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p-artsypants · 2 years

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Rage Awakened (12)

In Which Sora Comforts Kairi

FF.net | Ao3

Ten years ago, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus lost their fellow apprentice, Sora, in Deep Jungle. Now, they are to return with two new students, Riku and Kairi, to lock the heart of the world. All the while, something watches from the trees. Feral!Sora AU

Kairi cried the entire trip home. It was agony to all those that were with her. Riku sat by her side, arm around her shoulder, while Sora rested his head on her lap.

Sora grappled with his poor grasp of language. Through the words that he remembered and could understand, it sounded like Kairi’s home had fallen down. Did that mean the world collapsed? Or did her castle fall apart? He didn’t quite know, and he didn’t think it was wise to ask for clarification at the moment.

Instead, he pressed his face into her stomach as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Truly, he wanted to cradle her in his arms, but she didn’t seem to want that, especially in front of everyone else.

All Sora wanted to do was protect her and make her feel better. It might be the only thing he could do. He hasn’t had the chance to try.

But he hadn’t had the chance to fail either, so that was okay for now.

The Land of Departure was just as peaceful and serene as they had left it. Eraqus met them at the gate.

“Welcome home. Did you have a nice dinner?”

“It was nice,” Aqua said, reserved. “But—“

Eraqus noticed Kairi immediately when she got off the ship.

“Oh no, what happened?”

“Radiant Garden—it—she—…” Kairi clenched her eyes shut as more tears came. They just wouldn’t stop.

“Ansem the Wise came to Disney Castle. Radiant Garden fell.” Terra provided.

Eraqus closed his eyes, a single tear falling from them in sympathy. “My sincerest apologies.”

“Cmon Kai, the others can fill Master Eraqus in.” Riku squeezed her shoulder and led her into the castle.

As soon as she was gone, Sora raised up to his full height and barked, “Help Sora!”

“What’s wrong?” Asked Aqua.

“Kairi home fall down? Can’t pick back up? Rebuild?”

The collected group wilted a little at that.

“No Sora, it’s not that kind of fall,” Terra explained. “The world was taken over by darkness.”

“Ooooh,” Sora nodded his head sagely. “Swallowed.”

“Not quite that, either,” Aqua clarified. “Radiant Garden thankfully can’t be swallowed, because its keyhole is incomplete. But the heartless moved in and kicked everyone out. All led by Maleficent. You remember that name, right?”

“Dragon!”

“Yes! Her! After her world was swallowed by darkness, she amassed an army and has been trying to conquer other worlds. Most of them get swallowed instead.”

Sora summoned his gnarled keyblade. “Take Sora to Kairi home! Rip out dragon lady heart! Devour!” He snarled.

The group stared at him wide-eyed. “Um, let’s not do that quite yet. We have to gather intel and find out what we’re up against.”

Sora frowned, but dismissed his weapon. “Kairi hurt, so Sora hurt.” He said tactfully.

Then Riku returned, without Kairi. “I took her to her room, but she wanted to be left alone.”

“The girl hasn’t had time to cry by herself,” said Aqua. “Let’s leave her alone for the night.”

“You’ve all had a very long day,” said Eraqus. “Why don’t we all get some rest. We can create a game plan in the morning.”

Sora understood ‘long day’ and ‘rest’ and took it that the meeting was over.

Since he was among humans now, and doing human things, he walked upright, toddling along and bringing up the rear of the group. He had to use his hands to climb the stairs, but was able to walk again inside.

It had been so long since he was in this castle, that even though he remembered each room he walked in, he struggled with where they were.

The castle was also a great deal smaller than he remembered.

He followed Riku to the hallway where their rooms were and went to push on Kairi’s door.

“No Sora, leave her alone for tonight, okay?”

Sora whined in his throat, but abandoned the door, opting to go into his room.

It was dark, since night had fallen. The tarp hanging on the back wall rustled as the draft from the door hit it. Cold air came from that side of the room.

The light from the hallway gave him enough to see by as he wandered around his old room. It didn’t really reflect him anymore, but he wasn’t quite sure who he was anyways. When you’re fighting for your life day after day, you don’t really get the chance to consider what things you like and dislike. What your hobbies are, what things you want to do. Only things you have to do.

What need did he have for toys and Knick knacks? Why would he hold onto things for just beauty or sentimentality?

Of course, Sora himself didn’t think like this anymore. More so just, ‘why is this here? How does this help me live?’

Later, he would ask Riku to help him toss the needless stuff away, but for now, he would rest.

Rest on a bed. A mattress at that.

He remembered the transition, all those years ago. Sleeping naked on the dirt, getting bitten by insects. It took him so long to figure out how to climb those trees and make a home in the canopy, where it was safer. Those early nights, he barely slept for every snap of a branch had him awake. Even up until recently, deep sleep eluded him. There was never a time to let your guard down in the jungle.

Just here in his old room, in the Land of Departure, there was no threat, no impending demise.

He struggled far too long getting out of his shoes, and even longer out of the too small clothes they had forced him in. His undershorts, however, were far superior to the loin cloth of Deep Jungle. This was a permanent change.

He crawled into bed, making a nest with his blankets and pillow, and tried to get comfortable. The mattress was plusher than the pile of furs back in the jungle, and the blankets were soft instead of scratchy. Even the air was more pleasant, cool and dry.

But his chest ached, because Kairi was hurting, and he could feel it.

He slunk out of the bed, crawling along the floor until he reached the door. He peered out into the hallway glancing back and forth to check for the others. When the coast was clear, he scurried over to Kairi’s room and quietly turned the handle.

Inside was very different from his room. She had a large bed with fluffy white sheets and a white lace canopy draped over it. She had a plush white carpet that was soft under his calloused knuckles. The walls were pink with gold geometric designs on it. The window had leaded glass, though it was too dark out to notice much. Finally, the room was illuminated by a nightlight that sent out cartoonish stars and moon shapes on the walls and ceiling.

Kairi laid on the bed, face down, still in her party clothes, even her shoes.

Sora shut the door gently behind him.

“Kairi? My Kairi?” He chirped.

She startled, looking at him, before she relaxed. “Oh Sora, you scared me.”

“Sora leave?”

“No, no you can stay. I think I’d rather like it if you stayed.”

He crept closer until he was on his knees in front of the bed, resting his arms on the mattress. “Kairi hurt?”

She nodded solemnly as she wiped her eyes with her hand. “I’m sure it’s hard for you to understand what happened.”

“Sora knows. They tell. They…explain.”

“Okay.”

“Don’t hafta talk about it. Sora hold Kairi? Sora sleep with Kairi?”

Kairi’s eyes widened as she looked at him. He was only in his underwear. Sleeping in the same bed as him was incredibly intimate, and she wasn’t sure it was appropriate.

But she could really use the comfort.

“Okay.” She sat up. “Let me just change into my pajamas.” She got off the bed and went to her dresser, pulling out a large T-shirt.

Sora watched as she moved.

“Don’t look!” She chastised.

“Why?”

“I’m changing!”

He tilted his head, confused. “Change what?”

“My clothes?”

He was still confused.

She sighed slightly, realizing that she was looking at Sora, the boy who hated pants. He had basically been naked when they met. Why would he bother with privacy?

“You’re not supposed to see me without my clothes on.” She explained patiently.

He stared at her. “But Sora want to see Kairi without clothes.”

She sputtered, wide eyed. He had no shame whatsoever. “Being naked…isn’t normal, you know? That’s why we make you wear clothes, remember? Being bare is something only really close people experience. Like husband and wife. You see?”

“Kairi Sora best friend.” He stated like it was obvious.

She sighed again, “look, I just…can you just not look? It makes me uncomfortable.”

“Oh! Sora sorry!” And he firmly turned his back to her.

She made a mental note. Sora didn’t care about what was normal, only what she wanted. Maybe it would extend to others in due time.

Kairi slowly got undressed, occasionally looking at Sora, who very politely looked at the wall.

Finally, she changed into a large t-shirt that reached down almost to her knees. “Okay, you can look.”

Sora turned to see her, and his eyes lit up. “Cute!”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.” She walked past him and crawled into bed, getting tucked under the sheets. Sora observed her, and did the same, laying on his back with the sheets pulled up to his chin. He moved his hand under the blankets until he found Kairi’s and held it. “Haven’t slept like this in long time.”

“Are you comfortable?”

He shifted slightly, and turned on his side. “Nest is warm, soft. More soft than furs.”

“You mean my bed?”

“Bed!” He corrected. “Bouncy.” He wriggled, making the bed move.

“It is,” she smiled.

“Sora hold Kairi now?”

Kairi swallowed her nerves as she scooted closer to him, pressing her side against him. “This is…kind of intimate. Especially since we…well, we haven’t known each other long.” Kairi tried to remember that he has been in isolation for so long that he was probably touch starved.

“Sora leave?”

“No, I don’t think I want you to leave. I’m just…nervous.”

“Ner…vous?”

“Yeah, it’s when you feel kind of scared, but only a little.”

He pouted, his eyes widening in fear. “Sora scare Kairi?”

“No, no not at all!” Well, maybe a little. “It’s just new. I’ve never slept in the same bed as a boy.”

“Slept with Sora in tree,” he said casually.

“And I was nervous then too.”

Sora wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, so she was pressed to his chest. “This good?”

The feeling of his bare skin and against her arm was so nice. Granted, she could feel his body heat through her thin shirt, but there was much to be said for skin on skin contact.

However, among all these new and exciting feelings, there was something else. As she pressed her ear to his chest, she could feel his heartbeat. This felt wrong. Maybe to anyone else, the thump thump thump of his heart would sound the same, but to Kairi, a princess of heart, it felt ill. Diseased. It made her nauseous.

“Um…can I turn around?”

She turned her back to him, not pulling away from his hold. His arms were warm, and his body was flush against her back. His hand rested on her tummy.

“Sora say something, may hurt Kairi?”

“You…want to say something, but you think it might hurt me?”

He grunted.

“You should tell me anyway. I’ll try to take it in the least painful way possible.”

He nodded against her, laying his forehead against the crown of her head. “Sora…lose home too. Kairi and Sora have no home…together.”

She rested her hand on top of his, giving it a gentle squeeze. “I understand, and you’re right. We’re together in this. Thank you.”

Sora chuffed, a sound that was close to a laugh or a sign of excitement.

“Goodnight Sora.”

“Night Night!”

–

Technically, Roxas was doing as his master instructed. He was given the task of finding the Princesses of Heart that were hiding in the fallen Radiant Garden, a place his master had renamed ‘Hollow Bastion’. Roxas knew in his head that the intent on finding these Princesses was to take them to Maleficent, since she was in charge of gathering them. But since his master had been so vague on termanology, it was up for interpretation.

Once his Master found out how rebellious Roxas was, he’d probably be more specific with his commands.

As it stood, Roxas decided to interpret ‘find the Princesses in Hollow Bastion’ as ‘find the Princesses and move them to a different world so they would be safe.’

He knew it would only delay the inevitable. A heart of pure light was extremely rare, and it was unlikely to go unnoticed for long. Still, Roxas was a chaotic soul and malicious compliance was his favorite game.

He delved into the depths of the castle, where Maleficent would probably assume they wouldn’t be. Considering the lack of heartless patrolling the area, she assumed they’d be up around the living quarters.

Roxas had never met the Princesses, but knew a few things about them. 1.) They’d been living in this castle since their worlds fell. 2.) They were not delicate little flowers. All of them had a life of hard work and chores before they became royalty. Cinderella and Snow White were practically slaves. They could handle themselves.

But it had been three days since Radiant Garden fell and became Hollow Bastion. Who knows how they were fairing? Did they have food?

He was in the boiler room. It was easily the largest room in the entire castle, with all the pipes that led steam up throughout the castle. The boiler was immense, the size of a house. It was covered in knobs and dials, and had a large grate in front that glowed red. There were dozens of smaller boilers around the edges of the room as well, all connected with snaking copper wires jutting out at odd angles and disappearing into the ceiling. It was a little like a man made forest.

Then, Roxas almost stepped on a sleeping bag. He started when he spotted it, and then knew he was close. There was a canteen, a book, and a half eaten baguette next to it.

He walked the room, peering around the pipes.

“Ventus? Is that you?” A sweet voice called from above.

A young woman with dishwater blonde hair looked down from a hiding spot within a cage of piping. Then she gasped. “That coat! Oh no! Stay away from me!”

“Hey, hey, it’s okay!” Roxas assured. “Are you one of the Princesses?”

She frowned. “No, I’m just a scullery maid.”

“Nice try, but Radiant Garden didn’t have scullery maids.”

She pouted.

“I’m Roxas. And I’m here to help.”

“Why are you wearing that evil coat then? And why do you look like my friend Ventus?”

Where to begin? “Do you know what a Nobody is?”

“A person…that believes they have no importance?” She guessed.

“Yes, but there’s a new kind of Nobody, one related to the Heartless. If a Heartless is a person that has lost their heart to the darkness, what do you think happens to the body left behind?”

“I don’t know, I never considered it.”

“It becomes a creature known as a Nobody. Nobodies created from people with extremely strong wills retain a human appearance.”

“So then, Ventus–?”

“Is fine. My appearance being identical to his is…way more complicated than it should be. My somebody is Sora, a very young keyblade wielder who was lost to Deep Jungle. All you need to know is that I am a double agent. My master has commanded me to locate the Princesses of Heart, but Ansem the Wise asked me to help their cause. Ansem is my friend, and I wish to honor him.”

The Princess considered this and decided to come out from her hiding place. Roxas watched as she strategically used ridges and ledges as handholds as she climbed down. When she stood in front of him, he noticed she was wearing a brown dress with a white apron. Not the ball gown he expected a Princess of Heart to wear.

“If you are the shell left behind from a Heartless, that means you don’t have a heart, right?” She tilted her head to the side.

“That’s what my master says, and sometimes, I believe it. But others…I don’t know if I just adopted Sora’s moral compass, or if I have a connection to a heart somewhere. Either way, I would like to take you to another world, where it is safe.”

She nodded, “as long as I’m here, Maleficent will have a chance of finding me and using me to complete the keyhole.”

“So, you know all about that?”

“Ansem the Wise told us.” She gave a little smile. “After I got my happily ever after with my Prince, I thought my adventure was over. Little did I know it was just beginning. My name is Cinderella, and I will go with you, Roxas.”

He sighed a breath in relief. “Great! Where are Snow White and Aurora?”

She shook her head. “I do not know. We decided to split up so that we wouldn’t be found together. They didn’t tell me where they went. I can help you look?”

“That’s too risky. I need to be able to move around the castle under the guise of looking for you guys for Maleficent. If you’re with me, they’ll just take you.”

“Alright. Then I will leave it to you.” She went over to the sleeping bag and picked up her book. “Whenever you’re ready, good sir.”

He summoned a dark corridor, and then held out his arm. “Shall we?”

–

The corridor spit them out in front of a beautifully ornate, but abandoned, building. “Are you okay to walk a little ways?”

“I’d love to! I haven’t been able to walk around in days!”

He led her away from the mansion, and into the woods. Through the woods, into a crack in the city walls, and then into the town.

“Oh how darling!”

“Welcome to Twilight Town. Let me introduce you to some of my friends.”

They walked through the Tram Common, through the Sandlot, and up into the back alley to the usual spot. There, luckily, Hayner, Pence, and Olette were gathered and talking.

“Roxas, where have you been, man?” Asked Hayner. “We haven’t seen you in like a week.”

“Work was crazy busy,” he laughed, “They’re working me to the bone.”

“Oh right, your…what was it, pest control business?”

“Basically. So, you know how I mentioned I visit another town pretty often?”

“Uh, Radiant Garden right?” Pence clarified.

“Yes! So, weird story that’s probably more fairytale than you guys are prepared for, but the castle was overtaken by an evil witch named Maleficent. This is my good friend, Cinderella, and Maleficent wanted to use her for nefarious reasons. I brought her here because I had a feeling it would be difficult for her to be found.”

“Hello, it’s very lovely to meet you.” Cinderella held her hand out.

The others greeted her warmly with hand shakes.

“Do you guys think you could help her blend into town? I don’t know how long she’ll need to hide here.”

“There’s a spare room at my house,” said Olette. “I’m sure my parents wouldn’t mind her staying with us.”

Cinderella folded her hands over her chest. “Oh thank you! I don’t mind working for my stay, either. I’m a very strong homemaker.”

“Cinderella, I will only tell Ansem the Wise and Master Yen Sid where you are. But I’ll come to check on you on occasion.”

“Thank you so much Roxas. When you find the others, you’ll let me know, right?”

He saluted. “I’ll let you know the moment they’re safe. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to cover my tracks.”

“Good luck Roxas! And the struggle tournament is coming up, so make sure you’re back in time!”

“It’s a promise!”

#kingdom hearts #kingdom hearts tarzan AU #rage awakened #fanfiction #sora #kairi #roxas #sokai

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