#being told this by someone who saw himself in xehanort

[goldensunset]

just gonna make myself weirdly emotional about this

#ik it’s probably not intentional or connected or anything i just kiiinda think the vibes are similar #xehanort having been driven to seek out the darkness after everything that happened to him #being told this by someone who saw himself in xehanort #then years later a lifetime later #his heart’s shadow concluding that it was a worthless pursuit #and instructing someone else that he saw himself in to be better and do better #kingdom hearts #mine: kh #just in general ansem’s death scene here makes me cry it’s so bittersweet and the swell of the music is phenomenal

[isan0rt]

I think one thing that really sticks with me in interpreting how Dark Road shapes Xehanort is the fact that Xehanort truly was raised to believe himself to be the only one truly strong enough to do what needs to be done to save the world. An interesting thing I think is to look at the way Xehanort’s apparent perception of Baldr changes after his world tour...but not really the crux of his feelings about Baldr, which is that I truly think he sees Baldr as pathetic, in both senses of the word.

Before the tour, Baldr evokes pathos from Xehanort. He feels sorry for him; he takes the time to leave flowers on his grave, but crucially, does not actually express regret for killing him. What he expresses is that he thinks this is the best outcome for Baldr; 

Xehanort: Baldr... Now you and your sister will always be together. You'll always have the light to share.

Killing Baldr was a mercy, from Xehanort’s perspective. Baldr wasn’t strong enough to handle the Darkness. He wasn’t strong enough to face a world of nuance alone. Not like Xehanort, who is determined to be strong enough. Who was born to be strong enough; who then decides to prove he’s strong enough by removing his armor in the space between worlds. 

Then, there is the comparison between Baldr’s dying words, and what Master of Masters and Xehanort express before and after his world tour:

??????: Let me guess... You thought your heart was strong enough to withstand the darkness in there.

??????: Human emotions are complex. For example, what you feel toward someone you love isn't always good or well-meaning. It can be a false kind of light. Which begs the question: are these messy feelings that emerge from love still light? Or are they darkness?

Baldr’s love for Hoder was a false kind of light. It was one that smothered, one that made her responsible for his well-being. Baldr can’t separate his own feelings from other people’s; his worldview is completely self-absorbed. Other people are having feelings at him; Hoder is there to spread her light at him. He can’t see beyond his own pain and his own needs, and what love he has for Hoder is really about what she can do for him; a love that isn’t good, or well-meaning, but toxic for both of them until it kills them both.

Xehanort knows this. His experience, as Master of Masters asks about, tells him this; he saw first-hand how that false love destroyed both Hoder and Baldr, and their classmates as collateral damage.

Baldr’s last words have this to say:

Baldr: Xehanort... Do you see now? There's them...and there's us. When we find the strength to pursue our goals, they condemn us, insisting that our strength comes from darkness.

Then Xehanort goes on his world tour (and it seems strongly implied that he travels to the future during this time, experiences Dream Drop Distance and Kingdom Hearts 3, and comes back with those memories erased, but changed by the experience);

Xehanort: Those who are weak, and who desire greater power, simply strip the strong of their power, and convince themselves they've earned it. That's how people become tainted by darkness. They believe what they want to believe, using hollow reasons as justification. They repeat this cycle, and their darkness grows.

??????: So you're saying the weak feel the need to justify their actions to maintain a sense of self. Can't let that slide?

Xehanort: No, it's better they be ruled by darkness. People carry delusions of having power, but it's a lie. 

Baldr is the sheep pretending to be a wolf, slaughtering their friends to build his own power through the act. Baldr no longer evokes ‘pathos;’ now, for Xehanort, he is the other definition of ‘pathetic;’ “miserably inadequate, of very low standard.” Xehanort’s opinion is now that Baldr was too weak to handle being weaker than Hoder, being weaker than his classmates, so he killed them all, and pretended that made him strong. He told himself lies about how they were feeling things at him, and how that justified what he chose to do.

Xehanort looks down on him. Xehanort will be better than him. Xehanort is truly strong, he believes; all his life, he’s been practicing control. Managing his own feelings. Keeping them separate from those of others, not allowing them to be tainted by the emotions around him. Being flawless, to be the change he was born to be. He will do what’s necessary to make sure nothing like Baldr can ever happen again, and he won’t let feelings get in the way. It’s the reason for his existence, after all.

What comes next is too important.

#khdr #Xehanort #tbh one of the things I find the most compelling about Xehanort is how ruthless he is #He understands emotions and feels them from others all the time #but he does not let them control him #he's condescending and dismissive of people who do #he looks down on those who let their feelings dictate their actions #I think one thing that's lost in translation in particular is the fact that shaving his head is clearly intended to be read as like #Becoming a Buddhist monk #A symbol of dedication to putting aside his worldly attachments to bring about the end of this world #and the birth of a new balanced world #His final act before beginning his plan in earnest is to cut down Eraqus who is his final worldly attachment #Xehanort as an old man is fully above petty things like crying over his lost friends anymore #He has bigger fish to fry #and he's going to fry them. #kingdom hearts dark road #kingdom hearts

[goldenchocobo]

I’ve Been having a lot of Vanitas thoughts lately, so I thought I’d share here, since I can’t really anywhere else, and they’ve just been bopping around the inside of my head like the DVD logo. Its going to be a mind-vomit ramble because I cannot be concise.

-

First things first; we know Vanitas is Darkness. Not like ‘he’s the manifestation of Ventus’ darkness’. He’s Old-timey Darkness that the Union Leaders fought in UX. This was confirmed in Re:Mind, and double-confirmed in UX:DR. He IS also Ventus’ darkness, but we’ll get back to that.

From what we’ve seen of Vanitas’ past... even for Darkness, he was a weird one. He didn’t stick with the other Darknesses that we saw, and sought out someone weak, not someone who was already kind of edging the darkness like the Foretellers. From what we know of Ventus, he was an ordinary kid who had a hard time making friends and just wanted to be popular. (Vanitas/Darkness said that Ventus wanted power, but didn’t say that he had a lot of darkness is what I’m getting at). And from what he said in DR; he may have wanted to be his own being, instead of a hive-mind like the other Darknesses were/are.

Then he gets stuck inside Ventus’ heart, where I presume that he merged with Ventus’ Darkness, making himself ‘him’. But here’s where I think it gets interesting. Vanitas- when Xehanort rips him away from Ventus- is now something no one’s ever seen before. He’s Darkness with a heart. How do we know he has a heart? 1. Because Xehanort said he took a part of Ventus’ with him, and we can visibly see that in Ventus’ heart station and, 2. He can wield a Keyblade- which a Heart is needed to use in the first place. He can also FEEL. Sure, he can only feel dark/unhappy emotions, but he can feel them. Darkness in its pure form can’t (from my understanding).

Anyway... this puts him at an interesting position. He’s not affiliated with the light, but wants to be his own person- not with the darkness. So where would he go? He still wants to be by/with Ventus- as he said in Re:Mind, and Ventus was open to the idea. This leaves a lot open to his character and his development. Without Xehanort threatening to destroy him if he doesn’t do as he’s told, and with Ventus wanting friendship, what would he do? Would being with Ventus and his friends help him feel whole? does he still want that?

Personally I would love to see his character and motivations explored more. I don’t want him to be buddy-buddy with everyone. I still want him to be a trouble-maker and a thorn in people’s side, but not because “haha I’m darkness I must destroy the light!”, but because he’s trying to figure out who he is, where he fits in, and what to do now. But in the end, I can see him team up with everyone else. Not for them, of course- but for his own reasons.

One last thing I’d like to ramble on about is; since he’s OG Darkness, and MoM’s plan is to destroy him and the 7 other Darknesses that are still around, would Sora and Co defend him? Sora wanted Vanitas to join him, but if he learns of Vanitas’ true origin, would that change? (My guess is no, because that’s a Sora thing to do, he’d want to help Vanitas). Also, Vanitas has run away from MoM and his plans before, would he do it again? That’s one part of his personality I do find interesting. He’s not edgelord Mcgee- ok, design wise, he is 100% no doubt. But personality wise, I think he’s very self preserving. He’ll back down/out when he’s defeated or outnumbered- or doesn’t think he can win. He faced off against all 5 of the Union Leaders with ease, but always ran away when he was defeated by Aqua, and then he ran when he had to face Aqua, Sora and Ventus. With that said, if he was put in a dire position, would he fight alongside ‘friends’ he’s made, or run?

OK- true last thing. I SWEAR! It has been re-iterated time and time again, that within every darkness there is light, even just a small fraction; its still there. Hearts are made up of Light and Darkness, and what you do with them both is up to you; only exception are the PoH, Ventus and Vanitas. But is Vanitas really an exception if what we’ve been told in the past is true? does Vanitas have a light buried deep? I want to know and I hope KH explores it more!!

#Kingdom Hearts #KH #Vanitas #Long post #Ignore me I'm just rambling about a character I find really interesting and a character I really like #I didn't touch upon how I think Vanitas can be an allegory for depression #but that's another can of worms I don't want to touch because I don't know how to put my thoughts and feelings into words #but in short the whole 'I feel empty inside' he spouts and 'Unversed are emotions tied to darkness taken form'

[yume127]

Parallels between Roxas and Ventus

They both went through a zombie stage.

For Ventus, it happened after Xehanort split his heart in half, while Roxas’ was the first days after his birth.

They both ran away from the only home they knew.

Ventus did it to follow Terra, because he was scared of losing him after being taunted by Vanitas.

Roxas did it after he learned what the Organization and Axel had been hiding from him, to go find the truth about himself.

They felt left out by their friends and were both affected by it to the point they even questioned their friendship with them.

Ventus asked Terra and Aqua to bring him with them on their adventures, but they refused and told him to go home, because they didn’t want to put him in harm’s way. He was hurt by it and, after meeting Lea and Isa, he said that “it must be nice knowing who your friends are”.

Axel and Xion both hid important information from Roxas during their time in the Organization, and either avoided him or refused to tell him what was going on, even when he asked them. Roxas noticed it, and even wrote in his diary that he felt left out. During his last mission in Agrabah (Day 354), he asked himself if he still had got any friends he belonged with.

They were seen as pawns by the villain of their game, which were people they originally trusted.

I’m sure Ventus trusted Xehanort when he was his student. Xehanort, though, only saw him as a pawn, a chess piece for his plan. He decided to split Ventus’ heart to forge the X-blade not even knowing if Ventus would survive the split (and he almost didn’t).

Roxas originally trusted the Organization, but they only saw him as a pawn, a puppet only good to follow orders and eventually be turned into a Xehanort. When he was not useful to them anymore, they simply decided to get rid of him.

Both of them had to deal with having important things about themselves being hidden from them, and questioning who/what they are.

Eraqus never wanted Ventus to visit other worlds or to grow stronger because he was afraid about what would have happened if the X-blade was to be forged. When Ventus found out about this, he questioned what he really was and confronted Eraqus to learn the truth.

Axel didn’t want for Roxas to find out he was Sora’s Nobody, because he was afraid that, if Roxas knew about it, he would go away to look for Sora. When Roxas found out what Axel and the Organization had been hiding from him, he questioned who he really was and confronted Axel to learn the truth. Moreover, when he was put into Data Twilight Town and his memories were wiped, DiZ and Riku also tried to keep Roxas from finding out the truth about himself.

They both experienced having someone they trusted trying to hurt them.

In Ventus’ case, two of his masters tried to hurt him. First, Master Xehanort when he tried to split his heart, and for what Xehanort knew that could have killed Ven, and almost did. Then, Eraqus decided Ven should no longer exist because he was scared of what would happen if Ventus and Vanitas merged to create the X-blade, and he would have succeeded had Terra not stopped him.

In Roxas’ case, the Organization decided they would get rid of him after he was no longer useful to them, and sent him to do very difficult missions, hoping he would get defeated. I’m pretty sure Roxas still trusted the Organization when they decided they didn’t need him anymore. He was also attacked by Xion at the end of Days, and Axel at the beginning of KH2 (even if, in Xion’s case, she did it to force Roxas to defeat her. I’m not sure Roxas realized it, though).

They both were told they should not exist.

Eraqus told Ventus he should no longer exist, while DiZ told Roxas he should have never existed. They reacted very differently: when Ventus found out the truth about himself and the X-blade, he believed he shouldn’t exist and even asked his friends to put an end to him, while Roxas fought tooth and nail for his right to exist.

 I’m not sure if the following count as parallels, but I wanted to include them anyway:

While Roxas was born in Twilight Town, it seems like Ventus was originally from Daybreak Town.

They both have a light and darkness motif. It is especially clear in their clothes, which are very similar. Ven’s is probably to represent he and Vanitas, the light and the darkness, while for Roxas is probably because as a Nobody, he’s a being in between light and darkness.

#Roxas and Ventus #roxas #ventus #ven #kingdom hearts #kh #I have a lot of thoughts about them lately #they have so many things in common

[cinnbar-bun]

EPIC OF REMNANT/ EXTRA: KINGDOM HEARTS

A/n: hey! It's one of my pieces for @teenyzines 's Uncharted Worlds zine (please check it out- it's free!)

Summary: After managing to defeat Solomon, Ritsuka is sent to explore a mysterious remnant of a demon god pillar. She's cornered by a mysterious figure, before an unexpected savior shows up.

Crossposted to AO3: here!

She wondered what this world must have been like before it was all incinerated. 

Just as she thought that, Ritsuka pushed it aside and explored the area, finding only dead ends and the material remains of whoever lived here. 

She was truly alone. 

Or at least, she wrongly assumed she was. 

A low chuckle echoed in the darkness and she jumped. 

“Who’s there?” She asked the darkness. 

“Ah… someone from a distant time… a distant place. But that’s no matter. I have something I need to do, and you’re the ‘key,’ Ritsuka Fujimaru,” a male voice answered.

“How do you-” 

“I know plenty of things,” the man responded. He stepped out of the darkness and under the light of a streetlamp. He had spiky, white hair and golden eyes that seemed to glow. “And you’re a ‘Master?’ Correct? That is what that demon told me.” 

Ritsuka shivered under his gaze but tried to remain firm. 

“And if I am?” 

“I’m only asking because I wish for us to join up together as one. It’s my first time being a ‘Servant,’ as you like to call it.” 

Ritsuka could feel the intense energy radiating from him. This Servant didn’t look particularly strong, but his Saint Graph must have been high enough to justify the frightening aura about him. Not to mention, he was working alongside the Demon Gods. 

“Not a chance! You’re my enemy!” 

The man sighed and rolled his eyes boredly. 

“I assumed this would happen,” the man said as he stepped closer to her before grabbing her wrist. “I am Alter Ego, Xehanort. A Beast candidate, on top of that.” 

“Let her go!” Another voice shouted and Ritsuka gasped as she saw three figures seemingly float down to where she was. 

She was confused for a moment at how they looked, with the first being a boy around her age with brown spiky hair and a black outfit. He held a comically large key in his hand and wore a grimace on his face. The second and third figures were an anthropomorphic duck and dog holding a staff and a shield respectively. 

“You three-!” Xehanort growled and the duck angrily stomped around before summoning a barrage of fire at him. Xehanort dragged Ritsuka towards him and leapt out of the way, until the dog with the shield threw his weapon at them. Xehanort retracted his grip on her and she sprawled to the floor, thankful she wasn’t hit by the fast-moving object. The brown-haired boy swiftly stood in front of her, prepared to block Xehanort with his key. 

As if this were a casual meeting, the boy turned to her and smiled. 

“Hey there! I’m Sora. Uh, Saber? I think? I dunno how this works, but I feel that’s the word!” 

“And I’m Donald! Grand Caster!” The duck smirked and chuckled to himself. 

“Gawrsh, I didn’t know you’d be a Grand servant, Donald,” the dog gazed in awe at his friend.

“Nice to meetcha! I’m Goofy, a Shielder!” 

“A Shielder and a Grand Caster servant?” Ritsuka asked in awe. 

“Don’t listen to those animals. The duck is merely a Caster with an above average Saint Graph. You, on the other hand,” Xehanort snarled at Sora. “How the hell are you a Grand Servant?” 

Ritsuka gasped as Sora awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Uh, honestly? I kinda don’t know. One minute I was sleeping and next thing you know I was just here!” Sora shrugged. His carefree demeanor changed back to a serious one as he readied his position once more. “That doesn’t matter though! I’ll beat you again, right here, right now!” 

“Let’s see you try,” Xehanort snapped his finger in response and Ritsuka felt the Demonic Pillar’s energy burst free. Was Xehanort controlling it? What kind of Servant was he? Is that why the Counter Force summoned Sora? 

“You’re on!” Sora shouted before Ritsuka placed her hand on his shoulder. “Wait! Here, let’s form a contract! I’ll help you as much as I can!” She held up her hand and her Command Spells glowed a bright red as the three heroes stretched their hands towards her. 

“A-hyuck! This feels kinda funny, doesn’t it?” Goofy laughed. Donald nodded and waved his staff. 

“Now I really feel like a Grand Caster!” 

“Woah… so I’m a real Servant now?” Sora curiously asked.

“Yep. Follow my lead and we can hopefully get rid of this Demon God.” 

Ritsuka steeled her nerves and shouted commands at her new servants. Xehanort, however, had the power of a Demon God at his disposal and was much sturdier than he looked.

Xehanort summoned a key that looked similar to Sora’s and swung at Sora, who didn’t have enough time to parry his strikes. He teleported behind the Grand Saber and knocked him down with one heavy strike. Goofy tried to stand in front of Donald but before either of them could use their weapons, Xehanort had pushed them back with a flurry of darkness. 

“Now what will you do, Master of Chaldea? All your servants are incapacitated. Will you finally lend me your strength?” 

Ritsuka glared at him and shook her head. 

“I won’t. I won’t ever give myself up to someone like you. Not when I have my friends waiting for me at home!” She stood up and outstretched her arm. “Command Spell: Restore Spirit Origin!” 

“That won’t help you much!” Xehanort smirked manically, readying his weapon. 

“That’s what you think! Gandr!” Ritsuka shouted with all her might. The three servants regained themselves and felt more energized than before, while Xehanort was momentarily paralyzed by Ritsuka’s magic. 

“Sora, unleash your Noble Phantasm. Reinforce All!” She casted a spell and Sora could sense the extra strength within him rising. 

Despite never having done this before, it somehow felt like second nature. 

He closed his eyes and his normal keyblade morphed into a larger red and white key. 

“Donald, Goofy!” He chanted, swiping the Ultima blade on the ground. The Ultima keyblade summoned a heart shaped light, before increasing in size and turning Sora’s outfit white. 

“Step into the light. We’ll line the pieces together, yours and mine. My friends are my power! Ultima Formchange!” 

A large collection of swords burst from the light and rained down upon Xehanort, causing him to scream in agony. Donald and Goofy followed along with their Noble Phantasms and Xehanort crumbled to the ground. 

“Tch- no… this can’t be… how?” Xehanort weakly asked as he was fading into gold sparkles. 

“That’s because the world will never give in to darkness, no matter what. No matter how many dirty tricks you and others like you may pull,” Ritsuka explained.

“Not bad…” Xehanort grinned. 

He couldn’t say another word as he disappeared without a trace. The young Master turned to her servants and gave a tired smile. 

“Thank you guys. Seriously, it was a big help.” 

“Aw shucks, you helped us a bunch, too!” Goofy cheered before he wrapped all of them in a group hug. Ritsuka giggled as Donald cleared his throat. \

“I was the best though, right?” 

“Sure,” Ritsuka jokingly played along. She looked at Sora and ruffled his hair. 

“Hey! I’m not a little kid!” Sora whined, yet he couldn’t help but smile along with her. He was about to celebrate more when the yellow light glowed around all three of them. “Wait, is this goodbye?” 

Ritsuka nodded somberly. 

“You eliminated the Beast-level threat. Your job is complete and you used all your power so… you’ll return to the Throne.” 

“Then how can we meet you again? Can’t you summon us?” Ritsuka looked at him in surprise.

“I could, but since there’s thousands of heroes in the Throne, it might be a while before you ever answer, especially without a catalyst.” 

“A catalyst, huh?” Sora repeated. “Ah! Then take this!” Sora took off his crown-shaped necklace and let it drop in her hands. 

“Really?” Ritsuka gawked at the necklace. 

“Yep! We’re friends now, so I wanna help you more, too!” 

Ritsuka hugged Sora without a second thought. 

“I promise I’ll summon all of you again! I can show you all my friends at Chaldea. You’ll love them!” 

“You better!” Donald threatened in a faux manner. 

“See ya real soon, Ritsuka!” Goofy waved. Ritsuka waved back as the three soon faded into a glorious light. 

She held the necklace tightly against her check and vowed to keep her oath to her new friends.

#kh sora #ritsuka fujimaru #fgo x kh #crossover #zine piece #uncharted worlds #teenyzines #kh zine #zine

[nadziejastar]

i have a many different scenarios Saix could have gotten his scar from but i keep asking around and so far i havent gotten a answer

the most looked upon way is that xemnas gave it to him for his disobedience i guess but i saw a few other ways that were interesting, one of them was maybe he did it himself to never forget about skuld project X the ways im thinking is maybe that could be true but what if Axel actually gave it to him? maybe they were fighting? maybe he wanted Axel to give it to him? maybe not? maybe he did it himself to show xemnas how true he was to the organization idk what are your thoughts? 

i always imagine if xemnas did it xigbar was present when it happen hell maybe xigbar gave it to him for some reason

Well, I have a pretty in-depth theory about Isa’s scar. He still has it when he’s recompleted, so he must’ve gotten it when he was still human, as a kid. I think Xehanort gave the scar to Isa. Branding a vessel with the Recusant’s Sigil seems like something only Xehanort would do. Although Braig may very well have been the one to cut Isa's forehead. Unlike Braig and Eraqus's scars, which are burns caused by darkness, Isa's is definitely a deep cut done with a blade. And Braig's arrowguns are sharp and pointed.

Xemnas: Our experiments creating Heartless were attempts to control the mind, and convince it to renounce its sense of self.

In KH3D, Xemnas mentioned the experiments to Sora. And that’s why I think the quote before their battle was referring to Subject X.

Saïx’s iconic physical feature is his scar--he bears the sigil on his flesh. Did he give it to himself so he could never forget the mystery girl test subject? OR. Is it more likely that he got the scar while he himself was a test subject? IMO, Isa was always meant to be Subject X, before KHUX introduced a LOT of retconning. He received the sigil on his flesh, and that’s also when they began calling him by the name “X”.

Basically, I agree with the theory that the scar was given to him for disobedience. Mostly. A recusant is someone who is disobedient and refuses to submit to authority. In other words, someone who is guilty of insubordination.

Meanwhile, Saïx had no sympathy for her. “You are to discover the identity of the outsider,” he told her. “Those are direct orders from Lord Xemnas. Failure is the same as insubordination. You understand that, don’t you?”

Of course, to Xehanort, failure is the same thing as insubordination. Being a failure is the same thing as being a recusant.

And there’s evidence that Saïx has failed in the past. I doubt Isa’s scar was given to him for outright disobedience. I think it was probably given to him for being a failure.

Day 171: The No. i Project

Xion failed to complete its mission. No. i was among the initial lot, which naturally raises questions about its capabilities. At present, it is nothing short of broken. I cannot fathom why Xemnas would want to keep it.

There’s another meaning of “failure” besides just failing missions. It’s a word used for a defective specimen in an experiment. The initial lot of replicas were considered failures. “Failure” was his go-to insult for Xion. The word seemed to carry a lot of baggage for him, which gave me the impression it was personal.

All the pilot subjects’ hearts collapsed, even those of the most stalwart (the strong ones Xehanort would have truly wanted as his vessels). No treatment was effective. They would been lifeless zombies, then they turned into Heartless. If Xehanort’s goal was to turn them into vessels, no doubt they would have been considered failures. Just like the initial lot of replicas.

After seven days’ observation, she spoke her first words, but could not provide a name. Subject exhibits signs of profound amnesia.

If Isa was originally Subject X, then he was unable to speak for seven days. It seemed like he lost his heart, like the pilot subjects, and he was disposed of beneath the castle in the Chamber of Repose. And that’s why Subject X is there in the KH3 Secret Reports. Of course, Subject X proved to be unique. His heart didn’t collapse. He only suffered mental collapse. So, Xehanort did decide to make him a vessel.

Xehanort: “X”… A most ancient letter. Some say “kye,” but the meaning is the same. Death… A letter that spells endings.

While locked up there, that’s when Isa was branded with the scar. After his flesh bore the sigil, he received the name “X”. It was a name that defined Xehanort’s object. It meant “death”.

Xigbar: The “Chamber of Repose”. If you recall, that’s where we spent our time researching the darkness that resides within people’s hearts. It’s a graveyard that was sealed by order of Ansem the Wise.

The Chamber of Repose is a graveyard–-a resting place for the dead. Subject X’s mind had renounced its sense of self. He was barely lucid and had no memories of his old identity or name. The “X” signified the success of the mind control. Symbolically, it marked him as a living corpse. An empty vessel into which Xehanort’s heart could be implanted.

Of course, I doubt a “failed specimen” like Isa was Xehanort’s idea of an ideal vessel. Terra was a powerful Keyblade wielder and a pupil of Eraqus. And Braig was a sharpshooter and apprentice of Ansem the Wise. Isa was just some random ice cream-loving kid, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But if Isa was the only test subject to be successfully mind-controlled, Xehanort was gonna have to use him. Beggars can’t be choosers.

The name “X” and the brand were to define Xehanort’s “object” as being symbolically dead. I also think they gave the “hollow vessel” purpose. Basically, the scar was the mark of a failure. Isa wasn’t strong and the scar was to signify weakness. Xehanort wanted his new object to know that failure would not be tolerated. This gave him a new purpose, which was to be stronger. Aaaand…that’s my theory of how Isa got his scar.

#kh isa #kh saix #kh subject x

[miss-tc-nova]

Taboo Indulgence - Riku x Reader

Have you ever read any of @lucky0stars YMX x Reader fics? You should. They are amazing! Seriously, check them out. That’s what got me thinking about relationships between GoL and SoD characters. I don’t think I got exactly the dynamic I was hoping for, but without making a gigantic series of this, I probably won’t. So tada!

Also, screw coming up with a title for this!!!

~~~~~

              Nary a noise breaks the silence upon arrival. A canvas of stars stretches across the sky, framing the pale moon that graciously grants its borrowed light. It’s a beautiful night tonight on Radiant Garden; it makes me excited to see him again. I’ve been keeping tabs on him for a while now and finally, after some weeks, I’ve managed to intertwine our paths once again.

              Excitement bursts in my chest when I catch sight of the young man up ahead and my feet swiftly carry me in his direction.

              Breath suspended in my lungs, I stalk towards my prey. His head is bowed, watching the little device in his hand; however, his attention is not entirely employed in the screen. He pauses to glance around but I’m lucky enough to have found cover around the corner of a shop. His walk resumes, as does my stalking.

              Grinning ear to ear, eager to get my hands on him, practically trembling in anticipation, I reach out.

              My fists snag his jacket and the full weight of my body throws both of us back into the dark portal. The second our feet reconnect with solid ground, he rips away from me, retaliating with a keyblade ilms from my skull but never connects. Our eyes meet and his teal eyes shift from fight to something much brighter.

              “What are you doing here?” he says, putting his all into sounding annoyed.

              Smile none perturbed, I hum, “Oh, you know, caught wind that my favorite Guardian was traipsing around Radiant Garden and I just had to have some fun.”

              “How many times have I told you to stay away from me?” Despite our opposition, his guard drops.

              “Nine. And yet you ended our last little rendezvous with ‘Remind me to teach you some manners the next time I see you,’” I say in a rather spot on imitation of him if I do say so myself. “So it seems to me, that you were expecting me to come crashing into your life again, Riku. And who am I to disappoint.”

              Oh, my joy is tremendous in seeing that frown as his words are turned on him.

              He grumbles, “Yeah, well, you still don’t have any manners.”

              “You didn’t like my little sneak attack?” I feign shock.

              “No, otherwise it wouldn’t be called an attack.”

              “Sure it would.” Twirling around, I wave to the peculiar rising falls. “Besides, just look at this view. How could I find someplace so beautiful and not share it? You should be honored.”

              His teal eyes look out at the water. With a sigh, he dismisses his keyblade. “It is pretty; more than it is during the day actually.” I grin but he’s not really having it. “Was there actually something you wanted me for?”

              “No, not really,” I hum, my gaze following the water to the sky.

              When I realize there’s no response, I turn to him. There’s something on his face I’ve only seen glimpses of. Since we met in the Realm of Dreams, Riku’s made a point of keeping me at arm’s length with a serious attitude. I can’t blame him, but now and then, he slips up and shows me someone gentle and almost innocent. However, this is the first time he’s worn that expression while looking at me. It’s almost as if he wants to interact without his usual bite and I find myself now and then hoping that he will.

              And then he realizes I’m watching him and glares.

              “So you just wanted to be annoying.”

              “Aren’t I always annoying you, Riku?” I say with a cheeky shrug.

              “I suppose that is your M.O.,” he mutters. “So what did you get up to since your last ambush in Arendelle?

              “Ah, you know. Some heartless here, some terror over there. The usual.”

              His head shakes. “You’re impossible to understand.”

              “I don’t know why. I’ve been perfectly honest with you.” His skepticism is palpable. “Oh you wound me! How could you ever assume I would lie to you?! Go on, ask me anything.”

              He ponders his opportunity. “What were you doing in Twilight Town last week?”

              I shake my head, hands raised. “Well I can’t tell you that.”

              “You said you’d tell me anything.”

              “No, I said I wouldn’t lie.”

              “Okay, fine. Why do you keep following me?”

              That’s a question I could answer in a heartbeat: it’s fun. But that’s a shallow answer; I know that and I’m fairly certain so does he. Admittedly, his response to my pestering had first marked him as the perfect plaything, but I can’t actually write him down as just a toy—not anymore. Still, I’m not entirely sure what it is that draws my wandering feet back to him. I suppose, if I were being honest with myself, I want to see the person he is when he doesn’t know I’m watching: someone bright in spite of his darkness. I’ve seen his sincerity and perseverance and those are things to be admired, even if we are on opposing sides. Even if I can’t name them all, there are reasons I keep coming back.

              Fuck.

              In lieu of this enlightenment, I find my gaze hitched on his mouth. Sparks flicker in my chest, but I grin nonetheless.

              “Because it’s fun. Don’t you enjoy our little run ins?”

              The instant protest dies on his tongue. “I…I don’t know.”

              That’s not the answer I was expecting, but it spurs the hope growing in me. I decide to start pushing some boundaries. With his guard against me nearly gone, it doesn’t take much to push him up against a rogue stone.

              “That’s not a no,” I say, my eagerness creeping into my voice.

              A blush tints his face. Despite my forwardness, Riku seems more mesmerized than appalled.

              “No…it’s not.”

              My excitement is getting away from me, compelling me to lean closer. “Between the two of us, I believe you’re the peculiar one here.”

              For the first time, he cracks a smile, albeit, something wry. “I’m starting to think so too.”

              “Are you aware of how easy it would be for me to dispose of you in this instant?”

              “I am.” I see the anticipation in the way in his mouth writhes.

              A smirk plays at the corner of my lips. “And you still trust me?”

              My advance halts, his shuddering breath ghosting across my lips. I’ve been at the steering wheel of this rollercoaster relationship, doing whatever pleased me in the heat of the moment; but I won’t take this. No, this is far too important to be stolen on a whim. I need to hear him say it, no matter how my heart flutters.

              “Yes.”

              Relief bleeds into my soul, but at the same time, the madness I’d barely been able to contain ignites. The dread that spreads across his face at my resultant expression is absolutely precious.

              “What a shame.”

              I plunge headlong into my avarice, drowning Riku with me.

              With each kiss, part of me assumes the novelty will weather away—that I’ll finally be content. What a fool I am. I crave more and more with no end in sight. No matter the pressure, the duration, the angle: I simply cannot get enough.

              Riku is barely more than a passenger in this experience, struggling to keep up as I string him along. Of course, what participation he can sneak into my barrage serves as encouragement. When he finally falters though—breaking the kiss to gasp for air—I retaliate. My hand pulls at the silver hair and his lips curl back in a grimace, but he gives me what I want: access to his neck. The moment my lips graze his skin, his body goes rigid. As I trace the muscle with my tongue, I finally seem to be making ground on this greed when I hear his breath stagger. A new wave of eagerness crashes down on me as I take hold just above his shoulder.

              Sufficiently satisfied with the mark left behind, I survey my victim. His brows stitch together but do nothing against the pink tint painted across his cheeks. Even his eyes burn with a hunger I assume matches what I feel.

              I let my hands trail from his hair to cup his face.

              “My, aren’t you just beautiful,” I whisper.

              That shade deepens and, without hesitation, Riku places a hand behind my head to begin another round. This time, he attempts to lead, but my gluttonous response brings him down to my level in a back-and-forth of action and reaction. It’s not quite the vindication of having him a floundering mess beneath me, but I admit, I like the bite he tries to fight back with.

              Suddenly, fingers ensnare my hair, ripping me away from the object of my desire. I can hear him shouting as I’m being led away in pain. When released, I just have time to see the dark portal disappearing, leaving me in the wastelands of the Keyblade Graveyard. I whirl on my attacker with a homicide on my mind.

              I am royally screwed.

              Golden eyes burn with the fury barely contained on the rest of his face. I could’ve lied through my teeth to just about anyone, maybe even the old man himself, but the one person I came here with is the one person who could tear the truth from me.

              “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Just like his expression, anger smolders beneath his words.

              The question is rhetorical; he already knows the answer. Still, I have to say something.

              “What? Didn’t you want him on our side?”

              Xehanort slights his eyes at me. “Are you bringing him to the darkness? Or is he taking you to the light?”

              “Excuse me?!”

              “I trust you. You could damn near kill half our members and I would have your back.” His rein on his composure is slipping. “But this! How could you choose him over us?!”

              “How fucking dare you!”

              “HOW CAN I NOT WHEN I FIND YOU MAKING OUT WITH THE ENEMY?!”

              He has a point, but I can’t admit that. “Please. You of all people know how little a kiss can mean.”

              “So then what did it mean to you?”

              Glaring straight into his eyes, voice low and steady, I answer him. “It meant nothing.”

              “Bullshit.”

              Of all our friends, Xehanort could be the most observant and calculated. He probably saw ages ago what it took me until today to realize. I never had a chance against him.

              “You came here with me to save them.” His bristling smooths out and Xehanort releases all the emotion riled inside. With cold ruthlessness, he looks me dead in eye. “And if I have to, I’ll save you too.”

              I can’t fight him, and I can’t lie to him; I’m just…

              Fucked.

              “Xehanort…”

              “I’ll keep your secret for now.” I won’t be able to get another word in—this conversation is over. “But if I find you with him again, there won’t be any more secrets to keep.”

              Leaving me heartbroken and miserable, Xehanort disappears into a Dark Corridor. I don’t know who I was trying to kid. I told myself a million different things when meeting with Riku—it was just a game, I wanted to screw with him, I was bored—but I wanted to see him because I was interested in him.

              Now I have a choice to make and there’s no one to blame but myself.

#riku #kh riku #riku x reader #gender neutral reader

[rjshepofftheshits]

a further list of things Shepherd has done while a member of organization 13 : Xemnas edition

Shepherd is a valuable associate of the organization, that much is certain despite how I wish it otherwise. She simultaneously holds the positions of chief medical officer ( Now that Vexen is no longer among us) as well as maintaining the castles various systems, such as plumbing, power and defence. However, in spite of this, she is not a true member. Lord xemnas saw fit to "hire" her when he found her in the Distorted City not long after the organizations creation. They have butted heads practically since day one: Shepherd despises the superiors authoritarian nature, offering him little to no respect until she deems he has earned it and flagrantly flaunts the organizations rules . lord Xemnas, for his part, is frequently exasperated by her broad interpretations of orders, her ceaseless swearing and the fact she is usually right.

i write this down now that the time of the original organization has come to a close. i often wondered if Shepherd forgot who signed her checks. or if she knew we'd never have gotten along with out her.

that being said, I also often wonder if Lord Xemnas was feeling well on the day he decided to bring this madwoman into our lives.

here is a list of just a few of shepherds transgressions against the superior.

- Saïx

called lord xemnas "Xem" and "Xemmy" on numerous occasions. Both in reference to him and to his face( side note, I cannot decide if she is brave or foolish. lord xemnas seems to tolerate this but im not sure why.)

shortly after catching her heartless and lord ansem in bed together she refused even the most basic of cooperation with the superior, stating "im not in the mood to meet anything xehanort shaped in the middle. you want a conversation, meet me in the kitchen like a normal person, not those tall ass chairs. im not fucking climbing up there." (for sanity sake, i have cleaned up the excessive profanities in her rant.)

greeted the superior in inappropriate ways such as "whats up mother fucker" and "good morning my fellow yee's and haws"

placed the superior on medical leave following a bout of Norovirus ,place myself and No.2 in charge while he recovered. ( as shepherd is our medical officer she DOES have the authority to remove xemnas as leader on medical grounds, a power lord xemnas himself granted her. no one was happy about this arrangement , least of all No.2, who demanded I write this here as one of her many transgressions)

used her minacry to speak in Lord Xemnas voice. "his" request for "big booty ass bitches" to join the organization did not go down well.

brought a large bottle of vodka to a morning meeting and upon, hearing lord xemnas speak, loudly announced "i'm not nearly drunk enough for this" and took a several swigs from the bottle.( it later turned out to be water. given what had just happened with superiors heartless, lord xemnas decided to let it slide.)

asked if she could use his ethereal blades to toast marshmallows

"Politely" asked lord xemnas "what the unbridled fuck(was he doing/talking about)" on numerous occasions.

Asked lord xemnas to "wrap up" a meeting " before we all die of old age" (side note, i'm glad someone finally said it. the superiors tendency to prattle on is trying at the best of times)

asked that should xemnas die, she be allowed to have his brain to put on her desk.

placed an air horn under the superiors bedroom chair and raised the seating.

brought several emblem heartless into the castle ( a jazz, a nocturn, a rhapsody etc), somehow trained them to chime on command and unleashed a heartless mariachi band outside the superiors bedroom at 2am ( come to think of it, this could have been her heartless, Ellie but I suspect they were in cahoots.)

accused lord xemnas of "acting like a children's pantomime villain" and demanded "her money back " for his poor performance.

threw the leg of a chair through a portal into the realm of darkness, told the superior to "wait" only for it to reappear several months later and cause a minor concussion during a meeting with master xehanort in the gathering place (side note, should I return to the realm of light after this war, I must thank her for that one.)

upon seeing the superior with the young master, xehanort asked if it was "bring your daughter to work day"

interrupted a second meeting in the gathering place to beret xemnas for his poor handling of the dragon he used to face the heroes of light a year or so ago. Shepherd was behind its construction and remained rather fond of the creature. phrases such as "who the fuck taught you to drive" and " xemnas fucked up the castle, thats why ( we all) are meeting in bumfuck nowhere" as well as allusions to the permissiveness of Xemnas' mother were made.

announced that while lord xemnas was "able to fog a mirror, (she) wouldn't call him alive."

As I sit here reading these things, it all seems rather silly. i remember being irritated by her at the time, which in itself is odd. but now? strangely i find myself missing her. she was ,and to a degree still is, a thorn in the superiors side. all things being said however, she certainly made things interesting.

-Saïx

#shepherd #shepherd oc #kh oc #kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts oc #organization 13 #organization 13 oc #shut up shepherd #kh character musings #saix

[psianabel-writes]

Union Leaders & Ava - Reunion

Post KH3 reunion idea, written for day 7 of khuxweek!

[AO3]

______________________________________

Skuld was the first to arrive.

Her journey - long and confusing, but her feet took her here, into this barren, vast land. Red dust got caught in her black coat and long tousled hair, and she had to shield her eyes here and there from the harsh wind howling. 

Her eyes wandered to the rusted keys stuck into the ground. It clenched her heart in a way she couldn’t explain - 

Somewhere deep down lay a calm sea of memories, waiting for the floodgates to open. Yet only droplets managed to gush through, it's been years since she attempted to make sense of it. 

Four friends and a key. That was all.

She reached a crossroad and stopped her walking, taking the sight in. There was something eerie about it, lifeless and barren -

Why was she here, why did her heart tell her to come here? Her mind was always riddled with questions she found no answers to.

And yet she couldn’t shake off the feeling of a deja vu, haunting her, yelling at her she had to remember.

So close. So close, someone just needed the right tool to unlock the gates.

Confused she sat down, holding onto her bent legs as she placed her forehead onto her knees. 

It had to make sense, eventually.

_____________________________________

Ventus hesitated with each step he made.

"Do we really have to be here?" He said nervously, looking around the area before he eventually looked down to Chirithy hopping in front of him.

"Yes. Well, it is the Fated Place after all. It has to be here." Chirithy answered him, continuing to walk straight forward.

Ventus sighed, but he trusted Chirithy and continued as well, though all his senses were on high alert. 

There weren’t many good memories about this place, safe for one after the defeat of Xehanort he couldn't remember anything good about it. This place held too much pain, sadness, and fear - 

It was the place he faced destiny and lost his friends, gave up his life to prevent the X-Blade from coming to action. More than a decade later the keys watched him again fight for destiny, yet this time the outcome was a better one.

He started to wonder what else they saw.

"Oh!" 

Ventus almost tripped over Chirithy as it stopped in its tracks, making him look into the distance when it pointed forward.

"Someone's here!" Chirithy sprinted off and Ventus had to act quickly to run after it.

He slowed down again when he came closer to the young woman sitting on the ground. She flinched, unwrapping her arms from her legs and almost stumbled away from the spot if it weren’t for Chirithy to indicate to calm down.

"Woah sorry, sorry, I didn’t want to startle you…" Ventus pleaded, holding his hands up to confirm his innocence. "My name is Ventus! Call me Ven."

The woman still looked uneasy but slowly lifted herself up and nodded.

"You two know each other." Chirithy said and both looked down to it, confused.

"We … do?" 

"Yes." It gestured with its tiny arms. "You just forgot."

"Oh, huh."

It still felt so unreal to Ventus. This whole thing about a forgotten past. … But his heart felt good about it, and Chirithy was there, too. … It had to be true, right?

"I don't … remember. Not even my name." The woman looked at the ground again. Her expression became sad - and Ventus walked up to her with a small smile.

"Hey, it's okay! We can be friends now."

Immediately her expression softened. A stir of hidden memories let her believe this was the right decision.

"Once the others are here, it will make more sense." 

Chirithy didn’t say more, leaving the two confused as they waited for the time to pass.

________________________________

To say that Elrena was annoyed being here was an understatement. Never ever she wanted to be here, but Lauriam insisted. Insisted to the point that if she didn't want to come with him, she could just leave.

Harsh words to hear for someone who had to live with a heart now she didn't want.

It was confusing, overwhelming. And combined with those hazy memories that started to appear - where else should she go, as to follow Lauriam to make sense of what was going on in her head.

And he was there in those memories. To give up this connection now would be pointless.

"You sure we're supposed to be here?" She asked, having her hands tucked behind her head. "This place is dead."

"The connection." Lauriam mumbled. He didn't spare her a look and continued walking through the red dust. "We've been through this."

"Yeah, yeah."

Elrena simply waved in annoyance. She just wanted to get over with this, the faster they were the quicker she could be gone again. 

Completely disregarding what was happening as her gaze wandered over the lifeless keyblades, she almost didn't notice how Lauriam halted.

"What's now?" She squinted and tilted her head, looking into the distance where Lauriam was looking as well. "Huh? Isn't that the kid from the Organisation?"

Lauriam shook his head. "No, but this is interesting."

He picked up his pace again and Elrena followed right after him, keeping herself short on words for once.

The blond boy and the black haired woman noticed the two newcomers immediately and both were startled by their sudden appearance. Though Ventus was a bit more interested, he hesitated regardless.

"Fate must have brought you here, too." Lauriam started to break the ice, holding his hands to the side to offer peace, just in the right moment before Elrena could have said anything.

Ventus wasn’t convinced. He placed himself in front of his new friend and made himself ready to fight, squinting his eyes. "You're … you're from the Organisation!"

"Yeah and you're one of the Guardians of Light, thanks for the introduction." 

Elrena hissed from behind Lauriam, but he put his arm up to calm her down again, having her let out an annoying sigh. He really didn't want any trouble and did his best to show it. 

He placed his hand over his heart, taking a deep breath. "We're here because our hearts told us to. And you're here, too, so there must be a connection."

Ventus gritted his teeth. He wouldn't allow the Organisation to harm any more - but his eyes fell onto Chirithy, who ended up tucking on his trousers to get its attention.

"Easy. You, too, know each other."

"Huh?" Both Lauriam and Ventus held their gaze.

There was a connection, they could feel it. Somewhere faint down inside them, a bond they couldn't put their fingers on.

They were sure it would make sense eventually.

Skuld stayed silent. Nothing made sense, but if these people came here for the same reason as her, then … 

"Only a few more." Chirithy mumbled, leaving the others in the dark again.

__________________________________

Brain was silent as he stared at the old keyblade stuck into the ground.

It was deliberately put here, he figured as much, and he wanted to question why. Though the words never escaped him, he was sure he would find out in one way or another. 

But … it was his.

The star-shaped ornaments fell off as he grabbed the blade, a faint glowing starting to appear as life filled it once again. A smile played on Brain's face as he inspected his old weapon, feeling the familiar weight and shape in his hands.

After all this time Master's Defender returned back to his first owner.

"Ready?" A voice sounded behind him and Brain glanced over his shoulder to see Master Ava standing there. He sighed and took one last look into the distance before he turned around to her, nodding.

"It will be nice to see everyone again."

Ava twitched her lips, staying silent as she turned around and waved with her hand in front of her, a portal appearing in front of them.

"Then, let's meet them."

Together they stepped into the portal.

__________________________________

All of them shielded their eyes as a bright portal appeared in the very middle of them. Brain and Master Ava stepped out of it before it disappeared as quick as it appeared.

One good look around them made Ava smile, her heart warm as she saw them again. Her eyes landed on Chirithy, nodding to it as it bowed in front of her.

Though, one more was missing. 

"Who … are you?" Ventus was the first to speak, as no one else dared to say something. 

But Brain stepped forward to speak for Master Ava, smiling as he held his arms out. "Don't worry, Ven. It will make sense soon."

"... Huh?" 

With an open mouth he stared at the two, even more confused than before. Though that didn’t last long, as another bright portal appeared to their side and a boy with grey hair stepped through it, his lips forming a bright smile as he laid his eyes onto the group in front of them.

"Made it!" He exclaimed and both Master Ava and Brain shared his enthusiasm.

In between all this, Elrena stepped forward and gestured with her hands her confusion. "Now what the -" Yet before she could finish, Lauriam held her off, urging her to stay silent.

"Ephemer, Brain, Ventus, Lauriam, Skuld, and even Elrena -" Ava looked into the round as she listed each name, interestingly looking at Skuld as she heard her name for the very first time again. The woman held onto her head as memories slowly gushed through, the barrier unable to stop it anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Ava looked at them again, determination in her eyes under her mask.

"It is time for your final role."

#kingdom hearts #khuxweek #khux #KH Skuld #Ventus #Chirithy #Lauriam #Elrena #KH Brain #Master Ava #Ephemer #no i have no idea where Ephemer is please tell me

[phoenix-downer]

Christmas Presence

~1400 words. Contains spoilers for Melody of Memory. SoKai. Sora POV, Kairi POV. Romance, Fluff, Pining, Mutual Pining, Christmas, Christmas Fluff. Merry Christmas everyone! 

Christmas was Sora’s favorite day of the year. The festivities, the gift-giving, the celebrations, the food, the time with friends and family. All of it was special, but especially getting to be with Kairi. The last thing he was gonna do was leave her alone on Christmas Eve. 

There was just one catch. He was sort of dead. Well, not dead, not really, but he sure wasn’t in the Realm of Light. And that would make seeing Kairi kinda difficult. He was still wandering around in some place that was like the Final World, and it was dark. The only light was from the stars. 

At least he hadn’t run into that Yozora guy again. He shuddered and sat down. That was the one downside about trying to contact Kairi. There was a 50/50 shot he might wind up in that strange city again (Quadro-something?), face to face with Yozora, who would no doubt try to “save” (more like kill) him… again.

Still, if he could get through to Kairi, this would be worth it. Never again would he leave her in the lurch. He’d promised. He promised he’d protect her, be there for her. He’d failed her once, and he swore on his life he’d never fail her again.

And yeah, it wasn’t like her life was in danger this time around, but… Christmas was important. He’d already missed too many Christmases, and he didn’t want to miss another one. 

He lay back and closed his eyes, resting her lucky charm over his heart. “Kairi, please, hear my voice.” 

The only way he had a shot at this was if she was currently asleep. It was Christmas Eve though, so maybe she would be. 

This was his one Christmas wish. Surely it wasn’t too much to ask. 

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

Kairi gazed out the window at the stars. Little snowflakes danced in the air as snow fell on the Land of Departure. Christmas Eve felt strange away from home, but it wouldn’t be much of a celebration with Riku still searching for Sora and Sora himself still MIA. 

“Goodnight Kairi!” Aqua called, poking her head in the room. Kairi had been staying here at the castle since her training commenced a few months ago, and Aqua had kindly provided her with her own room. It got a little drafty up here sometimes, but the cozy fireplace in the corner plus a well-placed Fire spell took care of that.

“Merry Christmas,” Kairi replied, then abandoned her perch by the window to climb into bed. Christmas used to be her favorite time of year, but now that Sora was gone…

She huddled under the blankets and sighed. “Sora, what I wouldn’t give to hear your voice. To see your smile and hear your laughter.” 

But that was impossible. She’d sensed his presence a couple of times since he’d first come to her aid in her dream battle against Xehanort, but never once had he been able to speak. Still, it was worth a try. 

“If you can hear me… I’m listening.”

She let her eyes close. In a world without him, she dreamed of him, and he dreamed of her, and that was where, fate allowing, they would meet again.  

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

A huge smile spread across Sora’s face. Kairi was here. She was wandering the Final World, searching for him and calling his name. 

“Kairi!” he cried as he sprang to his feet. Yeah, she couldn’t hear his voice, but her face lit up all the same. She could sense he was here too. 

She paused a few feet away from him, then smiled and spread her arms wide. His body wasn’t really here, but his heart was, and she always let him borrow her body for a little while, much like he’d once sheltered her heart. 

He took a deep breath and called on the connection of their hearts. A moment later, he was materializing around her, able to feel what she felt, see what she saw, hear what she heard. He always tried to be as gentle as possible whenever they did this; she was letting his heart inside her, after all, and it was hard not to be touched by how much she trusted him in order to let that happen.

When the merger was complete, he rested his hand over his heart, moving her arm in the process. Then he hugged himself, giving her the hug he wished he could give her with his own body. 

“I missed you too,” came her voice in his mind. “I was hoping we’d get to meet today. Christmas just isn’t the same without you and Riku around.” 

Ri-ku? Sora signed. Kairi had taught him a few signs from an old book she’d found at the castle on the Land of Departure, and he was able to sort of communicate with her as a result. 

“He’s still looking for you,” Kairi told him. “So it’s me and Aqua and Terra and Ven celebrating together. I hope he has someone to celebrate with. You too.” 

I have you, he signed, and her delightful giggle entered his thoughts. 

“That you do. Thank you for reaching out to me.” 

Want—see—you, he signed, the gestures still awkward for him because he wasn’t used to talking like this yet. But it was worth it, knowing he was able to reach Kairi. 

“I wanted to see you too,” she said. “I’ve been training hard because I have to be ready when you need me. No more weak Kairi holding you back.” 

He shook his head. No. No weak. Kairi… He thought for a moment, then flexed his muscles.

“You really think I’m strong?” she asked softly. 

He nodded. Me, you… He flexed his muscles again. 

“And you feel strong with me.” 

Another nod from him, moving her head.

“You never did stop believing in me,” was her response. “And I won’t ever stop believing in you. Sora, I know we’ll be together again. And if I have anything to say about it… This time, I’ll be the one coming for you.”

He nodded. He wasn’t sure when or how, but he trusted Kairi with his life. 

Feeling a little resistance from her in his right hand, he released his control a little and let her move it to his face.

“Merry Christmas, Sora,” she said, and her words warmed his heart. It would’ve been even better if she could’ve touched his actual face, but this was a pretty good substitute. 

M-e-r-r-y—C-h-r-i-s-t-m-a-s, he signed back. He gently tugged and waited for permission, then brought her hand to his lips and kissed it tenderly. 

Sweet dreams. 

Their time was over; he could feel his connection to her weakening. He could spend every day of the rest of his life with her, and it still wouldn’t be enough. And yet, even being with her for a few fleeting moments in a dream had lifted his spirits more than anything else had in days. 

And that was why he was more determined than ever to see her again with his own two eyes, embrace her with his arms and speak to her with his voice. Nothing else would be enough. 

Then, and only then, would he truly be home. 

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

When Kairi awoke the next morning, the Land of Departure was covered in a blanket of snow. A hearty fire was crackling in the fireplace, and Aqua had set out a mug of hot cocoa for her. Smiling, she reached to grab it when she saw her hand and remembered. 

Sora had kissed her. Just on the hand, but his kiss had felt nice all the same. Her hand was still warm too, like a part of him remained with her even though the dream was over. So she brought her hand to her lips and kissed it too. 

“Thanks again,” she told Sora as she sipped her hot cocoa. “That was the nicest Christmas gift I could ask for. You, here with me.” She grinned. “Not a Christmas present so much as a Christmas presence, am I right?”

He always did like silly puns, and she knew he’d be chuckling right now. 

“Seriously though,” she said, “Merry Christmas. Next year, we’ll get to spend it together in person, I just know it.” 

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

A/N: This fic is dedicated to Tegan, as it was recently her birthday! Happy Belated Birthday Tegan! And thank you for reading everyone! Merry Christmas! 

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokai #sora #kairi #melody of memory #melody of memory spoilers #kh mom #kh mom spoilers #sora x kairi #sora/kairi #phoenix downer #phoenix writes #post-canon #long post #romance #fluff #pining #mutual pining #christmas #christmas fluff #merry christmas #merry christmas! #pov sora #pov kairi

[goldensunset]

Hey. Pspsps.

I don't 100% know who your favorite characters are.

If I asked you to pick one and go ham telling me about them, would you?

*grabs you* ok today i’m gonna change it up and talk about a pair of characters i don’t usually talk about

loooong story short (i'll dm you the story if you want or something) roxas and xion were the reason i got into the kh franchise. their story and their unique indescribable connection to our wonderful protagonist singlehandedly took me from the mindset of 'haha kh is a dumb wacky disney fanfiction' to 'this is genuinely a stunning and heartwrenching piece of media full of so much honest and serious emotion and love and i'm insane now'

here's a boy who was never meant to exist, a mistake, someone who doesn't even possess the full capability to experience emotions, someone who's just the inferior resentful shadow of another who needs to die so that the precious original can come back. but he wasn't gonna take that lying down he fought tooth and nail until the bitter end against his fate and defiantly proclaimed that he was human and he was himself and yet it was all in vain. but it still mattered. it mattered to us and it mattered to those who knew him. the love was there even if it couldn't save him it still mattered.

meanwhile, here's a girl who's just a patchwork mess of pieces of other people. a clone of both sora and roxas, meant as a backup vessel for xehanort, wielding what used to be riku's key, having accidentally absorbed select memories of kairi from the magic naminé wove. it's a miracle she exists at all. does she exist at all? she was an 'it', an empty thing designed to mimic the fighting capabilities of another, who gradually started absorbing that other's memories of some girl until it subconsciously tricked itself into thinking it was that girl. suddenly 'it' became 'she.' but she had her own life experiences and therefore was not that girl but someone new entirely. what exactly did her mind look like? what did it feel like to be her? her mind was just a fragment of sora's mind and she didn't even know who he was. the insane headaches and crises that came free with her very existence drove her to seek answers and eventually made her realize she shouldn't even be alive.

but she was so brave. she was so so brave and resolute and made the firm decision to sacrifice herself for the greater good even though she should've never had to. it was the only agency she had and she took hold of it. she knew there was never any hope for her but she at least wanted something good to come out of her demise. roxas didn't really have that same agency even though he seems more proactive as a character at first glance. roxas fought and fought but was constantly being dragged here and there by the narrative up until the end. he fought his fate and xion accepted hers and they both met the same tragic end.

in kh2fm we saw what was left of roxas, angrily fighting back inside of sora. he was full of hate and anger and who can blame him? he should've won. he was stronger. almost. but victory eluded him once more. it was all for nothing and roxas faded again and sora was so confused and full of sadness he didn't even understand.

then in ddd we again saw roxas within sora's mindscape, but that time he was so so different. that time he was calm and smiling and gentle. roxas had surrendered. but sora told him what we'd all been wanting to tell him- he was his own person and deserved to be treated as such. to which roxas said like the best line in the series: 'sora, see? that's why it has to be you.'

roxas wanted things his way, he wanted his own life, he was bitter and sick of people telling him he had to make sacrifices for others. roxas would've gotten rid of others for his own sake. meanwhile sora had always been intensely loving and selfless. sora was always reaching out to people, seeing the light and humanity in them, caring about them. i'm not saying roxas was bad for wanting to live or that sora's insane constant self-sacrificial behavior isn't deeply worrying but the point here is: sora was the hero roxas wasn't.

roxas recognized this. that's why it had to be sora. if it was the other way around, roxas wouldn't have had the strength to be the person sora was. he would've never surrendered on his own. he had to be forced to surrender and then spend time within sora's heart to begin to understand him and to begin to love him.

roxas resented sora because roxas had to be sacrificed in his name. he didn't want to die to save someone he didn't even know who was apparently his real self and the only person who mattered. roxas was sick of hearing about him. but then once roxas met him he couldn't help but love him too. both because sora is just that easy to love, and because something in roxas resonated with- well, his other. that was him and that wasn't him and that was who he used to be and that was who he would be and they each held a piece of each other within them and even though they were their own people they would obviously be forever linked.

the bond that was created between sora and roxas transcends anything i really even have the language to say. or anyone who speaks this language to say. or possibly anyone in existence. that's self love and love of another in one. they're part of each other. i'm really normal about it

#*lies down* #roxas #sora #xion #kingdom hearts #mine: kh #hough. posts written while looping various versions of xion's theme #asks #stresslitzia

[zeroth-writes]

Hello! I saw KH3 requests were open! Do you think you could write some angst for Ventus, Aqua, and Terra? Since they were essentially away for nearly a decade and hadn't aged a day, I thought that when they come back to their partner they grew older/moved on? (Thought it would be especially angsty with Ven because he'd still be a kid and his partner is now an adult, so they wouldn't be able to be together anymore..) It can be in whatever format is easiest for you! ^^

masterlist | request

Prompt:  "  Hello! I saw KH3 requests were open! Do you think you could write some  angst for Ventus, Aqua, and Terra? Since they were essentially away for  nearly a decade and hadn't aged a day, I thought that when they come  back to their partner they grew older/moved on? (Thought it would be  especially angsty with Ven because he'd still be a kid and his partner  is now an adult, so they wouldn't be able to be together anymore..) It  can be in whatever format is easiest for you! ^^  “

Pairing: Wayfinder Trio x Reader

Summary:

Aqua

It wasn’t long after Aqua was released by the darkness   that she contacted you. Needless to saw you were surprised to see her name appear on your phone screen. Before you answered you truthfully thought it was some kind of prank. That some jerk decided to bring back someone from your past, that still pains you to think about. However after answering, your were surprised and happy to hear Aqua’s voice on the other end.

Walking up to the cafe she invited you to yesterday, you did your best to hide the ring placed on your left hand, however you knew Aqua noticed it the moment she saw you. A small part of you contemplated removing the ring before showing up, However you knew the idea was ridiculous.

“Hello y/n.” Hearing her say your name along with see her face filled you with a rush of suppressed emotions. Suddenly you were brought back to 9 years ago. Celebrating what would have been your one year anniversary alone, without hearing from your other-half for 6 months.

Looking back up at Aqua’s smile face, you pushed away all the sorrowful thoughts and replaced them with a burst of joyful memories. She motioned to the empty seat next to her.

For the next hour the two of you eat and talked. She talked about what happened to her and what it was like in the darkness. While you talked about everything you did in the past 10 years. You told her about graduating and moving on to your job and living on your own. “Are you going to tell me about them?” You gave her a confused look which quickly changed into a mortified look when she motioned to your left hand.

“Aqua I..” You tried to finish your sentence, but you were stopped by Aqua herself by placing a hand gently on your shoulder. “I understand, You moved on. I left you for a decade. I didn’t fully expect you to wait for me. Just know that I’m happy for you. Anyone who gets to be with you in lucky.” Silently you thanked her with a nod

As you watched your former partner walk away you could feel a small part of your heart breaking. Every crack was a other voice in your head yelling at you to go after her. To get back what was ripped away all those years ago. You glance down at your ring before turning away and let out exhale wondering if you make the right decision.

Terra

It’s been nearly 3 months since Terra got control himself back. Yet he hasn’t made an effort to contact you. Before being taken over by Xehanort, you were all he could talk about. Now, when someone would mention your name Terra would immediately  change the subject. Aqua and Ventus even ask questions about you. “I wonder how y/n is doing”, “It’s been so long since we’ve seen them.” Like all the other attempts, it was only met with silence. However over the last few days, They started becoming more aggressive in their attempt to get him to see you again.

Their latest attempted, they hoped would be the last, was to bring you directly to him. While Terra was train along side Ventus, Aqua set off to get you.

On your way to finally see Terra you could feel the initial joy slowly turn into nervousness. You were told how long Terra was back, so why did he want to see you? “He’s going to be happy, I promise” You gave her a smile and a nod as you try to listen to her words.

“Terra?” The moment he hears your voice everything seems to stop around him, including himself. He wanted to walk away and not face you, He wanted to be able to walk away from the inevitable confrontation that plagued him for months. Yet he stood there. “Terra.” You call out his name again as you start walking towards him. Once directly behind him, you pause for a moment before bringing your hand up and gently place it on his shoulder.

Terra let out an long sigh before finally turning around to face you. The moment your eyes met you could tears start to collect. You wanted to run to him and give him all the kisses and hugs you’ve kept bottled up for years. However you remembered the other two still still within sight. As if on cue, Aqua began walking back toward the castle dragging a confused Ventus behind.

“Why didn’t you want to see me?” Immediately Terra went from looking at the ground to staring at you. He shook his head “I wanted too! I was just afraid. I did terrible things while I was under Xehanort’s control. I didn’t want you to hate me.” Hearing the sadness in his voice you carefully reach for then grab his hand. “You said it yourself, He was controlling you. There was nothing for you to do. Besides, I could never hate you.” You gave him a comforting smile, which he returned.

For what seemed by forever, the two of you talked. Being with him like this, you felt as if no time was lost between you. Once the sun began to set

“I need to find myself y/n. Become the Keyblade master I always dreamed of. Get use to the worlds again.” Staring at him you though of something to say, but you could only nod. “I’m glad you could understand.” You shared one more smile then the two of you went your separate ways.

Ventus

The first thing Ventus wanted to do when he woke up was it find you. After dealing with the evils, that is exactly what he did. While both Aqua and Terra attempt to warm him about the newly formed age gape and the possibility of you finding someone else. Ventus could only shake his head while mumbling “They would never do that to me.”

As he got closer   to the last place you lived  he could feel the excitement rise within him.  While he walked he could picture the look on your face when you see him for the first time in nearly ten years, he could almost smell the perfume that you always wore embrace him as he feels your arms wrap around him as you give him a warm hug.

Sitting outside tending to flowers, focused on plants in front of you. When you heard a vaguely familiar voice call your name you jump. Your eyes widened and hands flew to cover your mouth as you see the face of a man you haven’t seen in nearly 10 years.

The moment you got up with your arms opening up, Ventus   instantly   ran into them. While you couldn’t see them, you could feel his tears wetting your shirt. After pulling away from the hug Ventus tells you about what happened 10 years.ago. While he was explaining to you why he left you noticed your vision getting blurry. You were wiping your tears when you heard Ventus say “We can be together again, Go back to the way things were.”

“Ventus, I’m sorry.” You could feel your heart break as the smile he wore faded into a sad and confused look. “We can’t be together. You’re 15 and I’m 26.” But. I...” His sentence ending with  groan as he let his head fall along with his hands.

You place a hand on his shoulder, causing him to look up at you with tears filling his eyes. “It’s not forever, We can keep in touch and get to know each other all over again. Ventus glanced back down at the ground then gave you a small nod before turning around and walks back the way he came. Standing at the end of your driveway he turned around to get one last look “But, I love you.”

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts imagines #kingdom hearts x reader #aqua #aqua imagine #aqua x reader #terra #terra imagine #terra x reader #ventus #ventus imagine #ventus x reader #requested

[razorblade180]

Nothing to worry about

After many, many attempts to decode the data to find Sora, Riku was spent. A thought came to him that maybe if he messed with data with the difficulties all the way up, then something might change. It had to be his third day screwing up on the same attacks over and over again. He didn’t remember fighting the organization to be this hard! Riku was a prideful guy that managed to beat most of them but enough was enough! He had been stuck on one obstacle for far too long and his hands hurt from hitting the wall the one time he rage quit. It was time to bring in backup, and he knew just the people…

Xion:You want me to want?

Riku:Beat data Xion for me. You’re too strong.

Roxas:It’s a computer…

Axel:Dude, you don’t get to say that when you smash computers instead of pressing keys.

Saix:You What?

Riku:Focus!!! I called you specifically because you’ve fought Xion, fought Sora, and some of you have done both while technically being connected to Sora; so you know how to play him well.

Axel:I feel like you’re missing people.

Riku:People are busy. You are the only ones that are still around a lot.

Xion:Am I really that tough?

Riku:Painfully.

Xion:Hmmm. I’m not sure how I feel about fighting myself. Something about it feels...depressing.

Axel:I’ll do it. I’m great at games! Plus we’ve fought a bunch of times! I know your moves.

Xion:But you lost…

Axel:Still learned them! *sits down* Watch the master!

That was the statement he made. It’s been three hours since Axel had that confidence. Now he was face down on the bed in the committee room along with Riku. If he heard “why do you fight” one more time, he’d lose his mind.

Axel:Since when do you bounce around like a ball of light!?

Roxas:Why are you surprised? I do it all the time.

Axel:I don’t even understand how you do it!!!

Saix:I can’t believe you didn’t even get half health.

Axel:Think you can do better!?

Saix:Nope, but I won’t act like I can to look cool. Xion, I’ve never seen you do half of the things that program does. Is it an exaggeration or…?

Xion:No, it’s possible. Doing all of that just makes me tired.

Saix:...(I never stood a chance in that graveyard. Then again I try not to go full berserk for the same reason.)

Roxas:My turn! I’m not exactly thrilled about fighting any version of you but helping Sora is the goal here. I just hope Cid didn’t program all of your armors. Not a big fan of the second one or you being the size of the central station tower.

Xion:*red* Hehehe...yeah that was pretty wild.

RAS:You can do what…?”

The change of players was getting better results. Roxas was in his third attempt when he started getting a good rhythm. Watching Axel helped, but there was something else. A weird six sense. Riku was right about him controlling Sora, it felt natural. Battling data Xion was the same. The way he predicted her movements were scarily good.

Axel:Wow, look at you go.

Roxas:Sssshhh, I need focus. I wanna do this as fast as possible. It might be data but hurting Xion feels wrong.

Xion:*red* Roxas…

The man makes it to the desperation move. It’s the second time he’s made it here and he wished data Xion had the armors instead! He didn’t last long before another game over screen. Everyone groaned while Roxas rested his head on the wooden desk.

Roxas:Gah! I can’t even begin to understand those patterns. Your columns of light move way too wildly!

Riku:I hate the fact that if you recover from a strike raid then the next one is delayed to change your rhythm! Why are you so smart Xion?

Xion:Sora does that too. It’s how to survive relentless attacks sometimes. I’ve told you all the timing so-

Roxas:Xion, I really don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable, but you might as well grab the controller. The only person who knows you, is you.

Xion:And Ven, and Namine, you, Sora, Kai- fine I’ll give it a try!

Riku:Thank you.

Xion died immediately going into the fight. All eyes looked at her in disbelief as her face got red.

Xion:I wasn’t ready! Let me get a few warm up rounds in! I have never done anything like this. Roxas, can you go back to Twilight Town and get a small white bag in the usual spot?

Roxas:Okay.

A few warm up rounds turned into a dozen. Riku even saw her scroll through the settings once or twice. Then she wouldn’t do the fight right away. Instead she’d press bottoms to see how Sora reacted and fast. He didn’t want to be antsy but a piece of him wanted to try again. Riku went over to ask when Roxas came through the door to hand her the bag. Xion ran the program again. She reached in the bag as it loaded and pulled out something Riku didn’t know she still had. Her organization gloves.

Riku:You kept those?

Xion:Gripping a keyblade barehanded feels weird. So does messing with computers…

Data Xion:Why do you f-

Xion:Yeah we know the line…

Riku never considered himself good at things like video games or computers, but he didn’t think he was bad either. That was until he watched Xion start moving her fingers faster than he could keep track off. The whole room was silent except for the sound of clicking. Data Sora was moving at speeds and performing tricks Riku and the others didn’t even know about. He wasn’t getting hit at all!!! Axel could quietly hear Xion mumble numbers. A set amount when she attacked, and then a different set when the data version did. The sets kept resting and ending differently depending on what weapon she used or magic. He couldn’t make heads or tails of it.

Axel:H-How?

Xion:How what?

Roxas:How are you doing this!?

Xion:Like you and Riku said. I know me, as well as Sora. I’m only gonna get hit so many times before I find a chance to counter. Also, there’s only so many moves you can program. It’s still just code!

She made it sound so easy, yet Riku. Can only think about how many times late last night he couldn’t figure out a single time to appropriately heal or attack. Yet here Xion is, perfect blocking and interrupting the desperation move. She even found time to take a picture before delivering the final blow!

Xion:Boom! Easy!

Riku:FINALLY!

Saix:You really should’ve gone first.

Xion:But it was thanks to you guys that I was able to watch and learn without stressing out. It was a group effort. I guess we’re done here. Thanks Riku, that was kinda fun. *stands up*

Riku:Ummm haven’t beaten master Xehanort either. Do you think maybe….

Xion:*Sits down* You owe one for this.

Riku:I know a good spot to find the best seashells.

Xion:Deal!

The crew let her get to work on the baldy while they occupied their time. Half an hour passed before they sat around a table eating. Riku looked over to see Xion learning how to deal with every move possible. It looked impossible. Most of the organization did. Another game over screen appeared and Riku sighed.

Axel:You alright champ?

Riku:It might be data, but seeing Sora lose is depressing. I hope he’s alright.

Roxas:Why wouldn’t he be?

Riku:He’s not the luckiest guy. Danger might as well be a spell when it comes to Sora. All of these data fights made me realize just how dangerous the organization really was. The thought of him running into something or someone as dangerous as that alone doesn’t sit well with me.

Everyone:......

Roxas:You know Riku, you can be pretty dumb sometimes.

Riku:Huh!?

Xion:Roxas!

Roxas:What!? All I’m saying is you would think after seeing a program based off of him successfully beat crazy strong people like Xion that you’d have the most faith in his skills. I mean who else do you know has enough different moves to handle so many kinds of fighters?

Riku:....Heh, thanks Roxas.

Roxas:*red* Yeah whatever. Just stating the obvious.

Axel:Yeah! Sora’s alright. I mean he was able to beat me after all.

Saix: If that’s the bar then maybe we should worry.

Axel:Hey!

Xion:I mean we did tie when I was tired.

Roxas:I beat you with amnesia.

Riku:Sora did too.

Axel:Who’s side are you on! This is the thanks I get for trying to cheer you up? Cut me some slack.

The friends shared a good laugh teasing Axel. Even he couldn’t help but join in on it. Riku should know better than anybody just how capable Sora is.

(Wherever you are, I’m sure you’re just fine.)

xxxx

Fine was the appropriate word to describe it. If a Riku or the others used anything more positive then they surely would’ve bit their tongue. If only they could see their friend right now, dodging and struggling on a rooftop under a starry sky dome. A swarm of gigas closed in on our young hero to overwhelm him, but to avail. Sora whipped out a storm flag and slammed it on the ground to summon the watery beast of the seven seas. It’s tentacles whacked away and crushed the gigas flat. Now wasn’t a time to rest though. Yozora, his opponent, wasn’t done yet. Sora saw rapid flashes of red lock in on him and switched to the counter shield.

He hyped himself “Come on!” Spurs shouted. The first attack came from the left, then right. Four more were dead on before another six ferocious slashes came from the left. Collision after collision conjured sparks that lit up the impacts of each attack. Yozora finally thought he had an opening to stab from behind but was sorely mistaken when Sora had already pivoted already and unleashed a barrage of fists that knocked Yazora in the air. Sora leaped up to follow up with a change into the second form. “Get back here!” He pulled his opponent back in with a magnet burst then went right into an ars arcanum. Blades clashed faster than anyone could keep up with before Sora’s ferocity gave him an edge that turned into full blown hits that ended with him spiking Yozora to the ground. As he fell, Sora was shot in the back by a laser that sent him to the metal floor behind. He had no time to dodge the cross slash that connected against his chest. He watched Yozora vanish and switched right into ultimate form to do the same.

This disappearing and reappearing act made their sparks seem more like fireworks. Crackles and pops

Danced up and down the battlefield as each person kept attempting to warp for both offense and defense until Yozora got the better of Sora by trapping in an exploding prism that launched Sora sky high. Yozora finally had room to breath and could plant fis feet long enough to charge his blade. He watched his target recover mid air and unless a salvo of fireballs with double arrow guns. A good idea if it wasn’t so far away that is. “Sorry but-huh!?” A blue light washed over Sora and propelled him directly at Yozora with his attack. Yozora was quick enough to slash Sora away but decided to pull back by backflipping the fireballs; a big mistake. He had underestimated Sora’s speed. Before he could even reach the ground, Sora was already in front of him again. This time with a massive rocket propelled hammer that hit him in the direction of the fireballs. The magic projectiles curved midair to hope in on his location and blasted him right in the chin. This was bad, really bad. To think he’d have this much trouble with someone who looked so clueless moments ago. He had to switch things up and vanished again.

Sora switched to nano arms and stood perfectly still. “Three….four….” he pulled a barrier right as a glimmer of red formed into Yazora that blasted some strange wide shots from his crossbow before vanishing again. Sora turned the machines into yo-yos next and swung straight. “There!” Yozora appeared right as expected and hit dead on. Sora pulled himself to wards and shifted to his frozen blades for additional slashes.

“You’re Just full of surprises aren’t you!?” Yozora grimaced.

“Don’t Give me that look! I didn’t want to fight!” Sora went for a kick but was too slow. Yozora managed to warp behind Sora and summoned a massive red orb that started pulling everything into it.

“Let’s see how you dodge this one.” Yozora turned up the pressure and started warping as fast as possible at Sora again and again, cutting and slashing him cleanly to knock him off balance until Yozora delivered one more powerful slash across his body that sent Sora flying into the orb. He quickly up to it and glided his blade along it to trigger a massive explosion that made Sora scream. Smoke and fire filled the air for a moment. That was a move not even Yozora himself was too good at avoiding. Nobody was gonna get it right from the jump.

Finally, the battle was over. It was longer than expected but the end result was the same. “Sorry, but I don’t lose-” Another shockwave from the explosion accorded suddenly and dispersed the smoke. That’s never happened before. Yozora shielded his eyes and scanned the ground, no Sora. Just black puddles. He dared not walk closer to them when they started to increase in size until a bigger one formed near his feet and Sora hopped out with glowing eyes and drenched in darkness. “This guy…” Yozora mistakenly readied a block for the keyblade as was then punched by Sora’s free hand, throwing him off and into a world of rageful attacks he had no choice but to receive. Sora was fast, too fast. The patterns seemed random. It was impossible to know what to look out for with the addition of kicks thrown in as Sora instinctively warp in numerous spots to bat Yazora around. Any attempt to escape the loop was met with a primal roar that kept the loop going until one final monstrous attack came. Sora went right through Yozora and into the ground. Strange black orbs rose up from bigger pools of black from earlier and detonated repeatedly, leaving Yozora no room to escape.

What was once a dark night turned into blinding light as Sora once again appeared above Yozora’s falling body in a new form; and with two blades. It was hard for him to understand what happened next. All he could see was light and feel the pain it inflicted everywhere as pillars of them struck down around Sora, who remained airborne and glowing. A look of pure grit on his face as he shouted.

“I guess...my power isn’t needed after all.”

xxxx

Xion:I beat him! But...I don’t think there’s anything here that might help. Sorry Riku. I know you wanna find him as soon as possible.

Riku:Hmmm, that’s alright. *smiles* Wherever he is...I’m sure he’s doing just fine.

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts remind #xion #axel kh #roxas #saix/isa #axel/lea #kingdom hearts 3 #sora kh #yazora

[mimiplaysgames]

Terra Week Day 6 (Free Day)

Summary: Sometimes, a ghost is a wish. | Word Count: 3,218

Read on AO3

A/N: For Terra Week 2021! You can find that account on Twitter!

~*~*~*~*~

The Tenets of a Master, Ch. 6

The Master’s bedroom is exactly as he left it many years ago. Bed made, dresser (now) dusty, curtains parted to let the sunlight in, walk-in closet neatly organized with not a single article of clothing in his hamper, as the Master was a fan of washing clothes every single day. Terra never found out why. 

Terra has rummaged through this drawer three times already and still he can’t find them. He’s looking for a stack of sepia-toned pictures, cradled in a small envelope, the ones on the top dated many years ago when the Master was a student, while the ones at the bottom chronicle some of his adult life when Terra and Aqua were children. He’s tried searching every drawer, every box, every cupboard, and has even looked under the mattress and in the pillow cases. He couldn’t have misremembered them, could he?

One of the things he’s surprised to find instead is a small, delicately furnished wooden box with a latch. Full of cigars. The Master never smoked, but maybe he liked to smell like them. Though Terra would never personally choose to keep a set in his dresser, smudging all his clothes. 

Sighing, Terra stands by the bed, taking another gander around the room to see if there’s a spot he could have missed. Maybe behind the mirror? No, not there. He slips his hands into his pockets, and finds something else. Folded over in four, the paper is crumpled, living in his pocket for the better part of a week. Naminé’s drawing of Xemnas is messier, the strokes of crayon meshed into each other that he’s less of a childish, crude figure and more of a smear. That ring of fire surrounding him stays closed. 

Terra grunts.

Here comes another headache, a tense pulse above his brow. Massaging it never helps. Suddenly, Terra is not in his Master’s old bedroom anymore. Suddenly, he’s standing high on a cliff overlooking a wasteland, talking to someone in a black cloak with the hood up. 

Now he’s back in the bedroom, the sun cutting shapes through the lace curtains with the breeze passing by. In a few minutes, the headache will go away. This is how it goes every single time.

Yes, it’s been a week since they left Radiant Garden. Only Ienzo uses the Gummiphone for contact, leaving long messages that take Terra too much time to reply back to. The rest of the team would prefer correspondence through letters, which is something Terra would rather do as well. He just hasn’t done so yet, focusing his attention on cleaning the castle as they start a new life without their old Master. Once that’s done, he promises himself to do so. 

It’s a shame, he knows he should make more of an effort (and promises that he would once he takes care of the Master). Xion sometimes texts him with pictures, some of them with Roxas, who still hasn’t made an effort to talk to him even though they played a good race at the beach (Terra didn’t even need to let him win—that kid is fast). That’s okay. Xion has offered to set Terra up with what she calls a Kingstagram account, and Terra supposes that’s okay, too. He just doesn’t know what that is or if it’s worth his time. 

In the end, he is still really bad at connecting with others, and he’s still out of pictures, and he still doesn’t know what to do with the Xemnas drawing. Any moment now, Aqua will come looking for him. They’re finally preparing for his memorial, to say goodbye to his Keyblade—

—And Terra has to say goodbye forever without ever seeing him again. What’s the point of staying linked to these memories if they do nothing for him? 

Why does looking at this drawing of Xemnas the only thing that gives him reminders?

Grunting, Terra rubs his face. Maybe it’s as good a time as any to text somebody now, distract himself so he calms down and do some good so he’s not completely isolated. He waits for his Gummiphone to turn on to the initial screen, the whirring of the machine the only noise accompanying him. How did Ven do this again? He clicks on his address book. Now he has to remember how to open a text and take a picture, particularly of the Xemnas drawing.

terra

did he ever call you an also-ran

Send.

Terra doesn’t expect Lea to answer right away. He probably will read the text, probably take the time he needs to register how he feels before painting his usual bright smile that he uses to play everyone. Maybe Terra has him all wrong. Maybe this is really offensive, and Lea would actually be upset. It’s not his intention.

The Gummiphone buzzes several times.

lea

see

i told isa the other day

the first time i saw you i thought you looked like an asshole

Terra snorts to himself quietly.

terra

is that your favorite word

lea

;3

So it’s all good. Terra breathes a sigh of relief, a smirk that’s warm on his cheeks. He doesn’t know if texting people randomly is the right way to go about doing this whole make-new-friends thing. It’s not as easy as walking up to somebody and saying hello anymore, but starting a new life doesn’t have a manual. 

As though the chains he linked through Xemnas harbor resentment, he’s hit with another spasm of pain, drilling onto the side of his skull. Stars, they get intense sometimes, some of them downright gorey. He will not think about it. He will push it away. The pain subsides but only a bit, throbbing instead. 

It can’t end like this. He’s avoided going back to Naminé ever since just to keep trying and see Eraqus, one more time. One more. It’s not much to ask for, so why can’t the stars be more forgiving? He swears to them he’ll never ask for something again. 

Terra groans, pain hammering over his brow. What’s coming this time is going to knock him around, so he lowers himself to his knees. Several people dressed in extravagant embroidery, from some other world, being swallowed up by darkness, their hearts floating up to the sky and a small cry of Mister, is my mommy coming back? 

When it’s over, Terra sobs, keeping a heave from rupturing his chest and wiping dry tears. If Aqua comes in and sees him like this, she’ll freak—she’s already brewed so many potions and teas for him whenever he has an episode. 

He tries for the closet again. The Master kept his most expensive robes wrapped in plastic, preserving a faded scent of cedar. Terra takes the fabric, smooth as silk, and breathes into it. It’s weaker than last time. He could always spray it with the Master’s leftover cologne (his favorite), but it still wouldn’t smell exactly like him, and as Terra waits seconds for another memory to come, he realizes as soon as it hurts that it wouldn’t bother with giving him what he’s looking for. All he asks for is the sound of the Master’s voice, to see that smile move one more time so he makes sure he sears it into his mind for the rest of his life. 

Instead, a strong voice (Xehanort’s) talks about the Darkness making way for the Light, just like the expansive sky that is home to the stars. It was necessary to pursue it, he had said to someone. 

A single tear treads all the way to Terra’s jawline. He’s tried his best. No photos, no special memory. It’s like the Master doesn’t linger here anymore.

Defeated, Terra pulls his Gummiphone out, searching for Naminé’s entry. He won’t commit to an appointment. He’s only asking questions, wondering if there are better ways to maneuver through the memories so he gets what he wants. She doesn’t answer right away. 

He pulls himself up at the foot of the bed, aching like an older man even though he looks twenty in the mirrors. What lies.

Where else to find mementos? Terra has already looked through the Master’s study and his favorite spots in the library. The only place left is the attic. 

The attic sits atop the northeast tower. Terra is in the residential wing, in the southeast tower, so he has to travel several paces downstairs to make it over, just to climb all the way back up. Entirely built of wood, the attic has one stained-glass window that slices pastels through the floorboards. A lot of junk gets dumped up here—old knight statues from a Master that lived eight-hundred years ago or so, faded paintings that have names but aren’t recognizable anymore, couches that are stained and out of style, chests of outdated books and maps, and trinkets and gifts that litter everywhere else. Even Aqua can’t bear to let any of this go despite that none of it truly belongs to anybody. To her, it’s like rejecting their history. The Master probably had felt the same.

Before what happened, Master Eraqus was moving items up here, mostly stacks of papers. They were shoved in a leather binder, tied together with string. It’s a long shot the photos will be with them, but regardless, Terra begins the hunt. 

It’s not in the chest of crystals. Not by the old (creepy) dollhouse. Not with any of the broken phonograms, nor with the folded rugs that stack from floor to ceiling. 

But it’s right there, sitting neatly by a basket full of gold artifacts from worlds Terra has never been to and engraved in languages he doesn’t know, tied with a red string and stitched in handmade leather. When Terra pulls it open, he’s greeted by a handful of letters written to Eraqus about trouble in other worlds, asking for his help, and a stack of essays about the philosophy of the Keyblade, both in the common-tongue and the ancient. 

It’s nothing like reliving memories or watching them like footage, but Terra imagines the Master working late into the night on his desk with a quill, writing these essays slowly so he keeps his impeccable script. He’d read books with a glass of wine every night, and keep at it in the morning with a mug of coffee, hair unbrushed as usual but that’s fine when he keeps it in a short ponytail every day. He’d disappear every week to some other world, leaving Terra and Aqua with a nanny until they were old enough to take care of themselves. Considering what these people are writing about—missing circus animals, their neighborhood mountain being possessed, and even an early report of Unversed showing up in the woods—the Master used to be a busy man. 

Why did he have to die that day? Why can’t Terra keep the things that are supposed to come with home?

Terra sniffs. The smell of cedar comes up, as though the cologne was sprayed up here recently. Kicked up with a cloud of dust, as though the Master is here.

I am… well, for a short time at least.

Terra whips over his shoulder to find the Master behind him, a glow beaming through him as he checks the rust spreading on one of the oldest sets of armor. Picking up dust, Master Eraqus rubs it between his fingers.

This sorely needs urgent attention. I recommend some solvent and a spot of oil, he says, smiling at Terra as if it’s any other morning and breakfast will be announced soon. So many histories live here.

“Master?” Terra drops the papers.

Eraqus tsks his disapproval and like muscle memory, Terra immediately gathers the papers together, working on automatic mode, tucking them under his arm as if this is class and he has to be on his best behavior. When the Master approaches, he makes no noise: no thuds to his steps, no wind whooshed by his robe, gliding gracefully across the floor. Terra bows... though he cannot fight the urge to stare up. Terra has forgotten about the scar; it was on the Master’s face,  every single day, but he’s never heard the story behind it. An elephant accident. A run-in with pirates. Those were the contradicting explanations he’s heard every time he asks.

The Master looks down, motioning with his hand to stand up. Look at you. Almost as tall as I am.

“You’re here.”

The Master smiles. This is the happiest Terra remembers him being; he must not feel his chronic back pains anymore. You have spent your whole week following me. He gives Terra a mischievous knowing in his eyes. I suppose it would be rude of me not to return the gesture.

“I’m sorry,” Terra gasps, mouth gaped open for all the words he prepared, but now that the moment is passing by, he doesn’t know what to say anymore. He reaches out with a hand but stops himself, scared of what it would feel like to to pass right through the image. “I missed you.”

And I have missed you all so much, Eraqus says with contentment.

“I wish it never happened,” Terra chokes. “Sometimes, I wish I could find some way—”

Shhh. The Master shakes his head lovingly. Don’t. No longer shall you venture down the path of grief. You have already experienced first-hand what such curiosities could lead to. And you already know you don’t need to. 

“I know,” Terra whispers. “I know.”

When the Master smiles this time, he sighs and closes his eyes like he’s feeling the sun. I have reunited with so many of my old friends since. Such a peaceful existence. He opens them. Your friendships are something to cherish for as long as they can physically walk by your side, Terra. But who am I to lecture? You have always. Friends to love, who want to care for you. I am so proud.

So proud…

Tears, quiet and happy, fall like drops of spring, Terra hearing what he always yearned to hear since he was six years old, a comforting embrace that wants to tell him he can breathe again without feeling guilty. 

But he still does. Every living breath is guilty by association.

“She’s so happy now,” Terra whispers as if to justify his actions, remembering Aqua sparring for the first time with Rainfell in years, hesitant at first, unsure of how it’s going to react with spells, but it comes fast. It comes like drinking water, natural and needed. “I don’t regret anything.”

Which was why you were the perfect candidate when I had asked you to look after them. He smirks. I couldn’t have trusted anyone better for the responsibility. 

Terra swallows, searching for the courage not to ask, believing he shouldn’t. He’s weak. “I am?”

The smile falls. You are not weak. 

You are willing to bare it all for your friends. Your bonds with Aqua and Ven are unbreakable, a magical, special, living Light to behold. A forge stronger than chains, weightless and free. I am sorry for seeding so much doubt within you, when you have so much to offer. If only I wasn’t—it was my duty to do better. That is my shame. He shakes his head at himself. But you’ve been so dedicated to the past, Terra, he says, concerned but not disappointed. Too much so. I worry. 

Terra grimaces. “Ha, I never have any explanations for the dumb mistakes I make when I need to.”

You’ll find little answers in what lies behind you. The Master leans forward, pulling a small smile as he studies Terra’s eyes. But you are more than capable. Please do me the favor. Trace the past no longer. You have your bonds to nourish, and more to flower. Then he smiles more, an epiphany in his eyes like he wants to share a secret. Only in death did I realize what true Mastery really is. The living can be so foolish. 

“You weren’t a fool, Master.”

Master… A Master is a forever student. To deny this is to be blind to your faults. Eraqus laughs, his eyes rolling. What would I have said to my younger self. You don’t see that one in the books. 

“I don’t know, I… I think what I did for Aqua trumps any dream I had in becoming Master.”

Eraqus’s eyes glisten. Do you not see one when you look at yourself in the mirror? 

Terra bows his head, squeezing his eyes shut.

He feels a hand on his shoulder, warm and real. Terra could hug him. But he doesn’t, not when Eraqus slips something flat in his hand. 

Do take care of them. He holds Terra’s jaw. Chin up, son.

Footsteps climb up the stairs leading into the attic, and Terra is alone with a smooth piece of paper in one hand, the other wiping tears from his cheeks.

“Terra? You okay? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” Aqua is carrying a finished wreath with purple flowers. She stops when she gasps, looking around the attic. “That smells like the Master’s cologne,” she whispers.

When Terra smiles, he cries more. “Look at this.”

A sepia-toned picture of Eraqus as a young boy, sitting on a window seat with a chess board laid out in front of him, all teeth from ear to ear, sincere and hopeful. He looks at the camera like it’s his best friend. 

Aqua’s eyes light up as she takes it, a tear for each eye. “Look at him. It’s so strange, but he was adorable.”

“Have you ever seen that one?”

“Never. It wasn’t with the others.”

“The others?”

She strokes the photo with her thumb. “Hm. I moved them into my room. I wanted to frame them.” She holds it to her chest. “Can I take this one?”

“For your room?”

“I’ve got one ready for yours. It’s that nice portrait that used to embarrass him.”

The one where he looked serious enough to judge someone to death. The Master had called it unsightly when it was presented to him.

“That one’s perfect.”

Aqua exhales deeply, shivering as tries to keep herself tall. “I’m so sad he’s gone, and... I don’t know. Sometimes I wish I had given him a Wayfinder. He feels so far away.”

He holds her chin softly, keeping it up as her heavy tears fall. “We could give him ours.”

She stops sobbing and stares through Terra when the realization hits her. She nods. “That’s a wonderful idea,” she says, nuzzling the wreath closer to her, her own little hug for the Master. 

Terra’s Gummiphone buzzes in his pocket. That has to be Naminé. 

“The wreath is beautiful,” he tells Aqua, and that grounds her back to reality. “You’ve done a marvelous job.”

“Thank you.” She strokes some of the leaves to keep them in place. “I’ll see you back at the front door?”

“Definitely.”

He’ll let her go downstairs first, pulling out the Gummiphone to read his new text. He’s going to tell Naminé that he’s changed his mind. He’s ready for an appointment.

#kh terra #terra #kingdom hearts fanfiction #kh fanfic #AHHHHHHHHHHHH #this one is def not as good #so is the last one #i just ran out of time i'm sorry #my fic

[atomic-taco-muffin]

KH x Danganronpa Part 7

Warnings: You can tell from the gif below

Rating: SFW

In a Secret Forest, Kairi was writing a letter to Sora as the evening sun washed over her.

“I'm sorry I left without saying good-bye. Did Master Yen Sid tell you? I'm training to become a Keyblade wielder like you. That's right. No more waiting for you to come back from your adventures. I want to get out there and do my part to help. Merlin has used his magic to bring us to a place where time doesn't matter. We can take as long as we need to complete our training. He's an amazing wizard. Oh, and by "us," I mean me and Lea. He's really sorry for all the trouble he caused. I told him it's fine, but he won't stop apologizing. I'll admit I was a little scared of him at first, but I've gotten to know him better. All he ever wanted was to help his friend. Honestly, it's hard not to like him. Every now and then, I catch him staring at me. When I ask what's wrong, he says, ‘I'm not sure. I think I'm forgetting something. Don't know what.’ Sora, I think it may have something to do with you. Your journey is all about helping people: some that you've never met before, and some like Lea that you have. They're all counting on you. It won't be easy, but I hope you'll remain the happy and cheerful Sora I know. There's no heart your smile can't reach,” she wrote. She heard footsteps and looked over to see Lea.

"What's wrong?" she asked. He broke his stare after a moment and tried to shrug it off, turning away.

"Huh? Nothin', sorry," he said.

"Lea," Kairi said, admonishingly.

"What? I am." He scratched the back of his neck. She giggled, and he sat on a rock opposite of her as she continued writing.

"A letter?" he asked.

"Yup," she replied.

"To Sora?"

"Mmm, technically yes. But I won't send it. It's more for me."

"Ask Merlin. He'll deliver it for you."

"Yeah, but it's okay. I just like talking to Sora, even if it's on paper. Hey, maybe you should write one."

"Huh?"

"To Nagito and your daughter." (I'll explain who his daughter is after this chapter.)

"I-I don't know. I don't even know if she's alive. It's been so long."

"Do you remember what happened?"

"All I remember is the Remnants of Despair, including Nagito taking her. She must be so scared right now."

"I bet she's really brave. Just like her dad."

"Like her three dads." The two of them chuckled and Lea remembered something.

"Oh!" he said. Kairi tilted her head, puzzled as Lea pulled out two sea-salt ice cream bars.

"Here," he said.

"Ice cream? Really?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, I asked Merlin to pick these up." Kairi smiled. "Ya know, we did both summon Keyblades. Gotta celebrate."

He handed a bar out to Kairi, who took it.

"You're sweet, Lea. Did your daughter like this flavor?" she said.

"Naw. She was more of a cookie dough fan."

"What was she like?"

"She was the sweetest little girl ever. Every Christmas, she would run up into my room at 2 in the morning and wake me and her other dads up."

"Wow? 2 in the morning? That's gotta be rough."

"Eh, you get used to it." The two of them chuckled and Lea watched Kairi take a bite, zoning out again.

"What?" she asked.

"N-nothing, I just..." he said as he averted his gaze.

"You're trying to remember what you forgot?"

"Well, I, uh... Yeah... Yeah." He looked out at the sunset as his words trailed.

"So tomorrow--you and me in the ring. You ready?" Kairi said.

"'Course," he said as the sun started to get into his eyes.

"Don't hold back, Lea. Promise?" In the glare of the sun, Lea thought he saw a different girl in Kairi's shadow. Her black hair swayed softly in the breeze as she held her ice cream with a smile. Lea's emerald eyes welled up with tears and he dropped his ice cream bar in shock. Unable to contain his feelings, tears streamed down his face.

"Huh? Are you okay? Lea!" Kairi said. He quickly tried to wipe them away as Kairi got closer to him.

"Yeah... Sorry..." he said.

"You're crying. What's wrong?"

"Something in my eyes," he sniffled.

"Lea..." Lea stood up.

"I'm...gonna go. Sorry," he said.

"'Kay, but stop apologizing," Kairi said.

"Fine...on one condition."

"What?"

"Call me Axel from now on. Got it memorized?"

"Yeah. Okay, Axel." He walked away, leaving his ice cream bar in the grass.

~~~~

Mukuro, Ansem, and Xemnas were walking along the streets of the destroyed Towa City, Shirokuma following close behind. Just being in this city made Mukuro sick to her stomach. 

“You okay, love?” Xemnas asked. 

“Yeah. I just hate seeing this place torn to pieces,” Mukuro said. 

“Y’know, there’s a resistance to try and stop this mess,” Shirokuma said. 

“I didn’t ask for your opinion!” 

“It’s not an opinion! It’s a fact!” 

“Yeah, but I don’t trust you. So shut up and let us handle the situation.” Shirokuma stopped talking and followed them quietly. 

“So what happened to this city?” Ansem asked. 

“Junko created this killing game all because she was bored. She forced me into it because she knew of my skills. But when I broke one of the rules of the game, she killed me,” Mukuro said. 

“Damn....” 

“Yeah. Junko brought me back for the war but I know she’s gonna try and kill me again.” 

“SOMEONE HELP!” someone screamed. Mukuro squinted in front of her and saw a little girl being chased by a group of Monokumas. 

“Shit!” she said as she grabbed one of her guns. The little girl ran past her and she shot all the Monokumas. 

“Not even children are safe here,” Xemnas said. Mukuro looked behind her and saw the little girl shaking in fear. She walked over to her and knelt down in front of her.

“You okay, sweetie?” she asked.

“I-I think so. That was so scary,” the little girl cried. 

“I know. But they’re gone now and they can’t hurt you.” 

“Wait, Sky? Is that you?” Xemnas asked. 

“Uncle Xemnas!” Sky ran to Xemnas and he engulfed her in a hug. 

“Who is this?” Mukuro asked as she stood up. 

“This is Axel and Saïx’s daughter, Sky. The Remnants and Junko must’ve brought her here,” Xemnas said. 

“T-they did! Along with daddy Nagito!” Sky sobbed. 

“We should get out of here. Before more Monokumas show up,” Ansem said. 

“Agreed. It’s gonna be okay, Sky,” Xemnas said. Ansem opened up a corridor and they all walked through it except Shirokuma. 

“Dammit! That girl was supposed to die!” he said. 

“You and I both know that she is more powerful than the Remnants,” a familiar voice said. From behind Shirokuma was Xehanort. 

“Gah! My prince of despair! How are you, my love!” Junko(Shirokuma) sighed. 

“What the fuck did you do?” Xehanort asked. 

“I simply extracted a part of myself and created this to try and manipulate Mukuro. But she’s tougher than I thought.” 

“Well, you did murder her.” 

“That’s true. But now, I need to focus on killing that little girl. She has way too much hope in her.” 

“Well, whatever you do, do it quick. I still have Kingdom Hearts to complete.” 

“Of course, my love! I would never want to disappoint you.” Xehanort scowled and walked away, reminding himself that he’ll get to kill her soon. 

#kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts 3 #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts imagines #kingdom hearts iii #kh #kh iii #kh 3 #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts imagine #kingdomhearts iii #kingdom hearts au #danganronpa #danganronpa imagines #danganronpa au #danganronpa remnants of despair #remnants of despair

[sourcherrybomb]

SoKai Week 2020 - Day 5 - Beneath the Light of Vega and Altair

Synopsis: When they were children, Sora told Kairi the story of the fearless sailor Altair and his voyage to meet his beloved, the Sea Goddess Vega. Kairi, seeing herself as Altair, embarks on her own journey to find her Vega, Sora.

Sneak Peak: After a certain point Kairi stopped keeping track of time. Sometimes she would lie down and think about her time with Sora to see if her heart could make any connection to his.

Tags: Romance, Angst, All Ages, KH3 Spoilers, F/M

Prompt for the Day: Sea and Sky / Tanabata / Star-Crossed Lovers

Words: 1.8k

Fanart By: @anniths​

Using the countless stars and constellations scattered across the nighttime skies, sailors would always find their way back home. 

Many believed it to be a wives’ tale, something told to scared and nervous children to assure them that their parents would come back from sea. Others saw it as a part of their heritage, a belief not to be taken lightly. Regardless of your stance on it, the young children of Destiny Islands grew up learning how to navigate the stars and memorizing the constellations.

As someone who was not originally from the Islands, Kairi had to spend a lot of time catching up to the rest of her Islander peers. Even Selphie, a girl who had no desire to sail or explore other worlds, knew more about finding your way using the stars. As one of her few female friends, Kairi cherished her, but did lament at this fact for the longest time.

Of course, whenever she did have trouble, Sora and Riku would always come to help her out. Out of the two, Riku was definitely the more studious one. If Kairi aimed at a random part of the night sky, the boy could point out several stars that could be used to determine direction or even time of day depending on its position. Sora on the other hand wasn’t as proficient in navigation, but could talk your ear off about the constellations and their meanings.

While Sora found himself jealous of Riku’s demonstrable skills, it was his love for the stories behind the stars that, unbeknownst to the both of them, drew Kairi to him. She loved hearing stories about the various heroes and monsters placed amongst the stars, and Sora was more than willing to prattle on about them. But out of all the stories Sora shared with her, Kairi found herself holding the story of Vega and Altair close to her heart.

Altair, a proud and boastful sailor, proclaimed that he would sail through every sea and ocean in the world to prove that his skills were amongst that of the gods. Cygnus, God of the Sky heard of this boast. Thinking that Altair would fail spectacularly, Cygnus offered the hand of his daughter, Vega the Sea Goddess, in marriage. Once he set sail, Altair was faced with countless obstacles sent by Cygnus to sabotage the sailor’s efforts. Each challenge shook at his pride and humbled him. However, he did not relent and continued on his journey. Unbeknownst to Altair, Vega had watched over the sailor during his adventures and over time came to love him.

It would take him decades, but Altair did successfully sail through the seas and oceans. At once, Vega greeted him with a loving embrace. Furious at this outcome, Cygnus cast away the now old sailor with a powerful gust of wind, separating the lovers. 

Lost at sea and nearly drowning without his vessel, Altair was greeted by a vision of Vega. Overcome with her love for Altair, the goddess gave the sailor a blessing of immortality and eternal youth as long as he stayed on the ocean. In return, Altair would have to complete his journey once again in order to get one day with Vega. This precaution was put in place by Vega so as to not incur the wrath of Cygnus. Undaunted by this task, Altair set off to sail towards his betrothed. The storytellers of Destiny Islands say that year after year, Altair completes his journey and is reunited with his beloved Vega.

Kairi, now a young woman, hoped that she would be able to reunite with the Sora that she loved so much, similar to Vega and Altair.

After the final battle with Xehanort and the True Organization XIII, Sora was able to do so with Kairi after his countless trials. However, just like Vega and Altair, all she got from him was one day together before he had to leave. Not willing to live a life like Vega, constantly waiting for her love to return, Kairi decided to switch the roles.

She saw herself as Altair and took on the challenge of finding Sora’s whereabouts. For once in her life, Sora would await his rescue, similar to the beloved Vega. 

It was this decision that made Kairi decide to look everywhere for clues in order to obtain clues on where Sora could be. This search led her to look within her own heart, a journey made possible with the help of the Ansem the Wise and his apprentices. The scientist told Kairi that she would be put into a comatose state similar to Sora’s after his time in Castle Oblivion. Like Namine for Sora, Ansem the Wise and his apprentices would help take care of her while she slept.

The idea of once again being left in such a helpless state wasn’t the most comforting idea to Kairi. Afterall, the first time was under much more... dire circumstances. But if it had any chance of making her have a more proactive role in searching for Sora, then it’s a fear that she would nonetheless overcome.

Ansem the Wise assured her that if things went smoothly, she wouldn’t be left in such a state for too long. At first, Kairi was put to sleep for hours at a time. As progress was made, those hours turned to days.

Days turning to weeks.

Weeks to months.

Those months eventually become a year.

After a certain point Kairi stopped keeping track of time. Sometimes she would lie down and think about her time with Sora to see if her heart could make any connection to his. But those thoughts always came back to her personal declaration to act as Altair. Like the sailor, was Kairi acting too proud by making such a statement? Perhaps the trials she went through on her search weren’t enough to prove her strength? 

Of course, she’d push those thoughts away. If there was anything she’d take away from the sailor was his absolute stubbornness to achieve his goal of reaching Vega. Kairi’s persistence led her up to the present, where she found herself back at the Final World. This wasn’t Kairi’s first trip to this purgatory during her search, but it definitely was different from the previous visits. Instead of a clear blue sky, she is surrounded by an inky black, star-filled sky. 

On instinct, Kairi stares into the vast sky above, searching the countless lights until she finds Vega. Focusing her mind and heart on Sora, she walks towards the star. Eventually, the rest of the stars fade away from Kairi’s vision as her seemingly endless trek towards Vega continues. Just as she feels like giving up, far away on the horizon she sees something.

Someone.

Once Kairi registers what she sees, she makes a mad dash for the person, seemingly lit by the light of Vega. But as she continues to run, Kairi can’t help but feel like he’s only getting farther away. Still running, tears run down her eyes as she calls out his name, her words never reaching the young man.

Until suddenly, he turns around. On his face is a somber smile.

Just as her legs begin to give out, Kairi catches up with the young man and brings him into a loving embrace, the both of them falling to the ground. She has so many things to say, so many words to convey her loneliness for the past year and the relief for finding him. But after all the yelling on top of being out of breath, all Kairi can muster out is a single word. A single name.

“Sora…”

“I’m here, Kairi.”

As time passes, the two continue to lie in their embrace, enjoying each other’s company. Occasionally they would meet eyes, but Kairi always found herself nuzzling her face into Sora’s chest. In return, Sora would rest his chin on her head. To the two of them, it was like the sky was lit by only Vega and Altair. But eventually, on the horizon of The Final World, a sun begins to rise.

Sora glances at his left hand and frowns as a crystal slowly envelops it. With his other hand, he gently wakes up Kairi. At first she’s smiling at him, but her expression quickly turns to shock as the crystal enveloping Sora’s hand travels up his arm. The both of them stand up, the rising sun creating a light behind Sora as he places his right on Kairi’s cheek to wipe away a tear.

As the sun continues to rise and the star and night sky melt away, the crystal continues to overtake Sora’s body. Kairi, still in shock, is nearly unable to say anything. At least until the crystallization reaches Sora’s neck. As she opens her mouth, more tears fall from her eyes.

“Sora… I’ll come back to you. I promise!”

“I know you will.”

Just as the crystal envelops the rest of Sora’s body, he smiles at Kairi once more, tears streaming down his face. As the rising sun behind Sora overtakes him, the crystallized Sora fades away.

Falling onto her knees, Kairi lets out a pained yell as she starts to sob.

She was Altair, and she did find her Vega. But like Altair, Kairi was unable to stay with her love for more than a day.

Unable to break the cycle.

After a while, Kairi composes herself. She wipes away the tears on her face as she slowly rises from the ground.

Staring into the morning sky, Kairi makes another promise to herself.

Even if it took another year, she’d reunite with Sora. But unlike her model, Kairi swore that she wouldn’t be separated. She would take her love in her arms and never let him go. 

They would meet again, beneath the light of Vega and Altair.

---

Out of all the oneshots I’ve written up until now, I feel the most proud of this one. I’ve never really written anything with angst before, so this was a fun experiment. I blame Yoko Taro and his games as they were my inspiration for my need to create a bittersweet ending. Because of this, I want to ask you all something:

Do you think Kairi’s promise here is a hopeful one or a desperate one?

Please think about Altair and Vega when you consider your answer. This oneshot is one where I hope its readers can walk away with unique thoughts on it. Nothing is right or wrong when it comes to answering the question.

As usual, shoutout to the Sokai: Destined Oath Discord server, and a special thanks to the server member Gee for acting as my Beta Reader.

Thanks for Reading!

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