#I’m going to break yen sids legs

[k-i-ssmyash]

I think about them a lot

Give em a break Yen Sid

Hope y’all like soriku cause uh—

[sassyduckqueen]

A Little Bit of Magic- Lukanette Halloween

Hello guys! It’s been a while but I am back (kind of). I’ve been in a bit of the slump recently. Long story short, personal things going on affected my ability to write but I’m working through them. I can’t promise I’ll be updating ROA straight away but hopefully I’ll get back into the swing of it. Anyway, here’s some spooky lukanette fluff for you that I wrote for Halloween (even if I’m a little late in my country) and the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers​ 500 followers. Congrats on that by the way guys. Proud of ya! Now admittedly I couldn’t find a prompt from the given list that jumped out at me so I went through some of the older prompts that had been used before and ended up picking cursed so here’s what I’ve done with it. I hope you enjoy it and I hope everyone had a good Halloween :D

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Marinette licked her lips nervously as she paced outside of the shop she had come to visit. Well, visit wasn't exactly the right term. Actually it kind of was but not because she intended to visit. Well, she did but she was here because she felt like she was running out of options. Recently she had experienced severe bad luck that seemed to get worse each day. At first it wasn't bad like pricking her finger with her needles or losing some fabric that she needed for a commission. Annoying but not bad. However, it began to increase. Briefly misplacing her foot soon turned into her falling down a couple of stairs but it didn't stay like that. Soon she found herself getting more and more injured. Her parents got increasingly worried so they made her go to the doctors, despite being an adult yet despite their tests, they found nothing and then the 'bad' luck took a more mysterious turn. Exploding lights and cars nearly hitting her. Animals began to act weird around her, like cats would hiss and hide from her and dogs would whimper and bark. The accidents also kept increasing so she decided to look into causes for her bad luck. She thought maybe it was an unknown or rare medical thing but the only thing that came up in the search was one thing. She had been cursed. At first, she didn't believe it but then with the fire in the bakery when she was visiting and her best friend breaking her leg for no reason , she realised it might be the only option and if it was, she had to find a way to get rid of it before it killed her and hurt anyone else because that's where it appeared to be going. As to why she had been cursed, she couldn't really think of the reason. Sure, there was her rival Chloe Bourgeois. She was the daughter of the fashion Queen Audrey Bourgeois but her style was to humiliate people. Not voodoo. Plus she liked to take credit. It helped with her queen bee act. It also meant that she wasn’t the person behind the curse but Marinette couldn’t think of anyone else who would want to curse her. She got on with everyone but Chloe in her class so she had no idea who it was or how to break it, which is what led her here. Couffaine Curiosities. Apparently, it was an occult shop so maybe they might have a solution for her. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door, only to proceed to trip and knock into a bookshelf which then began to fall on her. She screamed and covered herself with her arms. 

 “Ezeerf!” A voice shouted, causing the bookshelf and the books to freeze midair. Marinette’s eyes widened as she stared in shock. “Ecalp lufthgir rouy ot nruter,”

 The books and bookshelf moved back into its place, causing her to stare in shock even more before footsteps echoed coming closer to her.

 “Are you ok?” The same voice asked, causing her to look at its owner. She was half expecting him to be an old wise looking man with a long grey beard and starry robes but to her surprise, he looked nothing like Gandalf or Master Yen Sid from Disney. In fact, he was only a couple of years older than herself and had a punk look going on. His hair was black with blue tips, he wore a blue hood, a jagged stone t-shirt and black ripped joggers with awesome looking shoes (she was sure they were customized). His nails were painted black and he wore several bands on his wrist. Her eyes were a sparkling blue that resembled the ocean and he had the kindest smile, causing her to blush. Especially as he extended his hand to her. She carefully placed hers in it and he pulled her to her feet, making her blush even more before he turned over her hand and frowned. “Seems you have quite the curse on you,”

 “Y-You can tell?” She asked, still in awe.

 “Well, I am a witch,” He replied, making her blink before he chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’m a white witch,”

 “A white witch?” She asked, unsure of what he meant.

 “I’m the good kind,” He replied, making her breathe out a sigh of relief that she hadn’t realised she had been holding.

 “Can you get rid of the curse?” She asked but she was unsure if it was a curse. Still, she hoped he could.

 “I can,” He confirmed, nodding. She let out a sigh of relief again.  “I wouldn’t be a very good witch if I couldn’t but it will need a little more than an incarnation. Follow me… and keep hold of my hand. I can keep the effects of the curse at bay,”

 “R-Really?” Marinette asked, blushing a little. He was really cute after all. He nodded and gave her a soft smile before beginning to lead her through the shop before they came to the back of the store. He pulled across a curtain and led her to a table and chairs. “Have a seat,”

 “R-Right,” She nodded, sitting down. He let go of her hand, causing her to feel heavy suddenly. She frowned as he grabbed a bowl before he began to fill it up with plants. “Um… I’m Ma-Ma-Marinette by the way…”

 “Hello, Ma-Ma-Marinette,” He replied, smiling as he looked over at her before he turned away and added more to the bowl. Marinette frowned a little as it felt like he was mocking her. He didn’t seem that way at first but maybe he was. Maybe he couldn’t break her curse and was just playing with her. She looked back over at him, only to see that he was looking at her again. However, his expression had changed. He looked embarrassed and remorseful. “Sorry. I tend to make more sense with music. In fact… cisum s'traeh reh yalp,”

 Once again, Marinette found herself amazed as the soft sound of a guitar began to play, connecting with her on an emotional level. It was as if it was playing what she was feeling inside. She couldn’t help but close her eyes as she listened. Slowly, the melody faded out.

 “Did you enjoy the music?” He asked, making her nod. “I’m glad. Oh… I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Luka,”

 “It’s nice to meet you, Luka,” She smiled, causing him to smile back. “Can I ask how you did the trick with the music?”

 “Magic,” He replied, smiling. “But you’re still not sure,”

 “You're right… but it felt like… me,” She replied as he added another ingredient to the bowl before grabbing something that resembled a tiny club and began to grind the herbs. “Like what I feel,”

 “That’s because it was,” He replied, making her blink. “I’m an empath. I can feel people’s emotions and I use music to help me understand what they need. It’s the song from your heart that I had play. You see music is often simpler than words, Marinette,”

 “Wow,” She replied, amazed. Luka gave her a smile. She was starting to believe

 "Almost done," He replied, continuing to grind the herbs until they were nothing more than a fine dust. 

 "So what are the plants going to do?"

 "They are herbs that are used to break hexes and counter negativity," He replied, looking through the drawers. "The level of your curse is quite powerful so I need more than just the herbs. Did you offend anyone recently?"

 "Not that I can think of," She replied, causing him to frown. "How bad is the curse?"

 "Well, let's just say you probably should have come here sooner but it's a good thing you finally got here," He replied, taking out a jar and placing it on the table before going back to the cupboards. "Whoever cursed you knew exactly what they were doing," 

 "That sounds like it was intentional," Marinette replied, frowning. Why would anyone curse her? She tried to be a good person. Her parents taught her that manners were extremely important and to always help people. She tried to be a good person. She tried so hard. She felt tears fill her eyes but before she could cry, Luka knelt down in front of her.

 "Hey, been cursed doesn't mean that you're a bad person," He stated in a calm voice, gently taking her hand in his. Instantly, she felt calm.

 "But… then why was I cursed?"

 "It could be a number of things," He replied, making her blink. "Envy, Spite or just because they're just a nasty piece of work,"

 Marinette nodded as he gently squeezed her hand before getting up again. She couldn’t explain it but she just knew he could help her and that he was good. 

 "I can also send it back to the caster," He stated, making her blink as he took out some tea light candles.

 "But wouldn't that be a curse itself?"

 "No, it's simply returning the magic from whence it came," He replied, placing the candles in a circle around the jar before he turned on his heel and disappeared farther into the shop. Marinette frowned as her mind searched for a reason as to why she had been cursed. She replayed every interaction she could remember in her mind but nothing made sense. However, Luka returned from wherever he had gone holding another bowl. It was filled with what appeared to be ash that had been pressed down. He placed it on the table and took a seat across from her, adding a metal disc with a handle to it. Marinette watched as he poured the herb dust into it before picking up a brush and dusting it on the disc, shaping it. Once it was shaped, he carefully removed the disc. “This ritual I’m going to do is known as an uncrossing. It will draw out the dark magic that has been placed on you and then I will trap it in that jar. However, an uncrossing can be extremely uncomfortable so please try to relax your mind and don’t be afraid,”

 “O-Ok,” She replied nervously as he took out some matches and lit the candles. “Matches?”

 “Fire magic is not my gift,” He replied with a soft smile, taking out another match. “Are you ready?”

 “As ready as I can be,” She replied, causing him to nod before he lit the match, bringing it to the incense. It briefly caught on fire before it went out, causing smoke to flow. As soon as Marinette smelt its scent, her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she began to shake as if having a seizure. The witch boy grabbed the jar as she let out a scream. It felt like her bones were being broken one by one and the pain was unbearable. Tears began to run down her cheeks and blood began to drip from her nose as she shook violently.

 “Enodnu eb esruc!!” He declared, causing her to let out a scream and throw her head back before a black smoke rushed out. Luka opened the jar, causing it to get sucked into it before he closed the lid and screwed it shut. Marinette flopped forward as she breathed in heavily. Luka put down the jar and moved over to her, gently placed his hands on her. She carefully looked up. “Sorry,”

 “N-No, it’s fine,” She replied, touching her nose. She felt tired and drained but at the same time, she felt better than she had been for a while. “But have you got a tissue?”

 “Of course,” He replied, pulling one out of his sleeve. She let out a little chuckle as he handed it to her. She gently wiped the blood from her nose and the tears from her eyes before looking over at the jar.

 “It really was a curse,” She replied, feeling her strength slowly return. In fact, she felt better than before. “Thank you, Luka,”

 “No worries,” He replied, sitting back down. Marinette frowned as she noticed he looked visibly tired. 

 “Um, are you ok?” She asked, frowning.

 “Oh… sorry,” He mumbled. “Spells on that level are very powerful and take a lot of energy. Especially given how power the curse was too,”

 “Someone really wanted me dead…” She frowned. “Oh god what if they try to harm you?”

 “Even if they did, it wouldn’t work,” He replied, reaching into his pocket and taking out a chocolate bar. He opened it and took a bite out of it, eating it. 

 “How come?”

 “I have protection,” He replied, tapping his silver bracelet. “A protection amulet. Keeps all kinds of evil away,”

 “How much would it be to get one of those?” Marinette asked before gasping. “And the ritual. How much do I owe you for removing the curse? I don’t have a lot of money but surely, I can give you something,”

 “No need for that, Marinette. I don’t charge for my services,” He replied, making her blink. “I don’t need the money,”

 “But surely you should get something,” She replied as he got up and picked up the jar. He walked over to one of the cupboards and placed it inside before closing it before he turned back to her.

 “Helping people is enough for me,” He replied, looking a little better. “Now I should definitely make you a protection amulet as the witch who cursed you will strike again,”

 “Oh that would be wonderful!” She gasped, smiling before she realised that it won’t be ready straight away. Even with his magic. “But what should I do in the meantime? They’ll curse me as soon as they realise, right?”

 “Luckily, I have just the thing,” He replied, getting up and offering his hand to her. She smiled and took it, causing him to pull her to her feet before he led her through the store, revealing it was literally bigger on the inside. She glanced around in amazement as he led her through it. It was filled with all kinds of wonderful things. From balls of lights that danced around to amazing creatures that she was sure belonged in a fairytale. In fact, she saw things that she was certain were from the fairytales. 

 “Are those Cinderella’s shoes?” She asked, glancing at the glass slippers. Luka smiled but didn’t answer. Instead he stopped and picked up a small box.

 “Here,” He stated, holding the box to her. She took it and opened them, revealing a pair of earrings that resembled a ladybug. “These are very special earrings that bring the wearer good luck. They should be able to counter the bad luck curse when the witch recasts it until I can make you the protection charm for you,”

 “Really?” She replied, causing him to nod. “Thank you so much,”

 “No worries, Marinette,” He smiled. “You should probably put them on now though,”

 “Right,” She nodded and placed the box down before taking out her current earrings. She placed them on the table as well then took out the ladybug earrings and put them in. Instantly, she felt warmth surround her. It was like a hug that encouraged her and made feel like she was going to be ok. It reminded her of the feeling she got when she made a new dress. Luka smiled gently at her.

 “They suit you,” He smiled, making her blush. “I do believe I would explain what wiccan and magic was,”

 “I think I have a rough idea now,” She replied. “But I like to learn more,”

 “I’d be more than happy to tell you,” Luka smiled before a light blush came over his cheeks. “Maybe over a coffee?”

 “Are you asking me out on a date?”

 “Would you be interested?” He asked, making her blush. 

 “I would love to,”

[midnight0stars]

This gave me such a good chuckle when I saw it. And even more so while I was writing it.

I hope I pulled off what you were wanting! It doesn’t get too NSFW, a lot of that because I didn’t have a gender for the reader and every attempt I made at getting them hot and heavy seemed shoehorned in.

If I do get to write more for this in the future (which I would love to), I think it would be a great slow burn. One awkward encounter after another, until one of them finally breaks and they realize they both want the other and aren’t creeps for lusting after the other.

Ahaha anyway, I hope you enjoy! Thank you so much for your support and this fun request!

**Didn’t See You There ~ Riku x Reader NSFW**

Words: 1335

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Your back ached, your feet heavy as they dragged with each step up the spiral staircase of the Mysterious Tower. You would never understand why Yen Sid insisted on making his tower the main base for you and all the other wielders. After a long, stressful mission, climbing up those steps was something you dreaded upon returning.

Regardless, it was something you had to trudge through to make it up to the lounge, or your room, the dining hall– basically anything that would allow you to relax after spending hours traversing the unknown on whatever forsaken mission the masters decided to send you on that day.

It wasn’t all bad. Even though the bright side was something you weren’t exactly inclined to think about when all you wanted to do was faceplant on a pile of pillows. All that stood between you and that sweet, sweet pillowy embrace was getting there. The mission had been completed, the enemies sent running with their coat tails between their legs, all you needed to do was get to the top of these damned stairs.

You nearly face planted when you reached Master Yen Sid’s study. The door gave way to your weight and your legs decided it would be a good time to buckle. With a series of groans and yelps you got back to your feet, about to give your report, before Master Yen Sid cut you off with a chuckle and told you to get some well deserved rest. The report could wait till morning.

For the first time since arriving back to base, a smile spread across your lips. One less thing that kept you from cocooning in a dozen blankets. With a skip in your step, you left the study, walking through the empty halls towards the lounge where you knew you’d find a pile of extra blankets that you had decided to claim as your own for the night.

Everyone else was gone on missions, and admittedly, you should have still been on yours, too. If it hadn’t been for your target hightailing it out of there the moment you had the upper hand, you probably would still be kicking their ass.

Not that you were complaining about the chance to come back early.

The door to the lounge was shut, which caused you to pause since it was usually propped open. You gripped the handle, about to pull it open until you heard a muffled voice.

A voice? Weren’t you supposed to be the only one back?

Your brows furrowed as you glanced around, unsure who you expected to see since it was obvious the only person was actually inside the lounge, but perhaps you weren’t as alone as you thought. With a shrug, you opened the door and walked in, stopping mid step when you saw Riku resting along the couch on the other side of the room.

Normally you would have greeted him, smiled and asked him how he was doing. And maybe you would have considered doing that this time, too, if he didn’t have his dick in his hand.

His eyes were slid shut as his hand pumped along his length, that you couldn’t help but notice was thicker than you imagined it would be. Headphones were over his head, blocking the sound of you entering unannounced and the way your voice was currently spilling a mixture or squeaks and sounds as you experienced what you could only describe as gay panic.

You needed to leave.

Why weren’t you leaving?

When did your feet become so damned heavy?

A whine constricted your throat when the faintest sigh slipped past his lips as his hand went over the tip of his length.

“Fuck…” you managed a word and your hands immediately covering your mouth before you whisked around and evacuated the premises, slamming the door behind you.

If he hadn’t noticed you before, he surely did now from that disaster of an escape.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” you repeated the word as if it were an incantation that would bring you back in time to undo you barging into an obviously occupied room and seeing something you didn’t entirely regret witnessing.

Wait, no, no, you definitely regretted it.

How were you supposed to face Riku after this without imagining his perfect, thick— Oh my GOD, you were hopeless.

You froze as the door to the lounge opened behind you.

Riku cleared his throat, causing your eyes to slide shut as you wished your soul would just cut to the chase and leave your body.

“Um, hey, Y/N,” he greeted with that sort of voice that told you he was wordlessly asking if you saw anything.

At all costs, you couldn’t let him know.

“Heeeeey,” you turned yourself around to face him, trying desperately to smile and seem nonchalant.

If the way he winced when your eyes met was any indication, you were failing miserably.

“How-uh, how are you?” You asked, motioning towards him as your mind screamed about what an absolute idiot you were and to flee immediately. “Today was a hard one, right?” You chuckled, your voice drying in your throat as you realized what you had just said. “I-I mean, ah fuck…”

You cringed at your own inability to act natural as Riku sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

“I didn’t know you’d be back so soon.” He admitted, his gaze averted as a warmth crept up his neck. “I should of–”

“It’s fine,” you cut him off, your hands going out in front of you. His gaze darted back to you, making you swallow as you realized you’d basically given yourself away.

“So, you did—” his voice trailed off, blush covered his face as he shook his head and murmured under his breath. “I’m such an idiot.”

“You?!” You blurted out. “No, no, you’re fine! I’m the one that barged in unannounced. I mean, who does that?”

A choked laugh escaped him from your exclamation. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.” He assured you, unable to meet your eyes with his as he crossed his arms and took in a deep breath. “I’m.. I’m sorry you had to see that.”

You had to forcibly restrain the sentiment that you were anything but sorry for seeing him like that, but your delayed response might have given that away regardless as Riku cleared his throat.

“O-Oh, um… don’t worry about it.” You scratched the side of your head, before laughing, “I probably was going to do the same thing, in all honesty. You just sort of beat me to it.”

Riku’s lips twisted in an expression that told you he wasn’t exactly sure how to take that. And if you were being honest, you weren’t sure either.

You were about to apologize, before Riku chuckled breathily.

“Guess that does make me feel a bit better.” He admitted amidst his laughter. “But-uh, I’ll head back to my room now.”

“Oh,” you realized, wishing the disappointed tone hadn’t come through in your reply.

Considering everything that just happened, shouldn’t you have wanted him to leave?

With how Riku glanced to you with his brow quirking up in confusion, you had a feeling he was wondering the same.

Waving him off, you recovered, “Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Have-uh, a good night, I guess.”

You swallowed, straining a smile as you walked past him towards the lounge. Riku’s eyes lingered on you as you left and you couldn’t shake the feeling that he had wanted something else. But that had to have been your own selfish reasoning. There’s no way he’d actually want more from you after you had seen him in such a vulnerable state, right?

Even if he had, you weren’t about to push your luck.

You’d just have to go back to your room and complete your relaxation ritual of cocooning in a dozen blankets, while figuring out a way to forget everything that had just happened.

That is… if you wanted to forget.

[kessielrg]

[Kingdom Hearts] Messenger Chirithy

Summary: In which two Chirithy play messenger pigeon for their respective Keyblade wielders. Why? Because Gummiphones are supposed to be turned off during lessons, obviously. [VentusxOC][nonbinary Chirithy][post-Lost Lights]

Rating: K

Word Count: 1,517 words

If you liked this story, please reblog!

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Ven let out a long, annoyed sigh. The teen took a glance up at his friends, Terra and Aqua, as Aqua used Terra to move things around the training room. You would think that by now, Ven wouldn’t have to do the reading and writing portion of Keyblade training anymore. He was just as experienced as his friends. (Maybe even more if Chirithy would admit to it.) This kind of stuff was made for newer wielders like Kairi and Lea. If Ven kept reading about the ingredients to synthesis a Dream Eater, he was going to start crying tears of boredom.

“Chin up, Ven!” Chirithy happily declared, hopping into view to distract its wielder. “You still have about three pages to go, then you’ll have a fast quiz after.”

That only made Ven groan. Terra and Aqua didn’t even bother to turn around. Rude.

“Kairi’s not doing reading work today.” Ven whined. “And who knows what Lea’s doing today. Not training. Not when Roxas and Xion are starting school in Twilight Town.”

Ven let out another groan as he rubbed his face with his hands. He looked at his Chirithy with an increasing hopelessness.

“Do you think Aqua has Sabrina doing reading and writing stuff too? Maybe I could ask her.”

Chirithy crossed their arms, casting a skeptical look at its wielder. “Good idea- spare for one thing. No Gummiphones while training.”

“This isn’t training.” Ven spat. “This is reading. It’s worse.”

“Still training!” Chirithy replied in a sing-song voice. But still, it could tell how bored Ven was. Chirithy sighed. “You know,” it started to suggest, “If you write a letter to her, then Aqua might think that you’re taking notes instead.”

Ven looked at his Chirithy. His eyes grew wide at the prospect. Then, in the least conspicuous way possible, Ventus started to shuffle through his books for a blank piece of paper. Chirithy looked on with mild curiosity as Ven wrote a single sentence.

‘Is Aqua making you study Dream Eaters too?’

Biting his lip, Ven carefully folded the paper into three times before handing it to Chirithy.

“Here.” he said with a grin. Chirithy just looked at him.

“That’s it? Just a sentence?”

Ventus recoiled a bit. “Why?” the teen asked in genuine confusion. “What else could I say?”

“It’s still a letter, Ven. I say you gotta give it a little more meat. Otherwise, you might as well try to snag your Gummiphone from Terra and just text her.”

Ven glanced over at Terra, flinched, then looked back at Chirithy. “Alright,” he agreed. “We’ll write Sabrina a real letter. It would still be a break from all this reading.”

“There ya go!” Chirithy agreed with a grin. Ven gave the Dream Eater a firm nod before scratching out his old sentence, then writing something much longer. He just hoped Sabrina would like it.

. . .

Sabrina paced around her room as she read over the danger of Nightmares. On her bed, two bunny children were acting out a rather heated fight. One of the bunnies ended up the victor, while the loser pretended to be dramatically dying. If you felt like listening close enough, you would have sworn that the winner of the battle mentioned something about having ice cream with someone. Even a few Guardians felt like playing along- hanging around the ‘dying’ bunny kid like crystals rising into the air. But Sabrina wasn’t paying attention; her focus was too razor-sharp to even register the theatrics on her bed at the moment.

She wasn’t even paying that much attention when Chirithy appeared at the foot of her bed.

“I have a letter for you!” Chirithy declared.

Sabrina stopped her pacing with a blink. She looked at Chirithy, then raised a skeptic eyebrow.

“From who?” she asked.

“Ven. Apparently.”

“Apparently?”

“His Chirithy said that he didn’t want to study.”

“Yeah, sounds about right.” Sabrina snorted as she took the letter from the Dream Eater. The smirk she had as she read through the letter slowly started to become a look of horror.

“Oh no.”

“What?”

“Remind me to tell Aqua to teach Ventus how to write a proper letter.” Sabrina said as she sat on the bed, allowing both Chirithy and the bunny children to read over the letter as well. “This is… wow. Okay, then.”

Sabrina let out a snort as Chirithy looked at the letter.

“I think it’s sweet.” Chirithy hummed as it glanced up at Sabrina.

“And that’s exactly what’s wrong with it,” she decided as she got up. She set the letter down on her desk before going through the desk’s drawers. From one drawer she pulled out a rather fancy inkwell, and from another she pulled out a just as fancy ink pen. Sabrina sat down at her desk in preparation to write her return letter.

Chirithy hopped into the air to leave the bed, only to appear on top of Sabrina’s desk. The bunny children stayed on the bed, laying on their stomachs as they observed their big sis like they were watching TV instead. Sabrina got into a rather firm posture as her guided the pen across the paper. There was an art is calligraphy- one that she took with extreme pride in.

‘Ventus,

Who on earth taught you how to write a letter? That thing has to be the most disastrous piece of parchment I have yet to lay eyes on. Paragraphs are a thing- use them.’

“Ow. Harsh.” Chirithy noted.

“Oh, but dear Chirithy, I’ve got far more up my sleeve.” Sabrina replied with cunning grin.

“Now I’m scared.”

Both wielder and Chirithy looked at each other, then shared an equal grin before Sabrina continued to write.

. . .

A few hours later, Chirithy patiently waited at Yen Sid’s tower. The Dream Eater kicked its legs as it sat at the foot of the steps. Chirithy hummed a rather jaunty tune to itself, even moving its head from side to side with every half beat. Where had they heard that song? It wasn’t anything Ventus knew.

“Hey Chirithy!”

Chirithy looked up and smiled. Sabrina’s Chirithy was bounding up to Ven’s Chirithy with a new letter in its hand. Like all of Sabrina’s other letters, it was neatly placed inside an envelope with a personal seal embossed on the top left corner. (The first two letters she sent were actually sealed with wax. But in finding that she and Ventus would be sending far more letters to each other, she quickly did away with it for an envelope that could be used over and over again.) If Chirithy tried to breath in deep enough, it could get a whiff of lavender. At this point, it wasn’t sure if it was coming from the letter or the other Chirithy.

“Just in time, Chirithy!” Ven’s Chirithy greeted. It got up from the steps to meet Sabrina’s Chirithy halfway. The duo gave each other a respectful nod before the Chirithy exchanged the letter.

“Is this the last letter of tonight?” Ven’s Chirithy asked.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Sabrina’s Chirithy replied. It seemed a bit perplexed at the idea. “She’s taking this quite seriously. It’s almost something I’ve never seen out of her before.”

“Ven’s totally lost track of time too.” Chirithy nodded. “Lemme tell ya something, Chirithy. I did not expect her to scent her letters with perfume. It almost blew the whole operation up right then and there.”

“Trust me, you should have seen my surprise when she pulled out an actual inkwell.”

Chirithy jumped back in shock. “She uses real ink?!”

The other Chirithy just folded its arms and gave the first a rather hard stare. “When was the last time you saw a generic pen use purple ink that changes to green when you look at it a certain way?”

“Point taken.” Chirithy thoughtfully nodded. It thought about something for a moment, then gave a small chortle. “She’s so extra.”

“Yeah.” the second Chirithy agreed. It even stood a bit taller with pride. “But it’s only because she likes him.”

Ven’s Chirithy laughed. Not long after, the other Chirithy joined in as well. At this point, Sabrina’s silent admiration for Ventus was well known to both Chirithy. There were precious few things wielders could hide from their special Dream Eaters to begin with. Budding feelings for another wielder were definitely at the top of the list.

As their enjoyment faded somewhat, Sabrina’s Chirithy placed a hand by its head in thought. “I hope they don’t do this all night.” it mused. “This is kinda exhausting.”

“It is.” Chirithy sighed. It let out a thoughtful hum before asking, “Is she having fun?”

“Of course!” the other Chirithy happily nodded. “I haven’t seen her so interested in anything since Aqua’s first training lesson.”

“That’s good. Well, got to go. She’s really keeping Ven is suspense.”

“No doubt. See you again in about 10 minutes, Chirithy.”

“See ya, Chirithy.”

And with that, both Chirithy returned to their respective wielders. They didn’t know it yet- but it was going to be a long night as well.

[thedeliverygod]

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

Always

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

‘Wait… my room?’

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

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

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

Kairi.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I’ve missed you so much.”

He hugged her tighter, “Me too.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

His mom laughed loudly, “Of course.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Kairi!” He answered, grinning widely.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kairi hummed, “Okay, if you say so.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

She blinked, “For what?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And suddenly, he knew what he had to do.

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

“Yes?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“So do I.” He kissed her again.

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

“When One Stops The Kiss To Whisper “I’m Sorry, Are You Sure You-” And They Answer By Kissing Them More”

This was asked by @borndeaddd

Alright!! Here ya go! And thanks for the request🥺❤️. Well, it was in a comment on a prompt list I reblogged and I think it was directed to me and if not...then I still hope you read this and like it!

Riku has loved Sora since the day they met. However, he didn’t know it. He loved him before he knew what love was. Does he love all of his friends? Yes, but his love for Sora is different, and he was afraid to tell him. He was afraid of ruining their friendship. Hell, he already messed it up when he gave into darkness, said all those nasty things to Sora, and fought him at every chance he got, and he was fixing it now. He was doing everything he could to make Sora love him again.

But Sora will always love him, just like Riku will always love Sora. He loved him when they met, too. Even when Riku betrayed him, he still loved him and he just wanted to see him again. He just wanted to hold him, cherish him, whisper “it’s okay” in his ears as he holds him in the night. And Riku wanted to hold him as well and comfort him through his nightmares.

He was his dream eater after all.

And he can’t even remember when he first wanted to kiss him. The want just suddenly appeared in his chest and he wanted to so bad. He suddenly realized he loved Sora one day, and he can’t stop thinking about him. And when he let Sora go on his own to rescue Kairi, he truly believed in him. He knew he’d miss him so much, but he wanted Sora to be happy, and if going on his own to save Kairi would make him happy, then he’d let him. Heck, he knows Sora is too stubborn to listen to anyone. Well, Riku knows he might listen to him, but he just let him go...and he regretted it a little bit.

Sora went missing for over a year...and Riku blamed himself. He couldn’t stop searching. It was as if Sora was his lifeline and he needed to find him...and maybe he was. However, he had a blessing on his side. Even after everything that happened, he and Sora still had their connection. Still had their connection that formed when they were only kids. And when he got closer to him as he searched, he felt a tug on his heart. A tug as if someone was on the end of a rope and pulling the other closer. Riku was on one side, and Sora was on the other, and he needed to find his way to his other half.

So, he followed his heart, followed the tug. It would disappear sometimes, but then would reappear. It made him frustrated sometimes, but never at Sora. He knew Sora wanted to be found and wouldn’t trick Riku like this, but he just needed to find him and he was growing tired. But he wouldn’t stop. He would never give up on Sora, no matter how many sleepless nights would pass. And when he found him...he did what Sora did when he found Riku.

He grabbed his hand, fell on his knees, and began to cry. All of his hopes came true, all of his dreams were finally no longer just dreams.

“I found you...I’ve finally found you,” Riku would whisper as he cried and hiccuped.

Sora would get on his knees as well and pull Riku closer to him and kiss the top of his head.

“You found me...we’ve found each other,” Sora would whisper as he cried as well.

They both held each other as they cried together. They didn’t know what to do other than cry and comfort each other, so that’s what they did. They would take as long as it took for them to be “okay”. And once they were, they held hands as they found their way back to Yen Sids tower.

Once they made it back and everyone gave him hugs, Sora asked Riku to follow him to his room to talk to him. Riku felt so happy that he asked him to talk with him. He missed hearing his voice, seeing him smile, and seeing his blue eyes shine brighter than the sea. Once they got to his room, Sora and Riku sat on the bed and Sora let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry that I disappeared.”

“Sora, its not your fault.”

“But it is! I was stubborn and went on my own and it just proves...”.

Sora stopped and his voice was quiet when he continued.

“It only proved that I’m still weak...”.

Riku felt his heart break at that statement. Sora never showed this side of him. The side that was disappointed in himself, the one that believed he wasn’t good enough, and the one that took the teasing too far, even if he acted like it was okay. Riku knew he was sensitive, but he never realized how this truly hurt him.

Riku pulled Sora into a hug and rubbed his hand on his back in comforting circles. Sora sobbed into his chest and Riku just continued to rub his back and run his other hand through his hair. Sora always loves when people run their hands through his hair, it calms him down and makes him feel loved. Riku loved him and would do whatever it takes to comfort him.

After a few minutes, Sora pulled away and looked at Riku, as if taking in all his features, but he already memorized them. He then looked at his lips for a second, and before he could think about it, he leaned in and kissed him.

Rikus eyes were wide in shock. He can’t believe Sora would do this. Heck, he wanted to do it first, but he was just shocked that it actually happened. He believed it was only a fantasy...but now it was a reality. However, he didnt want to make Sora feel bad, so he kissed him back. He kissed him as if his life depended on it. But after a few seconds, he realized that he should ask Sora if he was okay with this. Sora did initiate it, but he needed to make sure.

Riku pulled away and leaned his forehead against Soras.

“I’m sorry, are you sure you-”.

Sora didn’t let him finish his sentence. He cut him off with another kiss that was full of passion. Sora always wanted to do this, too. He wanted to pull Riku to him and show his love in any way that was possible, and now he got the courage to do it.

Riku kissed him back just as passionate and showed him how he loved him, too. He ran his hands through Soras hair again, and rested his other hand on Soras cheek. They shared multiple kisses and Sora eventually ended up on Rikus lap. Chests facing each other and Soras legs were wrapped around Rikus low back. Sora feels like it’s the best place to be. He wanted to see his friends, but for right now, this was the best thing he could do.

Rikus kisses eventually moved to the corner of Soras mouth, to his cheek, and eventually down to his neck. Sora turned his head to give Riku more areas to kiss, and Riku took the hint, kissing Sora wherever he could. However, he didn’t move too far (not feeling that comfortable or brave) and eventually moved back to Soras lips.

They only stopped kissing when they got dizzy and needed a second to process everything. They rested their foreheads against the others and they were panting hard. Both lips were a little swollen and red from all the desperation to be close to the other.

“I love you, Riku,” Sora panted out.

He had a smile on his face and Riku knew he was telling the truth. Sora would never lie about this and from the way they were just kissing, he knew it was true. Riku has never kissed anyone else, but he knew passion when he saw it, and passion was in everything Sora just gave him.

He smiled at Sora and gave him a quick kiss.

“I love you, too. So much, Sora. So much to the point it hurts.”

They both let out quiet laughs. Sora kissed Rikus forehead and got off his lap causing Riku to let out a little whine at the loss of contact. Sora laughed and pulled Riku to lay beside him as he layed on his right side and Riku laid on his left side. They smiled at each other and Sora moved closer to Rikus chest. Sora wrapped one arm around Rikus torso and the other around his neck. He buried his head in the crook of Rikus neck and took in a deep breath and let it out, causing Riku to laugh.

“I’m ticklish there, Sora!”

Rikus words caused Sora to do it again. Riku let out a loud laugh and covered his mouth in embarrassment. Sora just kissed his neck and squeezed his arms tighter around Riku. Riku smiled and moved his hand to cup Soras head and the other wrapped around Soras torso as well. They both felt comfortable and loved each other.

And as they held each other, they finally both felt at peace and felt safe. Sora no longer had to worry about the danger of the heartless and the worry of never being found. He finally was and he was able to show Riku the way he loves him like he wanted to, and Riku was able to show Sora how he loves him the way he always wanted to, too.

And they both fell asleep in the comfort of their lovers arms.

HHhhehehe. I hope this was good! I truly liked this! I’m sorry it took so long to get out :’(. I couldn’t find inspiration and didn’t feel like writing at the time, but I still love requests! And I hope more people will come to me for requests and don’t be shy!! I’m open for anything!! I’m not dead. Yet

But yeah! This was gonna be short bc I didn’t know what to write, but like,,,I got carried away👀. It’s not necessarily TOO LONG, but it’s a lot longer than I thought it could be. So yeah!! Hope you like it and hope you come back to me I’ll shut up now-

And is it obvious I love italics👀

Also please give me feedback. I’m desperate for it. Let it be in a comment or reblog or the tags of a reblog. Thank you. I just like feedback bc I truly don’t know if you like it or hate it and I want to know if my writing is getting better. Anyways yeah love you🥺❤️.

[atrashsith]

little something with terra being confessed to and it leads to more

Confessions (Terra x Reader)

sorry it took me so long! I hope you do like it, contains smut :)

read it on AO3

“You can stop drooling over Terra now.”

A warmth crept up my neck and settled atop my cheeks. I clamped my hands over them before Aqua could tease me for the blush that I knew was giving away my embarrassment. “I’m not drooling, just… haven’t seen him in a while. He was away on a mission last time I visited.” 

“Uh huh.” She placed her palms on the floor behind her, leaning her weight on them as her eyes flickered between Terra and I. “You know he likes you too, right? It’s pretty obvious.”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth as my eyes fell on his shirtless form teaching Ventus how to control his magic with his keyblade. With the tight black shirt he usually wears, one could say that it leaves little to nothing to the imagination, yet watching his back muscles flex without the poor excuse of a shirt was a whole another experience. 

“Shouldn’t you two be training as well?” Master Eraqus commented as he stepped out of his office, Master Yen Sid trailing closely behind him. 

“We were training, you just caught us during our break, Master.” Aqua quickly defended. 

“We’ve been training harder than those two over there.”

“No, you haven’t!” Ventus whined as he jogged toward us. “You’ve been sitting in the same spot since the Masters left.” 

I lifted my palm up to my mouth to hide my giggles as Aqua reached up to flick Ventus’ nose, then ruffled his hair despite his weak protests. Terra came up to stand beside me and shook his head at his best friends. He offered me his hand and I happily took it to stand up. 

I stumbled as I got off the floor, and Terra quickly wrapped an arm around me before I could fall. 

“Are you okay?” He grinned, his eyes crinkled at the corners. I nodded, relaxing in his arms as I looked up into his ocean blue eyes. 

You know he likes you too, right?

“Terra?”

He tilted his head to the side in silent question. 

“I…” But what if he doesn’t? “Nevermind.”

We were interrupted by Yen Sid calling my name, telling me we should be on our way. Master Eraqus insisted on having us for dinner, and that we could leave shortly after. 

But the moment with Terra was over. I let my arms drop from his chest, where I leaned them against when he grabbed me from falling. I tried to take a step back, his arms wouldn’t let go of me. 

“What is it? We could go outside to have some privacy.”

I glanced at the Masters that were still having a friendly banter over dinner, Ventus who watched them curiously, and Aqua who was grinning as she noticed Terra and I’s position. 

Her eyes widened, probably having heard Terra’s suggestion, and motioned for me to say yes. Not that she had to insist much. I would’ve said yes regardless.

“I– Yeah, okay.” 

He let go of my waist, instead grabbing my hand to pull me down the stairs toward the front doors of the castle, his shirt in his other hand. His huge steps made me have to almost run so I could keep up with him. Once we made it outside, the sky was turning an orange shade that meant it would be dark soon, and surely we’d spend the night at the Land of Departure. 

The moon was bright in the sky even with the sun still not quite gone yet. The stars had yet to make an appearance, but they were the one thing that I loved about this world, the stars and how bright they would shine. Maybe it was because I got to watch them with the trio here, but they didn’t compare to the stars outside the Mysterious Tower. 

Terra let go of my hand as he kept walking to slip his shirt over his head.  Assuming he wanted to go to the summit to be as far away from the rest as possible, I silently followed after him. 

“What is it that you wanted to talk about?” I started as we finally reached our destination and Terra stopped walking. “You’re making me nervous over here.” 

He sat down near the edge, facing the castle. I settled beside him and pulled my legs up to my chest. We sat there in silence for a couple of minutes, watching as the sun disappeared behind the castle and the stars began to shine. 

“They say that every star up there is another world.” He murmured as he closed his eyes. “It’s hard to imagine that there are so many worlds out there.”

“One day, we will visit all of them.” I promised. “When Aqua, Ven, and you pass your exam.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think I can wait that long.”

“It’s only a couple of months away. At least there’s a point where you become a Keyblade Master. As a mage, I’ll always be studying and learning new spells.”

“At least I have someone to heal me in battle.” He winked. 

I gasped and playfully smacked his shoulder. “Learn how to heal yourself! I’m sure in the heat of battle I’ll be worrying more about fending off enemies rather than healing you.”

He huffed as he laid back on the grass and closed his eyes. I couldn’t help myself from pushing strands of his dark hair away from his face. When he didn’t make a move to stop me, I kept brushing his hair with my fingers and gently rubbing his scalp. He let out a sigh so quiet I wouldn’t have heard had it not been for the complete silence that surrounded us. 

“As much as I’m enjoying this, I’m sure we didn’t walk all the way here just to talk about the stars. Come on, spill it before you fall asleep on me.” I started rubbing his temple with the back of my finger, moving down to his cheek as his eyes fluttered open. 

“How can I not when you’re touching me like that?” He pouted when I moved toward the bridge of his nose. His eyes ended up closing again.

I booped the tip of his nose as I changed to rub the opposite cheek with my thumb. “You’re gonna get all itchy from laying on the grass.”

He suddenly grabbed my waist and pushed me to the ground. He straddled my thighs as he hovered over me, face inches away from mine. His toothy grin was so contagious that I could only smile right back at him. My eyes drifted down to his plump lips and, before I could stop myself, I lifted my head off the ground to push my lips against his. 

A soft moan left my mouth when our lips met. We just stayed there, lips pressed together as neither of us moved. We breathed in each other until I went to pull back and Terra held the back of my neck, keeping me in place as we kissed. We slowly fell into rhythm and I held onto his sides, fisting his shirt tightly between my fingers. 

Only pulling back to catch our breaths for a moment, we went from soft and passionate to desperate kisses. I slipped my hands under his shirt and kept them there pressed to his bare skin. He shivered against me and pulled away panting to press his forehead against mine. 

“I really like you, Terra.”

He laughed, a roaring laugh that bounced off the mountains that surrounded us. He collapsed beside me. Clutching his stomach, he gasped out for air as he failed to contain his laughter. I propped myself on my elbows to stare at him until he decided to calm down. He even wiped a tear that managed to slip from his eye. 

“I’d be extremely disappointed if you said you didn’t after that kiss.”

“Asshole.” I flicked his forehead. “I just… I didn’t think you liked me. Before that kiss, I mean. It’s pretty clear now that you return the feeling.” 

“I do. I really like you, too. Probably since the day I met you.”

I felt tears brimming at the corners of my eyes so I just turned on my side to pull Terra back into a kiss, then another, and another. I bent my leg at the knee to rest it over his hip, and his hand landed on my thigh to keep it there as we pulled away and stared into each other’s eyes. 

Terra’s nose bumped against mine as he searched for my lips, I happily met him in the middle. “To think that I would’ve been able to know what your lips tasted like a long time ago if I just confessed my feelings.”

I grinned as he rubbed his hand up and down the back of my thigh. “Let’s go, they’ll probably be worried about us.” He shook his head and pulled me to his chest as he laid on his back again. I huffed, but it was useless to try to move out of his grip. 

My eyes fluttered closed at the feeling of his lips on my temple, then he tilted my head up to press a kiss to my lips. I shifted in his arms until I had to pull away from him for a moment so I could straddle him. His hands flew to my hips when I was adjusting myself on his lap. I tilted my head to the side in fake innocence. 

He closed his eyes, chest rising and falling slowly as he took a deep breath. I moved again, this time shifting forward to feel as his member was hardening even through the layers that separated us.

“Stop that.” He finally muttered, his grip on me tightening. 

I moved my hips in a circle, enjoying the low moan that left his lips. I smirked. “Are you sure about that?”

“Aqua or Ventus will come looking for us soon.”

“Now you worry about them?” I grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so I could kiss him, then slipped my hands under it. His muscles flexed under my touch as my hands trailed up his chest, then dropped to his sides so I could take the hem between my fingers and he pulled away to practically rip it off his body. 

He pushed me on my back and settled between my open legs, taking no time to hooking his index fingers on the loop of my shorts and pushing them down my legs impatiently. He touched me over my underwear, feeling the wet patch forming on it. 

He raised an eyebrow, but I leaned up to kiss him before he shot a cocky comment my way. He melted into the kiss, heads tilting to deepen it and his tongue wasted no time in licking its way into my mouth. Taking advantage that he was getting relaxed, I wrapped my legs around his hips and pushed him off to flip us over again. 

He stared up at me with parted lips when he landed on his back. He sat up with the intention to push me back on the grass, but I placed my arms around his neck and pressed my chest against his. “Where do you think you’re going?”

He groaned, head falling on the crook of my neck. “You’ll be the death of me.”

His exploring hands found themselves slipping inside my panties, fingers teasing my clit with featherlike touches. My lips parted when a single finger slid inside me, my inner walls slowly adjusting to the foreign touch. 

“You like that, huh?” He kept pumping his finger slowly inside me until he decided to add another one and quicken his pace. 

I held onto his broad shoulders as he scissored his fingers inside me, his name left my lips in soft moans. His thumb rubbed messy circles over my clit, and his free arm had to hold onto my waist to keep me from moving away from his touch. 

I tilted my head to the side, to let him kiss my neck as he pleased. When he bit down right where my neck meets my shoulder, it went straight to my core. I let out a gasp when he started sucking on the same spot. His other hand had snuck into my shirt and under my bra, pushing it up until he came in contact with my breasts. He circled the hardened nubs with his index finger.

Overwhelming was the only word I could use to describe how I was feeling. Between his hand between my fingers, the other teasing my nipples, and his mouth leaving marks on my neck, it all made my abdomen tighten as I neared my high.

“Terra.” I held his bicep. “Terra, I’m-”

He hummed, his fingers shifting until I whined when he hit a certain spot inside me. His blue eyes darkened as he adjusted his arm to keep hitting it. He lifted his head and touched my cheek, urging me to look at him. 

I stared into his eyes, unable to break the contact as my back arched into his touch and my inner walls spasmed around his fingers. He took his bottom lip into his mouth as he watched me convulse in his arms. 

When I finally came down from my high, he crashed his lips against mine. I giggled and returned his kiss eagerly.

“My bedroom, now. I don’t care if the others hear us.”

[chikoriita]

A Pleasant Surprise

This may be the only piece I have for SoKai week this year, but I think that it works best for today (Perfect Date). I hope this works for @sokaiweek!

Find at AO3.org

Kairi let out a deep breath as she looked at the large fountains in front of her. What a sight. The Outer Plaza was the best place to park a Gummi ship, especially if one did not want to attract attention. She locked the ship, pulled up her hood, and made her way into town. She avoided eye contact with any passersby. Only one person in Radiant Garden needed to know she was here and that was Naminé.

Once a month, Kairi traveled to Radiant Garden to visit her sister. She enjoyed the periodic visit to the Garden. Her past was here along with her present. Naminé was the closest relative Kairi had left, and she treasured her little sister more than anything. Unwilling to wield a Keyblade, Naminé chose to rebuild Radiant Garden with the Restoration Committee rather than stay with the other wielders. Few stayed in Radiant Garden with the rest electing to stay in Twilight Town or with Aqua in the Land of Departure.

Kairi chose neither. Her own heart rested in Destiny Islands, her chosen home. Unlike the others chosen by the Keyblade, she no longer counted herself a wielder. Instead, Kairi helped Aqua and Terra decode the history of the Keyblade. Centuries of lore thought to be lost to the world when the Land of Departure was locked away was now available once more. She took the responsibility on herself as she was the only one available to do the job. At the very least, this was one task that couldn’t endanger Sora, Riku, or anyone else. The worst she could do was give herself a paper cut. And so she stayed on her island with her books and texts as her only companions. She did not turn away the few visitors she received, but she did not seek out anyone but Naminé.

A few months ago, Naminé suggested that she move to Radiant Garden permanently. The Castle was better equipped than anything on Destiny Islands with the added bonus of living with her sister. Kairi gently refused. Delightful as her sister was, the pain of that world was greater. She still could not remember her past before the Islands; all she knew was that she once had a grandmother that loved her very much. No one knew where the kind lady went once the world fell to darkness. She did not even have her memories to help with her loss. No, just as she learned to shield her heart, Kairi kept this pain locked away and limited her time here for a few days a month.

Her limited time with her sister guilted her into following whatever Naminé suggested. Earlier on the Gummiphone, Naminé could barely keep her excitement contained. Who knew what she planned for this time? Kairi smiled at the thought; whatever she planned, as long as it brought happiness to Naminé, it was worth it.

She turned into the borough in which the Restoration Committee resided. It was oddly quiet around here for midday. Too quiet. She kept her hand at the ready to summon her Keyblade when she heard a door open.

“Kairi!” Naminé called out seconds before pouncing on her. “Are you ready?”

Kairi took a second to look over her sister. Her hair was tied up in a high ponytail, she was wearing light makeup, and she had sneakers on. She didn’t even know Naminé owned sneakers.

“Where are we going?” she asked. “And can I put my bag down?” She gestured to her backpack.

Naminé giggled. “Of course. Let me take that.” She grabbed the bag and tossed it inside her house. “Let’s go!” She tugged her hand and pulled Kairi down the street before she realized she was moving.

“When did you get so strong?” Kairi laughed as she followed the eager girl. Naminé stuck her tongue out at her older sister.

“Maybe you’re out of shape.”

Kairi raised a brow at her and dug her feet into the cobblestone. Naminé faltered at the sudden pause.

“Excuse me?” Kairi asked.

Her sister glanced at her sheepishly. “Sorry. I’m just so excited to see you and for you to see what I’ve been working on for the last month!” Her eyes glistened with a faint sheen of tears.

Kairi sighed. She was powerless against this look, and Naminé knew it. “Well, lead the way. I don’t have any idea where we are going.”

“Don’t worry. We’re close; it’s just ahead.” She pulled Kairi close and linked their arms together.

They continued down the still empty streets of the town. It wasn’t a scary empty but rather an unusual one. Normally, the streets of the Garden were bustling- wait what was that sound?

“Is that organ music?” Kairi asked. A few faint notes could be heard in the distance.

“Perhaps…”

After a few minutes Naminé led them into a dark square. By this point, the sun had nearly set, and all Kairi could see was the shadow of construction equipment.

“Naminé, just tell me-” Kairi started when the whole square lit up in multitudes of colors and revealed the missing townspeople and a carnival behind them.

“Happy birthday!” They shouted out.

“Whose birthday is it?” Kairi whispered.

Naminé rolled her eyes. “Yours silly. Happy birthday!” She threw her arms around Kairi’s neck.

It was her birthday? I guess I lost track of time these last few weeks, she thought. She scanned the crowd for familiar faces. Aerith and Yuffie held a banner decorated with flowers in the shape of her name. Leon stood at the gate allowing people into the fairgrounds.

“You did all of this for me?” Kairi asked, the words nearly breaking.

“I helped, but the heavy lifting was done by those two.” Naminé pointed to the edge of the crowd.

Her heart sped up at the familiar silhouettes approaching them. She tried to tame her wayward heart. Wishful thinking would only lead to heartache if she was wrong. But as they came closer, she knew these two better than she did herself.

“See Riku, I told you my plan would work,” said Sora, smiling from ear to ear. His eyes held a mischievous twinkle.

—

(One month earlier)

“Riku, what are we going to do?” Sora whined in a high-pitched voice. He laid on the banister of the tower steps pondering his dilemma. It felt like eons had passed since he last saw Kairi. She stayed on Destiny Islands while he and Riku helped Master Yen Sid track down former Keyblade wielders. Physically, she wasn’t far away, but emotionally, he couldn’t reach her. She locked herself away from him to keep him safe, she said. Sora respected that decision initially. After everything that happened, even he needed a break from it all. But days turned into weeks which turned into months. Soon, it would be a year since he last saw her. How much time could he spend away from his other half?

“About?” Riku drawled, knowing what Sora hinted at. He ranted to Riku at least once a week, if not more, about Kairi’s decision. Today was likely no different.

Sora swung his legs over the side and sat up, looking Riku straight in the eye. “Kairi’s birthday! We need to do something for her.”

Riku shook his head. “This won’t end well for you. You are horrible at planning.”

“Name one time!” Sora asked indignantly.

“The raft.”

He opened his mouth to argue when he remembered how little he had to do with the actual plan. “That may be true…”

Sora put his mind to thinking once more. After all they had been through, he wanted to make this next birthday special for Kairi. Naminé said that she wasn’t smiling as much as before. He tried to plan his visits around Kairi’s to give her space. Still, it killed him not to see her. A special gesture might not change the circumstances of her isolation, but at the least, he might bring back some joy.

What was something Kairi had wanted in their childhood? He wracked his mind for clues. Think. Think. Think. He thought like Pooh Bear once did and searched through his memories until he found the perfect one.

The two of them were about to sail to the Play Island to watch the sunset with Riku when Kairi stopped and squealed. “Hey Sora, there’s a festival in Town Commons tomorrow!” Kairi exclaimed, pointing at a flyer on the dock. “Carnival rides, fried food, and live music! It sounds so exciting…” She said dreamily as she relaxed in the canoe.

Sora smiled. “Then let’s be the first ones at the gates. What’s so exciting about a carnival though?” He pushed off the dock and set course for the island.

Kairi looked down. “This past year… When no one could remember you…Everyone thought I was crazy for insisting that you existed. It was insane to think that there was someone they all were forgetting. People started keeping their distance from me; only Selphie, Tidus, and Wakka stayed by my side.” Her voice caught on her words.

Sora quietly paddled as she continued her story. “A few weeks before everyone remembered you, there was a carnival in town. The whole school was excited to go, including me. When I went to go buy a ticket, I heard the snide whispers. ‘Who’s she going to go with? Her imaginary friends?’ Selphie told me to ignore them and their hurtful words, but I let them get to me. I didn’t go then; I said I wouldn’t go to a carnival without you and Riku at my side.”

He stood carefully and pulled her up with him. “I can’t apologize enough for leaving you alone, can I?” He held her small hands in his own.

She laughed through a sniffle. “Why apologize? You’re here now and that’s all that matters.” Kairi climbed on the small dock of the island.

Sora lifted her chin lightly and Kairi met his gaze. “You’re not alone anymore, Kai,” He murmured. They stood like that on the dock for what seemed like a year in a moment.

“I-uh…” He began, and with a start, changed the subject. “Riku’s waiting for us!” Sora scratched his head and ran away to catch up with Riku.

Next thing he knew, Kairi came behind him carrying a message in a bottle and a start of the next adventure.

They never had the chance to go that carnival in town. After they found the message, he and Riku left for Yen Sid’s tower for the exam.

“I know what I’m going to do!” Sora shouted, surprising Riku out of his slumber.

“Great. How will you get her to comply? She doesn’t listen to anyone except Naminé.”

The light bulb flashed in Sora’s head. “That’s it! Riku, you’re a genius.”

Riku crossed his arms with a grin. “You finally accept it.” When he looked up, he only saw the back of Sora’s head going back inside the tower. “There he goes,” Riku sighed.

—

(Present)

Sora stood in front of her, holding her hands once more. Just like he did on that dock and like he did in the Keyblade Graveyard. His smile so sweet, her own eyes watered at the sight. How had she held herself away from him for so long?

“Do you like your present Kairi?” He softly asked, rubbing his thumb over her fingers.

“You did this for me even though I refused to see you?” Her upper lip trembled.

His hands left hers and cupped her face. “You needed time to heal; it didn’t diminish how I feel about you.”

Those words tore down the last of her walls. Kairi threw her arms around his neck and held him close. “I missed you so much,” she whispered into his ear.

He hugged her tightly against him, brushing his lips against her hair. Someone cleared their throat behind them. Kairi turned to see Riku with his arms akimbo.

“Sora didn’t do this all by himself. Don’t I get a hug?”

Kairi giggled as she pulled Riku into an embrace. “I know. He’s hopeless without us.” In a softer voice, she said, “Thank you for taking care of him for me.”

Riku snorted. “You owe me. He’s reckless.”

“I can hear you,” Sora said pointedly.

Kairi stepped back and took both her friends’ hands in her own. “I’ve always wanted to go to one of these with both of you.”

Sora grinned and dropped a kiss on her cheek. “Then what are we waiting for?”

Kairi blushed from the contact. “Let’s go!” She cheered, making her way to the gates. The boys followed her lead inside the fairgrounds, ready to make a night of memories. New memories couldn’t replace the old ones she lost; instead, they would help ease the pain by building around the old. Too long had Kairi been wallowing in the past. With Sora and Riku by her side, soon, she would face the future without fear.

[p-artsypants]

Rage Awakened (9)

This chapter was going to be significantly longer, so I decided to cut it in half to get it out sooner. 

@chachacharlieco @violetstar-writes

FF.net | Ao3

Saying that Sora was uncomfortable would be an understatement. He was wearing borrowed clothes from Ventus; a red jumper with a white short sleeved jacket over it. Sora continued to tug at the puffy pant legs for some relief, but to no avail. The outfit was just a little too small. His undershorts rode up his backside, and people kept slapping his hand away when he tried to pick at it. Not to mention, his sock was falling down in his too-big shoe. He was pretty sure the jumper was picked specifically so he couldn’t drop trou when he finally got fed up with wearing clothes.

“Red suits you,” Kairi had said when she noticed his discomfort. It had helped, but only slightly.

Currently, they were in the courtyard, having just arrived with the borrowed gummi ship, which they would continue to hold onto until Sora earned his keyblade armor.

He looked around briefly, finding solace in the greenery, no matter how manicured it was.

Then there were brooms. Walking brooms. Living brooms. He stared in shock. It was like something out of a dream, or a far off memory.

He followed the others through the castle, as they were escorted to a banquet hall. A large table was set with all sorts of dishes and silverware, heaps of food and decorations. And there were people talking loudly and quickly. He could barely make out the conversations. Frightened, he stood behind Kairi and tried to hide.

“Sora!” A high pitched voice called out to him.

Still nervous, Sora glanced over to where the voice was coming from, only to find a small creature with huge round ears. He stared in confusion.

“Gosh, you sure did grow up! You remember me though, don’tcha?”

Sora’s memory was good, but very selective. He could recall events and faces, but not names or places. This person, he knew. He was certain he did. One that he never wanted to forget.

But the name was just on the tip of his tongue.

There was something about this place that brought a song to his head. And he began to hum it slowly. And then…”M-I-C-K-E-Y…M-O-U-S-E!”

“That’s me! Mickey Mouse! Master Eraqus said you can’t remember a lot of words right now. That’s okay! You’re safe here, okay?”

He wanted to believe that was true, but it was all just so overwhelming and different. So instead of responding, he just stayed quiet.

Kairi however, thanked Mickey for his concern, and then rested a warm hand on Sora’s arm. “You can trust Mickey. He’s a friend, just like Kairi.”

If Kairi trusted him, then it must have been okay.

He was then re-introduced to two more friends from his past. A duck and a dog.

“Gawrsh Sora, We sure missed you! How’ya been?” Said Goofy.

“Still getting into trouble?” Asked Donald, though it was mostly unintelligible.

Sora thought for a moment, and then parroted Donald perfectly, blowing air out his cheeks to replicate the quacking sound. “Still getting into trouble?”

Those assembled, besides Donald, burst into laughter.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?!” Donald quacked indignantly.

“Hey! What’s the big idea?!” Again, Sora parroted him, finding it easier to copy Donald than to copy anyone else.

Kairi, still giggling, said, “I don’t think he’s the best person to copy if you want to relearn how to speak.”

“Oh c’mon Kairi, it’s funny as balls!” Ventus choked, as he continued laughing himself silly.

“I don’t think it’s funny at all!” Donald shrieked, hands on his hips.

“Haven’t you ever heard the phrase, ‘imitation is the best form of flattery?’”

“Aw, phooey.”

“Aw phooey.”

“Knock it off!”

When it was time for dinner, Sora was ushered to sit between Kairi and Riku, though he kept his hands under the table, afraid to touch anything. He sat quietly as everyone talked, catching up on all that had happened in the last week. Though most of the conversation was lost on him.

“Wow, Sora! You lived in a tree?” Asked Daisy.

Sora glanced over to Kairi for help, but she urged him on.

“Y-yes…” he nodded. “Big…big tree.”

“That’s amazing! What did you do when it rained?”

He waved his hands over his head. “Leaves…lots. Stay dry.”

“Oh I see! What kind of tree was it?”

He frowned, perturbed to have to repeat himself. “Big tree.”  

She simply laughed, and the conversation moved onward.

More brooms arrived, with carts of trays of food. Sora could smell it, and buzzed in his seat with excitement.

But, King Mickey stood on his chair and raised a glass. “I’d like to make a toast.”

Everyone took their glass and raised it as well, including Sora who looked around to make sure he was doing it right.

“To you, the keyblade wielders. For all your hard work this last year. We still have much work to do in order to defeat Maleficent and banish the darkness, but thanks to your efforts, no more worlds will be lost. And that is an incredible accomplishment. On behalf of all the worlds I visited, thank you. And, I’d also like to welcome home: Sora. Someone very important to our cause whom we’ve missed dearly all these years. To us!”

“To us!” The group sang together.

Sora watched as everyone clinked their glasses together in celebration, and then decided it was safe to do the same. Without warning, he slammed his glass into Riku’s, shattering both of them.

Sora yelped out in fear at the sound and Riku’s recoil, and then began to cry.

“It’s alright!” Mickey packed quickly. “Accidents happen!”

A pair of brooms were quick to clean up the mess and get new glasses for the boys. Sora, still feeling ashamed, sat on his hands and refused to touch anything, even when the food was presented.

The assembled dug in, not noticing Sora’s plight until Kairi spoke up. “You okay?”

He said nothing, but stared at his plate and licked his lips.

Rick nudged him, getting his attention. Then he took a fork in his fist, and brought it down to stick into a piece of broccoli. “See? Easy.”

Sora grabbed his fork, just like Riku showed him, and went to stab an olive. It rolled away, and he struck again and again, missing continually, until he stabbed right through the plate with a crack. He moaned in frustration, pushed away from the table and laid on the floor.

“Aw, gee Sora, there’s no reason to be upset.” Said Goofy. “Why, I think you’re doing’ just fine! I break plates all the time!”

This was of some comfort, and Sora returned to his seat, as the brooms cleaned up his dinner. He wasn’t that hungry anymore, but another serving was placed in front of him.

Again, Riku nudged him. When Sora looked over, he made a great show of setting his silverware down. Then he scooped up some mashed potatoes in his hand and ate it.

Kairi saw, and did the same with a handful of peas.

One by one, those around the table switched from fine dining, to eating like toddlers. Sora was immensely thankful, and dug into his own food.

After dinner, the group retired to the library.

“I just want to thank you guys again for all your hard work,” Mickey said as they got comfortable among the couches.

“Your Majesty, it wasn’t that hard. Sure, there were days that actually felt like we were struggling and doing work, but other days sort of felt like a vacation.” Said Terra.

“Yeah,” agreed Ventus, “it was cool to travel all over the place.”

Mickey smiled, “well, I’m glad you guys had fun out there too. Most people your age aren’t fighting to survive everyday, and some go without ever being in a fight at all! So, a thanks is required.” Then he stepped over to his desk. “Now, I have a favor to ask. I have the royal Chronicler here, and I would like to document everything you guys can recall from your travels. Facts about the worlds, people you encountered, everything and anything you can think of. I know it’s a lot, and we won’t get through it today, but it’s a start.”

“I wrote down everything I did in a notebook,” said Kairi. “It’s back at the Land of Departure, but I can bring it next time.”

“Great!”

“Where is the Chronicler?” Asked Terra.

“Over here!” Called a voice from on top of the desk. “Cricket’s the name, Jiminy Cricket at your service!”    

Sora was particularly interested in him, coming close to the desk to stare at him. He’d never seen a talking cricket before.

“I’m very fast at taking notes, so you all can take turns sharing stories, and I’ll record it all!”

“Terra, let’s go first.” Urged Aqua. “After all, we were the first ones to see Maleficent in The Underworld.”

“Right, so let’s start there. Are you ready Jiminy?”    

As they began their story, Mickey nudged Riku. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“Come with me.” He beckoned to the door.

In the hall, the two travelled next door to Mickey’s private study. A small room, with much fewer books. There was a desk with two chairs in front of it, both occupied. A desk lamp was on, as well as a fire in the fireplace. Overall, the room may have been much more cozy than the library, but tonight, it just felt dark.

Perhaps it was the presence of two very powerful individuals that made the room feel forbidding.

“Oh, Master Yen Sid, Ansem the Wise. I didn’t know you were here.” Riku said as Mickey closed the door.

“I’m sorry we were unable to greet you sooner. We took dinner here in the study, as there is much to discuss.” Answered Ansem.

“About what? And why only me?”

Yen Sid stood, offering his seat. “Because, there is a traitor in our midst, and you are the only one we can trust at this time.”

That was startling. “Me? Only me? What about Kairi! There’s no way—“

“Kairi is not a Master, so she will not be burdened with this information.”

“I...I guess...but I still find it hard to believe that Terra, Aqua, or Ventus could be traitors...”

“They are not suspects either.”

Riku frowned, now thoroughly confused. “Perhaps you should explain everything to me...”

[x-blade-master]

Concession - Kingdom Hearts Fic

The first KH fic I’ve ever written -- figured I would pop it on here. This was written before KH3′s release.

Summary: Sora gets Roxas back, but at the cost of Riku’s patience. Basically, just a few thousand words of Roxas being a little bitch to Riku because he deserves it, even if we love him.

Rating: Gen

Relationships: None

Characters: Sora, Riku, Roxas

Bringing Roxas back hadn’t been anyone’s priority but Sora’s, even if all his friends stood by him as he quested around Twilight Town to find a way to return him to the world of light. Sure, Riku and Kairi had been cheering him on, and Donald and Goofy had accompanied him wherever the clues went. But really, this was Sora’s quest, one no one could understand. They hadn’t felt what Roxas felt. They hadn’t stared into the eyes of someone so broken and stomped on by life that they finally conceded to its whims. Their lives weren’t stolen.

Yen Sid had told him Roxas was a problem he was creating when they had so many more problems to deal with. Roxas wasn’t one of the missing keyblade wielders; he wasn’t Terra, or Ventus, or Aqua, he wasn’t one of the lights. He wasn’t necessary in this war.

He didn’t get Sora’s point. Necessary in the war didn’t matter. There was life and light beyond the war (Sora had to believe that, had to believe there was an end for him to see with his friends) and Roxas, who had been hurt as much as everyone else, deserved to see that end. So he was getting Roxas back, no matter what.

And he did. He got him back. For a moment he felt like gloating, telling him that he was his own person, here’s the proof. Roxas’ shock, quickly turned thankful, was more than enough for him in the end. Things got a bit more interesting after that.

Roxas had what Sora could only call a bittersweet affection for him. Always thankful for what he did, but also holding onto all that time he had lost to a boy he barely knew. It didn’t bother Sora much; he had a pretty thick skin. And he could consider it more bitter than sweet because Roxas rarely left his side. He would’ve thought that Roxas would run to Lea’s side, but there was a weird tension between the two (mostly on Roxas’ end) that kept him close to Sora.

Which meant Roxas frequently had run ins with Riku which were… stressful, to say the least.

They had been filling Roxas in on some of the past events. Sora wasn’t even sure Roxas was listening outside of an occasional nod. After he finished talking about the Mark of Mastery exam (and his subsequent failure) Roxas turned to Riku with a sharp, not so friendly expression.

“How’s it the guy who can’t keep a keyblade becomes a Master, but you didn’t?” he said.

Riku looked like he was teetering between retaliation and calmness. It was true Riku had gone through his fair share of keyblades, but Sora also knew that if anyone deserved to be a Master, it was him.

“Hey now,” Sora said before either of them could keep going. “Riku just took a bit to get it right is all.” He withheld from pointing out that Roxas had been using keyblades that weren’t his, either, and was probably going to find one that suited him rather than Oathkeeper and Oblivion.

Neither of them were satisfied with the interjection, but they didn’t keep bickering. A tiny victory.

Another time, Roxas thought it would be fun to antagonize Riku while he was sitting to the side, watching him train with Sora.

“Wow, Riku, Sora basically has you beat. You aren’t going to be a sore loser and use the darkness against him, are you?”

Riku’s swing missed, but Sora was equally caught off guard by the statement to not wack him with his keyblade. They both looked up to see a smug, if a little pained, expression on Roxas’ face.

“Roxas…” Sora began, but he didn’t really know where to end the statement. Riku took a deep inhale, focused his thoughts, and then back to the training, acting as if nothing but a strong wind had blown by.

It wasn’t a lack of a reaction, not really, so Roxas found himself pleased.

Some time after that, Riku had been looking for Sora to have a private conversation. There were so many people and so many things to think about that a moment alone with his best friend was just the sort of reprieve he needed.

When he found Sora, he wasn’t alone. He had stepped quietly enough into the room so that he wasn’t noticed, but it was just Sora and Roxas hanging out. Well, Roxas noticed him, and if that tired (annoyingly familiar) smirk was anything to go by, he knew that Riku was probably looking for a little alone time with Sora.

He backed out of the room carefully. Staring at Roxas was like asking for a headache to come for him. It was Sora’s face contorted in constant exhaustion and anger and a certain smarminess that his childhood friend could never manage to pick up. It was Sora’s eyes, blue as the sky, played back on a different station that just threatened revenge or murder or something equally angsty.

Maybe when Riku was younger it was easier to get mad at Sora. But after everything he’d done to him, seeing his face now just made him soft and shameful. He sighed. He deserved this a little, if he was being honest. He hadn’t been the nicest to Roxas, and he worked with DiZ, who had definitely just been plain rude to him. He could handle a bit of snark and frustration.

Roxas just didn’t know when to let up.

Finding Sora without his little shadow was impossible. The only time Roxas left his side was if someone else (not Riku, never Riku) needed Sora to help them with something. They did /everything/ together. Oh, he wasn’t jealous. No way. He had done the jealousy thing before and it did not end well.

He thought he had gotten Sora alone for just a second when they rounded a corner and bumped into each other, but there was Roxas, looming over his shoulder with an unreadable expression and a popsicle stick between his teeth.

“Oh, sorry Riku!” Sora said with his usual chipperness. “Roxas and I just got back from Twilight Town. Sea salt ice cream isn’t really the same anywhere else, ya know?”

“So I’ve heard,” he said, not breaking eye contact with Roxas.

“You should come with us next time! Kairi wants to go, too. It’ll be fun!”

Roxas leaned against Sora with an arm on his shoulder, like a lazy cat in a patch of sun. “Yeah, Riku. You owe me at least 500 munny worth of ice cream, if not a trip to the beach.”

He pinched the bridge of his nose, giving up on their weird staring contest. “Look, Roxas, I’m /sorry/ about that--”

“So you have my money? I worked for that, you know.”

Sora looked at him inquisitively. “You had a job?”

“Several.”

“Alright, look, if it’ll cool you down,” he said, already reaching to grab whatever munny he had on him.

“Cool me down?” Roxas repeated. “I dunno, I’m pretty cool right now. You seem a bit bothered though.”

Riku gritted his teeth. This was impossible. He was being impossible! On purpose! And Sora had the gall to stand there and act like it nothing was going on. Or maybe this was awkward for him. He hadn’t really considered that.

He let out a long breath, refocusing on Roxas. “I’m sorry,” he said for the second time. This was a sorry for everything he’d done. His least offense was probably stealing the munny anyway, and his worst might have been waiting this long to apologize. Roxas looked him over idly.

Roxas waved his popsicle stick around. “So, what, no munny?”

“You-”

Sora cut him off. “Roxas, we have plenty of munny for ice cream.”

He shrugged. “I know. I’m just teasing. Right, Riku?”

“...Right. I’ll catch you later Sora.” He made sure not to glance back at the two of them.

Roxas’ melancholy was palpable from miles away to Sora. He was just staring at the stars, sitting with his legs crossed in front of Yen Sid’s tower. It wasn’t often that Roxas was away from Sora. It wasn’t like he was shy, but he understood the comfort in being close to the person whose heart he had stayed in for a while.

Sora settled down next to him, shoulder to shoulder. “We gotta talk,” he said softly.

“We’re always talkin’,” Roxas said.

“Yeah, but we gotta talk about Riku.”

“What about him?”

He sighed. “Look, I know you two had a really rough start. I know Riku did some not so great things when he was trying to wake me up. I wish I had been there. I wish I had met you before. But he’s gotten so much better and-and I don’t think this is fair.”

“Fair? My life isn’t fair. This is hardly /that/.”

“But he’s a good person! And I know he’s sorry for it all now. There are so many other things to be fighting right now. We shouldn’t fight each other!”

Roxas narrowed his eyes. They reflected the stars so clearly. Is that what Sora looked like, soft and vulnerable? Surely not as hardened. He tried not to be. He tried to not let things seep in the way they did for Roxas.

“You’re right,” Roxas finally said. “I just… it’s easier to be mad. He was terrible. DiZ was worse. I was never supposed to exist, remember? No one had to treat me like I was someone because I wasn’t anyone, so they didn’t. I shouldn’t even be mad.”

Sora laid down on his back, putting his hands under his head. “No, I think it’s okay that you’re mad. As long as you move on from it.”

Roxas looked down at him. “I’ll… try. Don’t expect me to be rushing into Riku’s arms or something. Pretty sure he still doesn’t like me regardless of how I would treat him.”

“You haven’t given him a chance. Trust me, beneath all that broodiness and hair, he’s got a real good heart.”

Roxas gave a small nod. A concession, of sorts. Maybe, a step forward.

But only maybe.

[minijenn]

Keys to the Kingdom Chapter 5

So yeah I know I posted this one all over last night, but I still gotta post it here so yeah. It is a bit of a rehash of what KH3 covers but ehhhh had to get through it to get to the end of it so I guess its not that bad when ya think of it like that :P Either way, there are some parts of it I do really like, as you’ll see. Enjoy!

Previous: http://minijenn.tumblr.com/post/183363646704/keys-to-the-kingdom-chapter-4

Chapter 5: Go the Distance

I’ll be there someday, I can go the distance I will find my way if I can be strong I know every mile will be worth my while When I go the distance, I’ll be right where I belong

The temple’s stark, dramatic collapse rattled just about all of Thebes from the ground up, sending perhaps the most violent of tremors yet rippling through the city streets. Just about everyone felt it, from the families bunkering down in their homes in the hopes that the ongoing torrent of destruction wouldn’t find them there, to the stray stragglers running from the rampaging flames to find some sort of shelter or refuge, to even Maleficent and Pete as they kept their search for the mysterious black box going.

With few bystanders around to stop them, the wicked pair had taken to tearing up one of Thebes’ usually scenic gardens, acting on Hades’ tip that the prize they were looking for might be somewhere nearby. The dark fairy stood apace from the messy hole her henchman was hastily digging, just one of several marring the garden’s once pristine stony grounds. However, this work was soon interupted by the hefty earthquake that sent the entire city shuddering, inevitably sending Pete falling flat on his face amidst the dirt he was digging up, much to his frustrated exasperation.

“Hey! What’s the big idea!?” the henchman snapped as he popped his head out of the whole angrily, shaking the dirt off his shoulders. “That there rumble had to’ve been the biggest one yet! Don’cha think we should check it out?”

“No,” Maleficent rejected bluntly, almost boredly even. “Whatever senseless rampage Hades is inflicting upon this singular world is none of our concern. What we’re after will ensure us the power to spread my domain to other worlds on a far grander scale than a mere petty coup such as his.”

“Hmph, so you keep sayin’…” Pete grumbled as he turned back to his ongoing work. “Are you sure this box with the Book of Prophecies is even for reals? I think that dingbat in black was pullin’ your leg.”

“Be quiet and dig, you imbecile,” the dark fairy scowled impatiently. “I must find that Book of Prophecies and make it my own. His was the only clue we have. We cannot afford to dismiss it without a thorough investigation.”

“I’m just sayin’,” Pete continued sullenly. “A shot in the dark ain’t gonna get us any closer to—oh!”

“What is it?” Maleficent quickly turned to her henchman at his sudden change of tune. “Have you found something? Show it to me at once, fool!”

“Yes sir-eey!” Pete exclaimed, proudly holding up a small chest with a skull acting as its lock. “This has gotta be that Pandora’s Box Hades mentioned!”

Whatever interest the dark fairy had show before immediately fell as she looked over the box her henchman was presenting her with. “Leave it,” she said staunchly, turning her nose up at the chest.

“W-what?” Pete asked, crestfallen. “After all that diggin’?”

“That is not the box which I desire,” Maleficent said coldly. “We are finished with this world. Come.”

“Aww…” the henchman sighed, disappointed as he tossed the box back into the hole where he had found it before hurrying after the dark fairy. Maleficent had all but conjured up a dark corridor so they could take their leave, yet before stepping through it, she suddenly stopped shot, much to Pete’s confusion.

“Hold a moment…” she mused, turning back around with a hint of careful scrutiny in her tone. “Do you feel that?”

“Uh… what?” Pete asked blankly. “Ya mean the wind?”

“No, you buffoon,” Maleficent scowled before stepping forward again in deep concentration. “Its darkness. Deep, pure, unconcentrated darkness…”

“What, like the sorta darkness the Heartless are made of?” Pete asked, still not following.

“No… this darkness is… different…” the dark fairy said, still clearly captivated by it. “I can sense it; its far more powerful than that of any mere Heartless. And most interesting of all… is that it seems to be radiating from a source of light, of all things…” She took pause once more, seeming to ponder over this oddity before a small, intrigued grin crossed her features. “Perhaps our time in this world is not quite finished after all…”

Even after the temple’s uproarious fall finally stilled, the dust and smoke stirred up by it still seemed to be everywhere. Though the musky fog concealed the devastation somewhat, it did nothing to change or undo what had been done, something that Sora, Donald, and Goofy all felt just as heavily as the newfound silence surrounding them. The trio didn’t make much of an effort to break that silence as they all sat in apt shock before the ruins of the temple, the painful realization that Hercules was pinned, or more accurately crushed beneath those very ruins hitting them all at the same exact time.

Donald and Goofy were the first to shakily rise to stand, both of them remaining cautious as they approached the fallen temple to check for any signs of the legendary hero amidst the wreckage. “Hercules!” Donald called as loudly as he could. “A-Are you ok?!”

“Hey, Herc! Can ya hear us!?” Goofy shouted, just as concerned. The pair paused for a moment, waiting and watching for any sort of shift in the rubble that would herald a response from the hero. However, as seconds began to pass into minutes without any such sign, the gravity of the situation became all too clear. “G-gwarsh, fellas…” Goofy muttered sadly, removing his hat out of respect for their supposedly fallen friend. “I don’t think he’s-”

“Why?” Donald and Goofy were quick to turn around to face Sora upon hearing this, both of them taken aback by just how intense his tone was. He was still sitting on his knees, his burns still quite apparent across his arms as his hands dug into the grass below him. His expression was tight and agonized and most of all angry, focused on neither of his companions but rather at the ground in front of him as he continued just as harshly. “Why didn’t you just let me help him?!”

“…Aw, Sora…” Goofy began fretfully as both him and Donald turned back to the Keybearer with the intent of comforting him. Comfort that, as upset over the unnecessary loss of such a good friend, Sora completely refused to simply accept.

“If you guys had just let me stay and fight those Heartless, this never would have happened!” he exclaimed hotly, finally glaring up at the two. “I could have bought Herc enough time to get out!”

“And you would have been crushed instead!” Donald argued back rationally before reigning his own anger back a bit. “You were hurt; you’re still hurt! We had to get you out of there before things got any worse!”

“Well, it’s way too late for that since things just got much, much worse!” Sora snapped bitingly.

“Aw, c’mon, fellas,” Goofy attempted to interject upon seeing Donald twitch with incoming anger in response to such a fierce remark. “We shouldn’t be fightin’ at a time like thi-”

“We were just trying to save your life!” the magician cut the captain off as he addressed the Keybearer sternly. “Why do you have to have such a problem with that?!”

“Because I never asked you to!” Sora protested defiantly. “I can do things on my own! I don’t need you guys to always rush to my rescue!”

“Well sometimes you do!” Donald countered. “If you’re not gonna take care of yourself, then someone has to! We told Master Yen Sid we would keep an eye on you, and that’s exactly what we’re gonna do, whether you like it or not!”

Sora was more than prepared to keep this argument going, however, before he could get another word in edgewise out, the temple ruins finally began to rumble once more. The trio quickly turned back towards them with a shared gasp of surprise, each of them watching with wide eyes in the hopes that Hercules would somehow emerge from the rubble unscathed. However, what did end up popping out of the structure’s devastated remains was just about the exact opposite of the legendary hero, much to the trio’s immense disappointment.

In sudden, furious succession, a multitude of Heartless, the very same flaming creatures that had been in the temple at the time of its collapse, burst out of its wreckage, clearly more incensed than ever before as they landed down before the trio, ready to attack anything and everything in their path. “T-they’re back?” Goofy asked, aptly alarmed as he prepped his shield for the fight ahead.

“Of course, they’d survive!” Donald huffed, frustrated as he brandished his staff. “Sora! Go find somewhere to take cover! I’ll heal your burns when we’re done; and no arguing with us about it this time!”

Surprisingly enough, this time Sora didn’t argue, though he made no effort to move, even as his companions engaged the Heartless in combat. Instead, he simply stayed where he was, watching the starting battle and growing angrier and angrier the more he realized just how unfair every single part of it all was. It was unfair that they hadn’t had enough time to help Hercules get out of the temple alongside everyone else. It was unfair that these mindless, vicious Heartless had survived when someone as noble and brave as the legendary hero seemingly hadn’t. But what Sora quickly realized that the most unfair thing of all was that he could do about any of it. Not only was it too late to help the hero now, but even if it wasn’t, that didn’t change the fact that he was still heavily injured, still weak and worn from his loss of strength and power as a whole. And to make matters worse was the fact that Donald and Goofy, his own companions and friends, seemed to be the ones most intent on keeping him out of the fight. He understood that their protectiveness came from a place of concern, but when push came to shove in a time such as this, Sora could only find such concern frustrating, suffocating even. They were limiting him, holding him back from working towards the strength he knew he had to regain, and the more he thought about their doubts in him, in everyone’s doubts really, the more upset, the more outraged the Keybearer became.

Donald shouted out another authoritative demand for him to flee the scene of the battle, though Sora hardly heard it as lost in his own furious thoughts as he was. Though his thoughts weren’t the only thing distracting him as a sudden, sharp, bitter chill suddenly surged through his entire body, spiking at his heart in particular. The Keybearer let out a small hiss of pain through his teeth as he placed a gentle hand over his inexplicably-aching chest, only to glance down to find a sight that was much more alarming by far. His entire hand was covered in darkness, a black, inky shade of shadow that seemed to be rising up his arm at an unsettlingly steady pace. In fact, that same darkness seemed to be creeping up the rest of his body as well, painting his clothes and skin in its nightmarish pallor as it made an obvious beeline for both his mind and his heart. Sora recognized this horrific transformation well, though it was a far cry from how it usually felt, especially as his senses, his very mind altogether began to fade under such an immense pall of darkness. In fact, it acted so fast in forcing itself upon him that he had no chance to wonder how or why this was happening; instead, all he could do was panic. “D-Donald! Goofy!” he choked, reaching out a shaking, shadowy hand to the duo still battling the Heartless. “I-I… s-something’s wrong! I’m… I-I can’t-”

The Keybearer cut himself off with a sharp, anguished cry as the darkness tightened its reigns around his heart. Donald and Goofy only barely managed to turn back around to face Sora just in time to watch the shadows fully overtake him. The rampaging Heartless were all but forgotten as the pair rushed forward to their transforming companion, fearful as they ever were whenever this sort of dangerous shift took place, however, as soon as it was complete, they were quick to realize that this new form he had taken on was quite unlike anything they had witnessed before.

Indeed, it was still somewhat familiar: he was still drenched in absolute darkness from head to toe, not a speck of light to be found anywhere save for his eyes. They were like bright, piercing full moons, wide and large as they seemed to stare at nothing and everything all at once. His fingertips had turned into long, spindly, pointed claws and though his mouth seemed to have disappeared entirely, he still let out a series of low, rumbling, rather feral growls as he clamored upright into a hunched, almost animalistic stance. However, what this form apart from the past was the Keyblade that materialized within his clawed grasp, a weapon he had never been able to utilize like this before; there was no doubt it was still the Kingdom Key, though much like Sora himself, it was enshrouded with shadow to the point that only its silhouette was recognizable. Donald and Goofy practically froze up in fear as their darkened young companion looked between the two of them with his glowing, emotionless eyes, seemingly recognizing neither of them, even as they made a shaky attempt at communicating with him.

“S-Sora?” Goofy ventured first, albeit quite apprehensively as both of them kept a safe distance from the Keybearer, knowing just how dangerous and unpredictable he could be like this. “A-are ya still-”

The captain was succinctly cut off as Sora suddenly snapped his glance away from the pair and towards the crowd of Heartless still bouncing around behind them. With fast, erratic movements, he suddenly lunged forward, nearly knocking his companions over in the process as he ran towards the creatures almost on all fours, Keyblade still in hand all the while. And then, with a ferocity that outright terrified both Donald and Goofy as they stood on the sidelines watching, Sora tore into the Heartless without any sort of mercy whatsoever, clawing and keying at them with vicious, deadly attacks. His monstrous growls and hisses were just as apparent as the tendrils of darkness leaking off of him as he cut through the once menacing group of creatures, ignoring their flames in favor of extinguishing their existences altogether. In a way, it certainly did seem that, in however mindless this furious rampage might have been, Sora was enacting some sort of retaliation against these Heartless, both for injuring him before and for surviving the temple’s collapse while Hercules hadn’t. Which was why, with the superior strength the darkness allotted him, it only took him a mere matter of minutes to clear the creatures out, leaving not so much as a single one of them alive in the wake of such a violent outburst.

With the last of the Heartless finally gone, Donald and Goofy were more than prepared to let out a shared sigh of relief, though that sigh was something they held off on the moment they noticed something was extremely off. Namely, the fact that Sora hadn’t returned to normal yet, even though the battle was over. Instead, he remained entrenched in darkness, his former aggression replaced with an apparent sense of aimlessness as he stood hunched over, glancing around idly for something to attack. The duo exchanged a nervous glance as they hesitantly decided to approach him, hoping that they’d be able to bring their young companion back to his right mind, even if they had no idea how.

“S-Sora?” Donald began first, garnishing the wayward Keybearer’s attention. He looked towards his companions with wide curious eyes, thankfully showing no violent intent as he simply stared at them blankly. “C-can… can you hear us?”

Sora simply tilted his head at this as if he was confused, much to the pair’s growing concern. “Uh… maybe he’s just havin’ a hard time understandin’ us?” Goofy guessed with a frown. “Hey, Sora, can ya try giving us a nod if you understand what we’re sayin’ to ya?”

The Keybearer did no such thing as he instead remained stationary, leaning forward slightly though still not making any sort of effort to communicate with his worried companions, not that he very well could even if he wanted to in this form to begin with. “W-what are we gonna do?!” Donald exclaimed, aptly fretful. “He’s never been… l-like this for so long before! What if he stays stuck that? What are we supposed to do then?!”

“Aw, don’t worry, Donald,” Goofy reassured as encouragingly as he could, though upon sparing a brief glance over at Sora again, he couldn’t deny that the very same prospect brought him just as much dread. “This is Sora we’re talkin’ about here! He’s not gonna let a little darkness take over his heart for too long!”

“Y-yeah!” the magician perked up as he forced himself to believe that. After all, the alternative was much too grim to even think about. “C’mon, Sora! You gotta snap out of it!”

“That’s right!” Goofy added just as firmly. The pair worked past their nerves so they could each place a hand on their young companion’s shadow-streaked shoulders. The sudden touch was enough to elicit a distrustful glare, accompanied by a small warning growl out of Sora, but surprisingly, he made no move to attack as he watched the pair carefully as they continued their appeal. “Ya need to come back to us!” the captain said with a bright smile. “We’re a team after all, aren’t we?”

“And you’re the one who keeps this team together!” Donald chimed in confidently, noticing as the dark aura radiating off of the Keybearer was finally starting to diminish somewhat. “We’re sorry about what happened before, but we just don’t wanna lose you! To something like… this, or to anything else!”

“But we’re not worried anymore,” Goofy assured, tightening his grip on the Keybearer’s shoulder supportively. “‘Cause we know just how strong your heart is, Sora! Heck, is somethin’ we’ve known all along, and so have you!”

“Which is why you’re not going to just let the darkness have it!” Donald proclaimed, almost overwhelmed with relief when Sora finally closed his otherwise unblinking yellow eyes. “Right?”

The pair finally paused, waiting to see if their uplifting rhetoric worked. And sure enough, it did as the shadows settled on Sora finally began to lift, as if he had stepped out of the darkness of night and back into the midday sun as his usual colors and vibrancy returned. And with it, came the return of his own consciousness, though it was somewhat slow to return as he let out a small, tired groan as his eyes—thankfully back to their usual deep blue—fluttered open just as he collapsed to his knees before the pair. Donald and Goofy still didn’t remove their hands from his shoulders, even as he looked up at the two of them, his expression weary and disoriented as he tried to catch his lost breath. “D-Donald? Goofy?” he asked, his voice soft and sedated and filled with confusion. “W-wha-”

“Sora!” the duo cheered joyfully, not hesitating to engulf the unprepared Keybearer in an unexpected hug. As a result, the entire trio toppled over into the grass, Donald and Goofy laughing brightly all the while, and though it took a moment, Sora slowly joined in their levity, even if he largely had no idea where it was coming from.

However, unbeknownst to the group amidst their bout of allayed celebration, was the pair of figures standing on one of Thebes’ higher structures above them, a pair that had just observed everything that had happened firsthand. “Well then…” Maleficent smirked, clutching her staff as she kept her gaze focused on the trio below. “It seems as though I truly have underestimated that boy in the past…”

“Boy, I’ll say!” Pete chimed in, absolutely baffled. “What was up with all that darkness coverin’ him anyway? I thought he was supposed’ta be one of them goodie-goods, all full o’ light and whatnot.”

“It would appear that his heart is not as ‘full of light’ as we had previously been led to believe…How… fascinating…” the dark fairy mused, her grin widening as a malevolent new idea came to her. “Perhaps what we’re truely searching for isn’t that far out of our reach after all…”

“Huh?” Pete glanced around in confusion. “But I don’t see any black boxes ‘round here…”

“Forget about the black box for now,” Maleficent said simply.

“Wha-?!” the henchman exclaimed, flabbergasted. “B-but we just spent the past several days lookin’ all over for it! How are we just supposed’ta forget about it like it ain’t nothing’!?”

“Because, you oaf,” the dark fairy said sharply as she summoned a dark corridor for them to take their leave. “If all goes according to plan, then not only will the box fall into our hands, but so too will each and every world in our path.”

“Oh yeah?” Pete inquired, curious. “And how do ya see that?”

Maleficent took pause before entering her dark corridor to take her leave, casting another brief, intentfully glance down at the trio on the ground, or more specifically, the Keybearer among them. “By plunging a noble heart into the depths of darkness and despair…”

And just like that, the duo left, still completely unnoticed by the trio below as they made progress in recuperating from their most recent harrowing experience. Now that they actually had some time to spare, Donald made sure to finally heal Sora’s still persistent burns while both him and Goofy fretted over their young companion, even despite the fact that the Keybearer himself was still somewhat out of it.

“What happened to you?!” Donald fussed, though concern clearly filled his tone as he finished casting cure. “Why didn’t you go back to normal after the Heartless were gone like you usually do when you get like that?!”

“Why didn’t I… what?” Sora asked with a frown as he placed a hand against his somewhat aching head. “What are you talking about? When I get like what?”

Donald and Goofy exchanged a worried glance at this, both of them taking on the same sort of confusion their young companion was showing. “Uh… don’tcha remember any of what just happened, Sora?” the captain asked patiently.

Sora paused, his brow furrowing in deep thought for a moment before he ultimately shook his head. “No, the last thing I can remember is…” he hesitated, partially out of not wanting to admit the truth, though for the sake of figuring out what was going on, he begrudgingly did anyway. “I-is feeling angry and… and hurt. And then, w-when I looked down at my hand it was just covered in-” He cut himself off with a gasp, his eyes widening with the almost sickening realization of what had happened. “D-darkness… Oh no… No, no, no, no, no, please tell me I didn’t-”

“Y-you did…” Donald and Goofy confirmed in grave unison, both of them averting the poignant fear starting to well up in Sora’s eyes as he looked between the two of them desperately.

“B-but on the bright side, ya did get rid of all the Heartless!” Goofy tried to reassure their young companion, especially as he let out a loud groan and buried his face into his hands out of shame.

“But on the bad side, we almost weren’t able to get you to snap out of it…” Donald muttered apprehensively.

“I can’t believe this…” Sora huffed as he rose to stand and pace out of frustration, largely with himself this time more than anyone else. “How do I just not remember any of this!? Usually when this happens, I’m able to at least feel some of what happens, but this time it was like I totally blanked out! What’s going on with me lately?!”

“M-maybe it has somethin’ to do with you losin’ your strength?” Goofy ventured a guess, though it was a rather arbitrary one at best.

“Ugh, why wouldn’t that surprise me?” Sora asked with an annoyed scowl as he crossed his arms. “And so much for trying to regain that strength; how am I supposed to do that if I can’t even control something like this?”

“Aw, c’mon, Sora, you can’t just give up now cause of one tiny thing like this,” the captain encouraged with a small smile.

“That’s right!” Donald readily agreed. “If one thing’s for certain, its that whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out, together!” To emphasize his point, the magician put his hand out, and Goofy readily placed his own on top of it. The pair kept up their reassuring grins as they looked to their upset young companion, who couldn’t really stay that way for long as he finally decided to accept the support they were offering him this time.

“Right,” Sora nodded with a smile of his own as his hand landed down on top of his companions’. “Together.”

However, the trio barely had time to revel in their newfound solidarity before the ruins of the temple began to shift behind them yet again. In light of recent events, all three of them were on high alert as they turned beck to the fallen structure, their weapons in hand to take on whatever might emerge from it.

“What now?” Sora asked, slightly aggravated as he tightened his grip on his Keyblade. “More Heartless?”

“Wait a second…” Goofy said, squinting to see through the last of the settling dust to find a familiar silhouette walking out of it towards them. “That ain’t no Heartless… T-that’s-”

“Hercules!” the trio exclaimed in stunned, yet delighted unison as the legendary hero finally emerged from the wreckage. He looked no worse for wear, a little dirty from the rubble, with a few scars and scratches here and there, but for the most part he was still as strong and sturdy as ever as he came out to meet the excited group with a broad, confident grin.

“Well, getting out of there took a little longer than I thought it would…” Hercules noted with a small chuckle.

“You’re telling us!” Sora exclaimed with a small, incredulous laugh. “You scared us!”

“Eh, it was nothing,” the hero shrugged before pulling off an impressive flex. “That’s what these are for.”

Despite the circumstances, this bout of good humor, coupled with the immense relief they shared at simply seeing Hercules alive and well again was enough to elicit a full, hearty bout of laughter from the trio. However, this bout of levity unsurprisingly didn’t last long as the group’s attention was soon diverted by a dark corridor opening up only just a few feet away.

“Oh, wow! Very nice, full marks,” the familiar freeshooter applauded sardonically as he stepped out of the dark portal. “And I’m not just talking about that smooth escape either.”

No one paid much mind to what the Organization member might have meant by this remark as Sora, Donald, and Goofy all took up offensive stances against him. “Go away!” the magician shouted fiercely, in no mood to deal with any further foes after everything that they’d been through.

“No Organization!” Goofy added just as adamantly, ready to take up his shield at a moment’s notice.

“You’re Xigbar!” Sora exclaimed, far from pleased to see any member of the Organization after his last harrowing encounter with them, much less this particular one.

“And you’ve got a knack for pointing out the obvious, kid,” Xigbar remarked, still smirking coyly as he approached the group. “All this altruism is giving me the warm and fuzzies. So then, does having a heart of light come with an extremely good insurance policy?”

“Ugh, just say what you mean for a change!” the Keybearer scowled, annoyed by how just about every member of the Organization always seemed to speak in riddles or circles.

“Oh, but I did though,” the freeshooter shrugged. “No good will ever come from putting other people first. Anyone who does that usually ends up coming in dead last. It just makes sense when you really think about it.”

“I don’t think it does,” Hercules spoke up, shaking his head in disagreement with such a cynical viewpoint. “I was able to save Meg’s life because I was ready to risk my own. And because of that, we both made it out alive and together in the end.”

“Because you have friends in high places, you mean,” Xigbar countered dismissively. “Tricks like that don’t fly for your average joe.”

“And what do you know anyway?” Sora argued defiantly. “You weren’t even there! If you were, you’d admire Herc’s courage!”

“I don’t admire one guy leaping into danger if it means someone else might have to jump in to save him,” Xigbar rolled his visible eye. “You’re all just lining up to lose out, dooming others to take the fall with ya. Oh, and you can spare me the usual party line. Yeah, hearts are powerful when they’re connected. But if you put too much of that power in one place, some of those hearts might just end up breaking. Unless…” the freeshooter glanced back over his shoulder at the group, or more specifically, at Sora. “You were to somehow find a heart strong enough to hold it all in… But who am I kidding? A heart that strong doesn’t exist…or does it?”

“Who cares?” Sora interjected, thoroughly irritated by this point. “Can’t you just get to the point and get out of here already? It’d save us all a lot of time.”

“Yeesh, so eager to see me go, aren’t you?” Xigbar asked, raising a knowing eyebrow. “I expected at least a little better reception than this. Especially since I came all this way to offer you some pretty sound advice.”

“Like we’d listen to any advice from you!” Donald huffed, aptly incensed.  

“Yeah, knowing you, its probably just another trap or something,” Sora agreed, sending the Organization member a suspicious glare.

“Look, I’m just trying to warn you that the game we’re all playing here is about to change, big time,” the freeshooter informed, still grinning all the while. “Still, Sora, that doesn’t mean you should change. Accept the power you’re given. Find the hearts joined to yours.”

“Can’t you take a hint?” Sora asked impatiently, all but ready to finally summon his Keyblade in the hopes that it’d get Xigbar to finally leave. “We already told you; we don’t want or need your advice!”

“Ha! As if!” Xigbar scoffed, turning his back on the group as he began to walk away. “You don’t have any choice but to follow this sweet little trail of bread crumbs. And at the end, you’ll finally realize just what destiny has in store for you. In fact… your reward might be right around the corner. You’re so close!”

And with that, before the Keybearer or any of his companions could so much as ask what the freeshooter meant by such vague remarks, Xigbar walked into the distant fog where he ended up disappearing into a dark corridor just like the one he had arrived in. A bout of confused silence rose up among the group as they silently pondered the freeshooter’s cryptic “advice” to themselves. That is, until Sora voiced his undeniable confusion over what he’d just heard. “Hearts breaking?” he asked, more to himself than any of the others as he frowned almost fretfully. “Whose hearts?”

“Sora, don’t let someone like him bother you,” Hercules reassured steadily. “He’s just trying to get under your skin ‘cause he thinks he can. But we’ll prove him wrong. We’ll show him that our sacrifices haven’t been for nothing.”

Despite Hercules’ encouragement, Sora couldn’t help but still be somewhat concerned by Xigbar’s rather ominous statements. Though he was quick to put that concern aside, replacing it with a confident smile as he nodded in agreement with the hero’s resolve. “You’re right,” he said, deciding to fully believe that fact himself rather than listen to what any member of the Organization had to say.

“Mm hm!” Goofy added enthusiastically. “Besides, we’re already proof enough of that!”

“It’s like we said before,” Donald grinned just as boldly. “We’re a team! When we’re together, we can do anything!”

“Yeah!” Sora exclaimed, sharing their zeal. However, as the others all began to move on ahead with the intent of finishing their search of the city, he still stopped short to ponder over their brief, rather bizarre confrontation with the Organization member. Very few parts of what Xigbar had said seemed to make any actual sense, which wasn’t that surprising given how cryptic and ominous those with the Organization tended to be with their monologues and speeches. Yet there was still one part of it all that left the Keybearer wondering whether this particular speech was just more empty, supposedly intimidating rhetoric or not. “And at the end,” the freeshooter had said with a smile that easily conveyed that he knew something the rest of them didn’t, though exactly what that something was, Sora hadn’t the faintest clue. “You’ll finally realize just what destiny has in store for you. In fact, your reward might be right around the corner. You’re so close!”

“What reward…?” the Keybearer muttered to himself, trying to fathom what implications such a confusing statement was even supposed to carry. If it was any sort of reward the Organization intended on trying to offer to him, then of course, Sora knew he wanted absolutely no parts of it whatsoever. But if it happened to be something else altogether…?

Sora was quick to shake his head clear of such pointless thoughts. It didn’t matter what “reward” Xigbar had spoke of was, especially when that reward, good or bad, might very well not even exist in the first place. As it was, it was probably just another trick, another lie and deception among countless others meant simply to lead him astray off his intended path. Which was why the Keybearer boldly decided to just ignore it all for the time being to rigidly stay on that path, hoping to seek his own kind of reward at the end of it all. Namely his lost strength to be regained, and the hearts of those so unfairly lost, all of which were waiting, no, depending on him.

And despite any mocking villain, soothsaying Organization member, or even the unseen darkness or hidden rage pressing against the doors of his own heart, Sora was determined to not let any of those wandering, waiting hearts down.

The rest of their sweep through Thebes was surprisingly smooth and speedy. Most of the townsfolk in peril had already been escorted out of the diminishing flames to safety, and the group wasted little time in rounding up the rest of the stragglers. Heartless still popped up in their path from time to time, but even their numbers were lower than before, their aggression lessened somewhat. In a way, it almost seemed as though Hades seemed to be shifting his focus away from the city entirely, something that didn’t really surprise any of them. After all, the lord of the dead had sent the message of his immense power quite well in this attack on the town, but it was obvious that wasn���t his end goal like apparent control of the entire cosmos seemed to be. However, the group didn’t get a complete confirmation on this theory until they ended up circling back around to Thebes’ central square, only to be met with a familiar flying steed and its pair of riders almost as soon as they arrived.

Pegasus touched down firmly right before Hercules and the trio, both Meg and Phil sharing allayed grins as they relayed the good news they had to share from their scouting from above. “Nice job, Wonderboy,” Meg congratulated the hero warmly. “We checked the whole town. Looks like everyone’s finally safe.”

“That’s great,” Hercules said, letting out a sigh of relief that Sora, Donald, and Goofy all easily shared in on. “We did what we could to help.”

“I’ll say,” Meg smirked, glancing up to address the entire group playfully. “Looks like you heroes have been busy little bees.”

Sora, Donald, and Goofy all perked up at this, taking the praise proudly, even if Phil was quick to interject to detract it. “Eh, from while we were flyin’ overhead, you three were passable, at best,” the satyr remarked flippantly, though he did break out into a wry grin upon noticing the offended glances the trio sent his way. “Hey, I’m kiddin’! Ya did good. At least none of ya died, so that’s definitely a plus in just about every book there is.”

This quip was more than enough to get a laugh out of the entire group, though it was ultimately a short lived one as Pegasus let out a small, yet serious whicker, diverting everyone’s attention towards Mount Olympus afar in the distance. “Oh, look…” Meg sighed wearily, noticing the fearful sight first. “More trouble…”

Trouble indeed summed the situation up well as everyone looked to the mountain towering high over the city. Usually, Mount Olympus’s impeccably tall peak was awash in soft, fluffy clouds, clouds that obscured the glorious realm of the gods away from mortal eyes. However, now the clouds that swirled around that realm were black and stormy, marred by the occasional bolt of dark thunder to top off the sinister aura filling the very air itself.

“It’s Hades…” Hercules scowled, not even having to think twice about where such darkness was coming from. “No wonder things have been quieter around here lately. He’s going after the home of the gods.”

Upon hearing this, the trio needed only to exchange a brief, determined glance, all three of them knowing that they hadn’t backed down against Hades before and they certainly had no intentions of backing down against him this time. “Then let’s go stop him!” Sora proclaimed, ready to do just that, even despite the apparent danger.

“Right,” Hercules grinned, just as eager to put an end to the lord of the dead’s twisted ambitions once and for all.

Knowing that the group had an important task ahead of them, Meg and Phil were quick to send them their best wishes and brief farewells before Pegasus whisked them off once more. And with that, they set off, hurrying onward towards the outskirts of town towards the path that would lead them back up the towering mountain ahead. They spared no time for breaks or distractions, knowing that time was of the essence in halting Hades’ schemes as they began steadily making their way towards the summit. The Heartless started popping up more frequently with each cliff they scaled, but with heightened vigor and a renewed sense of purpose, the group took them on with stalwart gusto. After all, they were no longer on the defensive, simply trying to keep people safe from the rampaging creatures; now they were on the attack, hurrying to hit Hades where it hurt and nip his plans in the bud before they even had a chance to be fully realized whatsoever. It was reinvigorating for all of them, to say the least, especially considering just how perilous and nearly deadly their time in the Thebes had been. But as they scaled Mount Olympus, they felt more eager, more united, perhaps even a bit stronger; ready to pit their noble team against whatever tricks and traps Hades might try to throw their way.

Of course, what he did actually intend on throwing their way was something much more immense than any of them could have expected.

The group had only made it about halfway up the mountain when the ground began to rumble once more, hardly an unusual phenomenon for any of them by now considering everything that had happened in Thebes. “This sure does feel familiar…” Goofy noted over the distant, unintelligible roars coming from the mountain’s distant peak.

“Yeah, just like before,” Sora agreed. “The only thing missing is Hades showing up to blow us off the mountain.”

“This is getting worse by the minute…” Hercules mused, his manner quite serious as he kept his focus on the mountain’s storm-obscured summit. “I hope I’m wrong, but my family may need me.” Without wasting another second, the hero turned his sights to the sky and let out a loud, calling whistle. Pegasus soared in to respond to it, having already deposited Meg and Phil somewhere safe so he could race to his master’s side if need be. “Sora, I’m gonna go fly ahead,” Hercules said to the Keybearer as his winged steed touched down before him. “You’ve been a big help, but… leave the rest to me. Like I said, my family’s counting on me; I shouldn’t keep them waiting.”

“Family?” Sora inquired curiously, having never heard the hero mention any sort of family members before.

“Yeah,” Hercules grinned as he mounted Pegasus. “Dad’s king of the gods.” And with that and a simple wave of farewell, the hero took off, not realizing just how baffled his simple statement had left the trio in his wake.

“Whaaaat?!” Donald and Goofy exclaimed in unison as they exchanged an awed glance.

“H-his father is a god?” Sora asked just as incredulously. “But… wouldn’t that mean Herc is a god too?!”

“I think it does…” the captain mused thoughtfully. “Ya know, it feels like this is something we should’ve found out a long time ago…”

“No wonder he’s so strong!” the magician exclaimed. “That means he’ll be ok on his own for sure. Won’t he?”

“No,” Sora shook his head. “Organization XIII’s here. God or no god, he’ll need our help dealing with them. And Hades too, for that matter.”

“Good point,” Goofy nodded firmly. “We gotta go!”

“Cause heroes never quit!” Donald emphasized as they all turned to face the peak before them once more.

Though Sora certainly agreed with his companions’ noble sentiments, he didn’t voice that agreement right away as he instead briefly thought back to the indirect advice that Hercules himself had offered him. Advice that the Keybearer was only really starting to understand the further along their journey progressed: “Hm, that’s tough… All I know is… that she was in trouble. Suddenly, I wanted to save her with all my heart…”

“We fight with all our hearts…” Sora echoed the sentiment to himself softly, deciding to fully embrace that thought for himself. While thus far he’d had relatively little success in finding any viable, expedited way of regaining his lost strength, maybe that strength wasn’t something he have expected to come back to him in one fell swoop. Perhaps it was something that needed to be earned, regained over time through hard work and solid determination, both attributes the Keybearer had taken up in order to build up that strength in the first place. Perhaps the way to bring it all back was exactly how the hero had said: by working, fighting with every ounce of resolve and courage his heart had to give. “C’mon!” Sora exclaimed to his companions, letting his newfound verve shine through has he began leading the way up the rest of the mountain. “Let’s go show Hades what happens when he messes with the wrong heroes!”

Not wanting to leave Hercules without any backup for too long, the trio quickened the pace of their upward voyage to the peak. Whatever crowds of Heartless they encountered were either quickly dealt with or ignored altogether as they rushed past them, scaling the perilous mountain pass in the hopes of reaching the realm of the gods sooner rather than later. They could tell they were getting ever closer to their destination as the skies soon turned from bright blue to dark and stormy, rumbling with thunder as a torrential downpour began to spout from the dour clouds above. The rain was easy enough to ignore, however, the other elements brought about from Hades’ Titans were a bit more of a challenge. The primary danger the trio faced the closer they got to the summit were rocks, heavy, crushing boulders tumbling down the cliffsides seemingly without end. It took some careful footwork and precise timing, but sure enough they managed to avert the rock Titan’s projectiles and slip into the momentary safety of the enclosed mountain pass. The pass that led directly to the epicenter of the Titans’ violent attack: the realm of the gods, Olympus itself.

Despite the storm raging on around it, Olympus was, to put it simply, absolutely immaculate. Its large golden gates led the trio to a radiant realm of sacred light, quite unlike any they had ever seen before. In absolute awe, Sora, Donald, and Goofy stepped foot into the divine domain, one that seemed to be entirely composed of sculpted clouds and grandiose golden structures as far as the eye could see. Needless to say it was a far cry from the damaged stony streets of Thebes or even the lush greenery of the mountain it capped of, something the trio unanimously noted as they tried to take it all in.

“Is this… Olympus?” Sora asked, still quite stunned by the drastic change of scenery.

“Gawrsh, it’s amazing…” Goofy said rather quietly to maintain an air of reverence in such a hallowed place. However, if there was any group that cared about no such thing, it was the Heartless that showed up only seconds later. An entire army of shadowy, soldier-like figures materialized just a few feet away from the trio, fully armored and ready for battle. Fortunately, the trio was more than ready to take them on as they summoned their respective weapons, charging headfirst into the fray, this time, without any signs of hesitation. The scuffle was arduous to be sure, as the trio was certainly outnumbered by the horde of bulky Heartless surrounding them. However, the key difference between this skirmish and their initial fights in Thebes was clear: instead of working against each other, this time, the trio worked perfectly in sync, finally falling back into their old rapport they usually carried in battles of the past. And that rapport only continued as they cleared out the first wave of Heartless, though no rest awaited them as several more hordes seemed to be invading Olympus as a whole, diminishing the sanctity and security the realm of the gods should have known. Even so, Sora, Donald, and Goofy were more than equipped to deal with them as they tore their way through the weaker shadows, steadily cutting their way through towards the heart of Olympus in the hopes of meeting up with Hercules again there. And sure enough, that’s exactly what they did.

The trio had just about reached the apex of the divine domain when they spotted their first glimpse of the hero. He was still peached on Pegasus as the duo swept through the air, slicing through any aerial Heartless he came across as he made a beeline for the central citadel, where Hades and his Titans no doubt awaited. Hercules happened to spot the trio himself as he flew high above them, and he offered them a small, confident nod of greeting, having already expected them to follow after him, even despite his advising against it. Still, if there was anyone who could help him take on the threat Hades and his sinister monsters posed, Hercules knew it’d be those three, no doubt.

It seemed as though they were all going to arrive not a moment to soon, either, as Hades himself stood smugly within the sacred rotunda, watching with a triumphant smirk as his Titans conquered the so-called “mighty” gods of the glorious Olympus. The lesser deities had all been restrained by the lord of the dead’s darkened chains, left to watch as even the all-powerful Zeus himself was overpowered by the Titans’ immense elemental powers.

“I swear to you, Hades!” the king of the gods shouted angrily down to his brother from his ever-expanding prison of solid fire and ice. “When I get out of this, I’ll-” Zeus never got a chance to finish his threat as the freezing molten rocks finally covered him completely, effectively sealing him and all his sacred power away.

“Yeah, nah,” Hades’ grin deepened as he conjured up a dark throne, finalizing his newfound domain over the realm of the gods. “I’ll be the one giving orders around here from now on, bolt boy.”

“Don’t get too comfortable, Hades!”

The lord of the dead shot upright in his seat upon hearing such a brazen proclamation, his baffled shock growing tenfold as he spun around to find a familiar hero flying in. Hercules sent Hades a challenging grin as he soared in upon Pegasus swiftly, his radiant sword poised to put an end to the lord of the dead’s dark regime. But as startled and outraged by the hero’s appearance alone, Hades was even more incensed to find that he wasn’t alone.

“Yeah, ‘cause we’re here to stop you!”

All the lord of the dead could do was gape, absolutely appalled as he turned back towards the citadel’s gates only to find Sora, Donald, and Goofy standing before them, their weapons in hand. Things only seemed to go from bad to worse for Hades as Hercules sped in, cutting through the chains binding the other gods with a single swing of his steady sword. The lord of the dead all but ignored the deities’ united cheers of celebrate over their release as his blue flames quickly spiked deadly red as a sign of his fury, fury that he had no qualms about showing as he fiercely demanded his Titans to cut these brazen interlopers down before they ruined his careful plans altogether.

“Get them!” he shouted to his quartet of mythical monsters. And sure enough, the Titans didn’t hesitate to act on this intense command, storming forward with thunderous steps and leaving behind deadly trails of fire, ice, wind, and stone in their wakes. They towered tall over the trio in particular, and though the thought occurred to each of them that they were in over their heads in dealing with such massive monsters, it was quick to be pushed away as soon as the hero leapt off his winged steed to join them.

“You guys ready for this?” Hercules asked as he landed, not hesitating to take up a fighting stance against the rampaging Titans.

“We’re always ready,” Sora assured confidently, brandish his Keyblade for the no doubt daunting battle ahead.

And daunting it was. The Titans didn’t bother holding back their initial blasts, going in for elemental attacks first, as would be expected. The immense gales caused by the wind Titan alone made things difficult for the group, but when coupled with the non-stop icy spikes, fiery blasts, and hurling rocks, they found that even getting anywhere close to the monsters to land so much as a single blow on any of them all but impossible.

“How are we supposed to fight them like this?” Donald huffed in annoyance as he launched another ultimately blocked flame spell over at the ice Titan. “They just keep knocking us back!”

“If only we could just fight each of ‘em one-by-one,” Goofy said, using his shield to deflect a hard-thrown stone. “That’d sure make things a lot easier!”

“Wait a second…” Sora mused with dawning realization as sudden, somewhat risky plan came to mind. “That’s it! Herc, you think you can cause a distraction for us?”

“You can count on me,” the hero grinned, not even having to ask what the Keybearer’s possible plans were. Instead, Hercules boldly ran forward while the trio skirted off out of the Titans’ notice. The hero made good on his word to provide a timely distraction as he vaulted up onto the rock Titan first, moving far faster than the sluggish, bulky creature could before finally taking up a perch upon one of its two flat stone heads.

“Hey, lava-breath!” he taunted to the fire Titan in particular. “Bet ya can’t knock me off!”

As expected, the Titan took the bait as it sent its massive flaming arm swinging directly at the hero. And while Hercules was able to easily avoid it with a simple deft leap off the monster’s head, the rock Titan was not as its fiery counterpart struck it hard. The momentous blow was more than enough to send the rock Titan flying, even despite its impressive weight and sturdy build, not just across the rotunda, but clear off the edge of the citadel altogether. And, with the other monsters distracted as they were with watching their fellow Titan plummet through the clouds, they failed to notice the trio rounding off behind the icy behemoth in particular, ready to carry out their decisive surprise attack.

“Ok, on three,” Sora said discreetly to Donald and Goofy as they positioned themselves behind one of the ice Titan’s rather spindly legs. “One, two-”

“H-hey! Hey! Hey!” Hades shouted from his spot on the sidelines upon noticing the trio setting up to take out another one of his Titans. Or ideally, even more than that. “What do you three numbskulls think you’re doing!?”

“Three!” Sora shouted hastily, and not a moment too soon either. For just as Hades lobbed a series of smaller fireballs over at the trio in a haphazard attempt at stopping them, they leapt out of the attack’s path entirely, instead enacting one all their own. Their weapons each struck the ice Titan’s inner knee at the exact same moment, the sheer impact of their combined blow proving to be more than enough to shatter it entirely. The chilled creature let out a hiss of surprise, unable to catch itself as it began to topple over onto, fortunately enough onto none other than the fire Titan right next to it. The conflicting elementals instantly began acting against each other the moment they slammed into each other, resulting in both of them tumbling over on top of each other, effectively stunned.

“Nice one, you guys,” Hercules congratulated the trio as they regrouped. “Looks like you just killed two birds with one stone. Or I guess I should say two Titans with one stone.”

“Aw, shucks, they’re not so tough by themselves!” Goofy assured brazenly.

“And with three down, that means there’s only one left to go—whoa!” Sora was interupted as the final Titan standing roared into vengeful action, launching all four of them upward with its violent gales. The breezy creature expanded the range of its twirling tornado, casting the group flying in just about every direction possible without any signs of letting any of them land safely. Getting in any attacks against the wind Titan also seemed to be out of the question as the monster kept itself firmly at the eye of its storm as it easily blew off any sort of spell or swing sent its way. And, after it seemed to get tired with toying with its struggling victims, the Titan finally turned them loose, its winds tossing them high before letting gravity take care of the rest. Fortunately, however, their shared freefall didn’t end in disaster as Pegasus soared in just in the nick of time to come to their rescue. The winged steed retrieved Hercules out of the air first, and then deftly flew back in so he could catch Sora, Donald, and Goofy in turn before landing back at the edge of the citadel, a bit shaken up, but still no worse for wear.

Unfortunately, however, it seemed as though the group would receive no reprieve in this battle whatsoever. For just as they began picking themselves up to continue the fight, the three fallen Titans seemed to do the same. The monsters of fire and ice had finally broken away from each other and recovered, lumbering back up to their full, towering heights as they joined the wind Titan once more. And, to make matters worse, even the rock Titan somehow rose up through the clouds again to regroup with its companions as all four monsters came to surround the group, much to Hades’ sadistic amusement as he continued observing the fight from afar.

“Yeah, that’s right,” the lord of the dead challenged with a vindictive grin. “Just keep linin’ em’ up to knock ‘em down. They’ll just keep getting back up. Let’s see if you plucky yutzes can do the same…”

“Gawrsh, I sure hope we can…” Goofy said, more to the others than to Hades. “Especially since we gotta fight all four of ‘em at once again.”

“We’re right back to square one!” Donald added just as fretfully.

“So what?” Sora asked defiantly, refusing to let that worrisome fact phase him. “There’s four of us too!”

“Actually,” Hercules interjected, grinning as he looked up to the solid molten tower before them. “I think I can make it five.” Without even giving any of the Titans a chance to attack, the hero leapt into action, hurrying up the hardened icy mound and breaking into its seemingly impenetrable surface with his bare hands alone. Light instantly poured out of the darkened rocks, signifying the revival of the king of the gods mere seconds before Zeus burst fourth from his prison, his divine might restored once more.

“Aha!” Zeus laughed triumphantly, his usual gusto showing as he turned to his son with a proud grin. “Thank you, my boy. Now… time to watch your old man get to work!”

The trio on the ground watched in apt excited amazement as the king of the gods conjured up two handfuls of his bright, iconic lightning bolts. Alternatively, Hades gasped in shocked dismay as his meticulous plans all began to fall apart in one fell swoop as Zeus chucked his thunderous projectiles at each of the Titans in fast, blinding succession. The monsters, well familiar with Zeus’ incredible power and how outmatched even they were against it, reeled in pain from the brutal strikes and instantly fell back before the king of the gods could obliterate them altogether. Yet despite their frightened attempt at fleeing, Hercules wasn’t about to let them get away so easily; the hero managed to grab ahold of the wind Titan’s tail end as it whirled past him, grasping the very gusts themselves tightly as he swung its massive, tornado-like form around freely. Its suctioning winds were more than enough to pull the other three Titans into the cyclone, trapping each of them and their elemental might within its thrall. And, with a single hefty toss, Hercules sent the wind Titan, as well as the other three mythical monsters contained within it, flying as high as the outer reaches of the cosmos themselves, finally freeing Olympus from their legendary terror once and for all.

With the Titans taken care of, a round of celebratory cheers rose up from the trio, Hercules, Zeus, and the countless other gods who had been forced to watch the intensive brawl from afar, unable to offer their aid to the cause as a result of Hades’ power. As for the lord of the dead himself, to say that he was outraged by such a crushing defeat was an understatement as his flames sparked red the moment he turned towards the noble group who had bested his intricate, practically perfect schemes.

“I can’t believe it!” he shouted sharply. “I put eighteen years into that plan, and you’ve blippin’ ruined it, just like that! I really don’t like any of you… And believe me, that’s me being nice. But I’m more than ready to get not so nice to take care of you CHUMPS!”

“Oh, just give it a rest already,” Sora remarked, completely unintimidated by such hallow threats. “You’ll never beat Herc, no matter how many times you times you try!”

“Yeah, go back to the Underworld where ya belong!” Goofy added vigorously.

“Go have the time of your afterlife!” Donald quipped with a wry smirk.

“Enough already!” Hades snapped fiercely. “I did NOT come this far to be ridiculed by Zeusy high and mighty, his little sunspot, and a trio of clowns! You know what? I’ll just go ahead and destroy you myself!”

Despite the lord of the dead’s literally fiery rage, the trio was more than prepared to brazenly square off against him. Fortunately though, it seemed as though they wouldn’t have to as Hercules calmly intervened just in time. “Hades,” the hero garnished a glare of immense ire from the lord of the dead, one that only seemed to amuse him all the more as he motioned towards Olympus’ nearby glittering gates. “The exits’ that way.”

In all his anger, Hades had half a mind to put up a vicious fight regardless. However, as Zeus simply cleared his throat to carry across the unspoken reminder of his untold might, the lord of the dead begrudgingly decided to back off, knowing that if the Titans were no match this collective group combined, then chances were, neither was he. So instead, Hades simply let out a sour sigh of defeat, his flames returning to their usual blue as he began to sulk towards the gates, though he didn’t make it there as Hercules decided to stop him one more time.

“Oh, I almost forgot,” the hero interjected casually. His intent became immediately clear, however, as Hades glanced back towards him, only to be met with a swift, painful punch in the jaw. “That one’s for trying to wreck Thebes.”

“Augh! You’ll pay for this!” Hades shouted bitterly, darkness swirling around him as he rubbed his sore cheek. “You all will! I have a very, very long memory! I can still dunk your little Nut-Meg in a river of dea-” The lord of the dead was swiftly cut off as Zeus easily sent a single lightning bolt his way, eliciting a loud shriek of literal shock from Hades as he made his rather embarrassing retreat back to the Underworld, finally defeated.

For now, at least.

With Hades and the Titans gone, the radiant peace that Olympus was known for easily returned in full force. The gods and goddesses gladly took up their seats of prominence and power once more, Zeus included as he heralded his son and his trio of plucky mortal friends the noble heroes of the realm. Still, with Thebes likely still recovering from Hades’ onslaught, Hercules knew he couldn’t stay to take part in the jovial celebrations for too long. And so it was that the hero decided to make his return to the mortal realm down below, and just as before, Sora, Donald, and Goofy accompanied him, even as they passed through Olympus’ glorious gates once again. All the same, Hercules did stop short as soon as they did, pausing briefly to cast an almost wistful glance back at the world he knew he had come from, but wasn’t really a part of anymore. Once again, the all-too familiar question filled the hero’s mind, and it was a question that, ironically enough, Sora happened to curiously pose to him a mere moment later.

“Are you sure you wanna leave all this behind?” the Keybearer asked with something of a sympathetic frown.

“Yeah, isn’t Olympus your home?” Goofy inferred thoughtfully.

“Its where your family is, isn’t it?” Donald asked, sharing the concerned sentiment.

Hercules smiled softly at this, appreciating their worries though not fully sharing them as he looked past the gates towards the realm of the gods once more. “I can see my family anytime I want. But… if I stayed… then I’d have to be apart from the person I love most…. And that life would be empty.” The hero’s resolved smile widened a bit as he turned away from the gates and looked down the lengthy set of golden stairs leading up to it. There, waiting at the bottom for her hero’s return, was none other than Meg; she said nothing, but instead simply returned the loving look Hercules sent her way, love that the hero knew, would keep him coming back to her every single time. “I finally know where I belong,” Hercules said, a sense of confident finality in his tone. And then, without a second thought, the hero suddenly began bolting down the stairs, eager to brace the gap between him and Meg once and for all. The couple met in a tender, sweet embrace, one that easily conveyed their feelings for each other more than any words ever could.

Though the trio made sure to give the pair their privacy, they soon joined them at the bottom of the stairs, each of them warmed by such a touching sight. Meg and Hercules both returned their greeting grins as their hug dispelled and the hero turned to the Keybearer with a sense of renewed resolve. “Sora, we never got back to your question. Do you still think there’s any way I can help?”

Though grateful for Hercules’ kind offer, Sora, surprisingly enough, simply shook his head, much to the initial confusion of both of his companions. “Nah, its ok,” he assured with a genuine smile. “I think this is something I’m meant to figure out for myself. I’ll find my strength again the way you found yours: by fighting for something I care about… with all my heart. You know, its funny… I guess you did have the answer I was looking for after all.”

Hercules nodded firmly at this, glad to see that the Keybearer’s usual drive had finally returned in full force. “Well, you’ve definitely got heart, Sora. Just keep at it, and I know you’ll be stronger than ever in no time.”

“Yeah!” Sora exclaimed, playfully showing off his muscles, even if they didn’t really compare to the hero’s at all. “Who knows? I might even end up stronger than you are someday!”

“Oh brother…” Donald rolled his eyes at such a remark while Goofy chuckled in amusement. “There he goes again!”

“Hey, nothing’s impossible!” Sora shrugged, letting out a small, good-natured laugh of his own as he began to lead the way forward.

“You guys heading out again?” Hercules asked with a knowing smirk.

“Yeah, we really should get going,” the Keybearer noted a bit halfheartedly, always sad to leave good friends behind. “Sorry we can’t stay and help clean up the mess Hades caused.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it,” the hero assured with a shrug. “We have it covered.”

“Now don’t be strangers, you three,” Meg advised with a wry grin. “Come back and see us again soon, k?”

“Yes, ma’am!” the trio returned with an exuberant salute, waving their final farewells to the couple as they took their leave to make the long trek back to the Gummi Ship.

“Ya know, Olympus really is an amazin’ place,” Goofy noted as they began heading back down the mountain again.

“Yeah,” Donald agreed. “Hercules must really have a strong heart to choose to just give it all up like that!”

Upon hearing this, Sora stopped short, unbeknownst to his companions as he cast a small, brief glance at the sacred peak they were leaving behind. “A strong heart…” he mused quietly to himself, daring to ask himself the question of, if he was ever somehow in a position similar to Hercules’, whether or not he’d make the same choice himself. The Keybearer knew well that he’d never really known any sort of excessive power or position before, not that he ever really had much of a desire for those things in the first place. What Sora did know he wanted, what he had always wanted really, was to keep his friends safe, to be with them and stay with them, even though that hardly ever seemed to be the case anymore. But even so, if he ever had to chose between his friends: between Donald, Goofy, the king, Riku, Kairi and something far greater than he could ever hope to imagine, then he figured such a choice would beyond clear, to the point that he didn’t even have to think twine, even hypothetically speaking.

His friends would always, always come first, no matter who… or what tried to come between.

 Next: 

[midnight0stars]

Oh ho ho! Most definitely clear, Mun-Mun wink wonk I am always up for writing about Riku! Had a lot of fun writing this one, I hope you enjoy!

By the way, everyone! This is the admin that runs another KH Imagine Blog, @imagine-your-kh​! They are really awesome!

Riku x M!Reader

NSFW

Words:  2637

—————————

You stumbled into the cabin as the door swung open, both you and Riku soaked from the pouring rain outside. Your clothes clung to your skin, your hair dripping and stuck to your face and neck. Both of you were laughing as Riku shut the door, neither of you had been expecting the storm when you appeared on the world. The two of you had just wanted a break from all the chaos of training and missions, a weekend together on a random world to forget about all of your responsibilities. Using a star shard, you teleported to a calm, forest based world, only to be instantly bombarded by a monsoon and having to sprint to an empty cabin.

Riku leaned against the door, both of you still chuckling. He pushed his hair out of his face, a grin on his lips. You felt your chest swell as your eyes met. Already, you could feel the stress that had been building up over the past year melt away.

“So, not what we were expecting.” Riku spoke up, amusement obvious in his voice.

“Definitely not,” you scoffed, looking around the cabin. “This place isn’t too bad though.”

“Yeah, Master Yen Sid said we’re welcomed to stay here the whole weekend.”

“Awesome,” you nodded, leaning forward with your hands against your knees as you caught your breath.

Your eyes shut when Riku ran his hand along your back as he walked past. He looked around the quaint cabin, taking it all in. It was simple in design, with an expected aesthetic of a cabin in the woods. He stopped beside the fireplace, kneeling down to examine the wood already stacked inside.

“I’ll get the fire going.” He told you. “We should probably let our clothes dry out, too.”

“Good idea,” you agreed, just then noticing the shiver in your voice.

You froze as Riku stood up, peeling off his shirt. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t been admiring the way the thin fabric had clung to his muscles, but seeing him without it entirely made your eyes dance over him. He glanced up, catching your stare, despite you averting your gaze. He chuckled, hanging his drenched shirt over a table in front of the fireplace before he got to work on starting the fire.

You smirked at his laugh, feeling a warmth creeping to your cheeks. Walking over to the long couch situated near the fireplace, you peeled off your shirt as well, feeling Riku’s eyes on you. You tossed your shirt on the table beside his and began to undo your belt.

“How far you wanting us to strip down?” You asked, meeting your gaze with his.

It was his turn to flush as he cleared his throat. Both of you knew what was on the other’s mind with taking this weekend getaway, but you hadn’t really discussed it openly.

“You decide.” He shortly replied, a hint of mischievousness in his eyes that caused something in your gut to throb.

“Fair enough,” you chuckled, pulling down your pants and leaving you in just your boxers.

Riku’s eyes looked you over, watching as you stripped and making that feeling in your gut grow. You swallowed hard, feeling your body heat up even though the fire hadn’t even been lit. Part of you wanted to keep going, take the initiative and strip down completely. Just the thought of how he’d react to that made you bite back a groan in your chest. You could feel your shaft hardening and you turned away before he could take notice. A shaking breath escaped you, your nerves rising.

You went to the couch, grabbing a thick quilt that hung over the back of it before sitting down. The blanket covered you, its warmth spreading to your chilled, bare skin. You leaned back against the arm of the couch, your legs laying over the length of the couch. Riku had already turned his back to you, focusing on getting the fire started. A spark ignited, faint flames flickered, until it grew into full crackling flames. You could instantly feel its heat radiating into you, helping ease the way your body was shivering.

Riku warmed his hands in front of the flames for a moment before standing back up. You watched him, taking notice of the way the glow from the fire danced shadows along his back. A thought passed through your mind, wondering what it would be like to run your hands over it. You imagined it would be soft, yet hard against your fingertips as you traced the indents of his muscles and spine. The thought alone made you shiver and you took in a trembling breath.

Would you get the chance to do that this weekend?

Your thoughts were interrupted when you heard the clink of Riku’s belt buckle. Looking up, you saw him undoing his pants, his back still to you as he pulled them off completely. You licked your lips, your throat feeling inexplicably dry at seeing him in just his boxers. Growing up together, you had seen each other change, seen each other in swimsuits, but somehow… this time it was different. There was meaning to it, opportunity. Clearing your throat, you looked away, putting up your knee to hide the way your shaft was moving the blanket.

“Move over,” Riku’s voice caught your attention.

You looked back to him, seeing him standing in front of you, a slight warmth on his cheeks. His eyes stayed locked with yours, waiting for your response.

“Oh, yeah,” you shook your head, scooting forward so the only place he could sit was right behind you.

He smirked, knowing what you wanted and obliged. His legs went on either side of you, his back against the arm of the couch. You leaned against him, his bare chest against your back, his lips right beside your ear. His arms wrapped around you, pulling you closer to him as you brought the blanket over both of you. You could feel his heart racing just as fast as yours was.

Neither of you moved. His body heat seeped into you, the sensation making your eyes slip shut as you felt yourself relaxing. A sigh escaped you as you leaned your head against his arm. This was perfect. This was what you needed.

A kiss to the back of your neck caused your breath to hitch and your heart to jump. Warm hands traced along your arms, your chest, and torso as Riku’s lips traveled along your neck and shoulders. You bit your lip, your shaft twitching as the thought of pleasure swelled back inside of it. You gasped in surprise as his fingertips reached the elastic of your boxers.

“Ah, Riku…” you breathed out his name, your chest heaving in anticipation.

He hummed against your neck, “Do you want me to stop?”

You shook your head without even needing to think. A cry erupted from you as his fingers dipped under the elastic in response. Your shaft throbbed, begging to be touched. Even you hadn’t realized how much you wanted Riku to touch you. His fingers slipped out before touching where you wanted most and you couldn’t help but whine. A laugh rumbled in Riku’s chest as he kissed the side of your jaw.  

“After how long we’ve had to wait, you really think I’m going to go that fast?” He asked with a low whisper.

You laughed hoarsely, “I wouldn’t have complained.”

He snickered in return, kissing your ear. Turning your head, you raised your hand to his cheek and brought your lips together. He sighed into your mouth, his hands tracing along your thighs and abs. You always loved the way his lips moved against yours, the way he tasted. Everything about him was everything you ever wanted.

You could feel his hardened shaft against your back, and you rolled your hips back against him. He broke the kiss with a surprised moan, eyes shut and hands clenching your legs. You hummed, liking to have the reigns for a fleeting moment and kissed along his jaw, while continuing to roll your hips back.

Your control didn’t last long as his hand slid from your thigh over your cock entirely. You groaned against his neck, your fingers tightening in his hair. His hand massaged through your boxers, both of your hips rolling together until his thumb rubbed over your tip. He hummed in your ear, circling his thumb over the head and the damp fabric where your precum was soaking through. You grinded against his hand, your head spinning as soft moans poured from your lips. His hand traced up to the elastic of your boxers again, dipping underneath.

“W-wait,” you gasped out, Riku freezing almost immediately.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, his own voice husky.

You took a moment to regain your breath, before sitting up, grabbing his hand that was under your boxers and bringing it to your lips. You could taste the slightest hint of your precum on his fingers, making your mouth water. He watched you, his chest heaving and eyes glazed with desire.

“I want to touch you, too.” You brought your eyes to his, still kissing his hand. “Take off your boxers.”

He blinked in surprise, before smirking. “Only if you do, too.”

You smirked in return, releasing his hand and standing. Your legs trembled from the movement, still tingling from his touch. Riku’s eyes were glued to your body, looking you up and down completely before focusing on the obvious bulge in your abdomen. Your heart felt stuck in your throat as you grabbed the side of your boxers and slowly pulled them down. A groan rumbled in your chest at the cool air bombarding your shaft as it was freed from the confines of the fabric, but nothing compared to the way Riku’s lips barely parted at the sight. The rush of pleasure that filled you in that moment could have made you come all on its own, but taking in a shaking breath, you focused on getting the fabric off completely.

Riku sat up, looking between your flushed face and your cock. You didn’t recognize the glint in his eyes, so full of need, want… lust. His fingertips grazed your length, making you bite your lip as you fought the urge to cry out. Your eyes stayed focused on him, watching as his tongue flicked out, running over your head. A moan escaped both of you at the sensation. Your hand clung into his hair, your legs trembling as he took you further into his mouth. It was so warm, wet, and intoxicating. Another moan escaped you, your head slinging back.

“Y-your boxers…th-they’re still on…” You sputtered out between moans, sucking in your breath as his tongue ran over your entire shaft.

He pulled off, his hand still languidly running up and down your length. His eyes locked with yours, that lust inside of them only heightened as he smirked, his voice riddled with desire. “What if I’d rather you come down my throat?”

“F-fuck,” you exhaled sharply.

You leaned down, taking his lips into yours. You could taste yourself on his tongue, making you moan into his mouth. You lowered yourself on top of him, until you were in his lap, straddling him. His hand continued to pump you as your hand trailed down his chest to his boxers. His cock throbbed in your hand, the hitch in his breath matching its twitch when you made contact.

“I want us to come at the same time,” you admitted, your lips brushing against his as your half lidded eyes were locked. You kissed his jaw, “You have the whole weekend to do whatever you want with me.”

Riku groaned, his hand tightening over your shaft.

“A-alright.” He agreed, rolling his hips against your hand palming him through his boxers.

You wasted no time to lift off of him, grabbing his boxers and pulling them off completely. His cock twitched from the air, making him hiss. It was thicker than you imagined it would be, but just as hot as you always hoped. It warmed your hand as you wrapped your fingers around it, watching as Riku’s eyes slid shut and his head slung back. You smirked, dipping your head forward and tracing your tongue along the head as you lapped up the precum that had begun to bead. Riku’s free hand found your hair, tightening as you took his entire length in your mouth. He cried out, his hips thrusting at the sensation. You lapped your tongue against him while you sucked, moaning at the way he throbbed in your mouth.

“W-what happened… t-to—” Riku tried to talk, but melted back into a moan when you sucked harder in response.

You pulled off with a pop, something akin to a whimper escaping him at the sensation. A smirk pulled at your lips as you kissed his tip.

“Just wanted to return the favor.”

He tugged on your hair to bring you up to his level, crashing his lips against yours. Your tongues met, both of you tasting the other. You pulled away, sucking his lip before looking down to situate your body properly. Riku took in a sharp breath as you met your cocks together, wrapping your hand around both of them. His hand met with yours, your fingers interlacing with your shafts in between.

The heat of them together was almost overwhelming. Every throb and twitch pulsed through you, making you breathless. Your eyes locked as your hands moved together. A groan rumbled in both of your chests. Your thumbs ran over the heads of your lengths, before sliding back to the base. A hand slid to the back of your neck, pulling you forward. Your lips crashed into Riku’s, both of you devouring the other’s mouth as your pumps quickened. Moans melted together as your tongues slid against the other and you could feel the pleasure building in your gut.

He thumbed your head, applying harder pressure and spreading your precum. You broke the kiss with a cry, burying your face in the crook of his neck and suckling his skin; desperately trying to focus on it so you could last longer. Despite it, the pressure of his soft hand against your cock and the heat from his, had you teetering on the edge.

Your hips thrusted erratically, your voices growing louder. Riku’s hand clenched in your hair, pulling at it in the perfect way to make you moan.

“R-Riku, fuck!” You cried out, biting down on his skin as you were pushed over the edge.

You moaned and cried against him, every nerve in your body igniting. Riku’s voice met with yours, his head slinging back as he hissed and called out your name under his breath.

Everything around you faded away as your body went limp against his, your soiled hands falling to your side. You could faintly see the bruise you had made on his neck, the sight making your chest coil with satisfaction. You kissed it, relieving a long, drawn out breath.

Riku’s hand ran up and down your back, his nails gently scratching and massaging you. He hummed softly, leaning back against the couch, not caring about the cum spread over your chests.

“��Wow,” you breathed out, smiling at the soft laugh Riku gave in response.

“Yeah,” he agreed, bringing your hand to his lips. “We should do that again.”

“Every day.” You nodded, getting a louder laugh in response.

“If we can manage it.” He chuckled before sighing. “I’m just glad we finally got this time together.”

“Me too.” You nuzzled further against him.

“Sorry it took so long.”

You pulled back to look into his eyes and brought your lips together.

“It was worth it.”

[kingdomhearts-and-soriku-trash]

OkAaay. This is my idea of Riku finding Sora after all this time, only to find that Sora has been taken over by the darkness (like Aqua) and he’s in his anti-Sora form. But the ones that crazy and uncontrolled like KH 2, not the one in KH 3. Since they are very different in KH 2 and KH 3. KH 2’s anti-Sora form is when he’s like CRAZY and fighting with his bare hands and darkness is all around him. KH 3 one is a little more controlled and still uses the keyblade (I think he does). So yeah. This is my little idea and I hope y’all like it! Also, I couldn’t remember what everyone was doing at the end of KH 3 my bad.

He had been searching for over a year. He and all of Soras friends have been looking for him. As soon as Kairi came back without Sora, Rikus heart dropped. He remembered the moment clearly.

They were all on the beach at Destiny Islands, all trying to have a bit of a good time. Everyone was doing their own thing. Riku and Ventus were racing for the frisbee, accidentally knocking over Donald’s little sand castle of himself, causing Donald to make a lot of noise. Xion and Namine were picking out seashells, like the precious girls they were. King Mickey was watching everyone, a sparkle in his eye showed that he was having a good time. Terra and Roxas were racing each other, Aqua at the very end waiting for them.

Everyone heard a really big splash, causing them to look out into the ocean to see a figure far away walking to the shore. Once they got closer, Riku noticed it was Kairi. He got excited and started running towards her, so he could greet her. However, he noticed that Sora was missing, he wasn’t next to her where he should be. He continued to run, just assuming that he was under the water and was about to pop up, but when he kept getting closer, that spiky hair was nowhere to be seen.

Once he got to her, she had her head down, but looked up at him and had tears running down her cheeks. His heart dropped at the sight.

Sora wasn’t here.

Ever since that day, everyone had the same mission. To find Sora. Everyone was watching themselves too, everyone but Riku. Sora was always on his mind. It’s like he just couldn’t escape from thinking about Sora. It’s as if Sora just overtook his thoughts, but it didn’t matter to Riku. He promised that he’d find Sora, no matter what he had to do.

And then one day, he was training like normal, but suddenly got a feeling. He stopped fighting and stood there for quite awhile. It disappeared for a few minutes, and Rikus heart dropped. He knew that feeling, it was the feeling he had with Sora. It was their connection coming back to life again. He stood there and tried to chase that feeling with his heart or find it again, but he couldn’t. Because of that little spark, he headed back out into the worlds Sora had been too. He went to every world Sora had been too and looked around everywhere, but never got that spark back again. He talked to multiple people and asked if they’d seen him, but no one did.

He felt a little lost and scared that he’d never be able to feel that connection again, but pushed it aside as he went back to Yen Sids tower, feeling defeated.

And now, after a year, he was walking in the Realm of Darkness once more. He was by himself because he, and everyone else, believed that he was the only one that could find Sora. He thought that he just had to follow their connection. He was there because it was his last hope. He had gone to every other world, and the connection couldn’t spark again, so he came here hoping to feel it again and make it lead back to Sora. He stood in the darkness and looked around. He heard the quiet sound of scurrying from the heartless everywhere. He ignored it and closed his eyes, slowed his breathing, and listened to just maybe feel that connection again.

He listened and listened and waited. After around 10 minutes, that spark came back. He opened his eyes with excitement. “Sora could be here,” Riku thought. This lightened his heart up a bit, and he felt like his heart was pulling him to keep going deeper, so he did. He listened to his heart and he was eventually lead to a place that was familiar.

It was the little ocean that he and Sora were lost at before. He remembers that Sora and him agreed on staying here. He couldn’t help the way his heart raced a bit when he remembered how Sora was happy to just be by his side. However, it all stopped when he walked closer and saw a figure.

A figure with spiky hair, but they were all dark. The figure was crouched down at the water line, but suddenly stood up, faster than a normal person, and looked towards Riku. This figure had bright, yellow eyes like the heartless, but once it got closer, he realized who it was.

It was Sora. His Sora, the one he loved more than anything, but he was lost in the darkness now. It even took over his body, just like it did to Riku. He couldn’t lie, he felt a little fear run through him, but not for his sake. It was for Sora. Who knows what he’s going through right now? Who knows what he’s BEEN through?

Anti-Sora kept looking at him, some noises escaping from him but he couldn’t make a sense of what they were. However, after a few seconds, he turned into a shadow and started rushing towards him, a darkened keyblade in his hand, surrounded by darkness flowing.

He summoned his keyblade and blocked Anti-Soras attack. Anti-Sora got up and close to him, his noises turning out to be words.

“Gone...”

Rikus eyebrows furrowed in worry. He hope he doesn’t mean that everyone abandoned him. He hopes that Sora knows that, but he doesn’t know. Anti-Sora pulled back and his form was so...wrong. It wasnt Soras natural form. He was on all fours, keyblade suddenly gone, and was basically bouncing, as if he was trying to strike but something wouldn’t let him. Was it the real Sora? He didn’t know, so he stood there, keyblade still out and ready to defend just in case, but not to attack. He couldn’t bare hurting Sora on accident. Especially when he’s not in control. Anti-Sora was just there, bouncing around trying to attack, but couldn’t.

However, Riku didn’t move either. He decided to talk to him, to get the real Sora to come out, to help him find his way back home.

“Hey, Sora. It’s me, Riku,” he started off, quietly. His held his hands out in front of him, summoning his keyblade away (just in case it made Anti-Sora afraid). Anti-Sora just sat there, mumbling words still coming from him.

“Lost....”

“Yes, I know you’re lost, but I’m here. Let me take you home.”

At the word “home” he noticed that Anti-Sora perked up a bit. As if he was excited to go home, which Riku bet he was. However, Riku still saw Anti-Sora shake his head and let out a growl. He rushed towards Riku, only his bare hands out, and Riku dodged away. He was a little afraid to use his keyblade, he thought he might hurt him, which was the last thing he wanted to do. However, Anti-Sora didn’t care. He kept leaping after him and Riku only had limited time to avoid him. And on one attack, he didn’t dodge in time and got 3 little scratch marks on his arm. It didn’t hurt too bad, but there was some pain there.

What surprised him was that when he got hurt and let out a little shout of pain, Anti-Sora leaped away from and stared at him. Riku swears he saw some form of pain and regret in his big, yellow eyes. Anti-Sora looked down at his hands and saw some blood on them, and he looked...disgusted. Riku then remembered, that it is Sora underneath everything. He knows Sora wouldn’t hurt him on purpose. This caused his heart to panic a little. He thought that Anti-Sora might be angry at himself and run away. He couldn’t let that happen, so he stood up slowly and raised his hands out once again.

“Hey, I’m okay. I know you don’t mean it, Sora. I’m right here for you. We can go home and everything will be okay.” He tried to use that voice he used towards Sora. The one filled with affection, love, and that calmness he always managed to do whenever Sora was hurt. His voice was a little shaky out of emotion, but he remained mostly calm. After all, it was Sora underneath the darkness. It’s what Riku kept reminding himself. Anti-Sora slowly crawled towards him, his head tilted as if he was curious. Riku nodded and smiled. “Yeah, it’s me, Sora. Just come with me and it’ll be okay. Best friends promise.”

“...best friend...?”

His voice sounded a bit clearer, as if Sora was breaking through, but darkness still had a little hold on him. Riku nodded and decided to get on his knees on the hard ground. He held his arms open like he was going to give a hug, but only if Sora would come to him. Anti-Sora let out a little purr and leaped into Rikus arms. His legs wrapped around his waist, arms wrapped around his neck, and his cheek rested against Rikus cheek. Riku noticed that Anti-Sora still looked tense, so he hugged him back the best that he could.

“...real...?”

That little word broke Rikus heart. What had Sora seen down here? What had he gone through? Did he truly believed Riku wasn’t here? In response, he hugged him tighter and ran his hand through his hair.

“Yes. I’m really here, Sora. I promise.” Before he knew it, tears were rolling down his face. He knew it wasn’t the true Sora just yet, but just...holding him and seeing him at all, released all the emotions he’d been holding back. All the emotions he repressed just so he could find Sora, and now he had. His wish finally came true and he finally found Sora.

After who knows how long, Riku stood up with Sora in his arms. He looked at his face, but he seemed like he was asleep. Riku then worried even more. Did Sora even ever sleep down here? Riku knows how tiring it is here and how it’s hard to ever have a moments rest. He’s surprised how he and Anti-Sora even got a chance to find each other with no heartless appearing. However, he doesn’t question it, he’ll take any blessings he can get, and this was the best one of all. Other than just being Soras best friend.

Once they escaped the Realm of Darkness, Soras form seemed a little less tainted, his hair was back to its original brown, his face back to the face Riku loves with his whole heart, but his body was still covered in darkness. Sora would occasionally let out a little whimper and Riku would hug him tighter and whisper, “it’s okay. I’m right here,” to comfort him in whatever was going on behind his closed eyelids. He hopes it helps him and it seemed like it kinda did by the way Sora would lighten his grip on Riku.

Once they got to Master Yen Sids tower, he went straight to Master Yen Sid, and he looked shocked but happy. “I see you’ve found the little one,” he said with a smile. Riku smiled back and nodded. “I did...but he was covered in darkness. As you can see, he still is a little bit. What should I do?” Master Yen Sid looked at the sleeping Sora, noticing him tightening his grip whenever someone spoke, as if he was afraid. Master Yen Sid stroked his beard in though.

“Do you think I should dive into his heart?” Riku asked him with worry clear in his voice.

“It might work. However, be careful. He still has darkness inside him and I can see you didn’t make it out unscathed.”

Riku looked down at his arm where the 3 scratches were. The bleeding dried up, so it just needed a bandage or a healing spell to make it go away. However, that was the last thing on his mind. He just wanted to save Sora from whatever was trapping him. Riku nodded at Master Yen Sid and rested Sora on the ground like he had done once so long ago. He summoned his keyblade and pointed it at Sora, ready to dive into his beloveds heart.

Once he did, he was on Soras awakening station, but it was covered in darkness. He expected Anti-Sora to be somewhere here, but instead he saw Sora standing in the middle, completely still.

“Sora!” Riku ran towards Sora and got in front of him to look at him. Once he touched him, Sora’s eyes opened wide and he looked at Riku. He reached out for him, but before he touched him, he pulled his hand back as if he was burned from the air and turned around and walked away from Riku.

“You’re not really here. You’re not here,” he whispered, his voice shaking with sadness. Rikus heart broke at that denial.

“I’m right here, Sora. I promise,” he said as he walked closer to Sora. Soras arms were crossed and his back was turned to Riku. Riku walked to him and put his hand on his shoulder. “Please...look at me.”

Sora let out a small gasp and turned around. Riku was so happy to see a smile on Soras face and the way he was excited to see Riku.

“You’re real!” Sora shouted as he threw himself at Riku.

Riku caught him, obviously, and hugged him as tight as he could.

He found him. He finally found his beloved after so long.

OkaYYYY. I hope this was good! I like it but I didn’t know how to end it so it’s kinda bad at the ending my bad! But I hope y’all liked it and my requests are open for whatever y’all want me to write.

Btw if ya wanna know why Sora didn’t think Riku was real, check out my other fic where Sora keeps seeing fake Rikus in the realm of darkness >:)