#anyway if she was joking when she said 'sora let's take the raft and go - just the two of us' ill eat my hat

[dullahandyke]

me saying 'kh1 kairi analysis' is fun because it mostly consists of me reading way too much into jokes

[oveliagirlhaditright]

So... I meant to do this post as a picture edit comparing things. But my computer where I can screenshot pictures and then find a way to upload them to Tumblr won’t let me do it anymore--it won’t let me post to Tumblr because it says the browser’s too old, even though I just downloaded the new one--so I’m just going to write an essay instead.

The Reason Why I Think Versus XIII Noctis/Now Yozora and Stella/Now Stella 2.0 (or whatever her name is. We still don’t know it) Might be Alternate Sora and Kairi

1. I was actually going to start this off by comparing the ways that Noctis and Stella flirted with how Sora and Kairi do--which, yes, Sora and Kairi have flirted and have chemistry. Shocking to a lot of this fandom, I know--which are quite similar.

So, in the scene where Noctis and Stella meet (though that’s been retconned, as Nomura later decided he wants them to have been childhood friends: another way they’re like SoKai), Stella is looking at a painting of the goddess Etro in Noctis’ citadel (the top floor of this one area) and Noctis sees her up there and goes up to see her (and there’s one moment where the camera, that was omniscient PoV up until this and will be later, becomes Noctis’ PoV, as the shot becomes slow motion and you can tell that while Stella is focused on the painting, all that Noctis is really seeing is Stella. And we’ve now gotten shots of Sora looking at Kairi that way now. And there are a few other scenes in this trailer when Noctis is staring at Stella when she isn’t looking). 

Anyway, Stella notes that Noctis can see this light that she can--that most other people can’t--and begins talking to him about it. And while Noctis is attracted to Stella... she makes him very nervous for that reason, and he isn’t sure he can handle their meeting for that reason, so he’s trying to scamper off... all while attempting to play it cool. He’s also uncomfortable with the topic, because he knows more about it than he’s letting on. 

But some parts of their conversation that is somewhat banter-y/flirty are:

Stella: Prince Noctis, you can see the light.

Noctis doesn’t confirm or deny, but with his next words he pretty much confirms he can: When did you first notice it?

Stella: When I was a child.

Noctis: Near death experience, right?

Stella: Was it the same for you?

Noctis: It’s not my fondest memory. LOL

Stella then talks about how it’s said that when people die, Etro--the death goddess--will open the gate, welcoming the souls of the departed. And when that happens, a bright light is supposed to appear from the land of the dead (the light that Noctis and Stella can see). And that any who can see that light are rumored to receive great power. Stella says that that’s how the legend goes in her country, of Tenebrae, and Noctis confirms that Lucis tells it the same way.

Stella then asks if Noctis received any power, like the legend says he should, from being able to see the light. He says: “I wouldn’t want anything like that. I’m fine the way I am.” To which Stella in an excited manner replies, “That’s what I thought! Any power... if it came at the cost of someone’s life. It would give me nightmares.” And she shivers. Noctis says, “Me, too. Good thing it’s just a fairytale.” But you can tell from this scene that they’re both lying and have received this power (that’s why they’re fishing for information from the other, to see if they’re the same), even if they don’t want to admit it. And I think Noctis even knows Stella has the power and is lying, and is being somewhat sarcastic towards her with the “good thing it’s just a fairytale.” He then is actually pretty kind in warning her not to talk about the light to other people if he were here, because “being too different from others only causes problems” (which indicates that Noctis has seen this firsthand, which is why he’s all hush-hush about it now).

And since they’re playing this game about the legend not being true, Stella asks: “If the legend is just a fairytale, what do you think the light really is?” Noctis replies: “It’s just something that’s there. Why can’t that be enough?” Noctis indicates that he has to go, and Stella says that she’d better do so, too. Stella introduces herself to Noctis (because she hadn’t until this moment, but she already knew who he was), but it’s clear in their hesitance and mannerisms that they like each other and don’t want this moment to end. Noctis even asks Stella to call him by his nickname “Noct”. 

Stella tells Noctis: “You know, I think I received something from that light tonight. I was given the chance to speak with you.” Noctis then jokes, “Well, then. Enjoy the nightmares,” since earlier Stella had said that if she got anything from the light--as doing so, in seeing the light, meant that someone had just died in that moment--it would give her nightmares. And Stella teases, “You’re a funny one, aren’t you Prince Noctis?” He tells her to call him “Noct” again, and she says she will the next time they meet: so he should come by Tenebrae sometime and she’ll show him around. He says he’ll consider it, and Stella leaves.

Now, let’s compare that with some SoKai banter. At the opening of KHI, Kairi startles Sora awake and she laughs at his expense. He tells her to give him a break, and she says: “Sora, you lazy bum. I knew I’d find you snoozing down here.” He then tries to argue that, “No, this huge black thing almost swallowed me up. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t- ow!” at which point Kairi has slapped him upside the head and asks, “Are you still dreaming?” Sora: “No, it wasn’t a dream... Or was it? What was that place? So bizarre.” Kairi: “Yeah, sure.” Sora then asks Kairi what her home was like: where she grew up. And she says, “I’ve told you before, I don’t remember.” There’s definitely some snark in that “I’ve told you before” bit. Sora asks: “Nothing at all?” And Kairi lies, “Nothing.” Sora then asks if Kairi ever wants to go back and she says that she’s happy on the Islands. Sora is doubtful about that questions, “Really?” Kairi then says she wouldn’t mind going to see it, though, and Sora says that he’d like to see it too, along with any other world out there: he wants to see them all. Kairi then asks what they’re waiting for.

Some other SoKai banter-y moments from the series: Kairi suggesting she and Sora take the raft without Riku, before admitting she’s only kidding. To which Sora teasingly says, “What’s gotten into you? You’re the one that’s changed, Kairi.” And then it continues onto a very sweet scene where Kairi explains that at first she was scared of seeing other worlds, but in knowing she can always return home she feels safe about it. And Sora reassures her that she will alway be able to come home. To which she tells Sora to never change... and though he’s baffled by it, you know he must appreciate the compliment.

The little argument they get into in the Underground Cavern: Kairi: “Well, let’s go.” Sora: “You can’t go.” Kairi: “Why not?” Sora: “Because it’s way too dangerous.” Kairi: “Come on, Sora. We’ve made it this far by sticking together. You can’t go alone!” Sora: “Kairi, even if we’re apart we’re not alone anymore, right?” Kairi: “I can’t help?” Sora: “You’d kind of be in my way.” Kairi: “Okay. You win. Take this. It’s my lucky charm, be sure to bring it back to me.” And she’s almost threatening him to bring it back with her tone, like “bring it back to me, or else.” But this is really her way of saying “make sure you come back home to me alive, you butt”. And Sora answers: “Don’t worry, I will.” And they make a promise that he will. And Kairi tells him that wherever he goes, she’s always with him and he says he’s always with her later, too.

If you talk to Kairi on the Islands, as she’s telling you what to collect. She’ll say something like, “Did you get that?” And Sora can say, “Yeah, I heard you.” Or “What was that again?” And if he says the latter, she’ll say “You’re hopeless!” and then begin telling you it again. She can also, in an exasperated way, give you hints on where to find things....

Which I think Sora references in this KHII conversation, as he teases her yet again: “You don’t remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi!” Kairi gasps here. Sora: “Okay, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an ‘S’.”

And just... look at all the text bubble things she says to him in KHII (quoting off the top of my head here) “I wish I could fight like you and Riku... I know what you’re going to say,” he was clearly arguing with her here, or about to, “but you two shouldn’t be the only ones getting hurt.” “So you all were out adventuring while I was living a normal life? Why do I always get left out? You’re going to tell me about it later!” “The three of us being together again like this reminds me of old times. If we all make it home, let’s finish that raft of ours!” “I’m sick of waiting so don’t tell me to stay behind. From now on, wherever one of us goes the other follows. Got it?”

And even in KHIII, where people say her feistiness was completely taken away, look at the look she gives Sora when he seems about to deny he ever wanted to share a paopu with her... Or how she says “I told you Sora, you’re safe with me.” (If that had been Nami instead, or something, she would have just blushed or smiled or sweetly said, “You’re safe with me, Sora.” There would have been no “I told yous” going on). And how she gives him that “So you finally figured it out, did you?” look, when he realizes it was her act of true love that saved him.

Other examples of Kairi poking fun at Sora: She actually calls him a lazy bum twice in KHII. The second time is after Leon knocked him out. Kairi: “Come on, lazy bum. Wake up.” And yes, I think that was Kairi and not Yuffie. In KHII, she tells Riku: “Come on, Riku. You know Sora’s completely hopeless without us.” And in KHI Sora says, “I can’t believe it. I really flew. Wait ‘til I tell Kairi! I wonder if she’ll believe me... probably not.” And in 0.2, Kairi tells Riku, “Who’s this Riku and where’s the old one? You sound like Sora.” And when Riku pretty much admits he is being Sora-esque, Kairi tells him, “Well, we still like you.” Which sounded like more Sora ribbing to me. Like, “Oh no, Riku! You’re acting like Sora! Yikes! But don’t worry, we still like you.”

So now that I’ve hopefully established that Noctella and SoKai have some of the same chemistry and flirting techniques, let’s move onto other ways they’re similar:

2. The childhood friends thing, for sure. 

3. That they got separated when they were young (fourteen-year-old Sora and Kairi and probably under twelve Noctis and Stella), as via concept art, I’m pretty sure the scene where Noctis and Luna get separated in Kingsglaive (when the Empire occupies Tenebrae) was actually written by Nomura (there’s quite a bit of evidence to this, but I’m only going to get into it if you want me to)... except I feel Stella would have chosen to stay behind like Luna did, and this might be a reason she came to resent King Regis, Noctis, and Lucis some (as Stella was supposed to be part antagonist... though I have my series that that was a ruse. And that Lucis was secretly the bad guys the whole time, so in somewhat opposing them Stella was really the heroine all along, but ehh).

3.5 And with that, they seem to be separated a lot (like SoKai) and do the “reaching for each other” thing, too.

4. Both couples have the same power. Sora and Kairi can summon Keyblades, and Noctis and Stella both had the Power of Kings (that’s what it’s called in FFXV, anyway, if that was what it was called back in Versus XIII, I don’t know). And with that, and also with them both having the power to see the Light, I think Nomura meant for the two to parallel each other--or perhaps be Foils--that we’ve even seen a bit with Sora and Kairi, like with how their movements in the secret place to see the paopu drawing are exactly the same.

5. Both pairings, for some reason, have connections to the Final World... that should maybe be Sora and Kairi’s place (and I have my theories about that), since it’s where sea and sky meet. But a dead Stella is there, and a dead Sora is there, eventually at the same time(?) (...and Sora and Kairi met there in the main game). And if you get the bad ending of the Yozora fight, it looks like Yozora reaches the Final World and finds Stella. And if you win the Yozora fight, it looks like Sora enters the Final World and finds Kairi. And Stella told Sora about Yozora... and it’s maybe implied that Kairi told Yozora about Sora? And both Sora and Yozora are in a night version of the Final World... which I especially have no idea how Yozora is there, if Sora got there by abusing the Power of Waking. And both boys also got there, somewhat, in presumably trying to save their girls (that I’ll get into more in a minute).

6. Noctis and Stella at least called each other on cell phones in Versus XIII, apparently. And Sora at least had the potential to call Kairi on the gummiphone in KHIII, but never did (but maybe he didn't because Kairi didn’t get hers until Jiminy gave everyone them at the end of the game, and by then there was no point). But perhaps Sora and Kairi will communicate this way, ala Noctis and Stella, in the future.

Which brings me to the more important number seven. 7. In the one concept art, it looks like Stella has the Lovers’ Notebook from XV... which maybe means that that was always Nomura’s idea, and Noctis and Stella would have somewhat communicated through letters to each other like Noctis and Luna ended up doing. And Kairi writes letters to Sora (she’s been doing this since II). And perhaps Sora might write to her in the future.

8. Both girls were presumably killed by their respective game’s antagonist, and the protagonists were distraught by the loss of them (well, this fact is being kept from Yozora, since another’s heart has taken root in him... but Stella says he will be distraught when he finds out. And I believe her. And I also think he knows more about it than she realizes) and go to great lengths to bring them back. Like, I think that’s why Yozora reaches the Final World in the bad ending: he’s trying to find Stella.

9. Reasons I think Kairi and Stella are the same person (other than what I’ve already listed)... From the little we know of Stella, which I admit isn’t a lot, she and Kairi seem to have similar personalities (with them both being teasing, yet kind). Stella is/was arguably a princess like Kairi “is”. Based off the one concept art of Stella, they both clearly like pink and perhaps fashion... They both have ethereal kinds of powers, it looks like... A lot of people have even brought up how the new version of Stella looks a lot like Kairi (and even the past design for Stella had purple eyes like Kairi, as does her new design). Especially the Another Side, Another Story design for Kairi. They both like flowers... And while I do think her name will be star-themed, based on her necklace and her being called the “Nameless Star”, perhaps it represents how the paopu fruit is star-shaped... and the paopu fruit has been connected to Kairi for a long time now, like with how that was the chess piece that represented her on Xehanort’s chessboard. Oh! And they’re both very polite and respectful. And both Kairi and Stella 2.0 have sort of emblem necklaces, but tbh... so do most FF girls. And Kairi can warp-strike like Stella may have been able to. Stella’s magic is now purple like Kairi’s signature color used to be. Part of Kairi’s skirt in KHIII is like Stella’s from Versus XIII.

10. Reasons why I think Sora and Yozora are the same person (other than what I’ve already listed): their names both mean “sky”. And long ago, Nomura said how he named Sora and Yozora (then Noctis) as opposites for a reason (since Yozora is “night sky”). Probably because Yozora has become corrupted, as someone’s possessing him... and maybe he was even corrupted because his light, Stella, is gone. Like it was so easy for Master Xehanort to turn Sora into Rage Form when his light, Kairi, was gone. Yozora can steal your Keyblade... and apparently if you hack that fight, you can get the words “you’re not the true Keyblade bearer”, or something like that, to appear. Which sounds like some Sora and Roxas type shit to me. Oh! And Yozora can steal your Keyblade, which says a lot right there! And the fight with Yozora begins on Sora’s heart platform/his heart, before Yozora somehow turns it into Shinjuku/the world of Verum Rex. I also think we were supposed to imagine Rex thinking Sora was Yozora was a red-herring when, in fact, it was anything but. Like, I think Sora looks like Yozora some. Edit: And, yes: Yozora is a prince--maybe? His driver referred to him as a commander--but there’s also a lot of evidence that Sora secretly is or is going to become that. Or a king, rather. Edit 2: And Sora is teased over his crush on Kairi in KH, and according to old Nomura interviews... the chocobros were going to tease Noctis about Stella in Versus XIII. They can both warp, too. And they could both be said “I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately, like is any of this for real or not” moments in their stories. Could Magia and Aegis be like Yozora’s Donald and Goofy?

There are even more things I could say... (like, how according to rumors, Ravus was a lot like Riku--and Ravus hated Noctis because he killed his sister Stella... while possessed, no doubt. And perhaps Riku is the Ravus to Stella’s Kairi, as maybe he does see her as more of a sibling now, and we just saw his hatred of Sora when it came to Kairi play out earlier and for different reasons), I won’t because there’s less concrete evidence there... I really think this could easily be a thing, guy. And if nothing else, it’s at least a theory worth looking at, imo.

Edit: Though it’s also just possible that Nomura likes to use similar tropes with his couples. Haha.

[vibranch]

The Keybearer’s Keychains (3/6) - Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction

Rating: T Word Count: 1,938 AO3 link here (contains some author’s notes for those interested)

Part 3/6: The Crab Claw, Oblivion, and Lionheart Part 1                       Next part

Summary:  So many Worlds, and so many people. Each one was unique and an adventure to Sora. But one thing that was constant on his journey, was the keychains he received. An exploration of Sora's thoughts, experiences, and feelings for each keychain he received during his first journey in no particular order.

                                                  The Crab Claw

It was kinda funny that one of the most unique Worlds Sora visited, gave him the most mundane keychain he’d receive. Just a plain looking seashell.

“Just a little something to remember us by.” Ariel said to Sora as he was about to leave. Of course, Sora wasn’t going to say no to it. A gift was a gift, and it housed the feelings of friendship that had grown between them.

Ariel had no way of knowing Sora had grown up on an island. He’d collected hundreds of seashells over the years, and the one she gave him would be easily lost if he placed it next to his old collection.

Sora spent the majority of the flight back to Traverse Town converting it into a keychain for his Keyblade. And although he thought the new form his Keyblade took was pretty, he worried what Sebastian would say if he saw a crab was being used as the teeth of the key. For Sebastian’s feelings, Sora made a mental note to not use this keychain if he ever went back to Atlantica.

For the most part, Sora was content to leave the Crab Claw hanging in his room. It was one of his lesser used keychains, though it was never truly retired. Thus, it was spared from the drawer in his room that all retired keychains ended up, but the plain looking keychain also meant Sora rarely pulled it off the wall for an adventure.

So there it stayed, serving its original duty fine as a reminder to Sora of everything that happened in Atlantica and all the inhabitants who lived there.

                                                The Oblivion

At what point had Sora’s playful rivalry with Riku stopped being quite so playful? It was a question Sora had asked himself multiple times on his journey across Worlds. He wanted to blame Maleficent, but that wasn’t entirely true.

She had certainly made things worse, but the actual deterioration of their friendship had started before they’d even begun building the raft. In the past, Riku would occasionally tease Sora, and Sora usually didn’t mind. But Riku had been doing it more often lately, and it didn’t feel like teasing to Sora anymore.

Sora knew Riku was always better at things than him. Riku was faster, Riku was stronger. And everytime Sora struggled to think of a comeback to one of Riku’s jabs, he realized Riku was cleverer than him too.

Sora felt like he was nothing more than a measuring stick to Riku. Someone for him to stand by, so others could see how impressive Riku was by comparison.

Not to long after the raft building began, Sora felt the need to keep score of how many times he or Riku won at something. But that only made Sora feel more desperate to beat Riku. Every time Sora failed to measure up to Riku, everytime Riku smirked or said something to showboat his victory, it felt more like he was twisting a knife. And despite how much it hurt, Sora still kept track of the increasingly large divide between the two of them.

There was one thing that Riku said that really got under Sora’s skin. “How about it, Sora? The winner gets to share the Paopu with Kairi?”

Why would he say that? Sora didn’t know how to respond when Riku asked him that. Riku definitely knew about Sora’s feelings towards Kairi, he had teased him about the fruit the evening before.

Sora just wanted the race to be fun. But it wasn’t. Not after Riku said that. Riku didn’t even give Sora the right to feel upset about it, instead claiming it was just a joke.

Sora worried it was his fault that things had gotten so bad. Was it his fault for noticing that Riku won more often than not? Was it his fault for letting Riku get to him? They were friends, right?

All these questions rose up again when Sora found a pitch-black crown keychain in Hollow Bastion. It was a mirror image of the crown necklace he wore. The dark side to the silver lined one around his neck.

Sora thought that he should’ve been disturbed by it. The form the Keyblade took when hooked up to it was frightening. Something about the teeth of this Keyblade forced the word Darkness into his head.

The Keyblade’s new form was trying to be a reminder of his time as a Heartless or maybe a reminder of Riku who gave into his Darkness.

Somehow Sora didn’t care. It was reminding him of his friend. And he wanted his friend back. He wanted to be able to hang out with Riku again without feeling like he had to win the next competition. Without feeling like he was being secretly judged or talked down to or belittled.

No, he realized, he didn’t just want his friend Riku back. What he really wanted back was his friendship with Riku. And now he was going to have to fight for it. Fight both the Darkness infesting Riku, and the Darkness inside himself that fueled his insecurities.

                                                   The Lionheart

By all accounts, Leon was Sora’s opposite. He was quiet, withdrawn, and he had difficulty showing any sign of human emotion, much less positive emotion. Really, Sora should have disliked him from the personality clash alone. But instead, Sora couldn’t help but respect him.

Leon had arrived in Traverse Town under similar circumstances as Sora. He’d lost his world and most of everyone he’d ever known. But even without a Keyblade, Leon was strong, and perhaps more importantly, he was able to make a difference in people’s lives.

The King respected him enough to make sure Donald and Goofy’s first stop of their journey was to see Leon, everyone in Traverse Town looked to him as a leader, he’d even found Pinocchio and Geppetto a place to live.

Sora didn’t know how he could ever compare to that. No matter what he might accomplish, someone else might look over to Leon and see all the similar things he’d done. And he’d done it without a Keyblade.

Maybe other people weren’t doing that, Sora hoped that might be true. But if Sora was already comparing himself to Leon, what were the odds that he was the only one making these comparisons?

Maybe that was why it was only after Leon said something at the end of the Pegasus Cup that Sora noticed just how much stronger he’d become.

Leon pressed his hand firmly into Sora’s shoulder as Donald and Goofy celebrated their victory. “Good job.”

It was the usual kind of Leon statement. Simple and efficient. And yet his tone said so much more those two words did. There wasn’t any resentment in it. Sora was surprised by how graciously he accepted his defeat.

Sora still half-expected Leon to spout something about how he let Sora off easy this time or that he’d gotten lucky. But instead, he stopped, turned around, and told Sora, “You’ve gotten stronger. Keep it up.”

And then he went on his way again. Yuffie’s voice filled Sora’s stunned silence, teasing Leon as she followed behind him, but he stayed silent to her verbal jabs.

All Sora could do was watch the two walk away. Leon almost sounded proud to Sora.

Even though he lost? Sora wondered.

He had a hard time believing it, but he also hoped that he wasn’t somehow imagining it. He was tired of constantly comparing himself to someone else.

Sure, he could cast fire and summon thunder from the sky, but he still felt like the same boy from the islands, lost amongst the Worlds with none to call his own anymore. For the first time in a long time, Sora noticed how far he’d come.

 Sora would eventually fight Leon again in the Hades Cup. This time however, Leon teamed up with Cloud. Despite that, Sora had also gotten stronger and the result was once again the same as last time, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy winning once again.

“Here,” Leon said once the match was over. He pulled the lionheaded keychain from his Gunblade’s pommel and held it towards Sora.

“Huh?” Sora just stared at the silver keychain Leon held out in front of him. “What’s this?” He asked.

“It’s a keychain. Your Keyblade uses them, right? I’ve seen you around Traverse Town with all sorts of different kinds.” Leon explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting a gift,” Sora said, shortly before taking the keychain from Leon’s hands. “You sure it’s okay for me to have this?”

Leon gave a rare smile. He placed his free hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide the look from his face. “Like I said back at Hollow Bastion, we might never see each other again, but we’ll never forget each other either. I want you to have something to remember me by. And besides, it’s not like it’s one-of-a-kind or anything, at least not anymore. Not on my World.”

Sora examined the small silver keychain in his hand. Its features were faded from years of being exposed to the elements of whatever Worlds Leon had been to since he’d fled Hallow Bastion. But despite its age, there wasn’t a speck of dirt or dust on it. In fact, it looked recently polished.

“Are you really sure I can have it?” Sora asked again. He didn’t want to take away such a long-held treasure from Leon and have him regretting it later.

“Really,” Leon said resolutely. “I wouldn’t have my World back if it wasn’t for you.”

Leon could see Sora was still unsure. He placed his hand on Sora’s shoulder and spoke again. “Listen Sora, this keychain depicts a Griever. On my World it represents courage. You’ve proven that you’ve got enough courage as is, but I’d like you to have it anyway.”

 When this keychain was equipped, a lion’s head appeared at the end of the Keyblade where the vague resemblance of the teeth of a key would normally be. The whole thing was made of a rough metal. Compared to most of the Keyblade’s other forms, this one looked drab by comparison. But Sora loved it regardless.

Sometimes, during their return trips to old worlds, Sora would equip the Lionheart keychain and pretend that he was Leon. He’d mimic his short and snappy sentences, would try to act nonchalant while fighting the Heartless, and would press his palm into his forehead whenever he stopped to think.

Donald and Goofy often noticed, but wouldn’t say anything. They let Sora have his fun and be the kid he still was.

Pretending to be Leon gave Sora the chance to reflect on their time together. The encouragement he felt when Leon told him if anyone could save Riku, he could. The excitement and surprise he felt when he unexpectedly heard Leon’s voice call out to him after defeating that Behemoth of a Heartless in Hollow Bastion.

But there was one other thing Leon said that kept repeating in his mind. “We may never meet again, but we’ll never forget each other.”

Forgetting everything he’d experienced with Donald and Goofy scared him. And forgetting all the people he’d met scared him even more. Sora didn’t just want to play pretend because Leon was cool or something like that, though he would admit that it was fun to pretend he really was as calm and collected as Leon.

But what Sora actually wanted was to solidify his memories of Leon more. He wanted to truly understand Leon’s mannerisms before it was too late and he might never see him again.

Sora told himself that if he kept doing this, he would never forget Leon, even if he never saw him again. So, Sora kept pretending.

[chikoriita]

The Search for Sora Ch.1

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Kairi came to the island everyday without fail now. It wasn’t like there was anything else to do. Nothing was the same anymore. After everything she had been through, her parents did not pressure her to open up. Kairi didn’t even know where to begin with them. The day she returned, she was inconsolable. All she could remember were tears and frenzy. Her tears, Riku’s tears, and frantic s that she didn’t have the answers to. How could she? The second to last memory she had was pain; a sharp pain in her back and a dull pain in her heart. The last memory was gazing into his blue eyes, his thumb caressing her hand. How was she to know that he would disappear the next instant? She took in a deep breath. If she had known- No. She couldn’t go back to that thinking.

Every morning before dawn, she took her little row boat to the Kid Island. From dawn until dusk, Kairi waited on the beach for any sign. This wasn’t the first time she’d been apart from him, but previously, she didn’t remember him. Was that a blessing or a curse? Last time he returned to her, he came down from the sky right there. She couldn’t risk missing Sora when he returned. This beach was where they spent their childhood. With Riku, they planned their journey to see new worlds on the raft.. If he showed up anywhere, it would be here.

“Want some company?” She looked to her left to find Riku standing beside her.

Kairi patted the sand next to her. “Always.” He hadn’t been on world for a week, and she missed him. These days he was either settling the newly recovered like Roxas, Naminé and Xion or meeting with Master Yen Sid. If not for Riku, she would have been broken beyond hope. He and Sora were the first friends she had, the first people she remembered meeting in her new life.

He took the seat beside her. They sat in heavy silence for a few minutes, but Riku was here for a reason. “I’m worried about him too.”

She looked upward and closed her eyes. “I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

Kairi shook her head. “Sora’s been through so much. How can we undermine that by worrying about him?” She laughed harshly. “Anyway, who am I to judge?”

“It is not your-”

She cut him off. “Save it. I know. Still, I just hope… wish that he isn’t alone.”

Riku put his arm around her shoulders. “That was his reasoning too. He didn’t want you to be alone. Not for one more second, he said.”

Her eyes welled up once more. At least once a day, the tears came back, but she refused to shed anymore. “I wouldn’t have minded!” She cried and dropped her face into her hands. “Not if he was safe.”

He pulled her into a hug. “I failed you both.” The words came out harshly against her hair. “I wanted the strength to protect what truly mattered. What good is that power if I couldn’t protect you? Or him?” A tear drop fell onto her face.

“Do. Not. Say. That.” She held him tightly against her. “We can’t change the past.”

“I should have stayed with you during the battle instead of letting you go off with another novice.” He pulled away from the hug. “Not anymore. I’m not losing sight of what’s important any longer.”

She smiled softly. “Wait till that lazy bum comes back. He doesn’t know how much we miss him.” Riku laughed deeply.

They returned to the silence of before with only the quiet crash of the waves to accompany them. The Destiny Islands were a paradise; other than the night of darkness, Kairi couldn’t remember a cloudy day. It was the flowering season on the island. Even that was ruined by the Keyblade. The same flowers that grew on the island made up her keychain, and she refused to summon her Keyblade anymore.

Kairi shook the thought of her Keyblade away and stared into the horizon. Wait. Who was rowing toward them? No one came out to the island anymore.

“Who is that?” Riku asked, trying to make out the figure. Kairi squinted and saw the tell-tale hairstyle. The guilt settled on her stomach once more but a whole new reason this time.

Selphie rowed faster and faster as if someone was chasing her.

“What is she doing here?”

Riku chuckled. “I don’t know. She looks excited though.” Kairi elbowed him in the stomach. He hadn’t been here for the last year and half. An excited Selphie was more than anyone, even a Keyblade Master, could handle.

They stood up as she tied her boat to the dock. She jumped out with a familiar device in hand. Riku raised his brow. “You gave her your Gummiphone?” He whispered standing up. Kairi followed suit, brushing the sand off her skirt.

“I didn’t need it anymore,” she muttered back.

“You. Guys. This thingamajiggy you have. It’s amazing. There’s a device that takes your picture instantly. I can search for anything. Can you believe how much info-”

“Selph, stop.” Kairi held out her hand, accidentally summoning her Keyblade. Her friend paused mid word and hand mid gesture.

Riku smacked her shoulder. “Good job, Kai. You need to control when you summon it.”

“I don’t want to summon it anyway.”

He didn’t hear her, or he chose to ignore her. Good. She didn’t want to argue with him about that today anyway. They waited a few more seconds for the stop to wear off.

“I didn’t realize your magic was so strong,” Riku commented.

Kairi winced. “It wasn’t before,” she admitted. Maybe if it had been…

“-rmation on it!” Selphie continued where she left off.

Kairi couldn’t stay annoyed at her. Selphie was hyperactive, and most of the time, it was a welcome distraction.

“Good to see you haven’t changed, Selphie.” Riku ruffled her hair.

Selphie grinned in return. “You’re so sweet.”

“Did you come rushing over here to show me my phone?” Kairi asked. She didn’t mind Selphie using the phone. Since she renounced her position as a Guardian, she didn’t need it or the Keyblade anymore. Selphie was free to use it.

“No. I came here to show you the message on the phone.” She stuck the device into Kairi’s face. Personal space was no barrier for Selphie Tilmitt.

Kairi unlocked the phone and went to her inbox. There was a message from Olette. Olette?

Chip and Dale gave up on maintaining any sort of world order after this last debacle. With King Mickey’s blessing and a stern warning from Master Yen Sid, they opened up the GummiWeb to everyone. Mr. McDuck was their first customer, buying up the entire stock of Gummiphones made by the chipmunks. He was not entirely lucrative, however. Scrooge McDuck may be greedy and frugal, but he appreciated the Guardians and their allies from the bottom of his heart. Every ally received a free Gummiphone with no strings attached. Last she heard, the Twilight Town gang went nuts with the news.

She swiped the message open and nearly wept once more. It was a picture of all of their friends in Twilight Town. Lea and Isa. Roxas, Naminé, and Xion. Hayner, Pence and Olette. All of them posed around a crown symbol embedded in the brick behind them.

Kairi paused and thought, Lucky emblems aren’t crowns. Crowns were for-

“What’s the text say?”

Text? She completely missed the message accompanying the picture.

“We found new emblems all over Twilight Town while on a lucky emblem hunt for Mr. McDuck. These are different. They’re not hidden at all. It’s like someone is trying to send a message. Call me when you can,” she read aloud and gasped. “Riku. Do you think- No it has to be a joke.” She pulled back to throw the phone into the ocean. Riku plucked it out of her hand.

“Call first, toss later.” He dialed Olette’s number. Kairi took the phone back from him when the call was accepted. There was a scuffle on the other end of the call.

“Kairi!” A pang hit her heart at the sight. Xion looked straight back at her with a wide smile on her face. She seemed to be in the Usual Spot, the little alleyway the Twilight Town kids made their hangout. The setting sun streamed through the open rafters above her and bathed her in light. Kairi had to admit; light suited her.

“Hi Xion.” Out of all those connected to his heart, Xion was her favorite (she claimed Naminé as her own). Roxas was brave and Ventus kind, but Xion understood Kairi’s pain. After all, she originated from Sora’s memories of Kairi; that alone made her special.

“We miss you and Riku- Roxas, give that back!” The camera pivoted once again to show Roxas.

“Correction. She misses Riku. You are beyond him in every way,” Roxas says to the camera. Riku grunts from behind her.

“Give him a break Roxas,” Another voice says off-camera. Was that Naminé? He points the camera toward her. “Hello!” She waves daintily. The small modicum of class Kairi had before her adventure started all went to Naminé.

Roxas turned the camera back to himself. “Kairi is still my favorite. The original,” he whispers loudly to the phone. “Ow!” he laughs.

“Stop kissing up and give Olette the phone.” Kairi heard Axel say as the camera shifted one more time to the owner.

“We all miss you. But there’s more important things to talk about. Look at this!” She rotated the camera, which now faced a brick wall.

“No way,” Riku whispered. Selphie leaned in closer to see what was on the screen. Kairi didn’t believe it either. There was a bright yellow crown shining on the wall.

Olette continued speaking. “These aren’t any secret. Someone wants us to find them. This one arrived just before your call.”

“It arrived?” Kairi asked. She couldn’t take her eyes off the pulsing crown. It called to her.

The other girl nodded. “These symbols, they show up out of the blue and disappear around a day later. We thought it was a joke, but then we found one yesterday.”

“It’s not just here.” Xion added. “Lea suggested asking Ienzo; there have been two sightings in Radiant Garden.”

Kairi turned to look at Riku. “It can’t be a coincidence, can it? He wears that necklace all the time,” her voice broke at the last word. Selphie put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“I hope you don’t mind,” the camera shifted once more to reveal Pence, “but the GummiWeb is full of kids from Twilight Town posting pictures of these symbols. They showed up around the same time… well, you know. So we started a way of tracking where these symbols are.”

“How can you do that?” All this technology was new to the three of them. Even though Riku spent the better part of the year with Ansem the Wise, do not ask him to decipher anything with a computer.

“We posted on the GummiGram that any future crown symbols should be tagged #SearchForSora. Maybe the way they show up means something.” Olette said. “We’ll keep you updated. Bye!” The call ended with a chorus of goodbyes from the Usual Spot. It was a balm to her bruised soul to know that the battle was not in vain. Seeing former Nobodies living their lives gave Kairi hope. It was the little hopes that kept her spirit alive.

“Anything is better than nothing,” Kairi whispered, closing her eyes. Once again, her friends were doing more to help Sora than she was. All she could do is wait on the beach for him to come back.

“Maybe…waiting isn’t good enough.” She remembered a younger, braver Kairi saying once on a beach. What happened to that courage? How could she let Xehanort take that spunk away from her?

“These crowns mean something. I’m going to figure it out,” she said with her right fist clenched around Destiny’s Embrace once more.

“Not without me.” This time, she raised her brow at Riku. He summoned his Keyblade as well. Selphie took a few steps away from them. A wise choice.

“Don’t you have better things to do than babysit, Master Riku?”

He put his Keyblade away and took a step toward her. She did not retreat. Riku narrowed his eyes, and she met his measure for measure. She would not back down this time. He sighed and placed his hands on her shoulders. “Please. Don’t do this without me.”

“Riku, don’t you understand? You’re the one who will end up saving him. It’s always you.” She spoke the truth. If Kairi was part of Sora’s light in the darkness, then Riku was the other half. His inspiration. “You focus on finding him.”

“No. Not without you. Sora said his journey began the day he lost you, but he forgot to mention that I lost you too. I can’t lose either of you anymore. So if you are planning to do this, then I will be with you every step of the way.” His voice cracked.

Kairi’s face crumpled. She promised herself that today she wouldn’t cry, but just like every other day since her return, she failed. Kairi wrapped her arms around her best friend and wept. “Well, then let’s go find our lazy bum.”

Next

Shout out to @elitesora​ and @anheiressofasoldier​ who wanted to read this.

[avatarconner]

Every Step Forward Chapter 1

Destiny Islands

Sora was……back.

Back with his friends, back in his home world, back in his house, back up to speed, in most if not every sense of the phrase he had returned. But unlike before where what kept him away was a year long induced coma, the fate of all worlds, or the Organization what had taken him away this time was something far more…..real.

Death.

He had died, granted he had almost died countless times on his previous adventures with Donald and Goofy, but there was no mistake or debate in what had happened to him. He had died, but he found his way back from the other side and was back here. Right at the very spot where he had faded away at, the only difference was that now he was currently sitting on the bent paopu tree’s trunk alone at daybreak instead of with Kairi at dusk. Kairi…… Sora thought to himself solemnly as he thought back to that day. His hand holding her’s, the lone tear that slipped down her cheek despite the reassuring smile she wore as she realized what was about to happen.

He told her that he’d be back, it wasn’t the first time he lost his heart. That ironically was also his own doing just as his losing his heart this time to save Kairi’s was, but this time it wasn’t as simile as him becoming a heartless and her returning him to his old self again. He had to work his way back to her, back to all his friends, thankfully he didn’t need to go that far to find Riku, his brother in every way but blood, who had come looking for him.

Riku of course wasn’t the only one, Roxas, Axel (or Lea rather), Isa, and Xion searched for him across the worlds of Twilight Town, Radiant Garden, even Traverse Town but to no avail. Terra, Aqua, and Ven sprung into action as well in searching the Realm of Darkness for any sign of him much like they had done for Aqua. And were met with the same results, Kairi took his place with Donald and Goofy and searched all the worlds they could find for any clue of his ware bouts. Donald told him Kairi was like a machine, no matter what got in her way she would get over and past it in search for him.

‘It was like you back when we first met! Only she was more smart about it.’ were the duck’s exact words. What popped into his mind was a young version of Kairi replacing him on his first adventure, and how she would have handled things differently than he would have. She probably would have saved Alice in Wonderland by tricking the Queen into giving her up. Or maybe she would have caught Clayton’s intentions right away in the Deep Jungle. he mused to himself before chuckling to himself. She would have hated Monstro.

Kairi being swallowed by the giant whale? He’ll admit that looking back on the experience, it was pretty gross. When Riku told him he had to go back inside that monster during the Mark of Mastery he did gag a little bit. Riku….Kairi…..back then things were so….simple. Just the three of us making a raft to get off the island. he mused to himself, looking back behind him as he recalled Kairi ordering him and Riku to gather supplies for the ‘ship’. We would have starved and turned back, I mean mushrooms and coconuts? We’d eat that stuff up by the next day.

Then there was the infamous race between him and Riku, they both wanted to name the raft something different. He couldn’t remember what the names were, it seemed too long ago, but he did remember just before the race how Riku had thrown him off his game. “Deal? Whoever wins gets to share a Paopu with Kairi.” he had boldly declared. Sora, in a non-grudge holding way, blamed that for his loss, especially when Riku said he was joking about that. Always was better at stuff than me. the keyblade wielder thought to himself, recalling his and Riku’s talk after defeating Xemnas for the first time.

As the sun rose more on the horizon, a question formed in Sora’s mind, did Riku know?

Was it that obvious back then the bond that his and Kairi’s hearts shared? Was it even there back then? Upon thinking about it for a solid minute, Sora came to the conclusion, No duh he knew.

Kairi, he was thinking about her again. Which wasn’t at all a bad thing but it was different now, most things with her were now. It took him a while, probably nowhere near as long as it did for her to quickly figure out, but what they had was……new. His heart never felt for someone the way it did for Kairi and she clearly felt the same way about him. Or that’s what he hoped rather, they hadn’t really had a chance to discuss it with her, but between the way they looked at each other the day he passed on, and how when she first saw him back from death, tears in her eyes as she sprinted over to him faster than he ever saw her move and covered his mouth with hers?

Lest he forget the fact that she initiated sharing a paopu fruit from this very tree with him, something that he could never ask her face to face with how the tradition went with something like that and he ended up just carving it on a wall he didn’t she would notice or see. But she did, and what did she do? She drew herself giving him one, only made sense that she would be the one to pluck them out from the tree and start the whole thing.

‘I just want to be a part of your life no matter what. That’s all.’ she had said, it was the way she had said to him. It wasn’t casual but from the bottom of her heart, she wanted that in that moment when it was just him and her. Sora didn’t know much about love yet…..but that seemed like it, or something like it at the very least. “You’re here early.”

Sora nearly jumped off the tree at the voice, whipping his head back he saw the very girl in question step off the bridge that connected the smaller island to the main one. She wore a soft look on her face, her eyes locked on Sora as she walked around the tree, “Hey Kairi.” he greeted with a smile of his own as she hopped up onto the trunk and scooted over to his left side, her fingers grazed over his and entwined with them together.

He could feel the callouses that had developed from using her keyblade, something he or Riku probably should have warned her about before she went to train with Axel. It didn’t bother him so much as surprise him, he always remembered her hands were soft, or they looked like it anyway. “So what are you doing here so early?” she asked, the spikey haired boy looked out to the sunrise. A small ball formed in his stomach, this was almost an exact replica of when he faded away, even their clothes were the same as that day.

But he fought it down, “Just thinking….it’s great to be back.” he said honestly, his eyes darting over to her and seeing the relived smile she had. “And…back with you….” he trailed off quietly. He could take on any Heartless or Nobody, even ones he’s never seen or fought before and come out on top, but that seemed to pale in comparison to trying to think of something flattering to say to Kairi.

The copper haired girl’s cheeks seemed to warm with the rising sun, the smile she wore broadened, “Well obviously. It’s impossible not to miss me.” she replied jokingly, making them both let out a chuckle. The keyblade wielders sat together in silence for a minute, listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore while Kairi shut her eyes and took a deep breath. “What else were you thinking about?” she asked.

Sora smiled tenderly as he recalled the two of them along with Riku at this same spot around what? Two years ago? “The old days……you, me, Riku, and that raft we thought would take us to new worlds.” he explained, feeling Kairi’s hand shift in his so her palm was covering the top of his hand. “And how we probably would have gone hungry and turned around the next day.” he added.

She let out a brief chuckle, “I thought we thought things though pretty well……I wonder what happened to that old thing.” she pondered aloud. If she had to guess, that poor raft that they worked so hard to make was probably at the bottom of the sea somewhere. “I prefer the Gummi ship, it’s much more roomy than the raft.”

Sora nodded, the ship might have seemed fairly small in comparison to other ship designs, but the Gummi ship was roomy enough inside to house a bedroom for three people, a small kitchen, and a bathroom of course with a shower. Basically everything you needed to save the worlds from the forces of darkness, “Did I ever tell you the first time I flew it?” Sora asked. Kairi’s eyes instantly gained interest and were locked on him, “Well see, Goofy thought that since I had the key, it was only natural that I fly us to the worlds. Donald agreed and plopped me right in the captain’s chair.”

“Oh no.” Kairi said in anticipation.

“Oh yeah. And what’s the first thing I do? I hit the gas and what we hear is he sound of the bottom of the ship scrapping against the ground.” Sora said, causing her to cover her mouth as she silently laughed. Sora’s was much more loud and good natured, “HAHA! Donald’s face got so red I thought his head would explode!” he howled, thinking of how his friend’s sometimes hard to understand speech could turn to utter gibberish if angered too much.

As Kairi managed to quell her laughter, her form moved closer to Sora’s making the hairs on the back of his neck stand straight up. “I wish I could have seen that…….but I was…….you know…..” she said, her voice dropping from it’s usual hopeful and joyous tone to a more somber and saddened voice.

Sora cursed himself, he had said something wrong and now she was sad, “Well….I always kind of thought you did.” he said, making Kairi look at him curiously as he used his free hand to scratch the side of his face like he did when he was nervous. “See I might have…..thought you were a ghost or something on that adventure.” he revealed, making Kairi look at him bizarrely, “I mean I saw you! But you weren’t really there, and when I found out your heart was inside mine I thought that maybe that you were always there watching me and……” he trailed off as Kairi suppressed the smile growing. “You don’t remember any of that?” he asked.

“I have no idea what your talking about.” she affirmed.

Sora’s head fell forward with a groan, “Aw man! And I went after all the dalmatians because I knew thought you would strangle me for not helping find the puppies.”

Kairi’s eyes seemed to grow at the mention of dogs, “What about puppies!?”

“In Traverse Town? Me, Donald and Goofy found these two dalmatians who lost their puppies and we went looking for them across the worlds.” he explained, remembering just how sad the poor dogs looked over their lost pups. He obviously would have looked for them regardless of Kairi’s presence or not, but her imaginary company just more motivation to do so.

“Wait the worlds? How many were there?” she asked, curious as to how big the litter had to have been to be spread that far.

Sora’s expression for a moment became almost horrified, “Ninety Nine.” Kairi’s face resembled his at the number. She loved animals, dogs especially but…..no, she wouldn’t take in that many…..maybe. “Still worth it. Every second of it.” Sora said proudly, Kairi nodded in agreement. “But still, I always thought…..what else don’t you know?” he asked. Kairi gave him a look, and Sora suddenly realized how bad that sounded, “A-About my adventures I mean.”

Kairi’s head craned back as she looked up at the sky in thought, the orange and red hues of the sky overhead somehow seemed to amplify Kairi’s own beauty. Sora didn’t know exactly when he started thinking of Kairi like that, like she was pretty, which she certainly was! But back in the day when she asked him or Riku how she looked their response would be about if she had sand in her hair or a mark on her somewhere. Not about how he found her attractive in some way.

But now her shortened red hair, which he admittedly missed a little when he saw that she had grown it out, seemed…..nice, not in the causal sense but….she looked attractive to him because of it way.

“Well, I know what you did leading up to…..” she stopped herself, “Your last adventure. But before that? Nothing.” she answered, the playfulness in her voice suddenly absent. “When you disappeared, I went with Donald and Goofy to a few worlds. The Toy Box, the Monster world, Hercules’ too but……Riku found you. And we all went to you.” she said, a small smile spreading over her lips that Sora shared. He remembered just how exhausted he was when he and Riku were nearly back home, Riku didn’t seem to be as tired as he was but he had been going non-stop since the Keyblade Graveyard.

It took him a solid week to recover after his return but it wasn’t really a surprise, he had been going non-stop since the Keyblade War and it clearly showed.

He was almost ready to give up when they arrived. Everyone, the guardians of light plus Donald and Goofy of course. They all arrived at the last moment and stood with Riku against the darkness to save Sora. He was honestly touched beyond words that they all came for him, he wanted nothing more than to join in the fight alongside them but his exhaustion finally won out and he fell. He faintly remembered Donald and Goofy holding him up, just like they always did. The next thing he remembered was waking up just as  they got back here to the island how everyone gathered around him in a warm embrace like how they had done with Aqua after saving her from the Darkworlds.

And then his and Kairi met eyes, she pushed her way through their friends and he stood before her with what little strength he had left before embracing her tighter than he ever had before and then-

Sora glanced over and saw Kairi was doing the same, apparently she must have had a similar thought process because when their eyes met again, Sora’s face warmed up considerably and Kairi suddenly felt a lump in her throat. Initiative, that was what it was, at least that’s what she told herself when that scene appeared in her dreams and she would wake up flustered and a little giddy. She didn’t regret it, not a single bit, but while she remembered the act itself and the soft look in Sora’s eyes when she pulled away, she also remembered the loud cough which Axel made and wanted to bury her keyblade in his head for.

“So….um……did you see Riku on your way here?” Sora asked, trying to make his blush go away.

Kairi couldn’t help the chuckle in her throat at the mention of their friend, what she and him had was special but he had been actively sure not to say or do anything while their friend was present. Even though, probably unbeknownst to Sora, it was him who told her that the day before battle on this very island, that he wanted some time to himself and that he would talk with the two of them after bit. Her first instinct was to immediately tell him it was out of the question, but before she could even think of what to say he winked at her.

And of course after getting Sora home for some much deserved rest, Riku and her walked to each other’s respective homes without so much as a word before he simply said, ‘About time.’

Her response was silence and a smile that crept over her face, “No. But speaking of whom.” she turned around as she heard the sound of footsteps on the wooden bridge behind them. Riku approached the two and Kairi felt Sora’s hand immediately tense as though he had been caught doing something wrong, “Greets Master Riku.” she greeted playfully, knowing full well that Riku hated being called that.

The white haired boy rolled his eyes as a grin spread over Sora’s face, “See, this is why I wish you were the one who got the title.” he said accusingly at his friend, walking around the tree before leaning against the trunk between Sora and Kairi.

Sora clasped him on the shoulder, “Aw come on Riku! You should be proud! Being a Master and all.” he said, causing the green eyed teen to put a hand over his face. There was now two of them, he didn’t have the strength for this, “Just wait until Axel finally manages to pass.” Sora said, making the three of them all let out a good natured groan. Suddenly Sora tapped his finger to the side of his head, “ ‘It’s Master Axel, got it memorized?’ ” he imitated before laughing out loud while Riku and Kairi tired and failed to stifle their own.

The trio settled into a comfortable silence soon after, watching as the Sun finally rise over the coast and the multicolored sky began to shift to it’s regular blue hue.

Sora looked over at Riku and Kairi, some of the most important people in his life…….and he nearly never saw them again. “So……I’ve been thinking.” he began. Kairi and Riku looked over at him curiously, “……lets go on a trip.”

“What?” Kairi asked, Riku’s expression mirroring the question. “To…..where?” she asked.

“The worlds.” Sora answered, at that both his friends shared a even more confused look with one another. “…..I mean……when was the last time the three of us just….had fun? No worrying about darkness, Heartless, Nobodies, Xahanorts, or any of that.” he explained.

“Ever since I found you?” Riku provided.

Sora shook his head, “No, I mean, yeah. I mean…..” he looked between he two of them mid smile. But it slowly faded away, “Look…..we all know that….something else is gonna happen. Not today, not tomorrow. Maybe not this month or year or even decade but……it will eventually.” he said, his tone more serious then before which took both his best friends off guard. “I know it’s sudden, and pretty out of nowhere but……remember before all this happened? We were going to see new worlds in a raft we made all by ourselves……why not do that?” he asked.

Kairi eyes watched him with concern, he didn’t sound desperate for it but she could tell that Sora had put a lot of thought into this. “If you guys don’t want to then it’s cool but…..I just thought it’d be fun.” he finished with a shrug.

Kairi and Riku looked at one another, a smile that would make the Cheshire cat proud spread over Kairi’s face, “We do have a Gummi Ship.” she supplied.

“Which would be infinitely better than a raft.” Riku added, making a smile spread over Sora’s face. Riku was reminded of his younger self, wanting to get out of here and go on an adventure. That day seemed like it was decades ago despite only being a few years, but between Xahanort’s machinations and Sora’s sudden disappearance and eventual return it might’ve well have been. “But, where would we go?” he asked aloud.

“Well I was thinking Twilight Town, then maybe a few worlds I visited, then Radiant Garden, it’s been way too long since I’ve seen Leon and the others.” Sora admitted, showing he’s put more thought into this than originally suspected, much to Kairi and Riku’s surprise. Sora’s hand hovered in the air between the three of them, looking at each of his friends excitedly, Riku and Kairi looked at one another with a smile before clasping their hands over his.

The rest of the day was spent with the three gathering their things and explaining to their parental guardians what they intended to do. Sora’s mother, bless her heart and whom Sora felt especially guilty for leaving without saying a word before his first adventure, was surprisingly all for the idea. Telling Sora that if anyone deserved to spend time with his friends and be happy for a while, it was him.

However when the Destiny Trio arrived at the dock, Sora’s mother immediately pulled Kairi to the side, which made a pit form in Sora’s gut.

Not that there was any reason for it, his mother loved Kairi, and when he finally told her that they had started….whatever this was between them, she was overjoyed by the news. She did have to bring up a certain…..conversation with Sora…..one of which will haunt him for the rest of his days and has been actively been avoiding thinking about. But most of all she was glad that her son had found someone he cared so deeply for, and he knew that deep down she was glad it was Kairi of all people.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” Sora asked Riku as he folded his hands behind his head patiently.

Riku looked over as Kairi laughed at something Sora’s mother said, “She’s your mom, and Kairi’s your girlfriend. So I’m guessing it’s about yo-“ he began before seeing how flushed Sora’s face became. It was the first time that Sora had actually heard someone refer to Kairi as his girlfriend, it sounded so……official. She was his girlfriend, just thinking that made his heart beat a little heavier. Feeling Riku staring at him he glanced over at his friend who had a smirk on his face, “Sora, calm down.”

“I know it’s just…..it’s sort of weird, thinking of her as that but it’s…..right at the same time.” he tried to explain. Riku gave Sora a look, “You know what I mean.” he grumbled out.

His best friend chuckled, “It’s called change Sora. And it can be a good thing.” he said, Sora smiling at his words, “Look you guys will figure it out, just spend some time with her.” he explained as Sora’s mom seemed to finish talking with Kairi and waved her off, their crimson haired companion approaching the duo, “Like maybe asking her about your mom?” he suggested before walking further down the dock where the Gummi ship would beam them up.

As Kairi approached him, Sora saw the amused look on her face, “So what did my mom want to talk to you about?” he asked.

The girl shook her head as she and Sora made their way down the dock, “Nothing serious, just wanted to say how happy she is that we’re going together.” she said cheekily. Seeing Sora’s face warm up a little, he flashed her a smile before glancing away, “What were you and Riku talking about?” she asked in kind.

Sora rubbed the back of his head, “Um….well…..you….and me.” he answered sheepishly. Kairi stopped, walking and Sora instantly noticed, turning around he was met with her looking at him imploringly, “Oh! No I mean……I really like this….it’s just I’m…not really sure what to do.” he admitted bashfully. His divulge causing Kairi to chuckle, her hands reached out and took his within her’s, entwining their fingers together. “I…..think I might want to take you out on a date.”

Kairi looked up at him, her eyes wide with how upfront about it he was. But she couldn’t help but smile, “That usually is what people like us do isn’t it?” she teased.

The spikey haired boy laughed, “Well yeah. True…..um, we can talk more about it later right? Riku is waiting and……and my mom is taking pictures.” he said in a more tired and irritated tone. Kairi looked over her shoulder in time to see Sora’s mother pocket a camera and try and feign innocence. As they untangled their fingers, Kairi thought of what else Sora’s mother talked to her about.

When Sora had…..disappeared. Kairi felt nothing if not wholly responsible for it, he had to pay the price for her being too……useless. She came to Sora’s mother and told her everything, she expected her to shout at her, blame her as much as she did herself, curse her out of her house and tell her to never come back but……she didn’t.

She held onto Kairi as she wept, telling her that Sora would put anyone before himself and it wasn’t her fault.

She……she still didn’t think that. If she had fought harder, better, then she never would have been captured again and used to just cause Sora and her friends pain. So she made a vow to herself, to Sora, to everyone. Never again.

She joined in the search for Sora, she traveled across the worlds battling Heartless with Donald and Goofy, every fight she had with them she got a little scraped up but she didn’t care, she learned. She knew how to fight with her Keyblade, she knew that if Xemnas ever grabbed her like he did that day again she would summon her blade into her empty hand and aim for his head.

And when he was back……the drive was still there, they were safe for now, but how long would that really last?

Apparently Sora’s mother knew it as well, she just told Kairi to embrace the time she and Sora have now and to not worry about later. That was a nice thought but…..she couldn’t.

As soon as they reached the end of the dock, the trio looked amongst themselves and nodded together before the three friends dissapearied in three columns of light onto the Gummi Ship waiting in the space between worlds.

However there was a slight hitch.

“K-K-Kair!?!?!” Sora squeaked out when he saw that his girlfriend was currently in his lap in the control seat, looking back at Sora, her face as red as her hair as she realized as well their current situation. Nethier of them moved, which made the situation even more awkward until Kairi finally rediscovered her voice hiding deep in her stomach.

“I…..when you were gone I flew the ship.” she explained, when they boarded the ship, where they wanted to be was where they appeared, so whenever Sora beamed aboard the ship he desired to be in the captain’s chair. Kairi was the same while she took his spot with Donald and Goofy, so naturally her first thought was the same seat…..

The sound of stifled laughter made them both turn their heads to see Riku trying his hardest not to laugh at his friends’ predicament. Kairi slid off Sora’s lap, straightening out her skirt as they both glared at their friend before turning their attention to one another, “So…..you want to fly?” Sora offered with a smile, getting up out of the seat and offering it to her.

The princess of light smiled at the gesture and took her seat as Sora took the only empty chair, holding her hand out, Kairi summoned Destiny’s Embrace and held it out towards the window, a wormhole appeared in front of the ship as Kairi beamed. “Alright then, first stop is Twilight Town!” she declared cheerfully as she put the ship into full acceleration. The sudden shift in speed made both her friends push against their seats as Kairi let out a whoop of excitement, both of them suddenly realizing that Kairi had modified the ship’s speed to go much faster than either of them were used to.

“KAIRI!!!!!!!” They both yelled out as the princess of heart turned speed demon flew them to Twilight Town at top speed.

[thisselflovecamebacktome]

Was SoKai forced? A look into the issues surrounding the pair

I want to preface this with while I have done some writing and scripting classes, I am in no way the next James Cameron or whatever. I’m just a girl giving her opinion.

To determine whether SoKai was forced or not, I think two aspects need to be looked into. One, was there implications that the pairing would occur throughout the series or was it a last minute ‘match the remainders’ type ditch? And secondly, was the development there to expect this outcome?

I think we can all agree that the answer to the first question is a clear yes, there were signs from the first part of the first game that the game developers intended SoKai to be cannon and impliedly end game. I’m not here to argue that because whether I ship it or not, I don’t think it is arguable. The second question is where the topic gets more tricky. 

In my honest opinion, SoKai has the potential to be a great love story, but the writing makes it fall short. To me personally, even though I ship both, the reason SoKai feels less natural than SoRiku is because a lot of things that feel like they are vital for growth and really establishing the relationship as more than a crush happen off screen and/or are quickly glossed over. A large part of this has to do with the developers giving Kairi the short end of the stick and keeping her in the whole ‘damsel in distress’ stereotype in general to be honest. 

With SoRiku, we get emotional moments of “I looked everywhere for you” and Riku literally stepping in front of a bunch of heartless that just ‘killed’ their friends to protect Sora while telling him that Riku doesn’t believe that Sora believes that Sora is useless. We also get small fun little moments like Sora saying he needs to call Riku to tell him about something that reminded Sora of him. Hell, we even had Riku call Sora’s name and Sora randomly show up when there was no reason to believe Sora would show up in KH3. Like that’s some gay shit right there. 

When it comes to SoKai, in my opinion, because Kairi as a character is paid dirt, we also miss out on moments as deep as SoRiku have had. Sure, we had Sora begging for Kairi’s life in KH2 and the letters Kairi writes to Sora/for herself, but a lot of these moments lack the communication that the SoRiku moments have. Like when Riku jumped in front of those heartless, we get Sora’s shocked (and in my opinion somewhat guilty) reaction as he realises Riku is still there and willing to give up everything because he believes in Sora. Likewise, we see the guilt in Riku when he realises the pain he caused Sora. In comparison, when we do get SoKai moments together, a lot of it is a hug/glance before moving on. And the sad thing is that I feel like we did have these deeper moments at the start of the game. Little things like Kairi telling Sora she has concerns over how Riku was behaving and her half joking about just the two of them taking the raft and going felt like it was building up a proper, long lasting romantic relationship over just a crush.

But at some point, it personally feels like the writers just went “well, we’ve told them they want to share a paopu fruit, we don’t need to do any more to develop the relationship” and forgot that people change, relationship change and time doesn’t stand still for anyone (yes this is meant to be ironic given Kairi was sent to a place with no concept of time in KH3). From my understanding, with the exception of Birth By Sleep, the whole Kingdom Hearts franchise is meant to take place give or take during the period of SoKai being 13 - 15. While I obviously cannot talk for everyone, in that time period of my life romantically I dated the boy I liked for most my childhood and thought I was going to marry for a year, broke up with him, dated another two people shortly and had a crush on another person. And hey, maybe I’m a ho, but the point still stands that a lot happens in that time without the ptsd inducing shit these two went through and 15/16 year old me was a vastly different person than 13 year old me. And that’s fine, it doesn’t mean that Sora and Kairi can’t be childhood sweethearts. But I want to see that the way they have changed still compliments each other and that it’s not just them relying on nostalgia and conversations we’re supposed to assume happened. 

And that is the predominate issue I have with Kairi’s arc in KH3. After (from memory) not having an on screen discussion with Sora after KH2 about how things have changed/how they feel (specifically a response from him about the letter she wrote) and where they stand, she’s chucked into a situation where she doesn’t even interact with Sora (or anyone outside Axel) directly for most the game. The worst part about it is that especially in KH3, there are some moments where it literally feels like it’d make more sense for Sora to talk to Kairi than the other characters. Sora feeling frustrated at having to start again and feeling weaker than the others? Sounds a lot like how Kairi would feel being at the start of her journey. Sora’s feelings on Roxas? Probably a good match for Kairi’s feelings about Namine. Like there’s so many intimate things that could help establish them as a couple and make them closer. Instead, the first proper interaction SoKai has leads up to the point I’m sure most shippers have waited for where Kairi pulls out the paopu fruit... and Sora is surprised? Like my dude, you may die tomorrow and you’re shocked and need it explained to you that the love of your life wants to be a part of your life forever? It’s just so awkwardly written and once again in my opinion underdeveloped given the lack of on screen interaction since KH2 before that. The conversation then moves towards them both talking about protecting each other and I was like ‘Yes! Finally some communication about how they feel!’. I want to preface that part that while I would have adored for Kairi to be a kickass keyblade welding badass who slammed Xehanort down herself, I do not need that in a female character for me to love her. What bugs me is that in this game’s trailers and with how the place without magic works, it heavily implied that Kairi was going to be a ‘stronger’ character than ever in the physical sense, but her character doesn’t even feel like a step up from KH2. Don’t get me wrong, I think the “Kairi is Sora’s light” scene was done very well just like her transforming him back in the first game and is a good way to show rather than tell us that they have a strong connection, and once again, I do not need her to be physically strong to like her, but advertising that she is going to be physically stronger then having her fall into the same ‘damsel in distress’ trope was disappointing. Like I could even understand her having to die, but at least have Saix or Xehanort pull a dirty move on one of the others and her dying trying to defend them or Xehanort making her fight rather than just smashing her into pieces. Also, this has nothing to do with SoKai, but the fact that Kairi’s murderer got to go to heaven within the hour that he murdered her was wack af tbh.

And then we get to the ending. And I get at this point, ya’ll probably saying “God this grinch ass prick really just wants to rip everything apart, why can’t she just say she hates KH3 and go?” but I don’t care. This ending was literally the biggest let down to the Kingdom Hearts fandom in general, but especially SoKai shippers in my opinion. Before you go breathing down my neck about me not liking bittersweet endings, that’s not the issue. The issue is that once again, SoKai had a chance to have a big emotional moment and potentially growth along with us as viewers getting some clarity over what happened, but instead, they just brushed it over with the only explanation being a vague “You may not come back” from Mickey. And I’m sorry, I’m not taking ‘there wasn’t enough time/space on the disk’ as an excuse when we had to fight Xehanort multiple times and when the Keyblade Graveyard felt as dragged out as it did. Also, once again not SoKai related, but it still feels out of character that Riku just allowed Sora to go alone like that given how much he loves both Sora and Kairi. Likewise, him and the others letting Kairi cry alone in the ending frustrated me to no end. 

But here’s the thing; even if��it doesn’t fully fix everything, the developers could have done one little thing to place importance on SoKai’s relationship. All it would have taken was an extra scene where Kairi says something like “Given we shared the papou fruit, I am the only one who can find Sora/his soul” and either 1. (and preferably tbh) sent her instead of Riku to find him or 2. If they really wanted to include Riku, have Kairi go along with him. Or hey, better yet 3. Have Riku be the one who died instead and have it end with Sora going to leave and then Kairi showing up saying she refuses to be left behind because Riku was her friend too and have Kingdom Hearts 4 (or whatever title is coming next) have them as teammates and switchable playable characters. Because power couple teaming up to find their best friend? Count me in.

Anyway, this is turning into a “Why KH3 was a disappointment story wise” post, but to answer the original question, no, I don’t think SoKai was forced. However, I also don’t think that the writers have really put the time, effort and development into the relationship that it really deserves given it is meant to be the main cannon end game ship, much as Kairi does not as the original main female. Given that SoRiku does get that attention, it often feels like SoKai (and platonically RiKai but that’s a discussion for another day) pales a lot. So while I never thought SoRiku would be cannon, I can understand the arguments that SoKai feels less genuine and heteronormative given the difference in development. And I hate saying because like I said, I could see SoKai being one of the great love stories if written well. 

Given SoKai is still set to be end game, my hope is that in future games we get this development and SoKai and Kairi as an individual gets the chance to shine the way main cannon ships and characters deserve. But I guess all we can do is wait and see.