#Donald and Goofy hugging Sora

[sunny1927]

KH2 manga ending kills me oh my days-

[thetrashthatsmilesback]

Sora, who has murdered people and then laughed about it (maleficent, shan yu, floatsom and jetsum, sinking several ships of actual humans in the Caribbean though to be fair this one IS kh3) when grabbed by two people lightly on the shoulders: this is so unfriendly!

[luxmoogle]

Your drawing of Donald crying over a picture of Sora made me think of Goofy experiencing the same heartache; like, he's at home with his son Max, and things are quiet and peaceful, but every now and then when Goofy looks at Max he can't help but be reminded of Sora. Out of the blue, Goofy starts crying. Max, knowing how much his dad misses Sora, hugs Goofy and does his best to comfort him 😢

[descendant-of-truth]

Just remembered that I have the Coded novelization, and while it doesn't add that much in the way of depth I thought it'd be fun to share some bits from it that I found notable

For example, here's some moments of Data Sora actually thinking about his real-world counterpart:

The other world with another Sora, data, bugs - Sora still didn't really get it all, but he felt just the tiniest bit of warmth in his chest when he was with these two. "Well, that right there is a sign you've found true friends!" Donald crossed his arms and said with a nod. "It's kinda fun to make the same friend twice," Goofy added. That did sound like fun. Sora wasn't sure what his counterpart in the real world was like, but he had to thank him for friends like these. I'm me, so that other Sora is and isn't me, I guess. What's he like, I wonder?

"Gosh, you sure went through a lot of trouble." "I'm sorry." Namine bowed her head. "I wish I could have told you all this in person. But the real me is gone now." The "real me"...? So where's the real Namine? Um, and if this is a world inside some data, then... huh? Then where - who is the real me? I'm this guy Sora, and Sora is me, but then this is a world made from memories, so...? Sora let out a long sigh, then smiled. "Um... guys? This is all way over my head... Am I dumb?"

Then there's this scene that might have been in the DS version? I haven't played it yet, but either way it's different from the movie in the collections:

"It's so... empty," Sora whispered uneasily, looking at his feet. Suddenly, a shock ran through him, as if something very heavy had been dropped onto his shoulders. "Aaah!" Sora cried as a ball of light shot out of him. The burden on his shoulders remained. His knees felt like they were about to give out under him. "Wh-what's going on? I feel k-kinda funny." It was like the energy had been sucked right out of him. What just happened? "Sora! You okay?" Riku came running up. "Riku! What about you? Are you all right?" Sora was still worried for his friend, though his legs were so wobbly he could barely stand. Riku gave him a small nod in reply. "You shouldn't be here. I can fight the bugs off a little longer... but they're spreading. Pretty soon they'll take over all my data." The bugs were starting to win. What would happen once their control was complete? "You feel weak, right? It's because the bugs have stolen your data. You won't last long in here. Take this and escape while you can."

I think it makes sense that there would be some kind of complication with Sora while trying to save Riku; it gives his warnings some more weight.

Speaking of Riku, they added a cute little high five between him and Sora when he clears out all the bugs in Riku's datascape:

"Thanks!" Sora held up his hand, and Riku gave him a high five. "The bug tried to use my power for itself, didn't it?" "Yeah... How'd you know?" Sora asked in return.

In general, characters are more prone to physical contact with each other in the novels compared to the original versions; Donald and Goofy give a few different hugs in this book alone. But because I'm a simple person who likes Soriku, this scene in particular made me happy:

"Wait, Sora! Where are you going? Sora!" Riku grabbed Sora by the arm as he started to run off. "The datascape won't hold together much longer! Sora, stop!" Sora had no intention of doing that. "Sora, are you crazy?" Riku urged, still with a firm grip on his friend's arm. "We can't just leave them! You heard Mickey. I'm going to find them!" "Find them where?! Do you have any idea where they are?" "Somewhere!" Sora snapped. Riku took hold of Sora by both shoulders and gazed into his eyes in an effort to get through to him. Sora stared right back. "Aren't you afraid?" Riku asked softly. "We're not just talking about losing some memories here. We could get erased. This whole world could get erased!" "Sure I'm afraid. Weren't you?" "Hmm?" Sora slowly removed Riku's hands. "You've been in my shoes. You've gone up against the impossible alone. Because you knew that was less scary than just sitting around and waiting for the end."

Like what was the REASON for this. Did the author realize that she omitted the specific detail of Sora holding Riku's shoulders like in the movie version and decide to make up for it here. That would be hilarious

We also get Sora threatening Pete, which was way funnier to me than it should've been:

"This is where it ends, Pete!" Mickey brandished his Keyblade. "It ain't fair! Sproutin' a new Keyblade is cheating. Better make a strategic retreat, before--" "Not so fast! First, hand over Riku... or else." Sora readied his Keyblade, too. "Uhmmm... Now let's talk about this..."

And finally, the scene that shook my perspective the most:

"Don't ever talk about Sora like that. He's our friend in this world and every other one, too!" Donald shouted, wriggling in the tiny space between his body and the wall to strike the blocks with his staff. the wall didn't budge, though. "Donald..." I'm so happy to hear you say that, but... I really am useless now. "Hmph, maybe on the outside, but he's just an empty shell. The kid don't got a heart," Pete continued. A heart? What's a heart?

Guys. No one's explained to Data Sora what a heart is. This automatically makes him one of the funniest characters in the series, because it means he's been dodging all of the emotional turmoil that's been the driving force of the series through a simple lack of information.

He has his own struggles of course, but out of every character that's been a protagonist in one of these games, he understands Heart Lore the least, and I find that incredible

[dailycupofcreativitea]

JUST FINISHED KH2 (REMIX) AND I'M SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

SORAAAA RIKUUUU KAIRIIIIU AHHHHHHHHH

THE BROMANCE AT THE END HAD ME SOBBING and...and....

(Spoilers)

I was literally jumping when Riku FINALLY admitted he was jealous of Sora. Riku!!!!!! He grew so much since KH1!! Their whole conversation had me screaming cause all the passive aggressiveness they were slinging at each other in KH1 was finally just...cleared away, and they professed their friendship openly. With ocean waves in the back...it was so refreshing!!! And bittersweet because they were both accepting their fate on the dark side (before Kairi calls them back).

When Riku hugged Mickey, knowing that Mickey helped Riku in CoM, I got so emotionallll

When Sora hugged and nuzzled Donald and Goofy I was sobbinggggg

I know there's technically more games than imply this ending wasn't that happy (ex. Roxas and Namine getting absorbed (?) into Sora and Kairi) but I'm an amateur noob and haven't played the other games yet so to ME this is happy 🥹🥹🥹

[riprenn]

ateez as kindgom hearts characters - a silly thread!

mingi as axel

tough on the outside but a depressed softie emo nerd 

secretly in love with that cute blonde puppy boy

actually it’s not that big of a secret he’s looking at him like he’s his whole world, would die for him in a heartbeat

sea salt ice cream is his love language  

he’s hot but also weird

yunho as roxas

puppy energy but actually pretty tough 

chaotic and funny 

always eats the ice cream the tall hottie brings him 

everyone knows he’s gay except himself

“we’re just friends hahaha omg that’s my bro”

“oh he died for me in a battle? hahaha that’s what bros do”

jongho as riku

acts like the oldest but is a baby inside

tough and strong 

just needs a hug tbh but never asks for it 

everyone always asks where’s riku, but never how’s riku 🙁

“I will destroy the fucking world and get an heartless an- oh yeah a hug from san will do to”

everyone wakes up with a little identity crisis right

seonghwa as aqua

too pretty to look at like fr get a grip 

but would actually whoop ur ass big time 

would I say thank you? ofc I would 

mommy of the group 

their pronouns are girl/boss

yeosang as moogle 

so cute but selling dangerous war weapons is his business 

gets underestimated because he squishy  

don’t ruffle his pom-pom, kupo

weird little creature get back into my pocket

the chances of him using his own weapons at night to come for you are low, but never zero

wooyoung as vanitas 

so fucking sassy 

actually a villain but he’s hot so who careeees

oh you want to kill me? if that’s what you say when you want to kiss and cuddle nowadays

if you would pull up his helmet and kiss his nose he would blush and giggle 

but also try to kill you with his sword afterwards 

black cat energy

san as sora

friendship is the blood that ruins through his veins 

you have a broken leg? friendship will fix it bro 

he’s saving the world but he just wants a forehead kissy 

“ofc donald duck and goofy are helping you save the world, whatever you say babyboy”  

sleeps with plushies at night, kills heartless at daytime

hongjoong as saix

looks intimidating 

is intimidating most of the time 

wants to kiss a pretty boy but forced to rebel against society and the world as a whole 

leader energy 

joining an organization with 99% pretty boys in it? I know what you are 

having that small waist for what? 

sexy dilf energy

[gala-xyzz]

hello tumblr i just woke up from this crazy dream

so in this dream, i was in the living room of my old house (a really big room with high ceilings and this ugly gray carpet everywhere), sitting in front of the tv cabinet with my wii turned on. i'm not sure what controller is in my hands, but it's definitely not a wii remote

anyways, there's only one game i can play, and it's some sort of kingdom hearts game. i don't remember the name, just that it had the word "dream" in it, but it wasn't 3d. the logo was totally different from other games (it was just big maroon text with a black outline). i boot the game up, and i'm talking to someone in the room about how nervous i am, but nobody's in the room that i can see. i get a response from a voice that one of my sisters (i think it sounded like mona?) telling me that i'll be fine and that i'm this close to completing the game

i'm on the start menu now. the background is a black with dark blue patches and is covered in stars. i look at my save file; apparently i'm on the final boss. i start it up, and get thrown right into the boss fight, thinking "i've done all of this before"

the fight begins. i'm on a long cobblestone path with weeds growing between the rocks, a grassy field to my left, a big river and a row of old houses to my right. the camera starts behind me, showing me a long, yellow dragon with red eyes. i can't see it's tail, the thing is that long. there is no end in sight to this path. in the top left of the screen, i am given my objective as the camera moves over to me: defeat and kill the dragon.

i am now playing as sora, though i'm not sure from which game, maybe kh2, except he has his kh3 haircut. i just know i'm playing as sora, with donald and goofy next to me. we are running on this cobblestone path, and we have to jump over these big rocks in the path, but for some reason they don't jump, and they eventually die

once they're dead, the dragon comes at me and kill me. i get a game over screen, but instead of being upset, i sigh and just try again. this time only goofy dies, and when the dragon reaches me i am ready for it. i attack it, but it never fights back, and i get through half of its help before it shoots up toward the sky. i follow it, but instead of donald for a companion, it's a german shepherd and a girl who looks vaguely like kairi.

we fight the dragon in space. it kills me again. i try again, getting back to the same point, this whole time talking to the disembodied voice of my sister, even though i don't remember a word i said. this happens a few times, but each time, something feels more and more wrong. until the final time i try again, where it is no longer the dragon i am fighting in space. it's sora, and i am playing as some blank shadow of a character, with no face or name, just a basic keyblade. i am alone. my companions are gone. all i hear is the game music

i fight sora. i win. he's crying in pain by the end. suddenly i am taken to a blue screen, with a sequence of numbers and letters on it. there is a white keyboard in my hand. i am prompted to type the numbers, but i am crying, because if i do this will kill sora for good. he is here in the room now, as his kh1 self, hugging my left arm, screaming and crying.

i remember the first handful of numbers/letters: O21b00000. after that, i don't remember the rest. but as i type, the numbers distort and look scribbly. there is a picture of a heart, and it breaks with each key i hit. i hit the last one, and sora screams loudly as beams of light shoot out of him. he is dead. gone. and i have won my game

i sit there as the tv turns off. i am dumbfounded and start crying. dearly beloved starts playing and i turn around, thinking "i have done this before" and i see sora, his kh4 self now, standing there with a smile. he's okay. i run over to him, screaming and crying, and when i hug him, i hear myself saying, "it's okay, you can wake up now."

i wake up. i'm on my couch. it's 8am and i need to feed the pigs.

what the fuck just happened.

[mythicalartistx]

Soriku in Novels Part 2 -

Part 1

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

As Sora looked at them together, he noticed his vision growing blurry.

"Sora..?" Goofy set a hand on his shoulder.

Donald peered into his face, "Crying for joy?"

"I'm not crying!" Sora turned away and scrubbed his eyes. He was not. There was no reason to cry when he was glad. Riku was alive.

I want to see him. I have so much to tell him.

"Riku..."

In the land of dragons, Sora sees himself and Riku when he looks at Shang and Mulan. It's the cutest thing ever. This actually happens in game too.

Though I want to point out how in the manga Riku ask Shang to give a papou fruit to Sora and Immediately Sora knows it's from Riku cause... "only Riku would do something like that" well umm... I don't know about you but that seems kinda.... 🏳️‍🌈🧐. So he tells Shang to give it to Mulan fully knowing the meaning behind the fruits and sees them as a romantic couple who both like each other, hoping their destinies will intertwine forever.

Also this is why Sora realizing he's alive in reunion scene doesn't make sense because he already knew from several other moments.

"Riku..." Sora looked up, holding tight to his friend's hand. "It's Riku... Riku is here. He knew that it was Riku's hand he clasped. It was bigger than the one he held a thousand times before, but in his heart, Sora felt it.

A knot of something he could barely define filled his chest. Clinging to that hand, to Riku's hand, Sora fell to his knees. "I was looking for you...!" Tears spilled all over and flowed down his cheeks as he pressed Riku's hand against his face.

As much as it is cute in the game, the novel adds so much more. It shows inside feelings. And Sora knew it is Riku's hand cause he felt it in his heart ahkshshshshsh— A HAND HE HELD THOUSANDS OF TIMES BEFORE!? He could have said he held it before or several times— but no he had to go with thousands of times.

And then he gets some sort of knot in his chest he could barely define??? I don't know ummm it kinda sounds like Sora might like him....

Then later he presses Riku's hand to his own face.... Um Sora, you are so cute when you interact with Riku that it's so obvious he likes him but He is so oblivious about it..... Man Riku must be really having to contain himself and make sure he isn't going to get flustered.

The next few are around a similar moment,

He thought he heard someone calling his name. Sora call me to, eventually pushing himself up. The first thing his eyes focused on was Riku—collapsed on the floor.

"Riku..!" Sora scrambled over to him and knelt down, perring into his face.

It belonged to a silver-haired boy.

The first person he pays attention to is Riku and then he peers into his face. Then the moment after this is just crazy.

Riku!" Sora flung his arms around the other boy, looking up into his face.

Far up. I know we haven't seen each other for a year— but Riku's so much taller! No fair!

Listen, he immediately flings his arms around Riku. That's so cute. I love how cute he is when he realizes Riku got so much taller. I think it's so funny how he wants to be taller but never does because Riku always growing. It be funny if he managed to get taller like one day and then Riku ends up surpassing him AGAIN.

That word from him had a terrible certainly to it. Sora's brows drew together and he moved closer to his friend again, staring into the face he'd missed so much.

"Seriously, Riku!" Sora grabbed his collar.

This is the lines, after the eyes couldn't lie/ myself scene. And oh ho we got some stuff. This scene in general is sad and you just want to hug Riku for all he's been through because he's clearly upset at himself for it and feels so much regret. Then Sora grabs his COLLAR. I bet he said the I'm not a sap line to hide the fact he was flustered. He's so close to him.

With that, Riku threw off his black cloak. In his hand was his own Keyblade— the Way to the Dawn.

"Yeah..." Sora agreed, seeing that the other boy was already leaving. He was only too happy to follow, "Riku!"

These two are so cute especially how Sora acts around him. Like he so happy to be with him. It's just so wholesome and great. I love their relationship, their friendship is also the cutest.

[princess-of-the-corner]

Fic Snip from Kingdom Hearts - Destiny Vault:

--

    The old man scoffed and adjusted his glasses.  “To think I crossed the Misty Stream to attend a trade partner’s royal’s ascension only to be trapped in a mystic curse,” he grumbled.

    Sora blinked, picking up on the mention of the space sector they had just passed through.  “Wait, what was that?”

    “Sora!” a familiar voice blurted from several feet away.  He turned to locate the source of the voice when a brunette in a purple dress ran up and wrapped him in a bear hug.

    Kairi and Mickey gasped as they recognized the girl.  Sora pulled her off to get a look at her face, and he was just as shocked as them.  “Rapunzel?”

    The princess of Corona laughed.  “It’s good to see you,” she said.

    Sora chuckled nervously.  “Uh, same.  But what are you doing here?” he asked.  “This isn’t anywhere near Corona.”

    “Well, the same thing that the rest of us are doing here,” the old man said.  “This kingdom has guests from many different kingdoms and nations spreading far and wide.  I am the duke representing Weselton, Arendelle’s closest trading partner.”

    Sora crossed his arms as he processed what he was being told, his confusion visible on his face.  “You… crossed the sea between worlds?”

    The Duke of Weselton nodded.  “As we have done several times in our many years of international relations,” he added, as if it should have been obvious.

    “M-Many years?” Sora parroted in bewilderment.  “But I thought the worlds were supposed to be separate, and people weren’t supposed to know that there were other worlds beyond their own.  ‘World Order’, Donald keeps telling me.”

    “That would be true for the common gentry,” a man dressed in a Colonial British naval uniform interjected.  “But governments and blue-blooded houses have known of the greater World for centuries, and have engaged in international relations with many of the other lands since we have been able.”

    Sora and his companions were taken aback.  People have been traveling between worlds long before them?  If so, then what was the point of the secrecy that Donald always used to give him grief over?

    Goofy leaned down to whisper into Mickey’s ear.  “Did you know about this, your Majesty?” he asked.

    Mickey shrugged.  “My experience with external relations was mostly related to my responsibilities as a Keyblade Master,” he replied.  “Though I guess that explains how Minnie and Scrooge understood it well enough.”

    “Kingdoms and nations that make business in commerce cannot well trade or profit much if their reach is a world border that stops two meters from the edge of their dominion,” the British merchant added.  “Were that so, the East India Trading Company would not exist.”

    “East India Trading Company?  I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere before,” Kairi mused.

    “Oh, there you are, Rapunzel.  I was wondering where you’d run off to.”  The party turned to the new speaker and recognized him as Eugene Fitzherbert, accompanied by one of the Kingdom of Corona’s royal guards.  He was dressed in more formal attire, donning a black suit with a purple vest marked with the sun-shaped sigil of Corona.  Sora smiled, putting his confusion to one side as he was simply happy to see his friend.  “Oh, hello there, Sora, Kairi, Mickey, Goofy.  Fancy seeing you here.”

    “Hey, Eugene,” Sora greeted.

    “Hang on.  The worlds had barriers separating them until a few years ago.  How have you been able to sail the Lanes Between before that?” Kairi asked.

    The trading company merchant smirked.  “We have our means,” he said cryptically.  “Although I’ll admit, we did enjoy the lack of barriers in the last few years, even while our business locations were being lost.”

    “But how do you reinforce your ships against the darkness of the Lanes Between?” Mickey asked.  “Especially for the crew members out in the open.”

    “Really?  I didn’t feel a thing,” Eugene remarked.  “Then again, I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

    “A-hyuck.  I guess you could say the same thing about Captain Hook’s pirate ship,” Goofy said, recalling how the vessel sailed around the Gummi Ship to ambush and capture them.  The trading company merchant frowned at the mention of pirates.

    Rapunzel shivered and did an erratic jig.  “Brrr…  My feet are freezing!” she complained.

    “Say, maybe we should find you some shoes,” Eugene suggested.

    “And a cloak, too,” Hans added.

    “It’s that blasted queen’s curse,” the Duke spat.  “That monster and her wretched sorcery.”

    Eugene was incensed at the Duke’s remarks against magic, as Rapunzel used to have powers and Sora and company had their magic, and they would by extension fall under his “wretched monsters” categorization.  He stepped up close to the Duke and glared down at him.  “Do you have something against magic, pal?”

    The Duke gulped in reaction to his threatening tone, then quickly composed himself and cleared his throat.  “As a matter of fact, I do,” he replied sternly.  His bodyguards gently nudged Eugene to take a step back.

    Eugene shrugged.  “I’ll admit, I’m not sure what answer I was expecting.”  The Corona guard rolled his eyes.

--

Yeah, I threw off the whole established understanding of the worlds here. (Though, honestly, at times it feels like this makes more sense.) And Eugene is really fun to write.

GOD THOUGH LIKE

I know there's probably a reason for it in-universe but they really should let the characters interact between worlds

[tharkflark1]

Sora is extremely huggable but he doesn’t seem to enjoy physical touch all that much? Like when anyone hugs him, he kinda startles for a moment before awkwardly hugging back (or just, doesn’t seem to properly pull them close). Other people have to reach out to him first.

I think the only people he seems to be okay touching normally are Riku, Donald, and Goofy. The only time we’ve ever seen him actively reach out to someone is Riku (DDD and when they save Aqua in kh3). And when Donald and Goofy reunite with him at the beginning of KH2 or when they comfort him in kh3.

And no I’m not counting when Sora threw himself in front of Terranort as it wasn’t something he was actively thinking about doing; was instinctive and had less to do with him actually liking the motion.

[flying-princess]

Sora is one of those characters who acts overly happy and surrounds himself with toxic positivity, A.K.A. Donald and Goofy. And there are so many things he suppresses. He might drive himself crazy. He needs a hug.

[herocarved]

"I'll always tell you this, as many times as you need to hear it; you are the most important person to me. I love you more than anything, and I will always do anything for you. You never have to feel bad for telling me something, asking me something, or wanting me to do something. I will love you no matter what happens, no matter what anyone else says. I know things have been hard, and being here has been scary, but I hope our time here has shown you that you are always my most precious person."

for @dawnled !

He finds Riku leaning against the rail of the balcony. The rain from earlier stopped, but there's still the occasional drip from above that helps to create a symphony of plink - plops . Below, the city continues as a constant, nagging buzz ; once upon a time, the noise bothered him. It grated on his ears, his nerves, his everything as he so desperately ached for the silence of the islands. Now, it's unnoticeable. He isn't sure if he should be glad for that or not.

Sora finds himself hesitating, just a little, by the sliding glass door that leads between the balcony &. the apartment as he watches Riku's back. He sees the steady breaths in the subtle rise &. fall of his shoulders &. the easy way in which the young man leans against the railing. There's something welcoming in the quiet strength he carries with him - but he also can't help but not want to disturb that serenity.

Sora's messy. He's chaotic, loud, restless, emotional, reckless - he's everything Riku isn't. But isn't that what makes them so strong together ? Their differences are their strengths - but still, Sora stands at the threshold of their apartment, lips pursed, eyes distant, heart thrumming with a quiet anxiety.

&. maybe it's his heart that Riku notices or maybe he knew from the beginning that Sora stood behind him. He straightens from his slouch against railing &. turns to look at Sora. Their eyes meet. He's drawn out of his thoughts, just as he's drawn to Riku's side by the hand that beckons him. He takes the offered hand &. although Riku's fingers are cool against his own, there's something profoundly comforting in the way their fingers twine together so easily.

Sora.

He's leaning into Riku's warmth when his attention is drawn up, up, up ; he looks at those seafoam eyes, those serious set of his lips, the furrow of his brows &. he knows he needs to listen.

But it's hard to hear those words, even though they're so full of devotion that he can practically feel the ache resonating in Riku's heart. The promises spoken remind him of those moments when Donald and Goofy made him feel small &. weak &. a burden to Riku. Don't bother him. Figure it out for yourself. The melancholy that settled so deeply into his heart after the harsh reprimands threaten to return. His eyes dip away, only to be drawn back by fingers against his jaw with Riku's resolution to be heard.

&. even if Sora could ever not believe Riku's words, it's impossible to ignore those eyes that are somehow both soft with his desire to love &. hard with that rigid determination to be heard.

The relief comes first. His chest feels lighter. Each breath comes a little easier. He smiles - not the forced smile that hurts his jaw, the smile that he shares when he's reminded heroes aren't allowed to be sad - but a real, genuine smile. My most precious person. Not a burden, not a distraction - but the most precious. He knows Riku isn't one for words. He speaks with his actions - with quiet hugs that envelope Sora in warmth &. keep the shadows at bay ; with forehead kisses or real kisses, full of that determined adoration that Riku's always so eager to share with him. To speak with words signifies a special kind of importance.

&. Sora wants to reciprocate that love with his own ; he needs to show Riku that nothing, not even his own crumbling self-worth, could possibly get between them.

His fingers tug free of Riku's - but they don't stay absent, as they instead settle on the man's hoodie. There they curl into the soft fabric and tug his dearly beloved down, down, down. Their lips meet. There's a moment where he thinks Riku might pull away in his surprise. That moment passes as their lips slot together, like two halves of a whole. He feels steadying hands on his hips, a stray thumb pressing against the brown skin beneath his shirt, &. for the first time in a long while, there's only love left to devour him.

As his arms stretch to curl around Riku's neck &. a hand buries itself into the thick nest of silver, he breaks away from the kiss almost regretfully. His lungs ache with the need to breathe, though, and his heart demands that he reciprocates more, more, more. Their foreheads touch &. all that's left are those sea saturated eyes.

"You're mine, too. There's nobody I trust or care more for than you. I don't want to be stuck here with anyone else. I love you, Riku."

[phoenix-downer]

Where I Belong Chapter 3

Fog and Sleep: ~3170 words. After Sora disappears, Kairi spends a year asleep so her heart can be searched for clues. When she awakens, she trains with Aqua until she’s ready for her first mission: a visit to Olympus Coliseum with Donald and Goofy to follow their best lead they have on finding a dead person. 

Story Info: Sora/Kairi. Starts during the end of KH3/during ReMind and moves into KH4. Kairi POV. Angst, Romance, Fluff.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Kairi was home now. Her world tour with Sora was over, and his time on this world was almost through. They were sitting on the paopu tree as if nothing had happened since the last time they’d sat here and shared the fruit that had altered their destinies.

She wished they could go back to that moment and redo everything that had happened at the Keyblade Graveyard, but they couldn’t. 

He was smiling at her with this radiant, serene look on his face, like he couldn’t be happier than to spend his final moments with her. This sunset was one of the most beautiful ones she’d ever seen on Destiny Islands, and yet his focus was completely on her, like he thought she was the most beautiful sight he could possibly see.  

She was trying really hard to keep it together. Trying to be brave. Trying not to cry. She didn’t want his last memory of her to be of her sobbing her eyes out. She wanted their parting to be a happy one. Or if not happy, then at least bittersweet.

He tilted his head and sighed. The way he was looking at her…was he gonna try to kiss her? He had that same look in his eyes as before.

But instead he gently squeezed her hand. “I love you,” he said, the words simple but spoken with all his heart. Spoken so softly only she could hear, but with the full force of his confidence behind them. Her eyes widened and her lips parted, then she smiled bigger than ever, a tear rolling down her cheek. 

To hear the confirmation in his own words, in his precious voice, made her so happy she could sing; to know it was because he was about to die made her feel like weeping. 

Instead she did neither, just smiled a pained, bittersweet smile as he faded away before her very eyes, hoping he’d understand what she didn’t have the words to say. It all happened so quickly, and all too soon he’d vanished like he’d never even been there.

Sora was gone. He was really, truly gone, and the universe felt so hollow and empty without him. 

Even though Kairi had had plenty of time to prepare for it, his disappearance still felt like someone had torn her heart out and ripped it into shreds. She slumped and curled in on herself once she no longer had to be brave for him. The sun was gone like it had taken him and all the light in the universe along with it, and a cold wind tore at the leaves of the paopu tree, whipping them back and forth.

The others tried to comfort her, but she barely registered their presence. Nothing could change the fact that Sora was gone. No amount of nice words or warm hugs made any difference.

She cried and cried and cried until she couldn’t cry anymore, then came the numbness like a fog. Everything was pointless, just like Hercules said. Life apart from the person she loved most felt empty. 

And like a fool she hadn’t told him she loved him too. He’d told her he loved her as they’d sat on the paopu tree together, and all she could do was smile and cry. He’d wanted to kiss her, too, she just knew he had, but he’d run out of time and chose to tell her he loved her instead. And she didn’t even have the decency to return the favor. 

Now she’d never be able to tell him she loved him. If only she’d done so before he’d disappeared.

A part of her hadn’t wanted to tell him, because then it would mean he was gone forever. That she had nothing else to say to him. This way, she had to find him again to tell him what he deserved to hear. 

Or maybe he was gone forever without any confirmation she loved him. 

No, she couldn’t think like that. Sora deserved better. She’d find him, she had to. And so she volunteered to go to sleep so they could search her heart and memories for any clues as to his whereabouts. 

An entire year like this passed till at last they found a lead. But Riku and Riku alone went after Sora. She was scared she’d mess things up again. Afraid she’d be a burden and get Riku killed too. And Riku had concerns of his own about her going with him. 

But that didn’t mean she had to passively wait at home. No, she had to get stronger, faster. So she asked to train with Master Aqua. She needed to be better than ever if she wanted to have a shot at helping Sora.

And so the months passed until finally, Master Aqua thought she was ready for a mission. So here she was on the Gummi Ship with Donald and Goofy, accompanying them as they followed their best lead on finding a dead person. The ship whirled and whizzed through the stars, dodging asteroids and battling Heartless ships and collecting treasures.

Donald was driving, which normally would’ve been Sora’s job. Another reminder that he was no longer with them. She and Goofy were on the other two seats flanking the driver’s seat, and she wondered about all the times Sora had ridden in the ship with them. What kinds of jokes they’d told, what they’d talked about. If he’d ever confessed anything about her or—

“Sora took ya to Herc’s world before, right Kairi?” Goofy asked, trying to make small talk with her. She knew she was a bit of a stick in the mud these days, and Goofy’s little moments of kindness cheered her up in spite of herself. 

“That’s right,” she replied. “We went before he…disappeared.” She didn’t have the heart to say Sora was dead. She just didn’t. 

“I bet it was nice,” Donald said, chiming in. He was carefully maneuvering the ship past a crystalline rock formation, and Kairi sighed and wished she could share this moment with Sora. He’d have some comment to make about its shape, about the way the pink rock shone and sparkled.

“It was,” she said. “It was really nice.” Tears threatened to well up in her eyes again. It had already been a year and a half since he’d disappeared, and yet the pain still felt so fresh sometimes.

Goofy gave her a knowing look. “I’m sorry we’re not goin’ back under better circumstances.” 

“It’s okay. I’m just glad I can be useful for once.” 

Donald and Goofy exchanged glances. “Kairi…”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to sugarcoat things,” she said, smiling ruefully. “It’s my fault Sora isn’t here. If I had been strong enough, I wouldn’t have gotten kidnapped, and if I hadn’t gotten kidnapped, Xehanort wouldn’t have been able to strike me down, and if Xehanort hadn’t struck me down, Sora wouldn’t have had to—” 

“Waaak!” Donald cried, popping out of the driver’s seat and startling her. “Enough of that, it’s not true.”

Goofy nodded. “It’s not. Don’t blame yourself for the things Xehanort did.”

She sighed deeply. Hadn’t she told Sora the exact same thing? Why was she so much harder on herself than she was on everyone else? 

Don’t hate yourself, Kairi, she urged as she fiddled with her necklace. Sora didn’t. Doesn’t. 

“Besides,” Donald continued, “you’ve been training! You’ve gotten a lot stronger.” 

“Ya have!” Goofy nodded. “Aqua’s real proud of ya, a-hyuck.” 

“I hope I live up to her faith in me,” Kairi said quietly. She’d let everyone down before. She didn’t want to do it again. And Aqua had poured so much into her training. She couldn’t bear the thought of disappointing her.

“And you know who else has faith in you?” Goofy asked. 

“Who?” 

“We do!” Donald crowed, and Kairi couldn’t help but smile a little. Donald and Goofy were always so encouraging, so uplifting. No wonder Sora enjoyed traveling with them so much. 

“And of course there’s one other person who has faith in ya too,” Goofy said.

“You mean Sora?”

Donald and Goofy nodded. Kairi knew that was true, or at least it had been true. But she and Sora had been separated for a year and a half now. Wherever he was, did he still believe she would find him, or had he given up hope? She felt like Psyche wandering the ends of the earth and for what? Sora was still hidden away from her.

“I just want to see him again, you know?” she mumbled, fiddling with her necklace. “Just one more time…” One more time so she could tell him what she needed to tell him. That was all she asked.

“I’m sure he wants to see you too.” Goofy smiled, and she felt a little less lonely, a little less hopeless. 

“And he will when we find him and bring him home,” Donald promised. “The first thing he’ll want to do is give you a big old hug.”

Kairi nodded. That was what they were here for. They all just wanted to find him and bring him home. 

After a rocky descent (quite literally considering how close they came to hitting Mount Olympus a few times), Donald parked the Gummi Ship in a lush green meadow outside of Thebes that was full of wildflowers. The ship sputtered as its engines shut down, and Donald and Goofy popped out of their seats.

“Sorry for asking, Donald, but why don’t we just park the ship at the Coliseum?” Kairi asked as they gathered their things and got ready to disembark. That would mean they’d get to their goal (Hercules) a lot faster, but instead Donald had chosen to park in the middle of nowhere.

“The world order!” Donald said, holding a finger up. “The people here aren’t anywhere close to this level of technology, so we gotta hide the ship!” 

“Donald’s right,” Goofy said as he grabbed a few extra potions from the ship’s stores and tucked them into his baggy pockets. “We gotta hide the existence of other worlds from most folks, so we hafta sneak around a little, and sometimes that means parkin’ the Gummi Ship in odd places.”

“Ohhhh, okay, gotcha,” Kairi replied. That made sense. When she and Sora had gone on their world tour, he hadn’t held back on using the Power of Waking since he had nothing left to lose, and that meant they got to pop in and out of worlds at their leisure. With the Gummi Ship things were different though. 

“I’m guessin’ Sora didn’t explain this to ya?” Goofy asked, and Kairi shook her head. 

Donald sighed dramatically and rolled his eyes. “Figures. He never was very good at sticking to the rules. Kept getting confused too and thought I was talking about a world border…” 

Kairi giggled into her hand. “That sounds like him.” Man, she missed his dorky self. He’d never been super booksmart, but he made up for it in just how good he was at reading people. He was really good at learning how his enemies fought and using their tactics against them, too. Maybe the teachers at school just didn’t know how to play to his strengths.

Goofy scratched his head. “Hmmm, I don’t know that he was confused about the concept, just how you said it.”

“WAAAAK!” Donald protested, quacking loudly and indignantly. Kairi burst into laughter and Goofy covered his mouth with his hands as he giggled. Donald scowled at them both, fuming, which just made them laugh even harder until he finally relented and joined in their revelry. 

When they’d laughed themselves out, Goofy asked if she was ready to go.

“Oh! I just need to grab one more thing.” Her new pink and black coat that the fairies had given her. It was knee-length and paired nicely with her black boots. She put the coat on over her white blouse and black skirt with plaid ruffles, then glanced at her reflection. The passage of time was visible in her appearance: her hair was longer again and she’d gotten taller. Curvier. She was never going to be some leggy, statuesque supermodel, but she wanted to look nice and well put-together. For her own sake, of course, but also because…

If she found Sora, she wanted him to think she was beautiful. She understood why Psyche had looked in that box with Persephone’s beauty in it despite being warned not to. A year and a half away from Sora��what if he’d met someone else? Someone prettier and funnier and cuter? What if he’d rather be with that person instead of her?

“Ready?” Goofy asked again, interrupting her thoughts. This time she nodded. There was no point in torturing herself over things she didn’t have the answer to. All that mattered was finding Sora. The rest could come later, because it was time to go to the Coliseum.

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

“You want to go back to the Underworld?” Hercules asked, eyeing their group quizzically. They were at the Coliseum at long last, and he’d just finished a round of training with Phil and Pegasus. Their little group was hanging out in the atrium by the entrance, and a bunch of trophies and awards lined the walls.

Kairi, Donald, and Goofy all nodded.

“Are you crazy?” Phil demanded. “Most people never want to set foot in there even when they’re dead, let alone when they’re alive!”  

“Well, Sora’s dead, so we figured that might be a good place to search for clues,” Goofy explained. 

“Trust me, we’ve already looked,” Hercules said, his head drooping. “Pegasus, Meg, Phil, and I spent days searching as soon as we heard the news.” 

Pegasus nodded, his head drooping too. Kairi gently stroked his forehead, and he whinnied softly. It seemed like just yesterday she and Sora had had their exciting flight on his back.

“Did you talk to Hades?” Donald asked. 

Hercules started and rubbed the back of his neck. “Well, um, he doesn’t like me very much. I ruined his plans for world domination, so…” 

“A-ha!” Donald cried. “So you haven’t talked to the one person who could help!” 

“I tried talking to him, trust me!” Hercules protested. “But you know how he is. He said, ‘You think I’m gonna help my greatest enemy find the little runt who keeps putting a damper on my plans?’ And then he doused his own hair, laughed at his own joke, and disappeared with a puff of smoke. I haven’t been able to find him since. And Meg doesn’t want to work with him again, she was his prisoner for years.”

“That’s okay,” Kairi hurriedly said, waving her hands. “I don’t want Meg to be stuck with him again, and you’ve done all you can to help.” She turned to Donald and Goofy. “That means it’s up to us to find him and talk to him.” 

Goofy scratched his cheek. “I don’t know that he likes us much either,” he said, frowning, “but gawrsh, it’d be worth a shot if he could help us find Sora.” 

Donald chuckled nervously. “I know he doesn’t like us, but I would do anything to find Sora.”

“Me too,” she said. “Besides, he’s never met me, at least I don’t think he has. Maybe he’ll be curious enough that he’ll give me a chance.”

“Kairi, be careful,” Hercules warned. “The kinds of deals Hades makes…they’re always for his benefit and no one else’s. I only got the better end of the deal because he didn’t count on my godhood being restored after I saved Meg.” 

Phil stomped over to her. “Three words, Freckle-Face: Don’t be a schmuck!”

Donald and Goofy tilted their heads and counted the words to see if they matched up with what Phil had said. They did not, which made Donald cackle under his breath and Goofy plaster his hands over his mouth to keep from laughing.

Kairi rested her hand over her heart. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I’m no goddess, but I do have powers beyond what most people have. That might be enough to entice Hades…and keep me safe.”

“Powers? What kind of powers?” Hercules asked, tilting his head. 

“She turned Sora from a Heartless into a human again!” Donald crowed. 

Goofy nodded vigorously. “And she stopped him from dyin’, too.” 

Hercules gave her another look. “Wow, seriously? Now that is impressive, Kairi. Are you sure you’re not a goddess of some kind?”

She waved her hands in front of her. “No no, not at all, I’m just a regular girl. I just so happen to have a Keyblade thanks to my friend Riku, and then I—”

Goofy cupped a hand around his mouth and dropped his voice to a loud whisper. “Kairi here is a Princess of Heart, and her light’s helpin’ hold the worlds together.” 

Donald nodded and also dropped his voice to the best approximation of a whisper he could manage. “We think that her heart of pure light combined with her feelings for Sora gives her powers beyond what a normal Princess of Heart has.” 

Hercules’s face lit up. “A-ha! The power of love. Never underestimate how strong that is, Kairi. It saved my life, and it saved Meg’s too.” 

“You called?” Meg said. She was lounging against the doorway, a half-smile on her face. They all greeted her and caught her up about what was happening, about what they were planning.

“Ugh, sorry you have to deal with the devil,” Meg said, shuddering as a look of pure disgust crossed her face. “I’d offer to help, but I never want to see that snake oil salesman’s ugly mug again.” She looked right at Kairi, her gaze unflinching. “Hercules is right, you’ll need to be careful about what kinds of deals you make with Hades. Under no circumstances should you exchange your freedom or your life for power from him.” 

“Got it,” Donald and Goofy said, but Kairi said nothing.

“I know it’ll be tempting to offer your soul in exchange for Sora’s,” Meg continued, and Kairi fidgeted because it was like Meg was seeing right through her and the possible plan she’d cooked up, “but trust me, there are always strings attached to his little deals. You’ll wind up a puppet and a pawn, and Sora’s soul won’t be worth whatever he offers you.” 

Kairi hesitated for a moment, then finally said, “Understood.” So her original plan was a no go. That didn’t mean she couldn’t think of something else. 

Meg looked to Hercules. “Well, Wonderboy? We might not be able to go with them, but we can take them to the entrance, don’t you think?” 

“We can do that much for sure, and we’ll stand guard at the entrance until you return.” 

“If you scream IX-I-I, we’ll know to come running,” Phil said, and Pegasus nodded.

“Thank you,” Kairi said, grateful for the help of their friends. Donald and Goofy thanked them too, and with that, their group set off for the Underworld.

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A/N: Thank you all for reading! I really enjoyed writing the Kairi, Donald, and Goofy friendship moments in this chapter. See you next week! 

[starlightshadowsworld]

You know who desreves a break?

Sora.

Sora deserves the biggest warmest hug, a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows and a day off from everyone's shit.

My boy had to go save his best friend from his other best friend.

Went all over the world's to find them.

Literally gave up up heart for a bit to save Kairi, became a heartless and than somehow managed to return.

Donald and Goofy drop his ass the second it's revealed Riku was the chosen one and not Sora.

Because yeah they have a duty to fulfill but the fact they thought it was okay to just abandon him in some random ass world like yesterday's rubbish.

Is just all kinds of awful.

Fuck me I'd never trust anyone again if I was Sora.

And yeah he gets em back and everything's fine.

Cept everything is not fine.

The mark of mastery exam is bullshit.

The whole thing was bullshit.

And the nerve, the nerve people have to make fun of Sora and tease him for not passing.

Is complete bullshit.

The whole thing was hacked.

Xehanort was this close to claiming Sora's soul.

I'm sorry when was that part of the test?

Thank fuck for Lea.

And just oh Sora your not a master why didn't you try harder and not get almost Norted.

Talking as if he hasn't saved all of your collective asses.

Multiple times.

Mock and make fun of him all of the time and laugh when he's upset.

Sora is the single most kindest best person in the world's.

He gave Ventus sanctuary as a kid because he heard a person in need.

How sweet is that?

I just know Ven absolutely adores him.

How can u not?

And yet these asshole's are always on his back for something he literally had no power over.

Riku literally turned evil and no one says anything.

But Sora almost got possessed and he's the actual worst.

I hate it here.

Sora deserves only good things.

[wh3r3sth3l0ve]

Sora x Tifa

Part 28

Part 27 below

Riku took a sip of his drink and raised his glass to Tifa with approval.

- Me, you know me. I’ve been fighting a lot and struggling to keep my balance between light and darkness. Finding you was my only motivation, I was really worried. Weird thing was that at one point I lost track of you.

Sora smirked with sadness.

- Yeah, it means I did my homework. I was introducing myself as Rose and I grew my hair. I’ve changed so much that Tifa and Cloud didn’t recognize me at first. Of course it worked the other way as well, because of that amnesia thing.

Sora took a sip.

- What about the others? Mickey, Donald, Goofy?

- Well, they’re looking for you too. I met them a week after you left and told them everything. They were traveling together but eventually Minnie and Daisy got so pissed that they had to go back for a while. - he laughed. - It was two years ago. Don’t know what’s going on now, ‘cause my gummi phone’s broken.

- And what about… - Sora noticed Tifa’s eyes narrowed immediately.

Riku sighed deeply.

- Kairi’s been crying everyday since you have left. I visit her once a month. She’s not what she used to be.

Tifa thought she would feel satisfaction, hearing about her sadness but she just felt sorry for her. Sora’s face gloomed, he didn’t know how to feel about it. The awkward silence lasted for a minute but Sora broke it with:

- I can’t come back. I don’t want to. - he looked at Riku. - I’m in love, I’m happy here.

- Got it. - Riku nodded.

- But I’m also happy to see you. Would you stay for a while?

- I can spare a day or two but what then? What do I say to her when I come back? I made a promise that I’ll find you and take you back to the Island.

- Then you’ll have to break the promise. I’m really sorry but I won’t let him go. - Tifa said firmly.

Riku looked at her quickly and moved towards Sora again.

- You can’t make me tell her that you don't want to see her. It’ll break her.

Sora slowly shook his head, looking down at the countertop.

- Look at me. - Tifa said straight to Riku’s face. - He’s been broken already. You want too much from him, I won’t let him go. - she was getting angry.

- Then come with us! Do what you want but don’t make me say such things to her!

Those words surprised her.

- Sora? What do you think about it? - she asked her partner.

- I don’t know, I really don’t know if I want to see her again. - Sora whispered.

- Oh, come on! You both have made so much for each other. Don’t dump all of this!

- It was her who dumped me! - he shouted with tears gathering in his eyes. - I may not remember much but I know that all I did was for her!

The voice in Sora’s head started ominously snickering but he was too angry to pay attention.

Riku was trying to remain calm.

- I just think that she deserves, after everything that happened between you, to hear the truth from you.

“Yes, yes, the truth that you abandoned her.” an evil whisper said. Sora stiffened instantly. “She deserves something but you don’t. You are nothing…”

Tifa reacted straight away, she ran out from behind the bar top and made Sora sit on the floor.

- Look me in the eyes and breathe with me.

- What’s going… - Riku was clearly shocked.

- Shut up! - she didn’t even bother to look at him. - Sora, stay with me, I’m here.

But he was so scared of the voice coming back, he didn't even notice Tifa’s face in front of him.

- No, no, no, no… - he was already in tears, with an absent gaze.

“Worthless! Junk! Miserable! Ha ha ha ha ha, that’s pathetic!”

- Shit! - Tifa tried to remain calm. - Quick, help me!

- What do I do? - Riku was frightened. He’s never seen anything like this before.

- Talk to him, get his attention somehow.

Sora screamed with fear. She hugged him as tight as she could and started stroking his head.

- Sora! Look at me! You’re okay, you’re safe, you hear me? We’re both here with you. - Riku was trying to get him back to reality.

- Go away, please, go away… - Sora was sobbing quietly, hanging at the edge of consciousness.

Tifa felt his body get weirdly limp.

- He fainted. - Riku couldn’t believe his eyes.

[braveheartstoryteller]

Beautiful Letdown

The first time I saw the ending of Dream Drop Distance, it was a bit of a letdown. I felt like Riku when he says: "Wait? Haven't we got this backwards?" Just where was this emotionally cathartic moment I was expecting? How dare the writer subvert my expectations! Heh... No, the writer was right to do this. After some study this ending has quickly become one of my favorite endings in all of Kingdom Hearts. There are so many details in its subtext. For fun, I'm going to try to unpack it all here. If that sounds like a fun read, there is more under the cut.

In Which Sora Puts on a Mask The scene begins in the Mysterious Tower. After Riku wakes up, the camera pans over to Sora, Donald and Goofy...having a tea party. It all feels a bit odd, right? Why a tea party? It feels a bit childish, right? Yes, exactly. As the ending goes on, we'll come back to this idea of childhood, and what that represents. For now, I'll just point it out. After a few seconds, Riku says "hey!" to get Sora's attention. It's now we finally get to see Sora's face. He's wearing a mask. One of those goofy masks with a pair of glasses, and a fake mustache. I had them when I was a kid. Though that pink nose is something else.

Again we return to that same idea: childhood. But I think it means more than that. We often hide behind masks. So what is Sora hiding? As Sora realizes his best friend (and shall I say brother from another mother) is awake, he takes off the mask. He's incredibly relieved to see Riku alright.

This is further highlighted in Sora's actions after. Sora tackle hugs his friend, saying: "You're safe! Riku!" This seems to point to fear. I won't get into it too much here, because that's a whole another post. However just before this, Sora went through an emotionally painful ordeal. By highlighting Sora's fears over losing Riku, it gives a nod to Sora's deeper fears and discomfort. Everything has changed, but Sora isn't quite ready to face any of that. After Sora's gathered himself together, and he's thanked Riku and the rest for their help, the focus changes to the reason why they are there in the first place: the Mark of Mastery exam. As the scene shifts, we are given an other shot of the exact same mask from before, now laying on the floor. What could that mean? There are a couple of reasons that come to my mind. One, it might be a reminder that Sora casted off his mask. Or two, it may mean he is still wearing that proverbial mask, as it were. So which is it?

As Yen Sid tells both Sora and Riku the results of the exam, only one is named a keyblade master: Riku. Sora congratulates his friend, with much enthusiasm. Then, Goofy says something interesting: "Gee, Sora, you're kinda acting like it's you that passed." An over-reaction like that usually means something deeper, and the fact that we had a shot of the mask before, gives us a clue as to why. Sora is hiding his deeper discomfort inside, it's a mask. While it is clear Sora is happy for his best friend, deep down his own heart hurts over what happened to him. This is further highlighted in what happens next. In Which Sora Searches for the Dream Eaters The scene shifts again, this time outside of the Mysterious Tower. Sora is preparing to leave, to go off alone. His back is turned to the rest the whole time save for one moment after Riku tells him to be "very careful."

This clearly concerns the rest. At one point Donald asks if Sora will be alright, meaning "you sure you don't want us to go with you?". Sora tells him yes, and that he won't be long.

After this, the others watch as Sora opens a gate and travels on to Traverse Town, where all this comes full circle. It's hard to face what we thought was true, but actually wasn't. By this time Sora has told to his face that the keyblade didn't chose him. He's discovered he's been used and lied to over and over again. His own heart betrayed him because of the emotions within it.

In the moment that he fell into the deepest, darkest pit of slumber, his childhood ended. Everything he'd found safety in, had been torn away, even Riku seemed far away.

He wasn't alone, but it sure felt that way.

So in reaction to the upheaval, Sora went back to a place he felt safe. A place that represented sanctuary, with the hope of finding creatures that reminded him of what he lost: his childhood. Traverse Town was the place Sora found himself in after being thrust into his own hero's journey. He'd found allies there, as well as a bit of sanctuary, in a world that was being torn apart by darkness. This time around though, Sora went to Traverse Town hoping to find the Dream Eaters, creatures that had been his traveling companions throughout his Mark of Mastery exam. They remind me of colorful stuffed animals, of a toy...something a child would like. Of one's own childhood. Sora needed comfort, so he turned to something that he knew. Something that represented safety.

Seriously, just look at that face. :) Smooshed between two Dream Eaters, including a rather bizarre looking teddy bear/panda thing. For that moment, Sora gets to be a kid again, to take joy in childlike things. He finds a bit of solace, after all that had happened to him. And we, the audience find a bit of that as well. In Which We Find a Conclusion In the end, we find an ending that manages to tell two sides of the same coin. It shows us how Sora's experiences changed him, propelling him forward towards young adulthood, while also reminding us, he is still, well, Sora. In a way Sora goes both forward and backward. On one hand he choses to go on alone, giving himself space between what happened, as well as the others. It's not hard for me to imagine that he needed "space" to process. All while going a bit backward, embracing his childhood again by finding the Dream Eaters. Giving himself time and space to face his new reality. There are better written stories in Kingdom Hearts. However, Dream Drop Distance will always have my heart. Despite its darker themes, KH3D has a joy about it that I love. It's ending reflects this, giving us that subtext, while still embracing the joy, that the whole story had from beginning to end. The writer kept true to his story, and I am glad he did.