#(Him also mentioning the fact that Ven and Roxas looks identical)

[firexfled]

(I can not help but have smile on my face everytime there’s a cutscene with Kairi, she’s so adorable and sweet~ and her smile melts my heart everytime. What did we deserve to get this sweet cinnamon roll? A good pure dooter<33)

[maddrmatt]

A Beautiful Future: A Premonition or a Punishment?

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Greetings, readers and fellow SoKai fans!

Time for a certain Princess of Heart to take the spotlight in this story!  

Fair bit of warning though, I sort of used this chapter to showcase a few headcanons and speculations regarding the future of the series.  

Also, there’s a little challenge within this chapter that you can take on if you wish.

Enjoy!

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Chapter 3: Writings of a Princess

Land of Departure

Dear Sora,

I know it’s been a while since I last wrote to you.  I haven’t really had anything really important to tell you since I came here.

Now something incredible has just happened and I had to tell you first before anyone else.  But before that, here’s a few updates on what’s been happening on this side of reality.

I’m still training hard.  No offense to Merlin, but I think I’m getting way better with my Keyblade training under Master Aqua than him.

My days here at the Land of Departure are filled with learning various fighting techniques or improving my magic skills.  And to test them, I often spar with Aqua, Terra or Ven.  One day, I might even get a perfect score against one of them in our matches.

All of three of them and Chirithy have been very good to me. They’ve really made me feel like part of their family.

But as great as it’s been with them, they’re no true replacement for everyone back home.  I miss everyone:  Mom, Dad, Selphie, Wakka, Tidus, Riku, and you.  Especially you.

Sorry, Sora.  It’s just so hard every day knowing that you’re trapped in that fictional world.  I really wish I could’ve gone there with Riku to save you.  But after being out of action for a year and the fact that I couldn’t even land a single blow on that memory of Xehanort, I knew it was the better choice to stay behind and train even if I didn’t like it.

I really hope Riku finds you soon.  We’re all so worried about both of you.  Since nobody really knows anything about this Quadratum place, we’ve all thought Riku was a little hasty in just taking off there alone.

We still haven’t heard anything from Mickey yet either. Hopefully, he’ll come back soon from Scala Ad Caelum, and he’ll have found something we can use to help you and Riku.  Until that happens, all the rest of us can do is wait.

Anyway, time to tell you the real reason for this latest letter, Sora. And you are not going to believe what it is.  I can hardly believe it myself.

Last night, I had a dream.  It was actually the first dream I’ve had since I came to the Land of Departure.

Not that I’ve minded not having dreams just in case they ended up being recreations of my worst memories.  I’ve already watched you vanish twice.  I don’t think I could bear to watch it happen again in my dreams.

But the dream I had was nothing like that at all.  It was of a wedding, Sora.  Our wedding.

It was an amazing sight.  It was in this gigantic chapel that looked like it was in Radiant Garden, and it was filled with all your friends from around the worlds.

Many of our fellow Guardians of Light and closest friends made up our wedding party.  It was hardly a surprise to see Selphie as my maid of honor or Riku as your best man.

You looked so handsome in the suit you were wearing.  And judging from the stunned look on your face when you saw me coming down the aisle, I must’ve looked pretty beautiful to you.

It was truly incredible, Sora.  It felt so real and so wonderful.  I wished it never ended.

But, unfortunately, as it is with dreams, we all have to wake up eventually.  And when I did, the happiness I felt ended up giving way to other emotions as I reflected on the dream.

First of all, I felt a little confused.  As good as that dream was, I couldn’t help but wonder why I had it at all.  I mean, wouldn’t you find a little strange to have a dream about a wedding especially since we haven’t even had our first kiss yet?  It’s kind of rushing things a little.  

But don’t get me wrong, Sora.  I know, deep down in my heart, how we truly feel about each other. I wouldn’t have shared that paopu fruit with you otherwise.  And when the time is right for it, the idea of getting married to you is something I will embrace wholeheartedly.

So, I thought more about the dream and believe it or not, I started to think that it was not merely just a dream.  I wonder if what I saw was our future.  It definitely did feel like that since there were so many unfamiliar parts in it.  

For example, I had no idea there was a tradition in Radiant Garden weddings for the bride and groom to crown each other with symbolic flowers.  Then again, I could have known that if the knowledge came from a memory from when I lived there.  Maybe I attended a wedding there when I was young.

But what really stood out to me and made me believe that this could be our future was the many unfamiliar guests.  I knew that because I’ve been studying the details of your last two journeys from Jiminy’s Journal and the Gummi Phone.  And even though the Journal of your first journey was erased (Naminè’s still really sorry about that), I still remember everything about it from being in your heart through it all.

So, I was able to recognize who you had met and who were strangers. They were far too numerous to mention. But here are some examples that really stood out to me.

A tall woman with long black hair wearing a tan colored dress and a beautiful turquoise necklace with a raccoon, a dog and I think I saw a hummingbird flittering around her.

A pair of robots, one yellow and box-shaped, the other white and cylindrical, who were holding hands.

A couple that consisted of a redhaired woman and blonde-haired man who appeared to have some kind of hairless rodent on his shoulder.

A teenage boy and girl along with a younger boy and a company of animals such as a bear with gray fur, a panther, an elephant with a tuft of brown hair and a quartet of vultures.

A large family that appeared to be a mix of humans and skeletons along with a very colorful winged dog and a giant winged cat.

A boy with red hair (whose head looked triangular) along with another boy with green hair and a bunch of other teenagers as well as some kind of strange teal animal that looked like a cross between a duck and a beaver and a man with brown hair, poor posture and wearing a lab coat (who wears that to a wedding?).

A princess dressed in a beautiful green gown accompanied by a prince in a green suit with a blonde woman dressed in pink, a short old woman dressed in white and wearing sunglasses and a snake around her shoulders as well as an alligator who was carrying a trumpet.

A very unusual group consisting of two men and a woman with blue skin and pointy ears along with a dog-sized dragon, a centaur, and a winged lionlike creature with horns and a scorpion’s tail.

A girl with bushy brown hair among what appeared to be a family of giant frogs.

A woman dressed like she was some kind of islander with a burly man with numerous tattoos (I think I saw one of them move) over his body along with a pig and a chicken that didn’t look very smart.

A family who seemed to be some kind of royalty consisting of a princess in a simple green dress with long curly red hair along with three identical boys with the same kind of hair, their big, strong father with a peg leg and their very elegant mother.

A boy and a girl who looked like they were twin siblings who were accompanied by a pair of old men who looked like twins as well.

A redhaired boy in the company of a group of what looked like various human-sized bugs.

There were so many more, but I think I’ll stop here.  With the large number of guests at this wedding, I could go on listing them for a long time.  But it does seem there’s a lot more friends for you in the future.

Unfortunately, while I was mulling over the dream further, a horrible thought came to me.  I started to wonder if the dream, as beautiful as it was, wasn’t meant to bring me happiness at all because it was actually showing the future that we could have had but now would never have.  And the true reason of it was to punish me for my failures in the fight against Xehanort.

I know you wouldn’t like to hear this, Sora.  But there are still days where I can’t help but feel responsible for your disappearance and think that if I had made some different choices, you’d still be here.

I know it was my choice to fight alongside you because I wanted to keep you safe the same way you’ve always done for me.  But looking back, I now see it was foolish to assume that my training alongside Axel would turn me into a Keyblade wielder on yours or Riku’s level. And it was probably an even worse idea for a wielder with very little actual battle experience to go from basic training to a high stakes battle with nothing in between.

We may have been desperate to stop Xehanort before he went after the New Seven Hearts especially since he had already assembled all his darknesses. But we probably could’ve and should’ve explored some other options instead of going to fight the Organization right away after you woke Ven.

Since Ienzo told us that they had a replica body ready before we even left for the Keyblade Graveyard, we could’ve gotten Roxas or maybe even Xion out of your heart before the fight.  In Axel’s words, they were the old hands when it came to Keyblades.

We also could have made a bigger effort to find and save Terra first even if our chances were pretty low.  That would not only have gotten us a more experienced wielder, but it would’ve also lowered Xehanort’s ranks by one.

Maybe if we had done things that way, we would’ve had more experienced Keyblade wielders to fill out the Seven Guardians of Light.  And even if it would be disappointing to be put in the reserves, it would’ve been worth it if it led to you being safe.

So, those are the reasons I believed that dream was a punishment. But you’ll be glad to know, Sora, that I only entertained those beliefs briefly.

After thinking it over some more, I decided that it didn’t matter what that dream’s purpose was.  Comfort or punishment, I’m going to actually use it to serve my own purposes instead.

I’m going to let it remind me of what my ultimate goal is and drive me to be the best Keyblade wielder I can be.  One that’s going to make the forces of darkness think twice before causing trouble and one that you and Riku will be proud to have fighting alongside you.  And hopefully, that will lead us to a future like the one in the dream or at least one that’s pretty close.

In fact, after seeing that dream, I think I may end up actually proposing a couple of ideas to Aqua and Master Yen Sid.  I’ve been thinking about them a lot and maybe now is the time to try to put them into action.

Since I need to get some real battle experience to become a stronger Keyblade wielder, I’d like to go on a journey throughout the worlds to gain some. Hopefully, Aqua will think it’s a good idea.  And even though there’s been little sign of the Heartless and Nobodies since Xehanort’s defeat, there is one thing I really wish to do.

I’d like to try to find and identify the remaining three of the New Seven Hearts.  After all, who’d better to find them than someone who’s part of the same group?  And if we knew who they were and what their home worlds were, we’d be in a better position to protect them if someone tried what Maleficent and Xehanort did.

Who knows?  Maybe all those unfamiliar faces at the wedding were not only friends you’ll make on future adventures, but ones I’ll make on my own adventures.  Maybe even the remaining New Seven Hearts were among them.

I also have an idea that may be able to help in the quest to bring you home. If Fairy Godmother could bring me back to the Final World, I could talk to that girl from Quadratum again.  She may not be able to remember certain things. But she might be able to tell us something about that world that could help.  

Naminè might even be able to help with this plan.  Even if you only met that girl briefly, that may be enough for her to be considered connected to you and therefore, Naminè’s memory powers can work on her.

Hopefully, the Masters will think that these are good plans.  I really want to do any part I can to not only help bring you and Riku home, but also to protect the worlds as both a Keyblade wielder and a Princess of Heart.  After all, with you two gone, someone’s got to pick up the slack.

Well, I think that’s enough for now.  It’s nearly time for breakfast and then it’s training until lunch.  But before I go, there’s just one final thing I’d like to say.

Whether that beautiful dream shows a wonderful future that is meant to be or not, it doesn’t matter.  Because the only kind of future I’ll ever wish for is one in which we’re safe, we’re happy, and we’re together.  That’s all I really need.

See you soon,

Kairi

________________________________________________________________

Much later, the training hall in the Land of Departure was filled with the sounds of clashing Keyblades and various shouts of magical invocation.  While those sounds were nothing uncommon in that location, there was an unusual intensity that day.

As Aqua, Ven and Chirithy watched, a heated sparring match was taking place between Kairi and Terra.  But much to their surprise, the more experienced Keyblade wielder was actually struggling as the young rookie was keeping him mostly on the defensive.

“Wow!  Kairi’s on fire today!” exclaimed Ven.

“She is, indeed,” concurred Chirithy.

“Well, she has improved a lot in her skills since she came here.  But you two are right.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen her this driven before,” said Aqua.

“You’ve got that right, Aqua.  If she lands one more hit on Terra, this’ll be the first time she’s won by a perfect score,” said Ven.

As the match went on, Terra blocked blow after blow from Kairi.  Then, strangely, she ceased her attack.

Terra saw his opportunity and charged toward her with a downward slash. The Princess dodged to the right narrowly avoiding the hit.

“Light!” she cried out as she fired a small but powerful Light spell at Terra’s side.  He grunted as the magic struck him and knocked him off his feet.

“Point to Kairi,” declared Aqua.

“That’s three to nothing!  Kairi wins!” exclaimed Ven as Chirithy clapped its paws together.

“Well done, Kairi,” said Aqua.

“Thank you, Master Aqua,” Kairi said as she walked over to Terra and helped him up.  

After exchanging bows with each other, the Princess of Heart said, “I hope that didn’t hurt you too badly, Terra.”

Terra chuckled.  “Not at all.  It helps that you’ve learned how to restrain your magic during training.  But I’ve got to say, Kairi that I am impressed. That’s the first time since you’ve come here that I’ve been unable to land a single hit on you.”

“You’ve certainly come a long way, Kairi.  Today, you showed some truly exceptional skill and strength.  You should be very proud of yourself,” said Aqua as she, Ven and Chirithy approached.

“Well, I’ve had a good teacher and some great sparring partners.  But I think it really helped that when I woke up today, I just felt a little extra drive,” said Kairi.

“Yes.  We noticed,” said Aqua.

“Why is that exactly?” asked Chirithy.

A certain smile came to Kairi’s face which caused her four friends to exchange knowing looks.  They had spent plenty of time with her by now to know what exactly brought out that special smile of hers: thoughts of a certain someone close to her heart.

“I had the most amazing dream.”

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Notes from the Mad Doctor:

I thought the best way for Kairi’s spotlight chapter would be to do in the style of one of her letters to Sora.  I’ve used it before as readers of my big fic Kairi’s Epic Journey would know.

So, in case it wasn’t obvious, the challenge I mentioned at the start is that list of unknown guests.  It was quite a challenge to write all those characters by description alone.  I hope you all will take a shot at identifying them. Some are pretty obvious, but some may be a little more difficult.

I hope I did a good job in trying not to make this chapter’s narrative too similar to the previous chapters.  I actually tried having Kairi leap to the punishment notion before the premonition notion.  But unfortunately, the flow didn’t work right.

Fortunately, the views on the punishment notion are a little different. Sora has absolutely no regrets for what he did and believes that he’s being unfairly punished for breaking rules he had no idea existed.  Kairi, however, believes her punishment is deserved since she blames herself for what happened to Sora.  Fortunately, both are able to use that dream to keep on fighting.

I hope you all aren’t put off that this is more like a series of one-shots centered around a certain plot device (the wedding dream) instead of a congruent storyline.  That was what this project ended up being.

I give my thanks to whoever reads this chapter.

I also give my special thanks to @fandomchanger, @flynn-science​, and @ladylucky​ for their likes on the previous chapters as well as @sokaiweek, @phoenix-downer, and @the-secret-place​ for reblogging the previous chapter.

Comments, likes and reblogs are much appreciated!  Stay tuned for what comes next because it’s going to be a real feel-good chapter!

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Onto the next chapter!

[nadziejastar]

The Meaning of Saïx’s Scar

A sigil is a symbol you create with the intention of changing your reality in accordance with your will. All sigils are encoded with a specific purpose, for example, to attract a romantic partner, to set strong boundaries, to be more financially prosperous – the possibilities are limitless. While sigils were used in the past to symbolize and conjure up spirits, these days, sigils are used in a personal way to symbolically represent and manifest our own desires.

The Recusant’s Sigil is based on Greek letter chi. In Kingdom Hearts lore, the meaning is “death” and “endings”. But it’s not just a letter. It’s a magic symbol.  

The Recusant’s Sigil (異端の印 Itan no shirushi, lit. “Mark of heresy”) is a symbol designed by Xehanort to represent the rejection of a Nobody from his original persona. It is incorporated into the new names of each of the original members of Organization XIII, and is derived from Xehanort’s sleeping memories of the χ-blade.

It was placed in each member’s name to represent the rejection of their original self. Since each member was to become a vessel for Xehanort’s heart and mind, the original persona needed to die.

Sigils are essentially like little seeds that are planted within the unconscious mind. Many things enter the depths of our minds, but not all of them are placed there intentionally or take root. The symbolic nature of the sigil also helps bypass the rational (skeptical) mind and enter the unconscious where possibilities are endless.

This might be why a simple symbol on Sora’s clothing had such a powerful effect on him. The “X” was on the clothing of Terra, Aqua, and Ven and also Riku in KH1.  

What gives sigils their power is the energy and intention behind them – and that is what helps them to sprout and blossom into manifestation. They are activated by meditation.      

This is probably why Sora’s Nobody (who, according to Nomura, was born with Ventus’s heart) was made to stare at the Recusant’s Sigil when he was given his new identity as “Roxas,” an anagram of “Sora” with an “X”. It was to subconsciously program him to stay unaware. 

Roxas was a very worthy candidate for the New Organization XIII.

He was a good candidate due to his lack of self-awareness. But eventually he became too aware of himself and could no longer be used.

Buzz was afraid of losing his self-awareness and attacking his friends. And that’s exactly what happened.

At the Kid Corral, where Buzz was taken when he was possessed, Xehanort revealed that empty puppets can be given strong hearts. Apparently, the Toy Box was the world where he first learned to create vessels. 

Secret Report 4: Experiments of the Heart – Notes on Subject X, Excerpt 2

Subject's memories have not returned, and our conversations remain less than lucid. My pilot studies used a handful of subjects, but none possessed the fortitude to endure them. Ultimately, all suffered mental collapse. I knew it would be a heavy blow to lose a subject as unique as she. Upon discovering the tests I've been conducting, my master demanded that I cease my work immediately and destroy what research I have compiled. Worse still, he ordered the release of my remaining subjects. She is gone. Where is Subject X now?

This is also the world where the report on Subject X is located, and it’s also at the Kid Corral. Subject X had no memories and was not lucid. It took a week for them to speak their first words, like Roxas. That means they lacked self-awareness, like Roxas did at fist. This would make them a very worthy candidate for a vessel, like Roxas. 

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

“Translation—they were gonna turn all the members into Xehanort.”

“X” represents the clash of pure light vs. pure darkness. A vessel needs to be suitable to contain Xehanort’s heart of pure of darkness, so only the strongest hearts will suffice. 

The letter χ can be pronounced both "key" and "kye" (leading to some confusion) and symbolizes the perfect crossing of light and darkness. The χ-blade can be forged via a high-dimensional clash between those two poles. It is believed that the Recusant's Sigil also derives from χ.

Such a heart is rare and valuable. Even most of the original organization was unworthy. A vessel would need to be broken by sorrow, but its heart could not totally collapse. It’s only natural that Xehanort would want to use such a unique subject as his vessel.

“As your flesh bears the sigil, so your name shall be known as that of a recusant.”

And the name “X” fits this concept perfectly. The experiments involved the darkness of the heart. All the subjects’ hearts collapsed. Subject X was the only exception.

I could not even recall my name. I was simply called "X" there.

Isa probably was given his scar at the same time he was given his new name, which happened to him as a human. He was no longer Isa, or even Saïx, but “X”.

“I’ll put the sigil of the recusant into your name once more,” Xemnas said.

Sigil of the recusant…? What’s that?

In the Japanese version, Xemnas actually doesn’t say anything to Sora about his flesh bearing the sigil. He says he’ll put the sigil into his name once more. And that actually makes a lot more sense. I don’t know why he said it to Sora in the English version. Maybe it was an error and that was actually a line meant for BBSV2 and Isa? I’m not sure. But it does fit Isa a lot more than Sora. 

Sigils are activated by focusing on the desired outcome. But it’s important to use strong phrasing. Instead of saying “I want”, you say “I am". This ingrains it into your subconscious more readily.

Xemnas spoke like that to Roxas while he was in his trance-like state. He told him he felt nothing...   

...and that nothing was real. He left no ambiguity about it. It’s a form of programming he likely did to all the Nobodies he recruited, which is why they had such a strong belief that they felt nothing, despite evidence to the contrary.

Xemnas didn’t say that he wanted Roxas to be a new person.

He told him that he was a new person. He was no longer Sora or Ventus---he was Roxas. Roxas held many of Sora’s memories inside of him, as did Xion. When they combined, they would create a complete Sora Replica.

Besides meditation, there are other, darker, methods of sigil activation, like in the use of black magic. Sexual climax is mentioned in reference to ritual sex magic. Sex magic is most potent at the time of orgasm, since that its when the energies of the two (or more) parties resonate the most strongly. But that isn’t really something a series like Kingdom Hearts focuses on, obviously. Another type of method involves pain. 

If Roxas’s sigil was activated by meditation, I think Isa’s sigil was activated by pain. And receiving such a scar would be obviously be physically painful. It definitely was carved deeply into his face. These dark undertones are what made Saïx/Isa such an interesting character to me.

The scar is located directly over his “mind’s eye.” 

It’s a good place to put the sigil when you are trying to get the subject to lose self-awareness---to renounce its sense of self. In a way, receiving the scar may have been a way of programming him to stay mindless and empty. And it’s why he cannot see Xion.

Xemnas’s goal was to conquer the human heart and claim it as his own. And I think this is what he did to Subject X, which is why Isa was the first non-apprentice organization member, and one of the first vessels, along with Braig. Braig was special because he wanted to be a vessel. Isa was just Xehanort’s lab rat.

When Xemnas was telling Sora about the mind control experiments, he said he learned of the heart’s folly.

Which is similar to what he said on Day 95 during his speech. 

“That which we treasure has power over us, Roxas. His heart is captive to it. And that makes it his weakness.”

Day 95 takes place at the Beast’s Castle. Every time Roxas goes there, it’s to figure out the Beast’s motivation for fighting. Roxas simply wants to understand the heart, but Xaldin wants to figure out the Beast’s weakness. And after Roxas goes there, he always talks to Axel afterwards. The heart has power over you when you hold something dear.

I think the reason the Beast was chosen to parallel Axel was because of Lea and Isa’s past. The Beast is cursed, he is a character that has anger and rage which is analogous to Saïx’s berserk state, and the key to breaking the spell over him is love.

Xaldin thought the rose was the Beast’s weakness. But it wasn’t. It was wanting to protect the people in the castle, especially Belle.

I think Nomura is a smart guy and knew exactly what he was writing.

I don’t think it ever would have been made explicit or unambiguously canon in a series like Kingdom Hearts. But I do think that in the writer’s room at least, the understanding was that Isa and Lea had romantic feelings for each other. This was hinted at in a subtle manner. Isa’s love for Lea and his desire to protect him was his weakness, which got him turned into a vessel. This was supposed to be the surprising twist that would make Isa worthy to be in the epilogue. Not the fact that he was looking for a random girl or that he got Roxas a vessel. He deserved to be redeemed by his own merits.

In 358/2 Days, the Beast wanted to protect the people he cared about. He desired love more than anything.

This was used as his weakness to get him to fall to darkness. Xaldin told him that he’d never find love and this made him angry and full of rage.

He became full of darkness and lost control of himself, like Buzz did and he attacked his friends without realizing it.

Husks that had been made to throw away their hearts—in other words, they were going to plant another heart into those who couldn’t bear the pain…? Or, did they actually do that?

“They were going to turn all the Organization members into Xehanort.”

Lea was Isa’s weakness.

He was the key to causing Isa the most sorrow, sadness, and pain, which could then be turned into mindless rage. The Beast’s pain was feeling like a monster unworthy of love. For Isa, I think it was loneliness and the pain of losing Lea.

Although the Beast was under Xaldin’s dark influence, he was also acting on his own subconscious feelings. He was in a trance when he went on a rampage. But deep down, all he wanted was to protect his servants, which is why locked them in the dungeon. 

I think Lea got his tear marks as a Nobody. When the manga zoomed in on them, Axel was thinking about harming Kairi. Without a heart, he never had to worry about feeling inner conflict or doubt about what he needed to do to achieve his goals. That’s why I think his tears represent his willingness to give up his heart, so he could get his best friend back. They also represent his pain over everything he lost as a Nobody. His life, his heart, his freedom, and his best friend.

Since Isa still had his scar when he was recompleted, he must have gotten it as a human. The manga also does a close-up of Saïx’s scar, giving a hint to its true meaning. It happened right after the scene of Axel’s tear mark, actually.

Saïx was hunting Axel down and then became extremely enraged, saying that Axel’s desire for friendship was based on an illusion created by his memories. 

I think Saïx was subjected to the same little speech Roxas was after becoming a Nobody. He thought he never felt anything.

But like with Axel, he also became enraged at Roxas. 

He says something very similar to what he told Axel, too. Isa’s purpose as a human was protecting Lea. Saïx remembers this. If Isa received his scar while Xehanort was trying to inflict the most pain possible on him, it makes sense that Lea was involved. What would hurt Isa the most is losing the thing he treasures most---which is Lea. I think it's why Saïx felt such resentment towards Axel when he made new friends, and ESPECIALLY when he left the organization. It was Isa's love for Lea that caused him to lose everything. It's understandable that he'd hate Axel if he thought he turned his back on him after all that. He was extremely hurt, even if the feelings were technically not his own.

His scar is really prominent in these scenes, too.

Basically, I think that the X-shaped scar represents Isa's physical and emotional pain as Subject X, which was used to break him, capture his heart, and turn him into a vessel during the experiments on the darkness of the heart. They created darkness in Isa using his love for Lea against him. The "X" also represents the "death" of Isa.

[signalsandsoundwaves]

Now that I combed through KH3′s plot points again and don’t have to reasonably worry about spoiling anyone, here it is: My gripes w/ Kingdom Hearts 3 (Of Which There Are A Lot):

They showed way too damn much w/ the trailers, they should have at least hid the Final World and Aqua turning into a Darkling. Like, we already knew the whole shit parade with the new organization was going to happen in some capacity along with the fight w/ OG Xehanort, but they forgot the necessity of surprise in a narrative.

The whole deal with the new Princesses of Heart was 

A: mentioned like twice, maybe, and then never expounded upon or brought up again

B: Had no bearing on the overarching narrative. What was the point of bringing it up at all? 

Reintroducing Riku Replica the way they did? Hm. Okay. I can work with that. BUT!

They never showed how he helped Riku out of the Demon Tide. Just poof and he’s out and it’s all fine. Oh and the heartless gave him a nice haircut too for some reason. 

They never showed how Riku Replica was able to fix Way to the Dawn?? AND THEY NEVER SHOWED HOW RIKU PULLED ANOTHER KEYBLADE OUT OF HIS ASS AGAIN.

oh also I fucking hated that the kh1 Ansem!Riku was, in fact, not Ansem!Riku, but a replica of a replica. I’m gonna pretend that’s not the case and instead imagine that’s just an attempt at a joke by Nomura that the series is needlessly complicated and makes no sense anymore (which it is)

Dark Aqua: The fact that it even happened completely invalidates any sort of character significance Blank Points had. That, and her reawakened hope from 2.8′s ending. 

Well, okay, I guess it doesn’t invalidate those events with the way it happened (edit: whoops forgot to put in words), but it still seems super contrived that Aqua’s had all that time and resultant experience in the realm of darkness just so Ansem SoD could come up and kamehameha the crap outta her with some weird ball of darkness. Even if she didn’t have a keyblade. Didn’t she still have her magic?

Why did it have to be Sora that saved her? So he could look cool? Again? Lame. 

it makes much more sense for Riku to save her--not only to give him a significant achievement for this game, but to also make things come full circle nice and neat: She saved him when he had to close the door, he saves her from falling to the darkness she fought for over a decade. 

Nomura...do you know how dumb it is for you to make Aqua say “You’ve seen me too weak for too long” before winning a boss battle against Vanitas, who then in the next cutscene wrecks her shit? The same character who got thrown so hard he was perfectly horizontal to the ground into a child’s bedroom by The Notorious James P. Sullivan?

A PIXAR CHARACTER?? COME ON

I WOULDN’T HAVE MINDED IF YOU AT LEAST KEPT IT CONSISTENT, LIKE MAKE VANITAS A PUNK-ASS PIDDLING BRAT THE WHOLE GAME, BUT YOU GOTTA KEEP SHIT CONSISTENT IF YOU’RE GONNA HAVE CHARACTERS BE POWERFUL OR NOT! THIS ISN’T DRAGON BALL Z!

Actually, now that I think about it more, Aqua in general got fucked over in this game. Ven gets his shit wrecked by Terranort and all Aqua does is stand there, watch, and gasp? No! She Would Not Do That!

What was the point of putting Namine on the cover if she wasn’t going to even show up until the very end of the game

And. Um. I know I’m biased as hell as a Soriku shipper, but it’s more than a little weird to imply any sort of feelings between Riku and Namine (Repliku? Sure, I can roll w/ that. But not OG Riku) when they haven’t even spoken since three games ago and neither has mentioned the other once.

If you’re want your audience to be excited about the end-game ships, actually give them material throughout the series to help build chemistry! Don’t shoehorn it in! And this goes especially for SoKai!

Sora keeps flip-flopping between being his usual dandy self and being a dumbass brat. That scene where he was whining about wanting cool new clothes too was a little awkward to sit through. That and when he was teasing/bothering Hiro at the end of the Big Hero 6 world about taking the extra Baymax along on his own journey

TBH I’d probably do the same thing, since that healing spray came in hella handy and baymax does better than donald

but it’s still a little awkward to do that

I’m not even gonna talk about how they butchered the plot to Frozen. The prerendered cutscenes for Let It Go and the last scene were good tho.

and it was cool for SDG to lean on the fourth wall and wonder where the music was coming from

But did we need Anna to awkwardly sing Do You Wanna Build A Snowman in front of SDG? Nah.

lol why did they make the bug blocks from Re:Coded replace the original movie’s nanobots if it wasn’t going to be brought up or plot relevant at all

Also Sora is back to being dumb as a brick: They find a Riku that is one year younger, with yellow Norted eyes, and wearing an organization 13 coat...and Sora still thinks it’s OG Riku? Goofy had to spell it out for him, that was lame

Look if I were going to talk about Kairi this list would then be 3,000 miles long with my grievances in regards to everything involving her in this game so I’m just gonna put it into the simplest bullet points here:

Nomura’s got some serious hang-ups in regards to women. Full stop. 

You can’t keep saying every fucking game that she’s gonna participate and then never have her meaningfully do so.

And the one time she does have any importance to the plot, it’s as a plot device where she fucking dies in a total Diabolus Ex Machina. Not cool, Nomura.

They clearly put a metric fuck-ton of work into the PotC world but we can’t even go inside the abandoned mansion in twilight town ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

seriously i wanted to swing on the chandeliers

And you Know the only reason why Cutler Beckett was in this game was so Nomura could throw in the scene where the ship goes down while beckett says ‘It’s just good business’

Which makes me think of another thing--Cutler effing Beckett was in this game, but Hans doesn’t even speak in Arendelle? Weird.

Terra and Riku didn’t even speak to each other and I’m so sad about that.

and I was legit pissy that Roxas and Ventus’ only acknowledgement of their nigh-identical appearances was a single weirded out shared glance

You’d think the majority of the cast would know by now not to underestimate Sora but idk whatever I guess

Yeah I’m just gonna pretend Ansem SoD and OG Xehanort didn’t have those heel-face turns and resultant pathetic attempts at sob stories when they died (I don’t give a shit what Xehanort Reports 8+9 say, I’m gonna keep my headcanon that those were attempts to trick Terra and Ven even more)

Not Xemnas, though. I’m actually okay w/ his since it makes sense and was actually built up throughout KH2 without the need for ancillary material (tell but don’t show is so godawful as a storytelling tactic and should only be used in dire measures)

Gee, I love how the only god damn time in this series Kairi is a capable fighter is when she’s turned into a sword-suit-of-armor-thing and fights Sora in a world named after a Led Zeppelin song

Also, Kairi straight up dies and Riku doesn’t really give a shit??

Seriously, what?

It makes no sense that any of The Norts™ would be able to set foot onto the Keyblade Graveyard long enough to fuck the crew’s shit up without Lingering Will to blast them into oblivion with his ultima cannon. He was supposed to be right there waiting for them. Why did we need to die and get Namine to tell him what happened? He’d have a front row seat before we even got there the first time.

So if Sora’s gone to The Final World before every time he’s gone to the Station of Awakening, why haven’t we ever seen it before kh3?

I love how the game doesn’t even acknowledge that Chirithy is technically responsible for Sora’s death at the end of KH3

This one isn’t actually a gripe, I just really wanted to point out that an adorable cat plushie was responsible for the death of the series’ protagonist

If it’s a possibility that a keyblade can be broken, why hasn’t it ever come up before?

And finally, my One True Gripe that isn’t a long-held point of contention with the series and is exclusive to KH3...

Nomura took a little too much inspiration from Dead Man’s Chest and it shows (And Naruto, and DBZ, but considering KH has basically been a shonen anime all along I guess I should have expected that)(But I especially hate that he directly mimicked Dead Man’s Chest)

[bluerosesburnblue]

You’re bringing up genetics, but genetics has never been a factor in Kingdom Hearts beyond one possible instance of an identical great-something-grandson that hasn’t even been confirmed yet. I think it’s safe to say that genetics and the construction of bodies as we know them is simply a non-factor in Kingdom Hearts canon, as much more emphasis is placed on the idea of the vessel attempting to match the contents. Terra’s genetic phenotype doesn’t change from “brown-hair” to “silver-hair” once Xehanort possesses him because that’s not how genetics works. It can’t just flip between the genetic coding that’s expressed that the original has no predisposition to on a whim, so I find any mention of genetics in the context of Kingdom Hearts to be completely inappropriate. It’s a fictional world that clearly doesn’t follow our world’s rules exactly, so you can’t use our world’s logic to argue if it’s possible

Aqua’s comment about Sora also comes after making a comparison between Terra and Riku’s disposition—there I’m arguing that she was referring to this for Sora as well, as opposed to the physical trait.

Fair enough, but it doesn’t change Xemnas’s comparison to Roxas which all but confirms that they should look almost identical, in contradiction to your claim otherwise below that:

I don’t even really see a definitive resemblance between the two [+Roxas to Sora] anymore outside of what could be understood even in real life between two unrelated people.

That’s probably the point that I should have highlighted, but the gist I got was that Aqua’s comparison wasn’t more likely about their personality, therefore there was no mention of a physical similarity between them, and thus it doesn’t exist

If we were going further than this route, I would only consider it plausible [if in being in the cards of being offered now] if there was a point of conflict where Sora wasn’t physically representing himself naturally.

I actually did think of this, and my mind went to Yozora. Perhaps it hasn’t been brought up in the current arc because it’s had no reason to be, but it may be in the future

“No, this isn’t the real world, and I am here. But this isn’t what I really look like. How’d you recognize me as Yozora?”

...

“Why are you using Sora’s name?”

There’s clearly something going on with appearances in the Yozora storyline that will be expanded on in the future, so I, personally, think it’s way too early to say that it’s “unlikely” that Ven had any influence on Sora’s appearance or that it won’t be brought up again. Especially since Ven is still an active player in KHUx and will likely continue to be so in the future of the series thanks to that. Nomura is wont to pull in things from way earlier in the series and give them meaning later (i.e. Xigbar/Luxu, the Ark/Lifeboat pod room in KH1). I’m not willing to take the explanation that Ven influenced Sora’s appearance completely off the table until the series is done and Nomura can’t come up with more explanations

I wasn’t even arguing if it was more or less likely that Sora was influenced by Ven than whether it was simply due to out-of-universe reasons to make the comparisons between them more obvious and they had nothing to do with each other. I just said that there was precedent in the canon for it to possibly be true and that I liked the idea as an in-universe explanation in lieu of any official confirmation because of that, not that it was particularly “reasonable” to be or end up as canon over the alternative. Maybe it’ll never be brought up again in the series. Maybe it will. I don’t know, the only real example we have to work with right now is Xehanort and the fact that Xemnas and some of the Organization had gold eyes, but with Xehanort it turned out to have an in-universe justification that bears similarities with what seems to be the case between Sora and Ven

You’re also drawing a distinct line between “Replicas” and “characters created from others” and “real people,” which is fair, but not the way that you’re splitting them by lumping Replicas in with characters like Roxas (and other Nobodies). Replicas are blank-slate bodies designed to easily be able to change shape to match the heart inside. Fact. But Roxas is not a Replica. He’s Sora’s actual body and soul under the influence of Ven’s heart. Remove Sora’s heart and whatever sense of identity it has, and his body naturally morphs to the appearance of the only heart inside it at the time. Roxas is the living proof that bodies in KH will change appearance to match the heart within, or at least what the heart determines its appearance to be. Every other Nobody retains the exact appearance of their original selves due to the complete absence of a heart. Roxas does not. Roxas is Sora’s flesh and blood physical form that morphed to completely become Ven’s appearance. This is a fact

Genetics has very little effect on the form of the body in Kingdom Hearts and has never been mentioned in the series, yet there’s plenty of evidence to point towards bodies morphing to match what whatever’s inside them identifies as. After all, what about the non-Organization Nobodies, like Dusks? Bodies and souls that lack hearts and memories that could shape their appearance. They become unidentifiable, shapeless entities

This even makes sense with Terra-Xehanort. Terra’s heart wasn’t ejected when Xehanort took possession, the end result has similarities to both in appearance, which is carried onto the entities derived from that. Xehanort’s vessels slowly morph over time as more of them are taken over by Xehanort’s heart fragments, but their original sense of self still has primary hold of their appearance. It just makes sense with what we’re shown that any heart within another’s body has some effect on the body’s appearance, no matter how subtle

If Ven’s heart had no influence on Sora’s appearance, it then begs the question of “why?” Why would this principle hold true for all of Xehanort’s vessels and Sora’s body when Sora’s heart is removed, but not Sora’s body before then?

And why is it more reasonable to assume that two completely different people just happen to look almost identical, knowing the above bits of worldbuilding, than the possibility that there might be more to it?

When I first learned of Roxas I thought he was meant to be identical to Sora, save for his hair. But then BbS told us that Ventus had a much larger impact on Roxas's appearance. I accepted this and more or less convinced myself that the two blonds did not resemble Sora much. That is until I watched BbS last month. When Aqua said that Sora was the spitting image of Ventus I was honestly surprised. Now I wonder why these two boys born more than a century apart would resemble one another.

Maybe when Ventus's heart connected with the newborn Sora, this influenced the younger boy's appearance in some way. That is to say, maybe Sora was going to grow up to look another way, but then Ventus came along and changed that somehow? Or maybe their similar appearance is the result of mere chance? Or maybe the creators will explain this in some unexpected way. What do you think? 

I think it’s certainly possible that Sora’s connection to Ventus did effect his appearance in a number of ways, and out of every possibility that one seems the most likely to me. There’s actually a strong precedent for the body changing to match the appearance of the heart(s) inside in the series

Take Xehanort and the characters that he possesses, for example. Over time, their appearance changes to match Xehanort’s own, with hair color, eye color, and/or skin color all morphing to match Xehanort’s and several characters developing his pointed ears.

Different characters show different traits, notably Terra, who had Xehanort’s entire heart placed into him, immediately developed the golden eyes and silver hair, and later developing the ears as Terra-Xehanort lacks them, but Apprentice Xehanort has them pointed, with his skintone eventually being such a subtle shade darker than Terra’s that it’s almost unnoticeable, and certainly not that close to the original Xehanort’s:

Source: [Discussion] Xehanort's Eyes by Dasaniiii on r/KingdomHearts

Then it seems to eventually get a little darker over time if Xemnas is any indication, getting to be closer to Xehanort’s:

At least for their depictions in KH3, which clearly shows Xemnas (who is Terra’ body) as having the same skintone as both original Xehanorts, but Terra-Xehanort retains Terra’s skintone

Meanwhile, Xigbar/Braig, who only received a fragment of Xehanort’s heart and not the whole thing at once, seems to have gotten the golden eyes and pointed ears instantly, developed silver streaks in his hair later (which could be age, who knows), and everything else remains unchanged. Saix has the same happen to him, minus the silver hair, over an unknown timeframe, and the rest all get the golden eyes but not much more. So it seems like overall: the presence of another heart, or even a fragment of another heart, begins to change the appearance of a person to match that of the heart(s) inside them, but the exact traits that change vary based on numerous factors, and more may develop over time

This can also apply to mere connections between hearts, rather than a heart physically being in a new body, if Xion is any indication as her appearance was shaped by Sora’s connection to Kairi despite her original intent being to copy Roxas’s and Sora’s abilities which allowed her heart to develop its own identity based off of all three of them that her Replica body generally takes the form of. I’ve also seen it theorized that Naminé’s blonde hair could be a remnant of Ven’s heart being inside Sora’s body during her creation, and I don’t think that’s a bad explanation for it (though it’s never been stated to be canon as far as I know)

This puts the appearances of Sora, Ven, Roxas, and Vanitas in an interesting light if you apply what happens to Xehanort to them. Sora’s heart has been connected to Ven’s since it was born, but he didn’t have Ventus’s heart inside of him until he was four years old, after Aqua called him the “spitting image of Ven.” So if his appearance was influenced by Ven’s, it had to come from that initial connection and not when Ven’s heart sought full refuge in Sora’s. I think it’s entirely possible that Ven shaped Sora’s appearance, but because it was only via a connection of their hearts at first, Sora was able to retain some of his own, original look (particularly his hair). Though, I’d say that it’s unclear if obtaining Ven’s full heart had or would have had any further effect on Sora’s body once it ended up there

There’s two big differences between Ven and Sora, and Xehanort and Terra. The first is that Xehanort took conscious control of the body he was residing in while forcing its original owner down, while Ven allowed Sora to be in control the entire time and fell into sleep in his heart. The second is that Sora and Ven’s connection happened when Sora was young enough that he didn’t really have a sense of self, while Terra was possessed at the age of what Nomura said was “about 20.” Either one of these could have had some impact between the differences between the two scenarios, as Xehanort’s possession usually caused superficial changes to the host’s body, while this possible connection between Sora and Ven allowed Sora to retain superficial characteristics but would have changed nearly everything else, like facial structure and physique

It could be that Ven’s connection to Sora’s heart caused Sora’s heart to develop similarly to Ven’s (like the Xion example above), which caused his “natural” appearance to develop based on what his heart identified itself as based on that bond

Ultimately, I can’t say for certain that Ventus had an impact on Sora’s appearance, but since there seems to be a good deal of evidence supporting that it would be possible, it’s one of the better explanations in my opinion. At the very least, the body being mutable based on the hearts influencing it is canon, so I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch to conclude that it’s involved with the reason that Sora grew to look like Ven, even if the specifics are unknown right now

[maddrmatt]

Kairi’s Epic Journey: The Quest for Sora

New to this fanfic? Click here to properly begin!

Chapter 16: One of Our Princesses is Missing

The Mysterious Tower

As Riku morosely trudged up the stairs to Yen Sid’s study, he reflected on the fact that there had never been a time when he had enjoyed visiting the Mysterious Tower. It seemed that every time he or any of the other Guardians Light had come there, they only learned increasingly bad news about impending disasters.

This visit felt no different.  However, Riku knew they were meeting because of bad news he had delivered earlier.

“Riku?”

The silver haired Keyblade Master looked at the girl slightly ahead of him on the stairs. Naminè carried a look of sympathy on her face.

‘How often would I see that look on Kairi’s face whenever she felt Sora and I needed comfort.’

“I should have gone to her sooner, Naminè.  Right after Mickey finished his call yesterday would have been the best time. Then this wouldn’t be happening.”

Naminè descended down to the step Riku was on.  “I know you’re worried about her, Riku.  I am too. But there’s no point in beating yourself up about what you didn’t do.  It’s not going to help us find Kairi at all.  Right now, the others need us to tell them what happened this morning so we can make a plan to find her.”

‘Besides, you’re not the only one who could’ve done something sooner that might’ve prevented this.’

Letting out a big sigh, he said, “You’re right, Naminè.  Let’s get this over with so we can start searching for her.”

Naminè nodded and side by side, they continued to walk up the stairs until they finally came to the door to Yen Sid’s study.  Riku opened the door and suddenly felt all eyes on him and Naminè.

Everyone was standing around in their usual groups.  Terra, Aqua and Ven with Chirithy on his shoulder stood to the left while Roxas, Xion and Axel stood to the right.  Mickey, Donald and Goofy stood at Yen Sid’s right while the sorcerer himself sat in his chair behind his desk.

As Riku gazed around at the worried and concerned looks everyone was giving him, he felt the familiar twinge of jealousy.  After all, each of these groups had been reunited while his own had been torn apart.

Mickey approached Riku.  “Riku, are you okay?”

Riku said nothing.  But just shook his head in the negative.

“We don’t blame you at all.  It was quite a shock when you called to tell us she was gone,” said Goofy.

“Especially since the King told you to watch out for her,” grumbled Donald causing everyone to gasp in shock.

“Donald, that was uncalled for.  I may have asked Riku to keep an eye on her as best as he could.  But there’s no way he could’ve watched her every moment,” said Mickey.

“Yeah.  It’s not like they live in the same house,” added Goofy.

Donald sighed.  “You’re right.  I’m sorry.”

“Well, in a way, you’re right, Donald. I could’ve kept a better eye on her, and I should have been trying harder to mend things with her,” said Riku.

“That’s something we’re unfortunately all guilty of, Riku,” said Xion.

“Hey, don’t put this all on us. Kairi has her share of the blame too. She wasn’t listening to reason and lashed out at us, remember?  And now she’s run off to who knows where without telling anybody and she’s likely going to get herself killed again!” exclaimed Axel as he punched the wall causing him to cry out in pain.

“Calm down, Axel.  Taking your frustration out on the wall isn’t going to help,” said Roxas.

Axel took a deep breath.  “I know.  I’m sorry.  I’m just so worried about her.  I have been all month.”

“We’ve all been worried about her,” said Ven.

“But now’s not the time for us to be pointing fingers at each other or her,” said Terra.

“That’s right.  The best thing right now is to remain calm and think of something we can do to find her,” said Aqua.

“You are correct, Master Aqua.  I suggest we get started immediately. Master Riku?  You mentioned that there was a letter that Kairi wrote to her parents.  May I see it?” asked Yen Sid.

Riku made his way to the desk. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to the sorcerer.

“I know this is very difficult for you.  Kairi’s sudden disappearance is a terrible turn of events.  But if we are to locate her, we must first gain some idea of why and how she left.  So, would you please relate to us what happened on the Destiny Islands this morning,” said Yen Sid.

Riku was reluctant to begin.  The shock of what had happened earlier was still fresh in his mind.

Then he felt someone take his right hand.  He looked and saw Naminè giving him a look that encouraged him to go on.

‘All right.  They’re going to have to hear this if we’re going to find her.’

“Okay.  Here’s what happened,” said Riku as he related how he had found out that Kairi and Pluto had vanished from the Destiny Islands.

________________________________________________________________

Destiny Islands, Earlier That Day

Up in his room, Riku was finishing getting dressed.  As he put on his jacket, he heard a knock on his door.

“Come in!” he called.

The door opened and in stepped Naminè.  “Your mom let me in.  So, are you ready for this?”

Riku sighed.  “As I’ll ever be, I guess.”

“It’s been a whole month since that fight, Riku.  You know we have to try again,” said Naminè.

“I know we do and part of me hopes that this is when we’ll finally fix things with Kairi.  But I’m also afraid that we’re just going to end up in another fight,” said Riku.

“Just tell her what you told me, Riku.  Maybe that’ll be what you need to mend your bond. Then, hopefully, she’ll be open to fixing things with the others,” said Naminè.

“I wish I could be more optimistic about this.  But that’s never been easy for me.  Sora always had more than enough optimism for the two of us.”

“Yes, I’ve seen plenty of evidence for that in his memories.  But if he were here now, he’d want you to try.  He wouldn’t want a friendship like yours and Kairi’s to end,” said Naminè.

“If he were here, none of this would be happening,” stated Riku.

“I know.  Come on.  Let’s head over to her house,” said Naminè as she and Riku made their way out of his room.  They travelled through the house and soon reached the front door.

But before Riku could open it, a loud rapping was heard on the other side of the door.  Following it came frantic cries from a familiar voice.

“Riku!  Riku!  Open up!”

“That’s Selphie!” exclaimed Riku as he quickly grabbed the doorknob and opened it.

Selphie was standing on the doorstep and she had a look of absolute panic on her face.  Standing behind her wearing identical expressions were Tidus and Wakka.

“Oh good, you’re here!” exclaimed Selphie.

“Selphie, what’s wrong?” asked Riku.

“You’ve got to come to Kairi’s house right now!” exclaimed Selphie.

Riku’s eyes widened. “What’s happened?”

“Is she okay?” asked Naminè coming out from behind Riku.

“We don’t know. She’s not there!” exclaimed Tidus.

“What?!” exclaimed both Riku and Naminè.

“It’s true!  Her mom’s going crazy about it,” said Wakka.

“We went to her house earlier because I wanted to check and see how she was doing.  But when we got there, her mom was in tears.  She told us that both Kairi and Pluto were gone, and we had to get you over there as quickly as possible,” said Selphie.

Riku said nothing. He just charged past the trio and headed in the direction of Kairi’s house.  Naminè followed close behind with Selphie and the others doing the same.

________________________________________________________________

Much later, all of them were in Kairi’s bedroom.  They had all over and were searching for clues while her mother stood in the doorway drying her eyes with a handkerchief.

“Thank you for coming so quickly, Riku.  You too, Naminè,” said Dorothy.

“Of course, ma’am. We were about to come here anyway. And we’re going to get to the bottom of this.  Right, Riku?” asked Naminè.

“Right,” said Riku as he and others continued to survey Kairi’s bedroom.  

So far, there wasn’t too much that looked out of the ordinary.  The only exceptions were an open window and a few papers and things strewn about the floor.

“Now they did come home last night, didn’t they?” asked Naminè.

“Yes, they did.  I actually caught Kairi trying to sneak up to her room without eating or feeding Pluto first,” said Dorothy.

“And this is exactly how you found the room when you discovered they were gone?” Riku asked.

“Yes.  I had just finished cooking breakfast for her and myself. She and Pluto hadn’t come down yet and I thought they may have just overslept.  I went to wake them and found they were gone,” said Dorothy.

“Then we showed up and she told us to go get you, Riku,” said Tidus.

“I thought if anyone had any idea of what might’ve happened to them, it would be you or someone else in your Keyblade group,” said Dorothy.

“Well, if you ask me, it’s pretty obvious what happened.  It looks like somebody or something came in and kidnapped them,” said Wakka.

A fearful look came to Dorothy’s face. “Oh, Riku.  You don’t think that’s what happened, do you?”

“Yeah.  What if it was those Heartless or Nobody things you told us about?” asked Selphie wearing an equally frightened expression.

Riku thought for a second.  While they hadn’t seen any sign of the Heartless, Nobodies or any of their other enemies since Xehanort’s defeat, they couldn’t rule out an eventual reappearance from them.  Kidnapping Kairi, who was both a Princess of Heart and a Keyblade Wielder, would definitely fit their modus operandi.

Still, throughout the adventures he shared with the others, he had learned that nothing was ever what it seemed to be at first glance.  As he gazed around Kairi’s room, he saw plenty of evidence preventing him from blaming any of their foes for her disappearance.

Naminè shared his train of thought.  “I don’t think they were kidnapped at all.”

“How can you say that? The window’s wide open and the place is a mess,” said Wakka gesturing to the window.

“Yeah, if that doesn’t point to something coming in and taking them, I don’t know what does,” said Tidus.

“If something did come in to try and abduct Kairi, I think the mess would be a lot larger. Even if she and Pluto lost, they would have put up a fight.  And if a fight did happen, you and the mayor would’ve heard it, Dorothy,” said Riku as Dorothy nodded in agreement.

“Maybe she didn’t even get a chance to fight.  Maybe they got her by surprise,” said Tidus.

‘Wouldn’t be the first time,’ thought Riku as he recalled what Roxas, Axel and Xion told him about how Xemnas grabbed her during the Keyblade War.

“But look at Kairi’s bed,” said Naminè as she pointed to the bed.  “I doubt that if she was snatched from it in the middle of the night, the kidnapper wouldn’t take the time to make it.”

“Also, you guys don’t know Pluto like we do.  He would’ve sensed an intruder no matter how sound asleep he was and woke her up,” said Riku

“But what about all this stuff all over the floor?  How do you explain that?” asked Wakka.

“Now that I think about it, Wakka, it really isn’t much of a mess.  Not one caused by a fight, at least.  It actually looks more like all this stuff was just blown around by the wind through the window,” said Tidus.

“That actually makes sense, Tidus.  And the window only opens from the inside, so someone would’ve had to break it to get in,” said Dorothy.

“And breaking and entering isn’t really what any of our foes do.  Especially Heartless and Nobodies, who can just pop in wherever they want.  They wouldn’t need to use the window at all,” said Riku.

“So, if there’s nothing to indicate Kairi was kidnapped, then there’s really only one possible answer: she and Pluto left in the middle of the night on their own,” said Naminè.

“That would explain the made-up bed!  Kairi’s always been in the habit of making her bed.  She even did it at our sleepovers,” said Selphie.

“But why would she just leave like that without telling anyone?” asked Dorothy.

Riku and Naminè hung their heads.  They both had a pretty good idea of why Kairi had left so suddenly.

“She must’ve have gone to look for Sora,” said Riku.

“And she didn’t tell anyone because she probably thought someone would stop her,” said Naminè.

Dorothy looked like she was about to start crying again.  “I knew she’s been upset all month since you all had that fight.  She was even more saddened last night when she told me she couldn’t even write her monthly letter to Sora.”

Dorothy’s last statement sent a shock through Riku and Naminè.  As far as they knew, words had never failed Kairi when it came to writing her letters to Sora.  The idea of her being unable to write one was unthinkable.

“I knew it was the last thing she wanted to hear, but I even implied that she was starting to accept that he was gone.  That probably made things worse and caused her to run away,” said Dorothy as she began to sob.

Riku placed his hand on Dorothy’s shoulder.  It was all he could do from breaking down himself.

‘Don’t blame yourself, Dorothy.  You’re not the one who’s to blame for this.’

“Hold up, everyone. There’s still something that doesn’t make sense about this whole thing,” said Tidus.

“And that is?” asked Naminè.

“You said Kairi’s been upset all month since that fight.  But if she wanted to find Sora, why would she leave now of all times?” asked Tidus.

“That’s right.  I mean, if I were her, I would’ve taken off looking for him right after the fight,” said Wakka.

“As mad as Kairi was at us, even she had no idea where to start looking,” said Naminè.

“So, what could’ve happened between yesterday evening and this morning that caused her to leave?” asked Riku.

“And there’s another thing that doesn’t make sense.  If Kairi really did leave to find Sora, how was she going to leave the Islands and get to the other worlds?” asked Naminè.

“Couldn’t she use that ship of yours?  What was it called?  The Gumbo Ship?” asked Wakka.

“Gummi Ship.  And she didn’t take it.  When I came here earlier from Radiant Garden in my own ship, I noticed the one belonging to Kairi and Riku was still parked in orbit,” said Naminè.

“And even if she did take it, there’s no way she could use it to get to the other worlds because she doesn’t know how to open up the Gates,” said Riku.

“But hasn’t she’s gone to the other worlds on her own before?  I mean, she did come back by herself after you guys fought a month ago,” asked Dorothy.

“That may be true.  But after Xehanort was defeated, Riku and the other Wielders closed up most of the Gates between worlds that Sora opened.  The only worlds that are still connected are Disney Castle, Radiant Garden, Twilight Town, the Land of Departure, and the Mysterious Tower.  And with the way Kairi’s been avoiding us and the rest of the Guardians, I don’t think she’d start any search for Sora in any of those worlds,” said Naminè.

“So, we still don’t know the why or the how she left,” said Tidus.

“Guys!  Look here!  I found something!” exclaimed Selphie.

They all turned toward Selphie who was standing on the other side of Kairi’s bed.  She was holding a folded piece of paper in her hand.

“I found this beside the bed.  It must’ve been blown there by the wind from the window. Maybe this’ll have the answers we need.”

“What is that?” asked Riku.

“It must be a letter from Kairi,” said Selphie showing the front of the paper. On it, in Kairi’s handwriting, were the words, ‘Mom and Dad’.

Dorothy rushed over to Selphie and took the note.  Everyone gathered around her as she unfolded it and read it aloud.

________________________________________________________________

Dear Mom and Dad,

First of all, I’d to say that I am really sorry for just leaving in the middle of the night.  You have both been the most wonderful parents I’ve ever known, and it pains me to know that I am hurting you like this.

But I couldn’t risk you or anyone else trying to stop me from doing what I know I have to do.

Anyway, last night, I was visited in my dreams by a mysterious woman.  She gave me a special talisman that’s supposed to take me a journey through the worlds to ‘where I need to be’.  

I can’t say that I completely understand it myself and I know it will be hard for you to believe.  All I know is that my heart is telling me that this woman can be trusted, and this talisman must be the key to finding Sora.

So that is why I left.  I don’t know how long it will be until I return. But I promise you that I will do all that I can to make sure that both Sora and I come home safely for good.

Love, now and always,

Your daughter Kairi

P.S.: I’ve sent Pluto to Riku’s house.  He should be able to get him back home to Disney Castle, so you don’t have to worry about taking care of him.

P.P.S.: If Riku or any of the others ask about me, just tell them that we’ll have plenty to talk about when I return with Sora.

________________________________________________________________

After Dorothy had finished reading the note, everyone stood in silence and reflected on what they had heard.  Though Kairi’s note had provided some kind of answer to their questions, it did not make them feel any better.  If anything, it had only raised more questions and increased their worry.

“What do we do now? How are we going to find her?” asked Dorothy.

“I don’t know.  But what we need to do now is call Mickey and everyone else and have them meet us at Yen Sid’s tower.  Maybe then we can make a plan to find her.  Dorothy, can we take that letter with us?  I think everyone should hear what it says,” said Riku.

“Yes, of course,” said Dorothy as she handed Riku the note.

“And before we do anything else, we’ll come back here and tell you and the mayor what our plan is,” said Naminè.  ‘We really ought to have provided Gummi Phones for Kairi’s parents as well as Sora’s and Riku’s.’

“Thank you.  I haven’t let Parker know what’s happened yet since he’s currently on the north side of the island.  But I’ll give him a call and he’ll probably rush right home. Hopefully, I can calm him down by the time you return,” said Dorothy.

“Really hope you can. I wouldn’t want to be here when the mayor finds out about this,” said Wakka with Selphie and Tidus nodding in agreement.

‘Wakka’s right. Aside from Sora’s parents, Kairi’s dad probably took the story of what happened during the Keyblade War the hardest. I can’t blame him since he had to hear that his daughter was killed,’ thought Riku.

“Come on, Naminè. We’ve got some calls to make. We’ll be back as soon as we can, Dorothy,” said Riku as he and Naminè rushed out of the room and downstairs toward the front door.

‘Oh Kairi.  What have you done?  Where did you go?’ thought Riku

________________________________________________________________

The Mysterious Tower, Present Time

As Riku and Naminè finished their tale, everyone stood in silence.  Mixed emotions travelled across their faces as they comprehended what they had learned.

Goofy scratched his head in thought.  “Gawrsh, Your Majesty.  Do ya think that Kairi’s onto somethin’?”

“I don’t know, Goofy. I think we’d all like to believe that after all this time, she’s found what we’ve been hoping for.  But this whole situation leaves me wondering about so many things,” said Mickey.

“Yeah.  Like who is this mystery woman who visited Kairi in her dreams?  And what exactly is this talisman she’s using?” asked Chirithy.

“Doesn’t it sound anything you’ve heard of before, Chirithy?” asked Ven.

“No.  As far as I know, there is no way to save Sora without paying the same price he did.”

‘And Sora would never want to be brought back at the cost of any one of us,’ thought Riku.

“Master Yen Sid, have you ever heard of something like this?” asked Aqua.

“I am afraid not, Master Aqua.  If Kairi had come to us with her talisman before she left, we may have been able to verify if its capability to save Sora was authentic,” said the sorcerer.

“Maybe it really is. Kairi wouldn’t have gone if she didn’t truly believe in her heart that it was the real thing,” said Xion.

“But remember, Xion, from what Riku’s told us, Kairi hasn’t been in the most reasonable frame of mind this last month,” said Terra.

“Terra’s right. Chances are, Kairi might be walking into a trap,” said Axel.

“What makes you think that, Axel?” asked Roxas.

“Think about it, guys. A way to bring Sora back is practically the perfect bait for Kairi especially since she’s been so upset about him lately.  She’d snatch that bait up without a second thought.  I’m sure a few people who’ve been in the same boat before would agree.”

Everyone once again stood in silence as they contemplated what they had just heard.  While it was true many of them had fallen prey to villainous manipulations before, part of them were also hoping, in various degrees, that Sora’s return was now a possibility.

It was quite a conundrum.  Was Kairi really on her way to bringing Sora back? Or was she being lured into a trap by some unknown adversary?

Yen Sid stroked his beard for a few moments before he finally piped up.  “Regardless of either possibility, I believe it is essential that we locate Kairi as soon as possible.  As one of the Princesses of Heart, she is a major target for the forces of darkness.”

“But how are we going to find her?  We have no idea to which world she may have gone,” said Donald.

“At least Pluto’s with her.  Her note may have said she intended to send him home through Riku.  But knowing my pal, he probably stuck with her.  He’s so fond of her that he’d never let her go without him,” said Mickey.

“Pluto!  Mickey, is there anyway to track him?  Because if we can find him, we can find Kairi!” exclaimed Xion.

In response to Xion’s question, Mickey shook his head.  “Sorry, Xion.  Pluto doesn’t have anything like that.  I never thought such a thing was necessary.”

Axel threw up his hands in frustration. “This is just dandy.  There’s near infinite worlds out there and they could be anywhere.  For all we know, they may not even be in the Realm of Light anymore.”

“Now, Axel, let’s not assume the worst just yet.  I actually have an idea of what we can do to try and find them,” said Aqua.

“What do you propose, Master Aqua?” asked Yen Sid.

“I think we should check in on the other Princesses of Heart.  If something strange is happening in their worlds or if they have vanished as well, it might lead us to a clue on how to find Kairi and Pluto,” said Aqua.

“But Aqua, other than Kairi, we only know the identities and locations of three of the new Princesses. The other three are still unknown to us,” said Mickey.

“I understand that, Mickey.  But the worlds of the new Princesses aren’t the only ones we should investigate,” said Aqua.

“I don’t follow,” said Axel.

“Of the previous seven, Kairi is the only one who has kept her power.  This may be a longshot but if Kairi was being lured by someone who wanted to gather all seven, maybe they aren’t aware that the others’ powers have been passed on,” said Aqua.

“That’s right. Even Sora, Donald and I weren’t aware of that until Marluxia told us Rapunzel was one of the new ones,” said Goofy.

“Like I said, it is a longshot.  But I think it’s the best we’ve got right now,” said Aqua.

“A longshot’s better than nothing,” said Roxas.

“So, if we’re going to check on the Princesses of Heart, both the previous and current ones, the question now is who’s going where?” asked Riku.

________________________________________________________________

Much later, after the meeting had concluded and their travel plans finalized, Riku stood outside the Mysterious Tower by himself.  Everyone else had already departed to where they were meant to go. Right now, he was waiting for Naminè.

‘I wonder what Master Yen Sid wanted to speak to her about,’ he thought just as the doors opened and Naminè stepped out.

“Is everything okay? What did he want to tell you?”

Naminè looked hesitant to answer.  Finally, she said, “He wants me to stick with you when you go searching for Kairi.”

Riku’s jaw dropped in surprise.  “What?! B-but, Naminè, it could be dangerous. You’re the only one of us who doesn’t have a Keyblade or any kind of fighting techniques.”

‘Besides, when my Replica sacrificed his chance to have a new vessel for you, I vowed that I would keep you safe for him.  And I want to actually keep a promise I made.’

“I know that, Riku. But Yen Sid doesn’t think you should be alone right now, and I agree with him.  And since Mickey’s not going to be with you this time, someone’s got to keep you on the road to dawn,” said Naminè.

Riku thought about what she said. ‘She’s right.  With Sora gone and Kairi missing now, there could be a big risk of me slipping back into darkness.’

“And if we do run into trouble, I know I can count you to keep me safe,” said Naminè offering a comforting smile to her friend.

Riku tried to return the smile.  But he still felt uneasy about the whole thing.  “I don’t really have a choice here, do I?”

Naminè shook her head. “Nope.  I’m afraid you don’t.”

Riku sighed in resignation.  “Fine. But don’t you go doing anything reckless while we’re out there.”

“I won’t.  I may not have been to many other worlds.  But I have seen Sora’s memories of them, so I’ve got a pretty good idea of the kind of dangers they have to offer.”

“Then let’s head back to the Islands so we can tell Kairi’s parents what we’re going to do,” said Riku as he headed in the direction of where the Gummi Ship was parked.

Naminè was about to follow when out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something standing near the edge of the tower.  It was Chirithy and it was waving to her as if it wanted her to come over.

“Um, why don’t you go ahead and get the Gummi Ship ready to go?  I just realized there was something I meant to ask Master Yen Sid about but forgot.”

“Okay.  I’ll wait for you in it,” said Riku as he headed off.

Once Riku was a good distance away, Naminè quickly walked to where Chirithy was.  After going around the side of the tower, she gazed down at the Dream Eater.

“Better make this fast, Chirithy or Riku’s going to get suspicious,” said Naminè.

“So, I’m guessing you haven’t told him what you’ve been up to lately with Ven, Roxas, and Xion?” asked Chirithy.

Naminè shook her head. “No.  I was planning on telling both him and Kairi if we succeeded in mending things with her this morning.”

“Did you ever think that maybe if we had told them sooner about your project, we might have avoided this?” asked the Dream Eater.

“Maybe.  But you know why we weren’t going to tell them until we had something definite.”

Chirithy sighed. “Yes.  We didn’t want to get their hopes up in case it turned out to be another dead end.”

“Right.  I only decided to tell them today because I thought it might persuade Kairi to fix things with some of the rest of them.”

“But are you going to tell Riku about it now?”

“I don’t think it’s a good time for it.  Not with Kairi missing.  But we can deal with this later.  We’ve got some worlds to check out.”

“All right.  I’ll pop in on the others and let them know we’re still keeping it a secret for now,” said Chirithy as it vanished while Naminè turned around and headed to where Riku had gone.

‘Kairi, I wish you hadn’t just left like that.  But I do hope that, wherever you and Pluto are, you’re safe and whatever came to you last night will give you better luck in finding Sora than what I was trying to do.’

________________________________________________________________

Onto the next chapter!

[nadziejastar]

You know why the Seekers having high levels of agency makes no sense? Because Xehanort wanted Sora as one! It's a plot point that doesn't work unless you assume that some level of mind control is involved.

LOL, exactly. How are you going to make Sora of all people a Seeker of Darkness if they are not just Xehanort’s puppets? What was the point of even going after someone like him? He would never help the bad guys willingly. So Xehanort obviously has to be able to fully control them on a whim. This is also a subject I had been meaning to write about.

KH3D ended with Xehanort NOT getting Sora, leaving him one Seeker short. Ooh, that’s exciting, now what’s he gonna do? I thought that his search for the final Seeker would have been a big part of KH3′s plot. But it really wasn’t. I thought that was so anticlimactic.By the time KH3 rolled around, Xehanort had so many Seekers lined up that he even had reserve members.

It’s funny. I remember a lot of people complaining about how all the villains got an undeserved redemption in KH3. After spending the whole game helping Xehanort, they randomly give a heartfelt speech at the very end. So, only once Sora defeats them do they grow a conscience? Everyone was asking why they didn’t have any remorse before.

There’s a big pillar of darkness that leaves their body after they’re beaten. It’s almost like that would have been Xehanort’s heart and darkness leaving them; thus, they’d no longer be controlled once it’s gone. They’d have their own minds and hearts back again. So, in that context, their little speeches would have actually made sense. I’m sure that was originally the idea, at least for characters like characters like Saix and Luxord. But when you have the characters acting in full control of themselves the entire time beforehand, these scenes seem ridiculous and lose all of their meaning.

Master Xehanort: All of this was decided. My twelve selves would welcome me here on this day, when I would return a complete person. It is the future which lies beyond my sight.

The story made it clear that not just anyone can become a Seeker of Darkness. He literally calls them his 12 selves. It apparently takes a very specific type of person to make a suitable vessel for Xehanort’s heart. That’s why most of them are Xehanort’s own alter egos; extensions of himself. His old self, his young self, his Heartless, his Nobody. Terranort and young Riku are also Xehanort, just while he’s possessing other people’s bodies.Vanitas is a being born of pure darkness. Only the strongest vessels can handle a heart like Xehanort’s. That’s why he targeted Terra in the first place.

Sora: Make more Xehanorts? You tricked your friends to… But you–aren’t you scared of just turning into someone else?

Xigbar: Me? I’m already half Xehanort.

Sora: That’s nuts��

KH3D also stressed the consequences of getting Xehanort’d. A totally willing person immersed in darkness is a candidate (if they are strong enough). But you’d have to be willing to sacrifice part of yourself; your identity, your mind, your agency. Few are crazy enough to do that. Braig just happens to be that nuts. But the rest?

Xigbar: Xemnas and Xehanort formed the Organization for a specific reason–round up a bunch of empty husks, hook them up to Kingdom Hearts, then fill them all with the exact same heart and mind. Translation–they were gonna turn all the members into Xehanort.

Xemnas: However–through weakness of body…weakness of will…or weakness of trust–most of the original members we had chosen for the Organization were inadequate. Thus, naturally, they never had a chance to attain their goal. Yet, even this was to be expected. We have learned of the heart’s folly, and we have achieved our other goals.

Xemnas never considered most of them truly worthy vessels. He needed to use the power of a fully completed artificial Kingdom Hearts, just to be able to use them as vessels… and even still they weren’t worthy. Xemnas says as much, and that they had to resort to “other goals”. Sounds like he gave up on all of the old Organization, other than Xigbar and Saix.

Weakness of trust is something that is supposed to exclude them from being worthy. So why all of a sudden are Marluxia and Larxene back again? They didn’t seem to be controlled exactly. But they didn’t seem to be willing participants either. There’s no way they trust Xehanort, though. He said he brought them to be Seekers due to their connection to the past and the Keyblade War. If they were so important to his plans, why did he send Larxene and Marluxia to get executed in Castle Oblivion for their treachery? It’s possible KH4 will answer this, but for now it makes little sense.

And if Xehanort can force unwilling people to be his vessels that easily, why didn’t Young Xehanort take any of the others with him when he took Isa? I just bought the BBS novel that came out a few days ago. I thought it was interesting how this little character blurb described Dilan. It says unlike Aeleus, he is adept at manipulating the hearts of others. Honestly Dilan sounded like a pretty bad person, even before Xehanort came along. That’s exactly the message I got from doing his weapon analysis, too. If anyone from the old Organization actually seemed like they would join the new Organization willingly, it would have been him and Braig. I am sure there was more to Dilan than what we got. He basically did nothing in KH3.

Aeleus: Dilan and Even are conscious again, but still unstable. They’re resting inside. -KH3D

Ienzo: He was recompleted like the rest of us, but he didn’t regain consciousness. After Lea left, he must have woken and taken his leave. -KH3

Then there’s this whole thing which I thought was weird. Aeleus specifically said that they both regained consciousness, but they were just unstable. And Ienzo is right there to hear this. He had to know. Yet in KH3, Ienzo says that he never regained consciousness.

I think there had to be a reason those two characters in particular were kept away from Lea in DDD. They were going to be important for something. The fact that Vexen and Demyx are “reserve” members just reeks of retconning. Like they were not supposed to be there originally and they didn’t know how to quite fit them into the story. So yeah, they’re just reserves. They even whine about getting “benched” which was really silly to me.

Besides Xehanort and Braig, I think Dilan and Even were the apprentices that were the most heavily involved in Lea’s dark past and the human experiments. That’s why he wasn’t allowed to interact with them yet. They knew the truth about Isa. Even probably was not willingly involved, and would feel remorseful to Lea. And he probably would have confessed the truth about Isa. It was necessary to the plot for him to be kept away from Lea. That’s my theory.

Xehanort: Roxas… Now, there was a worthy candidate. But, unfortunately, he became too aware of himself, and returned to Sora. Organization XIII’s  goal is to divide Xehanort’s heart among thirteen vessels. Thanks to you and Sora, we learned not all our candidates were fit for the task.

As for completely unwilling people being made into Seekers, they would need to be totally steeped in darkness, like Terra, where Xehanort can basically just hijack their body. But Terra put up way too much of a fight, and he couldn’t risk that again; Xehanort learned from that mistake. That’s why Roxas was a good candidate at first. He started off so spacey, and without much awareness. Of course, he didn’t stay that way for long.

I shall conduct the following experiments:

Extract the darkness from a person’s heart.

Cultivate darkness in a pure heart.

Both suppress and amplify the darkness within.

The experiments caused the test subject’s heart to collapse, including those of the most stalwart. How fragile our hearts are! My treatment produced no signs of recovery. -Ansem’s Report

Weakness of will is another issue. It is very tricky to make the person vulnerable to possession, but not have their heart totally collapse. If their heart collapses, they are too broken to use.If your’e too far gone, you’re no good; there is a point of no return. That’s basically how Xehanort viewed Ventus at the beginning of BBS. I think that’s why Xemnas was so desperate to find Ventus in 358/2 Days. His body was asleep, and his heart was elsewhere. He’s totally vacant, but his heart was not collapsed or broken thanks to Sora. Roxas became too aware, but Ven was a perfect vessel.

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

What it ultimately comes down to is: Xehanort needs a person who is devoid of a sense of self. Not broken; just lacking the mental capacity to reject his heart. The fact that Xehanort was resorting to mind control experiments shows how desperate he was to find someone like this, and how difficult it is to use someone as a vessel for his heart. And this is why I think Isa being “Subject X” is the only thing that actually makes sense to me. I mean, just look at how Nomura chose to draw him in the official artworks. He’s the only Organization member that just stares blankly ahead, while everyone else makes eye contact with the “camera”. That blank look is so similar to people who’ve lost their heart, like Kairi and Ventus.

It’s worth mentioning that the localization team chose the name “Recusant’s Sigil” for the “X” mark. When you recuse yourself, you remove yourself from a situation to avoid a conflict.A recusant is a person who refuses to submit to an authority or to comply with a regulation. That’s the exact opposite of what Xehanort would want in a person. It sounds like the “X” is something akin to a punishment for having too much of a sense of self. It’s a brand of ownership meant to break the person’s will. So I think if anything, Isa must have put up one heck of a fight before he recused himself. He definitely didn’t seem to have the “weakness of will” problem. Which is probably why he was so special. He had such a strong will that he lost his sense of self, but he didn’t completely break like everyone else did. He was a great vessel in that regard. “Subject X” possess all the qualities of an ideal vessel.

I mentioned this on the previous post about Axel, but deities like Shiva are often depicted with a dot directly between the eyebrows. This is significant because this is where the pineal gland is located, which is said to activate the Third Eye chakra on the forehead. It is also called the mind’s eye because it is the direct link between the mind and the physical world. It is also regarded as the highest feminine energy center in the body and the portal to the The Higher Self. This is generally regarded as a union with the divine source. Similar to the notion of the soul, basically. The true spiritual self. It is truly interesting to me that Saix’s scar is located directly between his eyebrows.

The symbol of death is situated directly on the source of his mind and soul. There’s no way that was just a coincidence. Also, it always seemed significant to me that Xemnas was covering Saix’s mouth in that picture. Nobody else in any of the official artwork has part of their face covered like that. It immediately stood out to me, since Saix was right up front and center in the illustration with Xemnas. Artists don’t just cover up a large part of a character’s face like that for no reason. I think it’s very symbolic that Xemans is covering Saix’s Throat chakra. Its emphasis is on communication and projecting authenticity into the world. When it is in balance we can express what we think and what we feel.

A question about Terranort. Ansem and Xemnas came from the splitting of Terranort. Does that mean that when they were defeated in KH1 and KH2, Terra was revived alongside Master Xehanort?

Nomura: By all rights, Terra should have been revived as himself at that point in time. However, his heart was still in the clutches of Xehanort, and it was unable to go back, and the shell of his body was the only thing that revived. Then, Xehanort brought the heart of Terranort from the past and put it in that shell of a body he once controlled.

If Isa’s heart had also been swallowed by Xehanort’s (which is what’s supposed to happen to those who get Xehanort’d) then it made perfect sense that they took him and only him. His heart wasn’t in his body. It was “captured”, as Nomura said. His body was just an empty shell, like Terra’s. A perfect empty vessel just waiting to be filled.

I thought I’d never see the word “replica” again. Any rational man would realize the Riku Replica was not likely unique, but I’m the only one in the Organization who knew of his exceptional copying functionality, and that he ultimately formed a sense of self. -Axel’s Report

Xemnas: The goal was to duplicate the Keyblade wielder’s memories, and through them, his powers–thus making them our own. Vexen oversaw the project at Castle Oblivion. However, our efforts were severely derailed by his unexpected demise. And this particular Replica–the one we called Xion–came to form an identity of her own.

Xemnas: We wanted the Key. Xion’s exposure to Roxas effected a transfer of its power, just as we had hoped. Had things stopped there, Xion would have been an unequivocal success. But then, through Roxas, Sora himself began to shape “it” into “her,” giving Xion a sense of identity. I was ready to scrap the whole project…

Lastly, I didn’t like the Deus ex Replica aspect of the story. How Xehanort could just use replicas to fill out his ranks. That was far too convenient, considering the Replica Program was an unfinished failure at the time of Vexen’s demise. Now he suddenly made that much progress so fast? Nah, I don’t buy it. The story made a big deal of this idea that the Replica Project was a failure, because even replicas will gain a sense of self over time.