#are there any other kairis grandmas I should know about?!

[peachaliearchieve]

It's really not an official Kingdom Hearts mobile game until there's a new Kairi's grandmother is every new female character theory, and it happened immediately boys!

We are SO back!

[harveybwabbit92]

{Akari showing photos of herself along with Mile and Nayaka and few other UFG members, one picture stands out to Leo who decides to poke fun at her.]

Leo, points at a teenage boy: Who's that? your boyfriend?

Akari, looks grossed: Ew, no! that's your grandson, dude! I used to change his diapers!

Leo, blinks:............My w-what?

{Akari gets an oh crap look on her face, when she realizes Leo didn't know about Mile's son.]

Akari: Okay, I just remembered I have this thing... to do... at this place, bye! *runs away*

Leo:

{Later]

Mile, singing under her breath: I don't want to set the world on fire....I just (Sees Leo sitting in her living room) Eek! *Ahem* Hey dad, everything okay?

Leo: Why didn't you tell me I had a grandson?

Mile: How did- *Leo holds up the photo of Akari and Mile's son* Oh.

Leo: I supposed your married then, what's he like does he treat you well?

Mile: I'm not married, dad. And the boy's not actually related to you I adopted him. of course calling him a boy a bit of a stretch since Kouki's a grown adult now with a child of his own.

Leo: I'm great-grandfather?!

{Mile pretty sums it up for him, when she was still part of the UFG's rescue unit she found a large house that was caved in she could already tell there were dead bodies in there, the smell gave it away... But what she wasn't expecting was the sound of baby crying.

Mile was in a panic as she dug into the rubble before finding a small niche where the body of a woman lay her bottom half was crushed under the rubble, but a few inches away; just out of her outstretched arms reach was baby boy covered in dust and scrapes, Mile carefully picked up the baby up and got him to the medics but a few days later she couldn't get the kid out of her head she checked in on him and found his entire family was wiped out.]

Leo: The whole family?

Mile: Yeah, it was some kind of family event and that's why they all there in one place, and then I took Kouki home.

Mile: Nayaka was soo against it. She said "Milene, we hardly know how to look after ourselves, what makes you think that you can take care of a baby?!" we didn't talk to each other for a while after that, we both used Akari to spy on each other, until she got sick of it and told us to to grow a pair and sort our own crap out..And we did.

*Points at a photo of Kouki's elementary school graduation with Nayaka and Commander Sato in attendance with Mile.*

Mile: Then a few years down the line he met a girl and got her pregnant before he finished high school... That's where your great-granddaughter Kairi came from. Kouki's raising her by himself, I won't talk about her mother, that woman is undeserving of the title. But Kairi is the sweetest little girl, She's only 3 and like to draw dinosaurs as astronauts. She says she wants to join the UFG when she's older though I'm not holding my breath, a kid's mind can change after all.

Leo: Why haven't I met them yet?

Mile: They're on vacation right now, but are due back tomorrow.

{The next morning Mile and an anxious Gen waited at the airport for Kouki and Kairi to arrive, Mile nudge her dad when she spotted her son and granddaughter among the crowd disembarking passengers. Kairi was the first to spot her grandma and ran into her arms as Kouki told her to slow down. Mile greeted them both, then Kairi noticed Gen standing off to the side.]

Kairi, points at Gen: Who dis?

Mile: This is Gen Otori, my dad. your grandfather.

{Gen nervously greeted his grandson and granddaughter and needless to say. they both took a shine to him very quickly, Kairi in particular became very a attached to grandpa lee whenever Leo visited Earth she always had something to show or give him pictures she drew which he proudly hangs in his room back home.]

_meanwhile_

Zoffy: You don't have any secret children I should know about, do you?

Nayaka: I'm too busy for kids...But, wait and see maybe someday.

Zoffy: Right. someday.

{Someday came in the form of a steamy "I'm so happy you're alive!" moment between Nayaka and Zero and a few months after that Alto was born.]

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

{Mile is short for Milene}

[oveliagirlhaditright]

I feel like Nomura is just always baiting us, in making us think that Kairi is connected to some new girl in the series and then she’s not. XD

First with Xion (and she’s somewhat connected to Kairi--and clearly looks like a black-haired Kairi--in that she was essentially created from Sora’s memories of Kairi). But she’s more Sora, because she was created to be a clone of him.

Then with Ava (and there was that whole Rebirth theory, where at first people thought the Foretellers might be the original incarnations of a large portion of our main cast. But for the most part, I think that theory’s been jossed).

Though people then thought Ava might be Kairi’s grandmother or something, and I also think that’s been jossed. Though there’s still the “Ava is Naminé ” theory (and Naminé used to be Kairi’s Nobody) and that hasn’t been jossed yet.

Then there was that plot reveal in KHUX, that all of the Dandelions except for the new Union Leaders forgot the Keyblade War. And everyone started thinking that Kairi’s Grandma would have to be one of the new Union Leaders, then (Skuld or Strelitzia. Though Strelitzia hadn’t been introduced yet), since Kairi’s grandma clearly knew the story of the Keyblade War and that wouldn’t make sense, otherwise. There were definitely quite a few people thinking Strelitzia might have been Kairi’s grandma when she was introduced... then in the next update she was murdered.

Then Dark Road happened--with the Keyblade wielders during Xehanort and Eraqus’ time, after the Age of Fairytales--and we got introduced to Vor, who has a striking resemblance to Kairi’s grandma... And everyone was like, “Okay. This one for sure has to be her.” But then we get that flash forward scene, where it becomes clear that four of Xehanort’s classmates died (though we don’t know for sure which four they are). Though he has six classmates. And we know for sure that Eraqus survived... the other one that survived might be Vor, and she might be Kairi’s grandma, making how Kairi’s grandma knew of this stuff make sense. But also, she very easily could have been the ones who died. But even if she did, maybe she got brought back or will get brought back in the future. Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see.

I also don’t know if I should include this one. Because sometimes, I feel like people try too hard to connect Kairi to things. And heck, I’ve been guilty of this. I know I’ve even done this one, in fact. But some people have also tried to connect Kairi to the Nameless Star, too. And I feel like there isn’t a lot to say yay about there being any evidence to this or nay about it. We don’t know a lot about Nameless Star or Verum Rex in general. But this series hasn’t confirmed or jossed it yet. Edit: Okay, actually, maybe I’m being a bit too dismissive with this. I imagine the reason some people think there might be a connection between them (and probably the reason I’ve voiced it in the past) is because there are maybe hints that Yozora is an alternate universe Sora or something (and vice versa), like with them both saying, “I’ve been having these weird thoughts lately... like, is any of this for real or not?” at the end of the secret episode at the same time. And people are probably thinking that maybe Nameless Star (who is clearly Yozora’s girlfriend like Kairi is Sora’s: and Yozora and Nameless Star also seem to be star-crossed lovers like Sora and Kairi are) is alternate Kairi, then, and vice versa.

ANYWAY...

[phoenix-downer]

hey there just wanted to ask if you know any sokai fanfics where Sora meets Kairi's grandmother I have been searching for a long time and can't find anything

Hello and thank you for the ask!

I actually wrote a scene from one of my fics a few years ago that featured exactly this! I'll share it under the cut, but I'd also encourage anyone who has written about this as well/knows of a fic where this has been written about to share too!

(I have read a fic where Sora spoke to Kairi's grandmother's grave which was very moving, but I figured that wasn't quite what you were looking for. I'll be happy to share a link though if you're interested.)

(from Those Who Dreamed, Chapter 40)

Kairi took a big bite out of her piece of apple pie. The warm apple combined with the cinnamon and ice cream was as delicious as she remembered, and she sat back in her chair and sighed in contentment.

What better way to spend a lazy afternoon than with her grandmother? The only thing that would make this better was if Sora was here, too. But he was talking to the Restoration Committee about some things and hadn't arrived yet.

"You know, Kairi, I think this is the best pie we've made together yet," her grandma remarked, patting her mouth with her napkin.

"Maybe it's the apples." She'd picked them up from the market this morning, and they were some of the ripest, most delicious looking apples she'd ever seen. They proved to taste just as good as they looked, too—crispy and sweet with just a hint of a tangy kick.

Her grandma shook her head and smiled. "It's not the apples, dear. It's all about the magic touch."

Kairi set her fork down. "The magic touch? What's that?"

"The heart behind the cooking is just as important as the methods you use. Even the most delicious recipe can taste terrible if it's made with coldness or hatred. And even the worst recipe can taste good if the one who made it really cares about you."

She shared a story about the time Kairi's grandfather had tried to make her cookies. It had ended disastrously, but it was the attempt that counted, and in the end they'd eaten the leftover cookie dough together and had had a good laugh about it.

"Find someone you can laugh with, and you'll lead a happy life," her grandma finished the story with.

"Yeah." Sora's laughter as he'd held her during their return to Destiny Islands echoed through her mind, and she couldn't help but smile.

Her grandma put her hand over Kairi's and gave her a knowing look. "Is there someone on your mind, dear?"

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. She excused herself from the table and raced to it, throwing it open and launching herself into Sora's arms.

He laughed as he caught her, the sound like music to her ears. His scent was as wonderful as ever, the same saltwater and sun mixed with his natural musk.

"Did you miss me?" he teased as she took a deep breath and sighed happily. She found his hand and looked up into his eyes. There was something older and wiser in them now, but he was still her Sora, just like he'd promised.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Ready."

She led him through the house to where her grandma was waiting. He squeezed her hand, and she squeezed back.

Nervous?

A little. I just… I really want her to like me.

Don't worry. She will.

They went through the door of the dining room together, and her grandma was sitting there waiting for them, a freshly cut piece of apple pie set aside with a big dollop of ice cream on top.

Kairi cleared her throat and put her free hand on Sora's arm. "Grandma, this is Sora."

Sora bowed his head. "Nice to meet you, ma'am." His voice was higher than normal, but he managed a small smile all the same.

Her grandma looked up. Tears shimmered in her eyes and she wore a radiant smile. She reached for Sora's face, and he knelt so she could touch his cheek. His smile melted into something more sincere, more heartfelt as he put his hand over hers.

"So you're the one who's been my Kairi's light all this time," her grandma said. "It's so wonderful to finally meet you, Sora."

"The pleasure is mine, ma'am. Kairi talks about you a lot. All those stories you told her when she was a kid, about the light. When I was having a hard time, they cheered me up, too."

Her grandma gestured for them to sit down. "I'm glad to hear that. The light is always deeper than the darkness, and my Kairi's light is the brightest of them all."

"Yeah," Sora said as he settled in one of the chairs and Kairi took the one next to him. He found her hand and held it under the table, and she gave it another gentle squeeze.

"And do you know why that is?" her grandma continued. "It's true that she has a heart of pure light, but there is a reason it shines so brightly."

Sora tilted his head to the side. "Why's that?" But he glanced at Kairi because they both already knew the answer.

"Because she is so dearly loved." Her grandma's eyes softened. "I'm not wrong, am I? You do love my granddaughter, don't you?"

"Yes," he said, simple and heartfelt and without any hesitation. "More than anything."

Kairi leaned against his shoulder and sighed. Hearing him confess his love for her still made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Maybe the light inside her heart really did grow brighter with his affection.

Her grandma smiled that radiant smile again that made her eyes crinkle.

"That's all I ask. Take care of each other, or should I say, keep taking care of each other. Always find something to laugh about together, and you will know happiness." She looked from Kairi back to Sora with all the affection only a grandmother can provide. "You have my blessing. Go and start your new journey together." Then she paused, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes as she pushed the plate of apple pie closer to Sora. "But not before you've had your pie."

"Yes ma'am," Sora said, finding a nearby fork and digging in. "Don't mind if I do."

As they all laughed about that, Kairi just took a moment to bask in it all. The two people that meant the world to her, finally meeting after all this time.

She couldn't have asked for a better way to begin her new journey with Sora.

[jackidy]

If You Let Me: Chapter 1

Rating: T Pairings: Demyx/Zexion, Demyx/Ienzo (Eventual/Slowburn) Characters: Various, Zexion/Ienzo Centric Setting: BBS to KH3, Canon compliant mostly 

Warnings: Canon Character Death (Temporary)

Summary:  “It’s almost a shame really, that you probably won’t survive this.” Only he did. Spending the prelude to adulthood as a nobody, a supposed empty husk of a being was never an option any of them considered, least of all a newly named Zexion who would be living every last one of them.

Note: I’ve been wanting to write this since KH3 came out, finally got round to planning everything after a recent stint in hospital haha. I’ve not written Multi Chapter in a while so lets hope I can keep going with it. 

Chapter One | Next Chapter

---

Year 0

He’s half asleep when the shouting begins, Even shaking him awake with a panicked look on his face and Ienzo doesn’t understand it, not fully, blinking slowly as he attempted to register what was going on. Panic. Shouting. Even holding his arms, a little too tightly with a frantic look in his eyes that does nothing but scare Ienzo. Why was he so scared?

“I need you to hide for me, hide for me and don’t make a sound. Can you do that, Ienzo?” Ienzo doesn’t get chance to respond, Dilan shouting something outside catching Even’s attention, something hissed under his bis breath that’s drowned out by the noise outside before he turns back to Ienzo. His expression softens, hands brushing hair from blue eyes as a kiss is placed against his forehead. “Go on now, go hide.”

The child does as he’s told, ducking under Even’s desk, curling up in the corner. Hands slide over ears as there’s a scream, something thudding against the door. Was Dilan hurt? Shouldn’t they help? He doesn’t understand, why are they hiding when they could help? Even could heal Dilan and then they could find everyone else and leave before whatever attacked Dilan attacked them all too.

He doesn’t want to lose his family. Not again.

The office door doesn’t slam open so much as creak, eerily quiet and somehow more terrifying than if it had slammed, Ienzo clamping his lips together to stop himself from letting out a shuddering breath. Even had told him to be quiet so he would be quiet, he’d looks so serious, so afraid. What was scary enough to make Even scared and Dilan shout?

Where were Aeleus and Braig?

“Where is Ienzo?”

“Not in here, what do you want?”

Static seems to build in his head, setting his brain alight as his heart rate spiked. He knows that voice, the new member of the family who didn’t speak to him much unless he wanted something. The one who told him to ask Ansem for the lab where the bad things always happened.

“Research.”

The pressure on his ears grows as he hears them fight, clamping his eyes closed and counting to ten and then back again in his head, the static almost painful when he feels it. The desk pushes against him as a thud echoes above him, eyes flying open to look above him then to the side as a hand comes into view. Pale, weathered, almost as familiar as his own.

Why wasn’t Even moving?

Hands clamp over his mouth as a whimper leaves his lips, pacing footsteps stopping before coming closer, slowly as if the owner didn’t know he was here and he didn’t, right? He’d behaved, he’d been quiet. Even wasn’t going to be mad with him when he woke up, he stayed quiet like he was supposed to. He’d behaved. He’d been good.

The creak of wood beside him makes him jolt, eyes flicking from the hand to the side of him. The static stops. Everything stops bar the impulse to run, wanting to desperately to move but paralysed as blue meets orange, a tanned face flickering between a lack of surprise to something almost feral and beast like. Lips curve up into a smile, in no way friendly, the need to run growing larger and more desperate as Xehanort leaned forward.

“Found you.”

Ienzo bolts, not making it far before he’s grabbed, a scream ripping from his throat as he’s dragged, over Even’s crumpled form, the grip ever tightening the more he tried to pull away and he knows. He knows he’s not felt fear like this since he lost his parents and now, he was losing them all over again, desperately reaching for Even before being thrown to the floor.

“I really should thank you, if you hadn’t convinced that old fool, we’d never have reached such marvels.”

It was his fault? He’d caused all this? Ienzo looks from Even to Xehanort, another whimper escaping his lips as the tears welled up. It was his fault Even and, most certainly Dilan, were hurt. Were Aeleus and Braig hurt too? What about those two strange boys who kept wandering in and bribing his silence with ice cream? How many people were going to be hurt because he convinced Ansem to build a new lab?

“It’s almost a shame really, that you probably won’t survive this.”

He only sees the glint of light on the keyblade before he succumbs to the darkness.

---

Year 1.

“You need to focus!”

He hates the lessons, Zexion swallowing back a retort as Vexen’s voice cut through his concentration once more, the image of what he was trying to manifest crumbling into nothing, leaving nothing but the dark space of the lab once more. As Even he’d been warmer in voice and spirit, he’d lectured him enough when he’d misbehaved but his voice was never as cold as ice when he did it, never cutting in the way it lacked encouragement.

“I’m trying.” Zexion responded, training the anger out of his voice least he be admonished for expressing emotions as well. We don’t have hearts, we’re not supposed to feel, he’s been told this time and time again yet each one of his mentors has exhibited something close to the human range of emotion. Was it one rule for them and another for him?

Letting out a deep breath he tries again, taking his time as he tries to picture what Vexen wants. A Shadow Heartless. This should be easy, there were thousands of them outside in the city below, Zexion furrowing his brows as he focused on the image, managing to drown out Vexen’s ever helpful criticisms.

It’s then he feels the shift, staring in confusion at the blank space before him before looking up to Vexen who was quiet but not mad. Why wasn’t he mad? He hadn’t don’t as the other had asked, there was no Shadow Heartless, just the blank white floor of an overly white castle.

“Not what I expected but impressive all the same.” Vexen mutters, scribbling something down on the clipboard he held, Ignoring Zexion in favour of recording whatever feat Zexion had apparently performed. Looking down at his hands, Zexion falters, expecting gloves hands but instead finding small black claws.

He hadn’t made the heartless, he’d become it.  

---

The library is the safest space to hide, Zexion has found, heavy book in hand and a secluded corner to hide from the other seven but someone will find him eventually, they always do and, as always, he can only hope its Lexaeus as opposed to Xigbar or Axel, the latter of which continues to look at him like everything was his fault.

Maybe it was, Xehanort had stated as much before he became this husk and now, now someone who wasn’t there joins in the conviction.

The guilt gnaws at him, book abandoned on the floor beside him as he tries to remember the smell of the gardens in spring, when Kairi’s grandmother would bring her to visit whilst she talked with master Ansem. The ever-present rain around the Castle the Never Was fades away, replaced by a gentle breeze and a shadow of the feeling of sunlight on his skin.

Was Kairi okay? He can barely remember her voice now but he remembers the red hair, how she’d pull him round the gardens, telling him about the different flowers how one day they’d go on an adventure today. How she’d make sure to keep him safe from monsters. He’s not sure how she could do that now, since he had become the monster.

“Do you think we could still be friends?” He mumbles to his silent illusion, watching her run amongst the flower beds, picking one or two and always bringing them back to him as their guardian and protector until she’d finished collecting one flower seemingly of every colour and every type. “I think she’ll love them; she always does.” He replies to her mouthed question of if he thinks her Grandma will like her make shift bouquet.

He’s not sure how long he lingers in this illusion of his own memories, all most lost in the sea of flowers and warmth when he smells it. The scene shatters into nothing as fire and ash fill his senses, swallowing thickly and curling up as the smell got ever closer. It hadn’t worked before when he was under a desk, why would it work now?

He’ll be shouted at. He doesn’t want to be shouted at. Tears already pricking at his eyes when the smell of a forest fire becomes too much, he has to become smaller, has to disappear. He needs to hide. He needs to hide. HE NEEDS TO HIDE. His body screams at him to move as the footsteps finally round the bookcase, a click of a tongue and the sound of a hand hitting another body.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the li- Oh shit, are you crying?”

Two bodies press against him, fire on one side and something almost beastly on the other, Saix had joined Axel then, Ienzo finding some comfort in the sudden warmth and pressure but it was still not enough to fully dampen the sudden spike of anxiety. The silence isn’t as tense as he first believed, Zexion slowly calming down to the point he could look at the pair who had joined him only to find Saix glaring at Axel who at least looked sheepish.

“I feel-“ A clearing of the throat interrupts, Axel glaring at Saix before sighing. “I have misplaced anger towards you, I’m sorry for snapping at you. You’re a kid, I don’t see how you could be involved.”

He wasn’t expecting an apology, Zexion looking between the pair again, knowing he was missing something important in the discussion but perhaps not something to ask about. The last time he’d tried to help it had inevitably ended with an abyss for a chest and a spreading darkness. Perhaps this time, this time he doesn’t ask, he doesn’t intervene with his help only to ruin the result later on.

It would be better that way.

---

Safety also came with Lexaeus, Zexion decided, sitting on the stool by the counter as the other prepared food, Zexion easily loosing himself in the smell of the raw ingredients, legs swinging idly as he sat simply watching. Lexaeus doesn’t expect too much from him, doesn’t look at him as if it’s his fault, he treats him almost the same as he did when they were both human.

It’s nice, comforting.

“How have lessons been going?” His deep voice is soothing, Zexion hesitating vocally but his face spills all, a look of distaste and annoyance twisting his features, causing a chuckle from the taller man. “That good, hmm?” He’s teasing, Zexion knows this, but still feels somewhat told off, blowing his hair from his eyes and crossing his arms. It’s childish, he knows but, memory serves, he was only nine regardless of his ability to feel emotions or not.

“I’ve discovered more things on my own, he wants me to do things I don’t really want to.” He receives a hum in response, both in agreement and encouragement to go on, as if genuinely interested in what Zexion had to say about his lessons with Vexen. But would he share these thoughts or keep them to himself? Was it worth the risk?

Apparently so, words spilling from Zexion’s mouth before he could really stop himself. “They’re boring, if not that he tells me to concentrate and then speaks halfway through and ruins my concentration.”

“He says that you mimicked a heartless.”

“Yes, once.” It’s all Vexen wanted him to concentrate on now, it seemed, the blonde growing more frustrated with him when he couldn’t, a blessing in and of itself as it usually meant Zexion would be left alone for a little while until Vexen came back and the rigorous routine of failing to become a replica would start all over again. He should probably practise more without his mentor present, Zexion thinks, knowing things came a bit more naturally when he didn’t feel under observation.

The conversation ends there, the comfortable silence settling back over them again. Zexion has always found it a wonder that someone with such large, strong hands could be so gentle with food, wrinkling his nose at the sting of onions in his sinuses but staying silent otherwise. Maybe he should learn, free up time for Lexaeus whilst also add a task to his schedule that extended beyond lessons with Vexen and the frequent trips to the library.

“I can show you what else I’ve learnt.”

Lexaeus stops working then, turning to the child Nobody with an almost confused yet utterly curious look, raising an eyebrow at the young boy who feels almost giddy for once. He hadn’t shown anyone else this, not even Axel and Saix when they would now occasionally join him to, in Axel’s own words, make sure he grew up with a sense of humour.

He gets no prompt to continue but Zexion does anyway, taking a deep breath before twisting the landscape of the kitchen into something more friendly and familiar. The white floor fades away to stone, the walls swallowed by the landscape of Radiant garden, an autumnal breeze in the air as the sun offered little to no warmth from its rays.

The flower beds have mostly withered away, the sea of colour now replaced with muted browns and greens, the brilliant oranges and yellows of fallen leaves offering the only real splashes of colour in the imagined gardens. What smells, what smells, Zexion racking his mind for anything before landing on spices. Cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and pepper, warm and hearty, comforting and familiar. The kitchen is no longer the kitchen but the gardens of the old castle they called home.

Sounds. It needs sounds. Zexion furrowing his brow as he concentrated, eyes screwing shut as the sound of water trickled in, accompanied by bird song and the sound of the town below. It’s perfect, his breaths coming a little harder from exertion as he looks to Lexaeus for a reaction, hoping for happiness only to receive concern.

“Did I do something wrong?” His voice is quiet, insecure, mind running a mile a minute as he tried to go over what he did to cause such a reaction only to snap out of his thoughts as a hand comes down on his shoulder, gentle yet firm, grounding him as he nearly sent himself spiralling into another downward trajectory of ill thoughts.

Lexaeus offers a smile, small but still there, not as warm as it used to be but Zexion was growing used to the changes in his other apprentices now. “No, it’s beautiful.” There’s something else there, something the giant wants to add on but is seemingly fighting with himself over admitting before sighing, inhaling sharply and seeming to regain his apparently fleeting confidence in his words. “Let’s keep this a secret for now.”

“A secret?”

“Yes, a secret for just us.” He doesn’t fully understand the need for secrecy, biting his lower lip as he thinks for a moment before nodding, wondering if it was a touch more serious than he first thought as Lexaeus relaxes, giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Taking a deep breath, Zexion lets the illusion of Radiant garden fade away, the grey blue sky replaced by stark white, metallic walls as the patchwork of stone dissolves into nothing. There are no more birds, or breeze, the warm smells of autumn fading away into the smells of whatever dish Lexaeus was making this evening.

He could keep a secret. Axel and Saix had a secret, Xemnas also had secrets. What was another secret after all that?

[nyctoheart]

What's the possible evidence for Ava being Kairi's grandmother?

Not that I think it’s impossible, cause I still am absolutely open to the idea and keeping an eye out for future supporting evidence for it. But at the moment, there isn’t really any a lot. The only thing is that the Grandmother knew the story of the Keyblade War, at a point in time when even Ansem the Wise, the knowledgeable patriarch of Radiant Garden, hadn’t even heard of a Keyblade before meeting Mickey (Secret Ansem Report 2). It’s important to note that in Grandma’s story, she also doesn’t ever actually mention Keyblades, or even Kingdom Hearts’ name. Only that people fought over the True Light. So, it’s difficult to say if she knows the full details of what happened, or just heard it as a tale passed down, with things like Kingdom Hearts and Keyblades gradually fading from the story.

But other then that, we barely know anything about her Grandmother. If Ava, who’s read the Book of Prophecies and thus should know about Kairi, and Princess of Heart, was her grandma, you’d think Ava would do her best to stick around to make sure Apprentice Xehanort or Maleficent don’t harm her. But it could also be that Ava knew her disappearing would lead a chain of reactions where Xehanort would send Kairi into the Lanes Between, and she would gradually find her way to Sora. But that’s just speculation, there’s once again not any hard evidence to back that up. 

[indescribablechoices]

one so small

Part of the @choicesnovemberchallenge​​​​​​​

Day Six: Birth

Pairing: Damien Nazario x Hayden Young x MC (Kai Park) x Alana Kusuma

Word Count: 984

Listening Suggestion: You’ll Be In My Heart - Phil Collins

Fic Tag List: @brightpinkpeppercorn​​​ @kennaxval​​​ @freedom-kitty​​ @mrsnazariowritesagain​

Synopsis: Kai is in labour, and needs the people she loves around her.

Warning: My complete and utter medical inaccuracies; damn it Jim, I’m a writer not a doctor.

“Damien Elvis Nazario-Young, I swear by all that is holy in this world that we are never having sex again!”

Damien’s eyebrows rose as he looked at his wife, his beautiful, wonderful wife, who was twelve hours into labour with their first child. She had long given up on holding someone’s hand through contractions, and instead had turned to letting out her frustration in whatever verbal way they came.

Hayden shot him a look from the other side of the bed, leaning up to wipe away the sweat on her forehead.

“And you!” she rounded on Hayden, who stared back at her with more shock than Damien had. She paused for a moment, contemplating, “You didn’t do this to me… We can have sex again.”

He couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer and let out a loud chuckle, “I’m glad we got that cleared up,” he glanced at Damien, “Sorry, love.”

“What?” Damien frowned, “You’re on her side of this?”

“She is literally pushing a tiny human out of her body. She can have whatever she does or doesn’t want,” Hayden pointed out, quickly moving to support Kai’s torso as she sat upright to push against a contraction.

“You make a fair point,” Damien nodded, rubbing calming circles on Kai’s back, just as Hayden had showed him how to do, “Peanut, I know you’re in a lot of pain, and if we never have sex again, it will be completely worth it to bring our son into the world.”

“Oh can it, you sap,” she huffed, collapsing back against the pillows, “You two should go find somewhere to get some rest. Apparently, our son has no interest in leaving my body any time soon.”

“I think we’re good right here,” Hayden assured her.

“Where’s Nadia?” she asked.

“She’s gone to pick up your Grandma, then swing by Steve’s bakery to get snacks for everyone,” Damien told her, “She’ll be back soon.”

“What about your mom and sisters?”

“On their way.”

“And so are Sloane and Khaan,” Hayden said, offering her a smile, “You just had to go into labour during the twenty-four hours they were out of the city on a business meeting.”

She glared at him before her anger melted away, “What about Alana?”

“I called her the minute we got to the hospital,” Damien reached across and took hold of her hand, “She’s going to be here as soon as she can, Peanut.”

The hours ticked by, visitors taking their time in the room with her, smuggling her baked goods and trying to keep her in good spirits, but she remained on edge.

Finally, after what felt like an age, the midwife gave a wide smiled announcement, “We’re going to take you down to the delivery room now… though I’m afraid you are only going to be able to bring two people in with you.”

“Two?” Kai asked, “But we were told we could have three.”

“The delivery room is smaller than the one we planned for this in,” she said.

“But what about Alana? She’s meant to be coming in with us,” Kai protested.

Damien put a hand on her arm, “She’s not here yet.”

“What?” tears filled her eyes immediately, “But you said she said she was getting on the plane.”

“It looks like it’s been delayed,” he sighed, “We don’t know for how long.”

Kai’s breath began to waver as she started to panic, “She can’t miss this. I know she doesn’t want to be named a parent, but this is her baby too, Damien. We’re a family. She needs to be here. She promised she’d be here.”

“I know, Peanut,” Damien said softly, “But right now, you just need to focus on you and our baby boy, okay?”

He pressed a kiss to her sweat soaked hair, wiping away her tears as she nodded and they wheeled her down to the delivery room.

Damien and Hayden took a side each in the delivery room, both half sat on the bed, Kai supported between them so she could focus all of her efforts on pushing when the doctor gave her the go ahead, clutching tight to a hand each.

“Okay, Kai,” the doctor said, “Just a little while longer. I need you to push with everything you’ve got.”

“I can’t,” she sobbed breathlessly, lulling back between her husbands, “I can’t keep going. I’m so tired.”

Before either Damien or Hayden could give her words of encouragement, a sharper voice cut through the room.

“Kairi Nazario-Young. You are going to push, right now.”

Kai choked out a cry of relief, “Alana? You made it.”

“Of course I made it,” she said, giving her the soft, loving smile that was reserved just for her, “I made you a promise… Now come on, baby, push.”

The doctor began to protest about there being an extra person in the room as Alana came to join Damien’s side of the bed, clutching Kai’s hand tight as Damien held up her shoulder, but her words were cut short as Kai found the energy deep within herself to push. She let out a hoarse cry of pain, digging her nails into Hayden and Alana’s hands, Damien’s hands at her back.

She collapsed back against them all, panting with effort.

There was a moment of silence, then Damien whispered softly, “Peanut, look…”

She lifted her head to see the doctor holding a baby, their baby, as he let out a loud, healthy cry.

“Oh my god,” she whispered, “He’s so tiny.”

“He’s beautiful,” Hayden said.

Tears shone in Alana’s eyes, “You did it.”

The doctor and nurses quickly checked the baby over as her loves propped her up properly in bed before the bundle was set in her arms, and she curled him tight into her grasp.

“Hey baby boy,” she said, “I’m your mommy… You’ve got one hell of a family waiting to meet you.”

[cadday]

Collateral Damage Chapter 8

For a while everything just returns to routine. He gets up, goes on guard duty or assists infrequently in the labs, which really translates to picking at Even. Some days he trains with Dilan and Aeleus, some days he just trains the brat Lea, who is okay to have hang around when he isn’t mooning over the Isa. He sometimes asks his other heart resident questions and she answers kinda vaguely but from what he can tell she’s older than him somehow, and knows Luxu at least by name. She is also a key bearer who isn’t keen on Luxu doing whatever it is Luxu is doing. So makes her an ally. Which is good. What’s not good is her heart not getting much stronger and she sleeps most of the time more out of necessity then anything else. He worries she’s going to just vanish one of these days and there won’t be much else to be done about it.

Besides he concerns Radiant Garden remains, well, radiant. It shows no signs of falling to darkness as it is, and the few heartless interlopers they dispatch are few and weak. Braig still gets fidgety for days when they appear and he lurks in the courtyard until he catches sight of the little redhead girl on days where he thinks there are too many. She doesn’t ever seem to be in danger or missing from action so he tries to relax and stay some semblance of positive.

It’s freaking storming when things go wrong, because of course it is. It’s been more than a month since he’d been restored to just Braig and he should have known not to let his guard down.

At first Braig is loitering around the library, Ienzo was reading and Braig, with some assistance from Lea and Isa after he egged them on enough, had built a book fort around the other boy. They were trying to figure out the best way to make a doorway that didn’t collapse immediately when Aeleus came in the room, soaking wet and a little worse for wear.

“Braig something’s happened…” He’s up and running out of the library before Aeleus gets much more out. The man is hot on his heels though and quickly catches up to him to keep pace.

“Master Ansem, Even, and Dilan went ahead. They sent me back to get you, some little girl showed up in the storm and said that monsters had attacked them.” They ran out the door and into the storm and Braig cringed at the lack of visibility. Aeleus steered them off towards the residential districts and they slowed down when they were greeted by several people loitering around their doorways looking on concerned. They spotted Master Ansem, and Even at a smaller house down the street. The little girl was their clinging with Even’s labcoat wrapped around her awkwardly. They were all soaked from the rain and Even was kneeling next to the girl talking about something with a serious expression. Master Ansem looked less than happy.

“What happened?” They skidded to a stop and Braig noticed the house's windows were all shattered. He cringed before looking back at Ansem.

“The heartless returned and…” He glanced at the girl before frowning and stopping his thought. Braig could only guess that there was a reason the kid’s grandma wasn’t around. Dilan came out of the house then looking grim, he shook his head and Braig tried not to wonder if he could have prevented this. He felt something hit his leg and he stumbled a bit startled. Looking down he was greeted by the girl clinging to him for dear life. Master Ansem sighed.

“Now Kairi, it is going to be okay,” Ansem looked back at the house and shook his head. “She will have to return with us until other arrangements are made, we should at least get out of the rain before we all catch a cold.” Braig watched the rest of the apprentices watch the girl, Kairi, unsure of how to proceed and he sighed before picking her up.

“Well let’s go then. It’s freaking cold out here and I don’t fancy getting struck by lightning.”

The trek back to the castle was mostly quiet and Braig tried not to think about how young Kairi was and how she wasn’t much older in the time he had already lived through. Back in the castle Isa, Lea, and Ienzo were loitering around the entrance trying to not look concerned when they came back soaking wet with another kid. Master Ansem waved them off though, which only meant they kept lingering in doorways as they all took turns getting dried off and keeping an eye on Kairi. She was really quiet and Even said it was most likely shock. At some point Ienzo, Lea, and Isa had begun dragging in pillows and blankets, and a very ridiculous teddy bear to pile around her and eventually they all took to laying around the sitting room he was holed up in waiting to see what happened. Dilan and Aeleus had gone back to the street to see if anything else had been attacked or anyone for that matter. Even was falling into the role of fussing Dad again as he kept checking Kairi’s temperature and fussing around the sitting room until Braig got so frustrated with his fidgeting around he tripped him into the seat next to him. Braig was just sitting. Master Ansem had commented about Kairi seeming to recognize him and Braig mentioned meeting her on patrol, which apparently meant he wanted to help babysit. Honestly he preferred this to returning to the street, for one the rain sucked, but mainly he was having a hard time coping with, well this failure. Heartless taking hearts could mean Radiant Garden could still fall, albeit slower. Without the machine it could give them more time to stop it.

He would have to teach Kairi how to summon the keyblade. Braig didn’t really have much choice. The heart sent a feeling of agreement and he frowned slightly. Not right now though. The kid needed time to cope and Braig needed to figure out how he was going to explain any of this to the other’s if and probably when they found out what he was up to. Sure he would be able to explain training the kid as concern for her well being but well when the keyblade shows up there will probably be some questions. Eventually Dilan and Aeleus return with less than stellar news. Two families were missing from nearby houses as well as an older gentleman who lived alone next door. Broken windows and in one house the dining room looked like it had been splintered into a hundred pieces.

Braig wanted to hit his head on the wall. Instead he helped send the brat’s to their rooms for the night and helped Even as he set Kairi up in a guest room. She still wasn’t talking but their was not much else they could do tonight. Braig hoped the sunrise would bring a positive light back to the world.

“Kid my rooms two halls away okay, a left into the big hall and then another left. I’m the first door on the right. You need anything feel free to wake me up. If you can’t find me feel free to just yell until someone finds you. Lea yells when he's lost all the time as well so everyones used to it.” Kairi didn’t even look at him so he sighed, “Good night kid.” He shut the door and headed to his room to turn in.

The next week Master Ansem sets about trying to find a place for Kairi, and after exhausting family and friends as being unable or otherwise not around anymore, Kairi becomes a fixture in the castle. Which is convenient for Braig but makes Even get dramatically aggravated for a while even as he personally makes her and Ienzo chocolate chip waffles for breakfast that morning and then takes them shopping to get Kairi some things for her new room. Kairi is so little and it takes her some time to adjust as much as it does them.

She has nightmares. Screaming, crying terrors, in the middle of the night. They take turns based on who gets to her first really to calm her down. Aeleus buys her a night light shaped like a star. It changes colors and seems to help a bit.

Lea and Kairi get along remarkably well. He carries her everywhere and Isa indulges her just as much because it makes Lea light up like the freaking sun when he does.

Ienzo shows Kairi books and stories, and reads to her a lot. She likes stories of worlds, and different places. Stuff with happy endings and magical creatures. Her favorites have dragons, and her least favorites have princesses locked away or sleeping. The kids though are okay and Braig feels a little hopeful again. Seeing Kairi with the other kids though reminds him this kid is way too little to be fighting anything.

‘not safe if she can’t fight.’ And his weird heart friend is right but it still doesn’t make it suck any less. So Braig out of spite and because frisbees are not weapons, buys Isa and Lea real weapons. He gets a lecture for it about safety, sights christmas presents only to be told it’s the middle of summer but who cares, they were training them to fight anyway. Isa is not really thrilled at being given a weapon, he gets a sword because braig figures it’s close enough to what he used later and giving a teen a claymore seemed like the road to injury. Lea gets chakrams, because he can’t think of anything else to get the kid, but they're plain compared to the memories warring in his head and little more than bladed circles. The little turd actually complains they lack style and he tells him he can have nicer ones when he can use those properly.

Ienzo gets a book on magic because he feels guilty buying the other twerps things and not the younger boy. Ienzo seems at least happy with it and Even is just happy he didn’t get Ienzo a sharp thing he thinks.

Training Lea and Isa is equal parts awful and hilarious. They tend to alternate between being motivated and lazy and he finds while Lea’s style he get’s, kids bendy and fast and he can work with that, Isa kinda fights like he’s trying to break everything into a million pieces, for being so calm Isa has a temper just as much as Lea in a fight. So he starts dragging Dilan and Aeleus into training, and then pushing the little berserker in their direction.

This is fine for a while and he feels better when they all can defend themselves adequately. Heartless still came and went, they kept an eye on darker days and there were casualties but few and far between.

As time moves on Braig feels a little better about the changes, and starts to think less of what hasn’t happened. Aqua never does return, and he assumes the worst and adds it to his growing list of failures. Years pass and he teaches Kairi to summon the keyblade, with the guidance of the other heart, under the guise of meditation or some bologna. She proceeds to run around the castle showing everyone her giant flowery key. He pushes Even in the right direction into understanding what it’s for and not before long Kairi under strict supervision is riding Radiant Garden of heartless. They take turns going on jobs with her and the kid turns out to be a scrappy little thing in a fight. She’s all quick movements and dancing away from attacks. Lea likes sparring with her the most and they spend hours in complicated spars trying to wear the other out.

Braig still feel’s tense though and as he watches the kids grow up they get closer to another major point in his time that hasn’t happened. Ansem Seeker of Darkness might not even exist in this world, no Xehanort Terra meant no Xemnas so really they shouldn’t have anything to worry about...

[princesskairi]

Potentially minor, nitpicky criticism to a small section of the Sleeping Realm Theory Doc. Note: This criticism has nothing to do with ship wars (at least that’s the intention!) as the doc has nothing to do with ship wars too.

This is referring to the doc’s analysis of the scene where Kairi and Sora reunite in the light tunnel under the section Riku is Light -> Light in the Darkness. Read more underneath.

————————–

My biggest criticism in this analysis is how it presents Kairi and her importance to Sora in conjunction with Riku. This criticism also calls into question some of the claims used to debunk Kairi as being the light in the tunnel.

To start off, it’s not that I dislike the suggestion that Riku is the light in that scene, it’s that to then follow up and say that Kairi is off to the side then moves and “eclipses” that light from Sora’s view is risky framing whether intentional or not. 

While it might not be the writers’ intentions, it’s dangerous to paint that scene that way without further warning/clarification as it can easily fall into the toxic rhetoric that Kairi is in the way of Sora’s realization about Riku (unfortunately, something that is not uncommon in fanon). It takes a scene that is largely meant to display Kairi’s strength and resolve to protect Sora and shifts its focal point to Sora’s thoughts about Riku, which I feel is rather unfair to one of Kairi’s few spotlights in KH3.

The light can very well be Riku’s in that scene (considering the whole “Riku! Answer me!” analysis), but to present Kairi as “eclipsing” that light, leading readers to pick up a double meaning, and then to say that it is never Sora himself that figures she is his light severely downplays Kairi’s real significance to Sora and how he views her. If it is the case that Nomura intended to have double meaning in Kairi eclipsing the light and mislead the audience to think that she is the light by having Sora claim that she is, then of course my anger would be directed towards him alone. 

The part where the writers bring up a screenshot of Namine telling Sora that Kairi’s his light to emphasize that Sora does not figure it out himself is out of fair play. It’s taken out of context. Namine explicitly tells Sora that because she’s been messing with his memories up to that point. She guides and allows Sora to remember for himself that important connection before putting him to sleep to fix his faulty memories. Even if Namine doesn’t tell Sora that, there is no doubt Sora believes it himself. In fact, Sora has already since equated Kairi to light in KH1 (before Namine reinforces it to him) in his speech with Kairi in Traverse Town. He tells Kairi that it was her voice that saved him from the darkness. When Kairi responds that she didn’t want to forget about him, it is Sora that goes “That’s it! Our hearts are connected and the light from our hearts broke through the darkness. I saw that light.” With the prior context, that’s basically Sora figuring out for himself that “that light” was Kairi’s and the same concepts can be applied to reach and save Riku too. Also, Sora does explicitly conclude on his own in KH3 to Kairi that, “The light in the darkness. It is you”. It’s strange why the narrative that Sora is being misled to think Kairi’s his light (i.e. simply told by others) has to be included to further emphasize the idea that Riku is Sora’s light (esp. when there’s plenty of evidence that Riku is Sora’s light without needing to reevaluate Kairi-centric scenes and call to question Sora’s own revelations about her)? 

————————–

Quote from the doc:

“And so ask yourself this, how is Kairi supposed to be following her own light back?”

Following the same logic, in KH1, how does Kairi, who at the time resides in Sora, also follow the light back to her flashback of her grandmother? Not only that, after her heart is restored to her own body, she tells Sora in Traverse Town, “A light at the end of the tunnel” to which he responds “Oh, your grandma's story right?” and she responds back, “That’s right, we were together”. This shows that Kairi too can in essence “follow her own light back” or at the very least experience that light from an outside perspective. But to leave it open, perhaps this ability is due to the weird oddities from her being in Sora’s body? Or a bolder take is that the light is actually Kairi’s grandmother’s light this entire time! lol! (I highly doubt that this was the intent but who knows! Unless past interviews/Ultimanias can shed some light.) In any case, before one can disprove Kairi being the light on this basis, one needs to also explain this contradiction (considering the doc makes a point that this kh1 scene is meant to be Kairi’s light).

Passage from the doc:

“And if this scene were truly meant to be taken at face value, why do we get these specific visions, inexplicably in the middle of it. Sudden visions of self sacrifice, both referred to as True Love and the reviving power it has. Except, neither Kairi or Sora had sacrificed themselves for just each other at this point, Sora tries to shield her (an act that read as surprisingly desperate and hopeless for the first sign of danger she faced, like he—his heart, remembered she was going to die in this battle no matter what) but Goofy blocked the attack and nothing came of it. And most importantly for all the danger she’s in, none of Kairi’s scenes read as self sacrificial, they read as resigned.”

As for the Disney visions, I do believe that the general takeaway was meant for Sora equating feelings of self-sacrifice, love, and care to his own situation. I do not believe it is exclusively meant for Riku and I do not believe that Kairi can not be equated to these scenes just on the merit that there is no direct self-sacrificial parallel of them in KH3 up to that point. One can argue that even if Goofy came to protect them, that doesn’t lessen the impact that Sora was ready to sacrifice his own danger for Kairi.

In any case, if self-sacrifice is a needed component to link these Disney scenes to someone then Kairi and Sora also have their share as do Sora and Riku. In KH1, Sora sacrifices himself to revive Kairi because of his love for her like how Eugene sacrifices himself for Rapunzel and Anna sacrifices herself for Elsa. Elsa and Rapunzel bring Anna and Eugene back due to their love for them. Same thing happens on Kairi’s end. While Kairi is made of pure light and has no immediate danger in getting pummeled by heartless when she hugs heartless Sora, she herself doesn’t know that she wouldn’t be in danger. That scene could be still interpreted as sacrificial to an extent. Kairi sacrifices her own danger to revive Sora with the power of her light and love for him. Same with Riku, he’s sacrificed himself plenty times for Sora out of his love for him throughout the franchise. These actions are still seen as sacrificial in nature despite Riku not actually dying at the end of it. Riku’s sacrifice (i.e. demon tide) is more recent, so these visions may better equate to Riku esp. with Sora remembering Riku when talking to Anna and others, but considering that this scene is about Sora and Kairi reuniting and Sora showing gratitude towards Kairi, it’s not fair to write Kairi off as not a trigger for these Disney scenes as well.

“This light, that Sora assumes is Kairi, but which she never confirms or denies, a light that led him to Riku’s heart originally. This light begins showing him these scenes of self sacrifice, and Sora makes a confused, jerking motion. And in reaction, Kairi is also confused. Which is weird considering if she’s the light, she would be the one showing him these visions in the first place, right?“

This isn’t quite a fair take. It’s impossible for Kairi to show these visions to Sora as she was not present when those scenes occurred. The same logic should apply to Riku. He was not present when those scenes occurred; he would not be able to show these visions either. So what gives? I don’t believe these visions are being shown to Sora rather Sora is literally remembering these scenes himself and equating them to what he feels right now in his own situation. He jerks up, which causes Kairi to be confused bc she simply can’t know what’s up with Sora’s reaction even if she is able to somehow show these visions herself. She checks to see if Sora’s okay and when she sees that he is, she states, “I told you Sora. You’re safe with me”. 

If what was really meant was that “Riku is the light in the tunnel -> Riku’s light embodies Riku’s self sacrifice, which in turn causes Sora to connect it with his own memories in the Disney worlds” then that’s a different thing and totally valid but was not presented that way in the doc. I also feel that Sora isn’t confused rather in a state of realization and coming back to reality after these visions, which explains why he’s a bit shaken up/disoriented at first with his “Ooh”. Regardless of whose light it is, I firmly believe it is Sora making these connections for himself and not the light showing them for him. Bc of this interpretation, the theory that “Kairi is the light” or “Riku is the light” is not necessarily disproven or illogical on the basis that neither one has been there to experience these Disney scenes. This is different from when the light shows Kairi’s Radiant Garden memories to Sora and is not a perfect parallel but does not need to be.

All in all, Riku’s love for Sora is integral to understand the sacrifices made to facilitate the “drops” and bring everyone to a new worldline, but I personally feel that this specific analysis of Kairi and Sora’s scene does not need to be presented in a way that makes Kairi seem like a misleading device for both Sora and the audience to realize Riku’s love/light. There is no need to disregard Kairi and Sora’s potential connection with the Disney scenes rather than simply show that these scenes are strongly attributed to Riku. There is no need to treat Sora as if he cannot or doesn’t accurately conclude what light means for himself.

I hope my criticism for this specific section does not come off as mean-spirited and I do not want this to be a playground to incite s/hipping wars either bc it’s not even about ships. To make it extremely clear, my criticism does not have to do with ships NOR do I think the theory doc is trying to force a ship onto people either. The word “love” can be interpreted however way you want: romantic, platonic, whatever. I do think that the writers were a bit too quick to dismiss Kairi as the light in this scene and that there was an over emphasis towards Riku in a scene meant to establish Kairi’s importance and I wanted to address that. If it is misreading on my part, feel free to discuss! I don’t want to put words into other people’s mouths. I am open to critique too. This one criticism doesn’t negate all the other interesting insights the doc makes. The doc as a whole is an interesting read and I offer nothing but support and thanks to those involved in the process. 

And who knows, maybe Nomura will come out and confirm that this portion of the doc is right! Then jokes on me but until then, I believe this criticism holds fair.

[nobodies-png]

Since it’s Headcanon Monday and I don’t have any other headcanons waiting to be posted in the askbox, here’s o n e (1) long ass headcanon from yours truly to keep the blog somewhat alive ! 

Spoiler (?) warnings for KHX and KHUX 

All, if not most of the lesser Nobodies (Dusks, Sorcerers, Dragoons, Snipers, Ninjas, Samurais etc) are the Nobodies of all those children and young keyblade wielders who died during the keyblade war in KHX (chi) - those who didn’t make it into Foreteller Ava’s Dandelions, and therefore died before KHux.

Their will was strong enough to linger and become those creatures we fight throughout the main games, stronger than the average Dusk. But since they essentially died fighting each other fOR STUPID REASONS THAT STILL MAKE ME CRY TO THIS DAY  and were plagued with darkness (rather than accepting it as a power like the Organization or being too fucking pure to be affected like Sora), none was able to truly become a fully human and conscious Nobody. 

 The only argument I have to back this up is that Nobodies are the only creatures/enemies in KH that actively and obediently follow orders for no fucking reason. Like it’s just in their nature.

Heartless (both Emblems and Purebloods) and Dream Eaters (Spirits and Nightmares) can be controlled. But only to a limited extent.

Cause Heartless are beings of darkness, therefore extremely unpredictable and chaotic. They can easily posess, overpower or turn against the ones they obey should they lose control - even Maleficent has trouble controlling the Heartless near the realm of darkness, since they’re w a y more powerful. Basically a solid 2/10 in loyalty.

And since we’re talking about loyalty and darkness, let me bring up the Unversed - these fuckers can’t even make it into this category/rant because they’re all extensions of Vanitas, who is just a fucking wild card. Unversed exist because Vanitas exists and has Depression (tm), therefore cannot be controlled by anyone but himself.

BUT ANYWAY

On the other hand, we have the Dream Eaters who were created in the Age of Fairy Tales (KHx/KHux)  The first Dream Eaters were Spirits named Chirithy, created to HELP keyblade wielders from all Unions and GUIDE them down the right path - though they still retain a sense of individuality. They’re more of a friend than a servant. But if the keyblade wielder they follow falls into the darkness, the Chirithy is affected too and becomes a Nightmare Chirithy - who apparently like to show kids a lot of nightmares and bad things to “server” the link between them and be free.  Spirit Chirithy and Nigthmare Chirithy’s dynamic can be applied to the common Dream Eaters we see in Dream Drop Distance.  Sprits are benevolent in nature and gladly lend their power to Sora but unlike Nobodies, having a Spirit is like having a cute fluffy Lisa Frank themed pet who can be a cute magical cat or a giant ass fucking elephant. Aka they help you because you give them the good pets. Meanwhile Nightmares are just feral and strive to be independent assholes.

So my headcanon is : Dusks are the Nobodies of the children who were yet to obtain a keyblade or just common citizens of this realm, but died during/after the Keyblade War. In the games, we just learn that Dusks are a clear indication that the Organization is near, since they’re the only ones they obey. But in the manga and novels, we learn that Dusks have a rather human side to them, despite being simple minded creatures - they often can be found pranking Roxas and Demyx. They get scolded by Saix for their antics. They befriend Xion when she’s kind to them. In retrospect, they all have a rather childish behaviour.

And higher ranking Nobodies like Samurais, Dancers, Snipers etc are the Nobodies of the young keyblade wielders from KHux, the ones who fought in the Keyblade War. Each type of high ranking Nobody seems to be obey one specific member of the Organization, who has the ability to summon and boss them around - similar to the Foretellers and their respective Unions. 

Like, in Daybreak Town, we BARELY get to see any adults.  The only adults we know are the majority of the Foretellers - Luxu (?), Invi, Ira and Aced - plus the Master of Masters. So considering how KH handles families, it’s not too weird for all these fucking kids running around with big ass keyblades to be straight up orphans. Like, when it comes to families in the entire saga, we literally have three examples : Sora and his mom (wHO JUST GOT STRAIGHT UP FORGOTTEN AFTER KH1), Kairi and her grandma and finally, Lauriam and Strelitzia. SO IT’S NOT TOO FARFETCHED TO THINK THE FORETELLERS JUST KINDA ADOPTED OVER A THOUSAND KIDS OR AT THE VERY LEAST CREATED A SAFE HAVEN FOR THEM.

It would also explain why all of these kids look up to the Foretellers and why they’re ready to literally throw hands for them and their Unions. The Foretellers and their fellow Union members are the only sense of family they have. A bond that only abandoned or orphaned children can have - of sticking to others who are just as lonely as you. 

And who else fits that description better than Actual Nobodies ? The beings rejected by both Light and Darkness, plagued with the same uncertainty, the same lack of heart, the same goal of becoming whole.

Lesser Nobodies could absolutely go feral and become an entirely separate category of enemies that act on their own accord just like Heartless. Maybe just dick around, do nothing and slap their nuts all day. But they don’t. They get treated kinda like ass sometimes, but they still remain.

Because in the end, they’re still just children trying to find guidance, a group of ducklings blindly following their guardians around.

[nadziejastar]

Yen Sid: As a Keyblade Master, Xehanort had a gift like few others. But such great minds are often plagued by a single great question. What is the essence of the human heart that weakens us, or empowers us? The answer, he believed, would be found in the “Keyblade War.” What if the challenges of our past were, in fact, a map to the light and darkness that battles within us all? Xehanort had to know, so he renounced his duties as master and chose the seeker’s life.

I wish we could have learned more about it. It’s a fascinating world and one of my favorites. It’s fantastical, but still modern. I would have liked to see how it got destroyed, how Maleficent took over, and how Cid escaped with the FF gang. I think Radiant Garden was a really special world, like the Land of Departure. It has a strong connection to the Keyblade War, but we might not ever get to learn about all that now. Kairi’s grandma knew about other worlds, which wasn’t common knowledge in the KH universe. Who was Kairi’s grandma, anyways? What was her relationship to Ansem the Wise?

The fairy tale she told Kairi was pretty much a simplified version of the Keyblade War history that Yen Sid told Sora and Riku. Where did she learn about this? Was this just a generic fairy tale, or did she have some kind of special knowledge? Xehanort thought that the Keyblade War was the map to learn about the battle of light and darkness within the human heart.

My efforts these many years have come to fruition, with the world I govern having become a paradise worthy of being called “Radiant Garden." Nurtured by the pure water that is the source of life, fragrant flowers bloom in abundance, and the people face each day with hopeful smiles. But where there is light, darkness also lurks. As noted in my earlier reports, I must solve the mystery of this "darkness of the heart.” This paradise depends on it.

I think Ansem the Wise was so obsessed with the darkness of the heart because he knew about the Keyblade War, too. Maybe that’s why Master Xehanort planned to study under him when he gained Terra as his new vessel.

We are not meant to interfere in the depths of another’s heart, no matter what our reasons for doing so…And my error plunged me into despair.nA visitor from another world soothed my dejected soul. A tiny king named Mickey came wielding a legendary key — the infamous “Keyblade,” said to bring both chaos and prosperity to the world. He was very knowledgeable on many topics, and we deepened our friendship as we conversed companionably.

Asnem the Wise seemed to be aware of the existence of the Keyblade, even before Mickey arrived. He said it was infamous.

Triton: As the key bearer, you must already know… One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds.

Sora: Of course I know that, but…

Triton: You have violated this principle. The key bearer shatters peace and brings ruin.

It was similar to what King Triton said in KH1.

Xehanort: Master Ansem. Regarding the experiment I presented the other day…With your permission, I’d like to proceed—

Ansem the Wise: I forbid it! Forget this talk of doors, and the heart of all worlds. That place must not be defiled!

Xehanort: But, Master Ansem! I’ve been thinking…

Ansem the Wise: Xehanort…Those thoughts are best forgotten.

As the ruler of the world, Ansem the Wise knew secrets that average people didn’t. It wouldn’t surprise me if he had the means to travel between worlds and connections to many other people outside of Radiant Garden.

My underground research resulted in one new discovery after another. When a Heartless is born, the body and soul left behind are reborn into this world as a different being. They possess different intentions than their Heartless brethren, and while it is unclear what these sentient “things” are after, it would appear they are responsible for much bedlam in the world.

A great number of Nobodies have lost human form, as have the Heartless. Yet the Nobody born of someone with a strong heart retains its shape, with but the faintest visible changes. It appears my betrayers have retained their human forms as Nobodies, and are gathering more followers in hopes of furthering a new scheme.

“Organization XIII,” formed of 13 Nobodies with my betrayers at its core, has divided into two; they are said to be carrying out some sort of research. Seeking to uncover the plans of this Organization, I have decided to head for where six of its members have gathered. Towering over the outer limits of the realm between darkness and light: Castle Oblivion.

That might be why he seemed to be familiar with Twilight Town. Perhaps he had been there before. DiZ did experiments here on Nobodies after he escaped the Realm of Darkness.

Tomorrow Sora awakens. My long and drawn-out revenge is nearing its end. Xehanort, who took everything away from me. Though as a Heartless he is no more, as the leader of Organization XIII his ambition once again is to capture Kingdom Hearts, the most colossal heart of all. His Heartless had attempted to draw out the great darkness of Kingdom Hearts, created from the hearts of all worlds. His Nobody, however, is now almost finished gathering human hearts to be assimilated into Kingdom Hearts as well.

The fool! Only one mystery remains. How did Xehanort manage to open the door that appeared in the basement of my castle…? No…any theory posited now, when everything is nearing completion, would be meaningless. Roxas, Ansem, Naminé…They defy all logic, yet there they are: singular exceptions to the rule. The theories proposed by me and by Organization XIII have been blown to pieces by a handful of strong-hearted individuals.

Sora, Kairi, Riku.Ah, yes—Riku. Though his heart has its weaknesses, making it prone to darkness, he found support in the hope he discovered beyond suffering. This hope allowed him to stand his ground and turn the darkness in his heart from an enemy into his greatest weapon. When all this is over, it is my fervent hope that he will be able to return with Sora to his island. If I can, I should like to return to Radiant Garden, to look once more upon the beautiful water, the lovely flowers, and the hopeful smiles of the people. Dear King, my friend!I believe that, at some point in time, you will come across these, my truthful accounts. How I wish I could have chatted with you again. I was a fool, obsessed with revenge. Forgive me.

He probably had been to this mansion before he was banished. He might have been to the mansion before it became abandoned. The mansion seems to be connected to the Unicornis Union.

“I won’t ask you to forgive me for my foolish obsession with revenge. But at the very least, allow me to express my regret. I was wrong.” Riku stood and turned away again. Naminé nervously watched his tensed shoulders.

“The darkness took advantage of the weakness in you—in your heart. But your indomitable hope kept it at bay,” said Ansem. “You made the darkness your strength, and—”

“Is that all you came here for? To tell me this?” Riku interrupted.

Ansem quietly shook his head. “Naminé, Roxas, and Xemnas… The Nobodies of those with strong hearts are peculiar beings. My—that is, our theories proved fruitless. Coming into contact with a strong heart transforms a world. And not just worlds, but people themselves—and even Nobodies.”

Naminé, head lowered and hand extended with the ice cream for Riku, perked up upon hearing those words.

That’s it… Yes. The mystery of the heart. When we encounter someone special…the world changes. Our hearts change. Everything changes.

What Ansem wrote in that report was very similar to what he was talking about with Riku in the KH2 novel, after DiZ came to the haunted mansion.

The data that Ansem hid inside Sora is a secret related to their resurrection. When Ansem became DiZ and worked from the shadows, he did research on the heart and emotion, but he hid the conclusion of his particular findings inside Sora.

The research that DiZ did on Nobodies was apparently what Nomura was referring to here. He left the results of that research inside Sora’s memories. That’s why Ansem’s code didn’t really make any sense in KH3.

[p-artsypants]

Rage Awakened (7)

A little shorter this time :/

@chachacharlieco @violetstar-writes

--

Not long after Tarzan had run off to find Sora had he returned, his face thoughtful. “Upset,” he explained. “Needs alone time.”

Kairi almost wondered if it would be good for her to go after him instead, but she decided to heed his request.

Terra was right. The keyhole must be sealed.

They made it to the waterfalls before noon, which was a great thing, considering how massive they were.

“Should have brought our bathing suits.” Ventus commented, looking over the edge of the cliff and down into the river below.

“No time for a swim, I’m afraid. Let’s get to work.” Aqua reprimanded.

“Where do you think it is?”

Riku snorted. “Well, if you ever played a Zelda game, you would know there’s always something good behind the waterfall.”

“Yeah, but this isn’t a video game.” Replied Terra. He summoned his keyblade, pointing it out the waterfall. “Hmm, it’s not out here though.”

“It’s not a dosing rod,” Riku scoffed. “It’s not just going to pop up like that.”

“Okay Mr. Master-for-a-year, how do you think we should find it?”

Kairi broke off from the group as they argued, examining the face of the cliff where the waterfall began. It was about 80 feet up, at a 90 degree angle. If they wanted to get up to the top, they would have to find another way.

Then she glanced down, her eyes widening as she spotted a cave mouth, and a narrow path to it. “Let’s check down there!” She shouted back.

Everyone hurried over to see where she was pointing.

“Ooh, good eye, Kai!”

She grinned.

“What did I tell you? Behind the waterfall.” Riku gloated.

“Yeah, you can rub it in when we find it.”

The cave mouth ran the length of the waterfall, one wall just being solid water. Eventually, the small path opened up into a wide wall of ledges and caverns.

“Well...guess we explore.” Riku stated, looking for footholds in the rock. “Everything is wet, so be careful.”

“That’s what she said,” muttered Ventus, before getting elbowed in the gut.

They spread out, climbing their way up the rock face and traveling down short tunnels to dead ends. “There’s nothing here!” Whined Ventus laying on a ledge, “Not even any treasure!”

“Just keep looking,” Aqua tried to motivate. “The cavern is big.”

Jane, of all people, had made it her personal mission to scale the wall up the the top of the cavern. It had taken some time, but once she made it, she called down from above. “I think I found it! This cave runs deeper than the others!”

Using her instructions, everyone made their way up to her, and found themselves standing at the entrance to a much bigger, much darker tunnel than the others.

“Well?”

“Kinda scary.” Kairi admitted.

“Scarier than fighting heartless in a graveyard?” Riku mentioned with a snicker.

“No, that was the worst. Thanks for reminding me.”

With that, they delved deeper into the caves.

“It’s creepy,” Commented Ventus, agreeing with Kairi. “I’m expecting some nasties to just pop up.”

“Oh don’t say that Ven!”

Finally, the tunnel spilled out into a large room, with an open ceiling. An ancient looking tree stood directly ahead of them, covered in vines and glowing blue butterflies.

But more astoundingly, there was Sora, looking pissed to high hell.

“Sora’s spot! Secret place!” He looked ready to fight. “Leave!”

“We’re not here to hurt you,” Riku said, taking a step towards him. “You remember me? Riku? Riku friend?”

Sora relaxed slightly. “Like Riku.” He agreed.

“And Riku like Sora. Riku also likes Terra, Aqua, and Ventus.”

They were making progress. Sora wasn’t growling at their names now.

But it still unbelievably painful for Aqua, who did her damndest to get ahold of her emotions.  “Sora...you know we would never hurt you. This...this was an accident, and I’m so so sorry.”

Sora wasn’t so eager to accept her apology. He huffed angrily.

“Why never come? Come for Sora?”

It was just as she feared. “We didn’t know you were here!”

“Last place was! Never left!”

“We looked for you for three days!” She insisted, tears freely flowing.

“Look for Keyhole much longer...” he muttered.

It was a low blow, attacking their sense of duty.

“Please Sora. We made a mistake. If there had been any inkling that you were safe, we would have kept looking, but...there was just...nothing. Please, we have missed you so so much and we want you to come home!” She stepped forward, her arms open wide. “Please...”

He crawled backwards, closer to the tree, startling the butterflies. “Too late. No saving Sora.”

“No saving...?” Aqua whispered. “You mean the creature hunting you?”

He didn’t respond.

The butterflies caught Kairi’s attention, and she saw what others didn’t. Carefully, she stepped closer to him. “Sora...” she said soothingly.

Her voice got through to him, and he looked at her, pleading her to take his side.

“Do you remember why we came?”

“Keyhole.” He said simply.

“That’s right, and you found it!”

He cocked his head slightly, then looked over his shoulder.

The butterflies had fluttered out of the way, revealing a keyhole in the middle of the tree.

“Will you help me close it?” She asked, summoning her keyblade.

He nodded, crawling towards her and placing his hand upon hers on the hilt. A beam shot out and entered the keyhole, locking the world.

Finally, their job was done.

Sora looked up to Kairi, sadly. “Leaving?”

“Not without you,” she insisted, resting a hand in his shoulder.

He shook his head, extracting himself from her touch. “Don’t belong. Not safe.”

“Of course you belong with us, Sora.” Aqua added. “We’re your family.”

It seemed the conversation would have to be continued another time. Jane shouted out in surprise as a shadow appeared from the entrance of the cave. The same cat as before, with an attitude to boot.

Tarzan grabbed Jane and pulled her behind him.

“Guard!” Aqua called, summoning a barrier.

Before it connected to the ground, Sora slid across the ground and got between them and the cat, the barrier closing behind him.

“No!” Cried Kairi.

“Drop the barrier, Aqua!” Ventus begged. “He can’t be out there alone!”

But before she could even do anything, Sora summoned his keyblade, in all of its horror.

Riku looked sick at the sight.

The cat leapt, ready to attack. Everyone cried out in protest, all afraid to lose him after finally finding him.

But surprisingly, Sora stood against the attack. The claw-like tendrils on the keyblade came to life, stretching and swiping at the cat, piercing its hide, and tearing it asunder. Like teeth, the keyblade devoured the creature, even its essence, until there was nothing left.

Sora panted once it was all over, and then fell to his knees.

“Sora!” Cried Kairi.

Aqua dropped the barrier instantly, running to him.

He coughed and heaved, like he was going to become sick, but he kept swallowing it back instead.

Finally, he passed into unconsciousness.

“What the hell was that?!” Terra yelled. “I’ve never seen a keyblade do that!”

“I don’t think they’re supposed to.” Said Aqua, checking his vitals. “Something is very wrong with his heart. That’s why his keyblade looked like that.”

“Well, at least he’s free from being hunted now.” Riku noted.

Tarzan grunted, drawing their attention. “Leopard not hunter. Not first to attack him.”

“Wait wait wait,” Terra spoke up, “are you saying that there have been other beasts like this after him?”

“Many. Come from one.”

Resolved, Aqua turned Sora over on his back. “I know we shouldn’t force him to do anything, but at this point, we have choice. We have to bring him home. Maybe Master Eraqus or Yen Sid...or even Ansem the Wise could help him. And he’s not safe here.”

Terra agreed and stooped to pick him up.

Jane spoke up. “I’m sorry we’ll be parting like this, but thank you for all your help.”

“It’s our job!” Ventus said a little proudly.

“We’ll definitely come to visit. I’m  sure or Master will want to investigate this creature a little more. We can even bring you stuff you miss from London.”

“That would be marvelous! Now you better get a move on! I hope you the best!”

—

Sora thankfully stayed asleep the whole trip back. They loaded him on the ship first while the boys got to work dismantling the camp. His breathing was harsh, but he did not stir.

Kairi knelt by his side, as he laid on the floor, a blanket under him.

“You okay?” Aqua asked, seeing her face wrinkled with concern.

“I’m just...confused. Mostly worried, but...Sora himself is easy to read, but there so much mystery involving him...it’s hard to think.”

“I understand.” Aqua sat next to her. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you guys about him earlier but...we really thought he was gone forever.”

“I don’t hold it against you. But still...”

“Yeah...”

“You know...last night, Sora and I talked over dinner. He mentioned he remembered me from Radiant Garden. You guys visited when I was little?”

“Yeah, pretty often. Though, usually Master Eraqus, Terra, and I would talk with Ansem the Wise, while Sora played in the courtyard, under the observation of the guard, of course.

Kairi smiles softly. “I love the courtyard. My grandma used to take me there a lot. I bet I did know him back then.”

“Did you explain that you lost your memory?”

“Yeah. He was sad about it, but I’m sure we’ll make new memories.”

Aqua hummed in agreement, her gaze going back to Sora. “In fact...if there truly is darkness stirring in his heart, it’s probably best that he’s around you. You’ll help him heal, right?”

She smiled softly. “Yeah, Sora’s safe with me.”

—

Radiant Garden.

Or what it once was.

In just the span of 24 hours, the heartless army had decimated the town. Those that hadn’t turned into heartless had fled anyway possible. Shoddy gummi ships took off towards Traverse Town, jammed packed full of civilians. The walls to the fountains broke, and water flooded in, flowing backwards from the overwhelming influence of the darkness.

A witch in a black robe paced the hall in the chapel, contemplating the changes she’d make to the castle.

“Radiant Garden’s Castle, just as promised.” Her visitor said.

“My my, when you said you’d get it for me, I didn’t believe you’d actually do it. Though, you seem much more capable to achieve your goals than I first imagined. This seemed like a walk in the park for you.”

“It may have looked effortless, but it was no small feat. This world is fiercely guarded by its people and warriors of the keyblade.”

“Then why bother with it at all, if it was so full of light?”

The other hummed, “this world is unique. Its keyhole is incomplete, and therefore, there is no way for it to fall to the darkness. In order for the keyhole to be complete, the seven Princesses of Heart must be assembled.”

“As you said before,” Maleficent drawled. “The objective you have given me to complete.”

“Correct. Three of the Princesses are here already, I sense them in the castle, hiding. The fourth will be brought here later this evening. Two more will be easy to find, and the last…the last would be difficult, but I have a plan for her.”

“And if I gather these princesses and reveal the keyhole, what then? Why should I even be listening to you?”

“Trust me, my dear. Once everything is in place, you shall know untold power. Not just over this world, but all worlds. Can I count on you, Mistress of Evil?”

Her smile was disgusting, filled with unspeakable evil. “Of course, there’s no one better for the job.”

[tumblunni]

OH FUCK U GUYS SHOULD I BUY ALL THE KINDGOM HEARTS IN A ONCENESS???

Holy jesus i knew they did hd ps4 ports of the playstation games but they ALSO added all the final mix content that engkishspeaking fans never got during my childhood? And they ALSO remade chain of memories entireky in 3d with Very Animated Ice Dad?? And they ALSO remade BBS despite it not needing it nearly as much as the old games and thet ALSO remade friggin dream drop distance which came out on a goddamn current gen console?? Like they seriously just made a non portable version?? Now all the spinoffs are on the same console at last?? Why did you not just do this in the first place?? I mean the psp and 3ds games were basically ps2 equivelant graphics and disc space anyway...

Oh and fuckin ALLLLSOOOOO

Also the final mixes of all of those! Also a movie version of the plot of khux! And also Coded and Days, which is a really big shame cos Coded is indeed sparse enough on content to deserve it but Days was my FAVOURITE GAME and it sucks its the only one that didnt get remade! I mean its in the same spinoff category as bbs and com, its not a cheapo mess like coded. Nothing else in the series deserves to be shoved in the Coded bin, even khux at least has better plot even if the backtracking and lootbox shit makes it harder to get to it...

Anyway ALSO a random new sidestory with Aqua going thru like one dungeon or somethin?? I dunno?? Its like a glorified tech demo for kh3, its just 'hey fuckin look what we can do visually on a proper ps4 game' and wow how have i never fuckin heard of this it looks so pretty!! I mean i dont know if its even more than 5 hours or somethin but.. Pretty!! And apparantly you get unlockable costumes for her or somethin? I hope they keep that feature in kh3! Itd rock if it wasnt just the main character too, and we could dress up riku and kairi and goofy and donald and roxas and axel and every the friends :3 new secret to how they defeat xehanort: slap a bow on his damn head

ALSO ALSO

All of this is available in one big bundle pack for £90 which ALSO contains literally kh3. THIS IS HOW THEYRE HANDLING PREORDERS?? THATS SUCH A GOOD WAY TO HANDLE PREORDERS!! Get a discounted price on this new game but while youre waiting for it you get to enjoy an (also discounted) giant fuckin 300 hours memory lane compilation of every damn thing from the last 15 years in one beautiful updated package. Holy fuck its like they made this for ME SPECIFICALLY!this is the perfect way to get people back into the franchise who dropped off in The Great KH3 Wait cos they couldnt afford all the damn million portables needed to gather that Dank Lore. God fuckin hell it cost more than the price of this bundle just to play any one of those games individually on some stupid retro machine i bought exclusively for that one damn game. THAT PSP STILL ROTS IN MY KITCHEN CUPBOARD YO

So

So so so so so

Guys

Please give me permission to buy this

Or like please convince me not to waste my money if you think i'd waste my money??

I really just DONT KNOW! ive been out of the fandom for so long and my last experience was really hatting BBS and feeling horribly out of place as everyone else raved about it being the best thing ever. And i know NOTHING about what kh3 is gonna be or whether its even possible for me to get back into the fandom and like.. Care about it at all again. I just got fuckin fatigued with it and my teenage years were like me clinging on to the edge of a cliff by my fingernails begging everyone to believe me that Its Still Good, Honestly, Its Worth It while square enix is up there all LONG LIVE THE KING and they push me off. Into a stampede of PSPs. Somehow.

And then aaargh i know i literally only came back to the fandom because organization xiii fuckin eternally holds my heart in their lil grabby hands. It was indeed a good nostalgic moment remembering how i loved them! And getting a new appreciation for Vexen and being blown away by how much he should have been my favourite but i just never got to play COM as a kid and then when i played it as an adult all the way after bbs i ended up quitting before even getting to meet half the org cos this one stupid 'defeat 99 shadows jn 99 seconds' mission kicked my ass. I'M JUST NOT GOOD AT ACTION RPGS OKAY!

Aaaagh thats another Big Worry, yknow? Like asa kid i was Bad, as an adult i'm Barely Better , and as a both i never enjoyed beat em up thingies of any kind at all. And on top of that i was never big into disney, i never saw them as any sort of 'childhood magic' but just some naff cliche shit retelling public domain fairy tales in the safest way possible with a bunch of obnoxious celebrity cameos. Also lion king and snow white terrified me as a kid. Also i associated robin hood with my dead grandma. Also as a kid i couldnt appreciate good artistic ability or voiceacting, i was all about the story, yknow? And most of kh's adaptations are really rushed and barebones versions of an already shoddy story, without any of the visual splendor. ALSO i never saw any of the darker or more emotionally focused stuff like Hunchback and Beauty and the Beast until way after i quit playing kingdom hearts, oddly enough. Wtf beauty and thebeast is actually real good and looks so far beyond its time!! Wtf hunchback has my goddamn evil dad in it!! Why did i miss the only good didneys!! Why did snow white traumatize me and those didnt!!

ANYWAY the point im getting at is that im not inherantly predisposed to like.. Any of kingdom hearts's appeal at all. I didnt know half the disneys and i didnt have any hype for the others. None of my fave final fantasy games made it into it until the sequel and then never again after that. CMON I CANT JUST DEAL WITH ONE VIVI CAMEO Y'ALL! And i haaaate the genre and its an uphill struggle to play a game like that with my stupid inelegant sausage hands. So i just came for the story and then everything after the first game has been conspiring to ruin it for me, sheesh! I felt so much for that short concise self contained first episode and then i fall more and more out of love as they establish this status quo of everything being retconnable so dont bother get attatched to it. Blablabla the entire worldbuilding is different now and everyone was secretly someone else and please memorize a bunch of shit from fifty fuckin spinoffs and also time travel and cloning suddenly exist and ALSO Grandpa Onlyblackmanintheworld is generic motiveless evil and everything was him even of it looked like it was actually a sympathetic villain. *insert dio meme face*

So yeah now im just.. In it for the characters?? And the cute art style and monsters and lovely animations and big fanfic oc potentials stuff. But man even tho i had Big Feel for those things i was able to completely drop it all and forget about the series for years, that was just HOW BAD the kh3 drought was. Steven universe hiatus eat your heart out...

So ffff i dont even KNOW if i'll be able to get feels'd for these characters again or if they actually hold up to modern bunni standards of huggable. And i know all the ones i want to hug the most got like zero sympathy and all died horribly and were also retroactively revealed to be clone oldmanvirus somethingy and aaaaaagh. But also something something people say they all came back and got cured?? And this is why?? I am here?? Again?? And buying?? The thing??

Like man fuck i am already building it up so much in my head aaaa what if i dont actually love axel as much as i used to love axel and i dont love Grumply Science as much as i always love That Character Archetype seriously MAN how was he like THE ONLY ONE I DIDNT GET TO SEE AS A KID

Aaauuuuaggh gahhh like maybe this will reignite my passion for the series or maybe i'll just be all critical and dumb and waste all my moneys

Guys... What do??

[oveliagirlhaditright]

The Best Laid Plans

-reposting from my old account-

Summary: As Sora attempts to find Kairi’s heart at the end of Kingdom Hearts III, images of Kairi herself seem to attack him--punishment, Sora thinks, for letting her die--and as he gets closer and closer to her heart platform, memories of her (and past mistakes of his there) begin to play as Sora tortures himself, but not all is what it seems.

A.K.A. My version of Sora finding and saving Kairi at the end of KHIII.

(And sorry if any of my Italics disappeared. For that reason, you might want to read on fanfiction, AO3, dA, or Pillowfort instead).

Sora's PoV

The first thing Sora noticed—when he started doing a dive towards Kairi's heart platforms, was how this time around... there seemed to be massive boulders everywhere:

Something that reminded Sora of his fight with Lexaeus, back at the Cavern of Remembrance.

And as Sora got closer to the stained glass, he had to swerve this way and that to avoid running into the falling rocks... that seemed to go more concave the closer Sora got to them?

But even with those trying to obscure him from the truth, Sora entered a dream of Kairi's—it was the best way he could put it—and instantly realized what memory it was. He hadn't recalled it until now, because he'd been so young when it had happened... And maybe part of Sora had even blocked the memory, but...

He and Kairi had been okay the first two times they'd met when they were five:

When Sora had been the first one to find after she had washed up on Destiny Islands, and then the first time he and Riku had talked to her at the mayor's house.

But after that... things had gone down hill for them pretty quickly—because Kairi had done something that bothered Sora, and he had blown it way out of proportion like children did:

Kairi, in playing with some of her girl friends, had teasingly wanted to put chalk onto Sora's face to emulate makeup: And this was since Sora had cost them a point in the Jeopardy game at school, so the girls had playfully wanted to get back at him.

And all of that had hurt Sora so much, that he'd begun hating Kairi for it:

It hadn't been a "hate" that had been too bad—as they had just been kids. And even now, Sora didn't think he had it in him to ever truly be bad to someone… but he'd still ignored her and given her the cold shoulder, whenever she was around for a year.

It got to a point, where Kairi—now heartbroken herself—had stood on a rock in the sea, begging the waves to take her.

And it was just when the waves were touching Kairi's feet, that the Sora of the past literally sprung into action.

Sora jumped to where Kairi was...

But as a kid who still didn't know how to control his own strength, he almost overshot and tripped on the rock that Kairi stood on and into the water.

But he didn't.

Instead, Sora hugged Kairi to protect her from wavelets coming her way—that had been so beautiful, in their most terrifying way—and apologized amidst tears that were running down his own cheeks.

"Sorry, Kairi… Be my friend?"

Kairi looked up at Sora with wide eyes then: wise beyond her years, Sora saw now, and just a bit untrusting after all the things she'd already seen. "Why would you want that?" Kairi had questioned with both hands behind her back, in her iconic gesture.

At that, Sora didn't answer. Instead, he just picked Kairi up into his arms, and tried to gracefully jump with her… but face-planted them both into the sand.

'Oh well. That was bad. But she won't drown.' Young Sora had thought then. And Sora heard it again in his head now, and he couldn't help but smile for it. Apparently, he actually hadn't been too inarticulate with his feelings back in the day. "I found ya, Kairi… So we should be friends."

Oh, and that was even better! Current Sora thought, near chuckling.

It felt… good, in some ways, to see this. Even if seeing Kairi was literally a stab to the heart.

At first, Past Sora's words didn't seem like they were enough for Kairi. She had even been about to storm off, Sora had been able to tell.

But she turned around just once—and surprisingly put her hand into her future significant other's, and said: "A chance, it is."

Then, she began leading the two of them away:

Towards the secret place, that she would later tell Sora she'd just noticed that day… but had needed a brave boy to go in with, since she was a bit scared.

And in trying to make things up to Kairi, Sora would begin drawing on the cave walls for her that day, and that… Well, that would be the start of everything.

Out of the memory now, and back on the platform—having been removed gently, the way he had been when Kairi had once deemed he'd seen enough of her memory about her grandma—Sora found that he suddenly felt… depressed. And right now, for one reason in particular:

"…I've hurt you in the past. Huh, Kairi? …We didn't have a concept of death back then. But gods. You almost committed suicide over me when we were five. Thankfully, that's the worst of it. And to save you… I'm maybe going to have to face all of this hurt. But I'm ready."

Having said that, it threw Sora off when Nightmares that looked like metallic versions of Kairi came flying his way.

If he'd, perhaps, undone Kairi's pain here—which was what Sora was assuming was happening here, and how he'd free her—shouldn't these Nightmares have vacated the premises?

And the way that they looked—now even with fan sharp wings that sliced his face as they came boy—Sora expected them to be some of the toughest enemies he'd ever had to face… but they weren't.

They were tough, in that most of his spells and attacks didn't work on them...

Except for the quake spell he'd used in his time trying to save Naminé..

Though it had been a struggle-and-a-half trying to even reclaim that memory to do so.

But Sora had guessed that that would be the only way to stop them, as there had been boulders before this, and such in Kairi's memory that he'd just seen

And he'd been right.

So—more than just using his Keyblade for this fight—Sora had summoned that magic to him… and had nearly allowed it to give him a heart attack.

That was always how that spell seemed to feel—as it seemed to explode out of Sora, just as it pulled stones from the ground to throw at everything.

That being said—and though Sora was glad to have eliminated one more thing that had been in his way—it killed him to see the rocks tear at Kairi so mercilessly.

But fortunately, Sora didn't have to witness it for long: They were gone just like that, and it was like marks being cleaned from a slate.

But what was too much for Sora, however, was when he realized he'd somehow just accidentally cut his hand with the Keyblade.

His hand, that had—stupidly—only reluctantly shared a paopu fruit with Kairi.

And for that, he deserved whatever was done to his body.

And this hell as a whole.

But just when Sora was done with this nightmare—and thought he might be one step closer to Kairi's Light—he felt a laser slice through his shoulder, the way numerous ones of Xigbar's had in the past, when he hadn't dodged them properly.

And Sora winced in pain... It had been a while since something this minuscule had harmed him, and in some ways he'd forgotten what a fine-toothed-comb such a touch could be.

But what had done this to him? For that, Sora had no answer.

It hadn't been the Nightmares or Kairi, so what did that me-

But before Sora could finish the thought, he found himself being pulled back down to more of Kairi's Station of Awakenings.

And this time, it looked like he had a choice on which one to go to:

He could either go to the one when she was thirteen—evidenced by the fact that that had been the first and only year Kairi had worn her hair so big—or to her twelve-year-old one, where she and Sora had gone to the Sadie Hawkins Dance together.

Relishing in the fact that none of these would be as bad as how he'd treated Kairi when they were children, Sora began diving with his eyes closed—blindly—and let his heart do the rest.

The hair one, it was.

And when Sora hovered over the scene, like a ghost, he tried to figure out what had been significant about this one… and why Kairi had chosen to try and be a trendsetter that way.

And then it all hit him like a ton of bricks..

Right. This was when Kairi had been obsessed with Queen.

And she'd tried being beautiful in another way, going totally '80s, in wandering if Freddie—who thought everyone was gorgeous—would think she was when she looked like this.

…Though Sora still wondered if there'd been more to it than even that.

Also? This had been one of the few fall-outs between Riku and Kairi, during the three's long journey as friends… Because Riku had had some issue with Queen, or Kairi liking Queen, and it still made no sense to Sora.

And yet for one day, he'd been on Riku's side about it.

Sora had been okay with Kairi changing her hair every year. It had just been her thing. But when she brought clothing alteration, and a different attitude into it some, that had been too odd for Sora.

He'd also agreed with Riku, that 80's music really didn't scream Kairi.

...But then Sora had seen how happy Kairi was playing this part—and the present day Sora, giving this a once-over again, saw it now—and had been unable to turn away from this side of her anymore.

And if Sora had fallen for the song "Love of My Life" because of her, he wasn't complaining.

"Kairi, what are you doing?" Past Sora still finally asked, however.

And if Keyblade-wielder-Sora was right about it, this was their last day of school in eighth grade—a day in which everyone could go to the amusement park with their class, or stay home and do whatever.

Most had chosen the former—including Sora and Riku themselves—but Kairi, for whatever reason, had chosen to stay home.

And the current Sora now knew why, because Kairi had eventually explained it to him, but the Sora in the memory didn't.

The answer? Eventually, Kairi had begun to feel bad about the money the mayor and his wife had spent on her after adopting her. So her not going on this adventure, was her way of giving them one less expense when it came to her.

She was being selfless, like Kairi so often was, but Sora knew she'd also enjoyed staying home and enjoying her 80'-esques stuff: She'd even been about to watch "Grease" when he'd shown up. But still… Even if he had been figuring that out, Sora had still had to ask her.

"I don't know, Sora," she'd admitted at last, as she fell onto her neon green bed and gave him a look. "I guess I'm just confused about me

"But if I am myself, in going to the amusement park like I want to, my parents lose out. So the best option is to do nothing, and just be."

And even if Sora knew that this had been past Kairi talking to his past self… Some of this sounded so much like how he'd felt—in pondering what he should do, since so many personalities in him weren't his own—that present day Sora couldn't help reaching out for Kairi now… And having his hand pass through his cheek as he did so.

Well, if he couldn't reach her—yet!—he'd at least try and give Kairi his words. And just as Keyblade-wielder Sora began speaking, so did the thirteen-year-old Sora.

And if it had been his thirteen-year-old self who had said this—or him now, through some sort of time paradox—Sora didn't know, but he was glad for the poetic words he'd selected all the same.

"Kairi... know that you should always try to be yourself, and everything else will fall into place."

Kairi looked at Sora then—with a look he couldn't quite fathom-but now that he knew what her expressions of love looked like, he thought this might have been the beginning of that.

And a long moment then passed, as Kairi picked her teddy bear up from her bed, clutched it to her chest, and then seemed about to give it to Sora before thinking better of it?

Eventually, she did find her voice again—as she looked at Sora wide-eyed, once again—and tried to reach for his hand.

And it was so much like what he'd just tried to do to her, that Sora couldn't help gasping for it… and even louder, as he carried it over, when her words did reach him now. "Thank you, Sora... It means a lot, and I really needed to hear that.

"I guess… sometimes I get stuck in my own heart? After getting to the Islands sort of traumatically? … So it's nice that you're here, to get me unstuck?"

Later, Sora would realize this was some of the most serious he'd ever seen Kairi: she was bright and energetic usually, so this must have been a blight on her otherwise flawless record that should have stood out to him.

And it definitely had back then… though not necessarily in a bad way.

But now that Sora knew Kairi was aware of some stuff about her grandma… and yet didn't know Aqua because of her trauma—and how it bothered her—Sora tried to decide if he should have found a better way to engage about her past even back here.

But still… even with that, Sora was pretty thrilled with how this memory ended:

"I'm only happy to help, Kairi! I swear." And he pinky promised with her, in a way that Naminé, perhaps, had been jealous of.

As Sora came to again-…into into Darkness?! What was this that he was seeing?!—he saw that there were times he certainly could have taken better care of Kairi.

And he tried not to vilify himself for it, since no one was perfect and more than anything he'd always tried to be perfect for Kairi…

But the more Sora thought about it, the more he hated himself:

Because there had been the times in the past where he'd been a jerk, in just being a clueless kid, sure, but adding that to all the times he'd recently left her... And how she'd just died because of his failure and lack of being able to keep a promise...

Well, Sora thought he deserved these Kairi Nightmares that were now going through him like ghosts—and literally trying to rip his heart out as they pulled him further into the Darkness… that it, too, was somehow edged like wings.

And Sora couldn't help laughing maniacally at this. It all hurt. Bad:

Like the physical manifestation of all of your friends forgetting you and never remembering, but for real this time. And it was worse, in that Kairi—of all people—was the one doing this to him!

And so lost was Sora in the pain and guilt he felt, as one of the strings attaching his heart to his soul was ripped, that he didn't at first realize he'd reached another platform.

And this one… This one was a stage where Kairi was obsessed with dying her hair, a weary Sora saw.

Funny, how Kairi had done so much with her hair and Sora never caught it before.

He wanted to loathe himself for that, too.

But maybe safe in this space, that was clearly the corner of Kairi's heart… Maybe he couldn't.

This time, the two of them were fourteen.

And at a hair salon, as opposed to in Kairi's room.

Past Sora was giving the impression that he'd only come to this with Kairi, because her adopted grandma had bailed on their usual routine and he hadn't wanted to leave her alone.

But nope.

The truth was, that this was Kairi's birthday. And since Kairi hadn't been sure what she wanted to do, Sora and Riku had just planned to shock Kairi with a surprise party here. Riku had gone to get all of the supplies they needed, so that left Sora to throw Kairi off the scent. "Kairi… I can't tell: Is your hair more red and you add brown to it, or more brown and you add red to it? And whichever the case... And why not just keep it its natural color?"

Kairi leaned up from the sink her hair had been washing in, and smiled wickedly at Sora. "You'll never know, my friend. And because dying it is all the rage now."

And oh man, did Sora regret now that he'd seemed to indicate he minded what Kairi did to her hair.

He, to his own ears, had sounded too much like a possessive boyfriend who dictated everything his girlfriend did.

But then again—the Sora of the present now realized, as Kairi was clearly happy having a good time—maybe he'd over thought it.

Besides, his mission back then had succeeded. Hadn't it? He'd kept Kairi from figuring out her birthday, right?

Kairi seemed about to say something else then, but Riku surprised her—and even Sora, who should have known better—when he thundered into the room with candy bar after candy bar and blew a party horn in their favorite redhead's face.

"Happy birthday, Kairi! We were gonna do this the normal way, with a cake and all, but then we figured you'd instead might wanna emulate buying candy bar after candy bar here with your grandma. So, that it is. This is our cake."

And Kairi had been so endeared by their gesture, that she'd actually told the barber she didn't need the blonde streaks after all, and was all done.

And jumping up from her seat with a wet head and everything, Kairi had hugged both Sora and Riku tightly. And it was still the best hug Sora had ever gotten—something that made him blush even now, to think about.

And Becky, the owner of the salon, informed Kairi that it was fine for her to cut their plans for her hair short, and motioned for her to go run all over the little hall with the vending machine that Riku was referencing with the candy bars.

A young Kairi—according to her, anyway—had run all down this hall, connecting to other buildings, with her grandma when she was young. But most of all, she'd always stop at the vending machine and have treat after treat given to her.

So, that's what they'd planned to do for her birthday.

And Sora, Riku, and Kairi hadn't needed to be told twice.

The boys, being kind to their gal friend, gave her their jackets to her—so she wouldn't catch Pneumonia with her wet head—and then headed to said hall.

When they came to the end of it-where a table and chairs were—the trio sat down and grabbed a magazine each: having the same thought that this would be the only thing to really entertain them here.

And the hero Sora, who walked with them, almost wished he could grab one himself. Because when was the last time he'd done any pastime like this?

But back to the memory:

Fortunately, even though this had been a place just for girls, there were enough guy things in these magazines that Sora and Riku could keep themselves occupied with them.

Sora now recollected, as he smiled widely—one of the few times he had since Kairi's death—that he'd been taking a quiz to see if he was Pecan or Rocky Road ice cream here…But Riku ended up distracting that thought when he spoke.

"So, are you happy to be fourteen?" Riku had queried, as he'd suddenly pulled out a large piece of gum and looked like he was trying to find a way to slice it into three pieces: as their true substitute cake.

And before Kairi had given her answer, Sora had tried to guess if she'd try to look at this in some eloquent way—or find something in her mind that explained how she had already changed—but she just shrugged it off, and explained it like it was:

"I don't feel any different yet, actually."

Present Sora could get why she'd say this. Because… really? Each birthday wasn't monumental, you found out as you got older. As time seemed to blur, and you realized there was no reason to fear the future—like there wasn't for him now—but the young him had been somewhat… saddened, that Kairi seemed to indicate there'd be no instant magic when he turned fourteen after her.

But that wasn't what mattered now… No, what mattered now was Kairi. And maybe it had always been Kairi, as Sora had told his friends before using the Power of Waking once more.

And Kairi in this montage, was now putting her hands on both Sora's and Riku's shoulders as she questioned the obvious:

"So I have to know. What inspired you guys to have my birthday party here? Not that I'm complaining!"

And even now—as Sora thought strongly about trying to embrace the past Kairi this time… though he knew that wouldn't work any more than trying to touch her cheek had—Sora barely knew the answer to that question:

Had it been because they thought Kairi would want a break from the hustle and bustle the mayor would have been doing for her birthday, or to try and get her ready for the more mundane ones she, and they, would have in the future?

Or, actually... Sora's past self had known the true answer, huh? And somehow the current one had already forgotten it… and that scared him terribly.

"Because we couldn't wait to spend time with you. So with you to your hair appointment, we went!"

And the clip show faded away, as the three of them each got a piece of gum.

And since that memory had been what dreams were made of… Sora had thought maybe he was on the right track with this healing thing, and that he'd faced the last of the Nightmare Kairis.

But the fact that it wasn't, and they attacked him relentlessly—five slicing his chest with blades, two biting his neck, and three pulling his arm behind his back, and the last slamming his face into the next glass before he could go into it—should have been his first sign that something was wrong.

Darkness! There was so much Darkness, that Sora couldn't see anything. And he was as afraid as he had been on that night of fate, what felt like so long ago.

But this Darkness couldn't have been… Kairi's.

So whose was it?

From the get-go—even though Sora has thought his astral body had been separated from his physical one during his visits into Kairi's memories, so he couldn't feel the pain from the Kairi Nightmares in the visions—Sora felt his heart laboring in his chest, and his sight tunneling.

Though if it was from what he'd been through here, or because he was dying from using the Power of Waking, he didn't know.

Oh.

It was this… disgusting memory. (Wait, what?)

The one where Kairi had been over at Sora's after he'd gotten back from his quest...

And she had a knife to her stomach—acting like she was about to try and cut off one of the rolls on her stomach, before she laughed it off.

Combined together now—the astral and the physical, as they began to faint—both Soras started to tell Kairi that she didn't have to do that, and she was beautiful!

But the present Sora never got to say that she was that.

Instead, he was violently pulled from… this as an army of Sora Nightmares dived at him.

He helplessly raised his Keyblade against them, the way he had the Dusks that he'd first faced... but he knew it wouldn't be enough.

But then she appeared.

"Sora, silly, don't you remember? That wasn't about me trying to mutilate myself at all. I was just holding that knife to cut the big cookie we were going to eat. And I was also holding a water bottle then, and the knife accidentally punctured it... We then joked my water broke. And even back then, I was sort of wishing it would... with a child of yours in the future.

"Sora, you're so ashamed of yourself for... not protecting me, that you're effecting my heart and making your own phantoms attack you. These Nightmares were always yours, not mine. And for that reason, you're seeing the memories where you think you should've been a better boyfriend to me… And it's so bad, that some have even begun to lie to you.

"But you shouldn't feel this way. My death was my fault. All mine... You shouldn't be here, but now I'll protect you!"

And just when Sora had needed it, Kairi had created a barrier to protect him.

And Kairi washed these Nightmares in so much of her Light—that this fractured part of Sora's heart returned to him peacefully, as if it was a missing puzzle piece.

And for a moment, he breathed evenly again.

It was then that Sora started crying, as he held onto Kairi's hands once more: and thank the gods, that he was doing this!

"Kairi, I'm so sorry!" Sora exclaimed, knowing full well how doomed this all was. And really, he'd always known.

Because even if Kairi had recompleted herself and could make it back to the surface now, they were still chosen for tragedy and could never be together.

And as if fate got a kick out of torturing him, now that he'd found the one that mattered most—the one he'd done all of this for—he was already fading away.

First, she might as well have faded in her memories when he'd tried to touch her. And now this.

But Sora didn't care, so long as Kairi was okay.

And was she after what Xehanort had done to her? Sora wasn't too sure.

For one thing, he imagined she'd always have a long gash down her back that would never heal, and he hated it hated it hated it!

"I did fail you," Sora assured his princess, as he again looked into the large, expressive eyes that had made him love her. If only he could have gotten lost in them… and not in death.

"I promised that I'd protect you, and I didn't! You had to die the worst death I've ever seen for... for no reason! And I didn't even get to help you recomplete yourself. I guess I dove into your heart for no reason, and-"

At this point, as he rambled onto a point where he just began stuttering, Kairi just hugged Sora as her astral form pulled him out of her heart. And in some mysterious way, her having done that led their physical bodies into pecking each other's lips.

It was their first kiss, and it was sweet as could be—Sora even thought he was probably doing the foot popping thing, and he felt like he was flying in Neverland again-but it couldn't last, and Sora was starting to find how bittersweet the world could be.

But breaking away—probably because she didn't want their first real kiss to be like this—Kairi had to say her piece, about Sora having not used the Power wrong to save her like he had with everyone else.

"I'm glad you didn't, Sora. As a Princess of Heart... God, I know things! ...I didn't at the time… But I know what the task I carelessly put on your shoulders, of saving everyone, cost you. So I'm selfishly glad I won't be more responsible for… this than I already am."

Sora knew he should have been saying something to Kairi's own self-loathing now—he was aware of it with every fiber of his being—but he didn't.

Because Kairi had been right about one thing: Sora had been torturing himself about her a little too much, and that was what had led to this precarious situation he'd just been in a moment ago.

So, maybe he didn't always have to jump in to save Kairi, and to think the worst of himself while doing so.

The heart was so many emotions—as Sora had always been quick to tell anyone—and negative emotions came with that, too.

Maybe he should let her pain be hers, and his his… But that didn't mean they couldn't try to lessen it, either.

"So, what now?" Sora begged, as he found himself leaning his forehead against Kairi's, like he'd dreamt of doing for so long.

How great it felt to actually be able to touch her again! If only for a while…

And perchance he really was starting to lose it, because even though Sora knew his time was nearly up...

He was giddy that he had been able to find Kairi, and they could finally be together where there were no lies. Even one second longer that he would have had to wait for this, really would have been too long.

In the natural world now, and in Sora and Kairi's hearts, the sun was coming up and it was time to face whatever the morning brought with it.

"We go back to the place we made our vow, and pray for a better ending... my love," was Kairi's answer, as tears glistened in her eyes that Sora could tell she would not let shed.

And it was clear by the fact that Kairi had said the last—but hadn't restated it, because she was a bit shy—that she meant every word.

And even if Sora had felt Light in his heart many times because of his friends, and even via Kairi before, it had never been like this.

Sora was already dead: He'd known that the moment Young Xehanort had told him as much.

And, yeah: if he really focused on the pain from that now, it was unendurable.

And yet… with Kairi, anything seemed possible. And Sora could almost believe he'd find a way back to the surface, and they'd be together again… And there wasn't any better world out their, than that belief.

But Sora's expression must have darkened for a moment, because Kairi seemed hesitant to summon her Keyblade and make them a pathway home (for Sora could tell as flowers had begun twining up her arm, in her summoning animation, that that was what she was planning on).

Perhaps because she saw getting home as being just for her; and that if she just didn't stay here working up a way to save him… it would be some sort of betrayal in her eyes.

But if she did think that, Sora instantly silenced that fear with a look. And so Kairi did summon Destiny's Embrace, to lead them home again:

Like she had the first time, and a time after that.

And holding hands in that intimate way they had just a few hours ago, they both turned to Light, went through the ether, and ended up back Destiny Islands like Sora had with Riku after fighting Xemnas.

And in Sora's heart, it felt good to do this with Kairi: to experience new things with her, like they had first dreamed about.

While they were still air, Sora brushed an incorporeal hand against Kairi's face—and oh, she felt it. And Sora relished in how she bowed her head into his hand more—and said the words he'd been too afraid to before this: "I love you."

Somehow, being his namesake right now—and Kairi nearly being her own, as they fell closer and closer to it—gave him the confidence to be this thing the self-conscious boy never could've been otherwise: love incarnate, he supposed.

Because Sora had just been... so smitten, to witness this proof that sea and sky could be together outside of the Final World, and always had been… and always would be.

And mayhap Kairi's befuddlement—befuddlement and love, Sora thought. Because he was very much the same when it came to Kairi—at his confession is what had her staring at his face, as he took in every inch of hers for the end of their time together.

In another life, Sora would have kissed her here…

But in this one, he was sadly joining the ether once more.

So Sora made love with their joined hands even moreso.

And gave the one he treasured most in the world, the kind of card that would perfectly fit her crazy hair and appearances… that would even be the key to saving him, and their love...

The Wild Card.

And Sora knew that with every fiber of his being, as he allowed himself to reach for a Kairi he couldn't touch one last time. And secretly kissed her cheek, before he was looking at his hand there.

Author’s Note: Some explanation about this story: I don't know why. But when I was first envisioning this scenario… I imagined Sora going through some place that looked like the Cavern of Remembrance, as Nightmare Kairis—that were really Nightmare Soras, and his own guilt about everything—attacked him as rocks fell down… and then eventually Kairi finally got her chance to shine and came in and rescued HIM.

But I then realized that those visuals weren't at all consistent with how we saw Sora saving the others' hearts in KHIII.

So I then tried to keep my original ideas, but stay true to that—that was when the stained-glass platforms of Kairi that Sora dove to came in (but since those for sure felt like Kairi's heart, that meant Sora used the Power of Waking RIGHT this time. Because he traversed hearts to find worlds, as he was supposed to do. So I had to work it in, that Sora was doomed even before he did this… which I think he was).

And since I was having those platforms, it just seemed that I had to have memories attached to each one and literally delve into them.

This allowed me to put in two ideas I've always had for SoKai.

The first is the idea of Sora and Kairi hating each other at first, but then growing to like each other and falling in love… Because I love that trope. But to have it work for SoKai and stay (mostly) true to canon, I had to have it that they only felt that way about each other for five seconds when they were dumb kids.

And I also had the idea of Kairi standing on a rock in the sea after young her and Sora's fight, YEARS before KHIII came out and I had this idea about boulders assaulting Sora as he tried to save her there. So those two things lent themselves well to each other.

And the second thing, is that I've always had the headcanon that Kairi changes her hairstyle every year (why? Because young Kairi, KHI Kairi, KHII Kairi, and Another Side Another Story Kairi all have different hair. Though KHIII Kairi is where I choose to say that she broke this trend, as that looks the same as her four-year-old hair), and that it led to some pretty crazy hairdos…

Which is how the Queen stuff came into this, because I needed to expand on one of her weird hair choice. But it's just not for that, that the band Queen is here—or just because of my love for Queen, I swear—but because Sora and Kairi somewhat remind me of Freddie Mercury and Mary Austin, so there's some attempted (though possibly failed) clever writing at that part.

There's also a theme of "appearance" throughout this whole fic.

Edit: Oh, and at one point Sora wrongfully thinks of a beautician as a barber. That's because he's a silly boy, who doesn't know better;)

[rollinggirlrunahika]

Post 8 Facts About Your Character, and Tag 8 Other Characters

1.)-- Her father is Sanae Hanekoma. To the public, he’s known under the famous alias CAT, but they think CAT is actually multiple people. But no, CAT is a single person, and that person is her father. CAT gets a lot of revenue from various projects that Mr. Hanekoma works on (albums, art, fashion, you name it). Which might mean that Runa’s rich right? Well, you’re not wrong, Mr. Hanekoma does put aside some of the money he earns for himself and his daughter, but what they don’t use goes to charities. And even then Runa doesn’t even /see/ herself being a rich person. She doesn’t flaunt her money all over the place, she doesn’t buy the flashiest clothes, and she doesn’t live in a penthouse with servants or anything like that. She has an allowance, she has to do chores, she lives in an apartment with her father above the WildKat Cafe. They don’t want to be seen as rich, so they mainly appear and act Middle Class for the most part, especially Runa. What she does do is ask her father for video games and game consoles, and, when she gets into band, instruments (ones he doesn’t already own of course). So Runa’s room has gathered various consoles throughout her years like a Nintendo GameCube(5), a PlayStation2 and 3(6 and 10), a PSP(8), and a DSi(13), and the Wii(10) that they have is in the family room. (they did have an Xbox and Xbox360, but they gave those away). Mr Hanekoma only had to buy one instrument, since he already owned the ones she wanted to try/learn. It was a Flute. A little perk she likes though to being “wealthy” is that she can treat her friends that like CAT’s stuff or concert tickets to see 777. This all comes out of her paycheck and the money set aside for her of course.

2.)--Speaking of parents, let’s talk about her mom Calista! Runa’s legal first name is Rukaru, named after her grandmother. Calista did it in a way to make it like she’s making amends for her own mother (Grandma sadly passed away after having a fight with Calista prior to her marriage to Sanae). Calista has felt guilty about it for a while, being that she still loved her mother dearly. So she named her daughter Rukaru Hika, but she wouldn’t /call/ her that. Her “nickname” came from the time the twins were born, Sora after the sky above, and Runa after the full moon shining through the window. Runa and her mother’s relationship started off well, they loved and cared about each other. They were a big happy family. But when Hanekoma went back to his world (Calista knew), Calista said that he was off on a business trip. Time went by, and when Runa asked about where her father was and why he wasn’t home, the two got into a fight, starting with Runa saying it was Calista’s fault. This is by no way true, but one cannot help but think. Runa disappeared that night and ended up in Shibuya. Things just don’t work out like they should huh..? Both of them regret that fight so much and wish things had been different.

3.)--Runa has similar passions to her father and mother. They both shared a heavy passion for music (Sanae actually first met Calista when he saw her playing a guitar and singing on a bench by the beach on Destiny Islands), and Runa had that same passion, loving all types of music. If the music had a meaning or a story behind it, that was even better!! She also took an interest in creating music when she saw Hanekoma work on an album one day when he had to take her with him to a recording studio. She was like 5 or 6 when she missed a school day because she had a cold, and he couldn’t leave her unattended at the cafe. And god forbid he let Joshua watch his kid. Ever since then, she always peeks in on her father when he’s working on an album in the studio above them. She starts taking band classes in 5th grade, picking the Flute. 

4.)--Speaking of music, she /loves/ to sing. Wanna go karaoke? She’s there with you! Runa has a good singing voice, and when she was little she wanted to be an idol. One of the things that inspired her to sing, besides her father, was when he took her to an NSync concert. She started singing a lot more after that. Runa still hasn’t lost that passion for singing or music, but she doesn’t see herself being an idol of any sorts any more. She finds joy in just making covers of her favorite songs and listening to her music on her ipod on walks around the shopping district of Tokyo. One of her other inspirations is Michael Jackson. Another is anybody that uses the VOCALOID program, because damn.

5.)--Runa had tried doing graffiti once. Yeah.... She’s not that good at doing it, so she’ll leave that talent to her father. Runa likes trying to see which of the things her dad can do that she cannot do. Graffiti being one of them, the other things on that list include: Playing the Tuba, playing the Drums, Photoshop (she’s getting a bit better at that), and furniture designing (like why). She /is/ good at: Sketching, Drawing, Painting, Remixing, Cooking (better than her father), and playing the Flute, Bass Guitar, Guitar (her father’s still better), and Trombone. There’s a bagpipe and a didgeridoo somewhere in the studio she saw once, and she’s been wondering if her father knows how to play it.  

6.)--Runa’s a polite and friendly person. She really tries to be at least. You might see her trying to be nice to someone that’s being mean to her. But, she wasn’t like that, not when she first arrived in Shibuya. Being raised from birth up until she was 5 on Destiny Islands, she was a pretty open, loud, rambunctious, happy-go-lucky child. More so when Sora, Riku, and Kairi were beside her. But there was a huge cultural difference (at least to her) when she started living in Shibuya with her father. Suddenly, that personality wasn’t exactly “accepted” at the local school Hanekoma enrolled her in. Some kids made fun of her for acting the way she did. One day in 3rd grade, some kids even went out of their way to physically harm her on her way back from school. She ran into Hanekoma’s arms, crying, telling him all that had happened since she got into school. “I wanna go back home!!” She’d cry, burying her face into his chest.  Hanekoma explained that she couldn’t, that he can’t take her back /there/ even if he wanted to. The road between had been broken. He soothed his daughter by telling her to live life the way she wanted to. It didn’t matter what others thought of her, and if they thought she was weird, screw them, they didn’t deserve to know her. Their thoughts shouldn’t change the way she sees herself. And that’s how she started to live her life. She lived the way she wanted, and acted the way she wanted. The next day, she stood up to her bullies when they made fun of her in a way she knew how: with a smile and a hard shove towards the shoe lockers. 

7.)-- So Runa’s been bullied as seen above. After that pep talk, and when Runa decided to ignore them and stood up for herself when she needed to, the bullies stopped. She even gained some friends (since they bullied other kids as well). But, then came middle school. A whole new playing field. And the bullies were at it again. One day, one of her friends was being bullied, they were taking his belongings and throwing them all over the place, two of them were playing Monkey in the Middle with his backpack after school. She beat them up, taking the broom she was using to clean up the classroom as a weapon. It was three vs one, and Runa didn’t win. But neither did they. The bullies were caught and expelled, but since Runa started the fight and despite being in the right, she too was expelled. Her friend met up with her after talking with the teacher about the situation, but stopped in his tracks when he saw the look on her bruised face and her father beside her (He wasn’t disappointed, she did what she had to do). Runa told him that she was expelled for standing up for him, to which he tried to apologize for. Runa shook her head and reassured him that it was fine. All she hoped for was that even if they were going to different schools, that they stay in contact. Fast-Forward a few weeks later, Runa’s attending a school all the way on the other side of Tokyo, commuting there everyday. The two of them still talk, he visits the cafe sometimes. But, one day he had to move away to the States a year later. He stopped talking after that.

8.)--Well, this is getting depressing and angsty. LET’S END WITH A FUN FACT ABOUT RUNA!! :D and one that is actually somewhat kingdom hearts related please.  Runa has a few odd abilities that she can do, and she’s not exactly sure as to why for some of them. The Keyblade, being one of them. She’s still not sure why it chose her when Shibuya started to fall to Darkness, but she’s glad that it did. It seems like her Keyblade doesn’t regret it’s choice either. Her Keyblade is the Kingdom Key (a friend of mine drew her with the KIngdom Key D, and that spewed out another headcanon), and (based on a FB RP) as a gift. on their 17th birthday, Sora gives a custom made keychain for her Keyblade. It’s called Sketcher’s Design and when equipped she can draw out a Keyblade design. Whatever she comes up with, any stats she gains is based off of the design. Her first design is based off her mother and brother and the Blizzard Spell: Gives 20% increase on Blizzard Resistance and Strength, 10% in Light Strength, and +1 AP. Runa can also just /slightly/ see the UG. It’s kinda like looking through a foggy window, Players and Reaper Wings are blurry to her. But seeing the UG isn’t a constant thing she sees, it comes and goes randomly. Sometimes it gives her a headache. And the last thing (for now), is that she /has/ a Dream Eater as a sort of /pet/. She keeps it up in the apartment above WildKat, but as far as she knew (which was as far as the TWEWY gang knew, more specifically Joshua), is that Dream Eaters belong in the Realm of Sleep, which was where the TWEWY gang was. So the fact that she was able to manifest a Dream Eater was a bit alarming. She loves it, don’t get her wrong, and she can’t exactly make it disappear or manifest others, so she has no problems there, it was just hard explaining to Eri what the heck this thing was doing in her arms when she visited the next day. Runa’s Dream Eater is a Meow Wow named Yume Omoi（夢おもい）which translates to either Dream Heavy or Dream Feelings. 

Tagged by @misplaced-dreams ((Dude thank you for tagging me xD )) Tagging: @heroofgrymoire, @hxartsmith, @xxpinkseeressxx, @brokenkxy, @blind-in-light, @ramen-loving-dobe, @nctycurprcxy, @vexenchillingworth,

[nadziejastar]

“Do you two even have anywhere to go?” Axel wondered from his perch on one of the boulders that dotted the shore.

“Do you?” Riku replied, staring out at the horizon.

“I never had anywhere to go in the first place. We Nobodies don’t belong, period. Nowhere to go and nowhere to come home to. Right, Naminé?”

Yeah, Sora, Kairi, and Riku were definitely all willing to become drop outs, lol. I assume Eraqus made sure his pupils were well-educated. Kairi at least went back to school. For some reason nobody seemed that concerned that Riku was missing. I think it’s sad that Lea and Isa never even chose to drop out of school. Their school was probably destroyed. Axel said he had no home on Sunset Hill. And it was true. Unlike Destiny Island, which was restored relatively quickly to the way it was before the Heartless came, Radiant Garden was still Hollow Bastion. It was a wasteland that needed a Restoration Committee to get it back to its former state. Axel talked about homework nostalgically. He missed his home and living a normal life. I’m disappointed that we never got to see Axel/Lea’s feelings about his real home.

Kairi: A light at the end of the tunnel…

Sora: Oh, your grandma’s story, right?

Kairi: That’s right. We were together.

Kairi, too. At the end of KH1, she even remembered her grandma. Radiant Garden was such a wasted opportunity. I also think it would have been cool to see Leon start going by “Squall” again. Who knows, maybe Leon actually knew Lea and Isa. They’re about the same age. Who knows if they finished their education, either.

If I’m trying to get away from Saïx—from the organization itself—what am I doing here?

The truth struck home—Nobodies had no place where they belonged.

“Now what do I do…?” he muttered, his face still upturned to the distant moon.

A heart. Maybe the answer was closer than he thought.

Suddenly he felt something brush his leg. “Wh—whoa!” Axel jumped. It was a big yellow dog.

Axel always said he had nowhere to belong. In the novel, Pluto showed up when he was thinking that. Pluto was a stray doggy. Lea always picked up stray puppies. I guess Pluto was there to remind Axel that home is where the heart is, lol.

“Well, I’m getting a whiff of a good friend of mine from you.” The king stepped closer, his nose twitching. “I thought it was from Riku, but it’s from you.”

“Do I smell?” Axel hurried to sniff his clothes. He couldn’t smell anything.

“I wonder where Pluto went…” The king heaved a sigh.

“Pluto? What, that dog?”

“Yup! Oh, boy, you did meet Pluto!” Overjoyed, King Mickey grabbed Axel’s hand and shook it vigorously.

“��I mean, I’ve had a shower since then…,” Axel mumbled, still confused.

During the 1000 Heartless arc, Axel met Mickey who said he smelled like Pluto. Even Goofy told Axel he smelled like Pluto when Axel helped him after he was hit by that rock. When Axel was in Hollow Bastion, I guess we were supposed to be reminded that he was a stray puppy, with no home.

“Oh no! Here they are!” King Mickey leaned over the cliff face and shouted to him, “We’ll talk later, Axel!”

Then he leaped from the cliff. Watching him descend, Axel gazed over the edge for a while.

Axel was standing in that spot with his arms folded before Sora showed up, and we probably were supposed to learn what he was thinking about. The novel made it seem like he had a lot on his mind while he was overlooking the Villain’s Vale, just staring at it for a while. Makes me wonder if that was an important place to him as a human. Who knows, maybe Villain’s Vale wasn’t actually another castle but Radiant Garden University, lol. 

“What’s the matter? Will it hurt to see your island home corrupted?” Saïx taunted. “Even though you once did it yourself?”

A small gasp escaped from Riku.

Yes—his islands had fallen into the darkness once. He’d thought he would never be able to go home again. He wouldn’t let anyone spoil that home now.

“Pluto! Go on!” Riku called, and Pluto replied with a deep bark before leaping into the light.

I think Isa must have been very traumatized that his home was destroyed, too. Saïx certainly was very harsh with Riku for destroying his home. Pluto was also present in the scene. This is right before he kidnapped Kairi. Maybe it was supposed to be revealed that Saïx knew Axel would be at the Villain’s Vale because it was nostalgic to them both. 

Radiant Garden—full of light.

Dilan, the imposing guard, picked up a pair of suspicious young intruders and ejected them from the gate.

“Ow! Cut it out!” shouted Lea, the one with red hair.

“You should be grateful I only tossed you out,” Dilan stated, at which Aeleus nodded silently behind him.

Axel looking over that cliff is actually similar to how he is able to see all of Twilight Town from the clock tower. Maybe there’s a connection? He even found a cliff to gaze from in KH3. I hate how KH3 made it seem like Lea was perfectly content to view Twilight Town as his home like Roxas. Radiant Garden was the city of light.

Twilight Town was a special place, very close to the realm between. Among all the worlds, there were hardly any others like it. The three of them always came to Twilight Town because they felt at ease here…because twilight was closer to darkness than to light.

Why had it never occurred to him to wonder what was inside the old mansion? It was odd that he hadn’t given it any thought before. The world rippled and wriggled. Others had felt it, too—that they should come here.

But what led us here? Axel thought. Maybe I’m becoming connected to the Keyblade master, too.

Axel felt at ease in Twilight Town because it was closer to darkness than the light. That’s what he was thinking on Day 356 which was called “A Place to Belong”. Lea never once mentioned Radiant Garden, though. It’s not very realistic. I think Nomura put that line in because he recognized the absurdity of it.