#and then they turn around and say riku should die so kairi can save sora and they can kiss and shit

[marcirose]

Sks: Ugh sorikus want Kairi out of the way for their ship how delusional of them

Also sks: Riku should've died in kh3 and Riku should fail in kh4 so Kairi can come in and save Sora so they can have their happily ever after

#kingdom hearts #kh rant #how the turns have tabled #i'm the oprah shrugging gif rn #it's so funny to me how they accuse us of wanting kairi out of the way for soriku when it's not our fault she gets kicked out of the story #and then they turn around and say riku should die so kairi can save sora and they can kiss and shit #like do you realize that you're saying the EXACT same thing you're accusing us of saying? #you're trying to word it differently but we know what you mean #people don't like that riku's still important and they show this by saying he should fail his mission #and when they suggest kairi save sora they conveniently leave out riku's whereabouts #like homie you're not subtle lol #anyway can't wait for sora and riku to make out in 4k hd graphics it's gonna be great

[oveliagirlhaditright]

I sort of missed writing KH fics that took place in the KHII era, so I wrote this story where Sora and Kairi confessed their feelings for each other between KHII and DDD, but that then makes it AU. Fluff. Oneshot.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29577108

You Raise Me Up

Kairi’s PoV

Kairi was writing her feelings for Sora in her drawing pad… It was silly, she knew, because she should have been using this gift she’d been given for art. And while she'd meant to, Kairi found that it was the written word that was really where she was at these days. But it would of course be while she was doing this, that Sora would approach her and steal the book from her.

It was an absolutely beautiful day: birds seemed to be having a contest to see which of their wings could turn the most yellow when they flew close to the sun… dogs were barking gleefully, as they played frisbee with their masters nearby… and there was even a street vendor who seemed to be purposefully leaving out their spoiled food, so that even the ants could have something to eat.

All-in-all, everyone was trying to do their best today—Kairi knew that she was—and she had hoped that Sora would be, too. But nope. He had to tease her about something that was so personal, he didn't even know.

"Sora!" Kairi squealed, as she jumped into the air from where she'd been sitting and tried again and again to fetch her book from him, while he danced about her... dangerously close to running into a bicyclist at this point. "Give it back! You can't just steal a lady's art without her permission! Did you learn nothing from when you learned manners and had to bow down to that Princess Jasmine, or whatever it was you said?!"

Sora must not have, because he completely ignored the point that Kairi was trying to make—that he had learned some propriety on his journeys, and thus should have been using it now—but began reading Kairi's carefully crafted words, as she then desperately wanted to take a shovel to her own head... just anything, so she wouldn't have to be privy to this.

"'How he attempts to give everyone lovin', without them realizing his own heart is broken.'"

At first, Sora didn't seem to realize that her words were about him. She saw his mouth starting to form the word "who". And whether he would have thought that “who” was a real person or a fictional character if he’d gotten to finish his first thought, Kairi didn’t know.

But then Sora seemed to finally get that this was art that she was making with blood, sweat, and tears, and settled down and handed her her book back. And a small smile played at his lips as he seemed to speak from the heart: "Kairi, you should really think about becoming a poet... or an author, as one can also sound poetic in novel speak."

And if he was going to play it civil to save their friendship, Kairi could do the same. And she grinned at her friend now, as she put a strand of hair behind her ear and somewhat wanted to hide from the world. “You know what? I’ll really think about that.” And be glad that that is the lead you decided to take, and that you haven’t realized the poem was about you… because I love you.

Then, Kairi and Sora had a wonderful afternoon of being good people and helping the professional fishermen nearby with their jobs. And when they were given some of the best fish as a reward for this, they took it over to the sick Riku’s house to try and cheer him up some.

…

Sora’s PoV

 A Few Days Later

Sora looked out the window—bored in school, as he always was—when he noticed that Kairi was outside.

Kairi was a girl he'd had a crush on, ever since she'd washed up on the islands when she was five. But he figured it was a hopeless case, since Kairi was kind of popular and surely liked his friend Riku... And he wasn’t trying to dwell on it, anyway, since he was generally a happy person…

But he wondered what she was doing outside! It wasn't like Kairi to skip class, or anything like that. Though Sora didn't see her class with her right now, so where could they be? Had they just gone into the greenhouse before she had? And why did she look sad?

Kairi, what's wrong with you? Sora found himself thinking, as he nearly got out of his seat to go to her.

Unfortunately, Sora's teacher noticed his lack of attention and ordered him to stand up and answer a question, whilst his thoughts were all for Kairi. "Homura Sora!” his sensei demanded, “What are the first digits of pi?"

"Oh. Erm... S-sorry!" Sora stammered. "Uhh... I believe they are 3.14159?" And Sora sat down--slightly embarrassed now--but glad that he knew the answer when he was called on, and wasn’t humiliated for once: even if people were still whispering about him for having been a space cadet. Yikes.

But still only feeling for Kairi, Sora looked out the window again and saw that she was for sure crying! He wondered if she'd sensed her grandma die or something…

Raising his hand, Sora decided he was going to ask for a personal day and go check on Kairi.

…

“Kairi, what’s wrong?!” Sora demanded the moment he saw his best friend. And then he took her in his arms to comfort her, the moment he saw that something must have happened since she was crying.

“My mom had a heart-attack, Sora. Thankfully, she’s okay. But I didn’t know she would be when I came into school today—God, now I don’t even know why I came in today—but now that I know she’s alright, I should probably go into class again and not be hiding out here. But I don’t know if I can. My emotions are all spent. Is that crazy?”

“No, Kairi,” Sora promised the girl of her dreams after she’d babbled. He then put his chin atop her head, held her ever tighter to him, and drank in this moment. Sora couldn’t get over how well her scent of strawberries smelled with his of chocolate... “It’s not crazy at all. Emotions aren’t logical. Just take it easy, okay? And if there’s anything you need… know that I’ll be there for you.”

And Sora had thought that Kairi would say “thank you” and just leave it at that, but she surprised him—as it continued to rain around them, wrapping the two of them in a warm blanket on this hot island. “Actually, Sora… I wrote some of my feelings about what happened to Mom down. And I- I wouldn’t mind if you read them. I think it might be therapeutic for me, even, if you’d do that,” Kairi said shyly, stepping away from Sora so she could hand him her sketchbook.

And it was so rare for Kairi to be shy, how could Sora anything but “yes”? He even responded more gently to her here than he normally would, and that was really saying something.

“Of course, Kairi. I’ll read anything that comes from your beautiful heart!” Sora beamed with his eyes closed. He then decided to lay it on a bit thick and be a bit of the flirt that Donald always accused him of being. But he meant every word he was saying here. Because how could he not, when he loved Kairi so much?

And he flipped open the redhead’s sketchbook to find words about the mayor… but instead he found himself seeing ones about himself.

Kairi had written that she liked him, but was afraid that he wouldn’t feel the same since she saw herself as useless?

And Kairi must have realized he’d flipped to the wrong page by accident, because she was already trying to rip the book away from Sora and stammer out explanations. “I swear it’s not what it seems lik-”

But Sora was already cutting off his precious girl, who had jumped off a balcony and fought for the first time to save him. “Kairi, you are notuseless. Don’t ever think that. But as for the rest of it… umm, I have to go. But I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Sora, wait!”

But Sora wasn’t listening. He was already Quick Running away, as he really needed to think here.

Later, he’d realize that he’d left Kairi at the worst time imaginable—and he would berate himself for it—since she had just been through so much already, and he was probably making her think he didn’t like her back.

But at the time, all Sora could think was that Kairi liked him… but probably didn’t love him.

…

A Day Later

Even after thinking on what Kairi had written over and over—as Sora laid in his bed, summoning and dismissing his Keyblade and rinsing and repeating—he couldn’t make out what she meant, exactly, and where they went from here.

It was clear to see that she liked him (she’d written that much, after all). They were at that age where one would start having crushes, after all… but did she love him in the way that he did her?

And if Kairi did have feelings for him... what if she only felt that way because he was a hero, and because of all the things that he'd done for her?

Sora was miserable when he thought that last part. And suddenly, he needed to get out of his house that just felt suffocating at the moment. So, he began peddling away on his bike, cursing the fact that he had his “driver’s license” in other worlds, but not here yet.

And really... maybe he deserved to be miserable, for having accidentally read that part of her journal. But he still had to wonder to the gods of Mount Olympus just why everything had to be so hard…

...It was only when Sora just happened to see Kairi after this—with her hair dyed black?! What? Had she thought she was “dark” for having “hurt his feelings” to make him run off like that, and had thus dyed her hair to match how she thought her heart was?—that he realized he had made a huge mistake in thinking so little of her.

“Kairi!" Sora exclaimed the moment she was over the threshold of the store she’d just been at. And her concerned expression turned into a smile as soon as she saw that he was giving her a thousand-watt smile, Sora thought.

And running up to the love of his life… and taking her hands in his, and just deciding to play it brave here, Sora asked Kairi what he knew he should have yesterday. "Kairi... do you have feelings for me?"

Kairi shrank back at this—something Sora instantly hated himself for, because he knew it was his fault because of how he’d reacted last time—but he couldn't tell why. Was it that she was embarrassed to admit it if she did... or did she still think he couldn’t feel that way for her? If so, Sora promised himself he’d help her to build her confidence up, if it was the last thing he did.

Shockingly, Kairi threw herself into Sora's arms—letting the coconut milk she’d been holding fall to the ground as she did so—and didn't stand there clenching her fists uncertainly, like he had feared she would.

But Sora could tell by how lightly Kairi held him, that this embrace was still of friendship and not romance. But why-

"I- I do, silly… I love you," Kairi replied now, as she chose that moment to look over his shoulder and focus hard on the little dipper that was just beginning to appear in the sky. What as a way of distraction? That would be Sora’s guess. "I'm sure you know that, from the tiny bit you spied from my diary. How- how could I not like you when we've been best friends for so long? But if you don't feel the same way-"

And here, Sora could only begin humming a song he was writing in his head to go with this perfect moment going on. It was very Eric of him, Sora thought, but he wouldn’t complain in the slightest. Because Kairi loving him was monumental in and of itself... but it felt good to know that she loved him for him, and not because she thought she owed him for sacrificing himself for her!

So, Sora stroked Kairi's hair once and even kissed a strand of it, as he leaned his cheek against her own.

“I love you too, Kairi. I always have. …And that’s why I stabbed myself with the Keyblade of People’s Hearts, and will never regret it or anything I do for you. …And I’m sorry I’ve made you think differently by how I’ve reacted lately. I guess we both had our own insecurities to get over, huh? Hehe. But I swear I’m going to show you how special you are to me, Kairi. Starting with telling you that you should bring your red hair back? But, hey. If you’ve decided you want black in it too, that’s also cool.”

Kairi giggled at Sora’s rambling—a sound that was like music to his ears—and his knees buckled at for how he was probably failing here… but Kairi was swift to rise him up again, both figuratively and literally.

“Then let’s be a couple together, Sora. I guess that’s all there is to it. And I also think us helping each other believe in ourselves more is a good idea… Like me believing I don’t have to be Supergirl to keep your attention. In fact… do you think you could carry all the coconut milk I bought home for me? It’s kind of heavy for me, to be honest.”

Now it was Sora’s turn to laugh. And he kissed Kairi’s head before adhering to her request. “Of course, princess!” And he moved to pick up the bags… but soon after, the two of them decided to compromise and each hold one half of the bag as they walked back to Kairi’s home.

Then, Sora and Kairi made cookies (with the coconut milk) for the first time together as boyfriend and girlfriend as a get well present for Kairi’s mother. But they snacked on a few themselves, of course.

All-in-all, it was the perfect everything.

#sokai #fanfiction #oneshot #mine #my work #Shanna writes #my writing #au #alternate universe #fluff

[actress4him]

Day 5 of @khoc-week : Facing Their Fears

For the next couple of days I decided to post some writing snippets instead of just talking about Meli.  This particular chapter snippet is from Book 2 - Inferno’s Edge, and it...kinda fulfills the prompt?  Mostly?  Anyway, there are some pretty major spoilers for the first 2 books ahead, so if you have plans to read the series then I wouldn’t read below the cut (if the cut works. This is my first time trying to use one, and attempt 2 at posting this, since the first time the cut completely failed).  Unless you need a few spoilers to help you decide if you want to read it, then go ahead I guess!

.

.

“Meli!”

I looked up in time to see Riku drop from the black sky and land in a crouch several yards away. “Grim!” I gasped.  “What are you doing here?  Where are we?”

Straightening, he turned his head slowly from side to side, taking in our surroundings, before locking his gaze on me.  “I'm sorry, Meli.  I had Mickey put you to sleep so that I could dive into your heart.  It was the only way we could think of to get through to you.”

“This...this is my heart?”

“Yeah.”  His mouth was set in a firm line.  “I just...I just finished fighting through your memories to get here.”  He motioned up toward where he had fallen from.  “All of your darkest memories, that is.”

“What?”  One emotion, fear, rose above the rest and stabbed through my chest with such force that I winced in pain.  “What do you mean?  What did you see?”

He hesitated before answering. “Everything.”  Fear assaulted me again, and he sighed.  “At least, I sure hope it was everything.  Because if there was more than that...”  He shook his head sadly.  “I saw some stuff from your childhood...and Aiden...all the things he used to do to you...”

Anger burned inside of me until I thought I might actually catch fire. 

“I saw...myself...as Ansem...” 

Shame threatened to pull me down into its abyss and suffocate me. 

“I saw...”  His jaw twitched, and he drew in a deep breath.  “I saw Saix.” 

Panic dug its familiar talons into my throat, choking me, and fresh tears poured from my eyes. 

“I could feel all of it, too...I doubt it was anything near what you felt, but I felt the pain, and the fear, and all of the other emotions.” 

“Can you feel them now?” I whispered. 

He nodded.  “Like I said, it's nothing like what you're feeling, I'm sure.  But a little bit, yes. I...have a feeling this is the result of you suppressing all of these emotions so much.” 

I dropped my forehead down onto my knees.  “So I asked for this, in other words.”

“No.”  I heard him grunt, and glanced up to see that one of his legs was wrapped in a black rope.  He tried to pull his leg away, but it wouldn't budge.  Finally he summoned his Keyblade and chopped the rope off from the bottom, and it promptly dissipated into mist.

His eyes met mine again.  “No, you didn't ask for this.  You wanted me to understand why you chose the darkness, and...I think I finally do.  The memories didn't just stop at Saix.  I saw other things, too – the panic attacks, the nightmares...feeling like you were being left behind and forgotten...feeling lonely and misunderstood...feeling rejected by everyone.  I get it now.  I thought I understood you before, and I really didn't, and...I'm so sorry.”

Unidentified emotions shook my body, and I couldn't even answer for a moment.  The implications of everything he was saying were too much for me to comprehend.  My mind stuck on one fact, though, no matter what he said.  “But...but it is my fault. I've been...I've been such an idiot, Grim!”  More tears slipped out as I finally started to see the truth for the first time.  “I never should have let the darkness in.  You were right, I did know where it would lead, but I refused to listen.  I should've...I should've told all of you what was going on, from the very beginning, and maybe...maybe then none of this would have happened.  I'm so...I'm so sorry.”  I hid my face again, overwhelming shame making its way back to the forefront.

Riku was quiet, and for a second I wondered if he was going to agree with me, if he was going to tell me that yes, I had been an idiot, and maybe it wasn't worth his time to be here after all.  “I do wish you had talked to us.  I think you...and everyone else could have been spared a lot of pain if we had just known what was going on in your head and heart.  None of us would ever reject or abandon you, Meli.  We love you, and we always want to be there for you.”

I nodded against my knees, then lifted my head to look at him again. “I know.  I know that...now.  I just...I was so blinded by all the...everything, that...”  I trailed off, reorienting my thoughts. “And I'm just so used to nobody caring.  It's...I'm still adjusting, to having people actually care.”

“I know.  Believe me, I know that now more than I ever have before.”  He took a deep breath. “My point was, though, that I do understand why you tried to squelch your negative emotions.  I can't say I've never wanted to do the same things before, and you, well...you've had enough of them to last you a lifetime.”  He tried to take a step forward, and another black rope rose out of the fog at his feet and wrapped around his other leg.

It doesn't want him to come near me.  “Grim, be careful,” I called in a wavering voice.

Chopping this one off like the first, he stood still again for the moment.  “I saw Zephyr, too,” he continued quietly.  “I wish you had told me.”

I was immediately swallowed up in grief, so strong that it was like I was still holding his dead body in my arms.  “It's all my fault that he's gone!  He would still be alive and living happily at home if I had just left him alone!”  A sob wrenched from my throat.  “How am I gonna tell his mom?  He was all the family that she had.”

“Meli...”  Riku tried to run to me, but he couldn't get ahead of the darkness that wanted to hold him back.  Two more ropes tied both of his legs in place.  Growling in frustration, he cut one off and took another step, only for the leg to be captured once again.  A third strand twisted around his left arm.  When he reached to slice that one off, another grabbed his right wrist and jerked it down, winding its way up the arm and preventing any further use of his Keyblade.

“Grim!”  My grief was quickly replaced by fear.  I tried standing again, but the same black cords latched onto both my arms and yanked me back down onto my hands and knees. They were ice cold, sending chills down to my very core. “I can't...it's too strong!”  The darkness, the fear, all of it. It was like Riku had said, it was eating me alive, right here in my heart, and for the first time I realized that this could be it. There might not be any hope left for me.

I could see the cords snaking further around Riku's body, winding onto his shoulders and chest, and could feel them doing the same to me.  I was trapped.  For all the times that I had wanted to die before, now I finally didn't.  But more than anything, I didn't want Riku to have to die here with me. “Maybe...maybe if you back up away from me it will let you go.  You should get out of here if you possibly can.”

“I'm not leaving you.”

“I don't deserve for you to save me, Grim, even if you could.”  My mind started flitting back over the things I had done that day, nearly taking my breath away with the shock of realization.  “I deserve for the darkness to take me.  I'm the one that let it in, I'm the one that let it take over. If I had just listened to what you were all trying to tell me...” I shook my head, tears forming in my eyes again.  “All of that time that I hated you for hurting me when the darkness took you over, and today I did the exact same thing.  I turned on the people I care about the most...you, and Kairi...”  I gasped as I remembered.  “I think I hurt Sora!”

“Sora's a tough guy, he'll be fine.  And we all know that you didn't mean it.”  He struggled against the ropes, but they only tightened.  “No one deserves to die for a mistake.  You can make it out of this.  Don't give up hope.”

“I don't know how!” I sobbed.

“I'm not saying it's going to be easy.  Even when we get out of here, there's still going to be darkness left in you, there's no way you can get rid of every shred of it.  There will always be a bit of a struggle.”  One side of his mouth lifted in a sympathetic smile.  “But I've got the same problem, remember?  We can struggle through it together.”

#khocweek2020 #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts fanfiction #kingdom hearts oc #kingdom hearts original character #fanfic #fanfiction #writing #writing snippet #original character #kh oc

[destiny-islanders]

I Rate the Rikus

1. Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep

Riku’s cutest form. Like Sora, ignored his parents’ warning to not talk to strangers. One of those five-year-olds the adults would call an “old soul.” The kid who would share his snack with you one moment and dump sand in your hair the next. Would be one of those weird kids who’d want to make a blood pact, but will settle for matching friendship bracelets when his friends say that’s too weird.  1000/10

2. Kingdom Hearts 1

Every day is arm day. Shames his friends for not drinking enough water. Humble-brags sometimes. Secretly steals 20s when he’s the banker in Monopoly. Has not outgrown the bad habit of talking to strangers. Legit one of the strongest main campaign bosses in the entire series, and therefore his power should be feared. 1000000/10

3. Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories

Looks back on his middle school phase and wants to die. The fabled beginning of the Riku Is A Mickey Mouse Fanboy headcanon. If Sora kicks ass in CoM, Riku fuckin’ buries it. Gets a taste of his own medicine by having to fight himself in boss battles, finally understanding the pain of every 10-year-old that ever played KH1. From that pain comes reflection. This is a Riku on a journey of self-discovery and redemption. Talks about smelling stuff way too often, though, which indicates there is still room to grow. 100000/10

4. Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days 

To members of Organization XIII, Riku is like if the Jaws theme were a person. Wears a blindfold all the time and still kicks your ass. Sometimes makes thoughtless comments that really offend people even when he doesn’t really mean to. Quiet, pensive Riku. Until he’s not. 10000/10

5. Kingdom Hearts 2

The triumphant return of Little Shit Riku, whom we haven’t really seen since KH1. Spies on a kid for hours when he joins the workforce for cash to buy his friends watermelon, then destroys that kid with a stick and steals his hard-earned wages. Puts unwrapped ice cream in a box with a photograph meant to be a clue for Sora, seemingly forgetting that ice cream melts??? Embarrassed to look his friends in the eye because he knows they all remember his KH1 Middle School Phase. But if everyone can forgive Sora for the red onesie and clown shoes, then Riku can be pardoned for his youthful transgressions. Unabashedly shows off his navel. Definitely has trouble seeing through his bangs but will adamantly deny it if anyone asks him. 10000000/10

6. Kingdom Hearts: Coded

“I’m Permanently Trapped In My Middle School Phase And I Can’t Get Out.” That one person in a group project who sorts of monitors what everyone else is doing without really doing much himself. Would probably try to cover Sora’s ears if someone cursed around him. The Damsel In Distress is an interesting look, but he makes it work. 10000/10

7. Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance

This is it, guys. God-tier Riku. The physical manifestation of the phrase “Everything I Do, I Do For Love.” Has finished turning over that new leaf and is still trying to get used to it. Endearingly awkward. Freddy Kreuger is afraid to fall asleep because Riku might visit his dreams. Becomes so good at saving Sora that he can literally do it in his sleep. Brings Kairi in at the end with the hopes that she’ll finally get the time in the spotlight that she deserves. Thanks for trying, Riku. You’re a good boy.  1000000000/10

8. Kingdom Hearts 3

Beep-beep. This Is My Final Form. So hardcore that he uses a literal swarm of monsters as his hairdresser-- AND PULLS IT OFF. That kid who tries to do the group project by himself but can’t handle it. Probably takes espresso shots. 7 at a time. Notorious for not responding to texts until hours or days later. Means it when he says he’d die for you. Riku, wait. We love you, too, but please oh my God don’t-- 100000000/10

#kingdom hearts #riku #kh #destiny rambles #long post #kh ratings

[teganberry]

‘Only a heart of pure darkness can exist in perfect balance with your light. That’s why I did this, Kairi, so we can finally be together like we promised.’

Dark Sora has been on my mind all week! Hopefully when I get some time in the future I can come back and colour this properly. This if for @phoenix-downer, @chachacharlieco and everyone else who enjoyed that brilliant Dark Sora thread we had going the other day.

And guess what?! This time I’ve actually written a fic to go along with my drawing under the cut! Be warned this thing is kinda long, and its been a while since I’ve written anything other than scripts and story outlines, so please be kind. Hope you all enjoy my take on Dark Sora!

Reposting my artwork on any site is forbidden.

As the blinding power of her light begun to fade Kairi desperately did all she could to restore her vision. The stone floor of the chamber felt incredibly cold beneath her. Looking downward she focused on the ridiculously ornate dress she’d been forced to wear for the ceremony. The thought of ripping the damn thing off immediately came to mind, but she thought better of it for now. Before anything else she needed to ascertain just what had happened.

The task that brought her here should have been simple enough. A week ago it was discovered that the waters of Radiant Gardens had become inexplicably tainted with darkness once more. No one knew the cause; it had seemingly come out of nowhere. It was quickly determined that, despite the Restoration Committees’ best efforts, the only way to stop the spread of the darkness would be with the light of a pure heart. That was where Kairi came in, as Princess possessing a heart of pure light. She need only touch source of Radiant Gardens many rivers with her pure light and the darkness would be eradicated once more.

When Leon had first sent for Kairi’s aid she was initially reluctant, especially when told she would be required to perform a traditional Radiant Garden purification ceremony in order to complete the task. It was only when her companion begun to speculate that connecting with the source of her original home World’s power may help aid in their current quest that she finally agreed. At this point, after 6 months of fruitless searching, Kairi was willing to give anything a try in order to find some answers.

Returning her attention to the immediate surroundings, Kairi was initially relieved the light had now faded enough for her to see again. The horrific sight that met her eyes, however, immediately caused her blood to run cold. The unconscious bodies of her friends now lay inexplicably strewn about the underground chamber, when only moments earlier they had all been standing before her in support.

Fear grew in the pit of Kairi’s stomach when her eyes fell upon the seemingly lifeless forms of a silver haired young man and a brunette woman in a long pink dress, laying just off to her left. Her guardians, the ones who had sworn to protect her throughout the ceremony, had they failed in their duty? And was Kairi’s power the reason for their failure?

‘No, it can’t be…’ She whispered, barely able to form words. ‘This wasn’t supposed to happen.’

Kairi made to stand and make her way towards them. But subtle movements in her peripheral vision cause her to freeze. She didn’t want to look, but she knew she had to. Dreading what she what about to see Kairi remained on the ground, turning slowly to look to her right. She held her breath as she beheld the mass of pure swirling darkness that stood before her.

‘What are you? Why are you here?’ She managed to demand of it, despite her growing terror.

‘I’m here because you called.’ A distorted voice replied from within the darkness.

And with that the darkness began to condense and reform, quickly taking on what appeared to be the form of a human. Then in the blink of an eye the darkness broke away, revealing a young man with a head of spiky brown hair in its place. His eyes remained closed for a moment before he finally allowed himself to look at her and smile.

‘Kairi.’ He said warmly. ‘I’ve missed you.’

Her first instinct was to jump up and throw her arms around him, but something inside held Kairi back. The person she had been searching and longing for, for so long was finally standing before her, but she couldn’t move. This was wrong. The darkness that had apparently brought him here, the strange new black garments he now wore, and the yellow glow of his eyes. Everything was wrong.

Finding her voice at last Kairi dared to form his name, ‘So-’

‘Sora?’ Another strained voice suddenly cut her off.

The young man in question allowed himself to take his eyes off Kairi for a moment to glance in the direction of the voice, his smile begins to fade. Kairi took the opportunity to look to her left once more and was relieved to find Riku had regained consciousness. His eyes however were fixed on Sora.

‘Riku, I’m glad to see you again too.’ Sora told him with a smile. But Kairi could tell something in his voice was off. As if Sora didn’t completely mean what he was saying.

Riku groaned as he forced himself into a kneeling position. Clearly whatever had happened when Kairi touched the water with her light had caused a lot of damage.

‘What happened to you? We were told your heart had travelled to a realm beyond The Final World. How did you end up here?’ Riku asked firmly.

Sora placed his hands behind his head and chuckled as if Riku had asked the simplest question in the world. ‘That’s easy. I heard Kairi’s call and followed her voice back here. Not like I haven’t done it before.’

In an instant Kairi knew he was lying. All three of them knew he was lying. She knew Riku was going to demand the truth from him with his next breath. But with the way Sora was behaving she doubted he’d give anyone a real answer. Anyone that is, except the one person Sora had never lied to.

‘Sora,’ Kairi’s voice was firm. ‘Tell me the truth. What did you do?’

Sora sighed and allowed his shoulders to slump a little. ‘Let me guess, you want to know about this.’ He then pointed towards his now yellow eyes to which Kairi nodded in response.

‘You sure? It’s a pretty long story…’

He was stalling but Kairi wasn’t having any of it. She pushed herself up from the ground, managing to stand again despite her cumbersome dress. She looked him directly in the eye.

‘Guess it’s a good thing I’ve got nothing but time then.’

Sora was the first to look away. ‘Fine, if its what you really want.’

‘Yep.’ She replied curtly. Kairi took a moment before he started speaking to readjust her dress. But truth be told it was only a rues in order to check on her friends, whom were still scattered about the room. She wasn’t afraid of Sora, not just yet anyway. But Kairi did fear that this new, darker Sora might run or lash out if everyone in the room suddenly woke up at once. It was all so surreal.

Kairi spotted Xion and Naminé lying side by side not too far away, their hands appeared to be grasped together despite being knocked out cold. Axel and Roxas lay in front of the pair. They had evidently tried to shield the girls when Kairi’s light had suddenly exploded. Isa and Leon lay unconscious nearby, as did Donald, Goofy and the King. While on the opposite side of the room Kairi could see Terra, Aqua, Ventus and Chirthy were all huddled together, but still just as comatose as the rest.

Lastly Kairi dared to glance back ever so slightly to check on Riku. Sora had seemed so cold towards their best friend she feared he may lash out at both of them, should he see her look towards Riku so deliberately. For the most part Riku seemed to be recovering well from the blast, and was attempting to revive Aerith.

‘Do you remember what happens to you when you die?’ Sora asked.

Kairi returned her full, undivided attention to him. ‘Yes, how could I forget? You travel to The Final World until you are ready to pass into the beyond.’

‘Technically you’re correct.’ Sora replied, his face growing ashen. ‘That’s what’s supposed to happen anyway. But sometimes you don’t end up there. Sometimes you end up somewhere completely different. Like a huge city, big enough for millions of people to live…but its completely empty, and you become stuck there all alone. With nothing but your own thoughts and memories to keep you company.’

‘Is that… what happened to you?’ Kairi felt her heart ache at the thought of Sora being trapped in such a lonely, empty place. He only nodded to confirm her fear.

‘I suppose it wasn’t all that bad though. While the loneliness was excruciating, I did have a lot of time to think about everything. Figure out why things happened the way they did, and what I did wrong.’

‘What you did wrong? Sora, you didn’t do anything wrong. You saved everyone.’

Sora offered her a rueful smile in response. ‘I did. But in the end, despite all the good I’d done, I wasn’t allowed to have the one thing I wanted more than anything else. To keep my promise to you.’

The pain she felt in her heart as he spoke those words was immense. But after the first throb Kairi realized the pain suddenly felt drastically different, magnified, if that was even possible. She let out a gasp and clutched her chest as her eyes met Sora’s.

Sora tilted his head slightly to the side. ‘You felt that too, huh? Interesting.’

Kairi was unnerved by the smile that began to form on Sora’s lips. That was when she heard Riku finally stand up, his strength returned.

‘Sora, what are you doing to Kairi?’ He demanded.

‘Nothing!’ Sora retorted with a glare. ‘And even if I was doing “something” to her it wouldn’t be any of your business.’

Kairi raised an arm to silence the two bickering friends. ‘I’m ok, Riku. Really.’ She knew he didn’t believe that, but when Riku said nothing in reply she took it to mean he would let Sora continue telling his story… for now.

‘Did you figure out what it was you did that was so wrong?’ Kairi asked, despite her fear of what Sora’s answer would be.

‘Yeah I did.’ He genuinely began to smile now. ‘And what’s better, I figured out how to fix everything.’

‘So you figured out a way back home?’

‘Even better than that! I figured out a way to make sure we’ll be together forever, Kairi, no matter what!’ Sora’s smile was genuine but his eyes still looked cold. The combination of the two along with his bold statement was increasingly unnerving. ‘I just had to get rid of my light.’

Kairi’s mouth opened in utter shock, she imagined Riku’s face looked much the same. Somewhere in the back of her mind Kairi noted that some of the others in the underground chamber were now beginning to stir, but that hardly mattered anymore.

‘Get rid of your light? Sora, I don’t understand, why would you want to rid yourself of light?’

‘Balance.’ He replied. ‘Turns out Master Xehanort was on the right track. There must always be a balance between light and darkness. Where he went wrong though was deciding that balance could only be obtained through destruction. Unfortunately for him the light and the dark a far more complex than that.’

‘But what does a balance between light and dark have to do with you and me, Sora?’

He smiled a little more sadly now. ‘It has everything to do with us, right from the moment we first met on the islands.’ Sora moved towards her, close enough that Kairi had to tilt her head slightly upwards to meet his gaze. Sora had grown taller during his absence.

‘Its your heart, Kairi. I can’t believe it took me so long to realize.’ Her hand moved instinctively to her chest. ‘Your heart is made of pure light, no darkness can ever reside within you. Your heart possesses such an incredible amount of light, it only makes sense you have no true need for the light of others. You can walk through corridors darkness and it would never touch you.’

‘Sora, I don’t understand what your trying to say.’ She was pleading with him now, desperate to understand just how things had gone so wrong.

‘From the moment we met your heart has always called to mine, and mine to you.’ Beginning to feel confidant, Sora dared to raise his hand so he could lightly play with a loose strand of her hair. She decided to allow him to, for now. ‘I’ll never understand why a heart as pure as yours chose an idiot like me, but I’m happy you did. For the longest time I believed we’d always be together, until suddenly we weren’t. And no matter how hard I tried each time I found you, we’d always be ripped apart again. I realized then that all the worlds were doing whatever they could to keep us apart, because so long as my heart possessed light we could never truly be together. Only a heart of pure darkness can exist in perfect balance with your light. That’s why I did this, Kairi, so we can finally be together like we promised.’

‘That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard come out of your mouth! And quite frankly that’s saying a lot!’

Kairi jumped and the sudden shout, and looked to see an utterly furious Riku glaring at Sora. ‘If any of that was even remotely true then how come all the other Princess’ of Heart are all allowed to live happily with their respective Princes? Last time I checked they all had both light and darkness in their hearts.’

Sora only smirked at his best friend’s retort. ‘That’s true I won’t deny it. But your forgetting there’s a big difference between them and Kairi and I. You know, that little thing we call a Keyblade?’ He then proceeded to summon his Kingdom Key as a final attempt to hammer his new ideology home to Riku.

‘Keyblades were created to serve the worlds, to maintain the balance between light and dark. As wielders it is up to us to maintain that balance. During my time alone I finally realized that our duty isn’t only limited to battle, it extends into every aspect of our lives. As a wielder it only makes sense that the light of Kairi’s heart must be balanced with a heart of equal darkness. Kairi has always been my light and now I am her darkness, just as we were always meant to be.’

Kairi could feel her heart breaking with each passing second. ‘So that’s how you found your way back. You gave into the darkness.’

Sora sighed at her words. ‘I didn’t give into anything. I simply accepted the reality before me. At the end of the day I will always make the same choice. I’ll always choose you. As for how I found my way back…I did use the darkness to begin with, but it only got me halfway. Your light opened the final path for me.’

For a moment Kairi was confused before her eyes widened in utter shock, she looked down at the water source she had touched with her light. ‘The water purification ceremony, the darkness in Radiant Gardens’ water supply…that was you?’

Sora grinned. ‘Remember in school when we were taught natural water is an excellent conductor for electricity? Turns out its also an excellent conductor of light and darkness too. Though I had no idea the reaction of your light and my darkness coming in contact through the water would be so…explosive. Your actually ridiculously powerful Kairi, you do realize that don’t you?’

Kairi was still in shock trying to comprehend what he was implying. ‘Sora I…that explosion of light…we hurt everyone here. We hurt our friends!’

For the first time Sora looked taken aback by her words. ‘No we didn’t…I mean we did, but I didn’t mean for that to happen! Look I didn’t know it would cause your light to explode like that. I just…I wanted to be by your side again so bad I didn’t care about the risks.’

Kairi wanted to scream at him for his recklessness, but the look of regret on his face made her pause. He almost looked like the Sora she remembered, finally showing genuine concern for their injured friends.

‘Everything is going to ok Kairi, I promise. But there’s something you and I need to do first.’

Sora’s face had suddenly turned darkly determined once more as he made to embrace her. He was stopped in his actions, however, as a blur of black and white made to attack him with a Keyblade from behind. But he was too quick, Sora had sensed her coming. He turned and successfully blocked her attack with ease. The initial frown on his face grew into a bemused smile as he learnt the identity of his attacker.

‘I can feel how upset you are with me, Xion, but now really isn’t a good time.’ Sora calmly told the dark haired wielder as she continued to stubbornly pressure her Kingdom Key against his own. ‘We can do this some other time. Right now Mum and Dad need to have a little talk, ok?’

Xion suddenly blanked at his overly casual and strangely accepting reference to her true origin. The pause was enough to give Sora the opening he needed, managing to push her off hard enough to send her stumbling backwards. Thankfully Naminé was able to catch Xion before she fell to the ground and held her tightly. A now conscious Roxas and Axel quickly joined the pair to comfort Xion.

‘Now then…’ Sora mused, returning his attention back to Kairi.

‘Sora, don’t you dare make another move!’ It was now Riku’s turn to somehow intervene. But while his Keyblade was summoned he still had yet to move from his position beside the still unconscious Aerith.

Kairi knew he wanted to protect her, but she could also tell that he feared what Sora might do in response. She understood then that there was only one thing she could do. And as scary as the possibilities may be, Kairi had to admit she wanted to know the true extent of Sora’s plan. She turned away from Sora so she could speak with her best friend.

‘It’ll be ok, Riku.’ She told him through a pained smile. ‘We both know Sora would never hurt me.’

She saw a look of defeat cross his face as Riku lowered his blade. Moments later she heard Sora move towards her. She closed her eyes as his arms held her tightly.

‘The true path for restoring balance to the worlds begins here, with you and me.’ He whispered so only she could hear. ‘I just need you to trust me.’

‘I trust you.’ Kairi replied. As the words left her lips her heart suddenly pounded out of control as her light became enveloped in darkness, Sora’s darkness. But it wasn’t overwhelming her; in fact it was quite the opposite. Kairi could feel her light resonating with his darkness. She kept her eyes firmly closed.

‘You feel it, don’t you?’ Came Sora’s voice, gentle and encouraging. She realized with a start that he hadn’t spoken out aloud, his voice was inside her head.

‘How are you doing that?’ Kairi asked in bewilderment.

‘Our hearts are resonating. The balance of light and dark means we can share a new bond, just the two of us. From now on we’ll be able to sense were the other is, no matter how far apart we may be. If we want to we can even share feelings and emotions.’

‘“No matter how far apart we may be.” You say that as if you’re going to leave again. Sora, if you were planning to disappear and leave me all over again then what was the point of turning to the darkness or coming back to the realm of light at all? Was this all some elaborate lie?’

‘No, it's not a lie.’ Sora defended.

‘But it is a lie. You’ve been lying this whole time. When you saved me from The Final World you promised that, even if you faded away, you would always be my light. Sora…’

Kairi opened her eyes and turned to look at him properly. She held his face so he couldn’t look away from her. ‘Why did you break your promise to me?’

Sora’s mouth opened and closed a number of times but nothing came out. Fear, hurt and regret flashed across his face before he finally found his words again. ‘Kairi, I did what I had to do.’

Kairi wanted to scream and cry all at once, but her heart ached too much for her to do either. And judging by the pained look on Sora’s face he was clearly feeling her pain as well. She guessed the whole sharing emotions thing really was true. Before anything else could be said a new voice spoke.

‘Sora? Is that you?’ came the voice of the King.

They both looked to see King Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the rest of their friends had finally awakened.

‘Sora?’ Donald and Goofy both spoke in a mixture of apprehension and disbelief.

Kairi felt fear but it wasn’t her own. She looked at Sora, his face pale and yellow eyes glowing.

‘I have to go.’ He told her, refusing to meet her eye. A dark portal opened up beside him and he made to walk through it.

He was only stopped by Kairi grabbing his hand and refusing to let go. ‘Please don’t go!’ She begged.

Sora looked back at her once more with a pained smile. ‘This isn’t the end, it’s a new beginning.’ He told her before freeing his hand from her grasp. And without another word he passed through the dark corridor and vanished.

As the last wisps of darkness faded away Kairi fell to the ground and burst into tears. Riku, Aerith and Aqua rushed forward and embraced the poor girl. It felt like forever before Kairi was finally calm enough to speak. Seeking Riku’s embrace, she told him Sora’s final lie.

‘His heart isn’t pure darkness. I felt it, his light is still there. It’s locked away, sleeping deep inside his heart. We just have to convince him to come back to us and let it free.’

#kingdom hearts #sora #kairi #sokai #kingdom hearts 3 #dark sora #riku #kh #my art #oh god I've been writing for hours! #How do you amazing fanfic writers do it? #You guys are the true heros #imma go pass out now

[angel-with-a-pipette]

A lot of ppl say "Kairi is sassy in KH3" but hey, I can't really see that like those ppl. She's not sassy like kh2 or 2 or it's just Alyson couldn't make the sassy line sassy and more boring/emotional? Can u show me the lines that they're "sassy" or something? At least when someone tell me "nah she's not," I'll show him/her

I’m genuinely surprised you see a lot of people saying that because even Kairi fans have started going against her. Not to say that you are going against her by saying you don’t think she’s as sassy anymore! Sometimes it’s just heartbreaking to read people’s opinions on KH3 Kairi…

Now this matter is a little bit complex. I don’t believe Kairi is as sassy as she is in KH1 or KH2 which might have been what Nomura went for since he has this whole “growing up” theme going on. I also believe that it’s partly Alyson’s or the voice direction’s “fault” that Kairi sounds softer than before - which again, since Japanese representatives are deeply involved in the English dub despite certain parts of the fandom claiming they are ignorant of it, could be a conscious choice of Nomura.However, there are also scenes that show some of Kairi’s past sass which is why I want to propose this explanation:

There’s a time and place for everything - and sadly, there was little time for Kairi’s sass.

Now what do I mean by that? Fact is Kairi has very few scenes - if Gamer’s Little Playground really caught all of them, she’s only in one hour of the ten hours of KH3 cutscenes and that counts the full scenes she makes an appearance in, not her absolute on-screen time. And of these scenes, even fewer are suitable for some sass, naturally.

What kind of scenes does Kairi appear in?

She has two scenes in the beginning with Lea

She is seen with the whole cast at Yen Sid’s study as well as on the Keyblade graveyard in several scenes

She is alone with Sora on Destiny Islands and while they’re rewriting reality

She is seen shortly when being abducted by Xemnas and when killed by Xehanort

She is seen shortly when being abducted by Xemnas and when killed by Xehanort

Let’s start with her last scenes first. I think it’s obvious why she can’t be sassy when Xehanort kills her although I wish she was - they should have let her die heroically, defending Sora, metaphorically spitting into Xehanort’s face because that’s the tough cookie we saw in KH2 when she faced off Saix with Naminé. That doesn’t mean however that she should have been a war machine and that her behavior during the Xemnas encounter was OOC for her because as much Kairi jumps into the fight, she also gets intimidated rather easily. Remember in KH2 when she was suddenly surrounded by Heartless after she just jumped down a balcony to save Sora? Imagine how scared she must be with her shoulder in excruciating pain during a fight she herself described as “our toughest yet”. I think it makes perfect sense she didn’t pull out her sass (or any risky moves that would result in breaking her arm and rendering her useless for combat and more of a tool) in this scene.

She is seen with the whole cast at Yen Sid’s study as well as on the Keyblade graveyard in several scenes

There’s also sadly not much of a chance to bring it up when the whole cast is together. Now I wish she had more of an interaction with Sora and Riku especially since her character and her sass and teasing nature shines when she is alone with her boys, but the script didn’t give that to her. It’s a wonder she got to talk to Aqua as it is. The entire scene in Yen Sid’s tower was too crowded, too filled with character meetings that should have been spaced out over the game for the sake of the characters.What I think is kind of interesting though is that we have a scene where Kairi could have pulled out her sass on Sora, as she did several times in 1 and 2, but didn’t:

Here, the cast just talked about how Sora did NOT make Master in DDD - something we know is a very sore topic for him over the entirety of the game. Now what do these little assholes do when the biggest asshole of them all points it out?

They all laugh. It’s meant to be in good nature and Sora takes it like a champ, but truth of the story is that it makes the player very uncomfortable, knowing how much Sora has been picked on over the entirety of the game, by friends and enemies. In light of that, I think it’s very interesting that the camera doesn’t pan over to Kairi and Lea who stand behind Sora. Normally, the camera would pan over everyone, showing their laughter, and it does later on when Donald makes the Half-Pint joke:

I might be biased, but I don’t seem to hear Lea’s and Kairi’s chuckles and giggles during the first scene while I definitely hear both during the half-pint scene. So it’s interesting that this time, the camera pans over all of them and we hear them.

Of course, this is not definite proof, but it hints at Kairi (and Lea) not laughing at Sora’s expense - at a mean joke at Sora’s expense, too. And that, too, fits with Kairi’s past character as shown by @phoenix-downer​ waaay down in this post when she analyses Kairi asking Sora if he’s okay. It’s an ongoing theme with her to be concerned with Sora’s well-being and letting him off the hook when she suspects he needs a break of being teased could very well explain why she didn’t add to the others making fun of him. And boy, does he need a break from it.

She has two scenes in the beginning with Lea

Kairi absolutely sasses Axel in KH2 when he tries to abduct her (again - when he does succeed, she is actually in a position to struggle because he only grabs her wrist - he doesn’t twist her arm behind her like Xemnas does which could have easily popped out her shoulder - and who knows, maybe she was close to it). So why doesn’t she sass him here?

Just like with Sora, it’s not the time and place. Lea is troubled, Kairi tries being open with him but still struggles to get used to him and so both carry around some emotional baggage before they truly warm up to each other. And when they do? She does tease him!

Yes, Alyson’s delivery could be better here and I partly blame the voice direction because in 0.2, she proved she could sass Riku around just fine, but alas, this is the old Kairi. She absolutely teases Lea with his own catchphrase and Lea chuckles at her impersonation of him.

And yet, this is all she does, because Lea continues to say he is worried and Kairi knows he doesn’t need teasing, he needs encouragement, just like Sora does in the aforementioned scene. Kairi might be sassy, but she values the well-being of her comrades over being teasing and a little mean to them. In her eyes, this is the time to be supportive, not to nag.

She is alone with Sora on Destiny Islands and while they’re rewriting reality

Kairi’s shining moment of sass and teasing comes when she offers the paopu to Sora.

It’s a short moment and she softens pretty quickly because she knows that this is serious. This isn’t a joke, neither to her nor Sora, that’s why she grows more serious about it when she explains her motives, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that she kind of dares him to share one with her expression. She wants him to do it, she urges him on with her smile, “Do it!” it says, but ultimately the choice is his.

And if you want to read between the lines, she has a very similar expression on here:

Now, I know nothing about how Risa delivered the scene, but I can absolutely imagine if Hayden did this, she would have delivered it with sass. After all, Kairi told him he’d be safe with her. Why is he surprised? ;) Especially since as @phoenix-downer points out in the same above mentioned post, she turned the Declaration of Protection on its head back during the paopu scene and now underlines that yes, she did it. She kept her promise. Literally “told” him so!

TL;DR: 

There’s a time and place for everything and Kairi’s time was cut too short to give her a lot of opportunities to be sassy

She loves to sass people, but she also makes sure they’re safe physically and emotionally and won’t beat down on someone who needs emotional support, thus keeping her sass in check

The English voice direction (possibly the Japanese one as well) doesn’t do her favors despite some scenes clearly being written with her sass in mind

She has sassy moments, but they get lost because so much is happening around them and the voice direction…

I know I went a little overboard with this, but I hope this answered your question!

#Kairi #Lea #Sora #Sokai #KH3 #anonymous #answered

[nadziejastar]

Other than Lea and Isa’s backstories, what other aspects of the Dark Seeker Saga do you think were hopelessly botched?

Day 358: Goals

Author: Xemnas

With luck, we can bring Roxas back into our fold, but even if Sora should awaken, as the hero of the Keyblade, he is bound to keep unlocking hearts. If he should come to target us, we need simply subdue him and use his powers ourselves once more. I must become one with Kingdom Hearts. I will become a higher existence. All of my true ambitions begin there.

- The Number One thing that was botched was Xehanort’s entire backstory and character. Why did he turn evil? How did he get possessed? Why was he trying to open Kingdom Hearts? How did he get possession of the MoM’s Keybalde? That’s something we were obviously supposed to learn before KH3 came out, yet we’re only getting it after the fact with Dark Road. And who knows if it will still be the same backstory as it was originally envisioned for the DSS.

-The whole time travel concept. What exactly are portals and how was that the key to defeating Master Xehanort in KH3? We never learned about Scala ad Caelum, and why MX was there during the final battle, which also was confusing. Overall, the ending of KH3 made NO sense to me.

- Xemnas was botched. Why was he trying to complete Kingdom Hearts in Days and KH2? How would completing Kingdom Hearts allow him to turn all the members into Xehanorts? Did Xemnas know exactly what he was trying to accomplish or was he being guided subconsciously? What memories did Xemnas have? Terra’s? Master Xehanort’s? What was No Heart, his armored form? What was the Lich? All left unanswered.

-  Riku’s character arc was just botched. KH3D hinted at an unresolved subplot with “Ansem” and Riku Replica. “Ansem” was also connected to Riku’s Way to Dawn Keyblade and also Terra. Riku’s connection to Terra was pretty much dropped in KH3.

-The subplot about Ansem the Wise, his regret over his past and the data he put inside Sora, which was supposed to be the secret to saving everyone. That was botched.

-After learning about the experiments in detail, the rest of the apprentices should have been more fleshed out characters. Ienzo’s trauma as an orphan and child cult member should have been explored. Why did Even want to atone? How did he feel about the experiments? How did Braig first become a vessel? What were Aeleus and Dilan’s part in it all? What was going on with Xehanort’s memory during that time? And how did Kairi tie into all of this? Instead of getting the answers to these questions, the experiments have apparently been totally retconned. 

Xemnas: A heart is never lost for good. There may have been variances in our dispositions, but a number of us unquestionably showed signs of a burgeoning replacement. Once born, the heart can also be nurtured. Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.

-The Number Two thing that was botched was the whole concept of “vessels”. Xehanort’s whole goal during the DSS was about planting his heart into unwilling people so he could use their empty husks as puppets in his Keyblade War. He needs empty shells without hearts, so he can put his own heart inside. But, the idea was that no being truly can exist without a heart. Even Replicas and Nobodies form hearts to fill the void. So, Xehanort can’t just create machines or Nobodies without hearts and and plop his heart inside of those. He has to resort to other means.

The experiments caused the test subject's heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. I confined those who had completely lost their hearts beneath the castle.

-The experiments on the darkness of the heart were also hopelessly botched along with with the concept of vessels. At first, all the subjects’ hearts collapsed. Without a heart, Xehanort wouldn’t have been able to turn them into vessels. With a collapsed heart, they’re broken and useless, like Ventus was at the beginning of BBS. 

Day 355: Mind

Author: Xigbar

If Kingdom Hearts can be said to possess a mind of its own, it is surely rejecting Xemnas—no, rejecting Xehanort.

In KH3D, Xemnas said the experiments were about mind control, to convince it to renounce its sense of self, but that seems to no longer be the case. The idea was apparently that someone needs a heart to become a vessel. Xehanort can basically absorb their hearts into his own and control them. But someone with a mind of their own can still reject Xehanort’s heart. Braig accepted Xehanort of his own free will. But most he had to possess unwillingly.

Xemnas: But then, through Roxas, Sora himself began to shape "it" into "her," giving Xion a sense of identity. Our plan seemed like a failure at this point...

Replicas even gain minds of their own. So, the experiments were about creating a subject without a sense of self so they couldn’t reject him. 

“Xemnas and Xehanort formed the Organization for a specific reason—round up a bunch of empty husks, hook them up to Kingdom Hearts, then fill them all with the exact same heart and mind,” Xigbar explained behind him. 

Sora turned around. Empty husks? Is he saying they’re going to break them with pain and sorrow and put another heart into them…? Or did they already do it?

They’d cause the subject so much pain they couldn’t live with it. Their heart would go to sleep. Their mind would fracture. But they wouldn’t die. 

Xehanort: Roxas... Now, there was a worthy candidate. But, unfortunately, he became too aware of himself, and returned to Sora. Organization XIII's true goal is to divide Xehanort's heart among thirteen vessels.

Without self-awareness, they’d be the perfect vessel, like Roxas was at first. The Dark Seeker Saga was all about healing pain. Subject X’s memories have nothing to do with the Dark Seeker Saga. Mind control was a lot darker, more interesting, and made more sense as far as making vessels.

[phoenix-downer]

Of Which Reason Knows Nothing - Chapter 2

I’m happy to post the second part of the project @chibiranmaruchan and I collaborated on! (You can find the first part here). They drew the art, and I wrote the fic. Working with them was a lot of fun, and I’m really happy with what we’ve created. I will also be posting this story to FFN and AO3 if those are your preferred reading spot(s).

Length: ~3000 words

Summary: Kairi may have lost someone important, but she isn’t alone, and she isn’t without hope. And her mysterious dreams just might have a clue as to Sora’s whereabouts…

Characters: Kairi, Sora, Riku

Additional Info: Implied Kairi/Sora, Riku and Kairi friendship. Post-Kingdom Hearts III. Referenced Character Death. Guilt, Grief/Grieving, Angst, Comfort, Dreams, Friendship.

Enjoy!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, Kairi wore Sora’s hoodie to bed again. Maybe it wasn’t related to her dream at all, but it couldn’t hurt to wear it, just in case there was some sort of connection. 

As her eyes flickered shut, she murmured, “Sora, if you’re out there… if you’re trying to reach me… I’m listening.”

Neon lights, flashing colors. An enormous city with skyscrapers pointing towards the moon, trying to reach the heavens but getting pulled back down to earth. Water on the ground in puddles as raindrops splashed into them, disturbing the surface of the water, reflecting the surroundings like a mirror. 

She was back. She was back in the same place as before. 

White paint on the ground. Lots of lines running across the street. Big billboards running dozens of different ads at the same time. Cars with bright lights, too bright in the dark. The sky a strange shade of purple with ominous black clouds. A big white tower with the numbers 104 in neon red letters. 

She glanced at one of the puddles nearby. A face with blue eyes and spiky brown hair stared back. Lifting her hand, she gasped at what she saw. It wasn’t her hand. It was Sora’s, and he was holding a small black pin with a skull-looking emblem on it. He turned it over, and the whole world seemed to go wonky.

“Huh?” He dropped the pin and clutched his head.

“Sora!” she cried, but he couldn’t hear her. His Gummiphone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out. 

The message said: 

Reach 104. You have 60 minutes. Fail, and face erasure. 

—The Reapers.

“Huh?!” 

He put his phone back in his pocket. Pain shot up his arm, and he winced and looked at his hand again. Engraved into his palm were black numbers with yellow outlines and a red background. 

59:49. 59:48. 59:47. They kept changing, kept… going down. Kept decreasing with each passing second. When he looked at the 104 building again, it said YOU HAVE 7 DAYS in big red letters against a black background. 

“Sora!”

But the dream was over, and her eyes flew open. Fingers shaking, she grabbed the Gummiphone on her bedside table. The phone rang and rang and rang as her heart raced because of her dream.

“C’mon, Riku, please, please pick up—”

A few moments later, and he did.

“Kairi?” came his familiar voice, if a little groggy. She glanced at the little time display at the top of the screen. A few minutes after six. The video kicked in, and he yawned as he wiped the sleep out of his eyes.

“Riku, I had another dream about him again,” she said, unable to hide the excitement in her voice.

Riku perked up immediately at that. “You did? What was it about this time?”

“He was in that city I saw before, only this time there was more.” She closed her eyes and pictured it now. The busy crosswalk, the building with 104 written on it, all the colorful lights and sounds. And the red and black numbers carved into his palm. “There was a countdown, on his hand,” she added, trying to include as many details as possible.

“A countdown?” Riku repeated, his voice rising.

Her eyes flew open. “Yes. I’m not sure why, but—”

“Kairi, I think I know where he is. I think I know where he is,” Riku said, and his voice had more energy and hope in it than it had since… well, since everything had happened.

She tugged at Sora’s hoodie and sat up straighter at that. “W-what? But how?”

“When we were taking our Mark of Mastery exam, he met this guy named Neku. He told me later on that Neku talked to him about a game.”

“And?”

“There was a countdown on Neku’s hand that was a part of that game.”

She thought about this for a moment. “So you think he might be playing the same game as Neku?”

Riku nodded. “Yeah. He said Neku was from this place called Shibuya. If we can find that, we can find him.”

This was it, this was their best lead ever since he’d disappeared. She said goodbye to Riku and threw on some clothes. They had to go see Master Yen Sid about this. Their friends all deserved to know.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kairi waited with bated breath as Master Yen Sid closed his eyes and stroked his beard. Stealing a quick glance at Riku, she wondered if he was feeling as wound up as she was right now. His face was a calm mask, but then again, he’d never really worn his heart on his sleeve the way she and Sora did.

“So, you are convinced Sora is somewhere called Shibuya, playing some sort of game,” Master Yen Sid said.

Kairi nodded. “Yes, Master. I know it may seem a little crazy—”

“On the contrary, where else would a heart go after fading from the Realm of Light? Sora did not die a normal death, and there are legends of the same thing happening to others.”

“Really?” Riku asked. “Like who?”

Kairi knew what he was thinking. If it had happened to someone else before, there might be clues as to how to save Sora. 

“There was a man who called himself the Master of Masters,” Master Yen Sid said. “He had six Keyblade-wielding apprentices, all named after the Seven Deadly Sins. Ava, Luxu, Invi, Gula, Ira, and Aced, with him as their leader: Superbia. Legend has it that instead of dying, he simply faded away, never to be seen or heard from again.”

Kairi and Riku both waited to hear more, but it soon became clear that was all.

“That’s it? That’s all?” Riku said, echoing her thoughts. “This… Master of Masters guy never returned to the Realm of Light?”

“Well, there is more to the story, but it relates to the events of the Keyblade War, and the two of you would be here for days if I were to recount it all to you. I do not think a history lesson is what you want right now. I shared this with you so you would know that the same fate that befell Sora has befallen someone else before, if the legends are to be believed. That was why Mickey tried to warn him against doing what he did, but as the philosophers say, the heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing.”

Master Yen Sid smiled sadly, and Kairi’s heart sank. They had warned Sora not to save her and he still did? Why?

“I know it should be him here with Riku instead of me,” she said. “But if there’s anything I can do to—”

“Incorrect. You are exactly the person who should be here with Riku right now,” Master Yen Sid said. “For if Riku is to dive into realms unknown, who better to keep his heart tethered to the Realm of Light than a Princess of Heart?”

“I can do that?” Kairi said.

“You kept Sora tethered to the Realm of Light, did you not?”

“Well, yes, but… that was different, Master. My powers don’t work on other people the way they work on Sora, and I’m not really sure why, though I do have a few guesses.”

Riku raised an eyebrow but thankfully kept his mouth shut. 

“As I said earlier: the heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing,” Master Yen Sid said. “But no matter; in keeping Riku tethered to the Realm of Light as he descends to the depths, you will be helping Sora. Surely you can see how your powers could still be used in this manner.”

“I suppose…”

“Have some faith in yourself, Kairi,” Riku said. “You kept Sora alive, and that let him save the rest of us. I know you’ll be able to pull this off.”

Kairi’s hand fluttered to her necklace. “But what if I can’t? What if I screw up again? I already lost Sora because I was too weak to stop myself from dying. I can’t… I can’t lose you too, Riku!” 

Riku put his hand on her shoulder. “You can do this, I know you can. You’re not alone. Together we’ll find Sora and bring him back.” His expression softened. “And you know how I know that?”

“How?”

“Sora believes in us. He believed he’d find you when you were lost. He never gave up on me after all the crap I pulled. So let’s believe in ourselves the way he does.” 

Riku was right. Even though Kairi had trouble believing in herself, she couldn’t deny that Sora believed in her. And she believed in him. She believed in Riku, too. And maybe that would be enough.

“Okay, I’m willing to try,” she said, and Master Yen Sid and Riku both nodded. 

“We must begin preparations at once,” Master Yen Sid said. “There is no time to waste. The sooner we can reach Sora and bring him back to the Realm of Light, the better.”

Finally. They finally had something to do besides sit around at home and grieve. Taking action felt so much better than doing nothing.

As she and Riku made preparations, she couldn’t help but reflect back on those words she’d told Sora and Riku before. This time, she wasn’t just going to protect Sora. This time, she wasn’t just going to fight. This time, she was going to act. She was going to be the one searching for Sora for once instead of the other way around. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The night before the mission, Kairi dreamed of Sora again. He was still in that same city, but he wasn’t at the big crosswalk anymore. He was on a side street, fighting some strange-looking creatures Kairi had never seen before. They weren’t Heartless or Nobodies, but they did look like large frogs with elaborate red and black tattoos where their legs should’ve been. And even through the dream, Kairi could sense how the atmosphere surrounding them felt. Her skin crawled and her mood dropped, and she could only imagine how Sora felt fighting them. 

When he had destroyed the last of them with his Keyblade, he stumbled against a nearby building, a store with bright red letters. His bangs were stuck to his forehead, and he was breathing hard. How long had he been fighting? How many of those things had he already fought?

But what really drew her attention was when he reached into his pocket and pulled out her lucky charm. Her heart soared at the sight of it. He still had it. He still—

“Why can’t I remember you?” he said, and his voice was anguished. 

Her heart sank. Sora didn’t… remember her? 

Why not? What had happened to him? Were all his memories gone?

“Sora?” she said. “Sora, I’m here!”

But he couldn’t hear her, and he tucked the charm back into his pocket. “Doesn’t matter. Whoever gave this to me has to be someone important to me.” He looked right at her and made a guts pose, even though he couldn’t see her. “Whoever you are, I’m gonna get home to you, some way, somehow.” He smiled, and it was so good to see his smile again. “I promise.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but the dream was over, and her eyes flew open. She rolled over onto her side, still wrapped in Sora’s hoodie, and huddled beneath her blanket as light poured through the window. 

Did Sora really not remember her? Her lower lip trembled at the thought. How could he have forgotten her after everything they’d been through? This was like when she’d forgotten him, and a lump built in her throat when she remembered how awful that had been. The memories slowly slipping away from her. The day she’d forgotten his name. The night she’d forgotten his face. The moment she realized she couldn’t hear his voice anymore. All of that came crashing back to her, and her eyes welled up with tears. 

But she and Sora had gotten through that, in the end. And his promise did make her feel a little better. Maybe the memories were all scrambled up, but they weren’t gone for good. They had to still be in his heart somehow. The bond they shared couldn’t be broken that easily.

The important thing was that he was fighting to get back to her. So she would fight to reach him, too. Whatever obstacles they might face, she and Riku would bring him home.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You ready?” Kairi asked as she held her hands out to Riku. They were back in Master Yen Sid’s study, and everyone else was here too – King Mickey and Donald and Goofy, Terra and Aqua and Ven, Naminé, of course, and Roxas and Xion and Axel. Even Isa was present. Admittedly, that made her feel a little uncomfortable, but at least he had the good sense not to try to talk to her. 

“Ready if you are,” Riku said with a half-grin. How he was so relaxed about this, she’d never know. Her hands were shaking a little, but when he grabbed a hold of them, a wave of calm washed over her. 

“For Sora?”

“For Sora.”

Her eyes fluttered shut, and she pictured Sora searching for her in Shibuya. Pictured Riku, pictured his heart. 

There. She could see his Station of Awakening now with its stained glass-like panels showing the people that were most important to him. Friends and family and memories spread throughout his heart. Taking a deep breath, she reached out with her light, tethering her heart to his. His memories started flowing through her mind, and she opened her eyes.

“Okay, I’m connected to you now. Whenever you’re ready.”

He looked around at their friends. “Hey, why the long faces? Don’t worry about me. I’ll be back here with Sora in no time, you’ll see.” He looked at Kairi one more time and smiled. “We won’t give up on him, because he never gave up on us. And he’s helped every person here in this room at one time or another. Now it’s time we return the favor.” 

There was a general chorus of agreement and well-wishing at that. Letting go of one of Kairi’s hands, Riku summoned his Keyblade and opened a large portal above them complete with swirling colors and elaborate designs of a bygone age. 

“Stay safe, Riku,” she said. “See you soon.”

And with that a great beam of light shot down and pulled him into the portal. Her hand was now empty, and she rested it over her heart. 

“Well?” King Mickey said. 

She smiled. “He’s okay. I can feel him.”

Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. 

“And… I can feel Sora’s heart, too. He may not remember me yet, but I know he will soon.”

“That’s the magic of the paopu fruit!” Goofy said, then slapped his hands over his mouth as Donald tapped his foot.

“Hey, you weren’t supposed to tell everyone that,” Donald scolded, and everyone laughed as Kairi blushed. Great, did all their friends know about the paopu fruit? Well, not surprising. Juicy gossip had a way of spreading like wildfire. 

“Hey, if the Wayfinders can bring me and Aqua and Terra back together again, imagine how powerful the real thing will be!” Ven pointed out. “Especially because you and Sora—”

“Less teasing, more practicing with your Keyblade,” Aqua chided, but she was smiling, and Terra grinned and ruffled his hair. Ven pretended to protest, but it was obvious he liked the hair ruffling and playful scolding. 

As the others started up conversations with each other, catching up on how everything had been going since everyone had last seen each other, one person in particular sought Kairi out. Naminé, still holding her sketchpad and pencil but wearing a cute new dress, blue and yellow and white. 

“Kairi?”

“Yes Naminé? What is it?”

“I know you’re feeling sad about Sora forgetting you, but I doubt those memories are gone for good. Look at Xion,” she said, gesturing at their friend, who smiled and waved at them. “We all thought no one would remember her, and yet here she is now. Sora’s memories of you will come back, I just know they will.”

“Thanks, Naminé. And when Sora finally comes back, he can thank you properly, too.”

Naminé smiled, and Kairi went over to talk to Axel and Roxas and Xion some more, then to King Mickey and Donald and Goofy, then lastly to Terra and Aqua and Ven. She had something very important to ask, something she wanted to do as Riku searched for Sora and she kept him tethered to the Realm of Light.

“Master Aqua, please take me on as your apprentice,” she pleaded as she bowed low. This was her best shot, her best hope at becoming a better Keyblade wielder after the disaster that had happened at the Keyblade Graveyard. 

When she straightened, her throat dry, Aqua was beaming down at her. “I thought you’d never ask.”

She clasped her hands and thanked Aqua profusely. Here was an opportunity to get better, to improve, to become a better fighter by the time Sora and Riku returned. She wasn’t the weak girl that had gotten kidnapped and killed anymore. She had the heart and will to be strong, and she was going to prove it.

However long it might take, however hard she would have to work, it didn’t matter. Someday, she would fight by Sora’s side again. Someday, she would be able to spar with Riku and give him a run for his munny. Someday, the three of them would be together again and all would feel right in the worlds.

And someday, she and Sora would finally be able to make good on the promise they’d made. They’d be together every day, and nothing would be able to keep them apart anymore. 

For that, she would train and fight for as long as it might take. Now was the time to step forward like she’d said she would. Now was the time to act. The fight was in her hands, and she was ready at long last.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: A big thank you again to @chibiranmaruchan! And thank you to everyone who read, reblogged, liked, and commented on the story! Hope you enjoyed :)

#kingdom hearts #kairi #sora #riku #sokai #implied sokai #destiny trio #kairi and riku friendship #kh fanfiction #phoenix writes #phoenix-downer #chibiranmaruchan #collaboration #long post #kh3 spoilers #twewy references

[iamoncewas]

By the end of KH3 Sora has become aware of his "fate". He says he knows that it will lead him "home". YMX told Sora he was done, and his time in this world was over. We see in the secret ending that he is not home, and is, I think, in the "abyss." Where no one should be able to find him. So why would the intro monologue suggest his mental state when he seems to be in a not great situation?

Sora's home is Destiny Islands. I believe Sora, Kairi, and Riku and their name choices reflect the island itself, land in the middle of sea and sky. The island itself then, is Riku. Their home. So one of the intended meanings of this statement, I think, is that Sora now knows that what he feels for Riku is beyond friendship, or romance: it's fate. He knows that they are fundamentally connected, and even though they are seperate they are a greater whole. They were destined to be by each others' side. He shows that he kind of instinctively knows this in DDD, but he doesn't yet understand the scope. But Joshua gets it.

Even though Sora is lost in the deepest darkness and no one should be able to find him, Riku does. They are seperated, but they aren't. This is what the Power of Waking was intended for, traversing hearts to reach worlds. Riku was led by Sora's heart. Sora also used the power correctly when he opened the door to the Realm of Darkness following Riku and Aqua's hearts, and when he woke Ventus.

When they do their Mark of Mastery exam, which Sora only agrees to after hearing Riku question if he himself is still worthy to wield, it culminates in Riku literally unlocking Sora's heart. Once Sora is freed from the Armored Ventus Nightmare [which I think was Vanitas possessing Ventus's armor] he sinks deeper into his heart's darkness. Riku picks up Sora's dropped Kingdom Key, which was once his, to do this, instead of using Way to the Dawn. Keyblades could be said to be the key to ones heart, and he gave his to Sora. He then used it to unlock Sora's heart, freeing him. This is literal and metaphorical, and I think this is why, in KH3, Sora can now Formchange instead of using Drive Forms. Drive Forms incurred a penalty for overuse in Anti Form. Formchanges do not, and I think this is Sora's true power as a keyblade wielder, the ability to change the manifestations of his keyblade, and to be able to wield so fluidly. Which is why they no longer incur a penalty, because Sora is using his powers as a keyblade wielder properly for the first time. Final Form has been replaced with Ultimate Form, which is Sora's true... ultimate form.

So Sora did achieve the Power of Waking during his exam, and like Ventus said, he never lost it.

So then why the hell did Yen Sid only name Riku a Master if Sora achieved all this power? Why did he send Sora to find the Power of Waking when he already had it?

Because Riku discovered the source of true strength, which is what truly matters; true love. His motivation is Sora.

This is that "untold power and wisdom" Kingdom Hearts holds that people covet so much and start Keyblade Wars over. It's just the power of true love. And it resides in every heart.

While Sora was affected by Riku unlocking his heart, Yen Sid knows that he hasn't yet discovered what the source of his true strength is, his love for Riku. Which is why he sends him right on over to Hercules, so Herc can tell him about his act of sacrifice for Meg. Yen Sid knows what's up, which makes me think he might have the Book of Prophecies and is aware of Sora and Riku's ultimate importance.

While Sora derps around Olympus, Riku and Mickey talk about his newfound inner strength, his resolve, and how it comes from his desire to protect what matters. Sora. When Way to the Dawn breaks, this is reference to him completely overcoming the darkness within him, his jealousy, fear, doubt. It manifested from Soul Eater, which manifested from his heart's darkness. His new keyblade is Braveheart. It has 9 notches, the 7 at the tip I believe representing the hearts of the 7 Princesses, the 7 Pure Lights. And the other 2 near the hilt representing himself and Sora. It also has a Mickey token, whereas Way to the Dawn did not. This is significant because the only other keyblades with Mickey tokens are the Kingdom Keys. So Braveheart is of the same nature as Kingdom Key, directly tied to Kingdom Hearts. And Riku and Sora's combined keyblade, when complete, has a Hidden Mickey near the hilt.

It's hard to tell when Sora actually realizes that's hes meant to be with Riku. In the tunnel, after rescuing everyone's heart but Kairi's, when he finds her, he gives her all the credit for his surviving. So this to me implies that when he said this, he didn't get it yet, since he doesnt mention Riku at all. And he says the light was her even though he instinctively called out Riku's name when he first saw it, contradicting himself.

But right after that it shows scenes of Rapunzel and Eugene, and Anna and Elsa after their respective acts of sacrifice. Specifically, it shows the joyful embraces afterwards. In Arendelle that scene went like this:

This is when he realized what exactly Riku was saying to him through his act of self sacrifice. Which was, "I love you." And I think he also realizes that love is what reversed death in both of these cases. Like Elsa says, "Of course. Love!"

And then upon arriving back, this happens.

When he reached for that light, I think he saw Riku reaching out to him [which has kind of become his... signature stance, reaching out his hand to Sora]. Even though Riku isn't standing there when they arrive. Nobody is. Which is why he looks so flabbergasted that theres nothing there. Sweet Kairi then asks him if hes okay, and shes talking about on an emotional level. Kairi knows Sora had a profound realization through this ordeal. Kairi knows. So I think Sora also knows at this point, which would have been the turning point in the timeline. So in the first timeline that ended with Riku's death, he apparently didn't get the message for whatever reason. He never heard Riku's "I love you." Or, if he did, he did not take it seriously enough. [I'm now convinced one of the stars in the Final World was the Riku who died in the original timeline, and he showed Sora those visions. If it was, this would have been why Sora didn't get the message originally. Because Riku wasn't dead yet. So this Riku star is waiting in the Final World for HIS Sora, the Master of Masters. Who isn't dead. Once the MoM gives his heart to the present Riku and is healed, I believe he will pass on like Repliku did, and join his Riku in death. He won't need to exist, because the world already has Sora. Like what Repliku said to Riku.][Also, its heartbreaking that Riku had to die for Sora to realize how much he means to him. Keep in mind the meanings of the Re:Mind title Nomura gave: reminder, being reminded of something, reconfirmation, confirming it AGAIN, and hearts regeneration.]

Data-Namine said Sora had very painful memories that would be too much for him if he became aware of them, but they are not his memories. I believe there are memories in there related to the fact that he was going to have to choose between Riku and Kairi eventually. He originally sacrificed Riku to save Kairi and he lost everything. In chess, any piece except the king may be sacrificed.

Kairi's sacrifice allowed Riku to live in this timeline. [I see people refer to what happened to Kairi as fridging, but really, it was a sacrifice that I believe she was aware had to happen. A noble act of true love, just like Riku's act of self sacrifice] So to me this confirms my suspicion that Foreteller Ava is Kairi/Namine/Xion. Which is why she never appeared in the Epilogue. She carried out her role, which was to ensure the survival of the light. And she did. Riku survived through Kairi's sacrifice [showing that Kairi holds immense love for both Sora and Riku]. This is why, when she questioned the Master about her given role, if she were the right person for it, he replied thusly:

The 7 hearts that must be saved not only referred to Sora's friends after their death, but also to the hearts of the Master and his 6 Apprentices. Ava has been saved. She is safe, or the... many manifestations of her are. The others still have parts to play, and Sora is now following his heart to Riku, [his fate] and as long as he does that, they will be saved. I also find Ava to have the most devotion to, belief in, and trust in their Master than any of the others. I find this parallel to Kairi's unwavering belief in Sora. Only Luxu may have equal devotion, weirdly enough. He went through quite alot at the will of his Master, and his face shows it.

Gula's role was to find the traitor and stop them. I believe Gula must be Demyx. This just sounds dumb, since Gula is so cool and Demyx is a goon. But there is one Demyx moment everyone remembers because it was so very out of character for him.

While many Org members referred to Sora as traitor in reference to Roxas, I believe this is a hint to Demyx's past, now that its confirmed that hes an ancient keyblade wielder. And like he says to Sora:

So Demyx/Gula will play a part in Sora and Vanitas's reunion. If Vanitas's heart is lost Sora will never be complete, so they must unite in order for Sora to become what he was destined to be, the Master of Masters. Along with Riku, the True King, they will be the World's defenders, just what Kingdom Hearts made them for, and what their entire journey has led to. Everything happened exactly the way it had to for them to become what they are.

Almost like it was their fate or something.

#kh3 spoilers #soriku endgame actually #kh3 theory #kh theories #soriku #kh spoilers #riku is the light #master of masters #this post is killing me with gifs not working so replaced them with screenshots lol

[memoriashell]

oath keeping

Characters / Pairing: Soriku 

crossposted on ao3 

Summary: Some promises are kept, some are broken.

( Or: Six promises that Riku makes to Sora )

( pinky promises, cross my heart and hope to die )

“Riku!” Sora whines after him, a sound that is almost grating on ears. When he doesn’t say anything, he whines louder and Riku laughs; pausing to allow the other to catch up with him, while he catches his breath.

“What? I said I was sorry, didn’t I? It’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention.” He’s as smug as a four year old can be, and turns his head to look at the other, and— uh-oh. That was the wrong thing to say, apparently, given the way Sora puffs up his cheeks, turning teary eyes upon him.

“No fair, you cheated!” Being older and stronger and not being easily distracted isn’t cheating, is what Riku would like to say, but that’s not going to help. Even if he’s right, Sora isn’t going to want to listen logics right now. There’s no being logical with a ( barely ) four year old Sora on the verge of throwing a fit.

“Sora, I said I was sorry.” He mutters ( which is true, he was! He’d thought he was paying attention and thus, fair game ); which is still not the thing Sora wants to hear, if the return of his whine is to be any indication. Riku sighs, offering his hand out towards him, one finger extended— a gesture that he knows will work time and time again. Arguably a cheap tactic to sate him, but what works, works; nothing wrong with taking advantage of that fact. Sora has always been such a child, placated with gestures like these ( Riku laughs to himself at the fact that as expected, he is quick to latch onto the gesture, like many times before ).

“It won’t happen again, promise.” He assures and smiles to himself when he feels the tightening of a finger around his own; knows that even if such promises aren’t kept, there will always be a way to mend them.

i.

“I meant it, you know.” Sora speaks suddenly, breaking the silence— it is not unlike him, really; child doesn’t like much silence. Riku doesn’t mind it, a small tilt of his head and an inquisitive hum as an indication to continue speaking whilst they sit and watch the night sky. “You’re my best friend, Riku. No matter what happens, I’ll keep you safe. Promise.”

Ah, so that’s what he’s talking about. The lady that had shown up at the island. Riku doesn’t really care to remember stuff like that ( the promises, that is— he may remember the people forever and ever, proof that there is a world that exists far beyond his reach is a treasure that he cannot put into words ). It’s so like Sora to get hung up on the sentimentality of something like that— does a kid like him even comprehend the weight of the words that he says? Probably not. It is for the best, honestly, Sora would just try and take things too seriously.

( One of them should be able to act like the children they are, after all )

“No, I’ll protect you. I swear it.” He speaks to himself, a soft murmur under his breath. Even from himself— he’ll save him from having to bear that weight.

We’ll always be together, I promise.

“Did you say something, Riku?” He is pulled from his thoughts; starts slightly at the sound of the other’s voice, a little closer than it had been before. Sora’s expression is curious, so he probably doesn’t have to worry that he heard anything.

“Nothing.” Riku shakes his head at him, grabbing their wooden swords as he gets up with a smirk and takes off. “Last one home has to clean the boats tomorrow!”

“Riku, no fair!” Sora calls after him with a yelp; but the sound of footsteps follow his, a good-natured laugh from the both of them as they race back towards town.

Above them, the sky is a dazzling sight of shooting stars.

ii.

“You wouldn’t try and leave the island without me, right?”

Riku opens an eye to look at the brunet from where he is perched on the tree, raising a brow at him. “Hello to you too. Did you already help Kairi out with the raft today, or have you come to slack off?”

“Riku, I’m serious.” Sora whines, hopping up onto the trunk to sit next to him.

“So am I. It’s not going to build itself, you know.” Still, Riku sits up to make room for him— when they were kids, there’d always seemed like there was so much room there. Now, they can hardly sit comfortably without touching. He’s not— he doesn’t know what to think.

“I brought Kairi the stuff she needs for the sail. Now answer the question.” He blinks; he knows Sora gets more temperamental when he’s impatient ( but what exactly brought this on, he has no clue ).

“Of course not. We always promised, that we’d go explore the other worlds together. That didn’t change when we agreed to take Kairi with us.” Is it because they’d been more serious about the subject recently? Because they’ve actually made progress recently and could actually leave soon? Can Sora tell that he’s itching to leave all of this behind and be free? Riku isn’t entirely sure what’s going on, watching the way he relaxes as soon as he speaks.

“Good! I was just making sure that you haven’t changed your mind.” Riku rolls his eyes, idly swinging his legs.

“You were rubbing the back of your neck.” As if Sora could really fool him. He ignores the noise of confusion ( or rather, surprise, he thinks ) that he voices, continuing to speak. “You were lying. What’s really on your mind?”

Sora is quiet for a few moments— despite popular belief, Sora was very capable of being silent when the occasion called for it— seemingly reluctant to admit to whatever it was that was bothering him. “It’s just...haven’t you noticed? We haven’t really been...spending time together like we used to. Like we’re getting distant. I just...missed it. It was silly of me to think you’d leave us behind.”

Sora’s right, when Riku thinks about it. With how much effort they had been making with the raft ( well, some of them had been making, anyways ), there wasn’t time to hang out and play like they used to. They aren’t kids anymore, he rationalizes, they don’t really need to hang out like that all the time. But...can he fault Sora for feeling left behind? Of course not, even if he’s not entirely sure how he got such an idea in his mind. “You want to share another paopu so I can’t leave you behind?” He teases, elbowing his side ( there’s something reassuring about knowing that he’s been missed, even if it’s a thought that hadn’t exactly crossed his mind before this ). “Come on Sora, you know I’m not going without you. We always swore that we’d go together to explore the other worlds. I’m not breaking that promise. Remember? Cross my heart and hope to die.” He does his best to not snicker at such childish words, lest Sora think he is any less serious. He can break any other number of promises, but that one— at least that one, he has to keep.

( That’s the one promise that would kill him to break )

That seems to click with him, as an arm is slung around his shoulders and Sora pulls him in closer, smile radiant. “Yeah, I know! If you go off without me, then I’ll just come after you and bring you home. Pinky swear!”

He snorts at that; such a child at heart, Sora still is— he hopes he can stay that way, that no matter what happens in the future, that part of him won’t change. Riku watches him for a moment before nodding, a fondness distant in his gaze as he stares out at the horizon; something wistful in his chest.

He hopes it is not too selfish to wish that a day like the one he has described never comes to be.

iii.  

The atmosphere is suffocating in the room, sometimes. The walls are so blank, so white and suffocating; like a prison, he cannot imagine what it must feel like to stay there all the time ( in that case, it’s understandable why Naminé must like putting up pictures on the walls— bring some life in the room ). He can’t help but get the feeling Sora would hate it, so it is probably for the best that he is asleep while he is stuck here.

“Sorry,” Riku murmurs when he realizes that he’s been ignoring her, if the curious look the blonde gives him is to be of any indication. He’s thankful for the fact she is patient with him. “Can I...” Can he what? He has no right to be asking anything of her— they are the same, in that sense, perhaps. There’s a moment of silence as he takes a moment to mull over what he wants, properly put together the words he wants to voice. “I just need a moment alone.”

Just a moment with him, even if he’s not awake for it.

Naminé seems understanding of it ( of course she would be, she’s held so many threads of their memories in her hands ), a soft murmur of words he can’t quite catch before she leaves him be. Riku is quiet as he stares up at the pod, tugging up his blindfold slightly before tentatively taking a step closer.

“Sora.” He exhales softly; even just that much, just a name, feels right. “Sorry. It’s...hard remembering, sometimes. Part of the process, apparently. I could never forget about you entirely though.” No, he’s too memorable— something says that no matter what, some part of him would still remember Sora in the end. Erase the memories, but never the feelings. A pause, before he tentatively reaches a hand up to press just barely against the front of the pod. “I think— no, I know I’ve forgotten some important things. I think...I’ve broken a promise I made. Not that’s anything new, is it? I did that before, and yet...every time you forgave me. You really shouldn’t have.”

Bits and pieces of memories that he can’t tell are his stick out in his mind, echoes of promises and oaths are kept somewhere in his chest. Perhaps it is odd to be saying these things to someone who can’t hear him, but there is a comfort in saying them aloud ( and truthfully, Riku knows he is too cowardly to ever actually say them to Sora’s face ). “I know it doesn’t matter, but…until I can remember, I’ll make a new promise. To make sure you stay safe.”

To make sure he can wake up all right. That is his goal, so it should be okay to make that promise. He pulls his hand back as he steps away, nodding to himself; spares him one last look before tugging his blindfold back into place as he leaves.

Sora, I’ll prove that I’ve grown. I can protect you both this time. I swear it.

He can’t help but wonder if he imagined a warmth enveloping his hand when he spoke those words.

iv.

“Are you ready?” Riku pauses a little at the sound of the other speaking, eyes just barely peeking out from behind his bangs. It feels odd, in a sense, to be here with him, when he has spent so much time on his own before this— so much time trying to keep him safely in the dark ( which of them he was really trying to protect, Sora or himself, is debatable ). There are things he wants to say, things that he needs to say, but now it’s not the time for it. No, there will be time for it later; he has already waited all this time that a little longer will not hurt at the end of the day. “Riku? Did you hear me?” Sora’s voice sounds once again, and Riku offers him a small shake of his head and an apologetic grimace.

“Sorry. I was just thinking about something. What were you saying?” He opts to ignore the frown that he gets for that response, instead choosing to watch the others ( force of habit, really, he’s spent so much time as an outsider lately, just watching from a distance while he went his own way ).

“I was asking if you’re ready? You look a little pale, Riku. I don’t think anyone would be upset with you if you needed to sit out on this one.” Is that all it was? He is, admittedly, a bit clammy, but shrugs off the other’s concern.

“Probably just from wearing that cloak. It was a little warm. Besides, I’ve always been a little pale, you’ve said so yourself.”

“Riku,” Sora grabs onto his arm, voice soft, but stern. “Riku, your hands are shaking.”

He pauses to glance down at his arms, as if in disbelief ( Sora is correct, of course, although he’s not sure when he started shaking ); then does his best to shake off the other’s grip. “I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with, okay?”

“Riku!” The brunet speaks more insistently this time, refusing to let the topic be dropped so quickly— or let go of him either, Riku has to remind himself that Sora’s gotten stronger too. “We just talked about this. You can depend on us too, you know. You don’t have to do everything on your own anymore. We always promised to do things together, right? So we’re going to do this together too.”

Riku is pretty sure those promises do not apply to a situation like this, but he appreciates the sentiment— he understands what Sora point is trying to make. “I’ll be fine...or at least, I’ll feel better once we’re done with this place.” It’s not the real issue at hand, but he hopes he sounds reassuring enough.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” The brunet tugs on his arm and starts dragging him towards the stairwell all too enthusiastically. Whether Sora actually believes him, or is simply choosing to tackle one issue at a time— well, he’ll settle for whatever this is.

Yes, Riku thinks. Let’s go.

Maybe then he’ll finally be able to keep his promises.

ivs.

“And you promise it won’t hurt?” He asks yet again, and the journal— he tries to hide a grimace when he has to nod.

“You won’t feel a thing.” Not as far as Sora would remember, anyways. There’s something cruel about being left to be the one that has to make this choice, but...it’s fine. He’s just a journal as far as anyone was concerned, they were just pieces of data to everyone else, weren’t they? Not entirely real; he doesn’t have that capacity to feel, as far as anyone else was aware of.

( He may not have a capacity to feel, but what about Sora? Did they really think that pieces of data just acted like that? )

“Mm, well...okay Riku. I don’t really know if I like what you’re saying, but I trust you.”

Of course Sora does, he thinks bitterly. Even when he doesn’t have a clue what he’s telling him, Riku has his trust— he doesn’t deserve even that.

“Alright.” He says, a sigh; reluctantly, the journal knows he needs to leave before he feels compelled to change his mind. “I’ll see you on the other side.”

“You promise?” Sora’s voice crackles through the screen that separates them.

“I promise.” He echoes back, slightly comforted when he sees the smile Sora has on his face as he says farewell.

( Is there any real weight to words said by pieces of data like them? How much does that promise really bind them, when one of them won’t even remember? )

That smile, that promise— those are the things he chooses to hold onto, even when the other forgets.

v.

Something beckons to him from the depths of sleep— like a harsh tug on his soul that calls for him to awaken. And something else warm, familiar to him, washes over and soothes him as if to send him back to sleep.

Riku!

But the beckoning cuts through the fog of sleep.

What is it that is calling to him?

Protect. Like it is in his instincts, he needs to protect, he thinks. But protect what? What is missing here?

Sora!

Sora. That is the name of the warmth that surrounds him. Where is Sora? He’s not...not supposed to be alone like this.

Can he protect him if he stays here in the warmth? If the warmth is where Sora is, maybe he can protect him by staying here with him. Riku follows the feeling beckoning to him and goes to sleep once more.

Maybe in his dreams, he can finally keep his promise to keep them safe.

Elsewhere, he awakens.

vi.

“Are you leaving now?” Riku’s not sure where she came from, but Kairi has apparently invited herself into his room. He spares her a glance before resuming packing ( it’s the bare essentials really, but given the fact he has no clue where his search will lead, there’s no harm in being a little extra prepared ).

“As soon as everything finally settles, yes. I think...I think we’ve waited long enough. We’ve kept him waiting long enough. Either way, we don’t even know where to look. Might as well get started. It’s not like I’m going alone either.”

She hums, assisting with making his bag seem a bit more organized. “I know. Be careful? You know if something happens to you, he’s just going to go back after you. Don’t make it all for nothing. I want both of you back home, safe and sound.”

Home. Hah, that’s a thought. Can they really call it home, without both of them there? “No promises. Taking risks like Sora might be the key to get him back.”

Kairi sighs at him ( but really, did she expect anything else from him? ), before shoving something into his hand. “Take this, at least. It’ll make me feel better.”

Riku smiles at the charm in his hand, carefully tucks it away for safe keeping ( once, he might’ve been jealous of Sora over a silly thing like this ). Even if that’s all Riku felt like he’s done is chase Sora’s shadow all this time; it feels fitting, kind of, that it’s his turn now.

I’ll just come after you and bring you home. Sora’s voice rings in his head; a promise long ago, almost forgotten. Yes, he’d always said that he’d bring him home— maybe it’s his turn to do so for a change.

A promise that he makes to himself, and keeps.

#soriku #riku #sora #kh #kh3 spoilers #technically speaking #* mine #* zhi writes

[sokaiweek]

Day One Sokai Week (Quote)

Quote

(Day 1)

AN: Decided to participate in Sokai week this year because KH3!!!

“Not one More Second.”

Whenever Sora went on a adventure with his friends, more often than not Donald and Goofy being his constant traveling companions, it would feel like their mission would take months, maybe even years when in actuality it was merely a few weeks. But this one, after the Keyblade War and stopping Xahanort once and for all? Only to have to pay the price for using the power of waking to save all his friends, to save Kairi? It felt like eons.

It had to be only a couple weeks though, it had to be, however with the unending night of Shibuya, it was hard to tell when days passed. It was only now, face down on the ground covered with cuts and bruises with the concrete around him from the half wall he had been thrown through, that he really gave it much thought. He remembered waking up here, a teardrop hitting his hand being what woke him, and wandering the city streets for a solid hour before being attacked.

Ever since then, it was a constant fight.

The Keyblade wielder tried to push himself off the ground, but it was no use, his arms were plain tired from the constant swinging of his blade. But his forehead hit the ground a second later, the sounds of battle echoing in the air as Riku fought against the man in the black cloak. The one who insisted he be called Master, and Sora wasn’t going to lie, the way he had been easily beating him and Riku senseless was proof of that. I just…..can’t, I can’t even hit him. Sora relented internally. It wasn’t a matter of difference in strength it was sheer skill. Every slash was counted, every charge dodged, every move he had, Strike Raid, Ragnarök, Sonic Blade, even his and Riku’s team up attacks were useless.

Gathering what little strength he had left, he pushed himself over onto his side, his right arm stretched out against the ground, there was a deep cut across his wrist that was bleeding, the gauntlet of his new outfit was dangling off his wrists with the straps having come undone. That’s not good…..really wish Donald was here…or anyone really…..except her….. Sora thought sadly.

Kairi.

She was his entire inspiration for getting out of Shibuya, all his friends where of course but Kairi……she was different. Dear god she was different. He thought of her whenever his determination wavered, whenever he was knocked down, her face would come to mind, the way she titled her head with a cute smile and offered him a paopu fruit the day before everything went wrong. She was his light……and it took him far too long o figure that out. Riku was important too, he couldn’t stress that enough to his oldest friend but he understood.

He heard a pained yell of Riku as the ground shook from an impact.

…e…p….S…a…..

Riku…..he was the last person he expected to come across here, but that wasn’t the case for him. He embraced Sora as though he….well he did die. Right in front of Riku and everyone……in front of Kairi. Holding her hand while he did it. He remembered the tear go down her cheek, God what did you do? You did it again, you abandoned her again……after everything……what is wrong with me? he thought weakly. I remember when I came home the first time after my adventure, my mom….she cried so hard….I can’t remember if it was from joy, sadness, or just….anger…..I wonder if Kairi did that….cursed me for leaving her again….dying because of her.

And not just Kairi, he left everyone, Roxas and Ven, two people who Sora could almost call family with what they three shared. He wished that the three of them could have spent more time together. Donald and Goofy, they were almost like pseudo parents to him, they loved him like a son and he felt that. He wanted to make them proud, he wanted to see the looks on their faces when he returned with his usual beaming smile on his face and just surprise them…….but he knew that they must have wept harder than most for his death.

He was pulled from his thoughts as a bright light suddenly washed over him, when his eyes adjusted to the sudden light he saw it….just a couple dozen feet away. A door to the Light.

G…t…up….Sor….

He heard boots on the ground walk towards him. The shadow of a tall man passed over his turned over form, “Still alive? Well alive is…..semi-accurate.” he heard the cloaked man say. Sora’s half lidded eye slowly moved to the source of the voice, it was him, the Master of course. Worry began to bubble in his heart, where was Riku? Was he ok? Did he-

A flash of Darkness circled around the Master, Riku appearing from it with his keybalde swinging. The Master ducked his torso back enough to give his hand enough time to reach at Riku’s chest, an blast of dark aura sent Riku flying though the door to light. “He is very, very, persistent. Which can be annoying, but I find it oddly endearing.” the Master mused to himself before his cloaked face returned to Sora. The sky blue irises flickered red for a moment, “You know that’s not going to work, you and your shadow friend tried teaming up and well…..” he did a gesture to Sora.

Sora hated that he was right. His shadow…..Vanitas. Despite his defeat during the Keyblade war, he remained to be a equal part of Sora. At first he was a pest to say the least, but over time….they found a sort of understanding. But still seeing his own face on someone else? It still was an adjustment, but using darkness that Vanitas was able to provide saved his life in the city. Riku had encouraged it with caution, but deep down he knew that Sora would never succumb to darkness.

Get up Sora.

“Don’t feel too bad about it, this has been a long time coming. Literally years, decades in the making! You get trapped here, saving all your friends, and they all scramble to try and save you. But that’s friendship isn’t it? Doing whatever you can for someone whose heart is connected to yours……yeah…..you should be proud Sora.” he admitted sincerely. He turned on his heel and began walking towards the door to light. Passing through the threshold, Sora closed his eyes.

Aqua….Terra…..Ven….Donald…..Goofy….Micky…..Lea….Roxas…..Xion…Namine….Kairi…..I’m so sorry……but I don’t think I’m going to come back. he thought, a tear seeping out of his shut eye. He knew that he was the last one who deserved any pity, he cause them so much pain. He felt it, he dreamed of Kairi mourning him, crying at the small island while his friends tried to console her while dealing with their own grief. He felt terrible about it, he said as much to Riku but he assured him that no one, especially Kairi blamed him. She would blame herself more than him but that honestly made him feel even worse.

Maybe…..maybe it was better this way?

His time here had given him time to reflect, how many times had he almost died? Heck how many times did he actually die and come back somehow? He knew that he wasn’t the most wise of all his friends, and he never would claim to be, but maybe…this was fate? A balance of the scales, he’s come out of the frying pan and fire so many times now, maybe this is how he gets burned?

Get up Sora!!!

His eye cracked open at the voice, he didn’t know if it was his own internal voice or the small one that echoed from his heart, the one that came to him in moments of doubt. He could see through the doorway, the Master was fighting Riku, the Keybalde Master fighting with everything he had despite his state being only slightly better than Sora’s current one.

Then he saw her.

A blur of pink and black charged at the Master’s back, Destiny’s Embrace in the princess of light’s hands as she brought it down towards the cloaked man’s head, only for him to grab the keyblade and swing her around into Riku. Rage filled Sora, just as when Xahanort had struck her down in front of him he felt a flurry of emotions, anger, sadness, relief, joy, but above all else……fear. He had seen her die once before and that was NOT going to happen again!!

GET UP SORA!!!

It was her voice, her heart echoing within his, it was her deepest wish…..to come back.

Sora gathered his strength, picking himself up off the ground slowly as the fight continued, he heard Donald call down a Meteor and the howl of Goofy’s battle cry. He was finally back on his own two feet, looking down at the ground he took a few deep breaths, he was in no shape to fight. Ignoring that his legs felt like cement blocks, the fact he could barely hear anything out his left ear, and the cut on his arm was bleeding a lot. He must have looked half dead……which was pretty accurate as to how his current state was.

Looking back at the Door to Light he saw her once again, her bright azure eyes locked on the Master with a fire he never saw before. She was saying something to him but he couldn’t hear it…..but he still knew what she said, “You are not standing between him and us!! We made a promise…..and I’m going to keep it!”

My promise…….right….she’s right. he thought, his feet planted on the ground he lifted himself up into a hunched over standing position. Looking down at his bloody arm, he reached over with his other to the strap of his gauntlet. Grabbing the yellow strap he adjusted it over the cut and pulled it tight, hissing out at the sharp pain radiating out from his arm. I vowed…..we wouldn’t be apart. Not for One More Second. Sora thought, his eyes locking on the door of light before summoning his Keyblade.

Kairi panted as she took a minute to compose herself, “Alright I’ll admit, you have potential.” she looked up from the ground to the man who called himself the Master. She glanced over to Riku on the ground. He wasn’t moving but that was more or less due to exhaustion than his wounds. Looking over to her other side, Donald and Goofy were keeling over, a little bruised up but they were hanging in there. The court mage looked between her and Riku, he was obviously debating who he could cast a Cure to, but she shook her head, she could at the very least hold him off for a few minutes more.

“It’s clear though that you don’t have much experience, well compared to your friend at least. Still though can’t say that’s your fault, I mean old man Sid did send you and the other redhead to train against furniture in a forest.” he mocked, his tone sounding good natured like a friend but only felt like an insult to Kairi. He hadn’t even used a weapon for crying out loud! He was just using his bare hands! She planted her feet firmly, holding her Keyblade pointed up with her hands near her hip, Your form isn’t bad, but if you lift your Keybalde more-oh sorry, sorry, force of habit. My other student would do that all the time.”

She sprung forward, the tip of her blade grazed against the ground before slashing up right before the Master, a arch of light coming out and shooting at the hooded man. He Pivoted to the left where Kairi’s Kayblade jabbed at. Her small victory turned when he presented his palm out to the tip of her weapon and stopped it dead. Her eyes widened at the display, “Nice feint. But you-“ he was suddenly cut off as something came flying at him from behind towards his head.

He jumped over to the side to avoid the attack, the Keybalde flew past Kairi into the ground behind her, turning her head to fallow it her breath caught in her throat. It was Sora’s! Her head whipped back as the blade was summoned back to its owner in a flash of light.

Sora held the grip tight as his trusty weapon materialized within his hand, his gaze locked on the Master’s as for the first time in what felt like decades, light passed over him. He didn’t recognize the world he was at, all he noticed was the rocky terrain with only a few spots of green on the ground with mountains in the distance. “Well, well, well, look who has some fight left in him.” the Master mused as Sora let out something akin to s curt growl.

All the while, Kairi had cased all movement, it was Sora….he was alive…..

His clothes were dirty and torn in a few places, the right side of his face had a series of bruises and a cut above his left eye. His left arm was caked with wet blood, he had bags under his eyes, and his hair was even more frazzled than ever before. She tried to say his name, but it wouldn’t leave her lips. He looked horrible, Riku had been roughed up but Sora was a whole different shade of worse.  Her eyes locked on the Master with fury behind them, And he’s the one who did it! she spat internally before charging at him again, Sora  doing the same.

The Master sighed, “Really?” he asked, ducking beneath Sora’s attack and rolling out of the way of Kairi’s, he held up his hands and created two orbs of darkness, “Look let’s end-“

“Cure!!” Donald shouted out, drawing the Mater’s attention momentarily.

Neither Sora nor Kairi received the blessing, I took a second for him to realize who received it, “Oh crap,” he said dryly before leaping into the air out of Riku’s bombardment of darkness from behind. Sora lunged at him in midair only for him to flip out of the attack way before the Keybalde wielder turned in midair and threw his keybalde at him. “You really think that’ll wor-“ before the Kingdom Key stuck the back of his head, sending him down towards the ground as Kairi came down after him with both her’s and Sora’s blades in her hands.

Raisng her own over her head to plunge it down, Sora summoned his back to him as the Master blocked her finishing blow. Sora’s blade slammed into his back and knocking him into Riku who slashed at the Master’s chest and knocked him away. Looking around he saw that the trio had surrounded him, “Ngh….took you long enough. Finally got me on the ropes.” he said, making the tree look at him in disbelief. “Hey, I’m man enough to admit when I’m cornered……..also to run away.” he said before he began to shimmer away, his hood turned to Sora, he still couldn’t see his face but for a brief second he could make out a lone eye beneath the hood, one he’d seen somewhere before. “Nice work kid.” he applauded before disappearing in front of the three.

The next few seconds were tense, Sora’s eyes darted around, expected a surprise attack as soon as he lowered his guard. But it never came, and when that realization hit him so did everything else. His keybalde disappeared, his vision blurred, his legs gave out, it all happened at once and he fell, but instead of what he expected to be fairly hard ground he was caught in someone’s arm’s.

She choked out a noise that sounded like a garbled version of his name, “S-Sora!” she sobbed out, tears spilling out of her eyes as she held him up as she stood on her knees in front of him. His head was buried in her shoulder, her aroma of coconuts and saltwater, the smell of home, reach his nostrils. He let out a shaky breath, he was back…..he was back…..he was back!!! Lifting his non bloody arm, he placed it on her other shoulder and lifted himself back to get a better look at her.

Her hair was still short like it was after her training, some of it sticking to her sweaty forehead but it still looked beautiful. Her blue orbs looked into his as tears split from his own eyes and choked sob escaped his lips, “I-……I….I’m sorry I-…” he cried out.

She shook her head, “Don’t just……don’t….it’s not your fault….” she sniffled, her hand reaching up to the side of his face and gently laying her palm against the bruised skin. Her other interlocked with his limp arm. She didn’t care in the slightest that it got her hand bloody, he was here, he was safe, that was all that mattered right now.

His forehead dipped forward a little bit, “I…..made a promise…..I…I’m not gonna leave you again….not one more second….I swear…” he said tiredly, his eyes feeling like they were being weighed down by anvils.

He felt Kairi’s forehead touch his own, “I know you won’t.”

Sora slumped against her, his entire body exhausted from the fighting, but he had done it yet again, he made him way back to Kairi. Deep down he knew he would but for the longest time it felt like a pipe dream…..but it was real. He was back.

He came back to her.

#sokaiweek2019 #sokaiweek #sokai #fanfiction #day 1 #avatarconner #submission #long post

[yo-namine]

Okay, I’m not done with this idea, so...

To start off, Riku and Kairi's relationship post-KH3 is a little, uh.... strained. After everything that happened in the Graveyard, Riku really doesn't trust Kairi to hold her own at all. They both want to go search for a way to revive Sora, but Riku's pretty dead-set on Kairi staying safe at home while he does all the actual work. He's already lost one friend, and he's not risking losing another. Kairi argues that if he's going to go chasing the Lich, he needs someone like her who can bring him back, but her argument kind of falls flat because her PoH abilities have been pretty shaky ever since Sora died because, well, her heart's broken. So Riku doesn't budge, and Kairi's left feeling useless and powerless to help her friends. Again. Also, Kairi can tell that Riku does sort of lowkey resent her for being a liability back in the Graveyard. Riku knows it's unfair of him, but he can't help how he feels. And while Riku really does want to keep her safe, Kairi feels that he's also shutting her out as a way to penalize her for costing them Sora's life. Angst ensues. Basically, instead of working together on a way to bring back Sora, Riku and Kairi end up pushing each other away and doubtlessly making things harder than they need to be. 🎉🎉🎉

Obviously, Kairi isn't going to just stay home. She thinks that if she can fully regain her powers, she may be able to restore Sora like she did in KH1, or get some kind of tether on him from the Realm of Light like she did in KH3. So she decides to sneak off on her own to first go find the other former Princesses of Heart to see if they can teach her more about her abilities, and then hopefully get her powers back and use them to revive Sora or at least help Riku. And admittedly, there’s a small, petty part of her that just wants to prove to Riku that she's not useless.

Naminé catches on to what Kairi's planning and wants to come with her to help however she can. Kairi kept her alive for the last couple of years, so Naminé is basically RIDE OR DIE for this girl at this point. If Kairi wants to go save Sora, then dammit, they’re gonna go save Sora. That said, she probably feels guilty enough to leave Riku a note or something just telling him that she and Kairi left together and everything's fine and to please not freak out. Riku reads it and is like "for fuck's sake," decides to go look for them (on top of everything else he's doing).

I'm... not really sure how Xion gets involved tbh. Maybe she initially wants to help Riku find Kairi and bring her home, but then switches sides once she realizes that Kairi's just trying to prove herself? Anyway, Xion is a total badass and (in this story, at least) has some of her Days boss battle abilities still in her arsenal, so after she joins the other girls, they're able to venture into more worlds that they'd had to avoid before because the combat level was too high they were too dangerous. During their journey, Xion gives Kairi lots of pointers that do her way more good as a keyblade wielder than whatever Merlin had her and Axel doing in that time chamber.

There's initially some tension between Kairi and Xion because Xion is supposed to be "Kairi as Sora remembers her," and in this story, Xion's clearly much stronger and (now that she's free of the Organization) cheerier than the real Kairi. So Kairi feels like she's hanging around a better version of herself all the time, and it takes effort to not let her bitterness over it show. It also doesn't help that Kairi's spending most of her time with two people who are like embodiments of Sora's love for her (Naminé being the Nobody that was created from Sora housing Kairi's heart in his, Xion being made up of Sora's memories of Kairi). Theoretically, that knowledge should be comforting, but it really just ends up rubbing some extra salt in that "Sora's dead and it's all my fault" wound.

While they're off on their journey, Riku tries to call Kairi almost every day, but she never picks up because she knows he'll just try to talk her into going home. Eventually Axel calls her, and it's fine until she realizes he's trying to weasel her whereabouts out of her so he can pass the info along to Riku. After that, she keeps her phone off.

Kairi, Naminé, and Xion start to work really well together after a while both because of their skill sets (Xion being the powerhouse, Naminé the healer, Kairi the warrior-still-in-training), but also because they have a lot in common. Xion can empathize pretty strongly with Kairi feeling like she's just a liability. Naminé knows how it feels to be used by people more powerful than you to hurt someone you care about. The trio develops a pretty deep understanding of one another, and they help each other rationalize and work through their problems/insecurities (like Xion has a tendency to get irritated/overly defensive when her judgment's questioned because, well, she also isn't sure if she can trust her own mind sometimes thanks to the Org reprogramming her in the past. Naminé has some pretty deep-rooted abandonment issues that are part of the reason she clings to Kairi as much as she does. Kairi has survivor's guilt in spades.). Character development ensues.

Naminé does Not like combat or just hurting things in general, hence why she sticks to healing. She does still have her heart-shattering ability from CoM, but she never wants to use it again (especially considering whose replica vessel she’s inhabiting these days).

Meanwhile, Riku thinks the other masters will help him with figuring out how to either find the Lich or contact Sora somehow, but nope. Yen Sid and Mickey don't want him going after the Lich or "chasing hearts," potentially costing them another valuable wielder getting himself killed. Aqua's more inclined to let him do what he thinks is right, but she's also doubtful that Sora's heart is even salvageable at this point. She tells Riku what she knows from her own training just because she feels he has the right to that information as a master, but that's about it. Beyond that, Riku's basically on his own. Without any real leads, Riku decides to visit different worlds to learn more about their differing concepts of death/the afterlife (so like the Underworld in Olympus, the Locker in the Caribbean, etc.). A lot of worlds have legends of creatures similar to the Lich that ferry the dead and all that cool stuff, so he makes note of that while also scouting the place for Kairi. He might also run into Maleficent at some point and learn something from her (since idk, she commanded the Heartless for a while, so maybe she knows something about the Lich)?  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The trio runs into Riku once early on, and it... doesn't go that well. Riku's still not keen on Kairi running off (plus he's probably kind of annoyed that Naminé and Xion sided with her over him despite them both being his friends for way longer, oop), and Kairi's still frustrated that Riku has 0 faith in her and won't let her help him. They basically have the same argument they did back home, only now there's been more time for resentment to build. On top of that, they're both grieving over Sora without really knowing that they are (because neither's willing to even consider the idea that he may not be savable), and both feel like the other's abandoned them when they need them the most. Anyway, their fight doesn't accomplish anything other than hurting each other further. They split up again after Riku tells Kairi to just answer her damn phone every once and a while. She doesn't.

So Kairi meets up with the former PoHs as she travels worlds. She's lucky that Riku's on bad terms with half of these ladies and is gonna steer clear of Wonderland, Agrabah, and Beast's Castle. Kairi gets advice and some training from each of the princesses on how to tune out her own self-doubts and focus her magic on what she wants to accomplish. Her biggest help is probably Belle just because that lady spent SO MUCH TIME in Hollow Bastion's library in KH1 probably reading everything about light/darkness. That, and I think Belle kind of uses a tethering ability in KH1 to bring the Beast to Hollow Bastion (or at least, the Beast says he got there just by ~believing~, so maybe it's a two-way connection or something), so she may have a better understanding of her (former) powers than the others. Anyway, Kairi slowly starts regaining her powers, and they only get better as her confidence/faith in herself improves. Eventually, she starts working Faith/Holy into her combat moves and "tethering" to the other girls just to see if she can. She's able to use the latter ability to sense out where exactly Naminé and Xion are whenever they're separated from one another. Connecting with people in the same world is easy enough, but doing it across worlds/realms is trickier, so she practices reaching out to Riku occasionally with mixed results. She gets to where she can figure out where he is, but she can't communicate with him, and she's not sure if that's due to her abilities being too weak or if it's because she and Riku have been shutting each other out (spoilers: It's mostly the latter.).

The trio has another run-in with Riku later on. He and Kairi have another argument, but it's more constructive this time around. Riku starts to call her out on leaving him to go on this journey (because unlike her, he's been going it alone this whole time, and it's really starting to get to him), but she points out that she only left him before he could leave her. Everything kind of starts to click after that. Riku eventually apologizes for trying to leave her behind, Kairi apologizes for shutting him out for so long. There's still some tension between them, but it starts to ebb once they finally start working together on a plan to bring Sora back.

Kairi finally turns her phone back on to find approximately 34978593487 missed calls from Riku. She also sees that he left her a few voicemails, and while Riku says she can just delete them, she keeps them to listen to later when he's not around.

....I'm not sure how this ends? Part of me likes the idea of Sora just... staying dead and everyone moving forward with their lives because that's all you can do, really. But another part of me really likes the idea of Riku and Kairi finding the Lich and figuring out a way to split the price for Sora between them. Maybe they have to give up a fraction of their hearts or cut time off their lifespans to give to Sora's. And they both agree to just not tell Sora about that once he's back.

I realize I'm leaving a TON of characters out of this story lmao. I don't know what everyone else would be up to. tbh Ven could probably save Riku and Kairi a lot of trouble just by introducing them to his magic cat that apparently knows all about the afterlife, but.......................... whatever.

#my posts #kh3 bloggin #kh3 spoilers #fic ideas #dream trio

[oveliagirlhaditright]

My dark Kairi story “Swallow” chapter six.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21456412/chapters/67338394

Author’s Note: Just so you all know, the world they're visiting in this chapter is Pixel Perfect.

Thunder and Lightning

Sora’s PoV

Sora and Yozora were walking through Yozora's castle now--a temporary reprieve that Sora knew Yozora was giving him, since Sora was useless without his Keyblade--but Sora appreciated it for what it was.

Eventually, Yozora asked him the question that Sora knew he would, whilst he was taking in the grapes engraved into the walls beside him.

"Tell me about your Stella."

"Her name's Kairi. She's feisty... and I love it. And unlike you, I wouldn't lock her up for it," Sora quipped, even in knowing he was on thin ice here.

"Stella tried to kill me and enslave my entire country, Sora. Somehow, I think you'd be less than forgiving of Kairi if she did the same to you."

And Sora wanted to argue that he would be... and that Kairi would never do something like that, so it was a moot point. And that maybe it was somewhat justified, since Yozora could turn into a possessed asshole.

But he didn't. Instead, he said arrogantly as he noticed the walls turning darker and darker--perhaps to hint at the end of his freedom--"You still shouldn't have put her in that box. Even though with her Princess of Heart-like powers, she can be the world's hope."

"...Even if the cost of giving her better living conditions was the World?" Yozora asked, with sorrow in his voice, as he placed a hand upon Sora's shoulder. And Sora hated this closeness... hated Yozora being like this, because it made him doubt everything.

The truth was, he had put his duty before Kairi for a long time. And he'd finally chosen her over it, in deciding to die for her... But if it ever came down to it... when he did get back to Kairi and the choice ever came, would he choose her life over the World's? Sora wasn't sure.

"No, probably not..." and it was for his hideous answer here, that Sora would allow himself to be locked up again this time.

The original being of Yozora was too dangerous for Yozora's world of Verum Rex, after all. What if the former's subjects started to listen to him instead? That was Yozora'a fear... and even Sora's, somewhat.

Kairi’s PoV

“Kairi, you really shouldn’t be doing this,” Pip admonished Kairi, as he hopped into the gummi ship’s bathroom, and saw her pick up a razor that she’d meant to slice her legs open with.

And because Kairi cared about her new best friend’s innocent eyes, she didn’t do so before him… but she promised the nagging thought in the back of her head, that she would later.

“And if you don’t stop what you’re doing, I’ll tell Riku and make sure he sends you to therapy.”

Well, that put a damper on things, didn’t it? Because even with as much progress she and Riku had made lately, Kairi still didn’t want him knowing this little secret of hers.

Kairi thought that, perhaps, she could lie to Pip now and hurt herself in secret later, but she also wasn’t going to risk it… at least not at the moment. So, instead, she leaned over where Pip was sitting on the sink and kissed the top of head. “Thank you so much, my most cherished friend, for keeping me in a good head space,” she whispered.

And the princess meant it—that was true—since the bonds between humans and animals were often times even stronger than that of humans’, since the love there was unconditional. But she was also trying to get him off her back, it was true.

Kairi even found herself thinking how she’d received a few kisses to the cheek at the last world. Riku’s made sense, it had been brotherly… but since kisses on the cheek usually were between family and friends, Kairi found herself wondering if that meant something when it came to Ava or not.

“Kairi, are you okay?” Pip asked, as he craned his head to the side and regarded her now. And since Kairi didn’t exactly have a good answer for him, she wondered if he might go write about it to try and figure out her “character”.

“I don’t know, Pip… I think there might be some sort of connection between the Foreteller Ava and me—she seemed somehow familiar—but I can’t imagine what it would be.” She couldn’t be another Nobody of hers, could she? Or a Replica? But then, that didn’t make sense, seeing as how Master Yen Sid seemed to think they were from the distant past.

“She seems to have some sort of time magic,” Pip muttered now, as he now seemed to be on the wavelength of theorizing with Kairi. Which was good. So good, for so many reasons… “What do you think that could mean?”

“I- have no idea,” Kairi answered. And knowing so little about their new enemy terrified her, so that she forgot about the blade in her hand and it fell to her leg and cut her of its own accord. She smiled at the pain; and Pip may have teared up just the slightest bit as Kairi was hurt by some unforgiving fate.

…

“I think the world my gummiphone has pinned is actually a data one this time,” Riku was telling Kairi, as she made her way out of the restroom and joined him by the driver’s seat. The picture on his phone certainly looked “data” enough for Kairi, with some swirling neon green web wrapped around part of the world.

Speaking of green, if Kairi looked close enough… Riku’s hair had the faintest tint of that color in it now. She wondered if that had to do with when they were swimming in the Caribbean. Or if his hair was slightly changing color with age, and she just hadn’t noticed it now—as wrapped up as she was with Sora, even if she was trying to care about Riku again—it could have been either, neither, or both, she supposed.

“You know what else I’ve noticed, Riku?” Kairi questioned now, as she went and stood beside some of the sharper jade areas of his gummi ship, almost wishing they were the amethyst of her own for some reason. “I think the theory that Sora was going to worlds I’d like is a flop… I don’t think he’s been able to leave wherever it is that he’s at. And maybe, if we think he was originally sending us to worlds I’d like by being on the same wavelength as me—us—I think he’s stopped now, for whatever reason. But that’s okay… I’m a quitter too, aren’t I?”

And there were numerous examples of this that Kairi could think of… How she’d told Donald and Goofy that she wouldn’t leave Sora and Riku behind, only to run away as a Heartless (Sora, though she hadn’t known that at the time) had approached her… how she’d told Sora and Riku that wherever one of them went, the other followed from now on… only to not train at all between the boys’ defeat of Xemnas and their Mark of Mastery exam, so that they had to leave her again… Or how she’d told Sora she’d protect him in the Keyblade War, but really hadn’t… so that he’d had to make the ultimate sacrifice for her.

She thought now, that maybe she even should have held onto some of her recent anger at Riku—for “stealing” a spotlight that she wished was hers, or that she could at least share—and for liking Sora (had there ever been a moment where he’d been a rival for his affections)? But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. If Riku was “quitting Sora” to be her friend again, then she would easily do the same.

Maybe the truth was, they were all quitters. Like, Sora hadn’t seemed too adamant about trying for the Mark again, after he’d failed… and he’d given up on life to save her, even though Kairi wouldn’t have made that choice for them herself. So why should this new development even surprise her? It was old news at this point, really.

And Kairi didn’t even realize she’d fallen into the co-pilot seat and was ridiculously crying—sobbing, even—until Riku was kneeling at her feet and then wrapping her in a hug. “Let it all out, Kairi… I think you’ve been trying to be too strong for too long… I imagine you think you’ve cried too much. But Kairi, there’s just too much going on… if you don’t allow yourself to feel, it’ll suffocate you. So, come apart.”

And Kairi noticed that as he was telling he this, he himself had begun to shake and there were slight tears falling from his eyes, too. And Kairi held onto Riku, as if he was her anchor at sea—she imagined that she was that to him now; and Gods, why hadn’t they allowed themselves to grieve for their best friend together until now?—and she wondered just how long Riku had kept everything locked tight, in trying to be there for her. She’d been the worst friend ever… to both Sora and Riku, in so many was because she was weak. But maybe she could finally be strong now?

“Riku…” Kairi whispered, for she thought if she tried to make her voice go louder than this, she might not ever be able to say what she had to now. “When we find Sora… you can have him. You love him, I know. And you deserve him so more than I do, so…”

Except that Riku was telling Kairi not to be stupid the moment she was speaking. “Sora loves you, Kairi. You. He always has, and I imagine he always will. And I know you love him, too. ‘Deserving’ has nothing to do with loving. You two taught me that. And you’ve done more than you know. What I want more than anything now, is for the two of you to live happy and long lives together. You’ve both earned that. Hell, we’ve all earned seeing you guys get that. And how do you know that Sora isn’t guiding us to worlds you love now, even with the data connection? Do you just hate yourself that much? Believe in your heart, Kairi… like Sora always did, and always will.”

Kairi wanted to tease Riku here, that his speech was too perfect and he really sounded like Sora again. But she didn’t. Because she didn’t want everything between them to just be about Sora anymore. It hadn’t used to be, and she wanted to capture those days again.

So Kairi followed her heart, and pulled out some of the alcohol she’d saved from George and Ursula’s wedding—she’d thought that maybe she’d been being a baby in only enjoying cyder in that world, and that maybe she should try to be spirited as Riku had been—and gave it to Riku in thanks, since she knew he loved the stuff.

She then directed the gummi ship to take them to the world that Riku’s phone had connected to, praying that this would be the world they’d finally find Sora and they could both tackle-hug him.

…Kairi hadn’t told Riku what the Master of Masters had done to her last time—how he’d picked a fight with her and knocked her out—because she didn’t want to worry him, or make him feel horrible for having missed that while enjoying the party.

And he’d deserved to enjoy that party, as even she knew they sometimes needed some joy now… The brain could only take so much pain and trauma, after all.

But there was something about his fixation on her, that bothered Kairi. And she had no idea why he had one, because it was starting to seem like it had nothing to do whatever plans he probably had with the Princesses of Heart so he could rule the worlds.

As Kairi bit into her lip, as they were being pulled into this new destination’s atmosphere, she prayed to the gods on Mount Olympus, that she wouldn’t run into him here.

“Kairi,” Pip said, as he sat on her head now. “If that freak makes a show again, I’ll bite him in the jugular and kill him.” And Kairi sincerely hoped that he would.

…

The new world that the two were in was very suburban. And Kairi thought that the weather was fair here, for what looked like fall.

Kairi was about to mention to Riku, that the brown leaves looked lovely near so many roofs of the same color, but she was distracted when she took in a woman who looked like Naminé—though older—fighting a foe that Kairi had never seen before.

She thought they were probably Heartless… but they had an almost faded effect to them, that Kairi had never seen with the beasts before. And she might have been imagining things… but it didn’t seem like they were easy to defeat, but rather would disappear and reappear somewhere else.

The woman was fighting them with what appeared to be a trident and light magic—and so Kairi wondered if she was like Keyblade wielders—but she was also singing some opera-like tune… it was pretty.

And just as she’d finished up her ditty, a massive hand seemed to appear out of the ether and smashed many of the Heartless surrounding her, before dissipating again.

But as even that wasn’t enough to get rid of the menace, Kairi and Riku decided to stop gawking at that moment and go help the lady out.

“Naminé!” Riku yelled, as he charged her way… and while Riku was clearly wrong and this wasn’t Naminé—but Kairi could easily see why he’d make that mistake—it made her heart soar to know that he cared so much about her former Nobody.

Kairi shot a homing Firaga spell at all of the Heartless around her, and Riku used his Dark Firaga to get at all the ones around him. And within a few moments, the threat that all three of them had been fighting so surely finally ended.

Before Kairi or Riku could say anything to the woman, however, she was already speaking herself. “If you don’t mind… please don’t tell anyone you saw me using such magic. My city is mostly normal, and I don’t how they’d react to it… But when these creatures showed up, I also couldn’t simply stand by and do nothing.”

“Of course we won’t. Just thank you for doing what you do, Miss…” Riku began.

And here, the platinum blonde smiled ever so slightly. “Lunafreya. And of course. Thank you for your aid, as well. Before I followed the call to try and best these beasts, my boyfriend—Noctis—also took up the mantle to try and fight them. Though it did not go well for him, and he ended up in the hospital soon after. I wonder if he somehow could have been allergic to him. But seeing you two battle… it gives me hope that maybe we are supposed to do this, and he’ll be alright. And in fact, I should really be with him right now for moral support.”

And before the friends could introduce themselves, this Lunafreya was already running away. Kairi could hardly blame her—for if it was Sora, she knew that she and Riku would be the same. She prayed that the girl’s boyfriend would be alright, and that these new Heartless would stop making such a scene.

But speaking of the girl’s similar looks to Naminé, Kairi remembered something she had to do. She pulled out her gummi phone and left her sister a voice mail—since it seemed she still wouldn’t answer her phone—and spoke from her heart. “Naminé, Sora’s fate right now has nothing to do with what happened in Castle Oblivion. None of that was your fault. And you brought Sora and I back together, when the Organization would have kept us apart. You put too much on your shoulders… but I know that I’m the same. Go out… and have fun. Let all of your pain go. From the way you dress, I feel like you’d be a lovely figure skater. Maybe go out and give that a try—make a day of it—and get back to Riku and me when you see the beautiful girl when you look in the mirror that we do.”

And Kairi made sure that Riku’s self-satisfied “hmph” was heard over the speaker, before she hung up and preceded into some sort of strange restaurant before them.

…

The first thing Kairi heard, when she went into the restaurant that wasn’t a bar—since it was going for a family atmosphere—but was still clearly trying to be a bar, was loud rock music. And though Kairi had been miserable lately… she felt herself feeling good again, in hearing it.

Once upon a time, she'd been edgy, after all. So, the music was actually right up her alley.

And the dancer on stage was amazing! Her moves reminded Kairi a lot of Aqua… and of Sora. So needless to say, she was transfixed.

"You may find me just a little strange... I like dancing barefoot in the pouring rain," the singer—the same person as the amazing dancer—sang. And Kairi couldn't help relating to these lyrics. Hadn't she just thought about the girl she had been, who had loved Queen and all? (1) And she'd always loved water, with her namesake and all…

Kairi was having... fun here, as strobe lights danced over her when they were meant to travel over the band instead.

But Riku brought her attention back to the matter at hand, in speaking in terms that Kairi couldn’t help feeling didn’t belong in this place. "I wonder how this is a data world?" And she had to wonder the same thing… though a large part of her thought that it wasn’t that at all, and they’d somehow gotten off track.

"I don't know. But we'll find out, we always do," Kairi answered sternly. But then she found herself being drawn into the show before her again.

Or, she was at first. But then Kairi spotted a redhead like herself standing at the back of the stage... and looking towards the blonde singer resentfully. And Kairi found herself thinking that... if she'd been as lost in the past as she currently was now, that maybe she would have been as jealous of Naminé, as this girl was of their lead singer.

And maybe it was that empathy that she still felt within her heart that prompted Kairi to act. "Do you see that girl? …She looks so upset, Riku. I'm going to see if she needs a glass of water or something."

"...Kairi, they're in the middle of a performance. You just can't-"

"But I can."

And without stopping to overthink it, Kairi went up on stage and asked the redhead if she was alright... to which the girl's reply was a clearly baffled, "Yes." But Kairi could tell she was lying.

But the princess had been so caught up in this poor girl seeming to be heartbroken, that she'd missed what Riku had been getting at earlier: Kairi was near ruining this band’s performance!

But fortunately, since Kairi always had a melodic-sounding speaking voice, and often spoke poetically—and since she'd nearly sat in the girl’s lap, as she’d gotten so close to question her—the judge thought it was part of the group’s act and gave them a gig, after the blonde’s voice rose beautifully.

And somewhat bashful now, the ginger took Kairi’s hand in her own and thanked her. “Uhh, it’s weird to say… but thank you for caring about me? And coming up on stage like you did? It actually seemed to help us get the gig, so…”

“Seriously.” Said a new voice on the scene. But if Kairi thought about it, she imagined she might have seen him in the front row watching them the whole time. He had short, spiky hair and eyes that seemed to smile from behind his glasses. He reminded Kairi of Sora a little bit, just in looks alone, but he was so unlike him in other ways. “You have no idea how long Sam has been waiting for a chance like this. She might not tell you how thankful she is—she’s gotta hide behind that cold aloofness, after all—but I know how much this means to her, so thanks. I’m Roscoe, by the way.”

“Kairi,” the New Seven Heart introduced herself, as she pointed a finger to her chest. She then indicated Riku. “And this is my best friend Riku. And I’m so glad that I was able to help… but I’m confused. I assumed this was the blonde’s band.”

And just as Kairi said that, said blonde girl—Loretta, she would soon learn—blinked out of existence as they all stood backstage.

Roscoe—and to a lesser extent, Sam—seemed clearly panicked that Kairi and Riku had just seen that, but Kairi (and Riku too, she was sure) thought it was the coolest thing in the world. So, their lead singer was a hologram! Was that why they had been called here?

“I guess I get why it’s Sam’s band now,” Kairi whispered, whilst she kept staring at where Loretta had just been, waiting for her to come back again—though it seemed she wouldn’t at the moment, because Roscoe’s laptop was out of battery—“and I think it’s neat. If you want… Riku and I can be a part of your band, so you have more people in it and since the judge seemed to like me.” And after Sam and Roscoe exchanged a look, they seemed to decide that that was a fine idea. So, the two from Destiny Islands headed over to Sam’s house.

…

And it was when Kairi was going under the beads hanging over the door at the top of the stairs—and trying to make an entrance—that Riku pulled her aside. “Kairi… I get that maybe one of your dreams was to be a rock star. Who’s isn’t? But I think you should slow your roll some. It’s clear that Loretta stole Sam’s dream, for whatever reason. And you don’t want to do the same, do you?”

And Kairi certainly knew what Riku was talking about, just as an image of Sam’s jealous and pained expression returned to her. Right. She wouldn’t do anything to cause Sam more pain—even if an evil part of her wanted everyone to ache the way that she was right now—so that also meant no finding a way to get Pip involved in the routine. She gave him a meaningful look now, so he’d know not to begin singing to “Nothing’s Wrong With Me”—the song from this band that Kairi had just learned—and then sat down on the floor amidst new friends, pretzels, drinks, and board games.

"So…  why do you have a hologram as the lead singer, if you want to be the star, Sam?" Kairi asked the question that had been plaguing her mind for a half-an-hour now, as she inched closer to the other girl.

But Sam—even though she didn’t seem to have an issue with Kairi herself—didn’t seem to enjoy the proximity. What? Did she think she was competition too, and was trying to compare their bodies as she got closer to her?

That seemed to be the answer. Because after holding the bridge of her nose and sighing irritably, Sam responded with: "Because apparently, if you want to be a singer now you also have to dance. And be hot."

‘But you’re definitely hot,’ Kairi found herself thinking about Sam, but not saying out loud since she didn’t know how well that would go over. She was, however, about to say that she could teach Sam how to dance if she wanted to, but before she could Riku was speaking.

"That's... rough. And seems unfair. Who comes up with these dumb rules?" Riku muttered, crossing his arms over his chest and shaking his head. And Kairi wondered if he was thinking about what she was: of some of Sora's rough dancing—when he'd wanted to be an idol—before he'd gotten good at it... But people still hadn't turned him down from singing when he’d been unable to dance. What a critical world this was.

“It is rough,” Roscoe allowed. He was fiddling with his computer and seeming to be downloading some new outfits for Loretta to wear. And Kairi didn’t know how to feel, with him being here kindly defending Sam… while his mind was in cyberspace, seemingly being Loretta’s number one fanboy. “But Sam’s music is too good not to get out there. She’s worked too hard. And if nothing else, I’m glad Loretta can help her to succeed.”

Except that it sucked that Sam couldn’t make it succeed with her own talent in this heartless world! Kairi somewhat knew the feeling: of how, during the Keyblade War, she’d probably learned fast and done better than anyone else who had never held a weapon before would have… but it still hadn’t been enough. And she hated everything for that reason.

"…If you want, Sam, maybe I can be your back-up dancer? Maybe you can watch me as you do backup vocals and play your guitar, and can eventually carry some of that into your own routine. Background dancing is easy, and I’m sure you can pick it up no problem. Riku can help, too… He’s a pretty good dancer. But more than that, he’s a good singer… Even better than me, when usually girls are supposed to sing better than boys or whatever.”

“That sounds… really sweet. Thank you, Kairi. I’d love that. And if Riku wants to help, too! The Zetta Bytes doesn’t have any guy vocalists, but maybe that’s exactly what it needs to make it to the top!”

“We’re going to be stars!” Someone exclaimed. And at first, Kairi had thought that it was her—because Riku was right about this being a dream of hers… about it being anyone’s dream, really—but she was shocked to see that it had been Riku, as he punched at the sky… Apparently he wasn’t as above seeking stardom as he had wanted to believe. And it was refreshing to see.

Everyone laughed, but then they threw themselves into mastering some new songs. Loretta too, for she was up and running again—with a new blue shirt with a circle on it, as opposed to the white blouse and pants she’d been wearing earlier—and Kairi couldn’t help noticing that Loretta sent Sam some nasty looks now and then… even while Roscoe fiddled with making Loretta’s voice even better.

And all of that would spill into a very cruel discussion that Sam and Loretta would have with each other, that Kairi would not recount because she wanted women to support women, okay? …Not this.

…

“So, Kairi… Do you think we’re here to make Roscoe realize he’s missing the great girl in front of him, as opposed to his invention that he’s fallen in love with?” Riku asked Kairi, as the two of them were walking downtown to find stylish outfits to go with Sam’s new song “Get Real”. Kairi supposed they really should have been finding ensembles for “Notice Me”, what they were going to sing at their gig—where a number of record companies would be, apparently—but since that was the song that Sam and Loretta had had a huge fight over, it now left a bad taste in her mouth… even if it was a lovely song that Kairi could understand.

“I suppose that’s possible, since romance seems to be a big deal in a lot of the worlds we go to. And Sora and I are in a romance… but I don’t know. We could just as easily be here to defeat the strange Heartless here. “Which, speaking of… I think they are part hologram. Which makes it seem like they’re connected to Loretta. But how? Do we think she’s getting real emotions and creating something like the Unversed?” Kairi pondered. And it was just when she had mentioned said Heartless, that more showed up that moment to attack her and Riku.

Kairi swatted him here, but then they would just show up again over there. It was frustrating… and she wished that Luna were here to help them again, but she also didn’t: since Luna not being here hopefully meant she was spending some lovely time with her healed boyfriend.

Eventually, Kairi and Riku learned if they used water on these Heartless and then electrocuted them, it would destroy them… But then one hundred more showed up to take their place. But defeating them like this was the best lead they had… so they would keep at it. And they did.

…

Unfortunately, Kairi and Riku showed up late for their moment… and a right mess. Thankfully, they were on deck and weren’t supposed to be on stage yet, but it was still a nightmare. The part of Kairi who had been a punctual girl going to school still, while Sora and Riku had been off being heroes, was horrified at herself.

Riku was a guy and had it easier than her… so once he’d splashed some water onto his face, he was up on stage making sure their equipment was ready. He even took Pip with him, so he could tell Riku if even a toddler would be able to see them from the balcony if a parent held them in their lap.

And while Riku and Pip were out bonding, Kairi heard an angry conversation between Sam and Roscoe and it almost made her sick.

“I just… want to know what part of me you used to make her. What part you thought was good enough to keep.”

On stage, music had started up. Kairi assumed that the band before them had ordered Riku to worry about their equipment later and give them their turn, already. Kairi heard the lyrics “don’t even try it” being sung, but all she could listen to was Rosco’s whispered answer of, “…I gave her your ears.”

And now Sam was storming off angrily—Kairi could hardly blame her—to the stage where Riku and even Loretta were presumably already at. Kairi should have been going in that direction, too, but she was rooted to the spot… and ashamedly let Loretta, Sam, Riku, and even Pip perform without her.

Because she was just… so disgusted that Rosco was clearly in love with Sam—even if he couldn’t see it—but was so lost in a pursuit of perfection, that the only thing he’d taken from the girl of his dreams to put “onto perfection” were her ears!

Kairi was near walking up to Rosco and yelling at him for this… when she heard mad cheering coming from out near the stage. And there were shouts of “she’s not real!”, “she’s a hologram!”

…So, it seemed that the crowd had learned Loretta’s secret but didn’t care. Rather, they seemed to love the Zetta Bytes more as they screamed out for them to do an encore now. And Kairi was finally found where she was at backstage, pulled on stage, and forced to sing for their gleeful audience: their gleeful audience who had apparently just gotten them a record deal—Sam was whispering in Kairi’s ear now—and was snapping picture after picture.

Still in a daze, as she carried her violin backstage, Kairi mostly missed Loretta wanting to go outside where it was raining and telling Rosco that he should have made her real.

…

Kairi and Riku—now that they were richer than they had ever been before, and in just a few days’ time. Who would’ve guessed?—were staying at a lush apartment together. Though it wasn’t just lush because they were being selfish! No, it needed all the technological advancements, because sometimes Rosco asked the two to house Loretta here… since Rosco’s dad now wanted to steal her for his business.

(And speaking of Loretta, Kairi was closer to her than she ever had been before. The two of them had recently had a conversation… Kairi had told Loretta that she’d heard some of her conversation. And that she somewhat understood her, because she’d once had another version of herself that hadn’t been real: a version that sometimes Kairi could see the memories of. And Loretta had smiled, then, and stolen all of these clothes online for Kairi and had had them shipped here… Not that Kairi had wanted her to do that. But it was done now, and Kairi was happy for the attempt at friendship.)

But anyway… the group was finally about to do something with Kairi’s favorite song “Get Real”—to record a demo of it, actually—and while they waited for the limo to come pick them up, Kairi found herself doing some research on the laptop she had here.

“…Riku, the Internet tells me that I’m right. Holograms should be incorporeal. So it can’t be holograms we’re fighting, right? Unless the darkness has found a way to possess them and change their consistency?” Kairi asked, as she nibbled at a mushroom. She had used to hate these fungi when they’d lived on Destiny Islands… but she’d become stronger in doing things she thought she’d never be able to, so why not also this?

“It’s a good theory,” Riku admitted. But just as soon as he was done saying those few words, he dove back for another drink of water. Kairi swore that ever since he’d discovered just what a good singer he was here, it seemed like he was drinking a gallon a minute.

But she wouldn’t complain. After everything Riku had been through, he deserved to have a little fun. And water was good for you, anyway.

“But what if they’re this way because it has something to do with Sora? Going off of the theory that he’s somehow controlling the worlds we’re going to.”

Kairi playfully threw a pillow at Riku for that remark (which he just laughed at, before he gently put it on the couch beside him, then).

This room was so big… and there were so many red plush pillows around them, that she doubted anyone would notice one had been moved, if they came into the room now.

She got where Riku was coming from, of course… Since this place reminded Kairi a lot of what had happened to Sora at Castle Oblivion—and could he have wanted them to see something in that? Like how he wanted to thank Naminé still?—but in order to do what Riku was saying… it suggested that Sora would have used the power of darkness to make it happen. And Kairi just couldn’t imagine that.

“Maybe the world is supposed to tell us something about you…” Kairi started now, as she put a finger under her chin and considered. “You told me that when you went to the Grid during your Mark of Mastery, that a Flynn had to realize that perfection was right in front of him. Do you think the same thing is going on here, and we have to help Rosco—and maybe his dad, who invented this technology—see that?”

Now it was Riku’s turn to consider, as he came closer to sit beside Kairi.

And man, how she had missed being close to her older brother like this. How had she ever pushed him away?

“Maybe… in which case, I’ll go talk to the men here. Maybe it’ll help us ‘finish this world’, so we can get our next clue about Sora. You keep working on the Heartless riddle.” Kairi didn’t have to be told twice. And she didn’t watch Riku go, but rather desperately looking at her screen again. She would have liked an excuse to eat more before she got back to work... but oh well. Riku had given her an order, so she would follow it. Her health be damned.

Riku's PoV

It was funny how fast things changed, Riku thought. He’d just been in this world for a few weeks, and he and his friends were somehow already popstars.

But he should have supposed this sort of thing was possible, since he’d been the one to say during his Mark of Mastery exam that time moved differently in every world.

And boy, did it. It made no sense that he should feel no nervousness in now being on the billboard charts, but was scared to just have dinner with his new friend and his father. Yet here he was, anyway.

And since Riku was here on a mission, he decided to rip the bandage off and get to the heart of the issue. “Sir… I hate to say this… but Rosco’s mother left you, didn’t she? And is that why you started working in holograms… and why this house is so immaculate?”

Rosco breathed sharply at Riku’s line of questioning, and he dropped his knife and fork onto his plate in a loud clutter. “Riku-” Rosco started, in turning betrayed eyes towards Riku: a gaze that he held, because he’d done way worse than this, of course. “Why-”

But the man who was just Rosco in thirty-years-time—if he didn’t change his ways—held a hand up, to halt whatever defense Rosco may have laid at his father’s feet. And he laughed without humor. “Why deny what this man has so easily seen? Especially when I have no one to blame but myself for my own unhappiness.

“Listen to this, Roscoe,” And the middle-aged man held up his wineglass into the light spilling in from the window. “Look at all of the colors this refracts. One would easily look at this and deem it as perfection, wouldn’t they? Except if you look just here, this cup is splintered at the side… But somehow, that allows it to make even more patterns on the wall. So, it’s quite perfect in its perfection, isn’t it?”

Riku could practically see the wheels turning in Roscoe’s head here. And he wondered if he was imagining the lipstick he saw on the corner of his lips. Had Sam kissed him earlier, or-

“So, you’re saying that even a- design flaw is something that can be beautiful and should be ignored?”

“I think,” Riku chimed in—his thoughts thinking about both his best friends Sora and Kairi here. Naminé, too—“that perfection is something we made up in our heads. And the more we chase it, instead of trying to love without boundaries, the more insane we become and the more harm we do.”

“Precisely,” Roscoe’s father said with a sharp nod and smile in Riku’s direction, as the three of them finally dug into their steaks.

 Kairi’s PoV

In the near future—when everything would go horribly wrong with Sam—Kairi would realize she should have known that Loretta would take too long getting there.

She had come to Kairi in her dreams—much like Ava had. But Kairi sensed that this was somehow more… real than what had occurred with that Foreteller, maybe—and when Kairi was at first confused about this, Loretta waved her concern away with a flick of her hand.

“I think the girl who was once in you—your Nobody, I believe you said—delved into machinery that connected to her mind. And because of that, I can get into your mind. But Kairi… Harshtone Records wants to steal my will. All holograms they now create’s wills, actually. But Daryl Fibbs is offering me my freedom. He’s going to upload me onto the net and act like I just got away… so I’m not going to be able to be at our next performance from the get-go. You need to stall. But you think this was the right choice, right?”

“Yes,” Kairi promised the girl, as she got up out of her bed in this dream and strode forward to touch Loretta’s face—for she felt the blonde wanted to feel anything, and it broke her heart that she was still unable to—“you’re definitely growing your own heart. I’ve- seen that, now that I think about it. So, don’t let anyone take that away from you. I’ll stall as long as I need to. Take- take care, Loretta.”

And while Kairi didn’t know it at the time, that would be the last time that she really got to see Loretta… and that they’d be on good terms.

…

As Loretta had promised, she wasn’t there right away when they were debuting “Get Real” for the first time.

And the people wanted Loretta… so Sam had chosen to go on stage pretending to be her. She had a wig for it… and Loretta’s ears, as well as part of her voice. Sam also knew Loretta’s moves like no one else did—of course she did. This band was really hers—and had apparently been practicing Loretta’s dancing in her spare time.

So even while Kairi thought she could have handled Loretta’s dancing better—she had the Keyblade, after all. And that gave her certain powers—she didn’t want to destroy Sam’s confidence even more than it already had been. So both she and Riku smiled and nodded at Sam when she jumped into the fray… And while it started out okay—with Sam twirling and flipping like the rest of them—it ended in disaster: with Sam falling off the stage and banging her head on the concrete.

She was unconscious immediately, and responding to nothing… in a coma, it would seem. “Riku, Roscoe’s panicking! Tell him he needs to call the hospital of this world! We can’t heal her; you know we can’t. Not out of a coma. But maybe there’s something else we can do… unless-”

What if Kairi went into a coma, too, and tried to find Sam in the haze?

Riku, seeming to read Kairi’s mind like he so often did these days, was shaking his head at her as Kairi rose to her feet. But she was paying him no heed. Instead, she stabbed herself in the heart with Destiny’s Embrace, just like Sora had for her years ago.

Kairi didn't mean to release her heart or anything like that, but rather have a near death experience. And she knew that Riku could chastely kiss her to wake her up. It wouldn't be a kiss of love... but he did love her, so Kairi knew that that would work, as her eyes closed and her mind drifted elsewhere.

…And though a part of her had selfishly wanted to see Sora when she fell asleep, it was actually Sam who Kairi witnessed... and she was glad for it.

The poor girl looked like a drowned rat. And it seemed as though she couldn't speak... or that if she could, talking took too much effort for her to even want to do it. She strummed a broken guitar; and when Loretta found her—what was she doing here?—Kairi tried to decide, as she hung back now—the guitar seemed to be the only thing that Sam cared about. "It's broken," she whispered listless, as Kairi crept slightly closer to the two girls in this barren wasteland.

"No, it's not," Loretta said with the sweetest of smiles, that Kairi had ever seen and with a false smile. "You're just looking at it the wrong way." Loretta then gently touched the acoustic guitar, and it was instantly restored...

And Kairi—as she stood there in a lovely gust of wind, that turned the desert into a lush meadow—couldn't help thinking that these were the powers a Princess of Heart should have had... but she didn't.

She was just destruction now.

The torrent had pushed Kairi further back; and more hologram Heartless showed up to help keep it that way.

If she was hearing correctly, Sam was now telling Loretta that this sort of thing was why she’d been so jealous of her. Because she was perfect.

And Loretta snorted, in what was a beautiful moment—or at least should have been, because Kairi couldn’t help feeling… suspicious—and poured her heart out. “If I’m perfect, then why do I feel so limited?! You can grow… change… get better. And I’ll always just be this… Which is why youneed to wake up.”

Except… why didn’t Kairi believe Loretta as far as she could throw her? Why did this whole area feel as though it was charged with lies?

If Kairi was being honest with herself… she had used to think that Naminé had once been a manifestation of her insecurities. A part of herself that she couldn’t forgive. But in her heart now… had Loretta somehow become that?

Very many things seemed to happen then, in just the blink of an eye.

Kairi found herself waking up, ever so slightly, and this world blurring, as she felt Riku's lips pecking hers.

And Kairi heard Loretta telling Sam that she was currently healing her body... but she'd unintentionally taken it over, but that she would give it back in a moment... But did Kairi really believe that?

Kairi felt rain all around her—and ignored how Loretta had always wanted to feel that, and how now was probably her only chance to—and then there was a flash of lightning. And Kairi didn't know what would and would not be out there in the real world, when the flash ended.

So, she dove at Loretta, just as Kairi thought she felt Riku jumping at something, too (was he shaking her body, trying to get her to wake up?), and struck her with her Keyblade... with water and electricity coming off of it.

And Loretta smiled—something that would haunt Kairi's nightmares forever—and then broke apart: like an astral body shattering into pieces and giving way to light.

And then Kairi was in her own body again—in the hospital?—and Sam was to the side of her… sobbing about Loretta. For in her mind, Loretta had just somehow died as the two of them had finally become friends. And maybe she had. And maybe Kairi had been responsible for it, because she thought that she was trying to steal Sam’s body for her own.

She… she was a murderer! And for some reason, Riku seemed as shaken as Kairi herself was about something. What? Had he thought he was close to losing her, too?

“Roscoe, you should… you should just create Loretta again. You have the files, right?” Kairi cried, sitting up as nurses ordered her not to. But even as she said that, she knew it would be a cop-out because it wouldn’t quite be the same Loretta they had all known and come to love.

And everyone seemed to realize that, too. So, they said nothing, and just tried to move on… and move on, they did.

Shockingly, the Zetta Bytes made it without Loretta, since everyone had been amazed by Sam’s performance when the news got out that it had been her going that far for her beloved audience, and not Loretta. The public was actually pretty understanding in general at the loss of Loretta, as they saw how disturbed the band was without her.

Sam was having a concert now (with her now-boyfriend, Roscoe, happily waiting in the wings)—a more laid-back one, as she sat on a stool and sang about the rain falling—and Kairi and Riku were aiding her in it, to try and help her get her footing without Loretta (until her new band mates Rachel and Cindy got here).

And while Kairi thought Riku in particular did a good job in harmonizing with Sam… it was nothing like Loretta would have done. Kairi wishes that the poor girl was here, to be on Sam’s side just like this, but she wasn’t.

And that was why Kairi was again feeling like she deserved nothing again… and that she should just stay here and bury herself, instead of finding her life’s dream in Sora.

It was on one day when Kairi was buried under her covers on the couch, staring unseeing at the TV before her, that Pip tried to get through to her. “Kairi… what happened to Loretta? I was watching that whole scene from your hood. And I don’t think it was you. I think-”

“What-” Kairi started.

But she was cut off, when there was suddenly a Corridor of Light in front of her and a beautiful girl standing in front of her in her living room. She was gorgeous, with long black hair, yellow eyes, a white and black jacket, and a jean skirt. “Who are you?” Kairi asked, as she cocked her head to the side and regarded the girl. Because that’s what you did in this sort of situation.

“I… am someone who was experimented on by Ansem, just like you. Though… he did much worse to me, if you don’t mind my saying. But then- then I was taken away, to a place with spaceships and holograms. I was- locked away there. But I finally learned how to mess with their technology… and I ended up here. Finally, free. I- I don’t know my name, though. How silly is that? I believe it may have started with an ‘S’, but I don’t know. You can call me… Soul, I suppose.”

“I-” There was so much Kairi wanted to say to all of this. So much she wanted to do.

First off, this girl seemed like she had just escaped from some terrible fate, so she and Riku needed to take her somewhere safe as soon as possible.

And they would. That was why Kairi screamed at Riku to join her now, and started rambling as she pointed at the girl who was now hiding under their sofa.

Secondly, Kairi figured they had just cracked where the hologram Heartless in this world had come from. “Soul” had somehow created them in trying to escape her prison.

And thirdly, “Where you’re from… it sounds like a great prison to keep someone you don’t want to be found, doesn’t it, Soul?”

“Con-considering that I’ve been there for near thirteen years—and no one ever found me—I would say so,” Soul answered. She was slightly calmer now. Riku had called Merlin on the gummiphone, and he’d teleported over here post-haste. He was now entertaining Soul with some of his magic… and had even put her in a lovely purple dress to try and disguise her from her captors.

“And, question: if the Heartless you created somehow created a path to this world, do you think it works in reverse?”

But Kairi didn’t wait to hear the answer to that. She ran outside with Riku and waited. With the hearts of two Keyblade wielders in front of them, no doubt Heartless would be cornering them soo-

There they were! Before Kairi could think better of it, she grabbed Riku’s hand and dove with her hand outstretched towards one. And as her flesh touched its… data? Kairi soon found herself, Riku, and Pip transported to somewhere else entirely: with constellations as far as the eye could see.

Kairi felt horrid that she was leaving things with the Zetta Bytes as badly as she did… but maybe it was for the best. While they’d always be in her heart, she’d never forgive herself for what she did to Loretta… and neither would they, if they knew. So probably best to leave things like this in a somewhat positive place for them, huh?

But those sorts of thoughts were exactly why Kairi deserved to be locked up and not find Sora, huh?

Author’s Note: Oh, man. I feel like I had so much to say this chapter, but I’ve probably forgotten a lot of it. First off, I swear I’m not trying to make all these worlds live-action (and they all won’t be). But just at the start of this story, that’s how it’s somehow ending up.

(1) Kairi liking Queen is a reference to my story “The Best Laid Plans”, that I may have just made canon to this story (though you don’t have to read that to understand this). It’s basically an alternate Re:Mind, that I wrote before Re:Mind came out.

So… I changed up the end to Pixel Perfect somewhat, and my inner-child who loves this movie and Loretta is hating me for it. But tbh, Loretta seemed a bit sketch in that ending, so I can get why Kairi and Riku jumped to the wrong conclusion. It also happened, because I needed Kairi to mess up and do something bad since this is still a “dark Kairi” story.

But actually… while Kairi tried to kill Loretta, and will definitely be feeling the guilt for that, it was Riku who did it. Though Kairi doesn’t realize that (yet) and Riku might not tell her. But that was what Pip was trying to tell her at the end of this chapter. Because Riku was jumping to the same conclusions that Kairi was: that Loretta might try and take Sam’s body for her own… and that in doing that, Kairi might stay trapped in their weird dreamscape somehow, and Riku couldn’t take that chance. Tbh, I’m not entirely sure what Riku did to manage it (wow, me. I’m the author of this story, and I don’t even know). I want to say he deleted her file… but would that even work if she was in Sam’s head at the time? Or maybe he extracted her heart from Sam’s… but then where did he put it afterwards? Ehh. Hopefully I’ll work it out next chapter. Or you guys tell ME how he should have done it, with all this weird science stuff this movie did with Loretta.

And, yes: Riku pecked Kairi on the lips to wake her up, but I swear they’re still completely platonic and will continue to be.

This chapter was probably rushed—and I’m not editing chapters as much now as I probably should be, but it actually allows me to get them out—but whatever.

I actually was not going to have Skuld be in this chapter at all (maybe not even in this fic). I was just going to have the hologram Heartless (and Loretta?) be the “threat” of this chapter, because I’m falling into a “Foretellers show up every chapter and say cryptic things and then leave” trap. But then I realized she was kind of needed to get them to the next world. And Skuld isn’t a Foreteller, so I guess it’s kind of different. -shrugs-

Riku can sing in this as sort of a joke—or to differentiate him from his English voice actor, David Gallagher—because David Gallagher can’t. And singing didn’t seem like a Riku thing to do… which is exactly why I had him do so for fun.

Oh! And Luna! Luna is here because I realized this story needs Final Fantasy cameos, and I wanted a Final Fantasy character who could sing, with all the singing stuff going on. But it’s one of those FF cameos like, “Squall is totally from Radiant Garden and never lived in a place called Gaia” ones. She’s not her FFXV self. She’s from the Pixel Perfect world (her, and this Noct. And this world’s Chocobos, probably). And it’s probably the last we’ll see of her, sadly, to not confuse her and the other FFXV characters with the Verum Rex ones, but at least it was something.

I hope everyone’s enjoying Melody of Memory!

Also, I did this entire movie from memory, because Disney does

-Shanna

#swallow #kairi #kh #kingdom hearts #swallow chapter six #chapter six #mine #my work #Shanna writes #my writing #and yay! I got this out before mom like I wanted to

[avatarconner]

Sokai Week 2019 Day 1  (Quote)

Quote

(Day 1)

AN: Decided to participate in Sokai week this year because KH3!!!

“Not one More Second.”

Whenever Sora went on a adventure with his friends, more often than not Donald and Goofy being his constant traveling companions, it would feel like their mission would take months, maybe even years when in actuality it was merely a few weeks. But this one, after the Keyblade War and stopping Xahanort once and for all? Only to have to pay the price for using the power of waking to save all his friends, to save Kairi? It felt like eons.

It had to be only a couple weeks though, it had to be, however with the unending night of Shibuya, it was hard to tell when days passed. It was only now, face down on the ground covered with cuts and bruises with the concrete around him from the half wall he had been thrown through, that he really gave it much thought. He remembered waking up here, a teardrop hitting his hand being what woke him, and wandering the city streets for a solid hour before being attacked.

Ever since then, it was a constant fight.

The Keyblade wielder tried to push himself off the ground, but it was no use, his arms were plain tired from the constant swinging of his blade. But his forehead hit the ground a second later, the sounds of battle echoing in the air as Riku fought against the man in the black cloak. The one who insisted he be called Master, and Sora wasn’t going to lie, the way he had been easily beating him and Riku senseless was proof of that. I just…..can’t, I can’t even hit him. Sora relented internally. It wasn’t a matter of difference in strength it was sheer skill. Every slash was counted, every charge dodged, every move he had, Strike Raid, Ragnarök, Sonic Blade, even his and Riku’s team up attacks were useless.

Gathering what little strength he had left, he pushed himself over onto his side, his right arm stretched out against the ground, there was a deep cut across his wrist that was bleeding, the gauntlet of his new outfit was dangling off his wrists with the straps having come undone. That’s not good…..really wish Donald was here…or anyone really…..except her….. Sora thought sadly.

Kairi.

She was his entire inspiration for getting out of Shibuya, all his friends where of course but Kairi……she was different. Dear god she was different. He thought of her whenever his determination wavered, whenever he was knocked down, her face would come to mind, the way she titled her head with a cute smile and offered him a paopu fruit the day before everything went wrong. She was his light……and it took him far too long o figure that out. Riku was important too, he couldn’t stress that enough to his oldest friend but he understood.

He heard a pained yell of Riku as the ground shook from an impact.

…e...p….S…a…..

Riku…..he was the last person he expected to come across here, but that wasn’t the case for him. He embraced Sora as though he….well he did die. Right in front of Riku and everyone……in front of Kairi. Holding her hand while he did it. He remembered the tear go down her cheek, God what did you do? You did it again, you abandoned her again……after everything……what is wrong with me? he thought weakly. I remember when I came home the first time after my adventure, my mom….she cried so hard….I can’t remember if it was from joy, sadness, or just….anger…..I wonder if Kairi did that….cursed me for leaving her again….dying because of her.

And not just Kairi, he left everyone, Roxas and Ven, two people who Sora could almost call family with what they three shared. He wished that the three of them could have spent more time together. Donald and Goofy, they were almost like pseudo parents to him, they loved him like a son and he felt that. He wanted to make them proud, he wanted to see the looks on their faces when he returned with his usual beaming smile on his face and just surprise them…….but he knew that they must have wept harder than most for his death.

He was pulled from his thoughts as a bright light suddenly washed over him, when his eyes adjusted to the sudden light he saw it….just a couple dozen feet away. A door to the Light.

G…t…up….Sor….

He heard boots on the ground walk towards him. The shadow of a tall man passed over his turned over form, “Still alive? Well alive is…..semi-accurate.” he heard the cloaked man say. Sora’s half lidded eye slowly moved to the source of the voice, it was him, the Master of course. Worry began to bubble in his heart, where was Riku? Was he ok? Did he-

A flash of Darkness circled around the Master, Riku appearing from it with his keybalde swinging. The Master ducked his torso back enough to give his hand enough time to reach at Riku’s chest, an blast of dark aura sent Riku flying though the door to light. “He is very, very, persistent. Which can be annoying, but I find it oddly endearing.” the Master mused to himself before his cloaked face returned to Sora. The sky blue irises flickered red for a moment, “You know that’s not going to work, you and your shadow friend tried teaming up and well…..” he did a gesture to Sora.

Sora hated that he was right. His shadow…..Vanitas. Despite his defeat during the Keyblade war, he remained to be a equal part of Sora. At first he was a pest to say the least, but over time….they found a sort of understanding. But still seeing his own face on someone else? It still was an adjustment, but using darkness that Vanitas was able to provide saved his life in the city. Riku had encouraged it with caution, but deep down he knew that Sora would never succumb to darkness.

Get up Sora.

“Don’t feel too bad about it, this has been a long time coming. Literally years, decades in the making! You get trapped here, saving all your friends, and they all scramble to try and save you. But that’s friendship isn’t it? Doing whatever you can for someone whose heart is connected to yours……yeah…..you should be proud Sora.” he admitted sincerely. He turned on his heel and began walking towards the door to light. Passing through the threshold, Sora closed his eyes.

Aqua….Terra…..Ven….Donald…..Goofy….Micky…..Lea….Roxas…..Xion…Namine….Kairi…..I’m so sorry……but I don’t think I’m going to come back. he thought, a tear seeping out of his shut eye. He knew that he was the last one who deserved any pity, he cause them so much pain. He felt it, he dreamed of Kairi mourning him, crying at the small island while his friends tried to console her while dealing with their own grief. He felt terrible about it, he said as much to Riku but he assured him that no one, especially Kairi blamed him. She would blame herself more than him but that honestly made him feel even worse.

Maybe…..maybe it was better this way?

His time here had given him time to reflect, how many times had he almost died? Heck how many times did he actually die and come back somehow? He knew that he wasn’t the most wise of all his friends, and he never would claim to be, but maybe…this was fate? A balance of the scales, he’s come out of the frying pan and fire so many times now, maybe this is how he gets burned?

Get up Sora!!!

His eye cracked open at the voice, he didn’t know if it was his own internal voice or the small one that echoed from his heart, the one that came to him in moments of doubt. He could see through the doorway, the Master was fighting Riku, the Keybalde Master fighting with everything he had despite his state being only slightly better than Sora’s current one.

Then he saw her.

A blur of pink and black charged at the Master’s back, Destiny’s Embrace in the princess of light’s hands as she brought it down towards the cloaked man’s head, only for him to grab the keyblade and swing her around into Riku. Rage filled Sora, just as when Xahanort had struck her down in front of him he felt a flurry of emotions, anger, sadness, relief, joy, but above all else……fear. He had seen her die once before and that was NOT going to happen again!!

GET UP SORA!!!

It was her voice, her heart echoing within his, it was her deepest wish…..to come back.

Sora gathered his strength, picking himself up off the ground slowly as the fight continued, he heard Donald call down a Meteor and the howl of Goofy’s battle cry. He was finally back on his own two feet, looking down at the ground he took a few deep breaths, he was in no shape to fight. Ignoring that his legs felt like cement blocks, the fact he could barely hear anything out his left ear, and the cut on his arm was bleeding a lot. He must have looked half dead……which was pretty accurate as to how his current state was.

Looking back at the Door to Light he saw her once again, her bright azure eyes locked on the Master with a fire he never saw before. She was saying something to him but he couldn’t hear it…..but he still knew what she said, “You are not standing between him and us!! We made a promise…..and I’m going to keep it!”

My promise…….right….she’s right. he thought, his feet planted on the ground he lifted himself up into a hunched over standing position. Looking down at his bloody arm, he reached over with his other to the strap of his gauntlet. Grabbing the yellow strap he adjusted it over the cut and pulled it tight, hissing out at the sharp pain radiating out from his arm. I vowed…..we wouldn’t be apart. Not for One More Second. Sora thought, his eyes locking on the door of light before summoning his Keyblade.

Kairi panted as she took a minute to compose herself, “Alright I’ll admit, you have potential.” she looked up from the ground to the man who called himself the Master. She glanced over to Riku on the ground. He wasn’t moving but that was more or less due to exhaustion than his wounds. Looking over to her other side, Donald and Goofy were keeling over, a little bruised up but they were hanging in there. The court mage looked between her and Riku, he was obviously debating who he could cast a Cure to, but she shook her head, she could at the very least hold him off for a few minutes more.

“It’s clear though that you don’t have much experience, well compared to your friend at least. Still though can’t say that’s your fault, I mean old man Sid did send you and the other redhead to train against furniture in a forest.” he mocked, his tone sounding good natured like a friend but only felt like an insult to Kairi. He hadn’t even used a weapon for crying out loud! He was just using his bare hands! She planted her feet firmly, holding her Keyblade pointed up with her hands near her hip, Your form isn’t bad, but if you lift your Keybalde more-oh sorry, sorry, force of habit. My other student would do that all the time.”

She sprung forward, the tip of her blade grazed against the ground before slashing up right before the Master, a arch of light coming out and shooting at the hooded man. He Pivoted to the left where Kairi’s Kayblade jabbed at. Her small victory turned when he presented his palm out to the tip of her weapon and stopped it dead. Her eyes widened at the display, “Nice feint. But you-“ he was suddenly cut off as something came flying at him from behind towards his head.

He jumped over to the side to avoid the attack, the Keybalde flew past Kairi into the ground behind her, turning her head to fallow it her breath caught in her throat. It was Sora’s! Her head whipped back as the blade was summoned back to its owner in a flash of light.

Sora held the grip tight as his trusty weapon materialized within his hand, his gaze locked on the Master’s as for the first time in what felt like decades, light passed over him. He didn’t recognize the world he was at, all he noticed was the rocky terrain with only a few spots of green on the ground with mountains in the distance. “Well, well, well, look who has some fight left in him.” the Master mused as Sora let out something akin to s curt growl.

All the while, Kairi had cased all movement, it was Sora….he was alive…..

His clothes were dirty and torn in a few places, the right side of his face had a series of bruises and a cut above his left eye. His left arm was caked with wet blood, he had bags under his eyes, and his hair was even more frazzled than ever before. She tried to say his name, but it wouldn’t leave her lips. He looked horrible, Riku had been roughed up but Sora was a whole different shade of worse.  Her eyes locked on the Master with fury behind them, And he’s the one who did it! she spat internally before charging at him again, Sora  doing the same.

The Master sighed, “Really?” he asked, ducking beneath Sora’s attack and rolling out of the way of Kairi’s, he held up his hands and created two orbs of darkness, “Look let’s end-“

“Cure!!” Donald shouted out, drawing the Mater’s attention momentarily.

Neither Sora nor Kairi received the blessing, I took a second for him to realize who received it, “Oh crap,” he said dryly before leaping into the air out of Riku’s bombardment of darkness from behind. Sora lunged at him in midair only for him to flip out of the attack way before the Keybalde wielder turned in midair and threw his keybalde at him. “You really think that’ll wor-“ before the Kingdom Key stuck the back of his head, sending him down towards the ground as Kairi came down after him with both her’s and Sora’s blades in her hands.

Raisng her own over her head to plunge it down, Sora summoned his back to him as the Master blocked her finishing blow. Sora’s blade slammed into his back and knocking him into Riku who slashed at the Master’s chest and knocked him away. Looking around he saw that the trio had surrounded him, “Ngh….took you long enough. Finally got me on the ropes.” he said, making the tree look at him in disbelief. “Hey, I’m man enough to admit when I’m cornered……..also to run away.” he said before he began to shimmer away, his hood turned to Sora, he still couldn’t see his face but for a brief second he could make out a lone eye beneath the hood, one he’d seen somewhere before. “Nice work kid.” he applauded before disappearing in front of the three.

The next few seconds were tense, Sora’s eyes darted around, expected a surprise attack as soon as he lowered his guard. But it never came, and when that realization hit him so did everything else. His keybalde disappeared, his vision blurred, his legs gave out, it all happened at once and he fell, but instead of what he expected to be fairly hard ground he was caught in someone’s arm’s.

She choked out a noise that sounded like a garbled version of his name, “S-Sora!” she sobbed out, tears spilling out of her eyes as she held him up as she stood on her knees in front of him. His head was buried in her shoulder, her aroma of coconuts and saltwater, the smell of home, reach his nostrils. He let out a shaky breath, he was back…..he was back…..he was back!!! Lifting his non bloody arm, he placed it on her other shoulder and lifted himself back to get a better look at her.

Her hair was still short like it was after her training, some of it sticking to her sweaty forehead but it still looked beautiful. Her blue orbs looked into his as tears split from his own eyes and choked sob escaped his lips, “I-……I….I’m sorry I-…” he cried out.

She shook her head, “Don’t just……don’t….it’s not your fault….” she sniffled, her hand reaching up to the side of his face and gently laying her palm against the bruised skin. Her other interlocked with his limp arm. She didn’t care in the slightest that it got her hand bloody, he was here, he was safe, that was all that mattered right now.

His forehead dipped forward a little bit, “I…..made a promise…..I…I’m not gonna leave you again….not one more second….I swear…” he said tiredly, his eyes feeling like they were being weighed down by anvils.

He felt Kairi’s forehead touch his own, “I know you won’t.”

Sora slumped against her, his entire body exhausted from the fighting, but he had done it yet again, he made him way back to Kairi. Deep down he knew he would but for the longest time it felt like a pipe dream…..but it was real. He was back.

He came back to her.

#kh sora #sora #Kairi #kh kairi #SoKai #kingdom hearts sokai #sokai week #sokai week 2019

[zdbztumble]

“Kingdom Hearts II” revisited, Part VII

Little things can have a big impact, and a Twilight Town emptied of any signs of life makes for a very effective and foreboding beginning to the final legs of KH II. The continuation of the mystery surrounding Riku - or, more specifically, what King Mickey knows about Riku and why he won’t reveal it - is continued in a satisfying manner as well. That makes for another good point of comparison with later entries in the series; something like the return of Repliku in KH III, for example. That was thrown into the series more than a decade after that character’s supposed death, is only referenced when absolutely demanded by the plot, ends abruptly, and doesn’t have any logical - or narratively satisfying - continuity with what became of Repliku in R/R. By contrast, Riku and Mickey’s history in KH II was begun in the game immediately preceding this one and, while very much in the background, is referred to in big and small ways throughout the play time. 

(Revisiting Twilight Town also has a great gag, with Sora and his friends incredulous at the deductions made by Hayner and his friends. Just because they happen to be right doesn’t mean they make sense.)

Once we start in on the road to The World That Never Was, however...my feelings start to get mixed.

I’ve learned over the course of this playthrough that Axel was originally meant to die at Roxas’s hands during the prologue of the game. As much as I don’t like Axel - and let me reiterate that I really don’t like Axel - I can’t regret the decision to keep around past that point, for reasons I’ll get into shortly. And wrapping Axel’s story up by way of a noble sacrifice, if a bit cliche, isn’t a terrible idea. But it is a more rushed and arbitrary sequence than I remember, with Axel’s appearance - and his decision to kill himself - just happening, without a strong motive. While it pains me to say this, more cutscenes with Axel - particularly concerning Kairi’s escape from him - would have done this moment a favor. Despite all that, I think this is more successful than not as an ending for Axel...one that should have been permanent. 

(And did no one on staff remember the line “he was the only one I liked” when they decided to start working toward an Axel/Saix bromance?)

The return of Roxas leaves me with similarly mixed feelings. I like how cold and predatory Roxas’s attitude is - it’s a strong contrast with Sora, and indeed with Roxas as he appears in the prologue. I’ll once again save more detailed thoughts about Roxas for another day, so let’s just say for now I think that attitude speaks to why Roxas being subsumed into Sora is appropriate. But there is a big problem with this sequence: it’s only a cutscene. That this wasn’t a playable battle right out of the gate, given how pivotal a moment it is, is ridiculous, and if Final Mix did nothing else right, it fixed this huge mistake.

(And if you have Oathkeeper equipped at the time - as I always do, in any game that offers it, from the time I receive it - that cutscene is a little strange to watch.)

Stepping into the castle unloads a lot of story, for how (relatively) quickly it goes by, so it’s inevitable that there will be highlights and low points. Namine and Kairi finally meeting, and teaming up to escape, manages to be both. That the moment happens at all is wonderful, and both girls being prepared to fight Saix, unarmed if they have to, is a good touch. But these scenes take the old adage of “leave them wanting more” to an extreme, because we’re given only the barest of bones for what Kairi and Namine’s interaction could have been. Add in the fact that Namine’s origins, and the closest thing to an explanation for why she starts to fade from existence, are relegated to Ansem’s reports, and it’s very hard not to feel that she was cheated in the writing. She and Kairi were certainly cheated by the animators; their run cycle looks ridiculous. On the other hand, Kairi pulling back Riku’s hood is touching, and makes for a good reveal of an identity that most players would have figured out by this point, but is no less satisfying for that.

Every scene with Ansem the Wise in this game just reminds me all over again how incredible Sir Christopher Lee was, and how ridiculous they were to recast while he was still alive. The reveal for Ansem (another identity that should have been obvious by now) is well-handled, and he makes for an unlikely but effective partner for Mickey Mouse to bounce off of. But too much of Ansem’s story - his key turning points as a character - is left for the reports, and for his monologues. And the backstory given in that scene, and those reports, seems to be at odds with both the beginning of KH II and the events of R/R. Ansem speaks of Riku as though the two of them were working together, with knowledge of the other’s identity, for a long time, and yet the dialogue in their scenes in the prologue suggests that DiZ, at least, isn’t sure exactly who his cloaked ally is. And Riku leaving King Mickey because “Xehanort’s Heartless was still inside his heart, troubling him” seems to negate the growth Riku had in R/R. Just having Riku and Mickey get separated involuntarily would’ve been fine, I think.

I didn’t remember KH II vanilla engaging in any sequel baiting outside of the secret ending, but there is at least one line of dialogue that does so: “you don’t look like half the hero the others were.” Compared to later entries in the series, it’s a minor and innocuous tease, and if this were the end of the series, one could always justify it by assuming Xigbar was referring to the unnamed and distant Keyblade wielders that Triton alluded to in KH I. The scenes surrounding the boss battle with Xigbar are largely solid, with a fantastic reintroduction for Maleficent, great material for Kairi, and a pretty fun fight in its own right. Sora and Kairi finally reuniting is a very sweet moment - not just in the scene itself, where they embrace, but in the little details following. Kairi’s dialogue box remarking on how Sora kept her charm comes to mind (and made me doubly happy that I stick with Oathkeepr.) Kairi being the one to bring Sora and Riku back together is a wonderful idea too, though I’m one of those people who finds Sora’s reaction a little forced. I wouldn’t say it’s any more overdone than, say, the fake-out with Goofy in Hollow Bastion, but it is a bit much.

Where this section of TWTNW starts to slip up a bit is in its determination to keep the player from ever having Sora, Riku, and Kairi together in a party. How and why various characters don’t fight alongside Sora in this game is often arbitrary, and I think it’s probably impossible to avoid a few forced choices in a game this long, but it really is absurd to never put that trio together for a battle. If you check in with Kairi whenever there’s a chance to pull up dialogue boxes, you’ll get lines that all say more or less the same thing: she wants to be involved in the action from now on and be at Sora’s side in danger. This is why she’s a character that I get upset for, rather than at, because the writers take the pains to establish her as someone with the desire and the will to be an active participant in the adventure (and, apparently, the ability - she gets the hang of that Keyblade pretty quickly), and then force these circumstances that deny her the opportunity.

Having said that, the two boss battles leading up to Xemnas are...what they are. I can’t say there’s anything wrong with them, but they aren’t my favorites. To the extent that I have memories of Luxord from the first time I played this game, I’m pretty sure I disliked him, just for how hard I found it to get the timing right on his games. Saix is a fair challenge, but a little tedious IMO. His fight also leads into one of the most ridiculous moments for Sora in the game - his not remembering that he became a Heartless. Y’know, that pivotal moment in the first game, the choice he made himself for the sake of others that he was then rescued from by Kairi, and discussed with her after the fact as solemnly as two young teenagers could. Anybody could forget that.

But those fights, and the Organization’s graveyard, do bring me back to why I’m glad Axel wasn’t killed off early. Because this is the point in the game where I realized, back in the day, that Organization XIII is kind of pathetic. And I don’t mean that as a point against them as villains, or against the game. What I mean is - if you ignore the bullshit pulled by DDD and just take KH II on its own terms, the Organizers are ultimately little more than glorified Dusks, devoid of real emotions or conscience, aware of everything they’ve lost along with their hearts but careless towards the suffering they cause in an effort to reclaim those hearts that is, in the end, futile. The members’ own self-serving and predatory natures damages the Organization almost as much as the efforts of the heroes, and by the time Sora appears to clean up the mess, the Organization is already on its last legs. Axel’s attempts to get Roxas back by baiting Sora with Kairi - a ridiculous and ill-thought plan - is the whole Organization writ small, and offers a good preview for their own fate. And it’s another reason why I never wanted or needed more information about any of the Organizers as individuals than what we got. Going just off of KH II (and CoM), there wasn’t much left to any of them, and that seemed part of the point.

That Organization XIII is such a hollow, empty, and doomed shell gives the villains some pathos - a more earned degree of pathos than DDD and KH III would attempt to provide them - but it also means that the heavy-handedness of Xemnas’s dialogue isn’t necessary. A fair amount of what he was saying is self-evident. I also find it bothersome that no one calls him out on exactly what the Organization’s plan was, and that the person who gets the closest is Riku - not Sora, the character who had a much less wordy but far more impactful verbal exchange with Ansem SoD in the last game that expressed the contrast between knowledge and wisdom beautifully. That can’t be said for KH II; as I said, that bit of dialogue before the first Xemnas fight, and Xemnas’s conversation with Ansem are over-written. But they aren’t terrible either.

The events leading up to that first fight with Xemnas have many great moments. The image of Nobodies dancing in a shower of hearts is genuinely creepy. Ansem’s farewell to King Mickey is touching, and offers yet another effective character sacrifice that should have been permanent. And the final scene for Maleficent and Pete is fantastic. But Riku seems to be treated by the game - certainly by Ansem the Wise - as the group leader once he gets his body back, and I’m not sure how I feel about that. He was a crucial figure “behind the scenes,” as it were, in reviving Sora and sounding alarm bells. But Sora is the one who’s at the point of action, rescuing worlds from Heartless and Nobodies, and taking out the majority of Organization members. He’s the one who’s been used by the Organization to do their dirty work, the one who fought his way to the castle to save the others and, not unimportantly, the one we play as throughout the entire game. He’s also arguably the person most owed an explanation for what happened over the past year. I can’t necessarily fault KH II for that - it isn’t as though they have time to sit down and regale him with details about the events of CoM. It’s more a failing of later games that he never gets appraised. But that he, and everyone else, just seem to fall in line, and that Riku’s the one who knows what to do (not that it isn’t obvious)...I just don’t know.

I left off right before stepping into the final door, so this playthrough’s not over yet. But next time, we won’t be looking at the finale of KH II, or finally getting into my assessment of Roxas. There’s a Final Mix out there for this game I’ve never gotten to play, and it’s about time I took a look at everything they added...

#z's crits #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts 2 #critique #commentary

[ravenaveira]

OK I just need to go off about KH3 again

Im sorry your probably gonna be seeing alot of these posts because I am friggin PISSED and no Im not saying this ONE THING ruined the game for me or that the game is bad thats not my intention I personally gave the game a 8.9 so clearly I enjoyed it I just didnt enjoy THIS shit

The romance between Sora and Kairi omg its just SO BAD it makes my danm blood boil because it didnt HAVE to be this bad but you wanna know why it was so bad this game and worse than any other game in the franchise?

Because Kairi was off the island

You heard me right, Kairi being off the island and put onto the battlefield destroyed this relationship for good and turned it into the biggest friggin joke its ever been when before there were actually some decent moments between them but this? this was downright laughable and so forced it felt like Sora was being held hostage and forced to say and do the BS that he was and it just felt uncomfortable to watch

Like him saying ‘Im strong with you Kairi’ which apparently in JPN he said ‘your strong Kairi’ which somehow makes it better to some people but bruh both are equally bad and equally laughable because neither of them are true

Kairi’s not strong and never has been, Kairi is just a love interest and has never been anything else from the moment she was introduced all she was is Sora’s love interest and that was literally all there was and all there still is to her character

Oh well without Kairi Sora wouldnt be alive she was the only thing keeping him tethered to the real world and lit his way back

So tf what? she deserves a friggin medal because she ‘believed’ ? dont make me laugh, wow Kairi’s one big moment of use was just ‘believeing’ in Sora which literally every single other character does but when Kairi does it suddenly its the biggest contribution anyone could give her because thats literally ALL she did so yea bravo Kairi, you believed

And then everybody proceeded to nearly get bodied all over again xD nice save Kairi, you literally almost made everyone die TWICE

Know who ACTUALLY did something to stop it a second time? Namine, Lingering will, The past keyblade masters, Yen Sid, those are the ones who actually DID something that made a difference and ACTUALLY kept them alive this time

Kairi literally barely kept him alive, brought him back to the light, just for him to nearly die all over again and her whole role ends up being a total failure that changed NOTHING

So yeah congratulations, her biggest moment amounted to nothing

Oh and dont get me started on that stupid hug Sora gave Kairi when she was about to get struck down by Terranort

Bruh dont give me that ‘he was moving too fast’ or some crap like that so he only had time to do that, BULLSHIT did you SEE how fast Aqua came at Riku in the ROD? Sora managed to get between them and shield Riku with his keyblade in literal seconds, but with Kairi he just hugs her?

You see now why I say this ship is laughable in this game and forced af? that made no danm sense, even if he would of pushed her out of the way it would of made more sense then just friggin hugging her as if thats really gonna stop anything

Bruh Sora and Riku had a more believable romantic moment in that entire ROD moment with Riku saying Sora’s name and then Sora appears to help him save the day and they summon a friggin rainbow keyblade, and then Aqua is about to friggin body Riku with literally only seconds to react Sora manages to protect him

Now I’ve seen people try to argue well everybody really was useless or needed saving in this game so its not just Kairi

BULLSHIT and lemme tell you why

Yea its true people like Riku and Mickey who are far more experienced still struggled and needed saving but guess what? they were DOING something, they held their own they didnt just friggin stand there they put up a danm fight and DID something that actually CONTRIBUTED

I mean bruh Riku and Mickey were literally fighting by themselves at the end of the game against THREE PEOPLE, again BY THEMSELVES holdin their own while everybody else had atleast 1 person helpin them, Aqua with Ventus and Kairi with Lea but Riku and Mickey? solo and doin the danm thing idc if they eventually get defeated or knocked out or struggle alot the point is their DOING something or atleast friggin TRIED to do something

Aqua gets roasted alot too but we’ve seen what she can do in BBS, she held her own and even fought and beat Vanitas, again even if she eventually was defeated or knocked out etc like her Vanitas fight in KH3 again she friggin TRIED and friggin DID something

Ventus got bodied but again we’ve seen what he could do in BBS and Ventus is no pushover, he unfroze himself with sheer will power and his glare was enough to give Xigbar [now Luxu] PTSD everytime he sees him or someone who reminds him of him, he too took on Vanitas and tied even though he didnt WIN he didnt lose either so his performance against Terranort in this game I agree was underwhelming but understandable given thats still his friend but he still did something in the end and wasnt totally useless

People raggin on Lea need to STOP because its thanks to him Kairi didnt get friggin smacked down early on because he took the danm hit for her and got sent flying instead of her defending her danm self

Keep in mind Kairi and Lea got the EXACT SAME TRAINING and even HE reacted with common sense but Kairi? even AFTER SEEING Lea get sent flying after defending her that STILL didnt make her defend herself and she just friggin STOOD THERE

Or how about when both Kairi and Sora got knocked back and Lea literally fought Saix and Xion and Xemnas BY HIMSELF to protect them

Gtf outta here man and put some respect on Leas name because he DANM sure deserves it for all the crap he took from Xemnas and the utter disrespect of having his keyblade I assume broken or damaged, being shot by multiple lasers AND having his hand stomped on by Xemnas this man was still TRYING even with all odds against him and being clearly outmatched he still TRIED

Meanwhile Kairi just gets her arm grabbed, I wanna make this very clear

She is not lifted off the ground like Sora was with young Xehanort, she was not pinned to the ground, she was not backed into a wall, she did not have both arms forced behind her back NO

Her feet are planted firmly on the ground, she has one arm being pulled above her head but she has another free arm which may not be her dominant arm but is still better than having none and she does NOTHING

She doesnt try to get her other arm free from him

She doesnt struggle or pull away from him

She doesnt try to turn around to lessen the pain of her arm being pulled behind her

She doesnt stomp on his foot to try and get him to loosen his grip on her to give her a chance to break free

Know who was in a similar situation and handled it way better with no battle experience?

So dont tell me it wasnt friggin possible for her to do anything in that situation because thats utter bullshit and you know it, Kairi didnt even STRUGGLE she didnt even TRY to get free

She used her free arm to reach out for Sora to ‘save’ her though, but not to even attempt to free herself

Yet THIS is who people are hoping is the main playable character next game to go rescue Sora?

Girl couldnt even save herself yet yall think she can rescue Sora? what a joke but unfortunately some people are actually serious about this and actually want a playable Kairi after this travesty of a performance

Before yall had good arguments, Kairi WAS inexperienced and she DIDNT have any battle training so she really COULDNT contribute or do much but that all changed in KH3, now she DOES have the SKILLS and the TRAINING and the means to be able to contribute and DO something and theres absolutely no more excuses why she shouldnt

Kairi says herself, this time I’ll fight too, this time its my turn to protect you

And when she fiiiiiiinally gets the chance to do all that, everything the fandom has wanted and waited years for her to finally be able to do, this is what she does

THIS is Kairi off the island, THIS is battle ready Kairi, THIS is Kairi DOING something and by doing something I mean NOTHING but getting in the way like Sora said years ago when he left her back on the island which now makes total sense because this is what happens when Kairi goes with Sora to the battlefield

Now we know what Kairi is truly capable of if you give her a weapon and the training to use it, absolutely nothing

And people actually want playable Kairi next game xD

Honestly I somewhat blame the fandom for this because I wouldnt be surprised if Nomura tried giving her a more active role because the fandom desperately wanted this for years and I guess this was his attempt at throwin them a bone but to be perfectly honest? he should have just left her ass on the island atleast then she had an EXCUSE to be useless but because he tried to give the people what they wanted and actually gave Kairi combat skills he just made Kairi 100% justifiably hateable now and I am so glad to see more people finally turn on this chick because the excuses for her has finally run out and its about danm time she got the hate she deserves because Sora deserved better

I think thats the part that hurts the most, I can accept Sora dying but its HOW he died that I cant accept and do you even need to guess how it was? thats right, saving Kairi

Seriously FDB

Listen Nomura, you tried and failed miserably, its time to stop, seriously, its time to stop, Kairi had her chance and she blew it and now its time to let it go and bench her ass on the island like you been doing out of everybodys danm way and leave the rescuing of Sora to Riku and everyone else who is actually of some danm use and knows wtf they are doing

Kairi can just stay on the island and ‘believe’ since thats apparently all shes good at doing, let her just ‘believe’ that Sora will come back while Riku and everyone else actually do the work of getting him back and she just be there to greet him when hes back

Im hoping the secret ending is hinting at us playing as Riku trying to save Sora because Im all for that, but if they really try to shoe horn playable Kairi in after all the negative reaction from this game Im not saying I wont play it but it will definitely make the game unenjoyable if majority of it has you playing as someone you strongly dislike instead of Riku whos actually a pretty popular and beloved character amongst majority of the fandom while Kairi is descending to one of the most disliked

So Im hoping Nomura has learned from this and just doesnt even try with Kairi anymore, just stop it

This game would have been so much better if he’d just manned up and took the risk and just abandoned Kairi in this game by letting her actually STAY dead and Sora accepts this and moves on [of course over time not instantly] but with the help of Riku and everyone else by his side Sora’s able to move forward and live on keeping Kairi in his heart forever and at the end instead of what we got hes just sitting on the beach watching the sunset while everyone else is playing and he takes out and looks at Kairi’s charm remembering how he didnt get to give it back to her this time but then all of a sudden a paopu fruit washes up near his feet which is unusual but he picks it up and as he does notices something in the distance but is blinded by the sun but he can vaguely see Kairi before she fades away, similar to how Axel saw Xion here

Lets say Kairi is holding the other paopu too, and once she disapears Sora cries for a moment but wipes them away and smiles knowing that Kairi’s still with him, he then proceeds to take a bite of the paopu fruit which would tie in perfectly with the title screen showing Sora with his back turned and a bite taken out of the paopu hes holding

This way Kairi’s importance to Sora is still in tact but shes no longer here to get in the way or need saving AGAIN, her character ends on a high note and Sora grows from the experience realizing that he cant save everybody no matter how hard he tries some people simply cannot be saved and he just has to let them go even if he doesnt want to

But nope, instead Sora dies saving Kairi like in KH1 and its just not sweet, its not even bittersweet, its more of a slap in the face than anything and Sora has zero growth from this, it just changed from Kairi needing saving to Sora needing saving and honestly we JUST saved everybody else and already we have to save ANOTHER person? its just ugh man I cant

Theres plenty more things I didnt like besides this but this is the one thing that pissed me off the most because I never expected it to be THIS bad

Also I know I use Sora and Riku as a comparison alot but that isnt because Im some salty Soriku shipper whos just mad my ship aint canon because honestly I dont give af when it comes to Kingdom hearts pairings I could literally care less about any of them hell Roxas could marry a tree for all I care or form a three way with Ven and Aqua I DONT CARE the only pairing I ever had a problem with is Sokai and thats because of my strong dislike for Kairi more so than the pairing itself and I think Sora deserves better than Kairi so this isnt just some bitter Soriku shipper because like I said I DONT care but I do somewhat ship Soriku, just like I somewhat ship Roxion and RokuNami and some older ships more out there like Sonami or Namitas etc no one cares but you get my point

I dont care about Kingdom hearts for the ships theres far more important things going on than to be worried about some stupid pairing, but Sokai just leaves a bad taste in my mouth everytime its even mentioned

And now no matter what they do with Kairi or Sokai in the future it wouldnt change a thing because after KH3 its irredeemable, the damage is done and theres no undoing it unless you give it one long ass arc like Riku to slowly redeem it but I doubt Nomura cares about the romance and Kairi enough to actually dedicate such an arc for it so yeah the damage is DONE

My bet for next games playable characters, Riku, Aqua, Roxas, Ventus, Xion, those are the only ones who make sense to me since they all have the strongest connection to Sora and are capable fighters and I feel Aqua although not having a strong connection to him like the others she would wanna repay Sora for saving her so thats my bet

If anyone bothered to read this whole thing then lemme know who do you thinks gonna be playable in the next game?

Also if you like Kairi and Sokai thats perfectly fine this isnt to bash the shippers or demanding you dislike it cuz hey to each their own, Im just saying I DONT

#kh3 spoilers #fuck-kh3 ending #fdb-kairi #fuck-sokai #sora deserved better