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kessielrg · 3 years ago

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[Kingdom Hearts] Commission Please!

Summary: In which concentrated bits of chaos meet a shy artist. Dedicated to @chibi-mushroom, my Namine-sensei and to whom I’m converting in to a bunny child appreciator. xD

Rating: K

Word Count: 2,210 words

If you liked this story, please reblog!

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There was always something interesting happening in Disney Town. The colors, the sounds, the smells- it was nearly overwhelming as Namine breathed it all in. The atmosphere of the place always seemed to knock Namine slightly off guard every time she set foot in it. Disney Town was a very alive world, and all the experiences with it flowed through effortlessly. She was always so amazed that every day was different than the last- definitely a stark contrast to how she started out in the world. Today, Disney Town offered something new, something no one had seen before and was quite hard to ignore.

“Where on earth did all these bunny kids come from?!” Lea demanded once they entered town square. They were very hard to ignore. Every foot or so, there was at least one of the small, blue bunnies getting into some sort of trouble.

“Not sure,” Kairi said, just as a bunny kid hopped onto her head, bent down to look her in the eye, happily wave, then bound off of her head. She couldn’t hide her little giggle as she went on to add, “But they sure are cute.”

“Ri-ight.” Lea snorted. He looked down to see a bunny child at his feet. It stuck its tongue out at him before laughing rather maniacally. “They look about as cute as a wart on someone’s toe. Just as persistent too.”

“Lea!” Kairi admonished, gently smacking him with the back of her hand. The taller redhead did nothing to defend himself. Instead he gave them a charming little grin that feigned innocence.

Namine let out a little chuckle as well. Lea turned to her with the most hurt expression one could offer.

“Not you too, Namine!” he whined. “I thought we had amnesty once we became Somebodies. We’re good now!”

“Not when you’re still being cruel to innocent children.” Namine teased.

“I didn’t even touch them!”

Namine and Kairi looked at each other before dissolving into a round of giggles. Lea deflated, knowing that he was never going to win this argument. Their moment of fun was broken when a loud drum march started to play. The three looked up to find the source of the noise. Sure enough, there was a small group of bunny children with drums and leading a small parade filled with nothing but other blue bunny children. One of the bunnies in front was holding a banner reading ‘Lunch Time 4 Us!’ and waving it quite happily.

In high, squeaky voices, the leading bunny children started to chant;

“Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me!”

On cue, another round of tiny voices shouted as they joined the parade, “La-de-da la-de-da la-de-da-da-da!”

“Hey there, hi there, ho there! You’re as welcome as can be!”

“La-de-da la-de-da la-de-da-da-da!”

The chant continued as the parade marched their way through the square and into a cafe.

“Well…” Kairi was the first to muse, “Guess we’re not going to eat in there.”

“Must be lunchtime.” Namine noted with a grin.

“Must be something.” Lea decided as he scratched the back of his head. All the while, the bunny children continued with their march.

“Uncle Mick!”

“Papa too!”

“Uncle Mick!”

“Papa too!”

“Forever let us hold our ice creams high!”

“High, high, high!”

“Come along and sing a song, and join the jamboree!”

“La-de-da la-de-da la-de-da-da-da!”

The bunny children holding up the rear, who hadn’t entered the cafe yet, let out a cheer before slamming the cafe door behind them. The square was suddenly rather quiet without them all making a ruckus.

“I, for one, am glad they’re gone for now.” Lea told the girls. “That is not a song I want to have memorized.”

Kairi gave Namine a wicked glance before turning back to Lea. She didn’t give any warning before she opened her mouth to sing, “Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?”

Lea suddenly went pale. “Kairi, no!”

“Hey there, hi there, ho there!”

“Kairi! I’m warning you!”

“You’re as welcome as can be!”

“This is your last chance!”

“Come along and sing a song, and join the jamboree!”

“That’s it, get over here so I can teach you a lesson!” Lea hollered as he barrelled at Kairi. Kairi herself let out a little yelp before bolting away. She then let out a joyful laughter as Lea chased her around the square, and out to a different area. Namine considered following them, but decided it was best they get their energy out. There certainly wasn’t any shortage of it in this world.

Instead, Namine made herself comfortable at a nearby bench and simply relaxed. After being accustomed to the energy of the world again, she carefully pulled out her drawing pad, some colored pencils, and did one of the most relaxing hobbies she had yet to replace; drawing.

She started with the square itself. The bench she was on was facing a nice gazebo, which in turn was framed rather well by the entrance to Disney Castle behind it. She wondered for a moment if she had enough colors in her palette to capture the atmosphere just right. If not, maybe it was time to experiment with cross hatching. As she got into her familiar, comfortable groove, Namine started to hum a few bars of the bunny kid’s march. It was a pretty catchy tune. She’d have to ask Riku if he was familiar with it- he came around Disney Town often enough to visit the King, he must have heard it at least once.

Quite some time passed as she drew. Namine didn’t even notice when some of the bunny children started to file out of the cafe. A little pack of four started to play in the gazebo. It looked like a rather fun game of hide and seek. Namine didn’t realize that she had started to draw the bunny children playing until she had finished shading the first blue bunny. She blinked at her page with mild bewilderment. She had heard stories about ‘automatic writers’ and how they would write whole letters by hand while supposedly controlled by some outside force. She didn’t personally believe them until she saw the blue bunnies in her drawing. It was like she didn’t even recognize her own ability.

“Hey fellas!” a high pitched voice said from beside her, succeeding in scaring Namine nearly out of her wits. She quickly looked to her left and saw one of the bunny kids standing next to her. Namine flinched when it whistled to get the other two’s attention.

Its siblings (she assumed they were all siblings, at least) immediately stopped what they were doing. They took a glance at Namine, then at the bunny beside her, then started to bounce on over. They stopped at her feet. Namine was so bewildered at the past minute’s events that she had to take another moment to register what was going on.

“Oh! Hello there.” she finally greeted. “Would you like to see what I drew?”

All four bunny children nodded their heads- the one that had surprised Namine had gone down with the rest of its siblings. There was power in numbers, and she had a feeling those blue bunnies were well aware of it. Despite herself, Namine carefully turned her drawing around for them to see. Her work was immediately accepted with a round of ‘oh’s and ‘aww’s. It made her heart flutter with pride. She felt rather selfish when the four bunnies decided to just up and leave without another word. Namine sighed, hoping that they’d come back, before going back to finish up a few bits on the drawing.

Her wish was granted quite a few minutes after. Just as she was finishing up her drawing, the four bunny children from earlier were coming back to her. At least, she assumed they were the same as before- it was hard to tell when those blue bunnies all looked the same. Regardless, Namine greeted them all with a bright smile.

“Hello again,” she said, “How can I help you?”

The bunny children all stared at the one bunny standing in the back. It was bashfully hiding something as it stepped forward. The other bunnies let out a pleased ‘ta-da!’ while the bashful bunny presented Namine with a flower. It wasn’t anything too special, probably plucked from the caste gardens based on its hue.

“O-oh, thank you.” Namine stammered. “But I don’t need-”

She stopped dead in her tracks- the pitiful, pleading faces of the bunnies made it increasingly hard to say no. After a moment of mental wrestling, Namine offered a smile.

“It’s very lovely.” she said as she carefully took the flower. “Thank you. I’ll use it as a commission.”

The bunny children suddenly perked up. A new word had been spoken to them- one that they could already tell held the promise for more lovely drawings. They looked back up at her expectantly. Namine didn’t think herself that good at charades, but she could almost gather what they wanted to ask her.

“A commission is when you give something to someone in return for their goods. In this case, the flower is your commission for me drawing your picture earlier. Do you understand now?”

The bunny children looked at each other for a moment. They seemed to have a moment of revelation before turning back to Namine with a wide grin. In unison, the bunnies happily nodded.

“That’s good.” Namine smiled, giving them a happy nod of her own back to them.

Giving a grin that seemed rather mischievous in hindsight, the blue bunny children bounded off in different directions to do whatever it was they planned on next. Namine wasn’t aware that she was going to be a part of this plan. Not yet. For now, she decided to put her drawing things away to go find Lea and Kairi. She hadn’t seen them since they ran out a good hour ago. Not that she expected anything bad to happen to them, but still. You never knew in their world.

Thankfully, both Kairi and Lea were safe when Namine found them. Apparently they had raced each other to the go-kart track, which then proceeded to be an even more heated race between them. Namine had caught them at the end of their sixth round.

“Who won?” Namine curiously asked.

“I did!” Kairi boasted at the same time Lea mumbled, “She did.”

Namine afforded a small laughter. With the three of them together again, they decided that it was likely time to get something to eat. On their way back to the square, a large hoard to bunny children came bounding to the trio. They bunnies were so packed together that it was just a sea of rippling blue. Not sure of what to do, or where the bunnies were even heading, Lea, Namine, and Kairi simply stopped in their tracks.

“I don’t like how they’re in a stampede.” Lea murmured to the girls. “Who do you think they’re going to terrorize? That’s a terrorizing formation if I’ve ever seen it.”

The girls just shrugged, but they got their answer soon enough. The hoard stopped right at Namine’s feet. A fact that didn’t surprise her nearly as much until a few started to stack on top of each other. They continued to stack until the bunny child on top was at about Namine’s eye level.

“Hi!” the top bunny child happily said, giving a wave so energetic that it made the tower wobble a bit. The bunny didn’t give anyone time to react before pulling out a picture of their own. It was rather crudely done, but it was still easy to depict a black cat with a pink shirt and matching little hat. Putting on a wide grin, the bunny child told Namine, “This is our mama.”

“We want to surprise her!” one of the bunny kids in the stack said.

“Please draw us for Mama.” another bunny said.

“Draw us for Mama! Draw us for Mama!” the rest of the hoard chanted.

For the longest time, Namine was speechless. When she did try to say something, it only came out in a strangled, “I…” as she looked to Kairi and Lea. They seemed just as overwhelmed as she was.

The bunny children must have been expecting this because a few others formed a second stack. This time, the bunny on top was holding a rather large sack that, when shook, sounded like munny twinkling inside.

“We’ll commission you.” the bunny at the top of the second stack grinned.

“It’s all our allowance!” the hoard cheered at once. “63,000 munny!”

Lea let out a low whistle. “That’s a LOT of Mega-Potions…”

Indeed it was, and it only caused more conflict inside Namine. Why was it so hard to say no to troublemakers when they were being so earnest? Maybe it’s because the bunny children were still just that- children. They weren’t perfect, but when they put their heart into something, it was all they desired. It was admirable. It was hard to say no to.

“Sure.” Namine then decided, knowing that she wouldn’t be able to take it back later. “Why not?”

The bunny children cheered.

#kingdom hearts #epic mickey #kingdom hearts fanfiction #kh namine #bunny children #namine #kh kairi #kairi #lea #kh lea #kh fanfiction #fanfiction #kh fan fic #fanfic #fan fiction #fan fic #writers on tumblr #bunny kids

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minijenn · 4 years ago

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Keys to the Kingdom Preview

Hhhhh hilarious how I’m stalling resolving that damn cliffhanger by starting this chapter off with stuff not even really related to it. Anyway Riku and Kairi need to interact more, they’re both worried about their Mutual Idiot Boyfriend. Oh and Axel’s there too, third wheelin, I guess lol:

Riku takes another lengthy pause, seemingly ignoring the annoyed sigh Kairi lets out over his continued silence. Mostly since he needs to take his time in trying to piece this peculiar mystery together, in trying to figure out where Sora might have gone and why. “Ven said Donald and Goofy were with him when he left that world?” he finally asks, what feels like a lifetime later to Kairi.

“Yes,” Kairi nods affirmatively.

“Where did Ven say they were going?”

“He told us they were going to try and get the Key back they’d lost to Luxord,” Kairi explains, reiterating an excuse she still doesn’t necessarily believe. “But… I guess they got sidetracked with looking for the Key to Return Hearts? Ugh,” she groans, running a hand through her hair and not even caring about how she might be disheveling it in the process. “None of this makes any sense!”

“No, it doesn’t…” Riku agrees, a hand perched against his chin. “Did anything else strange happen while you guys were in that world? Stranger than usual, I mean.”

“No, not that I--wait,” Kairi stops herself short. Her eyes widen as a crucial detail, largely lost in the shuffle of everything else, finally lands at the forefront of her mind once more. “Luxord said something to me and Aqua, something that bothered me so much that I called Sora about it right after. H-he said… he said that ‘Xehanort’s been keeping a close eye on Sora’.”

“What?!” Riku instantly bolts upright in his seat. Somewhere in the background of the call, Kairi can hear Mickey curiously call his name from elsewhere in the cockpit. Riku largely ignores the king however, in favor of focusing on the incredibly alarming statement he’d just heard. “What else did he say?” he demands, his former calm composure completely gone now.

“That was it,” Kairi admits, hating how intentionally vague the gambler had been. He’d given her just enough to fear, both then, and now, for something so concerning, yet something so unclear all at once. “Like I said, I called Sora right after, and he said it was nothing to worry about, but… now I’m not so sure. Riku, what if… w-what if something bad is happening to him? Something neither of us even know about…?”

Riku closes his eyes, forcing his racing thoughts to slow, his rising dread to fall back under the surface. He’s fallen prey to thinking in terms of the worst case scenario before, his pessimism a longtime trait he’s been trying to work on reigning in. Worrying over something that might not even be true won’t get them anywhere, he knows that, especially with as little evidence as a mere foreboding statement from a single Organization member to go off of. And yet… after the promise he’d gotten, not once, but twice that Sora would be honest, that he’d tell him the truth if anything was even remotely wrong... “Sora, I swear, you’ll be luckier if Xehanort himself finds you before I do…” he mutters, so quietly that Kairi can’t even really make out what he’s saying. He pauses for another beat or two, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lets out a long, exasperated sigh before addressing Kairi once more. “Ok, let’s… not jump to any conclusions here,” he tells himself more than her. “As long as he’s still with Donald and Goofy, then I’m sure he’s safe. But before we do anything else, we need to find him.”

“Right,” Kairi soundly agrees. “That’s why I’m here. As soon as I meet up with Axel, we’ll-”

“You called?” Kairi let out a surprised squeal as someone suddenly taps her shoulder. She quickly eases up upon spinning around to find Axel standing behind her, offering her a wry grin of greeting.

“Hey there, former fellow classmate,” he says casually. “You get enough sleep last night? ‘Cause you look like you’re just a little bit on edge today.”

“You have no idea,” Kairi sighs, sending him a small smile all the same.

“Kairi?” Riku speaks up over the phone.

“Oh! Sorry, Riku,” she quickly glances back at the device. “Axel just got here, so we should probably get going-”

“Right, y-yes,” Riku interrupts. Kairi frowns when she hears his tone waver, something so slight and small that certainly no one else would have been able to notice. No one, save for someone who’s such a long time at his side like she has. She doesn’t even have to wonder if the stress of this situation is already starting to get to him like it’s reached her; she can tell, just from the shadows cast over his usually bright eyes, the tension drawn up in his shoulders. She’d hug him if she were on that Gummi Ship, hug him and hope that she alone could even come close to being enough to fill the void of the one they’re both missing. “The two of you look around there. I’ll fill Mickey in on what’s happening and we’ll see if we can find any sign of them in any other worlds we come across, just in case they might have left Twilight Town already.”

“Ok, we’ll call you as soon as we find anything out,” Kairi assures. She stifles a smile when he lets out a small sigh of relief. “But… here’s hoping Sora is the one to call either of us first.”

“I feel like that might be a bit too much to hope for at this point…” Riku half-jokes. “Be careful out there, Kairi. The last thing I want is you going missing on me too.”

“Hey!” Kairi protests in faux offense.

“Don’t worry,” Axel cuts in with a playful smile. “I’ll make sure to keep an eye on her.”

“Hmph, more like I’ll be the one keeping an eye on you,” Kairi shoots back, lightly elbowing him in the side.

“Well, as long as you’re both looking out for each other, that’s what really counts,” Riku chuckles, amused. “Good luck out here. I’ll talk to you both later.”

“Bye, Riku,” Kairi returns warmly as Axel waves his own farewell. After the call comes to an end, he’s the first one to speak to their new shared mission.

“Sooo,” he begins, leaning up against a nearby building. “What’s the plan?”

Kairi bites her lip, glancing away apprehensively. “I… was sort of hoping you had one.”

“You came all this way hoping I had a plan to find your missing boyfriend?” Axel arcs an eyebrow at this. “You know I’m already here looking for a way to help Roxas and Naminé, right? Last thing I need is to be tracking down a third kid on top of those two.”

“I know…” Kairi sighs, rubbing her arm. “I’m sorry for coming here to distract you; I want to help Roxas and Naminé too, but… I just… can’t shake the feeling that Sora might need my help right now too…”

Axel properly stands, genuine concern filling his features as he looks his former classmate over. “Is it the same feeling you had when he was captured by Maleficent?” he asks, his tone more serious than before.

“It’s… sort of like that…” Kairi lightly skims her heart with her fingertips. “But it's nowhere near as strong as it was back then. It’s almost like… his heart is still calling out to mine, but it’s getting fainter… like it's harder for me to hear his voice. Like the connection between his heart and mine… is fading…”

“Tch, I find that hard to believe,” Axel notes with a smile. “The connection between the two of you seems like it’s stronger than ever, especially what happened at the ball.”

“I thought it would be stronger after that too, but… our hearts don’t lie,” Kairi shakes her head, her gaze set on the ground. “Something’s wrong, something Sora isn’t telling me about. And I need to figure out what that something is.”

#jen writes #keys to the kingdom #keys preview

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thedeliverygod · 4 years ago

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surprise~ I wrote sokai. actually not a surprise I mentioned writing it after I beat melody of memory, I’ve just been working on it forever since my writing process has been a STRUGGLE lately. my AO3 and fanfiction accounts are linked on my profile if you’d prefer to read there [or just look up thedeliverygod]

Always

Sora blinked his eyes open to see his bedroom, a bright ray of sunlight running through the middle of the floor from where the curtains met. Grunting, he turned over and closed his eyes as he sunk his head down into the pillow again to go back to sleep.

‘Wait… my room?’

The realization clicked and his eyes shot open. As he gazed upon the ship hanging from the ceiling and other odds and ends collected around the room, he knew it had to be his.

“When did I get home?” He sat up and held his head, trying to remember what had happened last.

He had been in Quadratum for some time, but he had eventually met up with Riku and later the rest of their friends. Sora wasn’t used to being the one who had to be saved, but it took everyone’s strength and willpower to bring him back to their reality and the realm of light.

Kairi.

He remembered Kairi comforting him, talking to him softly but he couldn’t remember what she said.

He also remembered being at Yen Sid’s tower and something being mentioned about him needing rest. After that, nothing. Except for waking up here.

He shot upward and immediately felt the muscle aches all over his body as well as a multitude of bruises forming under his skin. Curative spells were amazing, but there was only so much they could do. He sucked in a breath before putting his feet to the floor and forcing himself to stand up despite the pain.

He clung to the banister of the stairs as he made his way down the stairs, but he wasn’t even halfway down before his mom appeared at the foot of them.

“Sora! I’m really glad you’re awake, but do you really think you should be out of bed?” She reached out a hand and took a few steps upward.

“I’m just a little sore, it’s fine.” He waved her off before giving a wide grin, “It’s good to see you, Mom.”

She shook her head but just stared at him with watering eyes as he continued to make his way down the stairs. Once he had reached her, she enveloped him in a tight hug, “I can’t believe how grown up you are.”

“Yeah, me neither.” He answered in a laugh.

“I’ve missed you so much.”

He hugged her tighter, “Me too.”

Hesitantly letting him go, she waved towards the living room, “Let’s go sit down.”

Sora nodded and followed after her, “Okay.” While she took the couch, he took the worn-out arm chair as he always had.

“Kairi filled me on somewhat of all you’ve been through over the past few years. I can’t even begin to imagine…”

“Speaking of Kairi, is she still here?” He asked automatically. After a beat and his cheeks starting to warm, he added, “Or Riku, or anyone else?”

Giving a confused look to his question at first, she realized what he meant and answered, “Oh, you mean on the islands. Yes, Kairi is still here. I believe Riku is still with the others that Kairi mentioned, though I’m not sure where they are.”

He let out a breath and nodded, “Ah, okay.”

His mom looked at him knowingly and smirked, commenting, “Still got it bad for Kairi after all these years, huh?”

Though he made a yelping noise in response to her blunt questioning, he looked away and answered, “Is that surprising?”

“Not at all. And the way she talked about you seemed to be quite different too, so I figured something must have happened. Are you finally dating?” She raised an eyebrow.

“Well, no, not really…” He answered honestly, “It’s hard to really ‘date’ with the life we’ve had.”

“Oh,” She parted her lips and let out a disappointed sigh, “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

“But,” He started again and she looked back up, intrigued, “Do you remember when we came back to the islands before a big fight before?”

She nodded, “Of course. I was so happy to see you then, too.”

“Well, we shared a paopu fruit when we went out to the play island to watch the sunset like we did as kids. Kairi’s idea, of course.” He flushed again, quickly adding, “N-not that I didn’t want to!”

His mom laughed loudly, “Of course.”

“But it was perfect. I think the paopu helped bring us together again despite the almost impossible odds, just like the legend says.” He gave another soft grin.

“Maybe it did help, but I think a lot of it was just… you two just being who you are, you know?” She gave her own smile in return. Sora didn’t really have the chance to respond before she changed the subject, “So, I suppose you asked about Kairi because you want to go see her, right?”

His face quickly reddening again, he admitted, “Well, yeah. But—”

“You can go.” His mom waved towards the front door, “Just be back before dinner.”

He stared breathlessly for a moment before smiling, “Thanks, Mom.”

“You’re welcome.” She answered as he got up from the chair and slowly made his way to the door.

Once he was outside and off the porch steps, he reached into his pocket for his gummi phone. Unsurprisingly, he had several messages from various people asking for him to call once he had woken up and was feeling better. ‘Well, I still kinda feel awful, honestly.’ He thought to himself, both as a truth and as an excuse to wait to call them later.

He moved to Kairi’s name and hit dial. After a few chirps, he heard her voice ring out through the speaker, “Sora?”

“Kairi!” He answered, grinning widely.

She gave a small laugh, “So you’re finally awake, lazy bum.”

“Yeah. Can’t say the same about my arms and legs, though. They kinda feel like jelly.” He tried to stretch his free arm again and found much of the same feeling as he had when he woken up earlier.

“I’m not surprised, I’m pretty sore too.”

“So… where are you? You’re still on the islands, right?” He bit his lip, hoping he hadn’t missed her.

“Of course. Riku wanted to stay too, but I guess there were some last-minute things King Mickey wanted his help with. Oh, and I’m at my house but I’ll come to yours. You really shouldn’t be pushing yourself so soon.”

He rolled his eyes, “I’m not that out of it. How about we meet halfway? Like around the park, I guess.”

Kairi hummed, “Okay, if you say so.”

“Great. See you soon.” He tapped the red button to end the call and set out on his way.

Pushing himself beyond his limits was nothing new with all of the things he had done on his adventures in the past few years, but he was still bent over in pain by the time he made it to the park.

“I would laugh because I knew you would do this, but you look awful.” Kairi commented as she approached him.

Straightening out and standing up straight, he smiled apologetically, “Yeah, you were right.”

“What a surprise.” She lightly grabbed his hand and tugged him towards a picnic table, “Let’s sit down.”

“Thank you.” He let out, unable to hold it in any longer as he sat down and faced her.

She blinked, “For what?”

“For everything.” He answered automatically. After a moment, he clarified, “For saving me.”

Kairi smiled and shook her head, “It’s like I told you years ago. I couldn’t just let you stay that way and forget about you. That’s the same reason you came after me, right?”

“To be honest, I didn’t really think about it. I just acted. But yeah, I guess that’s the best way to put it.” He admitted with a small laugh.

“That’s such a Sora thing to say.” She reached over to intertwine her hand with his.

He quirked an eyebrow, “I hope that’s a compliment.”

“Of course.” She smiled brightly as she nodded.

“So what’s going on with everyone else?” Sora shifted the topic of conversation, curious, “I know you said Riku stayed behind to do a few last-minute things but honestly my memory is kinda fuzzy about what all happened right before coming home.”

Kairi’s expression dampened somewhat, but she still kept a smile, “Just making sure everything is the way it’s supposed to be. And then we’re supposed to be able to take a break for a little while. Just hang out here on the islands; you, me, and Riku.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, “That sounds nice.”

“I’m sure. You’ve been through a lot.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her seriously, answering, “So have you, you know.”

Quietly, she nodded and held his hand a little tighter.

And suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

“Kairi.” He called her name and she looked up curiously.

“Yes?”

“This isn’t really how I ever imagined doing it, but I think this feels right.” He slipped down from the bench and knelt on one knee, with Kairi quickly clasping her hands over her mouth in surprise. “I don’t even know how old I was when I started dreaming about wanting to spend my life with you. And for a long time, it always seemed out of reach; both because I didn’t know how you feel and because of all of the things we’ve been through. But I want to make it real now. No matter what happens next, I want to be by your side, always.”

Kairi nodded vigorously, tears starting to overflow from the corners of her eyes, “That’s what I want too.”

Sora reached out and motioned for her hand, only to pull it towards him and kiss her knuckles. “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring yet. But like I said before, this wasn’t exactly planned so…” They both shared a quick laugh before he smiled widely and asked, “Kairi, will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She slid closer to him and pressed a kiss against him eagerly, “Yes, yes, yes.”

He cupped both sides of her face and grinned against her, “So… when do we let everyone else know?”

“Maybe keep it a secret for a few days or else everyone’s hugs may crush what little solid bones you have left in your body right now.” She gave a gentle squeeze of his arm which he had to admit hurt much more than he expected.

“Ow.” He rubbed the spot she had squeezed, “But that’s a very solid point.”

“Do you need me to carry you back to your house?” Kairi teased with a tilt of her head.

He shook his head, “I dunno, I think it’s poor form to have your new fiancée carry you.”

“Fiancée, huh.” She beamed, humming, “I think I like the sound of that.”

“So do I.” He kissed her again.

#kingdom hearts #sokai #my writing

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atomic-taco-muffin · 4 years ago

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The Lost Princess Chapter 27

Warnings: idk. You decide

Rating: SFW

You and the group entered Halloween Town. Once there, the four of you were clothed in scary-looking outfits, and Goofy noticed the scary scenery in the area. You became scared of how scary everything looked.

“Gawrsh! Don't like the looks of this place. I bet it's crawlin' with ghosts!” Goofy said.

“Neither do I. And don’t mention ghosts. They freak me out,” you said.

“Aw, phooey! There's nothin' to worry about. You won't be spooked if you already know what's coming! Not even real ghosts can frighten us anymore. If they take one look at us, THEY'd be the ones to run away!” Donald said.

“You really think so?” Goofy asked.

“Trust me!” Donald walked toward the green fountain, and Jack Skellington popped out of it. You screamed and hid behind Sora.

“Welcome to Halloween Town!” Jack said.

“Waaak!” Donald screamed as he fell on his back.

“A ghost!” you and Donald said. Sora and Goofy prepared for battle.

“Wow, those are the best shrieks I've heard in ages! If you two are THAT easy to scare, we're gonna have a great time! Sorry, I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Jack Skellington! And this is Halloween Town. People around here call me the Pumpkin King! So if you're lookin' for a ghoulishly good time, you've come to the right place,” Jack said.

“Well, we aren't!” Donald said angrily as he jumped up and down.

“Too bad, because at the moment, we've got a bit of a problem in Halloween Town.”

“What kind of problem?” Sora asked.

“Well...” Just then, several Shadow Heartless surrounded you all.

“Like this!” Jack said. You and the trio quickly took care of the heartless.

“What's the big idea! Why'd you go and call the Heartless?” Donald said to Jack.

“I didn't call them. I just knew when they were going to show up. In fact, I'd love to get rid of them. They actually go around attacking people, instead of just scaring them,” Jack said.

“Why are they here?” you asked as you tried to stood close to Sora.

“I was just going to go ask Dr. Finkelstein the same question. I'm heading to his laboratory right now. Follow me!” Jack said as he left.

“Sora, what should we do?” you asked.

“I guess we'd better go,” Sora said.

“I don't like this. What if he's leading us right to the Heartless?” Donald said. Jack suddenly reappeared.

“Bingo!” he said. You screamed again and clung to Sora.

“Waaak!” Donald screamed and fell down again.

“Ha ha ha, I'm just kidding! Now let's get going,” Jack said. Jack started to leave. You, Sora and co. followed him. You, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack entered Dr. Finkelstein's lab. Dr. Finkelstein was in his wheelchair reading a large book.

“Allow me to introduce Dr. Finkelstein! He's a world-famous genius!” Jack said.

“Yes! Maybe I'm TOO smart. I'm afraid I've created something horrible!” Finkelstein said.

“What's that?” Donald asked.

“Well... Have you ever stopped to think about the power of ‘true memories’?” Finkelstein said.

“True memories?!” you and Sora asked.

“You see me children, our hearts are full of memories---but not all of them reflect the truth. The heart isn't a recording device. Even important memories change with time. They warp or fade, leaving us with but a shadow of what we hoped to remember,” Finkelstein said.

“Could that be happening to us?” you asked.

“It happens to everyone. Some memories grow ugly, and some become more beautiful. If we could recover our true memories, the world would seem completely different. So, I devised a potion from forget-me-nots that brings our true memories back.”

“Did it work?” Sora asked.

“Well, that's the problem...”

“As soon as the doctor got a whiff of the potion, Heartless started popping up!” Jack said.

“Sounds like a failed experiment to me,” Donald said.

“No! My research is flawless! I just need another look at the potion to find out what went wrong!” Finkelstein said. The doctor moved his wheelchair over to a tube containing green liquid. He opened the top of his head to scratch his brain and you cringed at the sight.

“Unfortunately...it's vanished,” Finkelstein said as he closed his head.

“Maybe someone swiped it?” Sora asked.

“It must've been Sally! Jack, you've got to find her and get my potion back.”

“Leave it to me!” Jack said.

“Can we tag along?” Sora asked.

“What for?”

“I want to know more about these ‘true memories’ the doctor keeps talking about.”

“Excellent! Then let's go find Sally!” You all left the laboratory to go find this Sally person. You, Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Jack found Sally in the cemetery.

“There you are, Sally. I thought I'd find you here,” Jack said.

“Who are your friends?” Sally asked.

“They're interested in true memories. You have the potion, don't you?”

“Well...yes.” She took the potion from a pocket in her dress.

“Could you give it back?” Jack said.

“I guess so, if you insist. But...I'm afraid. All the Doctor did was smell it, and the Heartless appeared. What if someone drinks it?” Sally said.

“Are you kidding? What could be more exciting?”

“I'm worried, Jack. Isn't there another option?”

“Any ideas, Jack?” you asked.

“I can't think of a thing,” Jack said.

“I can! Give it here!” someone said. Suddenly, Oogie Boogie appeared behind Sally, attacked her, knocking her away, and grabbed the potion.

“Oh no! The potion!” she said. You and Sora's group readied your weapons.

“Oogie! You again!” Jack said.

“Jack, where are your manners? I'm just helping you put the potion to good use! You should thank me! Well, well. Just one sniff, and the Heartless appeared. What would happen if I chugged the whole thing? THAT would be scary! Poor Jack! You can't hold a candle to Oogie Boogie. Time for Halloween Town to taste pain and despair beyond any nightmare!” Oogie said.

“Pain and despair? Oogie, you monster!” Oogie ran away with the potion.

“C'mon, Jack! We've gotta go after him!” you said. The five of you ran after Oogie. you, Sora and co. chased Oogie Boogie into his lair. As you all entered, the gates closed behind you.

“Oogie! Hand over the potion!” Jack said.

“You fools don't know when to quit! Say...all this running around is making me thirsty!” Oogie said.

“Oogie! No!”

“Yes!” Oogie took out the potion, uncorked it with his mouth, and drank the entire thing.

“Oh, no...” you an Sora said.

“Ahh! Lip-smacking good!” Oogie said. All of a sudden, he started shaking.

“Agh! What's this? What... Something's wrong! Something deep inside me. Something...scary!” he said.

“Oogie! What's going on?” Jack said.

“No! Get back! Stay away from me!” Oogie coward. You and the trio fought and defeated Oogie. Later at Dr. Finkelstein's laboratory, you, Sora, Donald, Goofy, Jack, and Sally met with the Doctor.

“Confound that Oogie Boogie! He drank nearly all of my precious potion! There are only a few drops left!” Finkelstein said.

“Sora, (Y/N), why don't you ask the doc if you can drink the rest?” Goofy asked.

“No. We'd better not,” Sora said.

“I agree,” you said.

“What, don't you want it? Too bad. It would've been a great experiment,” Finkelstein said.

“Now, Doctor...” Sally said.

“Don't you want to find out about your true memories?” Jack asked you and Sora.

“Of course---now more than ever. But there's this guy---Axel. We promised him we'd find the truth on our own,” you said.

“I just don't understand. When I inhaled the potion, Heartless appeared--- ...and when Oogie drank it, he was overcome with fear. What could it mean?” Finkelstein said.

“It means the potion was a failure,” Sally said.

“No! I can't be wrong! Oogie MUST have found his true memories! Hmm... True memories must unbalance the heart--- ...and cause unpredictable changes within!”

“Then...what about us? What happens when our true memories awaken?” Sora asked.

“Perhaps something even more terrifying... But this is all just a hypothesis. I can't be sure without further research.”

“What's wrong, (Y/N)? Does the doctor's theory scare you?” Jack asked.

“Well, yeah---a little,” you said.

“Same here,” Sora said.

“That's good to hear! Fear and doubt are signs of a strong heart. They push your heart, strike out in new directions, take chances! Without them, your zest for life might fade... ...as would your taste for fear. And believe me, that would really ruin my fun.”

“Thanks, Jack. I'll remember that,” Sora said.

“Then good luck, everyone! May you always enjoy being frightened!” You and the trio left the lab, and then Halloween Town. You and gang entered the Third Floor Exit Hall.

“Aw... I hope the king is gonna be okay...” Donald said.

“Why bring that up?” you asked.

“I had to be sure that I hadn't forgotten him.”

“How'd that go for ya?” Goofy asked.

“Good! I remembered---we're on a quest to find the king.”

“I remember that too. The king helped save everything by staying on the other side of the door to darkness. I think...”

“You got it, Goofy!”

“And me and (Y/N)--- We’re looking for Riku. He was with the king when the door closed. Hm. I guess there's no way we'll forget the most important memories,” Sora said.

“That's good. 'Cause I don't want to forget...” Donald said.

“Neither do I. I may not know who my mother was but I don’t want to forget her. It’s like she’s a part of me,” you said.

“Well, you do have her powers and her dagger,” Goofy said.

“That’s true. I hope I find her soon.” You and the trio leave the Exit Hall. Meanwhile, in another room inside the castle, Axel and a woman wearing a similar black coat were standing near a crystal ball.

“You seem pretty intrigued by this Sora and (Y/N) kid,” Larxene said. (QUEEN!)

“Are you telling me you're not, Larxene?” Axel asked. Larxene giggled.

“Haven't decided yet... I think what intrigues me more is what you see in them,” she said.

“There was a time he became a Heartless. And if one becomes a Heartless---” Axel said.

“They lose their minds and their feelings... They're consumed by the darkness.”

“Right. But not Sora. He held on to his feelings, even as a Heartless. And there's only one other man who's been able to do just that.”

“It's the strength of his heart... That's what interests you. Why the Keyblade chose Sora's heart. But that doesn’t explain that spirit.”

“To unlock the mysteries of the heart. Isn't that the Organization's mission?” Larxene snickered. You, Sora, Donald, and Goofy entered the Fourth Floor.

“Hey, I wonder if there's anything we've forgotten...” Donald said.

“Hmm... If we did, what would it have been?” Goofy asked. The two fo them thought for a moment.

“I can't think of anything, so maybe that means that I really am losing my memories,” Goofy said. Donald looked sad.

“But whatever they were, they couldn't have been very important memories, right?” Goofy asked.

“Right, or else I don't think you would have forgotten it,” you said. You and Sora took out the seashell charms that Kairi gave to you.

“Look,” Sora said.

“What is it?” Donald asked.

“A good luck charm Kairi gave us. It's special to her, so we promised that we would return it. I'll never forget making that promise. It's why we could never forget Kairi,” you said.

“I’ll never forget it too,” Sora said. Donald and Goofy nodded.

“Are we right, Kairi?” Sora asked. You and Sora saw an image of Kairi in your heads. The three of you smiles at each other. Then a girl wearing a white dress appeared behind you two.

“Huh?!” you and Sora asked. You and Sora looked back but the girl disappeared.

“Oh... Do we know...that girl?” Sora asked.

“I...have no idea,” you said.

“Hey, Sora, (Y/N). Where did you two go?”

“Sorry. Never mind,” Sora said.

“We better keep goin'” Goofy said. You and Sora held up the next card at the Fourth Floor world entrance, and entered to the next world.

#kingdom hearts #kingdomhearts #kingdom hearts imagine #kingdom hearts x reader #kingdomhearts imagines #kingdomhearts x reader #kingdomhearts+imagines #kingdomhearts+x+reader #kingdom+hearts+x+reader #kingdom+hearts+imagines

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shigarakis-fifth-hand · 5 years ago

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Tenya Lida x fem! Reader

Warning: Mentions of attempted rape, vaping, and then kissing~kinda

Inspiration: I’m Yer Dad by GRLwood (idk why)

“Get your feet off the desk! You have been here for five minutes and you are already destroying school property!” Oh boy... you recognized that voice.

Walking into class on your first day of high school at UA, you were met by an unwelcoming yet familiar sight. There stood your long time acquaintance Tenya Iida, yelling at a student who had their feet on the desk.

As you two met eye contact, you smiled, happy to have something familiar in all of this chaos. Walking in, you walked in Tenya’s directions before a bunch of people surrounded you.

“You must be that girl from the exam! I saw you swing that pole at that robot that went down instantly!”, “Wow, your quirk is so cool!”, “Can you change the size of people?” All these questions from your fellow classmates filled your head as you answered them.

Iida, on the other hand, was having a hard time processing what he was looking at. One, L/N Y/N had gotten into UA, even 1-A to be exact. She was known for being a party animal, not knowing anything about anything, and hooking up with everyone left and right.

The other part was... that between the last day of middle school and today, you had... changed. You were a lot... curvier in certain areas, your hair was longer, you had grown a few inches, and overall you looked... prettier.

Even though you were known as the cutest girl in Iida’s middle school, you had become more mature in your looks. So when you looked at Lida with that half grin, he was confused.

Why were you smiling at him? You had never talked to him once the entire three years you had been at the same school, and now you were happy to see him? Maybe he was over-reacting... yea, that had to be it.

Once you were finished answering questions, you managed to squeeze threw the group of students to get to Iida. Once you arrived, you were out of breath from all the talking.

“I-lida! Hi!” you exclaimed, making him even more confused. “(L/n)… you’re here? Talking to me? At UA?” Iida felt woozy, and almost dizzy. “Uh, I think so.” You took a quick pause, looking at his face.

“God, it’s so good to see you after a whole Summer.” With no warning, you brought him into a tight, quick hug before letting go. You sat your backpack right next to his, smiling ear-to-ear.

“Gosh, after that party I thought I’d never hear your voice again.” Iida thought and thought, becoming even more confused. “Um, I think you may be confusing me with someone else Y/n. We’ve never talked before.”

Your smile dropped as confusion and worry filled your eyes. “N-no. Remember the party? Where you had one two many drinks and ended up kissing me?” As you finished your sentence, Iida had a flashback.

It was the going away party for the eighth graders in the middle school gym, even though you had decided to hang out with your cooler friends in Mr. Himiza’s classroom. There was Riku, Haruto, Haru, and Yuuto. You had only met these guys two days ago, but they were awesome. You were the last of your old friend group to be at the school, as all of them had been expelled or sent to Juvy. Not you though, how could you tarnish your reputation when you and these guys were planning on running away together. That was, until...

“Stop! Get away from me!” You had walked to the bathrooms, not realizing you were being followed. Lucky for you, Iida was patrolling the school for kids going drugs, and heard your voice loud and clear. “Stop! Please!” you cried out as Riku pinned you against the wall and tried to kiss you while also removing your shirt. “No!” you pushed him back, trying to use your quirk on him. But you were just too drunk and not as powerful as him.

“You bitch! Shut up!” Riku slammed his fist into your head, making your skull hit the wall and cause you to fall back. “There, you’re good. Easy there.” As he put his hand on your shirt once more, Iida came up behind him and grabbed him by the collar, raising him high off the ground. You could see Iida’s muscles through his t-shirt, and man was it hot.

“You better run your as home before this gets bloody.” Iida threatened as Riku nodded, getting down and running out of the bathroom. Immediately Iida looked at you concerned, kneeling down and grabbing your hand to help you up. “Are you okay? Is your head alright? What about your eyesight?” The questions just went in one ear and out the other.

“You saved me Iida.” Iida stepped back, surprised that you even knew his name. “You’re my hero.” you looked up at him with lust in your eyes as he gave the same look back at you. “It’s nothing, I’m going to become a hero in real life.” he looked down, a blush forming on his face. “Wait, you applied to UA?” What else would you expect from Tenya Iida?

“O-of course, only the best to keep the family up. What about you?” You stayed silent, thinking of how you had been blessed with such an amazing quirk but had never strengthened it. You hadn’t ever thought of a career in heroism, but again you had never felt such a desire for a single human being as you were feeling right now.

“Um, UA.” You lied as his eyes widened, shocked by your secret lie. Dang, why did you have to be such a sad human being. “Really?! That’s amazing L/n.” he looked... impressed by you? “Call me Y/n.” By now, you were nose to nose with Tenya Iida, in a situation you thought you’d never be in.

Just as you were about to kiss each other, the sound system alarmed, alerting the students that their parents were waiting for them. As Iida was about to walk off, you grabbed his arm to hold him back. “Wait, I’ll never see you again.” You held him back as he just looked back at you with the most innocent smile. “I’ll see you on the first day of high school. Then we can pick up where we were.” And with that, he walked out of the bathroom, leaving you standing there.

“Wait! Iida!” You ran down the hall past him, trying your best to talk to him before he walked out of your life forever and you never saw him again. “Yes Y/n?” he looked behind him at you, his eyes full of happiness and lust like your own.

Now! Here was your chance to confess that you had lied to his face and would never see him again. But instead, you said the most stupid thing in the world. “I’ll see you soon!” He smiled and waved before stepping into his car. Suddenly, it started raining, but you didn’t care. As you sat in the rain, you realized what you had to do. You would get into UA if it killed you.

Somehow, you managed to get into contact with Present Mic when meeting him at the super market, and somehow convinced him to train you. “Well if All Might can have his protegee, I guess I can have mine!” he smiled, patting your hair nicely. Immediately, the training was awful. You quirk was zoom out, meaning that you could change the size of certain objects and move them with your mind. Hizashi, and eventually Aizawa had you use everything, from rocks to buildings. He made you move the heaviest things with your mind, and had you change the size of people.

At the end of the Summer, he had happily given you a recommendation letter for UA, making you cry for days upon days with the Pro Hero, who by now thought of you as his daughter.

So here you were, standing in the UA classroom, a completely different person.

“Y-you remembered that?” Iida asked, his eyes bugging out in shock. As he thought about it, he remembered how you had almost kissed him and promised to resume your relationship on the first day of high school. He could feel his heart beating, and knew immediately that he wanted to have you as his girlfriend.

“Oh please Iida, that night changed my life.”

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chibi-mushroom · 4 years ago

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Day 1: Reunion

My entry for Rikunami week day 1! *warning*: I do kill off Luxu and Riku gets fairly hurt. Nothing is described in detail though, so take it as you will.

The sound of metal clashed and rang through the air. Sora and Kairi were facing the Master of Masters and the foretellers together high up on the crag that loomed above them while Riku and Yozora had someone else to eradicate: Luxu, otherwise known as Xigbar. Sora and Kairi would be fine, despite the heavy disadvantage in numbers, Riku knew. What he needed to focus on was his battle here and now. He still had the face of Xigbar, someone he had gotten to know of while he was infiltrating the organization. For the most part, Xigbar had been unimpressive and unimportant. If he could just turn back time and warn himself….

"Give it up, kiddo. I believe I have the high ground." Luxu smirked before teleporting away and shooting at them while upside down.

"High ground doesn't matter when your opponent can still move!" Riku growled. He summoned a barrier to surround himself while he leapt at the one-eyed enemy.

Together Riku and Yozora yelled as they brought their swords down toward the man. He was slick and managed to dodge them, preferring to fight from a distance. With a laugh, he shot a pair of lasers that looked more purple than the others. There hadn’t been any time to look at them closely however, as they were homing missiles. In tandem they struck in a wave of flame and burned into the skin on his arm as he tried to deflect them.

It had been a long battle and Riku found he was out of potions. He grit his teeth. His mana was growing low too, and he only had one more ether. With a groan, he chugged it down while Yozora used his crossbow to match Luxu's fighting style. Throwing the bottle aside, Riku charged right back into the action. As long as he could save his magic for healing, then everything would be alright. He hoped. If they couldn't stop Luxu, then Sora and Kairi were done for. All the training, blood, sweat and tears he had shed were all leading to this moment. It was time to use the strength he had cultivated to protect what mattered.

"You're done for!" He called.

Riku swung his heavy keyblade diagonally down at Luxu while Yozora kept him distracted. At least they had numbers to their advantage. Thankfully the attack hit, dropping the enemy to the ground with a hard *plop*. Riku wasted no time in swinging again, but Luxu had rolled over and blocked Riku's attack with a keyblade that had been pulled out of thin air. The shock of the ace up his sleeve had been enough to cause the keyblade master to leap back and take a couple of quick breaths.

Where had that come from?

"I thought I told you pipsqueaks; I'm plenty worthy for one of these. It's no no name, but it'll do."

The blade was dark with a firey looking handguard colored in deep reds while the teeth were a dark blue and in intricate swirls. The keychain had an eye, same as the Master of Master's blade, but instead of the piercing blue, it was the near golden color that Riku had grown to hate. Seeing it could only mean trouble. As he was holding his keyblade aloft to attack one again, the acrid scent of darkness filled Riku's mind. All at once he was back in Castle Oblivion, being followed by a demon. Although he knew he had defeated the shadow, his mind was still there for just a second. A familiar voice called out for him and he turned.

Look out!

"Pay attention!" Yozora chided, pressing his blade against Luxu's. He had blocked the attack.

"The worlds are colliding. Maybe he heard his girlfriend." Luxu laughed. "She's been trying to reach you, you know. Who would have thought she'd become such a powerful witch?"

Riku leapt to the side and slashed at Luxu with a growl. A witch. That was all the organization had ever seen her as. But she was so much more. She was a healer, a listener, a dreamer and a doer. Gone was the small scared girl who obeyed for fear of being alone. She was confident, more mature and wiser now. Atonement had been made and she would never have to go back to that world ever again.

"Riku, if we want any chance to keep the worlds safe, we need to finish him now!" Yozora barked.

"Right!"

A small light appeared from both of them; blue for Riku and red for Yozora. They held their weapons together and took aim. So they were able to link after all that time. Now, Riku could only hope it would strike true. His mana was completely depleted from the attack and his energy would likely be gone afterward. As the laser was coming toward him, Luxu saw his lives before his eyes. This would be the end. But he wasn't going to go alone. He held up his keyblade and shot out a bolt of dark energy, taking aim and letting it loose just as he was hit.

The light encompassed Luxu entirely and all that was left was a small cloud of darkness that dissipated a second later. But it seemed that he would get what he wanted. The dark bolt had a homing spell and it was locked on Riku, striking it's mark in the chest. Incredible pain seared through his body as he dropped from the link attack. The earth was shaking and Yozora rushed to his side.

"Hey, wake up! We did it. You can't die yet!" Yozora shook the keyblade master.

There was a loud crack and the ground beneath Yozora's feet began to split apart. He grabbed Riku and jumped up with what remaining power he had. Neither were in any condition to make it through a world collapsing in on itself. High above them was a light shining. It must have been Sora and Kairi. The worlds were starting to move back to normal. Riku could feel it. They had defeated the one who started all of this and now they could rest for real this time. Not that he was surprised; not by any stretch of the imagination. He believed they could do it. They were strong together. One of the regrets he had was that he wouldn't get to go home with them- not if Yozora was going to make it back to his Sora.

"Make sure Sora and Kairi get home." Riku yelled at his near clone.

“What do you mean?” yozora looked down at him.

“We can’t both make it, and we both know I’m dead weight. Now go before I find some way to blast you into the light!”

Yozora looked down at him with pain in his dual colored eyes. But he also understood. This was a war and war took casualties. It was better that one of them make it back to his own world line than neither of them. With a ‘thank you’ on his lips, Yozora dropped the keyblade master, and he fell into the dark depths of where the land was converging. Using the last of his strength, Yozora pushed himself upwards until he managed to touch the light ahead of him. He was going home.

As he fell, Riku closed his eyes. He had already been heavily injured during the battle with Luxu, and the last hit was enough to end it all. With a resounding clunk, he landed on some dry ground, rocks all around him. By some miracle he hadn’t been crushed, but the earth was still shaking. All he could do was pray. Well, pray and think about what he would have done differently if he had been given the chance. He wished he had been bold enough to tell Namine exactly what he thought of her and the love that had grown in his heart for her over the last two years before he left. She might have known, but it wasn't enough. He needed her to hear it with her own ears. As he closed his eyes, images of her flashed through his mind.

A moment later he awoke, body still heavy from the fall. If he moved too much, he would still feel the pain ringing through his chest. All of his senses were dulled, but he could tell that he was alone. Utterly, absolutely alone. Perhaps it was fitting. Sora and Kairi belonged to the realm of light. They had defeated every one of their foes and finally found their way back to each other. It was about time they were able to go home and be regular kids. There had been enough wandering and adventuring for a long time.

Wasn't this exactly what he had planned for just over a year ago in the rooms of the Twilight Town mansion? Sora and Kairi could be together now while he remained away. Of course, last time Namine hadn’t been left alone. She was inside Kairi’s heart. Now she had a replica body of her own. How ironic that she would be the one with friends and he would be alone. A small chuckle left his throat, followed by heavy coughs. He groaned at the pain that seared through his chest. As he lay in agony, he couldn’t help but wonder if she would weep for his loss. He hoped not.

I wonder if my heart went to the same place yours did.

After the thought crossed his mind, he closed his eyes. He didn’t know how long he was out, but when he opened his eyes again to the same dark and dreary rock-filled landscape, he heard a pair of footsteps. They were light and Riku noticed a dim pillar of light beside whoever was coming. But who was here? He was on a piece of desert in between the world lines. How would they even….

A soft hand brushed his hair before carefully sliding him onto what must have been their lap. One hand threaded itself through his damp locks while the other glowed green over his body. Instantly he could breathe without pain, although he was still drained of energy. The hands that held him were small but coarse.The scent….it was familiar and almost too good to be true. His mind must have been bringing back her memory.

"N-namine…" Riku whispered.

"I'm here.We found you just in time." Namine replied softly.

"Then who…?"

"Your replica. It's a long story, but he helped strengthen the connection between you and I, and helped lead me to you. I got a little lost at the point where the world lines converged though, so I had to look into your more recent memories to get here. I'm sorry."

Riku shook his head. He could barely see his replica anymore, as the light he gave off was fading fast. Wordlessly the spirit placed a hand on Namine's shoulder and pressed his forehead to hers. She closed her eyes and whispered a soft goodbye as a tear fell from her eyes and fell onto Riku's cheek. A second later, the replica was gone and the soft light he gave off had turned to darkness.

The ground beneath Riku felt dusty and dry. It seemed to go on that way for a long time, but at least all of the rocks around them were gone. Instead it was all nothingness; a dreary wasteland of dry ground. While he didn't want to give up hope of getting home, the realist in him figured they'd never see their friends again. He was so tired. At least he had Namine with him. She had a way of grounding him and giving him the will to move on, even if it seemed all hope was lost. He regretted not bringing her with him in the first place on the search for Sora; she was stronger than she looked. But she was here now and that was all that mattered.

Slowly, he moved his hand up to cup her cheek. He didn't have strength to hold it there, but Namine somehow knew what he wanted and held his hand in place, leaning into his touch. She was warm- much warmer than she had ever been in the Castle or Twilight town. He didn’t understand why that particular detail stood out to him so much, perhaps he was losing it faster than he had expected. It could have been days that he had been here and he wouldn’t be able to tell.

"It doesn't matter." She had to have read his mind. "As long as we're together, that's what's important, right?"

“Yeah.” he attempted to look at her through the darkness. It had been a long time since he had been able to see despite being blinded. “Hey Namine, do you believe in fate?”

“No.” She paused. “Do you?”

Now it was Riku’s turn to pause. He had believed in it for a long time. When they had started this adventure, he figured fate was on his side. Then everything had changed for him and he didn’t know what to believe in any more. The only solids he had to go off of were his friendships with Sora, Kairi and Mickey as well as the warm stirrings that tugged at his heart anytime the tiny blond looked at him. With her eyes capturing his, Riku wondered if she hadn’t been aware of the noise it was making.

“Maybe. But even if it’s all a lie, if we ever get back to the islands, let’s share a paopu.” Riku spoke softly.

“Y-you want to share one….with me?”

“Yeah. I do.”

Tears began to fill her eyes. A wide smile crossed her face. Instead of saying anything, she simply beamed at him and shook her head. A single droplet fell on his cheek. But it wasn’t a tear. It was a warmth and light that he was unfamiliar with. He looked up to the heavens to see little drops falling from the sky and breaking through the clouds. All at once they opened up, revealing a bright burst of light. When the darkness was dissipated, the previously dusty and empty grounds were filled with wildflowers of every kind and soft grasses. The world around them had gained new life and a gentle wind blew across the hill. It began to push the clouds away, revealing a beautiful blue sky. Riku knew where they were now. It was on the shores of the mainland on a hill not too far from the ocean.

“Where….?” Namine looked around.

“We’re home. Something brought us back.”

“It must have been your heart. You don’t have to share a paopu with someone to have an unbreakable connection. Sora and Kairi must have been calling out to you.” Namine suggested, looking around. “After all, if I managed to find you when the place you were was falling apart, who’s to say we couldn’t be led back? Maybe it was fate after all.”

She blushed as his hand brought her face back to look at his. The keyblade master looked relieved. He had been so tired during the last two years and Namine had tried to be there for him as much as possible. Perhaps she had been fated to love him from the start. He had loved her other first, but still managed to see her for her, not for Kairi. They had spent many long hours together hoping to find some sort of light to cling to. Somehow they hadn’t realized that it wasn’t light or darkness that they were hanging onto; they were holding onto each other and keeping the other from going too far into one or the other. He loved her despite her darkness and she loved him even though the light blinded her so.

“Hearts and connections are powerful things.” Namine spoke, her voice just above a whisper.

There was one thing her heart was pleading for. She needed him to understand just how much he meant to her. When this part of their adventure began she had told him good luck without obliging her heart for fear of many things- all excuses now, really. She wouldn’t betray it again. Carefully, she leaned down and pressed her lips against his. It was sweet and chaste, not nearly lasting long enough. If he were honest, Riku barely had any time to process what was happening before it had ended. So when she pulled back, he let the weight of his hand pull her back in for another, this time allowing himself to move his lips against hers in ecstasy. No thoughts ran through his mind. He was simply there in the moment, being cradled by the person he wanted to protect the most. The one fate had in mind for him a long time ago.

From off in the distance they heard a voice calling out to them. It caused them to break apart, blushing furiously. Both knew it had to be Sora. He was calling their names, running up the path with Kairi’s hand in his and followed by Donald, Goofy and the King. She cautiously sat him up, and he silently assured her he was okay to do that on his own. As their friends approached, both Riku and Namine saw their friend’s faces all aglow from realizing that everyone was safe at home.

“We thought we lost you there, buddy.” Sora hugged his friend. “If you wanted a little alone time with your girlfriend, just tell us next time.”

Riku began to stutter out some excuse but when he couldn’t find the words, he simply gave sora a playful shove. Kairi hugged him next, and then Mickey. They really were home. Riku looked up to the sky. There was only one sky; one destiny. With the major threats to the universe gone, he could make of it whatever he wanted. Until then, there was this perfect moment; this lasting memory where he knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was home and had everything he needed as long as his friends and the girl he loved most by his side. Whether destiny or fate was real or not, he would never need to meet it alone again.

#rikunami week 2020 #rikunami #namiku #day 1 #replinami #hinted at #inspired by ff8 #drawing to come

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is0gild · 4 years ago

Text

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 27

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 10,891

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented ky-jane here on tumblr!

You know that counting sheep thing?

Does. Not. Work.

Of course, maybe I'd be having better luck with it if I was able to go more than seven or eight sheep before my stupid brain would get distracted chasing some other wayward thought down the rabbit hole.

And it didn't help that there were so many wayward thoughts to choose from too. There was wondering when all that seething rage Grandfather was barely keeping in check was finally going to explode and murder me. There was confusion over Mother's actions and uncertainty as to which side she was going to end up being on, mine or that of the family's reputation. There was dread over the talk I was going to have with her and Father that had seemed to take so distressingly, painfully long to get here but now that the time was finally almost upon me, it suddenly seemed far too soon.

But probably the one that was eating away at me most of all, the one playing complete havoc with my nerves, the one that had kept me up tossing and turning all night long so far… was Anna.

I hadn't seen her for the rest of the party. To be fair, I hadn't stayed much longer after she'd fled from me. By that point, my capacity for human interaction had been maxed out and I'd needed to get out of there. Thankfully, Lea had managed to free himself from the clutches of my relations and had rejoined me, bearing two slices of cake. One look at me was all it took for him to know, then he was helping me make a quick exit. After escorting me back to my room, Lea had asked if I wanted company but I'd turned him down, saying I just wanted to go to sleep. He'd left me with a smile and one of the pieces of cake, which I'd set aside untouched on my vanity. From there, I'd changed into my nightgown and readied myself for bed, doing a poor job of it as I didn't even braid my hair. Then I'd turned off the light and crawled under the covers.

But I did not sleep.

Instead my mind whirled and raced and at the forefront of it all was Anna. What was it that had her so upset? Why couldn't she just tell me? How could it have caused such a drastic change in her attitude towards me? When had it even all begun? Was it something that she had been dealing with in silence, letting it fester for some time now and I just hadn't noticed until it'd gotten to be too much for her and she could no longer keep it hidden?

These were just a few of the questions that had kept me up. Were still keeping me up, even now as I spotted the first feeble rays of sunrise beginning to light the night sky outside my window. Honestly, this thing with Anna was stressing me out more at this point than even the idea of The Talk™ was.

But thankfully, all that sleeplessness hadn't been for naught! I had a theory now. I'd been over it again and again in my head. Mentally retracing and RE-retracing every step, every action I'd taken in the weeks between my wedding day and this very weekend, trying to figure out what it was I'd done, how I'd wronged my sister. And there was only one thing I could think of.

I should have called her sooner.

After running away, I shouldn't have waited so long to let her know that I was okay. God, she must have been going out of her mind with worry waiting to hear from me. I know I would've been, had our roles been reversed. And sure, she'd seemed fine that first day she'd tracked me down at the food court, not to mention every day that'd followed after that up to this point. But she'd probably just been keeping the fact that it had really hurt her to herself. And to make matters worse, I hadn't even ever apologized for how long it'd taken me to reach out to her. That's probably all I'd needed to do to make things okay - an acknowledgment of my thoughtlessness and a simple sorry. That was it. And it'd never even occurred to me to do that, not once, not until right now in the wee hours of early dawn.

True, it was all just a guess. But it's all that I had! Now then... how to make her feel safe and comfortable enough to open up and just tell me that? It's not like when we were kids and could just talk to each other about anything and everything. It's not like I could just magically make it all better like we'd always used to over whipping up a batch of-

I suddenly sat up with a gasp.

Because that's when I had it.

I knew what to do.

"Scotcheroos!"

"There you are!"

I didn't even glance up at the sound of Lea's voice, just paused long enough to sample a quick taste of the contents of my mixing bowl before scrunching up my face. "No, no, it's still wrong… maybe I just need to…" my muttering trailed off as I resumed pacing and stirring the concoction more furiously.

"Ya know, I take it back," he said, crossing his arms and leaning one shoulder against the kitchen door frame. "This place isn't a Clue board, it's a goddamn labyrinth. I've been wandering 'round lost in circles for who knows how long now. Luckily, I eventually came across a minotaur who I could ask directions. Good guy. Not at all as bullheaded as the stories would have you believe."

I was only half paying attention to what he was saying. Apparently, it wasn't the half that knew a lame pun when it heard it. Instead it was the half that marched up to him, shoved a small, chocolate-butterscotch coated spatula in front of his face and asked, "Does this taste right to you?"

He blinked, eyes flicking to the silicone scraper then back to me. Then he poked a finger to the goop and stuck it in his mouth. "...it tastes good?"

I huffed and pressed, "But does it taste right?"

"Yes?" he ventured a guess. I frowned and squinted up at him hard. "...and by yes, I of course mean no. Obviously!"

"I knew it!" I whirled around to slam the bowl down onto the counter. My hand came up to rub a curled finger over my chin as I groaned, "Ugh, what am I missing here?"

He was looking at me. At the nightgown I was still wearing. At my bare feet. At my hair thrown up into a loose, sloppy bun with several obstinate tendrils escaping to trail all around my face and neck. "...so is this where you've been hiding all morning?"

"All morning?" I laughed, shaking my head as I moved over to a second bowl on the stove top. Maybe I'd been on the right track with this earlier attempt. "Don't exaggerate, it's only-"

"Noon?" he offered with a half-shrug.

"Noon?!" I parroted back in disbelief. He nodded and I looked to the clock on the oven, which only further confirmed it. "But that's impossible, there's quite simply no way I've-" the words caught in my throat however, for all it took was one glance about the kitchen to verify that, yes in fact, there quite simply was way. My parent's home had a massive, king-sized kitchen to be sure but even so, I'd managed to cover almost every surface in it with many, many other bowls filled with all my previous discarded attempts. Oh gosh, you'd think I'd been at this all night, not just merely since the crack of dawn.

"Ya missed breakfast by the way," Lea said conversationally. "Man, was it awkward with only me sitting there with your folks, Gramps and a handful of your aunts and uncles. Lemme tell you, they're not as big of fans as you are of the Let Me Guess Your Fave Ice Cream game."

I winced, scratching my cheek with a tiny, "Sorry." Now that I thought about it, I did remember the cook bustling about in here as well at some point, probably making the breakfast Lea was referring to. She'd left me to my own devices, the kitchen being more than big enough to accommodate us both without getting in each others' ways. I'd only thought she'd been in here for a minute or two though.

He waved it off, "Nah, don't worry about it. I like to think your fam and I really bonded over all those crepes and long, uncomfortable silences."

I just gave a vague hmm in my throat, already distracted by the task at hand once more as I moved from one bowl to the next. This one? No… Maybe this one? No…

"I didn't know ya knew how to cook," I heard him say.

"I don't," I muttered, pulling a face at the peanut butter rice crispy batter in this pot, which was a whole other mess of problems. One minor catastrophe at a time, however. First I needed to figure out the topping, then I could work out the rest. I sidestepped to the next bowl.

Lea tipped his head to one side. "So then you just know the recipe for this one thing?"

"Not really, no."

His lips pursed to the right. "...struck in the middle of the night by the sudden, inexplicable but undeniable urge to teach yourself how to cook before the day's out?"

I paused, looking up to meet his gaze. "Yes."

He cocked an eyebrow, "Really?"

"Nope." And my search continued! Maybe in that pan over there…

"Okay seriously, whatcha doing?"

Ah-ha! Not the pan, but the gigantic bowl right next to it! I think this batch had been the closest so far. I picked it up and started walking towards Lea, declaring, "Scotcheroos!"

His brow furrowed, "Scotcha-wha?"

"Scotcheroos," I repeated, coming to a stop in front of him and shifting my hold on the container to one arm before stabbing a finger into the mixture. "Taste," I calmly demanded - his only warning before I suddenly stuck my fingertip drenched in sugary, chocolatey goodness into his mouth, forcing a small, strangled noise to choke out of his throat. Hand retracting, my eyes big and round and imploring, I asked, "What's the missing ingredient?"

"I, uh…" he cleared his throat, averting his gaze under my scrutiny as he rubbed at the nape of his neck. Then he snerked and grin, "Love?"

My eyelids drooped. "...not funny."

"It was a lil funny," he mumbled, making me scoff as I spun around and started pacing again, free hand coming up to clasp over my mouth as my index finger tapped the tip of my nose in thought. "C'mon, El, what're ya worried about? It tastes fine."

"But it doesn't taste right," I insisted, snatching up a clean spatula from a nearby utensil holder and feverishly stirring at the mixture. Was that helping? No clue. As previously stated, I didn't know the first thing about cooking. "And it has to. It must be absolutely perfect. You see, when Anna and I were children, Halima used to come over all the time and make these with us. Particularly whenever there was a squabble between us girls that she wanted to help settle. And these always, I don't know… helped… make things better. Somehow. So I thought that maybe… If I could just… Then possibly Anna would..." I stopped, puffed out a slow breath and regathered myself. "But it's been so long since she last made them with us and it just keeps coming out… wrong. I can't remember the exact recipe."

"Why not ask Halima?" he suggested, moving to stand opposite the kitchen island from me.

My eyes rolled as my feet continued to patrol back and forth. "What, at 6 a.m. when this whole madness began? Besides, I don't think she and Mattias even stayed here last night and I don't have her phone number."

"Well then, they have this fabulous invention called the internet."

"Don't you think I tried that already?" I swung up the spatula in frustration, sending some butterscotch-chocolate flying straight towards Lea. He ducked and it blurred over his head to splatter against a wall behind him. "But all the recipes out there are a little different, and none of them know Halima's secret ingredient."

He snapped his fingers, "Applesauce."

I froze midstep. Then I slowly turned to look at him, the hint of a smile tugging at one corner of my lips. "So you were listening last night."

"Course!" he beamed, hunching forward and propping his elbows on the island countertop, arms folded together. "Always do when ya got something to say."

I snorted, brushing the empty sweet talk off as I went back to pacing and stirring. "Anyway, nice try, but it's not like she uses the same secret ingredient in all her recipes. Hmm, maybe it was… honey? Or coconut oil? ...marshmallow cream...?" When I happened to glance Lea's way again, my feet came to a grinding halt once more as I gasped, "Sea salt!"

Both his eyebrows shot up his forehead. "As in the ice cream?"

"No, as in sea salt." Slapping the spatula down onto a counter, I started throwing open all the overhead cupboards in a frantic search. The upside of such a well-stocked kitchen was it had everything. The downside was it could be impossible to find the one thing you actually needed. But behold! Sea salt! There at last, in the ninth cupboard I'd check. But ugh, of course it just had to be on the top shelf, didn't it?

Swiping a finger over my cheek to brush a few strands of hair out of my face (which then promptly fell back into place), I secured the mixing bowl by hugging it tightly to my stomach with one arm while stretching the other up high over my head, reaching for the blue bottle. "It's probably not the ingredient, but it's at least one ingredient I forgot." Almost there…

A hand that wasn't mine suddenly appeared over my head to beat me to it, snatching up the little bottle of sea salt. I whipped around only to be greeted by the sight of a black band tee stretched snugly over a broad chest that I was becoming almost disturbingly all too familiar with at this point.

Pssst, Lea's eyes were up there, dummy.

Can you blame me, though? Really? I can't help it if the damn thing was always in my direct line of sight! Curse my genetics for making me so damn short!

I hastily looked up to meet his gaze as he offered me the sea salt. Gosh, he was so close. Really, the only thing separating us was my bowl. Beating my blush back with a proverbial stick, I gingerly took the small bottle with a soft, "Thank you." I then flicked the top open with my thumb and gave it a squint, wondering how much was too much. Welp, only one way to find out! I tipped it upside down over the mixture and let the pouring commence.

"So ya really think these Scotcha-thingies will get Anna to talk to you?" he shook his head slightly.

"I don't see why not." I kept dumping more and more out of the bottle. Better too much than too little, right? "It's always worked in the past. It'll work now. It has to."

"Yeah, but-"

"It has to!" I snapped desperately, slamming the bottle down on the countertop now with a loud bang that made me wince. Grimacing, I added more quietly, "Otherwise I don't know what else to do."

Lea frowned down at me. "...okay, real talk? How much sleep did you get last night?"

My nose wrinkled. "Zero, give or take an hour. Except not give, only take. Is it possible to get negative sleep?"

"If it is, you most certainly have," he snorted. "Alright, Missy, I think it's naptime for you."

A contemptuous huff escaped my nose. "Don't patronize me, I'm not a child. I'm fine."

"You have chocolate all over your face."

"I-?!" Embarrassed, my hand rushed up to scrub at my face. Lea's eyes crinkled and I could see him biting back a grin. When I lowered my hand to look at it, I figured out why. They were smeared all over in chocolate too, so I was probably only making the face situation worse.

He started lifting a hand towards me, then seemed to think better of it, using it to smother his smile instead. Then he asked, "Allow me?"

I narrowed my eyes at him. But then I sighed and tossed one hand up in an impatient gesture for him to get on with it. Snerking, he took the mixing bowl from my grasp and set it aside so he could step closer to me. His hand rose once more, gently brushing the curled knuckles of his fingers along my chin and across the tip of my nose, wiping away the smudges there. Was it just tired, sleep-deprived brain talking, or did he have that soft boyfriend look in his eyes again? Maybe he didn't even realize he was doing it. Maybe he'd forgotten how to turn it off at this point. Either way, that proverbial stick I'd mentioned earlier had snapped in two by now, making it impossible to keep the blush at bay anymore.

His hand cupped my cheek then, his thumb lightly stroking along my skin and leaving warm tingles in its wake. He let it linger there and I had to wonder at how stubborn that particular smear of chocolate must be. And still with that damn look. That thing could be considered a lethal weapon. Honestly, I was surprised I was still standing.

His lips parted, taking in a breath, about to say something and-

"Elsa dear." At the sudden sound of my mother's voice, Lea jumped and jerked back a step from me, swearing under his breath as he turned his back to us both, fingers viciously ruffling his crimson spikes. Mother arched one delicate eyebrow at me from where she had just appeared in the doorway. "Here you are. We've missed you all morning."

"Ah… yes, so I've heard. Sorry, I uh…" My hands self-consciously smoothed up and down my nightgown before clasping together as I took a quick glance about the kitchen. At the small mess I'd made here. Should I even try to explain? The more I thought about it, the more insane it sounded. "...just lost track of time, it seems," I finally settled on, hoping Mother wouldn't pry further.

Thankfully, she did not. Instead, she simply said, "Your father and I are ready for our discussion." She paused, giving my appearance a once over. "...perhaps you would like some time to freshen up first. You can join us in the Indigo Room in an hour." She tacked on a quick, "Lea," by way of greeting to him, bowing her head slightly.

"Ma'am," he returned with a weak chuckle and tiny wave. Then Mother turned and walked off, disappearing down the hallway. "Dun dun dun!" Lea mock chanted ominously, earning his shoulder a light smack from my hand and he sniggered.

Shaking my head, I muttered, "Well, guess I should go get changed."

"I'll meet ya outside your door when you're ready and we can take our lil stroll to the gallows together," he said brightly.

I gave a rueful smile, "You almost make it sound pleasant. Until then." On my way out, I ran across Gerda in the hall, who I asked to make sure no one tidied up the mess I'd left in the kitchen. Seeing as how it was a disaster zone of my own making, I preferred to clean it up myself later rather than make someone else do it. Then I headed up to my bedroom.

One would think I would be in a state of extreme panic now that the time of The Talk™ was finally upon me. However, as I switched out of my nightgown and got myself otherwise ready, I was oddly more just… numb. Huh. Perhaps I'd already used up all my crazy this morning and had nothing left in me to fret with. At least not right now, in the relative sanctuary of my old room. I'm sure I'd have no problem rustling up a fresh wave of cardiac arrest-inducing anxiety once I was standing in front of my parents.

But for now, I'd take comfort in this numbness. Who knew, maybe there really was nothing to worry about anyway. I'd been assuming the worst this whole time, but I honestly had no idea what this little chat was going to have in store for me. My parents had been doing too good of a job staying tight lipped and keeping their opinion on this matter to themselves. No big shock there, really. Who do you think invented the Conceal, Don't Feel mantra? My parents were the masters of that technique and had always been experts at keeping their cards close to the vest. But perhaps I was in for a pleasant surprise. Perhaps all they wanted to say was how proud of me they were for standing up for myself and how they would support whatever path in life I chose, as long as it made me happy!

...yeah right. All of Arendelle would freeze over in the middle of June before that happened.

Regardless, just under an hour later found me almost ready to go. I was somewhat more presentable now, dressed in a nice sundress I'd brought packed in my luggage for this weekend and with my hands and face washed clean of any remaining chocolate. I was just sitting down on the edge of my bed to tie my ankle boots when I heard my phone buzz. Retrieving it from my nightstand, one peek at the notifications informed me that Lea had sent a text:

Knock knock

I looked to my bedroom door. Then back to my phone, thumbs typing a message back.

Who's there?

There was a pause in his reply, so I tossed it onto the mattress next to me before reaching down to tug the laces of my boot tight. It wasn't until after I'd knotted the bow and moved onto the second shoe that my phone was vibrating again. I picked it up.

A dumbass

I quirked an eyebrow at that. Then tapped back:

A dumbass who?

I'd finished the other boot by the time his response came.

A dumbass who Bgan a knock knock joke w/o realizing it n so hz no punchline 4 u

One side of my mouth twitched up.

Wow, how embarrassing for you. They could revoke your snark license for that utterly epic failure.

I watched those three little dots bounce.

Shush n get ur butt out here alrdy

Snorting, I rose to my feet and pocketed my phone. A quick look around the room unfortunately revealed no further ways for me to procrastinate. Alright… guess it was time to get this over with. Heaving a heavy sigh through my nose, I exited the bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind me.

Lea was waiting just outside, one shoulder propped against the wall to my left as he scrolled through his phone. Slipping it into his back pocket, he glanced up at me with a tiny smirk but then his spine snapped straight and his eyes widened. "That dress…"

"Hm? What about it?" I looked down at myself. There didn't seem anything particularly striking about it. Just a simple white sundress with a small purple diamond pattern decorating the hem at the bottom and- "Oh! Now I remember. This is the one you said I was wearing in your little fiction you cooked up about how we met, right?"

"Yeah," he smiled softly, scratching at a spot behind his ear. "It's as pretty on you as I, uh… imagined... it would be."

"Thanks," I ducked my head shyly. Luckily I'd had time in the past hour to tape and glue my proverbial stick back together, so I was able to thwack that blush down before it ever really had a chance to even get started. Peering back up at him once more, I couldn't stop a small huff of a laugh in my throat. "Is that what you're wearing? Really?"

"Gotta problem with it?" he shrugged cheekily. He hadn't changed since the kitchen. He was still in his faded band tee, ripped and ragged skinny jeans and steel-toed boots. And yeah, I get it, there was this whole badboy aspect he was going for to keep my parents from thinking they could scare him off. But at the same time, there had to be some sort of compromise, some sort of middle ground where he wasn't also provoking them and possibly making this upcoming conversation worse than it had to be.

Suddenly, he was snapping his fingers. "But wait, you're right! Be right back!" Then he was running off down the corridor back towards the guest room he was staying in. Since it was in the same direction we needed to go anyway for the Indigo Room, I just shook my head as I followed behind more slowly.

He was popping back out of his door just as I caught up. I took one look and wanted to facepalm. "Better?" he asked, smugly flipping up the collar of his leather jacket. "But wait, there's more!" Lifting the jacket up slightly revealed the return of that silly wallet chain hanging from his hip.

Ugh, I should have just kept my mouth shut.

"And the icing on the cake!" he reached inside his jacket and started pulling out the pink, heart-shaped sungla-

"No!" I darted forward, shoving them back into his inside pocket. Crud, these dumb things were becoming the bane of my existence. I pat my palm against where I could feel them on the outside of his jacket, saying sweetly, "Why don't we just keep those tucked away for now, okay?"

"You sure? Just trynta dress to impress!"

"But you're already so very impressive. Too impressive, in fact. My parents might faint from the sheer amount of impressiveness you already are."

"Woah, I'm even more impressive than I thought and that's saying something!" he chuckled. Then with a grin, he bent at the waist into a half-bow and flourished one hand out ahead of us. "Well then, shall we?"

I nodded and we set off down the hall.

We walked along in a companionable silence. Lea seemed to realize I was using this time to mentally prepare myself and bolster my emotional defenses. My mind kept going over it again and again. The exact words I wanted to say to my parents. It'd been something I'd constantly been turning over in the back of my brain ever since Friday evening's dinner. I had a whole little speech prepared. Must have ran through it a million times in the past two days. I had to, otherwise I would just be left stuttering and floundering and drawing a complete blank before my parents. It went a little something like…

Good afternoon, Father and Mother. How are you?

(Good opening. Solid. Cordial. A classic.)

As I'm sure we're all well aware, we're here to discuss the events of my wedding day.

(Straight to the point. Very concise and clear.)

First, please allow me to apologize. I deeply regret any pain and indignity my actions may have caused you or the rest of the family.

(And thus in one fell swoop, I've demonstrated sympathy and understanding, letting them know I acknowledge their feelings, their side of things. Was I killing it with this little speech or what?)

However, please understand that I quite simply could not go through with it. I didn't love him. I wouldn't have been able to make him happy, and he certainly wouldn't have been able to make me happy. It wasn't until I ran away from my old life altogether that I realized I just wasn't happy period. That I hadn't been for some time.

(A simple and straightforward statement of the problem. Plain and direct. Uncomplicated. How could they argue with that?)

I felt smothered. Like I couldn't breathe. I needed my freedom and getting away from everything I'd previously known helped me realize that. Living somewhere new, getting a job, forging out my own path in life… I've been much happier than I have been in a long while. This is what's best for me right now and I hope that with time, you'll come to realize that too.

(And just like that, a ready-to-go solution was presented to the aforementioned problem. The hard work was already done! All my parents had to do was just hear and accept that. Easy, right?)

Thank you for your time and consideration, I now open the floor up for further discussion and questions.

(...okay, maybe that last bit was a tad overly formal and unnecessary, but you get the picture.)

I think that covered all my bases. Sure, it didn't mention Lea at all. But it didn't totally negate the alleged role he'd played either, at least as far as my parents knew. I was hoping to maintain that little fib by just avoiding discussing it with them entirely. And sure, Lea would be present, but he was just going to be there as moral support for me and a deterrent for debate from my parents. Really, the focus of the talk shouldn't be on him anyway. It was supposed to be on me, on my feelings and why I did what I did.

I was able to rehearse my speech in my head a couple more times before we at last turned a corner and I spotted it.

The doorway leading into the Indigo Room.

Ah, there it was. The spike of adrenaline. That constricting of my chest. Right on cue, panic slithered in to encircle my heart, squeezing it, causing cracks in its protective little numb bubble, seeking entry. I gulped but kept walking, my step never faltering. My hand unconsciously found Lea's, causing him to shoot me a glance out of the corner of his eye. Then he smiled as he gave it a warm, tiny squeeze.

This was it.

There was no turning back now.

Just twenty more steps and I'd be through that door and facing whatever awaited me beyond. I screwed my eyes shut, going over my speech for the umpteenth time. These words were really the only things keeping me sane at this point.

Good afternoon, Father and Mother. How are you?

Ten more steps. My heartbeat thundered in my ears.

As I'm sure we're all well aware, we're here to discuss the events of my wedding day. First, please allow me to apologize.

Five more. I sucked in a breath and held it.

I deeply regret any pain and indignity my actions may have caused…

Three… two… O-

"Ah! There you are, my boy!"

The sudden, booming, and dare I say even cheerful voice had me stumbling and snapping my eyes open wide. Was that… I could have sworn it sounded like…

...Grandfather?!

He'd just come bursting through the very door we'd been heading for, with Father and the Duke walking out behind him as well. He was holding his arms wide open and had this huge smile on his face and- my god, was that an actual skip in his step?

Who was this man and what had he done with my grandfather?

...on top of that, I was just now discovering that Loud, Smiley Grandfather was way scarier than Quiet, Scowley Grandfather.

The maneuver was swift, calculated and efficient. He clapped his hands down on Lea's shoulders, catching him off guard as he spun him one-eighty, tearing his hand from mine. Then Grandfather was slinging an arm around Lea's shoulders all chummy-like. "Come! Walk with us, lad," he rumbled with laughter, forcing Lea into a staggering march beside him as he led him away. "Have you ever had a 1939 Macallan Scotch? Or a Gurkha Black Dragon cigar? No? Would you like to? How about right now?"

"Er…" still being all but dragged away, Lea glanced back over his shoulder at me uncertainly.

Bewildered myself, I just shrugged before gesturing for him to go along with it.

I feared Lea trying to resist whatever this was might risk poking the bear.

The Duke brushed past me to follow the two of them, posture rigid and face as crotchety as ever. Father was the last to go, gracing me with a brief smile. "Go on in. They're waiting for you," he nodded back towards the Indigo Room. Then off he went with the rest of the menfolk. Watching them go left me absolutely baffled.

What on earth had that been all about?!

I had nothing. Zilch. No plausible explanation whatsoever. Well, none except for-

Oh no.

They were literally about to murder him.

Think about it. It was the only thing that made sense! Why else would-

Wait… "they?"

That's what my father had just said, right? "They're waiting for you inside." His exact words. Who was this they? Shouldn't it just be Mother in there? Either Mother had had a change of pronouns and I was about to have a completely different conversation than I'd been expecting this whole time, or…

...someone else was in there with her.

Anna, perhaps? Yeah, that had to be it. After all, despite whatever her issue with me was currently, she was supposed to be there to have my back through this. And with Lea having just been straight up kidnapped, I'd need Anna's help more than ever. Yeah, that's probably all it was. Just Mother and Anna in there.

Hoping I was just being paranoid a second ago and Lea wasn't actually off somewhere getting assassinated this very moment, I shoved such thoughts to the back of my mind and prepared to go inside. I squared my shoulders, smoothed the nonexistent creases out of my dress, swept my braid-

Fudge, I'd forgotten to braid my hair! It was still up in that crude bun. Oh well, no time to fix it now. Hopefully it wouldn't come across so much as "messy" as just "stylishly disheveled." Regathering what little courage I could muster, I took a deep breath, clenched my hands at my sides and finally, at long last, stepped through that door into the Indigo Room.

It was a sitting room that lived up to its name. Everything was a rich shade of blue-violet from the walls to the carpet to the window curtains to the two couches taking up the middle of the room, facing each other from across the long coffee table between them. Sitting together in one of those sofas were three people. Mother - of course I'd expected her. Aunt Yelena - admittedly a bit more unexpected, but actually wasn't all that shocking. And... Maren? Okay, seeing her here actually did kind of surprise me.

But even more concerning than the people I saw before me now was the one person I wasn't seeing.

Anna.

Where was she?

Mother rose to her feet, a subdued smile on her face as she folded her hands in front of her just below her waist. "Elsa. Thank you for joining us. Please," she bowed her head slightly towards the couch across from her, "have a seat."

Perhaps a better question would be, what the heck was this?

...some kind of intervention? An ambush?

Oh gosh, was that why they'd taken Lea away? Had they just been trying to separate us so they could get me alone? Divide and conquer?

I stood rooted to the spot, not budging an inch. Aunt Yelena, usual stoic expression set firmly in place, said, "Maren dear, perhaps you could assist your cousin."

Maren grimaced, making a soft noise in her throat that was half huff, half growl. Then she stood, making her way over to me to take hold of my elbow, gently guiding me over towards the empty sofa. My feet dazedly followed. "Sorry," she whispered to me. "I didn't want to be here. Grams made me." She shot Yelena a sour look as she nudged me into taking a seat before rejoining the other two on the opposite couch.

Then everything fell silent.

Well... everything, that is, except for the hammering inside of my ribcage and the shallow, raspy breaths through my nose.

Alright, fine. So what if this wasn't exactly how I'd pictured it? So what if instead of my parents, I was facing off with some sort of, I don't know… matriarchy tribunal or whatever? So what if Anna wasn't here?

...why wasn't she here? She was supposed to be here! She was supposed to-

No! Stop it! Be strong! Be brave! You can do this on your own, Elsa. Remember the speech! Just recite those words you know so well by now and everything will turn out alright, you'll see. You got this!

Inhaling slowly through my nose, I began, "Good afternoon, Father and-" Shoot, I'd already screwed it up! Wincing, I stammered, "N-Not Father! Mother! A-And Aunt Yelena and Maren too, of course! Er… h-how are you? As I'm well aware, we're here to discuss my day." I blanched, looking down at my hands as they balled into trembling fists in my lap. "Wedding day! My… my wedding day. First, please apologize. Allow! Allow me to…" Ugh, so much for the speech. Why didn't I think to bring friggin' note cards? "...that is to say, I r-regret any actions my pain and indignity may have- wait! No, I-"

Yelena suddenly cut in with a blunt, "Does that boy have you on drugs?"

"What?!" my head shot up and I gaped at her. "I am most certainly not on-"

"It's okay, child," she held up a placating hand. "You're in a safe place. You can share the truth with us, we won't judge. Please, tell us how that boy has led you astray. Debauchery, intoxication, hedonism-

"Auntie," Mother interrupted her, placing a hand over hers as she shot her a small warning look. Then her full attention was on me again, her tone calm, as if she were speaking with a small child. "Elsa, you have nothing to be ashamed of. I understand. Believe it or not, I was young and impulsive too once. I've known men like Lea. Men who are handsome, who appear mysterious and dangerous and how exciting and… alluring all that can seem. It's just a phase, that's all. He's just a phase. But it's all over and done with now."

...a phase? "No, that's not what-"

"It's done now, Elsa," she repeated more sternly, expression hardening. "You just had to get it out of your system. And now that that little indiscretion is behind us and in the past where it belongs, we can forget all about it and you can get back on the correct course and fulfill your obligations."

"...get back on the…?" I echoed quietly, my brow furrowing. Then my head rocked back, gaze widening. "You don't mean-"

"Yes," Mother's eyes closed with a solemn nod. "Be grateful that your father and I were able to speak with his parents and smooth everything over. The wedding had to be rescheduled of course, but will otherwise proceed as planned."

"You still expect me to marry him?" I asked incredulously. This was absurd! Unreal! I'd even go so far as to say I must be dreaming, that this was literally a nightmare, except I would never be so lucky. I knew without a doubt that I was fully awake, that this was real life, and that this was exactly how my family worked. I shot up to my feet, "No! I'm a full grown adult, you can't just-"

"We can and we will! Sit down, you foolish girl," Yelena snapped dryly. "We are all in agreement here that-"

"We?" Maren grumbled, slouching down further into her seat, propping her temple against her fist as she glared down at the coffee table.

Aunt Yelena narrowed her eyes on her granddaughter. "Yes, we." Her cold gaze then shifted to lock on me once again. "We are all in agreement here that your actions have shown you to be too immature to be making your own decisions and so we must make them for you. You have let that delinquent cloud your judgment and good sense. Tell us, are you even so naive as to think yourself in love? Please, lowlifes like him merely take perverse pleasure in seducing and praying on young, innocent girls and using them until they grow bored and move on."

I'd lowered myself to the couch once more. I wasn't even sure when that'd happened. I didn't remember doing it. "...no, that isn't…" I began, but then stopped with a frown. This was all wrong. This wasn't how this conversation was supposed to be going. It wasn't supposed to be about Lea. He wasn't supposed to be the main topic, just an obstacle. Well, my family had seen him as an obstacle alright - one they simply had to eradicate before everything went back to normal and I did as I was told. Shaking my head, I began again, "He isn't like that, but that's besides the-"

"Oh no?" my aunt quirked a disdainful eyebrow. Then to Mother, she said cooly, "Iduna, if you would please."

A look of unease flitted across Mother's face and she hesitated for a heartbeat. Then her hand was reaching down to her hip for something that'd been tucked away out of sight between her and Yelena. "I found this in your room," she said, eyes downcast as she laid the thing out on the low, hardwood table between us.

It was Lea's spiked choker that he'd left with me.

My fingers squeezed the edge of the couch cushions to either side of my knees. "You were going through my things?" I asked quietly, looking up at Mother. She avoided my gaze and said nothing. I felt a sharp, unpleasant twinge inside my chest.

...was this the real reason she'd come to visit me a couple nights ago? Not because she'd missed me or wanted some time alone with me, but to… snoop? What, to look for something, anything that could be used against me, no matter how small or ridiculous?

"I shudder to think what other horrors we might uncover in a more thorough search of whatever squalor you're using as a poor excuse for living arrangements at the moment," Yelena tsked. "Tell us, what other depraved acts did that boy use to beguile you? Substance abuse, carnality-"

"Oh god, Aunt Yelena, no!" I buried my face in my hands. I take it back… this was, in fact, a nightmare. This was ludicrous. All this fuss over a stupid, cheap piece of goth jewelry. Puffing out a breath, I gestured towards the collar, "That, right there? It's nothing. It was just a joke, okay? It's-"

"The crumbling state of your future is no joking matter, young lady!" she huffed back, for the first time showing a crack in her stone cold mask. "Look at you! I don't even recognize you anymore. Gone is the sophisticated and well-mannered woman we all nurtured and helped you grow into. We're left with nothing but this pathetic, disgraceful shadow of what you once were. Your actions are mindless. Your behavior is deplorable. Your appearance is appalling." My appearance? What on earth was wrong with- oh for the love of… curse you, you cruddy bun! I just knew you'd be my downfall! "There is little doubt in our minds that this is all that degenerate's doing. He's got you all turned around, making questionable decisions and not taking care of yourself. And you let him. Why? Just what do you have to say for yourself?"

It's funny… now that I was at last being given a real chance to speak, I found I could no longer string even two words together. My lips parted, but nothing came out. My throat had closed up, my voice had abandoned me. I glanced to Mother, but she still wouldn't look me in the eye. As for Maren, she just gave me the barest of shrugs and mouthed another silent 'sorry' to me.

My mouth was dry. Blood rushed in my ears. This was all wrong. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Leading my family to believe that Lea was my boyfriend had been a mistake. It hadn't helped, it'd only made things worse. Now I'd been backed into a corner where I'd either have to defend the lie or come clean with the truth, and I didn't see either option turning out particularly well for me. My hands were wringing at the skirt of my dress, mangling and abusing the fabric. The corner of my eyes stung. This should have all been going so differently. Lea should have been here. Anna should have been here. Where-

Suddenly the door to the room crashed open, making all four of us jolt. I twisted around in my seat to see Lea storming in, a dark scowl marring his features. I blinked.

He was angry.

I'd never seen him angry before.

I hadn't even thought a single angry bone existed in his body.

"Come back here, you vulgar, deadbeat hooligan!" the Duke snarled as he too came in, hot on Lea's heels, his mustache swishing in an agitated frenzy. Lea ignored him and kept going.

Grandfather was next to arrive. Gone was the smile from earlier, replaced by pure unadulterated rage as he roared, "We told you to stop! Did you not hear us?! Or are you as deaf as you are brainless?"

"Lea?" I asked as he at last came to a halt next to me, my wide eyes darting back and forth between him and them. "What's going on?"

"Get your things," he ground out through grit teeth, grabbing my hand and pulling me up to my feet. "We're leaving."

"Wha-?" That was all I got out before he was on the move again, tugging me into a stumble after him.

Grandfather and the Duke were still bellowing their outrage, hurling insults that were getting lost in a jumbled torrent of words as the two of them tried to talk over each other. By now, Father had entered the room as well but unlike the other two, he only narrowed his eyes and remained grimly silent.

"Lea," I tried again, my free hand going to his arm as I struggled to keep up with his long, hurried strides, "tell me what happened."

"Oh, I'll tell you what happened alright. What happened is Gramps here," Lea came to an immediate stop in front of the man in question, glaring daggers at him, "tried to pay me off to ditch you and disappear for good."

Both eyebrows shot up my forehead. "...Grandfather, is that true?"

"Of course it is!" Grandfather snapped, jabbing a finger into Lea's chest. "That's all you're looking for, isn't it?!" Another jab. "A nice, plump handout to make you hit the road and stop sullying my granddaughter's honor!" And yet again. "Well, what's the matter, dolt?!" Jab, jab, jab. "What, were you hoping for more munny?! Not enough zeroes for you on that check, hm?!"

Lea's right eye twitched. "Swear to god, Gramps, if you poke me with that fucking finger one more damn time-"

"You mean to tell me you didn't take the munny?" a new voice, slow and dubious, interjected into the conversation. We all turned to see that Aunt Yelena had left the couch to join us, squinting at Lea with a skeptical frown.

"Shit no! What's wrong, you buncha geezers, hearing aids on the fritz? How many times do I have to fucking say it?! I don't want a damn cent of your stupid, stinking munny. Next person to ask will hear me telling 'em just exactly where they can take their munny and shove it! C'mon El, let's go already!" And he was off again, charging out the door and taking me with him.

I had to hand it to Lea. The tension in his shoulders, the flaring of his nostrils, the flash to his green eyes… he certainly had the whole offended boyfriend act down pat. He'd almost even had me fooled for a second there, but clearly it was all just for show. I mean... pretty sure it was, anyway. It's not like he'd actually-

Thud!

That was the sound of me faceplanting into Lea's back as he came to an abrupt and unexpected stop just as we exited into the hallway. Ow. With a tiny wince, I looked past him to see what the roadblock was only to discover we'd almost had a head-on collision with-

"Anna?" I gasped softly. "Where have you-" The words died on my tongue.

She was shifting her weight from one foot to the other as a small, nervous smile flashed across her face. But that's not what I was looking at. No, what I was looking at was her shoulders. More specifically, at the arm wrapped around her shoulders. More, more specifically, at the person attached to the arm wrapped around her shoulders.

My eyebrows knit together. "...Hans?"

Hans Westergaard. That's right, those Westergaards. As in the owners of the multi-billion dollar corporation Southern Isles Exports. As in long time business partners and allies of the Fryse family stretching back generations upon generations. As in this was their son before me, right here, right now. As in a boy I'd known since I was a child and had grown up with into teenagers. As in the teenager I'd began dating in highschool and started calling boyfriend. As in the boyfriend who'd proposed and became my fiancé. As in the fiancé who I'd left at the altar.

...as in my now ex-fiancé who currently had his arm wrapped around my little sister's shoulders.

I don't know how long I just stood there, staring and not blinking. It felt like an eternity, like time was standing still. But in reality, it was probably only a second, maybe two before I heard myself asking, "...what is this?"

Hans visibly stiffened, awkwardly removing his hand from Anna. His fingers scratched against one auburn sideburn at his temple as he muttered to her, "You... haven't told her yet?"

"Told me what?"

I knew. Deep down inside, I knew. It was so painfully obvious now, how could I not? But still, I needed to hear Anna say it.

"Told you that…" she stretched the last word out before trailing off, gnawing on her bottom lip as she poked the tips of her index fingers together and her eyes darted frantically about. Finally, in a voice so tiny I almost couldn't hear it, she blurted out, "Hans is my new boyfriend?"

Annnnd there it was.

...wait, was this what she'd been freaking out about all weekend? It was, wasn't it? Oh gosh, it all made so much sense now! Why she always seemed to change the subject whenever I'd asked her about the new guy she was seeing, why she kept clamming up whenever I'd approached her, why she ran away practically every time I'd so much as uttered a single word to her. It wasn't anything I'd done, she was the one who felt like she'd-

...hang on, back up a second. Rewind to the conversation I'd just been having in the Indigo Room. Hadn't Mother said… I could have sworn… Had I misunderstood? No… no, I don't think so…

Pretty sure it had been stated in no uncertain terms that I was still expected to marry Hans.

But that didn't make any sense! Not unless-

I looked at her sharply. "His parents don't know. Father and Mother don't either."

"We don't what?"

I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sound of Mother's voice. I'd forgotten about her. Really, I'd forgotten about everyone else. Mother, Father, the rest of my family, even Lea who's hand I was still holding… every last one of them, completely wiped from my brain. For a moment there, all I'd been aware of was my sister, my ex-fiancé, and me. Now the rest of them were crowding out the door behind Lea and me, many still with scowls twisting their faces. Mother's expression, on the other hand, was that of surprise as she spotted who was standing next to Anna. "Hans? We didn't know you were coming by today. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

As Hans gave a weak smile and struggled for some sort of polite response, Anna piped up with, "Could everyone excuse Elsa and me real quick? We'll just be a sec, promise!" She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me several steps away, leaving Hans looking rather distraught at being left to fend for himself before our family.

Well… our family and Lea, but I doubt Hans was going to be getting much assistance from that corner.

Once Anna and I were far enough away where a hushed conversation would not be overheard, she snatched my shoulders and whispered hastily, "Sis! I was gonna tell you, I swear! Mom and Dad too. But it just… it never seemed like the right time, ya know? I-"

"How long?" I cut her off, my voice flat.

Her forehead wrinkled. "...how long…?"

"How long have you and Hans been…" I looked away, my nose scrunching up slightly.

"Oh! After you two broke up, definitely, definitely after!" she insisted with several firm nods. Then her face blanched, "You weren't thinking that...that he and I would've... before you and he... No! No, we'd never do that to you! Not ever! Not in one billion, trillion years! Never, ever, ever, ever-"

"How long after we broke up?" I pressed, meeting her eyes now with a frown.

Here she grimaced, sucking in a breath through her teeth and turning her head away as she rubbed her elbow. "...the day after?"

...okay, I didn't mind the fact that Hans had moved on. It was actually almost kind of shocking how little I cared. I guess it was just further confirmation that I'd made the right decision by not going through with the wedding. Besides, how hypocritical of me would it be if I did care? Here I was, crushing on Lea for crying out loud! But that's all it was - a crush. And at least in my case, it'd taken several weeks to develop.

Hans had waited a day to move on. And he hadn't moved on with just anyone, he'd moved on with my sister. And since then, the two of them had probably been… doing things, ugh! To think, the guy I'd been engaged to for a year, doing god only knows what with my baby sister less than twenty-four hours after I'd-

...well, to be fair… he probably knew the "Lea and me" story by now, so he'd probably thought I'd been cheating on him for months now...

...then again, Hans didn't know about "Lea and me" the day after I broke it off. Heck, I didn't know about "Lea and me" the day after I broke it off! I didn't even actually know Lea then! So it's not even like Hans had had the moral high ground when he'd… when he and Anna had…

"-not like we meant for it to happen, it just sorta, ya know… happened!" Apparently, Anna was mid-babble as I tuned back into whatever she was saying. "I mean, I always thought his eyes were kinda dreamy, but he was your fiancé so I was all, woah there girl, hands off, no touchy, big friggin' no-no there! But then, all of a sudden, he wasn't your fiancé, and well… I was there, and he was there, and we just… happened!"

...there was something…

"And I wanted to tell you, oh my gawd, you have no idea how badly I wanted to tell you! I didn't want either of our parents to find out before you did, I wanted you to be the first to know and for you to hear it from me! But we just kept putting it off and off and off-"

...something… something my subconscious was trying to tell me right now…

"-and off until finally! This weekend! I said it's now or never, damn it! It was going to be Friday night, I was going to have him over for dinner with Mom and Dad at the same time you brought over Lea! But then I just… dunno, I chickened out and told him to stay away!"

...scratching, picking at the back of my mind…

"So then I said Saturday! Definitely Saturday! At Grandfather's birthday party! Think of it, it would have been perfect, like… like our grand debut! But then I friggin' wimped out again! I was just really scared how you might react… I didn't want to see you hurt or…"

...god, what was it? I almost had it, it was literally on the tip of my-

"But finally, I said you know what? I just gotta rip off that stupid bandaid! Today! It had to be today! That's why I brought Hans here, now, so we could finally just-"

"Why today?" I asked abruptly.

She blinked once, then twice. "...what?"

I fixed her with a hard stare. "Why did it have to be today? Why this weekend? Why… when Lea was here?"

She froze, eyes growing round. Then she was tugging at one of her pigtail braids, looking anywhere but at me. "I don't know what you-"

"This is why you convinced me to trick Father and Mother into believing I was dating Lea." My frown deepened. She flinched and said nothing. I was breathing heavily through my nose now as my chest burned. "It is, isn't it? You knew our parents wouldn't have approved of you two. That they still wanted me, as the eldest, to marry Hans. So you thought that... that if I showed up on their doorstep with a boyfriend who was their worst nightmare, that it would somehow… what, make you and Hans not look as bad? Lessen the blow? That Mother and Father would use up all their freaking out on me and have none left over for you?"

She gave a small "...no?" with a half-hearted shrug. My eyelids drooped. Then she sighed, "Okay, maybe a little bit… but that was just a small part of it! The smallest part! A teensy-weensy, itty-bitty smidge of it, I swear! The main, big reason I suggested the Lea plan was because I really thought it would help you! That it would be just the boost you needed to stand up to Mom and Dad and get you through this big talk with them and-" Anna's words drowned in sharp gasp. "Frick, the talk!" Her eyes drifted back over to where the rest of our family was still gathered. You could see her putting two and two together, could all but hear the gears beginning to turn in her mind. "...was that happening right now? I didn't miss it, did I?"

That was it.

Right there.

The last straw, apparently.

I was done. So done. Done with the lies, the expectations, the not getting any sleep, the panic, the stress, the fear, all of it… I just let it all go. I don't know how. I'd never been able to before. It had always seemed impossible, but now it was so simple, so easy. All of it, just gone with a tiny snap inside my brain. In its place, an almost eerie peace had settled over my heart. I knew what to do now. It was so clear, so obvious. I turned away from Anna and started to walk calmly back towards the others.

"Sis?" I heard Anna whisper after me, but I just kept going. "...Elsa? What are you-"

"Father. Mother," I came to a stop in front of them, pulling their attention away from whatever discussion they were in with the rest of the group. All eyes turned to me now. I could sense it in all of their looks - the curiosity from my parents, the thinly-worn patience of my aunt, the simmering fury coming off both Grandfather and the Duke in waves. Normally all of it would be enough to break me, but not this time. Instead, I just let it all wash harmlessly over me. I could feel Lea at my side and I took what little comfort I could from that. Then I drew in a long, deep breath and began.

"Lea and I aren't dating. We never were." I stated it simply, as if I were merely discussing the weather. Mother's and Father's gazes widened in shock while low grumbles and murmurs passed amongst my other relatives. I went on, "I didn't even meet him until after I ran away from my wedding. He's just a friend, one who was willing to go along with a ridiculous and what I can see now was quite honestly pointless plan.

"I didn't run away because of him, he had nothing to do with it. I ran away because of me. I did it for me. I wasn't happy. I didn't want it… not the wedding, not the life you'd laid out for me, not the future you'd so carefully planned, none of it. I needed to be on my own, I needed the freedom and space to make my own decisions and to be me, to decide what I wanted and what was best for me. It's my life. I get to decide how I want to live it and none of you get a say in it. Period." I stood a little taller now, hitching my chin and narrowing my eyes, "And if you don't like it, well then that's too bad."

A hush fell all around us. My parents' brows were furrowed as they exchanged glances. Father was the first to speak, "Elsa, perhaps we should take a seat somewhere and talk about th-"

"How dare you, you ungrateful girl?!" Grandfather suddenly erupted in a snarl, face a dark, blotchy red as he stomped forward. "I will not stand for such insolence in my presence! No granddaughter of mine is allowed to speak to us in such a manner ever, you hear me?"

My eyelashes twitched. An almost imperceptible wince. The only reaction I gave to his outburst. My gaze then shifted from him back over to my parents. Whether or not they were in agreement with Grandfather's statement, they kept it to themselves, remaining mute on the subject with small grimaces. Locking my eyes on Grandfather once more, I said evenly, "Very well then. I guess that makes me no granddaughter of yours."

I started to turn to leave, but then paused. Looking back to my parents one final time, I tacked on, "Oh, and the next time you try to marry me off to someone, you might want to make sure he's not in another relationship already."

Both their postures snapped straight at that. "Hans?" Mother asked, turning her focus on him now. "What does she mean by that?"

"I, uh…" he laughed feebly, sidestepping in a poor attempt to hide behind Anna. As for her, she just gaped at me as I turned my back on them all and walked away. I could see Maren out of my peripheral, her jaw slack as well, but with a smile tugging up at the corners of her lips as she brought her hands together in a slow, silent clap.

"You stop right there, young lady!" Grandfather was shouting after me, but I did not stop. "You will do as you're told or so help me, that's it for you! Step one foot outside this house and you're cut off! Disowned! We'll have nothing more to do you with, you hear me?! Nothing!"

Still, I kept walking. I could hear a single pair of footsteps behind me. Once they caught up to walk along beside me, I glanced over, knowing I'd be greeted by Lea's grinning face. I told him, "You can put them on now."

He cocked his head at my words. But then it clicked, and his grin stretched wider. "You sure?"

"Positive," I said flatly, staring straight ahead once more. I could still hear Grandfather yelling his tantrum after me back there. "Go nuts."

"Oh hell yeah!" He reached inside his leather jacket, whipping out the heart-shades and slipping them onto his nose. Then he spun into an about-face, striding along backwards next to me now. "Suck it, bitches!" he crowed back at them all, throwing his hands up to flip the double bird as we turned to disappear around a corner.

That's right.

Suck it, bitches.

Author's Note: So THAT's why Anna's been acting all squirrelly! How 'bout it ya'll, didja see it coming from a mile away? xD Hopefully I surprised at least one or two of you with that lil twist xP And oh gosh, when it rains, it friggin' POURS! So much being thrown at Elsa all at once xD Hope the drama turned out okay! As you've read through 27 chapters of my writing by now (at least! I'm sure there's those of you who've read my other stuff too tho xP), you've probably gathered by now that I'm more about the sass, humor, and mindless fluff and less about… *gestures towards last half of above chapter* THIS. But I did the best I could and that's all anyone can ask for! Also… those damn heart-shaped sunglasses, I swear xD They were just supposed to be a one time throw away gag for the yacht chapter, but apparently my Lea muse liked them so much that he kept finding an excuse to bring them back every damn chance he got! It wasn't supposed to be a running gag, it really wasn't! But hot damn, if the Fire Boi wouldn't look good in those puppies xD

So, it's official… Elsa is finally done with all of it. Done with the lies, done with the family BS, all of it. Next time, what's she gonna do now that she's finally at long last well and truly free? So many possibilities! Where will she go? What will she do? Will she and Anna ever be able to patch things up between them? What's next for her and Lea now that their lil fake dating scheme is kaput? DOES that sheep counting thing ACTUALLY work for anyone? I mean, seriously?! Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading, I super duper appreciate it! And an extra BIG thank you to those of you who’ve liked, reblogged, and followed so far, seeing those lil notifications always brings the biggest, goofiest smile to my face!

FIRST CHAPTER || PREVIOUS CHAPTER || NEXT CHAPTER

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blissfulnightrain · 5 years ago

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Oh man am I excited to share this post!

Last year, I somehow got chosen to be a contributor for the @kairizine! It was an amazing experience getting to work with the many talented contributors and amazing mods with this team, I truly couldn’t ask for a better experience. Pre-orders closed for their first round back in March, and all packages were sent out, which means we finally got the green light to post our pieces! I hope you enjoy this story even a fraction of how much I enjoyed writing it.

If you missed the first round of pre-orders and would still like a copy and the merch, fear not! We’ll be opening for another round come July 5th! Follow the zine handle to keep up with updates!

Lastly, I do have the piece posted to AO3 and FFN, if those are your preferred reading sites!

Without further ado, here it is!

A Reason to Believe

Word Count: 2852

Summary: As Sora returns to Hollow Bastion to close its keyhole and save Riku, Kairi is left alone in Traverse Town to reflect on their journey thus far. There had to be more that she could have done...but what? Perhaps the "stranger" she meets might have answers about the strength she so desires.

***

Kairi wasn't supposed to be outside.

Not without supervision at least. But with Aerith, Yuffie, and Leon now gone and only the occasional check-in from Cid, who was very much preoccupied with his business, life practically alone at the small house in the Third District grew agonizingly stagnant.

She didn't plan on going too far—she was well aware of the potential risks. All she needed was a small change in scenery.

Very carefully she looked both ways, making sure her coast was clear. With no Heartless in sight, she stepped one foot out of the house and onto the cobblestone street, the other following as she gently shut the door behind her. It was a cool night out, as it always was. The sun never shined in Traverse Town, the sky's canvas instead perpetually painted with hues of black, navy, and purple, decorated with a smattering of shimmering, glittery stars. If she could tunnel her vision, drown out the sight of the brick buildings and glowing neon signs that surrounded her, she could have sworn she was looking at the same dark sky that canopied the humble island that she grew up on at night.

In fact, she knew for sure now that that was the case, wasn't it?

"Every single one of those stars...they're another world." She recalled Riku saying some version of this almost every time during their late nights out on the beach, strands of his silver hair dancing in the seabreeze as he gazed above.

"Every single one?" Sora's cerulean eyes would grow wide, his mouth agape in wonder.

"Every single one," Riku would echo with a nod. "We're on just one among who knows how many."

They were going to see them all. Together.

But things hadn't gone as they'd intended. The light of their tiny world could no longer be seen up there, blinking out the moment it fell to the darkness, and though they'd managed to journey far, far away, they'd all been forced to travel on their own individual paths.

Or so it seemed.

Whether she'd ever realized it during the time or not, she could not say, but through Sora's heart and eyes, she'd walked his path beside him. New friends, long battles, and so many sights that had been encountered—it all was barely fathomable to think about. There were so many new experiences, and eventually one that rang all too familiar.

Their previous destination, before she and Sora had returned to Traverse Town, was a dreary land they now called "Hollow Bastion." It was aptly named; a barren land where waterfalls rose, eluding the lush gardens they once fed—gardens she knew she'd once played in herself.

Even though she associated the islands with her childhood, she would never quite be able to shake the familiarity with that foreign-but-not place. She'd felt it the moment she (or Sora, to put it more accurately) set foot on that world. It didn't look anything like she remembered, but then again...she didn't really remember it at all. The sight of the castle and the paved walkways all brought little flashes of recollection, but they almost instantly were snuffed out by the Heartless that ran amok.

The Heartless threat only grew worse, forcing her and Sora to flee and seek refuge back in Traverse Town after they'd saved one another. But Riku still remained there, trapped by the dark road he'd chosen. Despite her panic, Kairi could discern the desperation to abandon that path in those last moments she'd been in his presence. Paired with an unlocked Keyhole sending more monsters across the worlds, Sora had been forced to return with that Keyblade that had been mysteriously ordained to him.

"You'd...kind of be in my way." Sora was frank when she asked him if she could come along. Her giggles echoed off the hollow stone walls of that musty cave (that reminded her so much of the Secret Place back on the island), masking the sinking feeling she felt in her gut when she'd heard him say that. After all, they'd made it so far by sticking together, hadn't they?

Still, it wasn't hard to understand where he was coming from. She'd never quite been able to keep up with her friends as they raced and sparred against each other, nor had she been chosen to wield any sort of universe-saving magical weapon. No, all she could do now was stand by and wait for Sora and Riku's safe return.

She could only hope that was good enough.

Thoughts began to race through her mind once more, thoughts she was no stranger to. Would Sora return okay? Would Riku return to being the boy they'd grown up alongside, or had the darkness stolen him away from them forever? Would either of them be able to restore balance to all the worlds that had been lost?

"They're just kids…" She'd overheard Leon discussing the matter with Aerith before they, too, had left her behind and went to join Sora. Though they'd explained that they were just going to check on the state of their home world, Kairi couldn't help but sense the dejection in Leon's tone. And she couldn't really blame him; after all, what could a bunch of kids do?

"By any chance are you lost, my dear?" Kairi jumped, startled at the sound of an unfamiliar voice. A shiver ran down her spine as she inspected her surroundings once more; her coast remained clear to her right and in front of her, but to her left…

"Oh, I didn't mean to frighten you," the owner of the voice said apologetically. At first obscured by the shadows of the night, her features became more apparent when she stepped under the glow of the street lamps. The light revealed a stout woman about the same height as her, a brown shawl draped over her shoulders and the purple ankle-length dress she wore. Her gray hair was tied up in a bun set high on her head, her indigo eyes crinkling as her cheeks and lips lifted into a warm smile.

"I-it's okay," Kairi responded, now turning to face the elderly woman. "I just didn't expect to see anyone else out here."

"I could say the same." The woman chuckled. "Well, it won't do a young girl such as yourself much good to stay out here for too long. Conditions are quite dangerous right now, with all those monsters running around. I wouldn't be out here if I didn't need to be." Kairi's attention was then drawn to the plastic bags she was carrying. "It's best we both get back to where we belong as soon as we can."

"Right." Kairi smiled politely. The elderly woman wasn't wrong, and luckily enough all Kairi needed to do to go back inside was turn around and walk a couple of paces in the direction she came from. But… "Would I be able to help you with those?" She pointed towards the bags, which appeared heavy in the woman's frail hands. And who knew how much further she would have to carry them to reach her destination?

"Oh, dear, that's very kind of you to offer, but I wouldn't want you to travel further than you need to."

A small frown appeared on Kairi's lips. Even if it was in such a small capacity, to be able to help this woman… "I really don't mind!" She extended her arms out towards her elder, her lips now turned upwards. "You'll need to get home as soon as you can, too."

The woman hesitated a moment before finally relenting and passing the bags over, smile lines appearing at the corners of her mouth. "Well, you do make an offer that's difficult to refuse."

It was as Kairi began taking the bags that the woman's complexion turned pallid, eyes wide in shock.

"Oh, look out! Behind you!" Kairi hastily turned around, only to recoil at the sight.

A small group of Heartless had appeared. Some were flying, others were bound to the ground, some were with weapons, others had their fists or talons bared, and all of them were teeming with a dark, deadly intent to strike every living, breathing being in their path.

She knew she had mere seconds to decide what to do next. Getting the old woman home would be impossible under these conditions, but she had the presence of mind to remember an alternative option for shelter. "Over here!" As the swarm began to close in, Kairi gestured for the woman to follow when she darted around back towards the door to the small house. She only half-noticed that her wrists felt lighter when she reached for the door, hastily opening it while pulling the old woman inside along with her.

The soles of Kairi's shoes squeaked against the familiar hardwood floor, the woman's tapping behind her almost immediately after. Following her was the sound of the door slamming shut, standing as the only barrier between them and the threat outside. They held their breath at the continued thumping against the door, and Kairi's eyes darted frantically around the room trying to find something, anything, to stave off the potential intruders.

When she felt something grab her hand, she nearly lashed out, only to quickly realize that it was the woman's comforting squeeze.

"Believe in the light," she whispered softly. And though they were mere words, Kairi found her heart responding. She closed her eyes, melding into the woman's touch as a sudden wave of calm washed over her amidst the clamor from beyond the walls. A small flame began to flicker and glow at the hearth of her chest, its warmth spreading through her veins and encapsulating her. If she could somehow make it burn even brighter, proliferate those whisps and embers past the door to lick at their enemies, even if just to ward them away...

Whether seconds or an eternity had passed by the time Kairi reopened her eyes, she could not say. The woman's delicate palm was still in her own, the walls around them remained intact, and there was silence.

Silence.

"See that?" The woman beamed, now taking Kairi's other hand. "They're gone."

"They are," Kairi replied with a grin of her own. "Thank you." The two stood quietly, reveling in the now-peaceful moment, and the shelter and safety of one another.

"...I promised I'd help you get home," Kairi finally interjected into the silence. "I'll take you there now."

"Oh, dear, you've done more than enough—"

"Please." Whether it was Kairi's pleading tone, or perhaps it was in spite of it, the woman was chuckling.

"Your determination is quite admirable, I must say."

"I'll make sure the coast is clear." Kairi finally let go of the woman to make her way over towards the door, slowly turning its knob before creaking it open. Sure enough, there were no enemies in sight. Looking both ways as she had done before, she slowly stepped out, one foot after the other, before giving the woman the confirmation.

It was when the woman caught up to her that she noticed the mess in the corner of her vision. "Oh, no…" she groaned.

"What is it, child?" the woman inquired, concerned.

"I...I'm really sorry," Kairi replied, dejected as she walked over to the source of her dismay: remnants of the plastic bags, their contents laid strewn and torn across the street. "I dropped them while we were running, and I just wasn't thinking, a-and—"

"Dear, dear! Munny goes around, more days will come, and these items will be easily replaced. And now, if it weren't for your actions and quick thinking, I might not be standing here next to you, and certainly not in one piece." But the woman's thoughtful words failed to quell the lump that was forming in Kairi's throat.

"I was scared," she explained, her voice small. "There was nothing else we could do besides run away and hide." And it was all she had been doing since coming here, hadn't she? While Sora and Riku were out there, fending for themselves, fending for her, all she could do was stand and watch, worlds away from them.

"There, there, now." She felt the woman's soft fingertips delicately brush across her cheek, wiping away a single glistening tear.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again, blinking rather rapidly to clear her vision. Her hand was taken once more, enveloped firmly between the woman's pruney fingers.

"Tell me, what's really troubling you?" The woman's eyes peered back at her. Kairi hesitated before responding. This was a stranger, after all, and she had been strictly instructed to not divulge any information regarding the worlds' affairs to anyone. But...there was something about this woman that she couldn't quite put her finger on—a something that told her it might be all right to be just a little vulnerable with her.

"I just...wish I could have been stronger. So I could have protected th—you, back there." She then let out a contemplative sigh, brows furrowed the moment the words escaped her. "Sorry, that probably sounds ridiculous. After all, what could a kid like me do?"

"Oh, you'd be quite surprised." The woman appeared amused. "Come, let me tell you all about strength while we walk—a type of strength that doesn't require any muscle or stamina, but one that is far more valuable."

"Huh?" Kairi nearly caught herself from falling as the woman suddenly began to move, their hands still clasped together.

"Now, listen carefully to my words, dear, for the heart of a child exactly like yourself has the power to do the most incredible things." The woman began to relay what sounded like the start of a fairytale, and suddenly, Kairi was transported.

But the place she found herself in was no fantasy land. A musty green carpet shrouded the floors, countless books lined rows and rows of wooden shelves. Underneath the stairwell in the corner was a little nook with a desk covered in pages and pens. Her indigo eyes peered up curiously at the seated old woman, the hue of her irises matching her own. Her smile was kind, her voice soft as she relayed the familiar tale of the children whose light saved the worlds once before.

"So, listen child," the woman from the world of her origin called to her. "Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you. Your heart will shine with its power and push the darkness away…"

"...Just as it did when you protected me with that fiery determination of yours, and as it always will when you wish to save the ones you cherish so deeply," the woman now holding her hand concluded.

The night sky blanketed them once more as Kairi found herself back in the present. Concrete replaced carpet, buildings stood in place of bookshelves, and the messy desk was transformed into the door of a tiny cottage. But the woman she now stood in front of, indigo eye to indigo eye…

Time seemed to stand still as Kairi's vision grew misty once again. "Y-you're…"

Her grandmother flashed her a knowing smile, her hand resting tenderly against Kairi's cheek. The once-unfamiliar touch now restored memories of long walks through abundant gardens, Kairi's small, soft hand clasped in the warm but sturdy grasp of hers as she begged to hear that same story over and over and over again. Sometimes the old woman would chuckle, other times she'd feign exhaustion, but in the end, she'd never refused her bright-eyed granddaughter's request.

"You and I have quite a bit of catching up to do, don't we, Kairi?" Her tone remained gentle, like the sea breeze that caressed her skin when she frolicked about with Sora and Riku along the island shores.

"You knew all along, didn't you?" She received a nod in response. "I…don't know what to say." And yet, there was so much she wanted, needed to tell her. About her home away from home, about the new friends she'd made, about her journey across the big sky—the very same one she swore existed all those days ago while her grandmother nodded along, amused by her spunk.

"Through all the adversity you've certainly faced," she began, as if answering the younger girl's discombobulated thoughts, "that light of yours shines even more brilliantly than I recalled."

"That's because I had an amazing teacher who always told me to believe in it," Kairi explained, lips lifting and heart swelling. "Thank you, Grandma." It was a lesson of love and light that she swore to herself she would never forget ever again.

But that promise would have to remain in her heart, unverbalized, as Kairi suddenly found herself standing empty-handed. Asphalt, buildings, and the woman who'd been standing before her crumbled into shards of sand that collected beneath her feet. A voice called her name, and from the distance in this strange new void, a familiar boy with spiky brown hair was running towards her.

#kairi #kingdom hearts #fanfiction #kingdom hearts fanfiction #kairi zine #fanzine #i was so overjoyed to be a participant in this project #aidjf;asdf the mod team was incredible T_T #as were the contributors #please support them all aisdjf;iasdf #blissfulnightrainwrites #bliss zines

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snowflake-of-destruction · 4 years ago

Note

For the “send me a ship meme.” I have two. Akuriku and RikuRoku

I’m going to do these in two individual posts because I am a wordy person who gets carried away. Akuriku first and Rikuroku later or tomorrow.

1. How do much do I ship it?: Never heard of it/ Notp / Dislike / used to ship / maybe / ship it / aww / otp / IS IT CANON YET

Big surprise. Everything I am sent is going to be "ship it" even if it wasn't already once I have to concentrate on it.

2. What non sexual activities do they like to do together?

Video Games

Hikes. Axel's hesitance toward strenuous physical activity going out the window when Riku suggests paths that end in scenic overlooks. We know Axel is all about climbing to high places with nice views.

Philosophical debates and deep talks. They both seemed inclined and would appreciate someone wanting to dig into the mysteries of or deeper issues with life and daily living with them. I see them on the same level. "I never thought much about that" is not an answer either of them would utter, both because it's generally not true since both spend a lot of time thinking, and, because, if it is something they hadn't considered or don't know much about, they can both quickly make it up. On the other end of the spectrum, neither is so intellectual or psuedo-intellectual as to leave the other behind.

Naps. Riku cannot stand even the idea of naps initially, much less the idea of taking one himself, then Axel just pulls him into/back into bed or tricks him there to koala/cobra wrap around him and refuse to let him leave because Axel is a big fan of sleep, and if anyone needs more sleep it's Riku. Riku has a slow breakdown of admitting things in stages. I like that you can overpower me (though mainly because Riku has too much worry about hurting him to use all his strength, because Axel is taller and he is lean muscle not twig, but Riku is still the beef in this stroganoff and Axel the noodle)---> I like being the little spoon DON'T LAUGH--> this napping thing isn't so bad.

Comparing and contrasting Sora and Roxas. Take this however you want.

3. Who does chores around the house?

Riku. He likes an orderly house. He won't nag outright and Axel doesn't fall for the same kinds of taunts/manipulation as Sora would so at first he just doesn't know how to deal with Axel not putting in the same effort he does. Plus, he doesn't mind doing everything that much. When he begins minding, they have an honest, open talk because, though it took awhile to get there, Riku is good at those. Axel earnestly promises to do his share...and then does it terribly so Riku doesn't ask again. If Riku ever shows real stress though, Axel feels so bad he....tricks someone else into doing everything for both of them. Haha, you thought he would do it? No.

4. Who’s the better cook?

Self-sufficient Riku, though Axel is the more creative chef that tries new dishes, so it depends on how quickly one gets tired of the meals Riku has mastered and considers adequate enough in fulfilling the need for variety.

5. Who’s the funniest drunk?

Riku. Axel argues Riku is only the funny drunk, whereas, he's hilarious all the time. Once more, it comes down to the principle that when you care less what you say or do sober, your drunk self isn't that different. Riku is a craps shoot when drunk though. Just as often as Funny Riku you get Depressive Riku that needs to be treated very gently.

6. Do they have kids?

One day. I don't have particularly strong feelings about it, but instinctually I feel both are the type to want kids eventually.

7. Do they have any traditions?

Light left on whenever one isn't home.

Watching the sunrise together. Axel whines about lack of sleep/goes back to sleep after, but he loves his red and orange skies and Riku refuses to "share" a tradition.

Celebrating rebirth days as well as birhtdays. This is when Riku broke free of Ansem for Riku and Axel's recompletion for him. Dinner in complete darkness that is then broken by a fire spell lighting cake candles. That specific tradition lasts one rebirth day because Riku stabs himself repeatedly with a fork in the dark and then Axel sets the whole table on fire. Afterwards, they still do the symbolic darkness into light thing, but do it with Riku's old blindfold, putting on the blindfold early and being led around obstacles until they get to a "surprise" party and are "freed from darkness."

8. What do they fight about?

Their sacrificial streaks and trying to protect each other mostly. Sometimes about how Axel will not do any housework.

9. What would they do if they found their paring tag on tumblr? (If they have one)

Laugh. Riku would get embarrassed. Axel would propose acting out any fanfiction they come across.

10. Who cried at the end of Marley and me?

Riku. Axel took advantage of cuddle time.

11. Who always wins at Mario kart?

Axel and it drive Riku up a wall.

12. One thing I like about this ship?

Well, I just love the characters so much I am tempted to just say anything that includes them is good. I guess Riku being with someone he doesn't have a built in need to be the strong one for--more than his baseline I mean--and, on the same track, both of them getting the chance to be with someone who they can just build a more naturally paced relationship with not having to start out with the intensity and baggage of "everything I was for awhile was because of you/for you" or "I went to hell in back and/or died for you" that hangs over Soriku, Rikai, Akuroku, Leaisa, etc.

13. One thing I don’t like about the ship?

It's not Akuroku. A flaw many Kingdom Hearts ships share.

But if Axel and Riku then....no Akuroku or Soriku or Rikai in this story? Like a zero amount? Or it's only in the past? Or it breaks them up? I...can't compute this. None at all? What about a little, as a treat? (This ignores a polycule situation, but I'm trying to be funny.)

14. The song I would say fits them?

There is going to be the reoccurring answer of "I do not have a song for them. I never thought about it." Copy and paste everywhere because I hardly ever do this even with the major ones. The Grass is Greener Vanikai was a fluke.

15. Another headcanon about the paring? (Free space)

Axel gets Riku to move in with him like he's slowly adopting a stray cat, buying and leaving out things he'd like both food and decor wise and making a comfortable space until Riku spends more and more time around.

#akuriku #axel #riku #probably full of errors to fix later but i am being called away and this is so close to posting #twileighplants

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xyliane · 5 years ago

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AUgust 9: royalty au

PROMPT THE NINTH: ROYALTY AU

aka “space royalty IN SPACE!!!” ft the kingdom hearts kids. I don’t know what I’m doing in kh except that certain people got me into it and I’ve been dabbling with a few other fics for it over the last month and I don’t know how to write any of these good good kids at all. so I smashed up destiny island trio with “crest of the stars” which I haven’t seen since 2009 so all of my memories of it are on the delightful worldbuilding. vaguely soriku or sorikai? I guess? what is kingdom hearts?

0o0o0o0o0o0

The Highwind hadn’t changed at all in the last three years, or however many rotations that translated to on Kingdom ships. Sora couldn’t restrain himself from running his hands over everything, his new haptic interface buzzing gently at his temples with every passing node and module. It would have itched if Sora weren’t practically leaping with excitement. This was the Highwind. He was done with training. And what’s more, he’d been recruited for this, so someone out there thought that he was ready. Maybe if he was lucky, he’d even run into--

“Sora?” a familiar voice said. “What are you doing here?”

He spun, his smile wide with delight, and practically sprinted down the corridor to bury the red-headed junior officer in a hug. “Kairi! I didn’t know you were stationed on the Highwind!”

His best friend grinned sheepishly, face flushed the same red as her hair as Sora set her back on her feet. They wore similar sleek space-ready black uniforms, but while Sora’s jacket was full-sleeved and trimmed with red insignia, Kairi’s tunic was sleeveless and her collar marked with two tiny silver stars--a lieutenant now, not even three rotations into her official serve. Sora would have to get her something as a present. Rose-gold interfaces wound around her wrists and up her arms, newer and much nicer than the ones she’d borrowed at the academy. Nicer even than Sora’s headpiece, which he just got as a graduation present from Donald. Jeez, the Highwind really did have it all. “I’m not surprised you slept through that announcement,” she said. “I heard you were barely awake enough for your own assignment, sleepyhead. Admiral Yen Sid was probably ready to have you court marshaled.”

“Yeah, well,” he said and scratched at the back of his neck. “I’m here now?”

Kairi’s smile grew to match Sora’s own. “You definitely are,” she said. “Have you been to your quarters yet? Or do you need a tour of the ship? Captain said we don’t launch for another rotation, so I can--”

“I’ve got this, don’t worry,” Sora said, and started down the corridor again.

She raised an eyebrow. “If you’re sure,” she said, and fell into step with him. For a minute, it was like they were back at the Academy, or even back on Destiny Island, striding along the edges of the ocean like they were in space and bouncing up and down in the lack of gravity. Sora hadn’t known about grav boots then.

Sora turned down the third corridor, following the spoke past the windows that looked out upon the twilit lights of Departure Station floating against nothing but a thousand thousand stars. “I was here before,” he said.

“Before we shipped out? That’s against protocol--even you know that.”

A really stupid rule, but one Sora had to follow if he wanted to be here. “No, before that. We haven’t even left dock yet! Before the Academy. It was after you and your family had to flee the Island, and I went looking for you and--”

Kairi blinked like Sora had hit her over the head with a practice sword. “No way,” she said. “You were here?”

“Yep!”

“On the Highwind?”

Sora crossed his arms with an annoyed harrumph. “Where else would I have been?” he said. “We found you while I was here.”

“I didn’t know it was the Highwind! I was kind of out of it, with the oxygen deprivation and the spacing and the kidnapping. I thought it was just...just the...” Kairi trailed off as she looked him up and down, taking in the haptic headpiece that wound through his chaotic hair and the red pilot’s insignia at his wrists and collar, and she put her head in her hands for a long exasperated sigh. “Oh, stars. No wonder the Kingdom Navy was so angry.”

Sora did remember more than a few expressions of shock when Yen Sid had announced where he was to be stationed. But he’d cared more about Donald and Goofy’s expressions of joy than some old farts. Or young farts. Farts who thought they were better than anyone else just because they had weird-colored hair. So most of the Academy, really. “They weren’t angry, just...not happy.”

“They’re pissed, Sora. But it’s not their choice to have two humans onboard the Highwind, not anymore.” Without checking to make sure that Sora was keeping up, Kairi squared her shoulders and picked up the pace with a grin that usually spelled pain, and lots of it. “You know, we’re almost at the flight deck. You wanted to meet the new CO, right?”

He had been going to the mess, but his stomach suddenly didn’t seem as important. He wanted to be on the Highwind because it was the best, but he also wanted to serve the person who had helped him save Kairi. He wanted to help. Not having King Mickey around felt...weird. Different. Like the air needed to be circulated a few dozen times. “What happened to Mick--I mean, the Rear Admiral?”

“The king handed over the ship to someone he trusted with his heart,” Kairi said.

That gave Sora a long moment of pause. “Should I know him?” he finally asked.

A muffled giggle came out from his friend’s mouth. “You have to meet the captain eventually. So I think you should meet him now.”

“Meet who?”

“Someone you trusted with your whole heart!”

Of all the times to be mysterious, she had to choose right this moment. “Kairiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...”

“Come on, Sora!”

They made it to the bridge in what must have been record time, Sora’s books thudding heavily against the tiled floor. Other officers, their hair all colors of the rainbow, gave the two humans the side-eye as they raced along the corridors. Sora didn’t care. They’d have a chance to say hi later, to become friends, when he wasn’t in danger of falling behind Kairi. But she slowed down with just enough time to catch her breath, unable to stop Sora from his all-out sprint to the door. Without the magnets kicking in on his boots, he couldn’t quite stop himself before tumbling face-first into the sleek sides of the small bridge.

Normally Sora liked Kairi’s laughter--it reminded him of waves and summer storms and the Island--but right now it was turning his face as her hair. What a first impression. He did his best to jump to his feet and imitate a proper salute. “Ensign Pilot Sora, reporting for command, sir,” he said, looking anywhere but at the tall captain who was definitely staring at Sora and probably counting all of the ways that he could be sent back to the Academy.

Another laugh, much quieter than Kairi’s but absolutely cacophonous in Sora’s ears, echoed around the tiny command chamber, loud against the half-empty room. Sora’s heart ached with it, beating in time with a voice he hadn’t heard in years except in the rare crackly messages shipped from the other side of the system.

The captain’s hair was long and the color of stars, a rare color even among humanoid nobility in the Kingdom. His uniform, practically picture-perfect and sleek with silver lining, had a solid steel blade at his hip, a form of haptic device that responded less to physical touch like Sora’s or Kairi’s as much as pure will. Sora hadn’t seen one of those in use in years. Not since he’d last seen Riku frantically stabbing it around a ship, Sora at his side.

Riku smiled, a private little thing that lit his green eyes up brighter than a solar flare. “Still crashing into things you shouldn’t, right Sora?”

“It’s you, Riku,” Sora breathed. “Riku!”

One of the bridge officers actually squawked. “That’s the prince of the Seven Island Worlds, you insubordinate--”

Sora ignored them and all of the rules about propriety and princes and how no one is supposed to call the nobility by their names because that’s not how things are done Ensign Sora that the instructors had tried to drill into his head at the Academy, and threw his arms around his friend. Because once, long ago, Riku had promised that Sora could call him by name, and Sora won’t ever break a promise like that. “I thought I’d never see you again,” he said.

Even though it barely lasted a moment, Riku hugged him right back, tight and warm and just right. Sora missed that. He missed Riku. “Well, you promised you’d be my pilot when you were done,” Riku said a little self-consciously.

“And I am!” Sora said, and thrust a thumb at the pilot’s insignia emblazoned on his jacket. “That is why I’m here. Right?”

Riku laughed again, and Sora swore that his heart turned to molten gold right in his chest. “A captain can choose his crew."

“You chose Kairi?”

“Well, of course,” Riku said, glancing over the top of Sora’s head to the young woman. “She’s the best gunner in her class, and probably will be in the fleet in the next few cycles.”

“Thanks, Captain,” she said. Sora could tell she was trying to be miffed and ended up being pleased. Of course Riku would know how to make her feel welcome.

But that still left Sora.

As though hearing his thoughts, Riku poked him gently between the eyes. “And I chose you, Sora. So. Welcome aboard.”

(AUgust prompts)

#AUgust2020 #kingdom hearts #kh #sora #riku #kairi #yeah you heard me right NOT hxh #...ye gods I don't know how to write these delightful chaos kids #anyways crest of the stars is one of those things that's burnt into my soul in terms of worldbuilding #and although I have approx. 1582 hxh AUs at this point #I thought I'd try it with something different #plus it didn't seem to line up with hxh #so here I am #my writing

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maddrmatt · 4 years ago

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Kairi’s Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Chapter 3: A Talk with Mom

Destiny Islands

It was past sunset when Kairi and Pluto entered her home. The dog wandered off into the house while she took off her shoes and headed for the stairs. All she wanted to do was spend the rest of the evening in her room before going to sleep.

She was halfway up the stairs when she suddenly heard, “You missed dinner again, Kairi.”

‘Rats!’ thought Kairi as she turned and saw a blonde-haired woman with brown eyes and wearing glasses, a green shirt and skirt standing with her arms crossed in front of her. It was her adoptive mother Dorothy.

“Sorry, Mom. I guess I lost track of time.”

“You’ve been doing that a lot lately. Your father and I would like to see you at meals once in a while especially on days that he doesn’t have to work late at the office,” said Dorothy.

“Is he still up?” asked Kairi.

“No, he went to bed. He has wake up early to travel tomorrow to the north side to oversee a few projects. He would’ve really liked to see you before he left.”

“Again, I’m sorry and I’ll apologize to Dad when he comes home. But right now, I really just want to go to my room,” said Kairi as she began to ascend the stairs.

“Oh no you don’t, young lady. You need to eat something. Besides, you need to feed Pluto as well,” said Dorothy indicating with a nod of her head to Pluto who come alongside her with his dog bowl in his mouth.

“Oh. I’m sorry, Pluto. I’ll get your food right away,” said Kairi as she headed down the stairs, took the dog bowl from Pluto and headed toward the kitchen.

________________________________________________________________

“There you go, Pluto. Eat up,” said Kairi as she put the dog bowl, which was now filled with dog food in front of her canine companion. Pluto eagerly dug in.

With the dog fed, Kairi headed to the kitchen table where a bowl of soup was waiting for her. Her mother sat across from her as she began to eat.

“So, what were you doing this afternoon on the Play Island?” asked Dorothy.

“Oh. I was just finishing up a little art project I’ve been working on throughout the month.”

“An art project, you say. Well, it’s good to hear that you’ve been keeping yourself busy. You’ve been spending so much time over there. What is the project anyway?”

“It’s kind of personal so I’d rather not say,” said Kairi. ‘She’d probably worry more if she knew that I was carving and painting a picture of me and Sora.’

“Well, as long as you’re doing something other than just sitting around there, that’s good,” said Dorothy before she realized something. “Oh! It’s the end of the month. Don’t you usually send out a letter to Sora?”

Kairi suddenly dropped her spoon. A morose look came over her face. Dorothy became concerned.

“Kairi? Did I say something wrong?”

“I didn’t send out a letter at all, Mom.”

Dorothy looked surprised. “That’s unusual. Why not?”

“I don’t know. I must’ve sat there for at least a half hour with the pen in my hand and the paper in front of me. But I couldn’t write anything down and I’ve never been unable to do that before.”

‘Then again, aside from completing the picture, there really hasn’t been anything worth writing about this month. What would Sora think if I told him that Riku and the others had given up on finding him?’

Dorothy rose from her chair and walked over to the other side of the table. Sitting down in a chair next to her daughter, she put her hand on her shoulder and said, “Kairi, you know your father and I have supported this letter writing because we know what it means to you. So, I know what I’m about to say may not be what you want to hear. But don’t you think the reason you couldn’t write anything to write to him this time may be a sign that you’re starting to accept that he’s not coming back?”

Kairi almost burst out with rage. But not wanting to start an argument with her mother, she restrained herself and let her continue.

“I know you’ve kept hoping that he’ll come back, and I know you don’t want to accept a world where he’s not in it. Believe me, no one here does not even your father and me. It doesn’t seem right to not see you, Sora and Riku together like before. But as hard as it is, we all need to adjust no matter how much it hurts to. Even Jones and Hayley have to, and heaven only knows how much they’re hurting from the loss of their son.”

‘I can’t lose that hope, Mom. If I do, I don’t know what I’ll do.’

“We all still can hardly believe what you kids have been through over the past few years since that big storm. If you never showed us those Keyblades of yours and hadn’t introduced King Mickey and his friends to us, we probably would have never believed you. I can’t even believe that you were actually dead for a time. But I’ll always be grateful to Sora for bringing you back even if it cost him more than he anticipated.”

‘It wouldn’t have happened if I had been better and stronger. And then Sora wouldn’t have had to sacrifice himself again for me.’

“It’s just not fair, Mom. Sora did so much for so many people throughout the worlds. The worlds probably wouldn’t even be still standing if it weren’t for him. Doesn’t he deserve a happy ending of his own?” asked Kairi who on the verge of crying again.

“Yes, I think of all people, he did. I know you were hoping for so much with him, Kairi. When you told your father and me that you shared a paopu fruit with him, we were overjoyed because we always knew there was something special between you two that would have grown into something wonderful. But the sad truth is that we rarely get what we deserve.”

“That’s certainly true. From what the others told me, after all the pain and suffering he caused, Xehanort’s ultimate fate was to journey to the afterlife alongside Master Eraqus, his best friend who he murdered. Why did he get a kind of a happy ending when we didn’t?” thought Kairi bitterly as she recalled the man who had scarred her in so many ways.

“All you can do now, Kairi, is make the most of the second chance that Sora gave you. He wouldn’t want you to spend the rest of your life miserable.”

‘No. He’d want me to spend the rest of my life with him.’

“Time heals all wounds, Sweetie. You just have to let it. Now you just finish up your soup and then get yourself to bed.”

“Yes, Mom.”

Dorothy then got up and left the kitchen. Kairi just sat at the table staring at her dinner. She wasn’t feeling very hungry anymore.

________________________________________________________________

(Mood Music: Wherever You Are (End Title) by Barry Coffing and Vonda Shepard from Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin)

Much later, after showering and dressing in her nightgown, Kairi sat on the window box in her room. Pluto was laying down with his head in her lap as she scratched it while gazing out at the starry night.

Despite what her mother had said, Kairi often tried to delay going to sleep as much as she could. This was due to the fact that whenever she let sleep take her, the nightmares would come, and they would always have the same theme.

In all of her dreams, she and Sora would often be doing something together in one of the many worlds he had visited. They would be competing in the games at the Olympus Coliseum, swinging and sliding through the trees of the Deep Jungle or soaring through the skies of Neverland. They would be happy right before he would just vanish and leave her all alone in her sadness.

‘As bad as they all are, they were nothing compared to the first one. The one where we were all celebrating on the Play Island and Sora and I were watching the sunset hand-in-hand. He looked so happy and I was so relieved that we had made it that I cried. Then he just faded away.’

Looking out at the stars, Kairi thought about Sora’s other friends throughout the worlds. She thought of Rapunzel, Hercules, Jack Skellington, Aladdin, Ariel, Simba, Big Hero 6, Jack Sparrow, Mulan, Tarzan and everyone else and how blissfully unaware that a good friend of theirs was gone.

‘I wonder what they would think if they knew. Would they believe that he could be saved? Or would they think he’s gone for good?’

Pluto let out a whimper. She met his sympathetic gaze.

“Oh Pluto. I know Mom means well. But she doesn’t understand that finding Sora is the only way I can make it up to him. Of course, she doesn’t know that I blame myself. I wonder if Riku and the others knew that, would they have reconsidered giving up?”

Pluto just looked at her with an unsure look. Clearly, he didn’t have the answer.

Kairi let out a deep sigh. “I don’t know what to believe anymore, Pluto. Maybe Mom’s right. Maybe I finally am starting to accept that Sora’s gone.”

She then let out a sob. ‘But I can’t! I just can’t! Because if I do, then I’ll never see him again, I’ll never be free of the guilt and I’ll have wrecked things with my friends all for nothing!’

But on some level, Kairi knew that her hope was at an all time low. Her inability to write a letter was proof of that.

Kairi wiped away her tears. “Come on. Let’s go to bed. It looks like my dreams are the only way to see him now even if they all end badly. But it’s better than nothing.”

Pluto leapt off Kairi’s lap as she rose up and walked to her bed. Sadly, she climbed in and pulled the covers up to her chin. Pluto climbed up the foot of the bed and curled up in his usual spot.

With one final sniffle, Kairi finally allowed sleep to take her. As she drifted off, she wondered what dream would haunt her in the midst of her diminishing hope and increasing guilt.

________________________________________________________________

Onto the next chapter!

#kingdom hearts #kh fanfiction #sokai #kairi #pluto #kairi's mother #maddrmatt

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rex101111 · 5 years ago

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She Deserves The Stars

Re:mind…well, reminded me why Sokai was such an obsession for me back in high school so naturally I had to buckle down and write a 10k+ fic about them being cute and loving each other because what else does Nomura expect me to do with myself now until he finally nuts up and releases a Kairi-centric game?

Rating: T

Enjoy!

Riku was good at focusing on little details. How sand would gather around the edge of a wave once it crested over a beach, how a leaf rocks from side to side as it floats down to the ground, small things, insignificant things. He’s gotten good at noticing those things and honing his focus on them so he could avoid thinking of things that he did not want on his mind.

When he was younger it was to divert his head from petty, cruel thoughts about his two best friends. Focus on the sand to avoid thinking about how Kairi keeps stealing looks at Sora behind his back, keep your eyes on the leaf to not think too hard about how soft Sora’s voice gets when the subject of Kairi comes up.

Focus on the water, the raft, the far away freedom, the adventure, focus on that and not on how two people you’ve known for over a decade were leaving you behind.

(A voice from the back of his head stabs him with these thoughts, you were such a shit remember? Such an awful friend, and he takes a breath. Sometimes the voice is nasally, young and arrogant and so sure of his destiny, and sometimes the voice is deeper than a fall in a canyon, full of silk smooth venom and sharp like a dagger, but he’s gotten used to remaindering himself that the voice is always wrong, so he brushes it off easily enough.)

As he grew older it was a matter of survival, the rustle of the air as holes of pure nothing tore open and things made of twisted cloth-flesh and empty souls were about to pour out, the electricity and dull fire licking his skin whenever creatures of dark and hate were nearby. Things that passed by in a second, things that kept him alive if he noticed them.

It made him good at reading people once things simmered down. The twitch near the corner of Terra’s lip when Riku was being difficult, Aqua’s left eyebrow raising half an inch to prepare for a lecture, Ven’s eyes darting back and forth when you caught out a bluff, Roxas mouth thinning when you hit a sore spot, Xion’s shoulder’s bunching up if she feels threatened, Lea’s fists clenching when he’s pissed.

Kairi’s nose flaring when she’s frustrated, biting her lip to hold back tears, how empty and tired her eyes were becoming every day Sora remained out of her reach.

He used it to be a better friend, when everyone needed him to be more than any other time in his life, he even thinks he managed it fairly alright. Kairi barely gave him the time of day as things dragged on, but he could hardly blame her for that, with how she was wearing herself thin searching for Sora, for their friend.

The one she loved.

If he was younger, spiteful and jealous and so afraid of being alone, that last thought would have been a knife in the back, but seeing Kairi so determined, so driven, so on fire to look for Sora after everything he’s done, for everyone, for them, for her, it was hard not to admire her now that he’s more secure with his place in their lives and with more years on his shoulders.

And best of all, it paid off.

He didn’t even want to begin to think of all the loops and nonsense he and Kairi (plus their friends from Radiant Garden, and the three Masters, and the king, and Roxas and his gang, and who knows how many more) had to jump through to finally find Sora, but they did. He was beaten within an inch of his life, bruised and bleeding from a few worrying places, but he was alive, against all odds and spitting in the face of whatever laws of nature and destiny were dead set on keeping them all apart, he was alive.

And the look on his face when he caught sight of them, caught sight of Kairi, was absolutely worth every second of searching it took to find him. Riku barely had enough time to cast Curaja to heal their wounds before he and Kairi basically attached themselves to each other to hug and sob and be glad to be together again.

They even pulled him into the hug, and Riku was never more glad to get snot and dirt on his jacket. Soon though, as if all the time searching and fighting and hoping caught up to them all at once, Kairi and Sora fell sound asleep, arms still wrapped around each other and Riku.

Prying himself, however reluctantly, from the hug, Riku was left with the question of how to get these two on the Gummi ship and on the way back to Destiny Islands, back home. Thankfully, Aqua, Terra and Ven were close by when things began to wind down, and were able to help him pick the two up and carry them to the ship.

Still hugging even, after all they went through they seemed determined to never be apart again, even while dead to the world and snoring and drooling on each other. It was cute, in a weird and gross sort of way, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to be the one to pry them off each other, and the other three weren’t too keen on the idea either.

So, they laughed, shared a hug, gave their best wishes and congratulations, and left through their portal, and now Riku was left alone on the Gummi with his two sleeping, hugging friends.

And he was making use of his long developed skill for careful inspection to take notice of every little noise the ship made, the groan of metal and grinding of gears, the flowing of fuel through pipes, anything to keep his eyes open and his arms steady, lest he fall asleep and the three heroes that saved the world a good half dozen times will die as a result of crashing into a huge hunk of rock floating in space.

Because he too, like Kairi and Sora, was practically dead on his feet after the trial that was today, but he was left to be the responsible one and get them all back in one piece.

“As per usual, I might add.” He muttered with faux outrage, “I swear, I always have to be the one to actually get stuff done, don’t I?” He shook his head with a scoff, “this is just like the time we were building that damned raft, remember that?”

He turned his head back to look at his friends with a tired smile, Sora having moved his arms to envelop Kairi completely, as if protecting her from a wind that would blow her away, and their princess burying her head in Sora’s chest, as if to anchor him where he was and keep him there with her.

Otherwise, they snored and ignored his question, typical.

“Exactly!” He shouted, to no reaction from the snoozing pair, “I was running around carrying logs and ropes from all over the island, while you two were sleeping the day away on the beach!” He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and shook his head again, paying attention to the give of the leather on the wheel as he steered the ship, “Sora might have been the lazy bum, but Kairi, you always used the excuse to look for him to not have to work and make wayfinders, and that left me to find the two of you only to see you goofing off near the water.”

He left it at that for a moment, pistons whooshing in the air and his friends mumbling softly in their sleep. Sora taking a deep breath through his nose buried in Kairi’s hair, Kairi grabbing Sora’s jacket in a tightening fist.

“…we never did finish it, right?” He let the question hang in the air for a while as he searched his memory of that one sunlit afternoon that took so long to end, that one storm that changed everything, “well, I mean, we did, but we never really got the chance to take it out to sea.” He chuckled at his past self, naïve and sure with his so called plan to seek destiny and a different sky, “not that we would have gotten anywhere, three dumb kids on a rickety raft in the middle of the ocean, wouldn’t that have been a stupid end to our story…”

He was quiet again, listening to the sound of his friends breathing, in and out, in and out, two hearts, two souls, two people he could never imagine being without. It is the most wonderful sound he’s heard in years, and he strains to commit every tiny detail of it to memory.

“We should build it again.” He intones resolutely, eyes dead ahead and watching for their goal, “we should take a day to build it, and actually get it on the water.” He starts smiling without even noticing, his heart growing warm in his chest, “not even out to the ocean, I’d like to think the three of us aren’t that stupid, just, spend an afternoon floating near the beach, just close enough to swim back if we need to.”

He looked at the stars outside the ship, saw them slowly drifting close before floating away, didn’t he dream of this? This freedom? To be this far away from a home that gave him nothing but sand and sea water? Look at him now, wanting nothing but to get back there, to the palm trees and glowing sun.

He hums deep in his throats for a moment, “I think we’ve all earned a day or two of being lazy bums.”

“Try a week.”

Riku’s smile widened for a moment before he tempered it into a cool smirk, “or maybe a month, considering how you two conked out so quick back there.” He looked back with that same smirk to see Sora sleepily blinking at him, only just barely awake and hanging on the edge of falling right back to snoring on Kairi without a care, “how long have you been up?”

“Around the time you started talking about the raft, and how I wasn’t any help.” He used the one hand not wrapped around Kairi to point accusingly at Riku, “which is a big fat lie, don’t you remember me bringing in all the food?”

“Oh yeah, all the food, an egg, two coconuts, three mushrooms, and three tiny fish, a very sustainable supply, Sora.”

“And water!” Sora added cheekily, grinning widely no matter how tired he was, “don’t forget the water!”

“I wouldn’t dare! A whole bottle of water!” Riku stifled a yawn along with a smile, looking back over the map as he adjusted his course slightly, “Kairi practically had to twist your arm to get you to pull your weight and get all of that.”

A moment of quiet before Sora chuckles warmly, “nah, all she really had to do was ask me.”

Riku let out an undignified sound between his lips holding back a laugh, “man, you are so whipped.”

After making a few outraged noises, Sora fired back, “excuse you, I prefer in love.”

The air stills between them, Riku looks back at Sora with a kind smirk, seeing his friend’s face softly glow red.

“Love…” Sora repeated, slowly, as if testing how the word traveled along his tongue, “love…wow…just saying that, don’t think I’ll ever get used to that…” Sora looked down at Kairi, smiling stretching his face as he buried his nose in her hair again, “love…yeah, I’m in love with her, isn’t that crazy, Riku?”

(Why did you think you ever had a chance? Both voices, young and dark, say at once, and he’s so far past over that whole jealousy business that the ease and annoyance in which he pushes that thought out of his head is almost laughable. Because I was young, stupid, and afraid of being alone, now shut it.)

“Not crazy at all, in fact it’s about time you got it through your thick hair and skull,” He looked back at his glaring friend with a grin, “also, same thing as being whipped, buddy.”

“Hey!”

Kairi made a soft sound in her sleep, digging her head deeper into her embrace of Sora, shutting both boys up before they woke her. Sora breathed out a sigh before wrapping his other hand around her, speaking to Riku while his eyes stayed on her sleeping form, “I don’t think I had a chance to thank all of you guys for bringing me back,” he turned to Riku, eyes wet and smile quiet, “so, really, thank you Riku.”

Riku was silent for a long moment, face hardening before he gestured sharply with his chin to their sleeping friend, “she’s the one you should be thanking, Sora, she’s the only person who refused to give up looking for you, no matter what.”

Sora blinked at Riku, taken aback by his sudden sharp tone, “I-I know that-”

“Yeah but you don’t get it.” Riku stalled the ship so it wouldn’t move and turned to Sora, eyes stone like and voice tight, “Kairi damn near killed herself looking for you, on more than one occasion and in a variety of ways, no matter how many times people told her to slow down, no matter how much I told her to take a break before she cracked under the pressure.” He shook his head with a frustrated breath, memories of those stressful months weighing on his mind, “you have no idea what she had to push through to get you back Sora, no fucking idea.”

Sora stared wide eyed at his friend, at a complete lose at what to say to all that, the only thing he could think to do was simply hold on to Kairi tighter as Riku took another breath and rubbed his face.

“No.” Riku shook his head and rubbed the bridge of his nose, taking a few calming gulps of air, “no, that was…that came out angrier than I wanted it to be.” He let out another breath between his teeth, “I’m not…I’m not telling you all of this to guilt trip you Sora, I…I just want you to understand exactly how lucky we all ended up being today.”

Riku’s eyes flit over the many wounds and bandages covering his friends’ bodies, and feeling the faint thumping of his own injuries, that even after a dose of healing magic from both himself and Aqua he knew would leave scars. He pushes the sight of Sora bleeding from the side of his stomach out of his head, he needs to focus.

“Seriously Sora, today was, bar none, the closest call the three of us of had at losing our lives.” An incredulous laugh leaps out of him unbidden, voice a bit hysterical as he went on, as if the danger of the situation has only hit him fully now that he has a chance to look over his shoulder and actually see it, “and considering the shit we went through? That is saying something, don’t you think?” He pinches his left thumb and index finger together and then just barely pulls them apart to make a space between, “this close, that was our margin of error, that was how close I was to losing my two best friends in the whole world, Sora. That was how close Kairi was to failing after everything we all went through.”

Sora started looking at Kairi mid-way through Riku’s plea, the affection in his eyes mixing with something else, something like pride and determination, that look he had when he was prepared to move the stars for the people he loved.

What would he move for Kairi? Riku supposed that wasn’t a question worth asking, considering he already had the answer.

“But she won.” Riku continued, voice growing steady and certain, “she made it Sora, after all of that she made it, we made it, and that means she’s earned something from you.”

“Anything.” Sora said, voice rock solid and eyes unclouded, “I’ll give her anything she needs, everything, what do I need to give her?”

“No Sora, not give.” He leaned back on the wheel, crossing his arms and smiling at his friend, “something you need to tell her.”

Sora looked between the girl in his arms and his smiling friend, once more at a loss, “what’s there left to say?”

“How you feel, Sora.” Riku stated plainly, “exactly how you feel, exactly what you see in her, exactly what you want to do with her, exactly how you love her.” His smile grows warm when comprehension glows in Sora’s eyes, “tell her everything in your heart, even if she already knows what’s there from the time she was there, even if you think it’s stupid, out loud, in the open, between the two of you, leave nothing to guesswork or implication.”

Sora was holding Kairi against his chest, the girl snuggling into his warmth in her sleep but still refusing to wake.

“After everything she did for you, she’s earned that, all of it. And you need to tell her,” Riku looked aside at a window, watching stardust blow by and the universe turn around them, “…because who knows if this was the last time we get so lucky.”

Riku left it at that, letting the implication sink in on its own, turning back to the wheel to start them back on their route, the heavy quiet of his two friends and the noises of the ship his only accompaniment.

“…I called her my guiding light.” He heard Sora whisper, just barely, growing weaker, “…my light in the darkness.”

Riku blinked, the line of his mouth unsure whether to sink or rise, before another laugh jumped from his lungs and it was all he could do to keep the ship steady, “Sora, of all the things I’ve heard you say, that has to be the cheesiest.” He turned his head to look behind him, voice raising in pitch in a parody of Sora’s, “and that includes your famous my friends are my-”

He stopped, seeing Sora once more joining Kairi in dream land, whatever strength he had used to listen to Riku gone like it was never there. Riku would crack up if he didn’t want them both to keep resting.

“…power.” He shakes his head, looking at the map to see how close they were to home, smiling when he saw they weren’t too far. “You two rest,” he mutters as he leans a bit forward on the accelerator, just enough not to rock the ship, “we’re nearly there…we’re back guys, we actually made it.”

Another soft voice from behind him, different from before, tired to the bone but full of joy, “we're…home.”

He waited for more, but a soft sound of shuffling clothes was all he heard from her, so he let the tears of relief drop down his face, “yeah…we’re home.”

-_-_-_-

Kairi was always a heavy sleeper. Maybe it was just how she was built, or perhaps it was a consequence of dropping between worlds and getting her heart stolen when she was young, but waking her was, reportedly, a very difficult task if Lea and Riku and her grandmother were to be believed.

That changed after the year long search into her heart for Sora, in which she spent that whole time sleeping and went away with barely any clue at all to where he might be. After that she barely allowed herself rest, and any sleep she managed was a wired one, where she was set to spring up at the lightest noise or touch in case she needed to summon her weapon and fight.

Sleeping meant dreams, dreams of a sword through her back, dreams of being weak, dreams of her arm being bent behind her until she heard the bones snap. Dreams of him, right within her reach but always too far away, which were the worst of them all. She loathed sleep, loathed the idea she wasted so much time when she could have been out there looking but instead was useless while her friends risked their lives to make up for her weakness.

Sleep was a waste of time, if she had time to lay down on a pillow and be selfish she had time to get on her feet and put the work in to atone for her failings.

And yet, now, it was as if all the sleep that was drained from her in that year of searching came back at once, and all she wanted to do was cling as long and as hard as she could manage to this slumber, this rest sweeter and warmer than she’s felt in ages.

Kairi was surrounded by warmth, her head resting on a pillow, her body covered by a blanket, and she refused to be woken. Her mind was still reeling from something she was sure was a dream; Sora, after all that time searching and struggling, in her arms, alive and here, a part of her was afraid of opening her eyes, afraid this was just another illusion brought about by her desperate mind.

So long as she was pressed up to this warmth, so long as she was hearing the steady thump thump thump of a heart she knew better than her own, so long as her eyes were closed and she saw nothing she knew for certain it was real. At least in the moment, as she rested, Sora was with her again.

Opening her eyes would mean risking the chance she failed, again, that she was still no closer to finding him again, that he was once more torn out of her reach, her heart would clatter to pieces in her chest if that were true, she could only take so much.

So, she clung to sleep as long as she could manage, holding onto it in a death grip, even as she heard Sora and Riku’s voices float around her, even as she felt Sora’s arms wrap tightly around her, even as she felt him put a feather-light kiss to the top of her head.

It was such a wonderful dream, waking would make it a nightmare.

She wouldn’t survive that, she was home, she was finally home.

She wants to rest, please just let her rest.

“Kairi! Kairi wake up!”

Her eyes flew open and she bolted straight up, recognizing the panic in Riku’s voice as well as being shaken by the shoulder. She saw him in front of her, or at least a blurry mess of colors she thought was Riku, and it took a moment for her to realize her eyes were full of tears.

“R-Riku?” She mumbled rubbing her eyes and blinking rapidly, her mind more sluggish than she was used to when waking, “what-what happened?”

Riku, now perfectly visible that her tears were out of the way, sighed, “you were mumbling and crying in your sleep, you scared me for a second there.”

Kairi blinked, “…sleep?” She muttered quietly, a bitter chuckle leaving her as the implications crawled up on her, making her feel cold from every direction, “right…sleep. I was…” She rubs her face with a frustrated breath, scowling, “…I was just…asleep.”

Of course she was, of course it was nothing more than a stupid wish, a ridiculous dream, why would it be anything else, of course.

Another day another failure, no one but herself to blame for hopes raising too high.

Of fucking course.

Riku grew worried, his hands raised towards her uncertainly, “Kairi? You okay there?”

She wonders when he’ll grow sick of her, get tired of her scowling and glaring at him every time he shows her concern, wonders when he’ll just get a clue and give up on her, leave her to this impossible mission that will probably kill her before she drags him down with her.

She won’t stop, even if it costs her everything she won’t stop until she finds him, that was the simple truth of it, if it cost her Riku than she’ll live with it if she needs to. If he’d just hurry up and give on her it might be better, but if Riku lost his heart over her (like they were all twelve all over again and nothing changed) after all the growing up he’s done she’ll never forgive herself.

He reaches out again, concern still clear on his face as he attempts to put a palm on her shoulder, “Kairi?”

“It’s fine.” She dismissed him with a snap, sharper than he deserves but she’ll curse herself for it later, rubbing a spot at the back of her head, “I’m fine Riku it was just…just a dream.” She sighed harshly and pushed against the warmth of her pillow and the bed she laid on, one hand holding her up, “don’t worry about me just give me a-”

Thump.

Kairi is frozen, every bone in her body locks in place, her heart seizes in her chest and she waits, waits for that steady rhythm under her palm, to make sure she wasn’t going crazy after all this time, after all that searching.

Thump.

Tears start flowing down her cheeks as she slowly turns to her left, to see what she’s laying her hand on. She’s met with the lazy bum who stole her heart, her hero and her friend. She sees Sora, soundly snoozing under her palm like nothing in the world was amiss.

Thump.

Her face lights up with an impossibly wide grin, her whole body bursting in flame to burn away the ice that froze her not a moment before, all while tears continue to flow down her cheeks as she sees Sora breath in and out in peaceful sleep.

“Kairi?” She turned to Riku, his face torn between a relieved smirk and a worried fret, his eyes jumping from spot to spot on her body, not quite sure where to stop, “are you…Kairi what’s wro-”

“This is real.”

Riku blinked, “what?”

“This.” She emphasized by bunching up the fabric of Sora’s shirt in her hand, her eyes never leaving Riku as she smiled and cried, “this is real, all of it, right?” A desperate edge sharpened the end of her question, a bit of panic floating in the air, her grin unstable at the corners, “he, Sora, he’s really here right? We did it, right?” She took her second hand and grabbed Riku’s shoulder, her fingers shaking, “this isn’t a dream? I’m not seeing things, right Riku? Is he back? Right?”

He grasps her by the shoulders, steadies her by with a solid stare and a steely grip, and when the panic drains out of her, he smiles, “we did it Kairi, this isn’t a dream.” He leans his forehead on hers and her tears nearly double, “we did it.”

She crumples into him after a few disbelieving spurts of laughter, hiccupping as she buried herself into the crook of his neck and used one arm to hug him fiercely, the other still bunching up the fabric of Sora’s shirt nearest to that precious heartbeat.

Thump.

A soft groaning rose beneath her palm, and she leaned away from Riku to see Sora slowly rousing from his slumber, mumbling incoherently as he sat up, “Mmn…wha…?” He blinked the sleep out of his eyes as he managed to sit up straight, smiling slowly as he took in the image of his two best friends in front of him, “hey guys, did I sleep long?”

Kairi’s grin nearly split her face, the arm she had wrapped around Riku and joining its twin near Sora’s heart, “no more than usual, lazy bum.”

Sora matched her grin inch for inch, all his teeth on display as he wrapped one hand over the two she placed on his chest, eyes soft as he took her in, “man, been a while since I heard that…one…” He trailed off as he finally noticed her tears, Kairi could only imagine how blotchy her cheeks were, the red rimming her eyes, but all she could see was the love and concern filling his face and weighing down his voice as he brought his other hand to brush a few stray drops from her left cheek, “Kai…don’t tell me I did this…”

He did, he is the reason she was crying so openly right now. He wormed his way into her heart years ago and refused to leave, even when he left her memories her heart remembered him. Yet he seemed chronically out of her reach, every time it seemed they would have a moment together it was snatched away by shadows and men who cared only for their curiosity and not for anyone they might hurt in searching to satiate it.

He protected her time and time and time again, putting his body and his soul on the line to keep her safe even as the sight of it robbed her of sleep. And when the time came to repay him his bravery, she failed, and her failure costed her more than she was ever willing to pay.

She got to stand by his side, lending her strength to him like she wished to do so since they were both children, lost in a war they had no business in waging. She held him in her arms and walked with him through so many worlds and saw so many things…and then he was gone again.

Yes, he did this, he was the reason tears were staining her face and her body ached with bruises and sores from yet more fights and yet more war that she waged herself to find him. He was also the reason she was able to push through all of that, the reason she was able to wake day after day with the hope that she would find him again, that they would have time again.

She loves him, and he’s made her cry for all sort of reasons over the years, so he shouldn’t be so surprised that she’s crying now.

Instead of giving him that answer, instead of telling him all of that, all that mess of emotion and muddled thoughts that have crept into her mind after the long search for him, she settled for leaning her head forward, closing her eyes, and capturing his lips with hers.

A shock went through him for a quick second, Kairi having felt him jump as her lips landed on his, but soon his arms crushed her in a hug as he returned the pressure and they were lost in each other, the whole universe falling away as they simply existed in the moment, together at last.

…at least until Riku very loudly cleared his throat to remind them that he was still in the room.

“You guys good?”

They reluctantly separated, suddenly sheepish now that they remembered that reality wasn’t limited to themselves, faces glowing red as they looked at each other uncertainly for a moment before big, goofy grins stretched their faces again. They laughed loudly, some combination of elation and relief, smiling at Riku who returned his own understated smirk.

“I’ll take that as a yes…and as my cue to leave.” He turned towards the door with a light and easy step, waving over his shoulder, “I’ll see you two in the-”

He’s stopped when both Kairi and Sora grab one of his hands, their faces worried at his sudden departure, “Riku,” Kairi started, guilt at how she treated him when she woke up gnawing up her stomach, “you don’t-you don’t have to leave, you know were not pushing you away right?”

Riku blinks at her, as if the thought never even crossed his mind, “yeah!” Sora added, sharing a quick look with Kairi as he squeezed Riku’s with one of his own while the other was still holding one of Kairi’s, “we’re just-”

“Guys relax.” Riku stressed, pulling his hand out of their grip and smiling easily at them, “It’s not like when we were kids, I know you aren’t doing that, it’s fine.” He crossed his arms and looked down at them with a raised eyebrow, “it’s just I know that you two, specifically you two, have a few things you need to work out,” a too smart grin lit his face, “privately.”

Kairi could feel her face catch fire from the implication, “Riku.”

The grin didn’t budge, “am I wrong?” He looked more directly at Sora, “well?”

She turned to look at Sora, face just as red as hers was, when she saw a determined gleam take shape in his eyes, “…yeah, you’re right, we do have some things to talk over.” Sora met her gaze and she could feel her heart beat a bit faster as he smiled at her, “just the two of us.”

Kairi was stuck between being utterly elated at Sora’s affection, mortified at Riku’s good natured laughter, and confused at what those two boys might have communicated with that brief look.

As she was deciding which direction she wanted to lean towards, she noticed for the first time that she didn’t recognize the room Riku brought them two; bare bones with only a bed, a desk, and a window to give it any features beyond the inside of a pale white box.

“Riku, what is this place?” Kairi looked around a bit more, confused, “this isn't…my room, or-or Sora’s,” she ignored the snigger he sent her way, “where is this?”

Sora nodded, “yeah, I don’t think I remember any place like this back home…”

“You wouldn’t.” Riku said plainly, “this is just a small place the Radiant Garden Committee bought when they were looking for clues to find Sora around here.” He shrugged, “when they didn’t find anything they gave me the keys to keep safe since my house is the closest to here,” He looked at Kairi, “and since your room hasn’t been touched or cleaned since Sora disappeared and his room is just a total mess in general, I figured this is the best place to bring you two so you could…” His grin came back, cheeky to the extreme, “catch up, privately.”

It was Sora’s turn to glare red-faced at their mutual friend, eyes wide and darting between him and Kairi, “Riku seriously you-” He stopped of a sudden, taking another wide look at the room, some realization causing his red face to pale a bit, “Riku…Riku there’s-” He gulped in the middle of his halting speech, voice creaking, “there’s only one bed.”

Kairi blinked, her brain trying to catch up to what Sora sounded so stressed about, and when it did she could practically hear the kettle screech as the inside of her head boiled and she snapped a glare in Riku’s direction, his face the picture of perfect innocence.

He didn’t.

“Really?” He asked, voice surprised and taken aback, as if he didn’t know this room for the longest time out of the three of them, looking around the space as if he was just taking it in for the first time, “well what do you know, there is only one bed!”

That bastard he did.

“Huh, what are the chances?” He started walking towards the door, utterly nonchalant as he pushed on the handle to open it, “honestly, how weird is it that the one place I could think to bring you two that has any privacy would only have one bed, crazy!”

She was going to kill him. She’s going to wait until he’s sleeping, thank him for all the help he’s given her and being a better wingman than she honestly deserved, and then she was going to kill him.

“I suppose you’ll simply have to make do with just one bed, guys.” The bastard they called a best friend smiled pleasantly as he stepped under the threshold, ignoring Sora’s steaming face and Kairi’s murderous glare, “honestly this place is really private, so you guys can take as long as you need to talk things out, okay?” His smile turned endlessly smug, “try not to have too much fun!”

They both opened their mouths to shout his head off, but he slammed the door in their faces with an evil cackle more fitting for an Organization member than a guardian of light, leaving them in the room.

Alone.

Together.

With only one bed.

Kairi was going to kill him.

Her plans to horribly murder Riku were derailed when she heard a soft chuckle from behind her, looking over her shoulder to see Sora laughing a bit awkwardly, as soon as he saw her staring at him he sent a heart melting smile her way as his face continued to glow red, “good to see Riku’s sense of humor stayed the same.”

Kairi smiled back, her chest aching with how much she missed hearing him laugh, seeing him smile, as if to make sure she was aware that this wasn’t a dream. “One of the few things that didn’t change.” She didn’t mean it in a bad way, or a good way, simply acknowledging how much shifted since the time Sora vanished, not really caring for any of that currently anyway, far more occupied with the person on the bed with her, twining her fingers with his and leaning her forehead against his shoulder, “like you, you haven’t changed much either, Sora.”

He’s quiet for a minute, putting his nose in her hair again, drinking her in before he sighed, “…but you did.” He said finally, smiling thinly as he squeezed his fingers around hers, refusing to let go, “you changed a lot Kairi.”

There’s a note of sadness there alongside the pride, a twist of guilt in his voice she does not intend to allow to grow, “it’s been a long time Sora, a lot happened to me, to everyone,” she laughed mirthlessly for a moment before nuzzling into him, basking in his heat, “besides the obvious, of course.”

He’s silent again for a brief second, and then he pulls away slightly, locking his gaze with hers, showing her there was still some guilt in there, a sense of responsibility for what happened. Like he allowed her to die, like it was his fault she needed to be saved, again, and the price he had to pay for it was nearly too much.

She would have to fix that way of thinking, wouldn’t she?

“Kairi…” He started, and she could hear the despairing, heartwarming speech coming from a mile away, “I…I’m so sorry for-”

She silenced him with another kiss, hungrier than the last, more confident. She liked the feel of his lips against hers, she decided, and she also decided that she had a lot of time to make up for, and that the single bed they were laying on was perfect for that purpose.

(She was still going to kill Riku after this, of course, no question of it, but first thing’s first…)

She wrapped her arms around him, and soon he did the same, his mouth clumsy on hers, eager yet uncoordinated, not the she was much better. They were both severely lacking in practical experience, bumping their noses and clacking teeth on more than one occasion, but they made up for it with passion and desperation.

They hungered for each other, the long absence and coldness in their hearts begging to be filled and warmed. Soon she found herself with her back pinned to the mattress, Sora peppering feather light kisses all over her face as he cupped it in his hands. Her own fingers were busy threading through his hair, eager to feel him, ecstatic at the chance to reinforce the fact that he was here, with her, real and in the flesh and here with her, and that this wasn’t another dream.

Because she’s had this dream before, many times before, when the loneliness threatened to overwhelm her, her mind would conjure this image of the two of them on a bed, totally engrossed in each other with no sign of slowing down.

It always ended before it got good, which served to fuel her loneliness and frustration. She hoped that, since this was real, that this Sora, unlike the one in her dreams (who was, coincidentally, not nearly as good with his hands and lips as the genuine article), would be so kind as to satisfy this warm pit at the bottom of her stomach.

“W-wait-Kairi wait-”

Oh damn it.

“Kairi I-”

“Sora.” She pleaded breathlessly, and the way his jaw hanged loose and his eyes widened proved it was effective at getting his attention, “not now, please not now, please I just want-”

“I know.” He says firmly, though he visibly swallows a lump in his throat as he keeps his palms pressed to her cheeks, “believe me I know, and I’m the same,” he breathes harshly through his nose when she turns her face to kiss his right palm, clearly fighting for restraint, “trust me on that, but-but Riku’s right, I need to tell you something.”

She barely stopped herself from whining, putting Sora’s face in her hands like he did with her, her whole world warming the space between her fingers, “can’t it wait till morning?”

“No.” He was firm this time, putting his hands on the small of her back to pull her up as he leaned back to sit on the mattress, gaze burning into her, “I need to say it now, there’s so much I need to tell you now because if I don’t do it now I’ll lose the nerve for it.”

Kairi was torn between planting another kiss on him, which she was sure would be enough for him to see sense and continue what they were doing, and biting her tongue to calm her burning nerves so she could listen to him.

Knowing Sora, and she hoped she knew him well enough, it was probably something both very heartfelt, very sincere, and very, very stupid. But seeing how serious he was, the warmth of his hands on her waist, the depth of determination in his eyes, she couldn’t help but smile at him.

“Alright…” She allowed, after a sigh, wrapping her arms over his shoulders and around his neck, leaning her forehead on his, smiling softly as his blush deepened, “tell me everything Sora, if it’s that important to you, I’ll listen to everything you have in your heart.”

Sora blinked at her, a bit taken aback, before matching her smile, “who taught you how to flirt?”

She placed a kiss on his nose before she put her forehead back on his, a toothy grin on her face.

She doesn’t think she’s ever been this…happy. This content to be with someone and exchange affection like this, her heart bursting with happiness and her face bursting into flame with every little action and smile Sora showed, it was ridiculous.

Sora rubbed his nose with her as revenge, and after a quick giggling fit from the both of them, he locked gazes with her again, as serious as he was when he asked her to listen. He closes his eyes and takes a breath, to steady himself, to straighten his thoughts in the order he wished to share, and then opens them again, and speaks clearly and resolutely, “I love you Kairi, more than anything in the world.”

Kairi could feel her blood boil, her face nearly catching fire. She was almost confused as to why, considering she’s known what’s in heart for a while now. She’s known since she saw that picture on the cave wall he made years ago, where he offered her a Paopu fruit, since they shared one while watching a sunset.

She’s known since the day he ripped himself apart simply to be able to hold her in his arms one last time before taking her home.

Hearing it though, in so many words, out loud, seemed more than enough to make her heart want to burst out of her chest.

And he wasn’t done, the hands on the small of her back pulling her closer to him as his eyes dug into her and refused to let go, “you’re amazing, you’re the reason I was able to push through the dark when I thought I was going to be overwhelmed, you remember what I called you right? When you saved me? Way back when?” His gaze grew soft as he recalled that moment, where she pulled him out of the dark and back into the fight, “you’re my light in the darkness Kairi, I want you to know that, I want you to know how strong you make me feel, how I feel like I can do anything so long as you’re by my side.”

Kairi could feel more tears falling down her cheeks, she felt overwhelmed, like she was drowning in him, utterly engulfed by him and his love for her. All the doubt and fear she’s felt over her search seemed so insurmountable, crushed under the weight of it all. And yet here he was, reaching out his hand again, pulling her up, inch by inch, and wrapping her in his light.

“And…” He went on, that sadness and guilt from before resurfacing, and Kairi had to physically stop herself from interrupting him as he went on, she promised she would listen to him, she promised, “what you went through to find me again? Bring me back? I’ll never be able to thank you for that; I’ll never be able to pay you back for all of that.”

She feels cold. Ice is spreading through her veins, and freezing her from her feet to her heart. He’s wrong. He’s wrong. She’s done nothing he needs to thank her for, she wasn’t some guiding light, just an angry girl who didn’t know her limits.

A child who walked right off a cliff expecting the bottom to ignore her.

(I’m the reason you were dead, the reason you pulled yourself apart, because I was weak and slow and failed even though I put all that work into training and learning how to use my keyblade I was less than useless I couldn’t do anything I couldn’t save you on my own I couldn’t beat Xehanort alone you helped me don’t you see? I was lost and angry and pushed everyone away without you I was weak without you I-)

“Kairi!”

His shout pulled her by the hair out of her sudden sink, a yank that left her out of breath and gasping, her cheeks soaked with her tears. She felt ill, a spike jabbing itself as far as it could go in her gut, she didn’t deserve this, all this praise from him, she didn’t deserve a love like this from someone like him, she didn’t deserve this dream-

He captured her face between his palms again, making sure that he was the only thing she could focus on. He was warm. His hands on her cheeks were warm and gentle and real and she felt like a fool for letting herself fall like this, so easily getting swallowed up by fear and doubt when Sora was right there, right in front of her.

Damn it why can’t she just be happy for once!?

“Kairi.” He repeats, firmly, “are you listening to me? You promised you would listen, are you?” He waited for her to make a few halting, stuttering nods before he went on, carefully enunciating each word as he said it, “You. Aren’t. Weak.”

She’s shocked still for a moment, and then a bitter, cracking laugh raises from her, “I said that out loud?” She laughed herself to pieces, more tears staining her cheeks as her voice grew weaker, “well, I bet that ruined the mood huh?”

Sora stared wide eyed at her for a moment, leaning back a bit to look at her fully, see every inch of her and all the angry red blotches covering her face from her tears. His face calmed, and his voice was a salve for her fraying mind, slowly pulling her pieces back together as he spoke, “Riku told me about what you did to get me back Kairi, how far you went, how you refused to give up.” He took her hands in his, rubbing circles on the back of her hand and knuckles, “you pushed and pushed and pushed, you never stopped, you were the first to go looking for me, and you’re the one who found me.”

He lifted her hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to her fingers tips, and she could nearly feel the refreshing rush of a cure spell working its way through her system, and she slowly found it easier to breathe.

“It took strength to do that Kairi, it took more strength than people who’ve fought for longer than you and I have been alive could muster, never doubt that.” He tightens his grip on her hands, placing them on his chest to feel his heartbeat, more frantic and pounding then it was when she felt it as he woke, “you’re the reason my heart is beating Kairi, you’ve kept me going since all of this started, I want you to remember that, alright?”

She bunched up the fabric of his shirt where she could feel his heart racing, some age old memory of when it was a sanctuary for her own heart surfacing, where his soul kept her safe without knowing. To think he thought the same of her, that she was something like that to him, it was hard to parse, impossible to believe, but he said it so earnestly what else could it be but the truth?

“Okay.” She answered, voice wavering, a wet, fragile smile on her face, pulling him closer so she could put her forehead to his collarbone, his chin tucking her in and his arms holding her in place and rubbing soothing circles on her back, “I won’t forget Sora, I promise.”

“I want you to live Kairi.” He spoke into her hair, placing another kiss on her crown, “I don’t want you to tear yourself apart to return some favor to me that you never owed in the first place, we’re even, you and I, always have been and always will be, and nothing will make me happier than to have you by my side,” he pauses for a moment, and she can feel him smiling in her hair, “that sound alright?”

“Perfect.” She answers swiftly, a pleased giggle bubbling in her chest as she nuzzled into him, holding him tighter, “that sounds perfect.”

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other’s warmth without moving, Kairi could feel her legs falling asleep but couldn’t find it in her to change positions, feeling so utterly content with the world and the angle she’s found for herself in it.

Eventually though, she could feel Sora shift slightly in her grip, though not out of discomfort. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, as if poised to say something but rejecting the words before they could fully form.

Reluctantly, she lifted her head from her cozy spot under his chin and looked up at him, wiping her eyes and smiling tiredly at him with no small amount of affection, “anything else you want to tell me, Sora?”

He visibly struggled under her gaze, pulling away one arm from his embrace to scratch the back of his head in a way the reminded her of a much younger boy, lounging on the sand while the world smelled of sea salt. “…yes.” He mumbled eventually, voice subdued as if he wasn’t sure he was allowed to speak this out, “but it’s…kinda stupid.”

If Sora, of all people, thought something was stupid, then it must be something utterly spectacular, which meant that Kairi really wanted him to say it, if only to have something to laugh at to lift the mood a bit.

“Didn’t I tell you I wanted to listen to everything?”

“Yeah but…” He looks away with a light blush on his face while scratching his chin and he was so cute Kairi had to hold back from kissing him so she wouldn’t interrupt, “but it's…really kinda silly.”

“Then you have to tell me!” She smiled up at him, searching for his eyes and smiling wider when she found his sky blue gaze locking with hers, “it’s been a heavy few minutes and I could use a laugh.”

Sora scoffed briefly, smiling incredulously at her as he sputtered, “well I’m not going to tell you if you’re going to laugh! It’s important!”

Despite his seeming outrage, he burst out laughing himself soon after, drugging her under as the previous heavy atmosphere from before dissipated completely. As soon as she could calm herself enough she grabbed one of his hands, still chuckling a bit as she squeezed it to get his attention, “if it’s important to you Sora, then I won’t laugh.” She let out a giggle when he raised an eyebrow at her, “okay I won’t laugh too much, but I will listen, I promise.”

He looked at her for a moment, his mind twisting itself into knots trying to come to a conclusion, before he sighed heavily and got up from the bed, turning her back on her and crossing his arms.

She blinked, flat-footed, “Sora?”

“Just…” He muttered, beginning to pace in front of the bed, his face severe in concentration, “just give me a second, I need…I need to get the words right…”

She blinked again, blank on what could have him so stuck on the words, but she stayed where she was, watching him slowly pace back and forth from one room of the wall to another. His lips moved without sound, as if sculpting the way for the words to come out properly without stumbling over themselves.

A part of her, a very childish, naïve part of her, had an innocent guess at what he was planning to say, but she pushed it back as far as she could before her face turned too red at the idea of it. It was a nice hope, but she shouldn’t raise such things so high, lest they shatter when they eventually fall.

Finally, Sora took a steadying breath, stopping right in front of Kairi and turning back to her, eyes nearly glowing with an emotion she found it hard to describe, something intense and bright that left her mouth dry.

Then, he took her left hand and held it between both of his, his palms wrapping it in a comforting warmth, locking gazes with her so she wouldn’t look away.

He then got down on one knee, and Kairi could vaguely hear the sound of a fuse shorting out.

She used her other hand to stealthily pinch her thigh hard enough to hurt, and sure enough the image of Sora, down on one knee, looking up at her with upmost love and devotion, did not dissipate and vanish, she wasn’t seeing things, this was actually happening.

She was so busy determining the reality of him that she almost missed him beginning to speak, “Kairi,” he spoke her name like a prayer, like a vow, softly and reverently, but firm and impossible to miss, “will you marry me?”

Kairi’s heart nearly exploded in her chest, her face flushing with heat as blood rushed up from seemingly her entire body to fill it. She had nothing, nothing to say to that, even after getting him back, even after hearing him tell her how he feels for her, her mind simply could not recover from the shock of hearing that.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times before she spluttered out a chocked, “what?”

Sora mistook her question for reluctance instead of disbelief, and kept going, “sharing a Paopu fruit means tying your fate to another person forever, making sure you’ll never be apart, right?” He barely waited for her to nod dumbly before he squeezed her hand between his palms and went on, “we shared two, and isn’t that kinda like promising each other two lifetimes?”

Kairi’s mind was too busy screeching a few variations of holy shit this is actually happening over and over for her to offer any kind of intelligent response to him, so she settled for a hesitant, “I-I guess?”

“I want more than that.” He leapt in as soon as she finished stuttering, her heartbeat going impossibly fast as he smiled up at her with so much hope and love she didn’t know how he could contain it all, “I want more than two, or three, or ten, I want every single lifetime I could possibly have to be beside you, I want to be by your side through anything life might throw at us next, I want to fight with you, travel with you, live with you and love you and be happy with you for as long as I can possible manage.”

She could feel more tears flowing down her cheeks, warm and happy.

“I…” He stopped for a second to catch his breath from the sudden burst he had earlier, edging closer to her while still on his knees, “I want…forever, with you, Kairi. I want forever, for as long or as short as forever end up being, I want to spend every single second of it with you.”

And finally, he’s done. Kairi could only sit there, looking down at this boy, young man, who loved her with all of his heart and then some, sit among the love and affection he promised to give her, and feel more at home than she’s felt in years.

She pulls her hand from him, and there’s a light note of panic in his face when she does, “you were right,” she says, with the warmest loving smile she can manage, putting his face between her palms again, “it really was a little stupid.”

The note of panic increased for a moment before she leaned down to kiss him deeply and slowly, letting the taste of him and his warmth and his love place itself in her memory, his shoulders lowering with relief.

She pulled away from him, smiling again, “stupid that you actually thought you had to ask when you already know the answer to that question.”

He blinked, bewildered both by the kiss and her words, before a sheepish grin lit up his face, “it is wrong to want to hear it out loud?”

She laughed warmly, pulling him back on the bed by his shoulders and leaning her forehead on his one more time, leaning in until their lips almost touched, “ask me again.” She pecked his lips quickly, too quickly for him to return pressure, “ask me again and you’ll hear it.”

He put his hands on her waist, the warmth and weight of his fingers pleasing and calming, and took a deep breath, “Kairi,” he started, voice low, tone confident and solid, “will you marry me?”

“Yes.” She promised, kissing him again as she did, “yes, I will,” she kissed him a second time, a third, a fourth, adding another promise between his lips every time she came up for air, and she’s lost in him again, his warmth surrounding her and flowing into her without restraint, “I love you Sora, I want forever too,” another kiss, I want forever with you.“

He groaned against her lips as he captured them again, his arms crushing her against his frame before they both collapsed on the bed, tangled up in each other so that neither knew where one began and the other ended.

The night passed in warmth and passion, and Kairi knew that this, this place, between the sky and his heart, was where she belonged.

-_-_-

Sora softly brushed a lock of Kairi’s hair behind her ear, placing his palm on her cheek as she slowly breathed in and out.

He was awake for about half an hour now, but he didn’t want to move, didn’t want to ruin this perfect little moment where the morning sun played tricks on Kairi’s dark red hair and her face was peaceful and calm and content.

They were both still in bed, of course, covered only by a blanket as Kairi slumbered and Sora waited for her to wake. He wanted this moment to last, to engrave the image of Kairi smiling in her sleep into his mind so he never forgot it, so he can remember his promise to make her happy.

She deserved this and nothing less, he decided, to be able to sleep peacefully in his arms and not doubt herself. Her tears from the night before haunted him, Riku’s words about how she nearly ripped herself to pieces ringing loudly in his mind.

He loved her, this truth echoed in him with every breath she took and with every beat of his heart as he laid near her. He wanted to give her peace and joy, to love herself as much as he loved her, he wanted her to believe in herself as much as he did.

He wanted forever, and knowing their luck, forever might not be all that long at all.

Riku was right, they were lucky, the three of them, maybe luckier than they deserved, but he was determined to make sure they wouldn’t need to be so lucky ever again.

He didn’t know what else the world had to throw at him, but he was ready, ready to fight it all, every single evil thing that lurked in shadow and hate he was ready for. He was ready to fight with her, to put his hand in hers and jump into the unknown with her knowing, knowing, they will come out the other side still holding on.

He’ll give her a home, a family, every little thing she deserved, and there was so much she deserved, he’ll give her, and nothing will keep them apart ever again. Not darkness or destiny or prophecy, nothing.

Forever would have to wait a while though, for now, Sora will content himself with Kairi’s sleeping face, the light catching on her eyelashes as she breathed in and out in a steady rhythm.

After a few more minutes of this, Kairi’s face scrunched up a bit, she mumbled in her sleep for a moment, Sora holding his breath to keep quiet and watch, wait for the moment where she saw him, to make sure he was the first thing she saw as she woke.

Soon her eyes, dull with sleep but brimming with joy, caught sight of him, and tiny tears formed at the edges of her eyes as she smiled at him, "Sora…” her voice wasn’t relieved, or surprised, but happy, truly happy, truly accepting that it wasn’t a dream, that what she was seeing was real and loved her, “you’re back…”

Smiling at her sleepy words, Sora leaned in and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss, breathing her in as she smiled against him with a lazy tilt, nose to nose with her as he smiled back. “I’m home.”

Kairi’s smile was the most radiant, most sublime thing he had ever seen in his live. She kissed him, and home would never leave him again.

#Kingdom hearts #Sokai #She deserves the stars #stuff rex wrote #jeebus I wanted this to be long this time and look what i got #fuck I've been working on this for like a week #worth it #Riku is the no. 1 sokai shipper and none of you will be able to convince me otherwise

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