surprise at least. “You and Saïx were friends?”

“I know, a big shocker now, but back when we were kids, Isa was my best friend.” Lea seemed quick to play if off. “We used to get into a lot of trouble back in the good old days. Most of it was my idea.” A low chuckle escaped him. It sounded bitter, like Lea still couldn’t believe just how much things changed. “We would sneak into Ansem’s castle so we could get a peak at his experiments, or just to cause some problems.”

“That doesn’t sound like Saïx.” Kairi pointed out. But it made sense. They had both lost their hearts, and the Lea in front of her felt as different from Axel as the Isa he was describing sounded from Saïx.

“Losing your heart changes you.” Lea’s answer was simple, but he had a point. Even if they had hearts, neither he nor Saïx learned that fact until it was already too late.

Kairi nodded. “That’s why you both drifted apart?”

“Part of it.” For once it looked like Lea was getting uncomfortable with the direction they were going in. Isa, it seemed, was a much more touchy subject than Kairi would’ve guessed. “He changed for sure, but there was also the way he treated them. Roxas and–”

“And?”

Lea didn’t respond. He wasn’t sure of who the “and” he was referring to was in the first place.

They ate their ice cream in silence, neither of them sure how to continue for a few minutes before Lea finally spoke. “You know, when I first saw you, you reminded me of somebody. I don’t know who just...somebody important.”

“Naminé, maybe?” It made the most sense, Naminé was her Nobody. Lea knew her. That had to be it. Except he shook his head.

“Nah, not her. I’d know if it was her I was thinking of. I just don’t remember. That’s why I was so quiet that day.” Kairi knew which one he was talking about. The one where they’d had their first real conversation.

The way Lea looked now reminded Kairi a lot of that day. She’d never seen him so muted before, and it was still an uncomfortable look for him now. “Don’t worry, Lea. Once we beat Xehanort, I’ll ask Naminé help you with your memories, and we’ll find whoever they are.” And she would, she didn’t turn her back on her friends so easily.

“Right, thanks.” Lea turned to her, still frowning in thought for a moment.

He grinned shortly after, though Kairi wasn’t sure if it was a realization about who he was forgetting or a joke until moments later when he said, “hey, have you ever thought of dying your hair black.”

“What?”

Lea raised his hands up in defense. “I just can’t shake the image of you with black hair it sounds right.”

“Lea, that’s not funny!”

“Sure it is!” He laughed, and she lightly smacked him for the joke. “Sorry, sorry, alright I’ll let it go...for now.”

“Lea!”

-x-

It didn’t take Kairi long to realize that their time in the training world was coming to a close. Her fighting was as flawless as one could get when kept out of the heat of a real battle, and Lea had stopped trying to throw his Keyblade every ten seconds. To her surprise, he had adjusted to close combat and swordplay remarkably well. Merlin had told Riku would be there with some new equipment in a few days. It all made it feel very real, and very final.

Which was why Lea and Kairi had returned to their cliffside hangout, trading stories and sharing idle conversation. Lea told stories of teaching Roxas about the worlds and his adventures in Radiant Garden, and in return Kairi told stories about her time on the islands. It was the best they could do to keep their mind off the battle that was looming ever closer.

“Sora was so surprised when I told him I couldn’t swim. He tried to teach me but his idea of teaching me meant having me just start flailing my arms in the water,” Kairi laughed as she remembered the story from a couple months after arriving on Destiny Islands. “If it wasn’t for Riku, he might’ve drowned me with how bad his instructions were.”

“You’d think Sora would know how to swim better than that since he lived there. Hard to believe he couldn’t even explain the motions he was making.”

“His heart was in the right place, at least.” Kairi smiled. It was a fond memory of her friends, one she would’ve liked to think on a little longer.

Lea laughed as well, and they fell into an easy silence as Kairi started searching her mind for the next ridiculous story of her adventures with her friends.

“Hey, Kairi.” Lea raised his hand hesitantly, almost as though he were regretting what he was about to say. “I just, ya know, in case everything goes wrong, I just wanted to say sorry again. You know for–”

“I know.” She cut him off before he could ramble further. She’d heard it more than enough times over the course of their time training together. “And I forgive you.”

#Kingdom Hearts #Kairi #Lea #Heather Writes

[sir-adamus]

Underrated heartbreaking moment: Namine giving Sora the option of keeping his memories of Castle Oblivion or getting his old memories back and visibly flinching when Sora chooses to forget her and the Castle because Sora is the first person who has treated her like a real person. "Oh, okay. Nobody needs to keep a bunch of memories that aren't real right? You want to remember that are really important to you. Anybody would choose that."

god it’s like an icicle through the heart every time

i think the most tragic part is that often the only people who ever treat Naminé like a real person are people who are being screwed over just as much as she is

Sora - Organization had her mess with his memories to try and brainwash him, then DiZ trying to rush her with fixing Sora because he wanted to make use of him for his own ends

Xion - Organization was using her to create a Sora clone of their own. DiZ essentially wanted to destroy her to speed up the ‘fixing Sora’ process (Naminé, at the very least, had the decency to try and give her a choice)

Roxas - used by the Organization to collected hearts for the Organization’s own artificial Kingdom Hearts, unknowingly being drained by Xion for the aforementioned clone project. then DiZ has him kidnapped, given a fake virtual life with fake memories only for it to all fall apart in the most existentially horrifying way (i guess as a way to just emotionally beat him into submission? what the fuck)

everyone else is just kind of an asshole to her - Organization treat her like a tool and Marluxia and Larxene are creepy and very obviously abusive towards her, and then when she’s finally free of them and is out to help the one person who’s ever treated her like a person in her short existence (the events of Castle Oblivion were about… three weeks to a month after she was born? ish?), when DiZ picks her up to complete the project elsewhere, and he’s just cruel and verbally abusive to her because of his irrational, blind hatred of all Nobodies

i mean no wonder when Roxas asked if the Organization were a bad group, Naminé’s response was “bad, or good, i don’t know”  because her experiences with both sides of this conflict up to that point had been Organization assholes with Axel as a possible exception, DiZ’s operation (possible exception being Riku because i don’t think she even met Mickey) and the people being screwed over in the middle (herself, Sora, Roxas and Xion). she had no idea who the good guy was in that situation and spent the entirety of her life up to the last few weeks of it when Riku let her go (instead of, as ordered by DiZ, killing her and Axel) being ordered around by abusive assholes calling her garbage

#Kingdom Hearts #Naminé

[yo-namine]

More KH3 talk, this time with spoilers from the last Disney worlds through the end of the game.

So as for Disney worlds:

I never thought I’d say this, but I think the Caribbean is my favorite world in this game. I mean it: Square seriously went all out to redeem the PotC world. I loved the ship battles (once I got the hang of them), exploring the sea, hunting for crabs and treasures, swimming in deep waters, and especially my ship. I love the Leviathan so much. I was actually so afraid that I wouldn’t get to sail her again after she dissolved into crabs at the world’s conclusion, but when you revisit, she’s there waiting for you! I just. 💖💖💖 I love that boat.

The boss battles for the Caribbean were great, too! The flying dragon one actually reminded me a bit of Phalanx in Shadow of the Colossus, only much less frustrating. And I liked rescuing the Pearl from the Dutchman and the Kraken (which was still alive for some reason?). Davy Jones was a bit of a pushover, but I still liked that I got to fight him.

The negotiation scene with Jack and Becket took me right the fuck out, though. Like I know this series has plenty of moments that just bowl you over with how truly bizarre KH is as a concept, but it still gets to me sometimes. LIke… I was talking to Donald Duck not three seconds ago, and now I’m watching hyper-realistic Jack and Becket talk trade-offs and sip wine, and it is all played completely 100% straight. The whiplash is just… It’s a lot.

Luxord is defeated by Jack’s stank breath fskfjldsj Guys, PLEASE just let the Disney characters take care of the 13 Darknesses. We’ll be in and out of the Keyblade Graveyard in like ten minutes max.

I found San Fransokyo a little underwhelming, especially after the Caribbean (which I think would’ve been a better choice for the final movie world). You just go to the garage and then the city, and that’s… kind of it. The city’s gorgeous at night, and it can be fun to explore with the flowmotion mechanics, and the scene where BH6 is inspired by Sora’s moves was great, but otherwise… It’s just alright. I think I just prefer the worlds where I get to explore nature (like Corona and Arendelle) to the more modern ones (like here and Monstropolis). Also, I didn’t care for the addition of time travelling Riku to Team Nort. That just felt unnecessary and annoying.

Okay, the last, I dunno, six or so hours of this game kicked my ass. I mean, holy shit, you leave the final movie world and just hit the ground running from there.

Normally when I’m writing up my thoughts for playthroughs, I’ll play then pause to bullet point a few thoughts real quick, then get right back to the game. But I barely did any of that once Sora reached the RoD because I was just so overwhelmed by basically EVERYTHING that happened. I don’t have many notes from after that point, so I’m gonna have to go off my memory here:

SORA FLYING INTO REALM OF DARKNESS LIKE A BIG DAMN HERO. THE SLOW MOTION AS HE LANDS ON THE WATER. HIS THEME PLAYING TRIUMPHANTLY. RIKU’S EXPRESSION AT SEING HIM ARRIVE. Everything about that sequence was just so!!!! Oh my god!!!!

So I triggered the pirate ship during the Anti-Aqua fight, and she got stuck ping-ponging between the front and back of the ship for about 30 seconds. It kind of... killed the seriousness of that battle, lmao. I could’ve just not triggered it ofc, but I think it would’ve been a good idea to disable the attraction flow mechanics for certain battles. Anyway, Aqua is saved! And her scene on Destiny Islands was so sweet. It was really cute how Donald just hugged her and then everyone else joined in. My heart. <3

I loved seeing Demyx and Even interact. Also, I CAN’T BELIEVE this game had a Demyx Time reference, lmao. Who in the writers’ room thought to throw that in?

I’ve never been super invested in the apprentices’ storyline in canon, but I like that it was resolved somewhat in this game. Ansem and Even want to atone for their past, so they both sort of find a way to do so by using the replica research for good. Also, it was sweet seeing Dilan trying not to cry, and Aeleus putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Castle Oblivion turning back into the Land of Departure was a beautiful scene. I loved all the little clockwork sounds. <3 And I took so many selfies with Aqua in the castle hallway, lol. I don’t think she has any reactions to the camera, though, which was a little disappointing.

I’m so glad Aqua got to take on Vanitas instead of Sora. And I loved her reunion with Ven. <3

Aqua recognized Kairi! Thank God for that, I thought that scene in BBS would get brushed aside. And I loved Axel’s reaction to seeing Ven for the first time, like “Great, now I gotta give Roxas another identity crisis when all this shit is over.” His comment on everyone apparently already knowing everyone else was funny, too. 

I like that Jiminy shows up and tells everyone he downloaded the KH wikia app to all their phones. I was hoping this would lead to phone shenanigans, like the guardians all sending selfies to each other or something, but nope. I guess it was just to make it clear that all the characters will be up to speed by the time we get to the last world.

Kairi says Naminé is safe with her, aww.

Okay, I laughed at Sora and Kairi looking off to see Riku sitting on the beach alone. Like I know he wanted to be by himself and everything, but still.  It made me think too much of that scene in Parks & Rec where Donna and Tom see Ben sitting alone on a bench and eating soup, lmao. I’m kind of torn on how that scene played out, though. On the one hand, I would’ve liked the three of them to share a paopu together, but on the other… That was always Sora and Kairi’s thing, y’know? Sora and Riku have plenty of things they’ve shared through the series (keyblades, battles, entire storylines), so I’m fine with Sora and Kairi having this one thing that’s just between them. I just wish there was something special shared between Riku and Kairi, too. 

Right, so apparently this girl that Ansem SoD was talking about was also a friend of Lea and Isa when they were kids, so it definitely isn’t Kairi. I don’t think it’s ever revealed in the main story just who this kid is (unless she’s the star Sora talks to later in the Final World? Hm.). 

One of the very few notes I have for the game post-RoD just says “fuck the final gummi mission” lmfao. That was literally the only place in the entire game where I actually got stuck.

Aaaand this is where I’m gonna stop my notes for now. A LOT happens once you hit the Keyblade Graveyard, and I want to make sure I get everything, so I’ll save that for another post.

#my posts #kh spoilers #kh3 spoilers #kh3 bloggin

[yo-namine]

More KH3 playthrough! This post has spoilers from the start of Toy Box through the scenes just before the Caribbean. Also has some talk about the final battle trailer, if that counts as a spoiler.

Toy Box was a lot of fun! The intro had me laughing just at the absolute Final Fantasy of it all. I love that they point out how much the Verum Rex hero looks like Riku. I liked Buzz’s concern about fighting possessed toys (and Sora being able to hijack the Gigas toys was an interesting thing to pair with that subplot), and that he didn’t just immediately trust Sora & co. about everything. You had to work to gain his trust, and that was a nice change compared to other worlds where you meet the heroes and they just go with whatever you say right off the bat. Also, Woody showing Sora how a record player worked was super cute. And I LOVED the cactuar cameo, even though it took me 94367 tries to finally run across its arm correctly, lol.

Kid Xehanort talks about planting darkness in a person’s heart by separating them from their loved ones, and… Man, those scenes from the final battle trailer are always playing in the back of my mind during parts like this. However, Sora says distance doesn’t matter, and that their hearts are connected regardless, etc. etc. It’s a great scene, honestly, but I just hope Sora remembers all this stuff in, oh, 20 hours or so when Master Xehanort kills all his friends (”””””kills”””””).

Corona is a gorgeous world, and Sora and Rapunzel’s interactions are SO cute. I loved the bit where you can chase her around in the pond and have a splash fight, and the part where Sora scatters the dandelions for her with an aero spell. And him carefully guiding the birds to her and even holding one out to her… They’re so precious. That said, the storyline in this world felt a little disjointed. If you haven’t seen Tangled, the game doesn’t do that great a job telling you the story. Like you see that Mother Gothel has Eugene’s satchel at first, and then Rapunzel suddenly has it a few scenes later with no explanation as to how that happened. I can see why the story’s broken up like that, though. Rather than doing the KH2 thing where you go to a world, reenact the movie, and leave, here, you’re only reenacting a couple of scenes, and then the rest of the time, your party is split from the main story to do other stuff. It’s a good system, actually, because it allows the movie characters to do their thing without Sora sticking his nose into every single scene, and it also gives you something new to experience instead of just watching the movie again. Still, though, I think this world’s story could’ve used a little more editing just to tie some loose ends together.

I feel like Marluxia was a little underutilized in Corona. He has some good lines (“You always were such a sound sleeper.”), but I thought they could’ve done more to show why he was such a perfect Org member to pair with Rapunzel’s storyline. I mean, Rapunzel’s a young woman being imprisoned and used for her power, which is literally what Marluxia did to Naminé, and that fact isn’t referenced once. I know Sora doesn’t remember Castle Oblivion, but still, you’d think Marluxia wouldn’t be able to resist making a dig at Sora about that.

Even apparently WANTED to be Norted. For science. That is some dedication.

Monstropolis was fun, tooI LOVED Sully just grabbing Vanitas and tossing him into a door (and then that door in another door, and that door into another door). Man, the movie characters don’t give a fuck in this game. Between this and Woody telling Xehanort that he clearly had never been loved before… Phew. Why are we even bothering with the seven guardians? Just sic the Pixar characters on the Norts and call it a day.

Sully and Mike still visiting Boo after the events of the movie is so sweet. I hope they keep a better eye on her in the future, though, because there were so many moments when the party would run ahead and she’d toddle as fast as she could to keep up. I wish I had the option to pick her up, or that she could just ride on Sully’s back when we’re not in a battle. 

Aqua’s reintro in the Realm of Darkness was AWESOME. Ansem SoD asks her where her keyblade is, and she just wipes her mouth with her fist and says “Don’t need it!” Like I know she lost the fight immediately after that, but still! What a badass.

I’m…. not sure who Ansem SoD was referring to by the girl who “lost her memory.” He talks about his time in Radiant Garden, so my immediate assumption was Kairi, but I thought she didn’t lose her memories until she got to Destiny Islands? Am I forgetting something from one of the reports? This series only has 5 original female characters (9 if you remember the KHX crew), and Kairi’s the only one who almost makes sense in this context, but I’m not sure. Anyway, either real Ansem is like me and genuinely doesn’t know who the hell SoD’s talking about, or he’s lying to protect this girl. Hm.

Arendelle was a lot of fun to explore, what with Larxene’s ice labyrinth. scaling the mountain walls, sledding down slopes, and using the little wind gusts to jump around. And I know everyone is sick of “Let It Go,” but I loved that sequence. I’m glad they didn’t turn it into a mini-game or anything like that, they just let the scene play out.

Just like Marluxia in Corona, though, I feel like Larxene was a little underutilized in Arendelle. She loves stoking people’s insecurities and fears, and that was kind of her M.O. with Naminé in CoM, but for all that, she doesn’t speak to Elsa once. And tbh, it strikes me as a little odd that—once again—we encounter one of Naminé’s main tormentors in a world where the story centers around a young woman whose powers keep her isolated, and said tormenter doesn’t use this fact to taunt Sora. I did like that Sora compared Elsa to Riku, though, and was able to empathize with Anna’s worry over her sister (and even understand Elsa’s fear more) through that experience.

Demyxnort is just like regular Demyx, and it’s hilarious. I like that Larxene aimed all that cruelty that she was apparently saving up all through Arendelle’s storyline and aimed it right at him, and he’s barely even bothered. Just keeps strumming his sitar. Anyway, apparently he and Luxord are connected to an “ancient keyblade legacy,” which I was spoiled for, lmao. But still! Does this mean we might see their somebodies show up in KHX? Did they fight in the keyblade war, too? sjdlfsdkjf How many time travelers are there in this series, exactly?

#kh spoilers #kh3 spoilers #my posts #kh3 bloggin