#〈 VERSE / POST - KH3 COMPLIANT 〉 may my heart be my guiding key.

[guidingkey]

"wait, what?" sora stopped dead in his tracks, his hands falling from where they'd been cupping the back of his head. the look he gives ariel is incredulous --- disbelieving, even. if his jaw dropped any more, it'd be on the ground. but could you blame him?! ariel had just dropped a bomb of truth on him like it was nothing! how was he supposed to react when ariel just told him --- "herc's your cousin?!"

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @seachant .

[guidingkey]

❝ hehehe. ❞ he rubs a knuckle under his nose with a grin before starting to putter around the kitchen to find what he needs. ❝ yup! i sure am. ❞ he pulls out the milk and heavy whipping cream from the fridge. ❝ he's a rat and he'd teach me how to cook with my hair. ❞

          Now there's some deep skepticism in her eyes as he speaks. When did Sora ever have the time to go to a five star restaurant? She didn't doubt his ability to make friends, he could probably make friends with the devil if he tried hard enough. . . "Yer tellin' me, yer buddies wi' a top chef? Now ya GOTTA show me how ta make some gourmet hot cocoa."

[guidingkey]

this was dangerous.

well — that much was obvious and something sora'd known since he'd spoken to chirithy about what he needed to do. but while traversing through his friends' hearts by means of the connection between his and theirs was something he knew he'd have to do and was okay with considering they were people he trusted ... this ... this was something differently entirely.

seven shards. seven shards were all he thought he needed to piece kairi's heart back together. sora hadn't expected it to be easy, but he also hadn't expected that number to be wrong, too. or where to find those extra shards.

it hadn't been seven but thirteen, and some of those ...

some of those were here ... inside xehanort's heart. the thought of diving into such a heart had made sora recoil, but in the end it hadn't even been a question of whether he'd do it. not when it meant the difference between being able to save kairi or not. he wasn't about to let her slip away again. no matter what it took, he'd get her back.

and what it took was this : sora, taking the opportunity to dive into xehanort's heart while his past self arrived in scala ad caelum and confronted him. he'd have to be quick about this, he knew. he didn't have much time. sora didn't know where to even look, let alone where his dive would take him, but he just had to trust his heart to guide him to the right place.

﹒⟢ ﹒𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 —〈 @multif0rmed . 〉

[guidingkey]

❝ me? a student? err ... sorry, you've got the wrong guy! ❞

﹒⟢ ﹒𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 —〈 @lovers-wind . 〉

[guidingkey]

looking around the hundred acre wood, it was easy to believe nothing had changed. it looked just like it had the last time he visited it almost two years ago. two years ... sora felt a pang in his chest. would pooh and the others still remember him? was he still in pooh's heart, just like he said he would be?

sora tried not to pay that voice any attention. their connection was stronger than that! or at least, it had been. and besides, even if pooh forgot him, it wouldn't be the first time -- he could just help him remember again!

mind made up, sora kept walking with resolve. he was just starting to wonder where everyone was when he heard a familiar voice above. he looked up, and up ... and saw pooh, tangled in the trees by a balloon he tied himself to. sora let out a fond laugh at the sight. "need some help there, pooh bear?"

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @nfluff / @arimuses .

[guidingkey]

" eaaaasy does it, eeaasyyy boy ... er, girl? um. nice monster? " sora's hands are held in front of him placatingly, trying to make himself as unassuming and non-threatening as possible to the ... whatever it was in front of him. some sort of -- monster dragon? any other time, he'd be freaking out and gushing over how cool it looked and how awesome it was to see something like it in person ---- but that was when he wasn't in danger of potentially being eaten by it. or attacked. or both! he wasn't sure, and he didn't exactly want to stick around and find out either!

he takes a step back, shoes sinking into the deep snow and making him stumble. unfortunately -- that's all it takes to break the stalemate. the monster-dragon-thing starts charging, and sora ... well, sora starts running. " ooookay, okay, not easy! not easy at all! i'm sorry, big guy, you don't gotta chase me! " oh, man! this really sucked! first he gets stuck in a snowy mountain of all places, and now he's running for his life trying not to become some monster's dinner! and somehow, he really doubted his keyblade would do much against something like it.

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @rathalascendant .

[guidingkey]

" so ummm ... " he shifts from foot to foot, looking a little lost and awkward as he stands in the middle of the lab. the last time he'd been here, he'd nearly fried the computer and gotten sucked into tron's world. he takes a step back in caution, giving a nervous smile and laugh. he's so out of his element here, and he's nervous that if he so much as breathes on something wrong, he'll break it. " whaaaaaat d'you guys do here, anyway? i mean ... you guys are ... heart scientists? right? " he scratches at his cheek. " what's that like? "

﹒⟢ ﹒𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 —〈 @ofradiantgardens . 〉

[guidingkey]

" i heard there's new lucky emblems being spotted around lately! look! " he holds his gummiphone up for kairi to see the photo that ventus had just sent over — and sure enough, there it was: a king mickey shaped trio of trees in mulan's world. he pulls the phone back to himself, staring down at the screen with an intensity that isn't usually reserved for photos. it's the kind he wears when issued a challenge that he isn't about to pass up on (never mind the fact that no one had actually issued a challenge to him). sora lifts his head and looks back at kairi with a grin. " we should go look for them too, kairi! find them first before ventus beats us to it! "

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @corderis .

[guidingkey]

❝ disappeared? mysteriously? ❞ he echoes, looking surprised and intrigued. ❝ and no one's found 'em yet? or have any clues where they might be? ❞ what a mystery ... a powerful magical family that founded a whole town, just up and disappearing? sora wonders what could've caused that. he hopes the family is okay, wherever they are. sora hums low, lost in thought as they wander further, and only snaps back to the present at the sound of evangeline's pressing tone. ❝ huh? oh — okay! i'll just — ❞

his words die off as he's left staring where evangeline used to be. well — where she was just a moment ago, running forward ahead before she just ... uh. transformed? ❝ follow ... you ....... ❞ sora can only stare for a few moments longer, mouth hanging open before he shakes his head and quickly runs to catch up to her. was this a thing people could do in this world?! turning into foxes? she did mention a magical family ... so maybe? he wants to ask her so badly, but he feels them before he sees them. the barrage of questions take an immediate backseat, sora's inquisitiveness and excitement quickly shifting into seriousness as he slides to a full stop in front of evangeline and summons his keyblade. ❝ careful! stay behind me! i got this. ❞

❝  They  are !   But  unfortunately,  they  disappeared  mysteriously.  ❞      ;     stories  about  the  Valors  say  that  they  vanished  without  leaving  a  trace.  Some  tales  say  they  got  killed  and  others  say  they  lost  their  powers  and  left  Valorfell  out  of  shame  but  it  doesn’t  matter  the  version  of  the  story  you’ve  heard  of      —     no  one  knows  what  truly  happened  to  them.    ❝  Is  that  so ?   . . .  it  explains  why  I  have  felt  the  darkness  inside  them  then.  ❞    Evangeline  doesn’t  know  how  to  explain  that,  but  she  can  feel  certain  things  inside  people’s  hearts.    ❝  You  can  feel  it  too,  right ?   Oh—  and  we  should  leave  this  forest !   It  is  not  as  cursed  as  it  used  to  be  but  it’s  not  safe  either,  and  more  of  them  can  show  up.  I  know  a  safe  place  where  we  can  talk  and  you  can  rest,  follow  me !  ❞    Just  like  that,  she  turned  around  and  walked  a  few  steps.  Evangeline  then  started  to  run  and  turned  into  her  fox  form  to  go  into  the  woods    (  hopefully  he  could  catch  her  ).    A  few  miles  into  the  forest,  the  fox  stopped,  surrounded  by  the  heartless  again.

[guidingkey]

"aerith!" sora's face lights up at the sight of her, and between one breath and the next he's bounding up to where she is. when he landed in radiant garden, he'd expected to kind of wander around a little bit first before actually running into anyone. although ... maybe he'd gotten a little turned around (not lost, thanks!) in the process. it was just ... so much had changed, in the time he'd been gone! radiant garden was ... well, a radiant garden. sora had been in awe when he first stepped off the gummi ship and looked around, eyes wide with wonder. "the restoration committee really took its job seriously, huh! the place looks great!"

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @onegil .

[guidingkey]

〈 @gloryseized / 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐱. 〉

whoever this guy was, he sure looked cool. sora was momentarily starstruck by the sight of him, and couldn't help the soft, awed 'cool...' that left him before he forced himself to focus again. ❝ can i? if you know how to get outta this place, then yeah! ❞ sora wouldn't pass up on a generous offer like that! especially if the other option was staying in this creepy place.

halloween town and monstropolis had been kinda creepy, too, but in a cool way. this place, though? it was giving sora goosebumps, like he wasn't supposed to be here. it was a feeling that grew stronger the further down the subway tracks he went and first saw those ... things.

whatever they were, they weren't heartless, that was for sure.

sora walked up to the other boy, oohing and ahhhing at his mask and tailcoat. ❝ so uh, speaking of ... what is this place, anyway? and what're those creepy things patrolling everywhere? ❞

[guidingkey]

" hey, ariel! " he's quick to close the distance between them, eager to catch up with the princess. it's been two years, after all. he wonders what new things have gone on in ariel's world -- and with ariel, herself! -- in his absence. " sebastian told me i could find you here! "

﹒⟢ ﹒𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫 —〈 @sirenea . 〉

[guidingkey]

"ehehe...surprise?" even if the guilt wasn't plain on his face, he'd be giving himself away with the stiff lines his body creates, scratching at his cheek so he doesn't fidget nervously. as it is, he's giving his best innocent, puppy dog eyes. "sorry i was away for so long..."

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @gamenu .

[guidingkey]

the way he walks on ahead speaks of nothing but pure confidence -- hands folded behind his head and steps assured even after he spins around sharply and starts walking backwards. "soooooo, wanna go?" sora's grin stretches across his face, and even though he's maintaining a pretty admirable calm on the outside, his expression belies the excitement that's trying not to bubble its way up to the surface. "it's really cool! you're gonna have loads of fun, trust me! there's even a superhero team and everything, and get this ---" there's a dramatic pause for effect. it doesn't last long -- sora's enthusiasm too much to be curbed. "they've got a flying robot. his name's baymax!"

﹒⟢ ﹒starter for @13nth .

[guidingkey]

❛  excuse me, i think i’m lost.  ❜ w/ kairi or any of my muses

🐝  *  ― 〈  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒. 〉

huh? sora's initial reaction is confusion, a 'what do you mean, kairi? we came here together' on the tip of his tongue. but then he catches sight of her playful look, and sora catches on.

grinning, he slips into character and plays along. ❝ lost, huh? no worries! i'm happy to help! ❞ he holds his hand out to her, grin softening into a smile. though they're just joking around and having fun, there's something earnest and warm that slips out anyway. ❝ i can show you around in the meantime, if you want. ❞

[guidingkey]

the sharp tip of vanitas' keyblade is cold against his chest, but sora isn't afraid. he knew, after all, that if vanitas wanted so badly to kill him, he would've by now. he's had plenty of chances already. ❝ i ... huh? ❞ he blinks, a little taken aback. this whole time, sora had assumed both vanitas's and ven's hearts were still incomplete. but ... ventus was whole this entire time? and ... it was 'cause of him? sora looks down at his chest, sees the glint of metal from void gear resting threateningly against it. all this time, he just thought he'd been safe-guarding ventus's heart — giving it a home while it waited to return to ven's body. he'd been healing it this whole time, too?

but then ... if that was the case, then ...

he watches as vanitas' keyblade lowers, hears the sound of retreating footsteps, and sora's head snaps back up just in time to watch vanitas start to head off into a corridor of darkness. ❝ h-hey! wait! ❞ sora side-steps the unversed around them, watching them warily as they stand there but don't attack. if they weren't going to hurt him, it would be a waste of time to fight them off when vanitas was so close to leaving. it was almost like ... they were waiting to see what he did. and sora didn't intend to fight.

sora reaches out instead, and just before vanitas can vanish through the portal, his hand wraps around his wrist. it's kind of a dangerous and really risky thing to do, he knows, but he doesn't have a choice. it's either that, or let vanitas go to who knows where, thinking still there was only one way to get what he wanted. ❝ then let me do the same for you! ❞ he stresses, his expression one of dogged tenacity. ❝ you said i gave ventus the time to heal his heart, right? so that means the same can be done for you! you don't have to fight or hurt anyone or be hurt to be whole! ❞

That… was not the reaction that Vanitas had been expecting. His head tilts like a puppy in confusion as he rests Void Gear’s tip over Sora’s chest, right over his heart. It would be effortless to push and turn, to rip Sora’s heart from his chest. This idiot was defenseless. Or, that’s what Vanitas thinks.

“Ventus’s heart is whole.” Which, if Vanitas is honest, is the most unfair thing about their predicament. “You saw to that. You were the one who gave him time to heal.”

Because that’s what it meant to be Ventus. You got to heal and grow, nurtured by the aureoles of Eraqus and his students. When you were Vanitas, you learned to sustain yourself on blood, dust, and pain.

The Unversed around him shiver as waves of envy plume from Vanitas.

“Besides, I’ve heard stories about what those researchers did to get their knowledge. I’m not too keen on letting ‘em poke and prod at me.” He lowers the Keyblade from Sora, then, glances down at it as if considering something. Then, he dismisses it and opens a portal.

“I’m outta here. Have fun.”

And with that, Vanitas starts to walk through it, intent on leaving Sora to deal with his Unversed as he saw fit. The remaining Jellyshades watch him and then turn to look at Sora.